Suspended anchor ring

Abstract

The present invention relates to a closure device (1) for a container, said closure device comprising a base element (2) and a closure device (3), the base element having a pouring spout (19) that extends along a closure axis (50), the closure device comprising a closure cap (4), an anchor ring (5), a connecting element (8), and at least one easily tearable web (23a, 23b). In a delivery state, the at least one easily tearable web connects the anchor ring to the closure cap, and tears apart during an initial opening rotational movement. The connecting element connects the anchor ring to the closure cap in a movable and tension-resistant manner. At least a peripheral portion of the anchor ring is further away from the closure cap (4) in the direction of the closure axis (50) when in the resealed state compared to in the delivery state. The present invention also relates to a cardboard packaging and to a closure device.

Description

[0001] Hanging anchor ring

[0002] The present invention relates to a closure device for a container, in particular a cardboard packaging, wherein the closure device comprises a base element, wherein the base element has a pouring spout extending along a closure axis with an inlet opening and a pouring opening. The closure device also has a closure device, wherein the closure device comprises a closure cap, wherein the closure cap has a cap cover plate and a cap jacket adjoining the cap cover plate on the circumference, and wherein the closure cap, in a closed state of the closure device, is mounted on the base element so as to be rotatable about the closure axis relative to the base element, such that the closure cap is rotatable in an opening direction relative to the base element.The closure device further comprises an anchor ring and a connecting element, wherein the connecting element connects the anchor ring movably and tensile-resistant to the closure cap, and wherein the connecting element, the anchor ring, and the closure cap are designed and arranged such that the closure cap, after the opening rotational movement, can be moved into an open state in which the closure cap exposes the pouring opening. In this way, the closure cap is captively connected to the base element via the anchor ring and the connecting element, even in the open state. The present invention further relates to a cardboard packaging with such a closure device and a closure device.

[0003] In order to indicate to the consumer whether such a closure device has already been opened for the first time, such closure devices often have tearable webs which, in the delivery state, connect the closure cap to another component of the closure device, for example the anchor ring, and which tear when opened for the first time. Such webs are also referred to as bridges or easily tearable bridges. The webs usually extend parallel to the closure axis so that an axial tensile force can cause the webs to tear. Such an axial tensile force is known to be achieved by the closure cap lifting when the closure is unscrewed, so that the webs are pulled towards the pouring opening (upwards), whereby the webs are simultaneously axially fixed at their end facing the inlet opening or are restricted in their axial freedom of movement.In addition, it is important for aseptic closure devices that the web breaks before a cutting device, which is also driven by the rotation of the closure cap, cuts into the aseptically sealed container.

[0004] In addition to the closure devices with anchor rings mentioned above, closure devices with a removable tamper-evident ring are also known. This tamper-evident ring is also attached to the cap body by at least one easily tearable bar when delivered. Removable tamper-evident rings are a distinctive sign of the first opening of a closure because they detach completely from the cap body after initial opening.

[0005] Against this background, it is an object of the present invention to make the initial opening of the anchor rings addressed here clearly recognizable and reliably distinguishable from the delivery state.

[0006] This object is achieved by a closure device for a container, in particular a packaging carton, wherein the closure device comprises a base element and a closure device, wherein the base element has a pouring spout extending along a closure axis with an inlet opening and a pouring opening, wherein the closure device has a closure cap, an anchor ring, a connecting element and at least one easily tearable web, wherein the closure cap is mounted on the base element so as to be rotatable about the closure axis in a closed state of the closure device, so that the closure cap is rotatable in an opening direction relative to the base element, wherein the anchor ring is mounted on the base element so as to be rotatable about the closure axis, wherein the at least one easily tearable web in a delivery state, before a first opening rotational movement of the closure cap has taken place,connects the anchor ring directly and / or indirectly to the closure cap, and the closure device is designed such that the easily tearable web tears upon a first opening rotational movement, wherein the connecting element connects the anchor ring movably and tensile-resistant to the closure cap, wherein the connecting element, the anchor ring, and the closure cap are designed and arranged such that the closure cap can be moved into an open state after the opening rotational movement, in which the closure cap releases the pouring opening, and wherein the closure device is designed and arranged such that the anchor ring, in a reclosed state, is further away from the closure cap, at least in a circumferential section in the direction of the closure axis, than in the delivery state.

[0007] This describes various recurring states of the locking device or locking mechanism, for which the following state definitions apply:

[0008] Delivery condition: completely unopened state of the locking device with intact bars before the first opening rotation;

[0009] Unscrewed state: partially opened state after the first opening rotation or repeated opening rotations with torn webs, in which the closure cap rests loosely on the pouring opening without sealing it tightly;

[0010] Opened state: state in which the closure cap is moved, in particular pivoted away, from the pouring opening and releases it for pouring out the contents of the packaging;

[0011] Resealed state: Describes the state in which the cap is screwed back on after reaching the unscrewed state or the open state;

[0012] Sealed state: This generic term includes the delivery state and the resealed state in which the cap tightly closes the pouring opening.

[0013] The at least one easily tearable web can connect the anchor ring in the delivery state either directly to the closure cap or to the connecting element, or to both the closure cap and the connecting element, with the connecting element in turn being connected to the anchor ring and the closure cap at another point in a tensile-resistant manner. The web initially connects the anchor ring indirectly to the closure cap via the connecting element. Preferably, a total of at least two and a maximum of five easily tearable webs are provided, which engage at several positions on the anchor ring distributed in the circumferential direction.

[0014] The ability of the anchor ring to rotate is required, unlike ring elements that are deliberately prevented from rotating to force the bars to tear during the initial opening rotation due to a relative rotational movement between the closure cap and the ring element. This is because the anchor ring remains connected to the closure cap via the connecting element even after the bars have been torn and must therefore be able to rotate when the closure cap is turned. Accordingly, the ability to rotate is already present in the delivery state as well as in the opened state and is preferably not limited to partial rotation.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the anchor ring, in the resealed state, is spaced substantially equally from the closure cap over its entire circumference. However, this is not important. According to the invention, it is also sufficient if the anchor ring, in the resealed state, is further away from the closure cap in a circumferential section along the closure axis than in the as-delivered state in order to clearly indicate that it has been opened for the first time. This is to be understood to mean that the anchor ring has a maximum distance from the closure cap within the circumferential section. In this embodiment of the invention, the anchor ring, in the resealed state, is inclined relative to the closure cap (hanging anchor ring), for example, and is therefore easier to visually distinguish from the as-delivered state if the anchor ring and the closure cap were arranged parallel in the as-delivered state.In all embodiments of the invention, the anchor ring fulfils a dual function: firstly, it permanently binds the closure cap to the base element and secondly, it serves as a tamper-evident seal.

[0016] In the context of this document, the terms "below" and "above" or "bottom" and "top" refer to the direction of gravity and the arrangement of the closure device on the top of an upright container. In this sense, for example, the inlet opening of the pouring spout is at the bottom and the outlet opening at the top.

[0017] For the purposes of this document, lists of elements are to be understood exclusively as a differentiation of different elements. Therefore, if, for example, a second section is mentioned, this does not necessarily mean that there must be two separate sections. A second section can therefore also exist without a first section existing—at least as long as there is no explicit mention of a first section.

[0018] For the purposes of the present specification, the term "at least one easily tearable web" includes one or more easily tearable webs, whereby the expression "the at least one easily tearable web" can address two different easily tearable webs despite the use of the definite article. According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the anchor ring in the reclosed state is spaced at least in the circumferential section from the closure cap or from the connecting element by at least 0.40 mm, preferably at least 0.60 mm and particularly preferably at least 1.00 mm. Furthermore, the distance between the anchor ring and the closure cap or between the anchor ring and the connecting element in the reclosed state is at most 3.00 mm, particularly preferably at most 2.00 mm.

[0019] The distance or gap that forms after resealing between the anchor ring and the closure cap, or between the anchor ring and the connecting element with these dimensions, has again proven to be particularly visually perceptible. If the anchor ring is further away from the closure cap in only one circumferential section after resealing than it was in the delivery state, the lack of parallelism between the hanging anchor ring and the closure cap also clearly indicates that the closure has already been opened.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the base element has a contact plane oriented substantially perpendicular to the closure axis, wherein the base element and the closure device are designed and arranged such that the anchor ring, in the delivery state, is completely spaced from the contact plane in the direction of the closure axis.

[0021] The contact plane is understood to be the plane perpendicular to the closure axis in which the movement of an otherwise axially freely movable anchor ring in the direction of the inlet opening (downward) is limited. The plane can be defined, for example, by a flat surface of the base element or by a plurality of support points on the base element, which support points are formed, for example, by a plurality of vertical ribs along the outer circumference of the pouring spout. In the delivered state, the distance between the anchor ring and the contact plane is clearly visible to the naked eye as a circumferential gap. After initial opening, i.e. when the anchor ring is no longer connected to the closure cap by the webs, the anchor ring moves downwards, at least in the circumferential section, as far as the contact plane, and in this way visually indicates the opened or reclosed state in a way that is clearly distinguishable from the delivered state.According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the anchor ring, in the reclosed state, has, at least in the circumferential section, a distance from the contact plane of no distance to a maximum of 1.50 mm, in particular a maximum of 1.00 mm. Within these values, the change compared to the delivery state is particularly clearly visible, regardless of whether the anchor ring has actually approached the contact plane only in a circumferential section or over its entire circumference.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the base element has a fastening flange for connection to the container, with an upper side of the fastening flange oriented toward the pouring opening defining the contact plane. This design allows for a low overall height of the closure device while maintaining a sufficient gap width.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the anchor ring, in the as-delivered state, is spaced from the contact plane in the direction of the closure axis by at least 0.40 mm, preferably at least 0.70 mm, further preferably at least 1.00 mm and particularly preferably at least 1.50 mm. Furthermore, the distance between the anchor ring and the contact plane in the as-delivered state is preferably at most 10.00 mm, in particular at most 3.00 mm and particularly preferably at most 2.00 mm. This initial gap width has proven to be particularly easy to visually perceive. In particular, with this gap width, the parallelism between the contact plane and the anchor ring can be reliably detected visually.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the closure cap has a cap cover plate and a cap jacket adjoining the cap cover plate on the circumference, wherein the at least one easily tearable web connects the anchor ring directly or indirectly to the cap jacket in the delivery state.

[0025] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the base element has a retaining ring, wherein the anchor ring and the retaining ring are designed and arranged relative to one another in such a way that the retaining ring blocks axial movement of the anchor ring in the direction of the pouring opening. In this way, the anchor ring is captively connected to the base element, wherein the connecting element, in turn, connects the closure cap to the anchor ring in a tensile-resistant manner, so that the closure cap, along with the anchor ring, is also captively connected to the base element, both in the closed state and in the screwed-on or opened state.According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the connecting device has a retaining strap and a hinge element, wherein the retaining strap connects the anchor ring to the hinge element, wherein the hinge element defines a pivot axis and pivotally connects the retaining strap to the closure cap, wherein the retaining strap, the hinge element, the anchor ring and the closure cap are designed and arranged such that the closure cap can be pivoted into the open state after the opening rotational movement about the pivot axis.

[0026] Particularly preferably, the pivot axis lies in a plane perpendicular to the locking axis.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the anchor ring is connected to the hinge element in the delivery state by means of the at least one easily tearable web, and the closure device is designed such that the easily tearable web tears during the first opening rotational movement.

[0028] This is a specific embodiment of the closure device in which the at least one easily tearable web connects the anchor ring in the delivery state directly to the connecting element, more precisely to the hinge element, and thus indirectly via the hinge element and the retaining strap to the closure cap.

[0029] Particularly preferably, at least two easily tearable webs are provided, wherein at least a first of the at least two easily tearable webs connects the anchor ring, as described above, in the delivery state at a first circumferential position to the connecting element, and more precisely to the hinge element, and at least a second of the at least two easily tearable webs connects the anchor ring at a second circumferential position directly to the closure cap.

[0030] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the connecting element, in the reclosed state, is designed to exert an axial force in the direction of the inlet opening (downward) on the anchor ring while supporting itself against the closure cap, and to push the anchor ring away from the closure cap. Such a force acts on the anchor ring in such a way that, in the reclosed state, at least in a circumferential section of the contact plane, it approaches the closure axis in the direction of the closure axis compared to the delivery state. The cause of the axial force is an at most partially reversible deformation of the connecting element, in particular a deformation of the hinge element or the retaining strap or both parts, which occurs during initial opening, i.e. when the closure cap is moved away from the pouring opening.In particular, when the closure cap is pivoted away, i.e., when the hinge element is actuated, a deformation of the hinge element and / or the retaining band occurs. When the closure cap is reclosed, i.e., when the closure cap is moved back and screwed onto the pouring opening, the deformation remains at least partially. This part of the deformation, in the reclosed state, creates tension in the closure device, which acts on the axially movable anchor ring and moves it along the closure axis toward the contact plane.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, at least one radially inwardly orientable tab is arranged on a radially inner side of the anchor ring for axially supporting the anchor ring on the base element, in particular on the retaining ring. Preferably, the tab is pivotally connected to the ring element.

[0032] In particular, the ring element can have a single radially inwardly orientable tab or, alternatively, a plurality of radially inwardly orientable tabs spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction. In particular, in the case of a plurality of tabs, the tabs are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction on the radially inner side of the anchor ring in order to support the anchor ring evenly on the base element, in particular on the retaining ring, and to prevent any tilting movement.

[0033] An anchor ring designed with one or more tabs is also referred to as a flexible band. The tabs are not considered part of the anchor ring in the context of this document and are not taken into account when determining the radial clearance between the anchor ring and the pouring spout.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the closure device comprises a cutting device arranged at least partially within the pouring spout with a cutting element, wherein the closure device comprises a driver device, wherein the driver device and the cutting device are designed and arranged such that a first rotation of the closure cap in the opening direction of rotation causes a movement of the cutting element from an initial position of the cutting element in a direction pointing from the pouring opening to the inlet opening, so that the cutting element can be moved at least partially through the inlet opening.Particularly in the case of so-called aseptic closure devices, early and reliable tearing of the easily tearable webs is desirable in order to indicate whether an initially aseptically sealed container has already been opened for the first time - even if unintentionally.

[0035] The present invention also relates to a cardboard packaging with a closure device according to one of the embodiments described above.

[0036] The present invention also relates to a closure device with a closure cap, an anchor ring, a connecting element and at least one easily tearable web, wherein the connecting element connects the anchor ring to the closure cap in a tensile-resistant manner, wherein the connecting element is designed, in the reclosed state, to exert an axial force on the anchor ring in the direction of the inlet opening while being supported against the closure cap and to press the anchor ring away from the closure cap.

[0037] Features of the closure device which have been described in the preceding paragraphs exclusively in connection with a closure device according to the invention also represent optional features of the closure device according to the invention.

[0038] Embodiments of closure devices, closure means or base elements according to the invention are designed such that they can be used for beverage containers, in particular for beverage carton packaging.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the base element, and more precisely the pouring spout, has an external thread, and the closure cap has an internal thread corresponding to the external thread, with the thread pitch being greater than zero. The external thread and the internal thread are designed such that they engage when the closure cap is in the closed state and are disengaged by the opening rotational movement.

[0040] According to an alternative embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the base element, and more precisely the pouring spout, has a guide channel and the closure cap has a bayonet element, preferably a radially inwardly projecting projection, which can be guided in the guide channel, wherein the guide channel has a first guide channel section, wherein the first guide channel extends exclusively in a plane perpendicular to the closure axis, so that the closure cap can be rotated relative to the base element over an angle of rotation without the closure cap being axially lifted.According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the guide channel additionally has a ramp section adjoining the first guide channel section in the direction of rotation. The ramp section is designed such that guiding the bayonet element along the ramp section causes the closure cap to be axially lifted. For example, the ramp section can be designed as a channel or a single rib with a gradient greater than zero relative to a plane perpendicular to the closure axis.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the closure device including the closure cap is mounted on the base element in the closed state of the closure device relative to the base element about the closure axis, so that the closure cap is rotatable relative to the base element in an opening direction of rotation in order to bring the closure device into the open state

[0042] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the closure cap and the anchor ring are mounted jointly on the base element in the closed state of the closure device so that they can rotate about the closure axis relative to the base element, so that a rotation of the closure cap causes a co-rotation of the anchor ring and a rotation of the anchor ring causes a co-rotation of the closure cap.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the closure device is made of plastic, preferably at least components of the closure device are made of PE.

[0044] According to one embodiment of the closure device according to the invention, the anchor ring has an axial height of 0.5 mm to 6 mm, preferably of 1.0 mm to 5 mm.

[0045] Further advantages, features, and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following figures. They show:

[0046] Figure 1 shows a top view of an embodiment of the closure device according to the invention; Figure 2 shows a side view of the closure device according to Figure 1, cut in a first sectional plane, wherein the closure device is in an initially closed delivery state;

[0047] Figure 3 Enlarged section from Figure 2;

[0048] Figure 4 shows a side view of the closure device according to Figure 1 in a second sectional plane, wherein the closure device is in an initially closed delivery state;

[0049] Figure 5 Enlarged section from Figure 4;

[0050] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the closure device according to Figure 1, wherein the closure device is in a reclosed state;

[0051] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the closure device according to Figure 6 from the opposite direction;

[0052] Figure 8 is a side view of the closure device according to Figure 1 in the first sectional plane, wherein the closure device is in the reclosed state and

[0053] Figure 9 is a side view of the closure device according to Figure 1 in the second sectional plane, wherein the closure device is in the reclosed state.

[0054] Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the closure device according to the invention in three different views and two enlarged sections, each in the same initially closed state. Figure 1 shows a plan view of the closure device, in which two sectional planes AA and BB are drawn. Figure 2 shows the sectional view in plane AA and Figure 3 shows an enlarged section of the area C shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 shows a sectional view of the closure device in the sectional plane BB and Figure 5 shows an enlarged section of the area D from Figure 4. Figures 6 to 9 then show the closure device according to the invention in a changed state, namely a reclosed state after a first opening rotational movement.In Figures 6 and 7, the closure device is shown in a perspective view from opposite directions, in Figure 8 again as a sectional view analogous to plane AA and in Figure 9 as a sectional view analogous to plane BB.

[0055] The same reference symbols are used in all figure drawings. The following description of the figures refers equally to all figures 1 to 9, unless individual figures are explicitly mentioned.

[0056] The closure device 1 has a base element 2 and a closure device 3. The base element 2 comprises a pouring spout 19 extending along a closure axis 50, which has an inlet opening 11 on its underside and a pouring opening 14 axially opposite, i.e. on its outlet side. The closure device 3 has a closure cap 4, an anchor ring 5, a connecting device 8 and at least one easily tearable web 23. In a closed state of the closure device 1, the closure cap 4 is mounted on the base element 2 so as to be rotatable about the closure axis 50 and is rotatable relative to the base element 2 in an opening direction of rotation.More precisely, in this embodiment of the closure device 1 according to the invention, the closure cap 4 on the one hand and the base element 2, more precisely the pouring spout 19, are provided with corresponding threads, wherein the pouring spout 19 comprises an external thread 15 and the closure cap 4 comprises an internal thread 26. The thread causes the closure cap 4 to lift upwards from the base element 2 when rotated in the opening direction along the closure axis 50 in the direction of the pouring opening 14.

[0057] The anchor ring 5 is also rotatably mounted on the base element 2 about the closure axis 50 and can therefore rotate together with the closure cap 4 during opening. This co-rotation is brought about before an initial opening rotational movement, among other things, by the at least one easily tearable web 23, which, in the delivery state shown in Figures 1 to 5, i.e., before an initial opening rotational movement of the closure cap 4 has occurred, connects the anchor ring 5 indirectly on the one hand and directly on the other hand to the closure cap 4. Due to the upward movement of the closure cap 4 when rotating in the opening direction, which the anchor ring 5 cannot follow for the reasons explained below, the easily tearable web 23 tears when the closure is opened for the first time. The connecting element 8 also connects the anchor ring 5 to the closure cap 4, but unlike the easily tearable web 23, it is movable and tensile-resistant.The connecting element 8, the anchor ring 5, and the closure cap 4 are designed and arranged such that, after the opening rotational movement, i.e., when the external thread 15 of the pouring spout 19 and the internal thread 26 of the closure cap 4 are no longer engaged, the closure cap 4 can be moved into an open state in which the closure cap 4 exposes the pouring opening 14. This state is not shown in the figures.

[0058] The base element 2 has a contact plane 17 oriented substantially perpendicular to the closure axis 50. Specifically, the base element 2 has a fastening flange 12 for connection to a container (not shown), wherein an upper side of the fastening flange 12 oriented in the direction of the pouring opening 14 defines precisely this contact plane 17. The base element 2 is connected to the container, for example, a cardboard packaging, by means of the fastening flange 12, for example by ultrasonic welding or by gluing.

[0059] The base element 2 and the closure device 3 are designed and arranged in such a way that the anchor ring 50, in the delivery state shown, is spaced apart from the contact plane 17 by a distance a over its entire circumference in the direction of the closure axis 5. In the reclosed state shown in Figures 6 to 9, the anchor ring 5 is brought so close over its entire circumference and thus at least in a circumferential section of the contact plane 17, compared to the delivery state shown in Figures 1 to 5 in the direction of the closure axis 50, that the reclosed state is clearly evident, on the one hand, from the missing distance a between the anchor ring 5 and the contact plane 17 and, on the other hand, from the distance between the anchor ring 5 and the closure cap 4.

[0060] The axial distance a in the direction of the closure axis 50 between the anchor ring 5 and the contact plane 17 in the as-delivered state is preferably at least 0.40 mm, particularly preferably at least 0.70 mm, furthermore preferably at least 1.00 mm and particularly preferably at least 1.50 mm. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figures 6 to 8, there is no distance between the anchor ring 5 and the contact plane 17 in the reclosed state. In order to make the reclosed state visually clearly distinguishable from the as-delivered state, such a distance in the reclosed state is at most 1.50 mm, preferably at most 1.00 mm.Instead of the distance a, in the reclosed state, a distance b appears between the anchor ring 5 and the closure cap 4 on the one hand and between the anchor ring 5 and the connecting element 8 on the other hand, which distance b is preferably at least 0.40 mm, particularly preferably 0.60 mm and furthermore preferably at least 1.00 mm. Since the anchor ring 5 in the illustrated embodiment is lowered completely onto the contact plane 17, the distance b forms on at least two opposite sides in the sectional view in Figure 7. In the sectional view perpendicular to this in Figure 8, the distance b is distributed over two partial sections which are separated by a part of the connecting element 8.

[0061] The closure cap 4 has a cap cover plate 6 and a cap jacket 7 which adjoins the cap cover plate 6 on the circumference, wherein the at least one easily tearable web 23 connects the anchor ring 5 in the delivery state directly and indirectly to the cap jacket 7.

[0062] The base element 2 of the exemplary embodiment of the closure device 1 has a retaining ring 20, wherein the anchor ring 5 and the retaining ring 20 are designed and arranged relative to one another in such a way that the retaining ring 20 blocks axial movement of the anchor ring 5 in the direction of the pouring opening 14. The retaining ring 20 is located in the axial direction at the level of the transition between the cylindrical section 21 and the threaded section 22 of the pouring spout 19 along its outer circumference. The anchor ring 5 is therefore only axially movable in the region of the cylindrical section 21.

[0063] Specifically, the anchor ring 5 does not engage directly with the retaining ring 20. According to the exemplary embodiment shown, at least one radially inwardly orientable tab 16 is arranged on a radially inner side of the anchor ring 5, which tab axially supports the anchor ring 5 on the base element 2, i.e. on the retaining ring 20. The exemplary embodiment has a plurality of such tabs evenly spaced from one another in the circumferential direction, so that this support occurs evenly over the entire circumference and thus the lifting of the closure cap 4 in the axial direction does not lead to tilting moments. The plurality of tabs is also referred to as the inner flexible band section. The entirety of all tabs and the anchor ring is also referred to as the flexible band.

[0064] In this exemplary embodiment, the connecting element 8 has a retaining strap 9 and a hinge element 10, wherein the retaining strap 9 connects the anchor ring 5 to the hinge element 10. The hinge element 10 defines a pivot axis 18 and pivotally connects the retaining strap 9 to the closure cap 4, wherein the hinge element 10, the anchor ring 5, and the closure cap 4 are designed and arranged such that the closure cap 4 can be pivoted into the open state after the opening rotational movement about the pivot axis 18. The pivot axis is arranged, as can be seen in Figure 7, in a plane perpendicular to the closure axis 50.

[0065] In the delivery state according to Figures 1 to 5, the anchor ring 5 is connected to the hinge element 10 by means of an easily tearable web 23a. On the side opposite the hinge element 10, the anchor ring 5 is directly connected to the closure cap by means of two easily tearable webs 23b. The closure device 1 is designed such that, during the initial opening rotational movement, all three easily tearable webs 23a, 23b preferably tear almost simultaneously. In the reclosed state according to Figures 6 to 8, the tearable webs are accordingly represented as torn webs, also with the reference numerals 23a and 23b.

[0066] As can be seen in the reclosed state, the anchor ring 5 rests completely on the contact plane 17. This position of the anchor ring 5 is ensured by the fact that, according to the embodiment of the closure device 1, the connecting element 8 is designed, in the reclosed state, to bear against the closure cap 4 engaging with the thread of the base element 2, to exert an axial force in the direction of the inlet opening 11 on the anchor ring 5 and to press it away from the closure cap 4 towards the contact plane 17. The cause of the axial force is a deformation of the connecting element 8 that is at most partially reversible, in particular a deformation of the hinge element 10 and / or the retaining band 9, which occurs when the closure cap 4 is pivoted away from the pouring opening 14 for the first time, i.e. when the hinge element 10 is actuated for the first time. When reclosing, i.e.After the closure cap 4 is moved back and screwed onto the pouring opening 14, the deformation remains partially intact. This part of the deformation, in the reclosed state, creates a tension in the closure device 3, which acts downward on the anchor ring 5 and moves it along the closure axis 50 toward the contact plane 17.

[0067] To enable a consumer to operate the closure cap safely and in a controlled manner during the opening rotation, the cap skirt 8 of the closure cap 4 has a grip 13. To ensure a good seal of the pouring spout when closed, the closure cap 4 has an internal sealing ring 27, which extends axially downward from the cap cover plate 6 and is annular in shape. This sealing ring 27 presses against the inside of the pouring spout 19 when the closure device 1 is closed.

[0068] In Figures 2 and 4, i.e., in the as-delivered state, cutting elements 25 can be seen inside the pouring spout 19. In the as-delivered state, the cutting elements have not yet emerged downward through the inlet opening 11. In this state, the cardboard packaging is still tightly sealed. Only during the first opening rotation, and in particular only when it is ensured that the easily tearable webs 23a, 23b have been torn off due to the lifting of the closure cap 4, does a driver web 24, which is integrally formed on the inside of the cap cover plate 6, engage with a cutting device 30, which comprises the cutting elements 25. The driver web 24 sets the cutting device 30 into corotation with the rotational movement of the closure cap 4. The cutting device 30 has an external thread 28 which interacts with a corresponding internal thread 29 on the base element 2, inside the pouring spout 19.As a result, the rotational movement of the closure cap 4 transmitted by the drive bar 24 to the cutting device 30 is translated into an axial feed movement of the cutting device 30 and thus of the cutting elements 25. Due to the downward movement and simultaneous rotation, the cutting elements 25 then cut an opening in the cardboard packaging. To ensure that, in the case of so-called aseptic cardboard packaging, the cutting only occurs when the easily tearable bars have already been torn, the drive bar 24 and corresponding engagement points on the cutting device 30 are arranged relative to one another in such a way that the cutting device 30 is only driven after a rotation angle of typically 75 to 90° has been reached during the initial opening rotational movement.

[0069] List of reference symbols

[0070] 1 locking device

[0071] 2 Basic element

[0072] 3 locking device

[0073] 4 cap

[0074] 5 anchor ring

[0075] 6 Cap cover plate

[0076] 7 cap coat

[0077] 8 Connecting element

[0078] 9 Retaining strap

[0079] 10 Hinge element

[0080] 11 Entrance opening

[0081] 12 Mounting flange

[0082] 13 Grip serration

[0083] 14 Pouring opening

[0084] 15 external threads

[0085] 16 Tab, internal flexible band section

[0086] 17 Contact level

[0087] 18 Swivel axis

[0088] 19 Pouring spout

[0089] 20 Retaining ring

[0090] 21 Cylinder section

[0091] 22 threaded section

[0092] 23a, 23b Tearable bridge / torn bridge

[0093] 24 Carrier bar

[0094] 25 cutting element

[0095] 26 internal threads

[0096] 27 Sealing ring

[0097] 28 external thread of the cutting device

[0098] 29 Internal thread of the cutting device

[0099] 30 Cutting device

[0100] 50 locking axis a axial distance

Claims

Patent claims Closure device (1) for a container, wherein the closure device (1) comprises a base element (2) and a closure device (3), wherein the base element (2) has a pouring spout (19) extending along a closure axis (50) with an inlet opening (11) and a pouring opening (14), wherein the closure device (3) has a closure cap (4), an anchor ring (5), a connecting element (8) and at least one easily tearable web (23a, 23b), wherein the closure cap (4) is mounted on the base element (2) so as to be rotatable about the closure axis (50) in a closed state of the closure device (1), so that the closure cap (4) is rotatable in an opening direction relative to the base element (2), wherein the anchor ring (5) is mounted on the base element (2) so as to be rotatable about the closure axis (50), wherein the at least one easily tearable web (23a, 23b) in a Delivery condition,before a first opening rotational movement of the closure cap (4) has taken place, the anchor ring (5) is connected directly and / or indirectly to the closure cap (4), and the closure device (1) is designed such that the easily tearable web (23a, 23b) is torn during a first opening rotational movement, wherein the connecting element (8) connects the anchor ring (5) to the closure cap (4) in a movable and tensile-resistant manner, wherein the connecting element (8), the anchor ring (5), and the closure cap (4) are designed and arranged such that the closure cap (4) can be moved into an open state after the opening rotational movement, in which the closure cap (4) releases the pouring opening (14), and wherein the closure device (3) is designed such thatthat the anchor ring (5) in a reclosed state is further away from the closure cap (4) at least in a circumferential section in the direction of the closure axis (50) than in the delivery state. Closure device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the anchor ring (5) in the reclosed state is at least in the circumferential section by at least 0.40 mm, preferably at least 0.60 mm and especially, preferably at least 1.00 mm away from the closure cap (4) or from the connecting element (8). Closure device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base element (2) has a contact plane (17) oriented substantially perpendicular to the closure axis (50), wherein the base element (2) and the closure device (3) are designed and arranged such that the anchor ring (5) is spaced from the contact plane (17) over its entire circumference in the direction of the closure axis (50) in the as-delivered state. Closure device (1) according to claim 3, wherein the anchor ring (5) in the reclosed state has a distance from the contact plane (17) of no distance at all to a maximum of 1.50 mm, in particular a maximum of 1.00 mm, at least in the circumferential section.Closure device (1) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the base element (2) has a fastening flange (12) for connection to a container, and wherein an upper side of the fastening flange (12) oriented in the direction of the pouring opening (14) defines the contact plane (17). Closure device (1) according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the anchor ring (5) is spaced from the contact plane (17) in the direction of the closure axis (50) by at least 0.40 mm, preferably at least 0.70 mm, further preferably at least 1.00 mm, and particularly preferably at least 1.50 mm in the delivered state.Closure device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the closure cap (4) has a cap cover plate (6) and a cap skirt (7) peripherally adjoining the cap cover plate (6), wherein the at least one easily tearable web (23a, 23b) connects the anchor ring (5) directly or indirectly to the cap skirt (7) in the delivery state. Closure device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the base element (2) has a retaining ring (20). wherein the anchor ring (5) and the retaining ring (20) are designed and arranged relative to one another in such a way that the retaining ring (20) blocks an axial movement of the anchor ring (5) in the direction of the pouring opening (14).

9. Closure device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting element (8) has a retaining band (9) and a hinge element (10), wherein the retaining band (9) connects the anchor ring (5) to the hinge element (10), wherein the hinge element (10) defines a pivot axis (18) and pivotally connects the retaining band (9) to the closure cap (4), wherein the retaining band (9), the hinge element (10), the anchor ring (5) and the closure cap (4) are designed and arranged such that the closure cap (4) can be pivoted into the open state after the opening rotational movement about the pivot axis (18).

10. Closure device (1) according to claim 9, wherein the pivot axis (18) lies in a plane perpendicular to the closure axis (50).

11. Closure device (1) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the anchor ring (5) is connected to the hinge element (10) in the delivery state by means of the at least one easily tearable web (23a), and the closure device (1) is designed such that the easily tearable web (23a) tears during the first opening rotational movement.

12. Closure device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting element (8) is arranged, in the reclosed state, to bear against the closure cap (4), to exert an axial force in the direction of the inlet opening (11) on the anchor ring (5) and to press it away from the closure cap (4).

13. Closure device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein on a radially inner side of the anchor ring (5) at least one radially inwardly orientable tab (16) is arranged for axially supporting the anchor ring (5) on the base element (2), in particular on the retaining ring (20). Closure device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the closure device (1) comprises a cutting device arranged at least partially within the pouring spout, having a cutting element (25), and wherein the closure cap (4) comprises a driver device, wherein the driver device and the cutting device are designed and arranged such that a first rotation of the closure cap (4) in the opening direction of rotation causes a movement of the cutting element (25) from an initial position of the cutting element (25) in a direction pointing from the pouring opening (14) to the inlet opening (11), such that the cutting element (25) can be moved at least partially through the inlet opening (11). Cardboard packaging with a closure device (1) according to one of the preceding claims.Closure device (3) with a closure cap (4), an anchor ring (5), a connecting element (8) and at least one easily tearable web (23a, 23b), wherein the connecting element (8) connects the anchor ring (5) to the closure cap (4) in a tensile-resistant manner, wherein the connecting element (8) is designed, in the reclosed state, to bear against the closure cap (4), to exert an axial force in the direction of the inlet opening (11) on the anchor ring (5) and to press it away from the closure cap (4).