EP1896339B1 - Stopper device for the neck of a container, container provided with such a device, method for stopping such a container and method for production of such a device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a stopper device with an external cap made from plastic and an internal insert for fixing the device around the neck of the container. The sleeve of the cap forms a head, into which the insert may be introduced and permanently fixed and a skirt extending axially from the insert. According to the invention, contamination on the neck of the container may be limited and the appearance improved. Particularly at the base of the neck, the skirt essentially forms a frustum converging towards the axis of the sleeve on extending from the head, before the installation of the device around the neck, the frustum forming, at the end opposite the head, an internal surface to come into contact against the container neck under the influence of an elastic deformation of the sleeve as a result of the installation of the device around the neck.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for plugging a neck of a container and a container equipped with such a device, as well as a method of plugging a container by means of such a device and a method for manufacturing such a device. The invention relates in particular, but not exclusively, to glass containers containing an alcoholic beverage, especially wine.

Traditionally, bottles of wine are blocked by a cork stopper stuck inside the neck of the bottle, then covered with a metal cladding, usually a sheet of aluminum conforming to the outer shape of the neck.

To facilitate the unblocking of glass bottles and especially their refilling, it has been proposed in the past to replace the corks with removable metal plugs, generally able to be screwed around the neck and unscrewed. The tightness of the closure is achieved by means of a sealing member, in practice a disc, retained inside the cap, near its bottom wall. These metal plugs frequently have a screwable head and a collar immobilized around the base of the neck of the bottle, frangible metal bridges connecting the head to the collar before the first uncorking of the bottle. The collar dresses the base of the collar and, according to its dimensions and / or its colors, gives a pleasant aesthetic to the neck of the bottle. However, these metal plugs are relatively dangerous for the user who may cut themselves during handling.

In FR-A-1,372,671 , EP-A-0 592 721 , FR-A-2,267,952 and WO-A-00/07898 plastic plugs have been proposed in the form of a relatively flexible cap, commonly called a "capsule" and at the bottom of which a sealing gasket can be housed, in order to be received inside the neck of a cap. bottle, while the cap's skirt dresses the outside of the collar. The flexibility of the skirt in principle allows to marry the outer face of the neck. However, in practice, the skirts of these caps are provided cylindrical circular base so that when the necks to be butchered have an elaborate geometry or when, even for a given geometry, these necks suffer from a dispersion with respect to their exterior contours, the effect of dressing the collar "closer" is not obtained. In addition, this kind of flexible cap, which is torn at the first opening, does not allow to be placed at will around the neck to close the latter.

WO-A-00/63089 proposes a closure device with three main components, namely an external cap, an internal insert permanently immobilized in this cap and a sealing disc retained in the insert. The insert is intended to allow the screwing and unscrewing of the device vis-à-vis a container neck, which can thus lead and re-seal at will, while the outer cap is specifically dedicated to the search of aesthetics of the device, completely masking the insert. WO-A-00/63089 thus envisages rigid caps, both in metal, with the potential problems of cutting mentioned above, than in plastic. In both cases, the caps comprise a tubular sleeve with a circular base, consisting of a housing head of the insert and an end flange extending axially beyond the insert, towards the base of the collar of container. However, the aesthetics of the collar of these devices is uncomfortable because this collar is designed to adapt to container necks whose bases have different geometries or even for a given geometry, a fairly large dispersion in terms of their external contours. In practice, the flanges of these devices are generally cylindrical with a circular base and have a small axial dimension to prevent contact and jamming between the rigid outer cap and the glass container neck. The resulting spacing between the closure device and the base of the neck runs the risk that dirt or germs can foul the collar of the outer cap, resulting in sanitary and aesthetic inconvenience.

The object of the present invention is to provide a closure device with an internal insert for removable attachment around a container neck and with an external cap made of plastic, which, in particular at the base of the neck of the butcher container. , limits the risk of fouling of the interior of the cap and whose aesthetics is improved, especially by seeking to mimic the metal plugs mentioned above, and even if the dimensions of the container necks to be equipped with this device present a certain dispersion with regard to their geometries.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a closure device for a container neck, as defined in claim 1.

The closure device according to the invention can thus dress a container neck over most of its length: the free end portion of the neck is surrounded by the head of the sleeve of the cap, in which the insert is housed permanently. Removably connected to this part end of the neck, while the opposite end portion of the neck, that is to say its base connected to the main body of the container, is dressed by the skirt. No radial clearance remains between the neck and the end, opposite the head, of the truncated cone formed by the skirt, due to the pressing pressure of the inner surface of this end. In other words, this truncated cone elastically marries the external shape of the neck, automatically accommodating the possible dimensional tolerances of the base of the neck. No soiling can not creep between the collar and the cap from this end of the truncated cone. In addition, the aesthetics of the skirt is similar to that of the metal collars metal plugs mentioned above. In addition to giving the skirt the elasticity that allows it to accommodate the dimensional changes of the collar, the fact of making the external plastic cap limits the risk of cuts or, more generally, injuries to the user during the manipulation of the closure device according to the invention. In addition, for glass containers, the presence of plastic around the neck of the container poses no significant constraint with respect to the recycling of the glass constituting the container, this plastic can be seamlessly mixed with the molten glass during recycling glass, unlike clogging devices including metal.

Other advantageous features of this device, taken in isolation or in any technically possible combination, are set forth in dependent claims 2 to 6.

The invention also relates to a container, having a collar plugged by a closure device as defined above. This container is advantageously made of glass.

The invention further relates to a method of plugging a neck of a container by means of a device as defined above, according to claim 9.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a closure device for a container neck, as defined in claim 10.

The method according to the invention thus makes it possible, on the one hand, to rapidly dispose of the outer plastic cap and, on the other hand, to easily assemble the closure device, this device being subsequently easily manipulated to be removably attached, for example by being screwed around the neck of the container. The various operations of the manufacturing method according to the invention, both of molding and of the assembly of the various components of the device, which can be implemented according to substantially axial movements, this method is in practice automatable, without impairing its quality. production.

• la figure 1 est une vue éclatée en perspective d'un dispositif de bouchage selon l'invention ; et
• la figure 2 est une coupe longitudinale du dispositif de la figure 1, représenté autour d'un col de récipient, la moitié gauche de la figure illustrant le dispositif à l'état assemblé mais non encore mis en place autour de ce col, tandis que la moitié droite de la figure illustre le dispositif assemblé et mis en place autour du col de manière à boucher ce dernier.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and with reference to the drawings in which:

• the figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a closure device according to the invention; and
• the figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the device of the figure 1 , shown around a container neck, the left half of the figure illustrating the device in the assembled state but not yet put in place around this neck, while the right half of the figure illustrates the device assembled and put in place. place around the neck so as to block the latter.

On the figures 1 and 2 there is shown a closure device 1 adapted to be removably screwed onto a neck 2 of a container 3, for example a bottle glass or the like intended to contain an alcohol, especially wine. The neck 2 has a generally tubular shape with a longitudinal axis XX.

For convenience, the rest of the description will be oriented by considering that the terms "superior" and "high" correspond to a direction generally parallel to the axis XX and away from the collar 2, that is to say a direction directed towards the upper part of figures 1 and 2 , while the terms "lower" and "lower" correspond to an opposite direction.

At its free end, the neck 2 defines a rim 4 at which the liquid in the container is intended to be poured. The outer face of the neck 2 is successively provided, from top to bottom, a helical thread 5 and a heel 6, both radially projecting outwards. At the transition between the lower end of this heel and the remainder of the neck 2, which forms an elongate neck 7, is formed a transverse shoulder 8 slightly inclined relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis X-X. The outer face 7A of the neck 7 is substantially frustoconical of axis X-X and converges towards the shoulder 8.

The closure device 1 essentially comprises three distinct parts, namely a cap 10, an insert 20 and a sealing disc 30, intended to be assembled coaxially with each other, then to be mounted on the neck 2. A the assembled state, the cap 10 and the insert 20 form a plug 40 in one piece, as explained below.

The cap 10 and the insert 20 each have a generally tubular shape of longitudinal axis substantially coincident with the axis XX when the device 1 is assembled and attached to the neck 2 as on the figure 2 . The cap and the insert are each open at their lower end and closed at their upper end by respective bottom walls 11 and 21, at the periphery of each of which extends axially downward respectively a sleeve 12 and a skirt 22 tubular, centered on the axis XX.

The insert 20 is adapted to be introduced inside the cap 10, to be immobilized permanently, both axially and in rotation about the axis XX, and thus form the plug 40. For this purpose, the part upper end of the sleeve 12 of the cap 10 forms a head 13 for accommodating and immobilizing the insert 20, the length, that is to say the dimension of this head along the axis XX, being substantially equal to the length of the insert 20. The remainder of the sleeve 12, that is to say the portion of this sleeve located below the axial level of the lower end of the insert 20 when the latter is housed in the head 13, forms a skirt 14 detailed below. The cap 10 is monobloc.

To immobilize in rotation the insert 20 inside the head 13, the outer face 22A of the skirt 22 of the insert is provided with a plurality of longitudinal grooves 221 radially projecting outwards and distributed along the periphery of the insert. These grooves are dimensioned to engage with complementary longitudinal grooves of the inner face 13B of the head 13.

Axial immobilization of the insert 20 in the head 13 is carried out, upwards, by the bottom wall 11 of the cap 10 and, downwards, by the upper end portion 141 of the skirt 14, shouldered towards the inside of the lower end of the head 13. The aforementioned shoulder does not have to have a significant radial dimension with respect to the thickness of the skirt 22 of the insert if a radial wedge is provided. sufficient intensity of the insertion into the head of the cap 10 when the establishment of this insert. As such, in a variant not shown, the aforementioned shoulder may not be provided.

The skirt 22 of the insert 20 further defines an inner face 22B provided, in its lower part, with a thread 222 radially projecting inwards and substantially complementary to the external thread 5 of the neck 2, so that the plug 40 , that is to say the insert and the cap 10 assembled to each other, is adapted to be screwed and unscrewed on the neck 2. To facilitate the grip of the cap by the user, the outer face 13A of the head 13 is grooved longitudinally.

In its upper part, the inner face 22B of the skirt 22 of the insert 20 is provided with three notches 223 radially projecting inwards and distributed, along the periphery of the skirt 22, between zones 224 for connection between this skirt. and the bottom wall 21 of the insert. One of these connecting zones 224 is shown in section in the left part of the figure 2 , while, as shown in the right part of the figure 2 the corresponding zones of the skirt 22 which extend above the notches 22 are perforated. Each notch 223 thus delimits a substantially flat upper face 225. The three faces 225 belong substantially to the same plane perpendicular to the axis XX and thus constitute an axial downward support for the disk 30.

In the downward axial extension of its upper end portion 141, the skirt 14 forms a truncated cone 142 centered on the X-X axis and converging downwards.

The upper end portion 143 of the truncated cone 142, that is to say the widest of the two axial end portions of this truncated cone, has a generally cylindrical shape whose inner diameter d ₁₄₃ is substantially equal at the maximum outer diameter of the heel 6 of the collar 2. In this way, when the device of capping 1 is reported around the neck 2, the inner face 143B of this flared end portion 143 is applied in contact with the maximum diametrical zone of the heel 6, as shown in the right part of the figure 2 .

At the lower end 144 of the truncated cone 142, that is to say at the narrowest end of the two axial ends of this truncated cone, the inside diameter ₁₄₄ of the skirt is smaller than the diameter. outside the region of the neck 7 at the axial level of which this end 144 is intended to extend when the device 1 is placed around the neck 2. It follows that, during this implementation, the internal diameter of this end 144 increases, by elastic deformation of the sleeve 12, and passes to a value of ₁₄₄ substantially equal to the diameter of the associated zone of the outer face 7A of the neck 7 of the neck 2. As the thickness of the wall of the trunk of cone 142 is substantially constant along its length, the outer diameter of the end 144 passes a value D ₁₄₄ when the device 1 is not yet assembled at the neck 2, to a greater value D ' ₁₄₄ when the device 1 is put in place. The corresponding increase in the cross section of the end 144 of the truncated cone 142 results in a decrease in the conicity of this truncated cone, that is to say by a decrease in its angle at the apex. In other words, during the introduction of the device 1 around the neck 2, the frustoconical shape of the portion 142 of the skirt 14 to a cylindrical shape with a circular base, without necessarily reaching it, depending on the dimensions of this skirt, as well as those of the neck 2. As a result, the inner face 144B of the end 144 of the truncated cone 142 is supported radially and elastically against the corresponding area of the outer face 7A of the neck 7 of the neck 2, without leaving any game between these faces.

In practice, during the introduction of the device 1 around the neck 2, the truncated cone 142 is deformed outwards, its upper end portion 143, in contact with the heel 6 of the neck 2, forming a kind hinge for the lower portion of the truncated cone 142, which, as indicated by the arrow F, tilts around this hinge. The deformed configuration of the truncated cone is shown in solid lines in the right part of the figure 2 , while its initial configuration is represented in dashed lines.

In addition, unlike the head 13, connected to the bottom wall 11 and in which is immobilized the insert 20 in the assembled state of the device 1, the skirt 14 has a certain flexibility allowing the aforementioned deformation and gives it a certain structural elasticity which tends to recall the truncated cone 142 in its initial configuration. In this way, the surface 144B is held pressingly against the outer face 7A of the neck 7 of the neck 2.

In its current part, the truncated cone 142 of the skirt 14 is provided, projecting from its inner face, a tongue 145, optionally discontinuous along the inner periphery of the heel. In the direction of the axis XX, this tongue extends downwards when the device 1 is not yet put in place around the neck 2, as shown in the left part of the figure 2 , while it extends upward once the device 1 is put in place, as shown in the right part of the figure 2 . When the device 1 is attached to the neck 2, the free end of the tongue 145 is located just below the shoulder 8, so that when the cap 40 is unscrewed for the first time upwards, the tongue bears against this shoulder, thus preventing the axial clearance of a lower part of the skirt 14, while the rest of the skirt, as well as the head 13 and the bottom wall 11 can be cleared upwards. For this purpose, a weakening line 146, represented in dotted lines on the figures 1 and 2 , is provided in the current part of the skirt 14, axially above the tongue 145. In the example shown, the weakening line 146 is axially located at the connection zone between the end portion 141 and the truncated cone 142. This line of weakness is, for example, breakable bridges or several notches or circumferential cuts made in the wall of the skirt.

The upper end portion 143 of the truncated cone 142 is internally provided, axially juxtaposed with the line of weakness 146, with an annular ring 147 extending over the entire inner periphery of this end portion 143. This ring rests in a sealed manner against the outer face of the heel 6 of the neck 2 and thus prevents liquid droplets, from the rim 4 and flowing along the net 5, can not infiltrate between the neck 7 and the undrafted portion of the skirt 14 when the line of weakness 146 is broken. The presence of this ring 147 in the immediate vicinity of the weakening line also prevents any radial clearance between the end portion 143 of the frustum 142 and the ring 6, which would alter the aesthetics of the part of the device 1 that remains around the neck 2 during unblocking.

The cap 10 is made of a semi-rigid plastic material, such as prolypopylene or polyethylene, prolypopylene being preferred especially for aesthetic reasons. The cap is obtained by a molding of this plastic material, intended to form both the head 13 and the skirt 14, in particular with its truncated cone 142. demolding of the cap must take into account the inner face against clearance of the truncated cone, so that, advantageously, the cap 10 is manipulated at its bottom wall 11 so that it emerges from the mold , with adequate sizing of the truncated cone 142.

It will be noted that, in order to facilitate demolding of the cap, the tongue 145 extends, at the outlet of the mold, into the configuration of the left part of the figure 2 , that is to say with its free end directed downwards.

The assembly of the closure device 1 and its establishment around the body 2 will now be described.

Initially, cap 10 is provided in its mold outlet state as described above, as well as insert 20 and sealing disc 30.

In a first step, the sealing disc 30 is brought inside the insert 20, so as to place this disc axially between the faces 225 of the notches 223 and the bottom wall 21, a slight deformation of the disc being necessary. The disk then rests on the notches or is stuck to the bottom wall 21 if a layer of adhesive is interposed between the disk and the bottom wall. In any case, the notches 223 prevent the disc 30 from subsequently being able to escape from the inside of the insert 20.

Before or after inserting the disc 30 inside the insert 20, this insert is placed inside the head 13 of the cap 10, introducing it axially and in force from its open lower end. The tooling for this implementation then advantageously ensures the folding of the tongue 145 upwards, so that it takes its configuration shown in the right part of the figure 2 .

By thus immobilizing the insert 20 in the head 13 of the cap 10, the plug 40 is formed which is then screwed around the neck 2 until, on the one hand, the tongue 145 passes below the shoulder 8 of the neck and, secondly, the sealing disc 30 is axially pressed between the rim 4 and the bottom wall 21 of the insert 20, the lower face of the disc advantageously delimiting an annular cavity cavity 31 substantially complementary of the drink. When bringing the cap around the collar. 2, the inner face 143B of the portion 143 of the skirt cooperates, in particular at the level of the rod 147, by complementarity of shapes with the heel 6 to center the sleeve 12 around the neck. The device 1 is then in its configuration of the right part of the figure 2 .

In this configuration, the skirt 14 dresses the base of the neck 2 by marrying it as close as its part 143 is in contact with the heel 6 while its lower end 144 is pressing against the neck 7.

• le col 2 du récipient 3 n'a pas nécessairement à présenter, au niveau de la zone d'appui de l'extrémité 144 de la jupe 14, une face extérieure de conicité inverse à celle de la jupe 14 en sortie de moule ; ce col pourrait être à face extérieure cylindrique, voire tronconique convergente vers l'axe X-X en s'éloignant du buvant 4 à condition que l'angle au sommet de la jupe soit plus grand que celui du cou du col, de manière à garantir, lors de la mise en place du dispositif de bouchage autour du col, une déformation suffisante de la jupe pour que son extrémité 144 soit pressée contre le col ;
• plutôt que de prévoir un disque d'étanchéité 30 réalisé d'une seule pièce, une structure sandwich, comportant au moins une couche inférieure d'étanchéité et une couche supérieure élastique, peut être prévue ;
• le disque d'étanchéité 30 est remplaçable par une rondelle d'étanchéité dont le diamètre intérieur est sensiblement égal ou inférieur au diamètre intérieur du buvant 4 ;
• en complément ou à la place des moyens de solidarisation par complémentarité de formes envisagés ci-dessus entre l'insert 20 et la tête 13 du capuchon 10, cet insert peut être rapporté à demeure à l'intérieur du capuchon 10 par soudage, notamment par application d'ultrasons, par collage ou analogue ; et/ou
• le col de récipient sur lequel le dispositif de bouchage 1 est mis en place peut être en matière plastique.

Various arrangements and variants of the closure device described above are of course conceivable. As examples:

• the neck 2 of the container 3 does not necessarily have to present, at the support zone of the end 144 of the skirt 14, an outer face of conicity opposite to that of the skirt 14 at the mold outlet; this neck could be cylindrical outer face, or even frustoconical converging towards the axis XX away from the rim 4 provided that the angle at the top of the skirt is greater than that of the neck neck, so as to ensure, when placing the closure device around the neck, a sufficient deformation of the skirt so that its end 144 is pressed against the neck;
• rather than providing a sealing disk 30 made in one piece, a sandwich structure, having at least one lower sealing layer and an elastic upper layer, can be provided;
• the sealing disc 30 is replaceable by a sealing washer whose inner diameter is substantially equal to or less than the inner diameter of the rim 4;
• in addition to or in place of the means for securing by complementary forms of the forms envisaged above between the insert 20 and the head 13 of the cap 10, this insert can be permanently attached to the inside of the cap 10 by welding, in particular by applying ultrasound, by gluing or the like; and or
• the container neck on which the closure device 1 is put in place may be plastic.

Claims (10)

1. Receptacle (3) neck (2) stopping device (1) comprising, on one hand, an external cap (10) made of plastic, provided with a tubular sleeve (12) with longitudinal axis (X-X) intended to be substantially aligned with that of the neck and, on the other hand, an internal insert (20) adapted for being added, in a removable manner, round the neck, the said sleeve (12) comprising, successively along its axis (X-X), a head (13), into which the insert is adapted to be introduced and permanently secured and an end skirt (14) running axially beyond the insert, characterized in that, prior to the fitting of the stopping device (1) round the neck (2) of the receptacle (3), the skirt (14) forms, for the most part, a truncated cone (142) converging towards the axis (X-X) of the sleeve (12) while moving away from the head (13), and in that this truncated cone (142) forms, at its end (144) opposite the head (13), an internal surface (144B) adapted to be supported against the neck (2) of the receptacle (3) under the action of elastic deformation of the sleeve (12) arising from fitting the device round the neck.
2. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that, before fitting of the stopping device (1) round the neck (2) of the receptacle (3), the inside (d₁₄₄) and outside (D₁₄₄) diameters of the skirt (14) at the said support surface (144B) are respectively smaller than inside (d₁₄₁) and outside diameters of a part (143) of the skirt turned towards the head (13).
3. Device according to either of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the wall thickness of the truncated cone (142) is substantially constant along its length.
4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the skirt (14) is provided with a peripheral weakening zone (146) intended to be broken at the time of the first unstopping of the receptacle (3) fitted with the stopping device (1), and in that the truncated cone (142) is provided, at the same time, in its main part, with a tongue (145) adapted to prevent the release of a part of the skirt with respect to the neck (2) at the time of breakage of the weakening zone and, in its end part (143) turned towards the head (13), with internal means (143B and 147) of centring the sleeve (12) round the neck (2) of the receptacle, situated axially between the weakening zone and the surface (144B) of support of the truncated cone against the neck.
5. Device according to Claim 4, characterized in that the centring means comprise at least one strip (147) running along the internal periphery of the skirt (14) and adapted to be supported in a sealed manner against the neck (2) of the receptacle (3).
6. Device according to Claim 5, characterized in that the sealing strip (147) is arranged axially in the vicinity of the weakening zone (146).
7. Receptacle (3) comprising a neck (2) stopped by a stopping device (1) according to any of the preceding claims.
8. Receptacle according to Claim 7, characterized in that it is made of glass.
9. Process for stopping a neck (2) of a receptacle (3) by means of a stopping device (1) according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, at the time of fitting the device round the receptacle neck, the sleeve (12) is elastically deformed by application, against the receptacle neck, of the internal surface (144B) of the end (144) of the truncated cone (142) opposite the head (13).
10. Process for manufacturing a receptacle (3) neck (2) stopping device (1), in which:

    - on one hand, an external cap (10) made of plastic is available, this being provided with a tubular sleeve (12) with longitudinal axis (X-X) intended to be substantially aligned with that of the neck (2) and, on the other hand, an internal insert (20) is available, this being adapted to be added, in a removable manner, round the neck (2), the said sleeve comprising, successively along its axis, a head (13) for housing the insert and an end skirt (14) and

    - the insert (20) is introduced into and permanently secured in the head (13) of the sleeve (12), the skirt (14) then running axially beyond the insert,

    characterized in that the cap (10) is available from moulding plastic and is provided for forming, at the same time, the head (13) and the skirt (14) of its sleeve (12), this skirt forming, for the most part, a truncated cone (142) which converges towards its central axis (X-X) while moving away from the head and which forms, at its end (144) opposite the head, an internal surface (144B) adapted to be supported against the neck (2) of the receptacle (3) under the action of elastic deformation of the sleeve arising from fitting the device (1) round the neck.

Images