U.S. patent application number 11/658971 was filed with the patent office on 2009-10-01 for re-closable pouring element for cardboard/plastic composite packagings.
This patent application is currently assigned to SIG Technology AG. Invention is credited to Roger Alther.
Application Number | 20090242560 11/658971 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37680996 |
Filed Date | 2009-10-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090242560 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Alther; Roger |
October 1, 2009 |
Re-closable pouring element for cardboard/plastic composite
packagings
Abstract
Described and shown is a re-closable pouring element for
cardboard/plastic composite packagings comprising a base to be
applied onto the packaging in the vicinity of an over-coated
weakened zone, a lid pivotably mounted at the end of the base, and
an opening element, pivotably mounted on the lid, wherein
restricted guidance elements are arranged between the base and the
opening element. A pouring element with small overall height which
ensures reliable opening of the packaging is achieved by that the
opening element is joined in an articulated manner at the end of a
lever projecting downward from the lid, so that the opening element
when the lid is lifted up is firstly made to perform a linear
movement forward, which as a result of further restricted guidance
elements arranged on the interior of the base and/or on the opening
element is converted into a downward movement.
Inventors: |
Alther; Roger; (Flurlingen,
CH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THE WEBB LAW FIRM, P.C.
700 KOPPERS BUILDING, 436 SEVENTH AVENUE
PITTSBURGH
PA
15219
US
|
Assignee: |
SIG Technology AG
Neuhausen am Rheinfall
CH
|
Family ID: |
37680996 |
Appl. No.: |
11/658971 |
Filed: |
July 5, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
July 5, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP06/63903 |
371 Date: |
May 7, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/255.1 ;
220/258.3; 222/83; 229/125.09 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/748 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/255.1 ;
229/125.09; 222/83; 220/258.3 |
International
Class: |
B65D 51/22 20060101
B65D051/22; B65D 43/16 20060101 B65D043/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 5, 2005 |
DE |
102005037609.6 |
Claims
1-16. (canceled)
17. A re-closable pouring element for cardboard/plastic composite
packagings comprising a base to be applied onto the packaging in
the vicinity of an over-coated weakened zone, a lid pivotably
mounted at the end of the base, and an opening element pivotably
mounted on the lid, wherein restricted guidance elements are
arranged between the base and the opening element, characterized in
that the opening element is joined in an articulated manner at the
end of a lever projecting downwards from the lid, so that the
opening element when the lid is lifted up is firstly made to
perform a linear movement forward, which as a result of further
restricted guidance elements arranged on the interior of the base
or on the opening element is converted into a downward
movement.
18. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that the restricted guidance elements have lateral guidance
elements arranged on the interior of the base which correspond with
matching sliding elements of the opening element, and in that the
further restricted guidance elements are formed as lateral guidance
elements arranged diagonally on the base which correspond with
further matching sliding elements of the opening element.
19. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that the lever projecting from the lid is formed as a bar.
20. The pouring element according to claim 18, characterized in
that the lever projecting from the lid is formed as a bar.
21. The pouring element according to claim 19, characterized in
that the bar, when the lid is closed, substantially extends as far
as the lower surface of the pouring element.
22. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that the opening element has a peripheral cutting edge at least in
the section which leaves the plane of the lower surface of the
pouring element.
23. The pouring element according to claim 22, characterized in
that the opening element in the vicinity of the cutting edge has at
least one tooth for piercing the over-coating.
24. The pouring element according to claim 18, characterized in
that the guidance elements on the base are configured as a crank
guidance mechanism.
25. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that the lid is joined to the base by means of a film hinge.
26. The pouring element according to claim 19, characterized in
that the opening element is joined to the bar by means of a film
hinge.
27. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that the opening element before first-time opening and/or in the
opened condition can be locked with the base.
28. The pouring element according to claim 18, characterized in
that the opening element before first-time opening and/or in the
opened condition can be locked with the base.
29. The pouring element according to claim 27, characterized in
that the locking takes place by means of clamping cams, arranged on
the interior of the base, cooperating with the sliding elements of
the opening element.
30. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that the lid in the opened condition can be locked with the
base.
31. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that the lid in the closed condition can be locked with the
base.
32. The pouring element according to claim 30, characterized in
that the lid in the closed condition is joined in a sealing manner
to the base.
33. The pouring element according to claim 31, characterized in
that the lid in the closed condition is joined in a sealing manner
to the base.
34. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that an originality seal, which is destroyed when the lid is lifted
up for the first time, is arranged between the base and the
lid.
35. The pouring element according to claim 17, characterized in
that it is produced in a single piece.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a re-closable pouring element for
cardboard/plastic composite packagings comprising a base to be
applied onto the packaging in the vicinity of an over-coated
weakened zone, a lid pivotably mounted at the end of the base and
an opening element pivotably mounted on the lid, wherein restricted
guidance elements are arranged between the base and the opening
element.
[0002] Re-closable pouring elements for beverage packagings have
been available on the market for a long time in various
configurations. They usually consist of three parts, a base, a lid
and an opening element for first-time opening of a packaging
provided with such a pouring element. Depending upon the design
these can be screw-caps or, however, of the type where the lid is
lifted up (WO 97/46455 A1) or pulled out (DE 196 37 865 C2). Also
known are two-piece pouring elements, wherein the lid is
simultaneously implemented as an opening element (U.S. Pat. No.
6,257,449 B1).
[0003] In principle, all efforts are made to configure the pouring
elements in question to be as consumer-friendly as possible, so
that on the one hand easy manipulation is assured and on the other
hand the actual pouring operation may be as trouble-free as
possible. Furthermore, the overall height is to be kept to a
minimum for reasons of material usage and thus production costs and
for better stackability.
[0004] Both in the case of screw-caps and also such pouring
elements, which work with an opening element to be pressed into the
packaging interior, the overall height must be at least such that
the weakened zones usually over-coated with a composite made from
polyethylene foil and aluminium foil are also reliably opened. The
problem in this case is that polyethylene is very flexible and for
this reason, different than with aluminium foil on its own, cannot
be easily "punched out". Hence, pouring elements have become
generally accepted, which either pull out the material of the
weakened zone through an opening element, to be removed, of the
packaging or, however, such which are provided with an opening
element that can be pivoted into the packaging interior, as a
result of which reliable piercing of the weakened zone can be
achieved.
[0005] The re-closable pouring element in accordance with WO
97/46455 A1, however, is disadvantageous to the extent that the
opening element must be manipulated separately after lifting the
lid with a finger or another article. There have also already been
such pouring elements, wherein the opening element must be
manipulated by lifting up the lid (WO 90/14280 or U.S. Pat. No.
6,257,449 B1).
[0006] Also, WO 2005/077769 A1 already describes a pouring element
with a lid and an opening element, wherein the opening element is
joined to the base in an articulated manner. Since in the case of
this prior-art pouring element, when the lid is lifted up, the
opening element should be pivoted downwards, means to transmit the
force are necessary, thus for example the use of a pull-strip or
combing gear wheels is described. It is quickly evident that the
force to be transmitted to the opening element has to be enormous,
since the opening element must be pressed against the packaging
wall over its entire length, in order to destroy this. Therefore,
such a pouring element can only be produced with extremely high
consumption of time and effort plus the associated costs.
[0007] Finally, there is already a relatively small pouring
element, wherein the opening element is manipulated by a guide in
the sidewalls (WO 03/047981 A2). This prior-art re-closable pouring
element has all the features of the preamble of Claim 1. Due to the
problem concerning the flexibility of polyethylene, already
mentioned, this prior-art pouring element however does not work
satisfactorily, since only the tip of the opening element can
penetrate the polyethylene material or the composite made from
polyethylene and aluminium foil during the opening operation. The
forces to be transmitted only act at the tip of the opening
element, so that this prior-art pouring element therefore does not
always ensure reliable exposure of a constantly defined pouring
opening.
[0008] On this basis the object of the present invention is to
provide a re-closable pouring element, which eliminates the
disadvantages described in detail above and, despite small overall
height, ensures reliable opening of the packaging and defined
exposure of the weakened zone.
[0009] This object is achieved by a pouring element with the
features of the preamble of Claim 1 due to the fact that the
opening element is joined in an articulated manner to a lever
projecting downwards from the lid, so that the opening element when
the lid is lifted up is firstly made to perform a linear movement
forwards, which as a result of further restricted guidance elements
arranged on the interior of the base and/or on the opening element
is converted into a downwards movement.
[0010] In this way, it was possible for the opening element firstly
to perform a "forward movement" when the lid is lifted up and thus,
due to the corresponding restricted guidance elements on the base
element, with a "digging" movement to move into the weakened zone
and there to lead to reliable destruction of the composite made
from polyethylene foil and aluminium foil. Because the opening
element is not joined to the lid itself but to a bar which is held
at a distance from the lid as a lever, the entire front part of the
opening element pivots with relative force into the
polyethylene/aluminium material to be destroyed and ensures the
exposure of a sufficiently large pouring opening, which is
described in detail further down.
[0011] The invention recognized that as a result of using
restricted guidance elements on the lid and/or opening element,
optimum transmission of force is ensured for starting the opening
operation of the container when the lid is lifted up. This is
achieved particularly by the fact that the opening element does not
simply pivot into the packing material, but performs a linear and
rotary movement.
[0012] In particular, the present invention covers all restricted
guidance elements, even though the discussion below only concerns
the preferred embodiment with guide rails provided on the base
element and sliding elements provided on the opening element. It is
also possible within the scope of the invention to construct the
arrangement in reverse or even to use different restricted guidance
elements known to persons skilled in the art. Thus, it is for
example also possible to configure the opening elements not as more
or less flat plate but in a corrugated form, wherein the lateral
edges of this corrugated plate can then directly act as guide
rails.
[0013] In accordance with a preferred teaching of the invention the
restricted guidance elements have lateral guidance elements,
arranged on the interior of the base, which correspond with
matching sliding elements of the opening element, and the further
restricted guidance elements are formed as lateral guidance
elements, arranged diagonally on the base, which correspond with
further matching sliding elements of the opening element.
[0014] Another teaching of the invention provides that the lever
projecting from the lid is formed as a bar. Thus, particularly good
transmission of force can be realized in a simple manner.
[0015] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention
in this case, the bar when the lid is closed, substantially extends
as far as the contact plane of the flange (lower surface of the
pouring element). Thus, maximum leverage can be achieved.
[0016] A further teaching of the invention provides that the
opening element has a peripheral cutting edge at least in the
section, which is swung out from the plane of the lower surface of
the pouring element. In this way, it is reliably ensured that the
over-coating in the vicinity of the weakened zone splits cleanly
and can be removed from the pouring opening.
[0017] According to a further embodiment of the invention the
opening element, in the vicinity of the aforementioned cutting
edge, has at least one tooth for piercing the weakened zone. The
cutting edge can also consist of a plurality of adjacent teeth.
This embodiment is particularly advantageous, since as a result of
perforating by means of several piercing points extensive
stretching of the over-coating before it is ripped can be reliably
avoided.
[0018] According to another teaching of the invention the guidance
elements on the base are configured as a crank guiding mechanism.
Thus, a restricted guidance element of the opening element is
achieved in a simple manner when the lid is lifted up.
[0019] Preferably, the lid is joined to the base and the opening
element is joined to the bar projecting from the lid by means of a
film hinge. In this way, the pouring element according to the
invention can be produced in a single piece.
[0020] According to a further embodiment of the invention the
opening element can be locked in its opened position with the base,
so that the opening element is reliably prevented from lifting up
again and thus closing the opening area during the pouring
operation. In this way, a defined pouring opening is always
present.
[0021] Additionally or alternatively, it is also possible that the
opening element, before first-time opening, can be locked with the
base. This possibility serves to prevent inadvertent opening, in
particular during transport of containers provided with the pouring
element according to the invention. The term "locking" in the sense
of the invention is understood to be not only a positive
connection, but it is also conceivable that the opening element is
connected to the base with one or more thin material bars, which
are destroyed on first-time opening. The locking should ensure that
the opening element does not damage or destroy the foil located
underneath through vibration or the like before authorized
first-time opening of the packaging.
[0022] According to a further preferred teaching of the invention
the locking takes place by means of clamping cams arranged on the
interior of the base, so as to cooperate with the sliding elements
of the opening element.
[0023] In a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that
the lid in the opened and/or closed condition can be locked with
the base. Locking in the closed condition is advantageous in order
on the one hand to indicate to the consumer (acoustically or
tangibly) that the container is firmly sealed by the closed lid, so
that for example if the container is shaken product can no longer
escape. The locking in this case can also be a sealing joint
between the base and the lid, in order to reliably prevent escape
of the product, ingress of air or the like. On the other hand,
locking in the open condition is also advantageous, since contact
of the lid with the product can be reliably prevented when
pouring.
[0024] According to a further teaching of the invention it is
proposed that an originality seal is arranged between the base and
the lid. Therefore, it is indicated to the consumer whether the
pouring element has already been tampered with and the packaging
has already been opened.
[0025] Finally, it is also possible with the arrangement according
to the invention to produce the pouring element in a single piece,
whereby the production costs can in turn be reduced.
[0026] The invention is described below in detail on the basis of a
drawing illustrating only one preferred exemplary embodiment,
wherein there is shown:
[0027] FIG. 1 a pouring element according to the invention, in
closed condition as a perspective illustration,
[0028] FIG. 2 the pouring element from FIG. 1, vertically cut open
along line II-II,
[0029] FIG. 3 the pouring element from FIG. 2 with slightly raised
lid,
[0030] FIG. 4 the pouring element from FIG. 2 with extensively
raised lid,
[0031] FIG. 5 the pouring element from FIG. 2 in opened position
and
[0032] FIG. 6 the pouring element from FIG. 1 in opened
position.
[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of the re-closable
pouring element according to the invention in closed condition. It
is clearly recognizable that the overall height of the pouring
element is extremely small. For better explanation of the
functional mode of the opening operation, in FIGS. 2 to 5 different
illustrations of closed (FIG. 2), slightly opened (FIG. 3),
extensively opened (FIG. 4) to fully opened (FIG. 5) pouring
elements are reproduced, wherein the pouring element is cut open
vertically along line II-II in FIG. 1, in order to be able to show
better the kinematical operations.
[0034] The pouring element according to the invention consists in
the illustrated and to this extent preferred exemplary embodiment
firstly and substantially of a base 1, a lid 2 pivotably mounted at
the end of the base 1, and an opening element 3 pivotably mounted
on the lid 2. The base 1 in this case is joined with a flange 4 so
as to rotate about a pouring opening O above a weakened zone of
a--not illustrated--container, preferably a cardboard/plastic
composite packaging. The lid 2 is joined to the base 1 in an
articulated manner by means of a film hinge 5.
[0035] As particularly clearly evident from FIG. 4, a bar 6 is
provided on the lower surface of the lid 2 projecting into the
interior of the base 1 and working as a lever, to the lower end of
which the opening element 3 is joined, in the preferred exemplary
embodiment with a film hinge 7.
[0036] In the interior of the base 1 guidance elements 8A and 8B
according to the invention are now provided, whose position is
particularly clearly evident through the sectional view in FIGS. 2
to 5. They serve to ensure a uniform opening operation of the
opening element 3 when the lid 2 is lifted up. For this purpose the
opening element 3, as evident from FIGS. 2 to 5, has laterally
arranged sliding elements 9A and 9B, which together with the
guidance elements 8A and 8B serve as a crank guiding mechanism.
[0037] When the lid 2 is lifted up (FIG. 3) as a result of the
front guidance elements 8B and the associated sliding elements 9B
due to the fact that the opening element 3 is joined to the end of
the bar 6 projecting from the lid 2, a forward movement of the
opening element 3 is achieved, which lets the opening element 3 dig
at a steep angle into the weakened zone (not illustrated) as a
result of the diagonally running guidance elements 8B in the base
1. So that the weakened zone--which mostly consists of a composite
made from polyethylene foil and aluminium foil--is now reliably
destroyed, the opening element 3 at least in the section, which
leaves the plane of the lower surface of the pouring element, has a
peripheral cutting edge which in the illustrated and to this extent
preferred exemplary embodiment, is implemented as a plurality of
adjacent teeth 10.
[0038] After the opening element 3 first pierces the over-coated
weakened zone and when the lid 2 is lifted up further (see FIG. 4),
the opening element is not only pulled to the rear but is moved via
the guidance elements 8A and corresponding sliding elements 9A
downwards into the packaging interior, so that the section between
opening element 3 and base 1 projecting forwards produces a
reliably defined pouring opening O, as also particularly clearly
evident from FIG. 6, where the pouring element according to the
invention is once again completely illustrated in its opened
position.
[0039] So that the opening element 3 is now joined to the base 1 in
a fixed position, before application of the pouring element onto a
container and also after application, for example during transport,
a non-positive or positive connection of both parts takes place.
For this purpose, the cylindrical sliding elements 9B, protruding
from the opening element 3, are concavely formed on their free
front ends, and the base 1 has correspondingly protruding clamping
cams 11, which hold the opening element 3 in a defined position
until the lid 2 is manipulated for the first time.
[0040] Finally, the pouring element in the illustrated and to this
extent preferred exemplary embodiment also has an originality seal.
For this purpose, a pin 12, projecting from the base, is caulked
with a plate 13, laterally arranged in the lid 2 at a corresponding
place as evident from FIGS. 1 and 2. The plate 13 is joined to the
lid 2 during the injection-moulding process of the pouring element
by means of thin material bridges 14. When the lid 2 is first
opened, the material bridges 14, serving as predetermined break
points, tear off between the plate 13 and the lid 2, thus
indicating to the consumer that the packaging concerned has already
been opened.
* * * * *