Closure Devices For Containers

Abstract

A closure device for bottle containing solutions which are to be taken by means of a syringe through a perforatable diaphragm, comprises a perforatable closuring disc, a retaining member screwed on the bottle neck and having an annular end wall which presses the periphery of the disc against the end edge of the bottle neck while leaving exposed the central portion of the disc, and a removable covering cap screwed on the retaining member to cover the central opening thereof. The threads of the neck are left-handed and the lower end of the retaining member has inner resilient teeth which cooperate with ratchet-shaped serrations of the neck to lock the retaining member in position. The lower end of the retaining member also has outer ratchet-shaped serrations which cooperate with resilient inner resilient teeth carried by the lower portion of the covering cap to lock same in position, but this lower portion of the covering cap is tearable from the skirt thereof to permit of removing the cap when the content of the bottle is to be used.

Description

The present invention relates to closures for flasks, bottles vials and like containers and it concerns a device with double closuring more particularly, but not exclusively, adapted for use in connection with small bottles containing injectable pharmaceutical solution which are taken just before the injection by means of a syringe through a diaphragm, whereby any contact with the ambient atmosphere is avoided.

The closure device according to the invention comprises a perforatoble closuring disc sealingly applied against the end edge of the bottle neck, a retaining member having an inner screw-threaded portion adapted to be screwed on the said neck to maintain the disc, the said retaining member being provided with an outer screw-threaded portion of a hand opposed to that of the inner portion, and with a series of inner locking teeth adapted for cooperation with corresponding ratchet-shaped serrations provided laterally on the periphery of the bottle neck, and a covering cap fixed on the outer screw-threaded portion of the retaining member and including a tearable portion having inner teeth so shaped as to cooperate with ratchet-shaped serrations provided on the outer periphery of the said retaining member.

It will be understood that when the container is filled and the closuring disc mounted on the end edge of the bottle neck, the retaining member may be screwed thereon, its teeth becoming deformed by engagment with the ratchet-shaped serrations of the said neck. It is thereafter impossible to remove the retaining member. The convering cap then realizes a second closuring, it being noted that it can only be unscrewed when its tearable portion is removed, the latter thus forming a safety band which certifies the content of the bottle or container. The unscrewing of the covering cap can never cause the unscrewing of the retaining member owing to the locking effect of the teeth thereof and also of the fact that the threads of the retaining memeber are of opposed hand with respect to those of the covering cap.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view with parts in section, illustrating the constituents of a closure device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the neck of the container.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are transverse sections respectively corresponding to lines III--III and IV--IV of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an axial section of the unit obtained when the parts of FIG. 1 are assembled.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

In FIG. 1 reference numeral 1 designates the open-ended neck of a small bottle or vial which may be made of moulded synthetic plastics or of glass. As shown in FIG. 2, neck 1 comprises a cylindrical portion or ring 10 the periphery of which is formed with two successive series of ratchet-shaped serrations 11. A left-handed screw-threaded portion 12 is provided above serrations 11.

Neck 1 is adapted to be closed in a gas and liquid-tight manner by a closuring disc 2 (FIG. 1) of conventional type, comprising a layer 20 of a flexible synthetic material having a metallic sheet 21 on its lower side. This closuring disc 2 is clamped on the upper end of neck 1 by a retaining member 3 wholly made of plastic material. The upper horizontal wall of member 3 has a central opening 30 through which the corresponding portion of disc 2 is exposed. The cylindrical skirt of the said retaining member includes an internally screw-threaded portion as indicated at 31, these threads being left-handed to cooperate with the screw-threads of the neck 1. This skirt is further externally screw-threaded as shown at 32, but threads 32 being right-handed. Member 3 further comprises below the aforesaid skirt and enlarged lower portion 33 (see FIG. 3) having an inner series of obliquely directed blade-like teeth adapted to cooperate with the ratchet-shaped serrations 11 of the ring 10 of neck 1, and an outer series of external ratchet-shaped serrations similar to the serrations 11 of the bottle neck, but arranged in the reverse direction with respect thereto. This enlarged portion 33 of member 3 is followed by an end portion 36 of somewhat larger diameter.

The closure device according to the invention further comprises a covering cap 4 (FIG. 1 and 4), also made of plastics. The upper wall of this cap 4 includes a downwardly extending central circular boss 40 adapted to fit into the central opening 30 of the retaining member 3 and to engage the closuring disc 2. Owing to the flexibility of the upper layer 20 of the disc, this contact between the said disc and the central boss 40 may be gas and fluid tight. The cylindrical skirt of cap 4 has an innr right-handed screw-threaded portion 41 through which it may be screwed on the outer screw-threaded portion 32 of the retaining member. The base of this skirt is connected through an annular portion 42 of lesser resistance with an end portion or tearable band 43 of larger diameter having an inner series of obliquely directed blade-like teeth 44 adapted to cooperate with the ratchet-shaped serrations 35 of the retaining member 3. As illustrated in FIG. 4 this end portion 43 has a radial slit 45 which determines two facing ends, the latter being connected with each other by an elongated pull tab 46.

The bottle or container may be filled in any conventional manner, as for instance automatically and in a controlled atmosphere. The closuring disc 2 is disposed on the end edge of the neck 1 and the retaining member 3 is screwed thereon, the said member being of course rotated for this purpose in a counter-clockwise direction with respect to the bottle in order that the screw-threaded portions 31 and 12 may cooperate with each other. During this rotation the blade-like teeth 34 of the said member merely slide resiliently over the ratchet-shaped serrations 11, the peripheral edge of the opening 30 provided in the upper wall of member 3 thus engages the closuring disc 2 which is sealingly pressed against the upper edge of the bottle neck 2.

The covering cap 4 is in turn mounted on the retaining member 3. This is also obtained by rotating the said cap with respect to the bottle, but this time the rotation should be effected in the clockwise direction. Here again the blade-like teeth 44 of the cap slide resiliently on the ratchet-shaped serrations 35. The central boss 40 is thus introduced into the central opening 30 until it rests against the disc 2 as illustrated in FIG. 5. It will be noted that this clockwise rotation of the retaining member with respect to the bottle is positively prevented by the inner bladelike teeth 34 (see FIGS. 3 and 6) which engage the ratchet-shaped serrations 11 of the bottle neck. It will further be observed that the height of the central boss 40 of the covering cap is substantially equal to the thickness of the annular end wall of the retaining member and that therefore this cap is simultaneously applied against the said annular end wall and against the closuring disc, as clearly shown in FIG. 5.

When the closure device is thus positioned on the bottle or container, the covering cap 4 can only be unscrewed from the retaining member if the enlarged lower portion or tearable band 42 is removed. This is easily effected by pulling the tab 46. When this band is removed, cap 4 may be freely unscrewed thus exposing the retaining member 3 together with the central portion of the closuring disc 2 through which the content of the bottle may be taken by means of a syringe or like instrument introduced through the disc. The retaining member 3 can never be unscrewed from the bottle neck either during the unscrewing of the covering cap 4 since the screw-threaded portions 41 and 32 are right-handed while the screw-threaded portions 31 and 12 are left-handed, or after this cap is removed, since then the blade-like teeth 34 of the said member engage the ratchet-shaped serrations 11 of the bottle neck to prevent any clockwise rotation of the former.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4 the annular portion 42 which connects the tearable band 43 with the skirt of the covering cap 4 is formed of spaced point-like bridges. It is however obvious that the same result could be obtained by means of a continuous sheet-like portion of quite reduced thickness.

Claims

I claim:

1. A closure device for closing the neck of a container, comprising:

an outer threaded portion on the container neck adjacent to the edge around the opening of the neck;

a perforatable closure disc overlying the edge about said opening;

a retaining member for maintaining said disc in sealed engagement with said edge about said opening, the retaining member having a substantially flat annular end wall overlying the periphery of said disc to press it against said edge and said annular end wall defining a central opening through the end wall exposing a portion of said disc for perforation, and the retaining member having a first annular skirt surrounding said neck and having an internal screw-threaded portion engaging said outer threaded portion to mount the retaining member on said neck, and said first skirt having an external screw-threaded portion therearound;

a cap covering said retaining member and having a closed end wall overlying the end wall of said retaining member and including an inwardly projecting boss portion entering said central opening and abutting said portion of said disc, and the cap further including a second annular skirt surrounding said first annular skirt and having an internal screw-threaded portion engaging said external threaded portion to secure the cap on said retaining member; and

said inner screw-threaded portion of said first skirt and said external screw-threaded portion thereof being of opposite hands.

2. In a closure device as claimed in claim 1, means for resisting opening of the closure device comprising:

ratchet-shaped serrations extending outwardly around said neck adjacent the screw-threaded portion and on the opposite side thereof from said opening of the neck;

said retaining member having on the inner periphery of said skirt resilient blade-like teeth placed and so directed as to yieldably engage said serrations when the retaining member is being screwed onto the neck but to prevent unscrewing of the member therefrom, and said first skirt having serrations around its outer periphery adjacent to its external screw-threaded portion; and

said cap having an open end on said second skirt opposite said closed end wall, an annular tearable portion attached to the open end of the skirt and removable therefrom by tearing, and said tearable portion having on its inner periphery resilient blade-like teeth placed and so directed as to yieldably engage the serrations around the first skirt when the cap is being screwed onto the neck but to prevent unscrewing of the cap until said tearable portion is torn from the second skirt.

3. In a closure device as set forth in claim 1, said closure disc comprising a metallic sheet adapted to engage the edge about said opening of the neck, and a layer of resilient material overlying said sheet to be compressed by said annular end wall.