SCREW CAP CLOSURE

• US 20150158622A1
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amcor Flexibles Capsules France
• Original Assignee: Amcor Flexibles Capsules France
• Inventors: MARTINENGO, Herv
• Granted Patent: US 9,346,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/045 Discs B65D41/0457 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/0492 formed by several elements connected together B65D41/0478 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/08 engaging a threaded ring clamped on the external periphery of the neck or wall
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/17 push-on and twist-off
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/62 Secondary protective cap-like outer covers for closure members

Abstract

Composite cap intended to be snapped on the glass ring of a bottle and then to serve as a stopper that can screwed and unscrewed as required, the glass ring being provided with at least one annular bead. It comprises a shell with a skirt provided with an internal annular bead; a first insert, disposed inside said shell, provided with an internal screw thread, characterised in that it also comprises a second insert having at least two roughly cylindrical portions; the first portion being provided on its external wall with a screw thread complementary to that of said first insert, the second portion being provided with axial immobilisation means intended to cooperate with said annular bead and axial stop means, cooperating with said internal annular bead, so that the inserts secured together by screwing are trapped inside said shell

Claims

1. A composite cap adapted to be fixed to a glass ring of a bottle and then to serve as a stopper that can be screwed and unscrewed as required in order to close or release a dispensing orifice of said bottle, said glass ring being provided with at least one annular bead, said composite cap comprising:

a shell, with a substantially cylindrical skirt, provided with an internal annular bead;

a first insert, disposed inside said shell, secured to said shell, comprising a skirt provided with an internal screw thread,

wherein the composite cap also comprises a second insert, roughly in the form of a sleeve having at least two roughly cylindrical portions

the first portion being provided on its external wall with a screw thread complementary to that of said first insert, so that said first insert and said second insert are an assembly secured together by screwing, situated inside said shell;

the second portion being provided with axial immobilisation means adapted to cooperate with said annular bead on said glass ring and axial stop means, cooperating with said internal annular bead, so that said assembly secured together by screwing is trapped inside said shell.

2. A composite cap according to claim 1, wherein said second insert is also provided with circumferential immobilisation means cooperating with circumferential immobilisation means formed on said glass ring.

3. A composite cap according to claim 1, wherein the skirt of the shell has a circumferential easy-rupture line situated below said first insert, close to the lower end of the skirt thereof, and above the second portion of the second insert.

4. A composite cap according to claim 1, wherein the first insert and the second insert have cylindrical external walls the diameters of which are substantially adjacent so that the assembly secured by screwing has a roughly cylindrical appearance, with an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of the skirt of said shell.

5. A composite cap according to claim 4, wherein the transition between the first portion and the second portion of the second insert comprises a shoulder that serves as a stop for the screwing of said second insert in said first insert.

6. A composite cap according to claim 1, wherein said first insert comprises a head extending transversely to said skirt, and wherein the composite cap also comprises an attached seal, placed inside the first insert and having a diameter such that the attached seal remains trapped between said head and the upper end of said first portion.

7. A composite cap according to claim 6, wherein said first portion of the second insert has a height such that, when said composite cap is secured irreversibly to said glass ring, the top end of the first portion of the second insert is situated below the level of the top of the ring, so that, when said composite cap is placed on the glass ring, an annular abutment zone, close to the periphery of said seal, comes into contact with the ring top and, after irreversible securing of the composite cap on the neck, said annular abutment zone is compressed between the head of the insert and said ring top.

8. A composite cap according to claim 6, wherein said seal comprises a resilient layer, the thickness of which is greater than 2 mm.

9. A composite cap according to claim 6, wherein said first insert has radial compression means which, without the formation of a fold, press the periphery of said seal on the periphery of the upper end of the glass ring.

10. A composite cap according to claim 1, wherein said second portion comprises a lower end annulus and an upper end annulus connected together by longitudinal bridges, between which there extend flexible annular blades attached to said lower end annulus, oriented upwards and, at rest, inclined towards the longitudinal axis, so that the ends of said blades are situated on a circle the diameter of which is less than the outside diameter of the annular bead on the glass ring.

11. A composite cap according to claim 10, wherein said upper end annulus is provided with a bottom wall that forms a shoulder while extending as far as a diameter which is less than the diameter of the annular bead on the glass ring.

12. A glass ring, occupying the top of the neck of a bottle and adapted to accept a composite cap according to claim 1, wherein the glass ring comprises an annular bead situated at a distance from the top rim level with said first portion of said second insert as well as circumferential immobilisation means cooperating with the circumferential immobilisation means of said second insert.

13. A glass ring according to claim 12, wherein the glass ring comprises a second annular bead serving as a stop for the pressing on of said composite cap.

14. A bottle useful for the staged consumption of drinks, wherein the bottle has a neck which is provided with a glass ring according to claim 12 and wherein the bottle is provided with a composite cap according to claim 1.

15. A method for capping a bottle adapted for the staged consumption of a drink, wherein the method comprises:

a) obtaining a bottle provided with a glass ring according to claim 12;

b) filling the bottle with said drink;

c) fixing a composite cap according to claim 1 to the glass ring of said bottle by simple axial translation.