WO2007147206A1 - A closure and a bottle neck - Google Patents
A closure and a bottle neck Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2007147206A1 WO2007147206A1 PCT/AU2007/000857 AU2007000857W WO2007147206A1 WO 2007147206 A1 WO2007147206 A1 WO 2007147206A1 AU 2007000857 W AU2007000857 W AU 2007000857W WO 2007147206 A1 WO2007147206 A1 WO 2007147206A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- bottle neck
- closure
- bottle
- skirt
- neck
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D41/00—Caps, e.g. crown caps or crown seals, i.e. members having parts arranged for engagement with the external periphery of a neck or wall defining a pouring opening or discharge aperture; Protective cap-like covers for closure members, e.g. decorative covers of metal foil or paper
- B65D41/02—Caps or cap-like covers without lines of weakness, tearing strips, tags, or like opening or removal devices
- B65D41/04—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation
- B65D41/0407—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with integral sealing means
- B65D41/0414—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with integral sealing means formed by a plug, collar, flange, rib or the like contacting the internal surface of a container neck
- B65D41/0421—Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation with integral sealing means formed by a plug, collar, flange, rib or the like contacting the internal surface of a container neck and combined with integral sealing means contacting other surfaces of a container neck
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a closure that is formed from a polymeric material and is intended for use as a sealing system for a bottle that includes a light weight and relatively non-rigid neck finish .
- the present invention also relates to an assembly of a closure and a bottle neck, where the bottle neck is made from a light weight and deformable material .
- the present invention also relates to a bottle that includes the above bottle neck and the above closure applied to the bottle neck .
- HDPE high density polyethylene
- an integral handle in HDPE bottles contrasts such bottles with bottles made from the most common alternate material , polyethylene terephthalate (PET) , where integral handles cannot be formed at low manufacturing cost. This effectively confines PET packaging to the less than 2 litre market, where handles are not usually required.
- PET polyethylene terephthalate
- a further advantage of the use of HDPE for the manufacture of dairy packaging is an ability to create a very light weight and hence low cost package, in comparison to the quantity of product being packed. This is a highly desirable attribute in the dairy industry, where the core product, white whole milk, is a staple and price driven commodity with little potential for value added manufacture .
- a consequence of the extreme light weight of dairy packaging is a light weight bottle neck.
- a typical HDPE blow moulded bottle in the dairy industry has a neck diameter of 38mm for rapid filling, but a wall thickness of less than lmm, commonly less than 0.5mm, and at the extreme less than 0.3mm.
- a heavy neck on a light weight bottle is not commercially feasible.
- HDPE bottles are commonly closed with a light weight closure .
- the seal between the closure and the bottle is not via a screw thread itself, but instead via a "bore seal".
- a bore seal is a cylindrical skirt (i.e. a ring or a lip) about 2mm long on the inside of a screw closure, which seals against the inside of the top of the screw thread in the neck of the bottle .
- the light weight closure often also comprises a top panel providing an upper surface and a peripheral skirt comprising inwardly projecting threads designed to engage corresponding outwardly projecting threads on a bottle neck.
- the threads may be of any suitable design, pitch and depth, including traditional single spiral screw-on, multi-spiral screw-on, or multi- spiral snap-on/screw-off (SOSO) designs.
- interference fit is used to describe the relationship of diameters. In any given situation, the degree of interference fit is determined by the experience of the designer and by actual practical tests .
- the light weight closure further comprises a tamper evident means .
- tamper evident means are in the form of a band which locks onto a corresponding outwardly projecting bead or system on the neck of the bottle, and which is connected by frangible connectors (or bridges) to the lower edge of the peripheral skirt of the closure .
- frangible connectors or bridges
- the frangible bridges may be formed directly during closure moulding or be formed in a post moulding slitting operation.
- a light weight bottle neck typically but not exclusively formed from HDPE, comprises a wall section and a top edge or rim.
- the light weight bottle neck may further comprise a flange extending inwardly from the rim to increase strength. This flange may be nearly horizontal, but more typically is at an angle increasing in height as the flange progresses in toward the bore to enable trimming.
- a major consequence of the extremely light weight neck is that it deforms easily and makes a poor contribution to the seal between the neck and its screw top closure.
- the thread form is too light to allow for force to be vertically applied on the bore seal region.
- the wall section is too thin to apply significant inwardly acting tensile forces on a bore seal .
- the neck of the bottle may not be strong enough to resist these outward forces and so moves outwards .
- the seal is lost and the fluid contained in the bottles starts leaking. This leaking can happen immediately or the neck may creep over time and lead to leaking at a later stage.
- induction seal foil inserts in closures has been adopted to largely eliminate leakage. This is an effective solution, but not particularly cost effective, with the foil seal adding in excess of 25% to the cost of a closure assembly. Nonetheless, in some markets this has become the default sealing system due to customer demand.
- a low cost closure, and associated neck design, offering improved sealing performance is a desirable product .
- the present invention addresses the known inadequacy of sealing in light weight systems by an improved design incorporating additional features at negligible additional cost.
- the present invention is based on a realisation that the light weight and therefore easily deformable bottle neck construction of the above-described known bottle necks can be utilised advantageously in the design of a closure and a closure and a bottle neck assembly.
- the present invention addresses the limitation in the seal quality by:
- the present invention provides a light weight closure and bottle neck assembly.
- the assembly includes a closure that has a bore seal defined by inner and outer members , such as two concentric skirts .
- the assembly further includes a bottle neck that includes a flange that is angled inwardly and upwardly at an angle of "theta" to the horizontal, as viewed when the bottle is in an upright position on a horizontal surface.
- the bottle neck and the closure are formed so that the flange can (a) deflect downwardly in response to an applied top load from the closure as the closure is being applied to the bottle neck and (b) be compressed when the closure is located on the bottle neck and can become wedged with an interference fit in the bore seal .
- a light weight closure that includes :
- a second member in the form of an inner concentric skirt depending from the top panel and positioned inwardly of the peripheral skirt and designed to provide a primary bore seal and having an exterior diameter of "Sl";
- the closure further includes a tamper evident' member .
- the third member is in the form of an intermediate skirt that extends from the top panel and is concentric with the first and second members and is positioned between the peripheral skirt and the inner skirt to provide contact with an outside of the rim of the bottle neck after the bottle neck engages the primary bore seal and thereby provides the secondary bore seal and resistance to outward flexing of the neck of the bottle, and having an internal diameter of "S2".
- the third member may be in the form of a pressure block positioned inwardly of the peripheral skirt to provide contact with an outside of the rim of the bottle neck after the bore seal has engaged the bottle neck and thereby provide the secondary seal and resistance to outward flexing of the neck of the bottle.
- the closure may further include a seal structure on a contact surface of the top panel between the second skirt and the third skirt to provide enhanced top seal .
- the seal structure may be of any form known in the art.
- the closure is formed from a polymeric material .
- closure is formed from a polyethylene polymer .
- the closure is formed from a high density polyethylene (“HDPE”) .
- HDPE high density polyethylene
- a bottle neck that is suitable for use, by way of example, with the above-described closure that includes:
- the flange is angled inwardly and upwardly from the top rim at an angle of "theta" to the horizontal .
- the flange has a width "W" which is greater than a radial gap between the inner skirt and the third member, (such as the intermediate skirt) of the closure , i.e. the difference between diameters E and B .
- the angle theta is in a range of 3-45° to a horizontal plane, as viewed when the bottle is standing upright on a horizontal surface.
- angle theta is in the range of 5- 30°.
- the angle theta is in the range of 5-20°.
- the bottle neck and the closure are formed, for example as a consequence of the wall thickness and/or the materials selection and/or the construction of the bottle neck and the closure, so that the flange can (a) deflect downwardly in response to an applied top load from the closure as the closure is being applied to the bottle neck and (b) be compressed when the closure is located on the bottle neck and can become wedged with an interference fit in the bore seal, i.e. between the inner skirt and the third member (such as the intermediate skirt) of the closure.
- the bottle neck is formed from a readily deformable polymeric material.
- bottle neck is formed from a polyethylene polymer.
- the bottle neck is formed from a
- the bottle neck has a wall thickness of less than lmm.
- the bottle neck has a wall thickness of less than 0.5mm.
- the bottle neck has a wall thickness of less than 0.3mm.
- the width W of the flange and the initial angle theta of the flange are selected having regard to the properties of the material from which the bottle neck is made so that the flange is not permanently deformed when the flange is wedged with the interference fit in the bore seal and has sufficient hoop strength to revert to the inwardly and upwardly extending profile when the closure is removed from the bottle neck .
- a first primary bore seal is formed by contact of an outward surface of the inner skirt of the closure and an inner surface of the bore of the bottle neck, with a contact force being controlled by the difference between diameters B and Sl .
- a second secondary bore seal is formed by contact between the third member (such as the intermediate skirt) and the outside rim of the bottle neck, with a contact force being controlled by the difference between diameters E and S2.
- a third tertiary bore seal is formed by contact between an upper surface of the bottle neck, more particularly an upper surface of the inwardly and upwardly angled flange of the bottle neck, and the under surface of the top panel of the closure at final application of the closure on the bottle neck.
- the inwardly and upwardly angled flange of the bottle neck extends initially at angle theta, typically in the range of 5-45°.
- the angle decreases as the closure is applied to the bottle neck. This decrease in the angle effectively increases the horizontal component of the width W of the flange, and effectively increases the contact force at both horizontal seal contacts while creating the vertical seal contact.
- the deformable flange is compressed into the gap between the inner skirt and the third member (such as the intermediate skirt) and forms the third seal as an interference fit.
- a closure and a bottle neck assembly that includes the above-described bottle neck and the above- described closure positioned on the bottle neck.
- a bottle that includes the above-described bottle neck and the above-described closure positioned on the bottle neck.
- Figure 1 shows the general appearance of one embodiment of an assembly of a closure and a bottle neck of the present invention
- Figure 2 shows a top view of the closure
- Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the closure and the bottle neck assembly
- Figure 4 shows a cut-away view of the closure and the bottle neck assembly for clarity
- Figures 5 (a) -5 (c) show detailed sectional views of the closure and the bottle neck assembly, in unapplied, partially applied, and fully applied conditions;
- Figure 6 shows optional and alternate embodiments of the closure of the present invention .
- Figure 1 shows one embodiment of a closure of the present invention applied to a bottle neck 7 of a blow moulded HDPE bottle.
- FIG. 1 forms one embodiment of a closure and bottle neck assembly in accordance with the present invention.
- the closure includes a top panel 1, a first member in the form of a peripheral cylindrical skirt 2 extending from the top panel 1 , and a tamper evident member in the form of a tamper evident band 3 connected to a lower edge of the skirt 2 via connecting bridges 4.
- the tamper evident band 3 includes a plurality of inwardly and upwardly extending petals 5 to engage a tamper bead 6 on the bottle neck 7.
- a knurled surface 8 is typical for such closures and may be of any convenient design.
- Figure 2 shows the closure of Figure 1 in top view.
- Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line
- FIG. 1 A-A of Figure 2 and shows the embodiment of the closure and bottle neck assembly in a fully closed position with the closure applied to the bottle neck 7 , with a seal being formed between the closure and the bottle neck 7.
- the closure also includes a second member in the form of an inner cylindrical skirt 9 extending from the top panel 1 that provides a primary bore seal at a contact point 10 ( Figures 5 (b) and 5 (c) ) .
- the inner skirt 9 may be rigid or deformable.
- the inner skirt 9 will be relatively rigid.
- the closure also includes a third member in the form of an intermediate skirt 11 extending from the top panel 1 that provides a second seal point 12 ( Figure 5 (c) ) that forms a secondary bore seal and increases the contact force at the bore seal point 10.
- the intermediate skirt 11 may be rigid or deformable.
- the intermediate skirt 11 will have a small degree of flexibility to ensure that the overall seal that is formed when the closure is applied to the bottle neck 7 is not too tight.
- the bottle neck 7 includes a thread form 14 and a tamper bead 6.
- the bottle neck 7 further includes an inwardly and upwardly angled top flange 17 that, as is described further hereinafter, cooperates with the inner skirt 9 and the intermediate skirt 11 of the closure to provide (a) the two above-mentioned seal points 10, 12 (which apply horizontally acting forces as viewed in the drawings) and (b) a further contact seal at point 16 (which applies a vertically acting force as viewed in the drawings) that forms a tertiary bore seal.
- the width W of the flange 17 is selected to be greater than the radial gap between the inner skirt 9 and the intermediate skirt 11.
- the difference between these dimensions will be a function of the deformability of the flange 17 and can be determined having regard to factors such as (but not limited to) the properties of the materials from which the bottle neck 7 and the closure are made and the wall thickness of the bottle neck 7.
- Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the closure and the bottle neck assembly in section.
- Figures 5(a)-(c) show the critical seal area in region C of Figure 3 in greater detail and illustrate conceptually how the embodiment of the seal of the present invention operates .
- the inner skirt 9 is about to contact the inner edge 19 of the flange 17 on the bottle neck 7.
- the flange 17 is arranged at an angle theta, typically in a range of 5-45° and preferably 10°, to the horizontal, as shown in the Figure.
- the intermediate skirt 11 is desirably shorter than the inner skirt 9 as shown, but this is not necessary to the operation of the invention.
- the bottle neck wall section 18 - which is thin-walled (typically less than 0.5mm) - is visible in the Figure. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the contact force between the inner edge of the flange 17 and the outer face of the inner skirt 9 will be low due to the flexibility of HDPE (and other commonly used plastics materials) .
- Figure 5 (c) illustrates the core of the concept of the present invention as it is applied to the embodiment of the closure and bottle neck assembly of the present invention shown in the drawing. As the inner edge
- the present invention takes advantage of the light weight and therefore deformable bottle neck construction of the above-described known bottle necks - which is a negative characteristic of known closures and closure and bottle neck assemblies .
- Figure 6 illustrates further embodiments of the closure of the present invention.
- a first alternate embodiment of the external contact structure is the use of a pressure block 20 as a substitute for the intermediate skirt 11. This structure successfully provides seal contact, but at a higher cost than the discrete skirt structure.
- an optional seal structure 21 in the form of two concentric protruding rings is shown on the top seal contact surface of the cap .
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NZ574166A NZ574166A (en) | 2006-06-19 | 2007-06-19 | A bottle closure that includes an top flange on the bottle neck that is deflected downwardly when load is applied by closing the treaded closure |
AU2007262659A AU2007262659A1 (en) | 2006-06-19 | 2007-06-19 | A closure and a bottle neck |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
AU2006903280A AU2006903280A0 (en) | 2006-06-19 | A closure and a bottle neck | |
AU2006903280 | 2006-06-19 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2007147206A1 true WO2007147206A1 (en) | 2007-12-27 |
Family
ID=38832996
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/AU2007/000857 WO2007147206A1 (en) | 2006-06-19 | 2007-06-19 | A closure and a bottle neck |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
AU (1) | AU2007262659A1 (en) |
NZ (1) | NZ574166A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2007147206A1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2010105792A1 (en) * | 2009-03-17 | 2010-09-23 | Hugo Frosch | Hot-water bottle |
WO2015061892A1 (en) * | 2013-10-28 | 2015-05-07 | Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. | Screw cap for containers |
USD824257S1 (en) * | 2016-11-11 | 2018-07-31 | Novembal Usa Inc. | Cap |
USD836442S1 (en) | 2018-01-04 | 2018-12-25 | Novembal Usa Inc. | Cap |
Citations (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3901404A (en) * | 1972-05-18 | 1975-08-26 | Dairy Cap Corp | Bottle cap |
US4098419A (en) * | 1977-02-18 | 1978-07-04 | Maxcap Inc. | Blow molded plastic bottle and antitamper cap |
US4114775A (en) * | 1976-03-11 | 1978-09-19 | Japan Crown Cork Co., Ltd. | Cap with sealing liner |
US4143785A (en) * | 1978-03-16 | 1979-03-13 | Sun Coast Plastic Closures, Inc. | Plastic vacuum sealing cap |
US4177906A (en) * | 1978-05-31 | 1979-12-11 | Maxcap Inc. | Blow molded plastic bottle and plastic cap |
US4322012A (en) * | 1980-05-09 | 1982-03-30 | Dairy Cap Corporation | Threaded plastic bottle cap |
US4498597A (en) * | 1984-01-20 | 1985-02-12 | Bashour Joseph E | Container and closure |
US4531649A (en) * | 1984-04-23 | 1985-07-30 | Anchor Hocking Corporation | Molded plastic cap with sealing liner |
US4560077A (en) * | 1984-09-25 | 1985-12-24 | Sun Coast Plastics, Inc. | Plastic closure cap |
US5673809A (en) * | 1994-02-23 | 1997-10-07 | Japan Crown Cork Co., Ltd. | Container closure with a plastic liner having projections extending into depressions in the plastic shell |
WO2000006454A1 (en) * | 1998-07-30 | 2000-02-10 | Kerr Group, Inc. | Closure and container system for hot filled containers |
GB2369114A (en) * | 2000-11-21 | 2002-05-22 | Beeson & Sons Ltd | User-friendly cap with plug seal |
WO2002098755A1 (en) * | 2001-06-06 | 2002-12-12 | White Cap, Inc. | Closure for thin-walled containers having a multi-lead threaded neck |
-
2007
- 2007-06-19 NZ NZ574166A patent/NZ574166A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2007-06-19 WO PCT/AU2007/000857 patent/WO2007147206A1/en active Application Filing
- 2007-06-19 AU AU2007262659A patent/AU2007262659A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3901404A (en) * | 1972-05-18 | 1975-08-26 | Dairy Cap Corp | Bottle cap |
US4114775A (en) * | 1976-03-11 | 1978-09-19 | Japan Crown Cork Co., Ltd. | Cap with sealing liner |
US4098419A (en) * | 1977-02-18 | 1978-07-04 | Maxcap Inc. | Blow molded plastic bottle and antitamper cap |
US4143785A (en) * | 1978-03-16 | 1979-03-13 | Sun Coast Plastic Closures, Inc. | Plastic vacuum sealing cap |
US4177906A (en) * | 1978-05-31 | 1979-12-11 | Maxcap Inc. | Blow molded plastic bottle and plastic cap |
US4322012A (en) * | 1980-05-09 | 1982-03-30 | Dairy Cap Corporation | Threaded plastic bottle cap |
US4498597A (en) * | 1984-01-20 | 1985-02-12 | Bashour Joseph E | Container and closure |
US4531649A (en) * | 1984-04-23 | 1985-07-30 | Anchor Hocking Corporation | Molded plastic cap with sealing liner |
US4560077A (en) * | 1984-09-25 | 1985-12-24 | Sun Coast Plastics, Inc. | Plastic closure cap |
US5673809A (en) * | 1994-02-23 | 1997-10-07 | Japan Crown Cork Co., Ltd. | Container closure with a plastic liner having projections extending into depressions in the plastic shell |
WO2000006454A1 (en) * | 1998-07-30 | 2000-02-10 | Kerr Group, Inc. | Closure and container system for hot filled containers |
GB2369114A (en) * | 2000-11-21 | 2002-05-22 | Beeson & Sons Ltd | User-friendly cap with plug seal |
WO2002098755A1 (en) * | 2001-06-06 | 2002-12-12 | White Cap, Inc. | Closure for thin-walled containers having a multi-lead threaded neck |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE102009013231B4 (en) * | 2009-01-17 | 2011-12-08 | Hugo Frosch | hot-water bottle |
WO2010105792A1 (en) * | 2009-03-17 | 2010-09-23 | Hugo Frosch | Hot-water bottle |
WO2015061892A1 (en) * | 2013-10-28 | 2015-05-07 | Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. | Screw cap for containers |
USD824257S1 (en) * | 2016-11-11 | 2018-07-31 | Novembal Usa Inc. | Cap |
USD836442S1 (en) | 2018-01-04 | 2018-12-25 | Novembal Usa Inc. | Cap |
USD838171S1 (en) | 2018-01-04 | 2019-01-15 | Novembal Usa Inc. | Cap |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU2007262659A1 (en) | 2007-12-27 |
NZ574166A (en) | 2012-02-24 |
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