The present invention relates in the first place to a cap assembly intended for sealing an outflow aperture of a container, and in particular intended for fixing a sealing device on the container, at least comprising a pouring part, a sleeve part and a sealing cap, in which the pouring part can interact with the abovementioned sealing cap, the sleeve part comprises an inner sleeve and a clamping ring, and the inner sleeve comprises one or more movable lips which can interact with the clamping ring and with coupling means on the outside of the container.

Such a cap assembly is described in US-A-2,723,773. In the remainder of the description the use of the cap assembly for sealing a pouring aperture of a bottle will be discussed, although it will be clear that the invention is by no means limited thereto and also extends to sealing other types of containers, such as jars and the like, with the cap assembly.

The sleeve part of the cap assembly according to US-A-2,723,773 comprises an inner sleeve with lips and a clamping ring. The lips extend in a direction opposite to the envisaged direction of flow for liquid to be poured out, i.e. the lips face away from the pouring part. When the cap assembly is used on a bottle, in the normal position the lips therefore hang down. With the abovementioned cap assembly a sealing device is fixed on the bottle, which sealing device comprises an inlet, an outlet and a non-return valve, which valve comprises a pressure ball and a sealing part, in which the pressure ball can interact with a conically shaped seat and the sealing part can interact with the inlet aperture of the sealing device. In a tilted condition of the bottle the ball will force the sealing part into the inlet aperture and the non-return valve will be closed.

Said sealing device is still closed in a position tilted just past the horizontal.

A sealing device serves to prevent fraudulent refilling of the bottle or otherwise changing of its contents. In general, such a sealing device will be used mainly for drinks bottles, since refilling drinks bottles with drinks of generally inferior quality occurs very frequently and must, of course, be prevented.

The cap assembly according to US-A-2,723,773 also comprises a cap with an internal screw thread which can interact with an external screw thread on the pouring part.

The main disadvantage of this known cap assembly is that the coupling which is produced through interaction of the lips of the inner sleeve with the coupling means on the outside of the bottle is not ideal. If the cap assembly is pulled after fixing, the lips tend to bulge out, and the assembly can be removed from the bottle with the exertion of relatively little force.

There is therefore a considerable need in this field for an improved cap assembly which ensures a more reliable coupling of the assembly with a container, in particular a bottle.

The object of the present invention is to provide such a cap assembly which does not have the disadvantages of the prior art, and to this end the invention is characterized in that the lips extend essentially in the direction of the pouring part.

By making the lips run in the opposite direction to those according to US-A-2,723,773 , an excellent coupling of the cap assembly on a container, such as a bottle, is obtained. This assembly can be removed only with very great force and by causing considerable damage.

It is particularly advantageous to form the lips by substantially U-shaped incisions in the inner sleeve. In a preferred embodiment of the cap assembly according to the invention, the lips are of greater thickness at the movable end than near their hinge point.

The lips can be provided in any desired shape and thickness. If the ends of the lips are made thicker, the

lips can be placed in very good tight-fitting contact with the coupling means on the container, for example a flange on the neck of a bottle, with the result that an unambiguous and very reliable fixing of the cap assembly is obtained.

The lips can also be accommodated as separate parts in recesses in the inner sleeve.

In order to make a further improvement in the fixing of the cap assembly on a container, the clamping ring and the inner sleeve comprise coupling means which can produce a permanent coupling. This ensures that, after fixing of the cap assembly on a container, the sleeve cannot still be removed through possibly disconnecting the clamping ring. These coupling means can be formed in a simple way, for example by an adhesive, but these coupling means for permanent coupling of the inner sleeve and the clamping ring are advantageously in the form of a circular groove in the outside of the inner sleeve and a circular, inward- facing collar on the clamping ring. Such a cap assembly can be pushed onto the neck of a bottle before fixing, following which the clamping ring is pushed over the inner sleeve, and clamping of the lips or other coupling parts with the flange on the bottle neck is achieved, while the collar of the clamping ring snaps into the groove in the inner sleeve.

In a preferred embodiment of the cap assembly according to the invention, said assembly includes a sealing device which only permits pouring out of the product present in the container. The cap assembly according to the invention is suitable in particular for this application, since it means that a sealing device can be fixed permanently on a bottle, and cannot be removed without considerable damage to the assembly. This makes it possible to guarantee the quality of the contents of the bottle.

The invention also provides an inner sleeve and a clamping ring, which are intended for a cap assembly according to the invention.

A container provided with a cap assembly according to the invention is also provided.

The invention relates in the second place to a sealing device, intended in particular for accommodation in a cap assembly according to the invention, at least comprising a flow channel with an inlet, an outlet and a non-return valve, which valve comprises a sealing part and a pressure part, which parts can move between two stops, the sealing part being situated at the inlet side of the non-return valve, and the pressure part being situated at the outlet side of the non-return valve, while the stop for the pressure part is in the form of a cup-shaped stop which is disposed essentially concentrically relative to the flow channel and is connected in places to the wall of the channel, and which has an inside wall running towards the centre line of the flow channel, viewed in the outflow direction of the valve, and the stop for the sealing part is in the form of an annular seat connected to the inside wall of the flow channel, while the dimensions of the parts concerned are selected in such a way that when the valve is closed the sealing part projects partially into the opening surrounded by the seat and lies clear of the wall of the outflow channel, and the pressure part presses against the sealing part, while an opening is also present in the bottom of the cup-shaped stop of the pressure part, through which opening a projection of an auxiliary pressure part projects, which part can interact at one side with the pressure part and at the other side - with the interposition of the projection - with a cap, in order to force the sealing part into the annular seat.

The presence of the auxiliary pressure part in the sealing device according to the invention ensures that during storage, transport and the like, the space in which the pressure and sealing parts are situated is not filled with liquid present in the bottle, which can lead to spilling when the bottle is opened. This effect is experienced particularly in, for example, aircrafts, at a reduced ambient pressure. Through interacting with the cap of the cap assembly and with the pressure part, the

- 5 - auxiliary pressure part will force the sealing part into the appropriate seat when the cap is closed, with the result that no liquid can penetrate into said space.

The pressure part and sealing part are preferably in the form of balls, it being particularly preferable for the pressure ball to have a greater mass than the sealing ball. It is pointed out that the sealing and pressure part can be designed in many other ways, and the form is not limited to balls. However, these parts are preferably circularly symmetrical. Cylindrical or conical parts are conceivable in this case.

The invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to the appended drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a section of an embodiment of a cap assembly according to the invention, in a position in which it is fixed on the neck of a bottle;

Fig. 2 shows a position of the assembly prior to permanent coupling;

Fig. 3 shows a preferred embodiment of the sealing device according to the invention; and

Fig. 4 shows a view in perspective of an auxiliary part according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically the various parts of the cap assembly according to the invention on the neck of a bottle. The cap assembly comprises an inner sleeve 1, which in this preferred embodiment is integral with a pouring part 2. However, these parts can also be separate, and the pouring part 2 in that case can be clamped on the bottle by the inner sleeve part 1. The clamping ring is indicated by 3 and a cap by 4.

The cap 4 comprises an internal screw thread 5, which can interact with an external screw thread 6 on the pouring part 2.

The cap 4 also comprises a breaking ring 7, which catches behind a collar 8 on the pouring part 2 and ensures that the cap 4 cannot be removed from the cap assembly until narrow connecting bridges 9 are broken. This breaking ring 7 is a quality guarantee seal, from which it can be seen whether the bottle has ever been opened.

- 6 -

A sealing device is indicated by 10 and consists of two cup-shaped parts 11 and 12, both of which are provided with ribs 13, 14 respectively on the inside, and in which two balls A and B, indicated by dotted lines, are situated. Ball A is a so-called pressure ball, while ball B forms a sealing ball, which can rest against a seat 26. The material of the balls is not particularly limited, and can be selected from plastic, glass, metal or a combination of these, but ball A advantageously has a greater mass than ball B.

Reference number 15 indicates diagrammatically the neck of a bottle with an external flange 16.

When the bottle is tilted past a certain angle, which depends on the angle between the conical ribs 14 and the central axis of the sealing device, the ball A will roll in the direction of the stop cone 17, and the sealing ball B can tilt off the seat 26. The dimensions of the ribs 13 are selected in such a way relative to the dimensions of the seat 26 and of the ball B so that the ball does not lie against the ribs 13 when the sealing device is in the sealing position.

The sealing device comprises sealing means in the form of circular sealing ribs 17 and 18.

The flow path of a product to be poured out is indicated by means of arrows.

The inner sleeve 1 comprises a number of ribs 19 which are distributed over the inside wall thereof and rest against the outside of the neck of the bottle, which neck is also provided with ribs, so that rotation of the assembly relative to the bottle is not possible.

Reference number 20 indicates lips according to the invention, which face the pouring part 2 (in the outflow direction) and interact with the flange 16 on the neck 15 of the bottle. The clamping ring 3 presses these lips 20 inwards and ensures the optimum coupling thereof with the flange 16.

The collar 21 on the clamping ring, interacting with the annular recess 22 in the inner sleeve, ensures that the clamping sleeve 3 of the assembly cannot be moved

downwards. The above is ensured in the opposite direction by the collar 23 and the collar 25. Of course, this unambiguous coupling can also be obtained in other ways. For example, it is possible to use a bottle in which the neck of the bottle is of such length that after the assembly has been fitted, the clamping ring cannot be removed by pressure against or near the shoulder of the bottle, i.e. the transition from the neck to the body of the bottle. The material from which the respective parts of the cap assembly according to the invention are made can be selected as desired from, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate and the like. It is even possible to manufacture the cap assembly according to the invention from very rigid materials, for example metal or the like.

The cap 4 and the breaking ring 7 are advantageously made of metal, and more preferably of aluminium. In particular, the breaking ring in this case is in the form of a breaking sleeve which covers the entire inner sleeve and clamping ring. The appearance of a metal cap is obtained in this way. When such a metal breaking sleeve is used, it is also possible for the function of the collar 23 to be taken over by a score (an annular narrowing) being provided in the breaking sleeve and guaranteeing the position of the clamping ring. Instead of a breaking sleeve, it is also possible to use a breaking ring and a separate additional outer sleeve made of metal, which guarantees the position of the clamping ring through local constriction.

Reference number 24 indicates an annular recess, which serves as a hinge point for the lips 20, but also as a temporary fixing for the collar 21 of the clamping ring 3 while the assembly is being fitted on the neck of a bottle. All the above is shown more clearly in Fig. 2, in which the assembly is shown just after fitting, but before the clamping ring has been placed. Injection moulding the lips 20 in the position shown in Fig. 2 ensures that the edge which is provided for resting against the flange 16 of

the neck 15 of the bottle can be made very sharp, in order to make a further improvement in the coupling with the flange 16.

If the clamping ring 3 is moved in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, an unambiguous and durable coupling of the assembly on the neck 15 of the bottle is obtained.

Apart from the embodiments of the lips shown in the figures, these lips can be designed in many other ways. For example, they can be in the form of local thickened parts in the inner sleeve which are surrounded by a region of lower wall thickness or are connected to the remainder of the inner sleeve part only by means of breakable bridges, so that, by moving the clamping ring they can be pressed against the neck of the bottle through deformation of the parts which have been made thinner, or through breaking of the bridges. However, it is essential for these lips to extend in the direction of the pouring part (the outflow direction) .

The cap assembly shown in the figures can also be assembled prior to fixing on the neck of a bottle, i.e. the clamping sleeve can be pushed over the inner sleeve when it is already in the end position. In this case the clamping sleeve needs to be made of slightly resilient material, since the lips have to be able to move out slightly during fixing of the assembly on a bottle.

Apart from its use on containers for essentially liquid products, the cap assembly according to the invention is also suitable for containers with solid products in the case of which similar problems occur. Examples are medicine containers and the like.

Fig. 3 shows, in section, a preferred embodiment of a sealing device according to the invention, which corresponds essentially to the sealing device according to Figures 1 and 2. A recess 27 is present in the conical cup-shaped part 12, through which recess a rod-shaped projection 28 of an auxiliary pressure part 29 projects. A disc-shaped end 30 of the auxiliary pressure part 29 rests against the pressure ball A. When the cap is turned on the cap assembly (Figs. 1 and 2) , in the case of which a

sealing device according to Fig. 3 has been used, the auxiliary pressure part 29 is pressed by the inside of the cap against the pressure ball A, which in turn presses the sealing ball B into the seat 26, and thus prevents liquid for pouring out of the bottle from possibly flowing into the space in which the balls are situated (the flow channel) .

Fig. 4 shows a view in perspective of an example of an auxiliary pressure part 29 according to the invention.