A Cap for Closing Containers

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cap for closing containers.

More in particular, the present invention relates to a "child proof closing cap, i.e. a safety cap against accidental openings, for containers of liquids.

Background Art

Known caps for closing a container are constituted by a ring nut, generally screwed on the neck of the container, bearing a dispenser that is placed in fluid communication with the interior of the container.

To prevent accidental dispensing of the fluid contained in the container, the dispenser is usually covered, and hence made inaccessible, by a covering element coupled to the ring nut.

The coupling between covering element and ring nut is such as to assure that the removal of the closing element can be effected only by performing a predetermined sequence of operations, e.g. rotations and/or pressures, on the covering element, as described for example in the document US 5356043.

In this way, only a user who really wants to dispense the fluid contained in the container is able to remove the covering element, preventing the fluid from being spilled accidentally.

However, said closing caps of the prior art doe not prevent the ring nut from being unscrewed, e.g. accidentally by a child, from the neck of the container allowing direct access to its content.

Other closing caps are known that provide for fastening the ring nut to the neck of the container in nearly irremovable fashion, avoiding the aforementioned drawback.

Said fastening of the ring nut to the container neck is achieved providing a plurality of shoulders and undercuts which in fact set the ring nut to the container neck.

However, this second type of closing caps of the prior art requires particular sequences for mounting the ring nut on the container neck, which need automatic coupling systems that are highly complex and delicate.

Moreover, in this case, it is necessary to provide containers having particular neck conformations that necessarily increase production costs.

Additionally, it should be noted that the closing caps briefly described above can still be accidentally removed from the container if, for example, a child tries to force the coupling between ring nut and container neck.

Disclosure of the Invention

In this context, the specific technical task of the present invention is to propose a cap for closing containers that is free of the drawbacks mentioned above.

In particular, an object of the present invention is to make available a cap for closing containers that is inviolably fastened to the neck of the container.

A further object of the present invention is to propose a cap for closing containers that allows only adults to access to the content of the container.

Yet another object of the present invention is to make available a cap for closing containers that allows an easy and economical automation of the process for coupling the cap to the container.

The technical task set out above and the specified objects are substantially achieved by a cap for closing containers comprising the technical characteristics exposed in one or more of the appended claims.

Description of the Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention shall become more readily apparent from the indicative, and therefore non limiting, description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a cap for closing containers, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

- figure 1 is a perspective, partially sectioned view of a cap for closing containers according to the present invention;

- figure 2 is a perspective, partially sectioned view of a first detail of the cap of figure l;

- figure 3 is a perspective, partially sectioned view of a second detail of the cap of figure 1;

- figure 4 is a perspective, partially sectioned view of a third detail of the cap of figure l;

- figure 5 is a perspective, partially sectioned view of a fourth detail of the cap of figure 1.

Description of the Illustrative Embodiment

With reference to figure 1, the number 1 indicates, in its entirety, a cap for closing containers according to the present invention.

The cap 1 is of the "child proof type, i.e. it is a safety cap against accidental openings.

The cap 1 comprises a dispenser 2 placed in fluid connection with the interior of a container 100.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the dispenser 2 is a pumping assembly, i.e. a micro-pump that draws fluid from the interior of the container 2 and makes it available for dispensing.

The dispenser 2 is integral with a first sleeve 3 which can be screwed to the neck 101 of the container 100.

In particular, as shown in figure 2, the first sleeve 3 has substantially tubular shape and comprises a collar 4 positioned at a first end 5. The dispenser 2 is made integral with the collar 4 of the first sleeve 3 and develops away therefrom both towards the interior of the container 100 and in the opposite direction.

The first sleeve 3 has a threaded inner surface 6 which is screwed on a corresponding thread (not shown) present on the neck 101 of the container 100, in such a way as to make integral both the first sleeve 3 and the dispenser 2 with the container 100.

It should be stressed that the threading present on the inner surface 6 of the first sleeve 3 can have any pitch and any number of threads, depending on the type of threading present on the neck 101 of the container 100.

In other words, for every type of container it is possible to choose a corresponding first sleeve 3 having appropriate dimensions and threading.

Advantageously, the cap 1 comprises a second sleeve 7, coaxial and completely encompassing the first sleeve 3 and coupling means 8 active between the first 3 and the

second sleeve 7, to couple mechanically the second sleeve 7 to the first sleeve 3 during a rotation of the second sleeve 7 in a first direction and uncouple the second sleeve 7 from the first sleeve 3 during a rotation of the second sleeve 7 in a second direction, opposite the first.

In this way, rotating the second sleeve 7 on the first sleeve 3 clockwise, the coupling means 8 make the two sleeves integral, allowing the first sleeve to be screwed onto the neck 101 of the container 100, whilst rotating the second sleeve 7 counterclockwise, the coupling means 8 uncouple the two sleeves and prevent the first sleeve 3 from unscrewing from the neck 101 of the container 100, assuring that the cap 1 is inviolably fastened to the container 100.

In particular, the coupling means 8 comprise a plurality of fins 9 positioned on the first sleeve 3 and a plurality of projections 10 positioned on the second sleeve and facing the fins 9.

More in particular, as shown in figure 2, the fins 9 are positioned on the first sleeve 3, at a second end 11 opposite to the first end 5, and they comprise a first portion 12 directly fastened to the outer surface 13 of the first sleeve 3 and a second portion 14 that develops away from the outer surface 13.

The direction of development of the second portion 14 of the fins 9 defines, in combination with the tangent to the outer surface 13 of the first sleeve 3, an acute angle, in such a way that the second portions 14 of the fins 9 are oriented in the opposite direction of rotation from the one necessary to screw the first sleeve 3 on the neck 101 of the container 100.

With particular reference to figure 3, the projections 10 of the coupling means 8 are positioned in a lower portion 15 of the second sleeve 7, which has substantially tubular conformation.

The projections 10 emerge from the inner surface 16 of the second sleeve 7, face the fins 9 and are intended to engage and retain the second portions 14 of the fins 9 when the second sleeve 7 is rotated to screw the first sleeve 3 on the neck 101 of the container 100.

Rotating the second sleeve in the direction opposite the direction of screwing, the second portions 14 of the fins 9 slide on the projections 10 preventing the mutual coupling between first 3 and second sleeve 7.

The cap 1 further comprises a covering element 17 of the dispenser 2, to prevent an involuntary activation of the dispenser 2, as illustrated in figure 1 and 4.

The covering element 17 completely surrounds and encloses the dispenser 2 and it is retained thereon by retaining means 18.

Said retaining means 18 comprise a third sleeve 19, coaxial and longitudinally fastened to the first two sleeves.

With particular reference to figures 1 and 5, the third sleeve 19 is substantially tubular and comprises, at a first end 18, an annular shoulder 20 that retains at least one appendage 21 of the covering element 17 positioned at one end thereof.

The sleeve 1 further comprises means 22 for releasing the covering element 17 to allow its disengagement from the third sleeve 19.

In particular, said release means 22 comprise at least one opening 23 obtained in the annular shoulder 20 of the third sleeve 19 for the passage of the appendage 21 of the covering element 17.

In this way, aligning the appendage 21, whereof in the preferred embodiment there are three, equidistant at 120° from each other, with the opening 23, whereof in the preferred embodiment there are three, equidistant at 120° from each other, it is possible to disengage the covering element 17 from the third sleeve 19.

For this regard, the third sleeve 19 is rotatably coupled to the second sleeve 17.

In particular, in the preferred embodiment, the third sleeve 19 comprises a first portion 24 which presents an outer surface having a succession of circumferential projections and recesses 25, i.e. a development that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the third sleeve 19.

Said third sleeve is engaged with the inner surface 16 of the second sleeve 7, as shown in figure 1, in a region that is not involved by the projections 10 of the coupling means 8 (see figure 3), which presents a corresponding succession of circumferential projections and recesses 26.

The two successions of projections and recesses 25, 26 mutually engage allowing the rotation of the third sleeve 19 relative to the second sleeve 7, and preventing the longitudinal sliding, i.e. in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the third sleeve 19, of the two sleeves.

In this way, the third sleeve 19 is freely rotatable relative to the container 100 and it is longitudinally fastened thereto.

The third sleeve 19 further comprises a second portion 27, emerging with respect to the second sleeve 7, to operate the rotation of the sleeve itself.

This second portion 27, visible in figure 1 and 5, comprises a knurled area 27a, which can be gripped by a user to facilitate handling the third sleeve 19.

According to the above description, to remove the covering element 17 from the cap 1 and hence access the dispenser 2, it is necessary to effect a relative rotation between the covering element 17 and the third sleeve 19, until the appendages 21 align with the opening 23 of the annular shoulder 20 and, subsequently, pull the covering element 17 upwards to make the appendages 21 exit the openings 23.

In this way, advantageously, the covering element 17 can be removed only voluntarily and co-ordinating a series of operations, hence excluding that the dispenser 2 may accidentally dispense the liquid contained in the container 100 or that a child may access the dispenser 2.

It should also be noted that the covering element 17 comprises three ribs 28, whereof one is visible in figure 4, positioned at the appendages 21, to easily identify the their position.

The covering element 17 is reinserted repeating the above described steps in reversed order.

To facilitate the reinsertion of the covering element 17 on the dispenser 2, the third sleeve 19 comprises a guiding portion 19 with tubular shape and tapered in the direction of the covering element 17.

The cap 1 further comprises a seal 30 integral with the covering element 17, removable as a result of a first opening of the covering element 17.

The seal 30, shown in figure 4, has substantially annular shape and surrounds the lower portion of the covering element 17.

The seal 30 is made integral to the covering element 17 by means of one or more spokes 31 present on an annular portion 32 of the seal 30.

This annular portion 32 of the seal 30 further comprises at least one appendage 33 insertable into the opening 23 of the annular shoulder 30 of the third sleeve 19, in such a

way as to prevent the rotation of the third sleeve 19 relative to the closing element 17, thus denying access to the dispenser 2.

The spokes 31 are connected to the covering element 17 by a relatively thin strip of material, to enable the spokes to break and hence detach from the annular portion 32 of the seal 30 as a result of the first opening of the covering element 17.

The appendage 33 opposes the mutual rotation between the third sleeve 19 and the covering element 17. Forcing the rotation thereof relative to the third sleeve 19, the spokes 31 are broken, letting the system rotate freely and removing the covering element 17.

Upon even a cursory visual examination of the seal 30, it is then immediately observable that the covering element 17 has already been removed once.

The invention achieves the proposed objects.

The cap for closing containers of the present invention is fastened in practically inviolable fashion to the neck of the container thanks to the first sleeve, to the second sleeve and to the coupling means operating between the two.

Moreover, the closing element and the third sleeve allow access to the content of the container only to adult persons, because it is necessary to co-ordinate a series of operations to be able to remove the closing element.

Additionally, the fact that the cap is applied to the neck of the container by simple screwing allows for an easy and economical automation of the process of coupling the cap to the container.