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(11) | EP 0 752 372 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
| published in accordance with Art. 158(3) EPC |
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| (54) | EASY-TO-OPEN LID |
| (57) Easy-to-open lid presenting a plastic body which defines an external annular configuration
extended at the inner side by a low thickness peripheral portion integral with an
internal annular configuration presenting at a point of its periphery a reinforcement
from which protrudes a ring; the lid has a second body comprised of a transparent
sheet of plastic material which is joined, preferably by ultrasounds, to the lower
surface of the internal annular configuration, thereby closing the internal empty
space of the latter. Said lid is preferably used to be fixed on the mouth of metal
containers in order to close them. |
[0001] As its title indicates, the present specification refers to a cap that is easy to open, of the type used as a closure for packs.
[0002] Easy to open caps are currently known, and these may be made of metal or plastic material, as is the case of the subject of this invention.
[0003] Easy to open caps made of plastic material are obtained by moulding of the material and have a main body the central part of which is closed by a laminate portion equipped with a ring, and delimited by a line of very thin material, this forming a line of breakage, such that when the ring is pulled the central laminate portion is released, leaving the central space which it had covered open.
[0004] Caps of this type may be used to close openings of small size, as if the removable laminate portion were used to cover a large area, and taking its reduced thickness into account, obtaining the same by moulding would be virtually impossible and would at least be excessively expensive.
[0005] To solve these problems the easy open cap which is the subject of this invention has been developed, this presenting the particularity of being composed of a body made of plastic material, in the form of two annular configurations, one external and one internal, joined by a portion of slight thickness which forms a line of breakage, and a lamina which is affixed, preferentially by ultrasound, onto the internal configuration of the original body, closing the central area of the latter.
[0006] The external configuration of the first body is designed to affix immovably onto the mouth of a recipient, and the interior presents, as is usual for this type of cap, a ring, joined to the same by means of a thicker portion, such that when the ring is pulled the internal configuration and the lamina joined to the same separate from the external form, which remains affixed to the pack.
[0007] The fact that the cap is composed of an original body to which a lamina is affixed, permits the easy open cap to have large dimensions, while as the extraction of the internal shape take place together with that of the laminate body, the hole within the cap presents a surface area that is practically the same as that of the mouth of the pack.
[0008] On the other hand, it is planned that the lamina which originally seals the central area of the pack is to be made of transparent plastic material, thereby permitting the visual inspection of the product contained within the pack without having to open the latter, this currently being impossible, taking account of the fact that the caps to which we refer are used for metal packs, due to which this feature gives rise to an important advantage in comparison with currently known plastic or metal caps.
[0009] With the aim of making better understanding of the invention possible, the enclosed drawings shows a preferential practical embodiment of the same. In this said drawings:
- Figure 1 shows a plan view of the easy open cap that is the subject of this invention.
- Figure 2 shows an elevation view of the cap, with a vertical cross - section of the diameter through the area where the ring is joined to the internal ring shape.
[0010] As may be seen in the above-mentioned figures, the easy open cap which is the subject of this invention is originally composed of an annular body (1) and a lamina (2).
[0011] The body (1) forms a ring shaped exterior (11) which is designed to be affixed to a pack, preferably one made of metal, and presents internally a peripheral part (12) of slight thickness which acts as a line of breakage and which is joined to an internal (13) ring shape.
[0012] This internal annular configuration (13) presents on one of its sides, more specifically on the side corresponding to the external part of the pack, a reinforcement (14) from which a ring (15) emerges, while on the opposite side of this annular shape (13) the periphery of the lamina (2) is affixed, preferentially by means of ultrasound, this closing the central part of the cap.
[0013] This lamina (2) is preferentially composed of several layers of transparent plastic material, thereby permitting the visual inspection of the product contained within the pack once the cap has been affixed onto the pack, without the need for the cap to be opened.
[0014] With this arrangement, when the ring (15) is pulled this brings about the breakage of the body (1) at portion (12) of slight thickness, leaving the external ring shape (11) affixed to the pack, while the internal ring shape (13) is taken off together with the lamina (2) and producing an opening in the cap, delimited at its periphery by the configuration of the external ring (11).
[0015] Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, as well as an example of practical realisation, it must be stated that modifications which are considered to be opportune may be made to the same, on condition that these do not alter the essential characteristics of the invention, as claimed below.
1. An easy to open cap, of the type used to close packs characterised in that it presents
a body made of plastic material which form an external ring which is designed to be
affixed to the opening of a pack, and which is prolonged at its internal side by a
peripheral portion of slight thickness which forms a line of breakage, and which is
joined to an inner ring configuration, the latter presenting a reinforcement from
which a ring emerges at a point of its periphery: the cap presenting a second body,
composed of a transparent plastic lamina which is joined, preferentially by ultrasound,
onto the lower surface of the internal ring configuration, closing the inner opening
in the same.
2. A cap, according to the above claim, characterised in that the transparent lamina
which closes the inner ring configuration is preferentially composed of several layers
of material which are affixed to each other.
3. A cap, according to the above claims, characterised in that the surface delimited
by the line of breakage is slightly less than the total surface area of the cap.