[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing cap that improves the airtightness of
the container and the ease of opening of same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] There exist a large variety of products, mainly pharmaceuticals, parapharmaceutical
or dietary products, among others, that must be opened only at the time of utilisation
thereof, because they would otherwise lose their properties.
[0003] Utility model
ES 1 010 622 U, whose Applicant is the same as that of the present application, describes a sealing
cap that fits hermetically onto the mouth of the container and that includes an appendage,
attached to the rest of the cap by a weakening line, which enables the seal to be
broken. Said weakening line is situated over the internal space bounded by the interior
part of the seal in direct contact with the product in the container. Said location
of the weakening line is not the most suitable one, due to the fact that during the
manufacturing process small pores can appear in the weakening line, rendering the
sealing of the container ineffective and spoiling the product it contains.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The objective of the present invention is to solve the disadvantages presented by
the devices known in the state of the art, by providing a sealing system whereby should
any pore exist in the weakening line or weakened attachment line the product contained
remains properly protected.
[0005] The sealing cap for containers of the present invention comprises an exterior perimetral
part that is fixed from the exterior to the mouth of the container, an interior perimetral
part that is fixed from the interior to the aforesaid mouth of the container, an upper
part that includes a projecting appendage for unsealing the cap and a weakened attachment
line, with the interior perimetral part delimiting an internal space that communicates
with the interior of the container, and a crown delimited to the exterior by the exterior
perimetral part, characterised in that the weakened attachment line is situated in
the zone of the crown.
[0006] The weakened attachment line is thus left situated on the crown, which is above the
mouth of the container and in direct contact with the surface of the container, so
that should the weakened attachment line present any pore due to manufacturing defect
the product remains protected, since under no circumstances is the product left in
contact with said pore.
[0007] Advantageously, the weakened attachment line includes at least one rib that attaches
the exterior perimetral part and the upper part, in order to facilitate circulation
of the plastic material during manufacturing.
[0008] The weakened attachment line of the sealing cap is usually of very fine thickness,
which hinders circulation of the plastic material through the mould during manufacturing,
which is generally carried out by injection. In order to improve said circulation,
provision has been made for the weakened attachment line to include at least one rib
with a section larger than the rest of the weakened attachment line.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] In order to facilitate the description of the matters outlined above some drawings
are appended that show, schematically and solely by way of non-restrictive example,
a practical case of embodiment of a sealing cap of the present invention, in which:
Figure 1 is a sectioned elevation view of a container with a sealing cap at the right-hand
side of the figure, and of only the cap at the left-hand side;
Figure 2 is a plan view of a sealing cap.
DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0010] As Figure 1 shows, the container 1 is closed at its upper part by a sealing cap 2
that is made up of an exterior perimetral part 3 attached under pressure to the mouth
4 of the container 1, an interior perimetral part 5 also attached under pressure to
the interior of the mouth 4 of the container 1, an upper part 6 that includes an appendage
7 and that is also attached by means of a weakened attachment line 8 to the exterior
perimetral part 3.
[0011] The interior perimetral part 5 together with the lower face of the upper part 6 delimit
a common internal space 9 with the interior space of the container 1. Owing to this
common internal space 9, any pore there might be in the cap 2 brings the product contained
in the container 1 into communication with the exterior. In order to preclude this
risk, the weakened attachment line 8, which due to its low thickness is the only zone
in which the pores can communicate the interior with the exterior of the cap, is situated
in the zone of the crown 10 delimited by the interior perimetral part 5 and the exterior
perimetral part 3.
[0012] In this way there exists no risk of the internal space (9) of the container (1) coming
into communication with the exterior.
[0013] Figure 2 shows the upper part of the sealing cap 2 and the upper zone 6 that is attached
to the exterior perimetral part 3 by the weakened attachment line 8. It also shows
two ribs 11 to facilitate circulation of the fluid material during the manufacturing
process. The ribs 11 are arranged symmetrically.
[0014] Despite the fact that a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described
and shown, it is obvious that an expert in the field will be able to introduce variants
and modifications, or replace the details by others that are technically equivalent,
without departing from the sphere of protection defined by the enclosed claims.
1. Sealing cap (2) for containers (1), which comprises an exterior perimetral part (3)
that is fixed from the exterior to the mouth (4) of the container (1), an interior
perimetral part (5) that is fixed from the interior to the aforesaid mouth (4) of
the container (1), an upper part (6) that includes a projecting appendage (7) for
unsealing the cap (2) and a weakened attachment line (8), with the interior perimetral
part (5) delimiting an internal space (9) that communicates with the interior of the
container (1), and a crown (10) delimited to the exterior by the perimetral part (3),
characterised in that the weakened attachment line (8) is situated in the zone of the crown (10).
2. Sealing cap, according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the weakened attachment line (8) includes at least one rib (11) that attaches the
exterior perimetral part (3) and the upper part (6) in order to facilitate circulation
of the plastic material during manufacturing.
REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only.
It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has
been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and
the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.
Patent documents cited in the description