The present invention refers to safety closures for bottles intended to contain cosmetic products. The present invention further refers to a method of manufacturing safety closures.
The expression safety closure is used to indicate a closure that can be repeatedly opened and closed, and comprising means for indicating wholeness thereof.
The state of the art, for the closure of the aforementioned bottles, comprises closures made of synthetic material obtained through injection in suitable moulds, which are constituted by a body intended to be irreversibly coupled to the neck of the bottle, and by a cover constituted by the same material of the body and joined to the body by a thin and flexible part serving as a hinge. The cover and the body are obtained using the same material, by means of a single injection operation.
The closures of the prior art reveal the drawback lying in the fact that the wholeness of the packaging should be guaranteed by means different from the closure, such as a film sheath, whose removal indicates the first opening of the bottle.
The need of applying a safety sheath after applying the device to the neck of the bottle implies complicating the provision of the finished packaging and it does entirely guarantee that a sheath similar to the original one is not reapplied after a non-authorised opening of the bottle
Other closures comprise safety devices which are integrated in the body that is coupled to the neck of the bottle, and which are adapted to be snap-coupled to the cover. Closures of this kind are disclosed for example in the prior patents
The object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawback through a simple and inexpensive solution.
This object is attained through a closure having the characteristics outlined in the Independent claim 4 and a method of manufacturing having the characteristics outlined in the independent claim 1; the dependent claims refer to further characteristics of the invention that improve the efficiency thereof.
Substantially the object is attained by a closure comprising a body intended to be snap-coupled on the neck of a bottle, and provided with an upper hole for the outlet of the product.
A cover obtained in the same body injection operation, è joined to the body by flexible tabs serving as a hinge and it is provided with a shank intended to be sealingly inserted in an upper hole of the body.
A safety device is created at least partly on the body by means of a second injection operation.
On the side of the safety device fixed to the body there rises means at least partly accessible from outside adapted to be snap-coupled at corresponding appendages of the cover.
Said means are connected to the side of the safety device fixed to the body by appendages fragile to the forces they are subjected to for decoupling from the cover by said means fixed to the body and at least partly accessible from outside.
The fact of making the security system with a second injection operation entails that the closure is formed substantially by two bodies (the body intended to engage on the neck of the bottle and the safety device), which are joined together inseparably, but are still two distinct bodies. This feature has the advantage that those two bodies can be made of different materials and / or different colors, etc.; that being not possible with conventional methods
The constructional and functional characteristics of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which with reference to the attached drawings illustrates a preferred embodiment provided by way of non-limiting example.
The figures show the closure 1 comprising a main body 2, a cover 3, and a safety device 5.
The main body 2 is drinking-glass-shaped, and it has, on the interior surface thereof starting from the bottom, six forms 21 in relief, equally spaced, intended to be snap-coupled on an annular relief present on the neck of the bottle, not illustrated.
From the upper flat surface of the body 2 there is derived - downwards - an annular lip 22 intended to be sealingly inserted in the neck of the bottle, not illustrated.
The body 2 has an upper opening 23.
The cover 3 is a concave body intended to fittingly rest on the body 2 (
The cover 3 has, facing towards the body 2 when the cover is positioned resting, a central shank 31 intended to be sealingly inserted on the opening 23 of the body 2.
The body and the cover are joined by three thin tabs 4 intended to serve as a hinge.
Under normal conditions of use the cover 3 is kept in position by the shank 31 inserted into the hole 23.
The body 2, the cover 3 and the tabs 4 are obtained by means of a single injection operation.
The cover 3 has an internal notch 32, and an external notch 33 at the position opposite to the tabs 4.
The safety device comprises a single body 5, obtained by means of a second injection operation on the body 2.
For such purpose, the body 2 has, at a position opposite to the position of the tabs 4, a recess adapted to stably and fittingly receive a crescent-shaped insert 51.
Two appendages 52 which support a curved framework 53 rise at the lateral ends of the insert 51.
Said appendages 51 are fragile, and untended to break when subjected to pulling forces.
With the cover closed they are received at corresponding cavities present on the edge of the cover.
The framework 53 comprises a curved side 531 intended, at the first closure of the cover, to be arranged therewithin and beneath the notch 32 of the cover.
Opposite to the side 531 the framework 53 comprises a small shaped handle 532, which, at the first closure of the cover, is arranged above the notch 33 of the cover.
Before and after the closure of the cover, the configuration of the safety device is the one illustrated sectionally in
After the first closure of the cover, the configuration of the safety device is the one illustrated sectionally in
After the first opening of the cover the configuration of the closed device is that illustrated in
The operation of the invention is clear.
After exit from the mould the cover is reclosed assuming the configuration of
The device is thus snap-inserted on the neck of the bottle.
At the first use of the product, the user first operates on the handle 532 of the framework 53, causing the breaking of the appendages 52 and the irreversible detachment of the framework from the insert 51.
At this point the cover can be opened and closed without hindrances.
It should be pointed out that the material of the first injection intended to form the body and cover is preferably PP Polypropylene.
The material of the second injection intended to form the safety device is preferably PP Polypropylene.
The first and the second injection are carried out in succession in the same mould provided with mobile inserts which, after the first injection for forming the body and the cover, are removed to create the injection space of the safety device.
It is deemed that the described embodiment may be subjected to modifications and improvements without departing from the scope of protection of the following claims.
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.