Captive closure with stabilised opening angle

Abstract

The invention relates to a closure consisting of a screw cap (10) with a tamperproof strip (3). The screw cap has at least one cylindrical cap casing (2) with an inner thread and a circumferential tamperproof strip at the lower open end of the cap casing, said tamperproof strip being connected to the lower edge of the cap casing along easily tearable weakness lines (13, 14), wherein the tamperproof strip remains captively connected to the cap casing after a tearing process along the weakness lines by means of holding strips (15, 16). The aim of the invention is to design a captive screw cap with a tamperproof strip in such a manner that after the screw cap has been unscrewed and released from the bottleneck opening, the screw cap is folded away or tilted into a position in which the screw cap does not interfere with the additional use of the bottle or with pouring or drinking out of the bottle and can remain there without additional measures. According to the invention, this is achieved in that the holding strips are formed by two weakness lines, each of which is interrupted at least once in the circumferential direction and which partly overlap in the circumferential direction and run at an axial distance to each other at least in the overlap region. The separating web (11, 12) of each of the two weakness lines is bridged by the respective other weakness line preferably at an axial distance.

1 . A closure comprising a screw cap ( 10 ) with a tamper-evident band ( 3 ), the closure having at least one cylindrical cap skirt ( 2 ) having a female thread and a peripherally extending tamper-evident band ( 3 ) at the lower open end of the cap skirt ( 2 ), the tamper-evident band being connected along easily tearable weakening lines ( 13 ,  14 ) to the lower rim of the cap skirt, wherein after tearing along the weakening lines the tamper-evident band ( 3 ) remains non-detachably connected to the cap skirt ( 2 ) by way of holding bands ( 15 ,  16 ), characterised in that the holding bands ( 15 ,  16 ) are formed by two weakening lines ( 13 ,  14 ) the weakening lines being respectively interrupted at least once in the peripheral direction, the weakening lines partially overlapping in the peripheral direction, and the weakening lines extending at an axial spacing relative to each other at least in the overlap region, wherein the separating strips ( 11 ,  12 ) of both weakening lines ( 13 ,  14 ) are bridged over by the respective other weakening line ( 14 ,  13 ). 
     
     
         2 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that each weakening line has precisely one separating strip and the centre points of the separating strips ( 11 ,  12 ) are in diametrically opposite relationship. 
     
     
         3 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that the separating strip ( 11 ) of the upper weakening line ( 13 ) extends over a peripheral angle of between 10° and 75°. 
     
     
         4 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that the separating strip ( 12 ) of the lower weakening line ( 14 ) extends over a peripheral angle between 120° and 200°. 
     
     
         5 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that the width measured in the axial direction of the upper separating strip ( 11 ) remaining on the cap skirt ( 2 ) is at least half the width of the intact tamper-evident band ( 3 ). 
     
     
         6 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that the width measured in the axial direction of the upper separating strip ( 11 ) remaining on the cap skirt ( 2 ) is at least 2.5 mm and less than 5 mm. 
     
     
         7 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that the separating strip ( 11 ) of the upper weakening line has a radial thickening at least at its free lower rim. 
     
     
         8 . A screw cap according to  claim 7  characterised in that the radial thickening is limited to the outside of the tamper-evident band and that the radial excess of the thickening in relation to the wall thickness of the tamper-evident band outside the thickening is up to 0.6 mm. 
     
     
         9 . A screw cap according to  claim 7  characterised in that the radial thickening extends over the entire periphery and/or as far as the lower rim of the tamper-evident band. 
     
     
         10 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that the wall thickness of the tamper-evident band ( 3 ) outside a possible radial thickening is between 0.5 and 0.8 mm. 
     
     
         11 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that the tamper-evident band ( 3 ) is in the form of a flexband having a radially outer part and a folded-over radially inner part. 
     
     
         12 . A screw cap according to  claim 1  characterised in that the minimum spacing of the weakening lines ( 13 ,  14 ) is greater than 1.5 mm. 
     
     
         13 . A combination comprising a bottle neck ( 20 ) having a male thread and a closure according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the outside diameter of the bottle neck ( 20 ) above a pilferproof ring ( 21 ), the inside diameter of the tamper-evident band ( 3 ) and the width and the peripheral extent of the upper separating strip ( 11 ) are so matched to each other that after an opening rotation of the screw cap and subsequent tipping of the screw cap ( 10 ) upon twisting of the holding bands ( 15 ,  16 ) together with the separating strip ( 11 ) the free lower edge of the separating strip ( 11   a ) comes into engagement with the bottle neck ( 20 ) and when a tipping angle of more than 90° is moved beyond a dead centre point so that thereafter the outside of the separating strip ( 11 ) comes into contact with the outside of the bottle neck ( 20 ) and the screw cap ( 10 ) is stabilised in that position of being tipped through more than 90°. 
     
     
         14 . A combination according to  claim 13  characterised in that the outside diameter of the bottle neck ( 20 ) in a region above the pilferproof ring ( 21 ) in which the tamper-evident band ( 3 ) of the closure is arranged is by at most 2.5 mm, preferably at most 1.5 mm smaller than the nominal inside diameter of the tamper-evident band ( 3 ). 
     
     
         15 . A combination according to  claim 13  characterised in that the pilferproof ring ( 21 ) has a profile defined by a lower flank ( 22 ) which extends in an axial section at at least 80° relative to the bottle neck axis ( 50 ), a region of maximum diameter ( 23 ) and an upper flank ( 24 ) which extends at an angle of inclination <90° relative to the bottle neck axis ( 50 ) and beneath the thread ( 25 ) of the bottle neck ( 20 ) transitions into the outer bottle neck diameter, wherein the upper flank ( 24 ) or a portion of the bottle neck above the upper flank ( 24 ) of the profile of the pilferproof ring ( 21 ) goes at least into or as far as an axial position which is reached at a maximum folded-over position of the screw cap from the lower edge ( 11   a ) of the upper separating strip is of a larger outside diameter than the bottle neck ( 20 ) without thread profile. 
     
     
         16 . A combination according to  claim 15  characterised in that the difference in the outside diameter (D) of the upper flank or the portion disposed thereabove and the bottle neck diameter (d) without a thread profile is at least 0.1 mm. 
     
     
         17 . A combination according to  claim 15  characterised in that the pilferproof ring ( 21 ) is of a triangular or trapezoidal profile, the base of which is defined by an axis-parallel line on the cylindrical outside surface of the container neck and the bottom flank of which includes an angle >80° with the axis ( 50 ) of the container neck ( 20 ), wherein the upper flank of the profile includes an angle ≤40° with the axis ( 50 ) of the container neck ( 20 ).