Device inserted in inviolable lid for bottles

#This invention provides specially developed technical and functional improvements to a lid with an attached seal that can be used with different types of bottles. These bottles are mainly disposable, consisting of glass or plastic, and may be for food products, medicines or similar products.

#Currently there are various types of lids having attached seals close to the lower edge of the skirt. This seal is usually a hoop or ring. It is shown as an extension of the cylindrical skirt of the lid body, but it is attached only through rupturable “bridges” or small “bonds.” The inner side of the seal has several hinged trapezoidal blades, each of them having its larger side interconnected to the seal in a hinged way. The smaller side is radially directed to the inside and inclined upwards. These blades are located close to the seal's lower edge and are equidistantly distributed, working as a main locking component between the lid and the bottle neck. When screwing the lid to the neck, the blades hinge upward to a near vertical position. This position may only occur when they are passing through a circular locking collar or band present on the bottle neck. After passing through the circular collar, the blades go back to a more horizontal position and each blade remains inclined to the inside, enough to touch the neck wall under the circular band, irreversibly locking the lid and the bottle. When unscrewing the lid, the free ends of the blades rest under the band and the separation of the band and the skirt will unavoidably happen. The seal will break at the bonds allowing the lid to be fully unscrewed and the bottle opened.

#The lids manufactured according to the current technique close the bottle correctly, making it inviolable. However, “placement friction” occurs during bottling or more particularly at the bottle closing phase. The placement of the conventional lid by high speed machines results in “considerable friction” that, though not sufficient to damage the bottling process, causes problems which require the design of mechanical parts taking the friction into account.

#Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which discloses one embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

#In the drawing, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

#FIG. 1 represents a side view of the lid showing its outer details;

#Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 show a one-piece body injected with plastic material, having a cylindrical shape. The body has a vertical, cylindrical skirt 1, with a nonslippery external surface 2. The inside of the body has an adequate thread 3 interrupted by sections 4. Thread 3 and sections 4 are suited for pressure relief when the bottle to be closed with the present lid is contains gasified liquid.

#The upper end of cylindrical skirt 1, after a concordant rounding 5 is completely closed by a circular wall 6 and an inner sealing layer 7. The lower end of skirt 1 has a similarly circular extension, and a seal band 8. Seal band 8 has a slightly increased thickness 9 of the wall to the outside. Seal band 8 also has a circular cutting line 10 just above thickening 9, interrupted by rupturable portions 11.

#Seal band 8 has a plurality of hinged blades 12 just above its lower edge, that are projected radially inward. Blades 12 are equidistantly spaced. Each blade 12 has a base 13 that may hinge upwardly. Blades 12 work as locking components between the lid and the bottle. When screwing the lid to the neck, blades 12 hinge upwardly to a near vertical position. This may only happen when blades 12 are passing through a circular locking band or collar present on the bottle neck. After passing through a circular collar, blades 12 tend to go back to a horizontal position and, resting on the neck wall. The free ends of blades 12 remain engaged under said collar, locking the lid and the bottle. This locking is carried out in an irreversible way. When unscrewing the lid, the separation between seal band 8 and lid 1 will occur, due to the fact that these parts are interconnected to each other through rupturable points 11 which are ruptured at the moment of unscrewing the lid. Seal band 8 is retained under the neck band, while cylindrical skirt 1 or lid is removed, opening the bottle.