A cap for container provided with guarantee seal

The present invention relates to a cap for a container with a warranty seal, i.e. a cap with a closure that breaks after first opening, which indicates opening or manipulation of the container.

[0002] As is known, warranty seal caps have become common because they allow the consumer to make sure that the container is no longer open or broken. This guarantee is particularly important for containers for solid or liquid foods, such as fruit juices, in which the opening of the container may cause deterioration of the contents or sometimes the introduction of undesirable substances into the container. [0003] Such caps are disclosed, for example, in WO-A-2004/045977.

[0004] Document JP 2004/331142 describes a cap according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0005] Containers with fruit juice, in particular, are usually used by children, depending on the country a set of more or less strict standards, sets out certain safety requirements that caps must meet [0006] Standards usually impose certain restrictions on the dimensions of caps, so to avoid swallowing by children.

[0007] In the caps currently known, after unscrewing them, the warranty closure breaks into a set of parts that remain attached to the body of the cap, therefore it is necessary to prevent children from swallowing these parts.

[0008] In addition, in addition to the fact that such parts are poorly attached to the cap body, they form spikes that dangerously protrude from the cap body. The spikes can cause injury to the child's eyes, or they can be detached from the cap body with their teeth and swallowed.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to make a container cap equipped with a guarantee seal that should be particularly safe for use even by children. [0010] This object is achieved by means of a cap according to claim 1. The dependent claims describe variations of embodiments.

[0011] The features and advantages of the cap of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description, made as an indicative and non-limiting example, with reference to the attached figures, in which:

- figure 1 is a bottom perspective view of the cap according to the present invention provided with a guarantee seal in an intact sealing configuration;

• fig. 2 is a second perspective view of the cap of fig. 1;

• Figure 3 is a side view of the cap of Figure 2;

Fig. 4 shows a closing device comprising a cap according to the invention and a connecting part to the container, the guarantee seal being in an initial stage of cracking;

Fig. 5 shows the closing device according to Fig. 4 in an intact sealing configuration;

- figure 6 is a cross-sectional view obtained along line VI-VI of figure 5; and • Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the cap according to the present invention in a broken warranty seal configuration.

[0012] With reference to the attached figures, reference numeral 1 generally means a cap suitable for connection to the coupling part 100 of the container, preferably deformable.

[0013] The connecting portion 100 of the container is generally provided with a tubular straw 102 to dispense the contents from the container to which the cap is attached.

[0014] On the basis of the straw 102, the connecting portion 100 comprises at least one stop element 104, suitable for engaging the cap to prevent its rotation, at least until the first opening of the container. [0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the connecting portion 100 further comprises welded walls 106 for welding the portion 100 to the walls of the container.

[0016] The cap 1 is detachable from the container connecting part 100, generally by rotation about the ZZ rotation axis, and includes a warranty seal 10 which, when the container is first opened, i.e. after the first unscrewing of the cap 1 from the connecting part 100, breaks, which indicates that the container has been opened.

[0017] The cap 1 comprises a handle 2 adapted to be turned by a user to detach the cap 1 from the container.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the handle 2 axially extends from the lower edge 4, near the warranty closure 10 to the upper edge 6. In particular, the guarantee seal 10 projects axially below the lower edge 4 of the handle 2.

[0019] Preferably, in addition, the bottom edge 4 of the handle 2 projects radially outwards relative to the guarantee seal 10.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, the cap 1 has an inner annular wall 12, for example with an internal thread, to allow the cap 1 to be screwed and / or unscrewed from the connecting part 100.

[0021] The inner annular wall 12 projects axially between the lower edge 14, near the warranty seal 10 and the upper edge 16.

[0022] The cap 1 further comprises a closing bottom 18, arranged on the upper edge 16 of the annular inner wall 12, for closing it and thus closing the container.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, the cap 1 has at least one tongue 20, for example a flat one, arranged on a longitudinal plane passing through the rotation axis ZZ of the cap. In particular, the cap 1 comprises four tongues 20, evenly spaced in angles. [0024] Said tongues 20 connect the handle 2 to the inner annular wall 12.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment, the cap comprises safety channels 21 passing through the outer cap housing, for example through the handle 2.

[0026] Preferably, said safety channels allow air to pass through the handle if the cap is accidentally swallowed despite meeting the strictest standards.

[0027] According to a preferred embodiment, said safety channels 21 extend between the tongues 20 for connecting between the handle 2 and the inner annular wall 12.

[0028] The guarantee seal 10, which extends as a tape circumferentially around said ZZ rotation axis, consists of a plurality of guarantee segments 22, joined together in an intact seal configuration, i.e. before the first opening of the container and separated from each other in a broken seal configuration, that is, after first opening the container.

[0029] The guarantee part 22 comprises a coupling part 24 having at least one coupling element 26, capable of being coupled to said stop element 104 of the connecting part 100, to prevent rotation of the guarantee seal.

[0030] Furthermore, the guarantee part 22 comprises a connecting part 28 connected to the coupling part 24 and at least one connecting element 30 which makes the connecting part 28 integral with the handle 2.

[0031] Furthermore, the warranty seal has at least one bridge 32 that connects the warranty parts 22 to each other. The bridge 32 is suitable for breaking by turning the handle 2 relative to the warranty seal 10.

[0032] The guarantee seal 22 further comprises a safety part 34, which makes the coupling part 24 integral with the handle 2. The safety part 34 is intended to hold the coupling part 24 connected to the handle 2 in a broken seal configuration.

[0033] In other words, even when the warranty seal breaks, indicating that the container has opened, the securing part 34 keeps the coupling part 24 secured so that no dangerous spikes arise.

[0034] Furthermore, for a higher level of security, according to a preferred embodiment, the securing portion 34 comprises a reinforcing element 36 that connects the securing portion 34 to the tongue

20.

Preferably, in addition, a loop 38 is formed between the coupling portion 24 and the coupling portion 28, which preferably allows the coupling portion 24 and the coupling portion 28 to be arranged in a broken seal configuration. [0036] The cap of the present invention is particularly secure, especially for use by children.

[0037] In particular, even after separation from each other, due to the tearing of the stressed bridges that break them, parts of the guarantee seal have a limited length so as not to form dangerous spikes.

[0038] Preferably, furthermore, the parts of the warranty seal are firmly attached to the inner annular wall so that they cannot be torn off, for example in the mouth.

[0039] It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can make changes and adjustments to the cap described above to meet specific and additional requirements, all of which fall within the protection scope defined in the following claims.