TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] litis present disclosure relates generally to closures for containers. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a tethered closure secured to a botle neck.

BACKGROUND

mn lit the field of liquid packaging, it is very common to sea! the aperture of a container with a stopper, often made from a plastic material. Such container is usually a plastic or glass botle, but other materials may be used as well.

|IH)3 j The stopper has a tubular shape closed at its top edge by a top wall. The stopper comprises a roof attached to a. tamper shell through bridges. Bridges are distributed around the circumference of the roof and the tamper shall. The bridges may be made when molding the stopper or after through undergoing a cutting step during the manufacturing process.

[004] Usually the bottle neck includes outer fixation feature, such as thread(s) for screw type stopper or annular fixation rings for snap type stopper, to secure the stopper on the bottle neck.

[O05J For screw type stoppers, the tamper shell comprises tune thread(s) arranged inside side walls. The botle neck fixation feature may include outer thread(s). Such combination of outer and Inner threadfsi allows the stopper to be screwed on a bottle neck to seal it and unscrewed for bottle opening. A snap type stopper may include an inner annular area and the botle neck fixation feature may include outer fixation ring, in order to slot in forc the stopper on the bottle neck. A snap type stopper may include a tamper shell with a movable sealing roof from a closed position to a partial opening position, arid reversely. The roof may be separated upon opening or may be connected to the tamper shel l,

[006] In a bottl e sealing position of the stopper, the tamper shell may be secured around the bottle neck through inner shell retaining features or through the retaining features diameter being smaller than a diameter of a tamper shell of the bottle neck.

1011? I The roof may be removable. During botle opening, the bridges fo m a weakness line and may be torn apart from the roof, separating it from the bottle. The weakness line may be torn when user unscrews the toper shell of the stopper or when user Hits the roof by tilting.

[008] Th m is a recycling risk with separable roof as consumers may not al ways screw or sna hack the roof onto the bottle neck once empty. The stopper may be thrown away its fitter or put into the trash bin, or worse make its way into a landfill, which is not good in view of the environmental considerations.

( 009] One solution includes linkin the roof to the tamper shell secured on the bottle neck, so the roof stays attached to the bottle after bottle opening. Such an attached stopper may be called a“tethered stoppe T

|0610] Other known art prior art systems include a tethered stopper comprising a spiral strip. The spiral strip is made during the stopper molding so there is no cutting or slitting operations. Other known prior art systems includes tethered stoppers comprising two strips linking the closure shell to the tamper band secured on. the bottle.

SUMMARY

[0011 ] This inventio is an improved tethered plastic stopper where its closure shell remains attached to its tamper hand after bottle opening. After opening, the closure shell Is linked to the tamper band through a hinge.

[(H) 12] The stopper comprises a tamper band that is moved upward relativ to the bottle neck in order to open the closure shell hi the opened position, the tamper band can be downwardly moved to lock the closure shell in an opened position, allowing the consumer to drink. When in the close position, the closure shell typically cannot he opene without moving up the tamper band thus securing the botle’s closing.

[0013] The closure shell further comprises a longer sealing feature inserted into the bottle neck, the inward height of the sealing feature is designed to move vertically relative to the bottle neck, lids specific configuration provides a secured closed position with the tamper band in a low position.

[0014] The stopper comprises locking features to secure the tamper band relative to the bottle neck,

[0015] Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims, DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] The figures are not necessarily to scale and some features may he exaggerated or minimized, such as to show details of particular components. Emphasis i placed on illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views,

|0017| Figure I is a diagrammatic perspective view of a first embodiment of a tethered stopper secured on the bottle neck in a secured closed position.

(OOTSJ Figure 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the first embodiment of the tethered stopper secured on the bottle neck in an unsecured closed position.

[0019] Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspecti ve vie of the· first embodiment o f the tethered stopper secured on a bottle neck in an unsecured opened position.

[0020j Figure 4 is a diagrammatic perspecti ve view of the first embodiment of the tethered stopper secured on the bottle neck in a secured opened position,

[00211 Figure 5 is a diagrammatic section view of the first embodiment of the tethered stopper secured on a bottle neck in the secured closed position,

[00221 Figure: £ ¾ a diagrammatic section view of the first embodiment of the tethered stopper secured on a botle neck hi the unsecured closed position.

10023] Figure 7 is a diagrammatic section view of the first embodiment of a tethered stopper secured on a bottle neck, in the unsecured opened position,

100241 Figure 8 is a diagrammatic section view of the first embodiment of the tethere stopper secured on a bottle neck in the secured opened position.

[00251 Figure 9 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a second embodiment of a tethered stopper secured on a bottle neck in the secured closed position.

[00261 Figure 10 is a iagrammatic perspecti ve view of the second embodiment of the tethered stopper secured on the bottle neck in the unsecured close position. (0027] Figure 1 J is a diagrammatic perspective view of the second embodiment of a tethered stopper secured on a bottle heck in the unsecured opened position.

|0028] Figure 12 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the second embodiment of the tethered stopper secured on the bottle neck in the secured opened position.

[0029] Figure 13 is a diagrammatic section view of a second embodiment of a tethered stopper secured on a bottle neck in the secured closed position.

[0030] Figure 14 is a diagrammatic section view of the second embodiment of the tethered stopper secured on a bottle neck the unsecured closed position.

[0031] Figure 13 is a diagrammatic section view of the second embodiment of a tethered stopper secured on a bottle neck in the unsecured opened position

IQ032] figure 16 is a diagrammatic section view of the secon embodiment of the tethered stopper secured on a bottle neck in the secure opened position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] As required, detailed embodiments of the present isclosure are disclosed herein. The disclosed embodiments are merely examples that may be embodied i various and alternative forms, and combinations thereof As used herein, for example, exemplary, and similar terms, refer expansively to embodiments that serve as an illustration, specimen, model or pattern

(0034] in some instances, well-known components, systems, materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. Therefore, specific· structural and functional details disclosed herein are hot to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure,

10035] Phrasing such as 'configured to ^* perform a function, including in the claims, can include any or all of being sized, shaped, positioned in the arrangement, and comprising material to perform the function,

[0036] Terms indicating quantity, such as ‘first’ or ‘second ^* are used for exemplary an explanation purposes and are not intended to dictate the specific ordering of a component with respect to other components. Terms indicating position such as ‘upper’ and lower’ or ‘high’ and low ⁵ or ‘front’ and ‘back' are used to indicate components relation to one another. One of skill in the art. would recognize other configurations arc possible.

[0037} Various embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein. The described "embodiments are merely exemplary illustrations of implementations set for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure, Variations, modifications, and combinations .may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. All such variations, modifications, and combinations are included herein by the scope of this disclosure and the claims.

[0038] Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a tethered plastic stopper 100, for closing a botle neck 102 The stopper 100 typically has a tubular shape and can be integrally formed in one plastic piece by a molding fabrication methodology that includes the additional manufacturing step of cutting or slitting the plastic piece. The stopper 100 can be a snap type. The stopper 100 comprises a tamper band 104 and a closure shel l 106. The tamper band 104 and the closure shell 106 may be linked together where the closure shell 106 is connected to the tamper band 104 through a hinge 300.

10039] The closure shell 106 has a generally tubular circular shape and is separably connecte to the tamper band 104 through weakness junctions 108. in one embodiment, the weakness junctions 108 are made by bridges. The bridges are situated almost at the opposite side, of the hinge 300, Thus, when opening the closure shell 106, the bridges are tom apart from the closure shell 106 and from the tamper band 104. hi one embodiment, the weakness junctions 108 comprise two bridges at a top end of a tongue 1 16. T he opposite bottom end of the tongue 1 10 may be permanently attached to the top edge of the tamper han 104 and the tongue top end can have a curved U -shape.

[0040] The closure shell 106 remains attached to the tamper shell 104 through the hinge, 300 (Figure 3), The hinge 300 is created between the bottom of the closure shell 106 and the top of the tamper band 1 4, When opening the bottle, the closure shell 106 Is moved in rotation relative to the tamper band 1.04 and the opening motion can be reversed when the bottle is closed.

(0041} The hinge 300 angularly extends between 5 ^® and 90 ^® and ideally between 5° and 35 ^® . The hinge 300 typically comprises one pivot axi so that the closure shell 106 is angularly moved about 1 EOT

|0042J The closure shell 106 comprise-, a sealing feature 302, which allows the closure she!! 106 to be the watertight on the bottle neck 102 in a closed position- In some embodiments, the sealing feature 302 is annular tubular Up extending beneath the bottom face the closure shell 106, The outer periphery of the Up comprises an embossment which is compressed against the inner wall of the bottle neck 102 in the closed position, thus allowing the sealing of the bottle,

100431 The tamper band 104 botto comprises .retaining features 600. The retaining features 600 can secure the stopper 100 when the bottle is sealed. The retaining features are typically made of an inner peripherally collar inwardly extending from the inner face of the tamper band 104, The collar can lock the tamper band 104 and the stopper 100 against at least a top ring 500 manage around the bottle neck 102. The retaining features 600 can also be molded directly from the injection process resulting in beads that do not nee to be inverted like the collar.

I0044J in some embodiments, the top ring 500 is a tamper evident ring positione on the bottle neck 102. The battle neck 102 can also comprise a transport ring 112 beneath the top ring 500, The tamper band 104 is movable relative to the bottle neck, from a high position allow the closure shell 106 to be opened or closed, to a bottom position where the closure shell 106 cannot be opened or closed, and reversely. When the tamper band 104 is downwardly moved to a low position, the closure shell 106 remains in, a secured opened or closed position. Conversely, when the tamper band 104 is moved to a high position, the closure shell 106 can be opened or closed relative to the bottle neck 102. 10045] The tamper band 104 is limited In its up movement, at the highest position through the retaining features blocking against the bottom of the top ring 500, At the lower position, the tamper band downward movement is limited through the retaining features blocking against the top of the transport ring 112,

(00463 The sealing feature 302 of the closure shell 106, the lip, downwardly extends according to a height that almost allows a vertical movement from the closure shell 106 relative to the bottle neck 102. The complete rotain c movement of the closure shell 106 around the hinge 300 is typically not possible, especially when the closure shell 106 is totally inserted into the bottle neck 102, The closure shell 106 cannot he opened in the low position of the tamper band 104. The height of the lip 302 may be designe so that the rotative movement of the closure shell 106 around the hinge 300 is possible when the lip Is so high that if can he partially disengaged from the botle neck 102 or inserted therein. This is possible when the tamper baa 104 is in the high position, upwardly moving the closure shell 106 to higher position that allows the insertion into the bottle neck 102 or the extraction from the bottle neck 102. In the secured opened position, when the tamper band 104 i$ moved to the low position, the to edge of the bottle neck 102 is free,

f0047j The stopper 100, especially the tamper band 104, comprises locking features 1 14 to secure the tamper band 104 relative to the bottle neck 102 in the low position. The locking features 114 comprise at least one hook 1 16 and may have two diametrically opposite hooks 1 16. Bach hook 116 extends upwardly from the tamper band 104. In a locking position, the book 116 hooked the top ring 500 in the low position of the tamper band 104. The bottle neck 102 comprises a groove where the hook. 1 16 is inserted in the locking position when the tamper band 104 is allowed to slide downwardly.

(0(148 j The hook 116 is angularly movable through a pivot axis lin to the tamper ban 104 or due to the elasticity of the plastic material of the stopper 100. The plastic resilience allows the hook 1 16 to come automatically bac in the locking position. The user has to press on the hook 1 16 to unlock the tamper band 104 to allow sliding it up,

[0049] In some embodiments (Figures 1 to 8), the hook 1 16 has an outer diameter value almost equivalent to the outer diameter value of the stopper 100, also of the tamper band 104 and/or closure shell 106, in the other embodiments (Figures 9 through 16), the hook 1 16 outwardly extends relative to the outer periphery of the stopper 100, also of the tamper band 104 and/or the closure shell 106

[0Q50] The hook 116 comprises hand gripping feature 1 100, such an offset ou twardly extending from the outer face of the hook 1 16. The hand gripping feature 1 100 help to user to easily manipulate the hook 1 16 in order to push it to unlock the locking features 1 14 and move (e.g., slide) the tamper hand 1,04 relative to the bottle neck 1.02, in one of the embodiments, the hook 116 comprises weakness junctions 108 at its top edge, separably connected to the bottom edge of the closure shell 106,

[0051] The closure shell 106 is no more removable from the stopper 100 secured on the bottle neck 102 through the tamper band 104 The closin and the opening of the closure shell 106 can he secured b downwardl sliding the tamper band to the low position, in opening, the closure shell 106 is f r away from the top of the bottle neck 102, not interfere with the user (e.g., consumer during drinking), especiall in the secured opened position. Finally, especially In the secured closed position but also in the secured opened position, when the tamper band 104 is in the low position, locking features 114 block the sliding movement of the tamper band 104 relati ve to the bottle neck 102

[00521 While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will fee apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and impleme tations are possible that am within the scope of this invention.