Search

EP-4737345-A1 - CAPPING DEVICE FOR CONTAINING A SUBSTANCE

EP4737345A1EP 4737345 A1EP4737345 A1EP 4737345A1EP-4737345-A1

Abstract

The present finding relates to a capping device (1) that can be fixed to close a mouth (2) of a container (3), comprising: a capsule (4), hollow, provided with means of removable attachment (7) to such mouth (2), comprising a reservoir (5) suitable for containing a first substance and for keeping the same separated, through the base (6) of such reservoir (5), from a second substance contained in the container (3), until the moment of use; breaking means (11, 16, 21) of such base (6) of such reservoir (5), which can be operated by pressure from the outside of the capsule (4) to cause the breaking and consequent opening of the base (6); a closing seal (22), permanently fixable to the container (3), removably connected to the lower edge (24) of the capsule (4) by means of conjunction elements (23) configured to break if subjected to a predetermined mechanical stress of an extent equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum threshold; the closing seal (22) is permanently connected to the capsule (4) by means of a flexible connecting element (25) configured not to break if subjected to such predetermined mechanical stress, of an extent equal to the predetermined minimum threshold.

Inventors

  • NOBBIO, ALESSIO

Assignees

  • INGE S.p.A.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251030

Claims (9)

  1. Capping device (1) that can be fixed to close a mouth (2) of a container (3), comprising: - a capsule (4), hollow, provided with means of removable attachment (7) to said mouth (2), comprising a reservoir (5) suitable for containing a first substance and for keeping the same separated, by means of the base (6) of said reservoir (5), from a second substance contained in said container (3), until the moment of use; - breaking means (11, 16, 21) of said base (6) of said reservoir (5), which can be operated by pressure from the outside of said capsule (4) to cause the breaking and consequent opening of said base (6); - a closing seal (22), permanently fixable to said container (3), removably connected to the lower edge (24) of said capsule (4) by means of conjunction elements (23) configured to break if subjected to a predetermined mechanical stress, of an extent equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum threshold; characterized in that said closing seal (22) is permanently connected to said capsule (4) by means of a flexible connecting element (25) configured not to break if subjected to said predetermined mechanical stress, of an extent equal to said predetermined minimum threshold.
  2. Device (1) as in claim 1, wherein said flexible connecting element (25) has a laminar conformation, with a central section (26) having a thickness greater than two lateral regions (27) of said flexible connecting element (25).
  3. Device (1) as in claim 2, wherein said central section (26) extends from said closing seal (22) to said lower edge (24) of said capsule (4).
  4. Device (1) as in claim 2 or 3, wherein said flexible connecting element (25) has, in correspondence with said central section (26), a ridge (28) which extends perpendicularly to said lower edge (24) of said capsule (4).
  5. Device (1), as in a previous claim, wherein said flexible connecting element (25) has two lateral edges (29) which are inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to said lower edge (24) of said capsule (4).
  6. Device (1), as in a previous claim, wherein said capsule (4), said closing seal (22), said conjunction elements (23) and said flexible connecting element (25) are obtained in a single body.
  7. Device (1), as in a previous claim, wherein said capsule (4) and said closing seal (22), have a circular shape in plan, so that they can be fixed to a cylindrical mouth (2) of a container (3).
  8. Device (1), as in claim 7, wherein said conjunction elements (23) are configured to break if a torque greater than a predetermined extent acts between said capsule (4) and said closing seal (22).
  9. Device (1), as in claim 7 or 8, wherein said means of removable attachment (7) comprise a first thread (7) protruding from the internal surface (8) of said capsule (4), which can be screwed onto a corresponding second thread (9) protruding from the external surface (10) of the cylindrical mouth (2) of a container (3) to be closed with said device (1).

Description

The present finding relates to a capping device suitable for containing a first substance, which can be applied to cap the mouth of a container in which a second substance is contained, being intended to be mixed, inside the container itself, only at the moment of its use, with the first substance previously contained in the capping device. Capping devices of this type are used in numerous sectors, starting with the pharmaceutical sector, in which there are many drugs that must be prepared only at the moment of their use by mixing two substances previously kept separated; other sectors in which such capping devices are used are the food sector, the cosmetic sector, the trichological sector, the dietary supplement sector, the nutraceutical sector, etc. A capping device of this type is shown, for example, in Italian patent no. 102004901234336, which describes a closing device with a chamber for a container, comprising a capsule, hollow, provided with means of attachment to such container, such capsule comprising a reservoir in which a first substance is contained, to be kept separated from a second substance contained in such container until the moment of use, and breaking means of the base of the reservoir which can be operated by pressure from the top of the capsule. Another capping device of this type is shown, for example, in Italian patent no. 102018000010680, which describes a capping device that is applied to a bottle, comprising a cylindrical portion, internally hollow, that is associated with the entrance of the bottle, a concave upper portion that forms a cavity therein to contain a first substance to be mixed with a second substance present in the bottle, a closing element that closes the cavity at the bottom, keeping the first substance in the cavity protected from external agents; the concave portion is made of a flexible material, so that, when pressed, it pushes the contents of the cavity against the lower closing element, shattering it and allowing the first substance to fall into the bottle. Although such known solutions have several advantages, they still have some areas for improvement. Indeed, such capping elements, having typically rather small dimensions, have the risk, once used and separated from the respective container, of being ingested by children or animals, with consequent risk of choking and/or damaging the respiratory and/or digestive system of those who ingest them. The main task of the present finding is to overcome the above-mentioned drawback, and in particular to obtain a capping device suitable for containing a substance, applicable to close a container, which has a reduced risk of being ingested, for example by children or animals, once used. In the scope of such task, an object of the finding is to obtain a capping device that allows for easy opening of the container to which it is applied. The above-mentioned task and object are achieved by a capping device of a container as in claim 1. Other advantageous features of the finding are set forth in the dependent claims. The features and advantages of the present finding will become more apparent from the following exemplary and not limiting description, referred to the attached schematic drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a capping device according to the finding;Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of Figure 1;Figure 3 is a sectional view of the device of Figure 1;Figures 4 to 7 are perspective views of a detail of a container with the capping device of Figure 1 applied, in different steps of its use;Figure 8 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a capping device according to the finding;Figure 9 is an enlarged detail of Figure 8;Figure 10 is an exploded view of the device of Figure 9;Figures 11 to 14 are perspective views of a detail of a container with the capping device of Figure 8 applied, in different steps of its use. With reference to the attached figures, number 1 generally indicates a capping device 1 that can be fixed to close a mouth 2 of a container 3. In advantageous embodiments, such as for example those illustrated in the attached figures, the mouth 2 has a cylindrical shape; other shapes, for example parallelepipedal or prismatic, are however contemplated in the finding. In advantageous embodiments, such as for example those illustrated in the attached figures, the container 3 has a cylindrical shape; other shapes, for example parallelepipedal or prismatic, are also contemplated in the finding. The device 1 comprises a capsule 4, hollow, comprising a reservoir 5 suitable for containing a first substance (e.g., a powder, a liquid, a granulate, or other substances, preferably mixable with a liquid) and to keep such first substance separated, by means of the base 6 of such reservoir 5, from a second substance (e.g., a liquid) contained in the container 3, until the moment of use (i.e., when the container 3 is to be opened and the mixture of the first and second sub