EP-4739595-A1 - CLOSURE DEVICES FOR SEALING A CONTAINER AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEALING CONTAINERS WITH THE CLOSURE DEVICES IN PARALLEL

Abstract

Closure devices for sealing a container and systems and methods for sealing containers with the closure devices in parallel are disclosed. The closure device includes a stopper and a cap. The cap includes a ring, a crown, and a lid. The stopper and cap can be arranged in a preloaded position in which the stopper is partially inserted into an opening of the container and a sealed position in which the stopper seals the opening of the container and locks of the ring lock the cap to the container. A spring prevents the lid from engaging with surface of the crown when the sealing force moves the stopper and the cap between the preloaded position and the sealed position to provide a tolerance for compression beyond what is necessary to seal the container.

Inventors

• RICHLOWSKI, KOLJA

Assignees

• West Pharmaceutical Services Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240703

Claims (20)

1. 1. A closure device for sealing a container, the closure device comprising: a stopper configured to seal an opening of the container; and a cap comprising: a ring configured to retain the stopper to the container, the ring comprising locks; a crown configured to mount over the ring; and a lid mounted to the crown, the lid comprising a spring that biases the lid in a first position in which an edge of the lid is spaced a distance from a surface of the crown, wherein the lid is axially movable relative to the crown between the first position and a second position in which the edge of the lid engages with the surface of the crown, wherein the stopper and the cap are configured to be arranged in a preloaded position in which the stopper is partially inserted in the opening of the container, the ring retains the stopper, the crown is mounted over the ring, and the lid is in the first position, wherein, when a sealing force is applied to the cap with the stopper and the cap arranged in the preloaded position, the stopper and the cap are configured to move axially to a sealed position in which the stopper seals the opening of the container and the locks of the ring lock the cap to the container, and wherein a spring force of the spring prevents the lid from reaching the second position when the sealing force moves the stopper and the cap between the preloaded position and the sealed position.
2. 2. The closure device of claim 1, wherein, when the sealing force is applied to the cap after the stopper and the cap are arranged in the sealed position, the sealing force is configured overcome the spring force and move the lid to the second position.
3. 3. The closure device of claim 1, wherein, when the sealing force is applied to the cap after the stopper and the cap first reach the sealed position from the preloaded position, the lid moves axially from the first position to an intermediate position between the first position and the second position.
4. 4. The closure device of claim 3, wherein the intermediate position is spaced between 0.25mm and 0.75 mm axially from the second position.
5. 5. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the first position is spaced at least 0.5mm axially from the second position.
6. 6. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the spring force is between 18N and 22N.
7. 7. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the spring force is at least 20N.
8. 8. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the spring is a disc spring.
9. 9. The closure device of claim 8, wherein the disc spring has a thickness between 0.25 mm and 7 mm.
10. 10. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the stopper comprises a vent.
11. 11. The closure device of claim 10, wherein, in the preloaded position, the stopper is configured to permit fluid communication between an interior of the container and an environment external to the container via the vent.
12. 12. The closure device of claim 11, wherein, in the sealed position, the stopper is configured to prevent fluid communication between the interior of the container and the environment.
13. 13. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the locks of the ring comprise tabs that are resilient, and wherein, in the sealed position, the crown engages the tabs with a flange of the container to lock the cap to the container.
14. 14. A method of closing a plurality of containers in parallel, the method comprising: inserting a first closure device into an opening of a first container of the plurality of containers in a first preloaded position in which a stopper of the first closure device is partially inserted in the opening, a ring of a cap of the first closure device retains the stopper, a crown of the cap is mounted over the ring, and a lid of the cap is in a first position in which an edge of the lid is spaced a first distance from a surface of the crown, inserting a second closure device into an opening of a second container of the plurality of containers in a second preloaded position in which a stopper of the second closure device is partially inserted in the opening of the second container, a ring of a cap of the second closure device retains the stopper, a crown of the cap is mounted over the ring, and a lid of the cap is in a second position in which an edge of the lid is spaced a second distance from a surface of the crown, wherein a first height of the first closure device inserted in the first container in the first preloaded position is greater than a second height of the second closure device inserted in the second container in the second preloaded position; and applying a sealing force in parallel to each of the first closure device and the second closure device to axially move each of the first closure device and the second closure device into sealed positions with the respective first container and second container, wherein a spring of the lid of the first closure device biases the lid in the first position and provides a tolerance between the first position and a third position in which the edge of the lid engages with the surface of the crown after the first closure device is in the sealed position.
15. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first height is between 0.25mm and 0.75mm greater than the second height.
16. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein applying the seal force in parallel comprises pressing each of the first closure device and the second closure device with a plate at the same time.
17. 17. The method of claim 14, wherein applying the sealing force in parallel includes axially moving the second closure device into the sealed position with the second container without the lid of the first closure device reaching the third position.
18. 18. A system for closing a plurality of containers in parallel, the system comprising: a first container comprising an opening; a second container comprising an opening; a first closure device and a second closure device, each of the first closure device and the second closure device respectively comprising: a stopper configured to seal an opening of the container; and a cap comprising: a ring configured to retain the stopper to the container, the ring comprising locks; a crown configured to mount over the ring; and a lid mounted to the crown, the lid comprising a spring that biases the lid in a first position in which an edge of the lid is spaced a distance from a surface of the crown, wherein the lid is axially movable relative to the crown between the first position and a second position in which the edge of the lid engages with the surface of the crown; and a press configured to close the plurality of containers in parallel, wherein the stopper and the cap of each of the first closure device and the second closure device are configured to be arranged in a preloaded position in which the stopper is partially inserted in the opening of the respective first container and second container, the ring retains the stopper, the crown is mounted over the ring, and the lid is in the first position, wherein a first height of the first closure device inserted in the first container in the preloaded position of the first closure device is greater than a second height of the second closure device inserted in the second container in the preloaded position of the second closure device, wherein, when a sealing force is applied in parallel by the press to the cap of the first closure device and the second closure device with the stopper and the cap arranged in the preloaded position of each of the first closure device and the second closure device, the stopper and the cap of each of the first and second closure devices are configured to move to axially to a respective sealed position in which the stopper seals the opening of the respective first container and the second container and the locks of the ring lock the cap to the respective first container and the second container, and wherein the spring of the lid of the first closure device biases the lid in the first position and provides a tolerance between the first position and a third position in which the edge of the lid engages with the surface of the crown after the first closure device is in the sealed position.
19. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first height is between 0.25mm and 0.75mm greater than the second height.
20. 20. The system of claim 18, wherein, when the sealing force is applied in parallel at the same time by the press to the cap of the first closure device and the second closure device with the stopper and the cap arranged in the preloaded position of each of the first closure device and the second closure device, the second closure device moves axially into the sealed position with the second container without the lid of the first closure device reaching the third position.

Description

CLOSURE DEVICES FOR SEALING A CONTAINER AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SEALING CONTAINERS WITH THE CLOSURE DEVICES IN PARALLEL CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 63/525,243, filed July 6, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This disclosure is generally directed to the field of closure devices, and more particularly to closure devices with caps having springs that provide a tolerance for parallel closing of multiple containers. BACKGROUND [0003] Containers can be used to store a product, such as a pharmaceutical, in freeze- dried form, in powder form, or in a liquid solution. Such a containers can be hermetically closed off to maintain the products of the container in a satisfactory state of preservation. A closure device can be used to hermetically seal such containers. Closure devices can include a stopper for sealing the opening of the container from ingress or egress of gases or liquids. Closure devices can also include sealing structures for maintaining the container in a sealed position, such as a crimped aluminum seal or plastic cap. The sealing structures can be held in place around the stopper and can isolate the stopper from the outside to oppose removal of the stopper. [0004] In some applications containers can be filled with a quantity of product (e.g., pharmaceuticals) for freeze-drying. Thereafter, respective stoppers can be placed on or in an opening of the container in such a manner as to be secured thereto, while also preserving fluid communication between the outside environment and the inside of the container. Containers filled and preloaded with stoppers can then placed in batches on the shelves of a freeze drier and the substances can be dehydrated. During freeze-drying of the contents of a container, vacuum cold-drying can be performed to help ensure that the water is extracted from the substance by sublimation and evaporation. [0005] Once the substances have been dehydrated within the freeze drier, pressure can be applied to all of the stoppers of the containers to help ensure that the containers are hermetically sealed by each stopper. Such stoppering in batches is generally performed with the elastomeric stopper alone, that is without the sealing structures preloaded with the stoppers. After removing the containers from the freeze drier, additional processing is typically performed to position the sealing structures in place on each container. SUMMARY [0006] The inventors recognized that it would be beneficial to freeze dry the contents in the containers with both the stopper and the sealing structures preloaded before freeze drying. This can reduce complexity of the processing by, for example, allowing the pressing of the stopper and securing of the sealing structures to occur simultaneously. [0007] The inventors also recognized that it would be beneficial to incorporate height tolerance mechanisms into the sealing structures to accommodate for variations in combined heights of container-sealing structure devices. Such tolerance mechanisms can allow a single press procedure to cap a number of different containers in parallel while ensuring that all containers are sealed and that larger containers are not damage due to over compression during closing of a number of containers in parallel. The inventors recognized that incorporating such height tolerance mechanisms into the sealing structures can be beneficial for containers intended for use with freeze-drying procedures or containers intended for use with liquid contents without freeze-drying. [0008] These needs are met, to a great extent, by the container closure devices and associated methods according to aspects of this invention. One general aspect includes a closure device for sealing a container. The closure device includes a stopper configured to seal an opening of the container. The closure device also includes a cap, which may include a ring configured to retain the stopper to the container. The ring may include locks. The cap may include a crown configured to mount over the ring and a lid mounted to the crown. The lid may include a spring that biases the lid in a first position in which an edge of the lid is spaced a distance from a surface of the crown. The lid is axially movable relative to the crown between the first position and a second position in which the edge of the lid engages with the surface of the crown. The stopper and the cap are configured to be arranged in a preloaded position in which the stopper is partially inserted in the opening of the container, the ring retains the stopper, the crown is mounted over the ring, and the lid is in the first position. When a sealing force is applied to the cap with the stopper and the cap arranged in the preloaded position, the stopper and the cap are configured to move axially to a sealed position in which the stopper seals th