EP0238371B1 - Container for a viscous liquid to which an additive is added when first used - Google Patents

Abstract

The storage and dispensing unit comprises a container, a stoppering device and an applicator device. The stoppering device comprises a sleeve wherewith it is fitted on to the container and which carries the applicator device, and a closing cap comprising an external skirt surrounding the sleeve and an internal skirt delimiting with a top a compartment for an additional product intended to be added to that contained in the container. The cap is capable of displacement in relation to the sleeve, a bead of the skirt being disengaged from a groove of the sleeve for catch engagement in another groove, the skirt sliding in a leakproof manner around a skirt of the device, and a perforator of the cap coming during this action to pierce a foil which is carried by the device and closes the compartment, for the additional product to drop to allow the additional product into the container through the openings of the applicator device. The device is usable for the storage of nail varnish.

Description

The present invention relates to an assembly resulting from the association of a reservoir containing a substance of liquid to pasty consistency, and a removable closure device, which is intended to close the reservoir and which constitutes a gripping member allowing to manipulate an applicator element carried by the end of a rod secured to said closure device. In the closed position of the reservoir, the rod and the applicator element, which is associated with it, plunge into the reservoir. When the rod is removed from the reservoir, a certain quantity of product is taken from the applicator element which can then be applied to the support.

By way of example of such assemblies, mention may be made of bottles of nail varnish, the applicator element of which is constituted by a small brush, the closure device being, in turn, constituted by a cap assembling on the neck of the bottle, the rod being carried by a capsule forced into the mouth of said cap, said capsule being able to ensure, by pressing on the upper edge of the neck of said bottle, the tight closure made, in this case, necessary by the presence of volatile components in the nail varnish (see FR-A 1 418 477).

• On peut souhaiter ajouter au produit contenu dans le réservoir, en vue de son utilisation, au moins un autre produit additionnel, par exemple un agent apportant une action complémentaire ou synergique, le (ou les) produit(s) additionnel(s) n'étant pas stable(s) dans le produit de base, du moins sur les périodes de temps relativement longues qui s'écoulent généralement entre la fabrication et l'utilisation, compte tenu notamment du temps de stockage chez les revendeurs.

The present invention provides, in the case of assemblies of the aforementioned type, an advantageous solution to the following problem:

• It may be desired to add to the product contained in the reservoir, with a view to its use, at least one other additional product, for example an agent providing a complementary or synergistic action, the additional product (s) does not not being stable in the basic product, at least over the relatively long periods of time which generally elapse between manufacture and use, taking into account in particular the storage time at resellers.

The solution of storing the products separately does not appear to be ideal; moreover, the mixing, at the time of use, of products from different containers is not always possible, and, in any case, may prove to be inconvenient.

It therefore seems interesting - and this is what is proposed in accordance with the present iflvention - to store the (or the) additional product (s) inside the closure device of the container containing the basic product, the first opening operation of said container automatically causing the fall (or) additional product (s) in said base product.

FR-A 1 568 362 discloses a mixing cap for a vial which consists of two parts. The first part is a capsule that seals tightly on the neck of the bottle, and whose bottom consists of a perforable veil. The second part is a cap mounted on the capsule, internally provided with a clean punch and which can move relative to the capsule so that the punch comes to perforate the veil of the capsule.

According to the invention, provision is in fact made for the closure device to be produced in two parts, the first allowing the assembly of said device on the container and carrying the applicator device, and the second part comprising at least one housing for at least one additive, and being movable relative to the first by a simple maneuver, between a storage position, in which the (or) additional product (s) cannot (or cannot) escape out of its ( or their) housing (s), and a second position in which said (or said) housing (s) is (or are) placed in communication with the interior of the container, the closure device being of course maintained, during this operation, in the closed position of said container.

Under these conditions, the storage of the various products in mixture takes place only over a reduced period of time, namely during the period of use only, and the mixing of the products requires no manipulation, except for the operation very simple consisting in moving the second part of the closure device with respect to the first, at the time of the first use.

It goes without saying that the present invention also applies to the case where the additional product (s) will only be stable in the basic product for a very short period of time. time, in which case the container would constitute a dose, the contents of which could be used all at once.

The present invention therefore relates to the new industrial product that constitutes an assembly for the packaging and the application on a support of a product of liquid to pasty consistency, comprising, in the first place, a reservoir which contains said product, and in secondly, a removable corking device which is assembled on said reservoir and of which is attached an applicator device comprising a rod which ends in an element making it possible to take said product out of said container, to transport it and to spread it over said support, said closure device comprising means complementary to a means carried by said container for sealing the closure of the latter, characterized in that the closure device consists of two parts, namely, a first portion which comprises the means of assembly on said container and of which the applicator device is integral, and a second part, which delimits at least one logem ent for at least one additional product intended to be mixed with the product contained in the reservoir at the time of the first use, and which is able to move under the manual action of the user axially with respect to said first part, to pass , before the first use of said assembly, from a first position, called the storage position, in which the housing (s) is (or are) sealed off, at a second position, called the position final use, in which said (or said) housing (s) is (or are) open (s), to put in communication said (or said) housing (s) with the interior of said tank, and allow, during the above-mentioned maneuver, the contents of the housing (s) to fall into said reservoir, means being also provided for making said first and second parts of said closure device integral when they are placed in the position final use for the removal of said closure device for use of said product combined with said (or said) additional product (s).

The assembly according to the present invention advantageously comprises a means preventing untimely operation of the second part of the closure device during storage, before the first use.

In accordance with an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the opening of the housing (s) containing the additional product (s) is ensured by a trocar associated with each housing and capable of coming, during the maneuver placing the second part of the closure device in the final position of use, perforate a film, which closes the associated housing, a trocar and a film associated with the same housing being carried one by the first part, the other by the second part of said closure device, or vice versa, at least one communication orifice ensuring the passage between the (or) housing (s) with perforated film and the reservoir.

The first part of this closure device advantageously consists of a sheath inside which the applicator device is disposed, which is integral therewith, said sheath comprising, at its lower part, the means of assembly on the reservoir, and the second part of said closure device advantageously consists of a closure cap comprising a peripheral skirt connected to a bottom, said peripheral skirt being capable of sliding relative to said sleeve, in the upper region thereof, and comprising means complementary to a means carried by the sheath for hooking the cap on said sheath, in the storage position, and then, after the insertion operation of said cap, in the final position of use.

Preferably, the additional attachment means consist of an annular bead carried by the peripheral skirt of the cap and in two parallel grooves formed on the sheath.

The peripheral skirt of the closure cap may be external to the sheath, the means preventing untimely operation of said cap during storage, before first use, then advantageously consisting of an easily removable tamper-evident ring, located in the extension of said skirt. and bearing, at its lower end, on a rim of said sheath.

In the case where the closure device is assembled by screwing onto the reservoir, the means intended to make the first and second portions of the closure device integral in the final position of use for the purpose of removing said closure device consists of grooves carried respectively by the peripheral skirt of the cap and by the sleeve, and capable of coming to be nested in the final position of use.

Advantageously, the orifice (s) capable of bringing the interior of the housing (s) containing the additional product (s) into communication is (or are) ) formed in the applicator device, in the junction zone between the rod and the first part of the closure device.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, said assembly comprises a single housing for a single additional product, said housing being delimited by the bottom of the closure cap and by an internal skirt of the latter, the applicator device comprising, in its zone junction between said rod and said sheath, a skirt capable of sliding in leaktight manner with respect to the internal skirt of said cap.

This skirt of the applicator device is in particular connected to an annular collar on which is applied a film closing the housing of the additional product, the bottom of said cap carrying a trocar capable of perforating said film and the collar being connected to the rod of the applicator device a wall comprising the opening (s) putting in communication the housing of the additional product with the interior of the container.

The aforementioned skirt of the applicator device can end, opposite the collar, by an annular rim which seals the closure of the reservoir, said rim cooperating with a crown of the sheath for the securing of the latter with the device. applicator.

To better understand the object of the present invention, there will be described below, by way of purely illustrative and nonlimiting example, an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing.

• - la figure 1 est une vue en élévation d'un flacon de vernis à ongles fermé conforme à la présente invention, tel qu'il se présente avant la première utilisation, c'est-à-dire alors que la bague d'inviolabilité est encore en place ;
• - la figure 2 est une vue en coupe axiale du flacon de la figure 1, dont seule la partie haute a été représentée ; et
• - la--figure 3 est une vue analogue à la figure 2 montrant le flacon dans la position de fermeture qu'il occupe après le retrait de la bague d'inviolabilité.

On this drawing :

• - Figure 1 is an elevational view of a bottle of closed nail polish according to the present invention, as it appears before the first use, that is to say while the tamper-evident ring is still in place;
• - Figure 2 is an axial sectional view of the bottle of Figure 1, of which only the upper part has been shown; and
• - The - Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the bottle in the closed position it occupies after removal of the tamper-evident ring.

If we refer to the drawing, we see that we have designated by 1, a set for the separate packaging of a nail polish and a nail treatment substance, which is intended to be mixed with the varnish on the occasion of the first use of it. As can be seen in Figure 1, the assembly 1 is substantially like a bottle of conventional nail polish.

The assembly 1 consists of a reservoir or bottle 2 with which is associated a closure device 3 which is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The bottle 2, made of glass, has a body 4, which is connected, at its upper part, by a shoulder 5, to a neck 6, the cylindrical wall of which externally carries a thread 7.

The closure device 3 comprises a closure cap 8 carrying, on the one hand, a sheath 9, and, on the other hand, an applicator device 10, this closure device 3 being supplemented by a tamper-evident ring 11 easily removable for the first use of the assembly 1.

The closing cap 8, made of a flexible and possibly transparent plastic material, consists of two coaxial cylindrical skirts 12, 13, connected to a flat bottom 14, the latter further bearing, disposed along the axis of said closing cap 8, a trocar 15 whose role is indicated below.

The outer skirt 12 of the cap 8 has internally, approximately halfway between the bottom 14 and its free edge, but slightly closer to said bottom 14, an annular bead 16 which has a trapezoidal section, as can be seen in the figures 2 and 3. The thickness of the skirt 12 is greater between the bottom 14 and the bead 16 than between the latter and its free edge. Furthermore, the skirt 12 has internally, in its region of smaller thickness and from said bead 16, longitudinal grooves 17, which extend up to a certain distance from the free edge of said skirt 12. In the region of a groove 17, the thickness of the skirt 12 is substantially similar to that which it has in the region situated between the bottom 14 and the bead 16. Furthermore, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 2, the grooves 17 have, at their lower ends, a thickness which decreases rapidly.

The internal skirt 13, whose internal free edge 18 is bevelled, is shorter than the external skirt 12, because it extends slightly beyond the bead 16 only.

The sheath 9, made of plastic material consists of a tubular element folded square at 19 at its lower part, over a short distance. The upper annular wall 20 of this return 19 constitutes a bearing surface of the tamper-evident ring 11, as described below.

About halfway between the return 20 and its opposite free edge, the sleeve 9 internally comprises a ring 21 which extends in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said sleeve 9 and whose role is also indicated below. The lower free edge 22 of said crown 21 is bevelled.

Between the crown 21 and the upper free edge of the sheath 9, the latter has two externally identical annular grooves 23, 24, the trapezoidal section of which is complementary to that of the bead 16, the upper groove 23 being located in the vicinity of the upper free edge of the sheath 9 and the lower groove 24 being formed slightly above the level of the crown 21.

Furthermore, the sheath 9 has externally, from the lower edge of the groove 24 and in the direction of the return 19, grooves 25 which extend over a relatively short distance, slightly less than the distance between the lower edge of the grooves 17 of the closure cap 3 and the lower free edge of the latter.

In addition, between the crown 21 and the return 19, the sleeve 9 internally comprises, on the one hand, a thread 26 complementary to the thread 7 carried by the neck 6 of the bottle 2, and, on the other hand, an annular boss 27 located on the side of the crown 21, slightly above the region of the thread 26.

The applicator device 10, made of plastic material comprises a rod 28 which carries at one of its ends, conventionally, a brush 29. The length of the rod 28 is such that in the closed position of the bottle 2 by the device 3, the free lower end of the brush 29 arrives in the vicinity of the bottom of said bottle 2. At its end opposite the brush 29, the thickness of the rod 28 gradually increases to constitute a conical outer wall 30, which allows the connection of said rod 28 has a conical element 31 with an axis coincident with that of the rod 28. In this conical element 31, two opposite openings 32 are formed, which are each delimited by a cylindrical wall with an axis parallel to that of the rod 28 , these openings 32 putting the interior space of the element 31 into communication with the space surrounding the rod 28. Furthermore, the conical element 31 ends in a flange 33 which is arranged perpendicular to the axis of the rod 28 and do nt the outer edge is folded square to the side of the rod 28, to form a skirt 34 extending beyond the junction zone between the rod 28 and the conical element 31. The skirt 34 is folded square towards the outside, along its free edge, in order to form a collar 35 intended to come to bear on the edge of the neck 6 in the closed position of the bottle 2.

The skirt 34 externally comprises an annular bead 36 located in the vicinity of the collar 35, as well as two other annular sealing beads 37, in the vicinity of the collar 33.

The tamper-evident ring 11 consists of a cylindrical element made of a tearable plastic material and connected, as can be seen in FIG. 1, to a lug 38 which, when said ring 11 is in place, hangs on a peripheral bead 39 that the bottle 2 has at the shoulder 5 separating the body 4 of the bottle 2 from its neck 6. This tab 38, which the user can easily grasp, allows the ring 11 to be easily removed by tearing when using the bottle 2 for the first time.

The assembly 1 is completed by a film 40, of aluminum, which is applied and fixed to the flange 33 and which, before the first use, closes the circular orifice 33a which is delimited by the internal edge of said flange 33.

• On fait coulisser, autour du fourreau 9, d'abord la bague d'inviolabilité 11, afin de placer la bordure libre inférieure de cette dernière en appui sur la portée 20 du retour 19 dudit fourreau 9, puis le capuchon de fermeture 8, de façon que le bourrelet interne 16 de ce dernier vienne s'encliqueter dans la gorge supérieure 23 dudit fourreau 9. Dans cette position, la bordure inférieure des cannelures 17 de la jupe 12 du capuchon 8 se situe légèrement au-dessus du niveau de la bordure inférieure de la gorge 24 et la bordure libre inférieure de la jupe 12 vient se placer légèrement au-dessus de la bordure supérieure de la bague 11 dont la paroi externe vient se placer dans le prolongement de celle de la jupe 12.

The assembly and packaging of the assembly 1 is carried out as follows:

• The tamper-evident ring 11 is made to slide around the sheath 9, in order to place the lower free edge of the latter in abutment on the bearing surface 20 of the return 19 of said sheath 9, then the closing cap 8, of so that the internal bead 16 of the latter snaps into the upper groove 23 of said sleeve 9. In this position, the lower edge of the grooves 17 of the skirt 12 of the cap 8 is located slightly above the level of the edge lower of the groove 24 and the lower free edge of the skirt 12 is placed slightly above the upper edge of the ring 11 whose outer wall is placed in the extension of that of the skirt 12.

We then return the subset made up by the sheath 9, the cap 8 and the ring 11 and is conditioned in the space delimited by the bottom 14 and the internal skirt 13 of the cap 8, an amount of an additional product 41 intended for the treatment of nails, such that the level of the additive 41 does not exceed or just exceeds the free end of the trocar 15.

Then, the applicator device 10 is fitted, which is fitted with its brush 29 and on the flange 33 from which the aluminum film 40 has been fixed, by heat-sealing. This positioning of the applicator device 10 is carried out by introducing the latter by its skirt 34 into the opening delimited by the skirt 13 of the cap 8, until the flange 35 of said skirt 34 comes to bear against the lower annular wall of the crown 21 of the sleeve 9.

The sheath 9 and the applicator device 10 are then made integral, as a result of the presence of the bead 27 of the sheath 9 which comes to be placed under the lower rim wall 35, and of the bead 36 of the skirt 34 of the device 10, which comes place themselves above the upper wall of the crown 21, if we consider these parts in the position they occupy in the drawing.

In the mounting position of the applicator device 10, the additional product 41 is trapped between the bottom 14 of the capsule 8, the skirt 13 of the latter and the aluminum film 40, the upper bead 37 carried by the skirt 34 of the device 10 ensuring the tightness of this enclosure.

The closure device 3 has thus been formed, which it then suffices to mount, by screwing, on the bottle 2 into which the nail varnish 42, which constitutes the basic product, has been introduced in the usual manner. In this closed position, the tightness of the bottle 2 is ensured by the support of the rim 35 on the upper edge of the neck 6 of the bottle 2.

The use of the assembly 1 is extremely simple since after having removed the tamper-evident ring 11, the user presses on the capsule 8 along the axis of the assembly 1. At the start of this insertion movement, the bead 16 of the cap 8 disengages from the groove 23 in order to come, at the end of the translational movement of said cap 8, to be placed in the lower flange 24, as shown in FIG. 3. During this movement, the trocar 15 punctures the aluminum film 40 so that the additional product 41, thus released, falls inside the bottle 2, through the openings 32 of the conical element 31, to mix with the varnish 42. L The user must, however, shake the assembly 1 to ensure correct mixing of the varnish 42 and of the additional product 41 which has just been added to it.

In the position which the closure cap 8 now occupies definitively with respect to the sheath 9 and to the applicator device 10, the grooves 17 of the cap 8 have come to overlap between the grooves 25 of the sheath 9, from which it follows that the rotational movement printed on the cap 8 is transmitted to the sheath 9, which cooperates by screwing with the neck 6 of the bottle 2.

It can also be emphasized that the upper part of the appriser device 10, opposite the brush 29, plays the role of a sliding piston, during the pushing-in operation of the cap 8, inside the skirt 13, and thus allows all of the additional product 41 to flow easily through the openings 32, even if the viscosity of the additional product 41 is high.

It is understood that the embodiment described above is in no way limiting and may give rise to any desirable modifications, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

1. A unit for the storage and application on a base of a product (42) with a consistency ranging from liquid to pasty, comprising, firstly, a reservoir (2) which contains the said product (42), and secondly, a detachable stoppering device (3) which is fitted on the said reservoir (2) and wherewith an applicator device (10) is integral, comprising a stem (28) terminating in an element (29) allowing the said product (42) to be taken out of the reservoir (2), to be transported and spread on the said base, the said stoppering device (3) comprising a means complementary to a means carried by the said reservoir (2), to ensure the stoppering seal of the latter, characterised in that the stoppering device (3) consists of two parts, that is to say, a first part which comprises the means for fitting on the said reservoir (2) and wherewith the applicator device (10) is integral, and a second part delimiting at least one compartment for at least one additional product (41) intended to be admixed to the product (42) contained in the reservoir (2) at the time of the first use of the unit (1) and which is capable of axial displacement in relation to the said first part under the user's manual action, in order to pass, before the first use of the said unit (1), from a first position, termed the storage position wherein the compartment (or compartments) is (or are) obturated in a leakproof manner, to a second position, termed the final position of use, wherein the said compartment (or compartments) has (or have) opened, to cause the said compartment (or compartments) to communicate with the interior of the said reservoir (2), and to allow the contents of the compartment (or compartments) to drop into the said container (2) during the above mentioned action, provision being made for a means to fix the said first and second parts of the said stoppering device (3) to each other when they are placed into the final position of use, with a view to withdrawing the said stoppering device (3) for use of the said product (42) combined with the said additional product (or products) (41).

2. A unit according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a means (11) preventing an untimely actuation of the second part of the stoppering device (3) during storage before the first use.

3. A unit according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the opening of the compartment (or compartments) containing the additional product (or products) (41) is ensured by a perforator (15) associated with each compartment and capable of coming to pierce a foil (40) obturating the associated compartment during the action placing the second part of the stoppering device (3) into the final position of use, a perforator (15) and a foil (40) associated with one and the same compartment being carried, one by the first part, the other by the second part of the said stoppering device, or vice versa, at least one communication opening (32) ensuring the passage between the compartment (or compartments) with the pierced foil and the reservoir (2).

4. A unit according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the first part of the stoppering device (3) consists of a sleeve (9) within which there is disposed the applicator device (10) fixed thereto, the said sleeve (9) comprising, at its lower portion, the means for fitting to the reservoir (2), and that the second part of the said stoppering device (3) consists of a closing cap (8) comprising a peripheral skirt (12) joined to a top (14), the said skirt (12) being capable of sliding in relation to the said sleeve (9) in the upper region of the latter, and comprising a means (16) complementary to a means (23, 24) carried by the sleeve (9), for the attachment of the cap (8) on to the said sleeve in the storage position and subsequently, after the action of lowering the said cap (8), in the final position of use.

5. A unit according to claim 4, characterised in that the complementary fastening means consist of an annular bead (16) carried by the peripheral skirt (12) of the cap (8) and of two parallel grooves (23, 24) arranged in the sleeve (9).

6. A unit according to claim 2 and one of claims 4 of 5 taken simultaneously, characterised in that the peripheral skirt (12) of the closing cap (8) is outside the sleeve (9), the means preventing untimely actuation of the said cap (8) during storage before the first use, consisting of an integrity ring (1) which is easily torn off, being situated in the extension of the said skirt (12), and bearing at its lower end on a flange (19) of the said sleeve (9).

7. A unit according to one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the stoppering device (3) is fitted by screwing on the said reservoir (2), characterised in that the means inteded to fix the first and second parts of the stoppering device to each other in the final position of use with a view to withdrawing the said stoppering device (3), consist of splines (17; 25) carried respectively by the peripheral skirt (12) of the cap (8) and by the sleeves (9), and being capable of coming to engage in each other in the final position of use.

8. A unit according to claim 3, characterised in that the opening (or openings) (32) capable of causing the interior of the compartment (or compartments) containing the additional product (or products) (41) to communicate, is (or are) arranged in the applicator device (10) in the transition zone between the stem (28) and the first part of the stoppering device (3).

9. A unit according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterised in that it comprises a single compartment for a single additional product, the said compartment being delimited by the top (14) of the closing cap (8) and by an internal skirt (13) of this latter, the applicator device (10) comprising in its transition zone between the said stem (28) and the said sleeve (9), a skirt (34) capable of sliding in a leakproof manner in relation to the internal skirt (13) of the said cap (8).

10. A unit according to one of claims 8 and 9 taken simultaneously, characterised in that the skirt (34) of the applicator device (10) is joined to an annular projection (33) whereon there is applied a foil (40) closing the compartment for the additional product (41), the top (14) of the said cap (8) carrying a perforator (15) capable of coming to pierce the said foil (40), and the projection (33) being joined to the stem (28) by a wall (31) comprising the opening (or openings) (32).

11. A unit according to one of claims 9 and 10, characterised in that the skirt (34) of the applicator device (10) terminates on the opposite side to the projection (33) in an annular flange (35) which comes to ensure the stoppering seal of the reservoir (2), the said flange (35) cooperating with a ring (21) of the sleeve (9) for fixing the latter to the applicator device (10).

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