EP1075425A2

EP1075425A2 - Container neck and method for making same, and container with assembling method and device

Info

Publication number: EP1075425A2
Application number: EP99915840A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thierry Costes
Original assignee: Packland SA
Current assignee: Packland SA
Priority date: 1998-04-28
Filing date: 1999-04-27
Publication date: 2001-02-14
Also published as: WO1999055588A2; FR2777863B1; FR2777863A1; WO1999055588A3; AU3427999A

Abstract

The invention concerns a container neck (3) obtained from a synthetic material sheet by thermoforming process. Said container neck (3) is characterised in that said sheet has a given nominal thickness (e), the wall forming the neck (3) has the same thickness without noticeable thinning over its entire useful length, that is over its inner surface height against which is to be located a plug (26) of a particular type engaged in the neck (3) when the container is closed. The invention also concerns a method for making said container neck (3) and a container (20) with its assembling method and the device for implementing the method. The invention is useful for packaging products capable of being extracted from the container by successive withdrawals, involving plugging and unplugging several times, provided that the successive plugging operations ensure that the container remains sealed.

Description

Container neck with its manufacturing process, and container with its process and assembly device.

The present invention relates to the field of packaging and, more particularly the packaging of products which can be removed from a container by successive withdrawals, which involves several closings and uncorkings, it being specified that successive closings must always guarantee leaktightness of the container. Such containers are particularly applicable to flowable products, whether liquid, creamy or powdery.

The process described in patent EP 0 593 728 makes it possible to obtain plastic containers carrying a shutter exactly adapted to a neck surrounding the orifice of the container and the neck of which is obtained by means of a heating punch engaged by force in a hole in a thermoplastic sheet. A container of this type is satisfactory but the technical solution does not apply to all types of corking because the presence of a single shutter and inseparable from the container precludes the production of special packaging. Mention may in particular be made of the bottles containing a product to be diffused by means of a vaporizer, the latter obviously having to adapt to the orifice. It is the same for containers to be associated with a standard type shutter such as a cork or plastic stopper.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new solution making it possible to generalize the use of a smooth neck calibrated around an orifice to all kinds of containers made of different materials. Thus, the subject of the invention is a method of manufacturing a container neck comprising an orifice surrounded by a neck which is continuously cylindrical and which is produced by thermoforming a sheet of synthetic material, remarkable in that the a sheet of synthetic material is subjected to a thermoforming operation in order to obtain a blank for a component of the container and which is cleaned in this blank, either during thermoforming either later, a hole with a diameter smaller than that desired for the orifice, then after cooling the blank, a drawing operation is carried out on said blank, by means of a holding and a cylindrical punch forced into the hole, this punch having an outside diameter equal to the desired diameter for the orifice, this stamping operation being carried out cold in order to deform the synthetic material mechanically, i.e. a temperature lower than that of thermoforming, without any thinning of the original sheet, to create the neck out of the initial plane of the blank, then that the punch is removed and that the piece obtained is released.

The subject of the invention is also the container neck obtained according to this process and which is produced by thermoforming a sheet of synthetic material, remarkable in that the sheet having a given nominal thickness, the wall forming the neck has this same thickness without noticeable thinning over its entire useful height, that is to say over the height of its inner face against which must be a shutter of any type engaged in the neck when the container is closed.

The invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description below made with reference to the accompanying drawings of two embodiments of a container neck in accordance with the invention and given by way of indicative and non-limiting examples.

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a component of this container neck.

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a thermoformed blank of such a component, before stamping.

Figure 3 is a schematic view illustrating a phase of the manufacturing process of a container neck known from the prior art.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 are schematic views illustrating the stamping phase of the manufacturing process of a first embodiment of a container neck according to the invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic exploded section view showing a container adapted to a container neck according to the first embodiment of the invention with a standard cap.

Figure 8 is a schematic sectional view of the container of Figure 7 after assembly, filling and capping. Figure 9 is a schematic sectional view showing a container similar to that of Figure 8, with a reverse arrangement of the container neck.

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view showing the presence of a particular obturator on the container neck according to the arrangement of the latter illustrated in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a partial schematic view illustrating another example of closure of the container neck of FIGS. 7 and 8.

Figures 12, 13 and 14 are schematic views illustrating the stamping phase of the manufacturing process of a second embodiment of a container neck according to one invention.

Figure 15 is a schematic exploded section view showing a container adapted to a container neck according to the second embodiment of the invention with a standard plug.

Figure 16 is a schematic sectional view of the container of Figure 15 after assembly, filling and capping.

Figure 17 is a schematic sectional view showing the container neck of Figures 15 and 16 with another example of closure.

Figures 18 and 19 is a schematic sectional view of the second embodiment of a container neck with two other examples of closure. Figure 30 is a partial schematic view illustrating a variant according to the invention for producing a cylindrical container body from a sheet of cardboard coated with a layer of weldable material.

Figures 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d are schematic views showing a component adopting the neck of the invention in various forms of association with a container. Referring to FIG. 1, we see a part 1 obtained by thermoforming a sheet of synthetic material and having a closing part 2 (which is flat annular in the example illustrated), a central projecting neck 3 surrounding an orifice 4, and a peripheral edge 5. This part 1, intended to be associated with a container body to constitute it a component, will be more commonly called "component" in the context of the invention. The description of the container neck which follows relates to a cylindrical tubular container, component 1 on which the neck is located constituting one end of the container.

To obtain the component 1 of FIG. 1, one begins by thermoforming a sheet of synthetic material to create a blank 6, represented in FIG. 2, comprising only a central part 7 and the peripheral edge 5. In the center of the blank 6 , there is a small diameter hole 8 which can be created during thermoforming or by subsequent drilling. We thought we could create the neck 3 during thermoforming but we realized that due to the tensions of the synthetic material at the time of thermoforming, because of its fairly high temperature and its stretching, as well as during its cooling after thermoforming, the inner and outer faces of the neck 3 were irregular, which made it impossible to seal the orifice 4 tightly.

A first solution to this problem is provided by patent EP 0 593 728, this solution not consisting in creating the neck during the thermoforming of the part, but in going through the stage of an intermediate blank pierced with a central hole. , then to use a heating punch A which is applied facing the hole and which is pushed over a certain length and at a certain speed so that the synthetic material constituting the blank B softens and deforms as shown in FIG. 3, to form the neck C. By this prior process, the inner face D of the neck C is regular and has a precise diameter over its entire height thanks to the heating punch A, but the softening has the effect of stretching the synthetic material and, by therefore to slim it down. It can thus be seen that from the nominal thickness e. of the original sheet, the synthetic material has a slightly less thickness e, near the neck C, a thickness e_ _j even less at the base of the neck C and that at the top of this neck C, the internal face D and the external face E are separated by a thickness e_, significantly smaller than the nominal thickness e. This geometry is acceptable when the container is associated with a shutter created when the container itself is thermoformed simultaneously, the end having to carry the neck and the shutter. Indeed, this guarantees that the contact between the shutter and the inner face D of the neck C will be between two bodies of the same material, which single-material contact, added to the calibration of the inner face D, allows an original closure and successive re-coatings providing an excellent seal during all the time necessary for the removal of the contents in fractions. But the permanent presence of a single type shutter is a constraint which disqualifies the container for many applications, so that there is a need for a simple container, inexpensive and having a system of successive closures and recaps, at means of independent shutters and of different types according to the applications.

With the known solution that we have just described, the neck has many smooth inner and outer faces but the thinning of the constituent material has the consequence that the neck is not rigid and could not support a shutter which does not would not be rigorously calibrated and / or that would not have exactly the desired height, coordinated with that of the collar. The upper edge of the neck is very thin and moreover quite easily deformable, which constitutes a weak point.

This is why, according to the invention, the procedure is entirely different from that which has been described in the patent identified above, starting well from the blank 6, but to obtain the neck 3, this is done by cold mechanical stamping, in order to avoid the thinning of the material, instead of using a heating punch A acting by stretching said material.

Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6, we see that we have the blank 6 facing a device which essentially comprises a holding die 10 and a stamping punch 11. The die 10 has a cylindrical chamber

12 whose diameter (inside) corresponds to that of the face outer 3a of the neck 3. This amounts to saying that the difference between the diameters of the chamber 12 and the punch 11 is equal to the nominal thickness e. of the original plastic sheet. After precise positioning of the blank 6 against the die 10, the punch 11 is displaced according to the arrow FI until it meets the central part 7 directly above the hole 8, then, beyond inside the chamber 12 and the punch 11 and which arises when the punch 11 is engaged in the chamber 12. After stamping, the punch 11 is removed according to arrow F2, the part 1 formed is separated from the matrix 10 and evacuated for subsequent attachment to a container body.

We understand that the height of the neck 3 depends on the diameter of the hole 8, that is to say that the neck 3 is all the higher the smaller the diameter of the hole 8 and, conversely, that a hole 8 of large diameter will generate a neck 3 which is not very prominent.

As said above, the stamping is done cold but it should be specified that this adjective means that the temperature of the punch 11 and / or of the matrix 10, is lower than that which could cause stretching and therefore a thinning of the synthetic material. A temperature slightly higher than room temperature is indeed desirable, not to deform the synthetic material, but to facilitate stamping without breaking. Cold stamping requires the presence of the die 10 whose chamber must be precisely calibrated since it contributes to the formation of the neck 3. Knowing that the thickness e of the material at the top of the neck 3, after stamping, will remain unchanged , it becomes possible to give the neck 3 a rigidity exactly suited to the different possible applications since it suffices to choose the thickness of the original sheet. FIG. 7 illustrates a neck 3 forming an integral part of a component 1 closing the upper end of a container 20 intended to be filled by the orifice 4 of any product, more or less fluid, of liquid, powdery nature , granular, pasty, creamy, etc. This container 20 has a cylindrical tubular body which, formed of an external part 21 and an internal coating 22 shaped in a different material, receives at its lower end a bottom 23 comprising a solid central part 24 and a peripheral edge 25. After filling the container 20 with the orifice 4, said orifice 4 is closed by means of a shutter which, here, is constituted by a plug standard 26, comprising an elastic active part 27 made of cork or synthetic material and a gripping ring 28.

By giving the neck 3 great rigidity, it practically does not deform when the plug 26 is pressed since it is the active part 27 of the latter which retracts. This is a characteristic arrangement of the invention which results from the process for manufacturing the neck 3. But being synthetic material, the rigidity of the neck 3 is relative and it is also possible to give the neck 3 a small thickness, giving it elasticity, since the invention makes it possible to control the thickness of the neck 3, since, thin or thick, the wall of the neck 3 is regular, calibrated internally and externally, and uniform. Thanks to its regularity, the radial elasticity of the neck 3 is homogeneous and ensures uniform pressure over the entire periphery of the shutter. The inside diameter of the neck being exactly equal to that which is desired, it is possible to adapt the pressure exerted on the shutter and, therefore, to obtain the desired level of tightness. Thus, another positive consequence of the accuracy of the diameter of the neck is to make it possible to reduce the manufacturing tolerance constraints of the shutter. In Figure 8, we see the container 20 completed, filled and closed. It is observed that the neck 3 is oriented towards the outside of the container 20, so that the component 1 adopts a general shape of a bowl and that the planar annular closure part 2 is located in the contour of the body 20. In FIG. 9 , on the contrary, the neck 3 is oriented in a reverse orientation towards the inside of the container 20, and the annular part 2 is aligned with the edge of the body 20.

The two solutions are absolutely equivalent from the point of view of sealing and the choice between them depends on the physiognomy that one wishes to give to the finished container.

In Figure 10, there is shown an embodiment Particularly advantageous of the invention, according to which the free edge of the neck 3 is used to reinforce the hold of the shutter, said neck 3 then protruding not outside but inside the container. The shutter, consisting here of a vaporizer 30 has a lower part 31, a dip tube 32, an actuating button 33 and a projection orifice 34. The lower part 31 has at its base a flange 35 formed by the periphery a skirt 36 flexible enough to be able to deform elastically, so that by engaging the lower part 31 of the vaporizer 30 in the neck 3, the latter is firmly secured to the neck 3.

They may be simple shutters or so-called "functional" shutters, that is to say having a function other than just plugging: metering plug, sprinkler, pouring spout, pump, distributor, or the like, etc. It emerges from the above examples that shutters of different types can be used with a container neck in accordance with the invention: an ordinary cork stopper, a custom molded or thermoformed capsule, with an outer skirt for double or without skirt for simple plugging, etc.

The drawing of FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment called "double plugging", with the neck 3 projecting towards the outside of the container 20. The shutter is here a plastic capsule 40 having a hollow central part 41 and a outer skirt 42 provided with a rim 43. The capsule 40 has a circular groove engaging on the neck 3 and making it possible to provide a gap between the underside of the rim 43 and the annular closing part 2 of the component 1, in order to allow to a user to engage a finger under the rim 43 when unclogging the container.

The above description relates to a single-walled container neck with a clean edge.

We will now describe a more elaborate solution according to which the neck is double walled. As before, a blank is first obtained by thermoforming, then the neck itself is created by cold stamping. FIG. 12 shows a blank 50 which has a planar annular closure part 51 surrounding a hollow housing 52 which has a side wall 53 and a bottom 54 traversed by a hole 55, this housing 52 being, here, cylindrical and placed in the center of the blank. The housing 52 and the hole 55 can be obtained during thermoforming of the blank 50, or else be created later, in particular by stamping. In its form of FIG. 12, the blank 50 is placed opposite a matrix 56 having a cylindrical chamber 57 surrounded by a projecting edge 58 whose outside diameter is equal to the inside diameter of the cylindrical housing 52. Opposite chamber 57, there is a cylindrical punch 59 whose outside diameter is equal to the inside diameter desired for the neck. To form the latter, the punch 59 is displaced along arrow F3 until it meets the bottom of the housing 52, opposite the hole 55, then beyond, inside said housing 52 and the chamber 57, over a distance at least equal to the desired height for the neck, which forms exactly in the annular space which results from the difference in diameters between, on the one hand the projecting edge 58 and chamber 57 itself same, and, on the other hand, the punch 59, annular space which arises when the punch 59 is engaged in the chamber 57. A neck 60 with double wall has thus been created. The outer wall 61 is that of the cylindrical housing 52, and the inner wall 62 is that which results from stamping by the punch 59 of the bottom 54 of this housing 52, the two walls 61 and 62 being joined by a flange 63 coming from the folding of the synthetic material on the edge of the projecting edge 58 of the matrix 56. Between the two walls 61 and 62, there is then a gap 64 closed by the upper rim 63 and open towards the interior of the container. In summary, after the hollow housing 52 has been produced, the stamping operations described above on the planar annular part 2 are reconstituted on the bottom 54 of this housing 52. Component 1 of FIG. 14 is then obtained, which has the characteristic that the neck 60 is as a whole projecting towards the outside of the container, although its useful part is oriented towards the inside of the container. The example described here is that of two circular and concentric walls 61 and 62, the outer wall 61 of which comes from the side wall 53 of the housing 52, which can be given as well as to the wall 62, by thermoforming, very varied and not necessarily circular, such as a frustoconical, tronpyramidal, hemispherical, cubic shape, etc. Likewise, the geometric center of the interior wall 62 may not coincide with that of the exterior wall 61, that is to say that the walls 61 and

62 may not be concentric but offset, the outer wall may be asymmetrical for aesthetic or practical reasons (to form a pouring spout for example).

Figures 15 and 16, equivalent to Figures 7 and 8 of the previous single-walled embodiment, show the different dissociated (see Figure 15) and associated elements (see Figure 16) of a container with a component 1 using a double wall collar, the same references referring to the same elements shown.

FIG. 17 shows the example of a shutter no longer formed by a standard plug 26 but by a capsule 65 of known type, made of relatively elastic molded or thermoformed synthetic material, and composed of a hollow central tip 66 , surrounded by a collar 67. The capsule 65 can be simple, that is to say have a central end piece with a smooth outer wall, similar to the elastic active part 27 of the plug 26. It can also, as shown, have an outer rim 68 formed by the periphery of a skirt 69 flexible enough to be able to deform elastically when the inner wall 62 is chosen to be very rigid, as has already been described with reference to FIG. 10. Thus the initial closure of the container as well as its successive fillings by means of this capsule 65 are they energetic, which makes it possible to use such a simple and inexpensive capsule, even when the packaged product creates pressure inside container 20 because, here, we add the two non-distinct advantages:

- high contact pressure of the inner wall 62 on the nozzle 66 due to the pressure prevailing in the interval 64; holding the capsule 65 in place by retaining the rim 68 by the free edge of the interior wall 62. As in the case illustrated in FIG. 11, FIG. 18 shows a collar with two walls also allowing a double closure, with a capsule 70 of synthetic material comprising a hollow central end piece 71 surrounded by a collar 72 which is extended by a skirt outer 73 provided with a rim 74.

In FIG. 19, an advantage of the two-walled collar has been illustrated, which comes from the fact that, thanks to the width of the rim 62, it is possible to fix therein a guarantee lid 75, possibly provided with a tongue of tearing 76. To this end, it is possible to create a continuous annular flat on the rim 63 so that the cover 75 can be fixed therein firmly, for example by gluing or welding. Access to the content cannot be done without removing the cover, and it is designed so that any withdrawal, even partial, is final (re-bonding impossible) and easy to perceive.

When choosing a plastic shutter, in particular but not exclusively a 40 or 65 or 70 capsule, it is possible to leave the shutter independent of the container, as described and shown, or to make it integral with the container, by a tab coming from molding during the manufacture of the container, or coming from thermoforming when obtaining the end which carries the neck, or even obtained during the simultaneous thermoforming of the container, the bottom, the end that carries the neck, and the shutter itself. The neck of the invention can also be used for containers comprising a body, a bottom and an end formed in one piece, as illustrated in the open position in the drawing of FIG. 20a and in the closed position, after welding of the flanges peripherals, in the drawing in Figure 20b. Unlike the embodiments of the previous figures, the neck 3 is here created not on an independent blank but on a component forming an integral part of the container itself, whatever its shape.

FIG. 20c illustrates another embodiment of a neck according to the invention formed in a component associated with a container which is in one piece in the form of a trunk body of inverted cone.

FIG. 20d illustrates another embodiment of the invention according to which the body and the component carrying the neck 3 are no longer subject to one another by welding or definitive bonding as in the case illustrated in FIG. 20c but by organs making it possible to dissociate the component from the body of the container.

The neck of the invention is also applicable to non-rigid containers, not shown, such as those which are formed by a pocket made of flexible synthetic material or aluminum complex, in which case a component provided with a neck can be attached directly. to said pocket, the whole possibly being overwrapped by a carton.

In summary, the neck of the invention applies:

- pre-existing containers having a holding bottom, that is to say hollow bodies having an opening,

- pre-existing containers with an added bottom,

- rigid containers,

- flexible containers,

- containers formed in one piece. In order to be able to produce components 1 distinct from the body of the container and a technical and economic implementation of their manufacturing process, in particular at the level of the manufacture of the neck, the Applicant has also imagined a new concept of container of the type comprising that of a tubular body extending along a longitudinal axis and closed at at least one of its ends by at least one closure component. By "tubular body" is meant a volume whose side wall has a preferred longitudinal direction (called longitudinal axis in the context of the invention), the section of the tube taken perpendicular to the longitudinal direction can be constant (in the case of the cylinder for example) or variable (in the case of the cone, of the pyramid for example) and of which at least one end has an opening. The tubular body 20 of the container can therefore have any desired section: circular, polygonal and in particular quadrangular, etc. Thus, in the case of tubular containers with square or rectangular section, it is advantageous to give them rounded angles with which the corresponding added parts can cooperate without spaces for content leakage. The invention will be better understood on reading the description below made with reference to the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of a container in accordance with the invention and given by way of indicative and non-limiting examples.

Figures 21a, 21b, 21c and 21d are partial schematic views showing a cylindrical container body with four variants for fixing a high end closure component incorporating a neck.

Figures 21e, 21f, 21g and 21h are partial schematic views showing a cylindrical container body with four variants for fixing a bottom component.

Figure 22 is a vertical sectional view of a closure component according to the invention.

Figures 23a, 23b and 23c are schematic views in vertical section illustrating the assembly device of the invention according to different phases of assembly of the closure component of Figure 22 to a container body. As illustrated in the drawings of Figures 21a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h, this tubular container 20 is distinguished in that the above closure component 1 (shown here incorporating a double-walled neck 60 ), obtained by thermoforming, comprises a central closing part 2 substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular body 20 to ensure the obturation of the latter, and connecting members of the component 1 to the body 20 consisting of a peripheral edge continuous 5 substantially parallel to the end of the tubular body 20 so as to cooperate with said end, said peripheral edge 5 being made integral with the end of body 20 in their contact zone.

According to the invention, the tubular body 20 of the container, preferably formed by curvature on itself of an originally flat sheet, has an internal face of synthetic material, cardboard or similar material, the aforesaid contact zone of its at least one end with the peripheral edge 5 of the component 1 is advantageously coated or made up of a weldable or bondable material in order to make a connection in the contact zone by welding or by bonding.

The method of assembling component 1 to the tubular body of a container 20 is also new in principle and therefore consists simply:

- firstly, insert the component 1 into the tubular body 20 so as to face the contact areas of the end of the body 20 of the container and the peripheral edge 5, - and in a second time, to achieve over a certain height of the end of said tubular body 20, a continuous peripheral connection between said end and the peripheral edge 5 of component 1.

For a better understanding of the invention, the drawings of FIGS. 21 a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h illustrate this new concept of container 20 represented here in a cylindrical shape with circular section having two diametrically opposite openings. closed at its upper end by a component 1 with a double-walled filling neck 60 (cf. FIGS. 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) and at its lower end by a bottom component 3 (cf. FIGS. 21e, f, g and h).

The container 20 to which the component 1 must be fixed by its peripheral edge 5 can be of different types, since the component 1 can be engaged inside the body 20 of the container, according to two possible variants: in FIG. 21a, the component 1 is oriented to constitute a sort of bowl whose edge 5 must be fixed inside the body 20, the flat part 2 being located inside the contour of the body 20, - in FIG. 21b, the part closure 2 of component 1 is located at the edge of the body 20, the edge 5 having to be fixed inside the body 20.

To make a continuous peripheral connection by welding, on the one hand, a tool which can be of any known type such as an electrode, a heating wheel, etc., and on the other hand a counterpart ensuring the support of the part to be welded. For - 1 - weld the edge 5 and the body 20 according to the arrangement of Figure 21a, it is easy to provide a tool and a counterpart coming to be placed, externally to the container, like a clamp having an outer branch against the body 20 and an inner branch against the edge 5.

To perform the welding of the edge 5 and of the body 20 according to the arrangement in FIG. 21b, the welding device must include a part located inside the body 20, which supposes that the body 20 is open, that is to say i.e. without bottom component 23 which must therefore be attached and welded after attachment of component 1. Consequently, with the arrangement in FIG. 21b, the bottom 23 must be able to be fixed from outside the container, as shown on the drawings of Figures 21e and f, and corresponding to component 1 of Figure 21a. The positioning of the outline of the blank, and therefore its concentricity with respect to the body 20, depends on the action of the tool for cutting the blank and the location of this tool is not rigorously established with respect to the center of the draft. As a result, the positioning of component 1 may be somewhat inaccurate.

The applicant therefore proposes two other solutions.

In FIG. 21c, the component 1 can also have an extension greater than the section of the body 20, so that an edge 5a is placed outside the body 20 where it is fixed. This situation is analogous to that of FIG. 21b, that is to say that part of the welding device must be introduced into the body 20.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 21d, this problem is easily solved because the peripheral edge 5 of said component 1 has two parallel walls 5b and 5c in one piece joined by a fold 5d of their constituent material and separated by an open space forming a continuous groove adopting in section the general shape of a U with its two branches 5b and 5ç_ and its base 5d. The width of this U-shaped groove is substantially equal to the thickness of the end of the wall of the tubular body 20 so that the end of said body can be fully inserted into said groove. The positioning of the annular space formed by the U-shaped groove is itself very precise, so that the component 1 is positioned on the body 20 in a perfectly centered manner. The outer edge 5ç_, the outline of which is imprecise, can have, without drawback, a variable height all around the body 20 after fixing, the two edges 5b and 5c. not necessarily having the same height. The outer edge 5ç_ can therefore be quite small, in the manner of an invisible crimping edge. Here, the component 1 is fixed to the body 20 by the two edges 5b and 5c, that is to say internally and externally, which guarantees an excellent seal, in particular thanks to the covering of the edge of the body 20 by the flange 5d resting on it. This structure, from the point of view of the welding of the component 1 on the body 20, is similar to that of FIG. 21a, namely that this welding can be carried out from the outside of the container. This preferred embodiment will be described in more detail a little later in the description.

The bottom 23 can have different forms independent of those of the component 1, except as regards its attachment to the body 20 which requires coordination with the component 1, the bodies for attachment to the body 20 having to be tuned. So :

- in the drawing in FIG. 21e, the bottom 23 has an edge 23a similar to the edge 5 of the end 1 and is placed in the body 20 in an identical manner to the component 1 in FIG. 21a,

- In the drawing of FIG. 21f, the bottom 23 has two parallel edges 23b and 23ç_ (joined at their upper part by a rim 23d and separated by a U-shaped groove) and is placed in the body 20 in an identical manner to the component 1 of FIG. 21d,

- In the drawings of Figures 21g and 21h, the funds 23 are placed in the body 20 identically to the components 1 of Figures 21b and 21c respectively.

The thermoforming of the component 1 carrying a neck or of the bottom component 23 makes it possible to give these components very varied forms according to the applications of the invention: substantially planar (Figures 1 to 2 lf), tronpyramidal, frustoconical (Figures 21g and 21h ), etc. Thus, the central closing parts 24 of the bottoms 23 of the containers 20 have been shown in the drawings of FIGS. 21g and 21h with a concave preform capable of coming to conform to the convex preform that the neck forms with possibly its system for plugging a component. 1 of a container arranged below, to allow stacking of the two containers.

The drawing of Figure 22 illustrates in more detail a particular profile of a closure component such as component 1 shown in section along a vertical plane in the drawing of Figure 21d, it being understood that the same profile can be adapted to the component 23 shown in the drawing of Figure 21f.

At the manufacturing stage, this arrangement is preferably chosen by the applicant because the end of the component 1 is fixed to the body 20 by the two arms 5b and 5ç_ of the U-shaped groove, that is to say internally and externally, which guarantees an excellent seal, in particular thanks to the covering of the edge of the body 20 by the rim 5d bearing on it. In addition, this structure makes it possible to weld from the outside of the container 20. The original profile of the peripheral edge 5 of the component 1 illustrated in FIG. 22 is intended to complete the quality of assembly of the component 1 to the body of container 20, while preserving the seal and overall aesthetics of the latter.

According to a first characteristic of this profile, the external branch 5c of the U-shaped peripheral groove is shorter than the internal branch 5b and is extended by a peripheral skirt 5c '. The opening angle α (of the order of 30 °) that this skirt forms with the plane of symmetry of the component 1 has been judiciously chosen large enough to facilitate guiding the end of the body 20 in the U of the edge groove 5 and small enough to allow its flap by thermoforming against the outer wall of the end of the body 20 introduced into the U-shaped groove. Similarly, the length "1" (of the order of 3.5 mm) has been judiciously chosen long enough to act as a lever arm allowing it to be folded during the assembly operation by thermoforming against the external wall of the end of the body 20 introduced into said groove, and short enough to avoid an irregular stretch of the material resulting in the formation of unsightly "waves" during the assembly operation by thermoforming.

According to a second characteristic of this profile combined with the first, the internal branch 5b of the U-shaped peripheral groove offers in horizontal section a surface of its external wall (which is the external diameter when the tubular body takes the form of a right cylinder) slightly greater than the surface of the inner wall of the end of the body 20 to ensure close contact between the two said walls. This same branch 5b has a height (of the order of 5 to 10 mm) which is sufficient to ensure good mechanical strength and an active surface of sufficient adhesion between the two said walls to ensure their assembly by heat sealing. Indeed, the heat sealing of the component 1 on the end of the container body 20 introduced into the U-shaped groove of the peripheral edge 5, takes place at the level of these two said walls in contact, one of which at least is for this purpose, coated or formed in the weld zone, partially or entirely, of a weldable or bondable material.

According to a third characteristic of this profile combined with the first two, the portion ensuring the connection of the free end of the internal branch 5b of said peripheral U-shaped groove to the closure part 2 (shown plane in this example) of the component 1 adopts a slope (and more particularly a curve) sufficient to facilitate the guiding of the end of the body 20 in said groove of the U. Thus, both this curved portion of connection between the internal branch 5b. and the annular part 2 that the peripheral skirt 5 'of the extension of the external branch 5', define a funnel guiding the penetration of the end of the container body 20 into the U-shaped groove of the peripheral edge 5, in particular when this operation is fully automated. The operation of heat sealing the end of the container body 20 in the U-shaped groove of the edge 5 so ensuring the tight assembly of the component 1 to the body 20, with at least one of the walls in contact coated or formed in the weld zone, partially or entirely, of a weldable or bondable material, is delicate because it must be carried out: - with a uniform pressure over the entire periphery of the peripheral edge 5 and the end of the body 20, whatever their profile (circular, polygonal) seen in horizontal section,

- whatever the rigidities of the constituent materials of the body 20 and of the component 1, - and according to an adequate crimping and / or sealing temperature.

The drawings of FIGS. 23a, 23b and 23c schematically illustrate an original assembly device which the applicant proposes to achieve this heat-sealing operation.

As shown in the drawing in FIG. 23a, this device is constituted by a heat-sealing tool referenced 0 as a whole, comprising at least one matrix M formed by a heating sleeve which, animated by a movement back and forth along of the longitudinal axis of the container body 20, has in horizontal section an inner surface (diameter if the body 20 is a cylinder) slightly greater than that of the outer wall of the outer branch 5ç_ of the peripheral edge 5 of the component 1 so to come into contact during its downward movement (arrow D _m ) against the peripheral skirt 5ç_ 'which it folds down and which it thermally deforms against the external wall of the end of the body 20, in the extension axis of the external branch 5ç_.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the leading edge M 'of the above heating sleeve forming the matrix M is flared at an opening angle α' (of the order of 15 to 30 °) relative to the longitudinal axis of the container body 20, which is preferably slightly less than that of the opening angle of the aforesaid peripheral skirt 5c 'so that the operation of flap and plating by heat deformation against the external wall of the the end of the body 20 takes place gradually at the movement of lowering (arrow D _m ) of the sleeve M. Figure 23b shows the matrix

M at the end of its downward movement in the fitted position in the upper part of the sleeve around the branch 5ç_ of the edge 5 with the skirt 5ç_ 'held in the extension of the branch 5c_.

The above heat-sealing tool 0 comprises a heating punch P which, also driven in a movement back and forth along the longitudinal axis of the container body 20, externally adopts a frustoconical shape whose lower base has a surface (diameter if the body 20 is a cylinder) smaller than that of the internal wall of the internal branch 5b of the U of the peripheral edge 5 of the component 1 and whose upper base has a larger surface (diameter if the body 20 is a cylinder) than that of said internal wall of the internal branch 5b_ such that the oblique external wall P 'of the punch P exerts pressure on the upper end of the internal wall of the internal branch 5b of the peripheral edge 5 of the component 1 proportional to the downward movement (arrow Dp) of said punch, to a low limit point where the end of the container body 20 clamped inside the U-shaped groove of the peripheral edge 5, is compr mapped at most between the matrix M and the punch P.

According to a preferred characteristic of the invention, the heating temperature of the heating punch P intended to ensure an internal heat-sealing is higher than that of the matrix M intended to ensure an external thermoforming of the external skirt 5c_ ', or even a thermosetting.

According to a preferred embodiment of the set of heat-sealing tools, the heating punch P begins its descent (arrow Dp) when the descent movement (arrow D _m ) of the matrix M is completed, thus making it possible to design a automatic thermosealing tool 0 where the matrix M and the punch P arranged superimposed move along the same column with limit stop stops easy to implement to ensure an automatic successive sequence of the two thermoforming operations or seaming for the matrix M and heat sealing for the punch P. The use of a container in accordance with the invention:

- only requires low investment,

- provides specific tools for each type of container which is very small and reasonably priced, - is produced with a low unit cost.

The container of the invention can be in extremely varied forms and have multiple applications such as

- packaging of solid products, - packaging of dry products (powder, granules, finely divided particles, etc.)

- the packaging of liquid, wet and fatty products.

Such a container is therefore likely to meet almost all of the requirements of the packaging market, especially for processing small and medium quantities that do not justify the heavy investment required to create the containers at the place of filling, at the head of the line. conditioning.

Claims

1. Method of manufacturing a container neck which, surrounding an orifice, is continuously cylindrical and is carried out by thermoforming of a sheet of synthetic material, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the sheet of synthetic material is subjected to an operation of thermoforming in order to obtain a blank (6-50) of a component (1) of the container and which is housed in this blank (6-50), either during thermoforming or subsequently, a hole (8- 55) of diameter smaller than that desired for the orifice, then after cooling the blank (6-50), a drawing operation is carried out on said blank (6-50), by means of a matrix of holding (10-56) and a cylindrical punch (11-59) forced into the hole (8-55), this punch (11-59) having an outside diameter equal to the desired diameter for the orifice, this cold drawing operation in order to deform the synthetic material mechanically, that is to say at a temperature re lower than that of thermoforming, without any thinning of the original sheet, to create the neck (3-60) out of the initial plane of the blank (6-50), then that the punch is removed (11 -57) and that the part obtained is released.

2. Method according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN that one proceeds to stamping directly on the blank (6) substantially planar, in order to obtain a neck (3) single wall and with a sharp edge.

3. Method according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT during thermoforming, a hollow housing (52) is protruded out of the plane of the blank (50) and having a side wall (53) and a transverse bottom (54 ), and that the hole (55) is cleaned in the transverse bottom (54), then that one proceeds to stamping said transverse bottom (54), from the outside towards the inside of the housing (52 ), in order to obtain a collar (60) with two walls (61 and 62), one, exterior (61), being formed by a part of the original side wall (53) of the housing (52) - and l 'other (62) by the transverse bottom (54) that the stamping has deformed in the wall (62) inside the previous one (61).

4. Container neck obtained from a sheet of material synthetic by the thermoforming process according to claims 1 2 and / or 3, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the said sheet having a given nominal thickness (e), the wall forming the neck (3-60) has substantially this same thickness without thinning perceptible over its entire useful height, that is to say on the height of its inner face against which must be a shutter (26-40-70) of any type engaged in the neck (3-60) when the container is closed.

5. Container neck according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said neck (3-60) is projecting towards the outside of the container.

6. Container neck according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said neck (3-60) is projecting towards the inside of the container.

7. Container neck according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the neck (3) is single-walled.

8. Container neck according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the neck (60) has two walls (61 and 62), one surrounding the other, joined by an upper rim (63) and separated by a space (64).

9. Container neck according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT having to be associated with a shutter (30-65) intended to be engaged in the orifice (4), the free edge of the inner wall of the neck is at a distance (d) coordinated with that of the shutter (30-60), so that a flange (35-68) which the latter presents at its base can be placed beyond this free edge and come into abutment against it, to determine a stable position of the shutter (30-65).

10. Container neck according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said neck (3) is located directly on the body of the container (20).

11. Container neck according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said neck (3-60) is located on a component (1) distinct from the container, attached and subject to said container body (20).

12. Container comprising a tubular body (20) extending along a longitudinal axis and closed at at least one of its ends by at least one closing component (1), CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the above closing component (1):

- is obtained by thermoforming a plastic sheet,

- comprises a central closing part (2) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said tube in order to close off the latter,

- comprises connecting members (5) of the component (1) to the body (20) consisting of a continuous peripheral edge (5) substantially parallel to the end of the tubular body (20) so as to cooperate with said end, and BY THE FACT THAT the peripheral edge (5) of said closure component (1) is made integral with the end of the body (20) in their contact zone.

13. Container according to claim 12, CHARACTERIZED BY THE

FACT THAT the above closure component (1) is engaged in the tubular body (20) of said container with its peripheral edge (5) directed towards the outside of said body (20)

14. Container according to claim 12, CHARACTERIZED BY THE

FACT THAT the above closure component (1) is engaged in the tubular body (20) of said container with its peripheral edge (5) directed towards the interior of said body (20).

15. Container according to claim 12, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the aforesaid closure component (1) is engaged on the tubular body (20) of said container with its peripheral edge (5) disposed around the outer end of said body (20 ).

16. Container according to claim 12, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said container body (20) is made of synthetic material.

17. Container according to claim 12, CHARACTERIZED BY THE

FACT THAT said container body (20) is made of cardboard or similar material, AND BY THE FACT THAT at least one of the two walls in contact with the end of the body (20) and the peripheral edge (5) of the component closure (1) is coated or formed in the weld zone, partially or entirely, of a weldable or bondable material.

18. Container according to any one of claims 12 to 17, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the tubular body (20) of said cardboard container or similar material is formed by curvature on itself of an originally flat sheet.

19. Container according to claims 12 and 13, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the peripheral edge (5) of said closure component (1) obtained by thermoforming has two parallel walls (5b and 5c) in one piece joined by a fold (5d ) of their constituent material and separated by an open space forming a continuous groove adopting in section the general shape of a U with its two branches (5b and 5c) and its base (5d) and whose width is substantially equal to the thickness of the walls of the tubular body (20), so that the end of said body (20) can be fully inserted into said groove.

20. Container according to claim 19, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the said external branch (5ç_) of said U-shaped peripheral groove is shorter than the internal branch (5b).

21 Container according to claim 19, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the said external branch (5çJ of said peripheral U-shaped groove is extended by a peripheral skirt (5ç ') of which:

- On the one hand, the opening angle α which it forms with the plane of symmetry of the closure component (1) is large enough to facilitate guiding the end of the body (20) in said groove of the U and small enough to allow its flap by thermoforming against the external wall of the end of the body (20) introduced into said groove,

- And on the other hand, the length "1" is long enough to act as a lever arm allowing its flap during the assembly operation by thermoforming against the external wall of the end of the body (20) introduced into said groove, and short enough to avoid the formation of unsightly "waves" during the assembly operation by thermoforming.

22. Container according to claim 19, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the internal branch (5b) of said peripheral groove in U-shaped offers on the one hand, in horizontal section an area of its outer wall slightly greater than the area of the inner wall of the end of the body (20) to ensure close contact between the two said walls and on the other apart, a sufficient height to ensure good mechanical strength and a sufficient active adhesion surface in the contact zone between the two walls to ensure the assembly by heat sealing.

23. Container according to claim 19, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the portion ensuring the connection of the free end of the internal branch (5b) of said U-shaped peripheral groove to the closure part (2) of the closure component (1) adopts a sufficient slope to facilitate the guiding of the end of the body (20) in said groove of the U.

24. A method of assembling a closure component (1) to the tubular body of a container (20), according to which said component, produced by thermoforming according to any one of claims 12 to 23, comprises a central part of closure (2) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said tubular body (20) and a continuous peripheral edge (5) substantially parallel to the end of the tubular body (20) so as to cooperate with said end in their contact zone, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT It consists:

- firstly, to insert the component (1) in the tubular body (20) so as to face the contact areas of the end of the body (20) of the container and the peripheral edge ( 5) of the closing component (1),

- And in a second step, to achieve over a certain height of the end of said tubular body (20), a continuous peripheral connection between said end and the peripheral edge (5) of the closure component (1).

25. Device for assembling a component (1) to the body of the container (20) allowing the assembly method according to claim 24 to be implemented, and according to which the closure component (1) is produced by thermoforming according to all of claims 19 to 23, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it is constituted by a heat-sealing tool (O) comprising at least one matrix (M) formed by a heating sleeve which, animated back and forth along the longitudinal axis of the tubular body of container (20), has in horizontal section an interior surface slightly greater than 5 that of the external wall of the external branch (5ç_) of the U of the peripheral edge (5) of the closure component (1) so as to come into contact during its downward movement against the peripheral skirt (5ç_ ') that it flaps and it plates by heat deformation in the axis of extension of the outer branch 0 (5cJ, against the outer wall of the end of said tubular body (20) previously introduced into the groove of the U of the component (1).

26. An assembly device according to claim 25, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the leading edge (M ') of the above 5 heating sleeve is flared at an opening angle α' relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular body (20) slightly less than that of the opening angle α of the aforesaid peripheral skirt (5 ′) so that the operation of flap and plating by heat deformation against the external wall of the end of the body o (20) takes place gradually with the downward movement (arrow D _m ) of said sleeve.

27. An assembly device according to claim 25, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the aforementioned heat-sealing tool (0) comprises a heating punch (P) which, also animated by a back and forth movement along the axis longitudinal of the tubular body (20), externally adopts a frustoconical shape whose lower base has a smaller surface than the surface in horizontal section of the internal wall of the internal branch (5b) of the U of the peripheral edge (5) of the component closure (1) and whose upper 0 base has a larger area than that of said inner wall of the inner branch (5b) so that the oblique outer wall of the punch exerts pressure on the upper end of the wall internal of the internal branch (5b) of the peripheral edge (5) of the closure component (1) proportional to the downward movement (arrow Dp) of said punch, to a low point where the end of the container body 20 enclosed inside ior of the U-shaped groove of the peripheral edge (5) is compressed as much as possible between the die (M) and the punch (P).

28. Assembly device according to claims 25 to 27, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the heating punch (P) of the above heat-sealing tool (0) begins its descent (arrow Dp) when the descent movement (arrow Dm) of the matrix (M) is complete.

29. An assembly device according to claims 25 to 27, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the heating temperature of the heating punch (P) making it possible to heat-seal the interior is greater than that of the peripheral matrix (M) making it possible to thermoform the outer skirt (5ç ').