EP1651537A2

EP1651537A2 - Tight dessicative container for packaging products which are sensitive to a moist environment

Info

Publication number: EP1651537A2
Application number: EP04786010A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Didier Lancesseur; Stéphane RAULT
Original assignee: Airsec SAS
Current assignee: Airsec SAS
Priority date: 2003-07-29
Filing date: 2004-07-29
Publication date: 2006-05-03
Also published as: CA2534206A1; US20070084735A1; WO2005012131A3; WO2005012131A2; CA2534206C; FR2858301A1; FR2858301B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a dessicative container made of thermoplastic polymer material for packaging products which are sensitive to a moist environment in forms which are shaped or not. The dessicative container comprises a tubular envelope (1) which is closed at one of the ends thereof by a bottom (2) and which is open at the other end (3), a means (4) for closing the open end thereof i.e. a cover cap whereby the architecture thereof creates four successive tight peripheral barriers with the tubular envelope, a means (5) for linking the tubular envelope (1) and the cover cap (4) in the form of a mechanical hinge which can preferably be dismounted.

Description

SEALED CONTAINER FOR THE PACKAGING OF PRODUCTS SENSITIVE TO AMBIENT MOISTURE

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a desiccant container made particularly impermeable to humidity and intended for the packaging of products sensitive to ambient humidity, these products possibly being materials, being in forms as diverse as pulverulent, granular, compressed, in particularly for effervescent, coated or agglomerated products, and objects which may be in various forms, in particular oblong.

The invention relates more particularly to a desiccant container made particularly impermeable to humidity and intended for the packaging of products sensitive to ambient humidity, in particular medicaments, this container having a tubular shape, being closed by means of a cap. cover connected to the tubular part by means of a hinge and being provided with an internal desiccant means and possibly renewable.

Materials sensitive to humidity and which must be packaged in a desiccant container are, in general, medicinal products, in particular effervescent ones, which it is desirable to protect so that their effectiveness does not change by reaction with the vapor of the vapor. water and / or so that their physical integrity is preserved over time and that is avoided, for example, a change in their mechanical cohesion.

Objects in particular of oblong shape have a substantially polygonal, circular, elliptical, elongated section and are used as consumables. Such objects are notably strips, “strip” tests in the form of strips or rigid strips used for example for diagnostic or control purposes in the medical field, dressings or food products such as chewing gum, toothpicks, sticks or others.

For obvious reasons, in particular for hygiene, but also in order to avoid any degradation and thus improve the shelf life of the products, they are placed away from physico-chemical attacks resulting from the level of relative humidity , but also light, in particular UV rays and other chemical substances, or even degradation by mechanical effect.

State of the art

The establishment of the state of the art reveals the existence of numerous desiccant containers intended to receive and contain products sensitive to ambient humidity from which they must be protected by creating the driest internal ambient atmosphere possible. , to prevent these products from taking up moisture which could react with said products or cause their mechanical brittleness upon impact, or their disintegration or their disintegration in the container by absorption of ambient humidity.

There are many products which are particularly sensitive to ambient humidity and can more precisely be medicinal materials or test objects, including those more precisely having a particular sensitivity to humidity and which are in powdered forms or in more elaborate forms. such as granules, tablets, lozenges, oblong shaped objects such as test strips or the like. These desiccant and waterproof containers for the storage of products sensitive to ambient humidity are generally of tubular shape, are closed by a removable stopper or cover made integral or not with the tubular part by means of an attachment means such as '' a connection by a narrow blade made of a polymer material identical to that of the container and the stopper, and are provided with internal drying means which are produced by means of a drying thermoplastic polymer composition, placed inside the containers on the surface internal of the bottom of the tube and / or on the internal surface of the side wall of the tube, in the form of an insert or a coating or in the form of a granular desiccant material placed in a special housing on the surface internal plug.

All these desiccant means are implemented separately or simultaneously to increase the effectiveness of their dehydrating action by a mass effect.

These containers are formed:

"a tubular envelope provided with a bottom at one end, the other end being open to allow the filling of said envelope,

"and of a closure means which can be a removable plug fitting into the open end of said tubular envelope, or a plug cover also fitting into said open end, but connected to the tubular envelope by a flexible link such as a narrow polymer blade acting as a hinge.

All these containers and their removable or linked stoppers or stoppers are produced using compositions thermo-plastic polymers according to techniques well known in the plastics industry.

Desiccant containers for packaging materials and / or objects sensitive to ambient humidity are described in the state of the art and are essentially distinguished from one another by the desiccant means used in said containers and by the structure of the container. means of closing the container.

According to a first type of desiccant container from the state of the art, the container is formed by a tubular envelope open at one of its ends to give access to the receptacle zone, this open tubular envelope being closed after filling. by a plug-cover (female type) secured to the envelope by a means consisting of a narrow connecting blade of polymer material.

A first document (EP0824,480) describes such a desiccant container comprising:

"a tubular envelope of thermoplastic polymer material provided with a bottom at one of its ends and open at the other end which covers, in the closed position, the wall of the open end of the envelope,

"of a cover, of the female type, with a descending skirt, which covers, in the closed position, the open end of the envelope, the sealing being capable of being ensured by the contact of the internal surface of the skirt with the outer surface of the open end of the tubular casing, said cover being made of the same thermoplastic polymer material as the casing and connected to the casing by means of a link made of a blade narrow in polymer, the envelope, the lid and the link between the lid and the envelope being a single piece, produced during a single plastics processing operation, by injection-molding for example,

"of a desiccant insert formed of a thermoplastic polymer material loaded with desiccant materials, of a polymer other than that forming the envelope, the cover and the link between the envelope and the cover, this insert being able to occupy the bottom of the 'tubular casing or simultaneously cover the bottom and the inner wall of said casing.

However, this type of container does not seem to be able to ensure rapid and permanent drying of the packaged materials to be protected because:

"each time the container is opened to extract part of the packaged materials, for example a pill, a cachet, a" strip ", the external ambient air charged with its relative humidity enters the envelope. The lid being closed, the volume humid trapped ambient air occupies the free space between the closed cover and the upper layer of conditioned moisture-sensitive materials. When the envelope is full of these conditioned moisture-sensitive materials, said materials cover zones provided with the desiccant thermoplastic polymer by constituting a screen, slowing down, or even preventing the exchange between the desiccant thermoplastic polymer material and the volume of humid ambient air enclosed in the envelope; this is why the absorption of moisture takes place preferably by conditioned materials sensitive to humidity because they are in direct contact with the naturally present water vapor in the volume of ambient air present in the container after it has been opened and closed,

"the cover is not particularly suitable for creating reinforced sealing between the inside and the outside of the container, by its very architecture, but also by its flexible connection means with the envelope, which does not allow not to position the cover at the time of its closure due to this great flexibility of the connecting means and therefore, the absence of sufficient mechanical rigidity both longitudinally and laterally, necessary for guiding said cover at the time of its closing .

According to another type of desiccant container from the state of the art, the container is formed by a tubular envelope closed at one end and open at the other, this opening being closed after filling of the envelope with a plug. removable male type.

A document (EP 0454 967) describes such a desiccant container consisting of: "a tubular envelope of thermoplastic polymer material provided with a bottom at one of its ends and open at the other end, including the internal surfaces of the bottom and the side wall of said envelope are coated with a desiccant desiccant polymer composition formed by a mixture of a thermoplastic polymer and an incorporated powdery desiccant filler,

"of a removable plug also made of thermoplastic polymer material of the male type, with a descending skirt, which, when in the closed position, is capable of establishing the internal tightness of the container by the contact of the external surface of the cap skirt with the internal surface of the envelope,

"this removable stopper is formed from a bottom associated with the skirt mentioned above, which both delimit a cavity which can receive an insert produced by means of the desiccant polymer composition, formed from the mixture of a polymer material thermoplastic and a powdery desiccant material, this insert can be a pellet adhering to the internal surface of the bottom of the stopper or an insert of complex shape, constituted by cylindrical surfaces or parts of cylindrical surfaces coaxial with the stopper.

However, this type of container does not seem to be able to better ensure rapid, permanent and as complete as possible desiccation of materials sensitive to moisture and packaged in this container to be dehydrated and protected.

In fact, each time the container is opened, the phenomenon mentioned above occurs when a charged gas volume is introduced, the relative humidity rate of which is higher than the relative humidity rate that must prevail inside the container.

As in the case of the first cited document, the phenomenon already described is reproduced identically when the removable cap is not provided with a desiccant insert. However, when the removable stopper is provided with a desiccant insert, the kinetics of absorption of the humidity introduced into the container, by an opening / closing cycle, is improved, but it seems that the time necessary to reach the lowest possible level of relative humidity inside the container is still too long and that this phenomenon is the consequence of both an insufficient sealing capacity of the removable plug of the male type, and the low absorption kinetics of the desiccant insert produced by means of a desiccant polymer composition.

The cap does not seem particularly suitable for the creation of an internal tightness reinforced with humidity, probably due to phenomena of leaks from the outside towards the inside of the container, even of very low flow, related to variations in pressure between the outside and the inside of the tube, humid flow which is captured both by the desiccant insert of the removable cap, but also by the moisture-sensitive materials packaged in the container.

Another document (GB 248,223) describes a removable desiccant plug, of the male type, for closing a container formed by an envelope closed at one end and open to the other.

This removable plug consists of a bottom associated with two peripheral skirts, one external and the other internal, forming between them and the associated bottom a groove capable of receiving the peripheral edge of the open end of the envelope.

This removable stopper is provided with a cavity delimited by its bottom and the internal peripheral skirt, a cavity which can receive an insert produced by means of a desiccant composition.

However, this type of removable stopper appears rudimentary and incapable of providing a technological improvement, because the seal between the stopper and the peripheral edge of the envelope to be closed is very basic and supposed to be produced by means of a flat annular seal placed on the flat bottom of the cap, while the internal and external skirts of the cap which are not in contact with the internal and external walls of the open end of the container to be closed, have no sealing action, but only, for the external skirt, a snap action of said plug on an external annular protuberance to the container envelope created to cause said snap-fastening.

According to another type of desiccant container from the state of the art, the container is formed by a tubular envelope open at one of its ends to give access to the receptacle zone, this open tubular envelope being closed after filling with a male-type cap cover, connected to the tubular casing by mechanical means composed of a crown forcibly encircling the tubular casing and a narrow connecting blade between the cap cover and the crown.

A document (US P 4,934,556) describes such a desiccant container, comprising: a tubular envelope of thermoplastic polymer material provided with a bottom at one of its ends and open at the other end, serving as a receptacle for the materials to be packaged,

"a cover-cap belonging to an assembly formed by a ring-hoop by force of the envelope, by a tamper-evident indicator, to be torn, connecting the ring-hoop to the external periphery of the stopper and a blade close connection between the cap-cover and said crown.

The male-type cap-cover is formed by a bottom and a peripheral skirt which delimit a cavity which can receive a reserve of a powdery desiccant, not integrated in a polymer matrix, and therefore in direct contact with the internal gaseous medium to be dehydrated.

This type of desiccant container for packaging moisture-sensitive products also presents uncertainties as to its ability to ensure rapid and complete drying of said products during the opening-closing of said packaging container. This state of affairs seems:

"be the consequence of an insufficient seal between the male-type cap-cover and the tubular envelope, the architecture of said cap-cover not appearing to be sufficiently suited to a search for the tightness of the container when can occur external-internal exchanges of gaseous volumes charged with humidity which it is important to dehydrate quickly,

"also be, at least in part, the consequence of the flexible connection means between the cap-cap and the crown forcibly encircling the envelope, this means which is a narrow blade made of polymer material not allowing adequate positioning to the correct closing of the envelope by absence of its guide prior to said closing.

Another document (GB 812,580) describes a device for closing a container (in particular a bottle), which cannot be desiccant composed of a cap-lid, of a peripheral fixing means on the mouth of the container to seal and a film hinge between the cap-cover and the peripheral fixing means of the device, the cap-cover and the fixing means being secured by a safety tab removed at the first opening. The closure device is provided with two peripheral skirts forming a groove, covering the mouth of the container.

The external skirt intended to cover the external surface of the envelope of the container is made up of three parts: the high envelope forming the external peripheral skirt of the cap-lid; another lower part forming the peripheral means of the external attachment on the mouth of the container; the middle part which is formed by the peripheral safety tab, eliminated at the first opening, with the exception of the connection zone forming the film hinge between the upper part and the lower part.

In cases where the device is intended for closing a bottle, the upper part of the external peripheral skirt is provided with a peripheral seal conforming to the shape of the section of the mouth of the bottle.

The internal skirt of cylindrical or frustoconical type, depending on the container to be closed, is provided in its lower part with a peripheral seal with a triangular section which comes into contact with the internal surface of the mouth of the container during sealing.

However, this type of device does not seem to be able to ensure a reinforced seal, nor to be able to adapt to a desiccant container for the packaging of materials and / or objects sensitive to ambient humidity, because the cap-cover is not suitable. to the creation of reinforced sealing between the interior and the exterior of the container, by its architecture, since the internal skirt of the stopper is not contact of the internal surface of the mouth of the container only by the triangular peripheral seal which intervenes by a tangential contact and not by surface to surface contact.

In fact, there appears in this device a completely free and non-sealed internal annular space developing between the triangular joint and the tangential peripheral contact of the groove bottom with the mouth of the container.

Thus, the seal can only be ensured by a contact of the surface-to-surface type between the only internal surface of the external skirt of the stopper and the external surface of the mouth of the container, this type of contact being insufficient to allow sealing. reinforced because it is too sensitive to external mechanical stress which can create gas leakage phenomena by deformation of said device.

Thus, it appears that none of the desiccant containers of the prior art gives sufficiently satisfactory results to condition products in the best conditions sensitive to relative humidity.

Objectives of the invention

Many objectives are therefore assigned to the desiccant container according to the invention, so that it can best eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and that it provides solutions that are improved and improved compared to the various means implemented in desiccant containers. described in the state of the art.

A first object of the invention is to produce a desiccant container closed by a closure means whose architecture new provides a reinforced seal between said closure means and the tubular casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a desiccant container closed by a sealing means with reinforced sealing having a kinetics of adsorption of the water vapor present in said container, greater than that found in the state of the technical, that is to say having a greater capacity to adsorb the excess humidity which is created during the opening and closing of the desiccant container, to prevent the packaged products sensitive to humidity from adsorb all or part of this excess moisture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a desiccant container closed by a sealing means with reinforced sealing having the capacity to maintain at a low and relatively constant level the relative humidity rate internal to the desiccant container, outside of the cycles. opening / closing, to best protect packaged products, sensitive to humidity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a desiccant container closed by a sealing means with reinforced sealing, the sealing means being linked to the container by a connecting means capable of facilitating and guiding the closing of the means of obturation so that this closure is particularly sealed against any gas exchange from the outside to the inside of the desiccant container.

Summary of the invention

All the objectives set out above can be achieved by the desiccant container, object of the invention, for packaging shaped or unshaped products, sensitive to ambient humidity. According to the invention, the desiccant container, with reinforced sealing, made of thermoplastic polymeric materials, for the packaging of products sensitive to ambient humidity, in shaped or unshaped forms, which consist of:

"of a tubular envelope, closed at one of its ends by a bottom and open at the other end, to form the mouth constituting the product packaging area," a means for closing the mouth of the open end of the tubular casing, "of a connecting means placed between the sealing means and the tubular casing," of a means of packaging a desiccant placed on the internal face the sealing means,

is characterized in that a) an external peripheral stop of the flange type is created near the open end of the tubular casing on which the sealing means rest in the closed position, b) the sealing means of the open end of the tubular casing is a cap-cover coaxial with the casing consisting of an upper end wall constituting the cover and two tubular peripheral walls concentric with the axis of the cover forming between them a peripheral groove deep, the walls of which are distanced from one another to cover, when said closure means is closed, the peripheral wall from the open end of the tubular casing to the peripheral stop, and so that a tight and intimate contact is established between:

"the bottom of the groove and the peripheral rim of the open end of the tubular envelope," the internal surface of the internal concentric wall of said groove and the internal surface of the open end of the tubular envelope,

"the internal surface of the external concentric wall of the groove and the external surface of the open end of the tubular casing, c) the connecting means between the tubular casing and the sealing means is a mechanical hinge preferably removable , ensuring the accuracy of the closure.

Detailed description of the invention

The latent problem observed during the use of desiccant containers conditioning products sensitive to ambient humidity is linked to:

"the more or less rapid ability to adsorb the ambient humidity prevailing inside the container, by the dehydrating agent, during opening / closing cycles of the container and

"The effectiveness of the sealing means in terms of sealing between the cycles ^r opening / closing frequency long to prevent exchanges / gas between the inside and outside of the closed container which might cause a change in the relative humidity prevailing inside the container. This latent problem finds a solution in the desiccant container according to the invention thanks to a new combination of known or not known means dealing with:

"First of all, strengthening the tightness of the closed container by creating a sealing means with a particular architecture, guided by a removable mechanical hinge during opening / closing cycles, and stabilized at the end of the race by the external peripheral stop, "then the kinetics of adsorption of the internal relative humidity (which is increased) by the judicious choice of the desiccant and of its position within the container.

According to the invention, the reinforcement of the seal between the envelope and the shutter means in the closed position is achieved by a new architecture of said shutter means.

The closure means created for the desiccant container of the invention is neither ^female type nor male type, as recommended by the state of the art, but differs significantly from the prior art by the fact that its new architecture provides it with four peripheral zones of intimate contact with the tubular envelope constituting the closing receptacle of the desiccant container, these four zones of intimate peripheral contact, of surface-to-surface type, forming four barriers acting as mutual reinforcement in obtaining reinforcement of the seal.

To do this, the sealing means chosen is of the cap-cover type, comprising an upper end wall having a section adapted to that of the tubular envelope which it must close. This upper end wall is provided with two walls, forming skirts, one called external and the other called internal, which are peripheral and tubular, concentric and coaxial with the tubular envelope, and which form a groove deep peripheral whose bottom is the internal face of the upper end wall.

When the closure means is in the closed position, the peripheral wall of the open end of the tubular envelope is covered by the deep peripheral groove according to four intimate peripheral contact zones of the surface-to-surface type ensuring a reinforced seal thanks to their individual actions that complement each other. The first intimate peripheral surface-to-surface sealing contact zone, which constitutes a sealing barrier, is established between the internal face of the external wall of the deep peripheral groove and the external face of the end wall. open of the tubular casing, the external wall of the groove being located geometrically on the upper end wall of the cap-cover so that the almost surface-to-surface contact is total, intimate and immediate upon closure.

The second intimate peripheral surface-to-surface sealing contact zone which constitutes another sealing barrier is created between the bottom of the deep groove and the peripheral rim of the open end of the tubular envelope of a so that the contact between said bottom of the groove and the peripheral rim is also total, intimate and immediate upon closure.

The bottom of the groove may have the same section as the section of the peripheral rim of the open end of the envelope.

According to the invention, the peripheral rim of the open end of the envelope can be: in the extension of the tubular envelope, or projecting from the open end of the tubular casing internally and / or externally.

Whether the peripheral rim of the open end of the envelope is in the extension or projecting external and / or internal of said envelope, the section of said peripheral rim can be at sharp angles, or can be in an arc of a semicircular type. or greater than the semicircular.

In addition, the distance between said internal and external walls of the deep groove is determined by the thickness of the wall of the tubular casing: this inter-wall distance may be equal to or very slightly greater than the thickness of said casing.

Therefore, the distance between said concentric tubular walls of the cover cap requires a slightly forceful passage of the peripheral rim of the open end of the envelope when the closing cap operation is carried out. The third intimate peripheral sealing contact zone, of the surface to surface type, which also constitutes a sealing barrier, is established between the internal surface of the internal wall of the deep peripheral groove and the internal surface of the wall of the open end of the tubular casing, the internal surface of the internal peripheral wall of said groove being the surface brought into contact, according to a surface-to-surface type, with the corresponding internal surface of the wall of the open end of the tubular casing. The sealed contact surface thus created is peripheral, and may have the appearance of a strip which may have a height going from the lower end of the internal wall of the groove to the bottom of the groove. It has indeed been observed that, when this type of surface-to-surface sealing mentioned above is created inside the tubular casing at its open end, mechanical effort, even slight, carried on the stopper -cover, in the direction of the opening of said plug but without causing this opening, results in a strengthening of the seal by the reinforced plating of the internal peripheral wall of the groove on the internal surface of the open end of the envelope .

In the opposite case, where this type of surface-to-surface seal is created outside the tubular casing, even slight mechanical stress on the cover cap results in a separation initiation between the external wall of the deep peripheral groove and the external surface of the open end of the tubular envelope, causing a loss of tightness by the creation of a gas leak between the interior and the exterior of the packaging envelope.

This third intimate sealing contact area of the surface-to-surface type, specific to the invention, is all the more effective as the internal wall of the deep peripheral groove at a height at least equal to and preferably greater than that of the wall. external of the deep peripheral throat.

To further strengthen the surface-to-surface type seal between the internal surface of the internal peripheral wall of the groove and the internal surface of the open end of the tubular casing, the internal surface of the wall of the groove is provided with 'a peripheral protuberance of the annular type which can engage in a corresponding peripheral groove placed on the internal wall of the open end of the envelope and which further completes the reinforcement of the tightness of the internal device to the tubular envelope. Thus, this architecture of the cap-cover with a deep peripheral groove allows a tight covering in three peripheral zones of surface-to-surface contact of the open end of the tubular casing, since the distance between the two external and internal walls of the peripheral groove is determined by the thickness of the wall of the open end of the tubular casing that said groove must cover. Intimate surface-to-surface contact, when the cap-lid is closed, is established by sliding from one wall to the other.

The depth of the groove, to be particularly effective, is chosen in a range representing 45% to 95% of the thickness of the cap-cover measured on the external peripheral wall of said groove. The fourth intimate peripheral sealing contact area of the surface to surface type which constitutes another sealing barrier is created by the contact of the flat lower edge of the external wall of the groove with the plate of the external peripheral stop. This peripheral stop is placed at a distance from the open end of the envelope such that the flat bottom edge of said external wall of the groove comes into contact with the plate of the stop, this surface-to-surface contact constituting a barrier. seal.

To facilitate the opening and closing operation of the cover cap, the flat lower edge of the external wall of the groove can be extended by a gripping visor.

To maintain the cover cap in the closed position, the internal face of the external wall of the groove and the external face of the external wall of the tubular casing are provided with a latching means, requiring mechanical effort both for complete the closure of the lid cap with reinforced sealing only to ensure its opening.

According to the invention, the reinforcement of the seal between the tubular envelope of the container and the closure means in the closed position can also be reinforced by ^• the presence, between the tubular envelope and the closure means, of a connection means of the mechanical hinge type, relatively rigid, preferably removable.

The rigid mechanical hinge according to the invention, preferably removable, is formed of two parts, one integrated into the tubular casing, the other integrated by means of obturation with reinforced sealing.

The part of the hinge integrated into the tubular casing, called the male part, consists of two gallows plates, for example in the shape of an ear, situated on the external face of the tubular casing, and near the end. open of said envelope, to allow the mounting of the female part and its operation. These two gallows plates are connected to each other by an axis of rotation, the ends of which can protrude beyond said gallows plates.

The part of the hinge integrated by means of obturation with reinforced sealing known as female part, is composed:

"two jib plates, each optionally provided with an orifice in the case where the axis of rotation of the part of the hinge integrated into the tubular casing exceeds in length the interval between the jib plates carrying said axis, these two gallows plates optionally provided with orifices being placed at such a distance from each other that they can frame the gallows plates carrying the axis of rotation, "of a deep groove, external to the deep peripheral groove of the closure means, intended to receive the axis of rotation, of a length at most equal to the space existing between the internal faces of the support gallows plates of said axis.

When mounting the sealing means on the tubular envelope of the desiccant container according to the invention, the groove of the so-called female part of the hinge fits on the axis carried by the gallows plates of the so-called male part of the hinge, and the orifices of the bracket-gallows of the so-called female part of the hinge receive the protruding ends of the axis of rotation, when they exist, thus ensuring excellent operation around the axis of the shutter means.

Such a type of mechanical hinge, preferably removable, ensures the best functioning when closing (as well as when opening) the fitting of the cap-cover on the envelope by means of a single finger of the hand. holding the container, thanks to perfect mechanical guidance of said cap-cover, requiring, to complete the closure, only a vertical pressure from top to bottom, which causes the latching of the cap-cover. It should be specified that, according to the state of the art, the removable plugs or the plugs-lids linked by flexible means to the tubular envelope, require, for their closing or their opening, the use of two hands.

Such a type of mechanical hinge, called a precision hinge for closing a desiccant container, creates and strengthens the tightness of said container since this type of mechanical hinge guides the cap-cover until it is completely closed while ensuring the creation of four waterproof and peripheral contacts of surface to surface type previously mentioned, and thus establishing four sealing barriers. Finally, for the desiccant container according to the invention to be very effectively desiccant, the choice of the desiccant and its location in the desiccant container are absolutely decisive.

According to the invention, the desiccant used in the desiccant container is selected from the group consisting of silica gels, molecular sieves having ^'in powder form or deposited on a pulverulent support.

According to the invention also, the desiccant is preferably placed in an appropriate housing, preferably of the tubular type, located on the internal face of the sealing means, said housing being closed by a closing means which is not impermeable to ambient humidity. to ensure rapid drying of moisture-sensitive products packed in the desiccant container.

The desiccant container according to the invention is produced by plastics processing methods adapted to its production by means of materials which are thermoplastic polymers and / or copolymers such as for example polyethylenes (PE), polypropylenes (PP), copolymers of ethylene / propylene and their mixtures, polyamides (PA), polystyrenes (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers (ABS), styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN), polyvinylchlorides (PVC), polycarbonates (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalates (PET), used alone or as a mixture depending on their compatibility.

These polymers and / or copolymers can be combined for the production of the desiccant container and according to the mechanical characteristics desired for said container, minus a thermoplastic elastomer of natural or synthetic origin. The elastomer (s) used may preferably be chosen from the group consisting of elastomers of the natural rubber, synthetic rubber type, in particular monoolefin rubbers, such as, for example, isobutylene / isoprene, ethylene-acetate polymers vinyl (EVA), ethylene-propylene (EPR), ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM), ethylene acrylic esters (EMA-EEA), fluorinated polymers, diolefin rubbers, such as, for example, polybutadienes, butadiene-styrene copolymers (SBR), rubbers based on condensation products such as, for example, polyester and polyurethane thermoplastic rubbers, silicones, styrene rubbers, styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) and styrene-isoprene -styrene (SIS) and others.

According to the invention, the tubular casing and the cap-cover can be made with polymer materials of the same composition or with polymer materials of different compositions.

The invention will be better understood thanks to the numerical description of the figures mentioned below, these figures having only a nonlimiting illustrative nature of a particular desiccant container of the invention.

"Figure 1 is a perspective view of the desiccant container in the closed position.

"Figure 2 is a perspective view of the desiccant container in the semi-open position.

"Figure 3 is a perspective view in a diametrical section of the desiccant container in the closed position conditioning products sensitive to moisture. "Figure 4 is a diametrical section of the desiccant container according to the invention, the cap-cover is raised to allow the accommodation of a larger amount of desiccant without reducing the useful volume intended for the packaging of products sensitive to 'humidity.

"Figure 5 is an isometric perspective view of the so-called male part of the removable mechanical hinge secured to the tubular casing.

"Figure 6 is an isometric perspective view of the so-called female part of the removable mechanical hinge secured to the cap-cover.

"Figure 7 is a bottom perspective view of the so-called female part of the removable mechanical hinge secured to the cap-cover.

"Figure 8 is a top perspective view of the so-called male part of the removable mechanical hinge secured to the tubular casing.

"Figure 9 is a perspective view in axial section of the mounted mechanical hinge, the cover cap, in the closed position, being raised to allow the accommodation of a larger amount of desiccant.

"Figure 10 is a perspective view in section, on a bracket plate integral with the tubular casing, the cap-cover being raised to allow the accommodation of a larger amount of desiccant. According to FIGS. 1 to 4, the desiccant container with reinforced sealing for the packaging of products sensitive to ambient humidity consists of: "a tubular envelope (1) closed at one of its ends by a bottom (2) and open at the other end (3) to allow access to the tubular casing (1) of packaging for products sensitive to humidity, ^" of a cap-cover (4.), made integral with the tubular casing (1) by a removable mechanical hinge (5),

"a capacity chamber (6) intended to receive the dehydrating agent, this housing being placed on the internal face of the cap-cover (4),

Reinforcement of the seal between the tubular envelope (1) of the desiccant container and the cap-cover (4) is obtained thanks to a particular architecture of said cap-cover (4) (according to FIGS. 1 to 10).

The particular architecture of the cap-cover (4) relates to the creation of two concentric peripheral walls, of tubular type, one of the walls (9) being said to be internal, the other wall (10) being said to be external. The two concentric walls (9) and (10) together create a peripheral deep groove (11), closed by the internal face of the upper end wall of the cap-cover (4).

When the cover cap is in the closed position, the peripheral wall (12) of the open end of the tubular casing (1) is covered by the deep peripheral groove

(11), by creating four intimate contact zones, of surface to surface type, ensuring a reinforced seal between the exterior and the interior of the container, by this accumulation of watertight barriers.

The first intimate peripheral surface-to-surface contact zone forming the first sealing barrier is established between the internal face of the external wall (10) of the peripheral groove (11) and the external face of the wall (12). from the open end of the tubular casing (1) so that the intimate surface-to-surface contact is total and immediate when the cap-lid is closed.

The second intimate peripheral surface-to-surface contact zone, forming the second sealing barrier, is created between the bottom of the deep peripheral groove (11) and the peripheral rim (30) of the open end of the tubular casing. (1). The contact between the bottom of the peripheral groove (11) and the peripheral rim (30) of the open end of the tubular casing (1) is total on the periphery at the time when the closure of the cover cap ( 4).

According to the invention, in fact, the bottom of the peripheral groove (11) in the same section as the peripheral rim (30) of the open end of the tubular casing (1), which in this case is an arc section in a lateral overhanging circle with respect to the open end of the tubular casing: thus the section of the groove bottom is absolutely adapted to the section of the peripheral rim (30)

The third intimate peripheral surface-to-surface contact zone, forming the third sealing barrier, is established between the internal face of the internal wall (9) of the peripheral groove (11) and the internal face of the wall (12). from the open end of the tubular casing (1), the internal wall (9) of the groove (11) being placed in contact with the upper end wall of the cap-cover, this type of contact surface to surface being immediate and complete when the cap-lid is closed. So the inner surface of the inner wall

(9) of the groove (11) is brought into peripheral contact, over practically its entire height, according to the type of surface to surface contact with the corresponding internal surface of the wall of the open end of the tubular casing (1) .

According to this third peripheral contact zone, it should be noted that the internal wall (9) of the peripheral groove (11) has a height slightly greater than the height of the external wall (10) of the peripheral groove (11).

It should also be noted that the internal surface of the wall (9) of the peripheral groove (11) is provided in its lower part with a peripheral protuberance (31) which is engaged in a groove (32) present on the internal surface of the wall of the tubular casing (1).

The fourth intimate peripheral surface-to-surface contact zone, forming the fourth sealing barrier, is created by the contact between the flat bottom edge (20) of the external wall (10) of the peripheral groove (11), and the plate of the peripheral stop (7) of the tubular casing (1), this surface-to-surface type contact being peripheral, immediate and total when the cap-cover is closed.

According to FIGS. 5 to 10, the rigid, removable mechanical hinge (5) which ensures the exact positioning of the cover cap and its guidance until the cover cap is completely closed, appears to be formed of two parts, one integrated into the tubular casing (1), the other integrated into the cap-cover (4) with reinforced sealing.

The part of the hinge (5) integrated into the tubular casing (1) consists of two bracket plates (13) located on the external face of the tubular casing (1), by notching the peripheral stop (7). The two jib plates (13) are crossed by an axis of rotation (15) whose ends (19) protrude from said jib plates (13), this axis and the protruding ends (19) ensuring assembly and allowing disassembly of the part of the hinge (5) integrated into the cap-cover (4).

The part of the hinge (5) integrated into the cap-cover (4) consists of:

"two jib plates (17), each provided with an orifice (18), capable of receiving the ends (19) of the axis of rotation (15). The jib plates (17) are spaced apart from one the other so that they frame the two bracket plates (13) of the part of the hinge (5) integrated into the tubular casing (1),

"a deep groove (16) delimited by the internal (10) and external (14) walls, this groove being distinct from the peripheral sealing groove (11), the internal wall (10) of which is common and in the continuity of the external wall (10) of the deep peripheral sealing groove (11), the length of this groove (16) being at most equal to the distance existing between the stem plates (13) carrying the axis of rotation (15), these two gallows plates (13) finding their place in the two spaces (20) created between the gallows plates (17 and the deep groove (16).

Thus, according to FIGS. 1 to 10, it appears that the external wall (10) of the peripheral deep groove (11) is broken by the two spaces (20) created to house the gallows plates (13), this double space ( 20) failure not causing loss of the reinforced seal according to the invention. However, the outer wall (10) of the deep groove (11) is desirably continuous, that is to say free of notches (20).

The assembly of the tubular casing (1) and the cap-cover (4) is done by positioning said cap-cover on the open end (3) of the tubular casing (1) by the action of vertical pressure on said cover cap (4). Under the force of this pressure, the two protruding ends (19) of the axis (15) engage simultaneously in the orifices (18) of the bracket plates (17) at the same time as the axis (15) s 'engaged in the deep groove (16) of the hinge (5), by the elastic deformation of the polymeric materials used for the production of the tubular casing (1) and the cap-cover (4) of the desiccant container according to the invention .

The opening and closing operation of the desiccant container according to the invention is done by the mobilization of one hand, two fingers of which enclose the tubular envelope, the thumb acting alone and freely on the cap-lid to effect opening and closing.

Comparative example: ^m This example pursues the aim of confirming the strengthening of the tightness of the desiccant container according to the invention compared to a desiccant container from the state of the art. "The desiccant container belonging to the prior art is produced by injection-molding of a thermoplastic polymer material which is Polypropylene and composed: o of a tubular envelope, a female type cover cap, a connecting means between the tubular casing and the cover cap which is a thick strip of the same polymer, this thick strip acting as a flexible hinge,

"The desiccant capacity of said container is obtained by overmolding a desiccant polymer composition on the internal wall and bottom of the tubular envelope. The overmolded desiccant polymer composition was formed from: o polymer matrix: 50% by weight of polyethylene o desiccant charge dispersed in the polymer matrix: 50% by weight.

"The desiccant container according to the invention is produced by injection-molding of the polymer material which is Polypropylene, the desiccant charge being in a test of silica gel and in another test of molecular sieves, in an amount exactly identical to that of the charges desiccants dispersed in the desiccant polymer composition used in the prior art.

Finally, the mass of desiccants, used in the state of the art or in the invention, is the same in both cases.

The tests using desiccant containers are carried out under the same environmental conditions, that is to say at a controlled temperature of 25 ° C. and a controlled hygrometry of 80% relative humidity.

Each desiccant container (state of the art and invention) is provided with a thermo-hydrometric probe introduced through an orifice shaped in the bottom, and closed after the placement of the probe.

The desiccant containers thus provided with their measurement probe were placed in a closed enclosure subjected to the aforementioned temperature (25 ° C) and hygrometry (80%) conditions: open to balance in temperature and hygrometry, then closed, at the initial time T ₀ , the temperatures and the hygrometries were measured in each desiccant container subjected to experimentation, at the final time Ti (after 30 seconds of exposure), the temperatures and the hygrometries were measured in each desiccant container subjected to experimentation .

The results found are collated in the table below

It appears that the moisture tightness is well reinforced in the desiccant container according to the invention.

Claims

claims

1. Desiccant container, with reinforced sealing, made of thermoplastic polymeric materials, for the packaging of products sensitive to ambient humidity, presented in shaped or unshaped forms, which consists of:

"of a tubular envelope (1), constituting the product packaging area, closed at one of its ends by a bottom (2) and open at the other end (3),

"means for closing off (4) the open end (3) of the tubular casing (1),

"a connecting means (5) placed between the sealing means (4) and the tubular casing (1),

"means for conditioning (6) a desiccant placed on the internal face of the sealing means (4),

characterized in that:

a) an external peripheral stop (7) of the flange type is created near the open end (3) of the tubular casing (1) on which rests the closure means (4) in the closed position,

b) the sealing means (4) of the open end (3) of the tubular casing (1) is a cap-cover coaxial with the tubular casing (1) consisting of an upper end wall and two concentric tubular peripheral walls (9 and 10), one internal (9) and the other external (10) forming between them a deep peripheral groove (11) the walls of which are distanced one from the other to cover, when said closure means is closed, the peripheral wall (12) of the open end (3) of the tubular casing (1) up to the peripheral stop (7), and establish a tight surface-to-surface contact between the bottom of the groove (11) and the rim of the open end of the envelope (1),

c) the connecting means between the tubular casing (1) and the closure means (4) is a mechanical hinge (5) preferably removable, ensuring the precision of the closure.

2. Desiccant container according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises four successive peripheral sealing zones of surface to surface type constituting four successive sealing barriers created between the open end (3) of the tubular casing ( 1) and the cover cap (4) when said cover cap is in the closed position.

3. Desiccant container according to claim 2, characterized in that the first peripheral surface-to-surface type sealing zone is established between the external coaxial wall (10) of the deep peripheral groove (11) and the external face of the wall from the open end (3) of the tubular casing (1).

4. Desiccant container according to claim (2), characterized in that the second peripheral sealing area of surface to surface type is established between the peripheral bottom of the deep groove (11) and the peripheral rim (30) of the open end (3) of the tubular casing (1).

5. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the bottom of the peripheral groove (11) has a section identical to the section of the peripheral rim of the open end of the envelope (1).

6. Desiccant container according to claim 5 characterized in that the section is of the sharp angle type.

7. Desiccant container according to claim 5 characterized in that the section is of type in an arc.

8. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the peripheral rim of the open end (3) of the envelope (1) is in line with said envelope (1).

9. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the peripheral rim of the open end (3) of the envelope (1) projects beyond said envelope (1).

10. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 9 characterized in that the distance between the internal (9) and external (10) walls of the groove is at least equal to the thickness of the tubular envelope ( 1).

11. Desiccant container according to claim 2, characterized in that the third peripheral sealing area of surface-to-surface type is established between the internal surface of the internal coaxial wall (9) of the deep peripheral groove (11) and the surface internal of the open end (3) of the tubular casing (1).

12. Desiccant container according to claim 11 characterized in that the third peripheral sealing area of surface to surface type has a contact height ranging from the lower end of the internal wall (9) to the bottom of the groove (11).

13. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 12. characterized in that the internal peripheral wall (9) of the groove (11) has a height at least equal and preferably greater than the height of the external wall of said groove (11).

14. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 13 characterized in that the internal surface of the internal peripheral wall (9) is provided with a peripheral protuberance (31) of annular type.

15. Desiccant container according to claim 14 characterized in that the peripheral protuberance (31) of annular type is engaged in a corresponding peripheral groove (32) placed on the internal wall of the open end (3) of the envelope ( 1).

16. Desiccant container according to claim 2, characterized in that the fourth peripheral sealing area of surface-to-surface type is established between the lower plane edge of the outer wall (10) of the deep groove (11) and the plate of the external peripheral stop (7).

17. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the depth of the deep peripheral groove (11) is between 45% and 95% of the thickness of the cap-cover (4) measured on the outer peripheral wall (10) of said groove.

18. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the external peripheral wall (10) of the deep peripheral groove (11) is continuous.

19. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the external peripheral wall (10) of the deep peripheral groove (11) is made discontinuous by notches (20).

20. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that the cap-cover (4) is provided with a gripping visor (17).

21. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the internal face of the external wall (10) of the groove (11) and the external face of the external wall of the tubular envelope ( 1) are fitted with a latching means.

22. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that the mechanical hinge (5) is formed of two parts, one called male integrated into the tubular casing (1), the other so-called female integrated in the cap-cover (4).

23. Desiccant container according to claim 22, characterized in that the part of the hinge (5) called male integrated in the tubular casing (1) consists of two gallows plates (13) connected together by an axis of rotation (15).

24. Desiccant container according to claim 23, characterized in that the axis of rotation (15) is extended beyond the two jib plates (13) by projecting ends (19).

25. Desiccant container according to claim 22, characterized in that the part of the hinge (5) called female, integrated into the cap-cover (4), consists of: "two bracket plates (17) placed at a distance from each other such that they frame the bracket plates (13) of the part of the hinge (5) called male," of a groove (16 ) intended to receive the axis of rotation (15), delimited by internal (10) and external (14) walls.

26. Desiccant container according to claim 25, characterized in that the bracket plates (17) are provided with orifices (18) to receive the projecting ends (19) of the axis of rotation (15).

27. Desiccant container according to claim 25, characterized in that the groove (16) intended to receive the axis of rotation (15) at a length at most equal to the distance existing between the internal faces of the jib plates (13) .

28. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 27, characterized in that the conditioning means (6) of a desiccant placed on the internal face of the cap-cover (4) is preferably of tubular type.

29. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 28, characterized in that the tubular casing (1) and the cap-cover (4) are both made with the same polymer composition thermoplastics.

30. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 28, characterized in that the tubular casing (1) and the cap-cover (4) are both made with different polymer compositions thermoplastics.

31. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 30, characterized in that the tubular casing (1) and the cap-cover (4) are produced by the methods of plastics using thermoplastic polymer compositions from the group consisting of polyethylenes (PE), polypropylenes (PP), ethylene / propylene copolymers and mixtures thereof, polyamides (PA), polystyrenes (PS), copolymers of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN), polyvinylchlorides (PVC), polycarbonates (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalates (PET), used alone or mixed.

32. Desiccant container according to claim 31, characterized in that at least one elastomer of natural or synthetic origin is associated with the thermoplastic compositions, the elastomer or elastomers used being able to be preferably chosen from the group consisting of elastomers of rubber type natural, synthetic rubber, in particular monoolefin rubbers, which are polymers of isobutylene / isoprene, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), ethylene-propylene (EPR), ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM), ethylene-esters acrylics (EMA-EEA), fluoropolymers, diolefin rubbers, which are polybutadienes, butadiene-styrene copolymers (SBR), rubbers based on condensation products, which are polyester and polyurethane thermoplastic rubbers, silicones , styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) and styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) rubbers.

33. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 32, characterized in that the desiccant is in a pulverulent form.

34. Desiccant container according to at least one of claims 1 to 33, characterized in that the desiccant is chosen in the group consisting of silica gels, molecular sieves.

35. Use of the desiccant container according to claims 1 to 34 for the packaging of products sensitive to ambient humidity.