EP1797965A1 - Spray flacon made from synthetic material - Google Patents

Abstract

The flask has a tubular shaped body (2) and a neck (7) made of synthetic material, where the body is opened at its upper part. The neck has two parallel outer and inner skirts (10, 12) in its assembling zone, which cover an edge and an upper end of a peripheral wall (4) of the body. The wall delimits the upper part of the body, and the skirts delimit a groove (13) having a width lesser than or equal to the thickness of the wall, where the groove permits to embed the upper end of the body via a reduced thickness zone (5) of the body.

Description

The subject of the present invention is a bottle made of synthetic material.

This plastic bottle comprises a body of thermoplastic material obtained by injection, and a neck also made of thermoplastic material and obtained by injection. The neck may be equipped for example with a pump for spraying or spraying a fluid contained in the body of the bottle. This neck can be covered by a removable protective cover, which is advantageous especially when the neck is equipped with a spray pump.

Generally, the neck is fixed on the top of the body by welding.

If this solution provides a good seal between the neck and the body, it has a number of disadvantages. First, the welding operation is a long and delicate operation to perform. This welding operation being performed before filling the body with a liquid, the liquid must be passed through an opening of the neck, before introduction of the pump or plug. The opening of the neck being narrow, the filling is relatively long. Finally, after filling, it is appropriate to equip the bottle with a hood or a cap, the implementation of which requires an additional operation.

The object of the invention is to provide a plastic bottle, the body and neck are obtained separately, which can be assembled quickly and easily with obtaining an excellent seal, and which allows rapid filling of the bottle.

For this purpose, the bottle it concerns, comprising a body of synthetic material, open at its upper part, and a neck also made of synthetic material, is characterized in that the neck comprises, in its assembly area with the body , two parallel skirts intended to cover the upper edge and the end of the wall delimiting the opening of the body, the two parallel skirts belonging to the collar delimiting a groove of width less than or equal to the thickness of the wall of the body in its interlocking zone inside the groove of the neck.

The connection between the neck and the body is thus made by interlocking the open upper end of the body in the groove of the neck.

This double skirt allows, in the assembled state, to ensure a perfect seal even taking into account the manufacturing tolerances of the body and neck. If the body diameter is slightly smaller than the dimension theoretical, the support will be mainly on the skirt located inside the neck. If, on the contrary, the diameter of the body is greater than the theoretical diameter, the support will preferentially be respectively against the outer skirt of the neck. Double support performed in normal condition and preferably respectively at the inner skirt and at the outer skirt, according to manufacturing tolerances, always ensures excellent sealing.

The fact that the width of the groove delimited by the two skirts of the neck is less than or equal to the thickness of the wall of the body makes it possible to ensure excellent resistance of the neck to the body.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the bottle which is the subject of the invention, the open upper end of the body comprises a thinned wall zone, on a height corresponding to the interlocking length in the groove, this thinning of material being produced on the outer side and on a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the outer skirt of the neck.

Thus, when the collar is mounted on the body, the outer skirt of the neck is in the extension of the outer surface of the body wall, which is an aesthetic advantage and a functional advantage because this skirt does not create an extra thickness by relation to the body.

According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the height of the inner skirt is greater than the height of the outer skirt of the neck. Thus, the inner skirt serves as a centering element before engagement of the edge of the wall of the body within the groove defined by the two skirts of the neck.

In order to promote this engagement of the inner skirt of the neck, the latter preferably comprises a frustoconical end.

According to another characteristic of the bottle which is the subject of the invention, the body comprises, in its interlocking zone inside the groove of the neck, at least one peripheral rib, while the outer skirt of the neck has, in its face interior, at least one corresponding groove. The cooperation of the or each pair rib / groove, ensures excellent locking of the neck on the body.

This bottle presents from a functional point of view important advantages.

Indeed, the body can be filled with a liquid by its upper opening which is a very wide opening. The filling is therefore very quickly. Then simply position the neck on the body to achieve its attachment by clipping. It should be noted that this assembly of the neck on the body can be achieved after the neck itself has been equipped with a spray pump, and that the neck has already been covered with a hood. Thus, the conditioner receives only two elements, on the one hand the body of the bottle and on the other hand an assembly constituted by the neck, the pump mounted on the neck and the hood also mounted on the neck, which assembly is thus pre-assembled. mounted before assembly with the body of the bottle. The conditioner fills the body with liquid, and puts in place by simply pressing the pre-assembled assembly constituted by the neck, the pump and the hood.

In any case, the invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing showing, by way of non-limiting examples, some embodiments of this bottle.

Figure 1 is an exploded and sectional view of the body and neck of a bottle with its accessories.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the neck in position mounted on the body.

Figure 3 is an exploded and sectional view similar to Figure 1, illustrating a first variant of the bottle object of the invention.

Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views of two other variants of this bottle.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the bottle according to the invention comprises a body 2 of generally tubular shape, for example of constant cylindrical section over its entire length. This body 2 comprises a lower end closed by a bottom 3, and another upper end completely open. The body 2 is delimited laterally by a peripheral wall 4. On the side of its open end, the peripheral wall 4 has, over a certain height, a zone 5 of limited wall thickness obtained by a reduction of material on the outer side. In this zone 5 of thickness reduction, the outer surface has a peripheral rib 6.

The bottle according to the invention also comprises a neck 7 made of thermoplastic material and obtained by injection, in the same way as the body 2. This neck 7 is here equipped, in a manner known per se, with a spraying pump 8, the assembly being covered by a removable cover 9.

According to an essential characteristic of the invention, the neck 7 is provided, on the side of the body 2, with two concentric skirts, respectively an outer skirt 10 and an inner skirt 12. These two skirts 10 and 12 delimit a groove 13 for nesting the upper end of the body 2 by its area 5 of reduced thickness.

It should be noted that the thickness of the outer skirt 10 corresponds to the reduction in thickness of the zone 5 of the body 2. The outer skirt 10 also comprises, in its inner face, a groove 14 in which is intended to come s engaging the rib 6 of the body 2, in the nested position of the upper end of the body 2 in the groove 13.

As apparent from the drawing (in particular Figure 1), the inner skirt 12 is of greater height than the outer skirt 10, and its free end 15 is inclined from the outside to the inside and from top to bottom. This last feature allows the inner skirt 12 to act as a guide during the introduction of the end of the body 2 into the groove 13.

In practice, it is possible, in the position shown in Figure 1, to fill the body 2 with a liquid, using the wide opening thereof.

Then, the assembly consisting of the neck 7, the pump 8 and the cover 9, which is pre-mounted, is engaged on the body 2; the zone 5 of the body 2 coming to clip into the groove 13 of the neck. This clipping ensures both the retention of the neck 7 on the body 2, and a sealed assembly.

As is apparent from the above, the invention provides a great improvement to the existing technique, providing a bottle of simple structure and quick and economical implementation.

Depending on the application, the bottle and in particular its neck 7 can receive additional accessories. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in the case of a bottle equipped with a so-called "airless" pump 8, the neck 7 can again receive, at its base, a purge ring 16, which is also part of of the pre-assembled assembly to be assembled on the top of the body 2, by the means already described above.

The sectional representation of Figures 1 to 3 corresponds, in particular, to a bottle with a body 2 of cylindrical shape with a circular base, in which case the two skirts 10 and 12 of the neck 7 are circular and concentric. As can be easily understood, it could also be a bottle with a body 2 of cylindrical shape but with an oval or elliptical base, to which these two skirts 10 and 12 of the neck 7 are parallel, and follow an oval or elliptical line corresponding to the horizontal section of the body 2.

However, the invention remains applicable to bottles whose body is not cylindrical, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. In the example of Figure 4, the body 2 of the bottle has a bottom 3 of oval shape, and an open upper end of circular shape, thus receiving a neck 7 with concentric circular skirts. The body 2 is molded into a cylindrical shape with an oval base, as suggested by the phantom outline, and then is hot deformed as indicated by the arrows F1, so as to obtain the circular upper end, on which is fitted the collar 7, the assembly can also be performed hot, before cooling of the assembly.

In the example of FIG. 5, unlike the previous one, the body 2 of the bottle has a bottom 3 of circular shape, and an open top end of oval shape, receiving a neck 7 of corresponding section, and therefore with skirts parallel along an oval line. The body 2 is molded in a cylindrical shape with a circular base, as suggested by the outline in phantom, then it is deformed hot as indicated by the arrows F2, so as to obtain the oval upper end, on which is fitted the 7. It will be noted that, in the latter case, the engagement operation of the neck 7 on the non-circular top of the body 2 requires prior exact matching of the angular positions of the body 2 and the neck 7.

Other types of deformation of the body 2 of the bottle, for example twisting, are also conceivable.

If the body 2 of the bottle must receive inscriptions or decorations, the body 2 is printed before it is deformed.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of this bottle, described above, as examples, it encompasses, on the contrary, all the embodiments and applications . Thus, in particular, the zone 5 of the body 2 may not have a narrowing, or that the number of ribs 6 and grooves 14 may be different, or that the inner skirt 12 may not be longer than the outer skirt 10, without departing from the scope of the invention. In the same vein, the neck 7 of the bottle can have any configuration, and be provided with any means or accessories for closing and dispensing the liquid: hood, capsule, cap, ball applicator, spray pump, ring purge, etc. in the form of parts complementary reported on the neck, or directly formed parts with this collar.

Claims (6)

Plastic bottle, comprising a body (2) of synthetic material, open at its upper part, and a neck (7) also of synthetic material, characterized in that the neck (7) comprises, in its assembly area with the body (2), two skirts (10, 12) parallel, intended to cap the upper edge and the upper end (5) of the wall (4) defining the upper opening of the body (2), the two parallel skirts (10, 12) belonging to the neck (7) delimiting a groove (13) of width less than or equal to the thickness of the wall (4) of the body (2), in its zone (5) of interlocking with the inside the groove (13) of the neck (7). Bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that the open upper end of the body (2) comprises a thinned wall area (5), at a height corresponding to the interlocking length in the groove (13), this thinning of material being made on the outer side and on a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the outer skirt (10) of the neck (7). Bottle according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the height of the inner skirt (12) is greater than the height of the outer skirt (10) of the neck (7). Bottle according to claim 3, characterized in that the end (15) of the inner skirt (12) of the neck (7) is of frustoconical shape. Bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the body (2) comprises, in its interlocking zone inside the groove (13) of the neck (7), at least one peripheral rib (6), while the outer skirt (10) of the neck (7) has, in its inner face, at least one groove (14) corresponding. Bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the neck (7) is equipped with a spray pump (8), and is covered by a cover (9) removable, the assembly consisting of neck (7), the pump (8) and the cover (9) being a set pre-assembled before assembly with the body (2) of the bottle.

Images