Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
  • B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
  • B65D5/72—Contents-dispensing means
  • B65D5/74—Spouts
  • B65D5/746—Spouts formed separately from the container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B61/00—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages
  • B65B61/18—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for making package-opening or unpacking elements
  • B65B61/186—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for making package-opening or unpacking elements by applying or incorporating rigid fittings, e.g. discharge spouts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
  • B65D75/52—Details
  • B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
  • B65D75/5861—Spouts
  • B65D75/5872—Non-integral spouts
  • B65D75/5877—Non-integral spouts connected to a planar surface of the package wall
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B7/00—Closing containers or receptacles after filling
  • B65B7/16—Closing semi-rigid or rigid containers or receptacles not deformed by, or not taking-up shape of, contents, e.g. boxes or cartons
  • B65B7/28—Closing semi-rigid or rigid containers or receptacles not deformed by, or not taking-up shape of, contents, e.g. boxes or cartons by applying separate preformed closures, e.g. lids, covers
  • B65B7/2842—Securing closures on containers
  • B65B7/2878—Securing closures on containers by heat-sealing
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
  • B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
  • B65B9/06—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in a longitudinally-folded web, or in a web folded into a tube about the articles or quantities of material placed upon it
  • B65B9/08—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in a longitudinally-folded web, or in a web folded into a tube about the articles or quantities of material placed upon it in a web folded and sealed transversely to form pockets which are subsequently filled and then closed by sealing

Definitions

• Closing member, fluid dispenser comprising such a member and method of manufacturing such a dispenser
• the present invention relates to a closure member intended to be mounted on an opening of a fluid reservoir, so as to constitute a fluid dispenser. Moreover, the present application also relates to a fluid dispenser and a method of manufacturing such a dispenser.
• Various closures are used on dispensers of all types in many fields, including the fields of perfumery, cosmetics or pharmacy. The primary function of a closure member is to allow selective dispensing of the fluid product stored in the reservoir on which the closure member is mounted.
• the closure member of the present invention is part of the closure members that can be described as "inert”, in that it does not incorporate pump or valve. In other words, the fluid product is not pressurized in an internal chamber formed by the closure member.
• the closure member of the present invention is rather similar to a conventional closure device comprising a dispensing orifice closable with a plug.
• first-use guarantee systems that are associated with the closure member. For example, it is possible to wrap the closure member with a film that the first user tears in order to be able to access the closure member. Screw-on closures may incorporate a first-use guarantee tape that prevents unscrewing of the cap. AT the first use, the user tears the tape or forces the opening of the cap thus destroying the tape.
• the closure member of the present invention is not of the unscrewable type, and such a peelable or destructible peripheral band is not suitable for the present invention.
• the present invention proposes a closure member intended to be mounted on an opening of a fluid reservoir, said member comprising a base body forming a fluid dispensing orifice, a mounting piece intended to be fixedly mounted. on the base body, and a closure cap for sealing the dispensing orifice, the cover being connected to the mounting part by a hinge, characterized in that the cover and the part are made integrally, the cover being initially connected to the mounting part, before first opening of the lid, by at least one bridge of breakable material during the first opening.
• This mounting piece serves as an intermediate piece or connection between the closure cover and the base body. Indeed, without this mounting part, it would not be possible to make breakable material bridges that keep the closure cover in the closed position before first use. Once the bridges are broken, the lid can be closed and reopened several times without damaging the joint: the lid is repositionable.
• the lid is inscribed inside the mounting piece.
• the mounting piece may be in the form of a ring defining an interior space delimited by the inner circumference of the ring and its height: the lid does not protrude upwardly from this internal space.
• said at least one material bridge extends radially outwardly from the outer periphery of the cover and connects the mounting piece.
• the cover is separated from the mounting piece by annular slot segments. The segments of gentes radially surround the lid.
• the lid forms a sealing needle sealingly engaged in the dispensing orifice of the base body.
• the body, the part and the lid are made integrally, the part being connected to the body by a hinge, the part being attached and fixed on the body.
• the hinge which serves as a connection between the body and the workpiece can be kept once the closure member assembled, or otherwise removed.
• the mounting piece defines a substantially planar sealing zone intended to come into sealed contact with the opening of the reservoir.
• the body defines a substantially planar seal area for sealing engagement with the reservoir opening.
• the opening of the reservoir can be sealed and advantageously welded, either on the mounting piece or on the body, or between the mounting piece and the body.
• the sealing zone is substantially flat or perfectly flat so as to weld a flexible sheet defining an opening defined by a plane peripheral edge. In this way, it is possible to use the closure member of the invention with a fluid reservoir which can be in the form of a pocket made from one or two flexible sheet (s).
• the part defines a continuous and closed peripheral contact zone intended to come into sealed contact with the body.
• the mounting piece may have an annular configuration closed on itself and the closure cover is located inside this annular piece being connected to this piece by a hinge and one or two bridge (s) of breakable material .
• the annular piece can thus be fixed to the base body sealingly, for example by gluing or welding.
• the sealed contact may extend over the entire periphery of the workpiece and the body, so that the fluid can not leak between the base body and the mounting piece.
• An appropriate welding technique is an ultrasonic welding technique.
• the present invention also defines a fluid dispenser whose variable volume reservoir comprises at least one flexible sheet defining an opening in which the closure member is mounted.
• the reservoir is preferably formed by a pocket consisting of one or two flexible sheets.
• the reservoir may also be formed from a flexible sheet and another element, such as a thermoformed shell.
• the closure member can be mounted on the thermoformed shell, which would then form an opening for the reception of the closure member.
• the opening is delimited by a plane peripheral edge which is sealingly sealed to the workpiece and / or to the body. This flat peripheral edge may be formed by the flexible sheet or by the thermoformed shell. It should be noted that the opening is made in a sheet, and not by the edge of two sheets welded together as is generally the case with the pockets of the prior art.
• the sheet defines an inner side for contacting the fluid and an outer side, the closure member being sealed on the inner side of the sheet.
• this Sealing operation of the closure member is performed while the flexible sheet does not yet constitute the fluid reservoir.
• the fluid reservoir is made from a single sheet folded on itself, the closure member is sealed on the sheet before folding thereof.
• the present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a fluid dispenser comprising a single welding step in which the mounting piece is welded to the body and the sheet is welded to the closure member.
• a single welding assembly which may for example be an ultrasonic welding assembly.
• FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a closure member according to the invention in the closed state
• FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 for the closure member in the open state;
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a closure member made integrally at the outlet of the mold;
• FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views, respectively from above and from below, of a part of a closure member made in two parts;
• FIG. 6 is a perspective view from below of a part of FIG. a closure member intended to be associated with the part shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,
• FIG. 7 is a schematic view intended to illustrate the method of manufacturing a fluid product dispenser capable of integrating a closure member of FIGS. 1 to 6, and - Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view to illustrate the single sealing operation for simultaneously sealing a closure member on a sheet and assemble the same closure member.
• the closure member shown in Figures 1 to 6 has been designated as a whole by the letter C. It comprises essentially three constituent elements, namely a base body 1, a mounting piece 20 and a lid 25.
• the piece 20 and the cover 25 can be made in one piece so as to form a single molding part 2.
• the cover 25 can be connected to the base part 20 by a hinge 26 which can be in the form a bridge of flexible material.
• the base body 1 is here in the form of a washer or disc comprising a central area 14 surrounded by a peripheral annular edge 11.
• the deck 14 and the edge 11 define a common bottom surface 13.
• the edge 11 defines on the other hand an upper surface 12 which is preferably substantially or perfectly flat and annular.
• the central area 14 protrudes at its outer periphery with respect to the upper surface 12 of the peripheral edge 11.
• the area 14 defines a projecting flange 16 of annular shape.
• the upper surface of the central zone 14 forms a concave bowl 15 which is pierced at its center by a dispensing orifice 17 which passes through the central zone 14 from one end to the other at the level of the lower surface 13.
• the bowl 15 will serve of fluid product recovery container.
• the base body 1 is preferably made by injection molding / plastic molding. Here it has an annular or circular shape: however, other geometrical shapes are conceivable, such as for example polygonal or oblong shapes.
• the bottom or bottom surface 13 of the base body is here perfectly flat: it can however be imagined that this surface 13 is made with any particular or particular profiles favoring for example the flow of fluid in the direction of the dispensing orifice 17 .
• the mounting piece 20 is in this non-limiting embodiment in the form of a ring which is preferably complete and closed. However, it is possible to imagine mounting pieces of partially annular or polygonal shape. It is necessary in any case that this mounting piece is adaptable to the basic body.
• the annular mounting piece 20 here comprises an annular peripheral contact area 22 defined by the lower surface of the mounting piece.
• the mounting piece forms a projecting annular bead 23 at the inner periphery of the workpiece. Radially outwardly of this bead 23, the upper surface of the mounting piece 20 forms a planar sealing zone of substantially or perfectly annular shape. This sealing zone 21 will serve as a fixing surface for the flexible sheet constituting the flexible pouch of the dispenser of the invention, as will be seen below.
• the cover 25 is connected to the inner periphery of the mounting piece, and more precisely to the projecting bead 23, by a flexible joint 26, but also by one or more bridge (s) of material 28, as can be seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.
• the upper surface of the cover 25 may be located in the same plane as the top of the projecting bead 23.
• the outer peripheral edge of the cover 25 is separated from the projecting bead 23 by segments of slots Annular 29 separated by the material bridges 28 and the flexible joint 26.
• the cover 25 defines a closure needle 27 which extends from the lower surface of the lid. Aside from the needle, the lid is fully inscribed in the size of the mounting piece.
• the needle can also be eccentric if the dispensing orifice 17 is also eccentric.
• the mounting piece 20 is attached to the base body 1 so that the contact area 22 of the mounting piece 20 comes into contact with the upper surface.
• the contact between the zone 22 and the surface 12 is sealed over the entire periphery.
• This sealed contact can be made by any suitable means, such as for example by tight sealing, snap sealing, bonding or welding. An ultrasonic welding technique is particularly well suited.
• the mounting piece 20 is housed tightly around the projecting flange 16 formed by the central portion 14.
• the outer diameter of the mounting piece 20 is identical to the outer diameter of the body of base 1.
• the cover 25 is connected to the mounting piece 20 not only by the flexible articulation 26 but also by the material bridges 28 which are still intact.
• This is the configuration of the closure member C before first use or opening of the lid.
• the integrity of the material bridges 28 gives the user or purchaser an infallible visual indication that the closure member has never been opened.
• the material bridges 28 fulfill a function of guarantee of first use to the user. It should be noted that such a closure member C is only feasible in three distinct parts, namely a body 1, a mounting piece 20 and a cover 25 even if these parts can be made in one piece.
• the base body 1 and the molding part 2 formed by the mounting part 20 and the cover 25 can be made in two parts, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, or alternatively, the body 1 and the part 2 can be made integrally by being connected by a hinge 24, as shown in FIG. 3. The two parts can then be attached to one another by deforming the hinge 24.
• the closure member C of the present invention has a very reduced thickness of the order of 2 to 5 millimeters. This is made possible because the mounting piece 20 fits slightly inside the base body 1 (around the flange 16) and because the cover 25 is disposed within the mounting piece 20 without projecting upward. Thus, the thickness of the closure member C corresponds roughly to the height of the closure needle 27 of the cover 25.
• FIGS. 7 and 8 describe in detail an advantageous manufacturing process of a fluid product dispenser capable of integrating a closure member C as described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
• FIG. 7 is a view which shows very schematically the various stages of manufacture a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h implemented in a method of manufacturing a fluid dispenser according to the invention.
• the manufacturing method uses as a raw material a continuous strip of flexible sheet 3 and capping members C. To work these raw materials, the manufacturing method of the invention also uses tools, such as a punch 4 or a set Welding ( Figure 8).
• the flexible sheet web 3 is initially planar and can be unwound from a roll.
• the sheet 3 thus has a determined width.
• FIG. 7 it can be seen that sheet 3 is perfectly flat in steps a and b, being folded in steps c and d and completely folded back on itself in steps e, f, g and h.
• the course of the manufacturing process according to the invention is read from left to right in FIG. 7 starting with step a.
• this punching operation is performed while the sheet 3 is flat, that is to say free of any fold.
• the edge 32 of the opening is substantially or perfectly flat and around the opening.
• the sheet 3 is always flat, and then one proceeds to the mounting of the closure member C at the opening 31 of the sheet 3.
• step c the closure member C in place on the sheet 3 always flat, proceed in step c to the fixing of the closure member C in the opening 31, for example using a technique welding, for example by ultrasound. It should be noted that the closure member C is placed on the sheet 3 with its lid facing downwards and its bottom surface 13 facing upwards.
• step d the sheet 3 is folded back on itself so that the closure member C is visible from its other face.
• step e the folding operation is completed: the sheet 3 is then folded on itself, forming two panels connected by the lower edge.
• step f the folded sheet is welded on two or three sides, since the bottom edge weld is optional, since the sheet 3 is continuous at this level.
• the welds S result in welding together the two sides formed by the folded sheet 3. As a result, we obtain a small pocket
• step g the pocket P is filled with fluid product F by the side of the pocket P which n is not soldered yet. For this, simply open the pocket P to create an opening.
• step h consists in completing the welding of the pocket P at the side by which the filling of fluid product F has been carried out in step g.
• the fluid product F contained in the pocket P is isolated from the outside by the peripheral welds S. Its only possible outlet is through the closure member C which is still closed.
• the last manufacturing step is to detach each pocket P so as to define a fluid dispenser D.
• the closure member C is mounted on the flexible sheet 3 before the formation of the pocket P, and even before folding the flexible sheet. Indeed, the closure member C is mounted on the sheet 3 while it is still flat, that is to say free of any fold used to make a pocket. It can also be noted that the closure member C is mounted from the inside, that is to say on the inner side 3i of the sheet 3 which will then form the inner walls of the pocket.
• FIG. 8 shows in more detail the implementation of step c during which the closure member C is mounted on the opening 31 of the flexible sheet 3.
• This step uses a welding assembly which is schematized by FIG. the two jaws 5 in Figure 8. It may for example be the jaws of an ultrasonic welding assembly comprising an anvil and a sonotrode.
• FIG. 8 also shows the detail of the closure member C, which is that of FIGS. 1 to 6. It is possible to identify the basic body 1 and the molding part 2 incorporating the mounting piece 20 and the cover 25. According to FIG. a preferred embodiment, the edge 32 of the opening 31 is welded to the outer periphery of the mounting piece 20 at the sealing zone 21. In reality, the figure is an upside down representation of the step c shown in Figure 7.
• the sheet 3 in step c of Figure 7 is shown in step c of Figure 7 on its inner side 3i then forming the inside of the pocket P
• the sheet 3 in the figure 8 is shown with its inner side downward and its outer side 3e upward.
• the base body 1 will be located inside the pocket, only the cover 25 and the bead 23 being visible through the opening 31 of the sheet.
• This is shown in Figure 8 with the sheet 3 shown in dashed lines.
• the sheet 3 may be used as a bonding or welding interface between the base body 1 and the molding part 2.
• the molding part 2 incorporating the mounting piece 20 and the cover 25 is fixed on the base body 1 at the same time as the sheet 3 is fixed on the closure member C.
• the welding assembly 5 simultaneously welds the sheet 3 on the closure member C and the molding part 2 on the basic body 1. Two separate welds are thus produced in one and the same operation by means of a single welding assembly.
• the manufacturing method just described advantageously uses, but not exclusively, a closure member C as described and shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.
• another type of closure member can be used in the process. of manufacture according to the invention.
• the flexible sheet 3 may be made from any suitable material, and may for example be in the form of a metal / plastic complex film.
• the flexible sheet 3 must make it possible to manufacture a pocket P which has no or substantially no shape memory. In other words, when the pocket P is deformed, it will remain in the deformed state.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Bag Frames (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Buffer Packaging (AREA)
• Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Making Paper Articles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

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• 2006
  • 2006-04-25 FR FR0651450A patent/FR2900132B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2007
  • 2007-04-17 BR BRPI0710735A patent/BRPI0710735B1/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2007-04-17 WO PCT/FR2007/051125 patent/WO2007125241A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2007-04-17 ES ES07731901T patent/ES2382824T3/es active Active
  • 2007-04-17 EP EP07731901A patent/EP2021263B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2007-04-17 CN CNA2007800212855A patent/CN101466611A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-04-17 CN CN201310073822.8A patent/CN103144847B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-04-17 JP JP2009507126A patent/JP5027873B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-04-24 US US11/790,169 patent/US8020720B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

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