EP2313319B1 - Method for conditioning a fluid product in a dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A packaging method for packaging fluid (P) in a fluid dispenser comprising a fluid reservoir (1) defining an opening (13), and a fluid dispenser member (2), such as a pump or a valve, for mounting in leaktight manner on the opening (13) of the reservoir, an inert gas, such as nitrogen or argon, being present in the reservoir above the fluid (P) while the dispenser member (2) is being mounted in leaktight manner on the opening (13) of the reservoir, such that the fluid (P) is in contact with the inert gas in the reservoir (1); the method being characterized in that the step of mounting the dispenser member (2) in leaktight manner on the opening (13) of the reservoir (1) is performed under a vacuum, the inert gas is evacuated, at least in part, from the reservoir during this evacuation step, such that the reservoir is subjected to an inert-gas vacuum.

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid product conditioning method in a fluid dispenser comprising a reservoir filled with fluid product defining an opening and a fluid dispenser member such as a pump or a valve. The dispensing member is intended to be mounted in a sealed manner on the opening of the reservoir to thereby constitute the fluid dispenser. This type of dispenser is frequently used in the fields of cosmetics, perfumery or pharmacy to condition various fluid products, such as perfumes, creams, gels, lotions, or powders.

Some fluid products, especially in the fields of cosmetics and pharmacy, are likely to deteriorate when in contact with the air. For example, they may dry out or oxidize. In order to preserve the qualities of the fluid product, it is already known to condition the fluid under vacuum in the fluid dispenser. In the prior art, for example, the documents are known EP-0 509 179 and EP-0 481 854 . These documents describe vacuum filling and sealing processes. For this, a vacuum chamber is used in which the reservoir and / or the dispensing member to be sealed to the reservoir are arranged. In the filling process, the vacuum chamber contains only the reservoir, and fluid is injected into the reservoir, while a vacuum prevails inside the enclosure. This ensures that there will be no inclusion of air inside the fluid product. These air inclusions may especially occur with viscous fluids such as creams or gels. In the vacuum sealing process, the reservoir filled with fluid and the fluid dispenser member are disposed inside the vacuum chamber, however the dispensing member is not yet fixed. tight on the opening of the tank. After the vacuum is established inside the enclosure, sealing equipment acts on the dispensing member to mount it sealingly on the opening of the reservoir. After the vacuum is established inside the enclosure, sealing equipment acts on the dispensing member to mount it sealingly on the opening of the reservoir. This ensures that the tank space that is not filled with fluid does not contain or little air. Such prior art is described by the document FR2704516 , on which the preamble of the main claim is based.

It has been noticed, however, that the little air remaining inside the tank above the fluid is still capable of damaging some fluids. It can therefore be concluded that filling or sealing under vacuum is not sufficient to guarantee perfect preservation of the fluid product stored inside the tank.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the aforementioned disadvantage of the prior art by defining a new packaging method which can be used in place of or in addition to the vacuum filling and sealing processes of the art. prior.

To achieve this object, the present invention provides a fluid product conditioning method in a fluid dispenser comprising a fluid reservoir defining an opening and a fluid dispenser member, such as a pump or a valve, for to be mounted in a sealed manner on the opening of the reservoir, an inert gas, such as nitrogen or argon, being present in the reservoir above the fluid during the sealed assembly of the dispenser member on the opening of the reservoir, such that the fluid product is in contact with the inert gas in the reservoir, characterized in that the step of sealing assembly of the dispensing member on the opening of the reservoir is carried out under vacuum , the inert gas is at least partially removed from the reservoir during this evacuation step, so that the reservoir is subjected to a vacuum of inert gas. This is the optimal embodiment, which ensures that there will be no air inside the tank. In practice, the air initially contained in the reservoir is evacuated, then replaced by an inert gas, and in a second step, the inert gas is removed from the reservoir and the dispensing member is sealingly mounted on the opening of the tank. We thus ensures that there is no air and very little inert gas inside the tank. The preservation of the fluid product is then optimal. Under the term "inert gas" is meant any gas that does not react with the fluid to deteriorate it. Nitrogen and argon are the common gases that are known for their chemical inertness. Thus, the air that is normally contained in the tank, in a normal amount or in a small amount as a result of a vacuum conditioning process, is replaced by an inert gas. Perfect preservation of the fluid product is therefore guaranteed.

According to one embodiment, the air initially contained in the reservoir is removed, for example by suction, and then the inert gas is allowed to enter the reservoir instead of air. Alternatively, it is possible to expel air from the tank with the inert gas. It is not necessary in the context of the invention to provide a vacuum when the dispenser member is sealingly mounted on the opening of the reservoir. Thus, the fluid filling and / or sealing of the dispensing member on the reservoir can be carried out at atmospheric pressure with inert gas inside the reservoir above the fluid.

However, according to an advantageous embodiment, the packaging method of the invention may comprise a step of filling the reservoir with fluid, the air being replaced by the inert gas before and / or after this filling step. Advantageously, the filling step is carried out under vacuum of air or inert gas, the tank being returned to atmospheric pressure by letting inert gas enter the tank. The purge is performed with an inert gas at a pressure at least equal to atmospheric pressure, this to ensure that the fluid does not come into contact with the air. By using for example a gas heavier than air, such as argon, the inert gas can remain inside the tank above the fluid even at atmospheric pressure. The tank thus filled with fluid and inert gas can pass to the next station where the dispensing member is sealingly mounted on the tank, this operation can be performed at atmospheric pressure. Of course, a gas evacuation before assembly is preferable, especially when it is an "airless" tank, which should contain only fluid.

The spirit of the invention lies in the fact of performing at least some fluid product conditioning operations in an inert gas atmosphere at least at the reservoir, so that after conditioning, the fluid product is not in contact with air, but in contact with an inert gas that does not interact with the fluid and thus guarantees its perfect preservation.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings giving by way of non-limiting examples two embodiments of the present invention.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique en coupe verticale à travers un dispositif de conditionnement de produit fluide apte à mettre en oeuvre le procédé de conditionnement de produit fluide selon l'invention au cours d'une opération de remplissage, et
• la figure 2 est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 1 au cours d'une opération de montage ou de scellage étanche de l'organe de distribution sur le réservoir rempli de produit fluide.

In the figures:

• the figure 1 is a schematic view in vertical section through a fluid product conditioning device adapted to implement the fluid product conditioning method according to the invention during a filling operation, and
• the figure 2 is a view similar to that of the figure 1 during a mounting operation or sealed sealing of the dispenser member on the reservoir filled with fluid.

The present invention consists of a packaging process which is carried out by means of a suitable packaging device for the purpose of producing a fluid dispenser which incorporates the results of the packaging process. The two conditioning devices represented on the Figures 1 and 2 are very similar in that they each comprise a vacuum chamber 4, an inlet of inert gas 43 connected to a source of inert gas G, an outlet 44 connected to a vacuum pump V to evacuate the enclosure 4, and a filling station 5 or a waterproof mounting station 6. The enclosure 4 comprises a lower bucket 41 and an upper bell 42 or 42 ', tightly attached to one another to create an interior space in which we can make a vacuum prevail. The inlet of inert gas 43 and the outlet 44 are located at the bell 42, 42 '. In the first embodiment of the figure 1 bell 42 is equipped with a filling station 5 through which fluid product P can be injected into the interior of the bell. In the second embodiment of the figure 2 , the bell 42 'is equipped with a sealed mounting station 6, which may for example be a crimping station or snap.

The packaging method and the packaging devices of the invention are intended to condition fluid product P inside a fluid dispenser comprising, inter alia, a fluid reservoir and a dispenser member, such as a pump or a valve, intended to be mounted sealingly on the reservoir. The dispensing member can be of any kind as mentioned above, and is therefore not limited only to a pump or a valve. As for the tank, it can also be of any kind, of constant or variable capacity, rigid or deformable nature, or further comprising a movable element to vary its capabilities. Given the purpose of the present invention, namely a perfect preservation of the fluid within the tank, it is of course preferable that the amount of fluid extracted from the tank is not replaced by an equivalent volume of outside air . Therefore, it is preferable to use tanks with variable capacity such as deformable tanks of the flexible pouch type, or tanks with movable wall, of the piston-follower tank type. In the illustrations of Figures 1 and 2 , the tank 1 is of the piston-follower type. More specifically, the reservoir 1 comprises a cylindrical sliding shaft 11 which is extended by forming a neck 12 defining internally an opening 13 communicating the interior of the barrel 11 with the outside. The reservoir 1 also comprises a follower piston 14 which is slidably engaged inside the barrel 11. The follower piston 14 is intended to move inside the barrel 11 as fluid is extracted therefrom. . The displacement of the follower piston 14 is generated by a depression created inside the reservoir. All this is quite conventional for this type of piston-follower tank.

The dispensing member 2 is only shown on the figure 2 . For fixing or sealing on the neck 12 of the tank 1, a fixing ring 3 is used which is only very schematically. It may be a crimping ring or a snap ring. It is even possible to use a screw ring. The essential thing is that the ring 3 carries a tight assembly of the pump 2 on the neck 12 of the tank.

We will now refer more particularly to the figure 1 to explain a first implementation of the fluid product conditioning method according to the invention during a filling operation of the tank. In this case, the tank 1 is introduced inside the cup 41 of the chamber 4, and the bell 42 completes the chamber 4 to isolate the interior of the chamber 4 from the outside. Thus, the interior of the tank 1, as well as the outside of the tank, are subjected to the same pressure prevailing inside the chamber 4. The filling station 5 extends inside the bell 42 so as to penetrate at least partially inside the neck 12 to inject fluid into the tank.

According to one aspect of the invention, before starting the filling operation, the air that is present inside the chamber 4 is evacuated through the outlet 44 connected to the vacuum pump V. Thus, it there is a void of air inside the enclosure 4. Depending on the depth of the vacuum, there is more or less air inside the chamber 4: we can make a vacuum that tends to 100%. Then, an inert gas is introduced inside the chamber 4 through the inlet 43 connected to the source of inert gas G. Since there is an air gap inside the enclosure 4, it is sufficient to let the inert gas enter the enclosure G through the inlet 43. Alternatively, it is also possible to drive the air initially contained in the chamber 4 through the outlet 44 directly to the atmosphere without being connected to the pump V by injecting pressurized inert gas into the chamber through the inlet 43. This technique has the advantage of making the replacement of the air with inert gas in a single step, and not in two stages, as is the case if we first empty the chamber 4 and then filled with inert gas. Of course, in both cases, the chamber 4 is filled with inert gas, and no longer air. In practice, it is impossible to eliminate all the air from the enclosure 4, but its proportion relative to the gas is reduced to minimum. Thus, when the chamber 4 is filled with inert gas, the fluid filling operation using the station 5 can begin. It is thus guaranteed that there is no inclusion of air inside the fluid contained in the reservoir. At worst, there are inclusions of gas, but it is not harmful to the fluid product.

According to another aspect of the invention, the filling operation can be performed under vacuum, but this is not an air vacuum, but a vacuum of inert gas. Indeed, once the enclosure 4 filled with inert gas, it can evacuate the enclosure by means of the vacuum pump V through the outlet 44. The enclosure is then partially or completely emptied of its contents, which is the inert gas. The filling operation can then begin under this vacuum of inert gas. Once the filling is complete, it is ensured that there is no inclusion or bubble of inert gas inside the fluid stored inside the tank. The vacuum of inert gas can be broken and the chamber 4 can then be opened by moving the cup 41 relative to the bell 42. The tank is then at atmospheric pressure and / or ambient air, depending on which a vacuum or not was made in the enclosure. In the case where the filling of the reservoir has been carried out in an atmosphere of inert gas substantially at atmospheric pressure, the opening of the chamber 4 causes a dispersion in the atmosphere of the inert gas. However, by choosing a substantially heavy inert gas, as is the case with argon, the empty space of fluid inside the tank above the fluid can remain filled with inert gas. It then suffices during a subsequent sealed mounting step to mount the dispensing member 2 in the opening of the reservoir 12 sealingly. The empty space of fluid inside the tank is then mainly filled with inert gas. It is thus possible to implement the present invention without producing a vacuum.

In a variant, when the filling operation has been carried out under vacuum, the opening of the enclosure 4 generates an introduction of air inside the tank 1 above the fluid product. It is in this case preferable to perform a sealed mounting operation of the dispenser member on the reservoir under vacuum conditions.

In a preferred variant, inert gas may be introduced into the tank after the filling operation, which has been carried out at atmospheric pressure. It will be necessary to purge with an inert gas, which will ensure complete protection of the fluid filled.

We will now refer to the figure 2 wherein the packaging method according to the invention has been implemented during a sealed mounting operation of the dispensing member on the opening of the reservoir. A complete fluid product dispenser is introduced inside the enclosure 4. The dispenser comprises a reservoir 1, such as that of the figure 1 as well as a dispensing member 2 arranged in an unsealed manner in the opening 12 of the reservoir. The distributor also comprises a fixing ring 3 which is non-definitively mounted and therefore not sealed on the dispensing member 2. The reservoir 1 is filled with fluid product P to a level close to the opening 12. However, there remains a space E which is empty of fluid and which is therefore initially filled with air. The enclosure is closed: however the space E is subjected to the same pressure as that prevailing in the rest of the enclosure outside the tank, since there is no sealing between the dispensing member 2 and the reservoir.

According to one aspect of the invention, the air initially contained inside the chamber 4 is replaced by an inert gas. This operation can be carried out in the same way as in the first implementation of the figure 1 . The air of the enclosure can be evacuated through the outlet 44 using the vacuum pump V, then inert gas can be introduced inside the chamber 4 emptied of its air through the 43 to the gas source G. Alternatively, the air contained inside the chamber 4 can be removed by the injection pressure of inert gas inside the chamber. The air is flushed or vented through exit 44 directly open to the atmosphere. In both cases, we end up with an enclosure 4 filled with inert gas. Therefore, the space E is filled with inert gas.

It will be preferable to have the space E filled with inert gas before closing the enclosure, because it will be difficult to evacuate and fill it correctly with the pump on the bottle, even mounted in a non-leakproof manner.

It is then possible to put into operation the sealed mounting station 6 for sealingly mounting the dispensing member 2 on the neck 12 with the aid of the ring 3. In the end, a complete sealed fluid dispenser is obtained. with space E filled with inert gas. This implementation is not applicable to "airless" dispensers without external air intake, which require a reservoir completely filled with fluid.

In a preferred variant, it is again possible to evacuate the enclosure 4 through the outlet 44 by means of the vacuum pump V, so as to make a vacuum of inert gas prevail inside the enclosure 4. Of course, this vacuum of inert gas extends to the level of the space E. The sealed mounting station 6 can then be implemented to achieve the sealed assembly of the dispensing member 2 on the neck 12 of the The space E, which is also subjected to the vacuum of inert gas, contains very little gas. By putting the chamber 4 back to atmospheric pressure, the space E will considerably reduce due to the raising of the follower piston 4 inside the shaft 11. However, there will still be a small gap E which is filled with inert gas, not air. This implementation is particularly suitable for "airless" distributors without external air intake.

The implementations of the packaging method according to the invention Figures 1 and 2 can be performed successively or independently of one another. The filling operation and / or the sealed mounting operation can be carried out under vacuum or not. If inert gas remains above the fluid within the tank 1 after the filling operation, the mounting operation can be carried out at atmospheric pressure. However, this will rarely be used, because the operation of the dispenser will not be optimal, especially for "airless" distributors without outside air intake.

Finally, there is obtained a fluid dispenser whose reservoir is substantially completely filled with fluid, but which still contains a small portion or empty space of fluid which is filled with inert gas.

Claims (6)

1. A packaging method for packaging fluid (P) in a fluid dispenser comprising a fluid reservoir (1) defining an opening (13), and a fluid dispenser member (2), such as a pump or a valve, for mounting in leaktight manner on the opening (13) of the reservoir, an inert gas, such as nitrogen or argon, being present in the reservoir above the fluid (P) while the dispenser member (2) is being mounted in leaktight manner on the opening (13) of the reservoir, such that the fluid (P) is in contact with the inert gas in the reservoir (1);
   the method being characterized in that the step of mounting the dispenser member (2) in leaktight manner on the opening (13) of the reservoir (1) is performed under a vacuum, the inert gas is evacuated, at least in part, from the reservoir during this evacuation step, such that the reservoir is subjected to an inert-gas vacuum.
2. A packaging method according to claim 1, including expelling the air from the reservoir (1), then allowing the inert gas to penetrate into the reservoir.
3. A packaging method according to claim 1, including expelling the air from the reservoir (1) with the inert gas.
4. A packaging method according to any preceding claim, including a step of filling the reservoir (1) with fluid, the air being replaced by the inert gas prior to the filling step.
5. A packaging method according to any preceding claim, including a step of filling the reservoir (1) with fluid, the air being replaced by the inert gas after the filling step.
6. A packaging method according to claim 5, wherein the filling step is performed under an air or an inert gas vacuum, the reservoir (1) being returned to atmospheric pressure by allowing the inert gas into the reservoir.

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