EP2336079B1 - Device for filling containers - Google Patents

Description

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a container filling device. It may be for example a device for refilling a bottle of perfume.

State of the art

Fragrances are usually contained in glass bottles, which have an attractive design. When a bottle of perfume is empty, it is discarded and a new filled bottle is purchased. This represents a significant waste because the empty bottle is still perfectly functional.

To avoid this waste, it is known to refill an empty bottle with perfume, using a filling device. This type of device is sometimes called "fountain" or "source".

A known filling device comprises a perfume tank, a valve and a spout. By placing an empty bottle against the beak, you can move the beak, which has the effect of actuating the valve and let out of the tank perfume, by gravity. The tank of the known filling device is constituted by a flexible bag disposed in a rigid housing. Thus, when perfume comes out of the tank, the bag is deformed and it is not necessary to provide a return air.

A disadvantage of this filling device is that the material chosen for the flexible bag must check compatibility constraints with the perfume. In addition, it must be sufficiently flexible to allow gravity flow of almost all the perfume contained. It is difficult to choose a material that satisfies these conditions.

The document US RE 22 837 describes a filling device comprising a reservoir, a valve connected to the reservoir and a spout. A flow circuit has a liquid inlet adjacent to the valve, and a liquid outlet adjacent to the spout. The liquid outlet is located lower than the liquid inlet. The air outlet in the tank is close to the valve and the air inlet is located between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet. A disadvantage of this filling device is that it does not distinguish between the air inlet circuit and the flow circuit.

Summary of the invention

A problem that the present invention proposes to solve is to provide a filling device that does not exhibit at least some of the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art. In particular, an object of the invention and to store the perfume in a rigid tank.

The solution proposed by the invention is a filling device comprising a reservoir for containing liquid, a valve connected to the reservoir and a spout, in which the valve has a valve and a valve seat, a flow circuit having a a liquid inlet adjacent to the valve seat and a liquid outlet adjacent to the spout, said liquid outlet being located lower than said liquid inlet, and an air return circuit separated from said flow circuit and having a fluid outlet. air adjacent to said valve seat and an air inlet located in height between said liquid inlet and said liquid outlet, wherein a pusher has an upper end adjacent to said valve, said pusher being movable between a first position in which it allows a cooperation between the valve and the valve seat and a second position in which it moves said valve away from the seat of valve characterized in that said pusher comprises a first conduit and a second conduit, said air inlet circuit including said first conduit, said flow circuit including said second conduit.

Such a pusher can separate the two circuits.

In one embodiment, said flow circuit includes a flow tube that connects said second conduit to the spout.

Advantageously, a sleeve surrounds said pusher, said air inlet circuit including a free space located in the sleeve next to the pusher.

According to one embodiment, said sleeve has at least one orifice opening into said space, said air intake circuit including said orifice.

Preferably, said spout is fixed to said sheath, said sheath being connected to said pusher.

According to one embodiment, the reservoir is made of rigid material.

Brief description of the figures

• la figure 1 est une vue en coupe d'un dispositif de remplissage selon un mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe du dispositif de remplissage de la figure 1, pendant un remplissage, et
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe d'un dispositif de remplissage selon un autre mode de réalisation de l'invention.

The invention will be better understood, and other objects, details, features and advantages thereof will become more clearly apparent in the art. During the following description of several particular embodiments of the invention, given solely for illustrative and non-limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings. On these drawings:

• the figure 1 is a sectional view of a filling device according to one embodiment of the invention,
• the figure 2 is a sectional view of the filling device of the figure 1 , during a filling, and
• the figure 3 is a sectional view of a filling device according to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The figures 1 and 2 represent a filling device 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The filling device 1 is intended to refill a bottle of perfume emptied. Alternatively, it could be used for other applications.

The filling device 1 comprises an upwardly open receptacle 2 into which a reservoir 3 is introduced. The reservoir 3 has an opening 5 and is arranged upside down, that is to say with the opening 5 in the bottom of the receptacle 2. The reservoir 3 is rigid, for example it is made of glass.

A valve 4 closes the opening 5. More specifically, the valve 4 comprises a part 6 housed in the opening 5 and sealingly connected by a seal 7. The part 6 delimits a passage 12 in which there is a valve seat 11. The valve 4 also comprises a ball 10 adapted to cooperate with the valve seat 11. A spring 9 bearing on a base 8 clipped into the part 6 biases the ball 10 towards the valve seat 11. The piece 6 has a skirt 17 which passes through the bottom wall of the receptacle 2 and extends the passage 12 under the receptacle 2.

The filling device 1 also comprises a mechanism for controlling the opening of the valve 4 and for dispensing liquid contained in the reservoir 3. This mechanism is described in detail below.

A control plate 13 is disposed under the receptacle 2. The control plate 13 is guided in translation relative to the receptacle 2, by studs 14 which project from the underside of the receptacle 2. Springs 15 urge the control plate remote from the receptacle 2, abutting against washers 16 fixed to the studs 14.

As can be seen on the figures 1 and 2 the skirt 17 of the part 6 opens into a passage 18 of the control plate 13.

A sheath 19 is fixed to the control plate 13, on the opposite side to the receptacle 2, and extends the passage 18. A spout 20 is attached to the end of the sheath 19.

In the sleeve 19, the filling device 1 comprises an inner skirt 21, a pusher 22 and a flow tube 23.

The inner skirt 21 is made integrally with the control plate 13. It has a generally cylindrical shape, of smaller section than the sleeve 19 and the passage 19. Thus, in the sleeve 19, there is a free space 24 next to the inner skirt 21. As shown by the figures 1 and 2 , the free space 24 communicates on the one hand with the passage 18 and on the other hand with the outside of the sleeve 19, through orifices 25 formed in the wall of the sleeve 19. In a variant not shown, the sheath does not There is no orifice and the free space communicates with the outside thanks to an air permeable sleeve-plate connection.

The pusher 22 has a first end adjacent to the ball 10, and an opposite end resting on a shoulder 26 of the inner skirt 21. In its upper part, the pusher 22 has a wall 29 in the form of a cylinder of revolution, with a central wall. In its lower part, the central wall 30 is extended and the wall 29 has only a semicircular section. Thus, the pusher 22 defines a short conduit 27 and a conduit 28 long.

The conduit 27 opens on the one hand next to the ball 10 and on the other hand in the passage 18, near the free space 24. Thus, the orifices 25, the free space 24, the passage 18 and the conduit 27 form an air inlet circuit which connects the outside of the sleeve 19 to the valve 4.

The conduit 28 opens on the one hand next to the ball 10 and on the other hand in the inner skirt 21, at the level of the shoulder 26. The flow tube 23 is fitted into the inner skirt 21 and extends up to the nozzle 20. Thus, the conduit 28 and the flow tube 23 form a flow circuit connecting the valve 4 to the nozzle 20.

Note that the air inlet circuit and the flow circuit are separated from each other, and that the inlet of the air inlet circuit is located in height between the inlet and the outlet of the flow circuit.

As a return air is provided, the tank can be made of rigid material. In addition, since both circuits open at the valve, a valve is needed. Both circuits allow the circulation of a flow of liquid and a flow of air, without mutual embarrassment.

The operation of the filling device 1 is as follows.

The figure 1 represents the filling device 1 at rest. In this state of rest, the spring 8 presses the ball 10 against the valve seat 11 and the springs 15 keep the control plate 13 away from the bottom of the receptacle 2. The upper end of the pusher 22 is adjacent to the ball 10 without preventing the cooperation between the ball 10 and the valve seat 11.

Thus, in this state of rest, the valve 4 is closed. The liquid contained in the tank 3 can not flow through the opening 5 and the air can not enter the tank 3.

The figure 2 represents the filling device 1 in a filling state. To pass the filling device 1 in this state, it is sufficient to place a container to fill, for example an empty perfume bottle, with its opening against the spout 20 and move it upwards. As the spout 20 is connected to the sleeve 19, itself connected to the control plate 13, itself connected to the pusher 22 via the shoulder 26 of the inner skirt 21, this has the effect of displacing the push 21 upwards and thus move the ball 10 away from the valve seat 11. The valve 4 is open.

As previously described, the filling device 1 comprises a flow circuit which has an inlet adjacent to the valve seat 11 and an outlet at the spout 20. The filling device 1 also comprises an air intake circuit separated from the flow circuit, and which has an output adjacent to the valve seat 11 and an inlet located in height between the inlet and the outlet of the filling circuit.

Thus, as in the filling state the valve 4 is open, the liquid present in the tank 3 can flow out of the tank 3 and air can enter therein to replace the liquid that has passed.

It has been found that, due to the characteristics of the air and flow return circuits, the liquid can flow through the flow circuit as the air passes through the air intake circuit without these two flows do not interfere. At the valve seat, these two streams intersect without blocking each other.

Thus, a single valve is sufficient to allow both the flow of the liquid and the return of air. It is not necessary to provide a second valve, a dual chamber mechanism or any other additional system to achieve air intake.

Optionally, liquid may also flow through the duct 27 and the free space 24 before reaching the spout 20.

The figure 3 represents a filling device 101 according to a second embodiment of the invention. Elements identical or similar to elements of the first embodiment are designated by the corresponding reference numbers, increased by 100.

As can be seen by comparing the figures 1 and 3 , the filling device 101 differs mainly in the absence of receptacle and control plate. The end of the reservoir 103 has a thread and the valve 104 is screwed by the piece 106. The seal is provided by the seal 107. The piece 106 has an outer skirt 150 which surrounds the passage 112 and in which can slide upper end of the sheath 119.

The operation of the filling device 101 is similar to that of the filling device 1 and will not be described in detail. In short, the displacement of the nozzle 120 upwards causes the sheath 119, the flow tube 123 and the pusher 122 to move. Thus, the pusher 122 moves the ball 110 and opens the valve 104.

When the valve 104 is open, liquid can flow through the flow circuit, and air can enter through the air intake circuit which includes in particular the orifices 125 and the free space 124.

Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular embodiments, it is obvious that it is not limited thereto and that it comprises all the technical equivalents of the means described and their combinations if they are within the scope of the invention.

Claims (6)

1. A filling device (1, 101) comprising a reservoir (3, 103) designed to contain a liquid, a valve (4, 104) connected to the reservoir and a spout (20, 120), wherein the valve has a check valve (10, 110) and a check valve seat (11), a flow circuit having a liquid inlet adjacent to the check valve seat and a liquid outlet adjacent to the spout, said liquid outlet being situated lower than said liquid inlet, and an air recirculation circuit separate from said flow circuit and having an air outlet adjacent to said check valve seat and an air inlet situated heightwise between said liquid inlet and said liquid outlet, wherein a push-button (22, 122) has an upper end adjacent to said check valve, said plunger being able to move between a first position, in which it allows cooperation between the check valve and the check valve seat, and a second position, in which it moves said check valve away from the check valve seat, characterized in that said push-button comprises a first duct (27) and a second duct (28), said air intake circuit including said first duct, said flow duct including said second duct.
2. The filling device according to claim 1, wherein said flow circuit includes a flow tube (23, 123) that connects said second duct to the spout,
3. The filling device according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein a sheath (19, 119) surrounds said plunger, said air intake circuit including a free space (24, 124) situated in the sheath next to the plunger.
4. The filling device according to claim 3, wherein said sheath has at least one port (25, 125) emerging in said space, said air intake circuit including said port.
5. The filling device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said spout is fastened to said sheath, said sheath being connected to said push-button,
6. The filling device according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reservoir is made from a rigid material.

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