EP2373430A1

EP2373430A1 - Securing collar and dispenser comprising such a collar

Info

Publication number: EP2373430A1
Application number: EP09803833A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yann Langlois
Original assignee: Valois SAS
Current assignee: Aptar France SAS
Priority date: 2008-12-12
Filing date: 2009-12-10
Publication date: 2011-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 2029-12-10
Also published as: EP2373430B1; BRPI0923429A2; FR2939776A1; WO2010067031A1; CN102245311A; FR2939776B1; ES2784165T3; US8950631B2; US20110240679A1; JP2012511480A

Abstract

Securing collar (3'') for mounting a dispensing member (2), such as a pump or a valve, on the neck (11) of a container (1) to constitute a dispenser of fluid product, the collar comprising: accommodating means capable fixedly of accommodating the dispensing member (2); and securing means able to engage with the neck (11), characterized in that frangible means (35) are provided between the accommodating means and the securing means so as to separate the accommodating means from the securing means so that the dispensing member (2) can be removed from the container (1).

Description

Fixing ring and dispenser comprising such a ring

The present invention relates to a fixing ring for mounting a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve, on a neck of a tank. In general, the ring comprises receiving means adapted to receive fixedly the pump or the valve, and fixing means adapted to engage with the neck of the reservoir. Such fixing rings are commonly used in the fields of perfumery, cosmetics or even pharmacy. The present invention also relates to a fluid dispenser incorporating a reservoir, a pump or a valve, and a fixing ring according to the invention. In the prior art there are already numerous documents describing fixing rings for fixing a pump or a valve on a tank neck. The fastening means of the ring can use various known techniques, such as screwing, crimping, snapping, etc. In the latching technique, there are two distinct types, namely the latching made solely by the fixing ring, and the latching made by the cooperation of the fixing ring with a locking ring which surrounds the ring. The crimping and latching techniques make it possible to achieve a final fixation, in that the user is not normally required to remove the pump from the reservoir. The screwing technique achieves a non-definitive fixation allowing the user to unscrew the ring to be able to access the inside of the tank through the neck. The invention will find a preferred application with the definitive fixing rings, but may also apply to non-definitive fastening rings, if necessary or useful.

Increasingly, it is required to be able to recycle the dispenser, that is to say to be able to separate these different components for the purpose of recycling separately. Of course, when the fixing ring makes a final fixation (crimping, snapping), disassembly of the dispenser is complicated, since it requires to destroy the fixing ring, which is often complicated. With fastening rings to be screwed in, the problem arises only in a limited way, since it is possible to unscrew the collar ring. However, in some applications, it may be desirable to be able to remove the ring without having to unscrew it. However, this is not possible with the conventional fixing rings that are currently on the market.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this aforementioned drawback of the prior art by defining a new fixing ring which allows easy and quick recycling of the dispenser without increasing the number of component parts of the dispenser or complicating the manufacture. of these constituent elements.

To achieve this object, the present invention provides a fixing ring for mounting a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve, on a neck of a reservoir to form a fluid dispenser, the ring comprising:

- Receiving means adapted to receive fixedly the dispensing member, and - fixing means adapted to engage the neck, characterized in that breaking means are provided between the receiving means and the fixing means to separate the receiving means of the fastening means, so as to remove the dispenser member of the reservoir. The means of rupture, during the use of the dispenser, fulfill absolutely no function, and even seems nonexistent. Indeed, the fixing ring will fulfill its primary function as an intermediate piece between the pump or the valve and the neck of the tank. The dispenser user does not even know that these breaking means are present in the dispenser. In addition, the breaking means are calculated in such a way that an average user, under normal conditions of use, can not exert the force necessary to break the breaking means. Thus, any risk of accidental or accidental rupture by the user is avoided. In however, it will be easy to adjust the automatic machine dedicated to breaking the ring with the force or torque necessary to break the breaking means. In other words, when it comes to a definitive fixing ring (crimping, snapping), the final character is very real for the user, but not for the subsequent recycler.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the ring comprises an annular plate intended to exert a pressure on the neck, this plate being situated between the receiving means and the fixing means, the breaking means being provided between the plate and the means of fixation. According to another advantageous characteristic, a skirt is intended to engage the neck, the fastening means being formed by the skirt, the breaking means being formed by the skirt.

Advantageously, the skirt forms several tabs separated by slots, breaking means being formed at each tab. The skirt may be an inner skirt intended to engage the inside of the neck, or in a preferred variant, the skirt may be an outer skirt engaging around the neck.

According to another interesting aspect of the invention, the breaking means are in the form of windows arranged so as to form an annular rupture line. Instead of the through windows, one can also imagine one or more grooves for locally reducing the wall thickness, creating a line of least resistance. That the means of rupture are in the form of windows or grooves, their purpose is to locally weaken the ring so as to impose the location of the rupture and the force required to achieve this rupture.

Such a fixing ring, when it comes to a snap fastening ring, may be associated with an outer ring, which may be a trim ring when the ring makes a final fixing alone, or a locking ring engaged around the ring to lock the fastening means around the neck, when it comes to a fixing ring requiring the cooperation of a hoop. The present invention also defines a fluid dispenser comprising:

a reservoir forming a neck,

a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve, and a fixing ring as defined above, characterized in that rotational locking means are additionally provided for locking the ring in rotation. on the neck, so that a torque exerted on the ring, for example at its receiving means, has the effect of breaking the breaking means. This embodiment is more particularly applicable to fastening rings to snap or crimp, but can also be applied to the rings to be screwed, the rotational locking means then acting as anti-unscrewing means. The purpose is to block in rotation the portion of the fixing ring which engages with the neck so as to exert a torque on the other part of the ring so as to break the breaking means. By accurately adjusting the design of the breaking means, it is easy to accurately determine the torque needed to break the breaking means. Advantageously, the locking means are formed between the neck and the fixing means. Preferably, the neck comprises a locking profile and the ring comprises a skirt forming a housing adapted to receive the locking profile of the neck.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the dispenser may further comprise a locking ring engaged around the ring to lock the fastening means around the neck. The fret then fulfills a technical function. In a variant, it is also possible to use a trim ring, which only fulfills an aesthetic function, with a fixing ring which alone secures the fastening.

According to another aspect of the invention, the ring comprises a skirt extending below the breaking means and a sleeve extending above the breaking means, the ring being in stronger engagement with the sleeve than with the skirt. In this case, the breaking of the breaking means makes it possible to separate the lugs individually from the remainder of the ring, which facilitates firstly the removal of the collar fixing ring and the removal of the lugs, since they are no longer connected to each other. The spirit of the present invention is to create a controlled weakness in the fastening ring which is put to use, not by the user of the distributor who ignores the presence of this weakness, but by a subsequent operator responsible for recycling , including disassembly, the distributor. This weakness permanently destroys the fixing ring and thus remove the pump or the tank valve.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which give by way of non-limiting examples several embodiments of the invention.

In the figures: FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view through a fixing ring according to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 for a second embodiment of the invention; FIG. 3 is a partially front view, partially in cross section, of a portion of a dispenser using FIG. a fixing ring according to a third embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the fixing ring and the dispensing member of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the upper part of the tank incorporating the neck used in the dispenser of FIG. 3.

Referring first to Figure 1 to describe in detail the first embodiment of the invention. The fixing ring 3 can be made by injection molding of suitable plastic material. Alternatively, the ring may also be made of metal. The ring generally has a symmetry of axial revolution. The ring includes receiving means 31, an annular plate 32, a fixing skirt 33 and a guide sleeve 34.

The receiving means 31 may be in the form of an annular groove 31 1 for receiving, advantageously by snapping, a projecting radial flange (not shown) formed by a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve. The reception of the dispensing member in this groove 31 1 must not only allow a stable holding of the dispenser member, but also a perfect seal. The receiving means 31 also comprise an axial opening 312 through which the actuating rod (not shown) of the dispenser member can extend. Instead of the annular locking groove 31 1, it is possible to imagine other structures making it possible to achieve a stable and leakproof attachment of the dispenser member to the ring. The annular plate 32 extends radially outwardly from the outer periphery of the receiving means 31. The purpose of this plate 32 is to exert an axial pressure on the upper annular edge of the neck to achieve a seal at this level. Conventionally, a neck seal is interposed between the plate 32 and the upper edge of the neck, and this seal is crushed against the neck by the plate 32.

The fastening skirt 33 extends freely downwards from the outer periphery of the plate 32. This skirt 33 has a substantially cylindrical general shape. Most of the skirt 33 is formed by tabs 331 separated by vertical slots 333 which are open downwardly. The lower ends of the tabs 331 are formed internally with fastening means 332, which may for example be in the form of one or more internal radial protuberances. In Figure 3, the fastening means 332 are in the form of horizontal bars which extend over the entire width of the tabs. These strips together form a kind of discontinuous annular bead at the slots 333. As will be seen below, the fastening means 332 are intended to cooperate with a hooking shoulder formed by the neck of the tank.

The guide sleeve 34 extends freely upwards from the outer periphery of the plate 32. Advantageously, the sleeve 34 extends in alignment with the skirt 33 so as to form together a cylindrical outer wall. The bushing 34 has a guiding purpose for a locking hoop (not shown), which is engaged with clamping around the cylindrical outer wall of the bushing 34 and the skirt 33 to lock the fastening means 332 permanently engaged with the collar. This is a quite conventional structure and well known for a fixing ring for a final attachment in combination with an outer locking ring. During assembly, the fixing ring 3, already equipped with its pump or its valve, is engaged on the neck: more specifically, the skirt 33 is engaged around the neck, and for this purpose, the tabs 331 are deformed radially towards the neck. the outside until these fastening means 332 can at least be housed under the shoulder (not shown) of the neck. Then, the locking band is lowered around the skirt 33 to constrain the fastening means 332 under the shoulder of the neck and lock in this position. This gives a definitive fixing of the ring on the tank neck. This is an assembly technique quite conventional and well known in the field of perfumery, cosmetics or pharmacy.

According to the invention, the ring 3 is provided with breaking means 35 for breaking it into at least two parts so as to be able to remove the pump or the valve from the reservoir. These breaking means 35 are advantageously provided between the fastening means 332 and the receiving means 31. The breaking means 35 may, for example, be provided at the level of the plate 32. In a preferred variant, the breaking means 35 are provided at the level of the skirt 33. According to an advantageous embodiment, the breaking means 35 are made at the level of the skirt 33. upper ends of the tabs 331, approximately at the level where the tabs 331 are connected to the rest of the ring. The breaking means 35 may for example be in the form of elongated through windows 35 which pass through the wall thickness of the tabs. As can be seen in Figure 1, each leg 331 may for example be provided with two rectangular windows, leaving three small material bridges 351. It is easily understood that the formation of the windows 35 considerably weakens the connection of the tabs 331 with the remainder of the ring, since the bridges 351 are weak. Thus, a suitable traction or torque makes it possible to break the bridges 351, which makes it possible to separate the lugs 331 from the remainder of the ring. It may be noted that three material bridges 351 are formed solely by two windows 35, since the end bridges are formed in cooperation with the slots 333. Given the arrangement of the windows 35, the breaking of the bridges 351 makes it possible to separate individually each tab 331, which facilitates the disassembly operation of the dispenser. On the other hand, since the tabs 331 are separated, they do not remain in place around the neck, which would otherwise require an additional operation.

Instead of the windows 35, one can also imagine other embodiments for the breaking means. These can be made in the form of one or more grooves for locally reducing the wall thickness of the ring. These grooves can be considered as non-through windows.

In use, the fixing ring 3 of FIG. 1 is associated with a locking hoop (not shown). The traction force or the rotational torque can then be applied to the hoop at the guide sleeve 34.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment for a fixing ring of the invention. This fixing ring, designated 3 ', has a simpler design than that of FIG. The ring 3 'comprises an annular plate 32 defining at its center an opening 312 for the passage of the actuating rod of the pump or the valve. The receiving means 31 do not have a special configuration, and are located just below the plate 32 which will have the function of jamming a protruding flange of the pump or valve on the upper edge of the neck. This collar can act as a neck seal. As in the previous embodiment, the ring 3 'comprises a guide sleeve 34 which extends freely upwards from the outer periphery of the plate 32. The ring 3' also forms a fastening skirt 33 which extends freely downwards from the outer periphery of the plate 32. The skirt 33 internally forms fixing means 332 which may have a design substantially similar to those of FIG. However, unlike the skirt 33 of Figure 1, the skirt of the ring 3 'is not formed with tabs separated by slots, but is instead continuous over its entire periphery. Thus, the skirt 33 has a lower deformation capacity, but allows on the other hand a permanent fixation alone without the aid of an additional locking ring. A trim band may however be used to improve the aesthetic appearance by masking the ring 3 '.

This fixing ring 3 'comprises breaking means 35 which may for example be in the form of recesses, that is to say non-through windows. These recesses locally reduce the wall thickness of the skirt 33, thus creating a line of lower tensile or shear strength. The recesses extend over the entire inner periphery of the skirt 33 so as to create together an annular rupture line. By exerting a traction or a suitable torque, for example at the sleeve 34, it is possible to separate the skirt 33 from the remainder of the ring. However, the skirt 33 will remain in position around the neck, which will require an additional operation of cutting or tearing of the skirt 33.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 3 to 5 to explain a preferred embodiment. In Figure 3, there is shown a fluid dispenser whose reservoir 1 has been shown only very partially. Indeed, only the upper part of the tank 1 forming a neck 11 provided with an outer shoulder 12 and several rotational locking profiles 13. The neck 1 1 conventionally defines an opening 10 making it possible to communicate the inside of the tank with the outside. This is visible in FIG. 5. The shoulder 12 serves as a hooking profile designed to cooperate with the fastening means 332 of the ring 3. The shoulder 12 extends over the entire outer periphery of the neck 1 1 which The locking profiles 13 are advantageously distributed equidistantly around the neck These profiles 13 extend from the body 14 of the tank upwards to reach the level of the shoulder 12. The profiles 13 are protruding radially outwardly relative to the shoulder 12. Each profile 13 has a substantially trapezoidal shape. the profile 13 does not extend to the level of the annular upper edge 15 of the neck The outer surface of the profile 13 is substantially vertical The reservoir 1 can be made of glass or plastic.

The fixing ring 3 "has a design substantially similar to that of the first embodiment The skirt 33 forms tabs 331 separated by slots 333. The breaking means 35 are formed at the upper ends of the tabs 331 at the level where they join the remainder of the ring, although not shown, the ring 3 "comprises receiving means, for example by snapping, for receiving a dispensing member 2, which comprises a body 21, a fluid inlet 22, a plunger tube 23 and a pusher 25. In FIG. 4, it can also be seen that the dispensing member 2 comprises an actuating rod 24 on which the pusher 25 is mounted.

To lock the lugs 331 under the shoulder 12 of the neck, there is provided a locking ring 4 which is engaged around the ring 3 "in tight contact to force and lock the fastening means 332 under the shoulder 12. The hoop locking 4 may for example be made of metal.

In this particular embodiment, the fixing ring 3 "comprises a plurality of housings 335 formed between two adjacent tabs 331. The housing 335 can be considered as a particular slot since it separates two tabs, which is clearly visible in the figure. 3 and FIG. 4. The housing 335 extends to the level of the means of According to the invention, the housings 335 are intended, during assembly of the ring on the neck, to receive the rotational locking profiles 13 formed by the neck. This is visible in Figure 3. The profiles 13, due to their advantageous trapezoidal shape, easily engage in the respective housing 335, which also have a corresponding trapezoidal shape. The profiles 13 fill the housing 335, so that the tabs 331 can no longer rotate around the neck. The engagement of the locking band 4 around the ring, can hide the legs, but also the profiles 13. Thus, for the user, the profiles 13 are not visible. On the other hand, for the operator responsible for recycling the dispenser, these profiles 13 engaged in the housing 335 will allow to exert a torque on the band 4 by maintaining it for example at the guide sleeve 34. This couple will allow to break the breaking means 35, since the tabs 331 are locked in rotation by the profiles 13.

Preferably, the hoop is engaged stronger or more supported with the sleeve 34 with the skirt 33. Thus, the hoop is more integral with the sleeve than the skirt, and as the sleeve is separated from the skirt by the breaking means 35, a pulling force and / or of rotation exerted on the hoop will act mainly or primarily on the bushing, which will induce a stress on the breaking means, which will eventually break.

Instead of rotational locking profiles 13, one can imagine any equivalent means for locking in rotation the ring on the neck. In the case of a fixing ring to be screwed, it is possible for example to imagine that the rotational locking profiles are in the form of notches allowing screwing, but preventing unscrewing of the ring.

Thanks to the present invention, it is possible to quickly and cleanly disassemble a fluid dispenser, the fixing ring is permanently or not definitive mounting.

Claims

claims

1 .- Fixing ring (3; 3 '; 3 ") for mounting a dispensing member (2), such as a pump or a valve, on a neck (1 1) of a reservoir (1) for constituting a fluid dispenser, the ring comprising: - receiving means (31) adapted to receive fixedly the dispensing member (2), and

- Fixing means (332) adapted to engage with the collar

(1 1). characterized in that breaking means (35) are provided between the receiving means (31) and the securing means (332) for separating the receiving means from the fastening means so as to be able to remove the dispenser member (2) of the tank (1).

2. Fastening ring according to claim 1, comprising an annular plate (32) intended to exert pressure on the neck (1 1), this plate being located between the receiving means (31) and the fixing means (332). ), the breaking means (35) being provided between the plate

(32) and the fastening means (332).

3. Fixing ring according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a skirt (33) intended to engage with the neck (1 1), the fixing means (332) being formed by the skirt (33), the means rupture (35) being formed by the skirt (1 1).

4. Fastening ring according to claim 3, wherein the skirt

(33) forms a plurality of tabs (331) separated by slots (333), breaking means (35) being formed at each tab (331).

5. Fastening ring according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the breaking means (35) are in the form of windows arranged to form an annular break line.

6. Fluid dispenser comprising: a reservoir (1) forming a neck (1 1),

a dispensing member (2), such as a pump or a valve, and

- A fixing ring (3 ") according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is further provided rotational locking means (13, 335) for locking the ring (3") in rotation on the neck, so that a torque exerted on the ring, for example at its receiving means (31), has the effect of breaking the breaking means (35).

7. Fluid dispenser according to claim 6, wherein the locking means (13, 335) are formed between the neck (11) and the fastening means (332).

8. Fluid dispenser according to claim 7, wherein the neck (1 1) comprises a locking profile (13) and the ring (3 ") comprises a skirt (33) forming a housing (335) adapted to receive the locking profile (13) of the neck.

9. A fluid dispenser according to any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising a locking hoop (4) engaged around the ring (3; 3 ") to lock the fastening means (332) around the col (1 1).

10. A fluid dispenser according to claim 9, wherein the ring (3 ") comprises a skirt (33) extending below the rupture means and a sleeve (34) extending over the means of rupture, the hoop (4) being in stronger engagement with the sleeve than with the skirt.