EP2797820B1

EP2797820B1 - Additive cap for a liquid dispenser

Info

Publication number: EP2797820B1
Application number: EP12826565.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ales Rajster
Original assignee: Sinnoforge Inovativne Resitve d o o
Current assignee: Sinnoforge Inovativne Resitve d o o
Priority date: 2011-12-29
Filing date: 2012-12-27
Publication date: 2016-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 2032-12-27
Also published as: WO2013098770A1; EP2797820A1; SI23969A; HRP20160746T1; ES2579652T3

Description

The present invention refers to a cap and a liquid dispenser, in particular to a cap comprising a storage container containing either pulverized material, or liquid material, or paste-like material, or similar material that can be fed into a liquid receptacle attached to said storage container and mixed therein.
The cap and a liquid dispenser of the aforementioned kind is known, for example, from the publication of an international patent application No. WO 2009/010809 A1 . The disclosed cap comprises a container closed at the bottom with an aluminium foil, and a cover. Said foil can be penetrated by means of a damper being affected by means of a cover during the opening of the liquid dispenser. During the use of said disclosed cap of a liquid dispenser, however, unwanted displacement of said damper often occurs resulting in re-closing the exit opening of the dispenser. An additional insert is arranged in the area above said damper representing an additional technological production step. Furthermore, additional disadvantage is represented by the fact that said foil has to be introduced into the cap of the dispenser, wherein said foil and said cap must be interconnected tightly resulting in a costly and technologically ineffective product.
Similar cap of a liquid dispenser according to the preamble of claim 1, has been disclosed in the publication No. GB 1 376 951 A . The disclosed cap comprises a container for storing pulverulent material with a floor and a lateral wall being connected at a weakened zone. The container holds a pulverulent product which is isolated from the outside of the container by a cover in the form of a disc of aluminium foil heat-sealed to the flange resting on the end of the neck. When in use, two webs must be penetrated in order to mix the two substances. Also, additional technological steps are involved with said foil and the result is both production time and money consuming.
Yet an additional cap of a liquid dispenser has been disclosed in the publication No. WO 01/08996 A1 . The disclosed bottle cap for separating solute and solvent, comprises a top cover and a low cover, which are connected to each other by threads. The top cover includes a roof body and an inside receptacle. The low cover consists of low cover body and an inside casing, a level bottom sealing sheet is provided at the bottom. Lower inside wall of the inside casing is slidedly sealed by means of two seals to the lower outside wall of the inside receptacle. At least a cutting element is extended downward at the bottom of the inside receptacle. The provision of two receptacles, i.e. a receptacle and the casing, requires costs and technological. steps which are rather ineffective.
It is the object of the present invention to create a cap of a liquid dispenser which remedies disadvantages of the know solution.
According to the present invention, the object as set above is solved by characteristics of the characterising clause of claim 1.
The invention is further described in detail on the basis of the preferred embodiment, and with a reference to the accompanying drawings, where

Fig. 1: shows a cross-sectional view of a liquid dispenser according to the invention and completely closed,
Fig. 2: shows a cross-sectional view along the line II of a liquid dispenser of Fig. 1,
Fig. 3: shows a cross-sectional view along the line III of a liquid dispenser of Fig. 1,
Fig. 4: shows a three-dimensional view of a cap part of a liquid dispenser,
Fig. 5: shows a three-dimensional view of a further cap part of a liquid dispenser,
Fig. 6: shows a cross-sectional view of a liquid dispenser of Fig. 1 completely open.

A liquid dispenser according to the invention comprises a liquid receptacle 1, such as a glass or plastic bottle, or similar, closed by means of a cap 2. The first end of a container 4 intended for storing either pulverized material, or liquid material, or paste-like material, or similar material that can be fed into a liquid receptacle and mixed therein, is inserted into a mouth of a neck 3 of said receptacle 1 by means of a relatively narrow interference fit. Said container 4 is fixed on said receptacle 1 by means of a cap link 5, which is connected to said receptacle 1 in the area of the neck 3 in a manner known per se, as for example by means of a threaded connection. A cover 6 is located at the free end of said container 4 being mutually connected in a manner known per se, as for example by means of a threaded connection. In order to prevent said cap link 5 from being accidentally unscrewed, said cap link 5 is additionally fixed on said neck 3 by means of a holding ring 7 which is connected to said link by means of a plurality of holding webs 8. Said holding ring 7 is arranged by means of an interference fit between axially spaced annular projections 9, 10 which are located on the neck 3 in the area of the interconnection of the receptacle 1 and the neck 3. Furthermore, said cover 6 is connected to said cap link 5 by means of a holding ring 11, which is on the one hand connected by means of a plurality of holding webs 12, 13 to said cover 6, and on the other hand to said cap link 5. With the preferred embodiment, said webs 8; 12, 13 are arranged equally spaced over the circumference of each holding ring 7; 11.
Said container 4 intended for storing either pulverized material, or liquid material, or paste-like material, or similar material that can be fed into a liquid receptacle and mixed therein is closed at the end thereof inserted into the mouth of the neck 3 of the receptacle 1 with a blocking disc 14. Said disc 14 is materially connected over the entire circumference thereof by means of a web 15 to said container 4. Said web 15 is substantially thinner than said blocking disc 14. Further, said container 4 (shown in detail in Fig. 4) is formed over the outer circumference thereof and in the area above the mouth of said neck 3 with a plurality of mutually equally spaced and outwardly projecting snap-in elements 16. Said cap link 5 (shown in detail in Fig. 4) is formed at the end thereof facing away from the threaded connection with the neck 3 of the receptacle 1, with an inwardly projecting rest 17 extending in the circumferential direction, and at the axial distance with radially inwardly projecting ring 18. Said ring 18 comprises circumferentially equally spaced grooves 19 cooperating with said snap-in elements 16. According to the invention, said elements 16 are formed in a manner that they enable the unidirectional rotational motion, relative to said container, 4 of both the link 5 and the cover 6, in the present embodiment in the clockwise direction (direction of screwing-in the cover 6, respectively). Rotation of the link 5 and the cover 6, relative to said container 4, in the opposite direction is disabled. To this end, said cover 6 is also provided in the area of its free end facing the link 5 with a plurality of inwardly projecting snap-in elements 20 cooperating with said snap-in elements 16 in a manner as described above.
As already mentioned above, said cover 6 is arranged at the free end of said container 4. The cover 6 is formed as a thin-walled hollow cylinder closed at the first side thereof with a vertical wall. Inside, in the area close to the cylindrical wall said cover 6 is formed with a longitudinal cutting shaft 21 which is connected with the first end thereof to said vertical wall of the cover 6, whereas the second i.e. the free end of said shaft 21 extends in longitudinal direction of the container 4 to the close vicinity of the blocking disc 14. Said shaft 21 is formed at least in the area of its free end with a cutting blade 22 which during opening the liquid dispenser penetrates said web 15 and cuts through it, thus, separating said blocking disc 14 from said container 4.
When using the liquid dispenser according to the present invention for the first time, the holding ring 11 which interconnects by means of webs 12, 13 the link 5 and the cover 6 is to be removed in a manner known per se. In the next step, said cover 6 is to be turned for approximately one full turn, preferably for less than one full turn, into the closing direction, until said cover 6 abuts with the front face thereof against said link 5. Simultaneously with the rotational and linear motion of the cover 6 the cutting shaft 21 moves in exactly the same way and penetrates by means of said blade 22 said web 15 and cutting it, thus, detaching said blocking disc 14 from said container 4. Said linear motion of the cutting shaft 21 pushes simultaneously the blocking disc 14 in the interior of the receptacle 1, thus, releasing the neck 3 of the receptacle 1. Since both said cutting shaft 21 and said cover 6 together complete less than a single turn, said blocking disc 14 is still at least partially connected to the container 4 via the remaining uncut web 15 when the rotation of the cover 6 is finished. In order for the blocking disc 14 to remain in the completely open position, which is reached after finishing the rotation of the cover 6, said container 4 is optionally provided with a snap-in projection where the edge of said detached blocking disc 14 snaps in. Said pulverized material, or liquid material, or paste-like material, or similar material which is initially located in the container 4 is fed during detaching of said blocking disc into said liquid receptacle 1 and mixed therein. The cover 6 slides during the rotational motion thereof with said plurality of its snap-in elements 20 over said plurality of the snap-in elements 16 of the container 4. When the cover 6 reaches the link 5, the blocking disc 14 is ultimately detached and said cover is free to be rotated into the opposite direction i.e. into direction of opening of the liquid dispenser according to the invention. Since now the snap-in elements 20 of the cover 6 mate with the snap-in elements 16 of the container 4, the rotational motion is transferred to the container 4. The latter is in essence rigidly connected to the link 5 by means of an interlocking connection of the snap-in elements 16 and the grooves 19 of said ring 18, resulting in screwing simultaneously the link 5 off the neck 3 of the receptacle 1 during the rotation of the cover 6 to the open position. As a result, the webs 8 between the link 5 and the ring 7 brake-off, and the entire unit "cover 6 - container 4 - link 5" is free to be unscrewed and the liquid content of the receptacle 1 to be used. Afterwards, said unit "cover 6 - container 4 - link 5" can be re-mounted onto the neck 3 of the receptacle 1 and screwed-in, thus, closing again the receptacle.
It is obvious, that alternative embodiments of the above described invention are possible for the person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, without major changes an embodiment which is not part of the present invention, is viable where the container 4 remains connected to the neck 3 of the receptacle 1 even after the cover 6 has been screwed-off, and said container 4 acts as a discharge element for the liquid contained in the receptacle 1.

Claims

A cap (2) and a liquid receptacle (1), the cap (2) comprising a cap link (5), a cover (6), and a storage container (4) containing either pulverized material, or liquid material, or paste-like material, or similar material that can be fed into the liquid receptacle (1) attached to said storage container (4) and mixed in the liquid receptacle (1), the first end of said storage container (4) being inserted by means of a relatively narrow interference fit into a mouth of a neck (3) of the liquid receptacle (1), said container (4) being fixed on said receptacle (1) by means of the cap link (5), which is connected to said receptacle (1) in the area of the neck (3), cover (6) being arranged at the free second end of said storage container (4), said storage container (4) being closed at the first end inserted into the mouth of the neck (3) of the liquid receptacle (1) with a blocking disc (14), which is connected by means of a web (15) over its entire circumference to said storage container (4) in a manner of a material connection, said cover (6) being provided in its interior with a longitudinal cutting shaft (21) which is connected with the first end thereof to the cover (6), whereas the second i.e. the free end of said shaft (21) extends in longitudinal direction of the container (4) to the close vicinity of the blocking disc (14), said cutting shaft (21) being provided at least in the area of its free end with a cutting blade (22) configured to penetrate said web (15) and to cut through it, characterized in that said container (4) comprises over the outer circumference of the neck and in the area above the mouth of said neck (3) a plurality of mutually equally spaced and outwardly projecting snap-in elements (16) and said cover (6) is provided in the area of its free end facing the link (5) with a plurality of inwardly projecting snap-in elements (20) cooperating with said outwardly projecting snap-in elements (16), wherein said snap-in elements (16; 20) enable only a unidirectional relative motion of said container (4) with respect to said cover (6).
A cap of a liquid dispenser according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cap (2) comprises said cover (6) and said link (5) being mutually interconnected by means of a holding ring (11), which is on the one hand connected by means of a plurality of holding webs (12, 13) to said cover (6), and on the other hand to said cap link (5).
A cap of a liquid dispenser according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cap link (5), is connected to the area of the neck (3) by means of a threaded connection.
A cap of a liquid dispenser according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cover (6) is connected to the container (4) by means of a threaded connection.