EP3235752B1 - Perforator cap and tube therewith - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of flexible tubes comprising a cap sealing the neck prior to the first use of the tube, and a perforating plug adapted to perform the piercing of the cap.

Tubes provided with a cap associated with a perforating plug are known comprising a punch adapted to perforate said cap.

The seal makes it possible to keep the product contained in the tube hermetically during storage before its first use, which represents a very important part of the overall service life of the tube.

There are plugs whose punch is adapted to perforate said lid when the cap is inserted in a first direction in the neck of the tube, and to be screwed onto the neck when positioned in a second direction on the neck of the tube.

Such solutions may lead to having a tube having a punch protruding from its plug during use and storage. The punch with sharp end may be damaged, damage other tubes, or injure the user.

Other solutions have been proposed in which the punch is placed in the plug, so as to be able to perforate the lid when the cap is screwed onto the tube head. To ensure the preservation of the cap prior to the first use, a ring is disposed between the cap and the shoulder of the tube head, so as to keep the punch away from the cap when the cap is screwed on the neck.

To pierce and / or cut the lid, the user must first unscrew the cap, then remove the ring and finally screw the cap until the lid is pierced and / or cut. The number of steps is binding for the user who often does not understand what the ring is for and does not necessarily understand that a cap must be pierced before a first use of the tube.

The document WO 2012/138637 discloses an assembly for closing a container in which a plug with a punch is screwed inside a ring, which is fixed on the neck of the container, so as to pierce a seal sealed on the neck. The document EP 0 007 869 discloses an assembly for closing a tube in which a cap provided with a punch is screwed onto the neck of the tube by rotation of a cap disposed around the stopper driving a said guiding system in rotation so as to to pierce a sealed operculum on the neck. There is therefore a need for a perforating plug which at least partially overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks.

• un bouchon comprenant un poinçon adapté pour découper un opercule, ledit opercule étant adapté pour obturer un goulot d'une tête du tube, ledit bouchon étant configuré pour être fixé sur ledit goulot dans une première position, dite position d'attente, et une seconde position, dite position d'utilisation,
• une bague fixée de façon mobile audit bouchon,

ledit ensemble étant configuré pour permettre de passer d'une position déployée en vue d'une protection dudit poinçon par ladite bague en position d'attente dudit bouchon à une position escamotée en vue d'un perçage dudit opercule par ledit poinçon en position d'utilisation dudit bouchon, un passage de la position déployée à la position escamotée dudit ensemble s'effectuant par un coulissement du bouchon au travers de la bague,
ledit ensemble comprenant au moins un élément en saillie configuré pour coopérer avec au moins une rainure pour le passage de la position déployée à la position escamotée, ledit élément en saillie et ladite rainure étant configurés pour effectuer un mouvement de type baïonnette.For this purpose, the present invention provides an assembly for closing a tube, said assembly comprising:

• a plug comprising a punch adapted to cut a cap, said cap being adapted to close a neck of a head of the tube, said cap being configured to be fixed on said neck in a first position, said waiting position, and a second position, said position of use,
• a ring movably attached to said plug,

said assembly being configured to allow to move from an extended position for protection of said punch by said ring in the waiting position of said stopper to a retracted position for drilling said seal by said punch in the position of use of said plug, a passage from the extended position to the retracted position of said assembly being effected by a sliding of the plug through the ring,
said assembly comprising at least one projecting element configured to cooperate with at least one groove for the passage from the deployed position to the retracted position, said projecting element and said groove being configured to perform a bayonet type movement.

Thus, when the cap is in the waiting position and the assembly is in the deployed position, in other words before a first use of the tube, the punch, in particular its free end projecting from the cap, is then protected by the ring, limiting the risk of damage or damage to other tubes. The protection provided by said ring also keeps the punch away from the seal closing the neck and thus preserving the seal of any perforation or cutting, prior to the first use of the tube by a user. In addition, the sliding of the plug through the ring allows the cutting and / or drilling of the cap without having to remove the ring, resulting in a significant time saving for the user.

• ledit ensemble est configuré pour que le passage de la position escamotée à la position déployée soit réversible,
• ladite bague et ledit bouchon sont coaxiaux,
• ledit bouchon et ladite bague sont deux pièces distinctes,
• ladite bague est fabriquée en une matière transparente,
• ledit au moins un élément en saillie est prévu sur ladite bague,
• ladite rainure est prévue sur ledit bouchon,
• le ou les éléments en saillie sont situés sur une surface interne de ladite bague,
• ladite bague comprend une pluralité d'éléments en saillie,
• ladite pluralité d'éléments en saillie est régulièrement répartie sur le pourtour de ladite bague,
• le ou lesdits éléments en saillie sont un ou des ergots,
• ladite rainure présente une forme en L,
• ladite rainure comprend une première butée de manière à ce que l'ensemble soit maintenu dans la position déployée,
• ledit bouchon comprend des moyens de guidage de manière à ce qu'un des éléments en saillie de ladite bague coopère avec ladite rainure,
• lesdits moyens de guidage sont situés à une extrémité basse de ladite rainure,
• ledit bouchon comprend une partie de préhension et une jupe faisant saillie axialement à partir de ladite partie de préhension,
• ladite bague présentant un diamètre interne supérieur au diamètre externe de ladite jupe, de manière à permettre un coulissement de ladite jupe au travers de la bague,
• ladite rainure est localisée sur une surface externe de ladite jupe,
• ladite jupe comprend un premier bourrelet adapté pour coopérer avec le ou lesdits éléments en saillie de manière à permettre l'encliquetage de ladite bague sur ladite jupe dudit bouchon pour un assemblage dudit ensemble,
• ledit premier bourrelet est localisé sur une partie basse de ladite jupe,
• ledit premier bourrelet permet de maintenir assemblé ladite bague sur ledit bouchon avec un degré de liberté en rotation,
• ladite jupe comprend un second bourrelet adapté pour coopérer avec le ou lesdits éléments en saillie de manière à maintenir ledit ensemble en position escamotée,
• ledit bouchon est configuré pour être fixé par vissage ou encliquetage en position d'attente et/ou en position d'utilisation,
• ledit bouchon, en particulier une surface interne de ladite jupe, présente un premier filetage configuré pour visser ledit bouchon sur ledit goulot, en position d'utilisation,
• ledit bouchon comprend en outre un second filetage situé à une extrémité opposée audit poinçon, ledit second filetage étant configuré pour visser ledit bouchon sur ledit goulot en position d'attente du bouchon,
• le second filetage est plus court que le premier filetage,
• ledit bouchon comprend en outre un bourrelet, dit troisième bourrelet, configuré pour encliqueter ledit bouchon sur ledit goulot en position d'attente du bouchon,
• ledit troisième bourrelet est situé à une extrémité opposée audit poinçon.

According to various embodiments of the invention, which may be taken together or separately:

• said assembly is configured so that the passage from the retracted position to the deployed position is reversible,
• said ring and said plug are coaxial,
• said plug and said ring are two separate pieces,
• said ring is made of a transparent material,
• said at least one projecting element is provided on said ring,
• said groove is provided on said plug,
• the projecting element or elements are located on an internal surface of said ring,
• said ring comprises a plurality of projecting elements,
• said plurality of projecting elements is regularly distributed around the periphery of said ring,
• the one or more projecting elements are one or more lugs,
• said groove has an L shape,
• said groove comprises a first stop so that the assembly is held in the deployed position,
• said cap comprises guiding means so that one of the elements projecting from said ring cooperates with said groove,
• said guide means are located at a low end of said groove,
• said cap comprises a gripping portion and a skirt projecting axially from said gripping portion,
• said ring having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of said skirt, so as to allow said skirt to slide through the ring,
• said groove is located on an outer surface of said skirt,
• said skirt comprises a first bead adapted to cooperate with said one or more projecting elements so as to allow said ring to snap onto said skirt of said plug for assembly of said assembly,
• said first bead is located on a lower part of said skirt,
• said first bead makes it possible to hold said ring together on said plug with a degree of freedom in rotation,
• said skirt comprises a second bead adapted to cooperate with said one or more projecting elements so as to keep said assembly in the retracted position,
• said plug is configured to be fixed by screwing or snapping into waiting position and / or in position of use,
• said plug, in particular an inner surface of said skirt, has a first thread configured to screw said plug on said neck, in the position of use,
• said cap further comprises a second thread located at an end opposite to said punch, said second thread being configured to screw said stopper on said neck in the waiting position of the stopper,
• the second thread is shorter than the first thread,
• said stopper further comprises a bead, said third bead, configured to snap said stopper onto said neck in the waiting position of the stopper,
• said third bead is located at an end opposite said punch.

The invention also relates to a tube comprising an assembly as described above.

• la figure 1 présente une vue en perspective d'un ensemble de fermeture d'un tube selon un aspect de l'invention ;
• la figure 2 présente une vue en perspective d'un tube, illustré partiellement, comprenant l'ensemble de fermeture de la figure 1 dans une position déployée ;
• la figure 3 reprend la figure 2 l'ensemble de fermeture étant dans une position intermédiaire ;
• la figure 4 reprend la figure 2 l'ensemble de fermeture étant dans une position escamotée ;
• la figure 5 présente une vue en coupe axiale de la figure 4 ;
• la figure 6 présente une vue en coupe axial de l'ensemble de fermeture de la figure 1, en position d'attente, selon un mode de réalisation particulier.

Other characteristics, objects and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows, which is purely illustrative and nonlimiting, and which should be read with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• the figure 1 shows a perspective view of a closure assembly of a tube according to one aspect of the invention;
• the figure 2 presents a perspective view of a tube, partially illustrated, comprising the closure assembly of the figure 1 in a deployed position;
• the figure 3 resumes figure 2 the closure assembly being in an intermediate position;
• the figure 4 resumes figure 2 the closure assembly being in a retracted position;
• the figure 5 has an axial section view of the figure 4 ;
• the figure 6 has an axial sectional view of the closure assembly of the figure 1 in the waiting position, according to a particular embodiment.

In all the figures, the elements in common are identified by identical reference numerals.

• un bouchon 5 configuré pour être fixé sur un goulot 7 d'une tête de tube 9, et
• une bague 11 fixée de façon mobile audit bouchon 5.

As illustrated in figure 1 the invention relates to an assembly 1 for closing a tube 3. Said assembly comprises:

• a plug 5 configured to be fixed on a neck 7 of a tube head 9, and
• a ring 11 movably fixed to said cap 5.

The tube head 9, a variant of which is presented on the Figures 2 to 6 , comprises a neck 7 defining a longitudinal axis ZZ, a shoulder 13 and a solid insert 15 forming a cap 17 closing said neck 7, at the bottom of the latter.

More specifically, the insert 15 comprises a peripheral section, typically of frustoconical or disc shape, and a central section forming said cover 17, whose diameter typically corresponds to the internal diameter of the neck 7.

In general, the plug 5 comprises a punch 19 protruding from said plug 5, in particular said punch is made of material of said plug. Said punch 19 is configured to be inserted inside the neck 7 of the tube head 9 when the cap 5 is fixed on said neck 7. It defines a longitudinal direction of the plug 5, corresponding to the longitudinal axis ZZ of the neck 7 when the cap 5 is fixed on the neck 7.

According to the present invention, the cap 5 is further configured to be fixed on said neck 7 in a first position, called the waiting position ( figure 1, 2 and 6 ), and a second position, called position of use ( figure 4 and 5 ). Said assembly 1 is thus configured to make it possible to move from an extended position in order to protect said punch 19 by said ring 11, in the waiting position of said plug 5, to a retracted position with a view to drilling said operculum 17 by said punch 19 in position of use of said plug 5. The passage from the extended position to the retracted position of said assembly 1 is effected by sliding of the plug 5 through said ring 11, said ring 11 and said plug 5 being, here, coaxial.

Said cap 5 may also comprise an internal thread adapted to cooperate with a thread 21 located on the outer periphery of the neck 7. Said cap 5 is then fixed by screwing to said neck 7, in particular in the waiting position and / or in the position of use.

In the embodiments shown in the various figures, said cap 5 comprises a gripping portion 23 and a skirt 25 protruding axially from said gripping portion 23. An inner surface of said skirt 25 has a first thread 27 (threading internal mentioned above) configured to screw said cap 5 on said neck 7, in the use position.

Thus, in these embodiments, said ring 11 has an internal diameter greater than the outside diameter of said skirt 25, so as to allow said skirt 25 to slide through the ring 11. In other words, the skirt 25 is located at the inside of said ring 11, either in part of its height in the deployed position, or in all its height in the retracted position.

Advantageously, said sliding is allowed by the presence of at least one element 29 projecting on said ring 11 and at least one groove 31 of said plug 5.

Here, said ring 11 comprises a plurality of projecting elements 29 configured to cooperate with a single groove 31 of said plug 5 for the passage of the deployed position to the retracted position, according to a bayonet type movement.

Here, the projecting elements are lugs 29 regularly distributed around the periphery of an inner surface of said ring 11 and the groove 31 is located on an outer surface of said skirt 25 and has an L shape.

In a first step, said cap 5 and said ring 11 being two separate parts, said ring 11 is movably fixed to said cap 5 ( figure 1 ). Advantageously, the ring 11 is fixed by snap-fastening to said cap 5 by cooperation of said projecting elements 29, here lugs 29, of the ring 11 with a first bead 33 of the skirt 25. Said ring 11 is thus kept assembled on said cap 5 with a degree of freedom in rotation. Said assembly 1 is then in the deployed position and the cap 5 in a waiting position. Said punch 19 is protected by said ring 11. In other words, the free end of said punch 19 protruding from said plug 5 is inside said ring 11 and does not protrude therefrom.

When snapping one of the elements 29 projecting (referenced 29a) is guided in the groove 31 of said cap 5 so as to engage. To facilitate this engagement, said cap 5 comprises guiding means 35. In particular, said groove 31 has a pointed shape at its lower end, that is to say at its inlet, which serves to guide one of said lugs 29a in it, in particular in a first branch thereof located in a plane orthogonal to the ZZ axis of the plug. The plurality of projecting elements 29 allows that, whatever the position of the ring 11 with respect to the cap 5, at least one of the elements 29 is close to said groove 31 to be able to engage.

To avoid the complete sliding of the skirt 25 in the ring 11 and thus an undesired passage from the deployed position to the retracted position, the groove 31 has a first stop 37 blocking said lug 29a engaged therein and stopping the sliding said plug 5 through said ring 11 to the retracted position. Advantageously, the first stop 37 is provided by a particular shape of said groove 31, in particular the L shape already mentioned.

Advantageously, said ring 11 may be made of a transparent material. Said user can thus see the presence of said punch 19 and understand more intuitively that it must be inserted into said neck 7 so as to cut and / or pierce a lid 17 formed in said neck 7.

Said cap 5 is then positioned on said neck 7 so that said assembly 1 is always in its deployed position and the cap 5 in its waiting position ( figure 2 ). Said ring 11 is thus arranged around the neck 7, bearing against the shoulder 13. The punch 19 then extends inside the neck 7. Said ring 11 is further configured to maintain a spacing between the cap 5 and the shoulder 13 so as to maintain the punch 19 at a non-zero distance from the insert 15 when the plug 5 is positioned on the neck 7. Thus the punch 19 is prevented from coming into contact with the insert 15 and to pierce and / or cut the lid 17 formed in the neck 7.

Advantageously, the limitation of the sliding of said skirt 25 in the ring 11 obtained thanks to the stop 37, makes it possible here to ensure that the punch 19 remains at a distance from the cover 17, and that the latter is protected from any cutting and / or perforation.

The cap 5 is finally screwed onto said neck 7 by the user. Said lug 29a engaged in said groove 31 then continues to advance so that the assembly 1 passes from the deployed position to the retracted position and the plug 5 from the waiting position to the position of use.

The plug 5 goes first to an intermediate position ( figure 3 ) in which the user has started the screwing of the cap 5 on the neck 7. Said pin 29a is then in a position in which it is released from said first stop 37 and can realize in a second branch of the groove, perpendicular to the first, an upward movement along the axis ZZ causing the sliding of said plug 5 through said ring 11 and the passage of the assembly 1 from the deployed position to the retracted position ( figure 4 and 5 ).

Thus, in the retracted position of said assembly 1 and in the position of use of said plug 5 visible to Figures 4 and 5 , the cap 5 is screwed onto the neck 7, for example until it abuts against the shoulder 13 or a rim of said neck 7. The punch 19 then made a cut and / or perforation of the insert 15, and more precisely of its central part forming the cover 17 of the tube head 9 as can be seen in FIG. figure 5 .

Here, said skirt 25 comprises a second bead 39 adapted to cooperate with said elements 29 protruding so as to maintain said assembly 1 in the retracted position once said cap 5 unscrewed and removed from said neck 7. Said assembly 1 could also be configured so that the passage from the retracted position to the deployed position is reversible.

In the embodiment of the figure 6 said plug 5 further comprises a second thread 41 located at an end opposite said punch 19. Said second thread 41 is configured to be screwed onto said neck 7 in the waiting position of the plug 5.

In this embodiment, during the first use, the user unscrews the cap 5 of the neck 7, then returns the cap 5 and the screw on the neck 7 causing a sliding of said cap 5 through said ring 11 as previously described , in relation to the Figures 2 to 5 , so that the punch 19 makes a cut or a perforation of the insert 15, and more precisely of its central part forming the cover 17 of the tube head 9.

Advantageously and as shown here, the second thread 41 is shorter than the first thread 27 located at the level of said skirt 25, that is to say that it comprises a smaller number of steps than the first thread 27 During the first use, the user can quickly unscrew the cap 5, turn it over and screw it on the neck 7 to pierce / cut the lid 17.

It is also possible to envisage an embodiment (not shown) in which said plug is configured to be fixed by snapping into said neck in the waiting position. Said stopper may thus comprise a bead, said third bead, located at an end opposite said punch, for example in replacement of the second thread of said stopper.

Cutting of the lid 17 is advantageously partial, so that the portion or portions of the lid 17 having been cut remain connected to the rest of the insert 15, thus preventing any mixing of the material forming the insert 15 with a product contained in the tube 3 associated, and a possible distribution of this material to the user.

In general, said punch 19 has a cylindrical section of revolution, of which a free end is advantageously provided with cutting means so that when the cap 5 is screwed onto the neck 7 of the tube head 9, the end free of the punch 19 is inserted into the neck 7. Said cutting means may be a beveled shape of the free end, teeth and / or cutting notches, for example, evenly distributed around the periphery of the free end of punch 19. The example of punch 19 shown in FIGS. figures 1 , 5 and 6 is a punch 19 of cylindrical section of revolution, whose free end is provided with three teeth 43 of low height and evenly distributed around the periphery of its free end.

Other embodiments are conceivable allowing the plug to slide through the ring to move from the deployed position to the retracted position of said assembly. In particular, it is possible that the groove or grooves and the or said projecting elements are inverted, that is to say that the ring comprises at least one groove configured to cooperate with at least one element projecting from said plug.

Claims (14)

1. Assembly (1) for closing a tube (3), said assembly (1) comprising:

   - a stopper (5) comprising a punch (19) adapted to cut a lid (17), said lid (17) being adapted to block a neck (7) of a head of the tube, said stopper (5) being configured to be fixed on said neck (7) in a first position, termed standby position, and a second position, termed usage position,

   - a ring (11) movably fixed to said stopper (5),

   said assembly (1) being configured to make it possible to pass from a deployed position with the aim of said punch (19) being protected by said ring (11) in the standby position of said stopper (5) to a retracted position with the aim of boring of said lid (17) by said punch (19) in the usage position of said stopper (5), a passing of said assembly (1) from the deployed position to the retracted position being carried out by sliding of the stopper (5) through the ring (11),
   said assembly (1) comprising at least one protruding element (29) configured to engage with at least one groove (31) for the passage from the deployed position to the retracted position, characterised in that said protruding element (29) and said groove (31) are configured to carry out a bayonet type movement.
2. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said ring (11) comprises the at least one protruding element (29) and said groove (31) is provided on said stopper (5).
3. Assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said groove (31) has an L-shape.
4. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the protruding element(s) (29) are situated on an inner surface of said ring (11).
5. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said ring (11) comprises a plurality of protruding elements (29).
6. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said plurality of protruding elements (29) is regularly distributed over the perimeter of said ring (11).
7. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said groove (31) comprises a first abutment (37) such that the assembly (1) is held in the deployed position.
8. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said stopper (5) comprises a gripping portion (23) and a skirt (25) axially protruding from said gripping portion (23), said ring (11) having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of said skirt (25), so as to make it possible for the sliding of said skirt (25) through the ring (11).
9. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said skirt (25) comprises a first beading (33) adapted to engage with said protruding element(s) (29) so as to make it possible for the snap-fitting of said ring (11) on said skirt (25) of said stopper (5) for assembly of said assembly (1).
10. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said first beading (33) makes it possible to hold said ring (11) assembled on said stopper (5) with a degree of rotational freedom.
11. Assembly (1) according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein said skirt (25) comprises a second beading (39) adapted to engage with said protruding element(s) (29) so as to hold said assembly (1) in the retracted position.
12. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said stopper (5) has a first thread (27) configured to screw said stopper (5) on said neck (7), in the usage position of the stopper (5), and said stopper (5) further comprises a second thread (41) situated at an end opposite said punch (19), said second thread (41) being configured to screw said stopper on said neck (7) in the standby position of the stopper (5).
13. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the second thread (41) is shorter than the first thread (27).
14. Tube (3) comprising a closing assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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