EP3855974A1

EP3855974A1 - Bottle with a roll-on applicator and a stopper

Info

Publication number: EP3855974A1
Application number: EP19790687.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Guillaume Savoye
Original assignee: Chanel Parfums Beaute SAS
Current assignee: Chanel Parfums Beaute SAS
Priority date: 2018-09-26
Filing date: 2019-09-23
Publication date: 2021-08-04
Also published as: FR3086146B1; US20220000244A1; US11503896B2; WO2020065189A1; FR3086146A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a bottle comprising a reservoir (1) for a liquid or semi-fluid product and a dispensing head (2) projecting from the reservoir along a main axis (A). The dispensing head (2) comprises a roll-on applicator (5) comprising a ball holder in which a ball (12) is caged and from which a cap of the ball emerges. The bottle comprises a rotary stopper (6) suitable for covering the roll-on applicator (5) in a closed position of the bottle, and for being released from the roll-on applicator (5) for distributing product in an open position of the bottle. The ball holder is mounted translatably along the main axis (A), the roll-on applicator (5) comprising an elastic means inserted between an applicator body and the ball holder. The ball moves in translation jointly with the ball holder to take a retracted position when the roll-on applicator (5) is covered by the rotary stopper (6) and a deployed position when the rotary stopper (6) is released from the roll-on applicator (5).

Description

Bottle with a ball applicator and a shutter

The invention relates to the field of devices for dispensing and applying a perfume or a cosmetic, toiletry or care product. It relates in particular to the ball dispensing and application devices, commonly called ball applicators, or, according to the English terminology "roll-on".

In this document, cosmetic products include in particular all products for making up the skin, lips or integuments. Toiletries include shower gels, bath products, as well as body milks, and deodorants. Perfumes refer in particular to all perfume or odorant compositions intended for bodily application. The care products include in particular the products intended to be applied to the human or animal body to clean it, perfume it, modify its appearance, maintain it in good condition.

Ball applicators are commonly used for the distribution and application of a liquid or semi-fluid product contained in a bottle equipped with such a dispenser. A ball dispenser bottle has a ball at its dispensing neck, included in a ball or cage holder. The ball holder has a dispensing orifice in communication with the inside of the bottle. The ball has a diameter greater than that of the dispensing orifice. Opposite the dispensing orifice of the bottle, the ball holder has a mouthpiece. The ball is held in the ball holder, for example by a radial enclosing lip oriented towards the axis of revolution of the ball holder.

The ball is thus held in the ball holder, on the dispensing orifice, free to rotate. When the bottle is oriented with the ball down, the product contained in the bottle reaches the ball and loads its product. apparent surface in the dispensing orifice. The rotation of the ball, for the application of the product for example on the skin, makes it possible to put the wet surface of the ball opposite the dispensing orifice, in a position where it is visible and in contact with the application surface.

The ball applicators are thus simple devices which simultaneously allow the distribution and the application of a liquid or semi-fluid product. However, they have certain drawbacks. They do not by themselves provide a perfect seal, in particular an air seal often necessary for the good preservation of the product and / or to avoid loss, in particular by evaporation. Indeed, the clearance necessary for the free rotation of the ball in the ball holder does not allow such a seal.

It is known in the state of the art to associate a cap with the ball dispenser to ensure a seal. The cap thus associated is tightly connected to the bottle or creates a pressure on the ball, which ensures a seal at the dispensing orifice which forms a seat for the ball. However, a cap linked to the bottle by screwing leads to a large ball end, which is not always desirable, while a cap linked by clipping is unreliable, or difficult to put on and take off.

The invention thus aims to propose a bottle comprising a ball end-piece making it possible to ensure a good seal outside the application phases of the product, and not having the abovementioned drawbacks of the devices known in the prior art.

Thus, the invention relates to a bottle comprising a reservoir having an interior volume adapted to contain a liquid or semi-fluid product and a dispensing head extending projecting from the reservoir along a main axis, said dispensing head comprising an applicator with a ball bearing in which a ball is caged free in rotation and from which a cap of the ball emerges on the side opposite to the reservoir. The bottle has a rotary shutter adapted to cap the ball applicator in a closed position of the bottle, and to be released from said ball applicator for dispensing the product in an open position of the bottle. The rotary shutter is movable in rotation with respect to the rest of the bottle along an axis of rotation perpendicularly crossing said main axis. The ball applicator comprises an applicator body in which the ball holder is mounted in translation along the main axis, and in which an elastic means is interposed between the applicator body and the ball holder. The ball applicator has elastic means and is configured so that the ball can move together with the ball holder along the main axis to assume a retracted position in the dispensing head when the ball applicator by the rotary shutter in the closed position of the bottle, said elastic means being compressed, and to adopt a deployed position outside the dispensing head under the effect of a relaxation of the elastic means when the rotary shutter is released from the ball applicator ..

The use of a rotary shutter thus linked to the rest of the bottle, for example to the reservoir or to the dispensing head (for example to a neck of the bottle), directly above the ball of the ball applicator, allows obtaining the desired seal, without requiring the use of a large applicator. In addition, the shutter is more reliable than a clipped cap, and is captive because linked to the rest of the bottle both when it is closed and open. A configuration in which the elastic means is interposed between an applicator body and the ball holder allows the use of a simple and reliable elastic means (for example a coil spring), which is not exposed to the product delivered; It also allows significant movement of the ball between the closed position of the bottle and its deployed position. This makes it possible to obtain a bottle which is both compact when closed and which allows easy application of the product when the ball is deployed.

The ball holder can comprise a product supply duct extending along the main axis in the direction of the interior volume and the applicator body can comprise an upper volume separated from the interior volume of the reservoir by a partition comprising in its centers a well which is closed in the lower part by a bottom, the walls of the well comprising at least one lumen, said bottle being configured so that when it is in the closed position the supply conduit closes said lumen and when it is in the open position said light is released.

The elastic means can for example be a helical spring. The rotary shutter may include a cap in which is disposed a shutter element having a concavity of shape complementary to that of the cap of the ball projecting from the ball holder. The closure element may include a resilient element.

The shutter element may have chamfered edges parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotary shutter, the chamfers thus formed coming into contact with the ball when passing from the open position to the closed position.

The tank may have an external shape of revolution, said axis of rotation of the rotary shutter being coincident with an axis of revolution of the outside shape of the tank. The reservoir may in particular have an external shape of cylinder whose height is less than or equal to its radius. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the description below.

In the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples:

- Figure 1 shows in a schematic view in three dimensions a bottle according to an embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 2 shows in a side view the bottle of Figure 1 in the closed position;

- Figure 3 shows in a view similar to that of Figure 2, the bottle of Figures 1 and 2 in the open position;

- Figure 4 shows in a sectional view the bottle of Figures 1 to 3 in the closed position;

- Figure 5 is a detail view of Figure 4;

- Figure 6 shows in a sectional view the bottle of Figures 1 to 5 in the open position;

- Figure 7 is a detail view of Figure 6; and

- Figure 8 shows, in a detailed sectional view, the ball applicator of the bottle of Figures 1 to 7, when passing from the open position to the closed position of the bottle. Figure 1 shows a bottle according to a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the invention. The bottle includes a reservoir 1 which can contain a liquid or semi-fluid product. The bottle which is the subject of the invention is in particular intended to contain a perfume or a cosmetic, toilet or care product.

The reservoir of the bottle which is the subject of the invention can thus have a capacity (interior volume intended to receive the product) of between 10 ml and 500 ml, in particular 20 ml, 35 ml, 75 ml, 100 ml, or 200 ml.

In the example shown here, the reservoir has a flattened cylindrical shape of revolution. The flattened qualifier indicates that the cylinder has a disc shape, or a height H of small dimension compared to its diameter. Typically, the reservoir 1 has a thickness (corresponding to the height H of the cylinder which defines it) less than or equal to its radius r.

The bottle also comprises a dispensing head 2. The dispensing head 2 is positioned on the edge of the tank 1 of the bottle shown here, that is to say on the side wall 3 of the cylindrical tank 1 from which it projects. . The dispensing head 2 comprises a neck 4 in which a ball applicator 5 is assembled. The dispensing head extends in a general direction of extension which materializes a main axis A of the bottle.

In order to cover the ball applicator 5 in order to seal the bottle, the bottle which is the subject of the invention comprises a rotary shutter 6, that is to say movable in rotation with respect to the rest of the bottle, and the operation of which is described in more detail below.

The rotary shutter essentially consists of a cap movable in rotation relative to the rest of the bottle, that is to say relative to the reservoir 1 as in the embodiment shown where where appropriate relative to the dispensing head 2 The rotary shutter has the general shape of an arch comprising two uprights 7 linked together by a crosspiece forming a cap 8.

The uprights 7 are linked to the rotating tank 1. This makes it possible to switch the rotary shutter 6 between a closed position of the bottle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and an open position of the bottle shown in particular in FIG. 3.

In the closed position, the rotary shutter 6 is aligned with the main axis P, so that the cover 8 covers the ball 5. In the open position, the rotary shutter 6 can have any position in which it does not cover the ball applicator, that is to say any position in which the ball applicator is released and allows the application of the product present in the bottle. In other words, the angular position of the rotary shutter 6 relative to the main axis A is not necessarily unique. The angular position of the rotary shutter is in particular defined by the angle a between the main axis A and the axis connecting the point of section between the axis of rotation of the rotary shutter and said main axis and the center of the cover 8 of the rotary shutter 6.

A preferred and stable open position can be defined, according to a variant not shown, by a notch formed between the rotary shutter 6 and the reservoir 1.

In the embodiment shown, the axis of rotation R of the rotary shutter coincides with the axis of revolution of the reservoir 1. In the open position of the bottle, the rotary shutter can have any angular position in which it does not cover the ball applicator 5. In particular, due to the shape of revolution of the reservoir, the rotary shutter can be rotated 360 ° in order to open and then close the bottle. The user can position the rotary shutter in the angular position which seems to him most suitable for the application of the product.

FIG. 4 corresponds to the bottle of FIG. 2, in the closed position, seen in section along a transverse plane P shown in FIG. 1. The reservoir 1, which has a generally cylindrical exterior shape, provides an interior volume 9 intended to contain the product, liquid or semi-fluid, to be dispensed. An inner wall 10 provides a passage for a shaft 1 1 of the rotary shutter 6, the shaft 1 1 coinciding with the axis of rotation R.

Figure 5 is a detail view of Figure 4, at the level of the ball applicator 5. The ball applicator comprises a ball 12, which is held in a ball holder 13. The ball 12 is fixed in translation in the ball holder 13 but it can freely rotate there. The ball 12 is thus housed in the ball holder 13. A cap 14 of the ball protrudes, or emerges, from an upper face 15 of the ball holder 13. The upper face 15 is typically materialized by a lip 16 for holding the ball 12 in the ball holder 13. The cap 14 corresponds to the application surface of the ball applicator, that is to say the surface which can be brought into contact with, for example, the skin of the user in order to apply the product to it. The ball holder 13 comprises a supply conduit 17. The supply conduit 17 allows the ball 12 to be supplied with product from the reservoir 1. In particular, the supply conduit 16 opens into the ball holder 13 so as to load the surface of the ball 12 with product, this surface loaded with product being able to pass into the emerged part of the ball (cap 14) under the effect of a rotation of the ball in the ball holder 13.

The supply duct 17 is typically centered on the main axis A. The ball holder is mounted movable in translation along the main axis

A, in an applicator body 18.

The applicator body 18 is permanently fixed in the neck 4 of the bottle. The applicator body 18 has an upper volume 19 in which the ball holder 13, and therefore corollarily the ball, can translate. The movement of the ball holder in the applicator body is limited in depression or retraction (that is to say towards the inside of the reservoir 1) by a bearing surface 20 forming a stop for a lower surface 21 of the ball holder 13, and in deployment by an upper ring 22 forming a stop for a flange 23 of the ball holder 13.

The applicator body is configured so that its upper volume 19 is separated from an optional lower volume 24, and therefore from the interior volume of the reservoir by a partition 25 having at its center a well 26 which is closed in the lower part by a bottom 27, the walls of the well comprising at least one lumen (that is to say a through orifice). When the bottle is in the closed position, the supply duct 17 closes the lights of the well, and when it is in the open position, the lights are released. This improves the tightness of the bottle. An elastic element, namely in the example shown a helical spring 28, tends to put the ball holder 13 and the ball 12 in the deployed position, in which the flange 23 is supported under the upper ring 22. Thus, the holder ball 13 and ball 12 adopt the deployed position, illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 described below, under the effect of the elastic element, in the absence of other mechanical stresses exerted on the ball 12 or the ball holder 13.

Thus, the retracted position shown in Figure 5 must be maintained under the effect of a restoring force pushing the ball towards the tank 1. The restoring force is typically exerted by the rotary shutter 6 (in particular when it covers the ball applicator as shown in FIG. 4. For the clarity of the figures, the rotary shutter is not shown in the FIG. 5.

In the closed position of the bottle, the helical spring 28 is compressed between the underside 21 of the ball holder 13 and a surface of the applicator body 18.

The rotary shutter thus presses on the ball 12 when the bottle is in the closed position. To this end, the cap 8 comprises a closure element 29, in which is formed a concavity 30 of shape complementary to that of the cap 14 of the ball 12 projecting from the ball holder 13.

This complementary shape allows the shutter member 29 to bear on the upper face 15 of the ball holder when the ball is engaged in its concavity 30, which seals the bottle when it is in the closed position. The interaction between the ball and the cavity also keeps the shutter in a stable angular position when the bottle is closed.

The closure element 29 is ideally formed from a resilient material, which improves the tightness of the bottle and facilitates the passage between the open position and the closed position of the bottle.

In the open position illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rotary shutter 6 has been released from the dispensing head 2 and in particular from the ball applicator 5. By relaxing, the helical spring 28 pushes the ball holder 13 and the ball 12 in the deployed position, in which the flange 23 of the ball holder 13 is supported under the upper ring 22 of the applicator body 18. This deployed position offers the user greater ease of application, as well as the flexibility offered by the helical spring which is appreciable during application. Furthermore, placing the ball applicator in the deployed position clears the supply conduit 17 from the lumens formed in the well 26 of the applicator body 18, which allows the product from the product to pass through the supply conduit 17. tank 1 and the supply of product to the surface of the ball 12.

Figure 8 shows, in a detailed sectional view, the ball applicator of the bottle of Figures 1 to 7, when passing from the open position to the closed position of the bottle.

In Figure 8, the ball applicator 5 is in the retracted position. The transition from the deployed position to the retracted position is facilitated by chamfers 31 formed on the cover 8. In particular, the closure element 29 has chamfered edges parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotary shutter, so that the chamfers 31 thus formed come into contact with the ball holder and / or the ball when passing from the open position to the closed position. More specifically, the chamfers 31 are positioned and configured so that they form the first surface in contact with the ball applicator when the bottle is closed, so as to orient the force resulting from this contact substantially towards the inside the bottle, and thus facilitate retraction of the ball holder 13 and the ball 12.

Alternatively, the chamfers 31 can be replaced by other shapes making it possible to prevent a sharp stop of the sealing means 29 from coming into contact with the ball 12. For example rounding or fillets can be formed.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, it is obviously not limited to this single embodiment.

In particular, a particular form of reservoir has been described in detail, but other forms can be envisaged in the context of the present invention, in particular any form of revolution including the sphere, an oval shape. or ovoid, a parallelepiped shape whether or not surmounted by a rounded shape such as a half disc, etc.

The shaft 11 can alternatively be replaced by two cylindrical studs formed on the inner faces (located towards the reservoir 1) of the uprights 7 of the rotary shutter 6, so as to be introduced on either side of the passage formed by the inner wall 10. In this case, the passage can be replaced by two cavities formed in the wall of the reservoir 11. Other means allowing the rotation of the rotary shutter are still possible without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, a circular boss or an arc of a circle can be formed on each of the interior faces of the uprights 7. The boss is engaged in a groove, circular or in an arc of a circle, of corresponding radius and formed in the wall of the tank 1.

Likewise, the axis of rotation of the rotary shutter can be formed at any part of the bottle, in particular the dispensing head.

The coil spring of the embodiment described above can be replaced by any suitable elastic means, including leaf springs and elements made of resilient materials such as rubber or silicone, or may have a different arrangement from that presented in the 'invention.

In addition, the bottle may have a ball applicator of which only the ball (and not the assembly comprising the ball and the ball holder) is movable between the open position and the closed position. The bottle may have a fixed ball applicator, the resilient or movable elements allowing the closure and sealing of the bottle being carried over into the cap of the rotary shutter. The bottle thus developed in the invention offers, thanks to the use of a rotary shutter, a compact and sealed ball applicator when the bottle is in the closed position, while benefiting from great ease of use. It also has the advantage of offering a captive shutter. Finally, the alternative to the plugs known in the prior art offered by the object of the present invention makes it possible, according to certain embodiments, to obtain a bottle having a distinctive aesthetic and attractive to the user.

Claims

1. Bottle comprising a reservoir (1) having an interior volume (9) adapted to contain a liquid or semi-fluid product and a dispensing head (2) projecting from the reservoir along a main axis (A), said dispensing head (2) comprising a ball applicator (5) comprising a ball holder (13) in which a ball (12) is caged free in rotation and from which a cap (14) of the ball emerges on the side opposite to the reservoir ( 1),

the bottle comprising a rotary shutter (6) adapted to cover the ball applicator (5) in a closed position of the bottle, and to be released from said ball applicator (5) for dispensing the product in an open position of the bottle , the rotary shutter (6) being movable in rotation with respect to the rest of the bottle along an axis of rotation (R) perpendicularly crossing said main axis (A), characterized in that the ball applicator (5) comprises an applicator body (18) in which the ball holder (13) is mounted in translation along the main axis (A), the ball applicator (5) comprising an elastic means interposed between the applicator body ( 18) and the ball holder (13),

and the ball applicator being configured so that the ball (12) can translate jointly with the ball holder (13) along the main axis (A) to assume a retracted position in the dispensing head (2) when the ball applicator (5) is capped by the rotary shutter (6) in the closed position of the bottle, said elastic means being compressed, and to adopt a deployed position outside the dispensing head (2) under the effect relaxation of the elastic means when the rotary shutter (6) is released from the ball applicator (5).

2. Bottle according to claim 1, in which the ball holder (13) comprises a supply duct (17) for the product extending along the main axis (A) in the direction of the interior volume (9) and the applicator body (18) has an upper volume (19) separated from the interior volume (9) of the reservoir (1) by a partition (25) having in its center a well (26) which is closed in the lower part by a bottom (27), the walls of the well (26) comprising at least one lumen, said bottle being configured so that when it is in position closed the supply duct (17) closes said light and when in the open position said light is released.

3. Bottle according to one of the preceding claims, in which the elastic means is a helical spring (28).

4. Bottle according to one of the preceding claims, in which the rotary shutter (6) comprises a cap (8) in which is disposed a shutter element (29) comprising a concavity (30) of shape complementary to that of the cap (14) of the ball (12) projecting from the ball holder (13).

5. Bottle according to claim 4, wherein the closure element (29) comprises a resilient element.

6. Method according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the closure element (29) has chamfered edges parallel to the axis of rotation (R) of the rotary shutter (6), the chamfers (31 ) thus formed coming into contact with the ball (12) when passing from the open position to the closed position.

7. Bottle according to one of the preceding claims, in which the reservoir (1) has an external shape of revolution, said axis of rotation (R) of the rotary shutter (6) being coincident with an axis of revolution of the shape tank exterior (1).

8. Bottle according to claim 7, the reservoir (1) of which has an external shape of cylinder whose height is less than or equal to its radius (r).