FI91235C - Packaging for liquid detergent and process for its use - Google Patents

Description

91235

This invention belongs to the packaging sector of liquid products and more particularly relates to such type of packages, the amount of which contains a measured amount of product. The invention also relates to the application of such a package for washing linen.

It will first be recalled that the applicant company is already the owner or holder of many patent applications, which may be referred to to illustrate the state of the art.

Application FR 84 / 06,151, extended on 18 April 1984, entitled "Process for washing linen in a machine with liquid detergent and 15 devices for its application" relates in particular to an apparatus which is generally refillable and which tSy-tetSSn first with liquid detergent and then placed in the drum of the machine together with the linen to be washed. The detergent contained in the appliance gradually spreads to the detergent and to the linen placed in the machine. In the EraSssS embodiment, the device provides a filling opening and a reiclt for intermittently fasting the liquid to the cloth-25 during the washing operation.

Patent application FR 84 / 13,210, filed August 24, 1984, "A device for washing in a machine with a detergent liquid and a process employing the said device" (device for washing a machine with a liquid detergent and a process in which said device is used) relates to a device of the above type which More specifically, it is characterized in that it has a substantially spherical shape. MSSrStty maSrS openings fasting liquid spread.

2 Patent application FR 85 / 05,069, filed on 3 April 1985, entitled "Packaging container with an incorporated dispenser, in particular for liquid products" (packaging container for liquid products, to which a dispenser is connected) relates to a silicide comprising a detachable dispenser, which works in conjunction with the closure device with which the sail5 is provided in a conventional manner. This dispensing device also preferably operates in accordance with the teachings of the two aforementioned claims. Certain embodiments are described to illustrate a removable bracket for a dispenser on top of a liquid product container.

The shape of the containers containing detergent additives may vary widely and attempts are made to find packages that are easy to handle while being easy to store and take up as little space as possible. From the TastS point of view of the bays, a jerry-jug-type cone is particularly suitable. It is also necessary to satisfy the requirements laid down, in particular in marketing where it may be desired to provide consumers with packages containing a single measured mSarå detergent.

As used in this specification, the word "jer-rikannu" has no limiting meaning, but means any generally flat-shaped silo.

Continuing its work in the sector of dispensers and related silos, the applicant company has now developed liquid detergents for packaging, which offers a solution to the technical problems just mentioned.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a package for liquid detergents, which in combination comprises a jug jug provided with a removable closure and is preferably designed to contain the opening when it cooperates with the periphery of the opening, said device consisting of a frame made of a flexible, bellows-shaped material and a dispensing means integrally connected to the body, with openings, retaining means which act so that when the dispensing means is mounted, through the openings of the jerry jug, while the bellows remain in a pleated form in the vicinity of the opening, the dispensing device then being substantially within the thickness of the jerry jug.

The first part of the combination forming the package of the invention is a jerry jug which is conventionally used, for example, for petroleum products such as petrol-15. However, in view of the popular sector of the application of the invention, the jerry jug is made of a plastic compatible with liquid detergents, for example polyethylene. In addition to the flat shape of the Jerrikann, there is another particular advantage, namely that it is designed to contain preferably a single measured amount of detergent, i.e. an amount of detergent with which one washing operation can be performed. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the jerry jug is small in size and may be 1-25 to 3 cm thick.

In order to be able to attach the dispensing device according to the invention, the jerry jug has an opening which passes directly through it. To facilitate manufacture, this opening is preferably round, although this shape is by no means critical. The jerry jug has a jacket made on each side surface surrounding the opening, which sinks into the thickness of the jerry jug.

Another part of the combination which is the subject of the invention is a dispensing device, the operation of which has already been disclosed in the aforementioned patent applications. In other words, this device 4 is intended to be filled with a liquid detergent so that it then enters the drum of the machine together with the linen to be washed. Thanks to the openings with which the appliance is equipped, it allows the detergent 5 to gradually distribute in the linen.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, this dispensing device is suitable for a jerry jug which contains a liquid detergent and has an opening which can act as a container for said device. Tata vårten is a bellows-shaped frame made of or-10 wooden material in the device, which can be folded on top of each other. This body is made as an integral part of a unit which forms a distribution means which has already been described and described in the aforementioned FR patent applications. This additional unit comprises a central filling opening as well as a defined number of holes which facilitate the distribution of the liquid detergent during the washing step. As is already known, a unit has been added which is additionally designed to allow easy adhesion.

20 When the bellows are pleated, others say when the dispenser is not full, it takes up very little space because the walls of the bellows are against each other.

In the embodiment provided by the invention, the bellows folded in this way are placed in the vicinity of the jug of the jerry jug. The body of the dispenser is preferably substantially spherical when applied. Thereafter, the body is flattened in its pleated form to form a thin, circular portion. The diameter of the opening in Jerrikann is such that the distribution unit escapes freely through its opening, while the jacket surrounding the opening acts as a silo for the folded bellows. Therefore, the pleated bellows and the jerry jug fit together in the area of the round opening.

The size of the pleated dispenser corresponds to the pleated bellows and the height of the added unit. This size 91235 5 is substantially the same as the thickness of the jerry jug, so that when the device is mounted on the jerry jug, it substantially sinks to that thickness. In the pleated form, the thickness of the device should not be excessive with respect to the jerry jug, but an excess thickness of about 10% is perfectly acceptable.

Plastic bottles which can be folded onto themselves are already known from the prior art (see, for example, EP patent application published under number 0 164 173).

The invention makes use of a known method, but adapts it to the requirements for a device used in a linen washing machine.

The material from which the body of the dispenser is made should be chosen so that the dispenser can be easily folded back into the shape of a bellows when it has to be flat with a jerry jug. It is preferred that when said device is detached from the jerry jug, it automatically becomes substantially spherical with the bellows then spread, so that the device can be filled with a liquid detergent in the jerry jug or other usable silo.

For this reason, there is a unit that encloses the dispensing means, preferably an added unit made of a material that is stiffer than the bellows body. Suitable materials include, for example, polyethylenes and polyesters, as well as combinations of these materials with or without additives.

It should be noted, however, that it is not absolutely essential that the bellows can spread automatically when the dispenser is released from the wash in the jug. In fact, it is entirely possible to provide a device which is intended to receive a liquid-like detergent and which, due to its bellows structure, assumes its spread only when the detergent is fed, without this shape itself forming a front cover.

6

In its last occurrence, the package according to the invention also has retaining means which ensure the integral attachment of the device to the jerry jug, and in particular the retention of the bellows in the humidified state. Specialists may choose these fasteners which are not critical. As is well known in the packaging industry, they may be accompanied by a waterproof plastic film. In this case, the film is placed around the jerry jug unit. It is also possible to use 10 suitably shaped sleeves or cardboard boxes which surround the outer parts of the jug and the device. In the same way, fasteners or adhesive tapes can be used to keep the bellows attached and folded into the jerry jug.

Prior to use, the jerry jug is filled with a liquid-15 IS detergent, the size of which is preferably dimensioned for use in one washing operation. The jerry jug is equipped with a dispensing device and is thus as small as possible, since the device does not exceed the thickness of the jerry jug in practice. The person who uses the dispenser for washing the linen takes out the device which holds the device in the jerry jug, thus forming a silo which can be filled with a liquid detergent, which is preferably in the jerry jug. The user can thus place the and-25 winder in the drum of the washing machine together with the laundry to be washed. The contents of the appliance gradually spread from the anion of the dispenser, and this has a positive effect on the washing of the linen.

The invention is further illustrated without any limitation by the description following the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view of the jerry jug.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a dispenser for use with the jerry jug of Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a biscuit-35 ηδη package when the surface of a jerry jug is viewed from the side.

91235 7

Fig. 4 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 3 showing the opposite side of the jerry jug.

For ease of understanding, the Jerri jug and dispensing unit are first shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively, while Figures 3 and 4 show a package according to the invention, said device being then mounted on the jug jug and cooperating therewith.

The jerry jug shown in side in Fig. 1 is generally indicated by reference numeral 1. As shown in Figs. 3 and 10 4, it has a narrow parallelepiped in general shape.

The large surfaces of the jug jug are denoted by reference numerals 2 and 3, respectively, which is why only surface 2 is shown in Fig. 1. The jug jug 1 has a removable plug 4 for filling and emptying the liquid detergent used in the machine washing operation. According to the invention, a dispensing device of the type shown in Fig. 2 is suitable for the jerry jug 1. In this way, there is a circular opening 5 in the body of the jerry jug 1, the circumference of which forms an annular sheath 6 on the fibrous surface 2 and 3 as well, the height 7 (Fig. 3) being substantially half the thickness e of the jerry jug (Fig. 3).

Figure 2 shows in isolation a dispensing device intended to co-operate with the jerry jug of Figure 1. This device, generally indicated by reference numeral 8, comprises a bellows-shaped body 9 made of flexible plastic. Figure 2 shows the body 9 in its normal position, i.e. the walls of the bellows 14 are far enough apart to form a generally spherical interior into which pour.

Attached to the body 9 is an assembly 10 made of a stiffer material. The assembly 10 forms a distribution means similar to that already taught in the FR patent applications mentioned at the beginning of this specification. It also comprises a central opening 11 which can be used for filling, as well as a number of holes 12 which ensure a controlled distribution 8 during use in the washing machine. In addition, the assembly 10 is shaped in such a way that it forms recesses 13 on its circumference, by means of which the device 8 can be gripped when it is filled or handled.

Figures 3 and 4 show a package according to the invention in a position in which the dispensing device 8 is mounted and cooperates with the jerry jug 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the assembly 10 is connected through a circular opening to protrude over the side surface 2 of the jerry jug. As shown in Fig. 4, the body 9 on the side of the second surface 3 is pleated against a sheath 6 located around the opening 5. The device 8 is thus inside the jacket 6 and can be held in the jerry jug in any suitable way, as will be explained later.

It should be noted that the package of the invention retains the flat shape given to it by the jug jug 1.

In fact, the shape of the assembly 10 is chosen so that it does not protrude too much beyond the level of the surface 2. On the opposite surface side, i.e. on the surface 3 side, the walls 14 of the bellows-shaped body 9 are against each other and are in the jacket 6 without protruding substantially over the surface 3. Like TM11S, a package is finally obtained, the thickness of which practically does not exceed the thickness e of the jerry jug 1 (Fig. 3), although the waxy thickness of the upper SS-25 can be quite well accepted.

The holding of the device 8 in place in the jerry jug 1 can be ensured in some suitable way. The drawing of Figures 3 and 4 schematically shows a tape 16 which can be attached to the whole jer of the jerry jug 1 to hold the body 9 firmly in a pleated position against the surface 3 and the assembly 10 against the surface 2. For the sake of clarity of drawing, the tape 16 , as shown in the left half of Figure 3.

The properties of the material forming the body 9 of the device 8 should be chosen so that its flexibility allows it to settle easily in a folded form in a practically flat state, as shown in Fig. 4, while in its normal position shown in Fig. 2 the body 9 rigid enough to keep the device 8 5 upright by itself so that it can be placed on a flat surface. Examples of such materials are, in particular, polyethylenes, polyesters and combinations of these materials with or without additives.

Before using the package according to the invention, the device 8 is first removed from the jerry jug 1, which in the example shown in the drawings is easily done by removing the tape 16. The device 2 can then be placed in the position shown in Fig. 2 so that its bottom rests against the base. or else it can be simply gripped by the recesses 13 in the assembly 10. The liquid detergent can thus be poured through the opening 11 to the height required to fill the device 8. It is advantageous if the amount of this liquid product is 20 contained in the jerry jug 1, and then sufficient when its contents are poured into the device 8. To wash the linen, a device 8 filled with a suitable amount of product is placed .

Figures 1-4 relate to a preferred embodiment, according to which the measured amount of product contained in the jug jug 1 corresponds to one washing operation, so that the user does not in any way inquire about filling the device 8 to the required height. However, it is, of course, possible to use the device 8 after filling it with a liquid detergent taken from other components. Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is also possible to dimension the jug jug 1 so that it contains larger amounts of liquid product than are necessary for one wash.

10

All sorts of means can be used to hold the device 8 in the jerry jug 1, so that the solution shown in Figures 3 and 4, in which tape is used, is an illustrative example only. The combination of the jug and the device can be pitSM together with a thin plastic film or other sheath or holder made of plastic, cardboard or other materials widely used in packaging methods. It is important, however, that the method chosen relates to the advantages of the flat shape of the package.

In addition, one skilled in the art can select all kinds of suitable shapes for the jerry jug as well as the opening therein for the dispenser. Prerequisites In a preferred embodiment, the tSma device is substantially in the shape of a bellows in its normal spread position, it is preferred that the opening in the jerry jug is round, although this is not absolutely essential.

Other alternative forms may be incorporated into the package of the invention without departing from the scope of the kek-20 sinnSn.

Claims (7)

Packaging intended for second aid, characterized in that it comprises, in combination, a can (1) provided with a detachable plug (4) and is preferably planned to contain a measured amount of second aid, through which can ( 1) made an aperture (5), a distribution device (8), which can be placed in the aperture (5), cooperating with the periphery 10 (6) of the aperture (8) formed by a body (9) of a smooth, wavy (14) material and a distribution member (10) integrally connected to the body with openings (11 - 12), tracer (16), which functions so that the distribution means (10) passes through the opening (5) in the can when the device (8) is mounted, while the bulbs (14) remain in the folded form in the vicinity of the aperture, the device (8) being substantially enclosed in the thickness of the spare can. 2. A package according to claim 1, characterized in that the aperture (5) in the can (1) is round and that a strip (6) enclosed in the aperture (5) and around the aperture (1) thickness challenge on curved sides (2 - 3) of the can (1). 3. A package according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the folded state, the walls of the bellows (14) of the body (14) are facing each other, while the body of the developed state is substantially spherical with respect to filling. device. Packaging according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the diameter of the aperture (5) extending in the can (1) is such that it allows the distributing means (10) to pass freely through it, while the rim ( 6) around the opening acts as a container for the fires (14) when these years are in the folded state. 14 Packaging according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the total size of the distributing means (8) in the folded state is substantially saroma soro can (1) thickness (e) or only slightly larger. 6. A package according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the groove means comprises a shrinkable plastic film which can be drawn, a plastic or cardboard carrying sleeve, bandage or tape or similar means (16). Process in connection with the use of a package according to any one of claims 1-6 with regard to two of linen, characterized in that when the package is presented such that the distribution device 15 (8) connects integrally to the can (1) and the body (9). ) is folded, is the device (8) in the can (1) the looseness in the beginning, a required amount of a liquid two-aid means, preferably the amount contained in the can (1) and soro roots answers a two operation, is held in the device 20 (8) , after which the thus filled device is placed in the drum of the machine together with the linen to squeeze the same.