FR2646147A1 - Container neck with automatic simultaneous opening and closing - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for automatically opening and closing a bottle. The invention relates to a device making it possible to pour out a liquid contained in a closed bottle 1 by tilting downwards and reclosing it under gravity by returning it to the upright position. It consists of a neck 2 whose orifice 3 extends into a bulge part 4 with a circular cavity 5 and terminating in a funnel 6 containing, in its mouth 9, a sphere 7 provided with a ball 8 which closes it. It is joined to an arm 11 by a ball joint 12 which articulates in a small chamber 13 connected to a lid 16 covering the neck 2 by rods 15 sliding therein. When the bottle is inclined, the liquid pushes the sphere back into the cavity whilst simultaneously lifting the lid, and the liquid flows. The device is intended for automatic opening and closing of containers.

Description

 The present invention relates to a device for opening and closing at will, automatically, a bottle containing a liquid to allow partial or continuous flow of this liquid without any flow constraint.

 Necessarily, the opening and closing of the bottles is carried out by extracting, or by driving a stopper or a capsule into the neck, which requires a physical effort, either of traction, or of pressure on the part of the user. Once removed, some of these caps or capsules cannot be reused and are thrown away. Other devices are dispensers that allow only a limited and programmed quantity of liquid to be drained before closing automatically. On the other hand, it often happens that bottles remain open by forgetfulness, in which case, if rest of the liquid inside, it is in contact with the oxygen of the ambient air and can lose all or part of its specific properties by evaporation, or alteration according to its nature, or else receive impurities likely to contain germs of polluting contamination.

 The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks.

To this end, the bottle it concerns is characterized by an original neck intended to receive an automatic opening and closing means which comprises a tubular orifice 3 on a vertical part extended downwards by a peripheral bulge 4 forming a circular cavity 5 which ends in a funnel 6.
7 the tubular orifice is introduced a hollow, mobile sphere, containing a ball 8 of high density and less volume than the sphere which falls and is held by gravity at the bottom of the neck while being partially housed at about a third of its mass in the mouth 9 of the funnel, hermetically hugging its circumference, completely blocking you.

 When the user tilts the bottle down, the liquid exerts a pushing pressure against the sphere which, leaving the mouth is driven by the rotary gravitational movement of the ball in its space, and will fall and come to rest in any point in the cavity of the peripheral bulge, thus allowing the simultaneous entry of outside air with the continuous flow of the liquid as long as the container remains tilted downward.

 When it returns the bottle to a vertical position on a support, the sphere falls by gravity into the mouth of the funnel and automatically closes it.

According to a preferred embodiment, the neck can receive / double opening and double closing means.

Indeed, the sphere can be connected to a movable assembly which can slide in the tubular orifice by lifting a cover covering the neck. To achieve this objective, the sphere 7 can be connected to a suction cup 10 applied under pressure against its surface. This suction cup is provided with an arm 11 provided at its upper end with a ball joint 12 articulated omnidirectionally, by playing with a slight clearance, in a bowl 13 located in the axis of the neck. This bowl is held laterally on its periphery by horizontal rods 14 radiating in a star to the edge of the inner wall of the tubular orifice, then rise angularly to 900 along this wall in vertical guide rods15 for sliding against: this. These guide rods are fixed and are distribute in a regular angular position around the lower periphery of a cover 16 that they can raise or lower depending on the position occupied by the bottle, to simultaneously open or close the neck and the mouth of the funnel.

 When the user tilts the bottle containing a liquid downwards, the sphere, entrained by the ball, falls by gravity into the bulge cavity under the pressure exerted by the liquid, opening the mouth and simultaneously reflecting the movement of pushing the arm which is articulated in the bowl and pushes back the rods, cover assembly, lifting the latter above the neck to open a free space allowing the entry of air and the continuous flow of the liquid as long as the bottle is tilted.

 The device comprising the bottle and its neck may be made of plastic or mineral material, and the entire mobile device of plastic material only.

 Figure I shows in section the device according to the invention in closing action.

 Figure 2 shows in section the device in opening action.

 Figure 3 shows in section a variant of this device in simultaneous double closing action.

 Figure 4 shows in section the same variant of this device in action of double simultaneous opening.

 The device shown in Figure 1 comprises a vertical bottle 1 provided with a neck 2 having a tubular orifice 3 extended downwards by a peripheral bulge 4 constituting a circular cavity 5 which ends in funnel 6 at the bottom of which is positioned a movable sphere 7 which contains a ball 8, and which closes its mouth 9.

 The device shown in Figure 2 includes the inclined bottle 1, the neck 2 of which contains the sphere 7, provided with the ball 8, positioned in the cavity 5 of the peripheral bulge 4, freeing the opening of the mouth 9 from the funnel 6 to allow the liquid to flow.

 In the preferred embodiment of double closure shown in FIG. 3, the bottle 1 is in the vertical position and comprises a neck 2 containing a sphere 7 positioned in the mouth 9 which closes the bottom of the funnel 6. The sphere 7 is connected to a suction cup 10 provided with a vertical arm ll, provided with a ball joint 12 penetrating into a bowl 13 which has on its periphery horizontal rods 14 rising angularly at 900 along the wall of the tubular orifice 3 to become vertical guide rods 14 connected to a cover 16 closing the neck 2.

 In the preferred embodiment of double opening shown in Figure 4, the sphere with the ball 8, positioned in the cavity 5 of the bulge 4, opens the mouth 9 of the barrel 6.It is connected to the suction cup 10 provided with an arm 11 articulated by the ball joint 12 in the bowl 13. The assembly pushes back the guide rods 14 which slide in the tubular orifice 3 by lifting the cover 16, thus opening the neck 2 while letting the liquid outside.

 Alternatively, the neck can be produced in the form of a straight tubular sleeve 17 provided in its upper edge with several stop lugs 18 distributed horizontally and regularly around its circumference. This sleeve ends in the shape of a barrel 6 and contains a movable sphere 7 which closes by gravity its mouth 9, allowing under the pressure of the liquid to push the sphere 7 against the pins or it stops to let the liquid flow when the container is tilted down.

Figure 5 shows in section a variant of this device
According to another variant1 the neck can be produced independently of the container and comprise at its mouth any means of fixing which may for example be a thread 19 enabling it to adapt to the neck of an existing container.

 Figure 6 shows in section another variant of this device.

The container, emptied of its contents, can be refilled as often as desired by removing the sphere from the neck, either by tilting it upside down or by pulling the cover upwards.

 The device according to the invention is not limiting in its form or its embodiment. It can receive the desired modifications without thereby departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention. For example, in fact, it is obvious that the entire neck can be produced with volumes or lines of different shapes than those which have already been described.

 The device according to the invention is particularly intended for the automatic opening and closing of containers.

 It is also intended to protect liquids by avoiding alteration, evaporation, and pollution due to external agents.

 It can be used in the manufacture of containers, more particularly in the food and chemical industry.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS. 1) Device for automatically opening a closed bottle 1 containing a liquid by tilting it downward to allow the continuous flow of the liquid as long as it remains tilted, then closing it automatically by returning it to the vertical position. In this position, it consists of a neck 2 which has a tubular orifice 3 extended downwards by a peripheral bulge 4 forming a circular cavity 5 ending in a funnel 6 in the mouth 9 of which is housed by gravity a movable sphere 7 which closes it, re} iee itself to a mobile assembly ending in a cover I6 which covers the neck 2. 2) Device according to the preceding claim characterized in that the tilting movement is an open position which causes the pressure of the liquid against the sphere 7 to push it back and make it fall by gravity into the bulge 4 at any point of the cavity 5 to allow the liquid to flow through the mouth 9 of the funnel 6 and the orifice 3. 3) Device according to claims lou 2 characterized in that the sphere 7 automatically transmits the pushing and falling movement to a suction cup 10 extended by an arm 11 provided with a ball 12 which is articulated omnidirectionally by playing in a bowl I3 connected to horizontal rods 14 which rise to 900 in vertical guide rods 15 fixed under a cover I6. 4) Device according to claims 1 or 3 characterized in that the guide rods 15 are intended to slide along the wall of tubular orifice 3 to be able to raise or lower the cover 16 in order to open or close orifice 3 of the neck 2 , depending on the position occupied by the bottle 1. 5) Device according to claims 1, 2, and 3 characterized in that the sphere 7 contains a ball 8 of high density, intended to move in its space by rotary gravitational movement. 6) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the neck 2 can be produced independently of a container and comprise at the mouth 9 of the funnel 6 any fixing means, for example a thread 19, allowing the fit on the neck of a conventional container. 7) Device according to the preceding claims taken as a whole, characterized in that the neck 2 can be produced in a straight tubular sleeve 17 provided with abutment lugs 18, ending in funnel 6 containing a movable sphere 7.