FR2900909A1 - Closure for e.g. sauce recipient, has seal releasing upper orifice when it is disintegrated from wall, and skirt guiding upper piece moved to open position in which orifice is superimposed with lower orifices to form passage to pour content - Google Patents

Abstract

The closure has a monoblock upper piece including an upper wall (323) with a divisible membrane seal (325) releasing an upper orifice when the seal is disintegrated from the wall. An upper skirt (214) rotatably guides the upper piece relative to a monoblock lower piece and a neck of a recipient. The upper piece is moved between a closing position, in which the upper wall closes large and small lower orifices of a closing wall of the lower piece, and an open position in which the upper orifice is superimposed with the lower orifice to form a passage to pour a content from the recipient.

Description

1 Adjustable flow liquid pour cap

  The invention relates to the field of pouring liquid food stoppers such as sauces for seasoning salads. By extension, the invention is also applicable to plugs for the pouring of other liquids such as industrial liquids, especially oils.

  STATE OF THE PRIOR ART In the field of packaging of food or industrial liquids, the stoppers must have a tamper evident indicator which offers the user the possibility of checking whether the stopper has already been used to open the container.

  Patent FR 2,643,875 discloses a plug screwing onto the neck of a container and provided with a breakable lid with a gripping tab that the user pulls in order to clear a pouring orifice. These breakable lids have the advantage of serving as a tamper evidence while ensuring a guarantee of tightness to the cap.

  However these plugs do not allow to obtain an adjustable payment rate. When a seal is released, it releases a hole of determined size that does not allow the possibility of controlling the pouring rate. The user can adjust the flow rate only by adjusting the inclination of the container during pouring.

  Parallel to this, it is known techniques for adjusting the pouring rate of a plug.

  US Pat. No. 4,699,299 discloses a cap of the type comprising: on the one hand a cylindrical lower part screwing onto the neck of a receptacle and closed by a wall located on the opening of the neck of the receptacle and perforated with lower orifices of increasing size; and on the other hand an upper part mounted in rotation about the axis of the lower part and whose top wall is provided with an upper orifice which is aligned with the choice with one or the other of the lower orifices according to the desired payment rate.

  The plug structure, however, provides no protection against dust from the external environment and other impurities that can seep into the upper and lower holes and between the two parts forming the plug. It also contains no tamper evidence. Moreover, in the case of use of moldable food liquid, after the use of this type of plug, there is still a food liquid deposit on the top wall. As this deposit is in contact with the ambient air, it oxidizes and molds or dries quickly. For these reasons, this stopper can not meet the requirements of food hygiene.

  In order to overcome this last disadvantage, patent GB 2 228 474 discloses a stopper for a liquid container of the pharmaceutical type which makes it possible both to regulate the pouring rate and to ensure better hygiene thanks to a closure cap. In particular, the adjustment of the pouring flow of the stopper is effected by means of two shutters hinged on a rod and whose crossing defines the variable opening of the stopper. The patent further teaches using an air intake tube to form the rod, to communicate the interior of the container with the outside and to ensure a more even flow. This plug nevertheless has the disadvantage of not being sanitized with the hood in the open position. Aseptic liquid can indeed infiltrate between the two shutters shutter to flow inside the container. In addition, this cap has no tamper evidence. Finally, its realization is complex and expensive, so poorly suited to consumer products.

  Object of the invention The invention proposes to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art identified above. In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a simple construction plug, provided with a tamper evidence and a device for regulating the pouring rate, and which meets high requirements in terms of hygiene and / or non-contamination. To this end, it is proposed according to the invention a plug of the type adapted to be fixed on the neck of a container, said cap comprising: - a monobloc lower part comprising -a closure wall provided with at least one lower orifice and holding means for fixing said closure wall in rotation relative to the neck of the container, and - a monobloc upper part comprising: - an upper wall covering the closure wall and provided with at least one breakable lid releasing an upper orifice when it is disengaged from the upper wall, and - a translational fixing means of the upper piece relative to the lower part and / or the neck of the container, the lower piece and the upper piece further comprising means for rotational guidance of the upper part relative to the lower part about a geometric axis substantially perpendicular to the closure wall, the upper part which can be positioned between at least one closure position in which the upper wall at least partially encloses the lower orifice, and an open position in which the upper orifice is superimposed with the lower orifice to form at least one passage allowing pouring the contents of the container.

  Thus, the stopper according to the invention can undergo an aseptic treatment without the aseptic liquid entering the stopper because the upper wall of the stopper is completely sealed before opening, that is to say before the breakable cap is not separated from the wall. Furthermore, the breakable seal itself is a witness of inviolability: the user can directly check if the seal has been detached from the upper wall. Finally, the user can rotate the upper part relative to the lower part 4 to totally or partially juxtapose the upper orifice with the lower orifice or holes so as to regulate the pouring flow of the plug.

  According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the upper piece may have a side skirt whose lower portion comprises on its inner surface a detent notch adapted to cooperate with a projecting radial flange of a container neck. This arrangement makes it possible to fix the upper part and the lower part in translation on the neck of the container. In particular, the lower part is held between the neck of the container and the upper part.

  Preferably, the upper monobloc piece further comprises a cap hinged by a hinge allowing a movement of the cap relative to the upper wall between a closed position and an open position. Thus, when the cap is in the closed position, the top wall is protected from the outside environment. Residual liquid remaining on the upper wall after pouring is protected from the ambient air. This additional function is achieved without increasing the number of pieces.

  The upper piece may advantageously be provided with a spout protruding from the upper wall. In this case, it is particularly advantageous to provide that the cap is provided with an inner skirt intended to cooperate by wedging with the spout when the cap is in the closed position, which allows a particularly simple mounting of the cap.

  According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the means for guiding the upper part in rotation relative to the lower part comprise an upper skirt projecting from the closure wall and cooperating with an annular groove of complementary shape formed by the upper room. This arrangement makes it possible to guide the upper part in rotation while keeping a good seal between the lower part and the upper part.

  According to a variant of the invention, the closure wall comprises two lower orifices located on either side of a central axis of the closure wall, the upper orifice being juxtaposed simultaneously with the two lower orifices when the upper part is positioned in open position. This variant 5 dedicates one of the lower orifices to the pouring of the liquid contained in the container, and the other lower orifice to the air intake, which makes it possible to obtain a more regular pouring flow rate.

  According to another variant of the invention, the upper piece can be positioned in at least one intermediate position between the open and closed position in which the upper wall partially encloses the lower orifice. Depending on the different possibilities of juxtaposition of the upper orifice with the lower orifice or openings, the user can adjust the pouring rate of the plug.

  According to another embodiment, the closure wall comprises several pairs of lower openings of different sections; the upper orifice having a shape determined so as to release only a couple of lower ports at a time. By choosing the lower pair of holes on which the upper orifice will be juxtaposed, the user can adjust the pouring rate of the cap.

  Advantageously, the closure wall comprises a plurality of lower orifices of different sections. Depending on the different possibilities of juxtaposition of the upper orifice with the lower openings, the user can adjust the pouring rate of the plug.

  According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, the cap is provided with a spout in order to improve the pouring of the liquid contained in the container.

  According to an advantageous aspect of the invention, a food container is provided with a stopper according to one of the preceding variants or embodiments.

Description of the drawings

  Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a cap according to an embodiment of the invention;

  - Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a lower part of the plug 10 of Figure 1;

  - Figure 3 shows a sectional view of the plug of Figure 1 according to its plane of symmetry;

  FIGS. 4A and 4B each have a perspective view of the stopper of FIG. 1 without breakable pellet;

  - Figure 5 shows a top view of the cap, in the open position; Figure 6 shows an overall view of the cap mounted on a container. Mode of realization

  With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the plug 1 consists of two parts: the lower part 2 and the upper part 3. The bottom part 2 is molded in one piece and has a closure wall 21 substantially of the shape of a cone whose axis of revolution coincides with the axis of revolution of the neck of the container and whose tip is directed towards the bottom of the container. The lower part 2 also comprises two lower skirts 212, 213 coaxial 30 separated by a shoulder 211, the rim of the neck of the container being sealingly inserted between the two skirts and bear against the shoulder. The lower part 2 further comprises an upper skirt 214 having an axis of revolution coinciding with that of the closure wall 21 and projecting from the closure wall 21 in a direction substantially opposite to the lower skirts 212, 213.

  The lower wall is provided with a large orifice 215 and a small orifice 216, visible in FIG. 2. The large orifice 215 is of substantially oval shape and extends over approximately 35% of the surface of the wall. shutter 21. The center of the large orifice 215 is eccentric with respect to the center of the closure wall 21.

  The small orifice 216 is substantially round in shape and extends over approximately 15% of the surface of the closure wall 21. The center of the small orifice is diametrically opposed to the center of the large orifice 215.

  The upper part 3 is molded in one piece and consists of a base 32 and a cap hinged by a hinge 33 to the base 32. The hinge 33 allows the cap 31 to move relative to the base 32 between closed and open positions. The base 32 of the upper part 3 covers the entire lower part 2 and comprises an annular groove 321 in which the upper skirt 214 is inserted to guide the upper part in rotation. The base 32 further comprises a side skirt 322 whose lower part facing the bottom of the container comprises on its inner surface an annular rib 3221 forming a detent notch adapted to cooperate with a radial collar 3222 projecting from the outer wall of the base of the neck of the container. The rib 3221 allows, in combination with the annular groove 321, to maintain the upper piece 3 fixed in translation on the neck of the container, while leaving the upper piece 3 free to rotate along the axis of revolution of the neck of the container.

  The lower part 2 is held fixed in translation by the upper part 3 30 and its lower skirts 212, 213 and held fixed in rotation by friction, clamping or by a relief formed on the neck of the bottle.

  The base is also provided with an upper transverse wall 323 which covers the closure wall 21. This wall 323 has a conical shape complementary to the closure wall 21, so that the interspace between the two walls is reduced to a minimum and is provided with a shut-off cap 325. A gripping ring 327 is connected to the breakable lid 325 to allow the user to tear the breakable lid 325 from the upper piece to releasing from the surface of the upper piece 3 an upper orifice 326 of sufficient size to cover the two lower orifices 215, 216 at a time when they are juxtaposed one on the other (FIG 4A).

  The upper wall 323 has a spout 324 pointing on the side radially opposite the hinge 33.

  The cap 31 is provided with an inner skirt 311 intended to cooperate by wedging with the spout 324 when the cap 31 is in the closed position.

  The hinge 33 consists of three straps (Fig. 5): The central strap 331 has the function of articulating the cap 31 relative to the base 32 in an elastic manner by reminding the cap to the closed position, while the two straps lateral 332 have the function of creating a top dead center, beyond which the cap 31 can be positioned stably in the open position.

  Thus, the user has the possibility of subjecting the upper part 3 a rotational movement about its axis relative to the lower part 2 to completely juxtapose the upper orifice 326 on the lower orifices 215, 216 so that that they are not closed and that the large lower orifice 215 serves to pour the liquid from the container and that the small orifice 216 is used for the return air (Figure 4A).

  The user also has the possibility of juxtaposing the upper orifice 326 on the lower orifices 215, 216 so that the small orifice 216 serves to pour the liquid from the container and the large lower orifice 215 serves for the resumption of air (Fig. 4B). In this case, the payment rate is reduced. The user finally has the possibility of partially juxtaposing the upper orifice 326 on the lower orifices 215, 216 so that these are partially closed and the pouring rate is reduced.

  According to one variant, the lower orifices 215, 216 are of sufficiently small size that the lid 325 can cover the two orifices 215, 216 at a time and that it is possible, after tearing of the separable lid 325, to make rotate the upper piece 3 so that the upper wall 324 completely closes the lower holes 215, 216.

  According to another embodiment, the breakable lid 325 does not completely cover the lower orifices 215, 216 when they are juxtaposed one on the other. According to another embodiment, the closure wall 323 comprises several pairs of lower orifices 215, 216. The upper orifice 326 having a shape determined so as to be able to juxtapose only in a manner to release only a couple of lower holes at a time. According to another embodiment, the upper wall comprises several breakable lids 325.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiments described. The lower part 2 is held fixed in translation by the upper part 3 and its lower skirts 212, 213 are held fixed in rotation by friction with the neck of the bottle. However, the lower part 2 can also be held fixed in rotation by gluing, welding or by means of a stop 30 formed on the lower part 2 cooperating with a notch formed on the neck of the container.

  The hinge 33 may be composed of one or more strips or else by a butterfly hinge.

Claims (11)

  1 - Cap (1) of the type adapted to be fixed on the neck of a container, said cap comprising: - a lower piece (2) monobloc comprising - a closure wall (21) provided with at least one lower orifice (215, 216) and holding means for fixing said closure wall (21) in rotation relative to the neck of the container, and - an upper piece (3) comprising: - an upper wall (323) covering the wall shutter (21) and provided with at least one breakable lid (325) giving off an upper orifice (326) when it is detached from the upper wall (323), and means for fixing the upper piece in translation ( 3) with respect to the lower part (2) and / or the neck of the container, the upper part (3) further comprising means (214) for guiding the upper part (3) in rotation relative to the lower part ( 2) and / or at the neck of the container, around a geometric axis substantially perpendicular to the p closing piece (21), the upper piece (3) being able to be positioned between at least one closed position in which the upper wall (3) at least partially encloses the lower orifice (215), and an open position wherein the upper orifice (326) is superimposed with the lower orifice (215) to form at least one passage for the pouring of the contents of the container.   2 - Stopper according to claim 1 wherein the upper part (3) comprises a side skirt (322) whose lower portion comprises on its inner surface a detent (3221) adapted to cooperate with a flange (3222) projecting radial of a container neck. 11   3 - Stopper according to claim 1 or claim 2, further characterized in that the one-piece upper part (3) further comprises a cap (31) hinged by a hinge (33) allowing a movement of the cap (31) relative at the upper wall (323) between a closed position and an open position.   4 - Stopper according to the preceding claim further characterized in that the upper piece (3) is provided with a spout (324) projecting from the upper wall (323), the cap being provided with an inner skirt (311) intended to cooperate by wedging with the spout (324) when the cap (31) is in the closed position.   5 - cap according to any one of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the means (214) for guiding the upper part (3) in rotation relative to the lower part (2) comprises an upper skirt (214) making protruding from the closing wall (21) and cooperating with an annular groove (321) of complementary shape formed by the upper piece (3).   6 - Stopper according to one of the preceding claims further characterized in that the closure wall (21) has two lower openings (215, 216) located on either side of a central axis of the wall of closing (21) the upper orifice (326) juxtaposed with the two lower orifices (215, 216) when the upper piece (3) is positioned in the open position.   7 - Stopper according to one of the preceding claims further characterized in that the upper piece (3) can be positioned in at least one intermediate position between the open and closed positions, wherein the upper wall (3) partially closes the lower orifice (216).   8 - cap according to one of the preceding claims further characterized in that the closure wall (323) comprises several pairs of lower openings (215, 216); the upper orifice (326) having a specific shape of 1012 so that it can only be juxtaposed in such a way as to disengage a pair of lower orifices at a time.   9 - Stopper according to one of the preceding claims further characterized in that the closure wall (21) has a plurality of lower orifices of different sections.   10 - Stopper according to one of the preceding claims further characterized in that the upper part is provided with a spout (324).   11 - Container provided with a cap (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.