FR3024711A1 - ELEMENT FOR SHUTTING OUT A PRACTICAL OPENING IN A CONTAINER CONTAINING A PRODUCT THAT CAN BE SCRAPED. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assembly comprising: - a container (6) containing a product that can flow, which container has an opening (5) through which said product can flow, - a shutter member adapted to be fixed in a sealed manner at the opening (5) of the container (6), characterized by the fact that: the shutter element is in the form of a flat body (10) of semi-rigid and watertight material, which flat body (10) comprises a flat central zone (12) intended to be placed facing the opening (5) and a flat rim (13) surrounding said central zone (12), - an adhesive (14) is applied continuously on the flat flange (13), which adhesive seals when said flat flange (13) is placed around the opening (5).

Description

ELEMENT FOR SHUTTING OUT A PRACTICAL OPENING IN A CONTAINER CONTAINING A PRODUCT THAT CAN BE SCRAPED. Description Technical Field of the Invention The invention relates to an element for sealing an opening made in a container containing a product that can flow. The present invention will find particular application in the paint and varnish traders and traders of paint tinting machines. It also relates to the field of the plastic industry, in particular the field of the manufacture of shutter element in waterproof plastic material. 20 State of the art. The preparation of colored and customized paints generally comprises the following steps: a) providing a paint container containing a base paint to be tinted, in particular a white or colorless base paint, said container being sealed by a metal lid, 3024711 - 2 - b) practicing / making an opening of generally circular shape in said metal cover, c) adding, via said opening, a dose of tint to the base paint, d) closing said opening by a shutter member whose The function is to provide as much gas and liquid sealing as possible. e) then shake the container vigorously with the aid of an automatic paint stirrer of the gyroscopic stirring type, in order to standardize said dose of hue in the base paint and thus get the desired paint color.

Typically, and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a shutter member for closing the opening 5 made in a paint container cover 4 is of the type having a plastic body 1 comprising: a frustoconical part 2 intended to be introduced into the opening 5, and is, if necessary, provided with fastening means (not shown) of the lug or bead type, for immobilizing it in said opening, and a gripping peripheral flange 3 extending radially at the upper end of the frustoconical portion 2, and having an outer diameter greater than the diameter of the opening 5. Thus, the flange 3 covers the edge of the opening 5 when the shutter member is at level of said opening. A disadvantage associated with this type of shutter element is that the seal is not optimal. Indeed, given the differences in manufacturing tolerance, it is relatively difficult to ensure that the shutter member comes and / or remains permanently in sealing engagement against the opening 5.

In addition, the shutter element being simply put in place by pressing force into the opening 5, it may come out accidentally and cause leakage or loss of paint. In particular: when the paint container 6 is closed and then stirred vigorously with the aid of an automatic stirrer of the gyroscopic type, the paint which it contains exerts on the shutter member a pressure such that said element can be ejected from the opening 5. - Also, when the lid 4 is impacted or impact such that the opening 5 is deformed. This deformation can lead to the removal of the shutter member from said opening 5. The invention aims to remedy this state of affairs. In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a shutter element that allows to guarantee an optimum seal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shutter member that can accommodate a wide variety of opening dimensions and is insensitive to inevitable imperfections and manufacturing tolerances.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a shutter member which allows visual control, especially of the color of the product contained in the container. Another additional object of the invention is to provide a shutter element which can be produced economically in large series and which is particularly simple and reliable.

3024711 4 Disclosure of the invention. The solution proposed by the invention is an assembly comprising: - a container containing a product that can flow, which container has an opening through which said product flows, - a shutter member adapted to be fixed in a sealed manner at the the opening of the container. This assembly is remarkable in that: the shutter element is in the form of a flat body of semi-rigid and watertight material, which body comprises a flat central zone intended to be placed facing the opening and a flat flange surrounding said central area, an adhesive is continuously applied to said flat flange, which adhesive seals when said flat flange is placed around said opening. This solution ensures a reliable and tight closure of the opening made in the container. Moreover, the body of the shutter member is now sufficiently flexible and resistant to not break, especially during the vigorous stirring step. The shutter member according to the invention also has the advantage of adapting to the openings (or orifices) whose diameters are slightly different and / or whose periphery zone is slightly deformed, and thus allow a certain tolerance, particularly when drilling the opening in question.

Other advantageous features of the invention are listed below. Each of these features may be considered alone or in combination with the remarkable features defined above, and may be subject, where appropriate, to divisional patent applications: Preferably, the body of the shutter element is made of plastic material. This plastic material may be chosen from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Advantageously, the central zone is transparent or translucent. The central zone generally has an area greater than or equal to that of the opening to be closed. The central zone may have a thickness E1 ranging from 0.20 mm to 0.45 mm and the flat flange may have a thickness E2 ranging from 0.30 mm to 0.60 mm. The body of the shutter element may be a flat washer whose diameter D is between 40 mm and 120 mm, preferably a diameter of 80 mm. The ratio between the diameter of the central zone and the diameter of said body is preferably between 0.60 and 0.90. The adhesive applied to the flat flange may have a thickness E 3 of less than 0.60 mm. Advantageously, the adhesive applied to the flat flange is a double-sided adhesive. Preferably, this double-sided adhesive having the characteristics comprises an acrylic polymer and has and has: a thickness E3 of between 0.035 mm and 0.45 mm. a peel strength of between 15 N / cm and 55 N / cm as measured according to ASTM-3000 modified, the peel being tested at 180 ° and at a speed of 300 mm / min. 6 - - static shear greater than 10000 min as measured according to ASTM 3654 modified "on stainless steel, bonding surface 3.23 cm2, weight of 1kg".

Another aspect of the invention relates to a shutter member for sealing an opening in a paint pot or varnish cover. This shutter element is remarkable in that it is in the form of a flat body of semi-rigid and waterproof material, which flat body comprises a flat central zone intended to be placed facing the opening 10 and a flat ledge surrounding said central area; and in that an adhesive is continuously applied to said flat flange. Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a method of manufacturing the obturator member according to the present invention, comprising molding said body in one piece. Description of the figures.

Other advantages and features of the invention will appear better on reading the description of a preferred embodiment which will follow, with reference to the appended drawings, carried out as indicative and non-limiting examples and in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a shutter member 25 according to the prior art; - Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of a container provided with the shutter member according to the prior art; FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a shutter element according to the invention; - Figure 4 is a schematic view of the bottom of the shutter member shown in Figure 2 and the flat edge is coated with an adhesive. 5 is a sectional view along the line AA of the shutter member of FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the detail marked B in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a bottom view of FIG. a shutter member according to the invention, in an alternative embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of a container provided with a shutter element according to the invention. Preferred embodiments of the invention

With reference to FIG. 8, the shutter element 10 according to the invention is intended to seal an opening 5 made in the lid 4, in particular metal, of a container 6 containing a product that can flow. .

By "flowable product" is meant according to the present invention any product having the property to flow freely or to marry the shape of its container. As an example of products that can flow can be cited liquid products; viscous products such as paints, varnishes, or others; But also finely divided powdery solids (eg powders). By way of example of container 6 containing a product that can flow, mention may be made of paint or varnish pots and containers having an opening 5 at their lid 4 and containing products, toxic or not. -toxic, sensitive to moisture and / or oxygen, and / or at least one component is volatile (eg solvents). In FIGS. 3 to 8, the obturator element which is the subject of the invention comprises a flat body 10 made of semi-rigid and watertight material, preferably of plastic material.

By "semi-rigid" it should be understood that the flat body 10 retains a flat or substantially planar shape in the absence of substantial stress, and in particular does not deform under the effect of its own weight, but has elastic characteristics sufficient to: bend or deform sufficiently in order to adapt to the opening 5 to be closed, in particular when the zone surrounding said opening is not perfectly flat and / or is slightly deformed, in particular as a result of the stresses ( eg, shocks, drops, gyroscopic agitation) to which the cover 4 and / or the container 6 can be subjected, and to be able to substantially resume its original shape without permanent deformation and without deterioration. Preferably, the body 10 is made of plastic.

By "plastics" is meant any plastic polymer and any mixture of plastic polymers. By way of nonlimiting example of plastic polymers that are suitable for the present invention, mention may be made of polyolefins, such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and low density polyethylene ( LDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE) and high density polyethylene (PEND); vinyl polymers such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC); and thermoplastic polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The best results in terms of sealing, chemical inertia and mechanical strength are obtained when the body 10 is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Moreover, the latter plastic polymers are inexpensive, have a low surface tension and allow to obtain an optimal adhesion with the adhesive 14. The flat body 10 has a first face 11a and a second opposite face 11b 11b to said first face. This second face 11b is intended to cooperate sealingly with the opening 5. The first face 11a may be smooth or rough. It may also, if necessary, carry information, in particular printed information, concerning the product contained in the container 6. By way of examples, such information may include bar codes, product codes (eg reference content, color of content, etc.), manufacturer's mark, etc. The second face 11b has a central zone 12 which faces the opening 5. This second face 11b furthermore has a flat rim 13 surrounding the central zone 12. In FIGS. 3 to 6, this flat rim 13 and circular extends radially around the central zone 12 also circular. The rim 13 is in contact with the cover 4 around the opening 5. It constitutes an extra thickness of material which brings by its presence, to the obturator element object of the invention, an additional resistance to stresses. mechanical devices to which this shutter member and / or the cover 4 may be subjected (eg shocks, drops of the container 6, internal pressure due in particular to solvent vapors that the container 6 may contain, impacts at the lid 4 or the opening 6 made in the lid, etc.). This flat flange 13 may be made of a semi-rigid waterproof material identical to or different from that of the central zone 12. It is advantageously made of the same plastic material as that of the central zone 12. The flat body 10 may be present in any geometrical shape, for example circular (FIGS. 3 and 4), square (FIG. 7), rectangular, polygonal, oval, etc. In practice, its size is adapted to that of the opening 5 to close. The central zone 12 may also be in any geometric shape, for example a circular shape (FIGS. 3 and 4), square (FIG. 7), rectangular, polygonal, oval, etc. In practice, the size of the central zone 12 is adapted to that of the opening 5 to be closed. In the appended figures, the central zone 12 and the body 10 have the same shape, which simplifies the design of the shutter element. However, the central zone 12 and the body 10 may be of different shape. Preferably, the central zone 12 has a substantially greater area, for example at least 1.04 times, at the area of the opening 5.

According to a preferred embodiment, the flat body 10 is in the form of a washer or flat disc. Its diameter D can be between 40 mm and 120 mm. The ratio between the diameter of the central zone 12 and the diameter D of the body 10 may be between 0.60 and 0.90. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the central zone 12 and the rim 13 do not have the same thickness. Preferably, the thickness E1 of the central zone 12 has a value ranging from 0.20 mm to 0.45 mm, and the thickness E2 of the flange 13 has a value ranging from 0.30 mm to 0.60 mm. In practice, for a circular opening 5 having a diameter of at most 60 mm, the body 10 has a diameter D of 80 mm, the central zone 12 has a diameter of 60 mm and a thickness E1 of 0.30 mm and the flat flange 13 has a thickness E2 of 0.45 mm and a diameter corresponding to that of the body 10.

Advantageously, the flat body 10 is transparent or semi-transparent at least at its central zone 12 so that the end user can see and identify the color of the product contained in the container. This transparency can be induced by the nature of the material used and / or the thickness of the central zone 12. Preferably, the flat body 10 is manufactured in one piece by plastic injection molding.

When the material constituting the flat flange 13 is different from that constituting the base of the flat body 10 and / or the central zone 12, two-stage injection molding can be provided in a suitable mold: the first one; 12-step of previously injecting the central zone 12, or the base of the body 10, into the mold, and - the second step of injecting the flat rim 13. In known manner, the two injection steps will be under high speed and high pressure, with closed mold with high or variable closing force. The flat body 10 can also be produced by 3D printing. The obturator element which is the subject of the invention is furthermore provided with an adhesive 14 disposed continuously on the flat flange 13. This adhesive 14 is intended to ensure fast, safe and durable fixing of the flat flange 13 on the peripheral surface of the cover 4 surrounding the opening 5. Such an adhesive 14 also provides airtightness and moisture when the flange 13 is placed around the opening 5.

As shown in Figure 6, the adhesive 14 has a thickness E3. In practice, the latter is less than 0.60 mm. The adhesive 14 is advantageously chosen from: - synthetic adhesives or glues, and - double-sided adhesives, able to offer high resistance to peeling and shearing. As examples of adhesives or synthetic glues Scotch-Weld® cyanoacrylate adhesives sold by the company 3M® can be used. As examples of double-sided adhesives, those belonging to the VHB® series also sold by the company 3M® can be used. Good sealing and adhesion results at both the closure element and the cover are obtained with a double-sided adhesive comprising an acrylic polymer and having the following characteristics: a thickness E 3 of between 0.035 mm and 0.45 mm, a peel strength of between 15 N / cm and 55 N / cm as measured according to ASTM-3000 modified, the peel being tested at an angle of 180 ° and at a speed of 300 mm. / min, static shear greater than 10000 min as measured according to ASTM 3654 modified "on stainless steel, bonding surface 3.23 cm 2, 10 weight of 1 kg". The use of a double-sided adhesive is moreover preferred insofar as their installation is easy, their setting is fast (time <1 minute) and does not require any drying.

In practice, particularly in the case of a double-sided adhesive 14, a removable (or peelable) protective tape, for example a silicone paper tape, is disposed on the outer surface of said adhesive which is intended to be fixed on the peripheral zone surrounding the opening 5. This removable protective tape 20 must be removed before positioning the shutter member. The adhesive 14 can be continuously deposited on the surface of the flat flange 13 by the manufacturer of the body 10, by a manufacturer specializing in adhesives, including double-sided adhesives, or by the end user.

The latter may, for example, have a tube of liquid glue which it applies to the flange 13. It may also have at its disposal a pre-cut double-sided adhesive having the shape of the rim 13, and in particular a crown shape, it will lay all along the flange 13 The establishment of the shutter member according to the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to a paint bucket, without this being possible. be interpreted in a limiting manner. The user of the shutter object of the invention, for example a manufacturer or a paint dealer: 10 - household, using a suitable punching machine, an opening 5 in the metal lid 4 of a container 6 containing a paint whose composition must be modified by the addition of one or more ingredients through the opening 5; depending on the shape and dimensions of said opening, the user selects a shutter element so that the area of the central zone 12 is greater than or equal to the area of said opening; - Then, it applies the shutter member on the cover 4, ensuring that the flat edge 13 coated with the adhesive element 14 is well bonded to the peripheral zone surrounding the opening 5. When the shutter member comprises 20 in addition to a removable protective tape (peelable), it removes the tape prior to the application of said shutter member on the lid 4. The user thus obtains a safe, durable and sealed closure of the opening 5.

From reading the foregoing, it will be understood that the present invention provides an inexpensive, simple, easy-to-use sealed shutter element, and can be economically realized in mass production, particularly because it supports great flexibility in terms of tolerances and does not require complicated tools. The shutter element according to the invention also has the advantage of being thin and flat so as not to prevent the stacking, during storage or transport, of the containers referred to in the present invention. The arrangement of the various elements and / or means and / or steps of the invention, in the embodiments described above, should not be understood as requiring such an arrangement in all implementations. In any event, it will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to these elements and / or means and / or steps, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, the central zone 12 may be provided with thickenings or reinforcement ribs, in order to participate in the strength and good mechanical strength of the obturator element which is the subject of the invention. These extra thicknesses or reinforcing ribs may have a thickness of at most equal to those of the flat flange 13, and be arranged in annular geometry and / or radial. - The container 6 is not necessarily provided with a removable cover 4 and / or the opening 5 is not necessarily arranged on the cover 4. The combined thickness of the flat flange 13 and the adhesive 14 may be equal to or greater than that of the central zone 12, while the thickness of said flange alone may remain less than or equal to that of said central zone. - The body 10 may be steel or metal, or composite material and whose nature and / or thickness gives it a semi-rigidity. 25 - The entire surface of the rim 13 need not be covered with

Claims (13)

REVENDICATIONS1. An assembly comprising: a container (6) containing a flowable product, which container has an opening (5) through which said product can flow, a shutter member adapted to seal in the opening ( 5) of the container (6), characterized by the fact that: the shutter element is in the form of a flat body (10) of semi-rigid and watertight material, which flat body (10) comprises a central zone plate (12) intended to be placed facing the opening (5) and a flat rim (13) surrounding said central zone (12), an adhesive (14) is applied continuously to the flat rim (13), which adhesive seals when said flat flange (13) is placed around the opening (5). 2. The assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the body (10) is made of plastic. 20 3. The assembly of claim 2, characterized in that the plastic material constituting the body (10) is selected from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). 4. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the central zone (12) is transparent or translucent. 5. An assembly according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the central zone (12) has an area greater than or equal to that of the opening (5). 6. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the thickness of the body (10) at the flat flange (13) is greater than that at the central region (12). 7. An assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that the central zone (12) has a thickness E1 ranging from 0.20 mm to 0.45 mm and the flat flange (13) has a thickness E2 ranging from 0.30 mm. at 0.60 mm. 8. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the body (10) is a flat washer whose diameter (D) is between 40 mm and 120 mm, preferably a diameter of 80 mm. 9. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the adhesive applied to the flat flange (13) has a thickness E3 less than 0.60 mm. 10. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the adhesive applied to the flat flange (13) is a double-sided adhesive. 11. The assembly of claim 10, characterized in that the double-sided adhesive comprises an acrylic polymer and has: a thickness E3 between 0.035 mm and 0.45 mm. A peel strength of between 15 N / cm and 55 N / cm as measured according to the modified ASTM-3000 standard, the peel being tested at an angle of 180 ° and at a speed of 300 mm / min, 3024 711 Static shear greater than 10000 min as measured according to ASTM 3654 modified "on stainless steel, 3.23 cm 2 bonding surface, weight of 1 kg". 12. Shutter member for sealing an opening made in a pot or varnish cover, characterized in that it is in the form of a flat body (10) of semi-rigid and waterproof material, which flat body (10) comprises a flat central zone (12) intended to be placed facing the opening (5) and a flat rim (13) surrounding said central zone (12); and in that an adhesive (14) is continuously applied to said flat flange (13). 13. A method of manufacturing the element according to claim 10 of molding said body in one piece.