GB2044683A

GB2044683A - Ball Applicator

Info

Publication number: GB2044683A
Application number: GB7901272A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Metal Box PLC
Current assignee: Crown Packaging UK Ltd
Priority date: 1979-01-12
Filing date: 1979-01-12
Publication date: 1980-10-22
Also published as: GB2044683B; DE8000536U1; DE3000784A1

Abstract

A ball point applicator which can be attached to a squeezable tube container 10 comprises a one-piece plastics housing 15 with a depending skirt and a ball seat in which a ball 14 is held captive. Between its lower end and the ball seat the skirt is sufficiently flexible to isolate the seat from distortions caused by squeezing of the tube. Preferably the housing 15 is attached to the container 10 by spin welding. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bail Applicators This invention relates to ball applicators, particularly for squeezable tube containers.

Ball applicators are known having a ball held captive in a ball housing and rotatable in the housing to distribute product from an associated container body onto a surface across which the ball is moved; when the container is not in use the ball engages a seat provided on the housing to prevent escape of product from the container. The container body may be rigid (e.g. of glass), or it may be flexible so that pressure can be generated by the user to force the product through the applicator for dispensing.

Squeezable tube containers are one form of container having a flexible container body; in such a container the body is tubular and of a flexible material, One end of the body is closed by a fin closure formed by heat sealing or otherwise securing together opposed portions of the body material; the other end of the body is closed by an end piece suited to the product to be dispensed and the method adopted for dispensing it.

The use of a plastics ball housing in a ball applicator for a squeezable tube container has been found to result in a tendency for the applicator, when fitted, to leak product up to the point of sale and afterwards when the container is not being used by the consumer; furthermore, there is a tendency to uneven distribution of the product when the container is in use.

Applicants believe that the above tendencies arise because distortion of the container body is transmitted to the applicator housing where it causes a corresponding distortion of the ball seat of a sufficient magnitude to impair the seal which the housing forms with the ball or, when the container is in use, to result in uneven distribution of product over the ball.

The distortion of the container body may occur as a result of externally applied forces such as might be exerted by the consumer or during transit; additionally or alternatively it may be the inherent distortion which is caused by the fin closure. This latter form of distortion is likely to be particularly prevalent if the body is of plastics material having a substantial degree of flexibility and resilience.

One way of preventing the above tendency to leakage and uneven product distribution is to increase the rigidity of the ball housing to prevent any substantial distortion of the ball seat.

However, this expedient leads to increased material and production costs and for that reason is undesirable. The present invention seeks to provide a ball applicator having at least its ball housing of plastics material and from which the above disadvantage is wholly or substantially lacking, and yet which is little or no more expensive to produce than hitherto.

In accordance with the present invention from one aspect there is accordingly provided a ball applicator comprising a ball held captive in a plastics housing and rotatable in the housing to distribute product from an attached container body onto a surface across which the ball is moved, the housing providing a seat against which the ball may sealingly engage and away from which the ball may move to allow product to pass for dispensing, the housing having a tubular skirt with a free end portion at which the housing may be attached to a said container body, the skirt being so arranged so as, when so attached, to communicate the container body with the seat for product flow therebetween, and being flexible so as to substantially isolate the seat from distortion of the free end portion caused by distortion of the container body.

The skirt may be outwardly flared in the direction towards the free end portion, so as in the completed container to form a shoulder surrounding the ball applicator and at which the applicator is attached to the container body. The housing is preferably a unitary moulding and arranged for attachment of a closure to enclose the ball and bias it against the seat. The ball itself may be of metal, but is preferably of plastics material.

The invention also provides a squeezable tube container having a ball applicator as defined above. Accordingly, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a squeezable tube container comprising a tubular body of a flexible plastics material which is closed at one end by a fin closure formed by heat sealing together opposed portions of the plastics material, the container further comprisings a ball applicator having a ball housing of plastics material, and a ball held captive in the housing and rotatable in the housing to distribute product from the body onto a surface across which the ball is moved, the housing providing a seat against which the ball may sealingly engage and away from which the ball may move to allow product to pass for dispensing, the housing having a tubular skirt with a free end portion at which the housing is attached to the end of the body opposite the fin closure, the skirt being arranged to communicate the container body with the seat for product flow therebetween, and being flexible so as substantially to isolate the seat from distortion of the free end portion caused by distortion of the container body.

These and other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a squeezable tube container in accordance with the invention, as seen generally in central longitudinal cross-section with a screw closure attached: Figure 2 shows the ball applicator and closure of the container of Figure 1, in exploded view and before attachment of the applicator to the container body; and Figure 3 is an enlarged scrap view of the applicator, in a modification thereof.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, of the drawings, a tube container for a cosmetic cream, paste or liquid has a squeezable productcontaining body 10 (Figure 1) formed from a cut length of a tube of a suitable flexible plastics material such as low density polyethylene or poly vinyl chloride. The body has its bottom end (as shown) closed by a transverse heat seal made between opposed portions of the plastics material to form a fin closure 11. The top end of the body is closed by a ball applicator 1 2 fitted with a screw closure 13.

Figure 2 shows the ball applicator 12 and the closure 1 3 in exploded view. From Figure 2 in combination with Figure 1 it will be seen that the applicator is formed of a spherical ball 14, and a ball housing 1 5 which is shown in Figure 2 as it is before attachment to the body 10 tube.

The closure 13, the ball 14 and the housing 1 5 are each unitary and moulded from a suitable plastics material which may be the same, or it may differ as between the separate components; all three components may be moulded from polypropylene if desired.

The housing is tubular and of circular crosssection, being formed of an upper, ball receiving portion 16 joined by a portion 17 to a downwardly and outwardly flared shoulder portion 1 8 at the bottom of the housing. The portion 17 is generally cylindrical and of smaller diameter than the portion 1 6. The portion 1 6 itself has a base of substantial material thickness, and a flexible lip 21 of smaller material thickness which extends from the base 20 to a free edge 22 at its upper end.

The lip is curved inwardly in the direction towards the free edge 22 so as to provide a substantially part-spherical inner surface 23 by which the ball 14 may be snugly retained. Within the base 20 of the ball-receiving portion 1 6 the interior surface of the housing is relieved so as to form a substantial clearance with the ball as is apparent from Figure 1.

The cylindrical portion 1 7 and shoulder portion 1 8 of the housing are of substantially the same material thickness which, for the purposes later to.

become apparent, is chosen to give those portions a high degree of flexibility; together they form for the housing a flexible skirt which is generally denoted by the reference numeral 50.

The shoulder portion 1 8 terminates at the bottom of the housing and as down-turned toe 24 having a generally cylindrical exterior surface 40 and an outwardly and downwardly tapering frustoconical interior surface 41 at a greater inclination than the frustoconical interior surface 42 on the underside of the remainder of the shoulder portion. In the completed container (Figure 1) the toe 24 constitutes the part of the housing at which the housing is attached to the body 1 0. It will be seen that the toe lies on a substantially greater diameter than the maximum diameter of the ball receiving portion 1 6.

A narrow annular abutment 25 projects horizontally inwardly from the ball receiving portion 16 at the junction of the base 20 of the ball-receiving portion and the cylindrical portion 1 7 of the housing skirt 50. The inner free edge 26 of the abutment 25 is arranged to provide a seat for the ball 14 when the latter is located in the housing and held captive by the lip 21; accordingly, it has the part-spherical shape suited for it to make face-to-face engagement with the ball.

The base 20 is exteriorily formed with a screw thread formation 27 arranged for engagement by a complimentary screw thread formation 28 on the closure 13.

The screw thread formation 28 is formed on the closure 13 on the interior surface of a tubular skirt 30 which depends from the periphery of a flat closure panel 31 closing the top end, as shown, of the closure. The skirt has a flexible extension 35 by which it extends below the formation 28 to its free bottom edge 32.

A further tubular skirt 33 depends from the closure panel 31 concentrically within the skirt 30 to complete the closure. The skirt 33 is shorter than the skirt 30 for the reason now to become apparent. The diameter at its free edge is somewhat smaller than the internal diameter of the free edge 22 of the housing lip 21.

The manufacture, filling and closing of the container of Figure 1 are effected as follows: The ball 14 and ball housing 15 are first assembled together by push fitting the ball into the ball-receiving portion 1 6 of the housing so that the ball is held captive by the lip 21 in engagement with the seat 26. The sub-assembly is then attached by spin-welding to the body 10, which at this time is in the form of a tube open at both of its ends.

The spin-welding operation is preferably performed by a method and apparatus as described in U.K. patent specification 1436217 (agent's reference 11 94) to which the reader's attention is directed for further information. The spin-welding operation forms no part of the present invention and is therefore not described here in detail. Briefly, the sub-assembly is rotated in relation to the body 10 tube (which is held stationary) while the housing 1 5 and the body tube are maintained in firm engagement where the joint between them is to be formed at the toe 24 as shown in Figure 1. Heat frictionally generated at the interface between the housing and the body tube locally melts the plastics material at the interface so that when, subsequently, the rotation of the sub-assembly is stopped and cooling occurs, the melted plastics material resolidifies to form an intimate fluid-tight bond between the housing and the body tube.

After the attachment of the ball applicator to the body 10 tube the container is completed by the addition of the closure 13 which is screwed into a limiting position determined by the screw thread formations 27, 28.

The free bottom edge 32 of the skirt 30 is then located at a small spacing from the inclined upper surfaces 51 of the shoulder portion 18 of the ball housing.

During the application of the closure the skirt 33 engages and rides down the ball 14, extending circumferentially as it goes. By the time that the limiting position of the closure has been reached, the free end of the skirt has become wedged, as shown in Figure 1, between the ball and the free end 22 of the housing lip 21. Assisted by the resilience of the skirt, the lip thereafter biasses the free end of the skirt inwardly into firm sealing engagement with the ball; of itself it makes sealing engagement with the outer periphery of the skirt free edge. In addition to the composite seal thereby provided, a further seal is provided below the ball where the latter is driven into engagement with the seat by downward force exerted on it from above by the skirt 33.The composite upper seal and the lower seal act in series to provide fluid-tightness for the container when, as is now to be described, the container is filled with product and the closure is in position.

In a modification of the arrangement shown, the skirt 33 is arranged so as to engage the ball above, and at a spacing from, the housing lip 21 when the closure is in position.

With the ball applicator and closure fitted the container is despatched by the manufacturer to the packer. The packer fills the container, inverted, through the still open bottom end of the body 10, and then forms the fin closure 11 to complete the container for any further packaging and for despatch, transit and sale to the eventual consumer.

As alternatives to the above procedure the manufacturer may attach the housing to the body tube with the ball omitted and later add the ball and closure, or he may perform spin-welding with both the ball and closure already in place. As a further alternative the manufacturer may form the fin closure: the packer then product fills through the housing, and fits the ball and closure to complete the container.

To operate the container for use the consumer unscrews the closure 13, holds the container with the ball 14 applied to the area to be treated, and then squeezes the body 10 whilst rotating the bail by to-and-fro movements of the container. The pressure generated in the product by the squeezing action lifts the ball off the seat 26 against the resilience of the lip 21 and so causes product to pass under pressure around the ball beneath the ball receiving portion 16 of the housing to emerge between the ball and the lip.

The lip, which distends to accommodate the upward movement of the ball and also allow the product to pass beneath it, distributes the emergent product over. the free surface of the ball as a thin film, so that controlled application of the product results as the ball rotates. After use, the consumer replaces the closure 1 3 to reform the seals made with the ball by the seat 26 and the skirt 33 as described, and thereby prevent leakage of product until the container is next required.

A particularly advantageous feature of the container is provided by the previously mentioned substantial flexibility of the skirt 50 formed by the cylindrical and shoulder portions 1 7, 18 of the housing 1 5. We have found that in the absence of any substantial flexibility between the body 10 and the ball-receiving portion 16 of the housing, the non-circularity of the body caused by the fin closure 11 is referred to the ball-receiving portion and results in distortion of the seat 26 from its desired part-spherical shape; this in turn leads to a tendency for the container to leak product to the point of sale and afterwards when the container is not in use by the consumer.

Because of the highly flexible nature of the cylindrical and shoulder portions 1 7, 18 and their inclined relation to one another, the skirt 50 can readily deform so as to accommodate any distortion of the top end of the body caused by the fin closure 11; by so doing the skirt 50 substantially prevents any distortion of the ball seat resulting in the presence of from the fin closure at the bottom end of the body 1 0. The deformation of the skirt 50 is also assisted by the necked-on disposition of the cylindrical portion 1 7 in relation to the ball receiving portion 1 6. In addition to isolating the ball seat from distortion caused by the fin closure in this way the skirt 50 also serves to isolate the ball seat from any additional distortion which the body may undergo as a result of externally applied loads such as might occur during transit or at the point of sale when the container is in a pile or stack of the containers with other containers above it.

Furthermore, when the body is squeezed by the consumer for use in portions 1 7, 1 8 ensure even distribution of the product over the ball by again reducing any substantial distortion of the ball seat.

Yet a further advantage provided by the flexibility of the skirt 50 is manifest when a subatmospheric pressure occurs in the body 10, for example, after use by the consumer; the cylindrical and shoulder portions then contract radially and/or axially to reduce the negative pressure in the container and so reduce the possibility that air will be drawn into the container past the seat 26. Any axial contraction is preferably wholly accommodated by the small spacing provided as previously mentioned between the closure skirt 30 and the shoulder portion 1 8 of the ball housing.

It will be seen that, when the closure 1 3 is in position, its extension 35 largely conceals the skirt 50 of the housing; any distortion of the latter therefore does not result in unsightliness of the container as a whole.

Figure 3 shows a modification of the housing wherein the seat 26 is formed part way along a short chimney 60 which is reentrant towards the skirt 50.

The part of the chimney between the seat and the chimney free edge 61 provides additional rigidity to the seat so as to help it to resist any residual deformation transmitted from the body 10; moreover, adjacent the free edge 61 it provides a short cylindrical bore 62 located at a spacing from the seat and in which part of a male member of the spin-welding apparatus can engage to centralise the housing 1 5 in relation to the body for the spin-welding operation, with little or no danger of causing damage to the seat.

Between the seat and the attachment of the chimney to the remainder of the housing the chimney has a frustoconical portion 63 which is thin and therefore deformable so as to help isolate the seat from any residual deformation transmitted from the body 10 whilst enabling the seat itself to undergo any necessary minor adjustment to enable it to form an effective seal with the ball as the closure 13 being applied. The closure is omitted from Figure 3 for clarity.

Although in the embodiments particularly described spin-welding is used to attach the ball housing 1 5 to the body 10, other methods of attachment (e.g. glueing or heat sealing) may be employed. Furthermore, although the housing 1 5 is unitary, bail housings formed of two or more parts are possible; the parts may be snapengaged or otherwise attached together.

Although of particular advantage for squeezable tube containers having bodies of flexible plastics material, the invention may have application to other types of container the bodies of which may be rigid or flexible, and of plastics material or otherwise.

Claims

Claims

1. A ball applicator, comprising a ball held captive in a plastics housing and rotatable in the housing to distribute product from an attached container body onto a surface across which the ball is moved, the housing having a relatively rigid body and, attached to the body, a tubular skirt having a free end portion at which the housing may be attached to a said container body, and a seat against which the ball may sealingly engage and away from which the ball may move to allow product to pass for dispensing, the skirt being arranged so as, when attached to a said container body, to communicate the container body with the housing body for product flow between the container body and the seat, and being flexible so as to isolate the seat from distortion of the free end portion of the housing 2.A ball applicator according to Claim 1, wherein the skirt comprises a flared shoulder portion carrying the free end portion at its larger end, and a generally cylindrical portion between the smaller end of the shoulder portion and the housing body.

3. A ball applicator according to Claim 2, wherein the shoulder and cylindrical portions have the same thickness of plastics material, this thickness being generally less than that of the housing body.

4. A ball applicator according to any preceding Claim, wherein the housing is a unitary plastics moulding.

5. A ball applicator according to any preceding Claim, wherein the ball is of plastics material.

6. A ball applicator according to any claim of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ball is of metal.

7. A ball applicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the housing has a flexible lip which extends, in contact with a substantial area of the ball surface, to a free edge on the side of the ball equator remote from the said seat, the lip resiliently biassing the ball against the seat to hold it captive in the housing.

8. A ball applicator according to any preceding claim, which, in addition to the housing skirt, includes a further flexible portion by which the seat is carried from the housing body, the further flexible portion serving to further isolate the seat from distortion of the free end portion of the housing.

9. A ball applicator according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat is reinforced against distortion by a tubular chimney forming a mouth through which product may pass to the seat from a said container body to which the applicator is attached.

10. A ball applicator according to any claim of claims 1 to 8, wherein the free end portion of the housing is adapted for attachment to a said container body by spin-welding.

11. A ball applicator according to claim 9, wherein the free end portion of the housing is adapted for attachment to a said container body by spin-welding, and the tubular chimney is adapted for engagement by a male member of the spin-welding apparatus to centralise the housing in relation to the container body while the spinwelding operation is taking place.

13. A ball applicator according to Claim 7, in combination with a closure comprising a closure panel and a peripheral tubular skirt which is internally formed with a formation engaged with a complementary formation on the exterior of the housing to releasably attach the closure to the applicator, the closure having a further tubular skirt carried from the closure panel within the first said skirt, on application of the closure to the applicator the free end of the further skirt being wedged between the ball and the free end of the lip of the first said skirt so as to make sealing engagement with the lip on its outside and the ball on its inside.

14. In combination, a ball applicator and closures substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

15. The combination claimed in Claim 14, having a ball applicator as modified in accordance with Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.

1 6. A squeezable tube container, which includes a ball applicator as claimed in any claim of claims 1 to 12.

1 7. A squeezable tube container, which includes a combination of ball applicator and closure as claimed in any claim of claims 13 to 15.