IL42883A - Closure device particularly for containers of liquids or pastes - Google Patents

Description

Closure l vice particnlarljr fov containers of liquids or pa3tes FRANCO DEL BOH C/ 41311 42883/3 This invention relates to closure devices.

According to the present inventio there is provide^ automatically opening and closing closure device adapted \ for use with a container having a liquid, pasty or foamy filling, comprising a head body having a discharge duct extending therethrough, an orifice in the outside of the discharge duct, a recess and an opening at a side of the head body away from said discharge orifice and being destined for being joined to said container, said head body comprising a continuous integral circumferential wall portion about said discharge duct and orifice, said wall portion comprising an elastically flexible zone extending from part of the circumference of said orifice toward said opening, said lexible wall zone forming at least par of the bottom of said recess, the remainder of said wall portion about said discharge duct and orifice being substantially rigid, where the wall of the discharge duct and the head body are formed as one piece; a spring member provided at the base of said flexible wall zone; and beak means mounted in the recess of said head body and comprising a two-armed lever, one arm of which engages the spring member and the other arm of which is formed as an elastically deflectable spring-loaded arm associated with said head body so that the free end of said arm is located on the side of said wall portion containing said flexible wall zone, said spring-loaded arm being biassed into engagement with said lexibl wall zone near said orifice to hold the latter in sealing engagement with said rigid wall portion part and closing said orifice, the bias of said deflectable arm being so dimensioned as to yield to a determined excess pressure inside said discharge duc to cause said elastic zone of said wall portion to urge sai ri d art thereof and The present closure devices may be used on containers, especially collabsible tubes, having a deformable wall such that whenmanual pressure is applied to a deformable part of the container walls there will be applied pressure to the Inside of the discharge duct so that the closure device is. caused automatically to open and allow discharge of the container's contents. Accordingly the invention also provides a φ container for liquid, paste or foam material with a deformable wall, especially a collapsible tube, having a closure device according to the invention.

The closure device according to the invention may for example be used on tubes filled with pasty materials such as products of highly viscous pasty consistency, for example, ointments, dentifrice, shaving creams, oil paints, mustard, llverwurst, mayonnaise, shoe polish, pasty shampoo, facial creams and the like. The closure device according to the invention can also b applied in tubes and similar containers filled with liquid products, in which case the closure device must be designed to act wit a higher closing force than in the case of tubes filled with a pasty material.

Hitherto known commercially available closure devices ' for tubes fo dispensing pastes and the like contents require three manual operations for each single dispensing step. A first operation involves removal of the closure device, e.g. the unscrewing of a simple screwed-on internally threaded cap, a § !■■■· second operation whereby the tube wall remote from the cap is s i compressed to squeeze a chord or string of the pasty contents out f I of the mouth of the tube, and a third operation comprising placing the ca back on the tube to cove the mouth of th latter and to screw on the cap, or a similar closing operation. I particular, j the third operation often makes contact of the fingers handling the closure means with residual pasty material about the mouth of the tube unavoidable. Moreover, screwing on the cap may squeeze material left in the threading on the socket of the tube containing the mouth out from under the cap and such residual material will decompose and soil the fingers of the user whe opening the tube again. 42883/2 Various proposals have been made to provide closure devices which do not require unscrewing and screwing-on of caps or the like manual contact with the discharge outlet of a collapsible tube. However, such closure devices have in general either been far too complicated and costly to be commercially acceptable, or they have failed to seal off the contents of the tube satisfactorily. In addition closure devices requiring some handling of the discharge outlet of a collapsible tube have been proposed but these fail to meet the requirement that manual contact with the vicinity of the tube mouth should be completely avoided.

The closure device of the present Invention may be used on collapsible tubes, and the like, to avoid completely the need for a manual operation that would bring the ingers of the user Into contact with the liquid or pasty contents of such tubes, and which will assure a safe, opening and closing of the device, which opening is automatic on the necessary pressure being applied in the discharge duct leading to the discharge orifice of the device, and a satisfactory sealing effect, even when closing after discharge of a liquid, pasty or foamy material. With the present closure device material can be dispensed from a container simply by compressing a deformable part of the container wall remote from the discharge orifice in the closure device. In particular with the present closure device discharge may be effected without leaving any residual liquid, pasty or foamy contents in the mouth of the device in contact with the outside air.

Due to the sealing of the discharge duct of the closure device according to the invention, and due to the fact that no residual material is left after a discharge and subsequent automatic closing of the device, the contents of the tube or achieved when using a conventional screw cap. This is particularly important when pasty or foamy food products are to^ be dispensed which might be decomposed by bacteria. Moreover, the staining of the surroundings of the discharge opening and screwed on cap by residual contents of the container may be avoided or mitigated.

The chord which is squeezed out of a tube equipped with a closure device according to the invention may be of flat rectangular or elliptic cross section. While it easily happens , whe squeezing a chord of toothpaste from a conventional tube onto a toothbrush, that the chord will drop from the bristles of the brush, this is much less likely to occur when using a toothpaste tube having a closure device according to the present invention which dispenses a toothpaste chord of a flat rectangular or elliptic cross-section when the chord is dispensed to rest securely with its flat side on the bristle ends.

A tube provided with a closure device according to the invention may even be used for dispensing glues or the like sticky materials. To the extent that these glues, upon drying, may combine with the material of the flexible duct wall portion, especially when the latter is of rubber, it is necessary to coat the internal wall of the duct with a material iner to the glue. Such coating ma consis of a thin flexible metal foil, preferably a very thin aluminium foil as present in so-called laminates.

When the closing ef ect of the resilient biasaing of the closure arm of the closur device according to the invention is sufficiently strong, the tube or other container to which the closure devic is attached may be filled with a liquid product instead of a product of pasty or foamy consistency. Even aqueous or alcoholic liquids such as mouth wash can be discharged with the aid of closure means according to the invention. 42883/2 Preferably the closure device according to the present invention is of plastics material and consists of only two separate parts, a single piece cap housing the discharge orifice, discharge duct and recess, and a single piece closure member comprising the said arm which is pivotally mounted i the recess in the cap part.

Preferably the arm of the closure member is resllientiy biassed by means which are integral with the flexible part of the cap discharge duct wall. This resilient biassing means may comprise a projection of resilient material from the flexible part of the cap discharge duct wall away from the discharge orifice, which projection engages the underside of the arm on the said first side to urge it outwards of the cap recess. The resilient biassing means may comprise a section of the flexible duct wall away from the discharge orifice which is resilient and less flexible than that at the discharge orifice and which is shaped to engage the underside of the arm on the said first side and urge it outwards of the cap recess.

The closure device according to the present invention may be integral with or screw-threaded onto its container.

The closure device according to the invention may suitably be used on a collapsible tube consisting of a thermoplastic resin material such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylic resin or the like deformable polymerlzate; or a tube consisting of collapsible aluminium or of a laminate of thermoplastic resin and a metal foil covering the interior of the tube, preferably a foil of aluminium metal, whenever the filling requires such inner cover or coating for protection of the contents during long time storage, in order to avoid corrosio or losses due to diffusion through the tube wall. 2 3/2 This invention is further illustrated, by way of example , in the accompanying drawings wherein: Pig. 1 shows in perspective view an embodiment of the closure device according to the Invention; Fig. 2 is an axial sectional view of a closure device similar to that shown in Fig. 1, the open position being indicated in dash-dotted lines; Fig. 3 is an axial sectional view of another embodiment of the closure device according to the inventio with its discharge opening in the closed position; F g. 4 shows the same embodiment as in Fig. 3, but with the discharge opening in open position.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings the closure device according to the invention comprises a cap portion 220 and a closure member comprising an arm 230 mounted pivotally on pins 229 and 229a in corresponding pin-receiving holes 231 and 231a In the side walls of an axlally extending recess 211 in the cap portion 220. This closure device thus consists of only two parts.

With ref rence to Fig. 2 of the drawings , the cap portion 120 of the closure device has an axial duct 103» which is in communication with the interior of the collapsible tube or the like container. In a lateral axlall extending recess 111 forming a longitudinal slot in the sidewall of cap portion 120, ther Is mounted a closure member comprising an arm 130 pivotally mounted on pins 131 constituting a rotary axis transverse to the central axis of the closure device. The portion of arm 130 extending from the rotary axis thereof toward the tube or container body constitutes a lever arm 133 and the opposite portion extending from the rotary axis to a discharge orifice 104 constitutes a second lever arm 132. This lever arm 132 closes 42883/2 the contents from the tube or other container to which the ^ closure device is connected.

While th larger part of the cap 120 including the part 141 thereof extending toward the discharge orifice 104 is rigid, a wall 140 of cap 120 facing the recess 111 in Fig, 1 is flexible. The rigid wall portion 141 bears at its end where the flexible wall portion 140 begins, a projection 134 of resilient material extending radially with regard to the central cap axis. As can be seen in Figure 2 the projection 134 engages the inside face of the lever part 133 of arm 130 and urges it in a direction out of recess 111, thereby pivoting arm 130 about its rotary pins 131 and pressing lever part 132 of the arm against the outermost end of flexible portion 140 of the wall dependent from rigid cap portion 120, thus sealing the discharge orifice formed between the flexible wall portion 140 and the rigid wall portion 142 of the cap 120.

When a collapsible tube, to which the closure device is, for example, screw-connected, is squeezed the paste or liquid in the tube will force the discharge orifice 104 to open by moving lever arm 132 of arm 130 outwardly from recess 111, and a chord of paste, or a squirt of liquid will emerg from discharge orifice 104 and continue to do so as long as pressure on the tube (not shown) is maintained.

When the discharge orifice is open the rim of the flexible wall zone 140 is curved about chord which is formed by the flat, slightly inwardly beveled rim 144 of the rigid wall portion 142. When pressure is increased sufficiently in the duet leading toward orifice 104, the leve arm 132 will be forced outwardly from recess 111 into the position indicated by dash-dotted lines in Fig. 2 and a string of paste or a squirt of liquid will be released from the closure device. At the 42883/2 of the device, will return lever part 133 to its outward position and thereby urge lever part 132 against the outer end of flexible wall portion 140 and the latter into sealing contact with rigid wall portion 142 at its rim 144.

In the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4, actuation of the arm 130 is similar to that in Pig. 2, but the projection 134 acting as a biassing member is replaced by a resilient wall portion 147 of low flexibility from which the flexible wall zone 146 depends. The resilient, but only slightly flexible, wall zone 147 intermediat the flexible wall zone 146 and the rigid cap portion 120 has the function of the biassing member. Fig. 3 shows the closure device with discharge orifice closed, and wall portion 147 pressing against the inside of lever part 133 of arm 130, while Fig. 4 shows the device with orifice 104 open and a chord of material emerging therefrom, while the end of lever part 133 of arm 130 slightly deforms wall portion 147 inwardly, thereby giving it a bias which will return the arm 130 to its orifice-closing portion as shown in Fig. 3.

Returning now to Fig. 1 arm 230 has an inwardly directed end portion 233 which is connected by narrowed bridge part 250 to the main part of arm 230, whereb end portion 233 is engaged by biassing means therebeneath (not shown) and is deflectable to the right or left from the longitudinal axis of arm 230, in the surface plane of the arm, but due to the thickness and rigidity of the arm 230, the end portion 233 cannot be de lected at a right angle to that plane out of the latter. Recess 211 has a laterally enlarged recess portion 235 into which a part of end portion 233 of arm 230 fits when deflected to the right in Fig. 1. End portion 233 then comes to rest on a horizontal ledge 236 forming the bottom of recess enlargement 235, and can be arrested in this position by having 42883/2 corresponding hole 237 in ledge 236. When, in this position, pressure in the interior of the closure device is increased, discharge opening 204 will remain closed for arm 230 will be prevented from pivoting about its supporting pins 239 and 229a because end portion 233 is arrested on ledge 236. Only when the end portio 233 is moved to the left, in Fig. 1, and disengages from the ledge 236 can an increase of pressure inside the closure device cause arm 230 to pivot, whereby end portion 233 can be pivoted inwardly into recess 211, compressing the biassing member (not shown) while the outer end of arm 230 moves outwardly and permits orifice 204 to open due to the release of the flexible wall portion (not shown) .

Claims (9)

1. Automatically opening and closing closure device adapted for use with a container haying a liquid, past or foamy filling, comprising a head body having a discharge duct extending therethrough, an orifice in the outside of the discharge duct, a recess and an opening at a side of the head body away from said discharge orifice and being destined for being joined to said container, said head body comprising a continuous integral circumferential wall portion about said discharge duct and orifice, said wall portion comprising an elastically flexible zone extending from part of the circumference of said orifice toward said opening, said flexible wall zone forming at least a part of the bottom of said recess, the remainder of said wall portion about said discharge duct and orifice being substantially rigid, where the wall of the discharge duct and the head body are formed as one piece; a spring member provided at th base of said flexible wall zone; and beak means mounted In the recess of said head body and comprising a two-armed lever, one arm of which engages the spring member and the other arm of which is formed as an elastically deflectable spring-loaded arm associated with said head body so that the free end of said arm is located on the side of said wall portion containing said flexible wail zone, said spring-loaded arm being biassed into engagement with said flexible wall zone near said orifice to hold the latter in sealing engagement with said rigid wall portion part and closing said orifice, the bias of said deflectable arm being so dimensioned as to yield to a determined excess pressure inside said discharge duct to cause said elastic zone of said wall portion to urge the free arm end away from said rigid part thereof and thereby to open said orifice, while said excess pressure prevails in said duct.

2. Λ closure device as described in Claim 1, wherein m said spring member engages the inside of said beak means and is integral with the rigid part of said wall portion adjoining the flexible wall zone which is engaged by the free end of said deflectable arm.

3. In a two-part closure device of plastic material, for use with a container for liquid or pasty material, having a compressible wall, the device comprising: a one-piece head part ending in a discharge orifice and having a recess extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the device and up to the edge of the orifice, and an axial through passage ending in the orifice, that wall zone of said passage which is turned toward said recess being elastically flexible and that wall zone which is opposite the former wall zone as well as the remaining head part being substantially rigid; and a beak member extending essentially in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the device, said beak member being mounted in the wall of the head part surrounding said recess, and being devised as a two-armed lever, one arm of which extends toward said discharge orifice and is pivotable toward said elastically flexible wall zone for the purpose of closing said discharge orifice, the improvement in combination, wherein the other arm of said two-armed lever beak member extends awa from said discharge orifice and rests with bias against a deformable wall portion at the rearward end of the elasticall flexible wall zone away from the discharge orifice of said recess; and the elasticity of the deformable wall portion being such that the end of the beak member facing toward the discharge orifice closes the latter seallngl and frees the discharge orifice when pressure is exerted on the compressible wall of the container. 42883 ^

4. The improvement as described i Claim 3, wherein ^ the deformable wall portion is devised as a compressible protrusion.

5. The improvement as described in Claim 4, wherein the compressible protrusion is in the form of a semicircular bead extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the device.

6. The improvement as described in Claim 3, wherein the deformable wail portion is located in the recess away from the discharge orifice and is more difficultly deformable than the flexible wail zone extending to the orifice.

7. A closure device as described in Claim 1, wherein said lexible wall zone has non-rounded edges at its two ends joining said rigid wall portion*

8. Container for holding a liquid, paste or foamy product therein, having compressible walls and provided with a two-part closure device made of plastics material, which closure devic comprises a rigid cap portion ending with a discharge portion having a discharge orifice , a duct extending along the longitudinal axis of the closure device and leading through said ca portion to the discharge orifice, said duct being surrounded by a wall, one side of which is formed by a rigid portio being integral with said cap portion and the opposite sid of which is formed by a flexible, expandable wall portion being integral with said cap portion, said closure devic furthe comprising a beak element forming a rigid lever situated along the longitudinal axis of the closure device in that portion of the cap surrounding the passage duct, said beak element being biased relative to said flexible wall portion; and elastic, compressible or deformable spring means operative to provide biasing of said beak element which is remote from said discharge orifice, characterized in that discharge orifice and situated inside said ca portion y- φ between said beak portion and a neighbouring portion of said cap portion and integrally formed with either said neighbouring portion or said beak portion, said beak portion being designed in such a manner and the biasing being so effected such that when the container wall is not squeezed the said spring means urge the free lever end of said beak element against the flexible wall portion of the discharge orifice to press the latter portion against the opposite flat or bevelled edge of the rigid wall of the discharge opening, while when a pressure is exerted by the fingers on the container wall the free end of the beak element and the rim of the flexible wall portion move away from the rigid wall portion thus opening the discharge opening, while owing to the tilting of the beak element the spring means are compressed or deformed between the Inner end of the beak element and th adjacent wall of the cap portion.

9. A container according to Claim 9 wherein said spring means are formed integrally with the flexible wall portion and disposed in said duct at a position remote from said discharge orifice. SCsCB