JP2011529424A - Containers for liquid products, especially pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food - Google Patents

Abstract

In particular, a container (1) for liquid products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, etc. has a hollow main body (2) for containing at least a liquid product, and a dispensing port extending from the main body and for distributing at least the product. And a closing means (8) having a handle (9) for integrally supporting at least the shutter element for closing the dispensing port, the closing means comprising at least a pre-established divided area (13) ) And an annular collar (12) associated with the handle and interlockable with the neck, the container being defined inside the body and inside the body in at least two chambers suitable for containing two liquid products At least two dispensing ports (5, 5), each of which can be closed by at least two shutter elements (10, 11). ) Has a.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a container for a liquid product, in particular a container for a liquid product which is suitable for containing products used in the field of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical or dental use but also in the field of food etc. It is related to.

  Usage is known in containers made of polymeric material for packaging single or multiple doses of liquid products, whether pastes, gels or liquids; depending on the number of doses present, known containers are Can be a single-use, multiple-dose type that can be closed again.

  Typically, they have an essentially tubular elongated shape with an end with a neck on which a dispensing port is defined, and contain a containment container body that contains a predetermined dose of product.

The opposite ends of the containment container body have holes suitable for introducing the product and are closed after filling, for example by welding. Closing means that can be interlocked in a detachable manner with the container at the neck allows for a dispensing mouth that can be closed.

  The containment container body and the closure means can be made separately using a forming method such as injection molding and then assembled together, or alternatively they can be made in a single piece and then used by the user. Separated.

Further, the containment container body is suitable for making it easier for the user to grip the container and has a pair of fins extending from the outer end surface of the containment container body completely opposite each other.

  Known containers are made in a single unit, or are linked together (in a strip) with each other; in the latter case, the fins of the containment body of two consecutive containers are pre-cracked Are temporarily related to each other.

  Different types of containers are known, especially with particular reference to closure means and their shapes due to different uses and manufacturing methods.

  The first type of known container anticipates the use of a cap that has a pre-established segmented area, eg, a part that is secured to the neck, to close the dispensing port during the molding phase. To do.

The cap also includes a cavity suitable for receiving the neck of the container having a shutter element for closing the dispensing port, and is first rotated outward in the opposite direction with respect to the portion that is initially secured to the neck. .

The container is opened for the first time by separating the cap from the dispensing port in the divided area, and after the product has been used, the container is rotated by turning the cap upside down to position the shutter element inside the dispensing port and hollow. Closed again by adapting to the neck.

  The particular shape of the cap, however, leads to the exposure of the cavity and shutter element to external contaminants prior to the first use of the container and thus does not guarantee product integrity during subsequent use.

  To limit the possibility of product contamination, the closure means having a shutter element of a type such as a pin, which is enclosed and adapted in the dispensing port, and the deformable coupling the closure means to the container body without obstruction A second type of reclosable container is known that is made of a single body that includes an element that can be broken or broken.

Such a deformable or breakable element is suitable to indicate to the user that product contamination may be present due to tampering and / or accidental opening of the product and thus perform a safety sealing function To do.

A third type of container is also known in which the closure means and the containment container body are made of separate pieces and subsequently assembled together.

Such container closure means are annularly fixable coaxially by connecting, welding or gluing at the neck of the containment container body with a type of shutter element, such as a pin, adapted to be enclosed in the dispensing port. Generally includes a handle having a collar.

The handle can be interlocked in a removable manner on the outer surface of the collar by means of a suitable weakened area, for example composed of pre-cracked lines, bridges that can be torn, reduced cross section, etc.

The handle, collar and pin are thus made in a single piece separately from the containment container body, the collar is subsequently secured to the neck by connection, welding or gluing, and the dispensing port is closed by the pin.

  These known containers are however susceptible to further improvements. This emphasizes the fact that for some specific applications, the product contained in the container must be mixed prior to use. For this reason, two different containers have to be opened, and containers are used in which the respective contents obtained flow out to the containers that receive them before mixing.

The two actions of opening and spilling clearly represent a disadvantageous additional action that is almost impractical and does not take into account the need to have two or more separate containers and the associated increase in overall size In some cases, it requires execution time that cannot be ignored.

The main object of the present invention is to be used in a practical, simple, functional and rapid manner, while at the same time being particularly compact and reduced in overall size, especially liquid products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods etc. Is to provide a container for.

Another object of the present invention is to provide liquid products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods and the like that can overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art to the extent that they are simple, reasonable, simple and effective to use and low cost. Is to provide a container for.

The above objective is accomplished by a container for a liquid product, in particular pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, etc. according to the invention, which container extends at least from the body, at least a hollow body for containing at least the liquid product, At least a neck having a dispensing port for dispensing the product and a closing means having a handle integrally supporting at least a shutter element for closing the dispensing port, the closing means being at least pre-established Including at least an annular collar associated with the handle and interlockable with the neck along a divided region, wherein the container is defined within the body and has a volume inside the body that is at least that of the liquid product. Including at least a partition suitable for subdivision into at least two chambers suitable for including two, each of the necks Characterized in that it comprises at least two of said dispensing opening which can be closed by at least two of the shutter elements.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred and non-unique aspects of the embodiment of the container for liquid products, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, etc., which are given merely by way of illustration and are not limited to the accompanying drawings The description of the drawings is as follows.
FIG. 1 is an axonometric view of a strip of a container of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the container of the present invention prior to assembly; FIG. 3 is an axonometric view from another angle of the container of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an axonometric view of the container of the present invention after opening the dispensing port before use; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the VV track surface of FIG.

With particular reference to such figures, containers for liquid products such as medicines, cosmetics, foods, etc. in particular are indicated generally by 1.

In this respect, it should be specified in this document that the term liquid product is not only meant for liquids, but also for example sticky or gel-like sticky products and particularly very fine powdered products with great fluidity. I must.

The container 1 includes a hollow body 2 intended to contain at least a liquid product.

  The body 2 is defined with a pair of gripping fins 3 that can be detachably coupled with the gripping fins 3 of one or more adjacent containers 1 to form a strip S of the container 1 (FIG. 1). It has an essentially tubular elongated shape on the outer surface.

From one end of the body 2, the neck 4 extends with at least dispensing ports 5, 6 for dispensing liquid products.

The neck 4 is essentially cylindrical with a smaller diameter than that of the remaining body 2 and is coaxially aligned with respect thereto.

At the end of the body 2 opposite the neck 4 a hole 7 for the introduction of a liquid product is defined; the closing of the hole 7 is carried out after the product has been introduced (for example by welding the lips of the hole) The

  The closing of the dispensing ports 5, 6, on the other hand, is performed by special closing means 8 having a handle 9 that supports at least one integral with the shutter elements 10, 11 that can be adapted to the dispensing ports 5, 6.

  The handle 9 is essentially plate-shaped and has a lateral edge that allows the strip layout (FIG. 1) to be interlocked with the handle 9 of one or more adjacent containers 1.

  Furthermore, the closing means 8 includes an annular collar 12 associated with the handle 9 along a series of pre-established segmented areas 13.

  The pre-established segmented region 13 comprises, for example, a pair of tearable bridges that connect the handle 9 to the outer surface of the collar 12 and are located at opposing portions along the diameter of the collar 12.

The collar 12 is fitted around the neck 4 and made integrally therewith.

  In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the figure, for example, being arranged between the neck 4 and the collar 12 is obtained on the protrusion 14 defined on the inner surface of the collar 12 and on the outer surface of the neck 4, A coupling means 14, 15 for coupling, comprising a series of projecting teeth 15 that can be coupled to the projection 14.

  Other embodiments of the present invention are possible, however, where the collar 12 is made integrally with the neck 4 by, for example, ultrasonic type or adhesive welding.

To be useful, what is defined inside the body 2 is suitable for subdividing the volume inside the body 2 into two or more compartments 17, 18 intended to contain an equal number of different liquid products. It is a partition 16.

  In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the figure, the partition 16 accurately subdivides the body 2 into a first compartment 17 and a second compartment 18 and the two liquid products contained therein can exit. The neck 4 has a first dispensing port 5 and a second dispensing port 6 which is different from each other for closing with two shutter elements 10, 11 associated with the provided handle 9.

  Another embodiment of the present invention, however, cannot exclude what two or more partitions 16 are for defining three or more compartments 17, 18 for containing three or more liquid products; In this case, the neck 4 has three or more dispensing ports 5, 6 that can be closed again with an equal number of shutter elements 10, 11.

More particularly, the shutter elements 10, 11 can be inserted into the dispensing ports 5, 6 and are defined by respective pins essentially parallel to each other and to the longitudinal direction of the body 2.

  It is further shown that the shutter elements 10, 11, the handle 9, and the collar 12 are made in a single body by a forming method such as injection molding using, for example, a polyethylene or polypropylene type polymer material.

  Similarly, the body 2 and the partition 16 are also made in a single seamless body obtained by the same forming method as the closure means 8 within a separate formwork.

The body 2 and the partition 16 are therefore first cut off by the closing means 8, as shown in FIG. 2, and the container 1 is subsequently assembled by connecting the collar 12 on the neck 4 and at the same time the pins 10, 11 Fit to the dispensing ports 5 and 6.

Conveniently, the partition 16 extends from the neck 4 to the hole 7 along the entire length of the body 2.

  By means of the partition 16, the wall of the tube of the body 2, together with the partition 16, a first essentially curved wall 19 that delimits the first chamber 17 and a partition 16 and a second essentially chamber that separates the second chamber 18. Subdivided into a curved wall 20; the first and second walls 19, 20 are clearly shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, the partition 16 is at least partially bent into itself.

More specifically, by partitioning the body 2 along the cross section, the partition 16 is essentially corrugated and the length of its extension is essentially the length of the walls 19, 20 of the body 2. be equivalent to.

  This particular layout of the partition 16 is such that when the body 2 is squeezed, the walls 19, 20 and the partition 16 can extend locally along the transverse direction of the body 2, and the walls 19, 20 are essentially separated from the partition 16. It means that it can move to touch in line with each other.

In particular, this makes it possible to squeeze the lips of the holes 7 on the partition 16 without negatively affecting the welding and without creating undulations that would jeopardize the sealing and maintenance of the liquid product inside the container 1. Very useful during the closing phase of the hole 7 (FIGS. 4 and 5).

  However, another embodiment of the present invention in which the partition 16 is essentially formed into a plate shape and is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the body 2 cannot be excluded.

  It has been shown how the described invention actually achieves its intended purpose.

  In this respect, it is emphasized that, like a traditional vial, the container of the present invention can be opened without any problems and can be closed again if necessary.

In addition, certain solutions that provide a partition within the containment container body include two or more liquid products that are simultaneously dispensed in a practical, easy and functional manner by simple and direct squeezing of the containment container body. It must be added to this that it is possible to obtain a container that is possible.

  The present invention relates to a container for a liquid product, in particular a container for a liquid product which is suitable for containing products used in the field of pharmaceutical, cosmetic, medical or dental use but also in the field of food etc. It is related to.

  Typically, they have an essentially tubular elongated shape with an end with a neck on which a dispensing port is defined, and contain a containment container body that contains a predetermined dose of product.

  Usage is known in containers made of polymeric material for packaging single or multiple doses of liquid products, whether pastes, gels or liquids; depending on the number of doses present, known containers are Can be a single-use, multiple-dose type that can be closed again.

The opposite ends of the containment container body have holes suitable for introducing the product and are closed after filling, for example by welding. Closing means that can be interlocked in a detachable manner with the container at the neck allows for a dispensing mouth that can be closed.

  The containment container body and the closure means can be made separately using a forming method such as injection molding and then assembled together, or alternatively they can be made in a single piece and then used by the user. Separated.

Further, the containment container body is suitable for making it easier for the user to grip the container and has a pair of fins extending from the outer end surface of the containment container body completely opposite each other.

  Known containers are made in a single unit, or are linked together (in a strip) with each other; in the latter case, the fins of the containment body of two consecutive containers are pre-cracked Are temporarily related to each other.

  Different types of containers are known, especially with particular reference to closure means and their shapes due to different uses and manufacturing methods.

  The first type of known container anticipates the use of a cap that has a pre-established segmented area, eg, a part that is secured to the neck, to close the dispensing port during the molding phase. To do.

The cap also includes a cavity suitable for receiving the neck of the container having a shutter element for closing the dispensing port, and is first rotated outward in the opposite direction with respect to the portion that is initially secured to the neck. .

The container is opened for the first time by separating the cap from the dispensing port in the divided area, and after the product has been used, the container is rotated by turning the cap upside down to position the shutter element inside the dispensing port and hollow. Closed again by adapting to the neck.

  The particular shape of the cap, however, leads to exposure of the cavity and shutter element to external contaminants prior to the first use of the container and thus does not guarantee product integrity during subsequent use.

  To limit the possibility of product contamination, the closure means having a shutter element of a type such as a pin, which is enclosed and adapted in the dispensing port, and the deformable coupling the closure means to the container body without obstruction A second type of reclosable container is known that is made of a single body that includes an element that can be broken or broken.

Such a deformable or breakable element is suitable to indicate to the user that product contamination may be present due to tampering and / or accidental opening of the product and thus perform a safety sealing function To do.

A third type of container is also known from WO 01/96186 , in which the closure means and the containment container body are made in separate pieces and subsequently assembled together.

Such container closure means are annularly fixable coaxially by connecting, welding or gluing at the neck of the containment container body with a type of shutter element, such as a pin, adapted to be enclosed in the dispensing port. Generally includes a handle having a collar.

The handle can be interlocked in a removable manner on the outer surface of the collar by means of a suitable weakened area, for example composed of pre-cracked lines, bridges that can be torn, reduced cross section, etc.

The handle, collar and pin are thus made in a single piece separately from the containment container body, the collar is subsequently secured to the neck by connection, welding or gluing, and the dispensing port is closed by the pin.

  These known containers are however susceptible to further improvements. This emphasizes the fact that for some specific applications, the product contained in the container must be mixed prior to use. For this reason, two different containers have to be opened, and containers are used in which the respective contents obtained flow out to the containers that receive them before mixing.

The two actions of opening and spilling clearly represent a disadvantageous additional action that is almost impractical and does not take into account the need to have two or more separate containers and the associated increase in overall size In some cases, it requires execution time that cannot be ignored.

Other types of containers are known from US Pat. No. 6,799,699 and US Pat. No. 5,244,120.

WO 01/96186 US Pat. No. 6,799,699 US Pat. No. 5,244,120

The main object of the present invention is to be used in a practical, simple, functional and rapid manner, while at the same time being particularly compact and reduced in overall size, especially liquid products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods etc. Is to provide a container for.

Another object of the present invention is to provide liquid products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods and the like that can overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art to the extent that they are simple, reasonable, simple and effective to use and low cost. Is to provide a container for.

The above object is achieved by a container for liquid products such as medicines, cosmetics, foods, etc. of the present invention according to claim 1.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred and non-unique aspects of the embodiment of the container for liquid products, such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, etc., which are given merely by way of illustration and are not limited to the accompanying drawings The description of the drawings is as follows.
FIG. 1 is an axonometric view of a strip of a container of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the container of the present invention prior to assembly; FIG. 3 is an axonometric view from another angle of the container of the present invention; FIG. 4 is an axonometric view of the container of the present invention after opening the dispensing port before use; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the VV track surface of FIG.

With particular reference to such figures, containers for liquid products such as medicines, cosmetics, foods, etc. in particular are indicated generally by 1.

In this respect, it should be specified in this document that the term liquid product is not only meant for liquids, but also for example sticky or gel-like sticky products and particularly very fine powdered products with great fluidity. I must.

The container 1 includes a hollow body 2 intended to contain at least a liquid product.

  The body 2 is defined with a pair of gripping fins 3 that can be detachably coupled with the gripping fins 3 of one or more adjacent containers 1 to form a strip S of the container 1 (FIG. 1). It has an essentially tubular elongated shape on the outer surface.

From one end of the body 2, the neck 4 extends with at least dispensing ports 5, 6 for dispensing liquid products.

The neck 4 is essentially cylindrical with a smaller diameter than that of the remaining body 2 and is coaxially aligned with respect thereto.

At the end of the body 2 opposite the neck 4 a hole 7 for the introduction of a liquid product is defined; the closing of the hole 7 is carried out after the product has been introduced (for example by welding the lips of the hole) The

  The closing of the dispensing ports 5, 6, on the other hand, is performed by special closing means 8 having a handle 9 that supports at least one integral with the shutter elements 10, 11 that can be adapted to the dispensing ports 5, 6.

  The handle 9 is essentially plate-shaped and has a lateral edge that allows the strip layout (FIG. 1) to be interlocked with the handle 9 of one or more adjacent containers 1.

  Furthermore, the closing means 8 includes an annular collar 12 associated with the handle 9 along a series of pre-established segmented areas 13.

  The pre-established segmented region 13 comprises, for example, a pair of tearable bridges that connect the handle 9 to the outer surface of the collar 12 and are located at opposing portions along the diameter of the collar 12.

The collar 12 is fitted around the neck 4 and made integrally therewith.

  In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the figure, for example, being arranged between the neck 4 and the collar 12 is obtained on the protrusion 14 defined on the inner surface of the collar 12 and on the outer surface of the neck 4, A coupling means 14, 15 for coupling, comprising a series of projecting teeth 15 that can be coupled to the projection 14.

  Other embodiments of the present invention are possible, however, where the collar 12 is made integrally with the neck 4 by, for example, ultrasonic type or adhesive welding.

To be useful, what is defined inside the body 2 is suitable for subdividing the volume inside the body 2 into two or more compartments 17, 18 intended to contain an equal number of different liquid products. It is a partition 16.

  In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the figure, the partition 16 accurately subdivides the body 2 into a first compartment 17 and a second compartment 18 and the two liquid products contained therein can exit. The neck 4 has a first dispensing port 5 and a second dispensing port 6 which is different from each other for closing with two shutter elements 10, 11 associated with the provided handle 9.

  Another embodiment of the present invention, however, cannot exclude what two or more partitions 16 are for defining three or more compartments 17, 18 for containing three or more liquid products; In this case, the neck 4 has three or more dispensing ports 5, 6 that can be closed again with an equal number of shutter elements 10, 11.

More particularly, the shutter elements 10, 11 can be inserted into the dispensing ports 5, 6 and are defined by respective pins essentially parallel to each other and to the longitudinal direction of the body 2.

  It is further shown that the shutter elements 10, 11, the handle 9, and the collar 12 are made in a single body by a forming method such as injection molding using, for example, a polyethylene or polypropylene type polymer material.

  Similarly, the body 2 and the partition 16 are also made in a single seamless body obtained by the same forming method as the closure means 8 within a separate formwork.

The body 2 and the partition 16 are therefore first cut off by the closing means 8, as shown in FIG. 2, and the container 1 is subsequently assembled by connecting the collar 12 on the neck 4 and at the same time the pins 10, 11 Fit to the dispensing ports 5 and 6.

Conveniently, the partition 16 extends from the neck 4 to the hole 7 along the entire length of the body 2.

  By means of the partition 16, the wall of the tube of the body 2, together with the partition 16, a first essentially curved wall 19 that delimits the first chamber 17 and a partition 16 and a second essentially chamber that separates the second chamber 18. Subdivided into a curved wall 20; the first and second walls 19, 20 are clearly shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, the partition 16 is at least partially bent into itself.

More specifically, by partitioning the body 2 along the cross section, the partition 16 is essentially corrugated and the length of its extension is essentially the length of the walls 19, 20 of the body 2. be equivalent to.

  This particular layout of the partition 16 is such that when the body 2 is squeezed, the walls 19, 20 and the partition 16 can extend locally along the transverse direction of the body 2, and the walls 19, 20 are essentially separated from the partition 16. It means that it can move to touch in line with each other.

In particular, this makes it possible to squeeze the lips of the holes 7 on the partition 16 without negatively affecting the welding and without creating undulations that would jeopardize the sealing and maintenance of the liquid product inside the container 1. Very useful during the closing phase of the hole 7 (FIGS. 4 and 5).

  However, another embodiment of the present invention in which the partition 16 is essentially formed into a plate shape and is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the body 2 cannot be excluded.

  It has been shown how the described invention actually achieves its intended purpose.

  In this respect, it is emphasized that, like a traditional vial, the container of the present invention can be opened without any problems and can be closed again if necessary.

In addition, certain solutions that provide a partition within the containment container body include two or more liquid products that are simultaneously dispensed in a practical, easy and functional manner by simple and direct squeezing of the containment container body. It must be added to this that it is possible to obtain a container that is possible.

Claims (17)

In particular a container (1) for liquid products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foods, etc., at least a hollow body (2) for containing at least a liquid product, and extending from the body (2) to distribute the product At least a neck (4) having at least a dispensing port (5, 6) for carrying out and a handle (9) integrally supporting at least the shutter element (10, 11) for closing the dispensing port (5, 6). ) Having at least a closing means (8), which is associated with the handle (9) and interlocked with the neck (4) along at least a pre-established segmented area (13) In a container comprising at least an annular collar (12) which is possible, the container (1) is defined within the body (2) and is suitable for containing two liquid products (17, 18). In the inside of the body Further comprising a partition (16) that is suitable for subdividing the at least two dispensing ports (5, 6), each of which can be closed by at least two shutter elements (10, 11). ), Characterized in having a container (1). The container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the partition (16) extends essentially the entire length of the body (2). The length of the cross section of the partition (16) is essentially the same as the length of the cross section of the wall of the body (2), and squeezing the body (2) is essentially the same as the partition (16). A container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is suitable for moving the walls in consistent contact. Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the partition (16) is at least partly bent by itself. Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the partition (16) is essentially corrugated. Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the partition (16) is essentially molded into a plate mold. 7. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the container (1) comprises connecting coupling means (14, 15) for connecting the collar (12) to the neck (4). Container (1) as described. The coupling means (14, 15) are at least a protrusion (14) defined between at least the collar (12) and the neck (4), the collar (12) and the neck (4); Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least protruding teeth (15) connected to the protrusions (14) obtained on the other side between (1). Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the collar (12) is interlockable with the neck (4) by welding. Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the collar (12) is interlockable with the neck (4) by gluing. 1 1. The pre-established segmented region (13) is characterized in that it comprises at least a tearable bridge that connects the handle (9) to the outer surface of the collar (12). The container (1) according to claim 1. 12. Characterized in that the shutter element (10, 11) is firmly insertable into the dispensing port (5, 6) and is defined by respective pins essentially parallel to each other. Container (1) as described in any one of Claims. Container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pins (10, 11) are arranged essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the body (2). 14. The handle (9) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle (9), the shutter element (10, 11) and the collar (12) are made in a single body piece. Container (1). A container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body (2) and the divider (16) are made in a single body piece. 16. A handle according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle (9) is interlockable with the handle (9) of an adjacent container (1) to form a strip (S) of the container (1). The container (1) according to claim 1. At least gripping fins (3) in which the body (2) can be detachably connected with gripping fins (3) of adjacent containers (1) to form a strip (S) of the containers (1). A container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises

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