KR20210038551A - Refill to store volatile substances - Google Patents

Abstract

A refill for dispensing volatiles includes a bottle having a body defined by at least one sidewall and a neck extending from the body. The neck includes a rim at the top and has an inner surface, an upper surface, and an outer surface. The wick has a first end positioned inside the bottle and a second end extending out of the bottle. The plug assembly is secured to the neck of the bottle and holds the wick in the bottle. The cap engages the neck of the bottle. When the refill is in an assembled configuration, the lower side of the cap includes a flange and a stop that forms a seal with the plug assembly.

Description

Refill to store volatile substances

Refills to store volatiles are initiated.

Various volatile dispensing devices are known in the art and generally include a dispenser and one or more refills with one or more volatiles disposed therein. Typical volatiles dispensing mechanisms used in volatile dispensing devices include heating devices and/or fans that aid in the release of volatiles from the refill(s).

Dispenser refills are generally bottled, a plug or wick holder inserted into the mouth inside the neck of the bottle, and a wick held by the plug, in contact with volatile substances. And a wick having a first end and a second end extending out of the bottle. The volatile material is moved from the bottle to the end of the wick through the first end of the wick by capillary action. The surface defining the inlet of the refill has a variety of shapes depending on the type of material used in the bottle itself. Also, the types of materials used in these bottles may be different.

Some bottles are made of glass and some are made of plastic resins such as metallocene polypropylene (mPP) or Barex resins. In the enjoyment delivery space, transparent polymers have been found to cause stress cracking along the throat of the refill surrounding the mouth, especially when exposed to elevated temperatures and/or bottle stress. Some of the stress cracking is thought to be due to the selective absorption of stress cracking agents, i.e. perfume oils and/or solvents, but some of the stress cracks are caused by the insertion of the plug and wick and the cap on the refill. It may be due to a hoop or circumferential stress generated by the bottle after it is attached. It is believed that such stress cracking agents cause the formation of micro-yield or stress-extension regions that reduce the yield strength of the polymer forming the bottle. The decrease in the yield strength of the polymer may lead to cracking and fracture, which may worsen upon plug and/or wick insertion and/or after cap attachment.

Most of the stress cracks in a typical refill bottle containing polymer form, for example, in the neck of the bottle adjacent to the mouth. Stress cracking is usually the result of stress on a portion of the refill bottle. Due to the clamping of the neck by the wick holder, a lot of stress is generated along the top of the neck. In many cases, stress cracking occurs on the sealing surface and propagates to the middle of the neck. Since the refill bottle must hold the fluid inside, it is desirable to maintain a fluid seal between the plug and the bottle and reduce stress cracks that propagate adjacent the neck of the bottle. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize plug assembled tensile hoop stresses occurring at bottleneck finish while maintaining normal sealing pressure.

According to one aspect, a refill for dispensing volatile substances is a bottle having a body defined by at least one sidewall and a neck extending from the body, the neck comprising a rim on its top , The rim is defined by an inner surface, an upper surface, and an outer surface. The refill includes a wick having a first end positioned in the bottle and a second end extending out of the bottle, a plug assembly fixed to the neck of the bottle holding the wick inside the bottle, and It further includes a cap coupled to the neck of the bottle. The underside of the cap consists of a flange and a stop that forms a seal with the plug assembly when the refill is in an assembled configuration.

According to another aspect, a refill for dispensing a volatile material comprises a bottle having a body defined by at least one side wall and a neck extending from at least one side wall, the neck being threaded surrounding at least a portion of the neck. ), and a rim at the top of the neck, the rim being defined by an inner surface, an outer surface, and a top surface extending between the inner and outer surfaces. A channel is formed by the neck and a longitudinal axis is defined by the channel. The refill further includes a wick having a first end disposed in the bottle and a second end extending outside the bottle, and the wick is disposed in the channel. The refill also includes a plug assembly coupled to the neck of the bottle, a plug assembly holding a wick in the bottle, a cap attached to the bottle, the cap including a flange and a stop that rests from the underside of the cap. When the cap is attached to the bottle, the flange exerts a force on the first wall of the plug assembly.

1 is a front top isometric view of a refill according to one side of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.
3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the refill of FIG. 2 in a wickless and partially exploded configuration.
4 is another partial cross-sectional view of the refill of FIG. 2.
5 is a front, top and side isometric view of the refill bottle of FIG. 1.
6 is a front elevational view of the bottle of FIG. 5.
7 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 6-6 of FIG. 6.
8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the neck or finish of the bottle of FIG. 7;
9 is a front top isometric view of another refill according to one side of the present disclosure.
10 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 10-10 of FIG. 9.
11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the refill of FIG. 10 in a disassembled or disassembled configuration without a wick.
12 is another partial cross-sectional view of the refill of FIG. 10 in an assembled configuration without a wick.
13 is a detailed partial cross-sectional view of the refill of FIG. 10.

The present disclosure relates to refills for a volatile material dispenser capable of vaporizing and dispensing volatile materials. Although the apparatus disclosed herein may be implemented in a number of different shapes, several specific embodiments are discussed herein with the understanding that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles described herein, and the present disclosure refers to the illustrated embodiments. It is not intended to be limited to. Throughout this specification, the terms “about” and “approximately” mean plus or minus 5% of the number preceded by each term.

The use of the term “volatile material” herein refers to any volatile material that a consumer may wish to release into the area surrounding the dispenser that holds the one or more refills and/or the one or more refills that hold the volatile material(s). Refers to. Illustratively, the types of volatile substances are, for example, detergents, pesticides, insect repellents, insect attractants, mold or mold inhibitors, fragrances, disinfectants, air purifiers, aromatherapy fragrances, preservatives, positive fragrance volatiles, air fresheners, It may be a deodorant and the like and/or a combination thereof. Additives such as, for example, flavoring and/or preservatives may be included in the volatile material.

1 to 3 are generally refills 20 for use with a volatile dispenser (not shown) capable of actively or passively releasing volatiles disposed within a refill 20 into the surrounding environment. Shows. In some embodiments, refill 20 may be inserted and retained in a volatile dispenser. Referring now to FIG. 1, the refill 20 generally includes a bottle 30 holding volatile material, and a cylindrical neck 32 extends upwardly from the bottle 30. Bottle 30 may be formed of glass, polymer, or other suitable material or material. The cap 34 is shown secured to the neck 32 of the bottle 30. The cap 34 generally includes a fixing portion 36 and a cover portion 38. The securing portion 36 may include threading along an inner surface that may be used to secure the cap 34, for example the neck 32 of the bottle 30. The fixing part 36 and the cover part 38 are connected at the joint 40.

2, a front cross-sectional view of the refill 20 is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, the refill 20 further includes a plug assembly 50 disposed and attached within the neck 32 of the refill 20. The plug assembly 50 generally includes a sheath 52 and a base 54. The plug assembly 50 holds a wick 56 in the center of the bottle 30 and prevents leakage of the volatile material 60 from the bottle 30. The lower portion 58 of the wick 56 is in fluid communication with the volatile material 60 disposed within the bottle 30. The wick 56 extends upward through the neck 32 so that when the cap 34 is removed its top 62 is exposed to the surrounding environment.

The sheath 52 of the plug assembly 50 extends upward from the mouth 70 of the bottle 30 and surrounds a portion of the wick 56. The wick 56 may be, for example, a typical wick (porous material), a dip tube, a hollow tube, and any type of transport mechanism such as a gravity feed surface or component, or any other suitable transport mechanism.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the bottle 30 further includes a bottom wall 80 and at least one side wall 82. The floor wall 80 is generally shown as being concave, but the floor wall 80 may be planar or have any other suitable configuration. As shown in FIG. 2, the sidewall 82 extends upward from the bottom wall 80 and bends outward from the longitudinal axis 86 extending through the wick 56 when the refill 20 is assembled. The side wall 82 ends at the neck 32 of the bottle 30. During assembly of the refill 20, the wick 56 and sheath 52 are inserted into a channel 88 defined by the neck 32 of the refill 20.

Referring to FIG. 5, the side walls 82 of the bottle 30 are first and second side surfaces 166, 168 connecting the front and rear surfaces 162, 164 and the front and rear surfaces 162, 164. Includes. The front face 162 has a generally bulbous central portion and is generally curved inward at its sides and bottom. The rear surface 164 may be a mirror image of the front surface 162 or may have a different configuration. In some embodiments, back surface 164 is generally planar. In some embodiments, the protrusion or design element 170 extends outwardly from the front surface 162, where the design element 170 may function to hold the refill 20 within a dispenser. Although the bottles disclosed herein are shown to have a specific shape, the principles of this disclosure can be applied to refills having bottles having any suitable shape.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4, a first thread 72 is placed on the neck 32 of the bottle 30 to help hold the cap 34 thereon and/or refill 20 to the dispenser. Helps to keep on or inside. The cap 34 includes a second thread 104 on its inner surface that corresponds to and is operable to receive the first thread 72. The first thread 72 and the second thread 104 include a fastening mechanism capable of retaining the cap 34 on the bottle 30. In other embodiments, other fastening mechanisms may be used to hold the cap 34 on the bottle 30. The first and/or second threads 72, 104 may include single, continuous threads, double threads, or some other type of multiple start threads. The first and/or second threads 72, 104 may alternatively be discontinuous.

Referring back to FIG. 3, an annular rim 110 is disposed on the upper end 112 of the neck 32 over the first thread 72. The rim 110 is defined by an inner surface 114, an upper surface 116 and an outer surface 118, which will be discussed in more detail below. The first annular projection 120 extends outwardly from the neck 32 between the outer surface 118 of the rim 110 and the first thread 72. In some embodiments, the first annular protrusion 120 is included to hold the plug assembly 50, which may include a locking feature 122 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. . The locking feature 122 may include a second annular protrusion 124 that snaps onto the first annular protrusion 120. The neck 32 of the bottle 30 also includes an inner surface 130 forming a channel 88. Although the first and second annular protrusions 120 and 124 are described as being annular, the first and second annular protrusions 120 and 124 may alternatively be separate, discontinuous protrusions.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the base 54 of the plug assembly 50 is shown in more detail. The base 54 includes a well 140 defined by an inner wall 142, a lower wall 144 and an intermediate wall 146. Inner wall 142 and intermediate wall 146 are substantially parallel. The lower wall 144 joins the inner wall 142 with the intermediate wall 146 and is further substantially perpendicular to each of the inner wall 142 and the intermediate wall 146. The upper wall 148 engages and extends outwardly from the intermediate wall 146. The top wall 148 is also coupled to an outer wall 152 that is substantially perpendicular to the top wall 148. The second annular protrusion 124 is disposed along the inner surface 154 of the outer wall 152. In some embodiments, inner wall 142, intermediate wall 146, and outer wall 152 are substantially parallel to each other. In some embodiments, the inner wall 142 and the bottom wall 80, the lower wall 144 and the middle wall 146, the middle wall 146 and the upper wall 148, the upper wall 148 and the outer wall 152 The joint 156 between is round. Any wall or portion defined herein as being substantially parallel to another wall or portion may be offset by up to 10 degrees from the axis defined by the first wall or portion.

Referring back to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cap 34 includes a seal skirt 160 extending into the well 140 of the plug assembly 50. The sealing skirt 160 may be dimensioned to abut the lower wall 144 of the plug assembly 50, thereby forming a seal therebetween. The sealing skirt 160 can also be sized and positioned to provide pressure or stress on the lower portion 150 of the intermediate wall 146, thereby along the rim 110 of the neck 32 of the bottle 30. Stress can be relieved. The sealing skirt 160 may additionally or alternatively be sized and positioned to provide pressure or stress to the intermediate portion 151 of the intermediate wall 146, ie the portion above the lower portion 150. The sealing skirt 160 may be attached to or extended from one or more features that may help relieve or displace stress from the upper portion of the neck 32 of the bottle 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the plug assembly 50 is fixed to the bottle 30 and the cap 34 is fixed to the plug assembly 50. The sealing skirt 160 is disposed within the well 140 and abuts the intermediate portion 151 of the intermediate wall 146. Due to the geometry of the cap 34, the sealing skirt 160 exerts pressure on the intermediate wall 146. A first seal is formed between the sealing skirt 160 and the intermediate portion 151 of the intermediate wall 146, referred to as a “sheath-to-cap” seal. A second seal is formed between the intermediate wall 146 and the inner wall 130 of the neck 32, which is referred to as a “sheath-to-neck” seal. The cis-to-cap seal and the cis-to-neck seal are volatile from the refill 20 when the cap 34 is secured to the bottle 30, and when the plug assembly 50 is secured to the bottle, respectively. Prevent it from escaping. As such, each of the cis-to-cap seal and the cis-to-neck seal may be an airtight seal.

7 and 8, the configuration of the rim 110 of the bottle 30 will now be discussed in more detail. Specifically, referring to FIG. 8, in order to reduce the strain applied on the neck 32 of the bottle 30 and the resulting stress cracking, the inner surface 114 of the rim 110 is shown to be angled, that is, The inner surface 114 is a chamfered surface 200. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the chamfered surface 200 has a chamfer angle θ of approximately 6 degrees measured from the longitudinal axis 86. However, the chamfered surface 200 has a chamfer angle of about 1 degree to about 10 degrees, or about 2 degrees to about 9 degrees, or about 3 degrees to about 8 degrees, or about 4 degrees to about 7 degrees, or about 6 degrees. can have θ.

In some embodiments, only a single portion or multiple discrete portions of the inner surface 130 of the rim 110 form the chamfered surface 200. In some embodiments, the entire interior surface 130 forms a chamfered surface 200. In some embodiments, the chamfered surface 200 starts at or above the uppermost extent of the first thread 72 as shown in FIG. 8, but the chamfered surface 200 is alternatively the first thread 72. You can start below the top range of ).

Still referring to Figure 8, the inner surface 130 of the rim 110 is defined in part by the chamfered surface 200 as well as the angled surface 204 connecting the chamfered surface 200 at the vertex 206. do. The angled surface 204 can have an angle β of approximately 45 degrees from the longitudinal axis 86. In some embodiments, the angle β of the angled surface 204 is between about 20 degrees and about 70 degrees, or between about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees, or between about 40 degrees and about 50 degrees. The angled surface 204 ends at the top surface 116 of the rim 110. The top surface 116 is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 86.

The benefits of the chamfered surface 200 will now be discussed. Through the existing refill test, a large amount of stress was measured in the neck of the bottle. In addition, it was confirmed that a high point of stress was generated at the high interference location during assembly of the existing refill, which was confirmed to be in each of the cis-to-cap seal and the cis-to-neck seal as described above. . The inclusion of the chamfered surface 200 has been found to reduce stress cracking caused by stresses occurring during and after assembly of the refill 20.

Through the experimental tests, the chamfered surface 200 between about 4 degrees and about 7 degrees was subjected to hoop stress at the neck 32 of the bottle 30 after the sheath 52 was inserted into the neck 32 and held therein. It has been found to significantly reduce hoop stress, thereby reducing or preventing stress-cracking within the bottleneck 32 during assembly and/or when the bottle 30 is exposed to the fragrance oil. In the first design of the bottle with a 2 degree chamfer for the cis-to-neck seal, the compression seal reduction resulted in an 8% stress reduction, and the cis-to-cap seal resulted in a 6.7% stress reduction. . For the 5 degree chamfered design, the sheath-to-neck seal resulted in a 9% stress reduction, and the sheath-to-cap seal resulted in a 20% stress reduction. The inclusion of the chamfered surface 200 has been found to move the high interference location to the bottleneck by moving the high interference location away from the bottleneck tip where the crack typically originates/occurs.

Among other tests, the seal pressure and tensile hoop stress that occurs during assembly of a refill with a 6 degree chamfer (“Chamfered Refill”) is the tensile hoop stress developed for a conventional mPP-based refill without chamfer (“Conventional Refill”). Compared with. During the test, the chamfered refill and the existing refill were filled with the same fragrance at room temperature and assembled respectively using a torque wrench. The chamfered and conventional refills were quickly reversed to allow wetting of the bottle-sheath and sheath-cap contact surfaces. The mPP-based refill was identical to the refill using a 6 degree chamfer in all relevant aspects (ie, the neck of the bottle). It was found that the seal of the chamfered refill is the same as or better than the seal of the existing refill.

For conventional refills, the maximum cis-to-neck seal pressure was 1419 psi and the cis-to-cap seal pressure was 427 to 540 psi. For the chamfered refill, the cis-to-neck seal pressure was found to be 1434 psi, while the cis-to-cap seal pressure was found to be 520 to 726 psi. It has been found that both the chamfered and conventional refills produce similar sheath-to-bottle compression seal pressure, while the chamfered refill retains the normal tensile hoop stress of the neck. Maintaining the compression seal is important to ensure that the perfume remains in the bottle during transport and use.

The above embodiments have been described as including the construction of a refill with one or more stress-reducing features, such as a chamfered surface along the inner surface of the bottle finish, and/or a sealing skirt along the underside of the cap, but now alternative stresses. The reduction feature will be described. Any of the aforementioned features may be used in addition to or in conjunction with the stress reduction features described in connection with the embodiments described below.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-13, a refill 320 for use with a volatile material dispenser (not shown) capable of actively or passively discharging the volatile material disposed within the refill 320 into the surrounding environment is shown. have. As discussed above with respect to refill 20, refill 320 may be inserted and held in a volatile dispenser. Referring to FIG. 9, the refill 320 generally includes a bottle 330 that holds volatiles, and a cylindrical neck 332 extends upward from the bottle 330. The bottle 330 may be similar or identical to the bottle 30 as described above, or the bottle 330 may have a different shape.

Bottle 330 may be formed of glass, polymer, or other suitable material or materials. A cap 334 secured to the neck 332 of the bottle 330 is shown. The cap 334 generally includes a fixing portion 336 and a cover portion 338. The securing portion 336 may include threading along an inner surface that may be used to secure the cap 334, for example the neck 332 of the bottle 330. The fixing portion 336 and the cover portion 338 are connected at the joint 340. Bottle 330 may have the same or similar sidewall and/or bottom wall configuration as bottle 30 described above. Alternatively, bottle 330 may have a different shape and may have features different from those described above for bottle 30.

In some embodiments, bottle 330 may include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and cap 334 may include polypropylene (PP). PET including bottle 330 may have a modulus of elasticity of about 2200 MPa to about 3200 MPa, or about 2500 MPa to about 2900 MPa, or about 2750 MPa. The PET may further have a tensile strength of about 60 MPa to about 100 MPa, or about 70 MPa to about 90 MPa, or about 80 MPa. The PET may further have a Poisson's ratio of about 0.2 to about 0.6 or about 0.3 to about 0.5, or about 0.4. The PET may further include a tangent modulus of about 220 MPa to about 330 MPa, or about 240 MPa to about 310 MPa, or about 275 MPa. The PET including bottle 330 may further include a coefficient of friction of about 0.05 to about 0.4, or about 0.1 to about 0.3, or about 0.2.

The PP including the cap 334 may have an elastic modulus of about 500 MPa to about 1800 MPa, or about 800 MPa to about 1500 MPa, or about 1375 MPa. The PP may further have a tensile strength of about 20 MPa to about 70 MPa, or about 30 MPa to about 50 MPa, or about 35 MPa. The PP may further have a Poisson ratio of about 0.2 to about 0.6 or about 0.3 to about 0.5, or about 0.42. The PP may further include a tangent coefficient of about 90 MPa to about 180 MPa, or about 110 MPa to about 160 MPa, or about 140 MPa. The PP including the cap 334 may further include a coefficient of friction of about 0.05 to about 0.4, or about 0.1 to about 0.3, or about 0.2.

Referring to FIG. 10, a front cross-sectional view of the refill 320 is shown. As illustrated herein, the refill 320 further includes a plug assembly 350 disposed and coupled to the inside of the neck 332 of the refill 320. Plug assembly 350 generally includes a sheath 352 and a base 354. The plug assembly 350 holds the wick 356 in the center of the inside of the bottle 330 and prevents leakage of volatile substances from the bottle 330. The wick 356 may have a configuration similar to the wick 56 of the refill 20 described above. The sheath 352 of the plug assembly 350 extends upward from the mouth 370 of the bottle 330 and surrounds a portion of the wick 356. The wick 356 may be any type of transport mechanism, such as, for example, a typical wick (porous material), a dip tube, a hollow tube and a gravity feed surface or component, or any other suitable transport mechanism. The plug assembly 350 may be made of polypropylene having properties similar to those described above.

Referring now to Figures 11-13, a first thread 372 is disposed on the neck 332 of the bottle 330 to help hold the cap 334 thereon and/or to remove the refill 320 within the dispenser. Helps to maintain. The cap 334 includes a second thread 404 along its inner surface that corresponds to and is operable to receive the first thread 372. The first thread 372 and the second thread 404 include a securing mechanism capable of retaining the cap 334 on the bottle 330. In other embodiments, other fastening mechanisms may be used to retain the cap 334 on the bottle 330. The first and/or second threads 372, 404 may include single start threads, double start threads, or some other type of multiple start threads. The first and/or second threads 372, 404 may alternatively be discontinuous.

In embodiments where bottle 330 includes a single start thread, a single “ridge” or thread is wrapped around neck 332. Each full rotation of the cap 334 relative to the neck 332 causes the cap 334 to advance axially by the width of one ridge or thread. Where the first and/or second threads 372 and 404 comprise a single start thread, each of the first and/or second threads 372 and 404 generally comprises a single helical helix. In this embodiment, the threading along one side of the neck 332 must be 1/2 of the threading pitch, that is, the distance from one top of the thread to the other thread above or below the stroke of the neck 332. It is placed vertically under the threading along the side. This difference in threading height can cause a slope of the cap 334 when twisting in the neck, as discussed in more detail below.

11 and 12, the annular rim 410, respectively illustrating the partially disassembled or disassembled configuration and the refill 320 of the assembled configuration, is the top of the neck 332 above the first thread 372 It is placed at 412. Rim 410 is defined by an inner surface 414, an upper surface 416 and an outer surface 418, which will be discussed in more detail below. The first annular projection 420 extends outwardly from the neck 332 between the outer surface 418 of the rim 410 and the first thread 372.

In some embodiments, a first annular protrusion 420 is included to hold a plug assembly 350 that may include a locking feature 422 as shown in FIGS. 11-13. The locking feature 422 may include a second annular protrusion 424 that snaps onto the first annular protrusion 420. The neck 332 of the bottle 330 also includes an inner surface 430 forming a channel 388. The first and second annular protrusions 420 and 424 are described as annular, but the first and second annular protrusions 420 and 424 are alternative configurations of the first and second annular protrusions 120 and 124 described above. It may be a similar discrete discontinuous protrusion.

Still referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the base 354 of the plug assembly 350 is shown in more detail. The base 354 is similar to the well 140 described above, defined by a first or inner wall 442, a second or lower wall 444, and a third or intermediate wall 446. 440). The inner wall 442 and the intermediate wall 446 are substantially parallel. The lower wall 444 joins the inner wall 442 with the intermediate wall 446 and is more substantially perpendicular to the respective inner wall 442 and intermediate wall 446. The fourth or upper wall 448 engages and extends outwardly from the intermediate wall 446. The upper wall 448 engages a fifth or angled wall 450 extending downward and outwardly away from the upper wall 448. The angled wall 450 engages a sixth or outer wall 452 substantially perpendicular to the upper wall 448 and substantially parallel to the inner wall 442 and the intermediate wall 446. The angled wall 450 may extend at an angle of about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees, or about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees, or about 45 degrees offset from the plane defined by the top wall 448.

With continued reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, the second annular protrusion 424 is disposed along the inner surface 454 of the outer wall 452. In some embodiments, inner wall 442, intermediate wall 446, and outer wall 452 are substantially parallel to each other. Any wall or portion defined herein as being substantially parallel to another wall or portion may be offset by up to 10 degrees from the axis defined by the first wall or portion.

Still referring to Figs. 11 and 12, a stop or annular bead 460 and a wiper or annular flange 462 reach the lower portion 464 of the cap 334. Included accordingly. The annular flange 462 may be deflected (or fluted) to create a compression seal between the cap 334 and the plug assembly 350. As shown in FIG. 11, when the plug assembly 350 is shown as being separated from the bottle 330, the annular flange 462 is generally disposed in a straight or vertical position, while the assembled to the bottle 330. In FIG. 12 showing plug assembly 350, annular flange 462 is shown in a deflected or angled configuration. Inevitably, when assembling the refill assembly 320, when the plug assembly 350 is assembled to the bottle 330, the annular flange 462 is deflected outward, and accordingly, inwardly and/or along the angled wall 450 It acts as a spring in part by applying a downward force. A stop 460 may be included along the lower portion 464 of the cap 334 to prevent over-expansion of the annular flange 462 when the cap 334 is coupled to the bottle 330.

It has been found that the orientation of the annular flange 462 relative to the plug assembly 350 as well as the resulting potential energy of the curved flange 462 substantially reduces the tensile stress along a portion of the plug assembly 350. In particular, including the annular flange 462 along the underside 464 of the cap 334 reduces the tensile stress along the outer wall 452 of the plug assembly 350 and the top of the neck 332 of the bottle 330 It has been found to reduce compressive stress along 412. Containing an annular flange 462 circumferentially with respect to the underside 464 of the cap 334 and abutting the chamfered wall 450 maintains a possible 360 degree compression seal between the cap 334 and the plug assembly 350. Allow to do. This can be particularly advantageous when the cap 334 uses a single start threading, which means that the cap 334 is defined through the top surface 416 of the rim 410 when the cap 334 is fully engaged with the bottle 330. It can be made not completely parallel to the plane.

Effectively, the use of single start threading allows the cap to be tilted or offset about an axis defined through the wick 356. As a result of the cap 334 being partially inclined due to the threading, the interface between the annular flange 462 and the chamfered wall 450 may change in the circumferential direction with respect to the cap 334, and thus the annular flange 462 and It has been found that the inclusion of chamfered walls 450 allows for a wider range of threading that can be used.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 12, when the plug assembly 350 is shown in an assembled configuration, the plug assembly 350 is snapped to provide secure attachment to the bottle 330 by mechanical snap interference. By using an over design, a compression seal is formed with the neck 332 of the bottle 330. The snap interference creates a fluid seal with reduced tensile hoop stress at the neck 332 of the bottle 330 to be created during cis-to-bottle assembly in the absence of the plug assembly 350. Since it includes an angled wall 450, the second annular protrusion 424 more easily snaps onto the first annular protrusion 420 to provide a desired compressive load and a desired compressive load on the outer shoulder 470 of the neck 332 of the bottle 330. /Or create a seal. This results in a desired compression seal between plug assembly 350 and bottle 330 without imparting significant tensile stress to neck 332.

Still referring to FIG. 12, a stop 460 is shown abutting the top wall 448 of the plug assembly 350, the flange 462 is shown in a deflected state and the angled wall of the plug assembly 350. It touches (450). The stop 460 serves to prevent excessive expansion of the cap 334 as discussed above, and may create a fluid tight seal, while the flange 462 is used to induce a compressive stress in the plug assembly 350. In operation, it induces a compressive stress in the neck 332 of the bottle 330 to reduce stress cracking in the neck 332 of the bottle 330. In some embodiments, the stop 460 is provided directly above the rim 410. In some embodiments, flange 462 is provided further from the wick than stop 460. In some embodiments, an additional feature, such as a flange or stop, is provided adjacent to the stop 460 and/or flange 462, such that the additional feature may be closer to the wick than the stop 460, and the stop It may be disposed between 460 and flange 462, or it may be further from the wick than flange 462.

13, the plug assembly 350 is fixed to the bottle 330 and the cap 334 is fixed to the plug assembly 350. A first seal is formed between the stop 460 and the plug assembly 350 and/or the flange 462 and the plug assembly 350, referred to as a “sheath-to-cap” seal. . The second seal is between the outer shoulder 470 of the neck 332 and the angled wall 450 (see FIG. 13), and/or between the upper wall 448 and the upper surface 416 of the rim 410, and/or Or formed between the intermediate wall 446 and the inner wall 430 of the neck 332, any of which is referred to as a “cis-to-neck” seal. The cis-to-cap seal and the cis-to-neck seal are volatile substances from the refill 320 when the cap 334 is fixed to the bottle 330 and when the plug assembly 350 is fixed to the bottle, respectively. Prevent escaping. As such, each of the cis-to-cap seal and the cis-to-neck seal may be an airtight seal.

Any embodiment described herein may be modified to include any structure or methodology disclosed in connection with different embodiments. Further, the present disclosure is not specifically limited to the type of substrate and/or support component shape/size shown. Moreover, the support components of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be modified to work with various types of substrates consistent with those disclosed herein.

Industry availability

Numerous changes to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only, and is presented for the purpose of teaching one of ordinary skill in the art the best mode of making and using and performing the apparatus disclosed herein. The exclusive right to all changes falling within the scope of the appended claims remains.

Claims (20)

In the refill for dispensing volatile substances,
bottle;
A wick having a first end positioned within the bottle and a second end extending out of the bottle;
A plug assembly fixed to the neck of the bottle, -the plug assembly holds a wick inside the bottle-; And
The cap coupled to the neck of the bottle,-The bottom surface of the cap includes a stop and a flange, the flange is capable of deflecting outward, and the stop and the flange are the plug assembly when the refill is in an assembled configuration Forms a seal with -,
Including,
The bottle is,
A body defined by at least one sidewall; And
Having a neck extending from the body, the neck comprising a rim thereon, the rim being defined by an inner surface, an upper surface, and an outer surface,
refill.
The method of claim 1,
The plug assembly comprises an inner wall and an intermediate wall,
refill.
The method of claim 2,
The inner wall is connected to the middle wall through the lower wall, and the upper wall extends outwardly from the middle wall to couple to the angled wall,
refill.
The method of claim 3,
When the cap is engaged with the neck of the bottle, the flange of the cap contacts the angled wall,
refill.
The method of claim 3,
The angled wall is joined to the outer wall, and the inner wall, the middle wall, and the outer wall of the plug assembly are substantially parallel to each other,
refill.
The method of claim 3,
The angled wall is inclined about 45 degrees offset from the plane defined by the top wall,
refill.
The method of claim 1,
The cap is threadedly coupled to the neck of the bottle,
refill.
The method of claim 1,
The flange is disposed at a first distance away from the wick and the stop is disposed at a second distance away from the wick, the first distance being greater than the second distance,
refill.
The method of claim 1,
A volatile substance comprising at least one perfume oil is disposed within the body of the bottle,
refill.
The method of claim 1,
A first annular protrusion is disposed along the outer surface of the rim between the upper surface of the rim and threading along the neck, and the first annular protrusion is a second annular on the plug assembly for securing the plug assembly to the neck of the refill. Configured to interact with the protrusion,
refill.
In the refill for dispensing volatile substances,
bottle;
A channel formed by the neck, the longitudinal axis defined by the channel;
A wick having a first end disposed in the bottle and a second end extending outside the bottle, -the wick is disposed in the channel-;
A plug assembly coupled to the neck of the bottle, the plug assembly holding the wick in the bottle;
A cap attached to the bottle, the cap comprising a flange and a stop that depends from the underside of the cap,
Including,
The bottle is,
A body defined by at least one sidewall; And
Having a neck extending from at least one side wall,
The neck is,
Threading surrounding at least a portion of the neck; And
A rim at the top of the neck, the rim being defined by an inner surface, an outer surface, and an upper surface extending between the inner and outer surfaces;
Including,
When the cap is attached to the bottle the flange exerts a force on the first wall of the plug assembly and deflects outward,
refill.
The method of claim 11,
The plug assembly may include second and third walls spaced apart and positioned in the channel, a fourth wall connecting lower ends of the second and third spaced apart walls, and an upper end of the second wall with the first wall. Further comprising a fifth wall to connect,
refill.
The method of claim 12,
The first wall forming an angle between about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees from the plane defined by the fifth wall of the plug assembly,
refill.
The method of claim 13,
A sixth wall extends from a lower end of the first wall, the sixth wall being parallel to the second wall,
refill.
The method of claim 11,
The first annular protrusion is disposed along the outer surface of the rim between the threading and the upper surface of the rim,
refill.
The method of claim 15,
A second annular protrusion is disposed along the plug assembly,
The second annular protrusion snaps onto the first annular protrusion to hold the plug assembly on the neck of the refill,
refill.
The method of claim 11,
The inner surface of the rim is tapered at an angle between 2 degrees and 8 degrees offset from the longitudinal axis,
refill.
The method of claim 11,
The bottle comprises polyethylene terephthalate, the plug assembly comprises polypropylene, and the cap comprises polypropylene,
refill.
The method of claim 11,
The first wall is inclined at an angle between about 30 degrees and about 60 degrees offset from the longitudinal axis,
refill.
The method of claim 19,
The first wall is in direct contact with the outer shoulder of the rim to form a cis-to-neck seal,
refill.

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