MXPA97004888A - Device for the separate storage of at least two products, its mixture and the distribution of the mixture obtained in this manner and the manufacturing procedure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device that allows the separate storage of at least two substances, their mixing and the distribution of the obtained mixture, this device being of the type that includes a container and at least one movable obturator adapted to separate inside of the container two chambers intended to contain the substances respectively, before the first use of the device, including the latter also a pusher to move at the time of first use, to cause the separation or tearing of the shutter and the communication of the two cameras , characterized in that it comprises a sealing joint that includes a part fixed to the container and a deformable part, made of an elastically deformable material, adapted to deform when the pusher is sunk to accompany the movement of the latter constituting always a hermetic barrier between the inside of the recip move and push

Description

DEVICE FOR THE SEPARATE STORAGE OF AL LESS TWO PRODUCTS, ITS MIXTURE AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE MIXTURE OBTAINED FROM THIS MODE AND THE PROCEDURE OF MANUFACTURE DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the separate storage of at least two products, their mixing and the distribution of the mixture obtained in this way. French Patent No. 2,290,366 discloses a device for storing, separating two products, mixing them and distributing the mixture obtained, including this device a container with neck containing one of the products, and a plate with alveolus , made of a semi-rigid plastic material such as polyvinyl chloride, which contains the other product, placed on the neck of the container. A pusher is provided to cause tearing of a closing disc or cover which seals the plate with socket, and allows the product contained therein to fall into the container, to be mixed with the other product. For French patent application No. FR-2,722,765 in the name of the applicant company, REF: 25020 knows a device comprising a container and a movable obturator placed inside the container, to separate two chambers containing respectively the two products before the first use. The shutter is ejected or torn by means of a pusher at the moment of the first use of the device, to put the cameras in communication, in order to allow the mixing of said products. The pusher is also advantageously used to create, each time it is sunk, an overpressure in the container and the outlet of a predetermined quantity of the mixture. A return spring allows the pusher to be returned to its initial position when it is loosened by the user. At least one of the two products is typically a liquid, it being necessary for the pusher to move in a hermetic manner relative to the container, in order to avoid any leakage. The tightness is obtained by a tight adjustment of the pusher in a cylindrical part of the container, and this is reinforced if necessary by the presence of a sealing skirt surrounding the cylindrical part. An inviolability cap can prevent movement of the pusher as long as it is present on the container. A device of this type has a very large number of constituent parts, and its manufacture or assembly are therefore relatively expensive. The present invention aims to improve even this type of device, mainly in order to reduce its manufacturing cost. This is achieved by proposing a new device for the separate storage of at least two products, their mixing and the distribution of the mixture obtained in this way, of the type comprising a container, at least one movable obturator adapted to separate inside the container two chambers intended to respectively contain the products, before the first use of the device and a pusher, to move at the moment of the first use, to cause the outlet or tear of the obturator, and the putting in communication of the two chambers, being characterized in this device by the fact that it comprises a gasket or seal that includes a part fixed to the container and a deformable part made of an elastically deformable material, able to deform when the plunger is sunk to accompany the movement of the latter constituting always an airtight barrier between the pusher and the interior of the container. Thanks to the invention, the manufacture and assembly of the device can be simplified, since the pusher and the container do not have to be precisely adjusted in order to obtain the seal at the time of use and storage. The pusher and the container can also present a great variety of shapes. Deformable part of tight connection, made of an elastically deformable material, behaves like a spring that allows the pusher to be removed each time it is loosened by the user. The pusher can thus be used to cause an overpressure inside the container at each sinking, and the output of a predetermined amount of the mixture. Preferably, the pusher is attached to the container by at least one point of cuttable material to break at the time of first use. The manufacture of the device is therefore involved, since the pusher can be made by molding in one piece with a part of the container. The material point (s) that are broken at the time of first use, advantageously serve as a witness of inviolability. The use of an aggregate tamper-proof cap on the container as it is on the prior art devices is thus avoided. Advantageously, the pusher is shaped to cause, at the time of the first use, a deformation of the deformable part, in order to form a >; pointed area destined to hit the obturator. Preferably, the tightness joint is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, in such a way that recycling of the device is facilitated. The deformation capacity of the joint can be obtained by a particular conformation, such as a localized thinning of its wall. It is also possible, in one variant, to shape the deformable part of the connection according to a bellows. Preferably, the deformable part of the joint has a general glove-finger shape where the transverse dimension is chosen so that at least a portion of said deformable part remains substantially in contact with the wall of the container at the moment of displacement of the pusher . Preferably, one of the products is contained in a tube or chimney of the container, the pusher is mounted on the container so as to be able to be displaced on a sinking course greater than or equal to the maximum height of the product contained in said pipe or chimney , and the deformable part has an end adapted to slide to the contact of the wall of the tube. It is thus possible to expel almost all of the product contained in one of the chambers towards the other chamber from the first pressure on the pusher. This is avoided, when the product in contact with the joint is a powder and the other product contained in the container is a liquid, which remain in the nooks where clumps of dust can remain at the moment of the communication of the two cameras. The free end of the deformable part may have one or more reliefs designed to create one or more detonators for tearing the obturator or facilitate its exit by exerting a localized thrust, which may favor its displacement relative to the container. It is thus possible to provide a central wedge or peripheral annular lever, continuous or not, at the free end of the deformable part of the joint. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the container is formed by the assembly of a hollow body and an end part that includes a seat to be fixed to the body, and a shell or shell fixed to the seat, and joined by at least a point of material to the pusher, before the first use of the device. Advantageously, the seat, the shell and the pusher are made of one-piece molding, the seat is joined by a hinge film to the shell or shell. In this way the manufacture and assembly of the device are greatly simplified in relation to prior art devices. In a variant, the shell or shell can be made independently of the seat, and fixed on the latter by interlocking. In addition, it is possible to make the seat and the shell with various profiles according to the aesthetics sought, but preferably chosen in order to confer to the end part, after the assembly of the seat and the shell, a shape capable of serving handle or stop for the fingers of the user, to prevent the sliding of the device when the latter rests on the pusher. The shutter can be constructed by a heat-sealed aluminum cover on said seat. In a variant, this can be done molding with the container. This can even be constituted by a plug provided in the container. The part of the pusher that comes into contact with the seal can have various shapes. It is thus possible in a particular embodiment of the invention to prepare this part in the form of a assembly of tabs arranged according to a cone that converges towards the center of the sealing connection, and which comes to rest at its free end substantially in the middle of the joint and on a reduced extension so as to exert a central thrust on the obturator. Preferably, means are provided for retaining the pusher on the container when the material point (s) serving as inviolability witnesses have been broken. In this way it is possible to join the sealing joint and the pusher by gluing, welding, friction or interlocking. The container and / or the pusher can even be provided with notches or tabs capable of retaining the pusher after its initial collapse. The invention also has as its objective a method of manufacturing a device for the separate storage of at least two products, their mixing and the distribution of the mixture obtained in this way, characterized in that it includes the steps consisting of: hollow body provided with sealing means movable at one end, and open at the other end, forming by molding in one piece an end part that includes a seat for fixing the open end of the hollow body, and a shell or bonded shell to the seat by a hinge film, the shell including a pusher attached to the rest of the shell by at least one point of breakable material, the end part includes a chimney or tube, - fixing or forming at one end of the tube a movable seal , - filling the chimney or tube with a first product, - providing on the chimney or tube a shaped seal for closing the tube, - pivotally providing around the hinge film the shell on the seat, - filling the open end of the hollow body with a second product, - providing the end part on the open end of the hollow body. Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear after reading the following detailed description, of the non-limiting embodiment examples of the invention, and of the examination of the attached drawing in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a device according to a particular embodiment of the invention, - figure 2 is a schematic view in longitudinal section of the device shown in figure 1, - figure 3 is a view analogous to figure 2, which represents the pusher after the breaking of the points of breakable material that are attached to the container, figure 4 is a schematic and partial sectional view illustrating the assembly of the device, and figures 5 and 6 are schematic sectional views illustrating the variants of embodiment of the invention. Figures 1 and 2 show a device 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention, which includes a container 2 and a shutter 3 that separates the interior of the container in two chambers 4 and 5. In the particular example of embodiment described, the chamber 4 located in the lower part of the container contains a liquid product L and the chamber 5 located in the upper part of the container a powdery product P. The volume of the chamber 4 is clearly superior to that of the chamber 5 Of course, it does not depart from the scope of the invention using the device 1 for the separate conditioning of two liquids. The container 2 is formed by mounting an end part 7 and a hollow body 6, generally tubular and elongated according to a longitudinal axis X in the described example. The body 6 is provided at its lower end with a neck 8 defining an orifice 9 for the distribution of the mixture In the absence of use of the device, the hole 9 is closed by a movable closing cap 10, which can be fixed By any means known per se on the neck 8. In the described embodiment, the cap 10 includes an internal tubular skirt 11 shaped to lock onto an annular rim 12 provided in the vicinity of the base of the neck 8, and a central wedge 13 shaped to seal the orifice 9. The cap 10 and the neck 8 can be, in a variant, shaped to cooperate by screwing, and any other means of sealing the dispensing orifice 9 can thus be provided without leaving the frame. The present invention The end portion 7 includes a seat 14 intended to be fixed by interlocking on the open upper end of the body 6, and a shell or shell 15. In the described embodiment, the shell 15 is joined by a material point 16 that forms a hinge film on the seat 14, and this is fixed by locking on the latter by pivoting 180 ° as illustrated in Figure 4. The seat 14 includes an outer shell 17 extended in its lower part towards the upper part by an internal cylindrical skirt 18 which comes to surround the upper end of the body 6 when the end part 7 is in place, as it is shown in figure 2. The internal skirt 18 is joined, by the points of material 19, to a central part 20 which has at the bottom part a crown 34 defining an annular groove 21 open towards the lower part, and shaped for coupling on the upper end of the body 6. The piece 20 includes in the upper part a chimney or tube 22 centered on the longitudinal axis X. The tube 22 is generally cylindrical and is closed at its lower end by the shutter 3, and at its upper end by a seal or gasket 23. In the particular example of embodiment described, the shutter 3 is constituted by a seal or closing disk of heat-sealed aluminum, on an annular surface 24 bordering the lower hole of the tube 22.

The joint 23 is made of an elastically deformable material, and has a central wall coupled in the tube 22, and contour adapted to that of the cross section of the tube. In the particular example described, the wall 25 is circular and has an external diameter corresponding substantially to the internal diameter of the tube 22. The wall 25 is extended towards the height at its periphery by a wall 26 forming an annular groove open towards the lower part , designed to seal the upper end of the tube 22. The wall 26 is extended, radially outward, at its opposite end to that connected to the wall 25, by an annular wall 27 extending substantially perpendicular to the wall. longitudinal axis X. Wall 25 and the portion of the wall 26 located inside the tube 22, constitute a glove finger. The shell or shell 15 includes a helmet 29 which forms with the hull 17 of the seat 14 and after locking on the latter, an annular bulge convex to the outside, as shown in figures 1 and 2. The hulls 17 and 29 can presenting on its exterior surface reliefs intended to give the device 1 a particular aesthetic, and which allow, as the case may be, to improve the ergonomy and maintenance of the device 1 at the time of use. The reference numerals 41 and 42 in FIG. 4 have been given to the annular grooves formed respectively on the housings 17 and 29, and intended to allow the interlocking of the latter. The helmet 29 is extended at its radially innermost end by an internal cylindrical skirt 30 which, at the moment when the shell 15 is fixed on the seat 14, is brought into contact with the wall 27 of the joint 23, as shown in FIG. Figure 2. The internal skirt 30 is joined, until the first use in the device, by the points of breakable material 31 in a pusher 32. This pusher 32 is provided internally with a shaft 33 that serves to transmit the thrust, as it will be explained in the subsequent. The shaft 33 is connected at one end to a wall 35 substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X, and which constitutes the upper part of the pusher 32. This wall 35 is extended on its periphery by an external skirt 36 that partially surrounds the shaft 33.

The material points 31 join the outer skirt 36 and the internal skirt 30. The placement of these material points 31 and the configuration of the pusher 32 are chosen so that the pusher 32 surpasses the helmet 29 when it is held by the points of contact. material 31 waiting to be driven, as shown in figures 1 and 2. In the embodiment described, the seat 14, the shell 15 and the pusher 32 are manufactured in one piece by injection molding in the configuration shown in Figure 4. The closure disc or cover 3 is thermowelded on the part 20 after the chimney or tube 22 is filled with the product P and the joint 23 is put in place. Next, the shell 15 is pivoted 180 ° and locked on the seat 14. The wall 27 of the joint 23 is then clamped between the upper surface of the crown 34 and the free edge of the inner skirt 30, as shown in FIG. Figure 2. The crown 34 can have on its face with respect to the joint 23, an annular rib 28 intended according to the case to favor the airtightness obtained between the piece 20 and the shell 15. The chamber 5 containing the product P is isolated thanks to the union 23 of the ambient air for a good conservation of the product P, until the first use of the device. Preferably, means are provided for retaining the pusher 32 on the end part 7 after the breaking of the points of material 31. It is thus possible to link the shaft 33 and the central wall 25 of the joint 23 by gluing, welding , friction or by interlocking. It is possible even on the pusher retaining means that cooperate with the shell, as will be described later. The end part 7 is locked on the body 6 after the filling of the latter with the product L, the neck 8 having previously been provided with the closing cap 10. In the described embodiment, an annular bead 37 is formed in the closeness of the upper end of the body 6 and the seat 14 includes the internal projections 38, shaped to retain the end part 7 on the body 6 when the end part 7 is fixed on the body 6 The upper section 39 of the latter applies then at the bottom of the throat 21 for a hermetic closure of the container. It can of course be modified the manner in which the end part is fixed on the body 6, without departing from the scope of the invention. The filling of the body 6 by the product L is preferably incomplete, in order to provide a gaseous volume that facilitates the mixing of the two products after separation or tearing of the shutter "3. For the first use of the device, the user exercises a pressure on the pusher 32, and breaks the material points 31 that retain it to the internal skirt 30. The plungement of the pusher 32 exerts a pressure on the joint 23 that transmits it in the described embodiment to the product P contained in the chamber 5, to cause tearing of the closing ring or operculum 3, and the expulsion of the product P towards the interior of the body 6 to be mixed with the product L. In the described embodiment, the wall 25 is provided on its periphery and on its face in contact with the product P, of a relief 40 intended to create a knockout detonation of the obturator 3.

The effort to exert on the wall 35 of the pusher, in order to bring about the communication of the chambers 4 and 5 is thus reduced, and the separation and tearing of the shutter 3 is effected in a predetermined manner. On the other hand, the shaft 33 does not exert any significant thrust on the obturator 3 as long as the material points 31 are not broken. The rupture of the latter intervenes relatively brutally, the shaft 33 then behaving like a hammer capable of projecting the product P in its entirety or almost deeply into the product L, from the first use of the device 1, and whatever the orientation of the latter. This results in a rapid and efficient mixing of the product P within the product L. At the time the pusher 32 descends, the joint 23 deforms to accompany the movement of the shaft 33 always continuing to seal the chamber 5 tightly. at its upper end, as shown in Figure 3. More precisely, in the embodiment described, the portion of the wall 26 located inside the tube 22 stretches elastically at the moment of the sinking of the pusher 32, thanks to the elasticity of the material that constitutes it, being able to achieve the elongation of this portion of the wall 26 10% or more of its initial height. When the user loosens this, the portion of the joint 23 that is elastically deformed tends to recover its initial shape and bring the pusher 32 to its original position. It will be emphasized that at the end of its sinking course, the outer skirt 36 is butted against the wall 27 of the joint 23. It can thus avoid any collision between the parts of rigid plastic material, which improves the comfort of use and reduces the risk of damage to the device 1. The pusher 32 is advantageously used to cause each time it is sunken and moves on a predetermined path relative to the container, a slight suppression inside the container and the outlet of the container. a predetermined amount of mixing by the orifice 9. In figure 5 a device 1 'according to a second embodiment of the invention is shown. This device includes certain elements identical to those of the preceding example of embodiment. These elements include the identical references on the figures, and will not be described again. The device 1 'shown in figure 5 differs mainly from the device 1 described above by the fact that the obturator is made, not in the form of a thermowelded cover, but in the form of a thin wall 3' made by molding with the rest of the seat 14. Preferably, as shown in figure 5, the wall 3 'is joined at its periphery by a crown of thinned material 41, so as to facilitate its decoupling from the piece 20. To illustrate the fact that the sealing connection can take various forms without departing from the scope of the invention, in FIG. 5, a junction 23 'which differs from the connection 23 described above is represented by the fact that the wall 25 is joined to the rest of the assembly. the connection by a wall 26 'which represents an annular cavity 47 on its internal surface, intended to facilitate the deformation of the joint when it accompanies the downward movement of the pusher. It is thus possible to shape the joint so that it deforms in a predetermined manner when the pusher is sunk. The pusher 32 'is formed in the described embodiment, so as to exert a thrust on a zone of little extension in the center of the wall 25 of the joint 23'. More precisely, the pusher 32 'is designed to cause, at the time of first use, a deformation of the deformable part of the joint, so as to form a sharp percussion zone of the obturator, the shaft 33 of the preceding embodiment has been replaced in the present embodiment by a set of fins 43 positioned according to a convergent cone in the direction of the center of the wall 25. When the user sinks the pusher 32 ', the latter rests only on the center of the wall 25 at the beginning of its descent, and thus exerts by means of the product P a strong pressure in the center of the obturator 3, which favors the expulsion or tearing of the latter. The fact of exerting the thrust in the center mainly, also makes it possible to avoid compacting the assembly of the product P at the moment of the initial sinking of the pusher.

A device 1"according to a third embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 6. This device 1" differs from the preceding ones, mainly due to the fact that the plug is constituted by a plug 3"fitted in the lower mouth of the tube 22. On the other hand, the joint 23"has, in the center of the wall 25 and on its face in contact with the product P, a wedge 44 where the vertex is in abutment on the obturator 3". this way, when the pusher 32 is sunk, the thrust is transmitted by means of this wedge 44, directly to the shutter 3"without passing through the intermediate part of a remarkable thickness of the product P. Thus the compacting of the product P in the course of the initial plunge of the pusher. On the other hand, in order to illustrate the fact that the pusher 32 can be retained other than by making it integral with the sealing connection, in FIG. 6, notches 45 formed in the periphery of the external skirt 36 of the pusher have been shown. 32, and capable of elastically franking, when the pusher 32 is sunk the first time, the projections 46 formed on the radially internal surface of the skirt 30. These projections 46 are shaped to retain the pusher 32 on the shell 15, after the first use of the device. In the three embodiments that have just been described, the wall 25 remains substantially in contact with the radially internal surface of the tube 22, and the pusher advantageously moves on a course greater than or equal to the maximum height of the product in the chamber 5. , in such a way that the expulsion of almost all of the product contained in the chamber 5 is ensured at the time of the initial collapse of the product, regardless of the arrangement of the device. Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments that have just been described. It is possible to modify mainly the shape of the hollow body 6 and that of the end part 7, the fact of using two parts 14, 15 joined by a hinge film allowing a great variety of shapes to realize the end part 7. also, without departing from the scope of the invention, assemble several movable obturators inside the container for the separate storage, mixing and distribution of more than two products. It is thus possible to make several chambers in the chimney or tube 22, separated from each other by shutters that are ejected or torn at the moment of the initial actuation of the pusher. In addition, the dispensing orifice may be of any nature, being constituted for example by a porous applicator such as a sintered foam, by a brush or an eye dropper.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the said invention "is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.

Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following:

Claims (23)

1. A device that allows the separate storage of at least two products (P, L), their mixing and the distribution of the obtained mixture, this device being of the type that includes a container and at least one movable obturator adapted to separate inside the container two chambers intended to contain the products respectively, before the first use of the device, the latter also including a pusher to move at the time of first use, to cause the separation or tearing of the obturator and the putting into communication of the two chambers, characterized in that it comprises a sealing joint that includes a part fixed to the container and a deformable part, made of an elastically deformable material, adapted to deform when the plunger is sunk to accompany the movement of the latter constituting always a Hermetic barrier between the inside of the container and the pusher.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pusher is attached to the container by at least one bridge of breakable material, to break at the time of first use of the device.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sealing connection is made of a thermoplastic elastomer.

4. The device according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the deformable part has a glove finger shape, where the transverse dimension is chosen so that at least a portion of the deformable part remains substantially in contact with the wall of the container at the time of displacement of the pusher.

5. The device according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the deformable part has a bellows shape.

6. The device according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that one of the chambers is formed inside a chimney or tube of the closed container, at one end by the shutter and at the other end by the union of hermeticity.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the pusher is mounted on the container so as to be able to be displaced on a sinking path greater than or equal to the maximum height of the product in the tube.

8. The device according to any of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the deformable part has an end adapted to slide into contact with the wall of the chimney or tube.

9. The device according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it includes means for retaining the pusher on the container.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the pusher is integral with the hermetic connection.

11. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the container and / or the pusher have elastic notches or tongues, capable of retaining the pusher after its initial collapse.

12. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the sealing joint has an end that includes at least one projection formed to create a knocking detonation of the plug or to exert a thrust in a place default shutter.

13. The device according to any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the pusher is shaped to exert a localized thrust on a surface of little extension of the joint.

14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that the pusher is shaped to cause, at the time of first use, a deformation of the deformable part, so as to form a sharp percussion area of the obturator.

15. The device in accordance with anyone. of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the container is formed by mounting a hollow body and an end part that includes a seat to be fixed to the body, and a shell or shell attached to the seat and attached by at least one point of material to the pusher, before the first use of the device.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the seat, the shell and the pusher are made of one-piece molding, the seat being joined by a hinge film to the shell.

17. The device according to any of claims 15 and 16, characterized in that the shutter is constituted by a wall made by molding in one piece, with the seat.

18. The device according to any of claims 15 and 16, characterized in that the obturator is fixed on the seat.

19. The device according to claim 18, characterized in that the obturator is constituted by a sealing ring or thermally welded aluminum cover on the seat.

20. The device according to any of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that the end part is protruding on the external surface of the hollow body, to serve as a stop or grip to the fingers of the user at the time of sinking of the pusher.

21. The device according to any of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the product 3 contained in the chamber of the container at the contact of the joint, is a powder P.

22. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that the sinking course of the pusher is chosen so as to create sufficient pressure in the interior of the container to allow the exit of a predetermined amount of the mix, when the pusher is sunk.

23. The method of manufacturing a device for the separate storage of at least two products, their mixing and the distribution of the mixture obtained in this way, characterized in that it includes the steps consisting of: making a hollow body provided with means shutters movable at one end, and open at the other end, make by molding in one piece an end part including a seat for fixing the open end of the hollow body, and a shell or shell attached to the seat by a film of hinge, including the shell a pusher attached to the rest of the shell by at least one point of breakable material, the end part includes a chimney or tube, - fix or form at one end of the tube a movable obturator, - fill with a first product the chimney or tube, - provide on the chimney or tube a shaped seal to close the tube, - provide by pivot around the p hinge seal the shell on the seat, - fill the open end of the hollow body with a second product, - provide the end part on the open end of the hollow body.