WO2001058235A2

WO2001058235A2 - Collapsible flasks, in particular feeding bottles

Info

Publication number: WO2001058235A2
Application number: PCT/FR2001/000440
Authority: WO
Inventors: Suzanne De Begon De Larouziere
Original assignee: Orane Snc
Priority date: 2000-02-14
Filing date: 2001-02-14
Publication date: 2001-08-16
Also published as: FR2808775A1; AU3567801A; WO2001058235A3

Abstract

The invention concerns a flask, in particular a feeding bottle, having a substantially cylindrical collapsible plastic body, provided at its top end with a threaded or unthreaded neck. The invention is characterised in that said body has between the collapsible part and the neck (18) a semi-toric groove (15) and said semi-toric groove is extended by a disc-shaped shoulder (17) in a substantially transverse plane to exert traction when the body is in folded position.

Description

RETRACTABLE BOTTLES, PARTICULARLY BOTTLES.

The present invention relates to bottles, in particular baby bottles.

The object of the invention is to propose retractable bottles, the height of which can be reduced outside the periods of use.

In the prior art, various embodiments of bottles or retractable bottles have been proposed. French patent FR2467146 discloses in particular a semi-rigid packaging consisting of a corrugated sleeve whose waves, of section of essentially triangular shape, allow stable clipping by tilting at least part of them beyond a equilibrium position so that each of said waves has a stable position in the compressed state or in the deployed state. The sleeve delimits an interior volume can vary in a significant ratio between the extreme states where all the waves are compressed or deployed. We still know the American patent

US 2,780,678, American patent US 3,143,429, English patent GB2181062 or European patent EP300786 concerning compressible containers also having a general shape of bellows. A first problem which arises is that of handling the packaging and in particular the exercise of traction to stretch the retractable body.

The prior art knows from international patent application WO 98/43882 a bottle having a gripping ring well below the neck. The drawback to this ring is that it is dangerous because it protrudes from the body of the bottle.

The prior art also knows from US Pat. No. 3,301,293 a bottle having a bulge between the neck and the retractable part, but the latter does not offer sufficient grip for use.

A major drawback of the bottles of the prior art is that the gripping means do not have sufficient rigidity during the pulls and compressions and that they do not integrate perfectly into the body of the bottle.

In addition, for single-use bottles, it is important to have irreversible means of closing the ring or the nipple on the neck of the bottle that are reliable.

To overcome these drawbacks, the invention relates in its most general sense to a bottle, in particular a baby bottle, having a retractable body of substantially cylindrical plastic material, provided at its upper end with a threaded neck or not, characterized in that said body has a semi-toric groove between the retractable part and the neck and in that the semi-toric groove is extended by a disc shoulder in a substantially transverse plane for the exercise of traction when the body is in the folded position .

This shoulder prevents ovalization of the upper part of the cylindrical body, i.e. the neck and gripping means during traction and compression operations.

In addition, it constitutes a means of stiffening the neck for the irreversible tightening of a pacifier on said body and prevents the violability of the pacifier ring in order to ensure maximum inviolability.

This shoulder could consist of a ring injected and welded at this location of the bottle. In another version, one could imagine that the entire neck up to the threaded part will be injected and welded onto the body of the extruded-blown bottle.

According to a first variant, the semi-toric groove is extended by a disc shoulder returning to a substantially transverse plane. According to a second variant, the semi-toric groove is extended by a disc shoulder emerging in a substantially transverse plane.

Preferably, the neck has above the thread a cylindrical strip provided with notches. According to a particular embodiment, said body has between the retractable part and the bottom a concave semi-toric groove for the exercise of traction when the body is in the folded position.

An important advantage of the present invention is that the semi-toric groove has a configuration similar to that of the grooves constituting the retractable part when they are deployed, with the difference that its thickness is constant, or even greater in the hollow. The gripping means according to the invention therefore have a rigid corrugated configuration which fits perfectly into the general configuration of the bottle.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description of an exemplary embodiment which follows, referring to the appended drawings where: FIGS. 1 and 2 represent sectional views of a detail of embodiment of a bottle, in respectively unfolded and folded position; Figures 3 and 4 show detail views of a pacifier ring for a bottle according to one invention - Figure 5 shows a detailed view of an alternative embodiment of the neck; Figure 6 shows two other alternative embodiments.

Figures 7 and 8 show two other alternative embodiments.

The body of the bottle according to the invention, shown in the appended figures, consists of a succession of conical sections, (1, 2) connected, when the bottle is in the deployed position, in the form of lenses to form a corrugated hollow body. These upper (1) and lower (2) conical sections are connected at their vertices (100) and at their recesses (200). When the bottle is folded, the lower conical section (1) is folded under the upper conical section (2). The lower conical section (2) rocks relative to the transverse median plane. The lower section (2) is above the transverse plane (300) passing through the hollow (200) of a lenticular segment (400) when the bottle is deployed. It is below the transverse plane when the bottle is folded.

The body comprises a plurality of lenticular elements (3 to 11) formed by the addition of two conical sections (1, 2).

The connection between two lenticular elements, at the level of the hollow, has a radius of curvature close to 0, in any case less than or equal to 0.2 millimeters. The thickness is an element which can disturb the operation of the part, the folding and unfolding as well as the maintenance of the turn in the folded position, it can even prevent the folding if it is important.

The condition of folding and nesting of a turn at the level of thickness without speaking of folding energy but only of feasibility results in a radius of the hollow (2) close to 0 to 0.2 millimeters.

Unfolding is carried out by exerting traction between the two ends of the retractable body. For this, the cylindrical body has at its upper end a semi-toric groove (15) facilitating the gripping between the fingers of the user.

Likewise, the body has, near the bottom, a semi-toric groove (16). These semi-toric grooves (15, 16) have a substantially semi-circular section, the section being taken in a radial plane passing through the median axis of the bottle. They thus differ from the recesses (200) separating two consecutive lenticular elements. The radius of curvature of these semi-toric grooves (15, 16) is of the order of 3 millimeters, preferably greater than 2 millimeters.

In the unfolded position, there is nothing to show that the first and last grooves in the bottle are rigid; nothing distinguishes them from other bellows gorges.

The upper semi-toric groove (15) is extended by a disc shoulder (17) extending in a transverse plane. This shoulder is connected to the semi-toric groove (15) by an annular semi-toric groove having a curvature opposite to said groove, with a radius of curvature of the order of one millimeter.

This disc shoulder (17) constitutes a reinforcement to prevent ovalization of the semi-toric groove (15) as well as the neck (18) during the operations of traction or compression of the bottle.

This shoulder is surmounted by a neck (18) threaded or not for the screwing of a pacifier ring. This neck has, above the thread, a notched cylindrical band (19) having at least one notch (20) and preferably several, to cooperate with complementary protrusions provided on the teat ring intended to prevent the reversibility of the tightening of the teat on the collar (18).

FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment where the gripping groove is formed by a semi-toric groove (17 ') convex and not concave as in the case illustrated in Figure 1. The radius of curvature of the section of this semi-toric groove (17') convex is about 3 millimeters. Figures 3 and 4 showing the pacifier ring respectively seen from below and in section.

The pacifier ring has a threaded groove (25) provided with 4 protrusions (26 to 29) having a ramp. These protrusions (26 to 29) lock the ring on the aforementioned threaded neck, and prevent the re-use of a single-use bottle. It also ensures the inviolability of the bottle. According to a preferred variant, the threaded zone has not 4 but only 2 protrusions located above the thread, that is to say between the thread and the opening of the neck. These two protrusions are angularly spaced from 160 ° to 180 °. The height, measured in the radial direction, of these protrusions is between 4.5 and 7 millimeters.

The disc shoulder (17) constitutes a means of stiffening the neck for the irreversible tightening of the nipple on said body. The notches cannot be released by the very fact of this rigidity.

The screw ring has a shoulder (30) of section substantially identical to the section of the disc shoulder (17) of the cylindrical body of the bottle.

This embodiment allows the pacifier to be housed in the inverted position on the bottle before use.

The assembly formed by the bottle and the ring of the teat resting on one shoulder of the bottle can then be sealed with a protective film which will be removed at the time of use.

The material chosen is in the example described is polypropylene with a module of 950 Mpa for its greater resistance to heat, necessary for reheating the bottle as well as for its transparency making it possible to visualize the formation of lumps from milk powder. , and finally for its rigidity necessary for the good holding and stability of the bottle. Figure 5 shows a detailed view of an alternative embodiment of the neck. The retractable body has a semi-toric groove (15) to facilitate handling during the extension of the body, and a re-entrant disc shoulder (21) surmounted by an annular groove (22) of a section smaller than the section of the neck . This annular groove improves resistance to ovalization of the upper retractable body and the threaded neck.

FIG. 6 represents a top view of the threaded neck, which comprises only two notches (23, 24), diametrically opposite, whose locking face (23 ', 24') forms an angle greater than 10 °, preferably of the 'order of 30 ° from the radial plane, and whose height, measured in a radial direction, is between 4.5 and 7 mm. Figures 7 and 8 show two other alternative embodiments. According to the variant shown in Figure 7, the retractable body comprises a rigid ring (30) injected under the thread (32).

According to the other variant shown in FIG. 8, the retractable body is extended by a rigid part (31) having a thread (32) and an annular groove (33) for the exercise of traction. This plastic part is welded to the last bellows (34) of the retractable body.

Claims

1 - Bottle, in particular a bottle, having a retractable body of substantially cylindrical plastic material, provided at its upper end with a neck (18) threaded or not, characterized in that said body has between the retractable part and the neck (18 ) a semi-toric groove (15) and in that the semi-toric groove is extended by a disc shoulder (17) in a substantially transverse plane for the exercise of traction when the body is in the folded position.

2 - Bottle, in particular a bottle, according to claim 1 characterized in that the semi-toric groove

(15) is convex.

3 - Bottle, in particular bottle, according to claim 1 characterized in that the semi-toric groove (15) is concave.

4 - Bottle, in particular bottle, according to claim 3 characterized in that the radius of the section of said concave semi-toric groove (15) is greater than 2 millimeters.

5 - Bottle, in particular a bottle, according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said semi-toric groove is extended by a disc shoulder { ^' . ! ) falling into a substantially transverse plane.

6 - Bottle, in particular a bottle, according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said body has between the retractable part and the bottom a concave semi-toric groove (16) for the exercise of traction when the body is in the folded position.

7 - Bottle, in particular a bottle, according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said disc shoulder (17) constitutes a means of stiffening the neck for the irreversible tightening of a teat on said body.

8 - Bottle, in particular a bottle, according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the semi-toric groove (15) is extended by a disc shoulder (17) exiting in a substantially transverse plane.

9 - Bottle, in particular bottle, according to claim 8, characterized in that the neck (18) has above the thread a cylindrical strip (19) provided with at least one notch (20).

10 - Bottle, in particular bottle, according to claim 9 characterized in that said cylindrical strip (19) has two notches (23, 24). 11 - Bottle, in particular a bottle, according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the retractable body has a semi-toric groove (15) to facilitate handling during the extension of the body, and a reentrant disc shoulder surmounted by an annular groove (22) of a section smaller than the section of the neck.

12 - Bottle, in particular a bottle, according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the neck comprises only two notches (23, 24), diametrically opposite, whose locking face (23 ', 24') forms a angle greater than 10 °, preferably of the order of 30 ° relative to the radial plane, and the height of which, measured in a radial direction, is between 4.5 and 7 mm.