WO2005014061A1

WO2005014061A1 - Container with for dispensing volatile substances to the ambient air

Info

Publication number: WO2005014061A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/008274
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrea Bartoli
Original assignee: Sarong SpA
Current assignee: Sarong SpA
Priority date: 2003-07-24
Filing date: 2004-07-23
Publication date: 2005-02-17
Anticipated expiration: 2006-01-24
Also published as: ITMO20030214A1; ITMO20030214A0

Abstract

Container means comprises cavity means (3) at least partially delimited by permeable wall means (7) through which, in an opening configuration, a volatile substance (2) may exit from said cavity means (3), passage means (9), having a shape and dimensions such as to enable the entry of air into said cavity means (3) in said opening configuration, being associated with said cavity means (3).

Description

CONTAINER WITH FOR DISPENSING VOLATILE SUBSTANCES TO THE AMBIENT AIR

The invention relates to container means, particularly suitable for exhaling into an environment a volatile substance through a permeable wall . Containers of a first type are known, arranged to receive volatile substances, for example deodorants for environments or insecticides, and comprising a transparent wall in plastic material, shaped in such a way as to define .a. cavity suitable for receiving the volatile substance. This cavity is closed behind by a sheet material comprising a barrier layer coupled with a permeable layer. The latter is turned towards the inside of the cavity in such a way as to come into contact with the volatile substance, whilst the barrier layer is arranged towards the outside of the container. The transparent wall is connected to the barrier layer along a heat-sealed edge zone, that extends peripherally around the entire cavity.

A pickup region is also provided, by grasping which the user can exert a peeling action on the barrier layer to separate it from the permeable layer. The latter remains adhering to the container and, owing to its permeability, enables the volatile substance to spread through the surrounding environment. A portion of the heat-sealed edge zone is interposed between the cavity and the pickup region, which is thus totally separated from the cavity. The pickup region is furthermore delimited by a weakening line, that affects both the barrier layer and the permeable layer. In this way, when the user separates by peeling the barrier layer from the permeable layer, the portion of the permeable layer originally arranged in the pickup region remains attached to the barrier layer removed from the container.

One drawback of the containers disclosed above is that as the volatile substance is exhaled into the surrounding environment, the permeable layer tends to get deformed taking on an arched configuration with convexity turned towards the inside of the container. In fact, when the volatile substance exits through the permeable layer to spread into the surrounding environment, pressure inside the container progressively falls below atmospheric pressure and the permeable layer tends to deviate from its initial flat configuration, bending towards the inside of the container.

This worsens the appearance of the container during use. Furthermore, a certain quantity of product remains in the container without managing to evaporate and is therefore consumed. Containers of a second type are also known, consisting of two heat-formed shells joined together along a heat-sealed edge zone, a cavity being defined between the two shells that is suitable for being filled with liquid or viscous substances such as creams, shampoo or other products. From the cavity an exit conduit develops that is provided with an opening end communicating with the cavity and with a sealed end closed by a portion of the heat-sealed edge zone.

The open end and the sealed end of the outlet channel lie on opposite sides of a weakening line that extends transversely to the outlet channel, identifying, in a zone of the container opposite to the cavity, a pickup region arranged to be grasped by a user. In order to access the substance contained in the cavity, it is necessary to grasp the pickup re.gion and apply a torque thereto. In this way, the pickup region separates along the weakening line on the side of the container that comprises the cavity. This enables the cavity to communicate with the outside environment inasmuch as together with the pickup region a part of the outlet channel that comprises the sealed end is also removed from the container. By overturning the container and squeezing the shells of which it is composed, the user can at this point pour the liquid or viscous substance contained in the cavity through the outlet channel . The two previously disclosed types of container are profoundly different from one another, in particular as regards the properties of the contained substances and the way of access to the substances.

In fact, containers with a permeable wall are suitable for receiving volatile substances that have to be exhaled into a surrounding environment in a slow and gradual manner after changing to a gaseous state. Vice versa, containers consisting of two heat-sealed shells are suitable for receiving running substances that at the moment of use have to exit rapidly from the container while remaining in the same physical state in which they were when they were contained in the cavity. For this reason, the containers consisting of two heat-sealed shells are not suitable for receiving inside themselves a volatile substance that has to be gradually exhaled into an environment . . . .. . .

One object of the invention is to improve container means for volatile substances of the known type.

A further object of the invention is to provide container means for volatile substances the shape of which remains as stable as possible during use. In particular, it is desirable prevent deformation of the permeable layer of container means for volatile substances as these substances are exhaled into the surrounding environment.

According to the invention, container means is provided, comprising cavity means at least partially delimited by permeable wall means through which, in an opening configuration, a volatile substance can exit from said cavity means, characterized in that passage means, shaped and having dimensions such as to enable the entry of air into said cavity means in said opening configuration, is associated with said cavity means . When the container means according to the invention is in the opening configuration, the pressure decrease in the cavity means due to the exit of the volatile substance through the permeable wall means is substantially offset by the air that enters the cavity means through the passage means. Deformation of the permeable wall means due to the pressure decrease is thus significantly reduced and the container means according to the invention maintains a pleasing appearance even during use and furthermore enables the product to exit completely. The invention will be better understood and implemented with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate an embodiment by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a container according to the invention, in a closure configuration;

Figure 2 is a section taken along the plane II-II in Figure 1_/ Figure 3 is a section like the one in Figure 2, showing a peeling phase of a barrier layer with which the container in Figure 1 is initially provided;

Figure 4 is a view like the one in Figure 1, showing the container according to the invention in an opening configuration. Figures 1 and 2 show a container 1, particularly suitable for containing a volatile substance 2, for example a deodorant or an insecticide, intended to be exhaled into an environment. The container 1 comprises a cavity 3, wherein the volatile substance 2 is received, the cavity 3 being delimited by a first wall 4 and by a second wall 5, connected together along an edge zone 6. The first wall 4 is provided with substantially flat geometry and comprises a permeable layer 7 facing the cavity 3 and coupled in a peelable manner with a barrier layer 8 turned towards the outside of the container 1. The permeable layer 7 has permeability properties such as to let the molecules of the volatile substance 2 pass from the cavity 3 to the outside of the container 1 and can for example be made of polyethylene (PE) . The .barrier. -.layer .8 on the other...hand is... substantially impermeable to the volatile substance 2 and can for example be made of aluminium.

The second wall 5 comprises a layer of plastic material that has been formed, for example by heat-forming, in such a way as to obtain the walls that delimit the cavity 3. In particular, the second wall 5 can be made of transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) .

The second wall 5 and the permeable layer 7 are heat-sealable, so as to enable the first wall 4 to be connected to the second wall 5 along the edge zone 6 by heat-sealing. Between the first wall 4 and the second wall 5 a conduit 9 is furthermore provided, obtained on the second wall 5 together with the cavity 3 by heat-sealing. The conduit 9 is provided with an open end 10 ending inside the cavity 3 and with a closed end 11, around which the first wall 4 and the second wall 5 are united to each other along the edge zone 6. Opening indicator means is also provided comprising a weakening line 12 that extends transversely to the conduit 9 along the edge zone 6. The weakening line 12 may for example comprise a perforation or incision line obtained on the second wall 5 and possibly on the permeable layer 7.

The weakening line 12 identifies on the container 1 a greater region 13 in which the cavity 3 is obtained and a pickup region 14 that the user can use to access the volatile substance 2. The closed end 11 of the conduit 9 is arranged in the pickup region 1.4, whilst the open end- 10 is arranged .in the greater region 13. In order to use the container 1, the pickup region 14 must be grasped and a torsion action or a flexure action in relation to the greater region 13 must be performed thereupon. In this way the portions of the second wall 5 and of the permeable layer 7 arranged in the pickup region 14 are detached along the weakening line 12 from the further portions of the second wall 5 and of the permeable layer 7 arranged in the greater region 13. The pickup region 14 remains connected to the greater region 13 by means of the barrier layer 8 that is still whole. At this point, as shown in Figure 3, grasping the pickup region 14 it is possible to remove by peeling the barrier layer 8 from the permeable layer 7, which stays anchored to the second wall 5 along the edge zone 6. The volatile substance 2 can now spread into the surrounding environment by crossing the permeable layer 7 that is no longer protected by the barrier layer 8. The container 1 can furthermore now be heated, for example by inserting one of its bottom portions into a heating device, in order to increase the speed of spreading of the volatile substance 2 in the environment.

As shown in Figure 4, by separating the pickup region 14 from greater region 13 along the weakening line 12, the closed end 11 of the conduit 9 is removed from the container 1 and the conduit 9 is made to communicate with the surrounding environment. The. conduit .9 .thus allows., the. air coming, .from,.the surrounding environment to enter the cavity 3 as the volatile substance 2 exits through the permeable layer 7. In this way the pressure in the cavity 3 is kept substantially constant at a value that is approximately the same as atmospheric pressure, which enables the permeable layer 7 to be kept in a substantially undeformed flat configuration. The conduit 9 thus acts as a passage means that enables air coming from the surrounding environment to enter the cavity 3. In order to prevent the volatile substance 2 from accidentally leaving the cavity 3 through the conduit 9, the latter is provided with relatively small transverse dimensions. It is thus clear that the conduit 9 performs a function that has nothing in common with the function of the outlet conduit provided in the known containers formed of two facing shells. In the prior art, the outlet conduit in fact served only to deliver the contents outside the container, thus performing a function that in the container 1 according to the invention is assigned to the permeable layer 7. No passage means for the entry of the air is provided in the known containers formed by two facing shells, in which avoiding the deformation of the container during use has no importance. On the contrary, known containers are intentionally crushed to ensure that their contents exits more rapidly and effectively from the cavity.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Container means, comprising cavity means (3) at least partially delimited by permeable wall means (7) through which, in an opening configuration, a volatile substance (2) can exit from said cavity means (3), characterized in that, passage means (9), shaped and having dimensions such as to enable the entry of air into said cavity means (3) in said opening configuration, is associated with said cavity means (3) .

2. Container means according to claim 1, wherein said passage means (9) has dimensions such that said air enters said cavity means (3) at an entry speed substantially comparable to the exit speed of said volatile substance (2) from said cavity means (3) through said permeable wall means (7) .

3. Container means according to claim 1, or 2, wherein said passage means (3) comprises conduit means (9) that extends from said cavity means (3) through an edge zone (6) surrounding said cavity means (3).

4. Container means according to claim 3, wherein said conduit means (9) is defined by wall means (4, 5) including said permeable wall means (7) and delimiting said cavity means (3) .

5. Container means according to claim 4, wherein said conduit means (9) is comprised between a non-permeable region (5) of said wall means (4, 5) and a corresponding region of said permeable wall means (7). β. Container means according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said conduit means (9) , in a closure configuration, extends between open end means (10) ending in said cavity means (3) and closed end means (11) surrounded by said edge zone

(6).

7. Container . means according to claim .6, .whe.re.in „s.a.i.d conduit means (9) , in said opening configuration, extends between said open end means (10) and further open end means facing an environment surrounding said container means (1) .

8. Container means according to claim 6, or 7, wherein said closed end means (11) is arranged in a pickup region (14) configured in such a manner as to be grasped or removed so as to actuate said permeable wall means (7).

9. Container means according to claim 8, wherein said pickup region (14) is delimited by opening indicator means (12) that crosses said conduit means (9) and separates said pickup region (14) from a further region (13) in which said cavity means (3) is obtained.

10. Container means according to claim 9, as claim 6 is appended to claim 5, wherein said opening indicator means (12) penetrates into the thickness of said non-permeable region (5) and into the thickness of said permeable wall means (7) .