WO2006114662A1

WO2006114662A1 - Movable holder for holding inverted gel-containing bottles

Info

Publication number: WO2006114662A1
Application number: PCT/IB2005/002930
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pierre Schneider
Original assignee: Pierre Schneider
Priority date: 2005-04-25
Filing date: 2005-09-19
Publication date: 2006-11-02
Also published as: DE602005017828D1; EP1874169B1; EP1874169A1; ATE448722T1

Abstract

The invention relates to a holder for storing an inverted gel-containing bottle (13) or a tube in such a way that during a subsequent use the gel can immediately, easily and completely flow from the bottle. The inventive holder is designed in such a way that it is placeable on any horizontal surface and is movable without any additional handling due to the fact that no system for fixing to a wall or to a horizontal plane is required. The holder consists of a very large clamp whose cross-section is U-shaped. It comprises, at the bottom thereof, a quasiflat part used in the form of a base, two wings (1, 2) which correspond to the two U branches and form a contraction for holding the bottle in the inverted position in the holder top median part, wherein the top part of the holder is bell-shaped in such a way that a user is enabled to insert the inverted bottle therein by one hand only.

Description

Mobile support for holding vials containing gels upside down.

The invention consists of a support, a sort of very wide clip in the general shape of "U", for storing upside down a bottle or a tube containing a gel, so that during a subsequent use, the gel can flow from the bottle immediately, easily and completely.

Several kinds of support for storing upside down a bottle containing a gel already exist. However, all these models have certain disadvantages compared to the present invention: some supports require the assembly of several pieces, others are much more bulky, still others, by their shape and their structure, limit the width or the thickness of vials to maintain; finally some systems need to be fixed or suspended to a wall.

As for the bottles or the tubes themselves, some are already manufactured so that they can be stored on their cork, so upside down. This type of container then makes it possible to obtain the same advantages as with the support that is the subject of this invention. However, there are also many other kinds and shapes of bottles with caps rounded or having a surface too small that do not allow the container to hold in balance upside down, hence the usefulness of this support.

This support does not use any particular technique and can easily be made of plastic or metal, as would be a soap dish.

This system is intended for all users of products in the form of gels, so they are not liquid enough or too viscous to flow right away when you return their container for immediate use. Indeed with this support that allows to store the bottle upside down waiting for the next use, the gel has time to flow slowly along the walls of the container to finally find, not at the bottom of the bottle, but at its summit and in contact with the stopper or orifice; in this way from the following use, the gel flows immediately and it is no longer necessary to wait for the product to slowly pass from the bottom of the container to its orifice.

This support is therefore designed to maintain bottles used daily in many domestic areas such as, for example, creams for skin care, sunscreens, shampoos, shower gels, toothpastes, products cleaning in the form of liquid waxes or food sauces. Given its shape, it can also be used as a support to hold other objects, such as picture frames, CDs, DVDs, book stands or flyers.

These goals are achieved with a support characterized by the fact that it has the general shape of a "U" whose wings define a passage of a width less than the width of its dorsal part. In addition this support, being made of synthetic material or metal, has an elasticity allowing the wings of the walls to move apart from each other by elastic deformation. Once the bottle inserted backwards between the wings of the support, the bottle is held in this position by clamp effect due to the elastic force exerted by the wings of the support on the walls of the bottle.

The use of this support has the following advantages:

- immediate flow of the gel,

- avoids waste by allowing the use of the entire gel, because between two uses, the content has time to flow to the orifice of the bottle and this even if there is very little product left.

The design of this support has the following advantages:

it does not need to be fixed permanently against a wall or on a base; it can therefore be stored simply on any horizontal surface and be moved without further manipulation; handling to fix the container in this support does not require any complicated handling, since it does not include any mechanical parts, such as screws, safety catches or valves;

it adapts to all the shapes of vials and tubes of usual dimensions;

- It is not bulky, since its length does not exceed the average width of the flasks it must maintain;

- With wings having the general shape of an "S", the user can insert the bottle in the support with one hand; indeed, the flared shape of the top of the support makes it possible to guide the bottle inside the support without it being necessary to hold it with the other hand; - When used in a wet environment, the water runs smoothly through each end of the back portion of the support, ends free of edge likely to retain a liquid; this prevents the water stagnates on the base of the support and thus problems of hygiene and cleaning of the support;

- It can also be used as a support to hold other objects, such as picture frames, CDs, DVDs, display stands for books or flyers. Here is a more detailed description of a possible realization of a medium to achieve the goals and to present the benefits described above.

FIG. 1 shows the perspective support having the following characteristics: a cross-section having the general shape of a "U";

- two wings 1 and 2, corresponding to each of the branches of the "U";

- a dorsal part 6 which serves as a base and which corresponds to the base of the "U";

- a shape for the wings as it

defines a passage 5 of a width less than the dorsal portion 6;

85 - allows to guide the bottle inside the support without the need to hold the support with one hand or to spread the wings with the hands;

- the use of a synthetic material such as plastic or metal which has an elasticity so as to allow

at the free edges of the wings 3 and 4 to move away from each other when the user 90 introduces the bottle into the support

- The wings 1 and 2 to exert pressure on the walls of the bottle once the latter being in the support;

- Two gadroons 7 and 8 to maintain the bottle cap in the center of the support and therefore to prevent the bottle from slipping on the right or left side of the part

95 dorsal 6.

FIG. 2 represents the support viewed in profile and in section, without a bottle: there are the wings 1 and 2, as well as the passage 5 which is less than the width of the dorsal portion 6; this passage 5 must also be less than the average thickness of the 100 vials generally used.

FIG. 3 shows the support viewed in profile and in section with a bottle 13 located between the two wings 1 and 2:

- The walls of the flask then exert a force on each side of the support which spreads 105 the wings 1 and 2. By reaction and by the elastic effect of the material that constitutes the support, these two wings in turn exert pressure on them. vial walls, at the contact points 9 and 10, which keeps the bottle in this position.

the two gadroons 7 and 8 hold the bottle cap in the center of the dorsal part of the support so that it does not slide towards the channels 11 or 12; Therefore,

This keeps the bottle in a perfectly vertical position and prevents it from tilting on the left or right side of the dorsal part of the support. The thickness and the quality of the material used make it possible to adapt the pressure effect on the walls of the bottle to be held upside down. 115

The wingsi and 2 of the support being rectilinear along their length and the bottles often having a rounded or ellipsoidal shape, it is likely that some kinds of bottles, once placed in the support, slide along the wings and tilt sideways by the space left between the two wings. 120 To remedy this drawback, it is possible

- to coat the inside of the support with a "non-slip" material;

either to provide the interior of the support with a grainy or striated profile;

- Or place cleats or gadroons on the edges of each end of the wings of the support;

125 - either to replace the rectilinear form of the wings, when viewed in horizontal section, by a shape having a slight arc of a circle so that this geometry better matches the ellipsoidal shape, in horizontal section, of certain bottles; thus, seen from above, the space at each end of the wings of the support will be smaller than that located at its center; this tightening of the extremities

130 wings prevents the bottle from sliding along the wings;

- Or to make vertical crenellations in the upper part of the wings 1 and 2 of the support so as to create some kind of vertical teeth which can thus, by the elasticity effect of the material that composes them, better marry the shape of the bottle. 135

In order for the water to flow more easily through the base of the support, holes can be made on the dorsal part 6.

It is possible to increase the pressure exerted on the walls of the bottle by manufacturing two 140 separate wings which, once assembled and made integral in the dorsal part of the support by a system of axes, hinges and especially springs, like the one existing in the usual hairclips, give the same general shape as that described in Figure 1, but with additional force due to the springs to improve the clamp effect on the flask to maintain upside down. 145

To store or fix this support when it contains no bottle in a place other than on a horizontal surface, as against a wall or on an inclined edge of bathtub or against a metal element, a fastener, such as a rope or an elastic or a sucker or a magnet, can be added or incorporated in this support.

Claims

Claims:

I. Support characterized in that it has in cross section the general shape of a U whose wings (1) and (2) define a passage (5) with a width less than the width of the dorsal portion (6) and in that this support is made of synthetic material having an elasticity allowing the free edges of the wings (3) and (4) to move apart from each other by elastic deformation of the support.

2. Support according to claim 1, characterized in that the free edge of the wings

(3) and (4) is curved so as to deviate from each other.

3. Support according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wings (1) and (2) have the general shape of an S.

4. Support according to claim 3, characterized in that its dorsal portion (6) is curved towards the free edges of the wings (3) and (4).

5. Support according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that it is wider in its central part at its ends.

6. Support according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that the free edge of the wings has vertical cutouts in the form of crenellations.

7. Support of claim 1 or 4, characterized in that its dorsal portion comprises flutes (7) and (8).

8. Support of claim 1 or 2 or 3 or 5 or 6, characterized in that the ends of the wings comprise gadroons.

9. Support of claim 1 or 4, characterized in that its dorsal portion has holes.

10. Support of claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a fixing member.

1. Support according to claim 1, characterized in that its dorsal portion is in two parts connected by pins, hinges and springs.

12. Support according to one of claims 1 to 4 and 6 to 9, characterized in that it consists of a profile section.