WO2022127908A1

WO2022127908A1 - A container assembly and a storage and dispensing system including the same

Info

Publication number: WO2022127908A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/139171
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zhigang Li
Original assignee: Silgan Dispensing Systems (Wuxi) Co. Ltd.
Priority date: 2020-12-18
Filing date: 2021-12-17
Publication date: 2022-06-23
Also published as: CN114644172A; EP4263068A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container assembly comprising: an inner container which defines internally a storage chamber for storing a fluid material; an outer container located outside the inner container and tightly engaged at the top with the inner container; a slidable driven piston located in the inner container and sealed against an inner wall of the inner container at its entire periphery, a space in the inner container below the driven piston being in fluid communication with the external ambient, wherein the driven piston can slide upward under pressure; a driven piston support which is located in the inner container and is used to support and guide the driven piston, the driven piston being fluid-tightly sealed against the driven piston support, wherein when a fluid material is dispensed from the container assembly, the driven piston slides upward along both the inner wall of the inner container and the driven piston support. The present invention also relates to a storage and dispensing system including the container assembly.

Description

A CONTAINER ASSEMBLY AND A STORAGE AND DISPENSING SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a container assembly and a storage and dispensing system including the container assembly to store and dispense fluid materials such as liquids, viscous flowable materials, foams, gels, and pastes. The airless dispensing container commonly used today includes a driven piston. More specifically, the present invention relates to a container assembly that can prevent the driven piston from tilting and ensure the normal operation of the driven piston, as well as a storage and dispensing system including the container assembly.

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, airless storage and dispensing systems have been widely used, for example for storing and dispensing personal care and cosmetic products, such as skin cream, lotion, emulsion, toothpaste and hair spray, or even food condiments or sauces and the like. A number of these products would deteriorate or even go bad after contact with air. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent air from entering the container to prevent the deterioration of the product when storing and dispensing such products.

Such systems usually use an airless dispensing pump to prevent air from entering the container. Such airless dispensing pumps are known, for example the dispensing pump disclosed in the document US10794445B2. Moreover, for the normal operation of such system, the system also includes a driven piston that slides upward along the container with the dispensed material.

When the dispensing pump is used to dispense fluid material from the container, the volume and the pressure of the storage chamber for storing the fluid material are reduced, so that the atmospheric pressure applied on the lower side of the driven piston and the pressure exerted by the fluid material on the upper side of the driven piston are no longer balanced. Therefore, the pressure on the lower side of the driven piston causes the driven piston to slide upward along the inner wall of the container until a pressure balance is reached. Usually, the driven piston is only supported at its periphery by the inner wall of the container. Therefore, the driven piston in the container is unstable and prone to tilt. In particular, such as at the situation that the product falls off during transportation or use, the crash will exert a significantly uneven force on the driven piston. Moreover, in addition to the influence of the gravity and the impact, the fluid material filled in the container will also impact against the driven piston below it to different extents. This type of impact is obviously uneven across the entire cross-section of the piston, thereby exerting an uneven force on the piston and causing the piston to tilt. Moreover, particularly for containers with larger diameters, since the driven piston is only supported at its periphery, even relatively small uneven forces on the cross section would cause the driven piston to tilt. Therefore, the airless storage and dispensing system in the prior art is unable to guarantee the slidability and stability of the driven piston at the same time.

Moreover, the tilting of such a driven piston would cause a large amount of defects. For example, due to its tilting, the driven piston is no longer sealed with respect to the inner wall of the container, and a gap may even be generated there between. The air in the lower portion will enter the storage chamber of the container, causing the product to deteriorate. In addition, due to the tilting of the driven piston, it may be quite difficult for the atmospheric pressure applied on its lower side to force it to slide upward. The driven piston may even get stuck in the container. Therefore, the tilting of the driven piston may even lead to the fact that the entire product cannot be used anymore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims at solving the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and providing a container assembly that can improve the stability and slidability of the driven piston, as well as a storage and dispensing system including the same. The container assembly and the storage and dispensing system including the container assembly of the present invention can guarantee that the driven piston functions normally and does not tilt, and thereby guarantee that the entire storage and dispensing system can still be used normally, even in the case of a fall-off.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a container assembly, comprising: an inner container which defines internally a storage chamber for storing a fluid material; an outer container located outside the inner container and tightly engaged at the top with the inner container; a slidable driven piston located in the inner container and sealed against the inner wall of the inner container at its entire periphery, the space in the inner container below the driven piston being in fluid communication with the external ambient, wherein the driven piston can slide upward under pressure; a driven piston support which is located in the inner container and is used to support and guide the driven piston, the driven piston being fluid-tightly sealed against the driven piston support, and when the fluid material is dispensed from the container assembly, the driven piston slides upward along both the inner wall of the inner container and the driven piston support.

Therefore, the above-mentioned problems are solved by the container assembly of the present invention. By providing the driven piston support, the driven piston is no longer prone to tilt, ensuring the stability and slidability of the driven piston, thereby avoiding the failure of the container assembly. Even in the case of a container assembly with a large diameter or of a crash, the driven piston can still be stably supported.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driven piston support is located at a central position of the inner container. By providing a stable support at a position other than the periphery of the driven piston, the driven piston can be firmly retained by the driven piston support, without affecting the movement of the driven piston.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driven piston has a through opening at the center, so that the driven piston support can pass through the through opening. By simply changing the structure of the driven piston without increasing the complexity of production, the performance of the assembly can be significantly improved.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driven piston includes a protrusion which defines the through opening at the center. The protrusion is fluid-tightly sealed against the driven piston support at the through opening. The protrusion extends upward and/or downward from the driven piston.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driven piston support is made of plastic. The driven piston support and the inner container are one-piece molded. By means of one-piece molding, the driven piston support is easy to manufacture, and does not increase any complexity of the production of the entire assembly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driven piston support is cylindrical. The driven piston support may be designed to be hollow, and have a top wall at the upper part to close the hollow inner space of the driven piston support. In this way, materials and costs can be saved without significantly increasing the weight of the entire assembly.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a storage and dispensing system, comprising: the above-mentioned container assembly; a dispenser assembly sealingly engaged at the top of the container assembly to cooperate with the container assembly, enabling the fluid material to be dispensed from the inner container; and a cap assembly which is removably engaged at the top of the container assembly and sealingly engaged with the dispenser assembly to cover the entire dispenser assembly.

As a result, the performance of the entire storage and dispensing system is improved, such that even in the event of a fall-off or a crash, the entire system can still be operated normally without a failure caused by the tilt or jam of the driven piston. This avoids a waste of the product, and greatly improves the user experience.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the dispenser assembly comprises: an actuator to be actuated by a user; and a dispensing pump which is actuated by the actuator to pump the fluid material from the storage chamber to a dispensing outlet, the dispensing pump including a one-way valve which only allows the fluid material to be discharged from the storage chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing pump is an airless dispensing pump, such that no air enters the dispensing pump, and thus no air could enter the storage chamber.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cap assembly comprises an inner cap and an outer cap outside the inner cover to enhance the sealing of the entire system.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the entire storage and dispensing system is made of plastic, so that the entire system is recyclable.

From the detailed description provided herein and the accompanying drawings, other forms, purposes, features, aspects, advantages, and other embodiments of the present invention may be apparent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure of the present invention will be more obvious with reference to the drawings. It should be appreciated that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 schematically shows a storage and dispensing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 schematically shows an exploded view of the storage and dispensing system according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 schematically shows a container assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the storage and dispensing system according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of the storage and dispensing system according to the present invention in use;

Fig. 6 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an inner container including a driven piston and a driven piston support;

Fig. 7 schematically shows a driven piston according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 8 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of an inner container according to the present invention, in which the driven piston support is one-piece molded with the inner container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the drawings, like reference signs refer to like or functionally equivalent components, unless otherwise specified.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show an embodiment of a storage and dispensing system 1 according to the present invention. The storage and dispensing system 1 may store and dispense a fluid material M as needed, such as a liquid, viscous flowable materials, foams, gels, pastes, etc. The fluid material M may be a material that would readily deteriorate or go bad in contact with air. The storage and dispensing system 1 may be made in the form of a jar. The jar may be made of plastic as a whole, so that the entire jar is recyclable, such as polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) . Although the storage and dispensing system 1 is shown in the form of a jar in the drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, but can be applied to any airless dispensing system. Similarly, in the illustrated embodiment, the storage and dispensing system 1 and/or other components have a generally cylindrical shape, but it should be understood that different shapes are also possible in other variations.

As shown in Fig. 2, the storage and dispensing system 1 includes a container assembly 2 for storing the fluid material M and a dispenser assembly 3 for dispensing the fluid material M. The container assembly 2 includes internally a storage chamber 5 for storing the fluid material. After assembly, the dispenser assembly 3 and the container assembly 2 are connected, for example by bonding, a snap-fit or a threaded connection.

Optionally, the storage and dispensing system 1 also has a cap assembly 4. Preferably, the cap assembly 4 comprises an outer cap 41 and an inner cap 42 to further enhance the air tightness of the entire system. The cap assembly 4 is removably engaged on the container assembly 2 and/or the dispenser assembly 3 (for example, through a threaded connection or a snap fit) , and forms an airtight seal, so that air cannot enter the interior of the container storing the fluid material.

As shown in Fig. 3, the container assembly 2 comprises an inner container 21 and an outer container 22. The inner container 21 is inserted into the outer container 22 and tightly fixed with the outer container at the top. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the driven piston 23 is slidably accommodated in the inner container 21 and is fluid-tightly sealed with respect to the inner wall of the inner container 21. The storage chamber 5 for storing the fluid material M is defined in the inner container 21 by the space above the driven piston 23.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the dispenser assembly 3 includes a dispensing pump 31 for sucking fluid material M from the storage chamber 5 and pumping it out of the dispensing outlet 33. The dispensing pump 31 does not allow air to enter the storage chamber 5, thus being called an airless dispensing pump. The dispensing pump 31 may be any type of airless dispensing pump suitable for sucking material from the storage chamber 5 and pumping it to the dispensing outlet. The dispenser assembly 3 includes an actuator 34 at the top. When the actuator 34 is actuated, for example being pressed by the user as shown by the hollow arrow in Fig. 5, the dispensing pump 31 is caused to suck the fluid material from the storage chamber and pump it to the dispensing outlet 33. The dispensing outlet 33 may be one or more through holes at the top of the actuator 34. In other embodiments, the dispensing outlet may also be a dispensing nozzle for dispensing, and the nozzle may be provided in a dispensing head. The dispenser assembly 3 also includes a one-way valve 32 that only allows the fluid material M to enter the dispensing pump 31 from the storage chamber 5 and does not allow air to enter the storage chamber 5. The one-way valve 32 may be any suitable valve such as a disc valve or a ball valve.

The dispenser assembly 3 is connected to the container assembly 2, for example, by bonding, threads or a snap fit. The dispenser assembly 3 is covered and protected by the cap assembly 4 to prevent contamination of the dispensing outlet 33 and prevent air from entering the dispenser assembly 3. The dispenser assembly 3 may be fixedly or removably connected to the cap assembly 4, for example, by bonding, a threaded connection, or a snap-fit.

With reference to Fig. 7, it schematically shows a driven piston 23 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The outer diameter of the driven piston 23 corresponds to the inner diameter of the inner container 21, such that the driven piston can slide upward along the inner wall of the inner container. The driven piston is substantially disc-shaped, and includes an upper circumferential flange 233 and a lower circumferential flange 234 in the circumferential direction. The upper circumferential flange 233 and the lower circumferential flange 234 respectively contact and abut against the inner wall 211 of the inner container 21, and are fluid-tightly sealed with respect to the inner wall 211 of the inner container 21, so that the air below the driven piston cannot enter the storage chamber 5. The driven piston 23 is provided with a through opening 231 at the center.

Optionally, the through opening 231 is defined by a protrusion 232, which may extend upward and/or downward from the surface of the driven piston 23. In a preferred embodiment, a downward extending protrusion remains to be fluid-tight sealed with the driven piston support, and the fluid material may contact the driven piston support through the opening in an upward extending protrusion, thereby providing lubrication to facilitate the movement of the driven piston.

As shown in Figs. 4-6 and 8, the container assembly 2 further includes a driven piston support 24 for supporting and guiding the driven piston 23, thereby preventing the driven piston from tilting and from getting stuck. The driven piston support 24 passes through the through opening 231 in the driven piston 23 and remains to be fluid-tight sealed with the driven piston. Preferably, the driven piston support is located at the central position of the inner container 21, and thus is also located at the central position of the driven piston 23. The upper end of the driven piston support 24 may be positioned adjacent to the one-way valve 32 to enable the fluid material in the storage chamber 5 to be completely dispensed. As shown in Fig. 8,preferably, the driven piston support 24 may be one-piece molded with the inner container 21. Thus, the manufacture of the container assembly is simple and cost-effective. The driven piston support 24 may also be manufactured separately and then fixed to the bottom of the inner container 21 (for example, by bonding, etc. ) and keeps fluid-tight sealed with the bottom of the inner container.

In another embodiment, the driven piston support 24 may also be provided on the outer container 22 or at the bottom of the dispenser assembly 3. In this case, the driven piston support 24 passes through the through opening on the driven piston 23.

The driven piston support 24 may be cylindrical, columnar or in any other suitable shape. The driven piston support 24 may be made of plastic, such as polypropylene (PP) . The driven piston support 24 may be configured as hollow, and have a top wall at the upper part to close the hollow space of the driven piston support, so as to ensure the airtightness of the storage chamber. In this way, materials and costs can be saved, and the weight of the entire storage and dispensing system can be reduced. Although the figures show one driven piston support, in other embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of driven piston supports may be provided. The plurality of driven piston supports may be provided in the inner container or the outer container, or even on the bottom of the dispenser assembly.

The container assembly 2 is in fluid communication with the external ambient at the bottom. According to one embodiment, both the inner container 21 and the outer container 22 include one or more vent holes 25 at the bottom so as to be in fluid communication with the external ambient. According to another embodiment, the inner container 21 includes a vent hole 25 at the bottom (as shown in Fig. 8) , and the outer container 22 has an open bottom so that air can enter the space below the driven piston 23.

The use of the storage and dispensing system of the present invention will be further described in more detail with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. Firstly, the user removes the cap assembly 4 from the system and presses the actuator 34 so that the fluid material is dispensed from the dispensing outlet. After the user releases the actuator 34, it returns to its initial position. After a certain amount of fluid material has been dispensed from the storage and dispensing system 1 and the actuator 34 has returned to its initial position, a slight vacuum will be formed in the storage chamber 5 so that the pressure on the upper side of the driven piston 23 is less than the pressure on its lower side. Thus, the driven piston 23 is forced to slide upward along both the inner wall 211 of the inner container 21 and the driven piston support 24 to reduce the effective volume of the storage chamber 5. Therefore, the driven piston 23 has an initial position and a final position. In the initial position, the fluid material M fills the storage chamber 5 and the driven piston is located at the bottom of the inner container 21 and the driven piston support 24. At this time, the pressure in the storage chamber 5 above the driven piston support and the atmospheric pressure below the driven piston are balanced. As the fluid material is dispensed from the storage chamber 5, there is a slight, partial vacuum in the storage chamber 5. As a result, as shown by the arrows on the driven piston in Fig. 5, the pressure difference between the upper and lower sides of the driven piston forces the driven piston to slide upward along the inner wall 211 of the inner container and the driven piston support 24. In the final position, the fluid material filled in the storage chamber 5 is completely dispensed out, and the driven piston 23 reaches the top of the driven piston support 24. During the entire operation, no air enters the storage chamber 5.

According to the present invention, when not in use, both the inner wall 211 of the inner container 21 and the driven piston support 24 stably support the driven piston. During use, the driven piston 23 can also stably slide upward along the driven piston support 24 without tilting. Even in the event of a crash during transportation or use, for example, when the jar accidentally falls off, the driven piston support 24 can still stably retain the driven piston, thereby ensuring that the entire storage and dispensing system 1 will not malfunction.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited by the disclosed examples, and those skilled in the art can make many other modifications and variations based on them without departing from the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that the use of "a" or "an" throughout this application does not exclude a plural number, and "comprise" or "include" does not exclude other components. In addition, elements described in connection with different embodiments may be combined. It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

List of Reference Signs

1 Storage and dispensing system

2 Container assembly

3 Dispenser assembly

4 Cap assembly

5 Storage chamber

M Fluid material

21 Inner container

211 Inner wall of the inner container

22 Outer container

23 Driven piston

231 Through opening

232 Protrusion

233 Upper circumferential flange

234 Lower circumferential flange

24 Driven piston support

25 Vent hole

31 Dispensing pump

32 One-way valve

33 Dispensing outlet

34 Actuator

41 Outer cap

42 Inner cap

Claims

A container assembly comprising:

an inner container which defines internally a storage chamber for storing a fluid material;

an outer container located outside the inner container and tightly engaged at the top with the inner container;

a slidable driven piston located in the inner container and sealed against an inner wall of the inner container at its entire periphery, a space in the inner container below the driven piston being in fluid communication with an external ambient, wherein the driven piston can slide upward under pressure;

a driven piston support which is located in the inner container and is used to support and guide the driven piston, the driven piston being fluid-tightly sealed against the driven piston support, wherein when a fluid material is dispensed from the container assembly, the driven piston slides upward along both the inner wall of the inner container and the driven piston support.
The container assembly according to claim 1, wherein the driven piston support is located at a central position of the inner container.
The container assembly according to claim 2, wherein the driven piston has a through opening at the center, so that the driven piston support can pass through the through opening.
The container assembly according to claim 3, wherein the driven piston includes a protrusion which defines the through opening at the center; the protrusion is fluid-tightly sealed against the driven piston support at the through opening; and the protrusion extends upward and/or downward from the driven piston.
The container assembly according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the driven piston support is made of plastic; and wherein the driven piston support and the inner container are one-piece molded.
The container assembly according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the driven piston support is cylindrical, and wherein the driven piston support is hollow and has a top wall at the upper part to close a hollow space of the driven piston support.
A storage and dispensing system comprising:

a container assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6;

a dispenser assembly sealingly engaged at the top of the container assembly to cooperate with the container assembly, enabling the fluid material to be dispensed from the inner container; and

a cap assembly which is removably engaged at the top of the container assembly and sealingly engaged with the dispenser assembly to cover the entire dispenser assembly.
The storage and dispensing system according to claim 7, wherein the dispenser assembly comprises:

an actuator to be actuated by a user; and

a dispensing pump which is actuated by the actuator to pump the fluid material from the storage chamber to the dispensing outlet, the dispensing pump including a one-way valve which only allows the fluid material to be discharged from the storage chamber.
The storage and dispensing system according to claim 8, wherein the dispensing pump is an airless dispensing pump.
The storage and dispensing system according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the cap assembly comprises an inner cap and an outer cap outside the inner cover.