EP0801002A1 - Fluid transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

The fluid transfer comprises a sleeve (1) with an upstream supply end (1a) and a downstream outlet end (1b). The sleeve can be orientated in all directions. It is formed by a succession of articulated segments (11..) constituted by downstream rigid walls (11b..) and upstream deformable wall (11a..). The upstream walls can be partially retracted under the downstream walls allowing compression, expansion or bending of the sleeve. The upstream and downstream walls are inclined to the sleeve interior and connected to the widest diameter by an arch describing a quarter meridian before connecting to the upstream wall. This thus defines a line of inflexion which forms a first articulation for the wall.

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid transfer device.

There are already transfer devices comprising in particular a sleeve provided with an upstream supply end and a downstream discharge end possibly closed by a plug.

Such devices are generally used on containers of viscous liquid products. In this use, the upstream end of the sleeve communicates, at the bottom, with the container on which it is fixed, while its upper downstream end opens out in a direction inclined relative to the axis of said container.

However in such devices, the inclination or the curvature of the sleeve is fixed as of its manufacture. In certain cases, a freedom of rotation of the sleeve is provided along its axis of revolution, which makes it possible to slightly modify the orientation of the downstream discharge end.

However, the adjustment possibilities are limited and remain insufficient, in particular for applications where it is necessary to give the sleeve complex geometries in order to bring the product into areas which are difficult to access.

In addition, traditional devices are bulky, by the very fact that the sleeve projects beyond the upper part of the container.

The present invention aims to solve the above technical problems or at least to mitigate them.

This object is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a fluid transfer device comprising a sleeve provided with an upstream supply end and a downstream discharge end, possibly closed by a plug, characterized in that said sleeve is orientable in all directions and stably, retentive and reversible, being formed of a succession of articulated segments, consisting of a rigid downstream wall and an elastically deformable upstream wall, capable of retract, at least partially, under said downstream wall to allow, by clicking, compression and / or bending of said sleeve.

According to an advantageous characteristic, the upstream and downstream walls are inclined towards the inside of the sleeve and are connected to the widest diameter by an arch.

Preferably, the inclination between the upstream and downstream walls is, in the unfolded state, between 30 ° and 90 °.

Said arch is tangent to the downstream wall to stiffen it and it describes a quarter of the meridian before connecting to the upstream wall, thereby forming a first articulation for said wall.

According to another characteristic, said segments are separated by a peripheral groove whose downstream edge forms a second articulation for the upstream wall.

Generally, the generatrices of the sleeve define a cylinder possibly of revolution.

According to a particular embodiment, the upstream and downstream walls of the segments are frustoconical and are connected by a toric arch so as to define substantially annular segments.

According to another embodiment, the sleeve has a section consisting of two semicircles joined by tangent straight sections.

Alternatively, the downstream end of the sleeve includes a thread for screwing a plug.

According to another variant, the diameter of the segments, that is to say, if necessary, that of the arcuate connection surface, is variable from the upstream end to the downstream end of the sleeve.

Another object of the invention is a use of the previous device by integration into a packaging to ensure the evacuation of said product from a container of liquid product.

The device of the invention makes it possible to orient the downstream end relative to the upstream end of the sleeve according to complex, stable, persistent and reversible geometries.

It can be used as an accessory to a container or as an independent tool and can even serve as a connecting element between two sections of fluid pipe.

The compression of the sleeve makes it possible to reduce the overall bulk of the packaging, which has ecological advantages for disposable packaging. Furthermore, the bending of the sleeve provides both flexibility and ease of use.

In the folded state, the sleeve therefore occupies very little space, which has, moreover, advantages from an economic and aesthetic point of view. Under these conditions, it can be easily integrated into a product packaging, by being fitted with a cap or else hooded inside a cover.

This device finds, in particular, its application in the field of maintenance or DIY products, lubricants, drugs, cosmetics, etc.

• les figures 1a, 1b, 1c et 1d représentent des vues de profil d'un premier mode de réalisation du dispositif de l'invention dans différentes positions;
• la figure 2a représente une vue partielle en coupe du mode de réalisation des figures 1a à 1d dans la position de la figure 1a;
• la figure 2b représente une vue partielle en coupe du mode de réalisation des figures 1a à 1d dans la position de la figure 1c;
• la figure 3 représente une vue de dessus du mode de réalisation des figures 1a à 1d dans la position de la figure 1a ou 1b.
• les figures 4a et 4b représentent des vues de profil d'une application du mode de réalisation des figures 1a à 1d, respectivement

dans les positions des figures 1b et 1c.The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, accompanied by the drawings in which:

• Figures 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d show side views of a first embodiment of the device of the invention in different positions;
• 2a shows a partial sectional view of the embodiment of Figures 1a to 1d in the position of Figure 1a;
• Figure 2b shows a partial sectional view of the embodiment of Figures 1a to 1d in the position of Figure 1c;
• 3 shows a top view of the embodiment of Figures 1a to 1d in the position of Figure 1a or 1b.
• Figures 4a and 4b show side views of an application of the embodiment of Figures 1a to 1d, respectively

in the positions of Figures 1b and 1c.

The device of the invention as shown in Figures 1a to 1d is intended for the transfer of fluids and in particular liquids.

To this end, it comprises a sleeve 1 provided with an upstream end 1a for supplying fluid and with an end 1b for discharging said fluid.

Preferably, the upstream end 1a has a supply orifice 10a while the downstream end 1b has a distribution orifice 10b, formed here at the outlet of a neck 2, produced in one piece with the sleeve 1 or as an attachment.

According to the invention, the sleeve 1 can be oriented in all directions from the unfolded position in FIG. 1a to take the positions shown in FIGS. 1b, 1c or 1d.

The sleeve 1 is here formed, in the manner of a bellows, of a succession of three articulated segments 11, 12, 13.

The segments 11, 12, 13 each consist of an upstream wall 11a, 12a, 13a, elastically deformable and of a downstream wall 11b, 12b, 13b, rigid. The upstream wall 11a, 12a, 13a is capable of retracting completely (Figure 1b) or partially (Figures 1c and 1d) under the downstream wall 11b, 12b, 13b.

The retraction of the upstream wall is accompanied by a click and allows the compression of the sleeve 1, along the axis X (FIG. 1b), its bending to bring the neck 2, along the axis Y making an angle β with the X axis (Figure 1c) or any combination of compression along X and bending to bring the neck 2 along the Y 'axis, making an angle θ with the X axis (Figure 1d). All the positions obtained by these deformations are stable, remanent and reversible.

2a shows a partial sectional view of the sleeve 1 in extension, in the position of Figure 1a.

The upstream walls 11a, 12a and downstream 11b, 12b of the segments 11,12 are inclined towards the inside of the sleeve 1, in the direction of the axis X and are connected to the widest diameter by a toric arch 10 of axis X .

In another embodiment, not shown, the diameter of the yoke, and therefore that of the segments, is variable along the axis of revolution X, for example by decreasing from the upstream end 1a towards the downstream end 1b, like a funnel.

The inclination α between the upstream and downstream walls of each segment 11, 12 is determined as a function, in particular of the dimensions of the sleeve, of the thickness of its wall in particular and of the nature of the material used for its production. Preferably, the sleeve is made with a polymeric plastic material such as a polyolefin.

This inclination α is generally between 30 ° and 90 °, when the sleeve 1 is in the unfolded position of FIG. 1a.

The toric arch 10 is tangent to the downstream wall 11b, 12b to stiffen it.

However, the arch 10 describes a quarter of the meridian m upstream, before connecting to the upstream wall 11a, 12a by defining thus a peripheral inflection line i which forms a first articulation for said wall.

The segments 11, 12, 13 are separated by peripheral grooves g which facilitate the retraction of the upstream wall 11a, 12a and increase the freedom in bending of the sleeve 1.

The grooves g have, here, a U-shaped section but they can, according to a variant not shown, have a V-shaped section.

Figure 2b shows a partial sectional view of the sleeve 1 of Figure 2a in the position of Figure 1c.

In this position, the sleeve 1 is bent so as to orient the neck 2 along the axis Y making an angle β with the axis X of revolution.

The upper surface of the sleeve 1 is then extended while its lower surface is compressed.

Maximum bending is obtained when all the upstream walls 11a, 12a, 13a of the segments are retracted on the lower surface of the sleeve 1.

During the retraction phase, the upstream walls 11a, 12a, 13a, undergo both an elastic deformation and a pivoting downstream on a part of their periphery. This pivoting takes place, on the one hand, around the axis of the first articulation which is tangent to the line of inflection i and, on the other hand, around an axis tangent to the downstream edge of the peripheral grooves g , which thus forms a second joint.

At the end of retraction, the upstream walls extend substantially parallel to the corresponding downstream walls 11b, 12b, 13b which have not undergone any deformation or pivoting.

The change in geometry, from the sleeve 1 from the unfolded position (FIG. 2a) to the folded position (FIG. 2b), is therefore carried out by means of a combination between a deformation and a double pivoting of the upstream walls and passing through a unstable transient state of maximum stress causing a click.

FIG. 3 represents the sleeve 1 in top view with its downstream end 1b visible. In this embodiment, the generatrices of the sleeve 1 define a cylinder of revolution of axis X. The section of this cylinder consists, here, of two semicircles joined by tangent straight sections. In general, the outer surface or envelope of the sleeve 1 is obtained, by making drag a complex line located in one plane and called generator, onto a closed line, located in another plane, called director. The contact point is fixed on the generator. The plane of the director and the plane of the generator are perpendicular and the plane of the generator constantly contains the normal to the director at the contact point. The normal to the plane of the director, at the center of it, is the X axis of the sleeve. If the director has no geometric center, the axis of the sleeve is only defined in direction.

The downstream wall 13b of the segment is extended at the downstream end 1b by a threaded neck 2, delimiting a discharge orifice 10b.

According to another embodiment, not shown, the upstream and downstream walls are frustoconical to form substantially annular segments of axis X. In this case, the section of the sleeve 1 is circular.

Figures 4a and 4b show side views of a particular application of the transfer device of the invention.

In this application, the sleeve 1 is mounted on the upper part of a container R.

The sleeve 1 can be made in one piece with the container R or fixed by screwing on the upper part of said container around a discharge orifice.

The sleeve 1 is, moreover, provided with a neck 2 equipped with a thread onto which a plug 3 is screwed.

Claims (10)

Fluid transfer device comprising a sleeve (1) provided with an upstream end (1a) for supply and with a downstream end (1b) for evacuation possibly closed by a plug (3),
said sleeve (1) being orientable in all directions and in a stable, remanent and reversible manner, being formed of a succession of articulated segments (11, 12, 13, ...), made up, of a rigid downstream wall (11b, 12b, 13b, ...) and an upstream wall (11a, 12a, 13a, ...) elastically deformable, capable of retracting, at least partially, under said downstream wall to allow compression, the extension and / or bending of said sleeve (1),
characterized in that the upstream (11a, 12a, ...) and downstream (11b, 12b, ...) walls are inclined towards the inside of the sleeve (1) and are connected to the widest diameter by an arch ( 10) describing a quarter of the meridian (m) before connecting to the upstream wall (11a, 12a, ...) thereby defining a line of inflection (i) which forms a first articulation for said wall. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the inclination (α) between the upstream and downstream walls is, in the unfolded state, between 30 ° and 90 °. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said arch (10) is tangent to the downstream wall (11b, 12b, ...) to stiffen it. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said segments (11, 12, 13) are separated by a peripheral groove (g) whose downstream edge forms a second articulation for the upstream wall (11a, 12a ... ). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the generatrices of the sleeve (1) define a cylinder possibly of revolution. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upstream (11a, 12a, 13a, ...) and downstream (11b, 12b, 13b, ...) walls of the segments (11, 12, 13) are frustoconical and are connected by a toric arch (10) so as to define substantially annular segments. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sleeve (1) has a section consisting of two semicircles joined by tangent straight sections. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the downstream end (1b) of the sleeve (1) has a thread for screwing a plug (3). Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the diameter of the segments (11, 12, 13) is variable from the upstream end (1a) to the downstream end (1b). Use of the device according to one of the preceding claims, by integration into a packaging of liquid product to ensure the evacuation of said product from a container (R).

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