EP0839735A1 - Articulated closure cap with improved connecting element - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a dispensing capsule (3) comprising: a body (32), intended to be mounted on a reservoir (21) containing a product of fluid to viscous consistency, of rigid or semi-rigid material provided with a orifice (4) for dispensing the product and a cover (5) made of material rigid or semi-rigid capable of closing the orifice (4), this cover (5) being articulated on the body (32) at an axis (A), so that it can pass selectively from an open position to a closed position, and connected to the body (32) by an element connection (10) one end of which is secured to the cover (5), the other end being secured to the body (32), the connecting element (10) being arranged so as to be located on one side of the axis (A) in the open position, and on the other side of the axis (A) in the closed position, the connecting element (10) undergoing an elongation when the cover (5) passes from one position to another. The connecting element (10) is made of an elastomeric material.

Description

The present invention relates to a dispensing capsule intended for equip a tank containing a viscous fluid product to be distributed, as well than a distribution assembly fitted with this capsule. The capsule is equipped with a closing system, which can be opened for the distribution of product, and closed for storage.

Tanks with such a capsule are commonly used in different areas, for the storage and distribution of liquid products or viscous, for example in the cosmetic, food, household, pharmaceutical or parapharmaceutical. These products can be, including shampoos, antiseptics, household cleaners or dishwashing products. Thanks to the use of a distribution capsule, on the one hand, the flow of the product during transport and storage is avoided, and on the other hand, the product is protected from dirt coming from the outside. On the other hand, a tank equipped with such a capsule allows the user to easily distribute the product contained in the tank and dose it with precision.

To date, a large number of construction distribution capsules is on the market, equipping the aforementioned consumer products. The most of them are made of mono-material and include a body connected by a hinge to a hinged lid, allowing the user to open or close the tank at will. Frequently, the hinge is a film hinge, so that the capsule and the cover form a whole unibody.

We know, for example, from document WO-A-87/00512, a capsule molded in one piece, comprising a body, a film hinge and a cover, the hinge being provided with a device giving operation opening and closing the cover a "spring effect". This capsule is able to hold the cover in two positions: one completely open and a position close to that of closing or almost closed position. The open position allows the product to be dispensed, while the open position almost closed facilitates complete sealing of the tank.

In this capsule, one or other of the positions is obtained thanks to the presence of one or two strips folded in an "L" shape, arranged near the hinge, the ends of the "L" being integral with the body of the capsule and the cover respectively. When passing the cover from one of the positions at the other, the strap (s) undergo a deformation of the angle of the "L".

Another "spring effect" capsule with a hinged cover using a hinge and made one piece, is described in document WO-A-84/04906. In this capsule, the “spring effect” is ensured thanks to the presence of two strips arranged on either side of the hinge and of which the ends are hooked to the body and to the cover respectively of the capsule. When the user rotates the cover from the open position to the almost closed position, or vice versa, the straps are stretched.

Practice has shown that during use, the material constituting the capsule, usually a rigid or semi-rigid thermoplastic material like polyethylene or polypropylene, does not withstand many opening and closing operations of the capsule. Indeed, often the consumer experiences deformation or breakage of the hinge and / or including the strap (s), preventing proper operation of the capsule. This effect is all the more frequent when the container has a large volume and when the distribution of the product contained therein is thus accompanied by a significant number of manipulations of the cover.

In addition, the choice of materials that can be used for the capsules described above is relatively limited. Indeed, they include parts which must ensure a determined rigidity (body and cover) and parts which must be elastically deformable (hinge and straps). Choosing too much material rigid causes the hinge and / or the straps to break, due to the fatigue of the material after many uses, or has a hard functioning, incorrect and uncomfortable. The choice of a too flexible material leads, on the other hand, sluggish operation, and the capsule lacks shape stability.

We also know from EP-A-0 629 560 a capsule hinged with a cover using a film hinge. This capsule presents a "spring effect" bringing the cover into a single open position total. This position is ensured by a rubber insert interposed between the body and the capsule cover. The mounting of this rubber piece is such that when you want to close the cover, it is necessary to exert sufficient pressure to allow the locking of the cover on the capsule. Indeed, if this pressure is insufficient, the cover will automatically return to the open position under the effect of elastic force produced by the rubber part. However, under conditions of use such that when bathing or showering with wet hands, it is sometimes difficult to exert such pressure. Furthermore, the material used, namely the rubber, does not allow the use of production techniques such as biinjection molding. Similarly, the fixing of the rubber piece on the body of the capsule cannot be produced by thermofusion, due to the physico-chemical incompatibility of the materials used. In addition, the manufacturing of this capsule requires complicated tools for mounting the part elastic added, resulting in a high cost price.

Also the present invention relates to a dispensing capsule avoiding all the disadvantages of capsules of the prior art, having a flawless operation, and this for an extended service life. From this fact, the capsule of the invention is intended to equip, in particular, containers large capacity allowing the distribution of a large number of doses of product. In addition, this capsule can be produced at a cost price very advantageous because it offers the possibility of using techniques such as biinjection.

Consequently, the present invention relates to a capsule of dispensing comprising: a body, intended to be mounted on a tank containing a product of fluid to viscous consistency, of rigid material or semi-rigid provided with an orifice allowing the distribution of the product; a lid in rigid or semi-rigid material capable of closing the orifice, this cover being articulated on the body at an axis, so that it can pass selectively from an open position to a closed position, and connected to the body by a connecting element, one end of which is integral with the cover, the other end being integral with the body, the connecting element being arranged so to be located on one side of the axis in the open position, and on the other side of the axis in closed position, the connecting element undergoing elongation when the cover moves from one position to another, the connecting element (10) being constituted of an elastomeric material.

Advantageously, the product to be dispensed, liquid, viscous or powdery, is able to flow under its own weight or under the action of a compression of the reservoir which, in this case is a flexible-walled reservoir. The product in the tank is, for example a shampoo or milk body, the viscosity of which is generally in the range from 50 mPa · s at 5 Pa · s.

The elastic connecting element can advantageously be made by a single step during the manufacture of the capsule, for example, by overmolding of the rigid or semi-rigid body with an elastomeric material appropriate.

Generally, the elastomeric material constituting the connecting element can be a thermoplastic elastomer, preferably physico-chemically compatible with rigid or semi-rigid material and capable of create a solid bond, during the manufacture of the capsule by bi-injection of two materials. So by first injecting the rigid material into a mold or semi-rigid, and then over-injecting the flexible material, we create this bond, by thermofusion, between the elastomeric material and the rigid material or semi-rigid. This thermoplastic elastomer is chosen, for example, in the group of elastomers of propylene / ethylene copolymers; of polyether blockamides; polyvinyls; terpolymers of ethylene, propylene and a diene (EPDM); styrene-butadiene polymers sequenced (SBS); block styrene-ethylene-butadiene polymers (SEBS-SIS); thermoplastic polyurethanes; mixtures of polypropylene with one of the following elastomers: polymers of styrene-ethylene-butadiene sequenced (SEBS-SIS); terpolymers of ethylene, propylene and a diene (EPDM); block styrene-butadiene polymers (SBS).

Another object of the invention is constituted by a distribution assembly comprising a product reservoir fitted with a dispensing capsule according to the invention, as described above.

In practice, the reservoir equipping such a capsule is constituted by a bottle with more or less rigid walls, or by a compressible tube. Of preferably, this reservoir has a neck, on which is fixed, by screwing, breakdown, welding or any other known means, the dispensing capsule.

The body of the capsule and the cover can be made, for example, polypropylene or polyethylene. Advantageously, the cover is articulated with the capsule body by a film hinge. According to one aspect interesting of the invention, this hinge is produced, discontinuously, in two parts, so that the connecting element is arranged between the two parts of the hinge.

The connecting element is, for example, an elongated strip whose ends are fixed to the body and the cover respectively. Means the ends of the strip may be provided on the body and the cover respectively to make their fixation more solid. These means anchors are made, for example, by one or more submerged bars in the elastomeric connecting element, these bars being of rigid material or semi-rigid molded with the body of the capsule.

According to an interesting aspect of the invention, the capsule constitutes a single is same room where the body, the cover and the connecting element form a unibody assembly.

When manufacturing the capsule in two different materials, one rigid or semi-rigid and the other in elastomer, it is possible to provide a certain number of arrangements described below. Thus, the capsule body and / or the cover may be provided with a gripping area overmolded with a layer of elastomeric material, intended to facilitate the opening of the cover and to make its handling more pleasant.

In addition, a stopper pin may be provided on the internal face of the cover, suitable for blocking the dispensing orifice, this pin being provided with a external coating of elastomeric material. This provision ensures a particularly watertight closure, as well as catching up any molding tolerances.

When the plug is hollow, advantageously, it can be filled with flexible elastomeric material. By this arrangement, we avoid the untimely flow of product residues when the capsule is opened, which commonly occurs with a hollow picot.

The body may further include an annular seal in flexible elastomeric material, in tight contact with a peripheral edge of the cover, when the latter is in the folded position.

It is also possible to envisage one or more zones of grip in elastomeric material, produced by overmolding on the cover and / or a part of the capsule body, facilitating the opening of the cover, and creating, if necessary, a “non-slip” effect.

The provisions mentioned above, namely the elastic band, the coating of the pin or orifice, the overmolding of the gripping zones and the seal can be produced in a single manufacturing step, by using the bi-injection process, consisting of injecting, into a mold suitable, first, the articulated capsule with the cover rigid material. In a second step, the connecting element, the coating of the pin or orifice, the overmolding of the gripping zones and the gasket in flexible thermoplastic material.

• La figure 1 représente, une vue en coupe axiale, d'un ensemble de distribution muni d'une capsule de distribution conforme à l'invention, en position ouverte;
• la figure 2 représente une vue de dessus de la capsule de la figure 1.

To better understand the object of the invention, a description will now be given, by way of purely illustrative and nonlimiting examples, of an embodiment of the dispensing capsule in accordance with the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

• Figure 1 shows an axial sectional view of a dispensing assembly provided with a dispensing capsule according to the invention, in the open position;
• FIG. 2 represents a top view of the capsule of FIG. 1.

With reference to FIG. 1, we can see a distribution assembly designated as a whole by the reference 1, comprising a reservoir 21 having an axis longitudinal X, equipped with a distribution capsule 3 provided with a reference 32. The reservoir 21 has a closed bottom 22 and, on the side opposite the bottom, a neck 2 provided with an external thread 24 for fixing the body 32 of capsule on the tank. For this purpose, the capsule body has a skirt internal cylindrical 25, provided with an internal thread complementary to the thread 24 of the neck 2. The reservoir 21 has a general circular or oval section, but this can be arbitrary, for example polygonal or asymmetrical. It is made, for example, of high density polyethylene. The capsule body, meanwhile, is made of a rigid or semi-rigid material, such as polypropylene.

The body 32 of the capsule 3 comprises a plate 34, provided at its periphery a film hinge 8, with the aid of which a cover 5 is articulated, allowing the latter to pivot about an axis A constituting the axis of the hinge. The cover 5 has a shape of a cap provided with a peripheral edge 51 facing the tank. In the tray 34, on the side opposite the hinge 8 and in a plane passing through the hinge and through the axis X of the reservoir 21, is provided a dispensing orifice 4. The orifice 4 is defined by a cylindrical tube 41, 42, extending on either side of the plate 34. An emerging part 41 of the tubing has a conical internal shape, flaring outward. This tubing constitutes a flow restrictor, the emerging part 41 having the function of a spout.

The hinge 8 is formed in two parts 8a, 8b, separated by a obviously 8c. Two bars 12, 13 of orientation parallel to the axis A pass through the recess. These bars 12, 13 are embedded in a flat strip 10 in elastomeric material and constitute means for anchoring the strip. The ends of this strip are integral with the body 32 of the capsule and the cover 5 respectively, the joining of this strip 10 on the body 32 and the cover 5 being obtained by thermofusion of the respective materials during of the manufacture of the capsule 3. To further strengthen the holding of the strip 10, additional anchor points 14 can be provided on each part adjoining the ends of the strip 10.

This strip 10 is disposed slightly below the axis A of the hinge, that is to say on the side of the tank, so that the cover 5, in fully open position is held in this position by elasticity of the flexible strip 10. When the cover 5 is closed, the cover passes through a position of maximum elongation of the strip 10, beyond which the elasticity of the strip 10 brings the cover 5 back to a semi-open position. From the semi-open position, the cover 5 can be closed completely by rubbing the pin 6 into the hole 4. The strip flexible 10 is made, for example, from a mixture of polypropylene / block polymer of styrene - ethylene - butylene - styrene.

The plate 34 is folded in the direction of the body 3, forming a skirt trim 37, the edge 38 of the lower end of which adapts to the shape of the tank 21.

The dispensing orifice 4 is blocked, in the folded position of the cover, by a pin 6 closing off the tubular part 41. This pin 6 is hollow and carries a external covering 72 in flexible material. The internal diameters of the part tubular 41 and external of coating 72 are chosen so that the pin 6 can frictionally enter, tightly, in the orifice 4, when the cover 5. Advantageously, this diameter is of the order of 3 to 8 mm, in depending on the viscosity of the product to be dispensed. Typically, this viscosity is included in the range from 50 mPa · s to 5 Pa · s.

It is of course possible to make a reverse arrangement, that is to say to have the covering 72, made of flexible material inside the orifice 4. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the interior 71 of the pin 6 is filled with flexible material.

As illustrated, in particular in FIG. 2, the plate 34 further comprises, at its periphery, an annular seal 11 made of flexible material. lt is arranged so that the edge 51 of the cover 5 comes to bear against this seal 11, in the position of closure of the capsule.

On the side opposite to the hinge 8, the skirt 37 has a depression area 95 in the form of a circular arc facilitating the gripping and opening of the cover 5. The surface 96 of this area consists of a layer of flexible material. Likewise, the cover 5 includes a gripping zone 91 in the form of a concave return 9, this zone also being made of flexible material. The use of a flexible material for the gripping areas gives the user a pleasant touch and easy handling of the capsule. By choosing a particular flexible material, for example SANTOPRENE ® (mixture of polypropylene with terpolymers of ethylene, propylene and a diene (EPDM)), sold by the company AES. By using a material of this type, it is even possible to obtain a "non-slip" effect, which is advantageous when the user uses, in the shower or in the bath, a surfactant product for body cleansing.

This way of producing the capsule according to the invention by bi-injection of rigid or semi-rigid and elastomeric materials is of a great simplicity, allowing it to be manufactured in a single molding cycle of short duration. This capsule can then be manufactured at a cost price advantageous. Its lifespan is practically unlimited.

Claims (13)

Distribution capsule (3) comprising: a) a body (32), intended to be mounted on a reservoir (21) containing a product of fluid viscous consistency, of rigid or semi-rigid material provided with an orifice (4) allowing the distribution of the product; b) a cover (5) of rigid or semi-rigid material capable of closing the orifice (4), this cover (5) being articulated on the body (32) at the level of an axis (A), so as to ability to selectively move from an open position to a closed position, and connected to the body (32) by a connecting element (10) one end of which is secured to the cover (5), the other end of which is secured to the body (32), the connecting element (10) being arranged so as to be situated on one side of the axis (A) in the open position, and on the other side of the axis (A) in the closed position , the connecting element (10) undergoing an elongation when the cover (5) passes from one position to the other, characterized in that the connecting element (10) is made of an elastomeric material. Capsule according to claim 1, characterized in that the material elastomeric is physico-chemically compatible with the rigid material or semi-rigid, and capable of creating, by thermofusion, a mechanical connection between the two materials. Capsule according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the element link (10) is molded by biinjection. Capsule according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it constitutes a single piece, the body (32), the cover (5) and the connecting element (10) forming a unibody assembly. Capsule according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the material rigid or semi-rigid is chosen from polypropylene or polyethylene. Capsule according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that that the elastomeric material is chosen from the group of elastomers of propylene / ethylene copolymers; polyether blockamides; polyvinyls; terpolymers of ethylene, propylene and a diene (EPDM); of styrene-butadiene block polymers (SBS); polymers of block styrene-ethylene-butadiene (SEBS-SIS); polyurethanes thermoplastics; mixtures of polypropylene with one of the elastomers following: block styrene-ethylene-butadiene polymers (SEBS-SIS); terpolymers of ethylene, propylene and a diene (EPDM); polymers of block styrene-butadiene (SBS). Capsule according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that anchoring means (12, 13, 14) are provided to reinforce the attachment of the connecting element (10) to the body (6) and the cover (5) respectively. Capsule according to claim 7, characterized in that the anchoring means consist of a bar (12, 13) embedded in the element (10). Capsule according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body (32) and / or the cover (5) is provided with a gripping zone (9, 95) comprising a layer of elastomeric material. Capsule according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover (5) has a pin (6) intended to close the orifice (4), and in that, in the plugged position, a coating (72) made of elastomeric material is interposed between the pin and the orifice, to ensure a seal between the pin (6) and the orifice (4). Capsule according to claim 10, characterized in that the spike (7) is filled of elastomeric material. Capsule according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body (6) comprises an annular seal (11) made of material elastomeric, in tight contact with a peripheral edge (51) of the cover (5), when the latter is in the folded position. Fluid product distribution assembly comprising a reservoir (21) containing a fluid product, equipped with a dispensing capsule (1), characterized in that the capsule conforms to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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