JP2012525304A - Pocket vial package and dispensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

  The present invention relates to a pocket vial type device for containing and dispensing liquid products. The device has a flexible pocket arranged in a rigid vial (9), which is provided with a pump or valve for discharging the product contained in the pocket. The pocket includes a cylindrical wall composed of at least one cylindrically wound sheet (1), and one of the lateral sides of the cylindrical wall is a solid end member (8) that forms the bottom of the pocket. It is attached in a sealed manner to the other, and the other is attached in a sealed manner to the annular end member (7) that constitutes the attachment ring to the vial. The two longitudinal sides (3, 5) of the sheet (1) are attached to the other in a sealed manner, and the end of the inner longitudinal side is formed by a flexible covering strip (6). It is masked. The present invention can be used to reduce the risk of contamination of the product enclosed in the pocket.

Description

  The present invention relates to a device for containing and discharging a liquid product, and more particularly to a flexible pocket used in a pocket vial type device for containing and discharging a liquid or pasty liquid product, and more Specifically, by providing a flexible pocket that is placed in a rigid container and in which a pump or valve is placed, the liquid product in the flexible pocket is sufficiently isolated from the air and from the pocket by actuation of the pump or valve. It becomes possible to discharge.

  Pocket vial type devices for containing and discharging liquids are widely known. These devices typically have a container with a rigid shell in which a retractable flexible pocket is disposed, which gradually contracts in response to discharge of the product in the pocket. Product is discharged from the pocket by means of an “airless” pump or under pressure of propellant gas acting against the pocket wall in the vial. When a product is discharged from a pocket by an airless pump, a vent is usually provided in the bottom or neck of the vial so that, depending on each operation of the pump, outside air enters the space between the vial and the pocket, Sufficient pressure is maintained on the wall and the pocket shrinks.

An exemplary embodiment relating to this technology is described in patent FR 2.723.356, which is made of a flexible plastic such as polyethylene or polypropylene and has a pocket arranged in a rigid container, The neck is provided with an air inlet.
Another embodiment relating to a pocket vial is disclosed in patent FR2.827.844, which relates to a device with a flexible pocket placed in a sealed rigid vial and in which a pump or valve is placed. The pocket consists of a metal or plastic sheet wound on each side of two end members, one of which forms the bottom of the pocket and the other forms a ring attached to the vial and pump or valve. A cylindrical wall is provided.

  Application WO97.20757 discloses a method of manufacturing a plastic tube pocket designed for aerosol, the opening of which is sealed to the ring and the other end is folded and sealed to form the bottom of the pocket. Has been.

  The product contained in the pocket is often sensitive to oxidation due to reaction with oxygen in the air, and deteriorates when air enters the pocket due to insufficient sealing. Seal defects most often occur at the pocket / pump junction. These may be due to the porosity of the material used to make the pocket. In addition, if the wall of the pocket of the existing product bends as it shrinks, there is a risk that these bends will cause cracking with the inflow of air, and when the inflowing air reaches the interior of the pocket, the pocket will eventually As a result, the integrity of the product contained in the product cannot be ensured. Finally, the wall of the pocket forms a bend when it shrinks, thereby creating a product holding capacity and thus limiting the discharge efficiency of the remaining product.

  A technique for limiting the risk of cracking in a pocket is disclosed in patent FR 2.770.0834, which suppresses over shrinkage of the pocket in a pocket made of a flexible material such as plastic or aluminum sheet. We propose limiting the risk of cracking, including free float. However, the disadvantage of this technique is that it creates a considerable holding capacity.

  Pocket vials are conventionally manufactured by injection or injection of plastic material. Vials are manufactured by stamping if the wall is made of metal, such as aluminum, or by injection or injection blow molding if the wall is made of plastic, but flexible pockets are usually injected with polyethylene or polypropylene in a suitable mold. Manufactured by blow molding or jet blow molding.

The pockets may also be constructed from an aluminum sheet or plastic / aluminum multilayer material that has sufficient sealing properties at each wall, as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent FR2.827.844. This type of pocket is constructed by laminating sheets, sealing their sides, and being fitted to the neck or rigid ring. The manufacture of such a pocket is relatively simple, but has the disadvantage that the bonding areas on the sides of two opposing sheets to form a cylinder have an extra thickness. In addition, this extra thickness reveals the thickness of the layers that make up the sheet, and there is little risk in this unprotected area that the compounds contained in the layers enter a product with a small amount in the pocket. Even more so in the case of a multilayer film comprising a metal layer.
Patent US Pat. No. 5,248.063 discloses a pocket formed from a multi-layer sheet and laminated, the end of the multi-layer sheet being covered with a plastic film, and delamination of the sheet is suppressed. Techniques for applying tape to adjacent side portions of a cylindrically wound sheet are disclosed in Patents US3.066.063 and DE1729018.

  Various techniques for sealing two sides of a single sheet together are known, such as patents FR2.511.974 and CA1.003.350, but for example the edge of a metal sheet made of aluminum It is often difficult to achieve and maintain good sealability of part seals because they are subject to deformation and stress during use. If the seal is reinforced and the seal forms a bend to ensure sealability, the result is a rib that degrades the correct shrinkage of the pocket and the supply of the product it contains.

FR 2.723.356 specification FR2.827.844 specification WO97.20757 specification FR 2.770.0834 specification US5.2248063 specification US3.0666.03 specification DE1729018 specification FR2.511.974 specification CA 1.003.350 specification

  Therefore, it is desirable to have a pocket vial type device with good safety by reducing the risk of contamination between the pocket wall components and the product contained in the pocket as much as possible.

  Provides good mechanical strength and is easily recyclable, without losing sealing and without wasteful space between the pocket and vial against the vial volume and in the pocket There is also a need for a pocket vial type device that has a pocket that can be easily adapted to the quantity of product to be made and can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet wound so as to form a cylindrical pocket by a known method. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sheet having a covering band on the inner surface of a cylinder according to the technique of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view according to a modified example of the present invention, in which covering strips are arranged on both inner surfaces of the sheet. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a pocket vial with the completed pocket having the barrel of FIG. 2 with both end members contained within the vial.

  The precise subject of the present invention is a pocket vial type device for containing and dispensing liquid products which have good security against the risk of contamination of the products contained in the pockets.

  A further subject matter of the present invention is a method for manufacturing pocket vials, which is easily reusable and uses single or composite materials depending on the envisaged application, and is an excellent machine. Use minimal amounts of materials used for vials and pockets that have high mechanical strength and, in short, excellent impact resistance.

  An apparatus for containing and dispensing a liquid product according to the invention is of the type comprising a flexible pocket arranged in a sealed rigid vial, in which a pump or valve is arranged, the pocket comprising at least one cylinder. Including a cylindrical wall composed of a sheet wound in a shape, one of the lateral side / horizontal side being attached in a sealed manner to the solid end member constituting the bottom of the pocket, and the other Are attached in a sealed manner to an annular end member that constitutes an attachment ring to the vial, and the two longitudinal sides of the sheet are attached in a sealed manner, one to the other, where Of particular note, the two longitudinal / longitudinal sides of the sheet are attached one to the other in a sealed manner and the end of the inner longitudinal side is flexible. It is masked by Bull coating of strips.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the covering strip is bonded to each of the two vertical side portions of the sheet on both sides of the connecting portion of each vertical side portion on the inner wall.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the covering band wraps around the end of the inner vertical side of the sheet and is folded between the two vertical sides. Then, the sheet is sealed / sealed simultaneously with the process of forming both sides of the sheet into a cylinder. Although the width | variety of a coating strip changes according to the dimension of a pocket, it is 2-10 mm normally, Preferably it is 4-6 mm.

  As mentioned above, the sheets that make up the pocket walls can be comprised of various single or composite materials, depending on the intended use. Its thickness is between approximately 20 μm and 250 μm, preferably in order to achieve an excellent feeding rate of more than 90%, in an optimal operating state, in the end, the pockets shrink smoothly as the vial is gradually emptied In order to obtain an operating state to be performed, it is between 50 μm and 150 μm. These feed rates can vary depending on the materials used.

  A sheet that is a single layer or multiple layers is closed along the cylindrical generatrix by attaching each side thereof to the outer periphery of each end member.

  According to one embodiment, the cylindrical pocket comprises a multilayer composite connected to several sheets of metal film or a sheet of metal coated on at least one side with a plastic film. The multilayer composite is wound on two end members made of, for example, metal or plastic. One straightforward embodiment comprises an aluminum sheet inserted between at least two plastic films. The plastic film of the multilayer composite may be selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, and the like.

  The multi-layer sheet is closed along the cylindrical generatrix by attaching its side to the outer periphery of each end member.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the multilayer sheet is a plastic / barrier polymer / plastic composite and an EVOH film inserted between two films of, for example, polyethylene or polypropylene. EVOH is an ethylene / vinyl alcohol polymer that has good barrier properties against gases, ultimately oxygen and water vapor.

  The composite may also have four layers: polyethylene / polyamide / aluminum / polyethylene terephthalate or other polyethylene / polyethylene terephthalate / aluminum / polyethylene. The latter multi-layer structure has the advantageous effect that after winding the sheet, it can be easily attached side-to-side by bonding or sealing, which is one side of the sheet, both of which are the same material This is because the inner part of the part is attached to the outer part of the other side part.

  Such multi-layer composite coatings are particularly useful when a strong seal is required or when the properties of the product contained in the pocket require it.

  According to one variant, an aluminum sheet wound on two metal or plastic end members can be used, with two opposite sides of the sheet extending along the cylindrical busbar / periphery direction. Sealed from one to the other.

  In all cases, the covering band is arranged on the joining part of the two sides as described above and on the inner surface of the sheet constituting the cylinder. The covering strip is preferably made of the same material as that forming the endothelial layer of the sheet. For example, it is advantageous to use a sheet having at least a polyethylene monolayer as an endothelial layer and a coated band made of polyethylene of the same material.

  This makes it possible to ensure the continuity of the material constituting the endothelium layer of the pocket that contacts the product placed in the pocket. Liquid products are therefore limited to contacting one material. In addition, once sealed, the coated strip has substantially the same thickness as the endothelial layer of the sheet.

  According to another variant, flexible cardboard or a polymer / paper / polymer composite, preferably a sheet of polyethylene / paper / polyethylene is used. The advantage of this type of material is that it is more easily recyclable than the PE / PET / Aluminum / PE multilayers used in the field.

  As described above, a metal sheet or multilayer sheet is attached to each outer periphery of the two end members, preferably by bonding or sealing, depending on the nature of the material used for the end members.

  The method according to the present invention first cuts the sheet to a suitable size to seal the two opposite sides of the sheet from the inside to the outside to form an open cylindrical pocket. Note that the open cylindrical pocket has its opening attached to the end member, and is then inserted into the rigid vial and held therein by the annular end member constituting the ring. The coated strip is then cut and subsequently sealed onto the inner surface of the sheet. Next, the sheet itself is rolled while paying attention to the fact that the contact area between the sides is properly covered while holding the covering strip on the inner surface. Next, sealing is performed to obtain a sealed tube with a continuous inner region.

  Attachment from one side to the other and to the end member can be performed by conventional sealing techniques such as ultrasound, impact, friction, or heat sealing. Preferably, a heat-sealing technique that is optimal for the material used to form the wall of the pocket is used. Bonding can also be done by bonding, but only if the liquid contained by the pockets does not risk any adverse effects due to contamination that can be caused by the adhesive constituents.

  Since the sheet initially has a flat shape, it is necessary to shape it using a suitable tool and place the product there. The pocket filling process used in the present invention differs from the majority of pockets known in the art in that the pocket is first evacuated prior to partial filling and the final process in a neutral gas atmosphere. Do not require to do.

  One of the advantageous effects of the method according to the present invention is that due to the sealing method, it is possible to obtain a pocket of a relatively large capacity (for example, more than 150 ml) having a perfect cylindrical shape.

The method according to the invention makes it possible, in particular, to produce pockets that can easily adapt their capacity to the volume of the vial and to the amount of product to be enclosed in the pocket. It has a great effect. This is particularly beneficial from a manufacturing point of view, because in the prior art, due to cost constraints, the vial type may be limited to models with fewer predetermined dimensions, for example, rigid vials are limited to 30, 60, or 90 ml That volume is typically proposed, and as a result, a pocket with 65 ml contents is inserted into, for example, a 90 ml vial, resulting in considerable wasted space between the pocket and the vial. .
According to the technology of the present invention, the capacity of the pocket can be easily adapted to the capacity of the vial by adjusting the diameter and height of the cylinder constituting the pocket and the vial, and wasteful space can be reduced. .

  As an additional advantageous effect, when a relatively volatile product such as alcohol is contained in the pocket, some of it passes through the wall depending on the material used, and the reduced wastefulness. Space is immediately saturated and an upper limit is imposed on product loss.

  In addition, when a vertical impact test with a drop test is performed in accordance with ASTM standard D6344-4, a substantial improvement is seen in impact resistance while introducing asymmetry that reduces the strength due to the coated strip. It was. In addition, the weak region is on a two sided seal, and this weakness increases especially with increasing seal length. Specifically, it is known that, unlike the length of the seal, its thickness has little effect on its strength.

  According to this test, the inner surface of one side is the outer surface of the other side as compared to a pocket manufactured by a conventional method where the side portions are folded toward the outside of the cylinder and the inner surfaces of the side portions contact each other. It has also been revealed that the impact resistance is greatly improved by assembling the side portions of the seats constituting the pockets so as to come into contact with each other.

  The test consists of dropping a vertically oriented pocket vial from a range of 0.6 m to 4 m in height.

  Each pocket consists of a multilayer sheet bonded to the two end members as described above. The layer configuration is polyethylene / polyethylene terephthalate / aluminum / polyethylene from the outer skin layer to the inner skin layer. The thickness of the polyethylene layer is 50 μm, and the thickness of each of the aluminum and polyethylene terephthalate layers is 12 μm. The pocket according to the present invention has a polyethylene band having a thickness of 100 μm.

  A cylindrical pocket having a capacity of 100 ml is filled with water. These are placed in a rigid polyethylene vial and the assembly of the pocket to the vial is performed by an annular ring at the top of the pocket, as shown in FIG. 4, and a conventional pump with a snap-fit connection to the neck of the pocket Is mounted. Each pocket vial so assembled will weigh approximately 150 g.

  A vertical cylinder slightly wider than the diameter of the vial guides the fall of the vial, maintains the orientation of the vial, and ensures regularity of the impact state on the hard surface. The pocket vial is oriented so that the bottom of the vial first strikes the ground plane.

  The test was tested on 3 sets of 20 pocket vials. All pocket vials have the same dimensions (vial height: 137 mm, diameter: 42 mm). The first set includes standard pockets that are folded outward and sealed to the inner surface. The second set includes pockets sealed to each other from the inner surface to the outer surface. The third set includes pockets according to the present invention.

  The first test drops a vial from a height of 0.60 m. Vials that withstood the first test will then undergo a second test of 1.2 m. Vials that withstood this will then undergo a third test of 2.0 m. If it withstood the previous test, then it will receive 3.3m and finally 4.0m.

  Each vial is tested three times for each height.

  The measurement results are as shown below.

  This table shows the number of failures. Thus, all pocket vials withstood the first test (no failure). In the first set (standard pocket), none of the 20 pocket vials could withstand a drop of 2.0 m. The second set of pocket vials withstood 3.3 meters, while the 6/20 vials did not withstand 4.0 meters. On the other hand, all pocket vials of the third set (invention) were able to withstand a drop of 4.0 m.

  Thus, an improvement in impact resistance is seen despite the presence of additional seals.

Tests measuring burst resistance have shown that the pockets according to the invention have a higher resistance than pockets produced according to the prior art. And the bursting resistance of the pocket comprising the same multilayer sheet as used in the above test is 3.1 bar (3.1 10 ⁵ Pa), on the other hand, it is folded outward and from the inner surface to the inner surface. The resistance of the sealed standard pocket was only 1.9 bar (1.9 10 ⁵ Pa) under the same conditions.

  These results are obtained without lowering the supply rate, in other words, the coated strip does not adversely affect the supply rate.

  Exemplary embodiments of pocket vials according to the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet wound so as to form a cylindrical pocket by a known method. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sheet having a covering band on the inner surface of a cylinder according to the technique of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view according to a modified example of the present invention, in which covering strips are arranged on both inner surfaces of the sheet. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a pocket vial with the completed pocket having the barrel of FIG. 2 with both end members contained within the vial.

  FIG. 1 shows a sheet (1) comprising an aluminum sheet (2) coated on both sides with a polyethylene layer. Thus, the sheet comprises an outer polyethylene film (3) and an inner polyethylene film (4).

  Once the sheet (1) is wound, its two ends overlap in the region (5) and the inner surface near one side is located on the outer surface near the other side. The width of the area where the two sides of the sheet overlap is approximately 5 mm. The two sides are attached to each other.

  The width of the sheet is variable and corresponds to the height of the pocket, and when the cylinder is formed, it is arranged on each end member.

  FIG. 2 demonstrates the polyethylene strip (6) placed on the inner surface of the sheet (1). The strip (6) has a width of approximately 6 mm, covers the overlap of the two sides over the entire width of the sheet (1) and masks / hides the exposed end of the inner side. The identity of the material forming the covering strip (6), one endothelial layer / inner surface layer, and the outer layer / outer surface layer of the other sheet facilitates sealing of the two sides from one to the other, usually 50 It is easy to attach a ~ 150 micrometer thick coated strip to the joints on the sides. Heat sealing is preferably used.

  In addition, the same material, in this example polyethylene, is used for the entire inner surface of the sheet and contacts the product in the pocket. Therefore, there is no interruption in the quality of the material forming the inner surface of the pocket. The polyethylene coating layer masks the edges (edges) on the inner side of the sheet and suppresses contact between the product in the pocket and the aluminum, and has a thickness of the order of 50 to 150 μm, preferably about 100 μm. The thin thickness results in only a negligible extra thickness.

  FIG. 3 shows a variant embodiment of the invention, in which the covering strip (6) wraps around the end of the inner side of the sheet (1).

  This modification facilitates the sealing process depending on the tool used. This is because the covering strip (6) is first attached and sealed to one of the sides of the multilayer sheet (1), and then the sheet is wound into a cylinder and the two sides and The covering strip is then sealed.

  2 and 3 show perspective views of the sheet (1) and band (6) portions before the sealing step.

  FIG. 4 shows an assembly having a sheet (1) wound on a cylinder and closed by a covering strip (6) and an end member (7, 8), which is inserted into a rigid vial (9). Indicates that The annular end member (7) constitutes the attachment ring for the vial (9), while the recessed solid end member (8) constitutes the bottom of the pocket.

  A pump (not shown) holding its own operating button is mounted to the neck of the pocket in a sealed manner according to the technique of patent FR2.827.844.

  By conventional techniques, an air circuit (not shown) is provided in the annular end member constituting the pump or mounting ring, allowing air to pass from the outside into the space between the pocket and the vial. The means for opening the air circuit only when using a pocket vial, for example, opens only when pressure is applied to the pump actuation button and allows only an air volume equal to the volume of liquid ejected from the pocket. Provided by a known closed system to allow. For example, the means for closing the air circuit comprises a valve element that remains closed as long as the pump is not activated. According to a variant (not shown), this air circuit can be replaced by a simple vent provided in the bottom of the vial. If necessary, the vent can be equipped with a valve element and a filter.

  As shown in FIG. 4, it is easy to change the width and height of the sheet, fit the pocket to the volume of the vial, and impose an upper limit on the wasted volume between the two.

1: Sheet 6: Covered strip 7: End member 8: End member 9: Vial

Claims (8)

A pocket vial type device for containing and dispensing liquid products,
A flexible pocket disposed in a rigid vial, comprising a pocket provided with a pump or valve for discharging the product contained in the pocket;
The pocket includes a cylindrical wall composed of at least one cylindrically wound sheet;
One of the lateral side portions of the cylindrical wall is attached in a sealed manner to the solid end member constituting the bottom of the pocket, and the other is attached to the annular end member constituting the attachment ring to the vial. Attached in a sealed manner,
The two longitudinal sides of the sheet are attached in a sealed manner one to the other and the end of the inner longitudinal side is masked by a flexible covering strip.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering strip is bonded to each of the two vertical side portions of the sheet on both sides of a connecting portion of each vertical side portion on an inner wall.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the covering strip wraps around an end of the inner longitudinal side of the sheet and is folded between the two longitudinal sides.   The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet constituting the cylindrical wall is a single layer or a multilayer.   5. An apparatus for containing and dispensing a liquid product according to claim 4, wherein the multi-layered sheet is aluminum inserted between at least two plastic films selected from polyethylene, polypropylene or polyamide. A device including a sheet.   5. An apparatus for containing and dispensing a liquid product according to claim 4, wherein the sheet that is multi-layered is a polyethylene / paper / polyethylene composite. An apparatus for containing and discharging a liquid product according to any one of claims 1-6,
The covering band is made of the same material as the inner layer of the sheet. An apparatus for containing and dispensing a liquid product according to claim 7,
The sheet comprises at least one polyethylene layer as an endothelial layer,
The apparatus, wherein the covering strip is made of the same polyethylene.

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