WO2007144741A1

WO2007144741A1 - Process for manufacturing bottles for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal and cosmetic products

Info

Publication number: WO2007144741A1
Application number: PCT/IB2007/001564
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Fontana
Original assignee: Lameplast S.P.A.
Priority date: 2006-06-16
Filing date: 2007-06-12
Publication date: 2007-12-21
Also published as: ITMO20060191A1

Abstract

The process for manufacturing bottles (1) for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal and cosmetic products, comprises modelling inside a same forming mould at least one containing body (2) for a fluid product having at least one first end (3) on which is defined at least one dispensing mouth (4) of the product, and at least one cover cap (8) of the dispensing mouth.

Description

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING BOTTLES FOR FLUID PRODUCTS, PARTICULARLY PHARMACEUTICAL, MEDICINAL AND COSMETIC PRODUCTS

Technical Field The present invention refers to an upgraded bottle for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal or cosmetic products.

Background art

Plastic bottles are known that are used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries to package one or more doses of fluid, liquid or pasty products and which are essentially made up of a containing body for containing the product which, at one end, extends in a neck, at the top of which a product dispensing mouth is defined; the dispensing mouth is closed by a tearable membrane.

The end of the containing body opposite the neck is open to allow, during bottle packaging, the introduction of the product into the containing body, after which this is closed, for example, by sealing.

Over the neck, a cap is fitted, from the ceiling of which a membrane perforating element extends internally.

On the inner side surface of the cap a retention ring is obtained which, in bottle packaging closed configuration, is engaged by triggering in a corresponding ring-shaped groove defined on the outer side surface of the neck, so as to withhold the perforating element at a height above that of the membrane that closes the dispensing mouth.

At the time of use, the cap is fitted onto the neck of the containing body until the retention ring disengages from the corresponding groove and the perforating element tears the membrane and opens the dispensing mouth, after which the cap is removed from the neck to allow product dispensing.

Furthermore, the containing body has a pair of grip flaps that extend, in a diametrically opposite direction the one to the other, from its outer side surface.

The known bottles can be produced in single units or interlinked with one another in series (strips); in this latter case the grip flaps of the containing bodies of two successive bottles are temporarily joined together along pre- breakage lines. Furthermore, in the bottle manufacturing phase, the containing bodies and the caps are made separately, by means of the use of distinctive moulds, and are assembled only after forming.

These bottles of the traditional type are not without drawbacks, among which the fact should be mentioned that they do not show, in a clear and immediately perceivable way, any tampering and/or having already been opened including involuntarily, and do not ensure the integrity and the sterility of the product they contain.

It can in fact occur that the bottles, handled or placed in storage units (drawers, wardrobes, utility cases, etc.), are subjected to knocks such as to push their cap on the neck until the perforating element tears the membrane before the product is actually used, the obstacle provided by the coupling between the retention ring and the corresponding ring-shaped groove not often being enough to contrast such knocks. The fact must not be neglected moreover, that the manufacturing process used to obtain these bottles is not always simple and immediate to put into practice.

The need to use distinctive and separate moulds for forming the containing bodies and the caps does in fact often make the entire production process rather laborious and complex, above all as regards the setting up and tuning of the machines, their overall dimensions and the management of the flow of manufactured pieces.

Such complexity consequently results in rather high management and fabrication costs.

To overcome these drawbacks, at least in part, bottles are known comprising a pair of seal flaps that protrude from the containing body in diametrically opposite directions, located in between the grip flaps and the cap and associated, removable by tearing, with the body, with the grip flaps or with the cap along respective weakened areas.

When the bottle is used, by rotating the cap, the breakage of the above- mentioned weakened areas is obtained, thus evidencing that opening has occurred.

These bottles are however also made by assembling two or more distinctive components formed inside separate moulds and, therefore, present the above- mentioned fabrication drawbacks.

A different type of bottles for fluid products is made in a single body piece in which, that is, the product containing body is formed together with closing means in a single body without any interruption whatsoever.

The closing means are connected to the body by means of deformable and breakable elements that act as safety seals; deformations and/or breakages of the above elements are signs of tampering. Nevertheless, the manufacture of this different type of bottles in a single body piece requires complex manufacturing procedures and high production costs. Object of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to provide a process for manufacturing bottles for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal or cosmetic products, which is of easy and practical implementation. Another object of the present invention is to provide a process that permits overcoming the mentioned drawbacks of the prior art as part of a simple, rational and low-cost solution.

The above objects are all achieved by the present process for manufacturing bottles for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal and cosmetic products, characterized in that it comprises:

- modelling inside a same forming mould at least one containing body for a fluid product having at least one first end on which is defined at least one dispensing mouth of said product, and at least one cover cap of said dispensing mouth. Further characteristics and advantages of this invention will appear even more evident from the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a process for manufacturing bottles for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal or cosmetic products, illustrated indicatively by way of non limiting example, in the attached drawings wherein: the figure 1 is a perspective exploded view showing a semi-finished piece made using the process according to the invention and the mould for its forming; the figure 2 is a side raised, partially section view of the semi-finished piece of figure 1; the figure 3 is a side raised, partially section view of a strip of bottles for fluid products made using the process according to the invention.

Embodiments of the Invention With special reference to such figures, a semi-finished piece obtained in an intermediate phase of this process for manufacturing bottles for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal or cosmetic products, has been globally designated by reference number 1.

The semi-finished piece 1 comprises a plurality of containing bodies 2 for a fluid product, each of which is provided with a first threaded end 3, on which is defined a dispensing mouth 4 of the product, and with a second open end 5, opposite the first one, suitable for permitting the introduction of the product into the containing body 2 during the bottle packaging phase.

Each containing body 2 comprises, in detail, a pair of grip flaps 6 which extend, in a diametrically opposite direction, from the outer side surface of the body itself.

Advantageously, the containing bodies 2 are temporarily interlinked in series the one to the other along weakened lines 7 joining the grip flaps 6 of two consecutive containing bodies 2. The semi-finished piece 1 also comprises a plurality of cover caps 8 for covering the dispensing mouths 4, which are associated with the containing bodies 2 by placing in between a like number of breakable connection sections

9.

Each caps 8 is associated with each containing body 3 and it is collocated in the space between the dispensing mouth 4 of a containing body 3 and the dispensing mouth 4 of the successive containing body 3.

The inner side surface of the caps 8 has a thread 10 that allows them to be screwed up on the first ends 3 of the containing bodies 2 once the breakable connection sections 9 have been broken. The caps 8, furthermore, have sealing means associable with the first ends 3 of the containing bodies 2.

Such sealing means, in detail, are made up of a ring-shaped strip 11 which is associated removable by tearing with the open edge of each cap 8 and which, in the bottle assembly configuration, engages around a ring-shaped ridge 12 obtained on the first ends 3.

The process according to the invention includes the steps consisting of: - modelling the semi-finished piece 1 inside a same forming mould 13;

- breaking the breakable connection sections 9 and separating the caps 8 from the containing bodies 2;

- fitting the caps 8 on the first ends 3 of the containing bodies 2 so as to close the dispensing mouths 4; - filling the containing bodies 2 with the fluid product, introducing it through the second open ends 5 of the containing bodies 2;

- sealing the second open ends 5 of the containing bodies 2. Advantageously, the modelling phase of the semi-finished piece 1 is by means of the injection moulding of plastic material. The mould 13 in which the semi-finished piece 1 is formed includes:

- two grooved shells 14, arranged substantially opposite one another and having a plurality of grooves 15 suitable for forming the outer surface of the containing bodies 2, of the caps 8 and of the breakable connection sections 9; - a plurality of first male elements 16, suitable for forming the inner surfaces of the containing bodies 2; a plurality of second male elements 17, suitable for forming the inner surfaces of the caps 8.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which falling within the scope of the inventive concept.

In the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the figures, for example, the dispensing mouths 4 of the containing bodies 2 are modelled open, and are closed after the forming of the semi-finished piece 1 by means of the fitting of the caps 8. Alternative embodiments cannot however be ruled out in which the containing bodies 2 are modelled so as to present a breakable membrane for the temporary closing of the dispensing mouths 4, or embodiments in which such membrane is inserted, for example, by gluing or soldering, on the dispensing mouths 4 after the forming of the semi- finished piece 1.

In both the above-mentioned alternative cases, the caps 8 are conveniently modelled so as to present a perforating element that extends from the inner surface of the ceiling of the cap 8 and which is suitable for tearing the closing membrane when the bottle is actually used.

It is not possible to rule out however, that the process according to the invention involves an additional phase that consists in shaping, separately from the semifinished piece 1, a series of intermediate safety elements, that can be placed between the caps 8 and the first ends 3 of the containing bodies 2.

By "intermediate safety elements" is meant, in practice, components that can be inserted in the caps 8 and can be screwed onto the first ends 3, from which they can be unscrewed not only by simply turning the caps 8, but by the combined turning and pressing action of the caps 8 on the intermediate safety elements; these elements, in practice, are suitable for preventing the accidental opening of the dispensing mouths 4 once the bottles have been assembled and packed. Usefully, the shaping phase of the intermediate safety elements can be completed by means of the injection moulding of plastic material, at the end of which the fitting is provided of the elements themselves inside the caps 8 before these are fitted to the containing bodies 2.

It has in fact been ascertained how the described invention reaches the proposed objects and, in particular, permits producing bottles for fluid products in a practical, easy and functional way and at reduced costs. Furthermore all the details may be replaced by other elements which are technically equivalent.

In practice, the contingent shapes and dimensions may be any according to requirements without because of this moving outside the protection scope of the following claims.

Claims

1) Process for manufacturing bottles for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, medicinal and cosmetic products, characterized in that it comprises: - modelling inside a same forming mould at least one containing body for a fluid product having at least one first end on which is defined at least one dispensing mouth of said product, and at least one cover cap of said dispensing mouth.

2) Process according to claim 1, characterized in that said containing body and said cover cap are modelled by placing in between a breakable connection section to define a semi-finished piece.

3) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises breaking said breakable connection section for the separation of said cover cap from said containing body. 4) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises fitting said cover cap on said first end of the containing body.

5) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises shaping at least one intermediate safety element, that can be placed in between said cover cap and said first end of the containing body and suitable for preventing the accidental opening of said dispensing mouth in the bottle assembly configuration.

6) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises inserting said intermediate safety element inside said cover cap. 7) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises filling said containing body with said fluid product through a second open end of the containing body opposite said first end. 8) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises sealing said second open end of the containing body. 9) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one between said modelling and said shaping comprises an injection moulding phase. 10) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said mould comprises at least two grooved shells arranged substantially opposite one another and suitable for forming the outer surface of said containing body, of said cover cap and of said connection section, at least one first male element, suitable for forming the inner surface of said containing body and at least one second male element, suitable for forming the inner surface of said cover cap.

11) Process according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said mould comprises a plurality of grooves obtained on said shells and a like number of first and second male elements for forming a semi-finished piece having a plurality of said containing bodies, of said cover caps and of said connection sections.

12) Semi-finished piece obtained through the process according to one or more of the claims from 1 to 11, characterized in that it comprises at least one containing body for a fluid product having at least one first end on which is defined at least one dispensing mouth of said product, and at least one cover cap of said dispensing mouth associated with said containing body by placing in between a breakable connection section.

13) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first end is threaded.

14) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inner side surface of said cover cap is threaded.

15) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that cover cap comprises sealing means associable with said first end of the containing body.

16) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sealing means comprise a ring-shaped strip associated removable by tearing with the open edge of said cover cap.

17) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said containing body comprises a second open end opposite said first end.

18) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said containing body comprises at least one pair of grip flaps which extend, in a diametrically opposite direction, from the outer side surface of the body itself.

19) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said containing body comprises a breakable membrane for the temporary closing of said dispensing mouth.

20) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said cover cap comprises at least one perforating element that extends from the inner surface of the ceiling of the cap itself and is suitable for tearing said closing membrane.

21) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of said containing bodies, of said cover caps and of said connection sections.

22) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said containing bodies are interlinked in series the one to the other.

23) Semi-finished piece according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said containing bodies are temporarily interlinked in series the one to the other along weakened lines joining the grip flaps of two consecutive containing bodies.