This application relates to a device for storing and dispensing at least one bulk product.
In the field of dispensing, certain products are marketed in bulk, such as, for example, seeds, cereal grains, pastes, etc., and the consumer can select the amount of product that he wants to buy.
For this purpose, the products that are initially packaged in packets and/or in boxes are poured into bins that each have, in the lower part, a spout equipped with a flap that can be activated using a handle. To use it, the consumer places a packet at the end of the spout and activates the handle to control the amount of product poured into the packet.
An example of a device for storing and dispensing bulk products is described in particular in the document U.S. Pat. No. 7,178,697. This device comprises a bin made of rigid plastic in the form of a tube that has, in the lower part, an inclined section that directs the bulk product to a spout. The upper opening of the bin is closed by a cover.
The device comprises, at the spout, a flap that is able to move in rotation, around a pivoting axis, between a closed position, in which it totally closes off the spout and prevents the flow of stored bulk product, and a more or less open position in which the flap does not totally close off the spout and allows a more or less significant flow of the stored bulk product. The flap is connected to a handle that makes it possible for a user to pivot the flap around its pivoting axis.
This type of device is not completely satisfactory for the following reasons.
According to a first drawback, to the extent that a sales site generally comprises multiple storing and dispensing devices, the initial investment for the purchase of all of the devices is relatively significant.
According to a second drawback, the daily management of all of the storing and dispensing devices takes a significant amount of time. Actually, it is necessary to fill and clean regularly each of the devices present on the sales site.
Finally, according to a third drawback, even if it is possible to use each of the storing and dispensing devices for marketing various products in succession, it is necessary to modify the labeling of devices uniformly to make it possible to track the products being marketed.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 977,095 describes a pour spout that is attached to the cover of a container. A lock that is trapezoidal in shape is attached to the cover in such a way that the edges of the lock are located away from the cover. The lock and the cover comprise aligned openings. The pour spout is integral with a plate that has approximately the same shape as the lock. This plate has curved edges that work with the edges of the lock. Thus, the curved edges of the plate and the edges of the lock form a sliding connection. The lock comprises folds that, once folded back onto the plate supporting the pour spout, immobilize it.
This embodiment is not satisfactory because it is necessary to attach a lock to the box in order to attach in a removable manner the pour spout to the box, which adds to the cost of the box.
The purpose of this invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art.
For this purpose, the invention has as its object a storing and dispensing device that comprises:
According to the invention, the container and the dispensing system are separate. Thus, the same dispensing system can be mounted in succession on multiple containers.
This solution makes it possible to reduce the amount of the initial investment that is limited to the dispensing systems, with the latter having a cost that is considerably lower than that of a complete storing and dispensing device of the prior art.
According to another aspect, it is no longer necessary to deal with the labeling, with the containers being already marked.
According to another advantage, the containers no longer need to be filled or cleaned on the sales site. When a container is empty, it is replaced by a new container. It can be collected so as to be recycled or reused and filled again with a bulk product.
According to another characteristic, the sliding connection is created by cooperating shapes of the dispensing system and the opening of the container.
Thus, the detachable connection that links the dispensing system and the container is created without adding elements that are connected to the container, which makes it possible to reduce the costs of the container.
According to another characteristic, the sliding connection comprises, on the one hand, first and second wings, integral with the dispensing system, and, on the other hand, C shapes at the opening that ensure the operation of guides for guiding the wings.
According to another characteristic, the dispensing system comprises a frame that delimits a passage for the bulk product and that has two opposite sides in the form of thin coplanar bands of material that constitute the first and second wings.
According to a first variant, the opening comprises:
According to an embodiment, the opening has a T shape, with the second expanded rectangular portion being positioned above the first portion when the container is positioned ready to dispense the bulk product.
According to this embodiment, the opening is separated from an end face of the container by a distance such that the opening coincides with the passage of the frame when said frame is in contact with the end face of the container.
According to another characteristic, the opening is delimited by a pre-scored line that is made on one of the walls of the container, with this pre-scored line being configured to be cut out in such a way as to create the opening when the container is converted into a part of a storing and dispensing device.
According to another characteristic, the dispensing system comprises a body, connected to a frame, which comprises:
Other characteristics and advantages will emerge from the following description of the invention, a description that is provided only by way of example, with regard to the accompanying drawings, among which:
According to an embodiment that is non-limiting and provided by way of example, the display unit 12 comprises an inclined plate 14 that is configured to accommodate multiple storing and dispensing devices 10 that are adjacent to one another.
At its lower edge, this inclined plate 14 comprises a flange 16 against which rests each storing and dispensing device 10 positioned on the inclined plate 14.
Of course, the invention is not limited to this embodiment for the display unit 12.
As a variant, the storing and dispensing device could be suspended or held by any other means.
The storing and dispensing device 10 comprises a container 18 with at least one bulk product, a dispensing system 20 that has an orifice 22 (shown in
As illustrated in
According to a characteristic of the invention, the container 18 is the packaging that is used to package the bulk product 26 from a production and/or packaging site to a sales point.
Thus, unlike the prior art, the bulk product stored in its packaging is not poured into a storing and dispensing device that is separate from the packaging. According to the invention, the packaging of the bulk product 26 forms a part of the storing and dispensing device.
The container 18 comprises an inside face in contact with the bulk product 26 and a visible outside face.
The inside face of the container 18 can comprise a surface treatment, a coating, or a covering to reinforce its seal, to make it hydrophobic and/or greaseproof. As a variant, the material used for the container can be cardboard or a similar material having greaseproof, hydrophobic, and/or impermeable properties.
The outside face of the container 18 comprises at least one marking 30 for identifying the product, for the traceability of the product, and/or for indicating any information that is necessary to the sale. Thus, the invention can make it possible to eliminate all of the labeling operations on the sales site.
The container 18 comprises at least one opening 32 configured to link the interior of the container 18 with the exterior and to make it possible for the bulk product 26 to flow to the outside of the container 18 via the dispensing system 20.
The opening 32 is positioned in such a way as to allow a complete or almost-complete emptying of the container 18 when the latter is equipped with the dispensing system 20 and correctly positioned for dispensing the bulk product.
According to an embodiment, the container 18 comprises a front face 34.1, a rear face 34.2, two side faces 34.3, 34.4, a first end face 34.5, and a second end face 34.6.
The front, rear, and side faces 34.1 to 34.4 are connected two by two and are perpendicular to one another in such a way as to form a square or rectangular cross-section.
According to a special feature, the first end face 34.5 is oriented upward when the container 18 is not used as a part of a storing and dispensing device 10 and oriented downward, positioned against a display unit 12, for example, when the container 18 is used as a part of a storing and dispensing device 10.
In contrast, the second end face 34.6 is oriented downward when the container 18 is not used as a part of a storing and dispensing device 10 and oriented upward when the container 18 is used as a part of a storing and dispensing device 10.
The second end face 34.6 can be perpendicular to the front, rear, and side faces 34.1 to 34.4.
To facilitate the emptying of the container 18, the first end face 34.5 comprises at least one inclined section for directing the bulk product 26 toward the front face 34.1, with the opening 32 being positioned on the front face 34.1 close to the edge 35 that connects the front face 34.1 and the first end face 34.5.
The invention is not limited to this geometry for the container 18. By way of example, the first end face 34.5 can comprise multiple inclined sections. Likewise, the front face 34.1 cannot be flat but can have at least one inclined section.
In general, the marking 30 is affixed to the front face 34.1.
When the container 18 is not used as a part of a storing and dispensing device 10, the opening 32 is closed off. It is only open when the container 18 is used as a part of a storing and dispensing device 10. This solution makes it possible to protect the bulk product 26.
According to a first embodiment, the opening 32 is closed off by a lid.
According to a second embodiment, the opening 32 is delimited by a pre-scored line 36 (shown in
Of course, the invention is not limited to these two embodiments to create the opening 32 when the container 18, used initially as packaging, is converted into a part of a storing and dispensing device 10.
The dispensing system 20 comprises:
According to an embodiment that is shown in
The first and second side walls 40.3 and 40.4 are parallel to one another and perpendicular to the axis of the semi-cylindrical wall 40.1.
The semi-cylindrical, flat, side walls 40.1 to 40.4 of the body delimit the cavity 42.
According to an embodiment, the frame 38 and the body 40 form only a single piece, for example made of plastic, obtained by injection, molding, or any other method.
According to an embodiment, the closing means 24 comprises:
The first and second side walls 24.2 and 24.3 each have a one-quarter-disk shape.
The closing means 24 is able to move around a pivoting axis A24 merged with the axis of the semi-cylindrical wall 40.1 of the body 40.
According to an embodiment, the first and second side walls 40.3, 40.4, 24.2, 24.1 of the body 40 and the closing means 24 have shapes that work with one another in such a way as to form the pivoting axis A24.
According to an embodiment, each side wall 40.3, 40.4 of the body 40 comprises a cylindrical pin 43 that projects toward the outside of the body 40. In addition, each side wall 24.2, 24.3 of the closing means 24 comprises a cylindrical hole 44, of the same diameter as the pin 42, configured to accommodate it.
Of course, the invention is not limited to this embodiment for forming a pivoting axis between the closing means 24 and the body 40.
According to a configuration, the orifice 22 is made in the semi-cylindrical wall 40.1 at its lower half, close to the first side 38.1 of the frame 38, at the lowest portion of the body 40 when the storing and dispensing device 10 is positioned ready to dispense the bulk product.
The closing means 24 is able to move in rotation around the pivoting axis A24 between the closed state, shown in
The orifice 22 is shaped like a water droplet, with the point 22.1 being oriented toward the first side 38.1 of the frame.
According to a configuration, the orifice 22 is centered between the two side walls 40.3, 40.4 of the body 40 and extends over the entire lower half of the semi-cylindrical wall 40.1.
The body 40 comprises a stop 46, positioned close to the first side 38.1 of the frame 38, projecting in relation to the outside surface of the semi-cylindrical wall 40.1, with the closing means 24 being in contact with said stop 46 in the closed state.
According to an embodiment, the dispensing system 20 comprises a tab 48, one end 48.1 of which is connected to the body 40, between the orifice 22 and the first side 38.1 of the frame 38. When the dispensing system 20 is mounted on a container 18 that is ready to dispense the bulk product, this tab 48 extends downward, slightly inclined in relation to the vertical, to direct the stream of bulk product 26 that flows from the orifice 22.
This tab 48 simplifies the positioning of a packet 50 into which the bulk product 26 is poured. During operation, the packet 50 is threaded around the tab 48, with a part of the packet 50 being in contact against the tab 48, the packet 50 being open at the front of the tab 48.
The closing means 24 comprises a handle 52 for manipulating it.
According to an embodiment that is shown in
According to a configuration, the closing means 24 is designed in such a way that it is automatically positioned in the closed state without the action of an individual.
To bring about the flow of bulk product 26, a user lifts the handle 52 to pivot the closing means 24 around the pivoting axis A24. Based on the position of the handle 52, the closing means 24 more or less frees up the orifice 22.
According to a special feature of the invention, the sliding connection 28 comprises two wings 54.1, 54.2 integral with the dispensing system 20, arranged on both sides of the body 40, as well as two guides 56.1, 56.2 integral with the container 18, arranged on both sides of the opening 32 and configured to guide the wings 54.1, 54.2 in a direction for introduction 58 parallel to the front face 34.1 of the container 18.
According to an embodiment, the third and fourth sides 38.3, 38.4 of the frame 38 come in the form of thin coplanar bands of material, parallel to the pivoting axis A24. According to this embodiment, the frame 38 can be flat, where the four sides 38.1 to 38.4 come in the form of thin coplanar bands of material.
According to an embodiment illustrated by
According to an embodiment that is shown in
According to this embodiment, the opening 32 is separated from an end face of the container 18, more particularly from the first end face 34.5, by a distance essentially equal to the width of the first side 38.1 of the frame 38 in such a way that the opening 32 coincides with the passage of the frame 38 when the dispensing system 20 is mounted on the container 18, as illustrated in
The zones 60.1, 60.2 of the front face 34.1, arranged on both sides of the first portion 32.1 of the opening 32 and under the second portion 32.2, make it possible to hold the frame 38 when the dispensing system 20 is mounted on the container 18. The second portion 32.2 of the opening 32 is to have a height H (dimension measured in a direction perpendicular to the edge 35) that is the smallest possible for proper holding of the dispensing system 20 by the zones 60.1, 60.2. This height H is to be adequate, however, for making it possible to introduce the frame 38.
As illustrated in
According to another embodiment, the opening has an I shape and comprises a first rectangular portion 32.1 and two expanded rectangular portions 32.2, arranged on both sides of the first rectangular portion 32.1.
Regardless of the embodiment, the dispensing system 20 and the opening 32 of the container 18 have shapes that work together in such a way as to form a sliding connection 28 ensuring a detachable connection between the container 18 and the dispensing system 20.
According to a configuration, the dispensing system 20 comprises a first wing 54.1 configured to slide into at least a first cutout made at a first edge of the opening 32 as well as a second wing 54.2 configured to slide into at least a second cutout made at a second edge of the opening 32. The invention makes it possible to create a detachable connection between the dispensing system 20 and the container 18 without an element connected to the container 18.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1761617 | Dec 2017 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2018/083387 | 12/3/2018 | WO | 00 |