The present invention relates to a fastener device for closing, in leaktight manner, a fluid reservoir that may be in the form of a bottle, a carpule, a pre-filled syringe, a cartridge, etc. The reservoir forms a neck that is provided with outer peripheral reinforcement that co-operates with the remainder of the neck to define a bottom shoulder below which the fastener device catches. The advantageous field of application of the present invention is the field of reservoirs that are closed by means of a closure member that is perforable by means of a needle. However, the present invention may also apply to other fields such as the fields of pharmacy, perfumery, and cosmetics, in which the closure member is associated with a pump or a valve.
In the prior art, document FR 2 764 584 is known that describes a fastener device for fastening a pump or a valve on the neck of a reservoir. The fastener device comprises a fastener ring including a peripheral skirt that is engaged axially around the neck to below its shoulder. The skirt is provided with flaps having free ends that point inwards and upwards so as to come into abutment against the shoulder and thus snap-fasten the fastener ring on the neck of the reservoir. The fastener ring may be made of metal or of an injection-molded plastics material. In order to guarantee sealing at the neck, an O-ring is flattened by the fastener ring against the top edge of the neck. Even if it can be assumed that the fastener ring of that document is made with tolerances that are small or negligible, the snap-fastening of the flaps below the shoulder of the neck still depends on the thickness of the neck gasket, on its compressibility, and on the height of the peripheral reinforcement having manufacturing tolerances that may be considerable, particularly for a reservoir made of glass. In view of these variable parameters, it is not guaranteed that the flaps can pass under the shoulder of the neck, or that they can come into contact with the shoulder with a force that is sufficient to seal the neck gasket. As a result, the fastener ring of document FR 2 764 584 cannot guarantee that the pump or the valve is fastened in stable and leaktight manner on the neck of the reservoir. Document EP 0 006 032 describes a fastener device of the same type for closing a bottle containing a lyophilized material. The problems encountered with the fastener ring of that document are very close to the problems of above-mentioned document FR 2 764 584.
An object of the present invention is to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by defining a fastener device that can come into engagement below the shoulder of the neck so as to guarantee fastening and good sealing, without depending on the thickness and the compressibility of the closure member and on the manufacturing tolerance of the neck. Another object of the present invention is to perform fastening below the shoulder of the neck, with the closure member being compressed appropriately.
To achieve these objects, the present invention proposes a fastener device for closing a fluid reservoir that is formed with a neck that is provided with outer peripheral reinforcement that co-operates with the remainder of the neck to define a bottom shoulder, said fastener device comprising a fastener ring for holding a closure member on the neck, the fastener ring including a peripheral skirt that is engaged axially around the neck to below the bottom shoulder, said skirt being provided with fastener elements that each form a contact zone that is suitable for potentially coming into bearing engagement with the neck below the bottom shoulder, so as to fasten the ring on the neck, the fastener device being characterized in that the contact zones are situated at different axial heights on the inner periphery of the skirt without axially overlapping, such that some contact zones come into operating engagement below the bottom shoulder, while other contact zones never come into operating engagement below the bottom shoulder of the neck, or vice versa.
In the above-mentioned prior art, all of the free ends of the flaps that form contact zones extend at the same level or at the same axial height, such that there is only a single snap-fastening position. The present invention has solved that problem by having contact zones at different levels or axial heights, so that at least some contact zones can be received below the shoulder with acceptable bearing force, while the other contact zones either remain around the peripheral reinforcement, or else are situated below the shoulder at a distance therefrom. There are as many fastening positions as there are different axial heights for the contact zones. By having the contact zones at different axial heights, fastening and acceptable sealing are guaranteed whatever the tolerances of the closure member in terms of dimension and compression, and whatever the manufacturing tolerances of the neck of the reservoir. It is even possible to use closure members that present dimensional and compression characteristics that are clearly different. Spreading the contact zones over a certain axial height multiplies the possibilities for fastening below the shoulder, whereas there is only a single possibility for fastening in the above-mentioned prior-art documents.
In an advantageous embodiment, the fastener elements are radially movable, so as to pass over the outer reinforcement of the neck and come into engagement below the bottom shoulder. Preferably, the fastener elements are stressed into a deformed position while passing over the outer peripheral reinforcement of the neck.
In another advantageous aspect, the contact zones define two distinct axial heights. In this way, the contact zones of each level are of sufficient size to guarantee robust fastening on the neck of the reservoir. It is clear that increasing the number of heights or levels for the contact zones necessarily implies a reduction in the size of the contact zones below the shoulder of the neck.
Advantageously, the closure member is axially deformable. This is useful when the closure member that closes the opening of the neck is in the form of a disk or a pellet made of elastomer. This is also useful when the closure member is in the form of a pump or a valve fitted with a neck gasket made of elastomer.
Preferably, the fastener ring is made of plastics material. However, it is equally possible to make the fastener ring out of metal.
According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the fastener device further comprises a blocking hoop that is engaged around the peripheral skirt in a final mounted position, so as to block at least some of the fastener elements below the bottom shoulder. Naturally, when the fastener elements suffice to fasten the ring on the neck, the blocking hoop is not functionally necessary. However, it may nevertheless be used, merely for reasons of appearance, so as to mask the fastener ring. Advantageously, the blocking hoop is held temporarily on the fastener ring in a pre-mounted position. Thus, the fastener ring and the blocking hoop co-operate with each other to constitute a solid unit that can be handled easily while mounting on a reservoir neck.
In a first practical embodiment of the invention, the fastener elements comprise tabs that extend freely downwards, the tabs forming inwardly- and upwardly-directed rims that define contact zones of different axial heights. Advantageously, the fastener device further comprises a blocking hoop that forms a blocking collar that is engaged around the tabs in a final mounted position, so as to block at least some of the tabs below the bottom shoulder, the blocking collar advantageously being elastically deformable. According to an advantageous characteristic, the peripheral skirt forms vertical blades that are separated by axial slots, the blocking hoop forming a plurality of vertical branches that are arranged in the axial slots between two vertical blades, in the final mounted position. In this way, the vertical branches of the blocking hoop are nested in the skirt of the fastener ring without creating any extra radial thickness. Specifically, the vertical branches may present a configuration and a wall thickness that are identical to the vertical blades of the peripheral skirt, such that the vertical branches of the hoop finish off the peripheral skirt. The radial wall thickness of the fastener device is thus limited to the radial thickness of the skirt.
In a second practical embodiment of the invention, the fastener elements comprise flaps having free ends that point inwards and upwards, the free ends forming the contact zones, some of which come into engagement below the shoulder, so as to fasten the fastener ring on the neck of the reservoir. The flaps are similar to the flaps in documents FR 2 764 584 and EP 0 006 032, except that their contact zones are at different axial heights. Advantageously, the flaps comprise at least two short flaps and at least two long flaps that define contact zones having two distinct axial heights, the short flaps being blocked below the shoulder by a blocking hoop that is engaged around the peripheral skirt. Preferably, each of the short flaps forms a base remote from its free end, which base projects radially outwards further than the bases of the long flaps, so as to come into engagement with the blocking hoop. Given that the short flaps are certain to be arranged below the shoulder of the neck, even if it is the long flaps that are in engagement with the shoulder of the neck, they guarantee that the fastener device cannot be dismantled, given that they are blocked below the shoulder by the blocking hoop. Thus, even if an ill-intentioned user succeeds in removing the long flaps from below the shoulder, the short flaps would come into abutment against the shoulder and, as a result of them being blocked by the blocking hoop, the fastener device could not be removed from the reservoir.
The present invention also defines a fluid reservoir including a neck that is provided with a fastener device as defined above, for holding a closure member in leaktight manner on the neck.
The spirit of the present invention resides in providing contact or fastener zones of the fastener ring at different or differentiated distinct levels or heights, so that at least some of the contact zones can come into engagement below the shoulder of the neck without having to worry about dimensional, dynamic, compression, or manufacturing tolerances of the component elements. Making the fastener device out of plastics material, which by definition presents a certain ability to deform elastically or plastically, makes it possible to impart even greater flexibility in use. Specifically, a little deformation or creep of the fastener elements at their contact zones can be envisaged.
The invention is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings which show two embodiments of the invention by way of non-limiting example.
In the figures:
a and 3b are fragmentary perspective views of the fastener device in
Reference is made firstly to
The reservoir 1, that may be made of plastics material or of glass, is formed with a body 13 that is used to contain fluid, and a neck 10 at its top portion. It can be seen that the neck 10 extends from the body 13 with a cylindrical section 14, then forms an outwardly-directed shoulder 12, and is terminated by another cylindrical section of greater diameter, forming outer peripheral reinforcement 11. The shoulder 12 thus forms the transition between the reinforcement 11 and the remainder of the neck that forms the junction with the body 1. The neck also defines an annular edge 15. The reservoir may be in the form of a bottle, a carpule, a pre-filled syringe, a cartridge, etc. The bottom wall of the reservoir is permanent or removable.
In the embodiment shown, the closure member 4 is a disk or a pellet made of elastically-deformable material, e.g. rubber or any other elastomer material. Its thickness is about 0.5 millimeters (mm) to 30 mm, and its hardness on the shore A scale lies in the range 30 to 70. The closure member 4 is flattened against the annular edge 15 of the neck 10 with a force that makes it possible to reduce its thickness down to 40%. Although not shown, the closure member could equally well be in the form of a removable or permanent stopper, or in the form of a neck gasket that is associated with a dispenser member, such as a pump or a valve.
The fastener ring 2 is preferably made by injection-molding appropriate plastics material, e.g. polyethylene or polypropylene. The fastener ring 2 includes a top plate that is substantially plane and that includes a central collar 20 that internally defines an opening 201. The top plate also includes radial flanges 202 that extend outwards from the central collar 20 like spokes. The flanges 202 are spaced apart from one another and they are connected, at their outer periphery, to axial vertical blades 22 that are separated from one another either by axial slots 23 or by axial windows 25a, 25b. Fastener elements in the form of tabs 26a, 26b extend downwards from spacers 24a, 24b that interconnect certain blades 22. The blades 22, the spacers 24a, 24b, and the tabs 26a, 26b co-operate with one another to form a peripheral skirt 21 that is both slotted at the slots 23 and perforated at the windows 25a, 25b. It should be observed that the vertical axial slots 23 are open at their two axial ends, given that the blades 22 that are adjacent to a slot 23 are interconnected only via the central collar 20. Conversely, the blades 22 that are adjacent to a window 25b are interconnected via the spacer 24b. The same applies for the blades 22 that are adjacent to the windows 25a: they are interconnected via the spacer 24a. In the non-limiting embodiment in
It should be observed that the windows 25a are smaller than the windows 25b, given that the spacer 24a is axially taller than the spacer 24b. With reference to
The blades 22, in the proximity of their junctions with the flanges 202, form re-entrant risers 221 that may be provided with retainer profiles 222, shown in
The closure member 4 is arranged or pre-mounted inside the fastener ring 2, in contact with the top plate formed by the central collar 20 and its flanges 202. The peripheral edge of the closure member 4 may be engaged inside the re-entrant riser 221 formed by the blades 22. The closure member 4 is accessible from the outside through the opening 201.
The blocking hoop 3 includes a top disk 32 that defines a central passage 34 that is in alignment with the opening 201 of the ring 2. On its outer periphery, the disk 32 is provided with a plurality of vertical axial branches 33 that preferably present a profile that is comparable with, or identical to, the profile of the blades 22. By way of example, it should be observed that each branch 33 forms a re-entrant riser 331, like the riser 221 of the blades 22. The branches 33 are interconnected at their bottom ends via a blocking collar 31 that is preferably continuous over its entire periphery. The blocking hoop 3 may be made of a material that is relatively flexible or elastically deformable, such as polyethylene or polypropylene.
As can be seen in
With reference to
Axial thrust on the disk 32 of the blocking hoop 3 enables the blocking collar 31 to leave its pre-mounted temporary position and to slide with friction around the blades 22, so as to reach the final mounted position in which it comes to be received below the blades 22 and the spacers 24a, 24b, in contact with the outside face of the tabs 26a, 26b. The blocking collar 31 blocks the short tabs 26b below the shoulder 22 and stresses the long tabs 26a very strongly against the peripheral reinforcement 11. This is shown in
According to a characteristic of the invention, the vertical branches 33 of the blocking hoop 3 are arranged in the axial vertical slots 23 in such a manner as to fill them. As a result, the branches 33 finish off the peripheral skirt 21 in the slots 23. It should also be observed that the blocking collar 31 comes into alignment with the outer wall of the blades and is touching the bottom edge 28. Only the windows 25a, 25b remain open. By making the branches 23 with a wall thickness that is equal to, or less than, the wall thickness of the blades 22, they are completely nested in the windows without creating any extra radial thickness, either inwards or outwards. A fastener device is thus obtained having radial thickness around the neck that is limited to the thickness of the peripheral skirt 21. Furthermore, the branches 33 and the collar 31 consolidate the ring 2.
In the second embodiment in
The closure member 4 is housed below the collar 20′ and the flanges 202′, between the blades 22′. The closure member may be identical or similar to the closure member of the first embodiment.
The blocking hoop 3′ includes a top disk 32′ that defines a central passage 34′ that is in alignment with the opening 201′, as can be seen in
In a pre-mounted temporary position shown in
Although
By means of the invention, a fastener ring is obtained that may be made in standard manner, that may be associated with closure members of various kinds, and that may be mounted on reservoirs having neck tolerances that are relatively large. The tabs 26a, 26b and the re-entrant flaps 26a′, 26b′ constitute only two particular non-limiting embodiments: specifically, it is possible to perform the present invention with any type of fastener element that is suitable for coming into engagement with a bottom shoulder formed by the neck of a reservoir.
By means of the invention, the space occupied by the fastener device is greatly reduced, given that the blocking hoop 3 does not create extra thickness at the peripheral skirt of the fastener ring.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1351270 | Feb 2013 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/FR2014/050255 | 2/11/2014 | WO | 00 |