Patent Grant
8881921
This application is the U.S. National Phase of International Application No. PCT/IB2010/055989 filed on Dec. 21, 2010, which claims priority to French Application No. FR 0959594, filed Dec. 24, 2009.
The invention concerns a dispensing bottle-top. It is notably directed to a bottle-top for dispensing products of liquid or viscous consistency contained in a bottle; such products may often flow by gravity alone. The invention is aimed more particularly at dispensing products in the cosmetics field, or even the pharmaceuticals or foodstuffs field, namely products typically contained in bottles with bottle-tops that have a transverse dimension of hardly a few centimeters (typically at most equal to 3 cm, or even 2 cm).
The invention also concerns a bottle equipped with such a bottle-top.
Diverse bottle-top structures are known already that enable the dispensing of products contained in bottles on the neck of which such bottle-tops are mounted (in practice screwed or clipped). In an inactive configuration the bottle-top resembles an ordinary top whereas in the active dispensing configuration an upper portion of the bottle-top is moved to enable the product to exit via an exit orifice. Diverse types of structures may be distinguished.
There is known from the document DE-33 00 190 (Zeller Plastik) published in 1984 a bottle-top including a body and part of the top of which is formed of a narrow piece radially mobile in translation between a rest configuration in which a passage through the body is isolated from a dispensing passage contained in the mobile part of the top of the bottle-top and an active configuration in which the feed passage and the distribution passage are in communication with this mobile part then projecting radially relative to the body. The outside surface of this bottle-top is complicated, being conjointly formed by the mobile part, a deformable part covering the front part of the mobile part in the area in which it moves, and lateral parts between which the previous two parts slide.
There are further known from the document WO-95/11172 (Zeller Plastik) published in 1995 various bottle-top structures including a body intended to be mounted on the neck of a bottle and a cap at the top pivotable about a substantially diametrical axis between an inactive configuration in which a dispensing passage contained in the cap top is isolated from a feed passage and an active configuration in which these passages are in communication. In an inactive configuration the cap is engaged inside a lateral skirt of the body that surrounds it over most of its periphery (except for a notched area enabling the application of an axial thrust to cause it to pivot toward the active configuration). The existence of this skirt is necessary in particular to enable the provision of the pivot axis.
In the document WO-2004/071882 (Poly-Seal Corp), the bottle-top includes a bottle-top body engaged on the neck of a bottle and a cap mounted to pivot on the body. The bottle-top body includes a feed passage that communicates at all times with the inside of the bottle (thus with the bottom part of the body) while the cap includes a dispensing passage (leading to an outlet orifice); in an inactive (or closed) configuration, the cap of the bottle-top is in a configuration relative to the body in which the dispensing passage is isolated from the bottle-top body passage whereas, in the active (or open) configuration, the cap of the bottle-top is in a configuration relative to the body in which the dispensing passage is in communication with the feed passage. The change in the configuration of the cap between its two configurations is obtained by axial pressure for example with a finger, so as to cause the cap to pivot. Also, the cap is rotatable about the axis of the body between an angular position in which the pivoting movement is possible and a position in which the pivoting movement is rendered impossible. In an inactive configuration, this cap is disposed transversely to the axis of the bottle-top body and surrounded over most of its periphery by a lateral skirt of the bottle-top body (the product outlet orifice is concealed by this skirt); pivoting of this cap is reflected in an inclination relative to the axis. Clearly the presence of the skirt as far up as the periphery of the bottle-top at the level of its upper surface is necessary to enable on the one hand the provision of the pivot axis (it must be able to turn about the axis) and on the other hand to mask properly the outlet orifice in an inactive configuration.
Instead of providing the bottle-top body with a cap that slides in a linear fashion or pivots, it has also been proposed to provide a cap adapted to slide along a curved trajectory of circular arc shape.
Thus the document WO-02/32776 (Crown Cork & Seal Technologies Corp) published in 2002 discloses a bottle-top for a container including a cap body intended to be mounted on the neck of a container and a narrow top part diametrically mobile on the body along a trajectory of circular arc shape between an inactive configuration in which a dispensing passage contained in this narrow part is isolated from a feed passage formed in the body whereas its outlet orifice is blocked and an active configuration in which the feed and dispensing passages are in communication with each other while the outlet orifice is exposed. It is stated that one advantage of the arcuate shape of the translation trajectory is that the movement of the narrow top part makes it possible for the curved surface on which the translation is effected to block or to expose the outlet orifice, at the same time as enabling easy dispensing of the product in the open configuration. However, as mentioned above, it should be noted that the top part that is mobile is narrow, which appears necessary to provide for implanting hooks at the base of the flanks of this mobile part, at the same time as providing slots in the body to receive the hooks as well as enabling a curved travel in translation sufficient to enable clear differentiation of the active and inactive configurations.
It is apparent that the known solutions are complex (from the structural point of view, and even from the use point of view) and that their structure is often visible, to the point of possibly degrading the esthetics of the bottle-top concerned.
The invention aims to provide a dispensing bottle-top for bottles of products of liquid or viscous consistency combining a cleaner esthetic (by making the separations between the component parts as imperceptible as possible), both in the closed configuration and in the open configuration, with good ergonomics (in particular manipulation by one finger), within transverse dimensions of barely a few centimeters, and with highly reliable mechanical guidance (notably without unwanted rotation). The invention advantageously aims to provide a good seal between the inside of the bottle and the outside proof against liquids or even proof against air (to achieve a long product shelf life).
To this end the invention proposes a dispensing bottle-top for bottles for products of liquid or viscous consistency, including a bottle-top body adapted to be mounted on a bottle and including a feed cavity and a top piece adapted to be moved relative to this body between an inactive configuration in which a product dispensing orifice is blocked and an active configuration in which this dispensing orifice is exposed to the outside and communicates with the feed cavity, characterized in that this bottle-top has a lateral wall formed by the body and, in said inactive configuration, an upper wall consisting entirely of the upper wall of the top part, this body and this top part having complementary part-spherical surfaces, respectively concave and convex, adapted to slide one along the other with a relative movement and being connected by complementary retaining and guiding elements that remain hidden by this top part in each of the active and inactive configurations thereof.
Clearly, since the top part occupies the whole of the upper surface of the bottle-top and the lateral wall of this bottle-top is formed by the bottle-top body, the separation between this body and this top part is situated substantially at the junction of these upper and lateral surfaces, so that it is hardly visible; this line of separation is in the immediate vicinity of this junction if this junction is a circle but remains hardly visible if this junction has a contour close to a circle, for example a square with very rounded corners, an oval, etc. In addition to a cleaner esthetic, this bottle-top is ergonomic in use because transverse movement of one finger is sufficient to move the top part between its active and inactive configurations.
It is thus clear that the junction between the lateral and upper walls preferably has a circular contour, the lateral wall advantageously being a circular cylinder or even a frustoconical cylinder with a small cone angle (with a half-angle at the apex typically less than 20°).
The concave sliding surface of the body advantageously includes a main slot having a plane of symmetry and the top part includes two parallel flanks projecting relative to this convex sliding surface and symmetrical with respect to the plane of symmetry of the main slot, these flanks being provided with clipping detents (or transverse slots) for engaging and retaining these flanks in this main slot, the dimension of this main slot along its plane of symmetry being such that this main slot remains hidden by the top part in each of the inactive and active configurations of the top part, the dispensing orifice being in one of the sliding surfaces and symmetrical with respect to the plane of symmetry of the main slot.
The fact that the body includes a slot while the top part is provided with two parallel flanks that slide in this slot guarantees efficacious guiding of the top part at the same time as maintaining its angular orientation relative to the axis. Finally, because the slot has dimensions such that it remains hidden in each of the positions of the top part, the esthetic of the bottle-top is preserved in any configuration thereof.
Clearly the slots may not be rectilinear in cross section if the movement to be obtained is curved as a function of the right or left hand of the user acting on the top part, for example.
Blocking a dispensing orifice by means of a part mobile in translation along a curved trajectory has already been proposed in the document GB-1 094 588 (Bettix Ltd) published in 1967. To be more precise, that document describes a globally cylindrical canister the upper wall of which includes a highly localized depressed area formed of a part-spherical cup in which a slot and an opening are formed. Along the surface of this depression is mounted a convex part of saucer shape that is mobile in translation along this surface, being guided by a simple finger of circular section passing through the slot; depending on whether the convex part occupies the volume of the depression or not, it blocks or exposes the opening and enables or prevents pouring of the material (in principle powder) in the container via the opening, sliding along the convex part (which can thus act as a pourer spout). Note that, in is inactive configuration, the convex part is substantially flush with the upper wall of the canister.
However, it should be noted that the above document is in no way concerned with cosmetic products (it mentions cooking salt or detergent) and does not relate in any way to a bottle-top that can be mounted on a bottle and has a lateral wall and an upper wall; furthermore, the above document is in no way concerned with esthetics.
In a complementary way, the above document is in no way concerned with angular positioning of the convex part, whereas this may be one of the esthetic constraints addressed by the invention (notably if it is required to place a logo on the outside surface of the cap and to guarantee that in use this logo retains a given orientation relative to the bottle and thus relative to the rest of the cap.
According to other advantageous features of the invention, where applicable in combination:
In a first embodiment of the invention, the dispensing orifice is in the sliding surface of the top part, this top part including a dispensing passage terminating at this dispensing orifice and configured to communicate selectively with the feed cavity of the body depending on whether the top part is in its active configuration or in its inactive configuration.
The bottle-top body preferably includes a feed passage that is offset relative to the axis of this body and the feed passage of the top part preferably discharges in an area offset from the axis of this top part.
In another embodiment of the invention the dispensing orifice is in the sliding surface of the body, the sliding movement of the top part relative to the body being in the opposite direction to the movement of that orifice relative to the axis of the body.
The invention further proposes a bottle fitted with a dispensing bottle-top of the type referred to above, with or without the advantageous optional features referred to above.
Objects, features and advantages of the invention emerge from the following description given by way of illustrative and nonlimiting example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
As is clear from
As emerges from the following figures, this cylindrical lateral surface and this upper surface are formed on different parts coupled together and provided with complementary guide elements.
Thus it is seen in
The cylindrical body 20 of the bottle-top 10 includes a main cavity (called the feed cavity) 13 delimited here by the inside part 22.
This inside part 22 is represented in more detail in
This inside part 22 consists primarily of a cylindrical skirt 22A adapted to cap the neck of the bottle and a transverse wall 22B closing off the upper part of this skirt 22A. This cylindrical skirt has an inside geometry enabling good cooperation with the neck of the bottle; because in this example engagement is by way of a snap fastening, the skirt 22A includes internally an annular groove 22C adapted to snap over the rib 3 on the neck 2. A feed passage 23 through the transverse wall 22B enables the spaces on respective opposite sides of this wall to communicate.
This feed passage 23 is advantageously produced through a part 24 that is attached to, for example molded over, the part forming the lateral skirt and part of the transverse wall and has the shape of a ramp that extends from the center of the wall 22B until it is in line with the cylindrical wall 22A (and preferably also widening). This ramp has a part-circular upward-facing concave profile. This part 24 is advantageously produced in an elastomer material molded onto the inside part 22. Alternatively, the ramp may be formed directly on the inside part.
The outside part 21 is represented in more detail in
This transverse wall has a concave part-spherical shape centered on the axis Z-Z of the wall. In this concave wall 21B there is formed a main slot 25 advantageously having a plane of symmetry passing through the axis Z-Z and the line of which coincides with the axis Z-Z in
This main slot is advantageously complemented by secondary slots 26A and 26B disposed on either side of the main slot in an arrangement that is also symmetrical with respect to the plane of symmetry Z-Z. These secondary slots 26A and 26B define with the main slot curved rails 27A and 27B. These rails 27A and 27B are rigid (given the material from which they are made) but also flexible (because of their geometry) and may advantageously be deformed elastically both tangentially to and transversely this concave wall. The benefit of this flexibility will become apparent later. The two edges of the secondary slots may where appropriate be linked locally by bridges of material that control the flexibility of the rails.
The main slot has a front end (on the right in
The outside part 21 is designed to cap the inside part in a configuration in which the main slot 25 extends along the ramp formed by the part 24.
The cylindrical wall 21A of this outside part defines the cylindrical lateral surface 11 of the bottle-top.
This cap includes an upper wall 31 defining the transverse upper surface 12 of the dispensing bottle-top when the latter is in an inactive configuration, i.e. in a rest position. This wall is delimited by a circular edge of substantially the same diameter as the cylindrical wall 21A of the outside part (typically to within ±5%), thanks to which this upper wall covers all of the convex surface 21B of this outside part in said inactive configuration. Alternatively, in the case of a frustoconical lateral wall, said circular edge has substantially the same diameter as the narrow end of the frustoconical wall. If the lateral wall has an upper end having a shape departing from a circle, the top part has a shape approximating as closely as possible that of that upper end.
Here this upper wall 31 is slightly convex, but it may instead be plane or slightly concave, as required (notably from the esthetic point of view, or even from the ergonomic point of view).
This cap further includes, under this upper wall, a cap body 32 with two lateral flanks 33A and 33B that are parallel to and symmetrical with respect to a plane of symmetry Y-Y (
The lateral flanks 33A and 33B are provided near their inside edges along the base 32A with detents 38A and 38B, here of triangular section, having shoulders facing toward the upper part; these detents, which preferably extend along the whole of these lower edges, are advantageously flanked over at least part of their length by shoulders 39A and 39B facing their edges. The detents and the shoulders conjointly define grooves 40A and 40B designed to receive the rails 27A and 27B of the bottle-top body; the grooves 40A and 40B are therefore curved with the same separation and the same curvature as the curved rails 27A and 27B of the outside part of the bottle-top body (approximately equal to the curvature of the attached part 24).
The cap includes opposite the outside surface 12 a convex lower surface 41 that is part of a sphere having substantially the same radius of curvature as the concave surface 21B of the bottle-top body. These surfaces 21B and 41 are designed to slide one on the other.
This lower convex surface has a geometry such that the cap body facing it projects so that it can pass through the slot 25 in the complementary surface 21B of the bottle-top body;
This lower convex surface is present at least near the edge of the cap and around the dispensing orifice 35. Outside these areas, the material may be recessed.
The cap body of which the flanks 33A and 33B are part include two end edges; the right-hand edge, see
The cooperation of the various parts described above is clear from
In
Following this assembly, the ramp 24 of the inside part faces at least the front part of the main slot 25 of the outside part (i.e. the right-hand part of this slot in
The cap 30 is furthermore mounted on this body by engagement of the flanks 33A and 33B in the main slot until the grooves 40A and 40B are engaged around the rails 27A and 27B, thus retaining and guiding the cap 30 relative to the body 20; this clips the cap into the bottle-top body and guides it along a curved trajectory.
The flexibility of the rails 27A and 27B referred to above facilitates mounting the cap on top of the body. It also enables elastic compression between the cap and the body.
In this assembled configuration, the cap body passes through the main slot and its face rests against the ramp 24.
It is nevertheless clear that cooperation between the cap and the body is possible in the absence of the secondary slots.
Clearly, when the cap is engaged on the bottle-top body, the plane of symmetry Z-Z of the main slot coincides with that Y-Y of the pair of flanks of the cap.
The cap is mobile relative to this body by sliding of the flanks in the main slot, which of course presupposes that this slot is longer than those flanks.
In the configuration referred to hereinabove as the inactive configuration, the cap is coaxial with the body and covers the body exactly (
Given that, in the example considered here, the cap 30 has the same diameter as the lateral surface of the body 20, no line of separation is visible from above. In side view (see
Note that in this configuration the feed passage 23 passing through the inside part discharges facing a blind hole 36 formed in the cap body through its base. The feed passage 23 and the dispensing passage 34 are therefore separate, which encourages good sealed isolation of the inside of the bottle from the outside. Alternatively, the blind hole 36 may be dispensed with, the feed passage simply discharging opposite the base of the cap body.
The dispensing orifice 35 faces a portion of the concave surface 21B situated in front of the front end of the main slot 25 so that it is blocked (the position of the front end relative to the edge of this concave surface must be chosen accordingly).
In this inactive configuration, there is therefore two-fold isolation of the inside of the bottle relative to the outside because the feed passage provided in the bottle-top body is isolated from the dispensing passage and the feed passage is itself isolated from the outside.
The constituent materials of the various parts are advantageously chosen to provide a good seal at the periphery of the various orifices blocked in this way (between the ramp and the convex surface of the cap and between the dispensing orifice and the concave surface of the body).
Clearly the configuration of
In this inactive configuration, at one end of its movement relative to the bottle-top body a shoulder on the cap body advantageously abuts against a complementary bearing surface of the bottle-top body. For example, this inactive configuration is defined by the rear edge 30B coming into abutting engagement with the rear end of the main slot; alternatively, the cap may include a bearing surface projecting through the main slot toward the inside of the body, while the body includes, under this main slot, a complementary bearing surface defining with the bearing surface of the cap an extreme rearward position in which the cap is in its inactive configuration.
By simply pushing the cap transversely, in practice by means of tangential friction on the outside surface 12, the user may move the cap from its inactive rest configuration of
The travel of the cap relative to the bottle-top body is sufficient for the dispensing orifice 35 to be exposed vis à vis the concave surface of the bottle-top body. In
The sliding travel of the cap (and thus the movement relative to the inactive rest configuration) is defined by complementary elements coming into abutting engagement; this may be abutting engagement of a front wall (here the edge 30A) of the pair of flanks against the front end of the main slot.
In the active configuration shown in
To strengthen the seal between the bottle-top body and the cap additional thickness may alternatively be provided near the orifices to be brought face to face. Note that such additional thicknesses may have the advantage of constituting a sticking point in the movement relative to the bottle-top body imposed on the cap. Such a sticking point may be provided in any appropriate manner in each of the active (service) and inactive (rest) configurations.
Clearly if the bottle-top from
The rigidity (or “stiffness” since there is some flexibility) of the guide rails of the flanks of the cap also contributes to the effective sealing of the dispensing orifice during such reverse movement.
By analogy with the above remarks on the movement toward the active configuration, this reverse movement may be obtained by transverse friction applied by one finger.
Clearly this possibility of displacement by transverse friction exists whether the outside upper surface of the cap is convex, plain or concave.
Clearly the only part of the inside surface of the cap that may be seen in the active service configuration is a crescent-shaped convex surface situated around the dispensing orifice and that, in this active configuration, the only part of the concave surface of the bottle-top body that may be seen is a crescent-shaped surface that is uncovered by the sliding of the cap. These surfaces are advantageously continuous, with no discontinuities because of the main or secondary slots. A cleaner esthetic is thus preserved in each of the active and inactive configurations of the cap and between them.
The ease with which the user is able to maneuver the cap of the dispensing bottle-top is clear. This bottle-top thus combines esthetics and ergonomics as well as, given the aforementioned advantageous features, a good seal.
The elements of this other bottle-top that correspond to elements of that from
The main difference between the two dispensing bottle-tops is that in the embodiment of
To be more precise, the body of the bottle-top 110 from
The right-hand end 125C of the main slot is here significantly wider than the rest of the main slot.
The inside part 122 is similar to that from
As before, the ramp may be formed directly on the inside part of the bottle-top body.
Clearly, unlike the first embodiment, there is no need to provide a dispensing passage in the cap.
The cap body 132 of which the flanks 133A and 133B are part has terminal edges 130A and 130B. In line with this body there is a depression 134 that advantageously accommodates the injection point of the cap. This depression is centered on the dispensing orifice 135 when the cap is in the inactive rest position but its dimensions are preferably significantly less than those of the orifice 135. Other positions of the injection point are also suitable.
Accordingly, seen from above, the upper wall 131 of the cap masks the bottle-top body 110. On the other hand, when the bottle-top is seen from the side, a single separation line is visible between the bottle-top body and the cap in the immediate vicinity of the top of the bottle-top body; this line virtually coincides with the top of the bottle-top formed in this way.
This is not limiting on the invention, however, and the cap may alternatively have in side view a greater thickness, i.e. the line of separation between the cap and the outside part 121 may be closer to the middle of the height of the bottle-top. This line is preferably in the upper half of the bottle-top and even more preferably in the upper third.
The seal between the dispensing orifice 135 and the cap is strengthened by the advantageous presence of the flexible sealing lip 124A, which is compressed all around the dispensing orifice by the cap.
It should be noted that, the dispensing orifice 135 being to the left of the axis, as in
As explained with reference to
Clearly, thanks to the combination of the main slot and the flanks, the cap is coupled axially to the bottle-top body and sliding of the cap is effectively guided along its relative movement between the active and inactive configurations, although there is no visible guide; in other words, effective guidance is obtained without degrading the esthetics or the ergonomics or the seal.
As already indicated, a dispensing bottle-top of the invention is typically intended to be mounted on bottle necks having a diameter of the order of 1 to 3 cm (for example between 2 and 2.5 cm); consequently, the bottle-top advantageously has a diameter between 1.5 and 4 cm (for example of the order of 3 cm); the height of the bottle-top is preferably between ⅔ and 3/2 of this diameter.
The sliding surfaces of the bottle-top body and the cap advantageously have radii of curvature between half and twice the diameter of the bottle-top, for example at least approximately equal to that diameter. These radii are at least approximately equal, but the choice may be made for there to be a slight difference between these radii, typically of a few fractions of a millimeter, for example, to enable axial traction on the guide rails of the flanks of the cap.
The length of the cap body (transversely to its axis) is advantageously at most equal to ⅔ of the diameter of the bottle-top, preferably between ⅓ and ½ that diameter, whereas the slot has a length (measured transversely to the axis of the bottle-top) that is preferably between ⅔ and 9/10 of the diameter of the bottle-top, the travel of the body in the slot being preferably at least equal to ¼ or even ⅓ of the diameter of the bottle-top, so as to expose a sufficient portion of the sliding surface of the cap or of the bottle-top body (depending on whether this refers to the first example or the second example) to locate the dispensing orifice without having to give it a section that is insufficient for good flow of the product in question.
The width of the cap body and thus the width of the main slot is advantageously between 1/10 and 3/10 of this diameter.
The material of the inside part 22 or 122 may be chosen only because of criteria of mechanical strength, cost and compatibility with the formula of the product; it may be a plastic material such as polypropylene, for example (or any other material from the polyolefin family). It is nevertheless beneficial for the ramp 24 or 124 alongside which the lower edge of the body of the cap runs to be in a material (for example an elastomer) having a flexible surface (a rubbery appearance) favorable to obtaining a good seal; the part 24 or 124 is advantageously an insert molded onto the rest of the inside part.
The outside part and the cap are advantageously produced in the same material, chosen for its esthetic qualities, for example a scratch-resistant black plastic material such as a copolyester.
The section of the dispensing passage (whether in the bottle-top body or in the cap) is as large as possible given the dimensions chosen for the bottle-top; it is advantageously elongate (i.e. it may have a transverse width very much less than the transverse length); clearly gravity flow will be all the easier if the section of this passage is large and the viscosity of the product is low. The person skilled in the art will know how to achieve an appropriate compromise between these various magnitudes.
Variant constructions are naturally possible; in particular, the inside and outside parts 22, 21 or 122 and 121 could be produced by overmolding or even constitute a single part.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 59594 | Dec 2009 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2010/055989 | 12/21/2010 | WO | 00 | 9/24/2012 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2011/077378 | 6/30/2011 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3734359 | Waterman | May 1973 | A |
| 5054662 | Santagiuliana | Oct 1991 | A |
| 6053374 | Santagiuliana | Apr 2000 | A |
| 6478194 | Haglund et al. | Nov 2002 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 3300190 | May 1984 | DE |
| 0386475 | Sep 1990 | EP |
| 1094588 | Dec 1967 | GB |
| 2295385 | May 1996 | GB |
| WO 95 11172 | Apr 1995 | WO |
| WO 02 32776 | Apr 2002 | WO |
| WO 2004 071882 | Aug 2004 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/IB2010/055989, dated Mar. 30, 2011. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130008866 A1 | Jan 2013 | US |
