SECURING SYSTEM AND FLUID PRODUCT DISPENSER USING SUCH A SYSTEM

Abstract

A fastener system (1, 2) for fastening a dispenser member (3), such as a pump, on a reservoir neck (41) so as to constitute a fluid dispenser, the dispenser being removable by removing the fastener system from the neck, the system comprising a fastener ring (1) and a rigid hoop (2) that is engaged around the fastener ring, the ring (1) comprising a skirt (14) for engaging around the neck (41), the skirt (14) including fastener tabs (15) for coming into secure engagement with the neck (41), the fastener system being characterized in that the skirt (14) further includes at least one abutment tab (16) for coming into axial abutment against the neck (41) when an attempt is made to re-assemble the fastener ring (1) on the neck (41) after the dispenser has been removed for the first time.

Description

The present invention relates to a fastener system for fastening a dispenser member, such as a pump or a valve, on a reservoir neck so as to constitute a fluid dispenser. The dispenser member can be actuated manually by the user by means of one or more fingers, so as to dispense fluid, optionally in metered form. Such fluid dispensers are frequently used in the fields of perfumery, cosmetics, and even pharmacy.

In the prior art, fastener systems already exist comprising a fastener ring associated with a rigid hoop engaged around the fastener ring. In general, the ring comprises a skirt for engaging around the neck, the skirt including fastener tabs for coming into secure engagement with an appropriate profile formed by the neck. By way of example, it is possible to provide a thread at the outer wall of the neck, and the fastener tabs thus come into threaded engagement with the neck. It is also possible to envisage other types of profile for the neck that enable snap-fastening or catching, for example. The rigid hoop is frequently used to push the fastener tabs against the appropriate profile of the neck.

In the context of the present invention, the fluid dispenser is removable: the fastener system may be removed from the neck by an appropriate action, such as pulling, unscrewing, turning, or a combined action. Thus, the user may access the contents of the reservoir directly, e.g. so as to collect the remaining fluid, in particular when it is a cream. The possibility of removing the dispenser may also be advantageous for the purpose of recycling.

However, this possibility of removal also enables an ill-intentioned user to spoil or to replace the fluid initially contained in the reservoir, and then to re-assemble the fastener system so as to reconstitute the fluid dispenser. As a result, the possibility of removing the fastener system generates insecurity about the authenticity of the contents of the dispenser.

An object of the present invention is to remedy that drawback of the prior art associated with removable fluid dispensers.

To do this, the present invention makes provision for the skirt further to include at least one abutment tab for coming into axial abutment against the neck when an attempt is made to re-assemble the fastener ring on the neck after the dispenser has been removed for the first time. In other words, the abutment tab prevents the dispenser from being re-assembled by coming between the fastener tabs and the neck of the reservoir. By abutting against the neck, the abutment tab prevents the fastener tabs from being engaged around the neck.

Advantageously, after removal, the abutment tab projects radially inwards relative to the fastener tabs, in such a manner as to come into abutment against the reservoir neck in the event of an attempt being made at re-assembly.

Naturally, the abutment tab must not prevent the initial assembly of the dispenser. To do this, the present invention makes provision for the abutment tab to project radially outwards before the hoop is engaged around the skirt. During assembly, the abutment tab is deformed radially inwards by the hoop, advantageously by pivoting.

In a practical embodiment, the abutment tab comprises a top section having a bottom end and a top end that is connected to the remainder of the ring, and a bottom section having a top end that is connected to the bottom end of the top section, the two sections extending relative to each other, forming an angle between them, the top section flaring outwards before the hoop is engaged around the skirt. Advantageously, the abutment tab is deformed inwards permanently by the hoop at the top end of the top section that is connected to the remainder of the ring. Preferably, the top section extends axially and the bottom section extends inwards after the hoop has been engaged around the skirt. Thus, the abutment tab is subjected both to permanent deformation by deforming or pivoting where it is connected to the remainder of the ring, and also to flexible and reversible elastic deformation along its length by bearing against the neck of the reservoir. In this way, the abutment tab remains in its inwardly-pivoted position after removal, but it relaxes elastically in such a manner as to return to its initial shape as soon as it is no longer pressed against the neck. The combination of permanent and reversible deformation makes it possible for the abutment tab to avoid hindering the assembly of the dispenser, to allow it to be removed, and to prevent it from being re-assembled after removal. The abutment tab is prevented from returning to its initial orientation by the rigid hoop that surrounds it. However, it returns to its initial configuration as soon as it is removed from the neck, but with a modified orientation.

The invention also defines a fluid dispenser comprising a fluid reservoir including a neck, a dispenser member, such as a pump, and a fastener system as defined above, wherein the hoop causes the abutment tab to pivot inwards permanently, and presses it elastically against the neck of the reservoir. Advantageously, the neck includes an external thread, the fastener tabs being engaged with the external thread of the neck, the hoop pushing the fastener tabs against the neck.

The spirit of the present invention resides in using one or more abutment tabs that prevent neither the initial assembly nor the removal of the dispenser, but that prevent any re-assembly thereof. To do this, the orientation of the abutment tabs should be modified in such a manner as to be situated on the path between the fastener tabs and the neck when it is desired to re-assemble the dispenser. The rigid hoop is advantageously used to modify the orientation of the abutment tabs and to deform them elastically so that they can relax elastically on removal from the neck, so as to be situated in the passage between the fastener tabs and the neck.

The invention is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows an embodiment of the invention by way of non-limiting example.

In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a large-scale perspective view of a fastener ring made in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the fastener system of the invention using the FIG. 1 ring, and shown before being assembled on the reservoir;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the fastener system of the invention while it is being assembled on a threaded neck of a reservoir;

FIG. 5 is a cut-away perspective view of the fastener system of the preceding figures, shown assembled on a neck;

FIG. 6 is a large-scale view of the fastener ring in its configuration shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a cut-away perspective view of the fastener system of the preceding figures during an attempt at re-assembling it on the reservoir.

Reference is made firstly to FIGS. 1 to 3 in order to describe in detail a non-limiting embodiment of a fastener system of the invention. The fastener system comprises a fastener ring 1 associated with a rigid hoop 2 that is for coming into engagement around the fastener ring 1, with radial clamping as described below. The fastener ring 1 may be made by injection molding an appropriate plastics material. As for the rigid hoop 2, it may also be made of plastics material, but it is preferably made of metal, so as to impart an attractive appearance to the dispenser. The fastener system constituted in this way by the ring 1 and the hoop 2 serves to fasten a dispenser member 3, such as a pump or a valve, on a reservoir neck 41 so as to constitute a fluid dispenser. The fastener system has two functions, namely a fastening function, and also a sealing function. Thus, the fluid stored in the reservoir may be extracted only through the dispenser member.

The fastener ring 1 includes reception means 11 for receiving the dispenser member 3. By way of example, the reception means 11 may be in the form of an annular snap-fastener housing that receives a projecting collar that is formed by the dispenser member. The ring 1 also forms an axial opening 12 that extends inside the fastener means 11, and through which there passes the actuator rod of the dispenser member that is axially movable down and up. External to the reception means 11, the ring forms an annular disk 13 that comes to be positioned on the annular edge of the neck of the reservoir, with an annular neck gasket possibly interposed therebetween. Finally, the outside of the fastener ring 1 forms a skirt 14 that is made in discontinuous manner in its bottom portion, thereby forming fastener tabs 15 and abutment tabs 16 that are separated by slots 17 and that are interposed in alternating manner. A fastener tab 15 is adjacent to two abutment tabs 16, and vice versa. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the fastener ring 1 in this particular embodiment includes three fastener tabs 15 and three abutment tabs 16. The dispenser member 3 extends inside the skirt 14, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The dispenser member 3 forms a body 31 having a top end that is engaged in the reception means 11. At its bottom end, the body 31 forms a fluid inlet 32 that is provided with a dip tube 33.

The fastener tabs 15 extend freely downwards and, on their insides, they form one or more profiles 151 for coming into engagement with the neck of the reservoir, as described below. The profiles 151 may be preformed so as to adapt in complementary manner to the neck of the reservoir. In a variant, the profiles 151 are for deforming against the neck of the reservoir so as to imprint a negative imprint in the profiles. By way of example, the profiles 151 may serve for screw-fastening onto a threaded neck and/or for unfastening from the neck. They may also serve to snap-fasten or to catch on an appropriate neck. The technique of fastening the tabs 15 on the neck is not critical for the present invention, in so far as the fastener ring may be removed from the neck of the reservoir without destroying the fastener system. The fastener tabs 15 extend so as to be setback a little relative to the continuous top portion of the skirt 14. However, when the fastener tabs 15 are engaged on a reservoir neck, said tabs are deformed to flare outwards, so as to be able to be pushed inwards against the neck by the rigid hoop 2.

The abutment tabs 16 also extend freely downwards in substantially similar manner to the fastener tabs 15. However, the particular shape of the abutment tabs 16 is very different to the shape of the fastener tabs 15. Before the hoop 2 is engaged in final manner around the ring, the abutment tabs 16 extend radially outwards relative to the remainder of the skirt 14, and in particular relative to the fastener tabs 15. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the rigid hoop 2 is pre-engaged on the fastener ring 1, with the tabs 15 and 16 still projecting axially downwards. It should be observed that the abutment tabs 16 present an outside diameter that is greater than the outside diameter of the hoop 2. More precisely, the abutment tabs 16 comprise a top section 161 that presents a top end 162 that is connected to the remainder of the skirt 14 and a bottom end 163 that is connected to a bottom section 164 that defines a free bottom end 166. The top end 165 of the bottom section 164 is connected to the bottom end 163 of the top section 161, as can be seen very clearly in FIG. 1. It should also be observed that the wall thickness of the top section 161, at its top end 162, is small compared to the remainder of the abutment tab 16. This small wall thickness defines a zone of weakness that enables the tab to deform by pivoting at the top end 162, without significantly deforming the remainder of the tab. Thus, it can readily be understood that engaging the hoop 2 around the tabs 15 and 16 leads to the abutment tabs 16 moving inwards by pivoting about their top ends 162. It should be observed that the top section 161 extends in sloping manner outwards and downwards, while the bottom section 164 is substantially or completely cylindrical. An angle is thus formed between the top section 161 and the bottom section 164, as can be seen clearly in FIGS. 1 and 2. The slope formed by the outer surface of the top section 161 also serves as a cam surface for the bottom edge of the hoop 2 while it is being engaged around the skirt 14. Thus, the abutment tabs 16 are deformed inwards progressively as the hoop 2 engages on the top sections 161 of the three tabs 16.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the rigid hoop 2 is essentially circularly cylindrical at its main body 21, but also includes a top inwardly-directed rim 22.

Reference is made below to FIG. 4 which shows the fastener system in FIGS. 2 and 3 engaged on a neck 41 of a reservoir 4. The outside of the neck 41 is provided with a thread 42 that co-operates with the profiles 151 of the fastener tabs 15. In FIG. 4, assembly is still not complete: only the tabs 15 and 16 are engaged around the threaded neck 41, but the rigid hoop 2 is still not engaged completely around the ring. By exerting sufficient force on the top end of the hoop 2, said hoop moves downwards, pushing the fastener tabs 15 hard against the threaded neck of the reservoir, and deforming the abutment tabs 16 inwards by pivoting. The profiles 151 deform plastically against the thread 42 of the neck, while the abutment tabs 16 are merely pushed or pressed elastically against the neck.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that the top section 161 of the abutment tab 16 now extends the skirt 14 downwards, while the bottom section 164 is oriented inwards and downwards. This can be seen more clearly in FIG. 6, which shows the fastener ring 1 after it has been deformed by the rigid hoop 2. The free bottom ends 166 of the abutment tabs 16 are effectively in contact with the neck 41, with non-permanent elastic deformation, the only permanent deformation being the deformation that occurs at the top ends 162. The dispenser is thus in its completely assembled state, ready to be used.

However, in the context of the invention, the dispenser is removable, such that the user may remove the fastener system from the neck of the reservoir. This removal operation may be performed by unscrewing, as in the present embodiment, but it may also be performed by any other appropriate action that enables the fastener system to be removed without being destroyed.

By removing the fastener ring from the neck of the reservoir, the abutment tabs 16 conserve their orientation imposed by the rigid hoop 2, and their free ends 166 are released from the neck, and may thus relax elastically so as to extend radially inwards even more. FIG. 7 shows the dispenser in its removed state. It should be observed that the free end 166 of the abutment tab 16 comes into abutment against the annular edge 43 of the neck of the reservoir. Thus, it is no longer possible to re-assemble the fastener system on the neck, as a result of the abutment tabs 16 preventing the fastener tabs 15 from being engaged around the neck. Because of the inward and downward sloping orientation of the bottom section 164, even if the fastener system is pressed down hard, this would tend to engage the abutment tabs 16 or deform them inwards even more, and might even make them penetrate a little into the neck of the reservoir.

By means of the invention, the abutment tabs 16 prevent the dispenser from being re-assembled, without preventing initial assembly or removal. This is made possible by subjecting the abutment tabs 16 to a combination of deformations: namely a plastic deformation that is permanent by being pivoted about their top ends by engaging the hoop 2, and an elastic deformation that is reversible with their free ends 166 pressing elastically against the neck.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A fastener system (1, 2) for fastening a dispenser member (3) on a reservoir neck (41) so as to constitute a fluid dispenser, the dispenser being removable by removing the fastener system from the neck, the system comprising a fastener ring (1) and a rigid hoop (2), the ring (1) comprising a skirt (14) for engaging around the neck (41), the skirt (14) including fastener tabs (15), the hoop (2) is then engaged around the skirt (14) in such a manner as to push the fastener tabs hard against the neck (41), the ring (1) with the hoop (2) engaged around the skirt being removable from the neck, the fastener system being characterized in that the skirt (14) further includes at least one abutment tab (16) that projects radially outwards before the hoop (2) is engaged around the skirt (14), the abutment tab (16) is deformed radially inwards by the hoop (2) and pushed elastically against the neck, and after removal of the dispenser the abutment tab (16) projects radially and relaxes elastically inwards relative to the fastener tabs (15) so as to come into abutment against the reservoir neck (41) when an attempt is made to re-assemble the fastener ring (1) on the neck (41) after the dispenser has been removed for the first time.

12. A fastener system according to claim 11, wherein the abutment tab (16) comprises a top section (161) having a bottom end (163) and a top end (162) that is connected to the remainder of the ring, and a bottom section (164) having a top end (165) that is connected to the bottom end (163) of the top section, the two sections (161, 164) extending relative to each other, forming an angle between them, the top section (161) flaring outwards before the hoop is engaged around the skirt.

13. A fastener system according to claim 12, wherein the abutment tab (16) is deformed inwards permanently by the hoop (2) at the top end (162) of the top section (161) that is connected to the remainder of the ring.

14. A fastener system according to claim 12, wherein the top section (161) extends axially and the bottom section (164) extends inwards after the hoop (2) has been engaged around the skirt (14).

15. A fastener system according to claim 12, wherein the hoop (2) comes into contact with the top section (165), the bottom section (163) being deformed elastically, in non-permanent manner, against the neck (41).

16. A fastener system according to claim 11, wherein the abutment tab (16) includes a free bottom end (166) that is in contact with the neck (41), with non-permanent elastic deformation.

17. A fastener system according to claim 12, wherein the fastener tabs include profiles (151) that are deformed plastically against a thread (42) of the neck (41).

18. A fastener system according to claim 11, including a plurality of abutment tabs (16) that are arranged in alternating manner between the fastener tabs (15).

19. A fluid dispenser comprising a fluid reservoir (4) including a neck (41), a dispenser member (3), such as a pump, and a fastener system (1, 2) according to claim 11, wherein the hoop (2) causes the abutment tab (16) to pivot inwards permanently, and presses it elastically against the neck (41) of the reservoir (4).

20. A dispenser according to claim 19, wherein the neck (41) includes an external thread (42), the fastener tabs (15) being engaged with the external thread (42) of the neck, the hoop (2) pushing the fastener tabs (15) against the neck (41).

21. The fastener system according to claim 11, wherein the dispenser member is a pump.

22. The dispenser according to claim 19, wherein the dispenser member is a pump.