Closure device for a fluid product reservoir

The invention relates to a closure device (100; 200; 300), for fitting to an opening (41) of a fluid product reservoir (4), said device being embodied in a monobloc form by injection/molding of plastic material and comprising a fixing body (110; 210; 310) for cooperation with the opening on the reservoir to produce a sealed fixing, a distribution duct (120; 220; 320), forming an outlet passage (121; 221; 321) for the fluid product contained within the reservoir, said duct forming a distribution opening (122; 222; 322), a closing body (13; 23; 33), for sealing said duct, said closing body being connected to the distribution duct (120; 220; 320) by means of at least one link of material (132; 232; 332), designed to break on the first withdrawal of the closing body. The invention is characterized in that said closing body (130; 23; 33) comprises a sealing part (131; 231; 234; 331; 334), said sealing part, before sealing, leaves the distribution opening free and, after sealing, closes the distribution opening (122; 222; 322) in a sealed manner.

The present invention relates to a closure device intended to be mounted on the opening of a reservoir for a fluid product. The closure device acts as a stopper for the reservoir but must also enable dispensing of the fluid product contained within the reservoir. This type of closure device is frequently used for the packaging of liquid or powdery products.

The closure device may be in the form of an end-piece comprising a part which can be fixed to the reservoir opening and a removable or movable part able to clear an outlet passage to allow dispensing of the fluid product contained in the reservoir. The closure device therefore also allows selective dispensing of the fluid product.

Reservoirs have long been known in bottle form to contain water, beverages or more generally fluid products. The bottle body may be made of plastic or a complex film forming a flexible pouch or semi-rigid carton. The bottle also comprises an end-piece attached to the body of the bottle. This end-piece comprises a duct or neck that optionally carries an outer thread. The end-piece also comprises a screw-cap or press-fit cap which can be forcibly fitted onto the neck.

Closure devices also exist fitted with guarantee or tamper indicating means. When the closure device is in the form of an end-piece comprising a dispensing duct with added cap, the tamper indicating means may be in the form of a band that is integral with the duct and connected to the cap by bridges of frangible material. When the cap is first removed the bridges of material are broken leaving the band integral with the duct. Another tamper indicating means is in the form of a cover, generally heat retractable and surrounding at least part of the cap and part of the duct. Before first use, the user must remove this cover by tearing it off.

The filling of reservoirs fitted with said closure devices may be made in two different ways. One first manner consists of filling the reservoir through the duct formed by the closure device. The cap is then placed on the duct. The cap then forms a part separate from the duct. The second manner consists of filling the reservoir via its bottom end which is initially open. The bottom of the reservoir is then sealed. In this case the cap is initially placed in position on the duct. The closure device may comprise a tamper indicating means. This is not the case with the first filling method since the cap must be placed in position once filling has been completed. An additional tamper indicating means may however still be provided but this requires an additional operation.

Document EP 0 763 482 A1 discloses a closure device comprising a spout and a cap. The spout has a base intended to be fixed to the opening of a package in sealed manner. The cap is joined to the spout by a thin wall which can be broken to separate the cap from said spout. According to this document, the spout, cap and frangible wall may form a monolithic structure. The frangible wall extends circumferentially around the spout forming a junction making the closure device impervious. In addition, snap-on fastening means are provided also guaranteeing the sealing of said closure device. The closure device in this document is made by injection moulding plastic material in which the liquid plastic material is injected under pressure into a mould. The preamble of the main claim is based on this prior art.

The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the said drawbacks of the prior art by defining a closure device with which it is possible to fill the reservoir indifferently either through the closure device or via the bottom end of the reservoir. Another objective of the closure device of the invention is to require a minimum number of parts. A further objective is that the closure device should comprise a tamper indicating means which is advantageously integrated within the closure device to form a single piece.

To attain these objectives the present invention proposes a closure device having the characteristics of the main claim. Advantageously the closing member, said dispensing duct and said at least one bridge of material are monolithically formed. The bridge or bridges of material provide the user with direct visual indication of any prior opening of the closure device.

Advantageously, the sealable part is deformable and can be welded to itself.

According to a first embodiment, the sealable part may be pinched or crushed and then welded. According to another embodiment, the sealable part comprises a fixed element connected to the duct by said at least one bridge of material and a sealing cap intended to be fixed irremovably onto the fixed element, said cap closing and sealing the dispensing orifice. Advantageously, the cap is joined articulated fashion to the fixed element. The articulation between the cap and the fixed element forms a deformable part. Preferably, the cap and the fixed element are formed monolithically.

Although final, advantageously impervious, fixing of the cap onto the fixed element may be obtained by mere mechanical engagement, it is advantageous to weld the cap onto the fixed element.

According to a further characteristic, the cap forms a sealing bush intended to come into sealed contact with the duct to close it imperviously. This sealing bush is used to form a seal before and/or after the first removal of the closing member.

According to a further characteristic the bridge of material extends continuously around a duct, also forming a sealed junction between the duct and the closing member. In this case, a sealing bush is not necessary.

In one practical embodiment, the closure device comprises a peripheral sleeve connected at one end to the outside of the duct by said at least one bridge of material, said sleeve comprising an opposite peripheral end forming the sealable part. The sleeve may form or consist of the fixed element.

According to a further characteristic of the invention, the duct and the closing member are provided with snap-fit means intended to cooperate after the breakage of said at least one bridge of material. Therefore the closing member may be held fixedly onto the duct after its first removal. Advantageously the snap-fit means form sealing means closing the duct.

According to another aspect, the fixing member comprises a fixing appendage on which it is intended to secure the opening of a flexible pouch, advantageously by welding. The closure device of the invention finds priority application when associated with a flexible pouch which advantageously has a characteristic of being freely deformable. However other reservoirs such as cartons may also be used. Rigid reservoirs are not excluded.

Preferably, the closure device is formed as a single piece by the injection moulding of plastic material.

In the three embodiments of the invention, the parts, elements, members, zones or areas fulfilling identical functions are denoted with numerical references comprising the same tenth root but differing in their hundredth digit. Therefore the first embodiment comprises numerical references for the first hundred, the second embodiment comprises numerical references with the second hundred and the third embodiment carries numerical references with the third hundred. The closure device in the first embodiment is denoted100, in the second embodiment by numerical reference200and in the third embodiment by numerical reference300.

We refer firstly toFIGS. 1a,1b,1c,1dand1eto describe the first embodiment. The closure device100shown in fullFIGS. 1a,1band1dis preferably made by injecting plastic material into a mould. Preferably the plastic material is relatively rigid. It may however have characteristics of deformability with reduced thicknesses. According to the invention the closure device100is made as a single piece. This means that it is made in one same mould.

The closure device100comprises a fixing member110which comprises a fixing appendage112in the form of an eye or lozenge. The outer shape of the fixing appendage112however is generally cylindrical. On the inside the fixing member defines an inlet passage111. As can be seenFIG. 1d,a container, which here is in the form of a freely deformable flexible pouch4, defines an inner volume40intended to be filled with fluid product. The flexible pouch4comprises an opening41which is fixed, advantageously by welding, onto the fixing appendage112of the fixing member110. The flexible pouch4may for example be made from a complex film that is folded over and then welded on its side edges42and at the opening41. The use of said flexible pouch4in association with the closure device of the invention is of particular advantage but it is not to be considered as limitative or unique. Other types of container may be used in association with the closure device of the invention. The inlet passage111formed inside the fixing member110communicates directly with the effective inner volume40of the flexible pouch4. Above fixing member110the closure device100comprises a duct120which inwardly defines an outlet passage121which communicates upstream with inlet passage111and downstream with the outside at a dispensing orifice122. Duct120is provide outwardly with a ring-shaped plateau140which extends radially outward from duct120. This plateau140partly or fully overhangs fixing member110, as can be seen in the figures. On the outside, duct120also forms one or more peripheral bosses123for snap-fit fastening which project radially outwards. In the case shown in the figures, there is only one continuous boss. This embossment is located above plateau140. Duct120is joined monolithically at its lower end to the fixing member110and comprises an opposite upper end which is connected to a sleeve130via a bridge of frangible material132. This bridge of frangible material132extends continuously around the upper end of the duct120like a collar or band. The continuous bridge132joins the sleeve130on the inside of the sleeve. This can be seenFIG. 1band more clearlyFIG. 1cwhich is an enlarged view of detail D1inFIG. 1b.It can be noted in particular that the outer diameter of the duct120at its upper end is smaller than the inner diameter of sleeve130at its lower end. The bridge132connects the outside of duct120to the inside of the sleeve130. Duct120, in its part located above the plateau40, is preferably of circular cylindrical section. This similarly applies to sleeve130in its lower part. A little above its lower end the sleeve130inwardly forms a snap-fit bead133which projects radially inward. The bead here is continuous around the periphery of the sleeve. The inner diameter at the bead133is smaller than the outer diameter of the duct120at the embossment123. The sleeve130also forms a collar150which here acts as means for gripping the sleeve130. This grip collar150is located above the bead133. Preferably that part of sleeve130located below the collar has a substantially circular cylindrical section. The sleeve130also extends above the grip collar150. This upper part of the sleeve130defines a sealable part131located in the vicinity of its open, upper free end. Sleeve130defines an inner passage which connects the outlet passage121of duct120with the outside. It is therefore possible to fill the container on which the closure device100is mounted. The fluid product is able to pass through sleeve130, duct120and fixing member110until it reaches the inside of the reservoir. Once the reservoir is filled, the closure device must be sealed. For this purpose, the invention provides that the sealable part131of sleeve130is designed to be deformable so that the duct120can be pinched until its inner wall makes self-contact. This is achieved by crushing the duct120. When the inner wall of the duct makes self-contact a welding technique is used, for example with ultrasound, to weld the sleeve130. This is shownFIG. 1d.It can be seen that the sealable part131forms an impervious closure. To impart this deformability characteristic to the sleeve, it is advantageous that the upper part of the sleeve located above the grip collar150should have a reduced wall thickness with respect to the lower part located underneath the grip collar150. Also, the grip collar150promotes the dimensional stability and rigidity of the lower part of the sleeve130located below it. When the upper end of the sleeve130at its zone131is imperviously sealed the content of the reservoir is isolated from the outside. The bridge of material which connects the sleeve to the duct extends continuously around the duct inside the sleeve. There is therefore no outlet passage at the bridge of material.

When the user wishes to use the dispenser equipped with the closure device of the invention, the reservoir4is held in one hand and the other hand takes hold of the grip collar150. A traction force is then exerted or a rotational force on collar150which causes the continuous bridge of material132connecting sleeve130to duct120to be broken. The sleeve130and its associated grip collar150can then be removed from the remainder of the closure device formed of the sleeve120, plateau140and fixing member110. The dispensing orifice122is then cleared so that the fluid product can be dispensed. The sleeve130with its collar150form a closure member13similar to a removable cap.

The bridge of material132acts as guarantee or tamper indicating means offering the user direct visual indication of first use of the closure device.

It is to be noted that the closure device of the invention is formed as a single piece by the injection moulding of plastic material, and it allows filling through the closure device and subsequent sealing of the closure device without removing or adding any additional part. Mere welding after pinching the upper end of the sleeve130makes it possible to achieve this sealing.

According to the invention, the closing member13can be repositioned on the duct120once the bridge of material132has been broken. The lower part of the sleeve130can be engaged around the duct120until the bead133of sleeve130comes into contact with the embossment123of the sleeve120. Additional pressure exerted for example on the grip collar150causes the bead133to pass below the boss123to active snap-fit closure. This can be seenFIG. 1dand more clearlyFIG. 1ewhich is an enlargement of detail D2inFIG. 1d.The final position is reached when the lower end of the sleeve130abuts the plateau140. Advantageously, this snap-fitting also achieves a seal between the closing member13and the duct. The closing member13can therefore be removed and repositioned at will. Hence the closing member13which initially acts as filling nozzle and as guarantee of first use is then conventionally used as a re-positionable capping member. Once in place as shownFIG. 1d,the grip collar150and the plateau140together define a gripping space intended to receive two fingers of the user, affording easy-carrying of the dispenser formed of reservoir4and closure device100.

In the second embodiment shownFIGS. 2a,2b,2cand2dthe closure device200is also formed as a single piece by the injection of plastic material. It also comprises a fixing member210inwardly defining an inlet passage211, a duct220inwardly defining an outlet passage221leading to a dispensing orifice222and a closing member23which cooperates with duct220. The closing member23is preferably formed as a single piece.

Duct220is provided with two gripper wings250which extend crosswise in diametrically opposite manner from duct220. Above these two wings250, the duct220outwardly forms a snap-fit embossment223. At its upper end, the sleeve220inwardly forms a sealing lip224. It can even be said that this lip224defines the dispensing orifice222.

The closing member23comprises a sleeve230defining a lower end forming a snap-fit bead233which subsequently cooperates with the snap-fit embossment223of duct220. Sleeve230is joined to duct220at the level of bead233via a bridge of material232. This bridge232may be continuous extending over the entire periphery of the duct inside the sleeve. As a variant, there may be several bridges of material in the form of discrete junction points. The sleeve230extends concentrically around the upper part of duct220. At its upper end, the sleeve230forms a sealable part231here in the form of a band231which extends radially outwards. The sleeve230forms a fixed element made integral with duct220via the bridge or bridges of material232. As in the preceding embodiment, the bridge(s) of material are intended to break or yield so as to separate the sleeve230from the duct220.

The closing member23also comprises a cap234which is connected to sleeve230via an articulation235. This articulation235is formed at the band231. The articulation235therefore connects the cap234with the band231. The cap234forms a sealing disc236intended to make contact with band231around its entire periphery. This is possible since disc236is articulated with respect to the band231at the articulation235. On this account the cap234is able to pivot with respect to the sleeve230so as to close disc236down onto the band231, as shownFIG. 2b.The cap234preferably forms a skirt237intended to house itself inside the sleeve230. Skirt237may for example be forcibly housed inside sleeve230. It is also possible to provide for final, irremovable fixing means so that cap234can no longer be removed from the sleeve230once the cap234is closed down onto the sleeve230. The skirt237may for example be provided with a harpooning profile intended to bite into the inner wall of sleeve230. It is also possible to provide for snap-fit means at this level. The fixing of cap234onto sleeve230advantageously achieves a peripheral seal so that the product cannot leak between the band231and the disc236. According to a preferred embodiment, the cap234is welded onto the sleeve230at the level of the band231and disc236. It will easily be understood with reference toFIG. 2bthat peripheral welding may be made at the connecting edges of the band231and disc236. The seal may however be achieved solely by the skirt237. The cap234also forms a sealing bush238intended to house itself sealed fashion inside the duct220at the sealing lip224. More precisely, the sealing lip224is slightly deformed against the outer wall of the bush238as can be seenFIG. 2b.Therefore the fluid product cannot leak outside the outlet passage221sealed by bush238.

As in the preceding embodiment, the closing member forms a sealable part which here consists of the band231and cap234. In the position shownFIG. 2a,the outlet passage221opens towards the outside and it is therefore possible to fill a reservoir connected to the fixing member210. After filling, the cap can be closed down as previously. It may even be welded. This gives the position shownFIG. 2b.When a user wishes to use the dispenser equipped with the closure device200, one hand may take hold of the reservoir, the duct220or the wings250and the other hand takes hold of the closing member23. A rotational or traction force is then used to break the bridge(s) of material232. The closing member may then be removed from the duct220. Dispensing of the fluid product then becomes possible via duct220. The closing member23can also be repositioned: it is possible to engage the sleeve230around the duct220until the bead233engages underneath the embossment223. This is shownFIG. 2d.The sealing bush238is then fully engaged in lip224.

In this embodiment, the sealing bush fulfils the functions of a sealable end-piece for filling, a tamper indicating means and a conventional function of re-positionable cap whilst being formed monolithically. Welding is even optional.

Closure device300in the third embodiment of the invention has a structure and functioning comparable to that of the second embodiment200. Closure device300also comprises a fixing member310forming a fixing appendage312inside which an inlet passage311extends. A dispensing duct320extends above the fixing member310. Duct320forms an outlet passage321in the continuation of the inlet passage311. At its downstream end the outlet passage321forms a dispensing orifice322. The outer wall of the duct320also forms a continuous peripheral embossment323. However, this embossment323may also be in the form of several bosses regularly distributed around the periphery of duct320. The closure device300also comprises a closing member33which, although of different shape to the one in the second embodiment, integrates functionally identical elements. The closing member33comprises a sleeve330which extends in substantially concentric manner around the duct320. The lower end of the sleeve330forms a snap-fit bead333at whose level the sleeve330is joined to the duct320via four discrete bridges of material332. At its opposite upper end the sleeve330forms a sealing band331. The sleeve330is joined to a cap334via an articulating hinge335. The cap334forms a sealing edge336intended make contact with the sealing band331of sleeve330. The cap334also forms a sealing bush338intended to come into sealed contact with the outside of the upper end of sleeve320as can be seenFIG. 3b.When the closure device is in the state shownFIG. 3e,the dispensing orifice322is fully cleared so that it is possible to fill the reservoir connected to the fixing member310via duct320. When the reservoir is filled the cap334can be closed down onto the sleeve330by pivoting around the articulation hinge335. The edge336then joins with the band331. To achieve an ensured seal, peripheral welding may be made at the point where the band331and edge336make contact. The sleeve330and the cap334then form a single monolithic unit that cannot be dismounted. The closing member33is also provided with two gripper wings350which extend in diametrically opposite manner. When taking hold of the closing member33by its wings350and applying a tractional force or preferably a rotation the four bridges of material332are broken so that the closing member33is separated from duct320. The closing member can then be removed so as to clear the dispensing orifice322to allow dispensing of the fluid product.

As in the two preceding embodiments, the closing member33can be repositioned on duct320. To ensure fixing of the closing member onto the duct, all that is needed is to engage the closing member on the duct until the bead333of sleeve330comes to house itself below the boss323of conduit320. The seal is ensured in the upper part by bush338which comes into sealed contact with the upper end of the duct320.

In the three embodiments just described, several characteristics in common are found. A first characteristic which in itself can be protected, i.e. independently of the other characteristics, lies in the fact that the closing member13,23,33is initially connected to the outlet duct120,220,320by one or more bridges of frangible material132,232,332. A second characteristic, which could also be protected as such, lies in the fact that the closing member13,23,33comprises a sealable part131,231,331which makes it possible to close the communication between duct320and the outside. A further characteristic lies in the fact that the closing member comprises a deformable part131,235,335. A still further characteristic lies in the fact that the closing member can be repositioned and held in place by snap-fitting.