CONTAINER CLOSURE CAP WITH METERING APPLIANCE

Abstract: A device for metering a fluid product comprises a closure cap (1) threaded onto the neck (2) of a container and acting on the stem (10) of a valve member (3) to lift the latter of a seat (4) formed at the lower end of a cylindrical wall (16) fixedly inserted into the neck of the container against the action of a resilient member (5, 6). A metered dose of the product is dispensed by turning the container upside down and unscrewing the closure cap by then filled with the metered dose. In the inverted position the fluid product contained in the container flows into a chamber defined by the cylind­ rical wall via the opened valve member and a passage associated to the resilient element. The flow of the fluid product into the chamebr is stopped by the engage­ ment of the valve member with its seat as the closure cap is being unscrewed. In another embodiment, an intermediate element (37) having a screw-threaded neck portion (38) and a seat for the valve member is secured to an annular rim (2) of a container. A cylindrical wall formed integrally with the seat is in sealingly slid­ ing engagement with a cylindrical wall (39) formed integrally with the bottom wall of the closure cap (1). A tubular element (40) formed integrally with the cylindrical wall protects the resilient element from contact with the fluid to be dis­ pensed. A metered dose of the product is dispensed by turning the container upside down and unscrewing the clos­ ure cap. The screw-threaded peripheral wall of the closure cap remains clean during filling and emptying the metering chamber defined by the cylindrical wall (16).

Description: The invention relates to a metering and dispensing device for a liquid product contained in a container as indicated in the precharacterizing part of claim 1. In such a prior art device (US-A-2 038 418) the axially displaceable valve member comprises two valve discs rigidly connected by the valve stem. The closure cap is provided with a further stem extending downwardly into the metering chamber in order to stop movement of the valve member when the closed container is turned upside-down. The valve member is freely moveable by gravity in order to seat with its one valve disc the valve seat when the container is in its normal upward position and to seat with its other valve disc the valve seat when the container is in its inverted position and the closure cap is unscrewed in order to open the container and to empty the metering chamber. For filling the metering chamber the valve member is in its opening position by abutting with its one valve disc at the stem connected with the closure cap. DE-A-3 413 724 discloses a metering device having a metering chamber which can be connected with the interior of the container when turning the container upside-down in its inverted position for filling the metering chamber. Then a plug is depressed in order to close a first valve means between the interior of the container and the metering chamber and to open a second valve means between the metering chamber and a dispensing outlet of the metering device. In this known device the two valve means are both opened in intermediate positions in order to allow dispensing of a product contained in the container without metering. In the end positions of either of the valve means one of them is fully closed, whereas the other is fully opened. GB-A-933 962 discloses a dispensing device for liquids comprising a barrel through which liquid can be dispensed from a bottle or other container. A dispensing tube is mounted for axial movement in the barrel. The tube has an outlet outside the barrel, a valve closing the end of the tube inside the barrel and cooperating with a valve seating of the barrel, ports in the tube on the outlet side of the valve so that liquid can pass from the barrel to the inside of the tube when the valve is off its seating, and a bell which is fixed to the dispensing tube and is a sliding fit, over the barrel. Said bell is displaceable to displace the dispensing tube to position the valve of its seating in order to provide a liquid communication from the bottle through the tube to the outlet outside the barrel. It is an object of the invention to provide a metering device of extremely simple and inexpensive construction, in which the closure cap of a container is employed as one of the elements of the metering device, and which permits the user to dispense the desired doses by solely carrying out the operations necessary for closing and opening container closure caps of known construction. This object is solved in accordance with the invention by the features as claimed in claim 1. The axial displacement of the closure cap in the sense for removing it from the neck causes the valve stem to be released, permitting a resilient element provided for this purpose to return the valve member onto its seat to thereby close the passage between the interior of the container and the interior of the metering chamber delimited by the cylindrical wall before the closure cap is completely removed. According to a modified embodiment the closure cap has a cambered and deformable bottom closure wall which does not come into contact with the upper end of the valve stem before the closure cap is in the position to hermetically seal the container, and which thus permits the passage between the interior of the container and the interior of the metering chamber to be opened independently of the application of the closure cap onto the container's neck by depression of the deformable bottom closure wall. According to another modification a plunger is slidably and sealingly mounted at the center of the rigid closure bottom wall of the closure cap, so that in the closed position of the closure cap the upper end of the valve stem is in contact with the lower end of the plunger. According to still another embodiment of the invention the valve stem is biased by a resilient element towards a position in which its upper end obturates an orifice formed at the center of the bottom wall of a closure cap or of a plug slidingly and sealingly displaceable in or on the cylindrical wall fixedly inserted in the container's neck, the closure cap or plug, respectively, being connected to the end portion of the valve stem in such a manner that it is freely displaceable between a position in which the orifice is obturated by the end of the valve stem. Embodiments of the invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1 shows an embodiment in which a closure cap 1 screwed down on the neck 2 of a container acts to lift a valve member 3 off its seat, while unscrewing of the closure cap 1 permits a compression spring 5 to return the valve member 3 onto its seat 4, fig. 2 shows a modification of the embodiment of fig. 1, in which the compression spring 5 is replaced by a cambered resilient diaphragm 6 integrally formed with the seat 4, fig. 3 shows an embodiment in which the opening of the valve member 3 is controlled by depressing a cambered bottom wall 7 of the closure cap 1, fig. 4 shows an embodiment in which a displacement of a plunger 8 slidingly mounted at the center of the bottom wall 9 is effective to lift the valve member 3 off its seat 4 when the container is closed by the closure cap 1, fig. 5 shows an embodiment in which the valve member 3 is displaceable in opposite directions without the aid of a resilient element by the direct action thereon of the closure cap 1 as it is axially displaced, fig. 6 shows a modification of the embodiment of fig. 5, in which the rotation of the closure cap 1 as it is screwed onto the container's neck is transmitted to a screw-threaded stem 10 of the valve member 3 engaged in a screw-threaded bushing 11 formed at the center of the seat 4, figs. 7a and 7b show different embodiments, in which the closure cap has an orifice 12 formed at the center of its bottom wall and remains attached to the end portion 13 of the valve stem 10 in its unscrewed state, in which the spring 5 biases the valve member 3 into engagement with its seat 4, fig. 8 shows a modification of the embodiment of fig. 7, in which a plug 14 having an orifice 12 formed at the center of its bottom wall 9 and having a tubular peripheral wall 15 is slidingly and sealingly supported in a cylindrical wall 16 fixedly inserted into the neck 2, and connected to the end portion 31 of the valve stem 10, figs. 8a to 8c show a modification of the embodiment of fig .8, including means for positively preventing the con-tainer from being filled through the metering device, fig. 9 shows an embodiment substantially corresponding to the one shown in fig. 1 for use on a Container having a very short neck, if any, and figs. 10a and 10b show a modification of the embodiment shown in fig. 9. Identical or equivalent components are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the figures of the drawings and the following detailed description. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, a valve stem 10 is slidingly supported in a bushing 17 formed at the center of a cylindrical wall 16, a planar wall 18 having at least one orifice 19 connecting bushing 17 to a seat 4 of a valve member 3. A compression spring 5 disposed between the upper end of bushing 17 and the lower end of a bushing 20 fixedly secured to the end of valve stem 10 acts to bias valve member 3 onto seat 4. In the position shown in fig. 1 to the right of the centerline, a closure cap 1 is screwed down on a neck 2 of a container to sealingly close it and to thereby lift valve member 3 off its seat 4 against the bias of spring 5. For dispensing the desired dose, the thus closed container is inverted to a head-down position, and closure cap 1 is unscrewed while maintaining the container in this position. As closure cap 1 is thus being unscrewed, spring 5 acts on valve stem 10 to seat valve member 3 on seat 4 to thereby stop the flow of the product from the container. This position is reached before closure cap 1 is completely unscrewed, as shown in fig. 1 to the left of the centerline. In a modification of the embodiment of fig. 1 as shown in fig. 2, compression spring 5 is replaced by a cambered diaphragm 6 provided with at least one orifice 19 and integrally formed with cylindrical wall 16. A cylindrical wall 21 projecting downwards from the center of closure cap 1 cooperates with bushing 17 to safely guide valve stem 10 as closure cap 1 is screwed back onto neck after the dose metered into the closure cap has been dispensed therefrom. In the position shown in fig. 2 to the right of the vertical centerline, closure cap 1 is screwed down on neck 2 to sealingly close the container. In this position an annular shoulder 22 on valve stem 10 acts on diaphragm 6 to keep it dpressed as valve member 3 is lifted off its seat 4. The operation of the device shown in fig. 2 is identical to that of the fig. 1 embodiment. In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, closure cap 1 is fixed on neck 2 of a container in a resilient snap fit, by a bayonet coupling or in any similar manner to thereby sealingly close the container while valve member 3 remains engaged with seat 4 as shown in fig. 3 to the left of the vertical centerline. For dispensing the desired dose it is thus not sufficient to turn the container upside down, this action having to be accompanied by depressing the center of the cambered diaphragm 7 forming the bottom wall of closure cap 1 to thereby lift valve member 3 off its seat 4 so that the product flows from the container into the metering chamber defined by cylindrical wall 16. The position shown to the right of the vertical centerline in fig. 3 corresponds to this operating state of the device. The metering device shown in fig. 4 is a modification of the embodiment of fig. 3, in which the cambered deformable bottom wall 7 of fig. 3 is replaced by a plunger 8 slidingly and sealingly guided in a cylindrical sleeve 23 projecting downwards from the center of bottom wall 9 of closure cap 1. The operation of this modification is identical to that of the embodiment shown in fig. 3. The two last-described embodiments are particularly suitable for use with containers having closure means of the bayonet coupling or resilient snap fit type, and in which the permanent deformation of the resilient elements is to be avoided. In the embodiment of fig. 5, as closure cap 1 is screwed down onto neck 2, an annular bead 24 formed inside circular bushing 21 bears on an annular bead 25 formed on valve stem 10, so that the latter is pushed down to the position shown in fig. 5 to the right of the vertical centerline. In this position an annular shoulder 26 of valve stem 10 seats on bushing 17, so that further tightening of closure cap 1 on neck 2 causes annular bead 24 to ride over annular bead 25 shortly before the container is hermetically closed by the closure cap, as shown by dotted lines to the right of the centerline in fig. 5. In this manner closure cap 1 is connected to valve stem 10 by a resilient snap fit. The operation of this device is in all points analogous to that of the previously described embodiments. For dispensing the desired dose, the closed container is turned upside down, whereupon closure cap 1 is unscrewed. The engagement of the two annular bead 24 and 25 causes valve stem 10 to be pulled to the position shown to the left of the centerline in fig. 5, in which valve member 3 engages its seat 4 to thereby close the passage between the interior of the container and the interior of cylindrical wall 16. Further unscrewing closure cap 1 causes annular bead 24 to ride over annular bead 25 to thereby permit the closure cap containing the metered dose to be separated from the container. In a modification of the embodiment of fig. 5 as shown in fig. 6, a blade 27 projecting downwards from bottom wall 9 of closure cap 1 engages a slot 28 formed in the top end portion of valve stem 10 to thereby entrain the valve stem in rotation as closure cap 1 is screwed down onto neck 2 or unscrewed therefrom. Valve stem 10 has a screw-threaded portion 29 received in a screw-threaded bushing 11, so that its rotation causes valve member 3 to be lifted off its seat 4 in the position, in which closure cap 1 seals the container, and to be engaged with seat 4 as closure cap 1 is unscrewed. The operation of this device is identical to that previously described. In the embodiment shown in fig. 7a and 7b, the bushing 20 fixedly secured to the end of valve stem 10 is biased by compression spring 5 to obturate an orifice 12 formed at the center of bottom wall 9 in the position shown in fig. 7a and 7b to the right of the vertical centerline, in which closure cap 1 sealingly closes the container. For dispensing a desired dose, the closed container is turned upside down and closure cap 1 is unscrewed in this position. At the beginning of the unscrewing operation, bushing 20 is biased by compression spring 5 to maintain orifice 12 closed until valve member 3 rests on seat 4, whereupon valve stem 10 is prevented from moving further. This causes orifice 12 to be uncovered, permitting the metered dose retained within cylindrical wall 16 to escape therefrom through at least one passage 30 formed in cylindrical bushing 21. In its completely unscrewed state closure cap 1 remains attached to valve stem 10 by the mutual engagement of shoulders 31 and 32 formed on bushings 20 and 21, respectively. Fig. 8 shows a modification of the embodiment of fig. 7a and 7b which is particularly useful for containers such as glass bottles having a relatively long neck. In the position shown to the left of the vertical centerline in fig. 8, in which closure cap 1 hermetically seals neck 2 of the container with the aid of a sealing gasket 34, a tubular end portion 33 of valve stem 10 is biased by spring 5 into engagement with the bottom wall 9 of a plug 14 to thereby obturate orifice 12 formed at the center thereof. For dispensing the desired dose, closure cap 1 is removed by unscrewing it from neck 2, whereupon the container is turned upside down and neck 2 is pushed down onto the rim or the bottom of a suitable receptacle, whereby plug 14 is depressed to the above defined position in which the product contained in the container is permitted to flow into the metering chamber defined by cylindrical wall 16. Subsequent lifting of the container causes plug 14 to be initially pushed outwards by the tubular end portion 33 of valve stem 10 and to subsequently slide further by its own weight with its peripheral wall 15 in sealing engagement with cylindrical wall 16, to the position shown to the right of the vertical centerline, in which it remains attached to valve stem 10 by the mutual engagement of annular shoulders 31 and 32 while being freely movable relative thereto to a position in which orifice 12 is uncovered to thereby permit the product contained within the confinements of cylindrical wall 16 to flow through a connecting cage 35 into the selected receptacle. It is to be noted that in this embodiment a warranty seal made of a plastic material or metal and adapted to be destroyed when opening the container for the first time may be secured to the neck of the container by threaded engagement, in a snap fit or press fit or by any other known means. After the container has been opened for the first time, the closure cap or warranty seal is no longer required, as the valve member 3 ensures hermetical sealing of the container. In the embodiment shown in fig. 8, even the employ of a warranty seal or the like cannot fully guarantee the authenticity of the product contained in the container. It would in fact be possible to fill the container with any other product by the successive introduction of metered doses thereof. This could be accomplished by lifting plug 14 to the position shown to the right of the vertical centerline in fig. 8 and filling the metering chamber through orifice 12, followed by depressing plug 14 to the position in which valve member 3 opens the passage towards the interior of the container. To exclude this possibility of fraud, a modification of the embodiment shown in fig. 8 is shown in fig. 8a to 8c to comprise a cup-shaped member 36 formed with a central opening and slidably supported with plug 14 between a position (fig. 8a) in which it rests on bottom wall 9 of plug 14 to thereby open the passage from the interior of the metering chamber to the exterior of the device, and a second position (fig. 8b) in which it rests on the end face 31 of the tubular end portion 33 of valve stem 10 to thereby obturate the above mentioned passage. Otherwise the operation of the modification of fig. 8a to 8c is similar to that of the embodiment shown in fig. 8. Shown in fig. 9 is a metering device similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, for use with a container having a very short neck, if any. In this embodiment, a cylindrical wall 39 formed integrally with valve seat 4 is in sealingly sliding engagement with the interior surface of cylindrical wall 16a which in this case is integrally formed with the flat bottom wall of closure cap 1 so as to project downwards therefrom. Cylindrical wall 39 forms part of an intermediate element 37 having an integrally formed neck portion 38 and being secured to the short neck 2 of a container by a resilient snap fit. The lower portion of the peripheral wall of closure cap 1 is in threaded engagement with threads formed on neck portion 38. A tubular element 40 formed integrally with a bottom wall 18 of intermediate element 37 protects compression spring 5 from contact with the product to be dispensed from container. The operation of the device shown in fig. 9 is similar to that of the embodiment shown in fig. 1. In a modification of the fig. 9 embodiment shown in fig. 10a and 10b bottom wall 18 of intermediate element 37 is replaced by radial webs 41 to thereby increase the cross-sectional area of the passage between the interior of the container and the interior of the metering chamber. The operation of the modification of fig. 10a and 10b is similar to that of the embodiment shown in fig. 9. The embodiment shown in fig. 9 and its modification of fig. 10a and 10b offer certain advantages over the various embodiments shown in figs. 1 to 8. In the first place, the screw-threaded circumferential wall of closure cap 1 remains clean as the metering chamber is being filled. This is because the cylindrical wall 16a formed integrally with closure cap 1 completely separates the screw-threaded portion of the closure cap from the metering chamber. In the second place, the screw-threaded peripheral wall of closure cap 1 remains clean also as the metering chamber is emptied, because the axial length of cylindrical wall 16a is greater than that of the peripheral wall of closure cap 1. In the third place, a rapid filling of the metering chamber is achieved due on the one hand to the increased cross-sectional area of the passages between the interior of the container and the metering chamber, and on the other hand to the vacuum created in the metering chamber as the closure cap is unscrewed during the filling operation. The spring 5 is completely isolated from the product to be metered by the tubular element 40. The metering device does not require the admission of ambient air to the interior of the container as the metering chamber is being filled. In the filling position the metering chamber is completely isolated from ambient air while communicating with the interior of the container through a wide passage, permitting the product to flow from the container into the metering chamber without creating a vacuum within the container. The filling operation is accelerated by unscrewing the closure cap while maintaining a hermetic seal in that the resulting increase of the volume of the metering chamber creates a suction effect in its interior. The intermediate element of these embodiments may be made of a plastic material and secured to the neck or to the rim of an opening formed in a container as by means of a bayonet coupling, by a resilient snap fit, by adhesive bonding, by welding or in any other suitable manner.

Claims: A metering and dispensing device for a fluid product contained in a container sealingly closed by a removable closure cap (1) or by a plug (14), with a metering chamber delimited by a cylindrical wall (16, 18, 39) fixedly and sealingly inserted in a neck (2) of said container and open at its lower end and closable by an axially displaceable valve member (3), integrally formed with an upwardly extending valve stem (10) axially displaceable to seat said valve member (3) on a valve seat (4) and to unseat said valve member (3) from said valve seat (4) using said closure cap (1) or said plug (14) when said container is closed by said closure cap (1), or when said plug (14) is depressed, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said closure cap (1) or said plug (14) located at the upper end of said stem (10) slidably and sealingly engages the cylindrical wall (16, 18, 39) of said metering chamber such that when removing said cap (1) or plug (14) from said container said metering chamber remains closed at its upper end by said closure cap (1) or said plug (14) until said valve member (3) is forced by resilient means (5, 6) to seat on said valve seat (4) whereafter further axial displacement of said closure cap (1) or said plug (14) without axial displacement of said valve stem (10) opens the metering chamber to the exterior of the device. A metering device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the exterior or interior surface of the upper end portion of said cylindrical wall (16, 18, 39) is configured in such a manner that said closure cap (1) is sealingly slidable on said exterior or interior surface. A metering device according to claim 1 or 2, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said valve member (3) remains in its closed postion when said closure cap (1) is in its position closing said container, and is adapted to be opened only in this position by axially depressing a plunger (8) sealingly slidable in a cylindrical sleeve (23) formed at the center of the bottom wall (9) of said closure cap (1), or by axially depressing a cambered diaphragm (7) forming said bottom wall. A metering device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT an annular bead (24) formed within a tubular wall (21) projecting downwards from the center of the bottom wall of said closure cap (1) is adapted during displacement of said closure cap towards its closure position to bear on an annular bead (25) formed on said stem (10) of said valve member (3), and to interconnect said closure cap (1) and said stem (10) by resilient snap engagement in a position in which a radial shoulder (26) of said stem during the descent thereof abuts a central portion (17) of said seat of said valve member, said closure cap (1) and said stem (10) being separated from one another during displacement of the closure cap (1) in the opposite direction at a position at which said valve member (3) is pulled into engagement with said seat (4) by the action of the closure cap. A metering device according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT a closure cap (1) screw-threaded onto the neck (2) of a container is adapted during closing or opening said container to entrain in rotation the screw-threaded stem (10) of said valve member (3), said stem cooperating with a screw-threaded bushing (11) disposed at a center portion (18) of said seat (4) of said valve member, the above assembly being arranged in such a manner that rotation of said stem (10) in the direction of closing said container causes said valve member (3) to be displaced away from its seat (4), while rotation of said stem in the opposite direction corresponding to the opening direction of said container causes said valve member (3) to be displaced towards its position in which it is seated on its seat (4). A metering device according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT an upper end portion (20) of said stem (10) of said valve member (3) is biased by a resilient element (5) to obturate an orifice (12) formed at the center of the bottom wall (9) of said closure cap (1) in the position in which said closure cap sealingly closes said container, to thereby simultaneously lift said valve member (3) off its seat, the opening of said orifice (12) occurring at a position in which said closure cap (1), while remaining attached to said neck of said container has been unscrewed so as to permit said valve member (3) to be returned onto its seat by the biasing force of said resilient element (5). A metering device according to claims 1, 2 and 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT a plug (14) comprising a bottom wall (9) having a central orifice (12) and a cylindrical circumferential wall (15) is sealingly slidable within said cylindrical wall (16), said plug being attached to the end of said stem (10) of said valve member (3) in such a manner that it is freely displaceable between a position in which said central orifice (12) is open, and a position in which said central orifice is closed by the upper end of said stem (10) under the biasing force of said resilient element (5) and in which a depression of said plug (14) causes said valve member (3) to be displaced away from its seat (4), a closure cap (1) made of a plastic or metallic material and provided with means for indicating the first opening of the container being provided for sealingly closing the container and for depressing said plug (14) to said position in which said valve member (3) is separated from its seat (4). A metering device according to claims 1, 2 or any of claims 4 to 7, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the displacements of said valve member (3) relative to its seat (4) are brought about by sliding displacement or screw motion of said stem (10) within a bushing formed at the center portion of the seat (4) of said valve member. A metering device according to claim 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said stem (10) of said valve member is fixedly connected to said resilient element (6) integrally formed with said seat (4) of said valve member. A metering device according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT a cup-shaped member (36) having a central orifice is freely displaceable within said circumferential wall (15) of said plug (14) between a position in which it abuts the bottom wall (9) of said plug (14) to thereby open the passage between the interior of the metering chamber and the exterior, and a second position in which it abuts a tubular end portion (3) of said stem (10) to thereby close said passage. A metering device according to any of claims 1 to 10, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT an intermediate element (37) comprising a central orifice forming said seat (4) for said valve member (3) and a neck portion (38) is fixedly secured to the neck (2) of a container, said valve member (3) being axially displaceable with the aid of said stem (10) by said closure cap (1) attached to said neck portion (38) for opening and closing said orifice in such a manner that said valve member (3) is separated from its seat (4) when said container is closed by said closure cap (1), while in the opened state of said container said valve member (3) is forced into engagement with its seat (4) to thereby close the passage between the interior of said container and the interior of said cylindrical wall (39) formed integrally with said intermediate element (37). A metering device according to claim 11, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said cylindrical wall (39) is formed integrally with said seat (4) and projecting thereabove and said closure cap (1) is sealingly slidable on the exterior surface of said cylindrical wall (39). A metering device according to any of claims 1 to 12, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said resilient element (5, 6) comprises a spring (5), a cambered diaphragm (6) or a resilient tongue means (24, 25). A metering device according to claim 11 or 12, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said cylindrical wall (39) being connected by web elements (41) to a tubular element (40) disposed at an axial location of the device, said tubular element (40) surrounding a helical spring (5) having its lower end supported on the surface of an annular shoulder (42) formed adjacent the lower end of said tubular element (40) and its upper end supported on the annular end face of an annular member (20) secured to the upper end of said stem (10), so that said stem (10) is guided within said tubular element (40).

Inventors: WASSILIEFF, VICTOR
Applicants: CREANOVA AG
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G01F11
IPC codes: B65D41, B65D47, G01F11