A CONTAINER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Abstract: A container unit comprises an integrally formed container component (1) comprising a casing (20) and a closure (10), which includes a lid (11) intially sealed with an original seal (12). A separate bottom piece (30) for the container is permanently secured to the casing (20) of the container component containing the product, preferably by rotation-friction welding the bottom piece and the casing, both of which consist of polypropene. The component (1) is oriented with the closure (10) facing down and the product is poured in via the open end of the casing. The bottom piece is then placed in the open end of the container casing and rotation-friction welded to the casing. A partition (36) may be inserted in the casing to define a space for the product corresponding to the volume of the product.

Description: The invention relates to a container unit of the type described in the preamble to the appended independent product claim, and a method of manufacturing said container in accordance with the preamble to the appended independent method claim. EP-A-76 418 discloses a sealed plastic container filled with product having a container body with a neck portion provided with a collar and a closure plug adaped for sealing engagement with the collar. The bottom end of the container body is initially open. For filling, the container is placed in an upside-down position and filled with the product. A premanufactured bottom closure element is fitted to the bottom opening and sealed to the container body by ultrasound welding. A method for manufacture of the container and for filling and sealing it is also disclosed. FR-A-2 383 834 discloses a method for manufacture, filling and sealing of a container made in thermoplastic material similar to that disclosed in EP-A-76 418 but instead of a plug, having at its neck a sealed foil which can be torn-off. In order to simplify the manufacturing, filling and handling of originally sealed containers for tablets and the like, such as pharmaceutical tablets, a container unit is proposed having its features defined in the appended claim 1. Embodiments of the container unit are defined in the sub-claims directed to the container unit. The method according to the invention is defined in the appended independent claim directed to the method. Embodiments of the method are defined in the sub-claims directed to the method. According to the invention, therefore, a container component is used consisting of a container casing provided at one end with a permanently secured sealing means sealed with an original seal. This component is oriented with the closure facing down and can then be filled with the desired product, i.e. tablets or the like. Thereafter a filler body or a partition may be inserted to adjust the effective container volume to the actual product volume. A separate bottom piece can then be permanently secured to the open end of the casing. The bottom piece may be provided with a protuberance extending into the casing, said protuberance being dimensioned to fill out the free space above the product in the casing of the container unit. Such a protuberance may thus replace said filler body or partition. The bottom piece is suitably provided with an axially externally exposed recess. This recess may be designed to form a space to receive a brochure or the like relating to the product in the container. The recess is suitably closed by a lid comprising a stopper to fit into the recess in the bottom piece. The stopper is suitably provided with a flange resting against the bottom piece around its recess. The bottom piece is suitably provided with a peripheral upset defining the support surface of the container unit, the flange on the stopper thus being recessed inside the support surface. The length of the stopper is suitably adjusted to define a suitable depth for the space and possibly to define a free height in the container unit sufficient for the product volume. The size of the stopper is suitably adjusted to the size of the opening at the neck of the container closure. The closure usually includes a lid which is used after the original seal has been broken. The original lid therefore normal has a tight snap-on fit to the neck of the container. However, this entail problems for those suffering from rheumatism or some other handicap. For this reason the size of the stopper pertaining to the bottom piece has been adjusted to the size of the neck of the container, enabling it to be easily placed in the neck as a replacement for the original lid. The pharmacist/dispenser can open the original seal, for instance, cut the hinge of the original lid and remove it. He/she can then remove the stopper located in the bottom piece and insert it in or around the neck of the container to provide a loose fit. Thanks to its flange the stopper is then easy to grip when it is to be removed. Thanks to the invention a colour can be selected for the bottom piece which will identify the product or type of product or will identify the manufacturer. The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 shows a container unit according to the invention in exploded view. Figure 2 shows a filling/manufacturing sequence for the container unit. Figure 1 shows a container unit 1 comprising a circular-cylindrical casing 20 provided with an integrally formed closure 10 of rigid material consisting of a lid 11 attached via a hinge 13 so that it can be opened or closed, and an original seal 12. When the container is to be filled, the container unit 1 is turned upside down and filled with the desired product. A partition 36 is then inserted far enough to come into contact with the product, and is then secured or blocked against the casing 20. A bottom piece 30 is then fitted on the open end of the casing, preferably by means of rotation-friction welding. The casing 20 and the bottom piece 30 are suitably made of polypropene. The bottom piece is provided with an externally exposed axial recess 31 in which the stopper 37 is placed. The stopper 37 comprises a protuberance 38 extending into the recess 31 of the bottom piece 30 and a flange 39 defining the depth to which the stopper 37 is inserted into the recess 31. The bottom piece 30 is preferably provided with an indented rim around the recess 31 to take the flange 39 of the stopper 37. A thumb-grip recess 32 may be provided at the periphery of the bottom piece, to facilitate insertion of a fingernail under the flange 39 of the stopper 37 so that this can be removed from the bottom piece 30. The depth of the recess 31 may be substantially greater than the length of the protuberance 38 on the stopper so that a space is defined between the stopper 37 and the bottom piece 30 for a pamphlet (not shown), preferably relating to the product in the container. The bottom piece 30 has a protuberance 33 which extends into the container casing 20, and a shoulder 34 which forms a joint surface against the end 21 of the casing 20. The partition 36 can be omitted in an alternative embodiment, the bottom piece 30 being instead provided with a protuberance 33 having an axial length such that the protuberance 33 fills the space in the casing 20 which is not taken up by the product inside. Figure 2 shows the container component 1 oriented with the closure 10 facing down and the open end of the container casing 20 oriented up, in position A. The container component can now be inserted in a station B where product filling means 50 feed the product into the container component. The container component filled with the product is then transferred to a station C in which a partition 36 is inserted by insertion means 60, and fitted into the component 1 immediately above the product level inside, as indicated in step D. The bottom piece 30 is then applied on the container component by means of application means 70 in step E. In a following step, F, the bottom piece 30 is rotation-friction welded to the casing part 20 by welding means 80. The container filled with the product can then continue to other stations in which a pamphlet is inserted in the recess in the bottom piece 30 and a stopper inserted in the recess in the bottom piece 30, the bottom piece thus containing the pamphlet. The container component is suitably a predetermined constant height, irrespective of the extent to which it is filled and the height of the bottom piece 30 from the support surface up to the shoulder 34 is also suitably of constant height irrespectively of the axial length of the protuberance 33 in the bottom piece. The container as a whole will thus have a constant height. This is an advantage for filling operations, packing the containers and when the containers are to be provided with labels or print indicating the contents thereof.

Claims: A container comprising an integrally formed container component (1) of rigid material and a closure (10) including a lid (11) which is initially sealed with an original seal (12), and also a separate bottom piece (30) permanently secured to the casing (20) of the container (1), characterized in that the container (1) is of predetermined, standard size, the effective volume of the container (1), corresponding to the product quantity, is defined by an adjustable supporting wall below the product which is located at a level in the container corresponding to the effective volume, and the bottom piece (30) is permanently secured to the casing (20) after filling the container (1) with the desired product. A container unit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the effective volume of the container is defined by the bottom piece (30) used for the container having a protuberance (33) screening off the cross section of the casing (20), the end of said protuberance being located at a distance from the lower rim (21) of the casing (20) corresponding to the desired effective volume of the container. A container unit as claimed in claims 1-2, characterized in that a separate partition (36) is fitted in the container casing (20) at a level where the product substantially fills the space defined by the partition (36). A method of manufacturing a container unit holding a product, comprising orienting a container component (1) consisting of a closure (10) provided with an original seal (12) and a casing (20) of rigid material integrally formed therewith, with the closure (10) facing downwards, pouring the product into the container component via the open end (21) of the casing (20), placing a separate bottom piece (30) for the container unit in the open end of the container casing and joining the bottom piece (30) to the casing (20) of the container component, characterized in that a partition (36) is inserted into the casing (20) after the product has been poured in, in order to define a product space in the casing which substantially corresponds to the volume of the product. A method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that a bottom piece (30) is used which has a protuberance (33) protruding into the casing, its size being chosen to adjust the volume defined by the protuberance (33) in the container component (1) to the volume of the product in question. A method as claimed in claims 4-5, characterized in that one and the same size of container component is used for different product volumes.

Inventors: POORE, CYRIL, SAMS, BERNARD
Applicants: DUMA AB
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B65B3
IPC codes: B65B51, B29C65, B65B3, B65B61, B65D53