CONTAINER FOR FLUID MATERIAL

Abstract: A container (1) obtained by blow-moulding of two face-to-face sheets of plastics has an outlet neck (2) which can be opened by peeling apart a zone of an outline seal rib (3) and which can be re-closed by means of a fork (14) connected by a strap (15) to a ring (6). The ring (6) slides on the neck (2) and has an internal surface formed with diametrically opposite incisions (7) to guide the ring (6) on the rib (3). The incisions (7) are interconnected by internal surface zones diverging towards the outer end of the neck (2) to accommodate correspondingly shaped parts of the neck which are splayed by lowering of the ring (6) after the neck (2) has been opened. The bases of the incisions (7) converge towards the outer end of the neck (2) to co-operate with correspondingly converging edges of the rib (3). To hold the ring (6) in position, upper edges of the bases of the incisions (7) engage stepped seats formed in the rib (3).

Description: CONTAINER FOR FLUID MATERIAL The invention concerns a container for fluid material, that is, a vessel, for example a flask, or a bottle, for containing fluid substances, for example, liquids, or powders, mainly, but not exclusively, for domestic use. Prior art comprises flasks, or bottles, obtained by a blow- moulding method comprising welding and heat-forming sheets of plastics, for fluid products in general, which may be opened by cutting, or tearing, the upper end of a neck: the opening procedure is not particularly easy for the consumer, entailing a certain amount of time-wasting: in fact, opening by cutting entails the use of appropriate tools, such as scissors, or knives, which are particularly dangerous in a domestic environment, whereas opening by tearing is, for the most part, imprecise and often results in an accidental spillage of the fluid material; the closing of such containers is made possible by snap-in, or screw-in, plugs inserted in the correspondingly shaped opening of the neck. WO-94/08852 discloses such a container in which the welding zone of the sheets constitutes an outline seal rib of the container. In one version, a re-closing, screw cap co¬ operates with saw-toothing formed on the outer edge of the rib at respective opposite sides of the neck, the screw cap also being arranged to co-operate with interrupted threading formed on respective opposite walls of the neck. In another version, a re-closing, non-screw cap is formed internally with diametrically opposite slots which receive the respective parts of the rib at respective opposite sides of the discharge mouth of the container to locate and retain tήe cap on the opened neck. We are aware of International Patent Application PCT/EP94/ 02493, which describes a method of packaging an edible product, consisting of introducing an insert into the base of the hollow interior of a disposable package, which may 2 also serve as a mould, before pouring-in the product in liquid form. The package has been formed by blow-moulding a pair of plastics sheets and consists of a pair of shells with opposing concavities, heat-sealed around their peripheries. The insert, received between the shells, may take the form of a drinking straw, and flaps of the shells receiving a free end of the insert between them may be peeled apart to a limited extent to reveal the free end zone of the drinking straw, for the consumer to drink liquid product from the package. The flaps are preferably provided with lines of weakness facilitating separation of the flaps without the shells necessarily separating completely. Such containers could be considerably improved. For example, it is highly desirable to solve the technical problems involved in the opening by cutting or tearing, especially to achieve an optimal and rapid opening procedure. Another technical problem which it would be desirable to solve is how to obtain easy and reliable re- closure of the container after opening. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for fluid material, comprising a pair of opposing members adhered together along a peripheral seal, the zone of said seal bounding an intended outlet from said container being peelable, whereby said members may be separated from each other- at said zone by pulling, characterised in that means limits said zone by making significantly more difficult peeling apart of said members beyond first and second locations on said seal. Owing to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to achieve a rapid and accurate opening of the container, without 'the container being over-opened, with the risk of spilling of the fluid material. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for fluid material, comprising a pair of opposing members adhered together along a peripheral seal, the zone of said seal bounding an intended outlet from said container being peelable, whereby said members may be separated from each other at said zone by pulling, characterised in that a closing element serves to hold together portions of said members at said zone following re-closing of said outlet. Owing to this aspect of the invention, the containere can be easily and reliably re-closed. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for fluid material, comprising a pair of opposing members adhered together along a peripheral seal, the zone of said seal bounding an intended outlet from said container being peelable, whereby said members may be separated from each other at said zone by pulling, characterised in that a loop extends around said members. The loop can serve one or more of a variety of purposes. It can mount a re-closing element for the container and/or it can be used to widen a discharge mouth of the container and/or it can limit the extent to which the peripheral seal of the container can be peeled apart. In a preferred embodiment, a container obtained by blow- moulding of two face-to-face sheets of plastics and sealed along a rib that extends for substantially the entire outline of the container, or for a substantial part of it, has a neck bounding an outlet from which the fluid material is to flow. A zone of the rib at the neck is made so that it can be peeled, that is, the neck limbs of the shells constituting the container can be separated by pulling. This enables the container to be opened very rapidly without using tools or tearing. A re-closing element for the limbs of the neck advantageously consists of a forked element which is mechanically linked to the container in any appropriate way and which may be brought to embrace the limbs. This enables the container to be easily, simply and rapidly closed after use, so eliminating the risk of contamination of the product contained in it. In a particularly advantageous version, there is a closed loop, i.e. a ring, which slides on the neck of the container and which has an internal surface formed with a pair of diametrically opposite incisions, i.e. slots, to guide the ring on corresponding parts of the sealing rib; the incisions are interconnected by a pair of internal surface zones diverging towards the outer end of the neck to accommodate correspondingly shaped parts of the neck which are splayed by lowering of the ring after the neck has been opened. This enables the opened configuration of the mouth of the container to be optimized to make the pouring of the product easier. The base surfaces of the pair of incisions converge towards the outer end of the neck to co-operate with correspondingly converging edges of the rib. In this way the opening of the container is assisted when the ring is pushed down, splaying the limbs of the neck at the zone of the neck that may be opened. The lower edges of the pair of diverging zones of the internal surface of the ring can interfere with the neck of the container, tapered upwards, further to force the limbs of the neck apart when the ring is pushed down, in this way collaborating with the base surfaces of the incisions. This further promotes the opening of the neck. Some means for holding the ring securely in position is preferably provided; for example upper edges of the base surfaces of the incisions may engage stepped seats formed in corresponding parts of the rib that may be opened. This enables the configuration of the neck to be maintained when it is open. The ring can advantageously be connected to the re-closing element. This enables a particularly compact re-closing device for the container to be achieved. Some embodiments of the invention are illustrated, purely by way of example, in the drawings attached, in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary axonometric view of a container; Figure 2 is an axonometric view of a ring for promoting opening of a neck of the container and equipped with a re- closing device; Figure 3 is section III-III of Figure 1; Figure 4 is section IV-IV of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a section as Figure 3, but with the ring in a lowered position to maintain the open configuration of the neck; Figure 6 is section VI-VI of Figure 5; Figure 7 is section VII-VII of Figure 3; Figure 8 is section VIII-VIII of Figure 5; Figures 9 and 10 correspond, respectively, to Figures 7 and 8, in a version of the ring having an internal surface which is substantially prismatic- Figure 11 is an enlarged detail of one of the walls of the neck of the container as in Figure 3 showing how the neck and the ring fitted onto it engage together. Referring to the drawings, the container 1 is obtained by a blow-moulding method in which two face-to-face plastics sheets are heat-and pressure-sealed along an outline and inflating fluid is introduced between the sheets. In the container 1, the heat-sealed outline constitutes a stiffening rib 3. An upper zone of the heat seal, for example above an imaginary level 4 at the neck 2, is carried out sufficiently weakly that the limbs 5 of the shells at the neck 2 may be peeled apart. Below the level 4, the seal is stronger so as to make it significantly more difficult to p 3' ' apart the shells below the level 4. Moreover, the lir.3 5 of the n c are partially separate from each other, at least at t ir upper end 5a so that they may be more easily gripped i^r pulling the limbs apart from each other. The neck 2 of the container 1 co-operates with a ring 6, 6 slidable along the neck between a container-closed position, shown, for example, in Figures 1 and 3, and a container-open position, shown in Figure 5. The ring 6 has a pair of diametrically opposed incisions 7, acting as guides for the ring 6 on the corresponding opposite zones of the rib 3, particularly on those zones of the rib 3 that may be peeled. The profiles of the base surfaces of the incisions 7 converge towards the free end of the neck 2, engaging with the correspondingly converging edges of the rib 3; those edges being of saw-toothed form to provide stepped seats 8 that engage with the top edges 9 of those base surfaces (Figure 11) . The seats 8 consist of an upper pair which deters upward movement of the ring 6 from its Figure 3 position and a lower pair which deters upward movement thereof from its Figure 5 position. As shown in Figure 4, the ring 6 can have, particularly in the case of the neck 2 being tapered upwards, its lower edge 10 contacting the external surface of the neck prior to opening. Forcing downwards of the ring 6 from its Figure 4 position squeezes the neck inwardly at the edge 10. The internal surface of the ring 6 has a pair of opposing concave surfaces diverging upwards, for example in the shape of sectors of a truncated cone 11 (Figure 7) , that accommodate zones of the external surface of the opened neck 2, that is, when the ring 6 occupies its lowered position. Alternatively, the opposing surfaces can consist of dihedrals 12 (Figures 9 and 10) : in this case, in order to make it easier to accommodate the walls of the neck 2 in the ring, fold lines 11a giving preferential deformation are provided longitudinally in those walls. Referring to Figure 11, the two operative positions of the ring 6 are shown, namely the raised position, corresponding to the container-closed position, where the neck is not deformed and the limbs 5 are sealed together, or have been re-closed, with re-application of the element 14, and the lowered position, shown in phantom lines in Figure 11, corresponding to the elastically deformed open position of the neck 2. In the lowered position, the base surfaces of the pair of incisions 7 define a diameter of the neck 2 which is reduced by an amount Al with respect to when the neck is not deformed; this induces a deformation in the neck 2 with a corresponding increase in diameter in a meridian plane, that is, a plane passing through the axis of the neck 2, orthogonal to the plane containing the incisions 7 with, consequently, the external surfaces of the neck 2 being deformed to bear on the internal surfaces 11, 12 of the ring 6. The neck 2 may co-operate with a closing element 13 comprising a fork 14. As shown in Figure 2, the closing element 13 may be linked with the ring 6 by means of a connector element 15, consisting of a flexible strap, for example.

Claims: 8 CLAIMS 1. A container for fluid material, comprising a pair of opposing members adhered together along a peripheral seal (3), the zone (5) of said seal (3) bounding an intended outlet from said container (1) being peelable, whereby said members may be separated from each other at said zone (5) by pulling, characterised in that means (4,6) limits said zone (5) by making significantly more difficult peeling apart of said members beyond first and second locations on said seal (3) . 2. A container as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said means (4,6) comprise strongly adhered portions (4) of said seal (3) . 3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said means (4,6) comprise a loop (6) around said members. 4. A container as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said loop (6) is a closed loop (6) . 5. A container as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterised in that said seal (3) comprises a peripheral rib (3) and said loop (6) has an internal surface comprising a pair of opposing incisions (7) to guide the loop (6) on corresponding zones of said rib (3) . 6. A container as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the bases of the respective incisions (7) converge upwardly ' towards each other for co-operating with corresponding, upwardly converging edges of said corresponding zones of said rib (3) . 7. A container as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that said incisions (7) co-operate with said corresponding zones of said rib (3) to latch said loop (6) in a desired position along said container (1) . 8. A container as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the top edges (9) of the bases of the incisions (7) are arranged to engage stepped seats (8) in said corresponding zones of the rib (3) to latch said loop (6) in said desired position. 9. A container as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 8, characterised in that said loop (6) comprises a pair of internal surface zones (11) diverging upwardly away from each other to accommodate correspondingly shaped parts of the members bounding said outlet following lowering of said loop (6) . 10. A container as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 8, characterised in that the internal surface of the loop (6) is of a shape included in the group comprising truncated cone sectors (11) and dihedrals (12) . 11. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that said first and second locations are at a neck (2) narrowing from a body of said container (1) . 12. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that at least one of said members has a preformed line (11a) of preferential deformation extending along said container (1) . 13. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that a re-closing element (13) serves to hold together portions (5a) of said members at said zone (5) following re-closing of said outlet. 96/14254 10 14. A container as claimed in claim 13, characterised in that said re-closing element (13) comprises a fork (14) for embracing said portions (5a) . 15. A container as claimed in claim 13 or 14 as appended to claim 3, characterised in that said closing element (13) is interconnected with said loop (6) by means of a flexible connector element (15) . 16. A container for fluid material, comprising a pair of opposing members adhered together along a peripheral seal (3) , the zone (5) of said seal (3) bounding an intended outlet from said container being peelable, whereby said members may be separated from each other at said zone (5) by pulling, characterised in that a re-closing element (13) serves to hold together portions (5a) of said members at said zone (5) following re-closing of said outlet. 17. A container as claimed in claim 16, characterised in that said re-closing element (13) comprises a fork (14) for embracing said portions (5a) . 18. A container as claimed in claim 16 or 17, characterised in that a loop (6) extends around said members, and said re-closing element (13) is interconnected with said loop (6) by means of a flexible connector element (15) . 19. A container for fluid material, comprising a pair of opposing members adhered together along a peripheral seal (3) , the zone (5) of said seal (3) bounding an intended outlet from said container being peelable, whereby said members may be separated from each other at said zone (5) by pulling, characterised in that a loop (6) extends around said members. 20. A container as claimed in claim 19, characterised in that said loop (6) is a closed loop (6) . 21. A container as claimed in claim 19 or 20, characterised in that said seal (3) comprises a peripheral rib (3) and said loop (6) has an internal surface comprising a pair of opposing incisions (7) to guide the loop (6) on corresponding zones of said rib (3) . 22. A container as claimed in claim 21, characterised in that the bases of the respective incisions (7) converge upwardly towards each other for co-operating with corresponding, upwardly converging edges of said corresponding zones of said rib (3) . 23. A container as claimed in claim 22, characterised in that said incisions (7) co-operate with said corresponding zones of said rib (3) to latch said loop (6) in a desired position along said container (1) . 24. A container as claimed in claim 23, characterised in that the top edges (9) of the bases of the incisions (7) are arranged to engage stepped seats (8) in said corresponding zones of the rib (3) to latch said loop (6) in said desired position. 25. A container as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 24, characterised in that said loop (6) comprises a pair of internal surface zones (11,-12) diverging upwardly away from each other to accommodate correspondingly shaped parts of the members bounding said outlet following lowering of said loop (6) . 26. A container as claimed in any one of claims 19 to 24, characterised in that the internal surface of the loop (6) is of a shape included in the group comprising truncated cone sectors (11) and dihedrals (12) . 27. A container as claimed in claim 19 or 20, characterised in that said seal (3) comprises a peripheral rib (3) formed with stepped seats (8) in said zone to latch said loop (6) in a desired position along said container (l) . 28. A container as claimed in claim 27, characterised in that said stepped seats (8) comprise a first pair of seats (8) at an upper level and a second pair of seats (8) at a lower level to latch said loop (6) in respective desired positions which said loop (6) occupies when said outlet is opened and closed, respectively.

Inventors: BARTOLI ANDREA, TABARONI ROBERTO, BARTOLI, ANDREA, TABARONI, ROBERTO
Applicants: BARTOLI ANDREA, TABARONI ROBERTO, UNIFILL SPA, BARTOLI, ANDREA, TABARONI, ROBERTO, UNIFILL S.P.A.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: B65D75
IPC codes: B65D39, B65D47, B65D75, B65D77, B65D85