Abstract:
A stopper is provided which is intended to replace the lid fitted at the production stage, for the screw closure of bottles for liquids, with a device for drawing up metered amounts of the product. A stopper includes a capsule ( 9 ) with internal thread for screwing onto the threaded neck ( 1 A) of the bottle. The capsule ( 9 ) forms coaxially and in one piece a cylinder ( 12 ) of a syringe metering device ( 10 ). The syringe metering device( 10 ) has a control rod ( 16 ) which is graduated to allow measurement of the suction stroke of the plunger and hence to allow measurement of the amount of liquid drawn up.

Description:
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a stopper-cum-metering device for the crew closure of bottles for liquids with a device for drawing up metered mounts of the product; this stopper is simple and convenient to use. 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     Said stopper-cum-metering device comprises a capsule with an internal thread for screwing onto the threaded neck of the bottle, which capsule forms coaxially and in one piece the cylinder of a syringe device hose plunger is worked by a rod which is graduated to allow measurement of the suction stroke of the plunger and hence of the amount of liquid drawn up. 
     A component internal to the capsule and positioned around the cylinder may be provided to form an annular seal that can be clamped onto the rim of the neck of the bottle by the screwing on of the capsule. Said internal component may form not only the annular seal but also, around the cylinder, an annular lip directed toward the center of the bottle; this lip is for wiping the outer surface of the cylinder during withdrawal of the capsule. Said internal component may be so shaped that it engages in the neck of the bottle when the capsule is first screwed onto the neck of the bottle. This internal component may in particular include a section capable of being forced into the neck of the bottle, being of dimensions such as to give limited interference with the internal dimension of the neck, by exploiting the elastic properties of the internal component. 
     The internal component that forms a lip for wiping the outer surface of the cylinder of the syringe device may include at least one hole in said lip, so that differential pressures do not develop between the outside and inside of the bottle. The shaping of the capsule and of the wiper lip may be such that the lip essentially fits an intermediate structure between the capsule and the cylinder of the syringe device; when the capsule is in its screwed position on the neck of the bottle there is contact between this structure and the wiper lip, of essentially tapering form, and the abovementioned hole is consequently closed, to ensure that liquid is not lost through said hole or holes between the intermediate structure (and hence the capsule) and said internal component that forms the seal and the wiper lip. This is especially useful when the bottle is horizontal. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A better understanding of the innovation will be gained by following the description with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows a non-limiting example of an embodiment thereof. In particular, in the drawing: 
     FIG. 1 shows a sketch of the complete system, packageable in a protective box or the like, with the bottle sealed for long-term storage and accompanied by a separate stopper-cum-metering device for drawing the product up, after the bottle has been opened; 
     FIG. 2 shows a partial cross section of a stopper-cum-metering device which is to replace the lid of the original packing and allow the contents of the bottle to be drawn up by the syringe device; 
     FIGS. 3 and 4 show separately two components of the stopper-cum-metering device; and 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 show locally two possible variants and simplifications compared with the version of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As shown in the drawing,  1  denotes the bottle whose neck  1 A has an external thread  3  (see FIG. 2 in particular) that serves for fitting the lid  5  used for the closure immediately after filling the bottle and throughout the period of long-term storage, that is to say warehousing and distribution.  7  is the general reference for a stopper-cum-metering device to be used in place of the lid  5 , once the bottle has been broken open by removing this lid  5 ; the stopper-cum-metering device  7  comprises a syringe device for drawing up metered amounts of the contents of the bottle, for use of these contents. 
     In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4,  9  denotes a capsule capable of being screwed onto the thread  3  in place of the lid  5  when the contents of the bottle are to be used in metered doses. The capsule  9  is substantially equivalent to the lid  5 , but is made in one piece with a cylinder  12 ; this cylinder forms part of a syringe metering device  10 , together with a plunger  14  that forms a hermetic seal as it slides against the inside surface of the cylinder  12  and is mounted on the inward end of a rod  16 , one end  16 A of which, passing out through the capsule  9 , is suitable for the operations of moving the rod  16  and hence the plunger  14 . The plunger  14  may be dispensed with and replaced by an appropriate annular terminal shaping of the rod to give a sliding seal with the inside surface of the cylinder  12 . In either case the rod  16  has a collar  16 X. The cylinder  12  contains a hole  12 A at its inward end to allow communication between the inside of the bottle and the cylinder. When the capsule  9  is screwed onto the neck  1 A of the bottle, the hole  12 A will be within a short distance of the bottom of the bottle  1  when arranged vertically. The cylinder  12 —formed in one piece with the capsule  9 —is combined with a structure  18  joining it to the top  9 A of the capsule  9 ; this structure  18  comprises, specifically, a tapering, and in particular frustoconical, section  18 A where it connects with the cylinder  12 , and a cylindrical section as it joins the top  9 A of the capsule  9 . The section  18 ,  18 A defines a cavity  18 X surrounding the cylinder  12  in the region of an annular ridge  12 X on the inside of the cylinder  12 . This cavity  18 X makes the molding of the ridge  12 X possible. 
       20  denotes an internal component of sufficiently elastic material for the purposes indicated later: it forms an annular seal  20 A that fits between the top  9 A of the capsule  9  and the rim  1 B of the neck  1 A of the bottle; said annular seal is functional when the capsule  9  is screwed onto the screwthread  3 . The internal component  20  includes an essentially cylindrical section  20 B whose external diameter is slightly greater than the internal diameter of the neck  1 A of the bottle and may correspond to the cylindrical section of the structure  18 . The internal component  20 A forms a terminal annular lip  20 C of essentially frustoconical form directed toward the center of the bottle, when the capsule  9  is fitted over the neck  1 A; the terminal edge of said lip encircles and tends to conform closely to the outer surface of the cylinder  12  so as to form a wiper for wiping, that is to say cleaning said outer surface of the cylinder  12 , for the purposes indicated later. The internal component  20  may be retained by being slightly forced into the capsule  9  or by exploiting the friction between the outer edge of the annular seal  20 A and the corresponding inside surface of the capsule  9 , or by other such means. 
     The stopper-cum-metering device  7  with the capsule  9 , the syringe device  10  and the internal component  20  constitute a single assembly that can be manipulated for the purposes of packaging it together with the closed bottle  1  having its own lid  5 , in a cardboard box or other pack for sale. 
     When the contents of the bottle are to be used—a process that does not normally extend in time beyond the first administration of the contents—the lid  5  is taken off and the stopper-cum-metering device  7  is fitted onto it by screwing the screw capsule  9  onto the screwthread  3 ; in this operation the internal component  20  is easily forced—simply by virtue of the screw coupling—into the neck  1 A of the bottle, where this internal component  20  will continue to be held sufficiently firmly for the use of the stopper-cum-metering device  7 . 
     To draw up a metered amount of the contents of the bottle, the rod  16 ,  16 A is operated, causing the plunger  14  to move and draw into the cylinder  12  through the hole  12 A the desired amount of liquid to be administered, before the capsule  9  is unscrewed or with only very slight slackening of said capsule; the amount can easily be checked by providing the rod  16  with graduations, the index for which may be the upper edge  12 C of the cylinder, which is easily visible from the outside. The annular ridge  12 X acts on the collar  16 X to prevent the rod  16  from coming out of the cylinder  12 . The capsule  9  is then taken off in order to use the metered liquid which is expelled by pushing the rod  16  of the plunger in the reverse direction in order to expel the product drawn up by the syringe system consisting of the cylinder  12  and plunger  14  with rod  16 . It should be observed that any liquid that may cling to the outside surface of the cylinder  12  will be wiped off by said lip  20 C of the internal component  20 , which remains in the neck of the bottle, and the cylinder  12  moves relative to this lip  20 C during the extraction of the assembled capsule  9  and syringe system  10  (cylinder  12  and plunger  14  with rod  16 ); the withdrawn stopper-cum-metering device assembly  7  does not therefore present the risk of bringing out a significant quantity of liquid that could drip or that would then have to be returned to the bottle. 
     The lip  20 C contains at least one hole  24 : this allows communication between the outside and inside of the bottle so as to avoid a pressure difference building up during the operations of aspiration and of withdrawal of the cylinder  12  through the lip  20 C, and the reverse operations, especially when inserting the assembly  9 ,  10  into the bottle  1 . This hole  24  is effectively closed by the contact of the lip  20 C with the tapering—essentially frustoconical—section  18 A that corresponds to the profile of the lip  20 C, when the assembly is closed; the liquid contained in the bottle does not therefore penetrate between the structure  18 ,  18 A and the internal component  20  when the capsule  9  is in the closed position, even if the bottle is held horizontally or tilted with the neck in a downward direction. 
     FIG. 5 shows a modified version in which the internal component  20  is limited to a generally diskoidal portion  120 A that constitutes the seal and can be held in place either by friction on the surface of the cylinder  112 , equivalent to cylinder  12  but directly joined to the top  109 A of the capsule  109 , or pinched on the inside surface of the side wall of the capsule  109 . The annular ridge  112 X (equivalent to ridge  12 x) is suitably out of alignment with the top  109 A. 
     In the further variant, FIG. 6, there is no internal component such as  20  or such as  120 A, but the capsule  209  (equivalent to  9  or  109 ) will be made of a material of sufficient stiffness to form the capsule  209  and the wall of the cylinder  212  equivalent to cylinder  12 , though with a narrow internal edge  240  on the internal surface of the top  209 A of the capsule  209 ; when the capsule  209  is screwed on, said edge  240  acts on the rim  1 B of the bottle to ensure adequate leaktightness and closure of the bottle, during the relatively brief period in which the bottle is closed by the capsule  209  during the withdrawals of the bottle&#39;s contents. 
     It should be understood that the drawing shows only an example purely as a practical demonstration of the innovation, since the latter may be varied in its shapes and arrangements without thereby departing from the scope of the concept on which the innovation is based. The presence of any reference numerals in the accompanying claims is for the purpose of facilitating the reading of the claims with reference to the description and drawing, and does not limit the scope of protection represented by the claims.