Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A STOPPER DEVICE FOR A BOTTLE, PROVIDED
WITH MEANS OF RETAINING AND ATTACHING A CAST OR
MOULDED SEAL, AND A METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME
The invention relates to a stopper device for a bottle
comprising a neck provided with an external protrusion at
its free end part and intended for a liquid dispenser of the
"water fountain" type.
The dispensing of water by fountains, generally
refrigerated, is a system which is very widespread in
countries such as the United States of America and some
Asiatic countries. The water to be dispensed is delivered
in bottles with a content of five gallons (19/20 litres)
which are placed upside down on the dispenser, the latter
making it possible to dispense the water in smaller volumes,
for example in glasses.
The invention relates more particularly to the stopper
devices commonly referred to as "non-spill", that is to say
which make it possible, by virtue of an internal valve
system which frees a passage for the water out of the bottle
only when the latter is in place on the dispenser, to place
the bottle on the dispenser or to remove it from the
dispenser, even before it is empty, without risk of spillage
of the content of the bottle.
Such stopper devices are known, in particular through the
document FR-A-2 769 004 issuing from the applicant.
A device of this type generally comprises a cap made from
plastics material comprising a transverse end wall from
which there project, in the same direction, firstly a
substantially cylindrical external skirt provided with an
internal protrusion for attachment behind the protrusion on
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the neck of the bottle and secondly a substantially
cylindrical internal shaft intended to receive a take-off
cannula provided on the dispenser so as to come to fit in
the shaft from the transverse end wall of the cap, when the
bottle is put in place on the dispenser.
In addition, the device can comprise a tamper-evident cover
moulded in one piece with the cap and situated at the start
of the shaft, on the transverse wall side, so as to close
off the shaft, the said cover being intended to be
irremediably and visibly destroyed when the take-off cannula
is fitted in the shaft.
In order to ensure a good seal between the neck of the
bottle and the stopper device mounted on the said neck, a
seal is generally placed against the internal face of the
transverse wall of the cap, between the external skirt and
the shaft. The seal is intended to be compressed axially
between the edge of the neck of the bottle and the
transverse wall of the cap, when the stopper device is
mounted on the said neck. Usually it is a foam seal, flat
and discoid, at the centre of which is a hole enabling the
shaft to pass.
Such a device is for example described in the document
US 5 662 231.
Some devices of the prior art provide a projection on the
internal face of the transverse wall of the cap, the said
projection being intended to enter the seal when the stopper
device is mounted on the neck and the seal is compressed. A
projection of this type is in particular intended to prevent
the relative movement of the seal with respect to the
transverse wall of the cap. Reference can be made in
particular to the documents US 5 687 865, US 4 874 023 and
US 5 392 939.
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However, such devices have a certain number of drawbacks:
- firstly, the projection does not always afford good
holding of the seal against the transverse wall of the cap,
the seal being able in particular to become detached from
the said wall by moving axially towards the inside of the
cap;
- secondly, there exists a high shear force at the area
of contact between the projection and the seal, which may
result in cracking or rupture of the seal and consequently a
loss of impermeability. This problem is all the more
frequent since the bottles are stacked one on top of the
other on pallets, the pallets themselves being stacked, so
that the bottles are subjected to high forces. The result
is a degradation of the state of the seal during storage and
transportation of the bottles.
The aim of the invention is to resolve these probleti=ls.
To this end, and according to a first aspect, the invention
relates to a stopper device for a bottle comprising a neck
provided with an external protrusion at its free end part
and intended for a liquid dispenser of the water fountain
type, the said device comprising a cap made from plastics
material comprising a transverse end wall from which a
substantially cylindrical external skirt projects, provided
with an internal rim for attachment behind the rim on the
neck of the bottle, in which the transverse wall has, on its
internal face, an annular groove with its axis substantially
merged with the axis of the said cap, delimited by two ribs
projecting substantially perpendicular to the said
transverse wall, the said groove being situated, when the
device is mounted on the neck of the bottle, opposite the
rim of the said neck, and being intended to receive a cast
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or moulded seal and to prevent the movement thereof parallel
to the transverse wall.
According to a more elaborate version, the stopper device
also comprises a substantially cylindrical internal shaft,
projecting from the transverse end wall in the same
direction as the external skirt so that the groove is
situated between the skirt and the shaft, the said shaft
being intended to receive a take-off cannula provided on the
dispenser so as to come to fit in the shaft from the
transverse end wall of the cap, when the bottle is placed on
the dispenser, and a tamper-evident cover moulded in a
single piece with the cap and situated at the beginning of
the shaft, on the transverse wall side, so as to close off
the shaft, the said cover being intended to be irremediably
and visibly destroyed when the take-off cannula is fitted in
the shaft.
According to other characteristics, the axial height of the
ribs is less than the thickness of the joint when it is not
compressed. The ends of the two ribs are offset axially
with respect to each other. A first rib is situated
axially, with respect to the axis of the cap, substantially
two thirds of the way across the diameter of the said cap, a
second rib being substantially at the same distance from the
axis of the cap as the internal end of the internal
protrusion on the skirt.
In addition, the groove comprises, on its internal face, at
least one means of attaching the seal, thus preventing the
movement of the said seal out of the groove.
In this way, the seal, fitted by casting and moulding, is
held against the transverse wall both by a physico-chemical
adhesion force and by the mechanical attachment means. In
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addition the groove ensures holding of the seal in all
directions parallel to the transverse wall of the cap.
The method for producing the seal (by casting or moulding)
makes it possible for the mechanical attachment means to
5 penetrate the constituent material of the said seal before
it solidifies. Thus any risk of rupture of the seal
following the force exerted by the attachment means is
eliminated.
According to a first version of the invention, the groove
comprises, on its internal face, at least one projection
forming an attachment means for the said seal.
According to a first embodiment, at least one rib comprises
a projection extending substantially radially towards the
inside of the groove.
The axial height of the projection decreases from the rib as
far as the end of the said projection, so as to form a spike
able to penetrate the seal. The projection is situated
towards the free end part of the rib.
For example, each of the two ribs comprises a projection
extending substantially radially towards the inside of the
groove.
According to a second embodiment, the bottom of the groove
comprises at least one projection extending substantially
axially towards the inside of the cap.
The projection comprises at least one face inclined by an
acute angle with respect to the axis of the cap so that,
when the seal is placed in the groove, at least one area of
the said seal is included in attachment areas situated,
axially, between the bottom of the groove and part of the
said projection.
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The projection has, in axial section, the form of at least
one trapezium whose large face is situated towards the free
end of the said projection. The said trapezium has an axis
of symmetry substantially parallel to the axis of the cap.
The axial height of the projection is less than the axial
height of the ribs.
According to one possible embodiment, the projection is
annular, the axis of the said projection being substantially
merged with the axis of the cap.
According to a second version of the invention, the internal
face of the groove comprises localised reliefs such as
serrations, roughnesses or equivalent, forming attachment
means for the seal.
According to a second aspect, the invention relates to an
assemb7y comprising a stopper device as prei-iously described
and a seal placed in the groove in the transverse wall of
the said cap, the seal having been put in place by casting
or moulding.
According to a third aspect, the invention relates to an
assembly comprising a stopper device as previously
described, a seal placed in the groove in the transverse
wall of the said cap, the seal having been put in place by
casting or moulding, and a bottle, the said bottle being
empty or at least partially filled with a certain content.
When the cap is mounted on the neck of the bottle, the
groove is situated opposite the rim of the said neck, the
seal being compressed, in the groove, between the transverse
wall of the cap and the rim of the neck of the bottle.
Finally, according to a fourth aspect, the invention relates
to a method for producing a cap/seal assembly. According to
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a first variant, the seal is cast in the groove in the cap,
the said cap having previously been injection moulded.
According to a s'econd variant, the cap and seal are produced
by bi-injection moulding.
The other characteristics of the invention result from the
following description of embodiments, a description given
with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
- Figure 1 is an elevation view of a stopper device
according to the invention, comprising a cap and mounted on
the neck of a bottle;
- Figure 2 is a plan view of the device of Figure 1;
- Figure 3 is a partial axial section view of the device
of Figure 1, showing a seal cast in a groove present inside
the cap;
- Figure 4 is a detail view A of Figure 3, according to a
first embodiment;
- Figure 5 is a detail view A of Figure 3, according to a
second embodiment;
- Figure 6 is a view in section of the device mounted on
the neck of the bottle, along the line B-B in Figure 2;
- Figure 7 is a view in section similar to Figure 6,
showing the stopper device after fitting of the bottle on a
dispenser;
- Figures 8 and 9 illustrate schematically a variant of
the method for producing a cap provided with a seal, the
said cap being depicted in partial axial section.
The stopper device as illustrated by the accompanying
figures is intended for corking the neck 1 of bottles for a
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water dispenser of the fountain type, bottles which
generally have a content of five gallons (19/20 litres) and
which are formed for example from polycarbonate.
As will be clear in Figures 6 and 7, the neck 1 has, at its
free end, an external attachment protrusion 2.
The stopper device comprises a cap 3 of axis 4, comprising a
transverse end wall 5 from which there project in the same
direction firstly an essentially cylindrical external skirt
6 and secondly an internal shaft 7 also essentially
cylindrical in shape, the axial height of the shaft 7 here
being less than the axial height of the skirt 6.
'I'he skirt 6 comprises an internal rim 8, for example
divided up into several sectors, intended to cooperate with
the external protrusion 2 on the neck 1 with a view to
holding the cap 3 on the neck 1, by mutual snapping-on.
The shaft 7 comprises, on its internal face, two annular
reliefs 9, 10 whose function will be detailed below.
A stopper 11 in the shape of a cup is fitted in the free end
part 12, that is to say opposite to the transverse wall 5,
of the shaft 7. The stopper 11 comprises essentially a
bottom 13, situated towards the free end 16 of the shaft 7,
a substantially cylindrical wall 14, projecting with respect
to the bottom 13, and an external annular rim 15 provided
towards the bottom 12 in order to bear against the free end
16 of the shaft 7 when the stopper 11 fits in the shaft 7
(see Figures 3 and 6).
The stopper 11 also comprises:
- on the external face of its cylindrical wall 14, a
first annular projection 17 intended to cooperate with the
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first annular relief 9 on the shaft 7 when the bottle is not
fitted on the dispenser;
- on the external face of its cylindrical wall 14, a
second annular projection 18 or a shoulder 18' intended to
cooperate with the second annular relief 10 on the shaft 7
when the bottle is not fitted on the dispenser;
- towards the free end of its cylindrical wall 14, an
internal rim 19, whose function will emerge from the
description of Figure 7.
At the beginning of the shaft 7, on the transverse wall 5
side, the shaft 7 is closed off by a cover 20 which is
moulded in a single piece with the cap 3, in the form of a
rupture diaphragm consisting of eight petals 21 in the form
of sectors of a circle, connected together by tearing lines
22 in the form of radii. The cover 20 preferably has a
slightly conical shape, the tip of t:ie cone being turned
towards the stopper 11.
The diameter and axial height of the shaft 7 are chosen so
that, when the stopper 11 is fully home in the shaft 7, its
internal rim 15 being in contact with the free end 16 of the
shaft 7, the internal rim 19 at the free end of the
cylindrical wall 14 of the stopper 11 is separated from the
cover 20 by a distance corresponding at least to the radius
of the shaft 7, and therefore substantially to the length of
the petals 21.
The skirt 6 has internally a tear line 23 (a weakened line)
which extends from the free end of the skirt 6, across the
internal protrusion 8 interrupted at this point, as far as
between the protrusion 8 on the skirt 6 and the transverse
wall 5, substantially as far as a point in line with the top
of the external protrusion 2 on the neck 1 of the bottle. A
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gripping lug 24 provided on the skirt 6 makes it possible to
tear off the latter, that is to say to tear the cap 3 along
the tear line 23, which means that the remaining cap no
longer holds on the neck 1 of the bottle.
5 The fitting of the bottle provided with the cap 3 on a
dispenser will now be described with reference to Figure 7
as well as the removal of the bottle from the dispenser and
the filling of the said bottle.
Figure 7 depicts the bottle filled with water, closed off by
10 the cap 3, after it is fitted in the inverted position on a
dispenser, only the drawing-off cannula 25 of which has been
shown since this is the only part of the dispenser which
cooperates with the stopper device which is the object of
the present invention.
The drawing-off cannula 25 has a substantially cylindrical
body compri,i.ng at least one drawing off hole :'.6 intended
for the passage of the liquid from the inside of the bottle
to the outside of the dispenser.
When the bottle is fitted on the dispenser, in the inverted
position, the head 27 (the top end) of the drawing-off
cannula 25 causes first of all the rupture of the cover 20
at the tearing lines 22, that is to say a subdivision of the
cover 20 into eight petals 21 which, remaining attached by
their base to the shaft 7, are folded upwards by the head 27
of the cannula 25. The head 27 of the cannula 25 then
penetrates the stopper 11, the internal rim 19 of which
comes to snap into a groove 28 provided between the head 27
and the body of the cannula 25. Next the cannula 25,
driving the stopper 11, pushes the latter upwards out of the
shaft 7, freeing the first annular projection 17 from the
first annular relief 9 and the second annular projection 18
- or the shoulder 18' - from the second annular relief 10.
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The water contained in the bottle can thus flow through the
drawing-off holes 26 in the cannula 25, and supply the
dispenser.
When the bottle is raised in order to be removed from the
dispenser, whether it be empty or still contain water, the
drawing-off cannula 25 on which the stopper 11 remains
snapped, once again nests the stopper 11 in the free end of
the shaft 7, until the external rim 15 comes to abut against
the free end 16 of the shaft 7, the projections 17, 18 also
cooperating with the reliefs 9, 10. Thus the stopper 11,
fully nested in the shaft 7, is detached from the cannula
25, once again providing sealed closure of the bottle.
In order to once again fill the bottle from the original
source, the skirt 6 is pulled off along the tear line 23 of
the cap 3 by traction exerted on the lug 24, the cap 3 then
being able to be removed by hand without effort, being no
longer held on the neck 1 of the bottle. After refilling of
the bottle, a new stopper device whose cover 20 and skirt 6
are intact are placed on the neck 1, which is a guarantee of
the origin of the content of the bottle (a double function
of tamper evidence).
According to an embodiment which is not shown, the stopper
device according to the invention can be provided with a
third tamper-evident means consisting of a circumferential
tamper-evident ring or strip connected to the free end of
the skirt by breakable means, for example a weakened line or
discrete bridges, the ring being engaged behind a second
external protrusion provided on the neck 1 of the bottle, at
a distance below the top protrusion 2. The tamper-evident
ring or guarantee can be of any type or consist of a heat-
shrinking ring whose shrinking is produced when the cap 3 is
put in place, following the filling. This guarantee ring
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supplements the two tamper-evident or guarantee means
consisting of the cap 20 and the tear-off skirt 6.
It should be noted that the stopper device according to the
invention can be used without a stopper 11. This is because
the cover 20, as long as it is not destroyed by the drawing-
off cannula 25, not only constitutes a means of guarantee or
tamper-evidence, but also provides sealed closure of the
cap 3. Naturally, in the absence of the stopper 1, the cap
3 does not prevent the flow of water out of the bottle,
which would be removed from the dispenser before being
completely empty.
The sealing means provided in the cap 3 are now described
with reference to Figures 3 to 5.
The internal face 29 of the transverse wall 5 has an annular
groove 30 with its axis substantially merged with the axis 4
of the cap 3.
The groove 30 is delimited by a first rib 31, situated
axially, with respect to the axis 4 of the cap 3,
substantially two-thirds of the way across the diameter of
the said cap 3, or substantially half-way between the shaft
7 and the external skirt 6, and by a second rib 32, situated
towards the periphery of the transverse wall 5,
substantially at the same distance from the axis 4 of the
cap 3 as the internal end of the internal protrusion 8 on
the skirt 6, the said ribs 31, 32 projecting substantially
perpendicularly to the transverse wall 5.
Thus the groove 28 is situated, when the cap 3 is mounted on
the neck 1 of the bottle, opposite the rim 33 of the neck 1.
The groove 30 is intended to receive an 0-ring seal 34, put
in place by casting or moulding, as depicted in Figure 3.
When the cap 3 is mounted on the neck 1 of the bottle, the
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seal is compressed, in the groove 30, between the rim 33 of
the neck 1 and the transverse wall 5 of the cap 3.
The axial height of the ribs 31, 32 is less than the
thickness of the seal 34 when it is not compressed, but is
sufficient to hold the seal 34 inside the groove 30. it
will be understood that the axial height of the ribs 31, 32
is adjusted so as to enable the seal 34 to provide a very
good seal between the cap 3 and the neck 1 when the cap 3 is
mounted on the neck 1 of the bottle.
According to one possible embodiment, the ends of the two
ribs 31, 32 are offset axially with respect to each other.
The groove 30 prevents movements of the seal 34 parallel to
the transverse wall 5, the seal 34 being held between the
ribs 31, 32.
In o--der to improve the holding of the seal 34 in the groove
30, and in particular to prevent it escaping from the said
groove 30 by an axial movement moving away from the
transverse wall 5, the groove 30 is provided with
projections intended to penetrate the material of the seal
34, when the latter is cast or moulded, so as to form a
means of attachment of the said seal 34. The projections
are manufactured, by moulding, at the same time as the
cap 3.
According to a first embodiment, illustrated by Figure 4,
each of the two ribs 31, 32 comprises an annular projection
with its axis substantially merged with the axis 4 of the
cap 3, extending radially towards the inside of the groove
30. The invention also provides an embodiment in which the
projections 35 form an acute angle with the ribs 31, 32.
30 The projections 35 are each situated towards the free end
part of a rib 31, 32.
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The axial height of each of the projections 35 decreases
from the rib 31, 32 as far as the end of the projection 35,
so as to form a spike able to penetrate the seal 34.
According to a second embodiment, illustrated by Figure 5,
the bottom 36 of the groove 30, substantially merged with
the transverse wall 5 of the cap 3, comprises a projection
37 directed towards the inside of the groove 30,
substantially axially.
The projection 37 has, in axial section, the form of a
trapezium, or rather of two trapezia symmetrical with
respect to the axis 4 of the cap 3.
The small base 38 of the trapezium is substantially merged
with the bottom 36 of the groove 30, the large base 39 of
the trapezium constituting the free end of the projection
37. The trapezium has an axis of symmetry 40 substantially
parallel to the: axis 4 of the cap 3.
The faces of the trapezium distinct from the bases 38, 39
are inclined with respect to the bottom 36 of the groove 30
by an acute angle, for example of between 40 and 80 , in
particular close to 60 . The axial height of the projection
37 is less than that of the ribs 31, 32.
According to an embodiment which is not shown, the
projection 37 has, in axial section, the shape of a
trapezium whose large base is substantially merged with the
bottom 36 of the groove 30, the small base of the trapezium
constituting the free end of the projection 37. The small
base can be very short, so that the trapezium is similar to
a triangle. At least one face of the trapezium, distinct
from the bases, is inclined with respect to the bottom 36 of
the groove 30 by an acute angle, for example between 40 and
80 , in particular around 60 .
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According to another possible embodiment of the invention,
the internal face of the groove 30 is provided with
localised reliefs forming means of mechanical attachment of
the seal 34.
5 For example, the internal face of the groove 30 comprises
serrations, scales, roughnesses formed by electroerosion, or
equivalent. The invention also makes provision for creating
inside the groove 30 a rough or granite surface state.
In the case of casting, the seal 34 is put in place by
10 depositing a certain volume of material at the bottom of the
groove 30, the cap 3 previously having been injection moulded.
This deposition can be effected using an extruder or a "hot
melt" gun. The material constituting the seal 34, hot and
liquid, or at least viscous, spreads over the bottom 36 of the
15 groove 30 and coats and covers the projections 35, 37.
The seal 34 is general'_y allowed to adopt its natural
geometric shape, which results in a curved surface, as
illustrated in Figure 3.
The configuration of the projections 35, 37 is such that
there exists a zone 41 - referred to as the attachment zone
- lying axially between the bottom 36 of the groove 30 and
the said projection 35, 37. Some of the material deposited
at the bottom of the stopper and flowing against the bottom
36 of the groove 30 comes to be positioned in the attachment
zone 41.
Thus, in addition to the physico-chemical adhesion of the
seal 34 cast on the bottom 36 of the groove wall 30, there
exists, because of the presence of the projections 35, 37 or
of the reliefs on the internal face of the groove 30, a
mechanical attachment of the said seal 34, once solidified,
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which prevents it from becoming disconnected from the said
groove 30.
Consequently, despite the stacking of bottles on top of one
another and the forces which result from this at the seal
34, the latter is held in position against the transverse
wall 5, both parallel and perpendicular to it, by virtue of
the groove 30 and the projections 35, 37, without risk of
rupture of the seal 34.
Reference is now made to Figures 8 and 9, which illustrate a
second variant embodiment of the assembly consisting of cap
3 and seal 34, by bi-injection moulding. It should be noted
that the figures are simplified, the ribs 31, 32 and the
projections 35, 37 not appearing.
The seal 34 is first of all injected, between a first mould
part 42 and a core 43 which define the shape of the said
seal 34 (Figure 8). The join betwe:~n the first mould part
42 and the core 43 is sealed.
After a cooling time for the seal 34, the cap 3 is injected
between a second mould part 44 and the core 43, so as to
overmould the seal 34 (Figure 9). The projections 35, 37
are thus moulded inside the seal 34, which provides a good
attachment of the said seal 34. The cap 3 is for example
produced from high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
After a cooling time, the assembly consisting of cap 3 and
seal 34 is ejected from the mould.
In a variant embodiment, the first and second parts 42, 44
of the mould have the same internal profile so that, at the
end of the cooling of the seal 34 previously cast, it
suffices, without opening the mould, to move the said first
or second part 42, 44 with respect to the core 43, so as to
define a housing in which the cap 3 will be cast.
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Finally, the invention provides for a simplified stopper
device (not shown), provided with the groove 30 and a cast
or moulded seal 34, in which the cap 3 comprises neither
shaft 7 nor stopper 11 nor cover 20, but only a skirt 6
provided with a tearing line 23, one end of which is
situated between the protrusion 8 and the transverse wall 5,
so as to enable the user to remove the cap from the neck of
the bottle by acting on the lug 24.
This simplified version of a bottle can be fitted on a
dispenser without a cannula, very rapidly, so as to prevent
any spraying of water. On the other hand, if the bottle is
removed from the dispenser before being completely empty,
the seal is no longer ensured.
