Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A CLOSURE DEVICE FOR CLOSING A RECEPTACLE OPENING
The present invention relates to a closure device
for mounting on an opening of a receptacle containing a
fluid, a liquid, or a powder. Such a closure device thus
forms dispenser means for dispensing the fluid contained
in the receptacle. By using closure means integrated in
the device, dispensing can be selectively permitted or
prevented. Such a closure device can be used in numerous
fields, such as the fields of cosmetics, paracosmetics,
washing and cleaning agents, foodstuffs, pharmacy,
parapharmacy, etc.
In conventional manner, the closure device may
comprise a base defining fastener means for fastening the
base onto the opening of the receptacle. The base
generally defines a fluid-dispensing orifice through
which the fluid contained in the receptacle can be
dispensed. In addition, the closure device may also
comprise an openable cap for mounting on the base, said
cap including closure means for advantageously closing
the dispenser orifice of the base in sealed manner. This
is a fairly conventional design for a prior-art closure
device. The removable cap may be screwed or snap-
fastened on the base. The cap may also be hinged so that
it remains connected to the base, even in its open
position. By way of example, the cap may be pivotally
mounted on the base so as to pivot between an open
position and a closed position. The cap may also be
completely detached from the base.
In general, the base is fastened onto the opening of
the receptacle in permanent or practically permanent
manner, so that it is not easy for a user to remove the
base from the opening of the receptacle. However, it is
necessary for a user to be able to open the openable cap
easily relative to the base, without using any means
other than the hands.
A problem is therefore to assure a user who has just
acquired a dispenser equipped with such a closure device,
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that they are or will be the first to remove the
removable cap from the base. In other words, it is
necessary to guarantee to the user that they are the
first to use the dispenser equipped with the closure
device. This enables the user to be reassured with
regard to the nature or the origin of the substance
contained in the dispenser. This also guarantees to the
user that the receptacle is filled to the maximum.
In the prior art, US document No. 6 269 986 is
already known, which describes a closure structure
comprising a base and a cap that are interconnected by a
hinge bridge. The base defines a dispenser orifice that
can be closed by the cap. The cap further comprises a
tamper or first-use indicator element constituted by two
portions which are connected together at a breakable
connection. The portion connected to the cap constitutes
a press portion, whereas the portion connected to the
press portion constitutes an anchor portion. The anchor
portion further includes a perforation. In addition, the
base includes an anchor head. The indicator element can
be folded down on the base when the cap is positioned on
the base. By folding the indicator element down in this
way, the orifice becomes engaged with the anchor head.
The anchor portion is thus pressed against the outer wall
of the base, while the press portion is positioned in a
housing. The press portion can be detached from the
anchor portion at the breakable junction by causing the
press portion to pivot in the housing. Thus, the closure
structure of that document includes a first-use indicator
system that the user must actuate beforehand by pressing
on the press portion. It is not possible to cause the
cap to pivot before the breakable connection has been
broken. US document No. 5 875 007 provides a similar
teaching.
US document 3 651 992 describes another type of
first-use safety closure that also comprises a base and a
cap. The cap is initially connected integrally as a
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single piece to the base by a hinge. The cap forms an
anchor pin that can be engaged in a housing formed by the
base. By tilting the cap on the base, the pin is engaged
and blocked in the housing. The cap and the base co-
y operate simultaneously to form a hinge. The cap can then
be caused to pivot about the hinge. In order to do that,
it is necessary to break a connection at the base while
the cap is being opened for the first time. Breaking the
connection gives an indication of first-time use. A
portion that was initially formed by the base, is
separated from the base, and is then secured to the cap.
An object of the present invention is to define
another type of first-use indicator means which do not
require prior manipulation by the user. Furthermore, the
indicator means must be clearly visible.
To solve this problem, the closure device of the
invention further comprises first-use indicator means for
making it easy to see whether the cap has already been
withdrawn from the base. Advantageously, said indicator
means comprise a visual indicator member that is
displaceable between an initial position that guarantees
that the cap has not already been opened, and a final
position that indicates that the cap has already been
opened, said displaceable indicator member reaching its
final position when the cap is put back into place on its
base so as to close the dispenser orifice. By means of
the visual indicator member, the user can immediately see
whether or not the closure device has already been
opened. It is the first actuation of the cap that
enables the position of the visual indicator member to be
modified. Thus, at first glance, the user knows whether
or not the cap has already been actuated, merely by
seeing the orientation of the visual indicator member.
According to an advantageous characteristic of the
invention, the displacement of the indicator member is
pivoting displacement. Preferably, the initial position
is separated from the final position by an unstable
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intermediate position. Thus, the visual indicator member
is constrained to be positioned either in its initial
position, or in its final position, by passing through
the unstable intermediate position.
According to another advantageous characteristic of
the invention, the indicator member is urged into its
final position by a bearing element secured to the base,
said indicator member being secured to the cap. In its
initial position, the indicator member advantageously
extends between the base and the bearing element, and, in
its final position, extends between the bearing element
and the cap.
In an embodiment, the bearing element is initially
secured to the cap, and is secured to the base after the
cap has been initially mounted on the base.
Advantageously, the bearing element is initially secured
to the cap by means of breakable connections that are
suitable for being broken while the cap is being opened
for the first time. The bearing element is preferably
secured to the base by heat-sealing.
In a practical embodiment, the bearing element is
formed by a ring that extends around at least part of the
cap, said ring initially being connected to the cap by
bridges of frangible material, the base including a crown
surrounding at least part of the dispenser orifice, said
ring being fastened to the crown, advantageously by heat-
sealing, said fastening being strong enough to withstand
the force required to break the connection between the
ring and the cap, so that the ring remains fastened to
the base when the cap is withdrawn from the base by
breaking the bridges of frangible material. The crown
advantageously forms a recess for receiving the indicator
member in its initial position. In another aspect, the
indicator member is connected to the cap along a curved
hinge-line that is advantageously defined at a bottom
peripheral edge of the cap. Advantageously, the cap is
pivotally mounted on the base.
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The indicator member is advantageously made out of a
material or in a color that is different from the rest of
the cap.
The ring forming the bearing element which is
5 connected firstly to the cap by the breakable
connections, and secondly to the base, advantageously by
heat-sealing, already constitutes indicator means in the
sense that the ring forms an indicator element, which,
before the cap is opened for the first time, is initially
connected both to the base and to the cap by the
breakable indicator connections, which connections break
while the cap is being opened for the first time, so that
the broken connections indicate that the closure device
has already been opened. As a result, the ring with its
breakable connections also constitutes first-use
indicator means of visibility that depends on the shape,
the configuration, and the size of the breakable
connections, and also on the way in which they are
broken. Naturally, when the indicator means are in the
form of a visual indicator member that is urged by the
heat-sealed ring between an initial position and a final
position, the closure device thus integrates two
indicator means, namely the displaceable indicator
member, and the breakable indicator connections.
Consequently, the closure device of the invention can
include indicator means that may be in the form solely of
an indicator element that is initially connected to the
cap by breakable indicator connections, or that may be in
the form of a combination of an indicator member and an
indicator element giving a two-fold indication with
regard to the first-use of the closure device. It is
also possible to envisage that the closure device of the
invention includes indicator means solely in the form of
an indicator member that is urged by a bearing element
other than an indicator element in the form of a ring
connected by breakable connections.
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The invention is described more fully below with
reference to the accompanying drawings which show an
embodiment of the invention by way of non-limiting
example.
In the figures:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a base of a
closure device of the invention;
Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views at different
angles showing a cap of a closure device of the
invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a closure device
of the invention in its initial position before use;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the Figure 4
closure device in its open position; and
Figure 6 is another perspective view of the device
of Figures 4 and 5 in its closed position after use.
The closure device of the invention shown in the
various figures comprises two component elements, namely
a base 1 and a cap 2. As described below, the closure
device also comprises a ring 3 that can be associated
either with the cap or with the base as a component
element. The base 1 and the cap 2 can be made by
injection molding a plastics material.
The base 1 can be made as a single part and is for
mounting on an opening of a receptacle (not shown)
containing a fluid, a liquid, or a powder. The base 1
includes fastener means for fastening it in stable manner
onto the opening of the receptacle. By way of example,
the fastener means can comprise a skirt 12 that is
provided on its inside, or on its outside, with
engagement means for co-operating with the opening of the
receptacle. In conventional manner, the skirt 12 can be
provided with an internal thread or with an internal
snap-fastener profile for co-operating with an outer wall
of the receptacle. This applies to the skirt 12 of the
base 1 shown in the figures. The skirt 12 is extended at
its top end by an inwardly-directed shoulder 16 that
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extends over substantially the entire periphery of the
skirt 12. Beyond said inwardly-directed shoulder 16, the
base 1 forms two bastions which together define a sort of
crown 14 that extends over part of the periphery of the
skirt. The two bastions are separated by a gap which
forms a recess 15 in the crown 14. A hinge-bearing
element 13 is provided diametrally opposite the recess
15. A central base 10 that is pierced at its center by a
dispenser orifice 11 is provided between the two bastions
forming the crown 14, and between the recess 15 and the
hinge-bearing element 13. Once the base 1 is mounted on
a receptacle opening, the inside of the receptacle can
communicate with the outside by means of, or through, the
dispenser orifice 11. A zone of the nozzle 10
surrounding the orifice 11 forms a sealing seat 110 for
co-operating with a closure pin 210, as described below.
Reference is made below to Figures 2 and 3 which
show a cap 2 for mounting in removable manner on the base
1, so as to close the dispenser orifice 11 in sealed
manner. To do this, the cap 2 forms a closure pin 210,
as can be seen in Figure 5. The cap 2 is generally
bucket-shaped, including a bottom wall 21 on which the
closure pin 210 is formed. Given that the bucket is
upsidedown so as to form a sort of cover 20, the bottom
wall 21 constitutes the top wall of the cap 2. From said
top wall 21, the cover 20 forms a side wall 22 that is
generally frustoconical in this embodiment. In the
invention, the side wall 22 is pierced with a slot 220
which presents a top engagement edge 211 formed by the
top wall 21. The size of the slot 220 is such that it is
possible to insert a finger therein, at least in part. A
finger can thus take hold of the cover 20 of the cap 2.
The side wall 22 defines a free bottom end edge 201. A
hinge-pin element 24 is connected to the cover 20 at the
free end edge 201. Diametrally opposite the hinge-pin
element 24, the cap forms a tongue 25 which is connected
to the edge 201 along a curved hinge line 205. The way
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in which the tongue 25 is displaceable between two stable
positions is described below.
The tongue can be made integrally as a single part
with the cover 20 in an appropriate plastics material.
In a variant, the tongue can be made out of a plastics
material or in a color that is different from the
plastics material or the color of the cover, e.g. by
means of a dual-injection molding or a co-molding
technique.
In use, i.e. after the cap has been opened for the
first time, said cap is constituted by the cover 20, by
its hinge-pin element 24, and by its displaceable tongue
25. However, before the first use, i.e. before the cap
has been withdrawn from the base for the first time, the
cap 2 also comprises a ring 3 that extends around at
least part of the cover 20, and more precisely around its
bottom end edge 201. The ring 3 extends over the entire
periphery of the cover 20, except at the hinge-pin
element 24. The ring 3 also extends over the
displaceable tongue 25. In its initial position, i.e.
before the cap 2 is mounted on the base 1, the tongue 25,
which is situated diametrally opposite the hinge-pin
element 24, and advantageously just below the finger slot
220, extends below the ring 3, as can be seen clearly in
Figure 3. The ring 3 presents a narrowing at the tongue
25 in the form of an inner setback 33. This thin portion
of the ring 3 forms a bearing element 32 for the tongue
25, as described below. The bearing element 32 is
advantageously provided with an abutment and protective
appendage 320 that extends over a fraction of the outer
periphery of the bearing element 32. The protective
appendage 320 extends downwards substantially in the same
general direction as the tongue 25. In the invention,
the ring 3 is connected to the remainder of the cap 2,
and more particularly to the cover 20, at its bottom end
edge 201 by means of a plurality of frangible or
breakable connections 30. By way of example, six
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breakable connections 30 can be provided which are
presented in the form of bridges of material connecting
the cover 20 to the ring 3, or more precisely the outer
periphery of the cover 20 at the bottom edge 201 to the
inner periphery of the ring 3.
The cap 2 with its ring 3 can be made integrally as
a single part by injection-molding a plastics material.
Thus, the cover 20 and the ring 3 initially form a single
part. This single part 2 can be mounted on the base 1 as
shown in Figures 2 and 3. The cap 2 is engaged on the
base 1 in such a manner that the closure pin 210 becomes
housed in the dispenser orifice 11, thereby providing
sealing at the seat 110. Furthermore, the hinge-pin
element 24 becomes engaged with the hinge-bearing element
13 formed by the base 1. The engagement of the pin
element 24 on the bearing element 13 is such that the cap
2 can then be displaced relative to the base 1 by
pivoting about the axis formed by the association of the
elements 13 and 24. In addition, the ring 3, initially
made integrally with the cap 2, comes into contact with
the crown 14 of the base 1. In the configuration shown
in Figure 4, the tongue 25 is positioned below the
bearing element 32 formed by the ring 3, but also in the
recess 15 formed in the crown 14. Mounting the cap 2 on
the base 1 in order to achieve the Figure 4 configuration
is performed very simply, without it being necessary to
position the tongue 25 carefully so as to ensure that it
is received in the recess 15 under the bearing element
32. The position of the tongue 25 has not changed since
its manufacture.
In the invention, the ring 3 is fastened onto the
base 1 once the cap 2 is mounted on the base 1.
Fastening can be performed by any technical means, but
the ring 3 is preferably heat-sealed onto the base 1 at
the crown 14. Heat-sealing can be performed using any
known technique, such as ultrasonic welding, for example.
Thus, the cap 2 is held in position on the base 1 by
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means of the ring 3 being fastened onto the base 1, and
being connected to the cover 20 by means of breakable
connections 30. By taking hold of the cover 20 via its
finger slot 220, and by holding onto the base 1 or the
receptacle on which it is fastened, sufficient traction
force can be exerted on the cover 20 to cause the
breakable connections 30 which connect the cover to the
ring 3, to give way or to break. Naturally, in order to
cause the connections 30 to break, it is necessary for
the fastening which connects the ring to the base 1 to be
strong enough to withstand the rupture force required to
break the connections 30. The cover 20 can thus be
detached from the ring 30 so that the cap then merely
consists of the cover 20, provided with its hinge-pin
element 24 and its displaceable tongue 25. Thus, the
ring 3 and more particularly its frangible connections 30
constitute first-use indicator means in the form of a
visual indicator member where it can easily and quickly
be seen whether or not the cap has already been withdrawn
from the base. The breakable connections 30 do not have
the same configuration or appearance before and after
they have been broken, so that the user can easily see if
the connections are still intact or if they have been
broken. This gives the user clear information as to
whether or not the closure device has already been used.
The spirit of this characteristic, which is
protectable er se, resides in the fact that the ring 3
which forms the first-use indicator means is made
integrally with the cap 2, and is then positioned on the
base 1 and is advantageously fastened thereto by heat-
sealing. Then, by removing the cap 2 from the base 1,
the ring 3 is left fastened to the base 1. The cap 2
does not even need to be provided with a tongue 25.
However, the displaceable tongue 25 also serves as
visual indicator means in co-operation with the bearing
element 32 formed by the ring 3. In its initial
position, the tongue 25 extends under the bearing element
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32 inside the recess 15, as can be seen very clearly in
Figure 4. While the cap 2 is being withdrawn from the
base 1 by breaking the connections 30, the tongue 25
connected to the cover 20 via the hinge line 205 is then
extracted from the recess 15 and from under the bearing
element 32. This results in the open configuration in
Figure 5. The cover 20 is then pivoted into its fully
open state, so that the dispenser orifice 11 is
completely clear. It is then possible to dispense the
fluid contained in the receptacle. Once dispensing has
ended, the user can once again cause the cover 20 to
pivot, so as to return it to its initial position in
which it seals the closed dispenser orifice 11. However,
the tongue 25, which until now has not yet changed its
orientation since manufacture, is thus constrained to
modify its orientation by pivoting about the hinge line
205. While the cover 20 was being opened, and in order
to escape from the recess 15, the tongue 25 came into
contact with the bearing element 32, and was subjected to
a small amount of deformation in bending. As soon as the
tongue 25 was no longer in contact with the bearing
element 32, it relaxed once again so as to return to its
initial rest position, which is indicative of the cover
20 not having already been opened. While the cover 20 is
being put back in place on the base l, the tongue 25,
which is still in its initial position, once again comes
into contact with the bearing element 32, but this time
from above, whereas while the tongue was being withdrawn,
said tongue came into contact with the bearing element 24
from below. As a result, the tongue 25 is now
constrained to pivot about its hinge line 205 so as to
reach a final, second position in which the tongue 25 is
then positioned over the bearing element 32 and no longer
under it, as was the case in the initial position in
Figure 4. The tongue 25 thus extends in a direction
forming an angle of about 90° relative to its initial
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position. It thus points upwards a little, whereas in
its initial position, it clearly points downwards.
Thus, the displaceable tongue 25 fulfils a first-use
visual indicator function, given that the user can
immediately see if the tongue 25 is positioned over or
under the ring 3. A position over the ring 3 clearly
informs the user that the closure device has already been
used.
In order to prevent the tongue 25 from pivoting
freely when the closure device is open, as shown in
Figure 5, the initial position and the final position are
stable positions separated by an unstable intermediate
position. This is possible as a result of the hinge line
215 not being rectilinear, but, on the contrary, being
curved, thereby imparting unstable equilibrium to said
intermediate position between the initial and final
stable positions. This thus ensures that the tongue 25
cannot leave its initial position too easily, and that
its change in orientation in order to reach the final
position can, in practice, only be driven by the bearing
element 32.
In the embodiment shown in the figures, the cap is
connected to the base by means of a hinge system 13, 24.
The cap and the base are made separately, in principle by
molding, then the cap is mounted on the base. In a
variant, the cap and the base can be made as a single
part, by being interconnected by a bridge of material
that then serves as a hinge.
By means of the invention, a closure device is
obtained that implements one or two types of first-use
visual indicator means, while limiting the number of
component parts to two.
