FR2890380A1 - CONDITIONING AND DISPENSING DEVICE COMPRISING A TIP AND A FLEXIBLE POCKET FIXED TO THE TIP. - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible pouch (2) having a top edge is fastened to a dispenser endpiece (3) made of plastics material and comprising a tubular body and two opposite fins (20). A projection (24) is included over a fraction of the length of each fin, forming an abutment for the top edge of the pouch. The tubular body includes an axis and defines an inlet orifice (14) and a dispenser orifice (11). The fins are situated on either side of the tubular body, and each fin includes a tapering portion having two downwardly converging opposite faces. An independent claim is included for a dispenser endpiece for packaging and dispenser device.

Description

2890380 1

  The present invention relates to packaging and dispensing devices comprising a plastic tip and a flexible pouch attached to the tip.

  US 6,612,466 discloses an example of a nozzle comprising a tubular body, a flange and under it two fins diametrically opposed, having a constant thickness in the axial direction and tapering in the radial direction.

  When the tip has a threaded neck to receive a cap, the consumer must grasp the cap with one hand and the pocket of the other and rotate relative to each other to unscrew the cap.

  The pocket is not rigid, it occurs under the cap a twist which deforms the pocket giving it an unsightly twisted appearance and makes the use of the device inconvenient.

  One solution to this problem may be to make under the collar an enlarged hollow portion of lenticular cross-section, the opposite walls of the flexible bag being fixed on the long sides of this enlarged hollow portion.

  Such a solution has the disadvantage of constituting a reserve of product inside the enlarged hollow portion, which is difficult to get out of the pocket.

  In addition, the plastic material of the nozzle has a certain permeability to air and the relatively large exchange surface can adversely affect the preservation of the product contained in the pocket.

  US Patent 4,126,167 discloses a tip also having two diametrically opposed fins, tapering in the radial direction.

  Such a nozzle does not fully satisfactory solution the problem of gas exchange through the plastic of the nozzle and makes it difficult to empty the bag completely, because of the possibility of product accumulation under the tip.

  US 2003/0172950 discloses a nozzle having two fins provided with recesses for providing a material gain.

  There is therefore a need for a packaging and dispensing device in which the tip is easy to attach to the pocket, which is easy to use, especially in case of unscrewing the cap, and which also offers a satisfactory emptying of the bag, as well as, in the case where the product contained therein is sensitive to oxidation, good preservation away from the air.

  According to one of its aspects, the subject of the invention is a packaging and dispensing device comprising a flexible bag and a dispensing nozzle on which the bag is fixed, this dispensing nozzle comprising: a tubular body having a axis and defining at least one inlet orifice and a dispensing orifice, - two substantially diametrically opposite fins, located on either side of the body, these fins having at least one portion tapering in the axial direction, away from of the dispensing orifice. The fins may comprise on at least a portion of their length, that is to say along their longitudinal axis, opposite faces converging downwards, these faces being able to extend for example over most of the height of said portion, or over substantially the entire height of the fins.

  Thinning fins reduces gaseous exchange through the tip and the volume of product may remain trapped in the device at the end of its use.

  According to another of its aspects, the subject of the invention is also a packaging and dispensing device comprising a flexible pouch and a tip on which the pouch is fastened, this nozzle comprising a tubular body and two diametrically opposed wings extending from the tubular body, the pocket having two opposite walls welded together, defining an interior space containing the product, wherein the fins are isolated over at least a portion of their length from the inside of the pocket by a zone welding the walls between them.

  This weld zone isolates the interior space of the plastic material of the nozzle, which reduces the gas exchange through the plastic material of the nozzle and improves the emptying of the pocket.

  The fins may advantageously be insulated, throughout their length, from the interior space by a weld zone of the walls of the pocket between them.

  The tip is thus in contact with the product in the central part of the body, the fins being completely integrated into the weld of the walls of the tube.

  The fins may each comprise at least one portion having a longitudinal axis extending obliquely relative to the axis of the tubular body.

  The fins may extend generally downward when the device is observed with the axis of the body of the vertical nozzle and the dispensing orifice at the top.

  The fins may be substantially rectilinear or not, for example having a bend directed downwards.

  The fins may comprise, on at least a portion of their upper edge, at least one rib, preferably two opposite ribs. The upper edge of the pocket may be substantially supported under the rib or ribs.

  At least one fin preferably extends in the radial direction over a distance greater than 10 mm, to facilitate the unscrewing of a cap mounted on the tip.

  The fins may each have an end portion where they taper away from the tubular body.

  The body may include a collar. The distal ends of the fins may be farther from the axis of the tubular body than the flange.

  The flange may comprise at least one flat substantially parallel to the fins, in particular two diametrically opposite flats substantially parallel to the fins.

  The body may have a threaded neck extending between the collar and the dispensing orifice to receive a closure plug.

  The device may comprise rounded junctions between the fins and the tubular body, on the side of the inlet orifice.

  The pocket is advantageously welded to the tip, and has two opposite main walls welded to the fins.

  The main walls of the pocket are advantageously welded to each other along at least a portion of the length of the vanes and under them.

  The longitudinal edges of the pocket may be further away from the axis of the body than are the distal ends of the fins. Alternatively, the longitudinal edges of the pocket are less distant from the body axis than are the distal ends of the fins.

  The pocket is made for example with a heat-sealable composite sheet. The bag contains, for example, a product to be stored in the absence of air, in particular a hair dye product.

  The invention also relates to a tip for a packaging device and application as defined above.

  The invention may be better understood on reading the following detailed description, non-limiting examples of implementation thereof, and on examining the appended drawing, in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view of an exemplary device 5 made in accordance with the invention; - FIG. 2 is a section along II-II of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a schematic transverse section according to FIG. III of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 represents, in perspective, the tip of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is an axial section of the tip of FIG. 4; FIG. 4 is a top view of the tip of FIG. 4, FIG. 8 is a cross section along VIIIVIII of FIG. 5, FIGS. partial diagrammatic views, similar to FIG. 1, of alternative embodiments of the invention, and FIGS. 10 and 12 are sectio ns respectively according to X-X and XII-XII. FIG. 1 shows a packaging and dispensing device 1 comprising a flexible bag 2 fastened to a tip 3 at the top.

  The pocket 2 has two main walls 4 and 5 which are welded at their periphery and on the end piece 3 so as to form an interior space containing the product, the welded zones being represented by hatching in FIG.

  The tip is made of plastic, for example polyethylene.

  In the example considered, the bag 2 has two longitudinal edges 6 which extend along a longitudinal axis X and a bottom 7 which extends substantially perpendicular to the axis X, but other shapes are possible.

  The tip 3 comprises, as can be seen in Figure 4, a body 8, tubular axis Y, the body having in the upper part a threaded neck 10 which defines a dispensing orifice 11 for the product.

  The threaded neck 10 can accommodate a not shown closure cap which is screwed onto the tip.

  The body 8 comprises in the lower part a skirt 13 which defines at its lower end an inlet 14 for the product.

  The body 8 has a flange 15 at the base of the threaded neck 10.

  The tip 3 has two fins 20 diametrically opposed, which extend from the skirt 13 each along a longitudinal axis Z which is inclined downwards in the example and which makes with the longitudinal axis Y of the body 8 a non-zero angle, for example close to 80, as illustrated in FIG.

  In a variant not illustrated, the angle a is equal to 90.

  The fins 20 extend in the example in a straight line along the Z axis, but it could be otherwise, as will be described later.

  Each fin 20 has in cross-section, as illustrated in FIG. 8, a thickness e which tapers downwards, comprising two main faces 23 forming between them an angle (3 which is for example between 5 and 10, for example of the order of 8.

  Each fin 20 comprises, along its upper longitudinal edge, two longitudinal ribs 24 which each define a shoulder 25 with the corresponding face 23 of the fin. The top of each fin thus forms with the ribs 24 a flat 27 inclined slightly downwards.

  The spacing D between the distal ends 30 of the fins 20 is much greater than the spacing d between the opposite ends 31 of the flange 15 which lie in the plane of the fins, which allows a good grip of the device by the when unscrewing the cap.

  The fins 20 taper at their distal end 30, as can be seen in particular in Figures 4 and 6, which avoids hurting the walls of the pocket. For the same purpose, the lower 33 and upper 34 corners of each fin are rounded at its distal end.

  Rounded junctions 35 are provided between the skirt 13 and the longitudinal lower edge 37 of the fins 20.

  The flange 15 comprises in the example in question two flats 38 diametrically opposed which are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axes Z of the fins 20.

  When the bag 2 is assembled with the nozzle 3, the walls 4 and 5 of the bag are welded to the skirt 13 and on the opposite faces 23 of the fins 20, as illustrated in FIG. 2, as well as under them in FIG. a zone 40, as shown in Figure 2, which prevents the accumulation of product under the nozzle and also reduces the gas exchange through the tip.

  The upper edge 41 of the walls 4 and 5 advantageously abuts under the ribs 24 of the fins 20 and under the flange 15, the Y axis of the nozzle being 5 coincident with the axis X of the pocket in the example considered.

  The longitudinal edges 6 may be further from the X axis than are the distal ends 30 of the fins.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the fins 20 may extend beyond the longitudinal edges 6 of the pocket by having a bent shape with a proximal portion 44 inclined downward and a distal portion 43 extending substantially parallel to the Y axis of the mouthpiece.

  In such an alternative, the walls 4 and 5 of the pocket may be welded together under the proximal portion 44 and along a region 46 adjacent to a distal portion 43, on the inside of the pocket, as shown in FIG. 10.

  Advantageously, each distal portion 43 has a tapered side 45 in the direction of the Y axis, in order to facilitate the assembly of the walls 4 and 5 in the zone 46.

  The ribs 24 may not extend over the entire length of the proximal portion 44 of the fins.

  In another variant, illustrated in FIG. 11, the fins 20 have a bent shape but their radially outermost edge is less distant from the Y axis than are the longitudinal edges 6 of the bag, which may allow assembling the walls 4 and 5 on either side of each distal portion 43, not only according to an area 46 located on the inner side, but also according to an assembly zone 49 located on the outer side, as can be seen on Figure 12.

  The distal portion 43 advantageously has a shape tapering both inwardly and outwardly, to facilitate assembly of the walls 4 and 5.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to a particular pocket shape and this can be more or less elongated, the terms bag and tube being considered synonymous in the present application.

  In all the examples described, the ribs 24 could be removed.

  The pocket can be made with different materials and in particular with a composite sheet.

  Such a sheet may comprise for example a multilayer complex comprising: a metal layer, for example made from aluminum or an alloy comprising aluminum, an adhesion agent on one side of this metal layer , comprising, for example, a copolymer comprising at least 7% by weight of carboxylic and / or carboxylate units, the carboxylic units possibly being in acid form, and a layer of a non-metallic material bonded to the metal layer via the adhesion agent, for example a thermoplastic material, preferably a polymer, for example polyethylene.

  The carboxylate unit is, for example, an acrylate or methacrylate unit, for example ethyl acrylate. The carboxylic unit is, for example, acrylic or methacrylic acid. The copolymer may comprise at least one second monomer having an alkylene unit whose alkyl chain comprises from 2 to 10 carbon atoms.

  The adhesion agent is for example a copolymer of ethylene and ethyl acrylate or a copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid.

  The adhesion agent may comprise, for example, between 7 and 19%, more particularly between 8 and 11%, or even between 8.5 and 10.5%, and preferably 9.7% by weight, of an acrylic acid or an acrylic ester.

  The composite structure may comprise a second outer structure contiguous to the metal layer, this outer structure may be made of a thermoplastic material, in particular a polymer, for example polyethylene terephthalate, being intended to define the outer surface of the pocket. This outer structure may be integral with the metal layer by means of a layer of a second adhesion agent, in particular a polyurethane-based adhesive.

  Other composite sheet structures are possible.

  The packaging device may comprise a hair coloring product to be stored in the absence of air. This product is, for example, a composition containing at least one basifying agent, for example chosen from ammonia and / or ethanolamine and / or sodium silicate, and may contain, for example, at least one oxidation base and optionally at least one oxidation base. less a coupler and one or more direct dyes.

  The expression containing one must be understood as being synonymous with at least one, unless the opposite is specified.

Claims (27)

  1. Packaging and dispensing device comprising a flexible bag (2) and a dispensing nozzle (3) on which the bag is fixed, this dispensing nozzle comprising: - a tubular body (8) having an axis (Y) and defining at least one inlet (14) and a dispensing orifice (11), two fins (20) substantially diametrically opposite, located on either side of the body (8), these fins (20) having at least one at least one portion having two opposing faces (23) converging downwards.   2. Packaging and dispensing device comprising a flexible bag (2) and a nozzle (3) on which is fixed the bag, this nozzle comprising a tubular body (8) and two fins (20) diametrically opposite extending from of the tubular body, the pocket having two opposite walls (4, 5) welded together, defining an interior space containing the product, wherein the fins (20) are insulated over at least a portion of their length of the interior space the pocket by an area (40) of welding the walls (4, 5) between them.   3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the fins are insulated throughout their length of the interior space by a zone (40) of welding the walls of the pocket between them.   4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fins (20) each comprise at least one portion having a longitudinal axis (Z) extending obliquely relative to the axis (Y) of the body (8).   5. Device according to the preceding claim, wherein the fins generally extend downwards.   6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fins (20) comprise, at least a portion of their upper edge, at least one rib (24).   7. Device according to the preceding claim, wherein the fins (20) 30 comprise on at least a portion of their upper edge two opposite ribs (24).   8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one fin (20) extends in the radial direction over a distance greater than 10 mm.   9. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fins each comprise an end portion where they taper away from the body (8) of the tip.   10. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body (8) comprises a flange (15).   11. Device according to the preceding claim, wherein the distal ends (30) of the fins are further away from the axis (Y) of the body (8) than is the flange (15).   12. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body (8) has a threaded neck (10) extending between the flange (15) and the dispensing orifice (11).   13. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising rounded junctions (35) between the fins (20) and the body (8) on the side of the inlet orifice (14).   14. Device according to claim 10, wherein the flange comprises at least one flat (38) substantially parallel to the fins, in particular two diametrically opposite flats substantially parallel to the fins.   15. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fins (38) are substantially rectilinear.   16. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the fins (38) comprise a bend directed downwards.   17. Device according to claim 1, wherein the pocket (2) is welded to the tip (3).   18. Device according to the preceding claim, wherein the pocket has two main walls (4, 5) opposite, welded to the fins.   19. Device according to the preceding claim, wherein the main walls are welded to each other along at least a part of the length of the fins and under them, so as to isolate the fins of the interior space of the pocket.   20. Device according to claim 6, wherein the upper edge of the bag is substantially supported under the rib (24).   21. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the longitudinal edges (6) of the pocket are further away from the axis (Y) of the body than are the distal ends of the fins.   22. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the longitudinal edges (6) of the pocket are less distant from the axis (Y) of the body (8) that are the distal ends of the fins.   23. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pouch comprises a composite sheet.   24. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bag contains a product to be stored in the absence of air.   25. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bag comprises a hair dye product.   Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the downwardly converging faces (23) extend over most of said fin portion, more preferably substantially the entire height of said portion.   27. End piece for packaging and application device as defined in any one of the preceding claims.