Sealing device for a container opening

Abstract

A closure device for mounting on an opening of a receptacle containing a fluid, said device comprising: a base (1) comprising fastener means (12) for fastening the base onto the opening of the receptacle, said base defining a fluid-dispensing orifice (11) through which the fluid contained in the receptacle can be dispensed; and an openable cap (2) for mounting on the base (1), said cap including closure means (210) for closing the dispenser orifice (11) of the base (1); the device further comprising first-use indicator means (25) for making it easy to see whether the cap (2) has already been withdrawn from the base (1), the device being characterized in that said indicator means comprise a visual indicator member (25) that is displaceable between an initial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 indicator member (25) reaching its final position when the cap (2) is put back into place on its base (1) so as to close the dispenser orifice (11).

Description

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, 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, U.S. Pat. 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. U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,007 provides a similar teaching.

U.S. Pat. No. 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 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-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 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.

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 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.

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:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a base of a closure device of the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views at different angles showing a cap of a closure device of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a closure device of the invention in its initial position before use;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the FIG. 4 closure device in its open position; and

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of the device of FIGS. 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 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 FIGS. 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 FIG. 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 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 FIG. 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 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 FIGS. 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 FIG. 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 FIG. 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 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 per 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 32 inside the recess 15, as can be seen very clearly in FIG. 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 FIG. 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 1, 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 FIG. 4. The tongue 25 thus extends in a direction forming an angle of about 90° relative to its initial 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 FIG. 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.

Claims

1. A closure device for mounting on an opening of a receptacle containing a fluid, said device comprising:

a base (1) comprising fastener means (12) for fastening the base onto the opening of the receptacle, said base defining a fluid-dispensing orifice (11) through which the fluid contained in the receptacle can be dispensed; and

an openable cap (2) for mounting on the base (1), said cap including closure means (210) for closing the dispenser orifice (11) of the base (1);

the device further comprising first-use indicator means (25) for making it easy to see whether the cap (2) has already been withdrawn from the base (1), the device being characterized in that said indicator means comprise a visual indicator member (25) 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 indicator member (25) reaching its final position when the cap (2) is put back into place on its base (1) so as to close the dispenser orifice (11).

2. A device according to claim 1, in which the indicator means further comprise an indicator element (3), which, before the cap (2) is opened for the first time, is initially connected to the cap by breakable indicator connections (30), and is advantageously fastened by heat-sealing to the base (1), the breakable connections (30) being suitable for being broken while the cap is being opened for the first time, so that the broken connections indicate that the closure device has already been opened.

3. A device according to claim 1, in which the displacement of the indicator member (25) is pivoting displacement.

4. A device according to claim 1, in which the initial position is separated from the final position by an unstable intermediate position.

5. A device according to claim 1, in which the indicator member (25) is urged into its final position by a bearing element (32) secured to the base (1), said indicator member (25) being secured to the cap (2).

6. A device according to claim 5, in which, in its initial position, the indicator member (25) extends between the base (1) and the bearing element (32), and, in its final position, extends between the bearing element (32) and the cap (2).

7. A device according to claim 5, in which the bearing element (32) is initially secured to the cap (2), and is secured to the base (1) after the cap (2) has been initially mounted on the base (1).

8. A device according to claim 7, in which the bearing element (32) is initially secured to the cap (2) by means of breakable connections (30) that are suitable for being broken while the cap is being opened for the first time.

9. A device according to claim 5, in which the bearing element (32) is secured to the base (1) by heat-sealing.

10. A device according to claim 5, in which the bearing element is formed by a ring (3) that extends around at least part of the cap (2), said ring (3) initially being connected to the cap by bridges (23) of frangible material, the base including a crown (14) surrounding at least part of the dispenser orifice (11), said ring (3) being fastened to the crown (14), 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.

11. A device according to claim 10, in which the crown (14) forms a recess (15) for receiving the indicator member (25) in its initial position.

12. A device according to claim 1, in which the indicator member (25) is connected to the cap (2) along a curved hinge-line (205) that is advantageously defined at a bottom peripheral edge (201) of the cap (2).

13. A device according to claim 1, in which the cap (2) is pivotally mounted on the base (1).

14. A device according to claim 1, in which the indicator member (25) is made out of a material or in a color that is different from the rest of the cap.

15. A device according to claim 1, in which the cap and the base are united as a single piece, advantageously via a hinge (24).