TUBE HEAD, AND TUBE COMPRISING SAID TUBE HEAD

Abstract

A head for manufacturing a flexible tube for containing a liquid or pasty product, comprising an upper wall and an annular side wall, the lower distal end of which defines a plane (A), said head comprising a dispensing orifice extended by a protuberance, a portion of which protrudes from said plane (A), said protruding portion being eccentric relative to the center of the tube head.

Description

The invention relates to a tube head and a tube comprising said tube head.

Flexible tubes are known comprising a tube head equipped with a dispensing orifice, a plug mounted on the tube head and reversibly closing the dispensing orifice, and a flexible skirt attached to the tube head. A first aspect of the invention concerns the ability of the tube to use as little plastic as possible, in particular to reduce the carbon footprint of the tube. Indeed, nowadays, the global production of plastic is one of the largest sources of waste. The consumption and the recycling of these plastic products is a major concern of the national and regional organizations. The non-recycled plastic material is currently disposed of through a variety of methods ranging from landfill to energy recovery to thermal and chemical treatments. To reduce the plastic consumption, it has been proposed tubes, the tube head of which comprises a cover so as to close the dispensing orifice reversibly. As a result, the tube head and the plug become a single component, reducing the amount of plastic used to provide the same functionality. There have also already been plans to replace a certain proportion of plastics with paper. The use of paper/cardboard allows to reduce the environmental impact, measured in particular by a life cycle analysis, and decouples the packaging from materials of fossil origin and therefore not renewable. The paper/cardboard, in addition to being of renewable origin, is a material that can be recycled today and tomorrow.

A second aspect of the invention concerns the orientation or the alignment of the various components of the tube. The skirt can be decorated and may comprise a longitudinal weld. The orientation of the decoration, with or without the longitudinal weld, and therefore the orientation of the skirt in relation to the tube head and the plug, is an important aesthetic aspect for the consumer. The tube heads according to the prior art comprise a positioning leg on the outer diameter of the tube head cooperating with a complementary leg on the plug, said legs cooperating with each other in order to position the plug in an appropriate manner, in particular with respect to the decoration and/or to the longitudinal weld of the skirt, during the manufacture of the tube. Such a solution requires a lot of separate components and therefore an overconsumption of plastic material.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a tube head comprising a positioning means while keeping the quantity of plastic to a minimum in order to promote the recyclability of the tube comprising said tube head. To this end, the present invention relates to a head for the manufacturing of a flexible tube intended to contain a liquid or pasty product, comprising an upper wall and an annular lateral wall, the lower distal end of which defines a plane (A), said tube head comprising a dispensing orifice extended by a protuberance, a segment of which protrudes from said plane (A), said protruding segment being eccentric with respect to the centre of the tube head.

In other words, the protuberance is an element of the tube head extending from the dispensing orifice towards what will be the interior of the tube head once it has been attached to the skirt and the tube formed. Advantageously, a segment of this element, referred to as said protruding segment, protrudes from the tube head and is eccentric.

In this way, the eccentric protruding segment of the protuberance extending the dispensing orifice can be detected, for example, by the tube manufacturing machines. The eccentric protruding segment constitutes a positioning means allowing the tube head to be oriented in particular with respect to the decoration and/or to the longitudinal weld of the skirt during the manufacture of the tube so that the skirt is subsequently attached in a suitable position. This positioning means allows a high production rate. In addition, such a tube head is compatible with existing flexible tube production lines. Finally, this solution allows to obtain a positioning means while limiting the addition of plastic material, thus promoting the recyclability of the tube comprising such a tube head.

The invention may also comprise any of the following characteristics, taken individually or in any technically feasible combination:

• • the tube head comprises a single protuberance,
  • the tube head comprises a single eccentric protruding segment,
  • the assembly of the tube head is formed from continuous material,
  • the assembly of the tube head is a monolithic part,
  • the tube head has at least two ribs at the level of the internal face of the upper wall,
  • at least one portion of the protuberance extending the dispensing orifice is in the shape of a half-cylinder,
  • the tube head comprises a single dispensing orifice,
  • the dispensing orifice is eccentric with respect to the centre of the tube head,
  • the tube head comprises a hinged cover connected to the tube head by a hinge and movable between an open position and a closed position,
  • the tube head and the hinged cover and the hinge are made in one piece,
  • the hinged cover comprises a lug allowing for sealing the opening when said cover is in the closed position,
  • the hinge is flush with the upper face of the tube head,
  • the tube head is configured so that, when the cover is in the closed position, said cover forms a substantially planar surface with the first upper wall,
  • the hinge is eccentric in relation to the centre of the tube head,
  • the hinged cover is eccentric in relation to the centre of the tube head,
  • the annular lateral wall has an undercut to make it easier for a finger of a user to open the cover,
  • the cover comprises a tab to facilitate the gripping of said cover when said cover is opened by a finger of a user,
  • the tube head has a height h1 of between 5 and 20 mm,
  • the tube head has a height h1 of between 8 and 12 mm,
  • the protruding segment has a height h2 of between 1.5 and 6 mm,
  • the protruding segment has a height h2 of between 2 and 4 mm,
  • the tube head has a diameter d of between 20 and 60 mm,
  • the tube head has a diameter d of between 30 and 50 mm,
  • the d/h1 ratio is between 2 and 6,
  • the d/h1 ratio is between 3 and 5,
  • the material thickness at the level of the upper wall and of the annular lateral wall is between 0.3 and 2 mm,
  • the material thickness at the level of the hinge is less than the thickness of the material at the level of the upper wall and of the annular lateral wall,
  • the tube head is made of plastic.

The invention also relates to a tube comprising a tube head as described above and a flexible skirt, said tube comprising at least 50% by weight of paper.

The invention may also comprise any of the following characteristics, taken individually or in any technically feasible combination:

• • the skirt is attached directly to the tube head,
  • the skirt is attached to the tube head by high-temperature welding or by over-moulding.

The invention will be better understood and further details, characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description made by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tube head according to the invention in a closed configuration,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tube head according to the invention in an open configuration,

FIG. 3 is a profile view of a tube head according to the invention in an open configuration,

FIG. 4 is a profile view of a tube head according to the invention in a closed configuration,

FIG. 5 is a perspective bottom view of a tube head according to the invention in an open configuration,

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a tube head according to the invention,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a tube according to the invention in an open configuration,

FIG. 8 is a perspective sectional view of a tube according to the invention in an open configuration,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a tube according to the invention in an open configuration.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, the present invention relates to a head 1 for the manufacturing of a flexible tube intended to contain a liquid or pasty product. The head 1 according to the invention comprises an upper wall 10 and an annular lateral wall 20, the lower distal end 21 of which defines a plane (A). Said plane (A) is shown in FIG. 1. The head 1 comprises a dispensing orifice 2 extended by a protuberance 3. Advantageously, the dispensing orifice 2 is located on the upper wall 10 of the head 1.

The protuberance 3 can be seen in FIG. 5. As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, a segment 4 of said protuberance 3 protrudes from said plane (A). In other words, if we consider that the tube head 1 defines an internal volume V through its upper wall 10 and its annular lateral wall 20, the protruding segment 4 of the protuberance 3 protrudes from said internal volume V.

The protuberance 3 thus extends from the dispensing orifice 2 towards a free end, in the direction of the internal volume along an axis Y, in this case parallel to the central axis X of the tube head. In particular, the free end defines a liquid or pasty product inlet orifice.

In addition, the protruding segment 4 is eccentric, i.e., it is offset radially with respect to the central axis X of the tube head 1. The central axis X of the tube head is defined as the straight line perpendicular to the plane A and passing through the point in the plane A equidistant from the edges of the tube head.

In the embodiment illustrated here, the dispensing orifice 2, the protuberance 3, the free end of the protuberance 3 and the inlet orifice are all eccentric.

In other non-illustrated embodiments, only the protuberance is eccentric, or even only the protruding segment 4 of the protuberance 3 is eccentric, in other words only the free end of the protuberance 3 is eccentric. The dispensing orifice can then be centred on the upper wall 10 of the head 1 (embodiment not shown).

In the example shown here, the upper wall 10 is in the form of a plate transverse to the axis X.

As mentioned above, the eccentrically protruding segment 4 of the protuberance 3 extending from the dispensing orifice 2 constitutes a positioning means.

In the embodiment shown here, the protruding segment 4 is formed by a single wall. It is not a conduit for the passage of fluids.

The protruding segment 4 is a circular arc. This circular arc defines a radius R in relation to the axis Y of the protuberance. The circle with radius R and with centre at a point on the axis Y comprises only the protruding segment and no others.

In another embodiment, not shown, in which the protruding segment is a planar wall, the radius R is defined by the distance between the axis Y and one of the edges of the wall. Similarly, the circle with radius R and with centre at a point on the axis Y comprises only the protruding segment and no others.

The positioning means allows the tube head 1 to be oriented in particular with respect to the decoration and/or to a longitudinal weld 51 of the skirt during the manufacture of the tube, so that the skirt is subsequently attached in an appropriate position. Advantageously, the protruding segment 4 cooperates directly with the tooling of the production line of the tube and not with a component of the tube as is the case in the prior art.

Preferably, the entire tube head 1 according to the invention is formed from a continuous material. The head 1 is thus made in one piece, i.e., a monolithic part. In the prior art, a positioning means of a tube head segment cooperates with a complementary shape of another segment of the plug. As the head 1 according to the invention is not divided into at least two separate parts but is instead made as a single part combining the functionalities of these two components, the way in which the head 1 according to the invention is centred in relation to the skirt is a completely different approach.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tube head 1 advantageously has at least two ribs at the level of its internal face 10a of the upper wall. In the example shown, the head comprises two ribs 5 arranged opposite each other. The term “internal face” refers to the face facing the internal volume V. The presence of the ribs 5 at the level of the internal face 10a of a tube head allows to reinforce its structure. These ribs 5 extend radially with respect to the axis (X).

The protuberance 3 extending the dispensing orifice 2 has a proximal end connected to the orifice 2 and a distal end. The distal end is located at the level of the protruding segment 4. According to a configuration illustrated in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, the proximal end of the protuberance 3 has the shape of a cylinder. Such a shape has the advantage of being particularly resistant. However, this shape limits the access to the orifice 2 for the product contained in the tube equipped with the head 1. Advantageously, as illustrated in particular in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, at least one portion of the protuberance 3 extending the dispensing orifice 2 has the shape of a half-cylinder. This half-cylinder shape allows to provide a sufficiently strong structure and also allows to facilitate the access to the orifice 2 for the product contained in the tube equipped with the head 1. The proportion of the protuberance 3 in the shape of a cylinder can vary according to the dimensions of the head. According to the configuration illustrated in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, a large proportion of the protuberance 3 has the shape of a half-cylinder, and not just the protruding segment 4. In a configuration not shown, the assembly of the protuberance 3 has the shape of a half-cylinder.

Advantageously, this half-cylinder shape allows to have a protruding segment of the protuberance 3 eccentric, even if the dispensing orifice is centred on the upper wall of the head 1 (embodiment not shown).

Advantageously, the tube head comprises a hinged cover 11. Said cover 11 is connected to the tube head by a hinge 12 and is movable between an open position and a closed position.

Advantageously, the tube head 1, the hinged cover 11 and the hinge 12 are made in one piece. The assembly of the tube head 1 is advantageously formed by material injection, particularly of plastic material.

Preferably, the hinged cover 11 comprises a lug allowing the dispensing orifice 2 to be sealed when the cover is in the closed position.

Advantageously, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the hinge 12 is flush with the upper face of the head 1 according to the invention. Advantageously still, the tube head 1 is configured so that, when the cover 11 is in the closed position, said cover 11 forms a substantially planar external surface with the upper wall 10. In particular, the upper wall 10 advantageously has a recess 14 allowing to receive the cover 11 when the latter is in the closed position, thus allowing to form a substantially planar external surface. This substantially planar external surface provides an appreciable aesthetic appearance and also allows the tube comprising the head 1 according to the invention to stand upright on its head.

In other words, the upper wall 10 has a first top plate and a second bottom plate comprising the dispensing orifice 2 and corresponding to the recess 14 so that when the cover 11 is in the closed position, the upper wall 10 is in the form of a transverse plate with a substantially planar external surface.

As mentioned above, it is necessary for the protruding segment 4 to be eccentric to achieve the desired positioning effect. Advantageously, the dispensing orifice 2 is eccentric with respect to the central axis X. In this way, the protuberance 3 extending the dispensing orifice 2 can form a right angle with the upper wall 10. In an embodiment not shown, the dispensing orifice 2 can be located in the centre of the head 1. However, in such a configuration, the protuberance 3 extending the dispensing orifice 2 must form an angle with the upper wall 10 so that the protruding segment 4 is eccentric with respect to the central axis X in order to obtain the desired positioning effect.

Preferably, the hinged cover 11 is eccentric with respect to the central axis X. This allows, in particular, to reduce the size of the cover 11 and thus to limit the quantity of material required to manufacture the head 1 according to the invention. The hinge 12 can also be eccentric.

Preferably still, the hinged cover 11 occupies less than 50% of the surface area of the disc of diameter d, in particular less than 30%. The small size of the cover further allows to reduce the quantity of plastic required to manufacture the tube head 1.

Advantageously, the annular lateral wall 20 has an undercut 22. Such an undercut 22 allows a user of the tube comprising the head 1 according to the invention to insert his finger in order to lift the cover 11. Advantageously, the cover 11 comprises a tab 13. Said tab 13 facilitates the gripping of said cover 11 when the cover is opened by a finger of a user. In this way, both the undercut 22 and the tab 13 allow to make it easier for a finger of a user to open the cover. The presence of the undercut 22 and of the tab 13 is particularly appreciated for a head with reduced dimensions and low height.

The configuration of the head 1 according to the present invention allows the formation of a tube head 1 with reduced dimensions.

The tube head has a height h1 as shown in FIG. 4. Height h1 means the length of the straight line perpendicular to the plane A measured between the plane A and the external face of the upper wall 10. Advantageously, the height h1 of the tube head 1 is between 5 and 20 mm. Advantageously, the height h1 of the tube head 1 is between 8 and 12 mm. Advantageously, the height h1 of the tube head 1 is between 9.3 and 10.3 mm.

The protruding segment 4 has a height h2 as shown in FIG. 4. Height h2 means the length of the straight line perpendicular to the plane A measured between the plane A and the end of the protruding segment 4. It is preferable for said protruding segment 4 to have a height h2 in order to cooperate well with the tooling, in particular a rail, of the production line of the tube. Advantageously, the height h2 of the protruding segment 4 is between 1.5 and 6 mm. Advantageously, the height h2 of the protruding segment 4 is between 2 and 4 mm. Advantageously, the height h2 of the protruding segment 4 is between 2.5 and 3.5 mm. Such a height h2 of the protruding segment 4 allows a reliable positioning of the head 1 according to the invention.

Preferably, the h1/h2 ratio is between 1.5 and 5.5. Even more preferably, the h1/h2 ratio is between 2.5 and 4.5, particularly between 3 and 4.

The tube head 1 has a diameter d as shown in FIG. 4. Advantageously, the diameter d of the head 1 is between 20 and 60 mm. Advantageously, the diameter d of the head 1 is between 30 and 50 mm. Advantageously, the diameter d of the head 1 is between 35 and 45 mm.

The design of the head 1 according to the present invention is characterised in particular by a substantially reduced height h1, particularly in relation to the diameter d of the head 1. This substantially planar design allows to reduce the amount of material used to manufacture the tube head 1, particularly plastic material. Advantageously, the d/h1 ratio is between 2 and 6. Even more advantageously, the d/h1 ratio is between 3 and 5. A d/h1 ratio as described above characterises the substantially planar design of the head 1 according to the present invention.

The head 1 according to the present invention has walls of substantially reduced thickness compared with the heads in the prior art. This low wall thickness allows that the quantity of material used to manufacture the tube head 1, in particular plastic material, is limited. Advantageously, the thickness of the material at the level of the upper wall 10 and of the annular lateral wall 20 is between 0.3 and 2 mm. Advantageously, the thickness of the material at the level of the upper wall 10 and of the annular lateral wall 20 is between 0.5 and 1 mm. This wall thickness allows to significantly reduce the quantity of material, particularly plastic, used to manufacture the tube head 1. Preferably, the material thickness at the level of the hinge 12 is less than the material thickness at the level of the upper wall 10 and of the annular lateral wall 20.

Advantageously, the tube head 1 according to the invention is made of plastic material. Advantageously, said head 1 is formed by injection of plastic material.

According to another aspect of the invention, illustrated in particular in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the present invention also relates to a tube 100 comprising a tube head 1 as described above and a flexible skirt 50.

Advantageously, the flexible skirt 50 is formed from a sheet of laminated material. Said sheet comprises two opposite edges and is rolled up so that the opposite edges overlap. Said opposite edges are then welded together to form a longitudinal weld 51.

Advantageously, the longitudinal weld 51 of the skirt 50 of the tube 100 is positioned on the side opposite the dispensing orifice 2. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, when a user looks at the tube 100 with the dispensing orifice 2 facing him, the longitudinal weld 51 is at the rear of the skirt 50. This configuration is particularly advantageous in terms of the aesthetic appearance of the tube. The longitudinal weld 51 is an element of the skirt that is considered to be unesthetic, particularly as this area of the skirt is often devoid of decoration. It is therefore advantageous to position this longitudinal weld 51 at the rear of the skirt, i.e., on the side opposite the dispensing orifice 2. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the decoration of the skirt 50 is advantageously oriented so as to be on the same side as the dispensing orifice 2, thus facing the user.

Preferably, the laminated material forming the skirt 50 is a multilayer comprising at least one layer of plastic. Preferably, the laminate comprises at least one layer of PE (polyethylene). Even more preferably, the laminate comprises at least one layer of PP (polypropylene).

Advantageously, the laminated material forming the skirt 50 comprises at least one barrier layer. Advantageously, the barrier layer is a plastic barrier layer of the EVOH (ethylene vinyl alcohol) type.

Preferably, the laminated material forming the skirt 50 is a multilayer comprising at least one layer of paper. Even more preferably, the paper represents at least 60% by mass of the skirt 50 of the tube 100, in particular 70% by mass. This composition of the skirt 50 of the tube 100 further allows to improve the ability of said tube 100 to be recycled.

Advantageously, said tube 100 comprises bio-sourced and/or recycled material. Advantageously still, the tube 100 according to the invention comprises at least 50% by mass of paper. Advantageously still, the tube 100 according to the invention comprises at least 70% by mass of paper. Advantageously still, the tube 100 according to the invention comprises at least 80% by mass of paper.

Preferably, the skirt 50 is attached directly to the tube head 1. No additional parts are required to attach the skirt 50 to the head 1. This allows to limit the number of parts and thus to limit the quantity of plastic material required to manufacture the tube 100 according to the invention, thus improving the ability of said tube 100 to be recycled.

Even more preferably, the skirt 50 is attached to the tube head 1 by high-temperature welding or by over-moulding.

Claims

1. A head for manufacturing a flexible tube intended to contain a liquid or pasty product, the head comprising an upper wall and an annular lateral a lower distal end of which defines a plane (A), said head comprising a dispensing orifice extended by a protuberance, a segment of which protrudes from said plane (A), said protruding segment being eccentric with respect to a center of the head.

2. The head according to claim 1, wherein the head has at least two ribs at a level of an internal face of the upper wall.

3. The head according to claim 1, wherein at least one portion of the protuberance extending the dispensing orifice has the shape of a half-cylinder.

4. The head according to claim 3, wherein the dispensing orifice is eccentric with respect to the center of the tube head.

5. The head according to claim 1, said head comprising a hinged cover connected to the tube head by a hinge and movable between an open position and a closed position, said head, the hinged cover and the hinge consisting of a single piece.

6. The head according to claim 5, wherein the tube head is configured so that, when the hinged cover is in the closed position, said hinged cover forms a substantially planar surface with the first upper wall.

7. The head according to claim 5, wherein the annular lateral wall has an undercut and the cover comprises a tab, said undercut and said tab making it easier for a finger of a user to open the cover.

8. The head according to claim 1, said head having a height h1 of between 5 and 20 mm.

9. The head according to claim 1, wherein a diameter d of the tube head is between 20 and 60 mm, in particular between and 50 mm.

10. The head according to claim 8, wherein a ratio d/h1 is between 2 and 6.

11. The head according to claim 1, wherein the protruding segment has a height h2 of between 1.5 and 6 mm.

12. The head according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of material at the level of the first upper wall and of the annular lateral wall is between 0.3 and 2 mm.

13. A tube comprising a tube head according to claim 1 and a flexible skirt, said tube comprising at least 50% by mass of paper.

14. The tube as claimed in claim 13, wherein the flexible skirt is attached directly to the tube head.

15. The head according to claim 8, wherein the height h1 is between 8 and 12 mm.

16. The head according to claim 9, wherein the diameter d of the tube head is between 30 and 50 mm.

17. The head according to claim 10, wherein the ratio d/h1 is between 3 and 5.

18. The head according to claim 11, wherein the height h2 of the protruding segment is between 2 and 4 mm.

19. The head according to claim 12, wherein the thickness is between 0.5 and 1 mm.