EP1539582A2

EP1539582A2 - Assembly device for mounting a dispensing element to the neck of a container

Info

Publication number: EP1539582A2
Application number: EP03792447A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stéphane DESRUES
Original assignee: Valois SAS
Current assignee: Aptar France SAS
Priority date: 2002-08-23
Filing date: 2003-08-12
Publication date: 2005-06-15
Also published as: WO2004018296A3; FR2843709A1; US20050285000A1; CN1678493A; FR2843709B1; WO2004018296A2; JP2005536408A; BR0313707A

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly device (1) which is used to mount a dispensing element (3) to the neck (22) of a container (2) by means of press fitting, said container having an axis X. The inventive device comprises a push element (14) which is designed to exert a force on the dispensing element (3) in order to press fit said element on the neck of the container. The invention is characterised in that it also comprises a first guide wall (128) which is used to bring the dispensing element at least roughly in line with the axis (X) of the neck (22) and a second guide wall (148) which is used to adjust the orientation of the dispensing element precisely in the axis of the neck.

Description

Mounting equipment for mounting a dispensing member on a container neck.

The present invention relates to mounting equipment for mounting a dispensing member on a container neck. This type of mounting equipment is frequently used in various technical fields such as perfumery, cosmetics or even pharmacy, and is used to mount pumps, valves or any dispensing heads on containers with necks . The purpose of the dispenser is to dispense the fluid contained within the container. The dispensing member is frequently engaged in or on the neck in order to be able to withdraw or be supplied with fluid from the container. Generally, the container neck has an axis of symmetry. Most often, this axis of symmetry merges with that of the container.

There are several mounting techniques using such mounting equipment. There are, for example, mounting equipment adapted to mount the dispensing member by screwing a ring around the container neck. There are also crimping equipment. There are also other mounting equipment making it possible to successively lower several constituent elements of a fixing member. A conventional design for a fixing member consists in providing a fixing ring associated with a covering hoop. The fixing ring can engage outside the container neck in a relatively simple manner and without exerting considerable pressure, then the mounting equipment lowers the covering band to come and block the ring around the neck. There is yet another simpler mounting technique consisting in forcibly fitting the dispensing member onto or in the container neck. Of course, the dispensing member is or may also be provided with an integrated or associated fixing member which engages with the container neck and which thus fixes the dispensing member on the neck after having been fitted in strength. In this latter mounting technique, the dispensing member with its associated or incorporated fixing means is in unitary form, which does not change between the initial state before mounting and the final state after mounting. In other words, the mounting equipment is not intended to move a part of the dispensing member relative to another part, as is the case with the fixing ring system and covering hoop previously discussed. Consequently, the mounting equipment comprises a thrust member capable of exerting a thrust on the dispensing member in order to force it onto the neck of the container. This pushing member is preferably single and presses on a pushing area of the dispensing member which is static with respect to the rest of the dispensing member. In other words, there is no movement of this thrust zone relative to the whole of the dispensing member during force re-engagement on the container neck. The present invention relates more specifically to the latter type of mounting equipment allowing a force fitting of a unitary dispensing member on a container neck, without excluding the ring and hoop system.

In this context, the dispensing member with these fixing means is mounted in the following manner on a container neck: the dispensing member is first brought, then deposited on the container neck. Of course, the removal of the dispensing member on the container neck does not guarantee its aligned orientation relative to the axis of symmetry of the container neck. It therefore frequently happens that the dispensing member is disposed totally offset or inclined relative to the axis of symmetry of the container neck. It is therefore easily understood that it is not possible to exert a thrust on this offset distribution member in order to force it onto the container neck. Indeed, a push on such an offset distribution member would simply have the effect of offsetting it even more and then of destroying it by crushing on the container neck.

The present invention therefore aims to remedy this drawback related to the offset of the dispensing member during its initial removal from the container neck before exerting the pushing force fit to fix it on the container neck . Although such a disadvantage frequently occurs with the force-fitting distribution members, this drawback can also occur with other type of distribution member, such as for example that previously described which implements a fixing ring and a covering band.

To achieve this object, the present invention provides that the mounting equipment further comprises, a first guide wall to bring at least roughly the dispensing member in the axis of the neck, and a second guide wall to refine the orientation of the dispensing member in the axis of the neck. By providing these two successive guide walls, it is possible to straighten the dispensing member from extreme offset positions. The first guide wall allows a rough straightening while the second guide wall allows practically to confuse the axis of the dispensing member with that of the neck. Advantageously, the second guide wall can be formed by the thrust member.

According to a practical embodiment, the first guide wall is at least partially frustoconical and converges towards the second guide wall. The two guide walls thus form a sort of funnel, inside which the offset distribution member can be brought back to a position substantially aligned with the axis of the container neck.

According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the second guide wall is movable relative to the first guide wall between a rest position and a push position. Advantageously, a third guide wall can be provided to perfect the alignment of the dispensing member with the axis of the neck. In this case, the second guide wall can be movable relative to the third guide wall between a rest position and a push position, the third guide wall being hidden in the rest position and unmasked in the push position. In an advantageous embodiment, the pushing member gradually unmasks the third guide wall during its movement from its rest position towards its pushing position. The first guide wall and the third guide wall can moreover be integral and static with respect to each other. In this case, the first guide wall may be at less partially frustoconical and extended by a substantially cylindrical part forming the third guide wall.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the pushing member can be urged towards its rest position by elastic return means. According to a practical embodiment, the pushing member forms a sleeve comprising an internal wall at least partially cylindrical and a free lower end, the internal wall forming the second guide wall, and the free lower end forming a contact zone adapted to come into thrust contact with the dispensing member. Preferably, the sleeve masks the third guide wall in the rest position.

The invention therefore provides for the implementation of several successive guide walls making it possible to progressively refine the alignment of the dispensing member with the axis of the neck. Moving the second guide wall relative to the first to unmask the third guide wall is particularly advantageous, since the dispensing member can be further oriented or aligned using the third guide wall while the member distribution is engaged with the second guide wall. The second and third guide walls can therefore be used simultaneously. This is possible because the second guide wall moves relative to the first, and especially relative to the third.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing, which gives an embodiment of the invention by way of non-limiting example.

In the figures: FIG. 1 is a view in vertical cross section through a mounting device according to the invention in the rest position,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 for the mounting equipment in the push position,

FIG. 3 represents the assembly equipment of FIGS. 1 and 2 associated with a fluid product distributor during different successive assembly steps, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of detail A of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of detail B in FIG. 3.

Reference will firstly be made to FIGS. 1 and 2 to describe mounting equipment according to an embodiment according to the invention. This mounting equipment comprises a base or mandrel 11 intended to come into engagement with a press or any means making it possible to generate a pressing force along a predetermined axis. This mandrel 11 therefore comprises an upper part 110 intended to be grasped by fixing means associated with the press and a lower part forming a crown 111 whose internal wall forms a housing 113 for a return spring 13. The crown 111 also forms an annular lower end 114 serving as a stop surface as will be seen below. The ring 111 also defines an external wall 112 which is engaged with a sleeve 12 which forms a part integral with the mandrel 11 by any technical means (force fitting, welding, bonding, screwing, crimping, etc.). To this end, the sleeve 12 forms a connection section 121 engaged with the mandrel 11. Beyond this connection section 121, the sleeve 12 forms a cylinder 123 internally defining a sliding barrel 124. At its lower end, the cylinder 123 is connected to a head 125 which defines a shoulder 126 which extends radially inwards from the barrel 124. From the internal periphery of the shoulder 126, the head 125 defines a substantially cylindrical wall 127 In the extension of this wall 127, the head defines a frustoconical convergence wall 128 which widens outwards from the wall 127. The frustoconical convergence wall 128 may end in an annular wall 129 which defines the the lower end of the sleeve 12 and of the assembly equipment as a whole.

The sleeve 12 thus forms an internal housing defined by the barrel 124 and the opening of which is narrowed at the level of the wall 127 due to the shoulder 126 facing inwards. At its upper end, this internal housing is closed by the lower part of the mandrel 11 which defines the crown 111 and the housing 113 in which the upper end of the return spring 13 is received.

This housing formed by the sleeve 12 and the mandrel 11 therefore contains the spring 13, but also a pushing member 14, which is here in the form of a slide mounted inside the sleeve 12. The pushing member 14 also defines a housing 143 in which the end is received lower of the return spring 13. Thus, the pushing member 14 is urged elastically away from the mandrel 11. The pushing member defines a substantially cylindrical external wall 142 adapted to come into sliding contact substantially without friction with the barrel. sliding 124 defined by the sleeve 12. To limit the displacement of the thrust member 14 in the sleeve 12, the thrust member 14 forms an inward shoulder 146 adapted to come into abutment contact against the shoulder 126 formed by the head 125 of the sleeve 12. This can be seen in FIG. 1, which represents the thrust equipment in the rest position, that is to say with the return spring 13 urging the thrust member 14 away from the mandrel 11. On the other hand, if a pressure is exerted on the pushing member 14 so as to move it in the direction of the mandrel 11, one arrives at a final actuated position shown in FIG. 2. In this position, the thrust member 14 comes into contact with the abutment surface 114 of the mandrel 11 with a corresponding bearing surface 141 formed around the housing 143. This is clearly visible in FIG. 2. The return spring 13 is then compressed to its maximum state. On the other hand, the shoulder 146 of the pushing member 14 has broken its contact with the shoulder 126 of the head 125 of the sleeve 12. The pushing member 14 is thus translatable in the interior of the sleeve 12 between a rest position (Figure 1) and a push or actuate position (Figure 2).

According to the invention, the pushing member 14 also comprises a socket 147 disposed in the lower part of the pushing member. This sleeve 147 extends downward to define a lower end 149. This sleeve 147 extends from the internal periphery of the shoulder 146. The sleeve 147 forms an internal wall 148 and an external wall 144 which is adapted to slide with or without friction with respect to the wall 127 of the sleeve 12. In the rest position shown in FIG. 1, the sleeve 147 masks the wall 127 of the sleeve 12, while in the thrust position shown in FIG. 2, socket 147 almost completely unmasks the wall 127 of the sleeve 12. Inside the socket 147, is defined a receiving housing 140 intended to receive a part of the dispensing member as will be seen below.

It can thus be seen that the frustoconical convergence wall 128 is integral in displacement with the substantially cylindrical wall 127 which, moreover, extends in its extension from its smallest section. On the other hand, the internal wall 148 defined by the sleeve 147 of the pushing member 14 is movable relative to the two walls 127 and 128, owing to the fact that the pushing member 14 is translatable inside the sleeve 12. According to the invention, the frustoconical convergence wall 128 defines a first guide wall, the internal wall 148 of the sleeve 147 forms a second guide wall and the substantially cylindrical wall 127 forms a third guide wall. The first guide wall allows a rough reorientation of the dispensing member, the second guide wall allows to refine the orientation of the dispensing member and the third guide wall allows to perfect its orientation to bring it into an adequate orientation for a force fit on a container neck. However, the invention can do without the third guide wall in certain cases.

Reference will now be made to FIG. 3 to explain how the mounting equipment operates to force fit a dispensing member onto a container neck. FIG. 3 represents five views illustrating five successive stages of the assembly process using the assembly equipment according to the invention. In the view on the far left, we see a container 2 having a body 21 held in a support 4. The container 2 also forms a neck 22 which defines an opening allowing access to the interior of the body 21. The body 21 is of course adapted to contain any fluid product. The neck 22 has an axis of symmetry X which is here merged with the axis of symmetry of the body 21. One can also imagine containers in which the axis of symmetry of the neck 22 does not coincide with that of the body 21. On the neck 22, is arranged a dispensing member 3 whose only visible parts are constituted by a fixing ring 32 and the pusher 31. The ring fixing 32 has the function of cooperating with the external part of the neck 22 to achieve a fixing of the dispensing member on the neck. As for the pusher 31, its function is to allow the actuation of the dispensing member by pressing it. The pusher 31 is translatable in the interior of the ring 32. The term “ring” here means any fixing means adapted to be put in place on a neck by force fitting. It may very well be that the fixing ring 32 includes an external covering provided for aesthetic purposes.

It can clearly be seen in this view located at the far left of FIG. 3 that the dispensing member 3 is deposited on the neck 22 in a tilted or inclined manner, which results from the random deposition of the dispensing member on the neck 22. The distribution member 3 here has an axis of symmetry Y which forms an angle Z with respect to the axis of symmetry X of the neck 22. The mounting equipment 1 has not yet entered actuation.

In the second view located to the right of the far-left view previously commented on, the pusher 31 of the dispensing member 3 has already come into contact with the first guide wall 128 which forms a convergence cone. In reality, the pusher 31 comes into contact with the convergence wall 128 with its upper annular stop. We can also see in this view that the distribution member 3 has already been straightened since its axis of symmetry Y is already close to the axis of symmetry X of the neck 22. To bring the distribution member into contact of the convergence wall 128, it is necessary either to raise the container 2 or preferably to lower the mounting equipment by exerting a thrust materialized by the arrow located at the upper end of the mounting equipment. Thus, as the mounting equipment lowers, the pusher 31 slides on the convergence wall 128 which is preferably produced with a particularly smooth surface state. This has the effect of gradually but roughly straightening the dispensing member 3 so as to bring its axis of symmetry Y towards the axis of symmetry X of the neck 22. By continuing to lower the mounting equipment, the pusher 31 ends up leave the convergence wall

128 to engage in the receiving housing 140 formed by the thrust 14. As the plunger 31 engages in the housing 140, it is guided by the second guide wall 148 formed by the internal wall of the sleeve 147 of the thrust member 14. The guidance of the pusher 31 becomes finer as it enters the housing 140. The pusher 31 enters the housing 140 until the lower end 149 of the sleeve 147 comes into contact with the upper end of the ring 132. The end 149 thus forms a contact zone with the dispensing member which is adapted to transfer the thrust force generated by the mounting equipment. We can also see that the upper end of the pusher 31 does not come into contact with the bottom of the housing 140. Thus, no thrust is exerted on the pusher 131. This position is shown in the middle view of the figure 3. It can almost be said that the dispensing member is now perfectly aligned with the axis of the neck 22. In certain cases, the position of the dispensing member is sufficient to allow force fitting without problems. In this case, it is not necessary for the pushing member 14 to be movable relative to the sleeve 12. The mounting equipment then only comprises two guide walls, namely the convergence wall 128 and the substantially wall cylindrical 148.

However, in certain cases, it is necessary to further perfect the alignment of the dispensing member with respect to the axis of the neck to ensure force-fitting with a success percentage close to 100%. In this case, it is preferable for the pushing member 14 to be movable relative to the sleeve 12, as has been described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

We will now refer to the fourth view of FIG. 3 located to the right of the median view that we have just commented on. By continuing to exert a thrust on the mounting equipment, the thrust member 14 which is in contact with bearing on the ring 32 of the dispensing member begins to move inside the sleeve 12 against the action of the spring 13. As the thrust member 14 moves, the third guide wall 127 is unmasked by the sleeve 147. The outer wall of the ring 32 then slides with or without friction with this third guide wall 127, which makes it possible to perfect the perfectly aligned orientation of the axis of the dispensing member with that of the neck 22. This thus ensures 100% perfect fitting of the dispensing member in force on the neck. It should be noted that the dispensing member is not yet fitted onto the neck at this level of the mounting step.

This only takes place when the pushing member 14 abuts against the mandrel 11 as shown in the last view of Figure 3 located on the far right. The spring is then compressed to its maximum. The pushing force exerted on the mandrel 11 is then entirely transmitted to the pushing member 14 which in turn transmits it to the ring 32 which has the effect of forcibly lowering the ring 32, and therefore the the entire dispensing member, on the neck 22.

The displacement of the pushing member 14 causes the engagement of the fixing ring 32 inside the third guide wall 127, while the pusher 31 is engaged in the second guide wall 148. It is thus used of the prepositioning of the dispensing member coming from the engagement of its pusher in the second guide wall 148 to perfect its alignment by engagement of the external wall of the fixing ring 32 in the third guide wall 127.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 4 and 5 which are enlarged views of details in FIG. 3 which make it possible to understand how the third guide wall can perfect the aligned positioning of the dispensing member.

It can be seen in FIG. 4 that the external wall 311 of the pusher 31, which is advantageously cylindrical, is not in contact with the wall 148 forming the second guide wall of the mounting equipment of the invention. On the contrary, there is a small spacing U which makes it possible to avoid jamming of the pusher 31 in the second guide wall 148. In fact, it should not be forgotten that the pusher 31, before entering the second guide wall 148 , is not perfectly aligned or in the axis, since coming from the first guide wall 128 which only performs a rough straightening. Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that the fixing ring 32, which defines an advantageously cylindrical external wall 321, comes almost into contact with the third guide wall 127: in practice, there remains a small gap W which is indeed less than the spacing U which exists between the pusher and the guide wall. This small gap W allows perfect alignment of the dispensing member relative to the axis of the neck. Thus, a perfect force fit is guaranteed. This perfect alignment resulting from the engagement of the ring 32 in the third guide wall is facilitated by the fact that the pusher 31 has been previously engaged in the second guide wall, and especially that the pusher is still engaged in the second wall of guide when the fixing ring 32 enters the third guide wall.

The spirit of the invention resides in the fact of using assembly equipment which makes it possible to straighten and gradually align the dispensing member during distinct stages until it comes into perfect alignment, thus guaranteeing a fitting in force insured.

Claims

claims

1.- mounting equipment (1) for mounting by force fitting a distribution member (3) on a neck (22) of container (2) having an axis of symmetry (X), said equipment comprising a thrust member ( 14) capable of exerting a thrust on the dispensing member (3) in order to force it onto the container neck, characterized in that it further comprises:

a first guide wall (128) for bringing at least roughly the dispensing member in the axis (X) of the neck (22), and

- A second guide wall (148) to refine the orientation of the dispensing member in the axis of the neck.

2.- mounting equipment according to claim 1, wherein the second guide wall (148) is formed by the thrust member (14).

3.- mounting equipment according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the second guide wall (148) is movable relative to the first guide wall (128) between a rest position and a push position.

4.- mounting equipment according to claims 1,2 or 3, wherein the first guide wall (128) is at least partially frustoconical and converges towards the second guide wall (148).

5. Mounting equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a third guide wall (127) for perfect alignment of the dispensing member with the axis of the neck.

6.- mounting equipment according to claim 5, wherein the second guide wall (148) is movable relative to the third guide wall (127) between a rest position and a push position, the third guide wall (127) being hidden in the position of

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7.- mounting equipment according to claim 5, wherein the thrust member (14) gradually unmasks the third wall of guide (127) when it moves from its rest position to its push position; the first guide wall and the third guide wall are integral and static with respect to each other.

8.- mounting equipment according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the first guide wall (128) and the third guide wall (127) are integral and static with respect to each other.

9.- mounting equipment according to claim 8, wherein the first guide wall (128) is at least partially frustoconical and is extended by a substantially cylindrical part forming the third guide wall (127).

10.- mounting equipment according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the thrust member (14) is biased towards its rest position by elastic return means (13).

11.- mounting equipment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the thrust member (14) forms a socket (147) comprising an inner wall at least partially cylindrical and a free lower end (149), the wall internal forming the second guide wall (148), and the free lower end forming a contact zone adapted to come into thrust contact with the dispensing member (3).

12.- mounting equipment according to claims 5 and 11, wherein the sleeve (147) masks the third guide wall (127) in the rest position.