EP1751023B1 - Perfume dispenser - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a perfume dispenser comprising a perfume tank and a cap mounted on the perfume tank. This cap comprises a fixing base defining an orifice and a closure member adapted to close said orifice.

Many container closure systems, commonly called plugs, having a closure member adapted to be fixed on a base to prevent the release of fluid contained in a container are known from the state of the art. It is for example known in the field of samples in cosmetic perfumery dispensers having a reservoir with a capacity of the order of two to three milliliters, commonly called bottle, provided with a cap having a removable cap. The cap can also be attached to a base mounted on the neck of the bottle. Alternatively, the cap can be simply depressed on the neck or in the neck of the bottle. A fixation by screwing can also be implemented in order to fix the cap on the base or the neck of the bottle. Thus, to dispense a dose of fluid product, simply remove the cap by unscrewing or pulling it and then tilt or invert the dispenser to extract the product in the tank. The product contained in the reservoir, which may be a cream, a lotion, a perfume or a powder, is then generally collected on the fingertips by the user and then applied to an application surface, in general the skin. Thus, a problem associated with the use of such vials lies in the non-reproducibility of the doses of fluid dispensed and more generally in the inaccuracy of the doses taken. Another problem is related to the intervention of the fingers which are on the one hand impregnated and pollute on the other by the product in the bottle.

A dispenser according to the preamble of claim 1 is described in the document US-A-4,732,287 .

An object of the present invention is therefore to improve the existing dispensing devices.

The present invention also aims to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by the implementation of a dispenser comprising a cap capable of extracting the fluid more accurately and reproducibly, and without the intervention of the fingers of the user.

Another object of the present invention is still the development of a plug easy to manufacture, to assemble and low cost.

A sealed fastening of the cap on the neck or the base is another problem.

To achieve these objects, the present invention provides a fragrance dispenser as defined in claim 1.

Advantageously, the sampling and / or application element comprises means for retaining fluid. They can be in the form of grooves or ribs for example.

Advantageously, the base comprises a ring provided with a snap profile adapted to snap into a corresponding recess of said neck to maintain said base on said neck.

Advantageously, said base comprises a sealing skirt adapted to come into sealing contact in said neck.

Said base and said closure member are made integrally by being connected to each other by a brittle material bridge during a first use. This monobloc embodiment thus constitutes a first-use security guaranteeing the buyer the first use of the device marketed. The material bridge also guarantees a perfect seal of the dispenser before the first use.

The orifice of the base is delimited by a peripheral edge connected by said bridge material to a junction surface of the sampling element and / or application. In other words, the base is initially connected in one piece to the closure member, and defines, after removal of the closure member, a peripheral edge forming the dispensing orifice. The base can be connected to the closure member other than at the level of the sampling element.

The essential feature of the invention is that said peripheral edge is adapted to come into sealing contact against a sealing surface of said sampling element and / or application after a rupture of said material bridge. This is a sealed closed position after the first use.

Advantageously, said sampling and / or application member comprises a ratchet bead adapted to cooperate with said peripheral edge to keep it in sealing contact with the sealing surface in the closed re-closing position.

Advantageously, said detent cord is located between the junction surface and the sealing surface.

Advantageously, said closure member comprises a gripping element intended to be gripped by a user, said gripping element comprising a basal wall facing said base, said basal wall being distant from said base before rupture of the material bridge and abutting or in contact with said base after rupture of the material bridge and clipping of the peripheral edge between said detent cord and said basal wall.

Advantageously, said sealing surface is located between said detent and said basal wall.

Advantageously, said gripping element comprises two opposite mirror faces each having a concave surface intended to facilitate the gripping and removal of the closure member.

Preferably, said orifice has a diameter such that the fluid product contained in the reservoir is retained by capillarity at said orifice when said plug is returned. The plug can thus be used as an applicator.

Advantageously, said orifice has a diameter advantageously from 2 to 6 mm and preferably from 3 to 4 mm.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings giving by way of non-limiting example an embodiment of the invention.

• la figure 1a est une vue en section transversale verticale à travers un distributeur de produit fluide comportant un bouchon selon l'invention avant première utilisation,
• la figure 1b est un agrandissement d'une partie du bouchon représenté en figure 1a,
• la figure 2a est vue similaire à la figure la en position fermée de refermeture du bouchon,
• la figure 2b est vue similaire à la figure 1b en position fermée de refemeture représentée en figure 2a,
• la figure 3 est une vue latérale en section transversale verticale d'un distributeur de produit fluide comportant un bouchon selon l'invention avant utilisation,
• la figure 4 est vue similaire à la figure 3 présentant une variante de réalisation du bouchon selon l'invention,
• la figure 5 est une vue également similaire à la figure 3 présentant une autre variante de réalisation du bouchon selon l'invention.

In the figures:

• FIG. 1a is a view in vertical cross-section through a fluid dispenser comprising a stopper according to the invention before first use,
• FIG. 1b is an enlargement of a portion of the plug shown in FIG. 1a,
• FIG. 2a is seen similar to FIG. 1 in the closed position of closing the cap,
• FIG. 2b is seen similar to FIG. 1b in closed closed position shown in FIG. 2a;
• FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of a fluid dispenser comprising a stopper according to the invention before use,
• FIG. 4 is seen similar to FIG. 3 showing an alternative embodiment of the plug according to the invention,
• Figure 5 is a view also similar to Figure 3 showing another alternative embodiment of the plug according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, the fluid dispenser of the invention comprises a reservoir 4 and a stopper 1.

The tank 4 for containing a perfume may be made of glass or plastic. The tank 4 has a neck 40 forming an opening communicating the interior of the tank with the outside. The neck 40 has an inner wall 41 located in the opening of the neck, an upper end 43 and an outer wall 42. A recess 401 is provided at the outer wall 42. The reservoir also comprises a barrel 44, closed by a 45. The outer wall of the barrel 44 may for example be circular cylindrical. The capacity of the tank is generally of the order of a few milliliters.

The plug 1 comprises two constituent elements, namely, a fixing base 2 and a closure member 3.

The fixing base 2 comprises a radial plate 20, a sealing skirt 21 and a fixing ring 22.

The radial plate 20 forms an upper surface, advantageously circular and flat.

The sealing skirt 21 extends axially downwards from the radial plate 20.

The ring 22 extends axially from the outer periphery of the radial plate 20 concentrically to the sealing skirt 21 and has a lower end provided with a detent profile 220, which projects inwards.

Thus, when the base 2 is mounted on the neck 40 of the reservoir 4, the ring 22 is in contact with the outer wall 42 and the snap profile 220 is then engaged in the recess 401. Advantageously, the ring 22 is extends in the alignment of the barrel 44, so as to advantageously confer a tubular general appearance. The radial plate 20 is advantageously arranged so as to rest on the upper end 43 of the neck. The sealing skirt 21 comes as it is housed in the opening of the neck, preferably in sealing contact with the inner wall 41 so as to avoid any possibility of leakage between the neck and the base.

The closure member 3, preferably made of plastic material, comprises a gripping element 30 and a sampling and / or fluid application member 31.

The gripping element 30, intended to be grasped by a user during a fluid application, may have all appropriate shapes. According to a preferred embodiment, the gripping element 30 has a top 300, from which extend two edges 301 opposite and two faces 303a and 303b also located vis-à-vis. The edges 301 and the faces 303a and 303b thus form four panels opening onto a basement wall 302. As can be seen in FIG. 3 representing a profile dispenser, the faces 303a and 303b extend from the top 300 to the basement wall 302 by being arranged on both sides of the edges 301. These faces 303a and 303b have a curved shape and more particularly concave. Since the top 300 has a smaller width than the basal wall 302, the faces 303a and 303b thus diverge more significantly at the level of the basal wall 302. These faces 303a and 303b in this preferred embodiment thus form two opposite faces in image. mirror of a plane of symmetry A through axially the edges 301 of the shutter member 3. This embodiment is particularly advantageous, facilitating the grip of the shutter member 3 and its removal from the tank 4.

The purpose of the sampling and / or application member 31 is to allow the sampling of a given quantity of fluid product. The element 31 has a generally cylindrical configuration advantageously frustoconical, but this configuration is not limiting, many forms can be envisaged. The section of the element 31 is preferably regularly decreasing from the gripping element.

The sampling element 31 also serves to facilitate the refitting of the closure member on the base.

The element 31 advantageously comprises a free bottom end 313, a junction surface 310, a ratchet bead 311 and a sealing surface 312.

The lower free end 313 may include fluid retention means. These retention means may be a plurality of longitudinal grooves 3130 as shown in FIG. 4 or a slot 3131, as shown in FIG. 5, crossing on both sides the lower end 313. However, other embodiments of means guaranteeing the retention of fluid product may be envisaged such as a retention loop, a brush, a buffer or a flexible tip.

The junction surface 310 is a circular cylindrical surface extending around the periphery of the element 31.

The ratchet bead 311 forms an annular bead projecting radially from the element 31.

The sealing surface 312 also corresponds to a circular cylindrical surface extending around the periphery of the element 31.

Advantageously, the junction surface 310 and the sealing surface 312 are located on either side of the ratchet cord 311. In the embodiment shown in the various figures, the junction surface 310 is located between the free bottom end 313 of the element 31 and the ratchet cord 311 while the sealing surface 312 is located between the ratchet cord 312 and the basal wall 42 of the gripping element. The sealing surface 312 thus defines a tight snap-fit housing between the bead 311 and the basement wall 302.

The element 31 advantageously extends from the basal wall 302 through the base 2 to about half the height of the reservoir 4. However, it should be noted that the height at which the free end 313 extends the element 31 can vary greatly. Indeed, the element 31 may be a very restricted rod not exceeding the height of the base 2, or on the contrary, may be a very large rod coming almost in contact with the bottom of the tank 4.

The closure member 3 is integrally formed with the base 2. As shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b, the closure member 3, at the outlet of the mold, is connected by a bridge of annular material 23 to the base 2. More specifically, the material bridge 23 connects the junction surface 310 of the element 31 to a peripheral edge 200 formed by the radial plate 20. This configuration has the advantage of guaranteeing a first-use security, the product content in the tank 4 can not be extracted before breaking the material bridge 23.

This material bridge, during the first use, must be broken. This break is effected by a movement of traction, thrust or rotation of the closure member 3 relative to the base. Such rupture then results in the creation of an orifice 24 delimited by the peripheral edge 200 of the radial plate 20. The closure member 3 can then be freely extracted from the tank 4 and the base 2 This configuration thus gives rise to a shutter member 3 in the open position compatible with the sampling and the application of product. It should be noted that the orifice 24 is advantageously formed in the center of the radial plate 20 and that this orifice has all appropriate shapes: circular, oblong, elliptical, etc. However, the size of the orifice 24 is advantageously such that the fluid product will be retained by capillarity at the orifice if the dispenser is tilted or returned. Thus, this characteristic causes the base 2 itself to be used as an application element. To do this, the orifice 24 will advantageously have a restricted diameter of the order of 2 to 6 mm and preferably of the order of 3 to 4 mm.

It should be noted that the peripheral edge forming the orifice initially serves as an attachment point for the bridge of brittle material and then annular sealing area in cooperation with the sealing surface 312 of the closure member.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the element 31 may not be used for sampling and application but could be used only as a guide rod intended to facilitate the refitting of the closure member once the distribution is over. Indeed, when the distribution is over, the shutter member 3 is replaced so as to close the orifice 24. The element 31 of course facilitates this repositioning since it suffices to release the element 31 at the orifice 24 to guide the organ shutter relative to the base.

The closure member can be put back in place. The closure member can then define a closed reclosing position as shown in Figures 2a and 2b. This position allows the closure member 3 to be firmly held on the base 2. To do this, a detent system is provided. This latching system implements a cooperation between the peripheral edge 200 of the base 2 and the ratchet cord 311 of the element 31. This cooperation takes place following a pressure of the shutter member sufficiently strong so that the peripheral edge 200 crosses the ratchet cord 311. Once the ratchet cord 311 has passed, the peripheral edge 200 retained by the ratchet cord 311 holds the closure member in the closed re-closing position. In this position, the peripheral edge 200 is then in sealing engagement with the sealing surface 312 of the element 31 thus avoiding any possibility of product leakage between the element 31 and the base 2.

In addition, it should be noted that it is possible in this position to avoid any slack or relative axial displacement between the closure member 3 and the base 2. Indeed, the base wall 302 of the element of FIG. gripping located in the initial position and in the open position away from the radial plate 20 can abut against the radial plate after crossing the ratchet cord 311 in closed closed position. The clearance between the shutter member 3 and the base 2 can then be limited if the peripheral edge 200 of the radial plate 20 has a height substantially equal to the height of the sealing surface 312.

FIG. 5 shows another configuration for the gripping element 30. The faces 303a and b are less concave, but have an upper part promoting gripping with a view to traction to remove the closure member from the orifice of the base.

Finally, when the user wishes to return to the open position, a simple traction exerted on the shutter member 3 will allow the edge device 200 to pass the ratchet cord 311 and thus to extract the element 31.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, it is understood that it is not limited by the examples described above. On the contrary, a person skilled in the art could make any useful modification without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (11)

1. A perfume dispenser comprising:

   · a perfume reservoir (4) comprising a neck (40) forming an opening, the reservoir being substantially rigid; and

   · a stopper (1) mounted on the neck (40) of the reservoir (4), said stopper comprising a fastener collar (2) and a closure member (3), the collar being fastened on the neck of the reservoir, the collar (2) defining an orifice (24), and the closure member (3) being suitable for closing said orifice (24), the closure member (3) including a perfume extractor and/or applicator element (31) that extends through the collar (2),

   said collar (2) and said closure member (3) being made as a single part, being connected together via a material bridge (23) that breaks during first use, the orifice (24) of the collar (2) being defined by a peripheral edge (200) that is connected via said material bridge (23) to a junction surface (310) of the extractor and/or applicator element (31), the stopper being characterized in that said peripheral edge (200) is suitable for coming into sealing contact against a sealing surface (312) of said extractor and/or applicator element (31) after said material bridge (23) has been broken.
2. A dispenser according to claim 1, in which said extractor and/or applicator element (31) includes perfume-retention means (3130; 3131).
3. A dispenser according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which said collar (2) includes a ring (22) provided with a snap-fastener profile (220) that is suitable for snap-fastening in a corresponding recess (401) of said neck (40), so as to hold said collar (2) on said neck (40).
4. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which said collar (2) includes a sealing skirt (21) that is suitable for coming into sealing contact in said neck (40).
5. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which said extractor and/or applicator element (31) includes a snap-fastener bead (311) that is suitable for cooperating with said peripheral edge (200), so as to hold it in sealing contact against the sealing surface (312) in the closed position.
6. A dispenser according to claim 5, in which said snap-fastener bead (311) is situated between the junction surface (310) and the sealing surface (312).
7. A dispenser according to claim 5, in which said closure member (3) includes a handle (30) for being held by a user, said handle (30) including a step wall (302) that is situated facing said collar (2), said step wall (302) being remote from said collar (2) before the material bridge (23) has been broken, and coming into contact with said collar (2) after the material bridge (23) has been broken, and snap-fastening the peripheral edge (200) between said snap-fastener bead (311) and said step wall (302).
8. A dispenser according to claim 7, in which said sealing surface (312) is located between said snap-fastener bead (311) and said step wall (302).
9. A dispenser according to claim 7, in which said handle (30) includes two faces (303a, 303b) that are mirror images, each presenting a concave surface, making it easier to remove the closure member (3).
10. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which said orifice (24) presents a diameter such that the fluid contained in the reservoir (4) is retained by capillarity in said orifice (24) when said stopper (1) is turned upsidedown.
11. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which said orifice (24) presents a diameter that is advantageously in the range 2 mm to 6 mm, and preferably in the range 3 mm to 4 mm.

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