FR2603171A3 - Distributor for viscous liquids - has suspension handle on top with one extremity of handle having rupture zone and other being hinged - Google Patents

Abstract

The receptacle (1) has flexible lateral walls (4) and a handle (38) for hanging it up. The handle is fixed to the receptacle at both ends, but one end (44) is detachable and has a rupture zone (46). The other end of the handle (43) is hinged (42) to the receptacle by a thinner part on the inner edge (41) of the handle. The hinged end of the handle has a stop (52), to limit its rocking. This is formed by the front of the handle (39) which rests on the lateral wall of the receptacle (29). USE - The receptacle is for distributing viscous liquids, such as shampoo, shower gel and similar products.

Description

The invention relates to a container for dispensing liquids or similar products, in particular body care or household products, with end walls, a side wall and a suspension element for fixing the device for storage or use, as well as an opening at one of the two ends for. the withdrawal of the liquid.

According to patent DE-OS 32 08 911, there is known a dispensing container of this kind, which has a removable cap and which, as desired, can be hung at one or the other of the ends of the container. The cap is provided with a hook-shaped suspension element, so that - in the case where the container contains, for example, a shower gel -, a suspension can be carried out, for example at the holding bar of a shower curtain, tap or mixer, one handle or other suitable protruding part. To this extent, this suspension is an advantage, since removal is most often not possible for a container not provided with a suspension element in normal soap niches in shower stalls, since the soap niches most often do not offer sufficient mounting surface for this purpose. The hook-shaped suspension element has the disadvantage, however, that when producing known containers of this type, separation stalls of neighboring containers occur - or cap, when the fixing element is placed on this - so that separation is made more difficult and even disrupted. A stall of this kind can also occur as well during the supply and assembly of the container or part of the cap as during subsequent transport, etc.

This is why the object of the invention is to create a container of the type mentioned above and for which, despite the possibility of hanging from a hook-shaped suspension element, stalls do not occur.

This object is achieved according to the invention, by the fact that the suspension element is formed by a handle fixed on both sides, and that the fixing has at least one detachable separation zone at one of the ends.

During the manufacture and transport of the container according to the invention, the stalling of neighboring containers is excluded, since the handle fixed on the two sides offers no grip place for a stall.

At the start, during use, the user releases the separation zone provided for this purpose at one end of the handle, so that a hook is formed, which makes it possible to suspend the container, for example at the closed hoop in the tube of the shower battery, or similar objects. There is also an advantage for use, by the fact that the suspension can be done, not only by means of the hook, but also by means of the handle, thanks to which the problem only arises then for the possibilities that use the handle. The release of the loop at the separation zone would then not be necessary.

The separation zone for the formation of a hook only needs to be provided at one end of the handle, it is however also possible to provide separation zones of this type at the two ends of the handle, so that the user can choose one of the separation zones and break it to form a hook. As the handle of the container according to the invention is made of flexible synthetic material, a hook is formed after the rupture of the separation zone, the opening width of which is variable by the flexibility of the material. This also allows suspension of relatively bulky objects.

According to an improvement of the invention, it is provided that the separation zone is formed as a planned rupture zone. This planned rupture zone, which represents a break zone, is particularly simple and economical to produce.

Preferably, the handle is narrowed in section to form the intended rupture zone, so that the release of the handle at one end does not require a large force deployment.

However, a variant can also be found, in which the separation zone is formed as a support link. To transform the handle into a hook, it suffices to provide a clearance at one end of the handle. Preferably, the free end of the handle must be able to be engaged again, so that after using a hook suspension, a suspension by means of a handle can again be made.

To improve the tilting ability of the handle fixed at one end, it is provided that the end of the handle opposite the separation zone is produced in the form of a hinge. In this case, the handle does not have to be formed itself flexibly to obtain a sufficient opening section of the hook. Preferably, the fixing of the handle by hinge is carried out by means of a film hinge.

A film hinge of this type is made of the same material as the handle and its fixing zone, and thus represents a particularly simple and economical solution.

One can also find an arrangement such that the hinged end of the handle is provided with a stop for limiting the tilting stroke. This stopper prevents the hook from opening too much, so as to prevent the hook from slipping.

According to an improvement of the invention, the film hinge is formed on the inner edge of the front surface of the handle. Thus, provision can also be made for the stop for limiting the tilting stroke to be formed by the front surface of the handle, which acts in concert with a side wall of the container.

By placing the front surface on the side wall of the container, the tilting stroke of the film hinge formed on the inner edge of the front surface is limited.

In order to obtain as large a tilt angle as possible, provision may be made for the side wall of the container in the region of the front surface of the handle to be bevelled. This bevel, which determines a free space between the front surface of the handle and the side wall of the container, and which - from the film hinge - constantly widens outwards, allows a large tilt angle, despite the short loop connection area. As a variant, or in addition, provision may be made for the front surface of the handle to also develop in a bevel, correspondingly.

According to an improvement of the invention, it is provided that the handle is fixed to the end wall which is opposite to the end wall provided with an opening.

The container can thus be hung, its mouth being turned downwards.

A variant is provided, in which the handle is disposed on a removable cap of the container.

It is thus possible to provide that the cap can be fixed, as desired, to one of the two ends of the container.

If the cap is on the end of the container provided with the dispensing opening, this represents in particular a provision for shipping or storage, in which the end of the container on the mouth side is protected by the cap, and for which remains however the possibility of the suspension of the container. If the cap is fixed to the end of the container opposite the opening, it is then a "suspension by the head", that is to say that the dispensing opening of the container is turned towards the low, thanks to which the withdrawal, in particular of viscous liquids such as for example shampoos, shower gels, etc., is facilitated, since from a low pressure on the flexible side wall of the container, the product contained in the container leaves immediately, that is to say without delay, due to the flow of the product towards the opening.

Preferably, it is provided that the fixing of the cap is made with a support means. To this end, a groove can be provided on the container, in which a corresponding bead of the cap engages. Conversely, the bead can also be formed on the container, and the groove on the cap.

Preferably, there is also provided inside the cap a closure cap for the openings located in one of the end walls.

If the cap is placed on the end of the container on the opening side, the closure plug then enters the opening and closes it. This constitutes a safe condition of transport and particularly advantageous with respect to known prior solutions, in which the orifice of the mouth is first glued with a metal sheet and thus sealed, and which, after opening, does not can no longer be sealed again.

This, in the case of a trip or similar conditions, can be extremely inconvenient.

In particular, for use with one hand, it is advantageous that the opening is provided with a valve opening under the effect of an increase in the internal pressure of the container. If the user presses on the flexible side wall of the container, the pressure then increases inside the container, whereby the valve opens and the product contained can exit. The arrangement is thus made that, in the case of a suspension by the head of the container, an exit of the product does not take place until pressure is exerted on the wall of the container. If the user relieves the pressure on the wall of the container, the internal pressure is released, as a result of which the valve closes again, when pressure compensation with respect to ambient air occurs in the container.

A particularly simple form of construction is obtained when the valve is of the check valve type.

The mouth of the container preferably has an outlet channel which opens into the dispensing opening and which carries inside the movable valve of the valve by means of a film hinge.

The valve thus has the function of floating valve.

Finally, about a favorable arrangement of the handle, it is advantageous that the container and the cap have an oval wall section, and that the handle is arranged in the plane of the major axis of the oval.

This gives a fairly large shape of handle, without however exceeding the section of the container, with a connection in the area inside the ends of the small axis of the oval.

The drawings illustrate the invention using an example embodiment, and show: - Figure 1: a side view of the container, with the cap placed on the mouth, and the suspension element in the form of handle, - Figure 2: a view on the short side of the container, according to Figure 1, - Figure 3: a top view, with the cap provided with the handle, - Figure 4: a longitudinal section of the container, according to the Figure 1, and - Figure 5: a side view of the container, with the cap placed on the base of the container and the handle tilted in the form of a hook.

The container 1 for dispensing liquids or the like consists of a flexible plastic material, and has, according to FIGS. 1 to 5, two end walls 2 and 3, and a side wall 4 which is flexible under the effect of pressure . On the end wall 2 is fixed a mouth 5 which, according to Figure 4, is fitted by a detachable cap 6. On the cap 6 is provided a suspension element 7, using which the container 1, in a storage or use purpose, can be hung on suitable objects.

The container has an elongated shape and an oval cross section. On the side wall 4, in the region of the end wall 3, a groove 8 in the form of a ring is formed. Another ring-shaped groove 9 is located on the side wall 4, in the region of the end wall 2. As the thickness of the walls of the container 1 according to the invention is relatively small, the grooves 8 and 9 ring-shaped are not machined in the material, but formed by several narrowing of the material itself. The end wall 3 develops in a domed fashion and is drawn towards the interior of the container, so that a bearing surface 10 in the form of a ring is produced. The end wall 2 is also formed in a vault, and has a fixing support 11, in the form of a cylinder and of a tube, which is connected to the end wall 2 by a shoulder 12 in the form of a ring. On the outer side of the fixing support 11 is provided a spacer 13 in the form of a ring.

The mouth 5, also made of flexible plastic, has on its upper side 14 an annular peripheral side wall 16, and a recess 15 on the upper side which, in addition to reinforcing the material, determines a folding zone, in order not to have the size tolerances of the bottle mouths supported directly by the opening 19, because of which, if necessary, the introduction of the sealing pin 36 could be made difficult. In addition, by this form of recess of the surface of the head of the mouth 5, a certain effect of cleanliness is obtained.

The peripheral side wall 16 in the form of a ring of the mouth 5 has at its end a neck 17 facing inward.

The mouth 5 is crossed by a sampling channel 18 which opens at one end into the interior of the container, and is limited at the other end by an opening 19, through which a liquid contained in the container 1, or a product analogous, can be taken. In the sampling channel 18 is arranged a valve 20, which is of the valve type 21, and which has a valve 23 articulated by a film hinge 22.

The mouth 5 is clipped onto the fixing support 11, whereby the neck 17 rests on the shoulder 12 in the form of a ring and fits the spacer 13.

Considering the cross section, the cap 6 according to Figure 3 has for the most part an oval section, so that, in its position as it is placed on the container 1, the side wall 24 of the cap is aligned with the side wall 5 of the container 1. The inner side 25 of the side wall 24 of the cap is provided with a bead 27 in the region of the edge 26 of the cap. The bead 27 may be a closed ring, or else -as shown in FIG. 4 - be made up of sections 28, whereby a longer section 28 is provided on each of the two wide sides of the cap 6, and on each of the two narrow sides of the cap 6 a shorter section 28. The end of the wall 24 of the cap opposite the edge 26 of the cap is transformed from the two sides of the cap 6 into flat surfaces 29 and 30 for fixing the handle which, relative to the side wall 24 of the cap according to Figure 4 extend at an obtuse angle. Walls 31 and 32 of the cap are connected to the fixing surfaces of the handle, in the form of a convex arch, which transform into a concave trough 33 in the upper zone of the cover (see FIG. 4).

At the deepest point of the trough 33 is formed in its internal wall 34 a closure cap 35, integral with the wall, consisting of a spacer 36 in the form of a ring and which closes the sampling channel 18 when the cap is placed on it.

If we consider the cap 6 on its narrow side, it is obvious - according to Figure 2 - that the side wall 24 of the cap extends to the height of the trough 33. It then narrows slightly in the area upper 37 of cap 6.

The suspension element 7 of the cap 6 is in the form of a handle 38, which extends in the major axis of the oval, covers the walls 31 and 32 of the cap as well as the trough 33, and is provided at its ends of facades 39 and 40 (see Figure 1). The edge 41 of the interior side of the facade 39 is linked with the fixing surface 29 of the handle by means of a film hinge 42. In this way, the end 43 of the handle 38 is fixed to the cap. The opposite end 44 of the handle 38 is linked with the fixing surface 30 of the handle by means of a detachable separation zone 45. The detachable separation zone 45 is formed as a provided rupture zone 46, and thus constitutes a detachable fastener. This is formed by a thin connecting crosspiece 47, made of the same material as the cap 6 and the handle 38. While the film hinge 42 extends over almost the entire width of the handle 38 (see Figure 2), the connecting crosspiece 47 is simply very short and thus preferably occupies only about a quarter of the width of the handle 38. The connecting crosspiece 47 is on the inner edge 48 of the facade end 40 of the handle 38. The end facades 39 and 40 extend approximately parallel to the edge 26 of the cap. Due to the inclination of the fixing surfaces 29 and 30 of the handle relative to the end facades 39 and 40, free spaces 49 and 50 are formed between the handle 38 and the cap 6, which begins from the film hinge 42 or connecting cross member 47 - widen in a wedge shape up to the outer edges of the end façades 39 and 40.

The thickness of the film hinge 42 is chosen to be greater than the thickness of the connecting crosspiece 47.

The corner angle is about 30 degrees.

The container 1 for dispensing liquids or the like can be operated as follows:
In storage or during transport, the cap 6 is on the end of the container 1 on the side of the mouth and, therefore, the bead 27 of the cap 6 fits the peripheral groove 9 of the container 1. The bead 27 and the groove 9 thus form a support system 51. In the latter, in the position of support of the cap 6 on the container, the closure cap 35 penetrates into the opening 19 of the mouth 5, whereby a secure closure of the container 1 is guaranteed. In this position, the container 1 can be hung by means of the handle 38 on suitable objects, which penetrate into the free space F between the handle 38 and the trough 33. The container can however - according to FIG. 4 - also be deposited on its end wall 3.

The user receives the container according to the invention in the position corresponding to FIG. 4, that is to say the handle 38 being connected on both sides to the cap. If the user wants to hang the container according to FIG. 4, for example at the edge of the soap niche of a shower cabin, this is not possible, since the handle 38 is closed (see FIG. 4) .

On the contrary, this can only happen with a hook-shaped suspension element 7, which is achieved by the fact that the user introduces a finger into the free space F between the handle 38 and the trough 33 and, by pulling strongly on the handle 38, separates the planned rupture zone 46, that is to say that the connecting crosspiece 47 is torn. As, as a result, the connecting crosspiece 47 is torn, and not the film hinge 42, it follows, according to the dimensions of the materials of these two elements, the connecting crosspiece 47 having a smaller thickness and a shorter length, that the breakage occurs at this separation zone 45. After the breakage, the shackle swings around the film hinge 42 until the front 39 abuts against the fixing surface 29 of the shackle .

The hook thus formed by the handle 38 can be hung on projections, pipes or the like, for fixing the container 1. The opening width of the hook is then limited by the position of the front 39 on the surface fixing 29 of the handle, so that a stop 52 is formed for limiting the tilting stroke.

According to FIG. 5, the user can however also hang the container on the head, position for which he removes the cap 6 from the end of the container 1 on the side of the mouth to put it back on the other end of the container 1, the bead 27 of the cap 6 being received in the groove 8. This position is shown in FIG. 5, in which the bead 27 and the groove 8 form a support device 53. The container 1 can then also be hooked to an object 54, using the handle 38 fixed on both sides to the cap 6. However, it is also possible, as already described above, to produce a suspension by means of a hooking element formed by the rupture of the connecting crosspiece 47 (see FIG. 5).

According to another embodiment, not shown in the figures, the separation zone 45 can also be produced in the form of a support link, that is to say that the handle 38 separates from at least one side of the cap by tearing off, whereby, preferably, a new support position can be obtained. The transformation of a closed handle into a hook provided with an opening section is thus reversible.

If the container is in a position according to FIG. 5, the outlet of the content of the container is then prevented by the valve 20, since the latter only opens when a pressure is exerted on the side wall 4 or another wall of the container, through which the valve 23 of the valve 20 rocks and releases the opening 19. If the pressure no longer acts on the side wall 4 of the container 1, the valve 20 closes, after the balancing of the pressure occurred with ambient air. The flow of drops from the contents of the container is thus effectively prevented.

If, after use, the container must be closed again, for example to transport it, the cap 6 is then removed from the bottom area of the container 1 and placed again on the end on the side of the mouth, thanks to what the closure cap 35 again closes the opening 19 in a sealed manner.

Claims (17)

1. Container for dispensing liquids or similar products, in particular body care or household products, with end walls, a side wall and a suspension element for fixing the apparatus for the purpose of storage or use, as well as an opening at one of the two ends for withdrawing the liquid, characterized in that the suspension element (7) is formed by a handle (38) fixed on both sides, and that the attachment has at least one detachable separation zone (45) at one of the ends (44). 2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the separation zone (45) is produced in the form of a provided rupture zone (46). 3. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the separation zone (45) is produced in the form of a support link. 4. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end (43) of the handle (38) opposite the separation zone (45) is produced in the form of a hinge. 5. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hinge-type fixing is carried out by means of a film hinge (42). 6. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end (43) in the form of a hinge is provided with a stopper (52) for limiting the tilting stroke. 7. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the film hinge (42) is formed on the inner edge (41) of the front (39) of the handle (38). 8. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stop (52) for limiting the tilting stroke is formed by the front (39) of the handle (38), which acts in concert with a wall side of the container (fixing surface (29) of the handle). 9. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side wall of the container (fixing surface (29) of the handle) is beveled in the region of the front (39) of the handle ( 38). 10. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handle (38) is fixed to the end wall (3) which is opposite to the end wall (2) provided with the opening. (19). 11. Container according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the handle (38) is disposed on a cap (6) detachable from the container (1) n 12. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cap (6) can, as desired, be fixed to one of the two ends of the container (1). 13. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fixing of the cap is carried out using support means (51, 53). 14. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that inside the cap (6) is provided a closure cap (35) for the openings (19) located in the end wall ( 2). 15. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the opening (19) is provided with a valve (20) opening by increasing the internal pressure of the container. 16. Container according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve (20) is of the valve type (21). 17. Container according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container (1) and the cap (6) have an oval cross section of walls, and that the handle (38) is arranged in the plane of the large axis of the oval.