EP1980498A1

EP1980498A1 - One-piece dispensing spout with a cap attached to a tube with a breakable web of material

Info

Publication number: EP1980498A1
Application number: EP07007514A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gert-Jan Ebbers; Gijsbert Willem Eindhoven
Original assignee: Rexam Home and Personal Care Inc
Current assignee: Kubetech Custom Molding Inc
Priority date: 2007-04-12
Filing date: 2007-04-12
Publication date: 2008-10-15

Abstract

The invention relates to a one-piece dispensing spout intended to be connected onto a container for dispensing the product contained inside said container, said spout including a connecting base (1) provided with a bore (5) and a dispensing tube (6) that extends from said base while being in communication with said bore, said spout further includes a cap (7) that is connected onto the upper end of the tube (6) by means of a web (8) of material, said web being designed to ensure that the interior of the tube (6) is sealed and to be capable of being broken manually by the user in order to dispense the product. The invention relates also to a container equipped with such a dispensing spout.

Description

The invention relates to a one-piece dispensing spout intended to be connected to a container for dispensing the product contained inside said container, as well as a container equipped with such a dispensing spout.
In one particular application, the product is a liquid or a food paste, and the dispensing spout is welded between two flexible sheets forming the interior volume of the container in which the product is stored.
A large number of dispensing spouts are known, generally made of a moulded plastic material, which include a base the shape of which is designed to be welded between two sheets in a leak-proof manner. The spouts further include a tube through which the product can flow out, by means of suction or by exerting pressure on the container.
In order to enable the container to be stored under leak-proof conditions, both prior to dispensing as well as between possible successive dispensings, the dispensing spouts are conventionally equipped with a closure cap for the tube. In particular, the caps are screw-mounted around the tube, with a tamper-proof ring.
Although they provide satisfaction from the standpoint of leakproofness, these embodiments turn out to be complicated, and thus costly to produce. Furthermore, their handling by the user is not optimal in terms of ergonomics.
The purpose of the invention is to resolve the problems of the prior art by proposing, in particular, a dispensing spout that integrates the dispensing and capping functions into a single piece. The design of the dispensing spout further enables a simplified manufacture as well as particularly ergonomic user handling.
For that purpose and according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a one-piece dispensing spout intended to be connected onto a container for dispensing the product contained inside said container, said spout including a connecting base provided with a bore and a dispensing tube that extends from said base while being in communication with said bore, said spout further includes a cap that is connected onto the upper end of the tube by means of a web of material, said web being designed to ensure that the interior of the tube is sealed and to be capable of being broken manually by the user in order to dispense the product.
According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a container including an interior volume inside of which a product to be dispensed is contained, said interior volume being formed between at least two sheets between which the connecting base of such a one-piece dispensing spout is inserted in a leak-proof manner.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following description made with reference to the appended figures, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective view of a one-piece dispensing spout according to one embodiment;
figures 2 show the one-piece dispensing spout of figure 1, as a longitudinal side view (figure 2a) and as a sectional view along line AA of figure 2a (figure 2b), respectively;
figures 3 show an alternative to the embodiment of figure 1, as a perspective view (figure 3a), a longitudinal side view (figure 3b) and a transverse side view (figure 3c), respectively;
figures 4 show an other alternative to the embodiment of figure 1, as a perspective view (figure 4a), a longitudinal side view (figure 4b) and a longitudinal sectional view (figure 4c).

In the description, the spatial positioning terms are taken with reference to the position of the one-piece spout shown in figures 2a, 3b and 4b.
One embodiment of a one-piece dispensing spout that is intended to be connected to a container (not shown), for dispensing the product contained inside the container, is described in relation to the figures. In particular, the product can be a liquid or a food paste.
The dispensing spout can advantageously be made in one piece by moulding a plastic material, e.g., polyethylene or polypropylene.
The container includes an interior volume inside of which the product to be dispensed is contained. In a known manner, the container can include at least two flexible and leak-proof sheets between which the interior volume is formed.
In order to enable the one-piece dispensing spout to be connected to the container, said spout includes a connecting base 1. In the embodiment shown, the base 1 is designed to be inserted between the two sheets in a leak-proof manner. In order to do so, the base 1 has a rhombohedral geometry that defines a lateral surface 2 onto each side of which a sheet can be welded with a continuous weld seam on either side of said base.
Furthermore, the base 1 is provided with peripheral ribs 3 that improve the adhesion of the sheets, and therefore the seal produced between said base and the sheets. In addition, a longitudinal flexible flange 4 is formed at each end of the base 1, which contributes to proper continuity of the weld seam beyond said base. In figures 4, the flanges 4 are provided with notches 4a in order to improve their flexibility, said flanges can also have a reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the ribs 3.
The base 1 is provided with a bore 5 which, after connecting the spout onto the container, makes it possible to place the interior volume in communication with a dispensing tube 6. In order to do so, the tube 6 extends from the base 1 while being in communication with said bore. In the embodiment shown, the bore 5 is formed in the lower end of the tube 6.
The one-piece dispensing spout further includes a closure cap 7 for the tube 6, which enables storage of the product under leak-proof conditions, and does so both before the first dispensing and between possible successive dispensings.
The cap 7 is attached to the upper end of the tube 6 by means of a web of material 8 which, like the rest of the spout, is produced directly by moulding. The web 8 is designed to ensure that the interior of the tube 6 is sealed and to be capable of being broken manually by the user in order to dispense the product.
In the embodiment shown, the cap 7 includes an axial cylindrical skirt 9 that is surmounted by a radial wall 10. In figures 4, the radial wall 10 is provided with a gate 10a in order to improve the rigidity of the cap 7 under radial compressions.
The web 8 extends between the skirt 9 and the tube 6, and more precisely from the lower end of the skirt 9 to the upper end of the tube 6. Furthermore, the periphery of the web 8 is continuous, so as to ensure the seal in the connecting area between the tube 6 and the cap 7. In particular, the web 8 has a geometry of revolution that is similar to that of the skirt 9 and to that of the interior of the tube 6.
In addition, the skirt 9 is designed to be capable of fitting tightly inside the tube 6. In order to do so, the outside diameter of the skirt 9 is very slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the tube 6, so as to form an interference fit area between these two diameters.
Furthermore, an annular groove 10 is provided on the inside periphery of the tube 6 at the end of the interference fit area, and an annular radial bead 11 is formed on the outside periphery of the skirt 9 in order to cooperate with said groove. The outside diameter of the bead 11 is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the tube 6 so as to elastically compress the skirt 9 during the fitting operation and to enable the insertion of the bead 11 into the groove 10 at the end of the fitting operation. In this way, the axial grip of said fit is increased by a snap-on effect.
To facilitate the fitting of the skirt 9 into the tube 6, the embodiment shown here proposes that the exterior periphery of the lower end of the skirt 9 have a chamfer 12 for entry into the tube 6.
As mentioned above, the web 8 ensures the seal in the connecting area between the cap 7 and the tube 6, prior to the first dispensing of the product. Furthermore, the web 8 is designed to be broken by the act of fitting the skirt 9 into the tube 6. In particular, the web 8 has a cylindrical geometry whose generatrix is inclined in relation to the axis of fit, which enables the web 8 to be broken hy a shear effect. Furthermore, in order to facilitate its breaking, the web 8 can have a thickness smaller than the thickness of the skirt 9 and/or the thickness of the tube 6.
Consequently, before dispensing the product, the user presses on the cap 7 so as to break the web 8 and fit the skirt 9 into the tube 6 in order to position the cap 7 in a capping position. Next, he can remove and replace the cap 7 as desired by fitting the skirt 9 into/removing it from the tube 6, and can do so without any web-related constraint, since the latter was destroyed during the first fitting.
In addition, in the embodiment shown, handling of the cap 7 is facilitated by the presence of a ring 13 on the end of the cap 7 and a ring 14 on the outside periphery of the tube 6, so as to be able to exert the capping and uncapping forces ergonomically using one's fingers.
In the alternative of figures 3, the periphery of the web 8 has a weakened area 15 for breaking it, however more than one such area might be anticipated. The area 15 has a blind notch which makes it possible to initiate the breakage via shear force, as described above. This alternative is particularly advantageous in combination with small-diameter tubes 6, e.g., less than 10 mm, since the rigidity of the web 8 increases when its diameter decreases.
In addition, figures 3 propose a connecting cord 16 between the cap 7 and the base 1 so as to attach said cap when it is in the uncapped position.

Claims

One-piece dispensing spout intended to be connected onto a container for dispensing the product contained inside said container, said spout including a connecting base (1) provided with a bore (5) and a dispensing tube (6) that extends from said base while being in communication with said bore, said spout being characterised in that it further includes a cap (7) that is connected onto the upper end of the tube (6) by means of a web (8) of material, said web being designed to ensure that the interior of the tube (6) is sealed and to be capable of being broken manually by the user in order to dispense the product.
One-piece dispensing spout of claim 1, characterised in that the cap (7) includes a skirt (9) on the upper end of which the web (8) of material extends as far as the upper end of the tube (6), the periphery of the web (8) being continuous in order to ensure the seal.
One-piece dispensing spout of claim 2, characterised in that the periphery of the web (8) has at least one weakened area (15) for the purpose of breaking it.
One-piece dispensing spout as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the web (8) has a thickness smaller than the thickness of the skirt (9) and/or thickness of the tube (6).
One-piece dispensing spout as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the skirt (9) is designed to be capable of fitting tightly inside the tube (6).
One-piece dispensing spout of claim 5, characterised in that a groove (10) and a radial bead (11) are provided on the fitting area in order to cooperate for the purpose of increasing the axial grip of said fit.
One-piece dispensing spout of claim 6, characterised in that the outside periphery of the lower end of the skirt (9) has a chamfer (12) for entry into the tube (6).
One-piece dispensing spout as claimed in any of claims 5 to 7, characterised in that the web (8) is designed to be broken by an act fitting the skirt (9) into the tube (6).
One-piece dispensing spout of claim 8, characterised in that the web (8) has a cylindrical geometry whose generatrix is inclined in relation to the axis of fit.
One-piece dispensing spout as claimed in any of precedent claims, characterised in that the connecting base (1) is provided with peripheral ribs (3), a longitudinal flexible flange (4) being formed at each end of said base.
Container including an interior volume inside of which a product to be dispensed is contained, said interior volume being formed between at least two sheets between which the connecting base (1) of a one piece dispensing spout, as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, is inserted in a leak-proof manner.