EP2697129B1 - Multi-compartment device for storing and dispensing products - Google Patents
Multi-compartment device for storing and dispensing products Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2697129B1 EP2697129B1 EP12715078.7A EP12715078A EP2697129B1 EP 2697129 B1 EP2697129 B1 EP 2697129B1 EP 12715078 A EP12715078 A EP 12715078A EP 2697129 B1 EP2697129 B1 EP 2697129B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- peripheral wall
- preform
- internal partition
- partition
- welding
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D35/00—Pliable tubular containers adapted to be permanently or temporarily deformed to expel contents, e.g. collapsible tubes for toothpaste or other plastic or semi-liquid material; Holders therefor
- B65D35/22—Pliable tubular containers adapted to be permanently or temporarily deformed to expel contents, e.g. collapsible tubes for toothpaste or other plastic or semi-liquid material; Holders therefor with two or more compartments
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
- B65D81/32—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents for packaging two or more different materials which must be maintained separate prior to use in admixture
- B65D81/3261—Flexible containers having several compartments
Definitions
- the present invention relates to the production of containers for storing and dispensing products, in particular cosmetic products.
- the invention relates more particularly to the production of a preform for flexible containers having a plurality of compartments intended to contain different products, according to the preamble of claim 1.
- cosmetic product is understood to mean any product as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and Council of 30 November 2009 relating to cosmetic products.
- multi-compartment containers capable of separately storing different products and allowing them to be mixed during application, while avoiding cross-contamination by limiting the migration of the products from one compartment to the other.
- the products may have antagonistic properties and cannot generally be packaged in the mixed state.
- these products can be mixed to obtain the required result, said products react chemically to form a composition that is unstable over time, and so it is not possible to keep them simultaneously in one and the same compartment. It is for this reason that it is generally desirable to keep them in multi-compartment containers and to mix them extemporaneously.
- multi-compartment containers for storing and dispensing products, said containers having a body provided on the inside with a separating partition which bounds two chambers in the body, said chambers each being intended to be filled with a product.
- the container described in these documents is provided with an internal partition and has a first end forming a neck that serves for dispensing the products, and an open opposite end, through which the container can be filled, this end being intended to be closed by pinching and welding after the container has been filled.
- Another technique for producing multi-compartment containers consists in injection-moulding a plastics material in the cavity of a mould so as to form the body of the container and the internal partition in one piece.
- the containers are thus often produced from polypropylene, a mixture of polypropylenes, and/or of polyethylene, in particular a mixture of high and low density polyethylenes, in order particularly to be able to be compatible with the compositions or formulations likely to be contained in the compartments, to be able to be injection-moulded easily and for the container to be able to be weldable to itself.
- the filling end is welded transversely in the same plane as that in which the internal partition extends, that is to say that the ovoid section of the container is pinched such that the internal partition is located in the greatest length of the pinching so as to be welded along the entire length of the end of the container.
- a drawback of this type of container is that when it displayed face on, that is to say with its largest dimension visible, as is the case on shop shelves, only one compartment is visible and the user cannot see that the container contains a second product.
- a preform having a peripheral wall and an internal partition, the welding plane of which is different from the plane along which the partition extends.
- the section of the partition is S-shaped with two opposite concavities, and the welding includes, in addition to the layers of the peripheral wall, at least three layers of internal partition, thus making this welding more complex to carry out and less aesthetically pleasing on account of this overthickness.
- the object of the present invention is thus to provide a flexible multi-compartment container which is produced in an improved manner in order to alleviate the abovementioned drawbacks.
- the invention provides a preform for a multi-compartment container for storing and dispensing products, the preform comprising the features defined in claim 1.
- the length of the internal partition measured between two junctions with the peripheral wall in a cross section of the preform may be less than half the perimeter of the peripheral wall.
- the section of the peripheral wall may be oval, and the largest dimension of this section may be in the welding plane.
- junctions between the internal partition and the peripheral wall may be positioned in a manner set back from the mid-plane perpendicular to the welding plane and including the longitudinal axis X-X.
- the internal partition and the peripheral wall may be produced from transparent and/or translucent materials.
- the dispensing head may have a single closure cap for closing off all the dispensing ducts.
- the dispensing head may have a plurality of independent closure caps, each one for closing off one dispensing duct.
- the invention also relates to a container produced from such a preform, each compartment of the container then containing a different product, and the second end of the preform being closed.
- the invention also relates to a method for producing such a preform, the method including a step of injection-moulding a plastics material in a cavity of a mould in order to form the main body, the peripheral wall and the internal partition then being formed in one piece.
- the dispensing head may be overmoulded on the main body.
- the invention finally relates to a method for producing a container from such a preform, the method comprising a step of filling the compartments in the preform, then a step of folding the open end along the welding plane, the internal partition being folded in two, then a step of welding the open end.
- the welded edge of the main body may have at least one part having two portions of the internal partition that are welded together and are each welded to a portion of the peripheral wall such that the two portions of the internal partition are positioned between two portions of the peripheral wall.
- a container 1 has two compartments 3 and 4, each containing a product P1, P2, for example a cosmetic product such as a makeup or care product.
- a product P1, P2 for example a cosmetic product such as a makeup or care product.
- the two products are thus kept separately and are intended to be mixed extemporaneously during application.
- This container 1 is obtained from a preform 10 shown in Figure 1 .
- This preform 10 of the final container 1 has a main body 12 comprising a tubular peripheral wall 14 and an internal partition 16.
- the tubular peripheral wall 14 extends mainly along a longitudinal axis X-X forming the longitudinal axis of the preform 10 and then of the container 1.
- the cross section of this peripheral wall 14 is preferably oval, but it could also be circular or some other shape.
- the tubular peripheral wall 14 has a first end 18 and a second end 20.
- the internal partition 16 extends in the body 12, that is to say inside the tubular wall 14, from the first end 18 to the second end 20.
- the partition 16 is attached to the peripheral wall 14 at two opposite portions 14a, 14b of the wall 14. Each attachment of the partition 16 to a portion 14a or 14b of the wall 14 may be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis X-X.
- the partition 16 extends substantially along a mid-plane M-M including the longitudinal axis X-X and perpendicular to a transverse axis Y-Y of the preform 10.
- the transverse axis Y-Y is advantageously the axis having the largest dimension of the oval section of the tubular wall 14.
- the partition 16 bounds a first compartment 3, which is intended to be filled with a first product P1, and a separate second compartment 4, which is intended to be filled with a second product P2.
- the partition 16 does not have to be included in the mid-plane M-M but may be slightly offset from this plane such that the two compartments 3 and 4 are not symmetrical to one another with respect to the partition 16 of the preform 10. It is possible for the partition 16 not to be planar but to have a concavity facing towards one of the compartments, or to be undulating.
- the partition 16 has a single concavity oriented towards one of the compartments along the transverse axis Y-Y such that the partition 16 is symmetrical with respect to the plane containing the transverse axis Y-Y and the longitudinal axis X-X.
- the preform 10 may have cross sections of the body 12 that are identical over the entire length of the longitudinal axis X-X.
- the partition 16 has a length much less than half the perimeter of the peripheral wall 14 between two points of attachment to the peripheral wall 14. It is thus possible for the preform 10 not to be folded along the mid-axis M-M.
- This length of the internal partition 16 is advantageously greater than the length of the smallest diameter of the oval peripheral wall 14 in order that the partition does not extend in a plane between the first end 18 and the second end 20 but has a concavity as defined above.
- the peripheral wall 14 and the internal partition 16 are produced from one and the same flexible, that is to say pliable, material, for example thermoplastic material such as polypropylene or polyethylene.
- the thickness of the wall 14 and that of the partition 16 may be between 0.1 mm and 1 mm, for example around 0.2 mm, such a thinness making it possible to produce a wall 14 and a partition 16 having optimum flexibility.
- the wall 14 and/or the partition 16 have a substantially constant thickness over the entire surface.
- the internal partition 16 may also be produced from a flexible material different from the flexible material of which the peripheral wall 14 is made, for example by overmoulding the peripheral wall 14 over the internal partition 16.
- the peripheral wall 14 is produced from a transparent or translucent material, in order that the products contained in the compartments are visible from outside the container 1.
- the preform 10 also has a dispensing head 22 mounted on the first end 18 of the main body 12. This dispensing head 22 closes the first end 18 while having at least two dispensing ducts 23, 24, each opening at one end into a compartment 3, 4 and at the other end towards the outside of the device.
- the dispensing head 22 may be fixed to the body 12 by any appropriate means, for example by adhesive bonding, welding, overmoulding or screwing. In the case of overmoulding or welding, the material of the dispensing head 22 must be compatible with that of the body 12.
- the dispensing ducts 23, 24 may have equal dimensions, for example have the same diameter in the case of cylindrical ducts. These dispensing ducts 23, 24 may also have different dimensions, for example have sections having different shapes and/or sizes, in order that each is suitable for dispensing its respective product, for example if the viscosity of each product P1, P2 is different.
- a cap 26 is connected to the dispensing head 22.
- the cap 26 may be produced in one piece with the dispensing head, as in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6 , but may also be an attached component in variants that are not shown.
- the cap 26 When the cap 26 is produced in one piece with the dispensing head 22, it is attached to the latter by a bridge of material 27 which is thin enough to be flexible.
- This bridge of material 27 is generally known as a film hinge.
- the film hinge allows the cap 26 to pivot with respect to the dispensing head 22 about an axis parallel to the transverse axis Y-Y, whereas in the variant shown in Figure 6 , the film hinge allows the cap 26 to pivot with respect to the dispensing head 22 about an axis perpendicular to the transverse axis Y-Y. Any other pivot axis is also conceivable.
- the bottom of the cap 26 is provided with pins 28 which are intended to close off the ducts 23 and 24 in the dispensing head 22 when the cap 26 is in the closed position.
- the pins 28 accordingly have a cross section which corresponds to that of their respective duct 23, 24.
- two caps 26' and 26" are connected to the dispensing head 22, each one having its own film hinge 27.
- Each cap 26', 26" is intended to close one orifice 23, 24.
- the user can selectively open one of the caps 26', 26" or both caps 26', 26" simultaneously depending on whether he wishes to dispense only the first product P1 or only the second product P2 or both products P1 and P2.
- the second end 20, opposite the dispensing head 22, of the body 12 of the preform 10 is open so that the preform 10 can be filled with product, but is intended to be closed by pinching and welding after filling so that a closed container 1 as shown in Figure 2 is obtained.
- the material of the partition 16 and that of the peripheral wall 14 are compatible for hot welding, for example the material of the partition 16 and that of the peripheral wall 14 may each comprise polypropylene or polyethylene.
- the second end 20 of the body 12 is pinched and welded in a plane containing the transverse axis Y-Y and the longitudinal axis X-X, that is to say perpendicular to the mid-plane M-M.
- the section of the body 12 is oval
- pinching and welding take place advantageously in the plane containing the largest dimension of this oval section
- the partition 16 extends substantially in a plane perpendicular to this plane containing the largest dimension of this oval section. Consequently, the internal partition 16 is folded in at least two parts so that two opposite edges of the peripheral wall can be brought together for welding.
- the initial concavity in the partition 16 of the preform promotes this folding in two of the partition 16.
- the pinched partition 16 thus adopts a U-shaped configuration, as is shown in Figure 4 .
- the welded second end 20 of the main body 12 thus has at least one part 30 having two portions 16a, 16b of the internal partition 16 welded together and each welded to a portion 14a, 14b of the peripheral wall 14 such that the two portions 16a, 16b of the internal partition 16 are positioned between two portions 14a, 14b of the peripheral wall 14.
- the welded second end 20 of the main body 12 may also have at least one part 31, 32 having two portions 14a, 14b of the peripheral wall 14 that are welded directly to one another.
- the radius of the concavity in the partition 16 thus varies along the axis X-X, the radius increasing from the second end to the first end of the body 12, this being visible in Figures 4 and 5 , which show cross sections at different points along the longitudinal axis X-X.
- the partition 16 is advantageously slightly offset from the mid-plane M-M. Specifically, after the filling of the two products P1, P2, the welding, in the plane of the major axis of the section of the body 12, closes the concave partition 16 on itself, the concave partition 16 extending more into one compartment 4 than into the other compartment 3.
- the initial offset D with respect to the mid-plane M-M towards the compartment which is opposite the one into which the concave partition 16 extends the most makes it possible to obtain two compartments 3, 4 having substantially identical volumes, in that the advancement of the partition 16 into one compartment 4 is compensated by the initial offset D of the edges attaching the partition 16 to the wall 14 towards the other compartment 3.
- the preform 10 In order to manufacture the preform 10, it is necessary first of all to injection-mould a plastics material in the cavity of a mould, thereby forming the body 12 with its peripheral wall 14 and its internal partition 16 in one piece. Following partial modification of the mould at the first end of the body 12, a second injection-moulding operation of a material compatible with the first is carried out in order to overmould the dispensing head 22, which is hot-welded automatically to the body 12 which has already been injection-moulded.
- the cap 26 can also be injection-moulded together with the dispensing head 22 so as to be in one piece with this head 22, the link between the cap 26 and the dispensing head 22 being formed by a film hinge. The preform formed in this way is then removed from the mould.
- a packaging phase then takes place.
- the cap 26 is closed such that the dispensing ducts 23 and 24 are closed off, and each preform 10 is transferred to a filling station, where the preform 10 is filled through its open second end 20 opposite the dispensing head 22 closed by way of its cap 26.
- the two compartments 3 and 4 can be filled with two different products P1, P2 which are intended for example to be mixed extemporaneously during application. Provision is made to leave an upper part close to the second end 20 without formulations so that this part is almost filled during the deformation of the preform by pinching, which tends to reduce the volumes of the compartments 3 and 4 during closure.
- the open end 20 of the filled preform 10 is presented to a heat source, for example infrared rays, hot air or else hot contact.
- the heat source is a source of hot air which outputs a directed flow of air towards the material of the preform 10 and not towards the products P1, P2 so that the latter are not deteriorated by the heat.
- the open second end 20 is pinched tightly between two mechanical jaws so as to weld it.
- the second end 20 closed in this way is then cooled by any appropriate means, for example in a tunnel of cold air.
- the container shown in Figure 2 is thus obtained.
- the welded second end 20 has a part 31 having two thicknesses, followed by a part 30 having four thicknesses, followed by another part 32 having two thicknesses, it therefore being possible for the form of the pinching jaws to be adapted to this profile for welding.
- the container is provided with only a single separating partition, it would also be possible, as an alternative, to provide the container with a plurality of partitions so as to form a greater number of compartments in the container in order to store a greater number of products.
- the expression "comprising a” should be understood as meaning “comprising at least one", unless specified to the contrary.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
- Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
- Lining Or Joining Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
- Blow-Moulding Or Thermoforming Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
- Packages (AREA)
Description
- The present invention relates to the production of containers for storing and dispensing products, in particular cosmetic products.
- The invention relates more particularly to the production of a preform for flexible containers having a plurality of compartments intended to contain different products, according to the preamble of claim 1.
- The expression "cosmetic product" is understood to mean any product as defined in Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and Council of 30 November 2009 relating to cosmetic products.
- Specifically, there is a need for multi-compartment containers capable of separately storing different products and allowing them to be mixed during application, while avoiding cross-contamination by limiting the migration of the products from one compartment to the other. For example, the products may have antagonistic properties and cannot generally be packaged in the mixed state. Although these products can be mixed to obtain the required result, said products react chemically to form a composition that is unstable over time, and so it is not possible to keep them simultaneously in one and the same compartment. It is for this reason that it is generally desirable to keep them in multi-compartment containers and to mix them extemporaneously.
- In the prior art there are multi-compartment containers for storing and dispensing products, said containers having a body provided on the inside with a separating partition which bounds two chambers in the body, said chambers each being intended to be filled with a product.
- In this regard, reference could be made to documents
WO9746463 FR2627463 US5954234 andUS1894115 . The container described in these documents is provided with an internal partition and has a first end forming a neck that serves for dispensing the products, and an open opposite end, through which the container can be filled, this end being intended to be closed by pinching and welding after the container has been filled. - Reference could also be made to document
US5849241 , which describes a method for producing a tube provided with an internal partition and formed by injection blow-moulding of a plastics material. The internal partition is deformed after moulding so as to increase its size in order to reduce its rigidity and to allow one of the openings in the tube to be closed by pinching and welding as was described above. - Another technique for producing multi-compartment containers consists in injection-moulding a plastics material in the cavity of a mould so as to form the body of the container and the internal partition in one piece. The containers are thus often produced from polypropylene, a mixture of polypropylenes, and/or of polyethylene, in particular a mixture of high and low density polyethylenes, in order particularly to be able to be compatible with the compositions or formulations likely to be contained in the compartments, to be able to be injection-moulded easily and for the container to be able to be weldable to itself.
- In any case, the filling end is welded transversely in the same plane as that in which the internal partition extends, that is to say that the ovoid section of the container is pinched such that the internal partition is located in the greatest length of the pinching so as to be welded along the entire length of the end of the container. A drawback of this type of container is that when it displayed face on, that is to say with its largest dimension visible, as is the case on shop shelves, only one compartment is visible and the user cannot see that the container contains a second product. In addition, when this container is used, the user places his fingers on each face having the largest dimension and exerts a pressure simultaneously on the two compartments, as a result of which the two products are dispensed together without there being the possibility of one produced being metered with respect to the other.
- Also known, from document
WO9929572 - The object of the present invention is thus to provide a flexible multi-compartment container which is produced in an improved manner in order to alleviate the abovementioned drawbacks.
- To this end, the invention provides a preform for a multi-compartment container for storing and dispensing products, the preform comprising the features defined in claim 1.
- According to further features of the invention, the length of the internal partition measured between two junctions with the peripheral wall in a cross section of the preform may be less than half the perimeter of the peripheral wall.
- The section of the peripheral wall may be oval, and the largest dimension of this section may be in the welding plane.
- The junctions between the internal partition and the peripheral wall may be positioned in a manner set back from the mid-plane perpendicular to the welding plane and including the longitudinal axis X-X.
- The internal partition and the peripheral wall may be produced from transparent and/or translucent materials.
- The dispensing head may have a single closure cap for closing off all the dispensing ducts.
- The dispensing head may have a plurality of independent closure caps, each one for closing off one dispensing duct.
- The invention also relates to a container produced from such a preform, each compartment of the container then containing a different product, and the second end of the preform being closed.
- The invention also relates to a method for producing such a preform, the method including a step of injection-moulding a plastics material in a cavity of a mould in order to form the main body, the peripheral wall and the internal partition then being formed in one piece.
- The dispensing head may be overmoulded on the main body.
- The invention finally relates to a method for producing a container from such a preform, the method comprising a step of filling the compartments in the preform, then a step of folding the open end along the welding plane, the internal partition being folded in two, then a step of welding the open end.
- The welded edge of the main body may have at least one part having two portions of the internal partition that are welded together and are each welded to a portion of the peripheral wall such that the two portions of the internal partition are positioned between two portions of the peripheral wall.
- The invention will be understood better from reading the following description of non-limiting examples of the implementation thereof with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
-
Figure 1 shows an example of a preform for a device for applying a product according to the invention; -
Figure 2 shows a closed container filled with products and formed from the preform inFigure 1 ; -
Figure 3 is a cross section along the axis III-III inFigure 1 ; -
Figure 4 is a cross section along the axis IV-IV inFigure 2 ; -
Figure 5 is a cross section along the axis V-V inFigure 2 ; -
Figures 6 and 7 show variants of the closure cap of the device inFigure 2 . - With reference to the figures, in particular to
Figure 2 , a container 1 has twocompartments - This container 1 is obtained from a
preform 10 shown inFigure 1 . Thispreform 10 of the final container 1 has amain body 12 comprising a tubularperipheral wall 14 and aninternal partition 16. - The tubular
peripheral wall 14 extends mainly along a longitudinal axis X-X forming the longitudinal axis of thepreform 10 and then of the container 1. The cross section of thisperipheral wall 14 is preferably oval, but it could also be circular or some other shape. The tubularperipheral wall 14 has afirst end 18 and asecond end 20. - The
internal partition 16 extends in thebody 12, that is to say inside thetubular wall 14, from thefirst end 18 to thesecond end 20. Thepartition 16 is attached to theperipheral wall 14 at twoopposite portions wall 14. Each attachment of thepartition 16 to aportion wall 14 may be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis X-X. - In the
initial preform 10, thepartition 16 extends substantially along a mid-plane M-M including the longitudinal axis X-X and perpendicular to a transverse axis Y-Y of thepreform 10. The transverse axis Y-Y is advantageously the axis having the largest dimension of the oval section of thetubular wall 14. Thus, in thebody 12, thepartition 16 bounds afirst compartment 3, which is intended to be filled with a first product P1, and a separatesecond compartment 4, which is intended to be filled with a second product P2. - The
partition 16 does not have to be included in the mid-plane M-M but may be slightly offset from this plane such that the twocompartments partition 16 of thepreform 10. It is possible for thepartition 16 not to be planar but to have a concavity facing towards one of the compartments, or to be undulating. Thepartition 16 has a single concavity oriented towards one of the compartments along the transverse axis Y-Y such that thepartition 16 is symmetrical with respect to the plane containing the transverse axis Y-Y and the longitudinal axis X-X. Thepreform 10 may have cross sections of thebody 12 that are identical over the entire length of the longitudinal axis X-X. - In any cross section of the
body 12 of thepreform 10, for example the one shown inFigure 3 , thepartition 16 has a length much less than half the perimeter of theperipheral wall 14 between two points of attachment to theperipheral wall 14. It is thus possible for thepreform 10 not to be folded along the mid-axis M-M. - This length of the
internal partition 16 is advantageously greater than the length of the smallest diameter of the ovalperipheral wall 14 in order that the partition does not extend in a plane between thefirst end 18 and thesecond end 20 but has a concavity as defined above. - The
peripheral wall 14 and theinternal partition 16 are produced from one and the same flexible, that is to say pliable, material, for example thermoplastic material such as polypropylene or polyethylene. Moreover, the thickness of thewall 14 and that of thepartition 16 may be between 0.1 mm and 1 mm, for example around 0.2 mm, such a thinness making it possible to produce awall 14 and apartition 16 having optimum flexibility. Furthermore, thewall 14 and/or thepartition 16 have a substantially constant thickness over the entire surface. - The
internal partition 16 may also be produced from a flexible material different from the flexible material of which theperipheral wall 14 is made, for example by overmoulding theperipheral wall 14 over theinternal partition 16. Advantageously, theperipheral wall 14 is produced from a transparent or translucent material, in order that the products contained in the compartments are visible from outside the container 1. - The
preform 10 also has a dispensinghead 22 mounted on thefirst end 18 of themain body 12. This dispensinghead 22 closes thefirst end 18 while having at least two dispensingducts compartment - The dispensing
head 22 may be fixed to thebody 12 by any appropriate means, for example by adhesive bonding, welding, overmoulding or screwing. In the case of overmoulding or welding, the material of the dispensinghead 22 must be compatible with that of thebody 12. - The dispensing
ducts ducts - A
cap 26 is connected to the dispensinghead 22. Thecap 26 may be produced in one piece with the dispensing head, as inFigures 1, 2, 5 and6 , but may also be an attached component in variants that are not shown. - When the
cap 26 is produced in one piece with the dispensinghead 22, it is attached to the latter by a bridge ofmaterial 27 which is thin enough to be flexible. This bridge ofmaterial 27 is generally known as a film hinge. InFigures 1 and 2 , the film hinge allows thecap 26 to pivot with respect to the dispensinghead 22 about an axis parallel to the transverse axis Y-Y, whereas in the variant shown inFigure 6 , the film hinge allows thecap 26 to pivot with respect to the dispensinghead 22 about an axis perpendicular to the transverse axis Y-Y. Any other pivot axis is also conceivable. - The bottom of the
cap 26 is provided withpins 28 which are intended to close off theducts head 22 when thecap 26 is in the closed position. Thepins 28 accordingly have a cross section which corresponds to that of theirrespective duct - In the variant shown in
Figure 7 , twocaps 26' and 26" are connected to the dispensinghead 22, each one having itsown film hinge 27. Eachcap 26', 26" is intended to close oneorifice caps 26', 26" or bothcaps 26', 26" simultaneously depending on whether he wishes to dispense only the first product P1 or only the second product P2 or both products P1 and P2. - The
second end 20, opposite the dispensinghead 22, of thebody 12 of thepreform 10 is open so that thepreform 10 can be filled with product, but is intended to be closed by pinching and welding after filling so that a closed container 1 as shown inFigure 2 is obtained. - In order to allow this closure, the material of the
partition 16 and that of theperipheral wall 14 are compatible for hot welding, for example the material of thepartition 16 and that of theperipheral wall 14 may each comprise polypropylene or polyethylene. - According to the invention, the
second end 20 of thebody 12 is pinched and welded in a plane containing the transverse axis Y-Y and the longitudinal axis X-X, that is to say perpendicular to the mid-plane M-M. Thus, when the section of thebody 12 is oval, pinching and welding take place advantageously in the plane containing the largest dimension of this oval section, while thepartition 16 extends substantially in a plane perpendicular to this plane containing the largest dimension of this oval section. Consequently, theinternal partition 16 is folded in at least two parts so that two opposite edges of the peripheral wall can be brought together for welding. The initial concavity in thepartition 16 of the preform promotes this folding in two of thepartition 16. In the welding zone, thepinched partition 16 thus adopts a U-shaped configuration, as is shown inFigure 4 . - As can be seen in
Figure 4 , the weldedsecond end 20 of themain body 12 thus has at least onepart 30 having twoportions internal partition 16 welded together and each welded to aportion peripheral wall 14 such that the twoportions internal partition 16 are positioned between twoportions peripheral wall 14. The weldedsecond end 20 of themain body 12 may also have at least onepart portions peripheral wall 14 that are welded directly to one another. - With this type of pinching and welding, the radius of the concavity in the
partition 16 thus varies along the axis X-X, the radius increasing from the second end to the first end of thebody 12, this being visible inFigures 4 and 5 , which show cross sections at different points along the longitudinal axis X-X. - As was described above, the
partition 16 is advantageously slightly offset from the mid-plane M-M. Specifically, after the filling of the two products P1, P2, the welding, in the plane of the major axis of the section of thebody 12, closes theconcave partition 16 on itself, theconcave partition 16 extending more into onecompartment 4 than into theother compartment 3. As can be seen inFigures 3 and 5 , the initial offset D with respect to the mid-plane M-M towards the compartment which is opposite the one into which theconcave partition 16 extends the most makes it possible to obtain twocompartments partition 16 into onecompartment 4 is compensated by the initial offset D of the edges attaching thepartition 16 to thewall 14 towards theother compartment 3. - A method for obtaining the
preform 10 and then the container 1 of the invention will now be described. - In order to manufacture the
preform 10, it is necessary first of all to injection-mould a plastics material in the cavity of a mould, thereby forming thebody 12 with itsperipheral wall 14 and itsinternal partition 16 in one piece. Following partial modification of the mould at the first end of thebody 12, a second injection-moulding operation of a material compatible with the first is carried out in order to overmould the dispensinghead 22, which is hot-welded automatically to thebody 12 which has already been injection-moulded. Thecap 26 can also be injection-moulded together with the dispensinghead 22 so as to be in one piece with thishead 22, the link between thecap 26 and the dispensinghead 22 being formed by a film hinge. The preform formed in this way is then removed from the mould. - A packaging phase then takes place. To this end, the
cap 26 is closed such that the dispensingducts preform 10 is filled through its opensecond end 20 opposite the dispensinghead 22 closed by way of itscap 26. - The two
compartments second end 20 without formulations so that this part is almost filled during the deformation of the preform by pinching, which tends to reduce the volumes of thecompartments - To this end, the
open end 20 of the filledpreform 10 is presented to a heat source, for example infrared rays, hot air or else hot contact. Advantageously, the heat source is a source of hot air which outputs a directed flow of air towards the material of thepreform 10 and not towards the products P1, P2 so that the latter are not deteriorated by the heat. - When the plastics material has reached a temperature threshold suitable for it to be welded, the open
second end 20 is pinched tightly between two mechanical jaws so as to weld it. Thesecond end 20 closed in this way is then cooled by any appropriate means, for example in a tunnel of cold air. The container shown inFigure 2 is thus obtained. - As mentioned above and as is shown in
Figure 4 , on travelling along the axis Y-Y, the weldedsecond end 20 has apart 31 having two thicknesses, followed by apart 30 having four thicknesses, followed by anotherpart 32 having two thicknesses, it therefore being possible for the form of the pinching jaws to be adapted to this profile for welding. - The invention is not limited to the examples illustrated, in particular although in the exemplary embodiment envisaged the container is provided with only a single separating partition, it would also be possible, as an alternative, to provide the container with a plurality of partitions so as to form a greater number of compartments in the container in order to store a greater number of products. The expression "comprising a" should be understood as meaning "comprising at least one", unless specified to the contrary.
Claims (12)
- Preform (10) for a multi-compartment container (1) for storing and dispensing products (P1, P2), comprising:- a main body (12) extending mainly along a longitudinal axis X-X and comprising a tubular peripheral wall (14) and an internal partition (16), said peripheral wall and said internal partition being produced from flexible material,- a dispensing head (22) mounted on a first end (18) of the main body (12) and having at least two dispensing ducts (23, 24), each opening at one end into a compartment (3, 4) and at the other end towards the outside of the device,- the second, open end (20) for filling the device being intended to be closed by pinching and welding of the edge of the peripheral wall in a welding plane,the preform being characterized in that the internal partition (16) extends between the two ends (18, 20) mainly in a plane perpendicular to the welding plane in order to bound compartments intended to contain respective products, said partition having a single concavity oriented towards one of the compartments (4) along the welding plane such that the partition is symmetrical with respect to said welding plane.
- Preform according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the length of the internal partition (16) measured between two junctions with the peripheral wall (14a, 14b) in a cross section of the preform is less than half the perimeter of the peripheral wall (44).
- Preform according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the section of the peripheral wall (14) is oval, and in that the largest dimension of this section is in the welding plane.
- Preform according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the junctions (14a, 14b) between the internal partition (16) and the peripheral wall (14) are positioned in a manner set back from the mid-plane perpendicular to the welding plane and including the longitudinal axis X-X.
- Preform according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the internal partition (16) and the peripheral wall (14) are produced from transparent and/or translucent materials.
- Preform according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the dispensing head (22) has a single closure cap (26) for closing off all the dispensing ducts (23, 24).
- Preform according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the dispensing head (22) has a plurality of independent closure caps, each one for closing off one dispensing duct (23, 24).
- Container produced from a preform according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each compartment (3, 4) of the container (1) contains a different product (P1, P2), in that the second end (20) of the preform (10) closed.
- Method for producing a preform according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it includes a step of injection-moulding a plastics material in a cavity of a mould in order to form the main body (12), peripheral wall (14) and the internal partition (16) then being formed in one piece.
- Method for producing a preform according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the dispensing head (22) is overmoulded on the main body (12).
- Method for producing a container according to Claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a step of filling the compartments (3, 4) in the preform, then a step of folding the open end along the welding plane, the internal partition (16) being folded in two, then a step of welding the open end.
- Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the welded edge of the main body (12) has at least one part having two portions of the internal partition (16) that are welded together and are each welded to a portion of the peripheral wall (14a, 14b) such that the two portions of the internal partition are positioned between two portions of the peripheral wall.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
FR1153317A FR2974072B1 (en) | 2011-04-15 | 2011-04-15 | DEVICE FOR STORING AND DISTRIBUTING PRODUCTS WITH SEVERAL COMPARTMENTS |
US201161477179P | 2011-04-20 | 2011-04-20 | |
PCT/EP2012/056515 WO2012140038A1 (en) | 2011-04-15 | 2012-04-11 | Multi-compartment device for storing and dispensing products |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2697129A1 EP2697129A1 (en) | 2014-02-19 |
EP2697129B1 true EP2697129B1 (en) | 2016-05-25 |
Family
ID=44548967
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP12715078.7A Not-in-force EP2697129B1 (en) | 2011-04-15 | 2012-04-11 | Multi-compartment device for storing and dispensing products |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP2697129B1 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2587513T3 (en) |
FR (1) | FR2974072B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2012140038A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2994947B1 (en) | 2012-08-28 | 2015-08-07 | Albea Services | IMPROVED TUBE HEAD COMPRISING AN INSERT FORMING A BARRIER. |
FR3010413B1 (en) | 2013-09-09 | 2015-09-25 | Arkema France | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE PERIOD OF A NANO-STRUCTURE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A MIXTURE OF BLOCK COPOLYMERS |
FR3010414B1 (en) | 2013-09-09 | 2015-09-25 | Arkema France | PROCESS FOR OBTAINING NANO-STRUCTURED THICK FILMS OBTAINED FROM A BLOCK COPOLYMER COMPOSITION |
Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1998019928A1 (en) * | 1996-11-01 | 1998-05-14 | Colgate-Palmolive Company | Injection stretch blow molded tubular containers |
Family Cites Families (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1894115A (en) | 1931-04-11 | 1933-01-10 | Michael F Murphy | Plural chambered collapsible tube |
FR2627463B1 (en) | 1988-02-23 | 1990-06-15 | Simon Patrick | DEFORMABLE TUBULAR CONTAINER AND ITS ONE PIECE MANUFACTURING METHOD |
DE4321275A1 (en) * | 1993-06-28 | 1995-01-05 | Design Udo Suffa Gmbh S | Tubular dispenser |
AU718698B2 (en) * | 1996-06-06 | 2000-04-20 | Colgate-Palmolive Company, The | Uniform dispensing multichamber tubular containers |
US5849241A (en) | 1996-12-20 | 1998-12-15 | Colgate-Palmolive Company | Multichamber container with expanded interior walls |
DE19722417C1 (en) * | 1997-05-28 | 1998-10-01 | Automation Industrielle Sa | Plastic tube for connection to two-chamber vessel including internal partition |
WO1999029572A1 (en) * | 1997-12-05 | 1999-06-17 | Norden Pac Development Ab | Method and device for end closure of packaging tubes |
-
2011
- 2011-04-15 FR FR1153317A patent/FR2974072B1/en active Active
-
2012
- 2012-04-11 ES ES12715078.7T patent/ES2587513T3/en active Active
- 2012-04-11 WO PCT/EP2012/056515 patent/WO2012140038A1/en active Application Filing
- 2012-04-11 EP EP12715078.7A patent/EP2697129B1/en not_active Not-in-force
Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1998019928A1 (en) * | 1996-11-01 | 1998-05-14 | Colgate-Palmolive Company | Injection stretch blow molded tubular containers |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
FR2974072A1 (en) | 2012-10-19 |
EP2697129A1 (en) | 2014-02-19 |
WO2012140038A1 (en) | 2012-10-18 |
ES2587513T3 (en) | 2016-10-25 |
FR2974072B1 (en) | 2014-06-13 |
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