EP4233636A1

EP4233636A1 - Container

Info

Publication number: EP4233636A1
Application number: EP23157495.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Matteo Moretti
Original assignee: Lumson SpA
Current assignee: Lumson SpA
Priority date: 2022-02-23
Filing date: 2023-02-20
Publication date: 2023-08-30
Also published as: IT202200003341A1

Abstract

A container (1) for a fluid or powdery substance comprising an external element (2) made of glass and an internal element (3) inserted into a mouth (2A) of the external element (2); at the mouth (2A) of the external element (2), the internal element (3) comprises at least two perimeter swellings (3A) which, upon deforming at least elastically, fasten the internal element to the external one.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container.
In particular, it refers to a container for products such as creams or powders, in both the cosmetics and the medical field.

BACKGROUND ART

In the cosmetics field especially, consumers are always looking for innovative and aesthetically pleasing packaging.
The most exacting consumers seek containers that are made of glass, with high quality finishes.
If the container is designed to contain a cream or other 'consumable' product, it is not pleasing to see the contents from the outside when the said container is only partially full, 'smeared' from use, or in any case messy.
For this reason, especially in the case of jars (or pots), it is often decided to insert a (usually opaque) element inside the glass container that contains the cream or product, in order to hide the contents of the container from view while also protecting the said contents from the external light.
The internal elements are usually made of plastic. However, glass tolerances make it difficult to achieve a stable coupling of the external element and the internal element.
To improve the coupling, on the plastic part, a continuous protruding perimeter ring is made (similar to an O-ring) which deforms elastically and allows the coupling of the plastic and the glass (compensating for the gaps created by the glass tolerances).
Additionally, (usually discontinuous) teeth can be made on the glass that can be coupled to the continuous ring (therefore essentially creating a snap-fit).
Commonly known fastening systems do not allow the internal and external element to be uncoupled and therefore the entire container must be thrown away once the product is finished.
Furthermore, it is difficult to dispose of the internal part made of plastic and the part made of glass as sorted waste, precisely because the two parts are not easily separable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a container which is more easily disposed of as sorted waste than those according to the prior art and which may also be refillable.
A further object of the invention is to provide a container which is more environmentally compatible than those according to the prior art.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a container which is more economical than those according to the prior art.
This and other objects are achieved by means of a container according to the technical teachings of the claims annexed hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further features and advantages of the innovation will become clearer in the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the container, illustrated - by way of a non-limiting example - in the drawings annexed hereto, in which:

Figure 1 is an axial sectional view of the container according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a view of an internal element of the container;
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of the part circled in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a section view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is an enlarged detail of the part circled in Figure 4;
Figure 6 shows, in an axial sectional view, a variant of the container in Figure 1; and
Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the detail circled in Figure 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the figures stated, reference number 1 is used to denote, as a whole, a container.
The container 1 is configured to house a fluid or powdery substance, such as a cream or a powder, preferably of a cosmetic or medical kind.
The container 1, or better the internal element 3, may be configured to contain a relatively small quantity of substance, for example from 5ml to 200ml, preferably from 10 to 100ml.
The container 1 comprises an external element 2 made of glass and an internal element 3 inserted into a mouth 2A of the external element 2.
The external element 2 can have a jar (or pot) configuration and be made of transparent or translucent glass or glass decorated in various ways.
According to the invention, at the mouth 2A of the external element 2, the internal element 3 comprises at least two perimeter swellings 3A (preferably at least three) which, upon deforming at least elastically, fasten the internal element to the external one.
There may also be more than two swellings (as visible in Figure 4, in which there are six swellings spaced regularly along the circumference) so as to form a plurality of 'petals' which protrude, preferably in a discontinuous manner, from the perimeter of the internal element 3.
Advantageously, the swellings 3A are distributed discontinuously around the perimeter of the internal element 3.
They may be regularly spaced from one another, such as at the vertices of a triangle, a square, a pentagon, a hexagon (as in Figure 4) etc, depending to the number of swellings 3A envisaged.
Preferably the swellings are located underneath (therefore towards a bottom of the container) a flange 5 on the internal element 5. The said swellings are also preferably in contact with the said flange 5.
Advantageously, the swellings 3A extend in a mainly axial direction.
Therefore, the at least two swellings 3A may be contained within a strip of the internal element 3 whose height H1 is comparable to the height H2 of the mouth 2A of the internal element 2.
In this way, the internal element 3 has at least one lateral surface 7 devoid of swellings 3A, which can be decorated and visible through the external element 2.
It is therefore possible to decorate at least this part of the internal element 3 with logos, graphic motifs, colours etc, with the result that the said decoration is visible from the outside of the external element (if the latter is transparent).
Advantageously, at least one of the swellings 3A - but preferably all of them - has a convex portion facing the outer container 2, the said convex portion being defined by a corresponding concave portion on an inner wall of the inner container 3.
Preferably, at least one of the swellings 3A fastens the internal element to the external element, deforming also plastically (as is clearly visible in the detail in Figure 5).
Given that the glass tolerance is considerable, the plastic deformation of at least one of the swellings ensures the internal element is effectively centred in and fastened to the external one.
It has been verified that at least one of the swellings deforms plastically while at least one other swelling can deform even only elastically, thereby achieving stable fixing.
However, it is always possible (and easy) to remove the internal element from the external one, for example when the product is out of stock, for the purpose of either separating the glass for recycling or for refilling.
From this point of view, the internal element (or container) 3 can feature a hermetically sealed film 8, which can be removed upon first use.
Advantageously, the film 8 (to be removed before use) is made of one or more of the following materials: aluminium, polylaminate made of aluminium/PE, PET, or PP.
The said film can also be hermetically constrained (for example using heat or ultrasonic welding, gluing, mechanical pressing) to the flange 5 on the internal element 3.
From an environmental perspective, the internal element 3 may be made of a material comprising aluminium, preferably polylaminate.
For example, aluminium may be coupled with one or more plastic films (PE-HDPE-EVOH-PA etc.) whose function is to protect the aluminium against oxidation or prevent the passage of ions, and to mechanically soften the aluminium while preventing creasing and breakages.
In this case, the plastic deformability of at least one swelling 3A is particularly advantageous and the production of the internal element 3 is particularly economical, also resulting in a significant reduction in the overall weight of the packaging.
A further suitable and advantageous material for the internal element 3 could be a paper-based or cardboard-based material.
Advantageously, the paper may be lined or coated with a plastic material, for example PE, PLA, HDPE, PP, or with wax to prevent deformation upon contact with the product inside the internal container. Use of recycled paper is also possible.
A still further suitable and advantageous material could be a thermoformed material, preferably PET, PETG, or a polycarbonate.
Use of the aforesaid materials results in the internal element having a very thin side wall (compared to internal plastic containers according to the prior art).
Advantageously, the thickness may be between 0.05 mm and 0.3 mm (in the case of aluminium-based material), between 0.5 mm and 2 mm (in the case of paper-based material) and between 0.2 mm and 0.5 mm (in case of thermoformed plastic).
Advantageously, a flange 5 on the internal element 3 may be at least partially housed in a perimetral step 6 in the external element 2.
In an example, such as the one in Figure 1 (and Figure 3), the flange 5 is essentially bent into a U shape (or curled), the U-shaped part being housed in the step 6.
This solution is particularly advantageous in the case of paper or aluminium-based materials (which are so thin they could be sharp to the touch).
The flange 5 can also be essentially bent into an S-shape, as is visible in the embodiment in Figure 6 (and Figure 7), the said S-shaped part being housed in the step 6.
Therefore, at least part of the flange 5 may feature, from a sectional view, the same conformation as the step 6.
This configuration is particularly advantageous if the internal element 3 is thermoformed.
To complete the description, it must be underlined that the container 1 may have a closure cap 9, preferably screw cap, equipped with a gasket 10.
When closed, the cap 9 at least partially sandwiches the said flange 5 between the gasket 10 and a free edge 11 of the external element, ensuring a perfect seal.
It has been seen how the invention makes it possible to provide a container, and especially the internal element thereof, with a very low weight, which can be either replaced or refilled.
The container can also easily be disposed of as sorted waste and is extremely economical.
It is therefore possible to decorate the internal element 3 externally (especially in the area without reliefs) to both make it attractive (for example if intended to be used as a refill) and to make it pleasant when seen through the external element 2 (if transparent or translucent).
Various embodiments of the innovation have been disclosed herein, but further embodiments may also be conceived using the same innovative concept.

Claims

Container (1) of a fluid or dusty substance comprising an external element (2) made of glass and an internal element (3) inserted in a mouth (2A) of the external element (2), characterized in that the internal element (3), comprises, in correspondence with the mouth (2A) of the external element (2), at least two perimeter swellings (3A) which, deforming at least elastically, fix the internal element to the external one.
Container according to claim 1, in which the swellings (3A) have a predominantly axial development.
Container according to claim 1, in which the swellings (3A) are distributed discontinuously on the perimeter of the internal element.
Container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the swellings (3A), but preferably all, has a convex portion facing the external container (2), said convex portion being defined by a corresponding concave portion on an internal wall of the inner container (3).
Container according to claim 1, in which at least one of the swellings (3A) fixes the internal element to the external one, also through its plastic deformation.
Container according to claim 1, in which a flange (5) of the internal element (3) is at least partially housed in a perimetral step (6) of the external element (2).
Container according to claim 1, the flange (5) is folded substantially in a U-shape, said U-shaped part being housed in the step (6).
Container according to claim 1, wherein the flange (5) is folded substantially in an S-shape, said S-shaped part being housed in the step (6).
Container according to claim 6, wherein at least a part of the flange (5) copies, in section, the shape of the step (6).
Container according to claim 1, wherein the internal element (3) is made of preferably polylaminate aluminum or a paper-based material or a thermoformed material, preferably PET, PETG or a polycarbonate.
Container according to claim 10, wherein the inner element (3) has at least one side wall with a thickness between 0.05 mm and 0.3 mm if in aluminum, between 0.5 mm and 2 mm if in a paper-based material and between 0.2 mm and 0.5 mm if in a thermoformed material.
Container according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of swellings (3A) are located in a band of the internal element (3) having a height (H1) comparable to the height (H2) of the mouth (2A) of the internal element (2).
Container according to claim 1, wherein said internal element (3) has at least one side surface (7) free of swellings (3A) which is decorated and visible through the external element (2).
Container according to claim 1, in which the internal element has a hermetic sealing film (8), removable for a first use.
Container according to claim 1, in which there is a closure cap (9), preferably of a screw type, equipped with a gasket (10) which, when the cap (9) is closed, at least partially sandwiches said flange (5) between the gasket (10) and a free edge (11) of the external element.