Cartridge to dispense a product in a container

Abstract

A cartridge (1) which is suitable to cooperate with the neck (3) of a container (5) in order to allow a product contained in the cartridge (1) to flow out into said container (5), said cartridge (1) including at least one reservoir (7); moveable sealing means (13) to close the opening (9) of the reservoir (7), and a socket (23) wherein the moveable sealing means (13) comprises at least one ring (19, 21) configured to cooperate with the neck (3) of the container (5) in order to allow the moveable sealing means (13) to slide along the lower wall (11) of the reservoir (7) by a pressure exerted on said ring (19, 21) by the neck (3) of the container (5) causing the opening of the one or more flaps (17) and further wherein at least one ring (19, 21) of the moveable sealing means (13) comprises holding lugs (25) configured to cooperate with an internal relief (27) of the socket (23) in order to maintain the moveable sealing means (13) in position inside the socket (23), closing the opening (9) of the reservoir (7).

Claims

1. A cartridge which cooperates with a neck of a container to allow a product contained in the cartridge to flow into said container, said cartridge comprising: a reservoir containing the product, said reservoir having a lower opening and a lower wall; a moveable sealer comprising a cylindrical body and a flap closing the lower opening of the reservoir, wherein said cylindrical body is dimensioned to surround the lower wall of the reservoir and to slide along said lower wall to define a closed position and an opening position of the reservoir, wherein in the opening position the flap is opened by pressure exerted by the lower wall of the reservoir on said flap; and a socket surrounding both the lower wall of the reservoir and the movable sealer, said socket comprising an internal relief; wherein the moveable sealer further comprises two rings distributed along the cylindrical body, wherein the two rings comprise a lower ring and an upper ring, said lower ring configured to cooperate with the neck of the container, wherein the neck contacts and exerts pressure on said lower ring to slide the cylindrical body along the lower wall of the reservoir to open the flap, and the upper ring comprising holding lugs configured to cooperate with the internal relief of the socket in order to maintain the moveable sealer inside the socket.

2. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the flap is integral with the lower ring.

3. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the socket comprises a lower aperture dimensioned to receive the neck of the container and said lower aperture has a diameter greater than individual diameters of both the upper and lower ring.

4. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the internal relief is an internal thread.

5. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the flap is integrally connected to the lower ring by a frangible zone of reduced thickness defining a perimeter of rupture between the flap and the lower ring.

6. The cartridge according to claim 5, wherein a non-frangible hinge connects the flap to the lower ring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a cartridge according to a particular embodiment in a position ready for use and mounted on a container.

(2) FIGS. 2a and 2b show respectively a lower and an upper view of the movable sealing means according to a particular embodiment of the invention, wherein the cartridge has a single flap.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a cartridge according to a particular embodiment in a position after use (i.e. after the moveable sealing means has been opened).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(4) The present invention is defined by the accompanying independent claims. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

(5) Reference is made to FIG. 1, wherein a cartridge 1 according to an embodiment of the invention is depicted, said cartridge 1 is suitable to be mounted on and to cooperate with the neck 3 of a container 5 in order to allow a product contained in the cartridge 1 to flow out into said container 5. The cartridge 1 comprises a reservoir 7 which is suitable to contain a product, such as, for example, a fluid or a powder. When said cartridge is arranged on the neck 3 of a container 5, it allows the fluid product or the powder to flow out into said container 5. The container 5 is preferably filled with a liquid, thus that the product and the liquid form a solution. In a preferred embodiment, the cartridge comprises means to be screwed on the neck of the container allowing the possibility to safely shake the assembly formed by the cartridge and the container in order to mix the product and the liquid. The user can later have access to the solution by removing the cartridge from the neck of the container.

(6) According to a preferred embodiment, the product flows out from the reservoir 7 into the interior of the container 5 as a result of gravity. As an alternative to this, the reservoir 7 can be a flexible material which is suitable to be compressed in order to force the product to flow out from the reservoir 7 into the container 5, for example through a valve produced in a resilient material.

(7) In a preferred embodiment, the reservoir 7 has a lower opening 9 on its lower wall 11 to transfer the product from the reservoir 7 into the container 5. Preferably, the reservoir 7 forms a tube, and the lower opening 9 of said reservoir is an aperture of the same diameter than said reservoir 7. Thus, the reservoir 7 is a tube opened on one side. In a variant of the invention, the lower wall of the reservoir forms a bottleneck having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the upper wall of the reservoir.

(8) In a preferred variant of the present invention, the cartridge 1 comprises a movable means 13 for sealingly closing the reservoir 7 that comprises at least one or a plurality of movable flaps 17. In a preferred manner, said movable means 13 for sealingly closing can control the closing and the opening of the reservoir 7 in a reversible and reproducible manner. In a disposable version of the present cartridge, the movable means 13 are no longer able to serve to re-close the reservoir 7 once the one or more flaps have been opened.

(9) Thus, according to this embodiment of the invention, the cartridge 1 comprises moveable sealing means 13 to close the opening 9 of the reservoir 7. The moveable sealing means 13 comprises a cylindrical body 15 and one or more flaps 17 closing one the lower aperture of the cylindrical body 15. The cylindrical body 15 is dimensioned to surround the lower wall 11 of the reservoir 7 and to slide along it between a closing and an opening position. In the closing position, the one or more flap 17 close the lower aperture 9 of the reservoir. In the opening position, the one or more flaps 17 are opened by the pressure exerted by the lower wall of the reservoir on said flaps 17, and the distal end of the lower wall 11 of the reservoir passes through the cylindrical body 15 of the movable sealing means. The moveable sealing means 13 further comprises at least one ring (19, 21) configured to cooperate with the neck 3 of the container 5 in order to allow the moveable sealing means 13 to slide along the lower wall 11 of the reservoir by the pressure exerted on said ring (19, 21) by the neck 3 of the container 5 thereby causing the opening of the one or more flaps 17.

(10) In a preferred embodiment of the invention, and as depicted on FIGS. 2a and 2b, the movable sealing means 13 comprise two rings (19, 21) distributed along the cylindrical body 15 so as to show a lower ring 19 and an upper ring 21, wherein the lower ring 19 is the one arranged to cooperate with the neck of the container.

(11) In an embodiment, not represented, the moveable sealing means comprise clipping means cooperating with complementary clipping means on the wall of the reservoir in order to be maintained in position for closing the opening of the reservoir. In such a case, it is understood that the clipping means are broken when a pressure is exerted on the ring of the movable sealing means in order to allow it to slide along the reservoir so as to open the one or more flaps. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the movable sealing means have only one ring.

(12) In an embodiment, the cartridge 1 has a socket 23 arranged to surround both the lower wall 11 of the reservoir 7 and the movable sealing means 13. The socket shows a lower aperture dimensioned to receive the neck 3 of the container 5. As it can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lower aperture has an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the ring 19, or of at least one of the rings (19, 21), of the movable sealing means 13. When the socket comprises an internal thread 27, the internal diameter of the socket 23 is reduced by said internal thread 27. When the movable sealing means comprises only one ring, this ring has an external diameter lower than the internal diameter of the socket. In such a case, the ring, which is the ring configured to cooperate with the neck of the container, preferably further shows holding lugs configured to cooperate with an internal thread of the socket, or with clipping means inside the socket, in order to maintain the moveable sealing means in position inside the socket, closing the opening of the reservoir.

(13) When the movable sealing means comprise two rings (19, 21) at least the lower ring 19 has an external diameter lower than the internal diameter of the socket 23. Preferably both the upper 21 and the lower ring 19 have an external diameter lower than the internal diameter of the socket 23. This allows the moveable sealing means 13 to move inside the socket 23.

(14) When the movable sealing means 13 comprise two rings (19, 21), the upper ring 21 preferably comprises holding lugs 25 configured to cooperate with an internal thread 27 of the socket 23 in order to maintain the moveable sealing means 13 in position inside the socket 23, closing the opening 9 of the reservoir 7. Preferably, the holding lugs 25 are laid on the top of the internal thread 27 of the socket 23 in order not to be retained by the thread 27 when the movable sealing means 13 is sliding along the reservoir. In such an embodiment, it is understood that the cartridge 1 can be screwed on the neck 3 of the container 5, the internal thread of the socket cooperating with the external thread of the neck of the container.

(15) In a variant of the invention (not represented), the upper ring of the movable sealing means comprises holding lugs configured to cooperate with one or more internal hoops (i.e. clipping means) inside the socket in order to maintain the moveable sealing means in position inside the socket, closing the opening of the reservoir. In such an embodiment, it is understood that the cartridge can be press on the neck of the container in order to be opened. Preferably the ring or one of the rings that is configured to cooperate with the neck of the container has an outer diameter of at least twice the diameter of the opening of the reservoir in order to allow the cartridge to be opened by cooperation with necks of different diameters.

(16) In both cases, the neck is put in contact with the lower ring of the movable sealing means 13 and the screwing or the pressing of the cartridge causes the entry of the neck deeper into the cartridge thereby exerting a pressure on the lower ring 19 of the movable sealing means 13. The moveable sealing means 13 is forced to slide along the wall of the reservoir causing the distal end of the lower wall of the reservoir to pass through the moveable sealing means 13, by the rupture of weakened lines forming a frangible zone on the one or more flaps 17.

(17) Optionally, in order to assist the rupture of the weakened lines forming frangible zone on the one or more flaps, the lower wall of the reservoir shows a bevelled or twisted shape so that its periphery, that is intended to come into contact with the one or more flaps, shows a variation in height with respect to the top of the reservoir.

(18) As said earlier, the moveable sealing means may comprise a single flap or a plurality of flaps. In an embodiment (not represented), the moveable sealing means comprises a plurality of flaps each flap having at least one side in common with an adjacent flap and whose distal ends form a point or line of junction to said plurality of flaps and the lower wall of the reservoir will exert a pressure on the proximal end of the flaps so as to open them when the movable sealing means slide along said lower wall. The distal end of the lower wall of the reservoir is in contact with the proximal end of the flaps so as to activate the opening of the movable sealing means. Weakened lines are arranged on the sides of the flaps and break under the effect of the pressure. The flaps will carry out a rotational movement with respect to their initial positions so that once the reservoir has been opened, the flaps will be arranged parallel to the lower wall of the reservoir.

(19) In a preferred embodiment, the movable sealing means 13 comprise a single flap 17. The flap is connected to the lower ring by a frangible zone defining a perimeter of rupture, suitable to be ruptured by a pressure exerted by the lower wall of the reservoir so as to open it when the movable means slide along said lower wall, and the flap and the lower ring are made of the same material, the frangible zone being obtained by reducing the thickness of the wall of the flap. Preferably, the flap is further connected to the lower ring by at least one hinge in a form of a leg showing a thickness portion.

(20) In a preferred manner, even after opening of the movable sealing means 13, the one or more flaps 17 remain connected to the lower ring 19 of the movable sealing means 13 by means of their proximal end when the movable sealing means comprises a plurality of flap, and by means of the hinge when the movable sealing means 13 comprises a single flap 17. Thus, no fragments can contaminate the solution in the container.

(21) The cartridge according to a particular embodiment of the invention not shown can comprise a second opening on the top of the reservoir. The second opening of the reservoir can be closed by a removable cover. The cover can cooperate with the upper walls of the reservoir by fixing means known to the person skilled in the art, for example a system of notches, or tapping, or threading or soldering.

(22) FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a cartridge according to an embodiment of the invention in its opened position, i.e. after the opening of the movable sealing means 13. The respective displacement of the lower wall 11 of the reservoir 7 through the movable sealing means 13 has allowed the frangible zone arranged in the periphery of the flap 17 to break. The flap 17 cooperates with the lower wall 11 of the reservoir 7. The hinge of the flap 17 nevertheless remains connected to the lower ring 19 of the movable sealing means 13.

(23) The cartridge can be produced by moulding a plastic material. As an alternative to this, constituent elements of the cartridge can be in aluminium, soft steel, cardboard or any other material. In a preferred manner, only the outside surface of the cartridge is in the said materials whilst the movable sealing means 13 is of plastics material.

(24) The variants discussed in the present application are particularly adapted to applications in the food or non-food area.

(25) The cartridge of some embodiments of the present invention provides the advantage of allowing the preparation in situ of a liquid composition (solution or dispersion) under the best conditions of hygiene. The reservoir 7 can contain, apart from pharmaceutical components and food complements, food quality products suitable to be consumed in the liquid form by mixing the said product with a liquid contained in the container 5. As an alternative to this, the product contained in the reservoir 7 can be non-food, for example a care product, a cleaning product or a cosmetic product. In said case, the tightness of the cartridge 1, and particularly of the movable sealing means 13, allows the product to be conserved shielded from the atmosphere and the deterioration is thereof avoided. If the product contained in the reservoir 7 is in concentrated form, thus presenting a risk for the user, embodiments of the present invention will allow the preparation of a diluted solution without risk of contact. The diluted solution formed could be used without any particular precaution.