Dosing cap for a dosing bottle

Abstract

A dosing cap is configured for fitting on a dosing bottle and has a dosing channel which extends in a longitudinal direction and which has, at one end, an outlet opening for a liquid that is to be dosed. The dosing channel contains a first dosing portion, which tapers in the longitudinal direction to a dosing diameter, wherein the dosing diameter is in the range from 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm. Moreover, the dosing channel contains a second dosing portion, which adjoins the first dosing portion in the longitudinal direction to form a first step and which has a diameter greater than the dosing diameter.

Claims

1. A dosing cap for fitting on a dosing bottle, the dosing cap comprising: a dosing channel extending in a longitudinal direction and having an end with an outlet opening formed therein for a liquid that is to be dosed, said dosing channel having a first dosing portion defined by a conical side wall tapering continuously in the longitudinal direction to a dosing opening having a dosing diameter, the dosing diameter being in a range from 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm, and said dosing channel having a second dosing portion adjoining said first dosing portion in the longitudinal direction on a side closest to said outlet opening to form a first step and having a diameter being greater than the dosing diameter, said first step being an abrupt cross-section widening from the dosing diameter to the diameter of said second dosing portion; a bottle neck collar defining and surrounding an interior of the dosing cap; and a dosing pin carrying said dosing channel and extending into said interior, said interior forming a dosing space for the liquid.

2. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said dosing diameter is at most 0.8 mm.

3. The dosing cap according to claim 2, wherein said dosing diameter is at most 0.25 mm.

4. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said first dosing portion has a first inlet diameter and starting from said first inlet diameter, said first dosing portion tapers in a direction of said dosing diameter, wherein said first inlet diameter is at least 1.4 mm.

5. The dosing cap according to claim 4, wherein said first dosing portion tapers conically in a continuous manner from said first inlet diameter to said dosing diameter.

6. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said second dosing portion has an intermediate area of reduced diameter.

7. The dosing cap according to claim 6, wherein said second dosing portion has an intermediate portion disposed at an end of said second dosing portion and is disposed downstream from said intermediate area.

8. The dosing cap according to claim 6, wherein said intermediate area has a reduced diameter of at most 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm.

9. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said first dosing portion and said second dosing portion are elongate and each have a length which is a multiple of a minimal diameter of said respective first and second dosing portions.

10. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said outlet opening has an outlet diameter in a range of greater than or equal to 1.5 mm.

11. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said dosing channel has an outlet portion which is disposed downstream from said second dosing portion in the longitudinal direction, said outlet portion has said outlet opening, and said outlet portion has a diameter greater than said second dosing portion.

12. The dosing cap according to claim 11, wherein said outlet portion adjoins said second dosing portion to form a second step.

13. The dosing cap according to claim 11, wherein said outlet portion terminates with a sharp edge at said outlet opening.

14. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein the dosing cap is a press-fit cap.

15. The dosing cap according to claim 1, further comprising: a dosing tip; and a closure lid which, in a closed state, sealingly closes said outlet opening and for this purpose said closure lid has at least one of a closure pin or a sealing sleeve, wherein said closure pin in the closed state lies sealingly in said outlet portion, and said sealing sleeve, in the closed state, sealingly encloses said dosing tip having said dosing channel.

16. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said first dosing portion has a first inlet diameter and starting from said first inlet diameter, said first dosing portion tapers in a direction of said dosing diameter, conically with a cone angle, wherein said first inlet diameter is at least 1.8 mm.

17. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said first dosing portion and said second dosing portion are elongate and each have a length which is at least three times a minimal diameter of said respective first and second dosing portions.

18. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said outlet opening has an outlet diameter in a range of 1.5 mm-2.5 mm.

19. A dosing cap for fitting on a dosing bottle, the dosing cap comprising: a bottle neck collar for fitting on a bottle neck of the dosing bottle, said bottle neck collar surrounding an interior of the dosing cap; a dosing tip; and a dosing pin extending into the interior, said dosing pin being adjoined in a longitudinal direction by said dosing tip, said dosing pin and said dosing tip together define a dosing channel extending in the longitudinal direction and said dosing channel having, at one end, an outlet opening formed therein for a liquid that is to be dosed, said dosing channel having a first conical dosing portion tapering continuously in the longitudinal direction as far as an opening with a dosing diameter, said dosing diameter is in a range from 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm, said dosing channel having a second dosing portion adjoining said first conical dosing portion in the longitudinal direction on a side closest to said outlet opening to form a first step and having a diameter greater than the dosing diameter, said second dosing portion having, at a distance from the first step, an intermediate area of reduced diameter, said second dosing portion having a second intermediate portion which is disposed at an end downstream from said intermediate area and having a diameter greater than said intermediate area, said dosing channel having an outlet portion adjoining said second dosing portion in the longitudinal direction to form a second step, said outlet portion having said outlet opening and having a diameter greater than said second dosing portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, sectional view through a dosing cap taken along the section plane I-I shown in FIG. 4;

(2) FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the section line II-II shown in FIG. 4;

(3) FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of a section through the closure cap as per FIG. 1; and

(4) FIG. 4 is a plan view of the dosing cap with main body and closure lid, when the closure lid is opened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) Parts having the same function are each provided with the same reference sign in the figures.

(6) Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIGS. 1-4 thereof, there is shown a dosing cap 2 which has a main body 4 and a closure lid 6 which, together with the main body 4, forms a common, monolithic injection-molded part. The closure lid 6 here is pivotably connected to the main body 4 via a film hinge 8. In the illustrative embodiment, the dosing cap 2 is moreover configured as a press-fit cap, which is mounted on a dosing bottle (not shown here) by being simply pressed onto a bottle neck. The dosing bottle is, for example, an elastic dosing bottle made of plastic and is provided, for example, for holding liquid foods, liquid hygiene articles, liquid pharmaceutical products or medicaments. The liquid contained in the bottle can be dosed by way of the dosing cap 2. Here, liquid is understood both as an aqueous composition and also as a viscous composition.

(7) For fitting it on the bottle neck of the dosing bottle, the main body 4 has an inner, annular bottle neck collar 10 and an outer, annular bottle neck collar 12 between which, in the fitted state, the bottle neck of the dosing bottle is received as sealingly as possible. In addition, the main body 4 also has a circumferential outer jacket 14. The latter merges, at the front, into a substantially horizontally extending end base 16. The end base 16 has passing through it a dosing element, which forms a dosing pin 18A lying to the inside and a dosing tip 18B lying to the outside. The dosing tip 18B rises in a dome shape from the end base 16, whereas the dosing pin 18A extends into an interior 19 formed by the inner bottle neck collar 10. A dosing channel 20 extending in a longitudinal direction Z is formed in the dosing element.

(8) The dosing channel 20 itself contains several portions, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 3. These are a first dosing portion 22, a second dosing portion 24, and a front outlet portion 26, which has a front outlet opening 28 of the dosing channel 20. The dosing channel 20 preferably has no further portions.

(9) The individual portions 22, 24, 26 are arranged concentrically to each other and thus extend along a common central axis M. The dosing channel 20 has a circular cross-sectional area along its entire length. The first dosing portion 22 and the second dosing portion 24 are each preferably configured as slightly conical channels with a cone angle . The latter is preferably between 1 and below 5 and, in the illustrative embodiment, in particular 1.5. The cone angle defines the inclination of the wall of the dosing portion 22, 24 with respect to the central axis M. Unlike the first dosing portion 22, the second dosing portion 24 does not extend conically along its entire length. Instead, in addition to the conical sub region, it also has at its upper end an intermediate area 34, which is configured in the manner of a constriction, and what is in particular a cylindrical intermediate portion 36.

(10) Compared to the second dosing portion, a much greater cone angle of approximately 10 is preferably chosen for the first dosing portion 22, such that a much steeper truncated cone is formed than in the dosing portion 22. The cone angle of the second dosing portion 24 is in particular in the range between 1 and below 5, being in particular approximately 1.5.

(11) The second dosing portion 24 adjoins the end of the conical area (FIG. 3) to form a first step 32. The second dosing portion 24 has, in its end area, in turn firstly the intermediate area 34 and, following the latter, the second and in particular cylindrical intermediate portion 36. The latter is in turn adjoined by the outer portion 26 to form a second step 38.

(12) The narrowest point of the dosing channel 20 is formed at the end of the first dosing portion 22 at the first step 32. There, the dosing channel 20 has a dosing diameter d1 and thus forms a dosing opening. The dosing diameter d1 is preferably in the range of between 0.2 mm, in particular between 0.4 mm and 1.2 mm. In the illustrative embodiment in FIG. 1, it is preferably 0.6 mm. In the preferred illustrative embodiment in FIG. 3, it is in the range between 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm and is in particular 0.25 mm. From a first inlet diameter d2, the first dosing portion 22 tapers continuously to the dosing diameter d1. The first inlet diameter d2 is, for example, in the range between 0.7 mm and 1.2 mm and is in particular 0.9 mm. It tapers in particular by approximately the factor 1.5 to 0.6 mm of the dosing diameter d1.

(13) In the preferred variant as per FIG. 3, the first inlet diameter d2 is considerably greater and is in particular approximately 2.0 mm. It therefore tapers by approximately the factor 8 to 0.25 mm of the dosing diameter d1. This embodiment variant is also suitable for thinner dosing liquids and at the same time ensures reliable production of the closure cap 2 in an injection molding method.

(14) The second dosing portion 24 finally widens conically from a second inlet diameter d3 at the first step 32 to an end diameter d4 at the second step 38. The second inlet diameter d3 is considerably greater than the dosing diameter d1 and is, for example, approximately twice the dosing diameter d1. In the illustrative embodiment, the second inlet diameter d3 is approximately 1.2 mm. The second dosing portion 24 then widens conically to approximately 1.3 mm to 1.8 mm and, in the illustrative embodiment, up to 1.5 mm.

(15) In the intermediate area 34, the dosing channel 20 has a constriction which, in the illustrative embodiment, is formed by a concave annular groove in the channel 20. In this area, the second dosing portion 24 has a reduced diameter d5 which, in the illustrative embodiment, is in the range between 1.0 mm and 1.3 mm and is preferably 1.2 mm.

(16) Finally, the outlet portion 26 has, at one end, the outlet opening 28 with an outlet diameter d6 which is in the range between 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm and, in the illustrative embodiment, is approximately 2.0 mm. The outlet portion 26 has an approximately cylindrical design, although it can also be slightly conical like the other portions 22, 24.

(17) In addition to the intermediate area 34, it is in principle possible for further intermediate areas of reduced diameters to be formed, for example also in the outlet portion 26, and/or a further intermediate area 34 in the second dosing portion 24.

(18) As can be seen in particular from FIG. 3, the two dosing portions 22, 24 are very elongate channel portions. The first dosing portion 22 has a first length L1, and the second dosing portion 24 has a second length L2. These lengths L1, L2 are each a multiple of the smallest diameter of the respective portion 22, 24, i.e. a multiple of the dosing diameter d1 and of the second inlet diameter d3, respectively. In the illustrative embodiment, the lengths L1, L2 are each over 5 times this smallest respective portion diameter. With very small diameters, in particular with small dosing diameters d1, for example as per FIG. 3, the length L1 is also over 10 times and in particular also over 15 times the smallest portion diameter. The lengths L1, L2 are typically in the range from 3 mm to 7 mm and in particular in the range from 4 mm to 6 mm.

(19) The individual sub regions of the respective dosing portions 22, 24, namely the two intermediate portions 30, 36 (if present) and the intermediate area 34, are by contrast not configured as elongate portions, that is to say their length in the longitudinal direction Z is smaller than their diameter or corresponds at most substantially to their diameter.

(20) The same also applies to the outlet portion 26, of which the length in the longitudinal direction Z preferably corresponds at most approximately to the outlet diameter d6.

(21) The outlet portion 26 is sharp-edged in the area of the outlet opening 28, that is to say it has a kind of separation edge at the end. This promotes the defined formation of a drop.

(22) The whole dosing channel 20 has a total length L which, in the illustrative embodiment, is approximately 10 mm to 15 mm. The two dosing portions 22, 24 together form approximately 70 to 90% of the total length L.

(23) In order to ensure, even under unfavorable conditions, that the outlet opening 28 is closed in a permanently sealed manner when the closure lid 6 is closed, for example during transport, the closure lid 6 in the illustrative embodiment has two sealing elements. These are, on the one hand, a sealing sleeve 40 and, on the other hand, a closure pin 42, which is surrounded annularly by the sealing sleeve 40 (see FIG. 2). The sealing sleeve 40 has an internal diameter which is adapted to an external diameter of the dosing tip 18B. The internal diameter preferably has a slight undersize, and the sealing sleeve 40 preferably has a slightly conical design such that, when it is fitted onto the dosing tip 18B, it nestles annularly and sealingly against the circumferential wall of the latter.

(24) The closure pin 42 has an external diameter which is adapted to the outlet diameter d6. It preferably has a slight oversize in relation thereto such that the closure pin 42 bears with its circumferential surface sealingly on the circumferential wall of the outlet portion 26. The closure pin 42 has an axial length which is less than or equal to the length of the outlet portion 26.

(25) By virtue of the overall design of the dosing channel 20 as described here, liquids are able to be dosed with precision, even in drops. At the same time, undesired running out of the liquid is avoided. Reliable production of the dosing cap 2 is achieved. The dosing cap 2 is configured as a one-piece plastic injection-molded component without supplementary closure elements.

(26) Despite the small dosing diameter d1 of only 0.6 mm (FIG. 1) or of only 0.25 mm (FIG. 3), the shape of the dosing channel 20 as specifically described here can be reliably produced with the aid of an injection molding tool (not shown here).

(27) For production, an injection mold is used which has an upper mold and a lower mold, between which a cavity is formed into which the injection molding material is injected to form the dosing cap 2.

(28) On one mold, a first punch is formed which shapes the first dosing portion 22. The other mold has a second punch, which is configured to shape the second dosing portion 24 and the outlet portion 26. The two punches bear on each other at a separation plane. The first punch with the only small dosing diameter is supported on the second punch, as a result of which a sufficiently high degree of stability is achieved for the injection molding. Furthermore, the punches can be configured in such a way that they engage slightly in each other with a form fit, such that the first punch is held with a form fit on the second punch 44.

(29) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 2 dosing cap 4 main body 6 closure lid 8 film hinge 10 inner bottle neck collar 12 outer bottle neck collar 14 outer jacket 16 lid base 18A dosing pin 18B dosing tip 19 interior 20 dosing element 22 first dosing portion 24 second dosing portion 26 outlet portion 28 outlet opening M central axis 32 first step 34 intermediate area 36 second intermediate portion 38 second step 40 sealing sleeve 42 closure pin d1 dosing diameter d2 first inlet diameter d3 second inlet diameter d4 end diameter d5 reduced diameter d6 outlet diameter L1 first length L2 second length L3 total length cone angle