DOSING CAP WITH PROTECTION DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dosing cap intended to be mounted on the neck of a container formed of a deformable wall, comprising a dosing chamber provided with a regulating device such as a valve, the dosing cap comprising a protection device located above the valve, said protection device being configured to prevent portions of liquid originating from the valve from being projected, under the action of a pressure exerted on the wall of the container in the absence of means for closing the upper end of the dosing chamber, beyond said upper end of the dosing chamber. The invention also relates to a container provided with such a dosing cap.

Claims

1. A dosing cap with no dipper tube, intended to be mounted on the neck of a container formed of a wall able to be deformed under the effect of an external pressure, said wall defining an inside of said container, in which a liquid is contained, said dosing cap comprising: means for mounting the dosing cap to said neck, said mounting means being configured to ensure a hermetic connection of the dosing cap to the neck, a dosing chamber comprising a lower end and an upper end, said lower end being intended to be arranged opposite the liquid contained inside said container when the dosing cap is mounted on said neck, said lower end comprising an inner wall separating the dosing chamber from the inside of the container, said inner wall being provided with a regulating device configured to block the passage of said liquid from the inside of the container towards the dosing chamber and from the dosing chamber towards the inside of the container under the simple effect of gravity, in the absence of any stress exerted on the wall of the container, and to enable passage of the liquid and gas from the inside of the container towards the dosing chamber and from the dosing chamber towards the container under the action of a determined pressure exerted on the wall of the container, said upper end being open, means for closing the upper end of the dosing chamber, adapted to be removably fastened on said upper end and configured to ensure a hermetic closure of said upper end with respect to the external environment when they are fastened on said upper end, said dosing cap further comprises: a protection device located in the dosing chamber above the regulating device, said protection device being configured to prevent liquid portions originating from a lower portion of the dosing chamber or of the regulating device from being projected, under the action of a pressure exerted on the wall of the container in the absence of the closure means of the upper end of the dosing chamber, beyond said upper end of the dosing chamber.

2. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein the protection device comprises a transverse wall portion, located opposite the regulating device and distally with respect to this regulating device, and a load-bearing structure connecting said transverse wall portion to said inner wall, said load-bearing structure comprising at least one recess.

3. The dosing cap according to claim 2, wherein said load-bearing structure comprises a plurality of recesses, said recesses being separated from one another by a plurality of pillars extending from said transverse wall portion to said inner wall, distributed along the perimeter of said transverse wall portion.

4. The dosing cap according to claim 3, wherein said recesses and said pillars are evenly spaced along the perimeter of said transverse wall portion.

5. The dosing cap according to claim 2, wherein said recess(es) is/are confined in a determined angular section of the periphery of the load-bearing structure.

6. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein the dosing chamber is delimited by a transparent or translucent cylindrical wall provided with graduations for assisting in dosing.

7. The dosing cap according to claim 5, wherein said graduations are located in an angular section of the transparent cylindrical wall diametrically opposite to said determined angular section.

8. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said protection device is configured to store an amount of liquid ranging from 1 ml to 5 ml in a flipped over position of the dosing cap.

9. The dosing cap according to claim 2, wherein said transverse wall portion is provided with a proximal peripheral rim able to contain said amount of liquid on a proximal face of said a transverse wall portion.

10. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said regulating device comprises an elastomeric valve.

11. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein said regulating device comprises one or several hole(s) having a diameter ranging from 0.1 to 8 mm, formed in the inner wall separating the dosing chamber from the interior of the container.

12. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein the regulating device comprises a sealing gasket equipped with a valve system.

13. The dosing cap according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said recesses extends distally from said inner wall.

14. The dosing cap according to claim 1, wherein the mounting means are configured to ensure an irreversible connection of the dosing cap to the neck.

15. A container comprising a neck and formed of a wall able to be deformed under the effect of an external pressure, said wall defining an inside of said container, in which a liquid is contained, wherein the dosing cap according to claim 1 is mounted on said neck according to a hermetic connection, by means of said mounting means.

Description

[0059] The present invention will appear better from the detailed description hereinafter and from the figures wherein:

[0060] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a container and a dosing cap of the prior art before the phase of final transfer of the dosed liquid,

[0061] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the container and of the dosing cap of FIG. 1 at the end of transfer of the dosed liquid into a final container,

[0062] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the container and of the dosing cap of FIGS. 1 and 2 upon poor handling of the container after transfer of the dosed liquid,

[0063] FIG. 4 is an exploded and partially sectional perspective view of a container and of a dosing cap according to the invention when the dosing cap is closed,

[0064] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the container and of the dosing cap of FIG. 4 when the dosing cap is closed,

[0065] FIG. 6A is a sectional view of the container and of the dosing cap of FIG. 4 when the dosing cap is open,

[0066] FIG. 6B is a sectional view perpendicular to FIG. 6A,

[0067] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the dosing cap of FIG. 4 when open,

[0068] FIG. 8 is a top view of the dosing cap of FIG. 4 on the container, and open,

[0069] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the protection device of the dosing cap of FIG. 4,

[0070] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a protection device of the dosing cap according to the invention,

[0071] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a protection device of the dosing cap according to the invention,

[0072] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a protection device of the dosing cap according to the invention,

[0073] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a protection device of the dosing cap according to the invention,

[0074] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the dosing cap of FIG. 4,

[0075] FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the container and of the dosing cap of FIG. 4 upon poor handling by the user after transfer of the dosed liquid into a final container, the dosing cap being open,

[0076] FIG. 16 is a sectional view of the container and of a dosing cap according to the invention comprising a protection device configured to store a small amount of liquid in the flipped over position of the dosing cap,

[0077] FIG. 17 is a top view of a sealing gasket with a valve that could be used as a device for regulating the dosing cap according to the invention.

[0078] Referring to FIGS. 4-6B, a dosing cap 1 according to the invention is shown, mounted on a container 30.

[0079] The container 30 is intended for the storage of products generally considered to be hazardous, in the form of liquids, such as chemicals products or phytosanitary products. In general, these liquids are stored in the container 30 in concentrated form. In order to use them for a desired application, for example the treatment of a plant, an accurate dose should be sampled therefrom, which should then be diluted, for example in water.

[0080] The container 30 is formed of a wall 31 which is tight to the liquid 40 which it contains. The wall 31 defines an inside 32 of the container 30. Moreover, the wall 31 is able to be deformed under the effect of an external pressure, for example a pressure by the hand of a user. The wall 31 is also able to recover its initial shape when the pressure exerted thereon is relieved. For example, the wall 31 may be formed of extrusion or injection of polymeric compounds such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polylactic acid (PLA), polyamide (PA), polyether terephthalate (PET).

[0081] The container 30 comprises a neck 33 through which the liquid it contains could be removed out of the container 30. The neck 33 is provided with an external thread 34.

[0082] The dosing cap 1 comprises a lower ring 2 comprising an internal thread 3 able to cooperate with the external thread 34 of the neck 33 of the container 30 to mount the dosing cap 1 on the container by screwing. The lower ring 2 of the dosing cap 1 forms a means for mounting the dosing cap 1 on the neck 33, ensuring a hermetic and irreversible connection of the dosing cap 1 on the neck 33. To do so, the internal thread 3 of the lower ring 2 comprises a stop able to fit into a notch 35 located on the neck 33, fitting of the stop of the internal thread 3 of the lower ring 2 of the dosing cap 1 in the notch 35 of the neck 33 of the container 30 making unscrewing of the lower ring 2 impossible.

[0083] In an embodiment that is not represented, the lower ring could be free of any stop, so as to enable a reversible connection of the dosing cap on the neck. Such an embodiment may be suitable when the liquid contained in the container is not a dangerous product.

[0084] Referring to FIGS. 4-6B, the dosing cap 1 also comprises a dosing chamber 4. The dosing chamber 4 is intended to allow measuring and adjusting the dose of liquid 40 contained in the container for subsequent use thereof, for example in dilute form. The dosing chamber 4 comprises a lower end 5 and an upper end 6, a generally cylindrical wall 7 defining an inside 8 of the dosing chamber 4. Advantageously, the cylindrical wall 7 is transparent so as to enable the user to easily evaluate the level of liquid 40 present in the dosing chamber 4 during the process for adjusting the dose.

[0085] The cylindrical wall 7 of the dosing chamber 4 may be provided with a direct or indirect graduated scale (not shown) in order to facilitate reading of the volume level of the product that is to be dosed.

[0086] As shown in the figures, once the dosing cap 1 is mounted on the neck 33, the lower end 5 of the dosing chamber 4 faces the liquid 40 contained in the container 30. The lower end 5 of the dosing chamber 4 comprises a transverse inner wall 9 separating the inside 32 of the container from the dosing chamber 4. In the example shown in FIGS. 4-6B and 9, the inner wall 9 is provided with a valve 10.

[0087] The valve 10 is configured to prevent passage of the liquid 40 from the inside 32 of the container 30 towards the dosing chamber 4 and from the dosing chamber 4 towards the inside 32 of the container 30 when the wall 31 of the container 30 is not subjected to any stress, and to enable passage of said liquid 40 from the inside 32 of the container towards the dosing chamber 4 and from the dosing chamber 4 towards the container 30 when a pressure is applied on the wall 31 of said container 30 as it has been described hereinabove for the regulating device, in particular during the process for adjusting the dose. Thus, the transverse inner wall 9 forms a barrier to the liquid 40, the latter could nonetheless be able to pass from the inside 32 of the container towards the dosing chamber 4 or vice versa from the dosing chamber 4 towards the inside 32 of the container throughout the valve 10 when a pressure is applied on the wall 31 of the container.

[0088] For example, the valve 10 may be made of thermoplastic elastomer or silicone. For example, it may have an opening diameter ranging from about 0.5 mm to 5 cm, for example about 1 cm. The valve 10 constitutes a regulating device configured to block the passage of said liquid from the inside of the container towards the dosing chamber and from the dosing chamber towards the inside of the container under the simple effect of gravity, in the absence of stress exerted on the wall of the container, and to enable passage of the product from the inside of the container towards the dosing chamber and from the dosing chamber towards the container under the action of a determined pressure exerted on the wall of the container.

[0089] In an embodiment that is not represented, such a regulating device could be in the form of a valve combined with a vent, for example positioned laterally to the valve. Such a vent is particularly advantageous to let air pass when the liquid has a viscosity such as to make passage of both the liquid and the air within the valve alone difficult during transfer of the liquid from the inside of the container towards the dosing chamber or from the dosing chamber towards the inside of the container. For example, such a vent may have a diameter ranging from about 0.4 mm to about 1.5 mm, for example about 1 mm.

[0090] Alternatively or in combination, the regulating device may for example comprise one or several holes, formed in the wall separating the dosing chamber from the inside of the container. For example, the regulating device may comprise from 1 to 10 holes. For example, this or these hole(s) may have a diameter ranging from 0.1 to 8 mm, preferably ranging from 0.4 to 5 mm. The reduced section of such holes generates enough friction to prevent passage of the liquid from the dosing chamber towards the inside of the container and vice versa by the simple effect of gravity. On the other hand, this reduced section of these holes enables the liquid to pass from the dosing chamber towards the inside of the container and vice versa under the action of a determined pressure, for example measured and calculable, exerted on the wall of the container.

[0091] In another embodiment shown in FIG. 17, the regulating device is in the form of a sealing gasket comprising a membrane 25 ensuring sealing over its periphery 25a, this membrane 25 having a cutout 26, shaped as a cross with four branches 26a in the represented example, said cutout 26 ensuring a valve function.

[0092] As it appears from all of the figures, the dosing cap 1 according to the invention has no dipper tube. In particular, neither the inner wall 9, nor the regulating device 10 are connected to a dipper tube that would extend into the inside 32 of the container 30. Referring to FIG. 6A and to FIG. 14, the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4 is open. It is provided with an external thread 15 and with safety notches 18.

[0093] Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the dosing cap 1 comprises means for closing the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4, these closure means herein being in the form of an upper cover 16 comprising an internal thread 17 able to cooperate with the external thread 15 and the safety notches 18 of the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4 in order to form a safety device preventing unscrewing of the upper cover 16, and therefore opening of the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4, by children.

[0094] The means for closing the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4 enable reversible closure of this end 6 in order to be able to enable opening of the dosing chamber 4 towards the outside, once the liquid 40 is dosed and it is desired to transfer it into a final container for a subsequent treatment operation, for example to form a dilute solution for the treatment of a plant. These closure means also enable a hermetic closure of the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4.

[0095] Thus, when it is mounted closed on the neck 33 of the container 30, as shown in FIG. 5, the dosing cap 1 allows avoiding the risks of dispersion in the immediate environment of the container 30 of the liquid 40. The dosing cap 1 mounted on the container 30 forms a closed assembly free of any device that could connect the inside 8 of the dosing chamber 4 or the inside 32 of the container 30 with the outside.

[0096] Referring to FIGS. 1-9, the dosing cap 1 also comprises a protection device 20, located in the dosing chamber 4, above the valve 10. As it will appear more clearly from FIG. 15, the protection device 20 is configured to prevent portions of liquid present in a lower portion of the dosing chamber 4 from being projected beyond the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4 when the dosing cap 1 is open and a user inadvertently presses on the wall 31 of the container 30. To this end, the protection device 20 comprises a transverse wall portion, in the form of a circular wall 21 in the represented example, positioned distally from the opening of the valve 10, and connected to the inner wall 9 by pillars 22 which form a load-bearing structure. In the represented example, the circular wall 21 has a dimension slightly smaller than the external dimensions of the valve 10 in its closed position. Nevertheless, the circular wall 21 preferably has a dimension larger than the opening of the valve 10. In the represented example, the pillars 22 are five in number. FIGS. 10 to 12 illustrate examples of protection devices 20 comprising a different number of pillars 22: three pillars 22 for FIG. 10, four pillars 22 for FIGS. 11 and 12. The spaces between the pillars 22 define recesses 23. The recesses 23 extend distally from the inner wall 9.

[0097] The recesses 23 enable the liquid 40 passing through the valve 10 originating from the inside 32 of the container 30 to flow and fill the dosing chamber 4 during the prior dosing operations, when the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4 is closed. Thus, the protection device 20 enables flow of the liquid 40 from the inside 32 of the container 30 towards the dosing chamber 4, and vice versa. Moreover, the fact that the recesses 23 extend distally from the inner wall 9 of the dosing chamber 4 allows ensuring complete emptying of the dosing chamber 4 towards the inside 32 of the container 30 where appropriate.

[0098] In FIGS. 8 to 12, the pillars 22 are evenly spaced apart from one another. This allows fluidifying the flow of the liquid 40 from the inside 32 of the container 30 towards the dosing chamber 4 and vice versa.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 13, the recesses 23 are confined in a determined angular section of the periphery of the protection device 20. Such an embodiment allows ensuring that the drops of liquid which pass from the inside of the container towards the dosing chamber during the adjustment of the dose or drops of liquid likely to be projected after the phase of final transfer are confined in a specific angular section of the dosing chamber 4. It is then possible to provide graduations for assisting in dosing on the transparent wall of the dosing chamber 4 without any risk of the latter being soiled by the projected drops, by locating these graduations opposite the determined angular section in which the recesses 23 are confined.

[0100] In an embodiment represented in FIG. 16, the circular wall 21 is provided with a peripheral rim 24 extending in the proximal direction. This embodiment allows storing a small amount of liquid 40c, for example from 1 ml to 5 ml, which would escape from the container 30, for example because of a lack of sealing of the valve 10 or upon an erroneous handling of the container 30, when the latter is turned over, with the neck 33 directed downwards, and the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4 being open.

[0101] The presence of the pillars 22 (cf., for example, FIG. 11) and the peripheral rim 24 (cf. FIG. 16) enables the user who has inadvertently pressed against the container 30 with the neck 33 directed downwards to have a minimum of time to react and prevent leakage of liquid towards the external environment, by returning the container 33 upright for example. Indeed, a portion of the liquid may be retained by the peripheral rim 24 and/or diverted towards the walls of the dosing chamber 4. This is all the more true when the recesses 23 are confined as shown in FIG. 13.

[0102] The protection device 20 may be made of a material selected from among high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polylactic acid (PLA), polyamide (PA), polyether terephthalate (PET), and mixtures thereof.

[0103] The protection device 20, like the container 30 and all of the parts forming the dosing cap 1, may for example be made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Such a material has flexibility and natural resistance to chemicals. Moreover, this material can be treated by fluorination. This surface treatment allows increasing the natural barrier properties of polyethylene. Such a treatment contributes to reducing the risks of migration of the liquid 40, or of its vapors, from the inside of the container 30 or of the dosing chamber 4, towards the outside.

[0104] FIG. 15 illustrates the container 30 and the dosing cap 1 of FIG. 6B when the dose of liquid 40, which has been adjusted beforehand within the dosing chamber 4, has been transferred into a final container (not represented). In order to perform transfer of this dose, as described hereinabove, the upper cover 16 has been removed and the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4 is open. Once the dose of liquid transferred into the final container, the user places the container 30 standing on a planar surface, the neck 33 upwards. It might then happen that the user inadvertently presses on the wall 31 of the container 30 before having had the time to close the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4: this is what is represented by the arrows P in FIG. 15. In such a case, the pressure differential between the inside 32 of the container 30 and the inside 8 of the dosing chamber 4, related in the represented example to the great deformability of the elastomer valve 10, causes the sudden opening of this valve 10. Drops of liquid that were present in the lower portion of the dosing chamber, for example at the level of the lower end 5 of the dosing chamber 4, or that were present on the valve 10, could then be projected towards the upper portion of the dosing chamber 4, while the upper end 6 of the latter is open.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 15, in such a situation, the protection device 20 of the dosing cap 1 according to the invention allows avoiding such drops of liquid being able to be projected towards the user or its environment. Indeed, thanks to the presence of the circular wall 21, positioned distally from the valve 10 and upon opening of the latter, the drops of liquid projected in the distal direction, such as the drop 40b shown in FIG. 15, are stopped by the circular wall 21 and are prevented from reaching the upper end 6 of the dosing chamber 4. Moreover, among the drops of liquid that are projected according to a direction forming an angle with the distal direction, some of them will be stopped directly in their travel by the pillars 22, and those that will pass throughout the recesses 23 will be stopped by the cylindrical wall 7 of the dosing chamber 4 well before reaching the upper end of the latter, like the drop 40a of FIG. 15.

[0106] Thus, thanks to the protection device 20 of the dosing cap 1 according to the invention, a poor handling of the container 30 after the phase of transfer of the dosed liquid into the final container does not lead to any risk of drops of liquids being projected beyond the dosing chamber and towards the user and its environment as might be the case with a container provided with a conventional dosing cap as shown in FIG. 3.

[0107] Thus, the final phase of transfer of the dosed liquid is perfectly safe with the dosing cap 1 according to the invention.

[0108] Thus, the dosing cap according to the invention allows performing the accurate dosing of a liquid, in particular a concentrated liquid, without any risk of contact with the user when this dosing cap is hermetically closed, and at the same time avoiding any risk of contact with the user and its environment in situations where this dosing cap is open.