ARRANGEMENT FOR PRESSING A PASTY OR FLUID SUBSTANCE OUT OF A FILM BAG

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an assembly for pressing a pasty or fluid substance out of a film bag of a substantially cylindrical basic form. The film bag is or can be accommodated in a cylindrical receptacle having a circular inner cross-section A. The film bag inserted into the cylindrical receptacle is supported at a proximal end of the cylindrical receptacle against a closing cap that closes off the cylindrical receptacle at an end of the cylindrical receptacle. Coupling devices are provided on the cylindrical receptacle and/or the closing cap, which coupling devices ensure that the inner cross-section A of the cylindrical receptacle overlaps with an inner cross-section B of the closing cap within a tolerance relative to the wall thickness W of the closing cap on the distal side of the closing cap facing the cylindrical receptacle.

Claims

1. An arrangement for pressing a pasty or fluid substance out of a film bag of substantially cylindrical basic shape, the arrangement comprising: a cylindrical receptacle having a circular inner cross section A, wherein the film bag when introduced into the cylindrical receptacle will be supported at a proximal end of the cylindrical receptacle against a closing cap which closes off the cylindrical receptacle at an end, such that a side of the film bag facing away from the closing cap will be acted upon with a pressing element in order to press out pasty or fluid substance via a press-out opening in the closing cap, wherein the closing cap has a receiving space for receiving the film during or after the pressing-out of the film bag, the receiving space having an at least substantially rotationally symmetric basic shape with a receiving opening facing the cylindrical receptacle, which receiving opening has a circular inner cross section B; and on the cylindrical receptacle and/or the closing cap are provided coupling devices, which ensure that the inner cross section A of the cylindrical receptacle overlaps with the inner cross section B within a tolerance of less than 50% of a wall thickness W of the closing cap on its distal side facing the cylindrical receptacle.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cylindrical receptacle comprises: at its end facing the closing cap a circumferential groove or tongue, in which the closing cap is secured in a radial direction perpendicular to a center axis X of the cylindrical receptacle.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the closing cap is axially securable by a screw joint, a bayonet fastening or a screw cap according to the principle of a cap nut, in a direction of the center axis X.

4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cylindrical receptacle forms a groove which is open toward the inner side of the cylindrical receptacle, wherein the groove in a radial direction, viewed from the center axis X, has a width which corresponds to the width of the closing cap at its distal end.

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closing cap comprises: a groove, for engaging that end of the cylindrical receptacle which is facing the closing cap.

6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein that end of the cylindrical receptacle which is facing the closing cap has a circumferential tongue for engaging in the groove of the closing cap.

7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, comprising: a screw cap, which at its end facing the cylindrical receptacle has first engagement means configured correspondingly to second engagement means configured at that end of the cylindrical receptacle which is facing the closing cap, wherein, in a fitted state, the screw cap nut secures the closing cap in the axial direction.

8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the screw cap comprises: alignment devices, which ensure an alignment of a preferred axis of the screw cap collinearly to a central longitudinal axis X of the cylindrical receptacle.

9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the closing cap comprises: an integrally molded press-out nozzle and alignment devices of the screw cap are being formed by contact elements, which embrace the press-out nozzle from the outside.

10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, comprising: a transmission unit for the connection of an electric drive to act upon the pressing element in a direction of the closing cap.

11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1, comprising: in addition to the cylindrical receptacle for receiving the film bag, at least one cartridge receiving device for receiving an exchangeable cartridge in which a second pasty or fluid substance is accommodated; and a mixing device for mixing a first pasty or fluid substance from a film bag with a second pasty or fluid substance from an exchangeable cartridge, wherein the transmission unit is configured to effect, via appropriate drive elements, in a mutually coordinated manner, a simultaneous pressing of the pasty or fluid substance out of the film bag with a pressing of the pasty or fluid substance out of the exchangeable cartridge and subsequent mixing of the two substances.

12. The arrangement as claims in claim 1, wherein the tolerance is less than 20% of the wall thickness of the closing cap on its distal side facing the cylindrical receptacle.

13. The arrangement as claimed in 11, comprising, in combination: a film bag with a first pasty or fluid substance; and an exchangeable cartridge with a second pasty or fluid substance.

14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4, wherein the closing cap comprises: a groove, for engaging that end of the cylindrical receptacle which is facing the closing cap.

15. The arrangement as claimed in claim 14, comprising: a screw cap, which at its end facing the cylindrical receptacle has first engagement means configured correspondingly to second engagement means configured at that end of the cylindrical receptacle which is facing the closing cap, wherein, in a fitted state, the screw cap nut secures the closing cap in the axial direction.

16. The arrangement as claimed in claim 15, comprising: in addition to the cylindrical receptacle for receiving the film bag at least one cartridge receiving device for receiving an exchangeable cartridge in which a second pasty or fluid substance is accommodated; and a mixing device for mixing a first pasty or fluid substance from a film bag with a second pasty or fluid substance from an exchangeable cartridge, wherein the transmission unit is configured to effect, via appropriate drive elements, in a mutually coordinated manner, a simultaneous pressing of the pasty or fluid substance out of the film bag with a pressing of the pasty or fluid substance out of the exchangeable cartridge and subsequent mixing of the two substances.

17. The arrangement as claimed in 16, comprising, in combination: a film bag with a first pasty or fluid substance; and an exchangeable cartridge with a second pasty or fluid substance.

Description

REPRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The invention is explained also with regard to further features and advantages in greater detail below, on the basis of the description of illustrative: embodiments and with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0025] FIGS. 1a and 1b show the starting problems for the present invention in the prior art;

[0026] FIG. 2 shows a first possible embodiment of an arrangement according to the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 3 shows a second possible embodiment of an arrangement according to the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 4a shows a third possible embodiment of an arrangement according to the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 4b shows a modification of the third possible embodiment of an arrangement according to the present invention;

[0030] FIGS. 5a and 5b show a fourth embodiment of an arrangement according to the present invention with filled film bag (FIG. 5a) and pressed-out film bag (FIG. 5b);

[0031] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a refinement of the present invention in a schematic view.

[0032] In FIGS. 1a and b, the starting problems for the present invention are illustrated on the basis of the prior art. In a cylindrical receptacle 12, a film bag 11 can be received. At a proximal end 24, the cylindrical receptacle 12 is closed off by a closing cap 13, which has a press-out opening 15. By means of a pressing element 14 (cf. FIGS. 2 to 6), a film bag 11 inserted in the cylindrical receptacle 12 (cf. FIGS. 2 to 6) can be acted upon in the direction of the closing cap 13 and in this way the substance accommodated in the film bag 11 can be pressed out through the press-out opening 15.

[0033] Since the closing cap 13 is inserted in the cylindrical receptacle 12, in the prior art the inner cross section B of a receiving space 16 of the closing cap 13 is smaller, at least by twice the wall thickness of the closing cap 13 at its distal end, than the inner cross section A of the cylindrical receptacle. Hence, for the film of the film bag 11, a step 37′ is created when, in the emptying operation, the remaining film of the film bag is pressed into the receiving space 16 of the closing cap 13.

[0034] An additional problem is created by the fact that, due to tolerances and/or deviations from an exact circular form, the closing cap 13 has a cross section which, in relation to the inner cross section of the cylindrical receptacle 12, allows one or more gaps 38′. In the pressing-out of the film bag, a part of the film can therefore be pressed into such a gap 38′, with the result that the closing cap 13 can subsequently no longer be removed, at any rate no longer without the use of tools, from the cylindrical receptacle 12. Moreover, there is the risk that, in the event of an improper transfer of the emptied film into the receiving space 16 of the closing cap 13, damage can occur to the pressing ram, above all to the sealing lips disposed on the periphery of the pressing ram.

[0035] The embodiments according to FIGS. 2 to 6 show by way of example now the portrayed problems can be remedied. Of critical importance is that it is ensured by coupling devices that the closing cap is applied to the cylindrical receptacle such that the inner cross section A of the cylindrical receptacle 12 is substantially congruent with the inner cross section B of the closing cap 13, i.e. inner cross section A and inner cross section B overlap everywhere or at no point is more than 50% of the wall thickness W of the closing cap offset on its distal side facing the cylindrical receptacle. The coupling devices which ensure an exactest possible overlap of the inner cross section A of the cylindrical receptacle 12 with the inner cross section B of the closing cap 13 can he differently configured. To this end, a plurality of embodiments are described below by way of example.

[0036] In a first embodiment, which is illustrated in FIG. 2, the coupling devices are formed by a groove 25 provided at the proximal end 24 of the cylindrical receptacle 12. The cylindrical receptacle thus has at its proximal end 24 a groove 25 which is open toward the inner side of the cylindrical receptacle. The groove 25 here has in a radial direction viewed from the center axis X a width which corresponds to the width of the closing cap 13 at its distal end facing the cylindrical receptacle. As a result of this measure an arrangement in which the inner wall of the cylindrical receptacle merges flushly into the inner wall of the closing cap 13 is created, with the result that the problems of pressing the film into a gap, or the surmounting of a step, are no longer given. The closing cap 13 can be fastened in a suitable manner in the axial direction relative to the cylindrical receptacle; for instance, the closing cap 13 can have an external thread and the groove a corresponding internal thread. However, it is also possible to insert the closing cap 13 into the groove 25 of the cylindrical receptacle via a connection in the style of a bayonet fastening. Finally, it would also be conceivable (cf. in this context the embodiments according to FIGS. 5a and 5b) to fasten the closing cap 13 to the cylindrical receptacle via a screw cap 27.

[0037] In FIG. 3 is represented a further embodiment, in which a closing cap 13 is joined at the end to the proximal end 24 of the cylindrical receptacle 12, to be precise here too such that the inner cross section A of the cylindrical receptacle 12 merges flushly into the inner cross section B of the closing cap 13. Here too, various fastening options are conceivable in order to secure the closing cap 13 in the axial direction parallel to the center axis X; in this respect, the coupling devices can here be realized, for instance, by a screw cap 27 or by a flange mounting which can be provided (not shown) on the cylindrical receptacle 12 and the closing cap 13.

[0038] In FIG. 4a, a further embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention is represented. In this arrangement, the coupling devices are realized by the closing cap 13 having a groove 28, which in the present embodiment is open in the direction of the center axis X. The proximal end 24 of the cylindrical receptacle 12 is embraced by the groove 28 of the closing cap 13, so that the closing cap 13 is secured in directions perpendicular to the center axis X and, at the same time, an adaptation to the inner cross section A of the cylindrical receptacle 12 at its proximal end 24 is ensured. In the embodiment according to FIG. 4a, the closing cap 13 can be fastened to the cylindrical receptacle 12 in a suitable manner, for instance by means of a screw cap 27 (not shown here).

[0039] In FIG. 4b, a modified embodiment of the arrangement according to FIG. 4a is represented. In this embodiment, the closing cap 13 is screwed onto the proximal end of the cylindrical receptacle 12 via a screw joint, wherein, for this purpose, the closing cap 13 has an internal thread, which is formed in the groove 28 and which cooperates with a corresponding external thread at the proximal end 24 of the cylindrical receptacle 12. Specifically in this embodiment (but also in the other embodiments described in the present case), the closing cap 13 can also, however, be desirably designed as a disposable part.

[0040] In FIGS. 5a and 5b is illustrated a further illustrative embodiment, in which the coupling devices are realized by the closing cap 13 having a groove 28 which is open toward the center axis X of the cylindrical receptacle 12, wherein that groove wall which is facing away from the center axis X is configured such that it runs obliquely, i.e. opens toward the distal end of the closing cap 13, and on the cylindrical receptacle 1 a circumferential tongue 26 is configured on the end of the proximal end of the cylindrical receptacle 12. Hence, when the closing cap 13 is mounted onto the circumferential tongue 26 with oblique flank, a self-centering of the closing cap 13 takes place.

[0041] The closing cap 13 is fastened to the cylindrical receptacle via a screw cap 27. For this purpose, the screw cap 27 has at its end facing the cylindrical receptacle 12 first engagement means 29, which are configured correspondingly to second engagement means 30 configured at that end of the cylindrical receptacle 12 which is facing the closing cap 13. In the concrete case, the first engagement means 29 on the screw cap 27 are constituted by an internal thread and the second engagement means 30 on the cylindrical receptacle are constituted by a correspondingly configured external thread.

[0042] In addition, in the present embodiment the closing cap 13 further has alignment devices 31, which are concretely formed by contact elements 33. Said contact elements 33 are supported against a press-out nozzle 32 integrally molded onto the closing cap 13 and ensure, furthermore, that the preferential direction of the closing cap 13 is aligned collinearly with the center axis X of the cylindrical receptacle 12.

[0043] In FIG. 6, a particularly preferred embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention is illustrated. In addition to the cylindrical receptacle 12, this arrangement further has a cartridge receiving device 35 for receiving an exchangeable cartridge 36, and a mixing device 39 for mixing the first pasty or fluid substance from the film bag 11 with the second pasty or fluid substance from the exchangeable cartridge 36.

[0044] Via a transmission unit 34 and appropriately provided drive elements 40, the arrangement is made such that, in a mutually coordinated manner, the pasty or fluid substance is pressed out of the film bag 11 simultaneously with a pressing of the pasty or fluid substance out of the exchangeable cartridge 36, wherein both substances, before being dispensed through a dispensing nozzle 41, are mixed together in the mixing device 39 configured as a mixer.

REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST

[0045] 11 film bag [0046] 12 (cylindrical) receptacle [0047] 13 closing cap [0048] 14 pressing element [0049] 15 press-out opening [0050] 16 receiving space [0051] 17 receiving opening [0052] 24 proximal end [0053] 25 groove (cylindrical receptacle) [0054] 26 tongue (cylindrical receptacle) [0055] 27 screw cap [0056] 28 groove (closing cap) [0057] 29 first engagement means [0058] 30 second engagement means [0059] 31 alignment devices [0060] 32 press-out nozzle [0061] 33 contact elements [0062] 34 transmission unit [0063] 35 cartridge receiving device [0064] 36 exchangeable cartridge [0065] 37′ step [0066] 38′ gap [0067] 39 mixing device [0068] 40 drive elements [0069] 41 dispensing nozzle