Pourer with improved locking and cap equipped with same

Abstract

The invention concerns a pourer ( 3 ) associated with a closure cap ( 1 ) and designed to be fixed inside a container neck ( 9 ), comprising a peripheral skirt ( 4 ), a pouring element ( 8 ), and means for temporarily assembling said pourer and said closure cap. The invention is characterised in that: a) said peripheral skirt ( 4 ) comprises a lower part ( 5 ) capable of being radially spaced apart for the pourer to be fixed to the neck; b) the pourer ( 3 ) comprises a rigid component ( 6 ) axially mobile downwards, inside the peripheral skirt ( 4 ); c) the pourer ( 3 ) comprises means for causing the lower part ( 5 ) and the rigid component ( 6 ) to co-operate so as to transform the axial movement of the rigid component ( 6 ) into a radial movement of the lower part ( 1 ).

1 . Pourer ( 3 ) associated with a closure cap ( 1 ) and designed to be fixed inside a container neck ( 9 ), comprising a peripheral skirt ( 4 ), fitted with a leak tight means of fastening to the neck ( 9 ), a pouring element ( 8 ), and means for temporarily assembling said pourer and said closure cap, characterised in that, 
 a) the said peripheral skirt ( 4 ) comprises a lower part ( 5 ) capable of being radially spaced apart for the pourer to be fixed to the neck ( 9 );    b) the pourer ( 3 ) comprises a rigid component ( 6 ) axially mobile downwards, inside the peripheral skirt ( 4 ), by typically irreversible changeover from a said high position H to a said stable low position B during attachment of the pourer ( 3 ) and the cap ( 1 ) to the neck ( 9 ),    c) the pourer ( 3 ) comprises means for causing the lower part ( 5 ) and the rigid component ( 6 ) to co-operate so as to transform the axial movement of the rigid component ( 6 ) into a radial movement of the lower part ( 5 ), the said axial displacement not beginning until the pourer ( 3 ) is in place in the neck ( 9 ), the axial force F D  required by the axial displacement of the rigid component ( 6 ) with respect to the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) being greater than the force F I  necessary to insert the pourer ( 3 ) into the neck ( 9 ).    
     
     
         2 . Pourer according to  claim 1 , in which the lower part ( 5 ) is rigid and hinged with respect to the peripheral skirt ( 4 ), typically by means of a thinned part ( 50 ) forming a hinge O and connecting the lower part ( 5 ) to the peripheral skirt ( 4 ), and forms a hinged element ( 51 ) typically in the form of an angular sector with an angle θ limited by the outside OC and the inside OD, each forming an angle Φ C  and Φ D  respectively from the vertical, and in which typically the end of the rigid component ( 6 ) cooperates typically with the inside OD of the lower part ( 5 ), so that the downwards axial displacement of the rigid component ( 6 ) causes rotation of the said angular sector ( 51 ), the angle Φ C  typically being equal to 0° and the angle Φ D  typically being equal to −α° before the said axial displacement, the angle Φ C  typically being equal to +α° and the angle Φ D  being equal to 0° after the said axial displacement, where α is typically between 5 and 25°.  
     
     
         3 . Pourer according to  claim 2  in which the rigid component ( 6 ) co-operates with the lower part ( 5 ) through a rigid element ( 72 ,  73 ) forming the cooperation means ( 7 ) and hinged at its ends X and Y, one of the ends X being fixed or made to be fixed to the lower part ( 5 ), the other end Y being fixed or made to be fixed to the rigid component ( 6 ) such that when the inclination of the said hinged element ( 51 ) is varied to reach the said stable position and as the end Y moves downwards, the said axial displacement of the rigid element ( 72 ,  73 ), pushes the end X radially outwards, thus forming the said changeover from the high position H to the low position B.  
     
     
         4 . Pourer according to  claim 3  in which, in order to obtain the said stable position, firstly the height Z YH  of the said end Y in the high position before the said axial displacement is typically greater than the height Z X  of the said end X, whereas the height Z YB  of the said end Y in the low position after the said axial displacement is typically less than the height Z X  of the said end X, and secondly the said rigid element ( 73 ) has a typically triangular section, the end Y forming a vertex of this triangle, such that in the low position, a side ( 730 ) adjacent to this vertex stops in contact with the rigid component ( 6 ) and thus limits the said downwards axial displacement.  
     
     
         5 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 3  to  4  in which the said lower part ( 5 ) includes hinged elements ( 51 ) consisting of rigid tabs ( 53 ) or rigid heels ( 54 ) with a uniform spacing, the number n of these elements varying from 3 to 10 and typically from 4 to 8, with a distinct rigid element ( 72 ,  73 ) corresponding to each tab ( 53 ) or heel ( 54 )).  
     
     
         6 . Pourer according to  claim 5  in which a lock ( 740 ) is inserted at an angle between two of the said consecutive rigid heels ( 54 ) by means of a locking rod ( 74 ) corresponding to the said rigid element ( 72 ,  73 ), so as to block the angular position of the said rigid heels by the said locks when the said rigid component ( 6 ) is in the said low position.  
     
     
         7 . Pourer according to  claim 6  in which the said locks ( 740 ) and the said rigid heels ( 54 ) co-operate, typically by means of a click fit notch ( 540 ), so as to reinforce the attachment of the pourer ( 3 ) to the neck ( 9 ).  
     
     
         8 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 6  to  7  in which the said rigid heels ( 54 ) comprise fins ( 541 ) so as to reinforce the attachment of the pourer ( 3 ) to the said neck ( 9 ).  
     
     
         9 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 3  to  8  made in a single piece.  
     
     
         10 . Pourer according to  claim 2  in which the lower end ( 61 ) of the rigid component ( 6 ) comes into direct contact on the inside ( 510 ) of the lower part ( 5 ), so as to form the said cooperation means.  
     
     
         11 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 3  to  10  in which the rigid component ( 6 ) and the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) comprise male and female elements ( 62 ,  43 ) that co-operate and irreversibly click fit together, so as to obtain the said stable position.  
     
     
         12 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 1  to  11 , in which the closure cap ( 1 ), which is typically metallic, is provided with a plastic insert ( 2 ), that seals the closure cap ( 1 ) and includes a temporary assembly means ( 20 ) and a means of axial displacement ( 21 ) of the rigid component ( 6 ), these two means possibly being partially coincident, the temporary assembly means ( 20 ), typically being in the form of a ring, forming temporary co-operation of the insert ( 2 ) fixed to the cap ( 1 ), and the pourer ( 3 ), the axial means ( 21 ) of displacement of the insert being in direct contact on the rigid component ( 6 H) in the said high position.  
     
     
         13 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 1  to  12  in which the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) of the pourer includes at least one circular rib ( 41 ) making the pourer ( 4 ) leak tight with the neck ( 9 ), the width, number and flexibility of the ribs ( 41 ) being chosen so as to obtain fairly high friction with the neck to achieve the said leak tightness, but remaining sufficiently low so that the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) can be inserted in its final place in the neck ( 9 ) by pressing on the cap in the axial direction before the said downwards axial displacement of the rigid component ( 6 ) begins, when the pourer and the associated closure cap are fixed.  
     
     
         14 . Pourer according to  claim 13  in which friction is chosen so that the force F I  necessary to insert the pourer and its peripheral skirt into the neck is typically less than 10 daN, and that a force F D  greater than F I  and typically greater than 10 daN, and preferably between 10 and 20 daN, is necessary to achieve the said axial displacement.  
     
     
         15 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 1  to  14  in which the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) comprises an upper rim ( 42 ) that bears on all or part of the edge ( 90 ) of the neck ( 9 ) when the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) of the pourer ( 3 ) is in place in the neck ( 9 ).  
     
     
         16 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 1  to  15  in which the pouring element ( 8 ) is fixed either to the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) or to the rigid component ( 6 )  
     
     
         17 . Pourer according to  claim 16  in which the pouring element ( 8 ) comprises a flexible circular lip in the deflected state ( 8 F) typically in contact with the edge of the neck when the neck ( 9 ) is closed by the closure cap ( 1 ), or in the deployed state ( 8 D) when the pourer ( 3 ) has to be used, the closure cap ( 1 ) typically a screw cap, having been removed.  
     
     
         18 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 12  to  17  in which the insert ( 2 ) comprises a sealing lip ( 23 ) facing towards the inside of the neck ( 9 ) and that will bear on the edge ( 90 ) of the neck ( 9 ) or on the pouring element ( 8 ) if the pouring element extends on the said edge, in addition to the lip ( 22 ) rigidly fixing the insert ( 2 ) to the metallic part ( 10 ) of the cap ( 1 ).  
     
     
         19 . Pourer according to claims  17  and  18  in which the outer diameter of the flexible circular lip in the deployed state ( 8 D) is less than the inside diameter of the sealing lip ( 23 ), so that when the neck ( 9 ) is closed by the closure cap ( 1 ), the circular lip changes to the deflected state ( 8 F) by being forced into contact with the sealing lip ( 23 ), itself forced into contact with the edge ( 90 ) of the neck.  
     
     
         20 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 1  to  19  in which all or some of the leak tightness of the said leak tight attachment means between the pourer ( 3 ) and the neck ( 9 ) is achieved by at least one external rib ( 512 ) supported on the lower part ( 5 ).  
     
     
         21 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 1  to  20  in which the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) and the rigid component ( 6 ) co-operate on tapered surfaces ( 44 ,  64 ) such that the said axial displacement causes a radial spacing of the peripheral skirt ( 4 ) so as to increase the attachment and/or leak tightness between the neck ( 9 ) and the pourer ( 3 ).  
     
     
         22 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 12  to  21  in which the insert ( 2 ) may be threaded.  
     
     
         23 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 1  to  22  in which the rigid component ( 6 ) forms a cage ( 63 ) for a ball ( 630 ) so as to form a non-refillable pourer ( 3 I).  
     
     
         24 . Pourer according to any one of  claims 1  to  23  formed by moulding a transparent plastic with high mechanical characteristics chosen from among PA, PET, PS and PET.  
     
     
         25 . Closure cap ( 1 ) temporarily fixed to a pourer ( 3 ) according to any one of  claims 1  to  24 , by a temporary assembly means ( 20 ) supported by the insert ( 2 ), and a temporary assembly means ( 40 ,  60 ) supported by the pourer ( 3 ).