Reversible closure device for container

Holder (s):

ff) Representative (s)

CABINET LAURENT ET CHARRAS.

REVERSIBLE SHUTTER DEVICE FOR CONTAINER

The invention relates to a device or member intended to ensure the closure of a container in general, and of a package in particular.

The invention relates more particularly to a closure member capable of ensuring, in addition to its primary function of effectively closing the opening of the receptacle to which it is attached or attached, also an active role which may be of different nature, and in particular dehumidifying, rehydrating, oxygen absorber, or even developing anti-mold properties.

It is well known today to implement in certain fields of application desiccants or dehumidifiers, aimed at absorbing the humidity contained in a determined volume. Indeed, for a certain number of products or applications, ambient humidity proves to be prohibitive and must therefore be avoided at all costs.

In the food sector, the problem can also arise when one uses powdery products, such as for example powdered chocolate for breakfast, powdered milk, potato flakes for making mash, etc ...

As long as the packaging containing these products has not been opened, they are most often kept in a sealed manner, in particular protected from humidity, for example by sealing.

However, as soon as the packaging is opened for the first time, necessarily inducing at least partial tearing of the cover, the closure method generally implemented no longer makes it possible to ensure this seal with respect to the seal. 'ambient air, and therefore with respect to the humidity it contains, so that an agglomeration of the powder, and in general of the dry matter, is formed, in the form of lumps, and at the same time, a loss of flavor of the product is observed.

In order to overcome this drawback, various solutions have been proposed.

The first of these consists in producing small-sized packaging, for example of the single-dose type, with a view to rapid consumption, and in particular immediate consumption of the content of each dose as soon as it is opened. This is undoubtedly free from the action of humidity on the product it contains.

In doing so, for a determined quantity of consumable, the cost relating to the packaging alone is significantly increased. So much so that for some products, the packaging is more expensive than the product itself.

For other applications, such as, for example, potato flakes, it has been proposed to market, within a larger package, sachets corresponding to the average consumption of one, two or a limited number of people. So that again, the product is not subjected to humidity because immediately consumed.

Admittedly, this solution keeps the unconsumed product out of the action of humidity, but however also induces an increase in costs.

It has also been proposed to integrate at the bottom of traditional stoppers, a dehumidifying agent thus capable, after reclosing the container by means of said stopper, of exerting an action aimed at absorbing the humidity of the air which has penetrated inside the container. volume of said container, released by partial consumption of its contents.

However, the risk of the product stored in the container coming into contact with the dehumidifying or desiccant agent is not zero, and for questions of a hygienic nature and of toxicity, we wish at all costs to avoid such a risk.

The invention consists in providing a reclosable cover incorporating such an agent, without presenting any risk of contact between the contents of the container to which it is intended to fit and the active agent implemented within the cover.

This device for closing a container comprises:

• first of all, a peripheral ring, intended to be attached to the vicinity of the upper end of the container, defining the opening for access thereto;

• and a cover attached to said ring, said cover incorporating a receptacle capable of receiving an active agent, said receptacle being closed by means of a closure member.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the closure member of the receptacle is porous, and in particular is permeable to air, so as to allow the action of the active agent thereon, which 'it involves absorbing moisture, or performing an anti-mold treatment.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, the closure member of the receptacle is microperforated, in particular in order to only allow the transit through the latter of targeted components, in particular in the context of the absorption of oxygen, or even to allow absorption and then release of moisture, in the context of the use as active principle of rehydrating agents.

According to the invention, the peripheral ring can receive a cap, intended to seal off the contents of the container before first use. In this configuration, the closure member of the receptacle is intended to come into close and intimate contact with said cover, when the cover is in the closed position, so as to ensure the tight closure of said receptacle, in order to avoid any alteration of its properties. This tightness is further increased, when a slight pressure is exerted by the receptacle on the cover, under the action of the cover.

In another variant of the invention, the container is free of a lid, and the porous or microperforated film closing the receptacle containing the active agent is covered with an adhesive label or equivalent, which is removed during the first opening of the container.

The manner in which the invention can be implemented and the advantages which result therefrom will emerge more clearly from the exemplary embodiment which follows, given by way of indication and not by way of limitation in support of the appended figures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective representation of the upper part of a container implementing the cover according to the invention, the latter being in the open position.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective representation of the upper part of the container of FIG. 1, the cover then being closed.

The following example relates more particularly to a container, the volume of which is desired to be protected from humidity, after first opening.

Such a container (1) can be of any kind, and of any section. It can in particular be rigid, and in this case be made of a relatively thick cardboard, optionally aluminized.

It can also be made of a flexible material, such as in particular a sheet of plastic material, intended to constitute the body of the packaging. This sheet is given the desired shape by means of a mandrel and clamps taking the extreme edges of the sheet in order to make them overlap edge to edge, typically over a width of 2 millimeters, then ensure their attachment over their entire height, this joining being typically carried out by ultrasound, or even by gluing or heat sealing.

This sheet is therefore made of synthetic material, or even of cardboard, treated in such a way as to allow ultrasonic welding or heat sealing. The body thus produced receives at its base a bottom, typically consisting of a cup, also made of a synthetic material, and the shape and dimensions of which correspond of course to the shape and dimensions of the body produced during the step. former.

The periphery of this cup has a groove within which the lower end of said body is intended to be inserted. After insertion, a gluing or welding phase is carried out, in order to ensure the required tightness and hermeticity at this level.

The cover (2) according to the invention is typically made of plastic, and in particular of polypropylene, by injection in one or more stages.

Π basically comprises a peripheral ring (3), in this case rigid, intended to be fitted at the level of the upper end of the container (1) around its periphery, this upper end constituting the access opening and furthermore for emptying and of the contents of said receptacle.

This peripheral ring (3) can receive a cover (4) intended, in a known manner, to seal the contents of the container (1) before first use. To do this, it is provided with a radial tab (11), advantageously resulting from molding, and intended to serve as a support for said cover (4), in particular during its installation. This peripheral ring (3) is attached to said upper end of the body by any traditional means, such as in particular gluing or heat sealing.

The actual cover (6) is articulated at a hinge (5) to the peripheral ring (3). However, in another embodiment of the invention not shown, said cover can be clipped at one of the edges of said ring (3).

According to one characteristic of the invention, the bottom (10) of the cover (6) has a receptacle (7), advantageously obtained from the molding, and intended to receive and contain an active agent, and typically a dehumidifying agent (9), such as as for example a silica gel or clay.

The cover (6), the peripheral ring (3) and the receptacle (7) advantageously constitute a one-piece assembly, made of plastic material, and produced by molding.

The receptacle (7) is then defined by an annular projection, said projection being advantageously produced by molding and extending from the bottom (10) of the cover (6). It extends over a height slightly greater than the height of the cover, as can be seen in FIG. 3. In a variant of the invention not shown, the cover is partially open, so as to making a pouring spout for example. In this configuration, the receptacle is located under the fixed part of the cover, the sealing cap of the receptacle then being removed by sliding, of the sliding system type.

According to another embodiment of the invention not shown, said receptacle is not produced by molding with the cover, but attached to the bottom (10) of said cover (6), in particular by clipping or snap-fastening at a ring provided for this purpose, in particular by molding, at said base (10). This embodiment has the advantage of being able to fill the receptacle (7) with active agent (9), independently of the production or the fitting of the cover (6) on the packaging intended to receive it.

The receptacle (7) is closed by means of a porous film or cover (8). It can be made of polypropylene, and generally of plastic, but also of paper.

Porosity is understood to mean the capacity for the film in question to allow ambient air, loaded with humidity to pass inside the receptacle (7), so that the active agent which it contains can effectively absorb this humidity. In other words, the air surrounding said receptacle (7) is capable of being able to penetrate inside the latter. In doing so, the humidity that it carries is absorbed by the dehumidifier (9) that it contains.

According to one characteristic of the invention, the relative height of the receptacle (7) relative to the bottom (10) of the cover (6) is chosen such that when the cover is closed (FIG. 3), in particular by snapping onto the ring peripheral (3), the film or cover (8) comes into intimate contact with the cover (4) provided at the level of the peripheral ring (3).

This privacy is advantageously reinforced by slightly increasing the height of said receptacle (7) so as to induce a slight deflection of the cover (4) of the order of 2 to 3/10^emc millimeter under the action of the pressure thus exerted by the receptacle (7) following the closing of the cover (6).

In order further to promote the tension of the cover (4) under the action of the pressure exerted by the receptacle (7) when closing the cover (6), the tabs (11) supporting said cover are oriented towards up, and a suitable thickness of material is chosen to constitute them, so as to ensure an elastic effect, also directed upwards. So that, even under the action of the pressure exerted by the receptacle (7), the cover (4) remains permanently stretched, consequently conferring a very firm contact between the film (8) and the cover (4). ), and hence ensuring the sealing of said receptacle (7) notwithstanding the porous nature of the film (8).

In other words, before any first use of the container (1), the active principle (9) contained in the receptacle (7) is not subjected to an external environment and the properties for which it has been selected are therefore not not altered.

After first opening, therefore opening of the cover (6), the cover (4) is removed so that there is no longer any sealed closure of the receptacle (7), taking into account the porosity of the film (8). Thus, when closing the cover (6), the active principle (9) then plays its role and provides, in the example described, a dehumidification function.

In another variant of the invention (not shown), the peripheral ring (3) is free from an operculum. The receptacle (7) is then not only closed by the porous or microperforated film (8), but also by an adhesive label or tab, positioned on said film (8), in order to seal said receptacle until first use or opening. of the container. In order further to draw the consumer's attention to the need to remove the tab, in order to confer efficiency on the contents of the receptacle (7), said tab is advantageously provided with a colored tab.

Obviously, the active agent can fulfill other properties depending on the contents of the container (1). It can for example be a rehydrating agent or an oxygen absorber. In this configuration, the film (8) is microperforated, the dimensions of the perforations then being a function of the size of the molecules which should be allowed to pass.

In another embodiment described in relation to FIG. 2, the receptacle (7) is constituted not by an annular projection, but by the integration of the bottom of the cover (6). In this configuration, the film or cover (8) extends along substantially the entire surface of the base (10) in order to perform its sealing function. The film (8) is fixed on a radial tab, formed at the level of the internal lateral face of the cover (6), at the desired height.

One can therefore see, because of the great simplicity of production of the cover, the many applications for which it is intended.

Taking into account the technical principle implemented, it is possible to have at the same time a lid which can be closed to infinity, ensuring its primary function of sealing a container, while giving it a well-defined function, such as, for example, dehumidification without altering the properties of the active agent in question before first use, by placing a film (8) cooperating with the seal for sealing the contents of the container or the packaging.

In this way, it becomes possible to optimize the shelf life and shelf life of products, in particular food.