ES2704273T5 - Cylindrical box with a cork plug - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Cylindrical box with cork stopper

The present invention relates to a cylindrical box comprising a receptacle and a cork stoppering device for stopping the receptacle.

One area of application considered is especially, but not exclusively, the storage of food products that must be preserved from the air outside the box.

Known cylindrical boxes comprise a cylindrical receptacle with a circular directing curve and a corking device made of composite material comprising a cork part and a part made of a polymer material. Thus, the receptacle, usually made of a cellulose-based material, has a circular edge and an opening delimited by said circular edge. As regards the corking device, it has a projection delimiting from one another a gripping part and a corking part of a diameter smaller than that of the gripping part. And the corking part, of cylindrical symmetry, has a contact band and a substantially perpendicular free face, covered with a layer of polymer material.

The stoppering part can thus be brought into the opening of the receptacle so as to seal this opening. The contact strip coated with the polymer material then presses tightly against the inner rim of the receptacle along the circular edge, while the shoulder presses against the circular edge. The tightness of the contact strip between the cork and the inner rim of the receptacle is increased by the polymer material.

Such a corking system has numerous advantages, but is relatively expensive because it requires the implementation of a corking device made of composite material. Document FR 952072 discloses a vessel closed by a cork stopper, while Community model No. 002168070-0001 shows a cork stopper device.

Likewise, a problem that arises and that the present invention seeks to solve is to provide a cylindrical box that is not only watertight, but also less expensive to make.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention proposes a cylindrical box according to claim 1 comprising a receptacle and a circular cork corking device intended to cork said receptacle, said receptacle having an opening and a circular edge surrounding said opening, said corking device having a projection delimiting a gripping part and a corking part, said corking part having a circular rim proximate along said projection. Said receptacle comprises a circular projection extending inside said receptacle, along said circular edge; and said circular rim proximate said corking part has a groove, such that said circular projection is introduced inside said groove, when said corking part is pushed through said opening.

Thus, a feature of the invention lies in the implementation of a circular projection inside the receptacle and in the realization of a groove in the plugging part at the level of the proximal circular rim adjacent to the shoulder. Thus, when the plugging part of the plugging device is carried through the opening of the receptacle, it is carried substantially coaxially with the receptacle, and first applies uniformly against the external edge of the circular projection and tends to be compressed radially, while the circular projection conversely enlarges substantially to allow the passage of the plugging part. At the end of the stroke, the circular edge abuts against the shoulder, while the circular projection substantially relaxes inside the groove and conversely, the plugging part relaxes beyond the circular projection inside the receptacle. As a result, not only is the capping device firmly attached to the receptacle, but the capping is also more leak-tight because the contact surface between the capping part and the receptacle is larger than that of the contact surfaces between two cylindrical elements of the prior art boxes. Furthermore, it is not at all necessary to provide an additional layer of polymer material, which reduces the production costs.

According to a particularly advantageous mode of implementation of the invention, said plugging portion has a free distal circular rim opposite said proximal circular rim, and said distal rim has a chamfer. In this way, the chamfered distal rim of the plugging portion is suitable for insertion into the opening inside the circular projection, and consequently, the operation of plugging the receptacle is easier, as will be explained in more detail in the following description.

According to the invention, said capping part has a capping thickness, while said gripping part has a gripping thickness, said gripping thickness being greater than said capping thickness. In this way, the tensions exerted on the gripping part in order to insert the capping part into the receptacle are better absorbed, and do not run the risk of damaging it.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, said groove has a straight flank extending in the extension of said projection. Thus, the groove houses the projection, and when the circular projection is inserted therein, the circular edge of the receptacle is then held against the projection. This also contributes to the sealing of the cap.

In another embodiment of the invention, said groove has a curved flank on the side opposite to said projection, which has a flank curvature radius Rf. The radius of curvature is then defined by the intersection of a radial plane cutting the curved flank, and the flank of the groove is then defined by a portion of ellipsoidal surface. Thus, the curved flank then forms a ramp for the circular projection when the plugging part is inserted into the opening. When the circular projection is retracted, while the plugging part is relaxed, the plugging device is then axially drawn into the receptacle and thus the circular edge comes into contact with the projection.

Furthermore, said chamfer has a chamfer radius of curvature Rc. The chamfer radius of curvature is also defined with respect to a radial plane cutting the chamfer. The surface of the free distal circular rim is then also substantially ellipsoidal in shape, which makes it easier to fit the plugging part onto the receptacle. Preferably, the radii of curvature of the flank Rf and the chamfer Rc are substantially identical.

Furthermore, in a particularly advantageous manner, said corking portion defines a tangential corking cylinder having a corking radius Rb, while said gripping portion defines a tangential gripping cylinder coaxial with said tangential corking cylinder and having a gripping radius Rp, and the difference between said corking radii Rb and said gripping radii Rp is between 3 mm and 5 mm. Such a relative value of the corking radii and the gripping radii makes it possible to carry out the corking within the acceptable limits of deformation of the cork of the corking portion.

Furthermore, said stoppering part has a free face opposite said gripping part and delimited on said chamfer by a circular line having a diameter smaller than the bottom diameter of said groove. Thus, by adjusting the dimensions of the circular projection, the free distal circular edge is easily inserted inside the circular projection, while the latter remains substantially compressed inside the groove so as to ensure, on the one hand, a good seal of the stopper, but also a better connection of the stoppering device and the receptacle.

For example, the corking device according to the invention is made from a cork material made of agglomerated cork particles.

Other particularities and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the description below of a particular embodiment of the invention, given as an indication but not as a limitation, referring to the attached drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic axial sectional view of a capping device according to the invention; and

- Figure 2 is a schematic axial section view of an element of the cylindrical box according to the invention suitable for receiving the capping device according to the invention.

Figure 1 illustrates a capping device 10, while Figure 2 illustrates a receptacle 12. As will be explained in the following description, the capping device 10 is intended to cooperate with the receptacle 12 to form a cylindrical box according to the invention.

The corking device 10 is made of a single circularly symmetrical piece of cork. It can be cut from a piece of natural cork. Advantageously, the corking device 10 is made from a piece of agglomerated cork. It comprises a gripping part 14 and a corking part 16, separated from each other by a projection 18. The corking part 16 has an internal free face 20, while on the opposite side, the gripping part 14 has an opposite external free face 22.

The gripping part 14 of the capping device 10 has, for example, a diameter of between 90 mm and 70 mm, i.e. a gripping radius Rp of between 45 mm and 35 mm, while the capping part 16 has a diameter of between 82 mm and 64 mm, i.e. a radius Rb of between 41 mm and 32 mm. It will be noted that the diameters and radii are measured relative to two concentric theoretical cylinders, tangent respectively to the gripping part 14 and to the capping part 16.

It is also planned to design capping devices 10 with gripping radii Rp and capping radii Rb with diameters outside the limits mentioned above.

More precisely, the difference between the radius of the sealing Rb and the radius of the gripping Rp is, for example, between 3 mm and 5 mm, so as to ensure both a tight sealing mode and to preserve the aesthetic character of the cylindrical box object of the invention. Because in fact, the radius of the sealing Rb corresponds substantially in this case to the external radius of the receptacle 12.

Furthermore, the capping part 16 has a thickness Eb, for example between 5 mm and 8 mm, while the gripping part 18 has a thickness Ep between 6 mm and 10 mm. It will be noted that the thickness Ep of the gripping part 18 is greater than the thickness Eb of the capping part so as to obtain good mechanical resistance of the gripping part 18 against the stresses exerted on it as will be explained below.

The plugging portion 16 further comprises a proximal circular rim 24 and an adjacent distal circular rim 26. A groove 28 is provided in the proximal circular rim 24. The groove 28 comprises a straight flank 30 extending in the extension of the projection 18 and, on the opposite side, a curved flank 32. The distal circular rim 26 further comprises a chamfer 34.

Thus, the groove 28 of the proximal circular rim 24 has, according to a radial section, a radius of curvature Rf comprised between 1 mm and 2.5 mm. As regards the chamfered distal circular rim 26, it has, again according to a radial section, a radius of curvature Rc also comprised between 1 mm and 2.5 mm. For example, the radii of curvature Rf and Rc are identical. Their value is, for example, 1.75 mm.

Refer now to Figure 2 which shows the receptacle 12 with which the capping device 10 is suitable for cooperating.

The receptacle 12 is made of a cellulose-based material. It is however rigid. The material has, for example, a thickness of between 1 mm and 2.5 mm. The receptacle 12 has a cylindrical symmetry with a circular directing curve. It has a circular edge 36 delimiting an opening 38, which opens into the interior 40 of the receptacle 12. The latter has a bottom 41. In addition, the receptacle 12 includes a free upper circular projection 42, made using the rolled edge technique. The upper circular projection 42 extends towards the interior of the opening 38. For example, it has a radial thickness of between 3 mm and 5 mm. Advantageously, the radial thickness of the circular projection 42 is 4 mm. Preferably, in a radial cut, the upper circular projection 42 has a radius substantially identical to the radius of curvature Rf of the groove 28.

It will be noted that the outer diameter of the receptacle 12 is substantially equal to twice the radius Rp of the gripping portion 18 of the capping device 10. Furthermore, the receptacle 12 has a lower circular projection 44 extending towards the interior 40 of the receptacle 12 and on which the bottom 41 rests.

Thus, referring to Figures 1 and 2, the cooperation of the capping device 10 and the receptacle 12 will be described.

By coaxially approaching the stoppering device 10 to the receptacle 12, the stoppering part 16 is first introduced through the opening 38 and thus the chamfer 34 of the distal circular rim 26 is brought into contact with the upper circular projection 42. More precisely, the chamfer 34 comes into contact with the upper part of the upper circular projection 42. At the point of contact, the tangent common to the upper circular projection 42 and the chamfer 34 is substantially inclined with respect to the axis of symmetry of the stoppering device 10 which is common to that of the receptacle 12. The inclination of the tangent is, for example, 45°.

The corking device 10 is then forcefully drawn along the aforementioned axis of symmetry towards the receptacle 12. The chamfer 34 and the upper part of the upper circular projection 42 therefore form a ramp with respect to each other, and while the distal circular rim 26 tends to cause radial enlargement of the opening 38 by noticeably deforming the upper circular projection 42, the same upper circular projection 42 tends to radially compress the distal circular rim 26 itself. Given its nature, cork, this radial contraction is made possible. Continuing to push the stoppering device 10 into the interior 40 of the receptacle 12, when the curved flank 32 then comes into contact with the lower part of the upper circular projection 42, the distal circular rim 26 conversely distends radially while the upper circular projection 42 relaxes and thus closes the opening 38. These two concomitant effects tend to further cause the stoppering device 10 to be dragged into the interior 40 of the receptacle 12, until the projection 18 abuts against the circular rim 36. The upper circular projection 42 then relaxes inside the groove 28. The stoppering device 10 then remains completely integral with the receptacle 12. The latter, moreover, remains partly imprisoned by the former within the limits of the forces that must be exerted on the stoppering device 10 to disengage them. It will be noted that these efforts are greater than those that should be put into practice to disengage the classic capping devices in which the capping part is purely cylindrical.

Taking into account the contact surfaces between the capping device 10 and the receptacle 12 which extend from the point of contact between the circular rim 36 and the projection 18 to the interior 40 of the receptacle 12, from the point of contact between the curved flank 32 and the lower part of the upper circular projection 42, a good seal of the interior 40 of the box with respect to the exterior is obtained.

Furthermore, thanks to the lower circular projection 44, of the same nature as the upper circular projection 42, the sealing device 10 can be brought against the bottom wall 41 and secured to it. The sealing device 10 then remains unlosable during use of the receptacle 12.

Claims (9)

1. A cylindrical box comprising a receptacle (12) and a circular corking device (10) made of cork for corking said receptacle (12), said receptacle (12) having an opening (38) and a circular edge (36) surrounding said opening (38), said circular corking device (10) having a shoulder (18) delimiting a gripping portion (14) having a gripping thickness Ep and a corking portion (16) having a corking thickness Eb, said corking portion (16) having a proximal circular rim (24) along said shoulder (18), 1. A method of sealing a capping portion (16) comprising: a capping portion (16) having a capping surface ... 2. Cylindrical box according to claim 1, characterized in that said plugging part (16) has a free distal circular rim (26) opposite said proximal circular rim, and in that said distal rim has a chamfer (34). 3. Cylindrical box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said receptacle (12) has a lower circular projection (44) of the same nature as the upper circular projection (42) extending towards the interior (40) of said receptacle (12), and a bottom (41) resting on said lower circular projection (44), such that the capping device (10) can be brought against the bottom wall (41) and said capping device (10) can be secured to said bottom wall (41). 4. Cylindrical box according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said groove (28) has a straight flank (30) extending in extension with said projection (18). 5. Cylindrical box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said groove (28) has a curved flank (32) on the side opposite to said projection (18), which has a flank curvature radius Rf. 6. Cylindrical box according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said chamfer (34) has a chamfer radius of curvature Rc. 7. Cylindrical box according to claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the radii of curvature of the flank Rf and the chamfer Rc are substantially identical. 8. Cylindrical box according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said capping part (16) defines a tangential capping cylinder having a capping radius Rb, while said gripping part (14) defines a tangential gripping cylinder coaxial with said tangential capping cylinder and having a gripping radius Rp, and in that the difference between said capping radii Rb and gripping radii Rp is between 3 mm and 5 mm. 9. Cylindrical box according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said plugging part (16) has a free face (20) opposite said gripping part (14) and delimited in said chamfer (34) by a circular line having a diameter smaller than the bottom diameter of said groove (28).