WO2014009850A2

WO2014009850A2 - Re-closable vial

Info

Publication number: WO2014009850A2
Application number: PCT/IB2013/055401
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Fontana
Original assignee: Lameplast SRL
Current assignee: Lameplast SRL
Priority date: 2012-07-11
Filing date: 2013-07-01
Publication date: 2014-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-11
Also published as: ITMO20120179A1; WO2014009850A3; ES2608866T3; EP2872407B1; EP2872407A2

Abstract

The re-closable vial (1) for the containment of a product (4) either fluid, powdery or colloidal, particularly a cosmetic, medicinal or pharmaceutical product, comprises: a containment body (2) including a cavity (3) for containing the product (4), which containment body (2) has an extremity with a neck (5); and closing means (7) comprising a shutter element (8), which can be associated with the neck (5) so as to close the cavity (3). The containment body (2) and the shutter element (8) being made in a single body piece in an elastically deformable material, with the shutter element (8) that is removable by tearing off from the containment body (2) so as to define, in correspondence to the neck (5), a dispensing mouth (9) communicating with the cavity (3) and suitable for allowing the dispensing of the product (4). The cavity (3) includes a cylindrical passage (10) which originates from the dispensing mouth (9) and extends within the neck (5), the passage (10) having its own span (A); the shutter element comprises a pin (8) having an engagement portion (11), with a cylindrical side surface which defines a maximum transversal dimension (B) of the pin (8), the engagement portion (11) having a bigger transversal section (B) than the span (A) in such a way that the engagement portion (11) can be inserted into the passage (10), through the dispensing mouth (9), coupling by interference with the neck (5), so as to close the dispensing mouth (9) in a removable way.

Description

RE-CLOSABLE VIAL

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a re-closable vial for containing products used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, medicinal or dental field, but also in the food field or the like.

Background Art

The invention relates in particular to a vial for containing a fluid, powdery or also colloidal product, such as paste, gel or the like.

The use is known of re-closable vials made of polymer material, of the flexible type, for packaging several doses of product.

These contain a containment body of the product, with tubular and elongated shape, which has an extremity with a neck, at the top of which a dispensing mouth of the product is defined.

The vials also comprise closing means, removably associable with the vial in correspondence to the neck, to allow the occlusion of the dispensing mouth.

A known type of these vials envisages that the containment body and the closing means be made in a single piece and subsequently separated by the user before use.

In practice, the closing means are removable by tearing off from the containment body to define said dispensing mouth.

In this type of vials, after the dispensing of one or more doses, the user can close the vial again to maintain the integrity and hygiene of the contents, in view of the next dispensing operation.

A vial of this type, currently on the market, has, in correspondence to the dispensing mouth, an annular edge protruding towards the inside, extending transversally to the containment body, such edge centrally defining a passage to allow the product to come out.

The closing means of this known vial comprise a shutter element, having a truncated-cone shaped side surface and terminating in an extremity tip, on which surface is obtained an annular groove, moved away from the tip and designed to engage itself by interlocking with the above-mentioned protruding edge, following the insertion of the shutter element in the dispensing mouth. This way, a releasable blockage is produced between the closing means and the containment body.

By virtue of the flexibility of the material used to make the neck of the vial body, when the shutter element is inserted in the mouth, the latter is deformed so as to allow the former to pass through it, until the annular edge inserts itself into the groove.

To prevent the annular edge of the dispensing mouth from chipping following repeated openings and closings, in which case the vial would loose the capacity to seal-close itself, the edge must be big enough to have the necessary structural strength.

This not only leads to the drawback of an increase in production cost for the use of the materials making up the annular edge, but above all the drawback that the overall dimensions of the annular edge determine the need for a dispensing mouth having an outer perimeter with a diameter that is not small, with the result of defining a minimum volume restriction for the dispensed drops of liquid.

It is in fact known that the dimensions of the drops, and consequently the number of doses that can be dispensed from the vial, depend on the diameter of the outer perimeter of the wall of the neck lying on the plane of the dispensing mouth.

Description of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to provide a re-closable vial for the containment of a fluid, powdery or colloidal product, which can be repeatedly opened and closed without losing its seal effectiveness in closing configuration. A further object of the invention is to provide a vial that, their dimensions being equal, is able to dispense a greater number of doses compared to that of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a re-closable vial which allows to overcome the mentioned drawbacks of the state of the art in the ambit of a simple, rational, easy and effective to use as well as low cost solution.

The above objects are obtained by the proposed re-closable vial for the containment of a product either fluid, powdery or colloidal, particularly a cosmetic, medicinal or pharmaceutical product, according to claim L

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the description of a preferred, but not sole, embodiment of a re- closable vial, illustrated purely as an example but not limited to the annexed drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an axonometric view of a strip of vials according to the invention, after its forming and before sealing the introduction openings of the vials;

Figure 2 is a vertical section side view of the vial according to the invention, in an initial sealing configuration;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of the view of the previous figure in which an upper part of the vial according to the invention is shown; and

Figure 4 is a vertical section side view of an upper part of the vial according to the invention, in a closing configuration.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to such figures, globally indicated by 1 is the vial according to the invention.

The vial 1, as already indicated, is of the re-closable type for the containment of a fluid, powdery or colloidal product, particularly a cosmetic, medicinal or pharmaceutical product.

The vial 1 comprises, first of all, a containment body 2 which includes a cavity 3 for containing the product 4, which containment body has an extremity with a neck 5. Preferably, the containment body 2 has a substantially elongated tubular shape and the neck 5 extends axially with respect to the rest of the body 2.

In detail, the neck 5 can be cylindrical, with a smaller transversal section than that of the rest of the body 2, and be in practice coaxially aligned with respect to the latter.

Furthermore, in correspondence to the extremity of the body 2 opposite the neck 5 an opening 6 can be defined for introducing the product 4 (see Figure 2), the closing of which, e.g., by sealing the lips of the opening 6 itself, is done after the introduction of the product 4.

The vial 1 also comprises closing means 7 comprising in turn at least a shutter element 8, associable with the neck 5 so as to close the cavity 3 (see figure 3). In detail, the containment body 2 and the shutter element 8 are obtained in a single body piece in an elastically deformable material (such as, e.g. polyethylene or polypropylene), and the shutter element 8 is removable by tearing off from the containment body 2 so as to define, in correspondence to mentioned neck 5 (preferably on top thereof), a dispensing mouth 9, communicating with the cavity 3, suitable for allowing the dispensing of the product 4.

In practice, the vial 1, after being made, e.g., by injection moulding and the closing of the mentioned introduction opening 6, is in an initial sealing configuration (shown in the figures 1 - 3) wherein the cavity 3 is isolated from outside inasmuch as closed by the walls of the body 2 and by the shutter element 8 which is joined to the body 2 in correspondence to one extremity of the neck 5 where, following the removal by tearing off of the closing means from the body 2, the dispensing mouth 9 is defined which can allow the fluid- dynamic communication of the cavity 3 with the outside.

Therefore, following the removal by tearing off of the shutter element 8 from the body 2, the vial 1 is in an opening configuration, wherein the containment body 2 can be squeezed by the user for dispensing one or more doses of product 4 (e.g., drops in the case of liquid product).

The cavity 3 of the containment body 2 of the proposed vial 1 includes a cylindrical passage 10 which originates from the dispensing mouth 9 and extends within the mentioned neck 5, the passage 10 having its own span A (see figure 3).

Furthermore, the shutter element comprises a pin 8 having an engagement portion 11 with a cylindrical side surface which defines the maximum transversal dimension B of the pin 8.

The invention envisages that the engagement portion 11 of the pin has a bigger transversal section B than the span A of the cylindrical passage 10 in such a way that the engagement portion 11 can be inserted within the passage 10 itself, through the dispensing mouth 9, coupling by interference with the neck 5 of the containment body 2, to define a closing configuration of the vial (shown in figure 4), wherein the dispensing mouth 9 is closed in a removable way and the vial 1 itself is re-closable at will.

Since the invention envisages the closing of the vial 1 by virtue of the interference between the pin 8 and the neck 5, obtained thanks to their shape and to the fact that they are made of elastically deformable material, it is not therefore necessary to increase the thickness of the wall of the neck 5, in its area surrounding the dispensing mouth 9, as in the prior art.

Consequently, not only is the fabrication of the vial 1 of the invention cheaper than that of the prior art, inasmuch as it does not require the extra material used for the mentioned thicknessing, but the proposed vial 1 can also contain more doses of product 4.

In fact, as already explained above, the dimensions e.g. of the drops of dispensed liquid product 4 are specifically determined by those of the outer perimeter of the neck (and more precisely by its diameter C, in the preferred case of round perimeter of the wall of the neck 5, shown in figure 3) identified by the plane on which lies the dispensing mouth 9, and not by the dimensions of the dispensing mouth 9.

Consequently, by reducing the dimensions of such outer perimeter, smaller drops can be dispensed and consequently the number of dispensed doses can be increased, without excess product being dispensed at each dispensing operation as occurs using the prior art.

According to a preferred embodiment, wimin the pin 8 is also obtained an axial recess 12 so as to increase the elastic deformability thereof, particularly its transversal deformability.

In practice, thanks to the increased elastic deformability of the pin 8 and to the fact that it has an engagement portion with shape and dimensions such as to be able to couple by interference with the passage 10 provided for the purpose in the neck of the containment body 2, the result is that not only can the vial 1 of the invention be repeatedly opened and closed without the effectiveness of the seal being lost, but it is also possible to further reduce the diameter C of the outer perimeter (in the case of round perimeter) of the wall of the neck 5, in its free extremity which lies on the plane of the dispensing mouth 9. In this case in fact, the certainty exists that the pin 8 with increased deformability does not damage the neck 5 in correspondence to the mouth 9, even after repeated insertions and extractions.

Preferably, the closing means 7 also comprise a flat plate-shaped element 70 having two parallel and printable flat surfaces, and shaping the shutter element 8 in correspondence to a peripheral edge 71 thereof.

In practice, the shutter element 8 can extend in a substantially coplanar way to the plate-shaped element 70 starting from a point along its edge 71.

In detail, the mentioned peripheral edge 71 of the plate-shaped element 70 can be configured so as to only be interrupted by the shutter element 8, and therefore, in practice, be made up of a surface closed in a loop which starts and ends with the shutter element 8.

This way, having just one member 8 which acts both as a shutter means for shutting the dispensing mouth 9 in the sealed configuration of the vial 1, and as a removable closing means, after the removal by tearing off, then the maximum writable surface becomes available, the dimensions of the plate-shaped element 70 being equal.

This represent an advantage for the vial 1 of the invention, which can convey a greater quantity of information for the user regarding the contents, instructions for use, production origin, etc.

In detail, such information can be written on one or both the above-mentioned flat and parallel surfaces of the plate-shaped element 70 by means of printing, e.g., of the inkjet type, or can be obtained (in relief or recessed) at the time of moulding the vial 1 itself (e.g., injection moulding, as already said).

According to a preferred embodiment, the pin 8 also comprises a distal portion 13 which extends axially from said engagement portion 11 and which, in the sealing configuration of the vial 1 (see in particular figure 3), is joined in a single body piece to the neck 5 of the containment body 2 along a pre-breaking line so as to keep the cavity 3 closed in such configuration; the distal portion 13 is removable by tearing off from the neck 5 along the mentioned pre-breaking line so as to define the dispensing mouth 9.

In detail, such distal portion 13 of the pin 8 can be narrower than the engagement portion 11 and be tapered towards the free extremity 14 (or tip) of the pin 8 (preferably with a curvilinear outer profile) to make it more convenient for the user to insert the pin 8 in the dispensing mouth 9, when the vial 1 has to be closed again.

The pre-breaking line can be identified on the side surface of the distal portion 13 of the pin 8.

It can be noticed that, in any case, the pre-breaking line between the pin 8 and the neck 5 is arranged in such a way as to define, in the extremity of the neck 5, following removal by tearing off, only the edge of the dispensing mouth 9, while the outer edge of the free extremity is formed at the time of moulding the vial 1, such outer edge circumscribing the inner edge of the mouth 9 (which will have a diameter substantially the same as the span A of the cylindrical passage lO of the eck S).

Consequently, advantageously, the dimensions C and the shape of such outer edge of the extremity (free, following removal by tearing off) of the neck 5 are pre-established and remain unaltered even after the mentioned removal by tearing off, so the dimensions and the shape of the dispensed drops are prefixed and constant, considering they do not depend on the conformation of the (inner) edge and on the dimensions of the dispensing mouth 9, which are instead defined by the removal by tearing off action of the closing means 7.

According to a particular embodiment, the neck 5 of the containment body 2 also comprises a distal portion 13 which includes the dispensing mouth 9, in correspondence to its own free extremity, and which has a side wall defined between the cylindrical inner surface of the mentioned passage 10 and an opposite outer surface 15, tapered in the direction of the dispensing mouth 9. The outer surface 15 of the neck 5 of the containment body, therefore, has minimum transversal dimensions A in correspondence to the mentioned free extremity.

This way it is ensured that the vial 1 can dispense the largest possible number of doses of liquid product 4 for the reasons already explained in relation to the dimensions of the drops dispensed from the vials.

In detail, in the preferred case in which such tapered portion has a substantially truncated-cone shaped surface 15, it has a circumference in correspondence to the lesser base, which lies on the plane of the dispensing mouth 9.

The diameter of the outer surface 15 of the tapered portion is therefore minimum on the plane of the dispensing mouth 9, and it has a length preferably between 2.9 mm and 3.1 mm, and even more preferably equal to 3 mm so as to be able to dispense calibrated drops of product which have a volume of about 0.045 ml.

Moreover, the mentioned cylindrical passage 10 may have a transversal section A, i.e. a span, with a diameter between 2.7 mm and 2.9 mm, and preferably equal to 3 mm.

According to the preferred embodiment, the invention envisages that in correspondence to an exfremity opposite the dispensing mouth 9, the cylindrical passage 10 of the neck 5 ends up into an inner opening 16 where the cavity 3 widens with respect to the span A of the passage 10.

In this case, the engagement portion 11 of the pin 8 has a greater length man that of the cylindrical passage 10 of the neck 5 of the containment body 2.

This way, following the insertion of the pin 8 in the passage 10 of the neck 5, its engagement portion gets narrower trans vers ally in the part contained in the passage itself 10, while the part of it that protrudes beyond the passage 10, within the rest of the cavity 3, takes on the original dimensions by virtue of its elasticity, so as to increase the closing seal of vial 1.

Preferably, around the inner opening 16, the cavity 3 of the containment body is defined by a surface which has an annular portion 17 arranged trans versally to the above mentioned cylindrical passage 10, and on the plane of the inner opening 16, so as to define a round corner in correspondence to the inner opening 16 itself.

The presence of the corner which comes in contact with the part of the engagement portion 11 of the pin 8 which protrudes beyond the inner opening 16 makes the seal of the vial 1 in closing configuration even sounder.

Preferably, as shown in figure 1, the vials of the invention are made available in a "strip", shown in figure 1 in its configuration previous to the above-mentioned closing seal of the introduction opening 6 of the vials 1. In particular, the strip of vials 100 includes a plurality of vials 1, each of which comprises, on the outer surface of its containment body 2, two opposite grip tabs 18 (away from the neck of the respective vial 1), at least one of which is obtained in a single body piece with a grip tab 18 of an adjacent vial, in correspondence to a pre-breaking tearable line, so as to separate the vials of the strip 100.

It has in practice been ascertained how the described invention achieves the proposed objects making available a re-closable vial that can be closed and opened at will and which can dispense more doses of product compared to those of prior art.

Claims

1) Re-closable vial (1) for the containment of a product (4) either fluid, powdery or colloidal, particularly a cosmetic, medicinal or pharmaceutical product, comprising:

- at least a containment body (2) including a cavity (3) for containing the product (4), which containment body (2) has an extremity with a neck (5); and

- closing means (7) comprising at least a shutter element (8), which can be associated with said neck (5) so as to close the cavity (3);

said containment body (2) and said shutter element (8) being made in a single body piece in an elastically deformable material, with said shutter element (8) that is removable by tearing off from said containment body (2) so as to define, in correspondence to said neck (5), a dispensing mouth (9) communicating with said cavity (3) and suitable for allowing the dispensing of the product (4); the vial ( 1 ) being characterized in that:

- said cavity (3) includes a cylindrical passage (10) which originates from said dispensing mouth (9) and extends within said neck (5), said passage (10) having its own span (A); and that

- said shutter element comprises a pin (8) having an engagement portion (11), with a cylindrical side surface which defines a maximum transversal dimension (B) of said pin (8),

said engagement portion (11) having a bigger transversal section (B) than said span (A) in such a way that said engagement portion (11) can be inserted into said passage (10), through said dispensing mouth (9), coupling by interference with said neck (5), so as to close said dispensing mouth (9) in a removable way.

2) Vial (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that within said pin (8) is obtained an axial recess (12) so as to increase the elastic deformability thereof.

3) Vial (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said pin (8) comprises a distal portion (13) which extends axially from said engagement portion (11) and that, in a sealing configuration of the vial (1), is joined in a single body piece to said neck (5) along a pre-breaking line so as to keep said cavity (3) closed, said distal portion (13) being removable by tearing off from said neck (5) along said pre-breaking line so as to define said dispensing mouth (9).

4) Vial (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said closing means (7) comprise a plate-shaped element (70) having two flat parallel and printable surfaces, which plate-shaped element (70) shapes said shutter element (8) at a peripheral edge (71) thereof.

5) Vial (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said neck (5) comprises a distal portion which includes the dispensing mouth (9) in correspondence to one of its free extremities, and which has a side wall defined between the cylindrical inner surface of said passage (10) and an opposite outer surface (15), tapered in the direction of said dispensing mouth (9), so that said neck (5) has minimum transversal dimensions (C) in correspondence to said free extremity.

6) Vial (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that in correspondence to an extremity opposite said dispensing mouth (9), said passage (10) ends up into an inner opening (16) where said cavity (3) widens with respect to said span (A).

7) Vial (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that, around said inner opening (16), said cavity (3) is defined by a surface which has an annular portion co-planar to the inner opening (16), so as to define a corner in correspondence to the latter.

8) Vial (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that a free extremity of the neck (5) including said dispensing mouth (9) has a periphery defined by a circumference, the diameter (C) of which has a length between 2.9 mm and 3.1 mm.

9) Vial (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said passage (10) has a transversal section (A) with a diameter between 2.7 mm and 2.9 mm.

10) Vial (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that said peripheral edge (71) is interrupted only by said shutter element (8).

11) Strip (100) of vials (1), characterized in that it comprises a plurality of vials (1) according to any of the preceding claims, in which on the outer surface of said containment body (2) of each vial (1) two opposite grip tabs (18) are defined, at least one of which is obtained in a single body piece with a grip tab (18) of an adjacent vial (1), in correspondence to a pre-breaking tearable line.