Device for storing two products separately and subsequently mixing them

Abstract

Device for storing two products separately and then mixing them comprises a container having a neck and holding one product, a hollow cap screwed onto the neck and holding the other product, a capsule force-fitted into the hollow cap to close the product-holding recess therein, and a cup which is frictionally gripped in the neck. The cup has an inner flange encircling an end of the capsule which projects below the cap. This projecting end carries an outwardly projecting flange which extends beneath the inner flange on the cup so that when the cap is lifted the capsule is pulled from the cap due to engagement of the two flanges.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the chemical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries it is often necessary to store separately two products which are not to be mixed until just before the resulting mixture is to be used because the properties of that mixture are not acceptable for the application envisaged except at the moment at which the mixture is formed. The stability and viscosity of the mixture, for example, are among the properties which may vary in the course of time and may therefore have values which are acceptable from the point of view of the use of the mixture only during a brief period determined by prior experience and usually beginning at the time the mixture if formed.

Several devices for this purpose have already been suggested some of which are based upon a device described in French Pat. No. 1419762. This device comprises a container the neck of which is externally threaded and which is closed by a cap provided with an internally threaded skirt extending toward the bottom of the container. The cap has a recess in its inner annular surface opposite the neck of the container which may be closed by a capsule having a projecting part in the form of an elastic collar the external dimensions of which are greater than the internal dimensions of the neck of the container. The container is filled with a first product, generally liquid, and the cap, turned upside down, is filled with at least one additional liquid or pulverulent product. After closing the cap with the capsule, the neck of the container is closed by screwing the cap thereonto with the collar of the capsule deforming as the central part of the cap passes along the neck of the container. This deformation is of course such that the collar assumes a generally curved shaped which is concave toward the cap. After complete screwing of the cap onto the neck of the container the collar of the capsule is beneath the neck of the container and because it is not then subjected to any constraint it returns to its original configuration, which is substantially flat and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the neck of the container. The two products stored in the container and in the cap are then completely separated. from each other. At the moment that the desired mixture is prepared, the cap is unscrewed, which has the effect of bringing the collar of the capsule again into contact with the neck of the container. If one continues to unscrew the cap the collar engages the neck of the container and catches at this point so that the capsule closing the cap is held at the bottom of the neck of the container while the cap continues to move upwardly. The capsule is progressively released from the cap and then, after total liberation, drops into the container which has the effect of permitting the additional product to drop into the container and mix with the product originally stored therein.

However, the above described device has an inherent disadvantage with respect to the structure of one of its components, specifically the collar of the capsule. In effect, when the collar comes to bear against the neck of The container at the moment at which the cap is unscrewed, that is to say, in the step immediately preceding the formation of the desired mixture, this collar has a tendency, because of its elasticity, to take a curved form which is concave this time toward the bottom of the container. When the cap is further unscrewed the deformation of the collar increases so as to permit free passage of the collar through the neck of the container so that the capsule doesn not encounter any obstacle to its upward movement and remains stuck in the cap. The device described therefore does not serve the purpose originally envisaged which consists in separating the capsule from the cap at a predetermined moment so as to produce the subsequent mixture of the products originally stored in the container and in the cap.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome this disadvantage, and for this purpose a device is provided which ensures under all circumstances the separation of the capsule and the cap at the moment the cap is separated from the container. Moreover, the device according to the present invention is applicable to all types of containers, regardless of the diameter of their necks. A cup positioned between the capsule and the cap serves as an adapter with respect to the diameter and permits the use of a small capsule with a large cap. The use of a threaded cap and container neck, regardless of the diameter of these two parts, has the effect of creating a very high force capable of overcoming any frictional attachment between the capsule and the cap. Finally, an additional advantage of the cup results from the fact that it may carry a ring bearing on the edge of the neck of the container, said ring providing at this point a perfect seal between the interior and the exterior of the container which seal is not provided in so effective a manner in the device according to French Pat. No. 1419762.

The present invention accordingly relates to a new article of manufacture which consists of a container for storing and dispensing a mixture of a first product and at least one additional product, said products being separated from each other before dispensing, the first product being stored in a container such as a can, tube or bottle, and the additional product being held in a hollow cap which closes the neck of the container, the zone in which the cap is attached to the neck of the container being connected to the edge of a recess in the cap by an annular surface. The cap is provided with a stopper in the form of a capsule which is a force fit in the recess in the cap. The device is characterized by the fact that the capsule has a portion projecting from said recess which carries, on all or part of its periphery, a supporting flange, and a cup is interposed between the supporting flange of the capsule and the annular surface of the cap, the edges of the cup being directed toward the bottom of the container and the bottom of the cup being provided with a central opening through which the capsule projects. The outer diameter of the projecting protion of the capsule is less than the inner diameter of the opening in the bottom of the cup and the outer diameter of the supporting flange of the capsule is greater than the inner diameter of the opening in the bottom of the cup and less than the inner diameter of the sides of said cup. Means are provided for holding the sides of the cup in the neck of the container.

In a preferred embodiment the cup comprises, substantially in its bottom plane, a peripheral external ring which seals the first product inside the container from the ambient atmosphere, the ring of said cup bearing on the edge of the container and on the annular surface of the cap. Means for attaching the sides of the cup to the neck of the container are provided on the external surface of the sides of the cup and cooperate with the inner surface of the neck of the container. These means may be striations, ribs, or channels formed on the external face of the sides of the cup, said sides being a friction fit inside the neck of the container. The supporting flange of the capsule is substantially parallel to the annular surface of the cap. The cap, the capsule and the cup define surfaces of revolution about an axis of symmetry coincident with that of the neck of the container when the cap closes said neck. The cap has a cylindrical skirt which is substantially parallel to said axis of symmetry, said skirt having internal threads which cooperate with external threads on at least the upper part of the neck of the container. The bottom of the cup is concave toward the cap. The plug is made of a plastic or elastic material such as polyethylene.

In order that the invention may be better understood a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described purely by way of illustration and example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal axial sectional view of the container according to the invention, with the cap in place on the neck of the container, said cap being shown closed by its capsule;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal axial sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 after the cap has been mounted on the neck of the container with the sides of the cup in engagement with said neck; and

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal axial sectional view of the container according to the invention showing the cap partially and sufficiently unscrewed to permit the release of the capsule which has been held in the bottom of the cap attached to the neck of the container.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that reference numeral 1 indicates the container as a whole. This may be a bottle, tube or can holding a product 2, which may be pulverulent but is preferably liquid. The neck 3 of the container is provided with external threads 4 on at least the upper portion thereof.

A cap 5 defining a recess 6 is filled with at least one additional product which may be liquid, or pulverulent as in the case illustrated, and which is adapted to form with the first product 2 the desired mixture. The cap preferably defines a surface of revolution about an axis 7 which is coincident with the axis of symmetry of the neck of the container when the cap is mounted on said neck. The cap 5 is held on the neck 3 by a substantially cylindrical skirt 8 parallel to the axis 7, said skirt being provided with internal threads 9 which cooperate with the external threads 4 on the neck.

The skirt 8 is connected to the edge of the recess 6 by an annular surface 10, which abuts the bottom 11 of a cup 12. This cup has sides 13 projecting away from the cap 5, that is to say, toward the bottom of the container 1, when the cap is mounted on the container. The bottom of the cup 12 defines a central opening 14 and a peripheral outer ring 15 having a diameter greater than the inner diameter of the neck 3 of the container 1, but less than the diameter of the threads 9 on the cap, taken between the crests of the threads.

The first product 2 and the additional product or products in the hollow cap 5 are separated during storage by closing the mouth of the recess in the cap by means of a sustantially cup-shaped capsule 16 the sides of which are parallel to the axis 7. This capsule 16 is force-fitted into the opening defined by the annular surface of the cap 5 so that the additional product or products are held in the recess in said cap by the bottom of the capsule.

The cup 12 and the capsule 16 advantageously define surfaces of revolution about the axis of symmetry 7. The outer diameter of the sides of the capsule 16 is slightly less than the inner diameter of the opening 14 in the bottom of the cup 12, so that the capsule can pass freely through the bottom of the cup.

Moreover, the projecting portions 16a of the sides of the capsule 16 has, along all or part of its edge, a supporting ring 17 substantially parallel to the annular surface 10 of the cap 5. The outer diameter of this ring 17 is greater than the diameter of the opening 14 and less than the inner diameter of the sides 13 of the cup 12, so that the ring 17 can pass freely between the sides 13 of the cup 12 and may rest on the annular inner surface of the bottom 11 of the cup which encircles the opening 14.

Means are also provided for holding the sides 13 of the cup 12 in the neck 3 of the container 1, said means being preferably provided on the external surface of the sides of the cup cooperating with the internal surface of the neck of the container, and preferably comprising striations, ribs or channels 18 on the external surface of the sides 13 of the cup 12. The inner diameter of the neck 3 of the container 1 and the outer diameter of the sides 13 of the cup 12 are such that these sides are a friction fit in the neck of the container when the cap 5 is screwed thereon.

The container which has just been described is assembled in the following manner: The first product 2 is introduced into the container 1 and the additional product or products are introduced into the recess 6 in the cap 5. The cap is held upside down while the cup 12 is inserted between the threads 9 of the skirt 8 of the cap 5 and its bottom 11 is pressed against the annular surface of said cap. The capsule 16 is then introduced into the cup 12 in the position shown in FIGS. 1-3, that is to say the bottom of the capsule is introduced first. After the bottom and lower part of the side of the capsule 16 have been passed through the opening 14 in the bottom 11 of the cup, the pressure on the supporting collar 17 is increased to insure a good grip between the bottom of the sides of the capsule and the sides of the opening 6 and consequently to isolate the additional product or products. This pressure is terminated when the collar 17 abuts the bottom of the cup. The cap 5 is then turned over and screwed onto the neck 3 of the container 1 to bring the ring 15 of the cup 12 against the edge of the neck of the container and isolate the first product 2 from the outside of the container.

The screwing of the cap on the neck of the container creates sufficient force to adjust and squeeze the sides 13 of the cup 12 into the neck of the container, with the striations 18 assuring a definitive attachment of the cup to the neck of the container.

When it is desired to form and distribute the mixture consisting of the first product 2 and the additional product or products in the cap 5, the cap 5 is unscrewed, but the cup 12, which is still held by its striated sides against the inner surface of the neck of the container, remains stationary and constitutes an obstacle to any displacement of the capsule 16 in the same direction as the cap 5. To the extent that the cap 5 is unscrewed the bottom and sides of the capsule 16 are progressively withdrawn from the recess 6 in the cap 5 until completely clear thereof. Because of the clearance between the periphery of the opening 14 and the sides of the capsule 16 and between the periphery of the supporting ring 17 and the sides 13 of the cup 12, the capsule 16, once released from the sides of the opening 6, falls into the container 1 as schematically indicated by the arrow 19.

The additional product or products fall at the same time into the container 1 and may mix with the product 2 originally held in that container.

In order to distribute the mixture it suffices to completely unscrew the cap and dispense the mixture through the opening 14 in the cup 12, or, preferably, to rescrew the cap on the neck of the container and then cut off the ball 20 at the end of the cap 5 so as to create an outlet for the mixture at the end of the recess 6.

In another embodiment the bottom 11 of the cup 12 has a concavity facing the recess in the cap.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing embodiment has been given purely by way of illustration and example and may be modified as to detail without thereby departing from the basic principles of the invention.

In particular, the cap may be made of an elastic or elastic material which does not interact with the additional product or products. Polyethylene is a suitable material in most cases.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. Device for storing and dispensing a misture of a first product and at least one additional product, said device comprising:

a container for holding said first product, said container being provided with a neck,

a hollow spout-shaped dispensing cap defining a recess for holding said at least one additional product, said cap being provided at one end with a skirt adapted to fit onto the outside of said neck, with an annular surface between said skirt and the edge of said recess, and with integral means at its other end adapted to create a dispensing orifice when removed from said cap,

a capsule which acts as a closure for said recess when said capsule is located therein, said capsule having a first end which is a force fit in said recess and a second end provided with a supporting flange which projects radially outward therefrom,

a cup having sides adapted to be received in said neck and a bottom defining an opening through which said first end of said capsule projects into said recess, so that the bottom of said cup is gripped between the supporting flange on said capsule and the annular surface on said cap,

the outer diameter of said capsule being less than that of the opening in the bottom of said cup so that said capsule is slidable with respect to said opening and the outer diameter of said supporting flange being greater than the diameter of the opening in the bottom of the cup but less than the inner diameter of the sides of the cup, and

means for frictionally retaining the sides of said cup in the neck of said container, whereby when said cap is moved away from said container along said neck said capsule is prevented by said flanges from being removed with said cap, but is instead separated from said cap so as to be free to fall into said container.

2. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which said cup carries at its bottom a radially outwardly projecting peripheral ring located between the annular surface of said cap and the edge of said container neck.

3. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for retaining the sides of said cup in said neck are formed on the external surfaces of the sides of said cup and cooperate with the inner surface of said neck.

4. Device as claimed in claim 3 in which said retaining means are ribs on one of said cooperating surfaces.

5. Container as claimed in claim 1 in which the supporting flange of the capsule is substantially parallel to the annular surface of said cap.

6. Container as claimed in claim 1 in which the cap, the capsule and the cup defined surfaces of revolution about the same axis of symmetry as that of the neck of the container when the cap closes said neck.

7. Container as claimed in claim 1 in which the skirt of said cap is substantially parallel to the axis of symmetry of the neck of the container when the cap is mounted thereon, and provided with internal threads which cooperate with external threads on at least the upper part of the neck of the container.

8. Container as claimed in claim 1 in which the bottom of the cup is concave.

9. Container as claimed in claim 8 in which the cup bottom is concave toward the recess in the cap.

10. Container as claimed in claim 1 in which the capsule is in the form of a second cup having sides parallel to the axis of symmetry of the neck of the container when the cap is mounted thereon, the outer diameter of the sides of the capsule being less than the inner diameter of the opening in the bottom of the first-mentioned cup.

11. Container as claimed in claim 1 in which the cap is made of an elastic material.