CLOSURE TO SURRENDER FRAGRANCE FROM THE SAME
FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to providing fragrance from a consumer product, and in particular to a closure for a container, to a package for a consumable product, to a consumer product and to a method for supplying fragrance from a product. of consumption.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For the purposes of this specification "consumer product" means packaging for a consumable product, the package comprises a container and a closure for the container and contains a consumable product, typically a liquid consumable product, such as a shampoo. , bath gel, laundry detergent or bathroom cleaning preparation, and typically includes a fragrance, such consumable products are also called "active substances." Fragrance plays an important part in the promotion and sales of a product. In the supermarkets that sell consumer products with removable lids, it is known that customers take a product from a shelf and remove its lid so that they can taste a fragrance included in the consumable product Ref. : 196099
before buying the consumer product. If a loose lid does not re-tighten properly, there is a risk of spillage or contamination of, or damage to, the consumable product. Also, there are some consumable products, for example, liquid cleaning products, which may contain an aggressive constituent, such as bleach, in order to perform its function. The free space (air) above the consumable product in the container may then contain less attractive odors or odors that disperse rapidly in use and, therefore, are not representative of the fragrance that persists after use. Some consumer products have tamper-proof closures or evidence of tampering which can make the product unsaleable. For these reasons, testing the fragrance of a consumable product by releasing a little of the product, or some of the air in the free space above the product, has many disadvantages which the invention is directed to overcome.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention a closure for a container is provided, the closure can be coupled with a container for closing the container and / or has a first part that can be coupled with a second part for closing a container, wherein the closure has a hole and, in use, has a source of fragrance, and
includes a chamber, or, when the first part is coupled with the second part, forms a chamber, the chamber, in use, contains the source of the fragrance, the closure is arranged so that, when used to close a container , the chamber is separated from an internal space of the container and ventilated to the surroundings of the container by the orifice, and, in use, the compression applied to the chamber causes a small amount of the fragrance to be emitted from the chamber through the chamber. hole around the container. The invention includes closure when the closure has the source of the fragrance. Therefore, according to a second aspect of the invention, a closure for a container is provided, the closure can be coupled with a container for closing the container and / or has a first part that can be coupled with a second part for closing a container, wherein the closure has a hole and a source of fragrance, and includes a chamber, or, when the first part is coupled with the second part, forms a chamber, the chamber contains the source of the fragrance, the closure is arranged so that, when used to close a container, the chamber is separated from an internal space of the container and ventilated to the surroundings of the container by the hole, and the compression applied to the chamber causes a small amount of the fragrance is issued from the camera through the hole to the surroundings of
container . The invention can provide a closure that, when used to close a container containing a consumable product that includes a fragrance, allows the fragrance of the consumable product to be tested (by applying compression to the closure chamber to make a small amount of a fragrance similar to, or identical to, the fragrance of the product is emitted through the orifice around the container) without opening the container. Repeated compression can be applied to the chamber to cause repeated small amounts of the fragrance to be emitted through the hole. Because the closure of the invention avoids the need to open the container, the risk of spillage or contamination or damage to the consumable content contained in the container is reduced, as well as the probability of removal of a tamper-proof closure or of evidence of manipulation. Moreover, where the consumable product contained in the container is such that the free space contains odors that are not representative of the fragrance that persists after the use of the consumable product, the closure of the invention allows to test the fragrance that persists after the use of the product. consumable product. Of course, it is not essential that the fragrance of
The source of the fragrance is representative of a fragrance included in the consumable product contained in the container. The fragrance of the source of the fragrance may, for example, be a fragrance included in a consumable product different from that contained in the container. Where the closure has a first part that can be coupled with a second part for closing a container, it is contemplated that the closure can be formed integrally with the container, for example, by molding. However, preferably, the closure is adapted to be coupled with a container. In preferred embodiments of the invention the closure is provided with a threaded portion for engagement with a corresponding threaded portion of a container. In the first, second and third embodiments of the invention the closure is a screw cap comprising a first wall, which, when the screw cap is used to close a container, separates the chamber from an internal space of the container, and a second wall in which the hole is formed and which, but for the hole, separates the chamber from the surroundings of the screw cap. In the first and third embodiments, the wall is flexible, such that when the closure is used to close a container, and the container is tightened to increase an internal pressure inside the container, the internal pressure
Increased resulting in compression of the first flexible wall and consequently, compression of the chamber and emission of a small amount of the fragrance from the chamber through the orifice to the surroundings of the container. In the second embodiment, the second wall is flexible and accessible to be tightened, so that tightening the closure results in compression of the second flexible wall and, therefore, compression of the chamber and emission of a small amount of the fragrance from the camera through the hole to the surroundings of the closure. In a fourth embodiment of the invention, the closure is a folding lid assembly comprising a nozzle through which, when the assembly is attached to a container, a consumable product contained in the container can be assorted, and a hinged lid that can be coupled with the nozzle to close the nozzle, the nozzle forms a first wall, which, when the hinged lid is coupled with the nozzle, separates the chamber from an internal space of the container, and the hinged lid forms a second wall in which the orifice is formed and which, but for the hole, separates the chamber from the surroundings of the hinged lid assembly. The first wall can be favorably permeable by the fragrance of the fragrance source.
In this way, where the closure is used to close a container containing a consumable product that would otherwise cause the free space above the consumable to contain less attractive odors or odors that quickly disperse in use and, therefore, not are representative of the fragrance that persists after the use of the consumable product, the closure can introduce a fragrance into the free space so that, when the container is opened, the free space contains the fragrance instead of less attractive odors or odors that are dispersed Quickly in use. In the fourth embodiment the collapsible lid is formed with an elastically deformable bubble such that compression of the bubble results in compression of the chamber and emission of a small amount of the fragrance from the chamber through the orifice to the surroundings of the chamber. closing The invention includes within its scope a consumer product before the latter has been filled with active substance or loaded with the fragrance. Therefore, according to a third aspect of the invention a package for a consumer product is provided, the package comprises a container having an internal space for containing an active substance of the product, the container having an opening, a closure that in
the use closes the opening and is removable from the container for the purpose of dispensing the substance from the container, the closure includes a chamber defined by a first wall separating the chamber from the internal space of the container and by a second wall having a hole in it. the same and that separates the camera from the surroundings of the product, the camera in use contains a source of fragrance in such a way that the compression applied to the camera causes a small amount of fragrance to be emitted from the camera through the hole and to the surroundings without the emission of any active substance. The invention also includes within its scope a package for a consumable product, the package comprising a container and a closure for the container, before the first has been filled with a consumable product. According to a fourth aspect of the invention a package for a consumable product is provided, the package comprises a container and a closure for the container, the closure can be coupled with the container to close the container and / or has a first part that it can be coupled with a second part to close the container, wherein the closure has a hole and a source of fragrance, and includes a chamber, or, when the first part is coupled with the second part, forms a chamber, the chamber contains the source of the fragrance, the closure is arranged in such a way that,
when used to close the container, the chamber is separated from an internal space of the container and ventilated to the surroundings of the container by the hole, and the compression applied to the chamber causes a small amount of the fragrance to be emitted from the chamber through the hole around the container. The invention also includes within its scope a container and a closure for the container not only before the first has been filled with a consumable product, but also before the second has been loaded with a fragrance. According to a fifth aspect of the invention a package for a consumable product is provided, the package comprises a container and a closure for the container, the closure can be coupled with the container to close the container and / or has a first part that it can be coupled with a second part to close the container, wherein the closure has a hole and, in use, has a fragrance source, and includes a chamber, or, when the first part is coupled with the second part, forms a chamber, the chamber, in use, contains the source of the fragrance, the closure is arranged such that, when used to close the container, the lid is separated from an internal space of the container and ventilated to the surroundings of the container. container through the hole, and, in use, the compression applied to the chamber
causes a small amount of the fragrance to be emitted from the chamber through the hole in the vicinity of the container. Where the closure has a first part that can be coupled with a second part to close the container, the first part of the closure can be formed integrally with the container. However, preferably, the closure can be coupled with the container, and even more preferably, can be coupled by means of threads. According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a consumer product comprising a container having an internal space containing an active substance of the product, the container having an opening, a closure which closes the opening and is removable from the container to supply the substance from the container, the closure includes a chamber defined by a first wall separating the chamber from the internal space of the container and by a second wall having a hole in it and separating the chamber from the surroundings of the product, the chamber contains a fragrance source such that compression applied to the chamber causes a small amount of the fragrance to be emitted from the chamber through the orifice and into the surroundings without the emission of any active substance. Therefore, testing the fragrance does not exhaust the
Consumable product or involves breaking the seal that surrounds the space that houses the consumable product so that the risk of spillage of the latter is avoided. This means that there is complete freedom to choose the nature of the fragrance in relation to the consumable product. Normally, the fragrance will be representative of the fragrance of the consumable product, but it is possible that the fragrance is not so representative. For example, the fragrance could promote a complementary or contrasting product. Preferably, the consumable product is a consumable liquid product. The consumer product can be designed so that the compression applied to the camera can result from manually and directly tightening a wall of the camera, for example, by making the chamber wall flexible and accessible to be tightened, either as a result of the camera projecting from the container or being removed from the container. However, it is preferred that the chamber be located within the container in such a way that the container is tightened to increase the internal pressure inside the container, this elevated internal pressure results in compression of the first flexible wall of the chamber and the consequential emission of a small amount of fragrance. In some modalities the camera is located in a
free space in the upper part of the container, and allows the invention to be put into practice with modification of the closure but without modification of a conventional container or its consumable product and without significant change in appearance. Preferably, the closure is a threaded cap and the container has a neck on which the cap is threaded, the circular disc-type upper portion of a conventional cap is modified so that the first wall depends on the upper part of the cap in the neck of the container and the second wall extends over the top of the lid. The first wall is conveniently tubular, has a tubular side wall and a closed bottom end and is positioned on the neck of the container, with the full gap between the side wall and the neck of the container. Although in one embodiment the tubular side wall is cylindrical, so that the side wall is circular, the side wall can be favorably flattened, so that the side wall is, for example, elliptical. This can facilitate the compression of the first wall and, consequently, the emission of a small amount of fragrance. According to a seventh aspect of the invention a consumer product is provided comprising a container having an internal space containing a product
consumable of the consumer product, the container has an opening for filling the consumable product from the container and a closure that closes the opening, the closure can be coupled with the container to close the opening and / or has a first part that can be attached with a second part for closing the opening, wherein the closure has a hole and a source of fragrance, and includes a chamber, or, when the first part is coupled with the second part, forms a chamber, the chamber contains the source of the fragrance, the closure is arranged in such a way that, when used to close the opening, the chamber is separated from an internal space of the container and ventilated to the surroundings of the container by the hole, and the compression applied to the chamber causes a small amount of the fragrance is emitted from the chamber through the hole in the vicinity of the container. According to an eighth aspect of the invention there is provided a method for dispensing a fragrance from a consumer product having a container with an internal space containing an active substance of the product and with a chamber containing the fragrance, the method comprising pressing the product and, consequently, cause a small amount of fragrance to be emitted without the emission of any active substance from the internal space. It is preferred, as mentioned above, that the
The user tightens the container and that the resulting increased pressure within the container causes a small amount of fragrance to be emitted from a fragrance source contained within a chamber separated from the space within the container. The invention is particularly applicable to products such as hair shampoos and bath gels where the fragrance can be very similar to, or identical to, the fragrance of the active substance. In the case of products that include more aggressive constituents such as bleach (e.g., certain cleaning or laundry preparations), the fragrance may be representative of the fragrance that persists or remains after the active substance has been placed on. use and remains for a period of time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES A consumer product and four closures forming preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view Through the upper part of the consumer product, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of
a lid closure of the product of figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the closure cap of figure 2 in use for measuring a dose of a consumable product of the consumer product; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a second closure cap; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the second closure cap tightened to cause a dose of fragrance to be dispensed from the cap; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third closure cap; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the third closure cap with compression applied to the cap chamber to cause a dose of fragrance to be dispensed from the cap; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a hinged lid assembly in a closed position; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the hinged lid assembly in an open position; and Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the collapsible lid assembly with compression applied to the lid chamber to cause a dose of fragrance to be dispensed from the lid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The consumer product, a homemade cleaning preparation, comprises a plastic container 3 containing a consumable liquid product 4 (cleaning liquid) above which there is a free space 5 that extends to the neck 13 of the container. A closure cap 2 has a main plastic body screwed onto threads molded integrally on the external surface of the neck 13. The body of the lid 2 has a cylindrical dependent wall 12 which seals in a sealable manner against the internal surface of the upper end of the neck 13. Molded in an integral way with, and dependent on the upper part of, the lid body is a flexible tubular wall 6 terminating at a closed bottom end and defining a chamber 9. The chamber 9 houses a substrate 7 impregnated with a fragrance (indicated by reference 8) representative of the fragrance of the consumable liquid product 4. The substrate 7 consists of quilted crimped polyester fibers. The use of the quilted crimped polyester fibers gives rise to a substrate that expands substantially to fill the chamber 9, but is easily deformable when the flexible tubular wall 6 is compressed. The circular upper part of the lid body (and the upper part of the chamber 9) is closed by a disc-shaped wall 10 having a
central hole formed by a tiny hole 11. Thus, the wall 6 projects down to the free space, is sealed from it, and is surrounded with the full radial gap by the neck 13. When the consumer product is in a In a supermarket, a potential buyer can squeeze the container 3 which causes an increase in the pressure in the free space 5. This in turn compresses the wall of the chamber 9 and increases the pressure in the chamber, which causes a small pulse or small amount of fragrance of the substrate is emitted through the tiny hole 11, without the emission of any fragrance of the consumable product or of the free space 5. The consumable product 4 remains sealed in the container until the closure cap 2 it is unscrewed from the neck of the container 13, when the consumable product 4 can then be poured through the open neck. This action is usually performed after the consumer product has been bought and taken home and the action of unscrewing the lid 2 will cause a small amount of fragrance of the substrate to be emitted as a result of the compression applied to the container to resist the moment of rotation applied to the lid. It will be appreciated that the container 3 (and the consumable product) may be conventional, only the cover of
Closing 2 requires modification to practice the invention. In Figure 3 a dose of consumable product 4 has been poured from container 3 to cover 2. The closed end of flexible wall 6 (denoted in Figure 3 by reference numeral 15) is used to determine when the dose Correct of the consumable product 4 has been poured into the lid. When the surface of the consumable product 4 is at the level of the closed end 15 of the flexible wall 6, the correct dose has been measured. It is believed that a more consistent dosage of the consumable product is possible by using the closed end 15 because it can not form meniscus against the flexible wall 6, and there is no ambiguity as to the level of the surface surface of the consumable product that would arise if the level of the surface was measured against the outer wall of the lid. Turning to Figure 4, a second closure cap 20 comprises an outer portion 22, an inner portion 24 and a source of a fragrance in the form of an annular paper substrate 26 impregnated with a fragrance. The outer portion 22 of the lid is cup-shaped and has a tiny hole 28 in the middle of its closed end. The open end of the outer portion 22 is formed with an external threaded portion 30 for engagement with threads within the neck of a container (not shown). The outer portion 22 is formed
with an annular edge projecting radially inwardly approximately half way along its length. The inner portion 24 of the lid also has a cup shape and is formed with an annular edge projecting radially outwardly 34. The substrate 26 is fixed at the center of the outer surface of the closed end of the inner portion 24, then the inner portion 24 is introduced with the closed end first to the open end of the outer portion 22. The inner portion 24 is pushed to the outer portion 22 until the edge 34 of the inner portion splices with the edge 32 of the outer portion, after which the edges 32 and 34 are joined together to form a chamber generally in the shape of cup between the inner surface of the closed end of the outer portion 22 and the outer surface of the inner portion 24. Figure 5 shows the closed end 38 of the outer portion 22 of the lid 20 when it is squeezed to cause a small amount of fragrance to be supplied from the chamber 38 through the hole 28. The outer portion 22 of the lid is elastic and returns to the shape shown in Figure 4 when it is released. Figure 6 shows a third closure cap 40 comprising a cup-shaped external portion 42, a plate-like internal portion 44 and an annular paper substrate 46 impregnated with a fragrance. A sleeve 48 is
extends from the outer surface of the outer portion 42 toward the open end of the outer portion. The internal surface of the sleeve is threaded for engagement with threads on the outside of a neck of a container (not shown). An edge projecting radially outwardly 43 extends from the open side of the plate-like internal portion 44 and is attached to the inner surface of the closed end of the external portion 42, to form a chamber 50 between the surface internal of the closed end of the outer portion 42 and the internal surface of the closed side of the inner portion 44. A tiny hole 52 in the center of the closed end of the outer portion 42 ventilates the chamber 50. When the lid 40 is threaded onto the neck of a container, the open end of the neck of the container is sealed by the closed end of the sleeve 48. Figure 7 shows the inner portion 44 when subjected to compression as a result of a container (not shown), whose lid is used to close, is squeezed, to increase an internal pressure in the container. The compression of the inner portion 44 reduces the volume of the chamber 50, which causes a small amount of fragrance to be expelled from the chamber through the orifice 52. The inner portion 44 is flexible and returns to the shape shown in Figure 6 when the container is released or the lid 40 is removed from the container. The inner portion 44 is a
membrane formed of. polyethylene and is sufficiently porous so that the fragrance of the substrate 46 can diffuse through the inner portion 44 into the free space of the container, but the membrane is still deformed when the internal pressure of a container closed by the lid 40 is increased to the tighten the container. Turning to FIG. 8, a hinged lid assembly 60 comprises a generally cup-shaped nozzle portion 62 joined by a hinge made of the same material 64 to a hinged lid 66, to which a paper substrate impregnated with an adhesive is attached. fragrance. An internal surface of the nozzle portion is provided with threads for engagement with threads on an outer surface of the neck of a container (not shown). The closed end of the nozzle portion 62 is formed with an opening (denoted in FIG. 9 by reference numeral 70) through which a consumable product can be dispensed from the container when the flip-up lid is open, as it is shown in figure 9. The hinged lid 66 is generally plate-shaped and is formed with a plug (denoted in Figure 9 by the reference numeral 72), which projects from the inner surface of the lid and forms a sealing fit in the opening 70 when the lid is closed, as shown in figure 8.
When the hinged lid 60 is closed, as shown in Fig. 8, a chamber 74 is formed between the outer surface of the closed end of the portion 62 and the inner surface of the lid 66, around the opening 70 and the cap 72. . The substrate 68 is contained in the chamber 74. The hinged cover 66 is formed with a hole 76, which ventilates the chamber 74, and a flexible bubble 78. The bubble 78 can be compressed to reduce the volume of the chamber 74 to cause a dose of the fragrance to be emitted through the orifice 76. This is shown in Figure 10 with a compression force exerted on the bubble 78 by a finger which is represented by an arrow denoted by the reference numeral 80. The bubble 78 is elastically flexible and, therefore, returns to the shape shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 when the compression force is removed from the bubble. Conventional folding lid assemblies for consumer products (ie, flip-up lid assemblies without the substrate 68, bore 76 and bubble 78) are often provided with a tamper evident seal in the form of a sleeve with thermoplastic packing surrounding the union between the threaded portion and the hinged lid, to prevent the hinged lid from being opened. In order to test a fragrance of a consumable product contained in a container closed by a conventional flip-up lid assembly, the evidence tamper seal must be
to break. The hinged lid assembly of the invention can be used to test the fragrance of the consumable product contained in a container closed by the hinged lid assembly without breaking the evidence tamper seal, which is a feature of considerable value. It will be apparent that the above description refers only to four embodiments of the invention, and that the invention includes other embodiments as defined by the appended claims. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.