FR3000036A1 - TUBE HEAD PROVIDED WITH AN OPERATOR ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPROVED PERFORATOR PLUG ENSURING THE PRESERVATION OF THE OPERATOR PRIOR TO ITS FIRST USE - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an assembly comprising - a tube head (1) comprising a cap, - a plug (2) comprising a punch (22), - a spacer ring (3), the ring (3) being dimensioned by in order to keep the punch (22) at a distance from the lid when the cap (2) is screwed onto the neck (11), characterized in that - said shoulder (12) comprises reliefs cooperating with non-return means (32) ) arranged on the spacer ring (3), so that the unscrewing of the stopper (2) with respect to the neck (11) causes said bridges of material (31) to break in order to separate the spacer ring (3) from the stopper (2); and - the ring (3) and the stopper (2) comprise lugs and housings cooperating so as to limit their relative rotation with respect to one another in the direction of screwing the stopper (2) onto the neck ( 11).

Description

GENERAL TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the field of flexible tubes comprising a cap sealing the neck prior to the first use of the tube, and a perforating plug adapted to perform the piercing of the cap. STATE OF THE ART Known tubes are provided with a cap associated with a perforating plug comprising a punch adapted to perforate said cap when the cap is inserted in a first direction in the neck of the tube, and to be screwed onto the neck when it is positioned in a second direction on the neck of the tube.

The seal makes it possible to keep the product contained in the tube hermetically during storage before its first use, which represents a very important part of the overall service life of the tube.

Such solutions are, however, impractical and not very popular with users. They also lead to having a tube having a punch protruding from its cap during its use and storage, and require a thrust force to pierce the cap using the plug punch. In order to correct these drawbacks, solutions have been proposed in which the plug is placed in the plug, so as to be able to perforate the cap when the cap is screwed onto the tube head.

However, to ensure the preservation of the seal prior to the first use, a spacer ring is disposed between the cap and the shoulder of the tube head, so as to keep the punch away from the seal when the cap is screwed onto the neck. Such solutions, however, are very demanding industrially in that they require the positioning of several parts on the tube head. It has also been proposed to make the cap and the ring in one piece made of material, these two elements being thus connected by material bridges adapted to be broken by screwing or unscrewing the plug. However, the machine positioning of the cap on the tube head then requires extreme precision so as not to systematically break the bridges of material during capping, making this solution unworkable.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to provide an assembly comprising a tube head comprising a cap and a cap provided with a punch adapted to ensure the preservation of the cap prior to the first use, while being usable at the same time. industrial scale for manufacturing operations and positioning the cap on the tube head. For this purpose, the invention proposes an assembly comprising - a tube head comprising a neck defining a longitudinal axis, a shoulder and a solid insert forming a cap sealing said neck, - a plug comprising a punch adapted to cut the lid, said cap being adapted to be screwed onto said neck, and configured so that when said cap is screwed onto the neck, the punch is inserted into the neck, - a removable spacer ring disposed on the shoulder around of the neck, the ring and the cap being formed of a single piece of material and are connected by way bridges, said ring having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of said cap, so as to allow a sliding of the plug through of the ring (3) after breaking said bridges of material, and said ring being dimensioned so as to keep the punch away from the lid when the goatee hon is screwed onto the neck, said shoulder comprises protruding reliefs adapted to cooperate with non-return means arranged on an inner wall of the spacer ring to lock in rotation the ring around the neck in the direction of unscrewing of the cap of the neck, so that the unscrewing of the plug with respect to the neck causes rupture of the bridges of material to separate the spacer ring of the plug; characterized in that the ring and the cap comprise lugs and housings cooperating so as to limit their relative rotation relative to each other in the direction of screwing the cap on the neck to prevent the breaking of said bridges. of material between the ring and the cap during screwing of the cap on the neck.

According to a particular embodiment, said punch is adapted for after removal of the spacer ring from the assembly, when said plug is screwed in abutment against the shoulder, making a partial cutout of said lid to open said neck , the seal being then connected to the uncut portion of the insert by a material bridge.

According to a particular embodiment, said spacer ring comprises a plurality of ribs adapted to center the spacer ring around the neck.

According to a particular embodiment, said spacer ring has a shape of a circle portion of which a free end forms a tongue prehensible by a user.

According to a particular embodiment, said punch has a free end beveled in a plane inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the neck when the cap is screwed onto said neck. Said free beveled end then typically has a semicircular cross section. The invention thus ensures a maintenance of material bridges between the ring and the cap during their screwing on the tube head by an industrial corker, which ensures their relative positioning and thus allows the ring to play a stopper role so to preserve the operculum of any perforation or cutting prior to the first use of the assembly by a user. In addition, this maintenance material bridges between the ring and the cap performs a function of opening control; the presence of material bridges between the ring and the plug during the first use ensures that the plug has never been removed before. PRESENTATION OF THE FIGURES Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows, which is purely illustrative and nonlimiting, and which should be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. sectional view of an assembly according to one aspect of the invention; - Figure 2 shows a view of a plug and a spacer ring of an assembly according to one aspect of the invention; - Figure 3 shows a view of a tube head of an assembly according to one aspect of the invention; - Figure 4 shows a detailed view of the means limiting the rotation of the cap relative to the spacer ring according to one aspect of the invention.

In all the figures, the elements in common are identified by identical reference numerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 shows an exemplary assembly according to one aspect of the invention, comprising - a tube head 1, - a plug 2, and - a removable spacer ring 3. The tube head 1 comprises a neck 11 defining a longitudinal axis Z-Z, a shoulder 12 and a solid insert 13 forming a lid closing said neck 11.

More specifically, the insert 13 comprises a peripheral section 16, typically of frustoconical or disc shape, and a central section 17 forming said lid, whose diameter typically corresponds to the internal diameter of the neck 11. The neck 11 comprises a thread 14 on its outer periphery, adapted to allow screwing the cap 2 on the neck 11. The cap 2 comprises an internal thread 21 adapted to cooperate with the thread 14 of the neck 11, and a punch 22 configured to be inserted into the neck 11 of the tube head 1 when the cap 2 is screwed onto said neck 11. It defines a longitudinal direction of the cap 2, corresponding to the longitudinal axis ZZ of the neck 11 when the cap 2 is screwed onto the neck 11. The ring 3 3 and the plug 2 are integral in one piece, and are thus connected by material bridges 31 shown in Figure 2. The spacer ring 3 is configured as in order to be arranged around the neck 11, resting against the shoulder 12, and thus maintain a spacing between the cap 2 and the shoulder 12 when the cap 2 is screwed onto the neck 11 and the material bridges 31 binder the spacer ring 3 and the plug 2 have not been broken.

More specifically, the spacer ring 3 is configured to keep the punch 22 away from the insert 13 when the cap 2 is screwed onto the neck 11 and the material bridges 31 connecting the ring 3 spacing and the plug 2 have not been broken, thus preventing the punch from coming into contact with the insert 13 and thus preventing it from piercing or cutting the lid formed in the neck 11. FIG. 1 shows this configuration, wherein the spacer ring 3 is connected to the plug 2 by the material bridges 31, and is arranged around the neck 11, bearing against the shoulder 12 while the cap 2 is screwed onto the neck 11. The punch 22 then extends into the neck 11, at a non-zero distance from the insert 13, thus preserving the lid of any cutting or perforation. In this way, the assembly formed of the plug 2 and spacer ring 3 can be screwed onto the neck 11, until the spacer ring 3 abuts against the shoulder 12, the insert 13 being preserved from any punching or cutting as detailed previously.

In addition, the ring 3 and the stopper 3 are made so that the ring 3 has an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the stopper 2, so as to allow the stopper 2 to slide through the ring 3 after breaking said bridges. subject 31.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the punch 22 has a cylindrical section of revolution, a free end 23 is tapered, so that when the cap 2 is screwed onto the neck 11 of the tube head 1 , the free end 23 of the punch 22 is inserted into the neck 11, and be tapered with respect to a plane normal to the axis ZZ of the neck 11, the lid formed by the insert 13 being typically disposed in such a plane normal to the axis ZZ of the neck 11. The free end 23 of the punch 22 therefore has a section of circle forming a plane inclined with respect to the axis ZZ of the neck 11, which coincides with the longitudinal axis of the plug 2. In the embodiment shown, a chamfer is furthermore made at the inner edge of the free end 23 of the punch 22, thus making it possible to reduce the thickness thereof to fit the free end 23 cutting, which facilitates the cutting of the opercul The punch 22 of the plug 2 has a free end 23 similar to that shown in FIG. 1, but extending only over a beveled semicircle as previously described, the punch 22 of the plug 22. another portion of the free end 23 being recessed so as to be recessed from said beveled semicircle. Such a shape promotes the cutting of the seal by the punch, while the previous embodiment performs a cutting of the punch by crushing.

The shoulder 12 of the tube head 1 comprises reliefs 15 projecting radially from the junction between the neck 11 and the shoulder 12. The spacer ring 3 is provided with means such as internal ribs 32, adapted to cooperate with said reliefs 15 to allow its rotation around the neck 12 along the ZZ axis in a single direction corresponding to the screwing direction of the plug 2 on the neck 11, the reliefs 15 cooperating with the ribs 32 to prevent rotation of the spacer ring 3 around the neck 12 in the direction of unscrewing the cap 2 of the neck 11 of the tube head 1.

Figure 3 shows an exemplary embodiment including reliefs 15 having a generally helical shape around the Z-Z axis.

Several embodiments are possible; the reliefs 15 may for example form arcs of circles extending from the center of the neck 11 to form a general spiral shape, or a general form of toothed wheel.

During the first use, the user unscrews the cap 2 of the neck 11. The reliefs 15 and inner ribs 32 then cooperate to block the ring 3 rotating spacing. The spacer ring 3 therefore remains stationary while the plug 2 10 is unscrewed, which causes rupture of the material bridges 31 and the separation of the ring 3 with respect to the plug 2. Once the plug 2 is unscrewed and removed from the 11 neck, the user removes the spacer ring 3 by sliding it along the neck 11, then screws again the cap 2 on the neck 11, until the cap 2 is in abutment against the neck 11 or against the shoulder 12, which causes a cut or perforation of the lid formed by the central section 17 of the insert 13 by the punch 22 of the plug 2, the free end 23 through the central section 17 of the The cutout of the lid is advantageously partial, so that the portion or portions of the lid having been cut remain connected to the remainder of the insert 13, thereby preventing any mixing of the material forming the insert 13 with a product contained in the associated tube, and a possible distribution of this material to the user. By way of example, considering that a complete cut is a cut at 3600 of the cover, that is to say a circular cut made by rotation of the stopper 2, advantageously a cutout of between 250.degree. and 330 °, thus forming a sufficient link to ensure the cohesion between the central section 17 having been cut, and the peripheral section 16. On an industrial scale, corking, that is to say the step in which the cap 2 is screwed onto the neck 11 is typically made by means of a corker. However, it is very difficult to configure such a machine so that it screws the cap 2 on the neck 11 to the precise point where the spacer ring 3 abuts against the shoulder 11 while preserving the bridges of material 31. Indeed, if the rotation of the cap 2 to screw on the neck 11 is slightly too large, the material bridges 31 are broken, and the cap 2 is disengaged from the spacer ring 3. In order to avoid such a risk of rupture of the material mounts 31 during corking, the spacer ring 3 and the plug 2 comprise lugs 34 and housings 35 cooperating in such a way as to limit their relative rotation of one with respect to the other in the direction of screwing the cap 2 on the neck 11 to prevent the rupture of said bridges of material between the ring 3 and the cap 2 during screwing of the cap 2 on the neck 11.

FIG. 4 shows a partial view of an exemplary embodiment in which the lugs 34 are made on the inner surface of the spacer ring 3 in the form of internal ribs while the housings 35 are arranged on the outer periphery of the cap. 2. The view shown in Figure 4 is a sectional view along the plane AA shown in Figure 1. The lugs 34 and housing 35 are arranged to limit the relative rotation between the plug 2 and the ring 3 of spacing that in the direction corresponding to the screwing of the plug 2 on the neck 11 - conventionally clockwise and shown by an arrow in Figure 4, the relative rotation between the plug 2 and the ring 3 spacing in the direction corresponding to unscrewing of the cap 2 of the neck 11 - conventionally counterclockwise - being possible and allowing the user to break the material bridges 31 in order to separate the plug 2 and the ring 3 of espa cement. The lugs 34 typically extend in a plane perpendicular to the axis Z-Z of the neck 11.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the lugs 34 and housings 35 being disjoint, a small relative rotation between the cap 2 and the spacer ring 3 is possible because of a spacing 36 between the lugs 34 and the housings 35. .

The spacing 36 between the lugs 34 and the housings 35 is dimensioned according to the mechanical properties of the material of which the plug 2 and the spacer ring 3 are formed, and in particular its elastic and plastic deformation properties, so that the relative rotation that it allows between the plug 2 and the ring 3 causes a deformation of the material bridges 31 less than its resistance to rupture. According to a particular embodiment, the spacing 36 is equal to 0.5 mm, corresponding to the distance between the lugs 34 and the housings 35 in the absence of deformation of the plug 2 and the ring 3.

The present invention thus makes it possible to ensure the preservation of the bridges of material 31 connecting the stopper 2 and the spacer ring 3 during corking, which thus makes it possible to ensure the preservation of the cover prior to the first use. due to the spacing function provided by the ring making it possible to maintain a spacing between the punch 22 of the plug 2 and the cover of the tube head 1. In addition, the invention makes it possible to provide a control function. 'opening. Indeed, during the first use, the user unscrews the cap 2 of the neck 11; the reliefs 15 and inner ribs 32 then cooperate to lock the ring 3 rotating spacing. The spacer ring 3 then remains stationary while the stopper 2 is unscrewed, which causes rupture of the material bridges 31 and the separation of the ring 3 with respect to the stopper 2 and thus makes it easy to identify a tube having already been used.

Claims (7)

REVENDICATIONS1. Assembly comprising - a tube head (1) comprising a neck (11) defining a longitudinal axis (ZZ), a shoulder (12) and a solid insert (13) forming a lid closing said neck (11), - a plug ( 2) comprising a punch (22) adapted to cut the lid, said cap being adapted to be screwed onto said neck (11), and configured so that when said cap (2) is screwed onto the neck (11) , the punch (22) is inserted into the neck (11), - a removable spacer ring (3) arranged resting on the shoulder (12) around the neck (11), the ring (3) and the stopper (3) being formed of a single piece of material and are connected by way bridges, said ring (3) having an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of said cap (2), so as to allow a sliding of the plug ( 2) through the ring (3) after breaking said bridges of material, and said ring (3) being dimensioned so keep the punch (22) away from the lid when the cap (2) is screwed onto the neck (11), said shoulder (12) comprises protruding reliefs adapted to cooperate with non-return means (32) arranged on an inner wall of the spacer ring (3) in order to lock the ring (3) in rotation around the neck (11) in the direction of unscrewing the cap (2) of the neck (11), so that the unscrewing plug (2) relative to the neck (11) causes rupture of the material bridges (31) to separate the spacer ring (3) of the plug (2); characterized in that the ring (3) and the plug (2) comprise lugs (34) and housings (35) cooperating so as to limit their relative rotation relative to each other in the direction of screwing of the cap (2) on the neck (11) to prevent the rupture of said bridges of material between the ring (3) and the plug (2) when screwing the plug (2) on the neck (11). 2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein said punch (22) is adapted for after removal of the spacer ring (3) from the assembly, when said plug (2) is screwed abutting against the shoulder ( 12), making a partial cut of said lid to open said neck (11), the lid then being connected to the uncut portion of the insert (13) by a material bridge. 3. An assembly according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein said spacer ring (3) comprises a plurality of ribs adapted to center the spacer ring (3) around the neck (11). 4. An assembly according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said spacer ring (3) has a shape of a circle portion 15 of which a free end forms a tongue (33) prehensible by a user. The assembly of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said lugs (34) and the housings (35) are configured to define a gap (36) in the absence of a screwing force, said spacing being equal to 0.5 millimeters. 6. An assembly according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said punch has a free end (23) bevelled in a plane inclined relative to the longitudinal axis (ZZ) of the neck when the cap (2) is screwed. on said neck (11). 7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein said free end (23) beveled has a semicircular cross section. 30