Adapter for connecting a dispenser to a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10322859-B2
Application number	US-201615756521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2016
Priority date	Sep 4, 2015
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

An adapter includes a body piece with an open container end side and a dispenser end side opposite to the container end side, and a collar piece arranged around the body piece. The dispenser end side of the body piece has an orifice. The body piece has a longitudinal axis, a cylindrical outer surface, and a cylindrical inner surface with a container thread oriented towards the container end side. The cylindrical outer surface of the body piece is equipped with a cap thread oriented towards the dispenser end side. The cap thread is arranged to interact with an inner thread of the cap for providing a child resistant closure. A collar piece is connected to the body piece that is freely rotatable relative to the body piece around the longitudinal axis of the body piece. The adapter can be used for efficiently and safely connecting a dispenser to container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adapter for connecting a dispenser to a container having a neck with an exterior thread, comprising:
a body piece with an open container end side and a dispenser end side opposite to the container end side, wherein
the dispenser end side of the body piece has an orifice,

the body piece has a longitudinal axis and a cylindrical outer surface, and
the body piece has a cylindrical inner surface with a container thread oriented towards the container end side,
wherein
the cylindrical outer surface of the body piece has a cap thread oriented towards the dispenser end side, wherein the cap thread of the cylindrical outer surface of the body piece is arranged to interact with an inner thread of a cap for providing a child resistant closure, and
the adapter further comprises a collar piece arranged around the body piece, wherein in a freely rotatable position the collar piece is connected to the body piece such that the collar piece is freely rotatable relative to the body piece around the longitudinal axis of the body piece, and
the collar piece is movable from a torque-proof position along the longitudinal axis of the body piece to the freely rotatable position, and in the torque-proof position the collar piece is connected to the body piece such that the collar piece is non-rotatable relative to the body piece around the longitudinal axis of the body piece.

2. The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the body piece and the collar piece have a snap structure which holds the collar piece in the torque-proof position.

3. The adapter according to claim 2 , wherein the snap structure of the body piece and the collar piece is arranged to release the collar piece into the freely rotatable position upon a force acting on the collar piece along the longitudinal axis of the body piece into the direction of the freely rotatable position.

4. The adapter according to claim 3 , wherein the snap structure is arranged to prevent the collar piece from being moved towards the torque-proof position when being in the freely rotatable position.

5. The adapter according to claim 3 , wherein the snap structure comprises an outer saw tooth arranged at an inner surface of the collar piece and an inner saw tooth arranged at the outer surface of the body piece, wherein the outer saw tooth and the inner saw tooth are arranged to inter-engage.

6. The adapter according to claim 5 , wherein
the outer saw tooth of the collar piece comprises a ramp surface inclined with respect to the inner surface of the collar piece and a stop surface essentially perpendicular to the inner surface of the collar piece,
the inner saw tooth of the body piece comprises a ramp surface inclined with respect to the outer surface of the body piece and a stop surface essentially perpendicular to the outer surface of the body piece,
the ramp surface of the outer saw tooth of the collar piece is adjacent to the ramp surface of the inner saw tooth of the body piece when the collar piece is in the torque-proof position, and
the stop surface of the outer saw tooth is adjacent to the stop surface of the inner saw tooth when the collar piece is in the freely rotatable position.

7. The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the body piece and the collar piece have a blocking structure which prevents a rotational movement of the collar piece relative to the body piece around the longitudinal axis of the body piece when the collar piece is in the torque-proof position.

8. The adapter according to claim 7 , wherein the blocking structure comprises an outer blocking element arranged at an inner surface of the collar piece and an inner blocking element arranged at the body piece, wherein the outer blocking element engages the inner blocking element when the collar piece is in the torque-proof position and the outer blocking element and the inner blocking element do not engage when the collar piece is in the freely rotatable position.

9. The adapter according to claim 8 , wherein the outer blocking element of the collar piece has a tangential contact surface and the inner blocking element of the body piece has a tangential contact surface, wherein the contact surface of the outer blocking element of the collar piece abuts the contact surface of the inner blocking element of the body piece when the collar piece is in the torque-proof position.

10. The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the body piece is dimensioned such that the cap pushes the collar piece from a torque-proof position into the freely rotatable position when being screwed on the cap thread of the body piece.

11. The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the collar piece comprises an outer surface provided with a gripping structure.

12. The adapter according to claim 1 , comprising a dosing chamber which is arranged adjacent to the orifice such that it is accessible by the dispenser through the orifice.

13. The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the body piece is arranged for receiving the cap being the closure of the container.

14. The adapter according to claim 1 , wherein the collar piece comprises a finger rest surface aligned transverse to a direction into which an actuator of the dispenser is pullable for loading when the dispenser is arranged in the orifice of the dispenser end side of the body piece.

15. An adapter for connecting a dispenser to a container having a neck with an exterior thread, comprising:
a body piece with an open container end side and a dispenser end side opposite to the container end side, wherein
the dispenser end side of the body piece has an orifice, and the orifice of the dispenser end side of the body piece is self-resealing,
the body piece has a longitudinal axis and a cylindrical outer surface, and
the body piece has a cylindrical inner surface with a container thread oriented towards the container end side,
wherein
the cylindrical outer surface of the body piece has a cap thread oriented towards the dispenser end side, wherein the cap thread of the cylindrical outer surface of the body piece is arranged to interact with an inner thread of a cap for providing a child resistant closure, and
the adapter further comprises a collar piece arranged around the body piece, wherein in a freely rotatable position the collar piece is connected to the body piece such that the collar piece is freely rotatable relative to the body piece around the longitudinal axis of the body piece.

16. The adapter according to claim 15 , wherein the orifice comprises a valve or septum.

17. An adapter for connecting a dispenser to a container having a neck with an exterior thread, comprising:
a body piece with an open container end side and a dispenser end side opposite to the container end side, wherein
the dispenser end side of the body piece has an orifice,
the body piece has a longitudinal axis and a cylindrical outer surface, and
the body piece has a cylindrical inner surface with a container thread oriented towards the container end side,
wherein
the cylindrical outer surface of the body piece has a cap thread oriented towards the dispenser end side, wherein a ridge of the cap thread of the cylindrical outer surface of the body piece is circumferentially interrupted, and wherein the cap thread of the cylindrical outer surface of the body piece is arranged to interact with an inner thread of a cap for providing a child resistant closure, and
the adapter further comprises a collar piece arranged around the body piece, wherein in a freely rotatable position the collar piece is connected to the body piece suc

Assignees

• Hoffmann La Roche

Inventors

• Gaillot Maxime
• Teucher Mark Digby
• Higgins Daniel
• Ceccaroni Andrea
• Needham Oliver
• Leah Roberta
• Reilly Declan

Classifications

• B65D47/122

  Threaded caps · CPC title

• B65D55/0863 Primary

  Plastic snap-on cap-like collars having frangible parts (collar for maintaining rigid discs in sealing engagement with mouth of containers B65D51/145) · CPC title