Closure cap for a product container, in particular a cosmetic product container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9914566-B2
Application number	US-201214351751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2012
Priority date	Oct 27, 2011
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

A closure capsule comprising a base for fitting on an opening of a container, having an upper surface provided with a dispensing orifice; a cover comprising a device for closing off said dispensing orifice, said cover being able to move with respect to the base between a closed position and an open position in which said closing-off device frees said dispensing orifice, said closing-off device comprising a rolling element arranged so as to rotate in the cover and designed to close off the dispensing orifice when the cover is in the closed position and to roll on the upper surface of the base when said cover is moved between its open and closed positions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A closure cap for a container for a viscous liquid product, comprising:
a base defining a central axis, adapted for attachment at an opening of a container and having an upper surface provided with a product dispensing orifice for dispensing said product from the container;
a cover comprising a blocking device for closing off said dispensing orifice, and movable relative to the base between a closed position where said blocking device closes off the dispensing orifice and an open position where said blocking device frees said dispensing orifice to allow the product contained in the container to emerge, said cover having a certain thickness parallel to said central axis;
wherein said blocking device comprises a rolling element and said cover comprises a housing receiving said rolling element, said housing having a top wall covering the rolling element opposite said upper surface of the base, said rolling element being rotatably mounted in said housing,
wherein the rolling element is adapted to close off the product dispensing orifice when the cover is in the closed position and to roll on the upper surface of the base when said cover is moved between its open and closed positions,
wherein said top wall of the housing in the cover has a product discharge channel, said product discharge channel extending between a first orifice and a second orifice, said first orifice and second orifice being distinct,
wherein said product discharge channel opens upwardly through said first orifice into an inner space defined by said thickness of said cover,
and wherein said product discharge channel opens downwardly through the second orifice into the housing.

2. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein the blocking device comprises an elastic element adapted so that the rolling element exerts a biasing force on the upper surface of the base.

3. The cap according to claim 2 , wherein the elastic element is a coating of elastic material provided at least on the surface of the rolling element in contact with the upper surface of the base, or the rolling element made entirely of this elastic material, and/or an elastic member arranged between the bottom of the housing and the rolling element.

4. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein the rolling element has the general shape of a ball or a cylinder, the dispensing orifice of the base having a seat with a surface of complementary shape that faces said element.

5. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein the product dispensing orifice is off-centered relative to the central axis of the base.

6. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein the cover is movable relative to the base between its open and closed positions in a substantially radial guiding direction, guiding the cover relative to the central axis of the base by means of a guiding device.

7. The cap according to claim 6 , wherein the guiding device comprises a slide system extending in the guiding direction and formed by at least one rail provided on one among the cover and the base and adapted to cooperate with at least one complementary groove provided in the other among the cover and the base.

8. The cap according to claim 7 , wherein the slide system comprises at least two rails protruding from a lower surface of the cover, facing the upper surface of the base and provided with snap-in tabs adapted to cooperate with stop surfaces defined in respective guide grooves provided in the base in order to retain said rails within said grooves.

9. The cap according to claim 8 , wherein the snap-in tabs of the rails cooperate with stop surfaces of the grooves to retain said rails within said grooves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the guiding direction.

10. The cap according to claim 8 , wherein the snap-in tabs of the rails cooperate with stop surfaces of the grooves to retain said rails within said grooves substantially along the guiding direction when the cover is in the open position relative to the base.

11. The cap according to claim 6 , wherein the guiding device further comprises a device limiting the tilt of the cover relative to the base, said device comprising at least two opposite snap-in tabs projecting from one among the cover and the base and adapted to cooperate with each of the edges of a groove provided in the other among the cover and the base.

12. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein it further comprises a sound generating device adapted to indicate the arrival of the cover in the closed and/or open position relative to the base, said device being formed by at least one elastic tab provided on one among the cover and the base and adapted to pass beyond at least one rigid tab provided on the other among the cover and the base when the cover reaches the closed and/or open position relative to the base.

13. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein it further comprises a device for defining stable positions, adapted to stabilize the cover relative to the base when the cover is in the closed and/or open position, said device being formed by the rolling element of the cover cooperating with the product dispensing orifice of the base in order to stabilize said cover relative to said base when it is in the closed position, and cooperating with a complementary hollow provided in the upper surface of the base in order to stabilize said cover relative to said base when it is in the open position.

14. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein at least one sliding pad is provided on one among the cover and the base, said pad being adapted to slide over the other among the cover and the base when said cover is moved between its open and closed positions.

15. The cap according to claim 1 , wherein the cover is rotatable relative to the base, about a pivot axis that is preferably substantially parallel to the central axis of the base, by means of a hinge device.

16. The cap according to claim 15 , wherein the hinge device comprises a sleeve integral with one among the base and the cover and mounted to rotate about the pivot axis on a pivot pin integral with the other among the base and the cover.

17. The cap according to claim 15 , wherein the hinge device comprises at least one elastic tab integral with one among the base and the cover, said at least one elastic tab being adapted to exert a biasing force along the pivot axis on the other among the base and the cover over at least a portion of the path the cover travels between its open and closed positions.

18. The cap according to claim 17 , wherein said at least one elastic tab comprises an indexing stop to indicate the position of the cover in at least one position selected from among the open position, the closed position, or an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position, the other among the base and the cover comprising a cam profile having at least one seat adapted for stabilizing the cover-relative to the base in the chosen position.

19. The cap according to claim 15 , wherein the hinge device further comprises a sound generating device adapted to indicate the arrival of the cover in at least one position selected from among the open position, the closed position, or an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position, said device being formed by at least one elastic tab provided on one among the cover and the base and adapted to pass beyond at least one rigid tab provided on the other among the cover and the base when the cover reaches the selected position relative to the base.

Assignees

• Lvmh Rech

Inventors

• Chevalier Marc

Classifications

• B65D47/286

  between planar parts · CPC title

• A45D34/00 Primary

  Containers or accessories specially adapted for handling liquid toiletry or cosmetic substances, e.g. perfumes · CPC title

• A45D2040/225

  characterised by the opening or closing movement of the lid · CPC title

• B65D41/04 Primary

  Threaded or like caps or cap-like covers secured by rotation · CPC title

• B65D47/268

  the valve member pivoting about an axis perpendicular to the container mouth axis (B65D47/266 takes precedence) · CPC title