Cap assembly for a refill container
AssigneeBnova SA
InventorsJean Claude Guéry, Corinne Herlin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cap assembly for a refill container, including an interface member and a movable sealing element retained in the interface member. The interface member may include a socket, a conduit arranged inside the socket forming a discharge opening, and a connecting wall extending between the socket and the conduit. The interface member may further include at least one abutment element arranged inside the conduit, the abutment element cooperating with the sealing element to position it in a closed position in which the discharge opening is sealed. The sealing element may include a body with a first end including a cap. The body and/or the cap may include a lateral wall with a sealing surface arranged inside the conduit.
Claims16
A cap assembly for a refill container, the cap assembly comprising:
- an interface member;
- and
- a sealing element retained in the interface member and comprising:
- a body having a first end;
- and
- a cap arranged at the first end of the body;
- wherein the interface member comprises a socket, a conduit forming a discharge opening arranged inside the socket and spaced from the socket, and a connecting wall extending between the socket and the conduit to prevent flow between the socket and the conduit;
- the conduit having an upstream end, a downstream end and an inner wall;
- the socket comprising an upstream part adapted to receive a first container, and a downstream part adapted to receive a second container, the downstream part comprising one or more internal reliefs;
- wherein the sealing element is arranged to be partly inside the conduit and is moveable between a closed position in which the conduit is sealed, and an open position in which flow is allowed through the conduit, said sealing element comprising a bearing surface in the downstream part;
- wherein at least one of the body and the cap comprises a lateral wall with a sealing surface configured to cooperate with the inner wall of the conduit to seal it when the sealing element is in the closed position;
- wherein the sealing element further comprises at least one of an aperture and at least one recess forming a passage configured to be crossed by the flow when the sealing element is in the open position;
- wherein the sealing element further comprises safety means comprising one or more retention lugs in abutment with the one or more internal reliefs in order to maintain the sealing element in the closed position;
- and
- wherein the cap assembly is configured such that the sealing element moves from the closed position to the open position when an opening force is applied on the bearing surface.
A set comprising:
- a first container with a neck including a first external relief and a second internal relief;
- and
- a cap assembly comprising:
- an interface member comprising:
- a socket comprising
- a conduit forming a discharge opening arranged inside the socket and spaced from the socket, and
- a connecting wall extending between the socket and the conduit to prevent flow between the socket and the conduit;
- wherein the conduit comprises an upstream end, a downstream end and an inner wall;
- wherein the socket comprises an upstream part on one side of the connecting wall inside of which is arranged the upstream end of the conduit wherein the upstream part of the socket comprises an internal thread and further comprises at least one holding relief on the inner wall, and the internal thread of the socket cooperates with the first external relief of the neck of the first container to screw the first container into the cap assembly, and the holding relief of the socket cooperates with the second internal relief of the neck to fix the cap assembly on the first container,
- a sealing element retained in the interface member and comprising:
- a body having a first end;
- and
- a cap arranged at the first end of the body;
- wherein the sealing element is arranged to be partly inside the conduit and is moveable between a closed position in which the conduit is sealed, and an open position in which flow is allowed through the conduit, said sealing element comprising a bearing surface in the downstream part;
- wherein at least one of the body and the cap comprises a lateral wall with a sealing surface configured to cooperate with the inner wall of the conduit to seal it when the sealing element is in the closed position;
- wherein the sealing element further comprises at least one of an aperture and at least one recess forming a passage configured to be crossed by the flow when the sealing element is in the open position;
- wherein the sealing element further comprises safety means comprising one or more retention lugs in abutment with the one or more internal reliefs in order to maintain the sealing element in the closed position;
- and
- wherein the cap assembly is configured such that the sealing element moves from the closed position to the open position when an opening force is applied on the bearing surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.