TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention lies in the sector of the manufacture of containers.

In particular, the present invention lies in the sector of the containers used for containing fluid products, like bath or cosmetic products, such as shampoos, body washes, toothpastes, cosmetic creams and the like, or food products, such as food sauces like ketch-up, mayonnaise, etc.

In detail, the present invention relates to a container in the shape of a tube, preferably a collapsible tube suited to be squeezed to allow the product contained therein to flow out.

DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART

Various types of containers which are suited to receive widely used products, like for example bath products such as shampoos, body washes, toothpaste, or cosmetic products, like cosmetic creams and the like or food products such as food sauces like ketch-up, mayonnaise and the like are known.

These containers typically consist of a tubular- shaped main body for containing the product and a closing portion, suited to close the main body, on which an opening for dispensing the product is defined.

A closing cap is then associated with the opening, normally a cap applied by pressure or by screwing.

According to the prior art, during the manufacture of the container, the main body and the closing portion are made separately to be then suitably joined.

The main tubular containment body is preferably made with a plastic material with elastic yielding properties, preferably by means of injection moulding, drawing, rolling or extrusion techniques. The closing portion is also preferably made with a plastic material, typically having greater mechanical hardness characteristics than the main body so as to ensure, for example, a greater mechanical seal in the area of application of the cap.

The closing portion where the opening for dispensing the product is present according to the prior art is in the shape of a truncated cone defined by a sloping surface that from the external peripheral surface of the main body narrows down towards the centre where the dispensing opening is present. The sloping surface favours the flowing of the product flow from the inside of the container towards the dispensing opening, for example when the container is squeezed.

In a widely used type of containers, the angle of inclination of the sloping surface is kept relatively low, for example around 100° with respect to the external peripheral surface of the main body, to contain sizes and use of plastic material.

As mentioned above, during the manufacture of the container, the main body and the closing portion are made separately to be then suitably joined, in particular joined by means of a heat-sealing or laser sealing process.

The connection of the main body to the closing portion takes place at the level of an upper edge of the main body which envelopes a first part of the closing portion and which is folded over a second part of the closing portion. The upper edge is then joined to the closing portion, preferably by means of heat-sealing or gluing or other connection methods, suited to close the edge on the closing portion.

The solution belonging to the state of the art, however, has some drawbacks.

A drawback that this known technique has consists in that, due to the said geometries provided for the closing portion, the joining between the main body and the closing portion is problematic since the folded edge portion of the main body is subject to small folds that hinder the subsequent joining process, for example heat- sealing or gluing.

This has a negative impact on the manufacture quality of the container.

The main object of the present invention is therefore to solve, or at least partially obviate, the aforementioned drawback that characterizes the state of the art.

In particular, an object of the present invention is that of proposing a container that allows to improve the manufacturing process thereof and improve the quality of the final product.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In a first aspect thereof, the present invention therefore relates to a container for a fluid product comprising a dispensing opening suited to dispense said product and associated with a terminal area of said container, said container comprising:

- a main body that extends along a main axis in a tubular shape and is suited to define an internal area for housing said product, said main body comprising a closed bottom area and an edge facing towards said terminal area;

- a closing portion which is suited to close said main body and defined in said terminal area, and on which said opening is defined, said closing portion comprising a joining area suitable for connecting said closing portion to said edge of said main body and a transition area between said joining area and said opening, said edge of said main body comprising a first annular portion suited to be externally connected to a first surface of said joining area and a second portion, folded with respect to said first portion, which extends from said first portion in the direction of said main axis and is suited to be connected to a second surface of said joining area; wherein said first surface and said second surface of said joining area of said closing portion define respective directions which together form an angle included between 115° and 140°, preferably included between 117° and 130°, more preferably equal to 120°.

In a preferred embodiment, the first annular portion of the edge comprises a cylindrical portion and/or the first surface of the joining area comprises a cylindrical surface and/or the second portion of the edge comprises a truncated cone-shaped portion and/or the second surface of the joining area comprises a truncated cone-shaped surface.

Preferably, the transition area defines a respective sloping transition surface, wherein the sloping transition surface identifies a respective direction that defines an angle included between 90° and 110°, preferably included between 95° and 105°, more preferably equal to 100° with respect to the direction of the first surface of the joining area.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the transition area is in the shape of a truncated cone.

In a preferred embodiment, the main body and the closing portion are made of plastic material.

Preferably, the connection of the closing portion to the edge of the main body is a connection obtained by means of a sealing process, preferably a heat-sealing or laser sealing process.

In an alternative preferred embodiment, the connection of the closing portion to the edge of said main body is a connection obtained by means of a gluing process.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the main body comprises at least one elastically yielding portion.

In another aspect thereof, the present invention relates to an assembly comprising a container for fluids and a closing element associated with the container, wherein the container is a container made according to what is described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages, objects and features as well as embodiments of the present invention are defined in the claims and will be clarified hereinafter by means of the following description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing tables. In particular, in the figures:

- Figure 1 shows an axonometric view of a container provided with a cap according to a first embodiment of the invention;

- Figure 2 shows the container of Figure 1 and the cap in the detached position;

- Figure 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the container of Figure 2;

- Figure 4 shows an enlarged detail of Figure 3;

- Figure 5 shows the enlarged detail of Figure 4 with an element removed;

- Figure 6 shows an enlarged detail of Figure 5;

- Figures 7 to 9 show some subsequent steps of manufacture of the container according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Although the present invention is described below with reference to embodiments thereof represented in the drawing tables, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below and represented in the drawing tables.

On the contrary, the embodiment described and represented in the drawing tables clarifies certain aspects of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims.

The present invention has proved to be particularly advantageous when applied to containers suitable for containing products in fluid form. More preferably, the present invention has proved to be particularly advantageous when applied to containers, preferably deformable, suitable for containing bath or cosmetic products, like for example bath products such as shampoos, body washes, toothpaste, or cosmetic products, like cosmetic creams and the like, which therefore are in the liquid form, with a more or less high density, or in paste form. It should be pointed out, however, that the present invention is not limited to such use. On the contrary, the present invention finds convenient application in all cases involving the use of a container, preferably deformable, suitable for containing an easily dispensable fluid product, like for example containers for food products such as food sauces like ketch-up, mayonnaise and the like.

With reference to the attached figures, a preferred embodiment of a container 1 according to the present invention will be described below. The container 1 comprises an opening 7, for dispensing the product, associated with a terminal area 5 of the container 1, or upper end of the container 1, from which the product can be dispensed. The container 1 in Figure 1 is depicted provided with a closing element 50, or cap, in its closed configuration.

The size and the shape of the dispensing opening 7 may be different from time to time as a function of the sizes of the tube and/or of the type of product to be dispensed.

The dispensing opening 7 is preferably defined at the level of the connection means 52 for the cap 50.

The connection means 52 preferably comprise a cylindrical portion suited to receive a corresponding cylindrical conjugated portion of the cap 50 (not visible in the figure).

The container 1 depicted in the figure is a tube-type container for containing fluids consisting, for example, of bath or cosmetic products.

The container 1 is preferably made as a whole of plastic material, as better described below.

In embodiment variants, other types of materials may be used, for example paper. The cap 50 is preferably applied to the container 1 by means of a snap connection.

Also the cap is preferably made of plastic material.

In embodiment variants, however, the cap could be associated to the container in a different way, like for example by screwing, by means of a hinged connection in the solutions known as flip top or with equivalent connection means.

In further embodiment variants, the type of the cap may be of any type and known in the sector.

For example, a pump-type cap can be provided in which the escape of the fluid is favoured by the operation of a mobile pumping element associated with the cap itself, or also a cap arranged for dispensing a foam, or also a cap arranged for dispensing a nebulised product.

The container 1 firstly comprises a main body 2 which defines an internal area 3 for housing the product to be dispensed, this product not indicated in the figures. The main body 2, of tubular shape, extends along a main axis X and comprises a closed bottom area 4, or lower end of the container 1, and an edge 10 facing towards the opening 7 associated with the upper terminal area 5 of the container 1. The main body 2 preferably has a cylindrical tubular shape. In embodiment variants, different shapes may be provided, for example a shape that is elliptical tubular instead of cylindrical.

The bottom area 4 of the main body 2 preferably has a crushed and closed shape along an edge portion 4a. In the case of use of plastic materials, this edge 4a is advantageously obtained by means of closing by heat-sealing after the product has been inserted into the internal area 3 of the main body 2.

The main body 2 develops towards the upper end 5 ending with said edge 6, preferably cylindrical in shape.

At the upper end 5 of the container 1 there is then defined a closing portion 20 which is suited to close the main body 2, or shoulder, on said closing portion 20 there being defined, in turn, the dispensing opening 7.

The closing portion 20 and the main body 2 define a single whole within the container 1 that constitutes the final product, while during the manufacture of the container 1 itself the two parts 20, 2 are made separately to be then joined, as better described below.

For this purpose, the closing portion 20 therefore comprises a joining area 22 suited to connect the closing portion 20 to the edge 6 of the main body 2. On the closing portion 20, a transition area 24 is then identified that extends from the joining area 22 to the dispensing opening 7.

The closing portion 20 advantageously has a shape conjugated to the shape of the main body 2 to which it is connected, preferably therefore a circular shape.

As visible in Figures 4 and 5, the edge 6 of the main body 2 comprises a first annular portion 62 suited to be externally connected to a first surface 32 of the joining area 22 and a second portion 64, folded with respect to the first portion 62, which extends from the first portion 62 in the direction of the main axis X of the main body 2 and is suited to be connected to a second surface 34 of the joining area 22.

According to one aspect of the present invention, as shown in Figure 6, the first surface 32 and the second surface 34 of the joining area 22 of the closing portion 20 define respective directions Yl, Y2 which together form an angle W included between 115° and 140°, preferably included between 117° and 130°, more preferably equal to 120°, the latter being the actual angle W shown in Figure 6.

The first surface 32 of the joining area 22 preferably comprises a cylindrical surface and the second surface 34 of the joining area 22 preferably comprises a truncated cone-shaped area.

Similarly, the first annular portion 62 of the edge 6 of the main body 2 preferably comprises a cylindrical portion and the first annular portion 62 of the edge 6 of the main body 2 preferably comprises a truncated cone-shaped portion.

The transition area 24, which, as said, extends from the joining area 22 to the dispensing opening 7, also preferably is in the shape of a truncated cone.

The transition area 24 defines a respective sloping transition surface 84.

Preferably, according to an aspect of the present invention, the sloping transition surface 84 defines a respective direction Y3 that defines an angle Z included between 90° and 110°, preferably included between 95° and 105°, more preferably equal to 100°, the latter being the actual angle Z shown in Figure 6, with respect to the direction Y1 of the first surface 32 of the joining area.

In this way, advantageously, the transition area 24 extends longitudinally along the main axis X over a height H, indicated in Figure 3, with reduced values to contain the sizes and use of material that makes the container 1 with consequent reduction in the overall dimensions of the container 1 and of the relative production costs. This also results in a reduction in the overall dimensions of the cap 50 which may also have a lower height, the cap 50 preferably being shaped to have a collar 51 suited to cover the transition area 24 of the closing portion 20. In general, the value of the height H of the transition area 24 will depend on the sizes of the container 1, in particular on the sizes of the main body 2 and of the connection means 52 for the cap 50. For example, the height H of the transition area 24 is included between 0mm and 6mm, even more preferably is equal to 3 mm.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the main body 2 and the closing portion 20 are preferably made of plastic material.

The main body 2 is preferably made of an elastically yielding plastic material suited to be squeezed so as to force the fluid to escape from its interior. Plastic materials usable for this purpose consist of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PELLD, PELD, PEMD, PEHD), and other materials known as ABL, PBL, PCR, soft touch resin.

In embodiment variants, it may be provided that only a portion of the main body is elastically yielding and deformable to allow the product to escape.

The closing portion 20 is preferably made of plastic material with characteristics of greater mechanical hardness than the main body 2. This gives an adequate mechanical seal to the connection/disconnection of the cap 50.

In embodiment variants, materials of different type may be used for the main body and/or for the closing portion. For example, a paper material (paper) can be used.

With reference to Figures 7 to 9, the main steps of manufacture of the container 1 are indicated, in particular the steps of connection between the main body 2 and the closing portion 20 with each other.

As indicated in Figure 7, the closing portion 20 and the main body 2, which have previously been made, for example, of plastic by means of injection moulding, extrusion or rolling techniques, are preferably aligned along an insertion direction T.

The closing portion 20 is inserted into the main body 2 so that the first annular portion 62 of the edge 6 of the main body 2 is aligned with the first surface 32 of the joining area 22 of the closing portion 20 (Figure 8).

Subsequently, the second portion 64 of the edge 6 of the main body 2 is folded and brought into contact with the second surface 34 of the joining area 22 (Figure 9).

According to an advantageous aspect, during this step and thanks to the angle W provided according to the present invention, i.e. included between 115° and 140°, preferably included between 117° and 130°, more preferably equal to 120°, the edge 6 adheres on the second surface 34 of the joining area 22 without folds of the edge 6 itself, or possibly with the creation of minor folds.

The closing portion 20 is then effectively connected to the main body 2.

Thanks to the absence of folds, or the presence of minor folds, at the level of the edge 6, this connection phase takes place in a particularly efficient way and with higher quality than the systems of known type, thus improving the quality of the final product, consisting of the container 1.

The connection of the closing portion 20 to the main body 2 will be obtained by means of a connection process that takes into account the type of material of which the closing portion 20 and the main body 2 are made up. For example, preferably, in the case of use of plastic materials, a sealing process will be used, preferably heat- sealing or laser sealing, during which the edge 6 of the main body 2 and the joining area 22 of the closing portion 20 undergo a heating process and a melting and at least partial interpenetration process of the two parts. In embodiment variants, depending on the type of materials used, different connection processes may be envisaged, for example a gluing process with the interposition of a gluing substance. The same advantages deriving from the absence of folds, or the presence of minor folds, at the level of the edge are also obtained for the container made according to this variant, both in terms of the production process and of the final product.

From what has been described it can therefore be seen that the container of the invention allows to achieve the set purposes and in particular allows to improve the process of manufacture of the container and the quality of the container itself. While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular embodiment represented in the figures, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiment represented and described; on the contrary, further variants of the described embodiment fall within the scope of the present invention, which scope is defined by the claims.