Technical Field

The present invention relates to a container for fluid products, particularly suitable for containing products used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sector or in the medical and dental sector as well as in the food sector or the like. Background art

The use is known of containers made of polymer material for packaging one or more doses of fluid products, whether pastes, gel or liquids; depending on the number of doses present, the known containers can be of the single-use or reclosable and pluridose type.

Generally, they comprise a containment body of a predetermined dose of product, with a substantially tubular and elongated shape, that has an extremity provided with a neck, at the top of which is defined a product dispensing mouth. The opposite extremity of the containment body has an opening suitable for introducing the product, which is closed after filling, for example, by heat- sealing.

Closing means, associable in a removable way with the container at the neck, allow the dispensing mouth to be closed. The containment body and the closing means can be made separately, using forming methods such as injection moulding, and afterwards be assembled together or, alternatively, they can be made in a single piece and then separated before being used by a user. The containment body, furthermore, has a pair of fins suitable for making it easier for a user to grip the container and which extend, diametrically opposite one another, from the outer side surface of the containment body itself. The known containers can be produced in single units or associated the one with the other in series (strips); in this latter case, the fins of the containment bodies of two successive containers are temporarily associated the one with the other at predefined pre-breaking lines.

With particular reference to the closing means and to their shape according to the different ways of using and manufacture, different types of containers are known.

A first type of known container comprises, for example, the use of a cap having a portion fixed to the neck, during the moulding phase and along pre-established breaking areas, to close the dispensing mouth. The cap also comprises a cavity suitable for housing the neck of the container, with a shutter element for occluding the dispensing mouth, and initially turned towards the outside, in the opposite direction with respect to the portion initially fixed to the neck.

The container is opened for the first time by detaching the cap from the dispensing mouth at the breaking areas and, after the product has been used, the container is closed again by turning the cap upside down and fitting the neck in the cavity, with the positioning of the shutter element inside the dispensing mouth.

The particular shape of the cap however results in the possible exposure of the cavity and of the shutter element to external polluting agents before the first use of the container, and does not therefore guarantee the integrity of the product during subsequent uses.

To restrict the possibility of product contamination, a second type of reclosable container is known, made in a single body, which comprise closing means having a shutter element, of the type of a pin or the like, fitted sealed inside the dispensing mouth, and deformable or breakable elements that connect, without interruption, the closing means to the container body.

Such deformable or breakable elements are suitable for indicating to the user the possible presence of product contaminations due to any tampering and/or accidental opening of the product, thus performing a tamper-evident function.

A third type of container is also known in which the closing means and the containment body are made in separate pieces, subsequently assembled together.

The closing means of such containers generally comprise a handle with a shutter element, of the type of a pin or the like, that can be seal-fitted inside the dispensing mouth, and an annular collar fixable coaxially, by means of interlocking, heat-sealing or gluing, at the neck of the containment body. The handle is associable in a removable way at the outer surface of the collar by means of an opportune weakened area, composed, e.g., of pre-breaking lines, of tearable bridges, of reduced cross sections, etc.

The handle, the collar and the pin are therefore made in a single piece, separately from the containment body, and the collar is subsequently fixed to the neck by interlocking, heat-sealing or gluing, with the dispensing mouth being closed by means of the pin.

These known containers do, however, have some drawbacks.

In this respect, the fact is underlined that for some particular applications, the products contained in the containers have to be mixed together before use.

For this purpose, two different containers have to be opened and the contents of each poured into a container able to receive them before the mix, thus obtained, is used.

The dual operation of opening and pouring obviously represents a disadvantageous additional operation of little practicality and requires execution times that are not negligible, without considering that in these cases, it is necessary to have two or more separate containers, with consequent increase in overall dimensions.

To overcome such drawbacks at least in part, containers have been developed for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food products or the like, in which the containment body is split up into two or more compartments by means of a dividing wall, each compartment being intended to contain different fluid products.

Onto each compartment furthermore, a corresponding dispenser mouth opens closable by means of a respective shutter element; once the shutter elements have been removed, the squeezing of the container results in the simultaneous outflow of the fluid products.

These upgraded containers are however also susceptible to further upgrading aimed in particular at increasing their practicality and efficiency of use. In this respect, the fact is underlined that in the case of the containers with dividing wall, the outflow of the fluid products occurs without these mixing intimately together, or else with only partial mixing. For some types of fluid products on the other hand, it is opportune or even necessary that, before the application, a particularly high degree of product mixing and/or homogenization be achieved. Object of the Invention The main object of the present invention is to provide a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food products or the like, that can be used in a practical, easy, functional and rapid way and, at the same time, has particularly compact and reduced overall dimensions. Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food products or the like, that allows intimately mixing two or more fluid products without any particular difficulties for the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food products or the like that allows to overcome the mentioned drawbacks of the background art in the ambit of a simple, rational, easy, effective to use and low cost solution. The above-described objects are achieved by the present container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food products or the like, comprising at least a hollow body inside which is defined at least a dividing wall suitable for splitting up the inner volume of said hollow body into at least two compartments for containing at least two fluid products, at least a neck which extends from said hollow body and which has at least two dispenser mouths for said fluid products, and closing means for said dispenser mouths, characterized in that it comprises at least a mixing element which is associable with said neck to define a mixing chamber for mixing said fluid products exiting from said dispenser mouths. Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the description of some preferred, but not sole, embodiments of a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food products or the like, illustrated purely as an example but not limited to the annexed drawings in which: figure 1 is an axonometric view of a particular embodiment of containers according to the invention collected in a strip; figure 2 is an exploded view of one of the containers in figure 1 before the assembly; figure 3 is a longitudinal section view of the container in figure 2 in an assembly configuration; figure 4 is an axonometric view, from another angle, of the container in figure

2; figure 5 is a longitudinal section view of the container in figure 2 after opening before use; figure 6 is a cross section view along the VI - VI plane in figure 5; figure 7 is an axonometric view of an alternative embodiment of the container according to the invention; figure 8 is a longitudinal section view of the container in figure 7 after opening before use; figure 9 is an axonometric view of another embodiment of the container according to the invention.

Embodiments of the Invention

With reference to such figures, by 1 is globally indicated a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food products or the like.

In this respect, it must be specified that in this treatise by the term fluid products is not only meant liquid products but also viscous products, for example, in the paste or the gel state, and powdered products, in particular very fine powders having great flowability. With particular reference to the embodiment of the invention shown in figures from 1 to 5, the container 1 comprises a hollow body 2 that is intended to contain two fluid products Pl, P2.

The hollow body 2 has a substantially tubular and elongated shape on the outer surface of which is defined a first pair of gripping fins 3 associable in a removable way with the first gripping fins 3 of one or more adjacent containers

1, so as to form a strip S of containers 1 (figure 1).

At a longitudinal extremity, the hollow body 2 extends in a neck 4 which has a substantially tubular and cylindrical shape with smaller diameter compared to the rest of the hollow body 2, the neck 4 is aligned coaxially with the hollow body 2 and ends in a transversal plate 5.

At the extremity of the hollow body 2 opposite the neck 4 is defined an introduction opening 6 intended to fill the container 1 with the fluid products Pl, P2; the closing of the introduction opening 6 (for example by heat-sealing the lips of the opening itself) is done once the products have been introduced. Usefully, inside the hollow body 2 is defined a dividing wall 7 suitable for splitting up the inner volume of the hollow body 2 into a first compartment 8 and a second compartment 9 intended to contain the fluid products Pl, P2, respectively.

The dividing wall 7 extends along the entire length of the hollow body 2, from the neck 4 as far as the introduction opening 6. By means of the dividing wall 7, the tubular walls of the hollow body 2 are split up into a first wall 10, substantially curved, which together with the dividing wall 7 delimits the first compartment 8, and a second wall 11, substantially curved, which together with the dividing wall 7 delimits the second compartment 9; the first and the second walls 10, 11 are clearly shown in figure 4. Moreover, the dividing wall 7 is at least in part bent on itself.

More in detail, by sectioning the hollow body 2 along a transversal plane, the dividing wall 7 is shaped substantially corrugated and its extension in length is substantially equal to the length of the walls 10, 11 of the hollow body 2. This particular layout of the dividing wall 7 means that when the hollow body 2 is squeezed, both the walls 10, 11 and the dividing wall 7 can be locally stretched along a direction transversal to the hollow body 2 and the walls 19, 20 can be moved into contact substantially coinciding with the dividing wall 7. This, in particular, is very useful during the closing phase of the introduction opening 6 (figures 5 and 6), as it allows squeezing the lips of the introduction opening 6 on the dividing wall 7 without forming ruffles that could negatively affect the heat-sealing and jeopardise the seal and the preservation of the fluid products Pl, P2 inside the container 1. For the outflow of the fluid products Pl, P2 from the compartments 8, 9, the neck 4 has two dispenser mouths 12, 13, one for each compartment 8, 9, obtained through the transversal plate 5.

Alternative embodiments of the present invention are possible in which, inside the hollow body 2 two or more dividing walls 7 are present to define three or more compartments 8, 9 for containing three or more fluid products; obviously in this case the neck 4 has three or more dispensing mouths 12, 13.

Advantageously, the container 1 comprises a mixing element 14 which is associable with the neck 4 to define a mixing chamber 15 for mixing the fluid products Pl, P2 flowing out of the dispenser mouths 12, 13.

The mixing element 14 comprises a cap 16 substantially cylindrical fitted tightly on the neck 4 sliding longitudinally between a first operating position, in which the cap 16 is arranged substantially close to the dispenser mouths 12, 13, and a second operating position, in which the cap 16 is arranged substantially away from the dispenser mouths 12, 13 and which, together with the transversal plate

5 of the neck 4, delimits the mixing chamber 15.

In detail, the cap 16 is sliding longitudinally on the neck 4 between the first operating position and the second operating position.

To make it easier for the mixing element 14 to slide, on the outer side surface of the cap 16 is defined a plurality of substantially round shaped protruding ribs 17 which make it easier for the user to grip and apply force on it to move it from the first to the second operating position.

Usefully, suitable stop means 18, 19 are provided to prevent the cap 16 from sliding in the second operating position. The stop means 18, 19 are composed, for example, of a protrusion 18 which is defined on the inner surface of the cap 16 and of a locator tooth 19 which is obtained at the longitudinal extremity of the neck 4 and can be coupled with the protrusion 18 to prevent the cap 16 from being completely extracted from the neck 4. Usefully, the container 1 has closing means 20, 21 for closing the dispenser mouths 12, 13.

The closing means 20, 21 are defined by two shutter elements fittable sealed in the dispenser mouths 12, 13.

The shutter elements 20, 21 are shaped to define respective pins associated inside the cap 16, substantially parallel with one another and with the longitudinal direction of the neck 4. This way, once the cap 16 has been arranged in the first operating position, the shutter elements 20, 21 are fitted in the dispenser mouths 12, 13 so as to hermetically close the compartments 8, 9 and safeguard the fluid products Pl, P2 contained in them. In the switch from the first to the second operating position on the other hand, the cap 16 drags with it the shutter elements 20, 21 removing them from the dispenser mouths 12, 13 to allow the fluid products Pl, P2 to come out. The mixing element 14 also has an applicator spout 22, which is shaped substantially elongated and on which is obtained an exit opening 23 to allow the fluid products Pl, P2 to come out of the mixing chamber 15. To close the exit opening 23, the container 1 has specific shutter means 24.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the figures from 1 to 6 the shutter means 24 are composed of a covering element 25 fittable on the mixing element 14 to cover the exit opening 23. The covering element 25 is shaped to define two second gripping fins 26 which, in the strip conformation S shown in the figure 1, are associable in a removable way with the second gripping fins 26 of the adjacent containers 1. To prevent the fluid products Pl, P2 inside the hollow body 2 from being purposely or accidentally altered without the user noticing, the container 1 has seal anti-tampering means 27, 28 that are suitable for showing that the container 1 has been opened.

The seal anti-tampering means 27, 28 are made up, for example, of a collar 27, of annular shape, which is connected to the covering element 25 along pre- established fracture areas 28. The pre-established fracture areas 28 are composed, for example, of a series of tearable bridges that connect the inner surface of the collar 27 to the edge of the cap 16. The collar 27 can be fitted around the neck 4 and is intended to be made integral with this, for example by means of a slot-in locking system, or by gluing or, yet again, by sealing (ultrasonic, heat-sealing, or of other type). It is further specified that the covering element 25, the second gripping fins 26 and the collar 27 are made in a single body, e.g. using forming methods such as injection moulding and polymer materials of the polyethylene or polypropylene type.

Similarly, the same forming methods can be used to obtain the shutter elements 20, 21, the cap 16 and the spout 22 to define a second single monolithic body, as well as the hollow body 2 and the dividing wall 16 to define a third single monolithic body.

The hollow body 2 and the dividing wall 7 are therefore initially separated both from the mixing element 14 and from the covering element 25, as shown in figure 2. The container 1 is assembled at a later stage by making the mixing element 14 fit on the neck 4 as far as the first operating position, with contemporaneous fitting of the shutter elements 20, 21 inside the dispenser mouths 12, 13, and therefore making the covering element 25 fit on the mixing element 14 and joining the collar 27 integral with the neck 4. The container 1 thus assembled is shown in figure 3. After assembly, the compartments 8, 9 can be filled with the fluid products Pl, P2 causing them to pass through the introduction opening 6, which is intended to be closed at the end of the filling operation.

The fluid products Pl, P2, therefore, stay inside the hollow body 2 until they are used by the end user. In order for them to outflow from the container 1, in sequence, the covering element 25 is removed, tearing the tearable bridges 28, the mixing element 14 is moved from the first operating position to the second operating position, freeing the dispenser mouths 12, 13 from the shutter elements 20, 21, and finally, the fluid products Pl, P2 are dispensed by squeezing the walls 10, 11 of the hollow body 2.

During outflow, the fluid products Pl, P2 move from the compartments 8, 9 to the mixing chamber 15, where they mix together before exiting through the spout 22.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in the figures 7 and 8. In this embodiment, the container 1 has a hollow body 2 with a dividing wall 7 and a neck 4 substantially identical to those of the preceding embodiments and which, therefore, will not be the subject of a further detailed explanation, and it remains understood that for these it is best to make reference to the above description.

In the embodiment of the figures 7 and 8, furthermore, the mixing element 14 comprises a cap 16 with shutter elements 20, 21, and a spout 22 on which opens the exit opening 23, with the difference however, that the shutter means 24 are not made up of a covering element 25 but instead of a plug element 29 associated with the exit opening 23 along a removable rip-off tearable line. In the case of this embodiment too, the container 1 has second gripping fins 26 which, unlike the above, are associated with the cap 16 of the mixing element 14.

At the base of the cap 16, furthermore, are also associated the seal anti- tampering means 27, 28 composed of a collar 27 identical to that in the figures from 1 to 6, with the difference that, by means of the tearable bridges 28, it is connected directly to the open edge of the cap 16. In this embodiment, in point of fact, the cap 16, the spout 22, the shutter elements 20, 21, the shutter means 24 and the collar 27 are initially made in a single monolithic body intended to be fitted on the neck 4 of the hollow body 2 after forming. In an assembly configuration (figure 7), the collar 27 is made integral with the neck 4, the cap 16 is arranged in the first operating position and the exit opening 23 is closed by the plug element 29.

Before using therefore, the plug element 29 must be torn from the exit opening 23 and the cap 16 must be made to slide along the neck 4 until it is in the second operating position, thereby freeing the dispenser mouths 12, 13 and allowing the fluid products P 1 , P2 to come out (figure 8).

Other embodiments of the present invention cannot however be ruled out such as, e.g., that shown in figure 9. This embodiment is substantially the same as that in the figures 7 and 8 and differs from this only inasmuch as the cap 16 is without the second gripping fins 26 and that in their place are defined a further two series of protruding ribs 17 that make it easier for the end user to grip the cap 16. It has in practice been shown how the described invention achieves the intended objects.

In this respect, the fact is underlined that the particular solution of providing the mixing element according to the invention allows obtaining a container for fluid products, particularly pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food products or the like, inside which the fluid products can be mixed and then dispensed outside once mixed in a practical, easy and functional way.