ES2990033T3 - Container system for liquid consumables with interchangeable replacement containers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a container system for receiving and dispensing liquid consumer articles, such as cosmetic articles. According to the invention, the container system consists of a main container which can be connected to a pumping device for dispensing the consumer article and which can be connected with replacement containers which are made of material-saving, weight-optimizing and/or fully recyclable materials, in particular renewable raw materials. The aim of the invention, based on the state of the art, is to create a container system with interchangeable containers which allows liquid consumer articles to be stored and dispensed in an environmentally friendly manner and which allows stand-up pouches used as replacement containers to be connected in the simplest possible way between the stand-up pouch and the pumping device. This aim is achieved in that the container system consists of a main container in which the stand-up pouches used as replacement containers are fixed during their insertion in such a way that they can no longer rotate around their longitudinal axis and this fixation is maintained during connection and release between the dosing pump and the stand-up pouches. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Container system for liquid consumables with interchangeable replacement containers

The invention relates to a container system for containing and dispensing liquid consumable materials such as cosmetic products, for example. For this purpose, the container system consists of a main container which can be connected to a pumping device serving to dose the consumable materials and which can be joined with replacement containers consisting of material-saving, weight-optimizing and/or completely recyclable materials, in particular renewable raw materials.

Cosmetic products offered on the market, such as soap, bath additives or shower gel, are predominantly packaged in plastic or glass containers. In addition to the attractive shape in terms of design, these containers often have a pump device for dosing and can be easily operated by the consumer with just a touch of a finger. However, after use, these plastic containers, together with other plastic waste, also end up in the environment in uncontrolled quantities and represent an ever-growing global problem.

As explained in DE 102008030076 A1, among others, beverage cartons are an advantageous alternative to conventional containers made of plastic or glass. Beverage cartons, also known as composite packaging, are used for liquid or viscous bulk materials. In particular, they are used as food packaging, for example for milk or fruit juice. This type of packaging is marketed under the well-known name Tetra Pak. There is often an opening at the top of the packaging with a cylindrical part protruding outwards. There is a thread on the surface of the cylindrical part protruding outwards, which can be screwed onto a closure that also has a thread. This packaging is suitable for “pouring” the bulk material. In contrast to plastic or glass packaging, this packaging takes up less space when folded. Thanks to their standardised size, these Tetra Pak containers are also easy to stack and thus offer efficient logistical advantages. In addition, the empty packaging can be delivered to the filling plant in roll form before filling. Established waste disposal companies ensure that empty packaging is recycled. Today, beverage cartons are also non-returnable packaging. However, the well-known Tetra Pak stand-up pouches and bags are the most environmentally friendly solutions. However, the use of these beverage containers for cosmetic products is hampered by the “pour-over function”, which is mostly possible.

JP 2004-352349 A describes a container device consisting of an outer cylindrical body. A further cylindrical body, containing a liquid, with a nozzle is inserted into the cylindrical body. In order to counteract rotation relative to each other, a fit is formed between the lower end of the nozzle of the inner body and the opening of the outer body. The form provided for this purpose is designed as a mould and a punch which can be joined together. A disadvantage of this container device is the restriction to cylindrical shapes of the parts which can be joined together and the restriction of the fit to an assembly of a female mould with a male mould.

According to US25474212 A, a liquid pump container for holding a flexible container filled with a liquid substance is also known. An outlet block with an outlet opening is provided at the top of the bag. A box is used to hold the bag, the bag consisting of a pair of box components connected to each other by hinges for opening and closing the box components. The shape of the claimed box and the therefore predetermined outer shape of the container as well as the inner receiving space of the container for the container to be replaced limit the range of application of the liquid pump container to a few bag shapes.

In the pump container described in publication CN 205972348 U, the replacement container, which is designed as a bag, is fixed in position by means of a bayonet closure connected to the container. Although this type of closure represents a simple and secure connection between the replacement container and the receiving container, the production of this type of connection is associated with a relatively high economic effort.

Furthermore, KR publication 202011 0000633 U describes a vessel device consisting of an outer and an inner device. Both vessel parts are shaped in such a way that they can be pushed into each other and the connected, leaky vessel top can be screwed on. The pumping device, which extends to the bottom of the inner vessel part, pumps the remaining accumulated liquid from a concentric well of a depression introduced into the inner vessel part. However, the disadvantage of this solution is that the shape of the replacement vessel must match the shape of the vessel device. The vessel device also requires that both vessel parts have the same design.

The task of the invention is therefore to create a container system with interchangeable containers, which allows environmentally friendly storage and dosing of liquid consumables and allows the use of stand-up bags as replacement containers by making it possible to easily connect the stand-up bag to the pumping device.

This task is solved by the container system according to the invention in accordance with the descriptive features of patent claim 1. Further advantageous developments of the container system are described by the features of patent claims 2 to 7.

For the container system created, interchangeable replacement containers are used to store consumables such as cosmetics, which consist of recyclable or other renewable raw materials that save material and/or optimize weight. In contrast to conventional containers made of plastic or glass, these replacement containers represent an environmentally friendly alternative that also has a cost-reducing effect on logistics and manufacturing price. The containers, which preferably consist of cardboard or fully recyclable materials, are advantageously connected to dosing pumps. This efficiently combines the advantages of easy handling when removing cosmetic products with a cost-effective and environmentally friendly container design. In order to retain the attractive design in terms of design and color of conventional containers for cosmetic products, the replaceable containers are housed alternately in fixed containment devices. The containers serve as so-called refill packs. It is advantageous to separate conventional containers in their conventional design into two parts that can be joined together. The upper part is connected to the dosing pump in a conventional manner. In another embodiment, the lid is placed on the base container and then the dosing pump is screwed on. The replaceable container is inserted inside the joined parts. When the parts are joined together, the dosing pump is inserted into the opening of the container. The stand-up pouches are preferably used as refill containers. Once the stand-up pouches have been inserted inside the main container, they can be rotated around their longitudinal axis due to their flexible nature. The torque generated during the process of screwing the dosing pump onto the stand-up pouch is transferred to the stand-up pouch and causes it to rotate around its longitudinal axis. In order to be able to screw the dosing pumps onto the threaded nozzles of the stand-up pouches without damaging them, the nozzles connected to the stand-up pouches are held in position as far as possible by the created fixing solutions.

The invention will now be explained in more detail using an exemplary embodiment. The drawings show Fig. 1: a schematic representation of the components of the container system,

Fig. 2: Schematic representation of the assembled container system with vertical bag,

Fig. 3: Fixing by means of cylindrical fixing elements,

Fig. 4: schematic side sectional view with cylindrical fastening elements,

Fig. 5: Fixing by means of moulded bodies as fixing elements,

Fig. 6: the schematic side sectional view with the molded bodies as fixing elements,

Fig. 7: Fixing by means of curved elevations around the outlet opening of the container lid,

Fig. 8: schematic side section view with the curved elevations as fixing elements,

Fig. 9: fixing by means of an outlet opening inserted in the lid of the container,

Fig. 10: the schematic side sectional view with the outlet opening as fixing means,

Fig. 11: Schematic view of the nozzle with a molded body as fixing means and

Fig. 12: Schematic representation of the vessel with a cavity at the base of the vessel.

The schematic representation in Figure 1 shows the components of the container system. It consists of the main container 1, the container lid 5 and the dosing pump 3. The assembled container system with a stand-up pouch 2 generally referred to as a refill container is shown in Figure 2. The stand-up pouch 2 is recycled in an environmentally friendly manner once it has been emptied. The external visual design of the container in this variant is identical to that of the original container, thus retaining the visually appealing design of the original container. The dosing pump 3 shown schematically in Figure 2 is connected to the container lid 5 in a fixed or screwed manner. Once the stand-up pouch 2 is inserted into the main container 1, it can be rotated around its longitudinal axis due to its flexible nature. As shown in Figure 3, the pouring form (nozzle) connected to the standing bag 2 at the upper end is guided through the outlet opening 6 of the container lid 5 and screwed onto the dosing pump 3 by means of the threaded adapter 8. In order to achieve the required fixed position of the standing bag 2 during the screwing process, four elevations 7 are inserted into the edge of the outlet opening 6. The upper part of the standing bag 2 is inserted between the elevations 7 which are inserted into the underside of the container lid 5. This is done by placing the lid 5 of the container on the standing bag 2. The schematic sectional view in Figure 4 shows the lid 5 of the container in the state fixed to the standing bag 2. Shown are elevations 7 located laterally next to the welded surface of the standing bag 2, which prevent the standing bag 2 from twisting when it is screwed onto the metering pump 3. However, the elevations 7 can also be arranged on the welded surface of the nozzle 4 facing the outlet opening and hook into the openings or recesses in the lid of the container.

Figure 5 shows the schematic arrangement of a moulded body 13 in the outlet opening 6 of the container lid 5. This serves to secure the stand-up bag 2, which is also provided with a corresponding moulded body 13. The schematic sectional view in Figure 6 shows the stand-up bag 2 after it has been inserted into the container lid 5. In this view, the dosing pump 3 is screwed onto the pouring form (nozzle) of the stand-up bag 2.

Figure 7 shows a further variant of fixing the inserted stand-up bag 2. Two semicircular elevations 7 arranged on the underside of the container lid 5 serve as fixing elements. The distance between the elevations 7 is selected so that they leave room for the insertion of the upper part of the stand-up bag 2. Once the container lid 5 has been attached, the stand-up bag 2 is then fixed between the two elevations 7. This fixed state with the screwed-on dosing pump 3 is shown in Figure 8.

In the fixing variant according to Figure 9, the outlet opening 6 is designed so that the standing bag 2 inserted into the outlet opening 6 is positively fixed in the container lid 5. The schematic sectional view in Figure 10 shows this fixing state after the dosing pump 4 has been screwed onto the standing bag 2. The threaded connection itself is made using the threaded adapter 6.

The schematic representation in Figure 11 shows the formation of a nozzle 4 with a moulded body 13 which serves for fixing. However, the moulded body 13 is arranged above the welded surface 11 of the vertical bag 2. The upper connection part of the nozzle 4 has a thread 12 for screwing it onto the dosing pump 3.

The illustration in Figure 12 shows the embodiment of the container with a cavity 9 inserted into the base 10 of the container. This cavity 9 serves as a collection point for the remaining consumables. By means of a suitably long suction tube of the dosing pump 3, the vertical bag 2 is pressed into the cavity 9 and a complete extraction of the consumables is achieved.

Reference sign

1 Main container

2 Vertical bag

3 Dosing pump

4 Nozzle

5 Container lid

6 Exit opening

7 Elevation

8 Threaded adapter

9 Cavity

10 Container Base

11 Welded surface

12 Thread

13 Molded body

Claims (7)

1. Container system for liquid consumables with interchangeable replacement containers made of material-saving and weight-optimizing materials, in particular renewable and/or completely recyclable raw materials, which are designed to be connectable to a dosing pump (3), wherein the container system consists of a main container (1) in which the standing bags (2) serving as replacement containers are fixed when inserted in such a way that they can no longer be rotated along their longitudinal axis and this fixation is maintained by establishing and loosening the connection between the dosing pump and the vertical bags, characterized in that the fixing of the vertical bags (2) is carried out by inserting elevations (7) molded in the upper part and/or in the welded part of the nozzles (4) connected to the vertical bag (2) in cavities of a container lid (5) closing the main container (1). 2. Container system according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing of the vertical bags (2) is carried out by inserting the nozzle (4) between elevations and/or depressions (7) formed inside the lid (5) of the container. 3. Container system according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixing of the vertical bags (2) is carried out by inserting the nozzle (4) between cylindrical elevations (7) formed inside the lid (5) of the container around the outlet opening (6). 4. Container system according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixing of the vertical bags (2) is carried out by inserting the nozzle (4) between elevations (7) formed inside the lid (5) of the container and arranged in a curved manner around the outlet opening (6). 5. Container system according to claim 1, characterized in that the dosing pump (3) is removably connected to the respective vertical bag (2) by means of a threaded adapter (8). 6. Container system according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing of the vertical bags (2) is carried out by inserting the nozzles (4) into cavities molded in the lid (5) of the container. 7. Container system according to claim 1, characterized in that a stationary receiving device is provided for the container system, which serves to receive the main container (1), in which the replacement container containing the consumable materials is arranged and connected to the dosing pump (3) through the lid (5) of the container.