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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a cap with a dispenser particularly suited to be
used on bottles or flagons containing liquids, for instance, cosmetics,
liquid soaps, shampoos, sun lotions and the like.
The indication of its use is given as an example only but is not meant to
limit the field of application of the cap according to the invention.
2. Description of Related Arts
Caps for containers of liquid cosmetics, such as shampoos or lotions are
available on the market. Their mode of operation consists essentially in
the fact that the cap comprises a dispenser for liquids which can be
operated by the user. One of the known caps, for instance, has at the
upper end of the cap itself a plastic hollow insert, which is hinged
around a horizontal axis and can rotate from a horizontal to a vertical
position, so that, when the insert is in its horizontal position, the
liquid is prevented from pouring out of the bottle, while, when the insert
is set in its vertical position, the opening which is present at the
bottom of the cap and in contact with the neck of the bottle is aligned
with the channel of the vertical insert, thereby allowing the liquid to
flow out of the bottle. Since the bottom of this insert has a cylindrical
shape and the bottom rotates on a surface which is also cylindrical,
wherein there is the opening for the outflow of the liquid, this type of
cap does not present any special problem connected with the leakage of the
liquid, when the cap is in its closed position. However limitations of the
just described cap consist in that the opening and closing operations must
be performed by the operator with both hands, i.e. with one holding the
bottle and with the other operating the rotation of the insert.
Another type of cap which is used in the same field of cosmetic products
presents an essentially cylindrical body with a vertical opening and an
upper element having essentially the shape of a disc presenting underneath
a little hollow tube for the outflow of the liquid. The upper element
engages the cylindrical body, is hinged to it and can rotate by a certain
angle when it is pressed with the finger tips. When the upper element is
in its horizontal position, it shuts the hollow tube belonging to the
central body, through which the liquid would flow out; on the other hand,
when the upper element is pushed with a finger and arranges itself at an
inclined position, the tube belonging to the central body and the channel
which is present on the rotating element are aligned. While this cap
presents the advantage that it can be opened and closed with a single hand
holding the flagon or the bottle, it has the limitation of not being
suited for dispensing very fluid liquids, since its seal is rather
precarious, so that the liquid may pour out even when the cap is in its
closed position or the liquid besides pouring out of the channel also
leaks through the space between the rim of the cap body and the rotating
element.
The main purpose of the present invention is to overcome the mentioned
inconveniences.
The main proposed purpose is to realize a cap with a dispenser for liquids
which is perfectly sealed, regardless of the density of the liquid to be
dispensed and which can be operated with the same hand holding the bottle.
Another proposed purpose is to obtain a cap with a dispenser being shaped
so as to compensate for possible variations of the thickness of the bottle
neck, so that a perfect seal is obtained between the cap and the rim of
the bottle neck.
All above-mentioned purposes and others, which will be better understood
hereafter are fulfilled by a cap for liquids, made of plastic material,
comprising a main, essentially cylindrical body which tightens on a bottle
or flagon and presents an upper surface, which is concave toward the
exterior, with an opening communicating with a channel belonging to the
liquid-dispensing element, which is connected with said body, so that it
can rotate around an axis being perpendicular to the geometrical axis of
said body and wherein said cap is characterized in that said element
presents an essentially cylindrical, upper, outer, flat part, which is
hinged onto the upper rim of the main body and a lower part having the
shape of a socle and acting as a base and having its lower surface in a
partially cylindrical shape and sliding on the correspondingly shaped
concave surface belonging to the main body, wherein said base part
presents an opening belonging to a channel whose first section, beginning
from said opening, is essentially vertical and whose second section is
essentially perpendicular in relation to the first and is obtained
underneath the flat surface of the dispensing element, and it ends with an
opening on the lateral rim of said element. One of the advantages given by
such a shape of the cap is that the hermetic tightness of the connection
is always insured both when the dispensing element is in its open, liquid
dispensing position and when it is in its closed position.
In the first case the tightness occurs between the opening belonging to the
main element, which is present on the concave surface of the main
cylindrical body and the opening belonging to the dispensing channel which
is connected with the opening.
When the dispensing element is in its closed position, the base belonging
to the dispensing element presents, as will be described hereafter, an
indentation which lies over the ring-shaped projection which is present
around the opening of the concave surface of the main cylindrical body, so
that the hermetic tightness is insured in this case, too.
Another advantage obtained with the cap according to the present invention
is represented by the fact that the opening and closing operations can be
performed with a single finger belonging to the hand holding the container
on which the cap is applied, without any need to use the other hand.
This fact is not unimportant since it makes it easier to use the liquid
held in the container in the most varied situations, without causing any
discomfort to the user.
Another advantage which will be pointed out arises from the fact that the
essentially round shape in the convex area of the main cylindrical body
which rests on the rim of the container neck allows it to rest on the
whole rim of the container, regardless of the variations in the thickness
of the container, which are possible particularly in containers made of
glass. This permits a wider flexibility of application and a decreased
need of observing dimensional tolerances in the manufacture of the
container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become
apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it
should be understood that the detailed description and specific example,
while indicating a preferred embodiment of the invention, are given by way
of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the
spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in
the art from this detailed description, and from the drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows in a perspective view the main body of the cap;
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the dispensing element which is
connected with the upper part of the cap;
FIG. 3 shows in a perspective view the bottom of the base of the dispensing
element;
FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the cap as a whole, therefore comprising its
main cylindrical body and its dispensing element, wherein the dispensing
element is in its closed position;
FIG. 5 shows, also in a cross-section view, the cap according to the
invention with the dispensing element in its opened position suited for
the outpour of the liquid.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of the dispensing element shown in
FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the mentioned Figures, it will be observed that the cap
according to the invention, indicated as a whole at 10, has an essentially
cylindrical body 1 and having two co-axial surfaces, wherein the outer
surface is indicated at 2 and the inner, shorter surface is indicated at
3. The inner surface 3 also presents a thread 4 on the side not facing
surface 2. The thread 4 is the thread which engages the corresponding
thread on container 5, thereby tightening cap 10 on the container. In the
upper junction between the cylindrical surface 3 and the cylindrical
surface 1 there is a concave junction surface 6, whose concavity, which is
turned to the exterior of the cap, is well visible in FIG. 1. The concave
surface has an opening 7, arranged essentially in the central position and
around its edge there is a ring-shaped projection 8; it will be described
hereafter how this ring-shaped projection permits the tightness between
the dispensing element and the body 1 of the cap.
By observing FIG. 1 it will also be noticed that on the concave surface 6
of the main cylindrical body 1 there are two more linear projections
indicated at 9 and 11 respectively, arranged at opposite sides in relation
to opening 7. As will be seen, The projections are used as stops for the
opening and closing movements of the dispensing element connected with the
main body 10.
The dispensing element, indicated as a whole at 20, consists of an upper
part in the shape of a disc 21, presenting a rim 22 underneath which there
is a channel indicated as a whole at 23.
The channel 23 is essentially in the shape of a right angle and it has a
first vertical section 24 and a second section 25 which is tangent to the
lower surface of disc 21. The vertical section 24 ends with a hole 26
belonging to the base 27 which has a cylindrical shape with its generating
lines which are parallel to the axis of rotation of the dispensing element
20, the axis passing between the two diametrical pivots 28, one of which
is represented in FIG. 2. The pivots 28 are lodged within the slits 29
which are present in the lateral rim of the concave surface 6 belonging to
the main cylindrical body 1. On the base 27 and on the surface which is in
contact with the concave surface 6, next to hole 26 there is a round
annular surface 30 which, as can be observed in FIG. 4, when the
dispensing element is in its closed position, closes and seals opening 7,
since it superimposes itself over the ring-shaped projection S.
Thus a perfect tightness against the outflow of the liquid held in the
bottle or container is insured, said tightness being insured by two
simultaneous factors: the first one is the already mentioned one. i.e. the
hermetic closing of opening 7, while the second one is represented by the
fact that the convex surface 12 opposite to the concave surface 6 rests
against the entire rim 13 of container 5 and thereby insures the seal
against the outpour of the liquid contained in the bottle regardless of
the position of the latter. When an impression 31 of the dispensing
element 20 is pressed, the dispensing element is caused to rotate, as can
be observed in FIG. 5, and the conveying channel 23 is set into
communication with opening 7, so that the liquid contained in bottle 5 can
pour out. On this subject it can be observed that the stop 9 insures the
correct position of the dispensing element 20 and it also insures that the
ring-shaped projection 8 is inserted within the mouth of hole 26 belonging
to the channel section 24. Thus, all of the liquid flows out of hole 32
without being dispersed in the chamber which is created in the space
comprised between the concave surface 6 and the lower part of the
dispensing element 20. On the other hand, when the cap is closed, as can
be observed in FIG. 4, the correct closed position is insured by stop 11.
In correspondence with this position the indentation 30 of base 27
superimposes itself on the ring-shaped projection 8.
As can he seen, the cap according to the inventions fulfills the proposed
purposes, since a cap has been obtained which, while it is easy to handle
with a single hand, also offers, whether when closed or opened, a good
tightness, so that in its opened position it allows the outpour of the
liquid exclusively through the opening of the dispensing element, and in
its closed position it operates as a complete seal both around the neck of
the bottle and on the hole belonging to the cap itself and connected with
the dispenser.
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