Receptacles – Closures – Pivotable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-12
2001-03-20
Pollard, Steven (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Closures
Pivotable,
C220S378000, C264S260000, C264S267000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202887
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a case with a sealed closure for cosmetic products, of the type comprising a bottom on which is articulated a cover, the cover and the bottom being provided with complementary closure means.
Cosmetic products often contain volatile compounds and/or compounds sensitive to air. Also, to preserve the qualities of the product contained in the case, there have been provided sealed closures for these. The sealing of the cases is generally carried out with the help of a sealing joint connected to the bottom or the cover of the case and which, during closing, comes into sealed bearing on the cover or on the bottom, respectively, so as to prevent the evaporation of the volatile products or to prevent too great contact with the air.
The sealing joint is generally constituted of a flexible material and is emplaced on the cover or the bottom so as to extend slightly in projection relative to the plane of the cover or the bottom such that it deforms by compression respectively against the bottom or the cover of the case during closing of the case thereby creating the seal.
The sealing joint is connected to the cover or to the bottom of the case either by cementing or by forcible irreversible engagement in a compartment provided for this purpose on the case and a sealing joint is generally present in the form of either a flat joint or of a joint with a circular transverse cross-section bearing sealingly on the flat surface at the periphery of the compartment to be isolated and located facing said joint. Because of the speed of production and to keep the cost economically advantageous, the shape of said joint must remain as simple as possible to permit simple emplacement.
Thus, if the joint had a more complicated shape, for example at the level of those portions coming into a sealed bearing against the case, it would be necessary to cause the production of the case to be able to orient the joint to emplace it correctly.
Such an indexing operation of the joint would be costly in time and in material.
So as to overcome this drawback, the present invention has for its object to provide a case in which there is obtained a sealed joint that can have a complicated shape and this whilst offering simple fabrication of the case which is not too difficult to practice and advantageous from an economic standpoint.
To this end, the invention has for its object a process for the production of a case with a sealed closure, in particular for cosmetic products, of the type comprising a bottom provided with a compartment enclosing the product and on which is articulated a cover, the cover and the bottom being provided with complementary closure means and the cover or the bottom having a sealing joint, in which process the bottom and the cover are obtained by molding, characterized in that the sealing joint is arranged in the bottom or the cover of the case by conjoint molding of said sealing joint and of the bottom or the cover.
Thus, in a preferred manner, the production of the sealing joint and its emplacement in the case are carried out in the course of a single operation. As a result, it is possible to give the joint a particular shape so as to promote sealing of the case and this with a simple production process.
As a result, the shape of the sealing joint can easily vary and have a simple or complicated shape as desired, as a function of the mold in which the molding by co-injection is carried out. The process of production according to the invention therefore permits easily defining the shape of the sealing joint.
The invention therefore also has for its object a case with a sealed closure, in particular for cosmetic products, of the type comprising a bottom provided with a compartment enclosing the product and on which is articulated a cover, the cover and the bottom being provided with complementary closure means, the cover or the bottom comprising a sealing joint, characterized in that the sealing joint is arranged in the bottom or the cover by molding by co-injection of the sealing joint and said bottom or said cover.
In a particularly preferred manner, the sealing joint is thus produced in one piece with the bottom or the cover and can have a complex shape determined by the mold in which the bottom or the cover are co-injected with the sealing joint.
Thus, the joint of a case according to the invention can have at least one flexible lip projecting so as to define a sealing zone at the periphery of the compartment of the case enclosing the product in the closed position of the case.
This flexible lip, continuous along the joint and projecting radially or axially, during the closing of the case, can preferably come into sealed bearing contact against the opposite surface of the case and thereby delimit at least one seal at the periphery.
Preferably, this lip can be subjected in the closed position of the case to an axial compression, which is to say in the plane of the joint, the end of the lip defining a flat sealing zone or else a radial compression, said lip extending along and in sealed bearing contact against one surface of the case according to a particular shape of the latter.
Thus, the bottom of the case can comprise a projecting wall delimiting the compartment and the joint is provided in the cover such that the flexible lip projecting axially from the joint into the cover can define a sealing zone along the external surface of the wall in the closed position of the case, the internal surface of the lip being in sealed bearing contact along said wall.
Preferably, the axially projecting lip also defines a shoulder in the joint such that said shoulder defines a sealing zone on the upper edge of the wall.
The joint can also be arranged such that the axially or radially projecting lip can define a sealing zone on the upper edge of the wall.
According to another embodiment, the joint has at least two projecting flexible lips each defining a sealing zone with the opposite surface of the case at the periphery of the compartment of the bottom in the closed position of the case.
Preferably, these lips project axially, parallel to each other and are preferably of the same size. The end of said lips is in sealed bearing against the joint plane in the closed position of the case.
As a modification, when the bottom of the case has a wall projecting from said base and delimiting the compartment whilst the cover carries the sealing joint, the at least two flexible projecting lips define for one, a sealing zone on the upper edge of the wall delimiting the compartment, and for the other, a sealing zone along the external surface of the wall.
These two lips can extend in axial projection substantially parallel to each other, one of smaller size defining the sealing zone toward the upper edge of the wall whilst the other of larger size defines the sealing zone along the external surface of the wall.
The small lip extends farthest into the cover whilst the larger lip extends about said smaller lip.
As a modification, the sealing joint provided in the cover can have two flexible lips of which one projects substantially radially toward the center of the cover, preferably spaced from said cover, defining a sealing zone on the upper edge of the wall delimiting the compartment in the bottom of the case, whilst the other flexible lip projects axially, defining a sealing zone along the external surface of the wall, said lips defining themselves at least one right angle and preferably an obtuse angle.
A case obtained by the process according to the invention permits having a sealing joint defining at least two sealing zones as has been seen in the embodiments described above. Thus, during the time the case is used, it undergoes a modification of the flexibility of the sealing joint, for example because of purely mechanical reasons or because of certain compounds constituting the product enclosed in the case, such compounds being thus able to modify the properties of said flexible material, the seal is still maintained.
Thus, in a preferred manner, the joint of the case according to th
Lir France
Pollard Steven
Young & Thompson
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