Bottles and jars – Closures – Stopper type
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-23
2001-05-08
Balzeau, Pascal (Department: 3754)
Bottles and jars
Closures
Stopper type
C222S321700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227392
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bottle made of glass, especially quartz glass or crystal glass, or a ceramic material (earthenware, porcelain, some glasses, etc.), intended, in particular, for the packaging and dispensing of cosmetic products, such as perfumes.
2. Background of the Related Art
Most perfumes are packaged in glass bottles which are typically obtained by blowing or by molding. Such bottles typically comprise a closed body which is surmounted by a neck connected to the body via a shoulder and delimiting an orifice allowing the product to emerge. The neck may have a thread on its outer surface, the thread being capable of cooperating with the internal thread of a stopper. Alternatively, a pump or valve capable of being actuated by a push button is mounted, especially by crimping, on the neck. For this purpose, a bead is provided in the vicinity of the orifice delimited by the neck so as to allow the pump or valve to be crimp-fitted. Alternatively, the pump or valve may be mounted on the neck via an intermediate element which is force-fitted into the neck of the bottle, in which case the force-fitting of the intermediate element embrittles the neck and prevents very tight fitting.
Some glass bottles, on at least part of their surface, have cut and polished facets or other reliefs which improve the aesthetic appearance of the bottle. Such facets, made typically by a cutting wheel, may be located especially on the shoulder in the vicinity of the neck, in which case the neck is unavoidably ground or broken by the tools used for carrying out the various operations in the desired locations. The neck may subsequently be rebonded so as to allow a stopper or a pump to be fitted. However, the bottle is brittle in the region of the bonding zone. Moreover, adhesive, in addition to deteriorating over a period of time, may interact with the product contained in the bottle and so may appreciably impair the properties of the product.
EP-A-079,275 and EP-A-0,186,548 describe adaptor assemblies intended especially to be mounted on glass bottles of the neck type, for example in order to receive a stopper. Such assemblies are composed of two parts and require the presence of a neck in order to be mounted. Furthermore, the cost of this two-part adaptor increases the cost of the bottle substantially. Finally, because of their configuration, these adaptor assemblies do not permit the fitting of a threaded stopper or a pump or, at least, require a supplementary mounting part.
Such products may also be contained in bottles made of ceramic, especially porcelains, earthenwares or some glasses. The bottle undergoes various treatments, especially baking or enamelling, allowing it to be made leak-tight or for decorative purposes. These operations, especially baking, may slightly change the dimensional characteristics of the bottle, in particular in the region of the neck, these changes making it difficult to mount a screwed or force-fitted stopper or a pump so as to be leak-tight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the invention, therefore, is to make it possible to produce a bottle, especially made of glass or ceramic, which does not have the disadvantages discussed above.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bottle using materials such as those described above, the bottle being capable of undergoing, in particular in the vicinity of the orifice delimited by the shoulder, a treatment which is especially mechanical (cutting, polishing, grinding) or thermal (baking), a closing and/or dispensing device being mounted on the bottle in an absolutely leak-tight manner.
According to the invention, these and other objects are achieved by providing a bottle from glass or ceramic material, which comprises a body having a bottom and surmounted by a shoulder delimiting an orifice in a plane substantially level with the shoulder, an attached element made of a material of a different type from the material forming the bottle being mounted in the orifice in a leak-tight manner in order to receive in a leak-tight manner a closing element and/or an element for dispensing a product contained in the bottle, and the attached element having a duct communicating with the bottle and opening, outside the bottle onto an outlet port.
Advantageously, especially when a screwed stopper or a pump is to be mounted, the attached element has a portion which emerges outside the bottle substantially beyond the plane of the orifice. The bottom may form one piece with the body or be formed from an attached part made, for example, of thermoplastic. The orifice may be located in the axis of the bottle or be offset.
A bottle, especially made of glass, is thus produced, the aesthetic appearance of which may be selected as desired and which has an attached element which is capable of forming a neck and is mounted in an absolutely leak-tight manner without resulting in a zone of brittleness, and on which any type of closing-off and/or dispensing means may be mounted. The mounting of the attached part does not require the use of adhesive which may deteriorate or be detrimental to the properties of the product which the bottle contains. Moreover, if the attached element is force-fitted, the stresses associated with this type of fitting are exerted on the shoulder which forms a substantially stronger zone than a glass neck. Advantageously, the attached element is force-fitted into the orifice delimited by the shoulder.
The bottle may be made of glass, especially a crystal glass or quartz glass, and at least the shoulder of the bottle has cut facets or other reliefs.
The attached element may be made of thermoplastic, such as a polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, etc. It may be covered with a metal or plastic cladding over at least part of the height of the portion emerging from the bottle. This characteristic is particularly suitable for the stoppering described with reference to the third embodiment described below.
Advantageously, the attached element has, on its outer surface, a shoulder or bead capable of limiting the penetration of the element when the element is being inserted into the orifice of the bottle.
According to a first embodiment, the attached element comprises, on the outer surface of the portion emerging from the bottle, a thread capable of co-operating with a corresponding thread of a closing and/or dispensing element.
According to a second embodiment, the portion emerging from the bottle has a free end, the free end forming an annular bead so as to allow the crimp-fitting of a pump or valve controlled by an actuating means in the form of a push button. The assembly may subsequently be covered by a removable cap.
According to a third embodiment, the bottle comprises a stopper having a central portion which is capable of being inserted in a leak-tight manner inside the duct through the outlet port. The stopper may be made of metal, the central portion advantageously being covered, over at least part of its height, by a thermoplastic sheathing capable of improving the leak-tightness relative to the duct formed in the attached element.
The product may be a cosmetic product, especially a perfume.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3143255 (1964-08-01), Leeds
patent: 3814276 (1974-06-01), Van Gordon et al.
patent: 3830413 (1974-08-01), Birrell
patent: 4140235 (1979-02-01), Rausing et al.
patent: 4165350 (1979-08-01), Greenberg
patent: 4569457 (1986-02-01), Hatakeyama et al.
patent: 4645096 (1987-02-01), Grant
patent: 4708260 (1987-11-01), Siegal et al.
patent: 5275299 (1994-01-01), Konrad et al.
patent: 5447247 (1995-09-01), Derksen
patent: 5515991 (1996-05-01), Heitland
patent: 5522518 (1996-06-01), Konrad et al.
patent: 5642908 (1997-07-01), Mascitelli
patent: 5772078 (1998-06-01), Knickerbocker
patent: 5799836 (1998-09-01), Lee
patent: 5833928 (1998-11-01), Ratajczak et al.
patent: 2 237 269 (1991-05-01), None
patent: WO 88/.02297 (1988-04-01), None
patent: WO 98/13267 (1998-04-01), None
Balzeau Pascal
L'Oreal
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
LandOfFree
Glass or ceramic bottle comprising an attached element does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Glass or ceramic bottle comprising an attached element, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Glass or ceramic bottle comprising an attached element will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2487724