ASSEMBLY FOR CLOSING A PIPE AND PIPE COMPRISING THIS ASSEMBLY.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- MX2021015050
- Authority / Receiving Office
- MX · MX
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2019-06-07
- Filing Date
- 2021-12-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-12
- Estimated Expiration
- 2040-06-03
Smart Images
Figure MX434831B0
Abstract
Description
ASSEMBLY FOR CLOSING A PIPE AND PIPE COMPRISING THIS ASSEMBLY DESCRIPTIVE MEMORANDUM The present invention relates to an assembly for closing a tube and a tube comprising this assembly. Tubes are known that are provided with a plug associated with a perforation cap comprising a punch adapted to perforate said plug. The cap allows the product contained within the tube to remain hermetically sealed during storage prior to its first use, which represents a very important part of the tube's entire service life. Some caps have a punch located on the cap that protrudes so it can pierce the stopper when the cap is screwed onto the tube head. To ensure the stopper is preserved before first use, a ring is positioned between the cap and a shoulder of the tube head to keep the punch away from the stopper when the cap is screwed onto the neck. In this position, the cap is in a so-called transport or standby position before first use. To pierce and / or cut the cap, the user must first unscrew the cap, then remove the ring, and finally screw the cap back on until the plug is pierced and / or cut once it has reached one end of its travel, also called the closed position. The number of steps is restrictive for the user, who often does not understand the purpose of the ring, nor necessarily realize that a plug must be pierced before using the tube for the first time. It is known from document LU 88845 that a cap is provided with a punch that is held in the rest position without a removable ring. The neck comprises a housing in which a threaded portion, located on the cap, can be locked in that position. The threaded portion is then used to screw the cap onto the neck in a position that allows the cap to be pierced and cut when the tube is first used. The cap can then be screwed or unscrewed for later use or left in place when equipped with a resealable service cap dispensing system. However, there are several disadvantages to this device. First, the lid is placed on the neck in the standby position using methods that operate at very high speed. Therefore, this operation must be carried out with high reliability in order to provide satisfactory repeatability. The device described in document LU 88845 produces a rib that engages the threaded portion in the housing, allowing it to be held in its resting position by radial deformation of the cap. Manufacturing tolerances remain relatively high, typically exceeding one-tenth of a millimeter, in this direction, which is detrimental to achieving the desired locking effect on all caps produced, particularly when using slides for demolding. To overcome this first disadvantage, the present invention proposes, according to a first aspect, an assembly for closing a tube, said assembly comprising a tube head, provided with a neck and a cap, said assembly defining a guide path, a thread and a portion of the thread that allows the cap to be placed on the neck in cooperation with the guide path and the thread, said assembly comprising first and second stops for said portion of the thread, said stops being angularly spaced and defining a passage between the guide path and the thread, said assembly being configured to allow axial displacement of the portion of the thread through the passage with a non-return effect by at least one of said stops. According to this first aspect of the invention, the stops that allow the cap to be placed in the desired location while preventing its return to the previous configuration, particularly a configuration where the cap can be detached from the neck, are positioned at an angle to one another. In this way, the corresponding step size is controlled more precisely, particularly in the case of a cap and neck demolded with slides. This provides a manufacturing process with improved repeatability. According to this first aspect, the invention may also comprise any of the following features, taken individually or in any technically possible combination forming as many embodiments of the invention as possible, including the features of the other aspects of the invention detailed below: said tube head is further provided with a plug that closes said neck, said cap is provided with a punch adapted to pierce said plug, said neck and said cap are configured to guide the cap from an initial position where the cap does not engage with the neck to a standby position where the punch is held at a distance from said plug, in particular after the threaded portion has passed through said passage and then from said standby position to a closing position where said punch has pierced said plug, said guide path permits passage from the initial position to the standby position and said threading permits passage from the standby position to the closing position, one of the two between the guide path and the threading induces a screwing in the clockwise direction of rotation of the cap,The other of the two between the guide path and the thread induces a screw in the direction of rotation in the counterclockwise direction of the cap, the guide path induces the rotation in the counterclockwise direction of the cap and the thread induces the rotation in the clockwise direction of the cap, the neck comprises the guide path and the thread and the cap comprises the portion of the thread, the first stop forms one end of said guide path, said assembly comprises a shoulder that connects an origin of a first thread of the threading and the first stop, the second stop is formed by means of an axial partition, the second stop forms the origin of a second thread of the threading, said assembly comprises a third stop configured to block a screw of the cap after the cap is placed on the neck, said third stop comprises a wall,extending transversely from a lower partition of the thread, said wall extending axially partly through said thread, an angular extension between the second and third stops is simply greater than an angular extension of the portion of the thread. Another drawback of the device described in document LU 88845 is the torque required to properly close the lid on first use. In fact, with the lid used in this document, it is necessary to simultaneously pierce the plug and compress a seal to ensure an airtight closure. This torque requirement can cause discomfort to the user. To overcome this other drawback, the present invention proposes, according to a second aspect, an assembly for closing a tube, said assembly comprising a tube head provided with a neck and a plug that closes said neck, said assembly further comprising a cap provided with a punch adapted to pierce said plug, said neck and said cap being configured to guide the cap in the neck to a closing position in which the cap has pierced the plug, passing through an intermediate position in which the punch has finished piercing said plug, as well as causing a deformation of the material that seals the closure, said assembly being configured so that the passage through the intermediate position takes place before the deformation of the material that seals the closure. Material deformation means, for example, crushing the material or similar that causes a seal. According to this second aspect of the invention, by sequencing the operations corresponding to, on the one hand, the piercing and, on the other hand, the compression of the material to create a hermetic seal, a configuration is obtained in which the torque exerted (nene m / Lznz / B / YiAi) is more constant during the placement of the cap on the neck, which is more convenient for the user. The deformation of the sealing material only occurs once the piercing of the cap is complete. In other words, during the deformation used for sealing, a cut can be made in the cap simultaneously, but the piercing occurs beforehand. In particular, in the case of a punch with a plurality of teeth, all the teeth pierce the cap. According to this second aspect, the invention may also comprise any of the following features, taken individually or in any technically possible combination forming as many embodiments of the invention as possible, including the features of the other aspects of the invention detailed herein or below: The cap is screwed onto the neck as it passes through the intermediate position and into the closed position. The neck and cap are configured to guide the cap from an initial position where the cap is not engaged with the neck to a standby position where the punch is held at a distance from the plug, and then from the standby position to the closed position, particularly by screwing. The cap and neck are configured such that the intermediate position is located downstream of the standby position along the direction of the cap's movement to the closed position. The assembly comprises a threaded portion and a thread for screwing the cap onto the neck. The assembly includes a stop configured to block the screwing of the cap in the standby position. The assembly is configured such that the threaded portion has passed the stop before the plug is punched.said assembly further comprises an anti-return stop configured to prevent the cap from moving out of the closed position, said assembly being configured so that said stop is passed after passing into an intermediate position, the punch comprises a plurality of teeth, said intermediate position being the position occupied by the punch when all the teeth have pierced said cap, said punch comprises a base having an external cylindrical portion and said neck comprises an internal cylindrical portion, said internal and external cylindrical portions being intended to flatten against each other to achieve the sealing of said closure, said cap comprises an upper part from which said base of the punch extends, said punch comprising an external chamfer extending from said base and connected to a distal part of the punch,nene m / ίζηζ / ε / γίΛΐ said portion of the neck against which the base of the punch is intended to be crushed is located in axial extension of a chamfer, located at an open end of the neck, said distal part of the punch has an external diameter smaller than an internal diameter of the neck., According to another disadvantage of the device described in document LU 88845, the cap includes a non-return stop that holds the cap in place once it is closed. However, this stop is located on the thread used to guide the cap onto the neck, and the portion of the thread used to screw the cap on must pass over this stop with force. This can damage the stop and requires the user to apply additional torque. This stop can also give the user the impression of a hard point at the end of the travel, indicating that the cap is closed when it is not yet closed. The puncture of the plug by the punch may not be complete, preventing the proper flow of the product contained in the tube. There is also a risk that the seal will not be completely airtight. To overcome this other disadvantage, the present invention proposes, according to a third aspect, an assembly for closing a tube, said assembly comprising a tube head provided with a neck and a plug that closes said neck, said assembly also comprising a cap provided with a punch adapted to pierce said plug, said neck and said cap being configured to guide the cap to a closing position in which said punch has pierced said plug, said cap comprising a side skirt provided with at least one radially opening notch, said neck comprising a projection configured to cooperate angularly with said notch to block the removal of the cap, once said cap is in said closing position. According to this third aspect of the invention, the projection that allows the lid to be locked in the closed position does not come into contact with the features used to guide the lid to its closed position. Instead, it is located at a distance and cooperates with a specific feature, primarily the notch provided in the lid, to effect the desired locking. This prevents damage to the features used to guide the lid at the neck and ensures that the correct end-of-stroke position is identified. According to this third aspect, the invention may also comprise any of the following features, taken individually or in any technically possible combination forming as many embodiments of the invention as possible, including the features of the other aspects of the invention detailed herein or below: said notch opens into a free edge of said skirt to impart radial resilience to the cap in the vicinity of said notch, said projection is configured to radially extend said skirt before the cap reaches the closed position, said projection has an edge provided with an inclined portion and a straight portion, said inclined portion being configured to radially extend said cap and said straight portion being located at the level of a part of the projection that forms a non-return stop for the cap once in the closed position, said assembly comprises a thread and a portion of the thread configured to cooperate with said thread to screw the cap into said closed position, said assembly is configured so that said portion of the thread reaches said closed position by moving away from said projection, said projection extends axially from a terminal end of a lower thread of the thread,The assembly further comprises a travel stop for the lid in the closed position, the travel stop being configured to cooperate with the threaded portion once the projection is engaged in one of the notches. The assembly comprises a plurality of the notches and a plurality of the threaded portions, each of the threaded portions being located angularly between two adjacent notches. The lid comprises a service cover. According to another disadvantage of the device described in document LU 88845, the punch protrudes inside the receptacle when the lid is closed. This limits the product's return speed. In fact, the product in the receptacle at the level of the punch is blocked by it and cannot penetrate the neck. To overcome this other disadvantage, the present invention proposes, according to a fourth aspect of the invention, an assembly for closing a tube, said assembly comprising a tube head provided with a neck and a plug closing said neck, said assembly also comprising a cap provided with a punch adapted for piercing said plug, said neck and said cap being configured to guide the cap to a closing position in which said punch has pierced said plug, said punch comprising one or more teeth for cutting the plug extending from a free edge of the punch, at least an angular portion of said free edge, called the pitch portion, being configured to remain in the neck in said closing position. According to this fourth aspect of the invention, an angular portion of the punch does not penetrate the tube and therefore nothing opposes the flow of the product, which can thus be distributed more completely. According to this fourth aspect, the invention may also comprise any of the following features, taken individually or in any technically possible combination forming as many embodiments of the invention as possible, including the features of the other aspects of the invention set forth herein or hereafter: said pitch portion of the punch's free edge is level with a lower end of the neck, said teeth are distributed over an angular portion of the punch, called the cutting portion, bounded by two of said teeth located angularly on either side of said cutting portion, said pitch edge is formed by an angular portion of the punch complementary to said cutting portion, said teeth have vertices that are axially offset from each other, the axial offset of the vertices of the teeth increases in a direction of displacement of the cap towards said closing position, said teeth have substantially identical height and extend axially from an angular portion of the free edge that has an axial offset from one tooth to the other, said teeth have substantially identical profile, said plug is located at the bottom of the neck,said cover is screwed onto said neck over at least part of its length, said cover comprises a service cover. It should be noted that, according to another aspect, the invention relates to an assembly for closing a tube, said assembly comprising a tube head provided with a neck and a plug that closes said neck, said assembly further comprising a cap provided with a punch adapted to pierce said plug, said neck and said cap being configured to guide the cap to a closing position in which said punch has pierced said plug, said punch comprising a plurality of teeth for cutting the plug that extend from a free edge of the punch, said teeth having vertices axially displaced from each other, said teeth having a substantially identical height and extending axially from an angular portion of the free edge that has an axial displacement from one tooth to the other. According to this aspect of the invention, an axial displacement of the tooth vertices is achieved without having to use smaller and therefore more fragile teeth than others. The invention also relates to a tube comprising a closure assembly as described above. Additional features, purposes, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, which is merely illustrative and not limiting and should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tube head for a tube closure assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention, from a first viewing angle. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tube head of Figure 1 from another viewing angle, Figure 3 is a side view of the tube head of Figure 1 from the first viewing angle, Figure 4 is a side view of the tube head of Figure 1 from another viewing angle, Figure 5 is a side view of an assembly according to the invention comprising the head of Figure 1 and a transparently glossy cover, according to the first viewing angle, in a first position of the cover, Figure 6 is a side view of the assembly in Figure 5 from the other viewing angle, in the first position of the lid, Figure 7 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the first viewing angle, in a second position of the lid, Figure 8 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the other viewing angle, in the second position of the lid, Figure 9 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the first viewing angle, in a third position of the lid, Figure 10 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the other viewing angle, in the third position of the lid, Figure 11 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the first viewing angle, in a fourth position of the lid, Figure 12 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the other viewing angle, in the fourth position of the lid, Figure 13 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the first viewing angle, in a fifth position of the lid, Figure 14 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the other viewing angle, in the fifth position of the lid, Figure 15 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the first viewing angle, in a sixth position of the lid, Figure 16 is a side view of the assembly according to Figure 5, from the other viewing angle, in the sixth position of the lid, Figure 17 is a diametral cross-sectional view of the assembly according to Figure 5 in the fourth position of the lid, Figure 18 is a diametral cross-sectional view of the assembly according to Figure 5, in the fifth position of the lid, Figure 19 is a diametral cross-sectional view of the assembly according to Figure 5, in the fifth position of the lid, Figure 20 is a perspective view of a distal edge of a cap punch from the assembly of Figure 5; the orientation of the cap has been reversed from the previous figures. As illustrated in Figures 1 to 19, the invention relates to an assembly for closing a tube, in particular a flexible tube. The assembly comprises a tube head 3 and a cap 30. The tube head 3 comprises a neck 10 and a plug 5 that closes the neck 10, herein at the bottom of the latter. In other words, the plug is placed at the end of the neck in fluid communication with the tube reservoir. The cap 30 comprises a punch 7 adapted to pierce the plug 5. The punch 7 is configured in particular to pierce and then cut the plug 5. Advantageously, the plug is only partially cut so that it remains attached to the tube head 3 by means of a portion of material. The neck 10 and the cap 30 extend substantially along a longitudinal axis A (see Figure 17) passing through their center. In what follows, the term axial is understood to be oriented parallel to said longitudinal axis A. The cap 30 is movable in rotation and / or translation with respect to said neck 10 along said longitudinal axis A. Said neck 10 and said cap 30 are configured to allow guiding the cap 30, in particular from an initial position, illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, to a waiting position, illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, and then from said waiting position to a closing position, illustrated in Figures 15 and 16. When cap 30 is in its initial position, it is not engaged with the neck 10. Cap 30 is in this initial position at the start of the cap placement movement onto the tube head 3. This placement, also known as capping, is performed particularly on production lines. Therefore, it is important to allow for simple, reliable, and repeatable kinematics to minimize production incidents. Advantageously, when cap 30 is placed onto the tube head 3 on production lines, it is guided into the neck 10 along the guide path 21, along which it is simultaneously pushed into the tube head and rotated counterclockwise. When cap 30 is in the standby position on neck 10, punch 7 is held at a distance from plug 5. Cap 30 is in this rest position at the end of the initial movement of placing cap 30 on the tube head 3. It is in this position that the assembly is sold before the tube is filled. It is also in this standby position that the assembly is sold to the consumer after the tube has been filled. This assembly provides support in the rest position without the use of an additional part such as a spacer ring. As illustrated in Figures 15, 16, and 19, when the cap 30 is in the closed position, the punch 7 has pierced the plug 5. The cap 30 then hermetically seals the tube into which the assembly is fitted. The closed position can also be described as the position of use, where the cut in the plug 5 determines the starting point for using the tube in which the closing assembly 1 is mounted according to the invention. In particular, the cap 30 may be intended to remain in the closed position. This is especially true when the punch 7 is in the form of a hollow barrel and has an opening (not illustrated) on the upper side of the cap 30. Thus, once the cap 30 is in the closed position on the neck 10, access to the internal volume of the tube into which the assembly is fitted is possible through this opening.According to an embodiment not shown, the opening of the neck 30 is closed by a cover connected to the cap 10; the cap and cover optionally form a service cap. In this way, the cap 30 can be held in the closed position on the neck 10 while still allowing access to the internal volume of the tube and sealing this access. In addition to the guide path 21, said assembly comprises a thread 22 and a portion of the thread 11 allows the cap 30 to be placed on the neck 10 by cooperation with the guide path 21 and the thread 22. The guide path 21 and the thread 22 are more particularly visible in Figures 1 to 4 while the portion of the thread 11 is more particularly visible, in transparency, in Figures 5 to 16. As illustrated more particularly in Figures 5 and 6, when guided from the initial position to the rest position, said portion of the thread 11 cooperates with the guide track through a front end 12 of said portion of the thread 11. As illustrated more particularly in Figures 11 to 16, said portion of thread 11 is intended to cooperate with said thread 22 by means of screwing. Said cover comprises a side skirt 23 having an inner face where said portion of the thread 11 is located. Said portion of the thread 11 has a substantially trapezoidal cross section, intended to cooperate with the thread 22. Said portion of the thread 11 extends longitudinally along axis A, radially inwards into the cover 30 from the skirt 23 and angularly between its front end 12 and a rear end 13. The angular portion of said portion of the thread is, for example, between 30 and 90°. According to a first aspect of the invention, said assembly comprises a first stop 24 and a second stop 25 for said portion of the thread 11. Said stops are angularly separated and define a passage 26 between the guide track 21 and the thread 22. Said assembly is configured to permit axial displacement of the portion of the thread 11 through the passage 26. Furthermore, once said passage 26 is passed through said portion of the thread 26, at least one of said stops, in this case the first stop 24, is configured to prevent the return of said portion of the thread 21 through said passage 26. The cap 30 is then locked in the neck 10 by a press fit and can no longer be disengaged from the neck 10. This kinematics allows for clear identification of the arrival at the waiting position by modifying the trajectory of the cap 30, which now changes from a movement that includes a rotation along the guide path 21 to an axial movement to cross the step 26, instead of the kinematics according to which the arrival at the waiting position occurs in the continuity of a screw thread. Furthermore, the neck 10 has an outer partition 14 that remains smooth without ribs or grooves at the level of the step 26, the press-fit effect of the thread portion 11 being solely due to the angular section of the step 26, which is chosen to be smaller than a section of the thread portion 11. The accuracy of these dimensions is more easily controlled than a radial dimension and can be less than one-tenth of a millimeter, particularly in the case of injection molding of the tube head 3 and / or the cap 30. In the illustrated embodiment, said cover is in said waiting position after passing through said step 26. In other words, said guide path 21 allows passage from the initial position to the waiting position and said thread 22 allows passage from the waiting position to the closing position. Advantageously, one of the two between the guide path 21 and the thread 22 induces a screw-in in a clockwise direction of rotation of the cap 10, the other of the two between the guide path 21 and the thread 22 inducing a screw-in in a counterclockwise direction of rotation of the cap 10. In the present, the guide path 21 induces a counterclockwise rotation of the cap 10 and the thread 22 induces a clockwise rotation of the cap 10. Preferably, the neck 10 comprises the guide path 21 as well as the thread 22 while the cap 30 comprises the portion of the thread 11. In this assembly, the first stop 24 forms one end of the guide track 21. The assembly further comprises a shoulder 27 connecting the origin of a first thread 28 of the thread 22 and the first stop 24. In this way, the origin of the first thread 28 and the first stop 24 are axially separated. Specifically, the first stop 24 forms a rounded section that joins the guide track 21 and the shoulder 27. The second stop 25 is formed, for example, by means of an axial parting. The second stop 25 forms the origin of a second thread 29 of thread 22. Said second thread 29 advantageously forms a lower axial stop when said portion of the thread 11 passes through said pitch 26. Preferably, said assembly comprises a third stop 31 configured to block a screw-on of the cap 30 after the cap 30 has been placed on the neck 10 and more precisely, in the present case, when said cap 30 is in the standby position. In other words, in the standby position, the thread portion 11 is axially locked upwards by the first stop 24 and downwards by the second thread 29, unscrewing by the second stop 25 and screwing by the third stop 31. In Figures 7 and 8, the portion of thread 11 is passed through step 26, while in Figures 9 and 10, said portion of thread 11 is placed between the various stops mentioned in the previous paragraph. The third stop 31 comprises, for example, a wall 32 extending transversely from a lower portion of the thread 22. This wall 32 has a constant thickness. The assembly has an acute angle between the wall 32 and the second thread 29. The wall 32 extends radially between a lower portion of the thread 22 and a free distal edge, and axially between the second thread 29 and a free radial edge. Preferably, the wall 32 extends partially axially through the thread 22. The axial extension of the wall 32 allows adjustment of the torque required to pass the third stop 31. Preferably, an angular extension between the second 25 and the third 31 stops is simply greater than an angular extension of the thread portion 11. Said third stop 31 is placed herein under said first thread 28 being slightly offset angularly from said first stop 24 in the screwing direction. This guide path 21 is formed, for example, by means of a third thread that ends at the first stop 24. Once it passes the third stop 31, the portion of the thread 11 is configured to slide through the screw between the first 28 and second 29 threads. In the additional movement of the cap 30, said neck 10 and said cap 30 are configured to guide the cap 30 in the neck 10, herein by means of screwing, to the closed position through an intermediate position, which is illustrated in Figures 13 and 14, where the punch has finished piercing said plug 5. In the case where, as illustrated, the punch 7 comprises a plurality of teeth 50, said intermediate position is the position occupied by the punch 7 when all the teeth 50 have pierced said plug 5. Furthermore, as already mentioned, said neck 10 and said cap 30 are configured in such a way that the guide, in the present case the screwing, of the cap 30 on the neck 10 causes a deformation of the material that makes the closure airtight. According to a second aspect of the invention, the assembly is configured so that the passage through the intermediate position occurs before the deformation of the sealing material. This configuration is achieved by selecting the axial dimensions (nene m / ίζηζ / B / γίΛΐ) of the punch 7 and the neck 10. This sequencing avoids the need to provide excessively high torque compared to a configuration where sealing would begin before the end of the drilling. The seal can be created when the plug 5 is cut, after the drilling is complete. In fact, the applicant has observed that the torque required for cutting is much lower than that required for drilling. Advantageously, the cap 10 and the neck 30 are configured so that the intermediate position is located downstream of the standby position, in accordance with the direction of the screw-in guide of the cap 30 towards the closed position. In other words, in the example illustrated in relation to the first aspect of the invention, the assembly is configured so that the portion of the thread 11 has passed the third stop 31 before the cap begins to be drilled. Taking Figures 11 and 12 and Figure 17 together, it can be seen that punch 7 makes contact with plug 5 while the threaded portion 11 is still interacting with the third stop 31. However, the drilling of plug 5 does not begin immediately after the screwing motion. In fact, plug 5 is elastic and deforms before being drilled. Thus, drilling only begins in a position between that shown in Figures 11 and 12 and that shown in Figures 13 and 14. Advantageously, as will be discussed below in relation to the third aspect of the invention, the assembly further comprises a non-return stop 33 configured to prevent the cover 30 from moving out of the closed position. Even more advantageously, the assembly is configured such that the non-return stop 33 passes over the cover 10 after it has moved to the intermediate position. In other words, as illustrated in Figures 13 and 14, the cover 10 does not yet cooperate with the non-return stop 33 when the cover 10 is in the intermediate position. The closure seal can be achieved in different ways. In this case, it is a seal obtained by the cooperation of an internal partition of the neck 10 and an external partition of the punch 5. As illustrated in Figures 17 to 19, said punch 7 comprises a base 34 with an external cylindrical portion 35, and said neck comprises an internal cylindrical portion 36. Said internal and external cylindrical portions 36 and 35 are intended to be pressed together to seal said closure. In this way, a cylinder-to-cylinder seal is achieved, which has the advantage of requiring less torque than is required for compressing a seal that could be located on an upper free edge of the neck. Said cap 30 herein comprises an upper portion 37 from which said base 34 of the punch 7 extends. Said punch 7 further comprises an external chamfer 38 extending from said base 34 and connecting to a distal portion 39 of the punch 7. Said neck 10 comprises at its externally open end an internal chamfer 40 extending axially through said portion 36 of the neck 10 against which the base 34 of the punch 7 is intended to be crushed. In Figure 17, upstream of the intermediate position, according to the screwing direction of the cap 30, it can be seen that the chamfer 38 of the punch is axially at a distance from the chamfer 40 of the neck. In Figure 18, in that intermediate position, the chamfer 38 of the punch has just rested against the chamfer 40 of the neck. In Figure 19, in the closed position, compression of the material has occurred between the base 34 of the punch and the corresponding portion 36 of the neck 10. Advantageously, in order to limit the necessary torque, the distal portion 39 of the punch has a smaller external diameter than the internal neck diameter 10. According to a third aspect of the invention, the side skirt 23 is provided with at least one radially opening notch 60, and the neck 10 comprises a projection 61 configured to cooperate angularly with the notch 60 to prevent the cap 30 from being withdrawn once it is in the closed position. The projection 61 forms the aforementioned anti-return stop 33. The non-return stop 33 has the advantage of not being located on the thread 23. Therefore, it is not susceptible to damage from the portion of the thread 11 during the transition from the last position to the closed position. In other words, in the illustrated embodiment, this portion of the thread 11 reaches the closed position by moving away from the projection 61. Preferably, said notch 60 is opened in a free edge of said skirt 23 to impart radial elasticity to the cap 30 in the vicinity of said notch 60. Such elasticity has many advantages. First, it limits the torque required to reach the closed position when overcoming said anti-return stop 33. Furthermore, it facilitates axial demolding of the threaded portion 11. The notch 60 is, for example, substantially rectangular. Advantageously, the projection 61 is configured to radially extend the skirt 23 before the lid 30 reaches the closed position. For this purpose, the projection has an edge with a sloped portion 62 and a straight portion 63. The straight portion 63 axially extends the sloped portion 62 toward a base of the neck 10. The sloped portion 62 is configured to radially extend the lid 10 by pressing against a free edge of the skirt 23 before the lid 10 reaches the closed position. The straight portion 63 is located at the level of a portion of the projection 60 that forms the non-return stop 33 for the lid 10 once it is in the closed position. More precisely, the notch 60 has an axial edge 64 that rests against a flank of the projection 33, the latter forming the non-return stop 33. baby m / Lznz / B / YiAi The projection 61 is formed, for example, by means of a wall extending radially from the outer partition 14 of the neck. This wall has an upper free edge 65 that terminates the second thread 29. This projection 61 extends axially from the terminal end 65 of this second thread 29, here forming a lower thread of the thread 22, to the base of the neck 10. This non-return stop 33 is intended to cooperate with the rear end 13 of the thread portion 11. Advantageously, the assembly further comprises a stop 70, particularly an angular one, for the end of travel of the cap 10 in the closed position. This end-travel stop 70 is configured to cooperate with said portion of the thread 11, once said projection 61 engages with said notch 60. This end-travel stop 70 is intended to cooperate with the front end 12 of the portion of the thread 11. This return stop 70 extends axially between the first thread 28 and the base of the neck. In the illustrated embodiment, said assembly comprises a plurality of said thread portions 11 and a corresponding plurality of said threads 22, in this case three, separated by 120°. Said assembly further comprises a plurality of said notches 60 and a corresponding plurality of said projections 61, in this case three, each of said thread portions 11 being located angularly between two adjacent notches 61. Said side skirt 23 therefore has flaps that have good radial flexibility between said notches 60, said thread portions being located at the level of said flaps. In this configuration with several threads 22, the first thread 28 of one of the thread forms of the second thread 29 of the adjacent thread 22. At the top, the second stops 25 extend axially between a third thread origin forming the guide path 21 associated with one of the threads 22 and the second thread 29 of the adjacent thread 22 in a clockwise direction. At the bottom, the end of the travel stop 70 of one of the threads 22 is located angularly, clockwise, just upstream of the projection 60 of the adjacent counterclockwise thread 22. The first thread 28 of one of the threads 22 continues into an end portion of the second thread 29 of the adjacent counterclockwise thread 22. As illustrated in Figures 17 to 20, said tooth or teeth 50 are advantageously configured for piercing and then cutting said plug 5. Said tooth or teeth 50 extend from a free edge 80 of the punch 7. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, at least an angular portion 81 of said free edge 80, referred to as the passage portion, is configured to remain in the neck 10 in said closed position, as is most particularly evident in Figure 19. This configuration improves the restitution rate of the product contained in the tube by allowing a fraction of the product located near the shoulder 4 of the tube head 3 to flow into the neck 10 at the level of said passage portion 81. Advantageously, said passage portion 81 is level with a lower end of the neck 10 that opens into the inner volume of the tube. In the present, said teeth 50 are distributed over an angular portion 82 of the punch 7, known as the cutting portion, delimited by two of said teeth 50 located angularly on each side of said cutting portion 82. Said edge of the step 81 is formed by an angular portion of the complementary punch with said cutting portion 82. As best illustrated in Figure 20, where a fictitious plane P extending orthogonally to the longitudinal axis A is shown, the teeth 50 have vertices 51 axially displaced relative to each other. This configuration makes it possible to limit the tightening torque by ensuring that the teeth 50 pierce the cover 5 successively. The axial displacement of the upper part of the teeth 50 increases, particularly regularly, and even more particularly linearly, in the direction of displacement of the cover 10 towards the closed position, i.e., in this case, in the tightening direction or clockwise (which corresponds to a counterclockwise direction in Figure 20, since the latter is inverted).Thus, tooth 50 located at a terminal end of the cutting portion 82 in the clockwise direction (counterclockwise in Figure 20) has the most prominent vertex and first meets plug 5. According to a fifth aspect of the invention, said teeth 50 have substantially identical heights and extend axially from an angular portion of the free edge of the punch 7, which has an axial displacement from one tooth 50 to the other. For this purpose, in the present instance, said free edge, in said cutting portion 82, is in the form of a ramp of increasing height in a clockwise direction (counterclockwise in Figure 20). Such identical tooth heights limit the risk of breakage compared to a configuration in which teeth of an excessively small size would be found. As illustrated, said teeth 50 preferably have a substantially identical profile. That is, for example, a profile with a leading edge 52 extending substantially axially between said free edge 80 and each vertex 51 and a trailing edge 53 extending at an angle between each vertex 51 and said free edge 80. Said vertices 51 are formed herein at the junction of the leading edge 52, the trailing edge 53, an outer flank 54 of the tooth, and a sloped surface 55 formed within the thickness of the teeth 50. In addition to the assembly shown in the preceding figures, said tube according to the invention comprises a skirt 102, partially polished, connected to said tube head 3.
Claims
1. An assembly for closing a tube, said assembly comprising a tube head (3) having a neck (10) and a plug (5) closing said neck (10), said assembly further comprising a cap (30) provided with a punch (7) adapted to pierce said plug (5), said neck (10) and said cap (30) being configured to guide the cap (30) to a closing position in which said punch (7) has pierced said plug (5), said punch comprising one or more teeth (50) for cutting the plug (5) extending from a free edge (80) of the punch (7), at least an angular portion (81) of the free edge (80) referred to as the passage portion, being configured to remain in the neck (10) in said closing position.
2. The assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that said passage portion (81) of the free edge (80) of the punch (7) is flush with a lower end of the neck (10). 3 - The assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the teeth (50) are distributed over an angular portion (82) of the punch (7), called the cutting portion, delimited by two of said teeth (50) located angularly on either side of said cutting portion (82), said step edge (81) is formed by an angular portion of the punch (7) complementary to said cutting portion (82).
4. The assembly in accordance with any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the teeth (50) have vertices (51) axially offset from each other. 5 - The assembly according to the previous claim, further characterized in that the axial displacement of the vertices (51) of the teeth (50) is increased in a direction of displacement of the cover (30) towards said closing position.
6. The assembly according to any of claims 4 or 5, further characterized in that said teeth (50) have a substantially identical height and extend axially from an angular portion of the free edge (80) having an axial displacement from one tooth (50) to the other.
7. The assembly according to the previous claim, further characterized in that said teeth (50) have a substantially identical profile.
8. The assembly in accordance with any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said plug (5) is located at the bottom of the neck (10).
9. The assembly in accordance with any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that it is configured in such a way that the cover (30) is screwed onto said neck (10) over at least part of its travel.
10. The assembly in accordance with any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that said cover (30) comprises a service cover. 11.- A tube comprising a closing assembly of any of the 5 preceding claims.