Container for liquid products

Abstract

A container for liquid products has a bottle (2) provided with a neck (3), and a closing cap (6) provided with an outer cup (8), which is screwed onto the neck (3) and with an inner sleeve (14), which extends inside the neck (3), has a first coupling portion (15) coupled, in a fluid-tight manner, to a second coupling portion (16) obtained on an inner surface (11) of the neck (3) and defines, together with the bottle (2), a chamber (18) to contain a liquid product; at least one relief micro-channel (23; 24; 26) being obtained on at least one of the two coupling portions (15, 16) to allow a gas generated by the liquid product to flow out of the first chamber (18) and to at least limit, in particular prevent, the outflow of the liquid product itself from the first chamber (18).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This Patent Application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102021000025814 filed on October 8, 2021.TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a container for liquid products.BACKGROUND

[0003] The present invention is particularly advantageously applied to the sector of detergent and / or sanitizing liquid products, in particular containing bleaching agents subject to chemical reactions generating gas, to which the following disclosure will explicitly refer without thereby losing generality.

[0004] In the sector of containers for detergent and / or sanitizing liquid products it is known to provide a container comprising a bottle provided with a neck having a longitudinal axis; and a closing cap, which is screwed onto the bottle by means of a threaded coupling obtained on an outer surface of the neck and on an inner surface of the closing cap, and defines, together with the bottle, a chamber for containing a liquid product.

[0005] In order to allow the gas generated inside the chamber by the chemical reactions to which the liquid product is subject to flow out of the container and thus prevent the deformation of the container, the closing cap is further provided with a relief system.

[0006] The relief systems of the above-described known closing caps are generally of two types.

[0007] According to a first type, the relief system comprises an outlet hole, which is obtained through a bottom wall of the closing cap, and is closed by a membrane which is permeable to the gas and impermeable to the liquid product, i.e. a membrane configured to allow the gas to flow out and prevent the liquid product from flowing out of the container.

[0008] According to the other type of the two above-mentioned known types, the relief system comprises a membrane permeable to the gas and impermeable to the liquid product, which is fixed to the closing cap. Following the screwing of the closing cap onto the neck, the membrane is pressed against an end face of the neck and is interposed between the neck and the closing cap so as to prevent the liquid product from flowing out of the bottle and allow the gas to flow out of the container and be dispersed into the outside through the threaded coupling between the neck of the bottle and the closing cap. US 2004 / 200798 A1 discloses a container according to the preamble of claim 1. US 3 147 876 A discloses a closing cap with a centrally-located plug which engages in a pouring opening in the neck of a bottle to close and seal it. Grooves are arranged spirally around the plug. The grooves connect the interior of the container to the atmosphere thereby permitting air or other gas to flow from the exterior of the container into the container or vice versa.

[0009] At least some of the known containers for liquid products of the type described above have some drawbacks mainly deriving from the fact that the relief systems used for discharging to the outside of the container the gas generated inside the chamber by the chemical reactions to which the liquid product is subject entail the working of the closing caps, require the mounting of the membranes, and are thus relatively complex and costly.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide a container for liquid products which is exempt from the above-described drawbacks and which is simple and cost-effective to manufacture.

[0011] According to the present invention, a container for liquid products is provided as claimed in the appended claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting example embodiment thereof, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a preferred embodiment of the container of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a first detail of the container of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic view in section of a second detail of the container of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic view in section of a first variation of the container of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a schematic view in section of a variation of the container of Figure 1, which is not part of the present invention; Figure 6 is a schematic view in section of a third variation of the container of Figure 1; and Figure 7 is an enlarged schematic view of a detail of Figure 6. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0013] With reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3, reference numeral 1 indicates, as a whole, a container for liquid products, in particular detergent and / or sanitizing liquid products.

[0014] In particular, the liquid product is a viscous liquid product having a viscosity that is at least equal to 50 cP, preferably at least equal to 100 cP, in particular at least equal to 150 cP, measured at a temperature of 20°C and at a deformation speed of 20 s -1< .

[0015] Preferably, the liquid product contains hydrogen peroxide or an organic peroxide or an organic or inorganic peroxy acid or a combination thereof or sodium hypochlorite.

[0016] The container 1 comprises a bottle 2 provided with a neck 3 having a cylindrical shape, which has a longitudinal axis 4, and is delimited by an end face 5, which is substantially perpendicular to the axis 4.

[0017] The container 1 further comprises a closing cap 6, which is delimited by a bottom wall 7, and has an outer cup 8 screwed onto the neck 3 by means of a threaded coupling 9 obtained partly on an outer surface 10 of the neck 3 and partly on an inner surface 11 of a side wall 12 of the cup 8.

[0018] The cap 6 further comprises a central collar 13, which protrudes from the wall 7 coaxially to the axis 4, extends inside the neck 3, and allows users to measure out the liquid product; and an inner sleeve 14, which is obtained between the wall 12 and the collar 13, and extends inside the neck 3 coaxially to the axis 4.

[0019] The sleeve 14 has a coupling portion 15 coupled, in a fluid-tight manner, to a coupling portion 16 obtained on an inner surface 17 of the neck 3, and defines, together with the bottle 2, a chamber 18 for containing a liquid product.

[0020] The face 5 has a coupling portion 19 coupled, in a fluid-tight manner, to a coupling portion 20 obtained on the wall 7 of the cup 8, and defines, together with the cup 8, a chamber 21 connected to the outside by means of at least one outlet hole 22 obtained through the wall 7.

[0021] The chambers 18 and 21 are connected to one another by means of at least one relief micro-channel 23, which is obtained on the surface 17 parallel to the axis 4, extends along the portion 16, and is configured to allow the gas generated by the liquid product contained in the chamber 18 to flow out of the chamber 18 and prevent the liquid product from flowing out of the chamber 18.

[0022] In this case, the micro-channel 23 has a depth substantially ranging from 0.08 mm to 0.12 mm.

[0023] Based on what described above, it can be inferred that the gas generated due to chemical reaction by the liquid product flows out firstly from the chamber 18 into the chamber 21 through the micro-channel 23 and then from the chamber 21 into the outside through the hole 22.

[0024] The variation shown in Figure 4 differs from what is shown in the previous figures only in that, therein, the micro-channel 23 is eliminated and replaced by a relief micro-channel 24, which is obtained on the portion 15, and is wound like a helix around and along said axis 4 with a pitch that is preferably but not necessarily the same as a pitch of the coupling 9.

[0025] The variation shown in Figure 5 differs from what illustrated in Figure 4 only in that, therein, the outlet hole 22 is eliminated and replaced by a relief channel 25, which is obtained on the portion 20, and is configured to connect the chamber 21 to the outside through the threaded coupling 9.

[0026] The variation shown in Figures 6 and 7 differs from what illustrated in Figures from 1 to 3 only in that, therein, the micro-channel 23 is eliminated and replaced by a plurality of relief micro-channels 26, which are obtained by selectively controlling the roughness of at least one of the portions 15, 16, and by connecting between them the chambers 18 and 21 so as to allow the gas generated by the liquid product contained in the chamber 18 to flow out of the chamber 18 and prevent the liquid product from flowing out of the chamber 18.

[0027] In particular, the roughness Ra of at least one of the portions 15, 16 is at least equal to 10 µm.

[0028] According to a variation not shown, and which does not form part of the present invention, the hole 22 is eliminated and the micro-channels 26 are made also between the portions 19, 20 by selectively controlling the roughness of at least one of the portions 19, 20 so as to allow the gas to flow out of the chamber 21 into the outside through the threaded coupling 9.

[0029] According to further variations not shown: the micro-channel 23 is made on the portion 15 or partly on the portion 15 and partly on the portion 16; the micro-channel 24 is made on the portion 16 or partly on the portion 15 and partly on the portion 16; in a variation which is not part of the present invention, the channel 25 is made on the face 5 or partly on the face 5 and partly on the wall 7; and the collar 13 is eliminated, the portion 15 is obtained in an intermediate point of the sleeve 14, and the sleeve 14 allows users to measure out the liquid product.

[0030] The container 1 has some advantages mainly deriving from the fact that the closing cap 6 is manufactured by pressing, does not require further working, and is thus relatively simple and cost-effective.

Claims

1. A container for liquid products comprising a bottle (2) provided with a neck (3) having a longitudinal axis (4); a closing cap (6) comprising, in turn, an outer cup (8), which is screwed onto the neck (3) by means of a threaded coupling (9) obtained on an outer surface (10) of the neck (3) and on an inner surface (11) of the cup (8), and an inner sleeve (14), which extends inside the neck (3), has a first coupling portion (15) coupled, in a fluid-tight manner, to a second coupling portion (16) obtained on an inner surface (17) of the neck (3) and defines, together with the bottle (2), a first chamber (18) to contain a liquid product; and at least one first relief micro-channel (23; 24; 26), which is obtained on at least one of said first and second coupling portions (15, 16) and is configured to allow a gas generated by the liquid product to flow out of the first chamber (18) and to at least limit, in particular prevent, the outflow of the liquid product itself from the first chamber (18); wherein the neck (3) is delimited by an end face (5), which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (4) and has a third coupling portion (19), which is coupled, in a fluid-tight manner, to a fourth coupling portion (20) obtained on a bottom wall (7) of the cup (8); and wherein the cup (8) and the end face (5) of the neck (3) are configured so as to define, between them, a second chamber (21), which is connected to the first chamber (18) by means of the first relief micro-channel (23; 24; 26) and to the outside by at least one opening (22); characterized in that the opening (22) comprises at least one relief hole (22) made through the bottom wall (7) of the cup (8).

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the first relief micro-channel (23) is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis (4) of the neck (3).

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the first relief micro-channel (24) is wound like a helix around and along said longitudinal axis (4), in particular with a pitch that is substantially the same as a pitch of the threaded coupling (9).

4. The container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first relief micro-channel (23; 24) has a depth ranging from 0.08 mm to 0.12 mm.

5. The container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second coupling portions (15, 16) has a roughness Ra, in particular at least equal to 10 µm, that is such as to define a plurality of said first relief micro-channels (26).

6. The container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closing cap (6) has a central collar (13), which extends inside the sleeve (14) and allows users to measure out the liquid product.

7. The container according to any one of the claims from 1 to 5, wherein the first coupling portion (15) is obtained in an intermediate point of the sleeve (14).

Images