Closure device provided with a sealing member and shipment container

Abstract

The invention relates to a closure device (1) for a shipment container, the device comprising a male connector (2) comprising a body (6) provided with a first locking member and a female connector (3) comprising a first portion (15) and a second portion (16) that are movable relative to one another between a spaced-apart position and a close-together position. The female connector (3) comprises return means that urge the portions (15, 16) towards a spaced-apart position. The portions (15, 16) define, in the close-together position, a cavity that accommodates the body (6). The first portion (15) comprises a second locking member, complementary to the first locking member, in order to lock the body (6) in the cavity when they co-operate with one another. The closure device (1) comprises a member (4) for sealing the female connector in the close-together position, the removal of which causes the female connector to return to the spaced-apart position.

Description

[0001]Description Technical field The present invention relates to the field of parcel shipping and relates in particular to a closing device for a reusable shipping container provided with sealing means. The present invention aims firstly to guarantee that the package has not been opened during shipping and secondly to allow the reuse of the shipping container once the seal has been replaced on the closing device. State of the art Environmental regulations are increasingly encouraging parcel shipping companies to use recyclable and / or reusable containers to limit the production and treatment of waste. In this respect, recyclable plastic envelopes are known whose use is the same as a paper envelope. These are notably used in the online sales sector for textile products and can only be used once.Plastic envelopes are also known to have a closure system that advantageously allows the envelope to be reused several times – twice in most designs – after its first opening. However, these envelopes quickly end up in the trash once the maximum number of uses is reached and should then be disposed of with recyclable waste. These envelopes may have secure adhesive sealing strips at their closure system, preventing any attempt to fraudulently open the envelope during shipping. These envelopes may also have a shock protection system, for example, padding or an inflatable chamber. These envelopes are suitable for small volumes of items to be shipped.It is also known to use shipping cartons which have the advantage of allowing the shipment of larger volumes of items, of being recyclable and also of being able to be closed by means of an adhesive strip ensuring the sealing of the flaps closing the opening of the carton. The disadvantage is that these cartons are generally single-use, considerably increasing the number of cardboard waste to be recycled. In fact, these cartons are not always recycled, which does not contribute to reducing the environmental impact. It is also known to use flexible bags made of textile material, waterproof or not, padded or not, which have an opening at one of their two longitudinal ends, this opening allowing the introduction and removal of the items to be shipped.The side edges of the flexible bag, at the longitudinal end having the opening, comprise a closing device consisting of a male connector attached to the first side edge and a female connector attached to the second side edge. The male connector comprises two tabs and the female connector comprises two housings. The male connector engages in the female connector and the tabs respectively snap into the housings to put in place the closing device. The opening of the bag is closed by rolling the bag on itself at the opening and then putting in place the closing device. Such textile bags are advantageously washable to be reused many times, that is to say as long as they are not degraded.A disadvantage is that these bags are often not returned to the sender to be cleaned and then reused, as the bags may find other uses with the recipients who have received the packages. Another disadvantage is that the closure device does not allow for detecting an opening of the bag during shipping since the male connector and the female connector can be freely engaged and disengaged, which limits the use of this type of bag to certain applications, in favor of disposable and recyclable shipping containers whose closure device allows for sealing ensuring that the package has not been opened during shipping. US patent 5,931,583 is known which discloses a flexible container for the thermal insulation of food or beverages, the design of which is similar to that mentioned above.The container has a device for closing an opening of the container, the closing device comprising a male connector and a female connector capable of engaging one another. The male connector comprises a first locking member and the female connector comprises a second locking member complementary to the first locking member so as to lock the male connector engaged in the female connector. The first locking member is spring-loaded to allow its release from the second locking member by pinching, thus allowing the male connector to be released from the female connector when the first locking member is pinched with the fingers of one hand. Also known is US patent 2,521,903 which describes a device for attaching a strap to an object, in particular a camera. The attachment device comprises a female part and a male part capable of cooperating to ensure the attachment of one end of the strap with a loop on the object.The male part is formed of a U-shaped spring-effect blade, said U-shape allowing its introduction through the loop of the object for the assembly of the male part with the object. The U-shaped spring-effect blade has two branches which can be brought together or, conversely, separated from each other, said two branches being in a normal position separated from each other under the spring effect of said blade. One of the two branches has on an internal face a stud configured to receive an eyelet arranged at the end of the strap. The female part has an opening configured to allow the end portions of the two branches of the blade in the close position to pass through it and to maintain said close position as long as the end portions of the two branches in the close position remain housed in the opening of the female part.In use mode, the U-shaped blade, in the spread position, is inserted into the loop of the object and the end of the strap is inserted into the opening of the female part, then the stud on one of the branches of the blade is inserted into the eyelet at the end of the strap and the two branches of the blade are then brought together and introduced in this close position inside the opening of the female part, which allows said close position to be maintained, the assembly between the strap and the object being thus obtained. Disassembly is carried out, conversely, by releasing the male part from the female part, which ensures the return of the two branches to the position spread apart from each other under the spring effect of the blade, then allowing the stud to be removed from the eyelet to release the strap from the attachment device, the U-shaped blade then being able to be released from the loop on the object.Summary of the invention The present invention aims to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. As such, the invention has the first objective of designing a closing device for a shipping container which encourages the person receiving the package to reship the container for reuse by the sender. Another objective is to ensure that the package has not been opened during shipping. These objectives are achieved by the invention which implements a closing device for a shipping container, the closing device comprising a male connector and a female connector capable of being engaged in each other for the installation of said closing device. According to the invention, the male connector comprises a body provided with a first locking member.According to the invention, the female connector comprises a first part and a second part which are movable with respect to each other so as to be able to be placed in a spaced apart position or in a close position. Furthermore, the female connector comprises return means configured to naturally return, i.e. in the absence of a force retaining them, the first part and the second part to the spaced apart position. The first part and the second part are configured to define in the close position a housing opening onto one end of the female connector and configured to receive the body of the male connector. The first part of the female connector comprises a second locking member complementary to the first locking member so as to lock the body in the housing when the first locking member and the second locking member cooperate, i.e. interact.Furthermore, the closing device comprises a sealing member configured to retain the female connector in said close position, the withdrawal of the sealing member causing the female connector to return to the separated position in which the first locking member and the second locking member are released from each other for disengagement of the male connector and the female connector. Thus, thanks to the aforementioned characteristics which are the subject of the invention, the sealing member ensures the sealing of the closing device and retains the female connector in the close position.Until the sealing member is removed, the first locking member and the second locking member cooperate and cannot be disengaged from each other, thereby preventing the male connector body from being removed from the female connector housing; the male connector and the female connector thus remain attached, thereby preventing the shipping container from being opened during shipment. Once the sealing member is removed, no further retaining force is exerted on the first portion and the second portion of the female connector, the return means exerting a return force that naturally returns the first portion and the second portion to the separated position. Returning to the separated position disengages the first locking member from the second locking member, thereby allowing the male connector to be removed from the female connector.The absence of the sealing member, which was destroyed when it was removed, renders the female connector unusable, remaining in the separated position, the closing device being unusable in its current state, unless a new sealing member is installed, which is held by the sender. The shipping container therefore remains open once the sealing member is removed, which, on the one hand, allows the recipient to observe the possible opening of the package during shipment and, on the other hand, renders the shipping container unusable by the recipient, who is then encouraged to return said shipping container to its sender. The sender can then clean the shipping container and install a new sealing member on the female connector for a new shipment of packages.According to a preferred embodiment of the closure device which is the subject of the invention, the first locking member is formed by an opening on the body of the male connector and the second locking member is formed by a flexible tab on the first part of the female connector. The flexible tab comprises a protruding element directed towards the second part of the female connector and configured to penetrate into the opening on the body when the female connector is in the close position and said body is engaged in the housing. Once the protruding element is engaged in the opening, the body of the male connector can no longer be removed from the housing of the female connector in the close position. The presence of the flexible tab advantageously allows the body of the male connector to be engaged in the housing of the female connector after the sealing member has been put in place on the female connector in the close position.Thus, the flexible tab flexes and lifts the protruding element during the insertion of the body into the housing; the complete insertion of the body into the housing allows the opening to correspond with the protruding element, the flexible tab then being able to return to its normal position thanks to the restoring force exerted due to its elasticity and introduce the protruding element into the opening, thus locking the body in the housing. An alternative embodiment without a flexible tab remains possible, that is to say with only the aforementioned protruding element present on the first part of the female connector.This variant is however more restrictive in use since it requires the body of the male connector to be positioned properly with respect to the first part of the female connector in order to introduce the protruding element into the opening of the body, then the first part and the second part of the female connector to be positioned close together to form the housing and to lock the body therein by introducing the protruding element into the opening and, finally, only the sealing member to be put in place to maintain the female connector in the close position.According to the aforementioned preferred embodiment of the closure device which is the subject of the invention, the protruding element comprises a first bevel and the body comprises a second bevel, the first bevel and the second bevel being configured so that the body pushes the flexible tab so that it flexes during the introduction of said body into the housing, said flexible tab returning to its normal position once the protruding element is in correspondence with the opening. These bevels facilitate the introduction of the body of the male connector into the housing of the female connector in the close position, with minimal effort. Variants remain conceivable without these bevels or with alternatives to the beveled shape, for example a curved shape.According to one embodiment of the closure device which is the subject of the invention, a sliding connection is implemented between the second part of the female connector and the body of the male connector, in the direction of insertion of the body into the housing. This sliding connection not only makes it easier to insert the body into the housing for the aforementioned preferred embodiment and, in all embodiments, ensures disengagement of the first locking member and the second locking member when the sealing member is removed and the female connector naturally returns to the separated position, the user only having to remove the body of the male connector which has remained in sliding connection with the second part of the female connector.Variants without this sliding connection also remain conceivable, which may then require manual action by the operator to disengage the body of the male connector from the protruding element of the first part of the female connector. According to a preferred embodiment of the closing device which is the subject of the invention, the first part and the second part of the female connector are made in a clamp-shaped part and are connected to each other by a flexible connecting element configured to allow said close position to be reached under stress and to return naturally to the separated position when the stress ceases thanks to the restoring force exerted by the flexible connecting element which has elasticity. It is understood that the flexible connecting element is also part of said clamp-shaped part, since it connects the first part and the second part.This design facilitates the manufacture of the female connector in a single piece. Variants of the female connector remain conceivable without departing from the scope of the invention, for example by providing two separate pieces to constitute the first part and the second part of the female connector, the two pieces then being connected to each other by a pivot connection or a sliding connection to form a clamp or a jaw and move from the separated position to the close position, and vice versa, a spring constituting the return means then being mounted in compression between said two pieces to naturally return them to the separated position. According to the closure device which is the subject of the invention, the male connector comprises a first attachment member and the female connector comprises a second attachment member. This facilitates the attachment of the male connector and the female connector to the shipping container.Preferably, the first attachment member and the second attachment member consist of attachment loops of a strap. These straps will be sewn or welded to ensure permanent attachment of the male and female connectors to the shipping container. According to one embodiment of the closure device that is the subject of the invention, the sealing member consists of a sealing strip configured to encircle the first part and the second part of the female connector in a close position. This facilitates the implementation of the sealing member. Variants are however still conceivable for the implementation of the sealing member, for example by providing holes opening onto the first part and onto the second part of the female connector, said holes serving for the passage of a sealing and tightening collar which ensures the maintenance of the first part and the second part in a close position.Preferably, according to the aforementioned embodiment, the sealing strip is composed of a recyclable and compostable material, in particular paper. This sealing strip could be made of plastic or other materials, according to possible embodiment variants. According to one embodiment of the closure device which is the subject of the invention, when the sealing member is a sealing strip as mentioned above, the first part and the second part of the female connector respectively comprise at least one first stop element and at least one second stop element, said stop elements being configured to delimit the positioning of the sealing strip when strapping the female connector. This ensures proper positioning of the sealing strip, guaranteeing against any attempt to open the closure device without removing the sealing strip.According to one embodiment of the closing device which is the subject of the invention, the sealing member comprises a marking system configured to identify an attempt to fraudulently open said sealing member. The invention also relates to a shipping container comprising an opening for the introduction and removal of articles and a system for closing the opening, the closing system comprising at least one closing device for maintaining the closing system in the closed position, the closing device having one or other of the aforementioned characteristics which are the subject of the invention.According to one embodiment, the shipping container is a flexible bag comprising two side edges and an opening arranged at a longitudinal end edge of the bag, the bag comprising a closure device whose male connector is secured to a first side edge and the female connector is secured to a second side edge, at said longitudinal end edge. The flexible bag will preferably be made of textile material so that it can be cleaned and have better resistance allowing repeated use for shipping parcels. The bag may also have various characteristics, for example being impervious to liquid and / or gaseous fluids, having a padding system or any other shock protection system and / or having an isothermal system for keeping items cool or, conversely, warm.Of course, the closing device could be implemented on variants of the shipping container, for example a textile shipping container in the form of a bag having a flap, one or two closing devices according to the invention being implemented between the flap and the front face of the bag. Brief description of the figures The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description based on figures, among which: [Fig. 1] illustrates a view of a flexible bag which comprises a closing device according to the existing prior art; [Fig. 2] illustrates a three-dimensional view of a female connector of a closing device according to the invention, said female connector being in a spaced-apart position; [Fig. 3] illustrates a side view of the female connector of figure 2, in the spaced-apart position; [Fig.4] illustrates a three-dimensional view of the female connector of figures 2 and 3, in the close position; [Fig. 5] illustrates a three-dimensional view of the female connector of figure 4, the female connector being held in the close position by means of a sealing member; [Fig. 6] illustrates a three-dimensional view of a male connector of a closure device according to the invention; [Fig. 7] illustrates a three-dimensional view of the male connector of figure 6 engaged in the female connector of figures 2 to 5, said female connector being held in the close position by means of the sealing member; [Fig.8] illustrates in three-dimensional view the male connector engaged in the female connector in the absence of the sealing member, said female connector having returned to the separated position; [Fig.9] illustrates a side view of figure 8.Detailed Description Figure 1 illustrates a flexible bag 100 on which a closure device 200 according to the existing prior art is implemented. The bag 100 is made of a textile material facilitating its cleaning. The bag 100 has two lateral edges 101, 102 and an opening 103 which is arranged at a longitudinal end edge 104 of said bag 100, this opening allowing the introduction of one or more articles (not illustrated) into the interior volume 105 of said bag 100. The closure device 200 according to the prior art comprises a male connector 201 which comprises a first attachment loop 202 allowing the passage of a first strap 106 which is fixed for example by sewing or welding at the longitudinal end edge 104 so as to position the male connector 201 on the first lateral edge 101 at said opening 103.The closure device 200 according to the prior art comprises a female connector 203 which comprises a second attachment loop 204 allowing the passage of a second strap 107 which is fixed for example by sewing or welding at the longitudinal end edge 104 so as to position the female connector 203 on the second lateral edge 102 at the level of said opening 103. The male connector 201 comprises two flexible tabs 205, 206 which are configured to be engaged in a housing (not visible) inside a body 207 of the female connector 203, the body 207 comprising two openings 208, 209 opening onto said housing, said openings 208, 209 respectively receiving by snap-fastening protuberances 210, 211 on the flexible tabs 205, 206 during their engagement in said body 207.The closure of the opening 103 of the bag 100 is obtained by rolling up the longitudinal end edge 104 of the bag 100 on itself and by snapping the male connector 201 with the female connector 203. This type of closing device 200 according to the prior art allows the male connector 201 to be assembled with the female connector 203 and their disassembly, freely, as many times as desired, which provides no guarantee as to the absence of opening of the bag 100 during shipment and as to the reshipment of the empty bag 100 to the sender for reuse of said bag 100, the person having received the package being able to decide to use the bag which remains operational for other uses. The closing device 1 according to the invention, illustrated as a whole in FIG. 7, will be arranged on the bag 100 in place of the closing device 200 according to the prior art and will make it possible to resolve the drawbacks mentioned above.As illustrated in this figure 7, the closing device 1 comprises a male connector 2, a female connector 3 and a sealing member 4. The male connector 2 will be installed in place of the male connector 201 and the female connector 3 will be installed in place of the female connector 203. With reference to figure 6, the male connector 2 comprises a fastening member 5 consisting of a fastening loop which will be assembled with the lateral edge 102 of the bag 100 at the opening 103, thanks to the first strap 106 fixed to the longitudinal end edge 104 by sewing or welding. The male connector 2 also comprises a body 6 which extends the fastening member 5 forward. The body 6 comprises a rectangular flat shape which comprises on one of its two faces 7 a U-shaped reinforcing rib 8 arranged at a distance from the contour 9 of the body 6.A rectangular opening 10 passes through the body 6 inside this rib 8, the opening 10 corresponding with the U-shape of the rib 8 on three of its sides, as shown in Figure 6. The body 6 also comprises first bevels 11 which extend from the front edge 12 of the rib 8 to the front edge 36 of said body 6, as shown in Figure 6. With reference to Figures 2 to 5, the female connector 3 comprises a fastening member 13 consisting of a fastening loop which will be assembled with the lateral edge 101 of the bag 100 at the opening 103, thanks to the first strap 107 fixed to the longitudinal end edge 104 by sewing or welding. The female connector 3 comprises a part 14 which has the shape of a clamp, the part 14 comprising a first part 15, a second part 16 and a connecting element 17 connecting the first part 15 and the second part 16.The part 14 is naturally in a spaced-apart position, the first part 15 and the second part 16 being spaced apart from each other, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The connecting element 17 has a small thickness, as shown in Figure 3, which gives it the elasticity to position the part 14 under stress in a close position, the first part 15 coming into contact with the second part 16, as illustrated in particular in Figures 4 and 5, under stress. In order to maintain the part 14 in this close position, the sealing member 4 encircles the first part 15 and the second part 16, as shown in Figure 5. Preferably, this sealing member 4 consists of a sealing strip made of paper in order to allow it to be composted after it has been torn off, when the closing device 1 is opened to open the bag 100.The withdrawal of the sealing member 4 releases the part 14 which is no longer subjected to any retaining force, then allowing the first part 15 and the second part 16 to return naturally to the separated position thanks to the elasticity of the connecting element 17. With regard to figures 2 to 4, the first part 15 of the part 14 has a planar shape and comprises a flexible tongue 18 which extends towards the inside of the first part 15, from a front edge 19 of the first part 15. The flexible tongue 18 is in the rest position in the plane of the first part 15. The flexible tongue 18 comprises a protruding element 20 which is oriented towards the second part 16, as shown in figure 3. This protruding element 20 has a bevel 21 whose largest side 22 is located at the edge 23 of the flexible tongue 18. The female connector 3 has a housing 24 into which the body 6 of the male connector 2 can be inserted.During the insertion of the body 6 into the housing 24, with the female connector in the close position, the bevels 11 arranged at the front of the body 6 come into contact with the bevel 21 on the protruding element 20, thus exerting a force on the flexible tab 18 which flexes to allow the continued insertion of the body 6 into the housing 24 until the protruding element 20 is positioned above the opening 10 on the body 6, then allowing the flexible tab 18 to return to its normal position, the protruding element 20 then being engaged in the opening 10. In this engaged position, the large side 22 of the protruding element 20 is in abutment against the front edge 12 of the rib 8, thus preventing any possibility of disengagement of the body 6 from the housing 24.Thus, as long as the sealing member 4 remains on the female connector 3 which is in the close position, the male connector 2 cannot be disengaged from the female connector 3, the closing device 1 remaining as illustrated in Figure 7. With reference to Figures 2 to 9, the second part 16 of the part 14 on the female connector 3 comprises a planar shape with two lateral edges 25, 26 which are curved inwards to form two grooves 27, 28 arranged opposite each other inside the housing 24. These grooves 27, 28 define a slide which allows the reception of the lateral edges 29, 30 of the body 6 of the male connector 2 during the engagement of said body 6 in the housing 24. This sliding connection between the second part 16 and the body 6 contributes to the proper guidance of the body 6 during its introduction into the housing 24, when the female connector 3 is in the close position and the sealing member 4 circles the female connector 3.When the sealing member 4 is removed, the female connector 3 naturally returns to the separated position thanks to the restoring force exerted by the connecting element 17, as explained previously. The second part 16 then carries with it the body 6 during its separation from the first part 15, thanks to the presence of the slide, which makes it possible to simultaneously release the body 6 from the protruding element 20 and, thus, to disengage the male connector 2 from the female connector 3 for the opening of the closing device 1. With particular reference to figures 3, 5 and 7, the external face 31 of the first part 15 and the external face 32 of the second part 16 respectively comprise stop elements 33, 34 which make it possible to delimit the positioning of the sealing member 4 consisting of a sealing strip and prevent said sealing member 4 from being moved towards the attachment member 13.Thus, the sealing member 4 is suitably positioned on the female connector 3 in a close position and completely covers the flexible tab 18, which prevents the two parts 15, 16 from moving apart and access to the flexible tab 18 to attempt to flex it and release the protruding element 20 from the body 6 without tearing off the sealing member 4. The outer face 31 of the first part 15 also comprises two reinforcing elements 37 which extend between the two stop elements 33 on said outer face 31 and the attachment member 13, these reinforcing elements 37 being arranged above the connecting element 17 which connects the first part 15 to the second part 16.These reinforcing elements 37 provide rigidity to the first part and ensure that the connecting element 17 flexes and works properly when the second part 16 is brought closer to the first part 15 for passage into the close position of the female connector 3, in order to exert a suitable restoring force on the second part 16 as soon as the sealing member 4 is removed. The male connector 2 is made of a single piece of plastic material, for example polypropylene. Similarly, the female connector 3 is made of a single piece of plastic material, for example polypropylene. The sealing member 4 is made of paper, preferably kraft paper; it would also be possible to provide a sheet of plastic material with a pre-cut to facilitate its tearing off when it is removed for the disengagement of the male connector 2 and the female connector 3.The presence of the flexible tab 18 on the first part 15 of the female connector 3 advantageously makes it possible to place the sealing member 4 on the female connector 3 in the close position, before the body 6 is engaged in the housing 24. A variant could however be envisaged without the flexible tab 18, that is to say by arranging the protruding element 20 directly on an internal face 35 of the first part 15 of the female connector 3. In this case, it would be appropriate to first position the body 6 of the male connector 2 in the grooves 27, 28 of the second part 16 of the female connector, then to position the female connector 3 in the close position, thus allowing the protruding element 20 to penetrate into the opening 10 on the body 6 and, finally, to only place the sealing member 4 to retain the female connector 3 in the close position.The sealing member may also comprise a marking system making it possible to identify an attempt to fraudulently open said sealing member. For example, when the sealing member 4 is a sealing strip, as described above, the sealing strip may comprise a colored marker which appears when an attempt is made to peel off the adhesive part of said sealing strip. Alternative embodiments of the male connector 2 are also possible without the rib 8 and without the bevels 11 or, on the contrary, with a rib and bevels identical and complementary to the rib 8 and the bevels 11 and implemented on the face opposite the face 7, these variants offering reversibility to the male connector 2 which can thus be introduced in one direction or the other into the housing 24 of the female connector 3 in the close position. The closing device 1 according to the invention is implemented on the bag 100.However, it is possible to envisage implementing one or more closing devices 1 on another type of shipping container, for example a bag which comprises a flap for closing an opening, one or two closing devices 1 then being arranged between the flap and the front face of the bag.

Claims

Claims 1. Closing device (1) for a shipping container comprising a male connector (2) and a female connector (3) capable of being engaged one into the other for the installation of said closing device (1), characterized in that the male connector (2) comprises a body (6) provided with a first locking member, in that the female connector (3) comprises a first part (15) and a second part (16) movable between them so as to be able to be placed in a spaced apart position or in a close position, said female connector (3) comprising return means configured to naturally return the first part (15) and the second part (16) to the spaced apart position, the first part (15) and the second part (16) being configured to define in the close position a housing (24) opening onto one end of the female connector (3) and configured to receive the body (6) of the male connector (2),the first part (15) of the female connector (3) comprising a second blocking member complementary to the first blocking member so as to block the body (6) in the housing (24) when the first blocking member and the second blocking member cooperate, and in that said closing device (1) comprises a sealing member (4) configured to retain and seal the female connector (3) in said close position, the withdrawal of the sealing member (4) causing the return of the female connector (3) to the separated position in which the first blocking member and the second blocking member are released from each other for disengagement of the male connector (2) and the female connector (3).

2. Closing device (1) according to claim 1,wherein the first locking member is formed by an opening (10) on the body (6) of the male connector (2) and the second locking member is formed by a flexible tab (18) on the first part (15) of the female connector (3), said flexible tab (18) comprising a protruding element (20) directed towards the second part (16) of the female connector (3) and configured to penetrate into the opening (10) when the female connector (3) is in the close position and said body (6) is engaged in the housing (24).

3. Closure device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the protruding element (20) comprises a first bevel (21) and the body (6) comprises a second bevel (11), the first bevel (21) and the second bevel (11) being configured so that the body (6) pushes the flexible tab (18) so that it flexes during the introduction of said body (6) into the housing (24),said flexible tab (18) returning to its normal position once the protruding element (20) is in correspondence with the opening (10).

4. Closing device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which a sliding connection is implemented between the second part (16) of the female connector (3) and, the body (6) of the male connector (2), in the direction of insertion of the body (6) into the housing (24).

5. Closing device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first part (15) and the second part (16) of the female connector (3) are made in one piece (14) in the form of a clamp and are connected to each other by a flexible connecting element (17) configured to allow said close position to be reached under stress and to return naturally to the separated position when the stress ceases.

6. Closing device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the male connector (2) comprises a first attachment member (5) and the female connector (3) comprises a second attachment member (13).

7. Closing device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the first attachment member (5) and the second attachment member (13) consist of attachment loops of a strap. 8.Closing device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sealing member (4) consists of a sealing strip configured to encircle the first part (15) and the second part (16) of the female connector (3) in a close position.

9. Closing device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the sealing strip is composed of a recyclable and compostable material, in particular paper.

10. Closing device (1) according to any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein the first part (15) and the second part (16) of the female connector (3) respectively comprise at least one first stop element (33) and at least one second stop element (34), said stop elements (33, 34) being configured to delimit the positioning of the sealing strip when encircling the female connector (3). 11.

12. A shipping container comprising an opening for the introduction and removal of articles and a system for closing the opening, the closing system comprising at least one closing device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 for maintaining the closing system in the closed position.

13. A shipping container according to claim 12, which is a flexible bag (100) comprising two side edges (101, 102) and an opening (103) arranged at a longitudinal end edge (104) of the bag (100), the bag (100) comprising a closing device (1) whose male connector (2) is secured to a first side edge (102) and the connector. female (3) is secured to a second lateral edge (101), at the level of said longitudinal end edge (104).

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