Aluminium fluid product tank

Abstract

Fluid product reservoir comprising two aluminium parts, namely a body (1) and a head (2), the body (1) defining an opening (12) and the head (2) forming a mounting ring (21) which is press-fitted into the opening (12) of the body (1), characterized in that the mounting ring (21) comprises: - snap-fit ​​means (211) to establish axial hold with the opening (12), - crimping means (212) to establish rotational hold with the opening (12), and - sealing means (3) to establish a tight contact between the body (1) and the head (2).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a fluid reservoir formed by the sealed assembly of two aluminum parts: a body for receiving the fluid and a head forming a neck. The body defines an opening, and the head forms a mounting ring that is press-fitted into the opening of the body. The reservoir must be sealed, as it is intended to contain a liquid such as perfume, lotion, cream, etc.

[0002] In prior art, we know of aluminum tanks made from a single piece. We also know of tanks resulting from the watertight assembly of two pieces of plastic.

[0003] The present invention seeks to produce a tank made entirely of aluminum, resulting from the assembly of two aluminum parts.

[0004] To this end, the present invention proposes a fluid product reservoir comprising two aluminum parts, namely a body and a head, the body defining an opening and the head forming a mounting ring which is press-fitted into the opening of the body, characterized in that the mounting ring comprises: ratcheting means to establish axial hold with the opening, crimping means to establish rotational hold with the opening, and sealing means to establish a watertight contact between the body and the head.

[0005] The wall thickness of the mounting ring can be several millimeters with considerable variations, from single to double.

[0006] According to one feature of the invention, the crimping means can be arranged between the snap-on means and the sealing means. Advantageously, the body forms a base opposite the opening, with the sealing means being closer to the base than the crimping and snap-on means. With this arrangement, the fluid contained in the tank cannot reach the crimping and snap-on means.

[0007] According to another aspect of the invention, the opening can define an internal wall which comes into contact with the mounting ring, this internal wall defining an annular snap-fit ​​housing in contact with the snap-fit ​​means of the mounting ring and a cylindrical section in contact with the sealing and crimping means of the mounting ring.

[0008] Advantageously, the snap-fit ​​means of the mounting ring include a protruding annular snap-fit ​​profile which is received in the annular snap-fit ​​housing of the opening.

[0009] Advantageously, the crimping means of the mounting ring include vertical ribs which bite into the cylindrical section of the opening.

[0010] Advantageously, the sealing means of the mounting ring include an annular groove and an O-ring received in the annular groove, the O-ring being deformed radially against the cylindrical section of the opening.

[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, the head may include a projecting collar that bears axially against the upper edge of the opening. This collar determines the insertion depth of the mounting ring in the body opening and aesthetically gives the impression that the tank is made of a single piece.

[0012] According to another feature of the invention, the head may include a neck, advantageously threaded, for mounting a distribution element, such as a pump or a valve.

[0013] The essence of the invention lies in achieving a stable and watertight assembly between an aluminum body and an aluminum head that is rigid and undeformed during assembly. The body is locally and permanently deformed by vertical ribs that interfere with the cylindrical section of the opening. The body is locally and elastically deformed at its annular snap-fit ​​housing by the protruding annular snap-fit ​​profile of the mounting ring. The head gives the tank a solid, high-quality appearance. The difficulty of the invention arises from the fact that a massive component, such as the head, is not suitable for achieving a stable and watertight assembly. A person skilled in the art would instead be inclined to use two thin-walled components to achieve a watertight crimped joint.

[0014] The invention will now be described in greater detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, giving by way of non-limiting example, one embodiment of the invention.

[0015] In the figures: [ Figure 1 ] There figure 1 is an exploded and cut-out perspective view of a fluid product reservoir according to the invention, [ Figure 2 ] There figure 2 is a plan view of the head of the fluid product tank of the figure 1 , [ Figure 3 ] There figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the upper part of the fluid product tank body of the figure 1 , And [ Figure 4 ] There figure 4 is a highly magnified vertical cross-sectional view of the head assembly within the fluid product tank body of the figure 1 .

[0016] The fluid product reservoir of the invention comprises two aluminum parts, namely a body 1 and a head 2, which are assembled in a stable and leak-proof manner.

[0017] The body 1 is made in one piece by stamping or drawing a sheet of aluminum. The body 1 comprises a base 10, a cylindrical shaft 11, and an opening 12. The shaft 11 has a greater wall thickness than the opening, hence the presence of an internal shoulder 14. The opening 12 defines an annular edge 13 at its upper end.

[0018] The opening 12 comprises an internal wall that defines an annular snap-fit ​​housing 121 and a cylindrical section 122. The annular snap-fit ​​housing 121 is located near the annular edge 13, and the cylindrical section 122 extends below the annular snap-fit ​​housing 121 to an internal shoulder 14. More specifically, the annular snap-fit ​​housing 121 is machined into a cylindrical portion 120, which connects to the annular edge 13 via an entry chamfer 131. This cylindrical portion 120 also connects to the cylindrical section 122 via a frustoconical portion 123. The cylindrical portion 120 has a larger diameter than the cylindrical section 122.

[0019] The head 2 is massive and exhibits numerous variations in wall thickness, ranging from one to five times the original thickness. The head 2 comprises several distinct parts, namely a mounting ring 21, a projecting collar 22, a socket 23, an annular plate 24, and a neck 25: all these parts being connected as a single unit.

[0020] The mounting ring 21 is essential to the invention. It comprises snap-fit ​​means 211 for establishing axial retention with the opening 12, crimping means 212 for establishing rotational retention with the opening 12, and sealing means 3 for establishing a watertight contact between the body 1 and the head 2. The crimping means 212 are arranged between the snap-fit ​​means 211 and the sealing means 3. The sealing means 3 are closer to the base 10 than the crimping means 212 and the snap-fit ​​means 211.

[0021] In more detail, the snap-fit ​​means for the mounting ring 21 include a projecting annular snap-fit ​​profile 211 which is received in the annular snap-fit ​​housing 121 of the opening 12. As can be seen on the figure 4 This projecting annular ratchet profile 211 can take the form of a notch or shoulder 2111, which protrudes outwards. Below this notch 2111 is formed a frustoconical or chamfered sector 2112, which connects to an annular groove 2113. The notch 2111 engages in the annular ratchet housing 121 of the opening 12. It can be noted on the figure 4 that the wall thickness at the level of the protruding annular snap-fit ​​profile 211 is four times greater than that of the opening at the level of the annular snap-fit ​​housing 121. This implies that the mounting ring 21 does not deform during force engagement in the opening 12. The frustoconical or chamfered sector 2112 will slide on the chamfer 131 to facilitate the passage of the notch 2111 into the cylindrical part 120. This passage causes a reversible elastic deformation of the opening 12, which will return to its initial shape once the notch 2111 has reached its final snap-fit ​​position in the annular snap-fit ​​housing 121 of the opening 12. Strong axial strength is thus achieved.

[0022] The crimping means for the mounting ring 21 include vertical ribs 212 that bite into the cylindrical section 122 of the opening 12. For example, eight vertical ribs may be provided. It can be noted on the figure 4 that the wall thickness at the vertical ribs 212 is three times greater than that of the opening at the cylindrical section 122. This implies that the mounting ring 21 does not deform when forcefully engaged in the opening 12. However, it is possible that the vertical ribs 212 may be slightly deformed when forcefully engaged in the cylindrical section 122. Nevertheless, strong rotational strength is still achieved.

[0023] The sealing means for the mounting ring 21 comprise an annular groove 213 and an O-ring 3 received in the annular groove 213. The O-ring 3 is radially deformed against the cylindrical section 122 of the opening 12. It can be observed on the figures 1 And 4that the annular groove 213 is deep, since it reduces by half the wall thickness of the mounting ring 21. The O-ring 3 is received in this groove 213 by protruding outwards, so as to come into radial contact pressed against the cylindrical section 122.

[0024] The protruding collar 22 is located just above the mounting ring 21 and bears axially on the annular edge 13, thus determining the depth of engagement of the mounting ring 21 in the opening 12.

[0025] The socket 23 is located just above the protruding collar 22. The internal diameter of the socket is identical to those of the mounting ring 21 and the collar 23, but its external diameter is smaller than those of the mounting ring 21 and the collar 23.

[0026] The annular plate 24 is located just above the socket 23 and extends radially inwards.

[0027] The neck 25 is located just above the annular plate 24 and projects upwards. A pump or a cap can be mounted on the neck 25 of the head 2. More precisely, the neck 25 defines a neck opening 251 and can be provided with an external thread 252 for screwing on the pump or cap.

[0028] Thanks to the invention, we have a massive-looking aluminum tank, thanks to this massive head mounted stably and leak-proof on an aluminum body.

Claims

1. Fluid product reservoir comprising two aluminium parts, namely a body (1) intended to receive the fluid product and a head (2) forming a neck (25), the body (1) defining an opening (12) and the head (2) forming a mounting ring (21) which is press-fitted into the opening (12) of the body (1), characterized in that the mounting ring (21) includes: - snap-fit ​​means (211) to establish axial hold with the opening (12), - crimping means (212) to establish rotational hold with the opening (12), and - sealing means (3) to establish a tight contact between the body (1) and the head (2).

2. Fluid product reservoir according to claim 1, in which the crimping means (212) are arranged between the snap-on means (211) and the sealing means (3).

3. Fluid product reservoir according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the body (1) forms a bottom (10) opposite the opening (12), the sealing means (3) being closer to the bottom (10) than the crimping (212) and snap-on (211) means.

4. Fluid product reservoir according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the opening (12) defines an internal wall which engages with the mounting ring (21), this internal wall defining an annular snap-fit ​​housing (121) which engages with the snap-fit ​​means (211) of the mounting ring (21) and a cylindrical section (122) which engages with the sealing (3) and crimping (212) means of the mounting ring (21).

5. Fluid product reservoir according to claim 4, in which the snap-on means of the mounting ring (21) comprise a protruding annular snap-on profile (211) which is received in the annular snap-on housing (121) of the opening (12).

6. Fluid product reservoir according to claim 4 or 5, in which the crimping means of the mounting ring (21) comprise vertical ribs (212) which bite into the cylindrical section (122) of the opening (12).

7. Fluid product reservoir according to claim 4, 5, or 6, wherein the sealing means of the mounting ring (21) comprise an annular groove (213) and an O-ring (3) received in the annular groove (213), the O-ring (3) being deformed radially against the cylindrical section (122) of the opening (12).

8. Fluid product reservoir according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the head (2) includes a projecting collar (22) which bears axially against the upper edge (13) of the opening (12).

9. Fluid product reservoir according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the head (2) includes a neck (25), advantageously threaded, for the mounting of a distribution element, such as a pump or a valve.

10. Fluid product reservoir according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a pump or a cap is mounted on the neck (25) of the head (2).

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