Device for storing separately two products which are to be dispensed simultaneously

• US 4,386,696 A
• Filed: 09/27/1978
• Issued: 06/07/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L'Oreal SA
• Original Assignee: L'Oreal SA
• Inventors: Goncalves, Antonin
• Primary Examiner(s): MOY, JOSEPH MAN
• Application Number:
  US05/946,215
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 206/219, 206/220, 206/221, 215/6, 215/227, 215/258, 215/DIG. 8, 215/330, 220/23, 222/142.5
• US Class Current: 206/221
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2871 the plug falling into the main container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2878 the element being a lid or cover seated on a passage between the auxiliary container and the main container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 51/2885 the element being the auxiliary container falling into the main container; the additional article or materials in solid block form falling into the main container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3222 with additional means facilitating admixture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 215/08 Mixing

Abstract

Device for storing separately at least two products which are to be dispensed simultaneously comprises a container defining a first compartment, a hollow closure for said container defining a second compartment, an ejectable capsule closing said second compartment, and an elastic collar carried by said hollow closure member and positioned to cause separation of said capsule from said second compartment when said hollow closure is removed from said container. The device is characterized by the fact that the collar is convex toward the bottom of the container and radially slotted to permit compression of the collar when it is forced through the neck of said container.

Claims

1. In a device for storing at least two products which are isolated from each other during storage and which it is not desired to mix until the moment of use, said device comprising:

a container having a neck and a body constituting a first compartment in which one of the products may be placed;

a member closing said neck and supporting an ejectable element, said member and said ejectable element defining a second compartment and in which the other product may be placed;

a one piece elastic collar the external dimension of which is greater than an internal dimension of the neck of the container, said collar being removably carried by said member in a position which is beyond the neck of the container when the member is in closed position on said container, the collar being adapted, during separation of the member from the container, to come into abutment against an end of the neck of the container to cause separation of the ejectable element from the member, said collar during insertion through the neck being convex toward the body of the container;

the improvement according to which said collar has a diverging upper surface inclined upwardly toward the end of the neck when the member is in said closed position on the container, the collar comprises at least one radial slot, the total width of said at least one slot being substantially equal to the difference between the inner perimeter of the neck at its narrowest point and the external perimeter of the collar when free from constraint, said collar comprising means for readily folding upwardly and inwardly during insertion of the collar through the neck, and said upper surface of said collar comprising elastic means for deforming to expand radially outwardly against the end of the neck as a result of upward movement during separation of said member from the container.

2. Device as claimed in claim 1 characterized by the fact that the collar is provided with a plurality of regularly spaced radial slots.

3. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the collar is made of a flexible deformable material such as polyethylene.

4. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the ejectable element is in the shape of a cup the free end of the lateral wall of said cup being fitted on an end of a mounting skirt of said member.

5. Device as claimed in claim 4 in which a lateral wall of the ejectable cup comprises peripheral external sealing ribs which snap into corresponding grooves in the internal surface of the mounting skirt.

6. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the neck has an inner diameter which decreases progressively in the direction of the body of the container, the external diameter of the collar when free from constraint lying between the maximum and minimum diameters of the neck.

7. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the collar is fixed to the ejectable element.

8. Device as claimed in claim 4 in which that portion of the lateral wall of the ejectable element not fitted on the mounting skirt carries a sleeve positioned concentrically of its lateral wall, said collar forming the edge of the sleeve near the bottom of the capsule.

9. Device as claimed in claim 8 in which the radial slots are formed in the wall of the collar and extend into the wall of the sleeve.

10. Device as claimed in claim 1 which comprises a separate sleeve which is seated removably on an external surface of a mounting skirt of said member, the edge of the sleeve which is nearest the body of the container carrying the collar.

11. Device as claimed in claim 10 in which the ejectable element comprises an external peripheral ring which comes to bear against the edge of the mounting skirt, said ring having an outer diameter greater than the inner diameter of the separate sleeve, the collar being positioned between the neck of the container and said ring.

12. Device as claimed in claim 10 in which the radial slots are formed in the wall of the collar and extend into the wall of the separate sleeve up to the zone in which it is attached to the mounting skirt.

13. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the member closing the neck of the container is a cap, the surface of the cap facing the body of the container being provided with a mounting skirt.

14. Device as claimed in claim 13 in which the cap includes a substantially cylindrical external sleeve positioned coaxially of the neck of the container when the cap is mounted thereon, said sleeve being provided with inner threads which cooperate with the external threads formed on the neck of the container.

15. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the member which closes the neck of the container is a bottle the neck of which, positioned inside the neck of the container, is closed by the ejectable capsule.

16. Device as claimed in claim 15 in which the neck of the bottle comprises an external thread which cooperates with an internal thread on the neck of the container.

17. Device as claimed in claim 15 in which the neck of the bottle comprises an annular flange positioned externally between its threaded part and the body of the bottle, said flange being adapted to slide axially inside an annular groove on the internal surface of the neck of the container.