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EP-4739162-A1 - A REFILLABLE CONTAINER

EP4739162A1EP 4739162 A1EP4739162 A1EP 4739162A1EP-4739162-A1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a refillable container, comprising a hollow rotator, a pushing member, a replacement bottle and a hollow shell having an open bottom, a fluid passage extending through the above-mentioned components so as to form an opening in each component, wherein the shell has the replacement bottle engaged therein and connects to the rotator at an upper portion thereof. The rotator is rotatable relative to the pushing member in a rotation direction about a longitudinal axis of the container. The pushing member is configured to be movable vertically relative to the rotator in a reciprocating manner. The pushing member is further configured to cooperate with the replacement bottle such that the replacement bottle is disengaged from the shell due to the vertical movement of the pushing member. The refillable container according to the invention is able to replace a spent bottle with a new filled bottle in an easier manner, is more environment-friendly, and is cleaner and more hygienic to perform the replacement process.

Inventors

  • XIN, John
  • SHEN, Hong (Eric)

Assignees

  • Beiersdorf AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240528

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A refillable container comprising a hollow rotator, a pushing member, a replacement bottle and a hollow shell having an open bottom, an fluid passage extending through the components so as to form an opening in each component, wherein the shell has the replacement bottle engaged therein and connects to the rotator at an upper portion thereof, characterized in that the rotator is rotatable relative to the pushing member in a rotation direction about a longitudinal axis of the container, in that the pushing member is configured to be movable vertically relative to the rotator in a reciprocating manner, and in that the pushing member is further configured to cooperate with the replacement bottle such that the replacement bottle is disengaged from the shell due to the vertical movement of the pushing member.
  2. 2. The refillable container according to claim 1, characterized in that the pushing member is configured to cooperate with the rotator such that the rotation of the rotator is transferred into the vertical movement of the pushing member.
  3. 3. The refillable container according to claim 2, characterized in that the pushing member has a cylindrical body on which there are provided a plurality of zigzag structures, the structures projecting outwardly from an outer circumferential surface of the body in a thickness direction and extending parallel to the longitudinal direction in a height direction so as to define guiding grooves, wherein each groove extends over an angle of certain degrees in a circumferential direction and have a first side and a second side, the first side extending upwardly from the lowest point to the highest point of the groove in an inclined manner, and the second side extending downwardly from the highest point to the lowest point of an adjacent groove.
  4. 4. The refillable container according to claim 3, characterized in that the structures/grooves are identical to each other, and/or continuous with each other, and/or evenly distributed in a circumferential direction.
  5. 5. The refillable container according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the rotator has a cylindrical body on which there are provided several sliders, the sliders projecting inwardly from an inner circumferential surface of the body and being slidable against one of the first side or the second side of the respective grooves of the pushing member as the pushing member moves downwardly, and against the other side of the respective grooves of the pushing member as the pushing member moves upwardly.
  6. 6. The refillable container according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that during the replacement process, the angle by which the rotator rotates is within a range between 30 and 60 degrees, and the stroke the pushing member travels vertically downwardly is within a range between 4 and 10mm.
  7. 7. The refillable container according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that a spring is provided between the pushing member and the shell under tension, the spring abutting against an upper portion of the shell at one end thereof, and abutting against a bottom of the pushing member at the other end.
  8. 8. The refillable container according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the shell has a cylindrical body having a top surface from which several elastic tabs extend downwardly, and the replacement bottle has a circumferential rib disposed on an outer circumference surface of the bottle neck so as to be snapped onto the tabs of the shell.
  9. 9. The refillable container according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the rotator includes a first section, a second section and a third section, the three sections meeting at each other via step transitions.
  10. 10. The refillable container according to claim 9, characterized in that the first section includes a first segment terminated at the step transition between the first and second sections, and a second segment, which extends downwardly from the first segment beyond the second section into the replacement bottle.
  11. 11. The refillable container according to claim 10, characterized in that the refillable container further includes a pump for dispensing the contents contained in the replacement bottle, the pump being engaged with the first section of the rotator at a lower portion thereof, wherein the pump has a nozzle, which is in fluid communication with the opening of the rotator via an internal conduit of the pump.
  12. 12. The refillable container according to claim 11, characterized in that the internal conduit is arranged to be in flush with the lower end of the first section of the rotator at a lower end thereof.
  13. 13. The refillable container according to claim 9, characterized in that the refillable container further includes a pump for dispensing the contents contained in the replacement bottle, the pump being engaged with the replacement bottle at a lower portion thereof, wherein the pump has a nozzle, which is in fluid communication with the opening of the replacement bottle via an internal conduit of the pump.
  14. 14. The refillable container according to claim 13, characterized in that the internal conduit is arranged to be in flush with the opening of the replacement bottle at a lower end thereof.
  15. 15. The refillable container according to claim 11, 12, 13 or 14, characterized in that the refillable container further includes a cap for protecting the pump from the surroundings, the cap being connected to the rotator.
  16. 16. The refillable container according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the pushing member has a bottom surface from which several tabs extend downwardly, the tabs being configured to press the replacement bottle downwardly as the pushing member moves downwardly so as to be disengaged from the shell.
  17. 17. The refillable container according to claim 16, characterized in that the shell is provided with a corresponding number of guiding slots in a top surface thereof so that the tabs can be guided through the respective guiding slots.
  18. 18. The refillable container according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that when assembled together, the replacement bottle constitutes a sealed space with the pump and rotator.
  19. 19. The refillable container according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that when assembled together, the replacement bottle constitutes a sealed space with the pump.
  20. 20. The refillable container according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the replacement bottle includes a bottle body and an insert connected to the bottle body.

Description

A refillable container Technical Field The invention relates to a refillable container for dispensing fluids, e.g., cosmetic preparations. Background Refillable containers are commonly used in dispensing cosmetic preparations or other fluids. A typical refillable container includes a replacement bottle containing cosmetic preparations, which is usually made of plastics. In prior art, the replacement process is done by removing a spent bottle from the remainder of the container and then attaching a new filled bottle via e.g., a screw connection, which requires a certain effort, making it to be not conveniences to users. Also, the replacement bottle generally accounts for a large proportion of the entire refillable container. Thus, a large amount of plastics are needed, which is not environment-friendly. Moreover, the replacement process is not very clean and less hygienic due to the fact that the preparations contained in the container are in contact with the environment during the replacement process and that there may be residues contaminated on the remainder of the container during the replacement process. Thus there exists a need for an improved refillable container which is able to replace a replacement bottle in an easier manner, is more environment-friendly, and is cleaner and more hygienic to perform the replacement process. i Summary of Invention An object of the invention is to provide a refillable container which is able to replace a spent bottle with a new filled bottle in an easier manner, is more environment-friendly, and is cleaner and more hygienic to perform the replacement process. According to an embodiment, a refillable container comprises a hollow rotator, a pushing member, a replacement bottle and a hollow shell having an open bottom, a fluid passage extending through the above-mentioned components so as to form an opening in each component. The shell has the replacement bottle engaged therein and connects to the rotator at an upper portion thereof. The rotator is rotatable relative to the pushing member in a rotation direction about a longitudinal axis of the container. The pushing member is configured to be movable vertically relative to the rotator in a reciprocating manner, e.g., cooperate with the rotator such that the rotation of the rotator is transferred into a vertical movement of the pushing member. The pushing member is further configured to cooperate with the replacement bottle such that the replacement bottle is disengaged from the shell due to the vertical movement of the pushing member. According to a particular embodiment, the pushing member has a cylindrical body on which there are provided a plurality of zigzag structures, the structures projecting outwardly from an outer circumferential surface of the body in a thickness direction and extending parallel to the longitudinal direction in a height direction so as to define guiding grooves. The grooves may each extend over an angle of certain degrees in a circumferential direction and have a first, e.g., longer side and a second, e.g., shorter side, the first side extending upwardly from the lowest point to the highest point of the groove in an inclined manner, and the second side extending downwardly from the highest point to the lowest point of an adjacent groove. Preferably the structures/grooves are identical to each other, continuous with each other and evenly distributed in a circumferential direction. Correspondingly, the rotator also has a cylindrical body on which there are provided several sliders, the sliders projecting inwardly from an inner circumferential surface of the body and being slidable against one side, e.g., the longer sides of the respective grooves of the pushing member as the pushing member moves downwardly, and back against the longer sides or against the other side, e.g., the shorter side of the respective grooves of the pushing member as the pushing member moves upwardly. The number of the sliders of the rotator does not necessarily correspond to that of the structures/grooves of the pushing member. By adjusting the number of, the length of e.g., the longer side of, and the height of the zigzag structures of the pushing member, the angle by which the rotator rotates and the stroke the pushing member travels vertically during the replacement process can be adjusted as desired. Preferably, the angle by which the rotator rotates during the replacement process is within a range between 30 and 60 degrees. The stroke the pushing member travels vertically downwardly is preferably within a range between 4 and 10mm. Preferably, a spring, e.g., a coil spring is provided between the pushing member and the shell under tension, the spring abutting against an upper portion of the shell at one end thereof, and abutting against a bottom of the pushing member at the other end. With the spring, the pushing member can be returned back to its initial vertical position after the replacement process so as to