EP0036491B1 - Dispenser for pasty substances - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a dispenser for pasty masses consisting of a tubular container with a mouthpiece opening and a piston movable in the direction thereof with a one-way locking mechanism and an actuating element provided on the mouthpiece side for moving the piston, which is coupled to a rod extending in the longitudinal direction of the housing is which can be brought into engagement with the locking mechanism of the piston.

Dispensers in the form of tubular containers with an actuating element on the mouthpiece side, in which a piston which can be moved towards the mouthpiece opening and on which a pulling element engages, are e.g. known from DE-C-261 954. In this dispenser, the traction member consists of a band, the lower end of which engages the piston and the mouth end of which is wound on the shaft when the actuating elements are actuated. Such dispensers are technically complicated; their operation is disadvantageous. In particular, one-handed operation is not possible.

Furthermore, e.g. known from DE-C-678 288 and FR-A-797 113, dispensers in which a piston is moved in a cylindrical housing by means of a rod, the rod being displaceable by an actuating element and connected to the piston via a one-way locking mechanism is. These dispensers, which are somewhat simpler in construction, allow one-handed operation; however, they have the disadvantage that the actuating element lies opposite the mouthpiece opening, which leads to inaccurate and unwieldy operation. In addition, the rod is actuated, i.e. during the emptying process, loaded under pressure and must therefore have considerable kink stability, which above all requires a relatively large cross section of the rod, as a result of which filling volume for the dispenser is lost.

Finally, from US-A-3 255 935 dispensers of the type described at the outset are known, in which a mouthpiece-side actuating element is provided, with which a rod is guided against the pressure of a spring by a piston with a ratchet. However, the rod is not displaced in the dispensing direction when the actuating element is depressed, so that the amount of the dispensed product cannot be metered out when actuated. The release takes place later when the depressed rod pulls up the piston under the action of a spring provided separately in the actuating element. Apart from the fact that there is no possibility of dosing the goods, the installation of a separate spring is complex. In another embodiment of these known dispensers (Fig. 5 in US-A-3 255 935) a rocker lift is provided as an actuating element at the lower end of the body of the container, which in turn has the disadvantage that the rod is empty and depressed when the rocker arm is depressed runs counter to the dispensing direction, so that exact dosing is not possible. Furthermore, the rod is stressed when it is conveyed, which has the disadvantages mentioned above. In addition to the cumbersome and imprecise handling of the control element at the end of the container, the manufacture and filling of such dispensers is also complex. The object of the present invention is to design a dispenser of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that, with a simplified and more convenient construction, easier handling, in particular convenient one-hand operation, is achieved, in which the above-mentioned disadvantages of inadequate dosage and poor filling are eliminated.

• a) das Betätigungselement als Wippenhebel ausgebildet ist, dessen einer Arm mit dem Stab derart gekuppelt ist, dass letzterer bei Niederdrücken des Betätigungselementes in Ausgaberichtung verlagerbar ist, und dessen anderer Arm als Druckfläche des Betätigungselementes ausgebildet ist, und
• b) der Stab und der Wippenhebel materialeinheitlich geformt sind.

To solve this problem, a donor of the type mentioned above is therefore proposed, which is characterized in that

• a) the actuating element is designed as a rocker arm, one arm of which is coupled to the rod in such a way that the latter can be displaced in the dispensing direction when the actuating element is depressed, and the other arm of which is designed as a pressure surface of the actuating element, and
• b) the rod and the rocker arm are made of the same material.

In the older EP-A-0 028 727, which was registered for the common contracting states with the exception of the Federal Republic of Germany, a similar dispenser with check valve has been proposed, in which according to one embodiment (FIG. 9) one is used to actuate the piston Push button is provided, which is connected via a lever to the rod for moving the piston and is equipped as a return element by means of a spiral spring. This dispenser operation is not only complex, but also prone to failure.

• a) das Betätigungselement ist mundstückseitig vorgesehen,
• b) das Betätigungselement ist als Wippenhebel ausgebildet, dessen einer Arm mit dem Stab gekuppelt und dessen anderer Arm als Druckfläche des Betätigungselementes ausgebildet ist,
• c) der Stab wird bei Niederdrücken des Betätigungselementes in Ausgaberichtung verlagert,
• d) der Stab ist während des Arbeitsschrittes auf Zug belastet, und
• e) der Stab und der Wippenhebel sind materialeinheitlich geformt.

The invention now proposes a dispenser that combines the following features and modes of action:

• a) the actuating element is provided on the mouthpiece side,
• b) the actuating element is designed as a rocker arm, one arm of which is coupled to the rod and the other arm of which is designed as a pressure surface of the actuating element,
• c) the rod is displaced in the dispensing direction when the actuating element is depressed,
• d) the rod is subjected to tension during the work step, and
• e) the rod and the rocker arm are made of the same material.

The combination according to the invention of four features known per se and the additional feature that the rod and the rocker arm are formed from the same material results in a dispenser that is extremely practical, reliable, easy to manufacture and easy to fill.

The subclaims represent advantageous developments of this solution.

As a result of such a design, a dispenser which is simple to use and advantageous in terms of production is created: the rod, which is coupled to the piston via a one-way locking mechanism, is subjected to tensile stress during the working step, so that the rod can be designed to have a smaller cross section than a rod which is under pressure, above all based on larger housing lengths, the risk of deflection could not be excluded. The reduced-section rod also meets efforts to save material. The filling contents are dispensed extremely conveniently in small dosing steps. For this purpose, the mouth end of the rod sits on one arm of a double-armed rocker arm mounted in the housing, the other arm of which is designed as an actuating pressure surface. Such a rocker can be operated like a pump lever which can be acted upon mutually by the actuating finger pressing in a mutually displaced manner. Since the mouthpiece opening can be in the immediate vicinity of the rocker arm, such a type of actuation is readily possible, the remaining fingers of the hand securely encompassing the container, so that the filling contents can be dispensed in an exactly placeable manner. The measure that the rod and the rocker arm are formed from the same material, that is to say as a coherent insert, is of particular structural advantage. The articulation zone between the two functional parts, namely the rod and the rocker arm, is achieved in a simple manner in that the rod has a bending zone which is tapered in cross section in the region of its attachment. An insert part formed from a correspondingly flexible, elastic material is also able to compensate linear and circular movements overlapping one another. Instead of a reciprocal rocker arm actuation, a simpler one-sided rocker arm actuation can also be carried out simply by the rocker arm being spring-loaded in the direction of its basic position. A corresponding return spring can be realized using the restoring force of the material used in the simplest of ways by the fact that the spring on the underside of the rocker arm is integrally formed as a tongue. An even tool-free assignment of this insert component is achieved in that the rocker arm lies in the region of its one, shorter arm in a recess of a step, the recess side flanks of which have bearing openings for clipping in the bearing pins of the rocker arm, and the longer arm of which projects freely over the step that it overlaps a partial surface of the upper housing end wall on which the spring is supported. It is also advantageous here if the end of the spring protrudes into a depression in the housing end wall. In order to ensure with simple means that the clip bearing remains unaffected when the piston bounces, and there is a tendency toward displacement in the direction of the rocker arm, an advantageous precaution is taken in such a way that the rocker arm clipped to the housing in the direction of displacement of the rod lies approximately coaxially with the rod Hold-down mandrel is overlaid, which sits on the inside of the ceiling of a protective cap closing the mouthpiece opening. Such a protective cap can be screwed on using a quick thread. The corresponding hold-down mandrel can be easily molded onto the component by means of injection molding. The protective cap thus fulfills a multiple function in that it covers the actuation key against accidental contact, secures the axial immovability of the rod during the filling process and, in addition, closes the mouthpiece so that the contents cannot dry or dry out in this area.

• Fig. 1 den mundstückseitigen Endabschnitt des erfindungsgemäss ausgebildeten Spenders in perspektivischer Darstellung,
• Fig. 2 das aus Wippenhebel und angeformtem Stab als Zugorgan gebildete, die Betätigungsmechanik bildende Einsatzteil in perspektivischer Einzeldarstellung und
• Fig. 3 einen Längsschnitt durch den komplett montierten Spender bei in Grundstellung befindlicher Spendermechanik.

Further advantages and details of the subject matter of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings. It shows:

• 1 shows the end section of the dispenser designed according to the invention in a perspective view,
• Fig. 2, the rocker arm and molded rod as a tension member, forming the actuating mechanism insert part in a perspective view and
• Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section through the completely assembled dispenser with the dispenser mechanism in the basic position.

The dispenser designed in the form of a tubular housing 1 is penetrated by a centrally located, smooth rod 2. A piston 3 runs on it as a press base. The running surface 3 'of the piston runs on the cylindrical housing inner wall 1'. The housing 1 forms a decentralized mouthpiece 4 in the region of its upper end wall 1 ", which finally merges into a mouthpiece opening 4 'with a further reduced cross section.

The housing end wall 1 "is perforated centrally. The corresponding opening 5 is penetrated to the outside by the rod 2. The latter merges there into a rocker arm W. The corresponding double-armed nature of the rocker arm is such that one, shorter arm 6 is connected to one with the rocker arm connected approach 7 and a subsequent joint 8 is connected to the axially displaceable rod.

The other, longer arm 9 of the rocker arm W serves as an actuating pressure surface. It is grooved across the top to increase grip. The grooving is designated 10.

The articulation point 8 is realized as a bending zone of reduced cross-section lying between the projection 7 and the rod 2 in the manner of a film hinge. The length of this reduced-cross-section bending zone takes into account certain small transverse displacements resulting from the tilting movement of the rocker arm W due to the arcuate movement of the rocker arm.

The rocker joint axis is marked xx. By pressing the rocker arm W down in the area of the actuation pressure surface, the rod becomes axially displaced in the dispensing direction. It is therefore subject to tension during the work step. The piston 3 is dragged along so that the pasty filling content F is dispensed in a metered manner via the mouthpiece opening 4 '. The stroke length is about 1-2 mm each.

A one-way locking mechanism is assigned to the piston. The latter consists of a spring washer 12 seated on one broad side of the piston 3. This has radially inwardly directed tongues 13. The tongues 13 extend in the same angular distribution and are bent with respect to the transverse plane corresponding to the piston position in such a way that they align with theirs Support end edges 13 'under spring tension on the lateral surface of the rod 2 at a level offset. Their inclination faces away from the mouthpiece side. The piston 3 is therefore only dragged by the rod 2 pulled axially in the direction of the mouthpiece when the longer arm 9 of the rocker arm W is depressed.

After then releasing the rocker arm W, the spring-loaded lever returns to its normal position. A corresponding spring 14 is the underside of the rocker arm, i.e. the underside of the longer arm 9 integrally formed as a tongue. It is rooted in the free end of this arm and extends in an arc shape in the direction of the rod 2. The spring 14 can have a certain pretension. In order to precisely define the basic position, the rod 2, which is relatively thin in cross-section, has a truncated cone-shaped thickening 15 in the region of the opening 5 of the housing end wall 1 ″, which lies in a shape-matched, funnel-shaped widening of the opening 5.

During this movement against the work step, the piston 3 is not moved. Rather, the rod returns to its original position after releasing the actuating pressure surface due to the force of the spring 14 alone. The reason for this is that on the one hand the piston “sticks” to the filling half and on the other hand the peripheral friction surface prevents it from being carried along. The resilient tongues 13 slide freely over the lateral surface of the rod 2.

Furthermore, since the piston 3 forms a sealing lip 16 on the side facing the mouthpiece opening, which extends as far as the outer surface of the rod 2, the contents F are also prevented from passing onto the opposite side of the piston, so that no losses occur. The corresponding protruding sealing lip 16 continues after the section forming the actual piston sliding surface 3 'into a pocket 17 lying on the side facing away from the dispensing direction for the incorporation of the spring washer 12. These can be clip tongues. The spring washer 12 can of course also be injected into the elastic piston body.

The free end of the rod is mounted in a centrally located sleeve 19 which is molded onto the cover 18 of the container 1 and which has a height which takes into account the axial stroke of the rod, so that there the axial guidance is maintained even when the piston 3 is further shifted in the output direction.

The lid can be assigned by means of the clip holder. It has a pressure equalization opening, not shown.

The rocker axis x-x is realized in the form of the rocker arm W laterally formed axle stub 11. When the rocker arm is assigned, the latter clip into corresponding bearing openings 20 on the side flanks 21 of a recess 22. The corresponding recess 22 is located in the area of a step St of the upper housing end wall 1 ″. The horizontal rocker arm mounting lying transversely to the rod 2 and offset to it is made in the upper area of the recess 22, so that due to the step and the opposite the upper recess zone of the lower end wall section 1 ″, there is an operating space for lowering the longer arm 9. The longer arm protrudes accordingly above the St level. As can be clearly seen from FIG. 1, the partial surface of the housing end wall 1 ″ encompassed by the longer arm has a shaft-like depression 23 into which the free end of the spring 14 protrudes.

Upstream of the bearing openings 20 there is a plug-in shaft 20 'which widens in the side flank plane of the recess 22, so that the rocker arm is assigned practically self-centering. However, the end of this shaft on the bearing opening side is of a smaller width than the diameter of the bearing opening 20, so that the clip anchoring described is achieved.

In order to be able to empty completely, the area on the output side of the housing can be designed essentially according to the contour of the sealing lip 16 of the piston.

The entire dispenser head is covered by a protective cap 24 which is stop-limited in the plug-on direction by a shoulder 25 at the level of the housing end wall 1 ".

All components are expediently made of thermoplastic by injection molding.

The protective cap 24 has a hold-down mandrel N which extends from its cover 24 'on the inside (cf. FIG. 3). The latter is molded onto the cap. The end face of the tapered mandrel ends directly above the arm 6 of the rocker arm W. The purpose of this embodiment is to prevent the stub axle 11 formed on the rocker arm from being pressed out of the recess 22 when the piston 3 is bounced. This cannot be ruled out in cases where the clip forces are insufficient due to the possible different tolerances for the clip holder lying in the direction of the rod. In such cases, the hold-down mandrel forms an abutment that has grown correspondingly. The protective cap 24 itself is held, for example, using a short thread on the housing itself. As can further be seen from FIG. 3, the protective cap forms a strong chamfer in the area of its corner zone on the ceiling. This is adapted to the bevel of the mouthpiece opening edge, so that there is a sealing closure that prevents the contents from drying out. The hold-down mandrel N is located coaxially with the central rod 2.

Claims (4)

1. Dispenser for paste material comprising a tubular container (1) with a mouthpiece (4') and a piston (3) which is displaceable in the direction of the latter with a ratchet arrangement (12, 13) operating in one direction and an operating member provided at the mouthpiece end in order to move the piston which is coupled to a rod (2) which extends in the longitudinal direction of the housing (1) and can be brought into engagement with the ratchet arrangement (12, 13) of the piston (3), characterised in that

a) the operating member is constructed in the form of a rocking lever (W) one arm (6) of which is coupled to the rod (2) in such a way that when the operating member is depressed the rod is displaceable in the dispensing direction, the other arm (9) being constructed as a bearing surface for the operating member, and

b) the rod (2) and the rocking lever (W) are formed in one piece.

2. Dispenser as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that in the region of its shorter arm (6) the rocking lever (W) rests in a recess (22) in a step (St), the side walls of the recess being provided with bearing holes (20) for the pivot pins of the rocking lever to snap in, and the longer arm (9) of the rocking lever (W) projects freely over the step (St) in such a way that it extends over-a part of the surface of the upper end wall (1"') of the housing on which the spring (14) bears.

3. Dispenser as claimed in claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the rod (2) is connected to the shorter arm (6) of the rocking lever (W) by means of a projection (7) and has a flexing zone or point of articulation (8) of reduced cross-section in the region of the projection (7).

4. Dispenser as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the rocking lever (W) is spring-loaded in the direction of its rest position and the spring (14) is formed as a tongue on the underside of the rocking lever (W).

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