EP0316210A1 - Applicator for more or less viscous liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

The applicator comprises a sealed refill (1) containing said liquid and removably arranged in a body (5) having at one of its ends a liquid applicator head (7) removably attached to said end, while means (9) are provided for communication between this applicator head (7) and the inside of the refill (1), and the other end of the body (5) has stopper means (12). <??>The refill (1) is stopped up at the opposite end to the applicator head (7) by a cap (4) made of a pierceable material, and the stopper means (12) of the body (5) carry a hollow needle (22,29) to perforate said cap (4,26) when the refill is inserted into said body (5), this hollow needle (22) communicating with air compressing means (17) worked by hand and carried by said stopper means (12). <??>For use in particular in industrial marker pens. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a device for applying to a surface a liquid or semi-pasty substance such as an ink or a paint containing volatile solvents.

The invention relates in particular to an industrial pen making it possible to write on any surface and the ink refills of which are specially designed to receive inks which dry quickly and therefore with volatile solvents.

The device targeted by the invention is mainly intended for marking various objects, in particular metal parts, regardless of their surface condition.

In other applications of the device which is the subject of the invention, the ink can be replaced by any other liquid or pasty product and said device is then a device for applying said substance.

It is known that, in industry, certain markings must be carried out with an ink (usually opaque and viscous) which dries very quickly.

This type of ink contains very volatile solvents. It is therefore necessary, until it is used, to keep this ink in an absolutely sealed envelope so as to prevent these solvents from evaporating. Otherwise the ink would lose its viscosity and would no longer be suitable for the use we want to make of it.

French patent 1 041 438 describes a ballpoint pen for writing, the body of which contains an ink refill tube provided at its end opposite the ball with a perforable rubber stopper by means of a screwed hollow needle. on the end of the body. This hollow needle establishes air communication between the exterior and the refill, which allows the ink to flow.

This provision is not applicable to relatively viscous marking substances or the like containing highly volatile solvents. Indeed, the aforementioned communication carried out by means of the hollow needle causes an evaporation of the solvents and does not make it possible to establish a pressurization to ensure the exit of the substance through the application head.

Quick-drying inks are most often used in markers consisting of a flexible metal tube, completely sealed, which is mounted on a marking head allowing the ink to flow as soon as its tip is brought into contact with the surface. to mark.

This marking head, fixed to the end of the flexible metallic tube containing the ink, consists of a hollow cone generally made of steel which contains a ball valve. This valve comprises a helical spring whose role is to maintain a ball on the seat formed by the circular outlet orifice of said metal cone, so as to close this orifice. This ball, the diameter of which is barely greater than that of this orifice, partly exceeds the tip of the writing head formed by this metal cone.

Also, when this writing head is pressed perpendicular to the surface to be marked, the ball sinks into its housing by compressing the spring which held it on its seat, and the ink can then flow between the circular lips of the outlet of the marking head.

However, in order to allow the flow of this ink enclosed in a sealed envelope where air cannot enter, it is necessary to exert a pressure of the fingers on the external walls of the flexible metal tube constituting the body of the marker, in order to compensate for the depression produced by the escape of the ink.

Such markers with flexible metal walls have been known for a long time and work well for the application of quick-drying inks.

However, they have certain drawbacks: they are fragile in an industrial environment and risk being easily punctured, which causes ink loss and soiling that is all the more unpleasant as these types of ink are generally indelible with water. .

They are also difficult to handle, an action of tightening the fingers on the walls of the flexible tube to be combined with the movement of the writing hand.

French Patents Nos. 2,298,444 and 2,460,163 have remedied these drawbacks by providing for enclosing the metal flexible reservoir containing the ink, inside a sealed housing supplied by a compressed air circuit, which has for the purpose of exerting on the flexible walls of said reservoir, instead of the fingers, the pressure necessary for the expulsion of the ink towards the marking head.

This supply of compressed air has the advantage according to French patent 2,460,163, by means of programmed pulses, of triggering at will the advancement of the marking head, which is mounted on a piston with return spring, in order, for example, to put it in contact with a part to be marked which is present on an assembly line. However, in this patent, it is a marking device intended to be used at a fixed station since it must be connected to a compressed air circuit.

In an alternative embodiment of French patent 2298444, an autonomous manual marking device is provided, consisting of an ink refill with flexible walls enclosed in a sealed cylindrical housing acting as a pen and supplied with compressed air by a pump operating manually, mounted on said housing at the opposite end to that of the marking head. The manual pump allows using a non-return valve to introduce, into the sealed cylindrical case, compressed air intended to replace the pressure of the fingers on the flexible walls of the tube containing the ink. However, to ensure the proper functioning of such a pen, the pressure to be exerted on the flexible walls of the ink refill is relatively high (0.5 to 1 bar), and this requires a relatively manual pumping system. robust and efficient. This pen is then a marking instrument that is too cumbersome to handle and inconvenient to use.

A good solution therefore consists, in order to expel the ink towards the marking head, to act using a gas under pressure, not on the flexible walls of an ink refill, but directly on the ink itself. The pressure required is then extremely low to ensure good flow of the ink towards the marking head, and the pumping device can therefore consist of a very light and economical assembly.

Such a device for pressurizing the ink directly has been used for the operation of certain industrial markers whose rigid body contains a certain quantity of ink and which are intended to be thrown away when they are empty. However, markers of this type are quite expensive to manufacture compared to the value of the ink they contain.

The aim of the present invention is to create a device for applying a substance, capable of receiving refills of fast-drying substance, of avoiding the evaporation of the solvents contained therein and making it possible to write easily on any surface.

The invention thus relates to a device for applying a liquid or semi-pasty substance to a surface, comprising a hermetic refill containing said substance, removably arranged in a body intended to be handled manually, comprising at one of its ends a application head of said substance removably attached to said end, means being provided for placing this application head in communication with the interior of the refill, this application head comprising means preventing the exit of the substance , as long as this head is not applied to the surface, the other end of the body comprising closure means.

According to the invention, this device is characterized in that the refill is closed at its end opposite to the application head by a capsule made of perforable material and in that the means for closing the body carry a hollow needle which can perforate said capsule when the refill is placed in said body, this hollow needle communicating with actuatable air pressure means manually and carried by said sealing means, these pressurizing means being associated with means for closing the communication between the hollow needle and these pressurizing means after release of the latter.

The tightness of the substance refill is thus guaranteed, even after perforation of the capsule by the hollow needle.

The use of the device is very easy since it suffices to manually actuate the pressurizing means to obtain a good flow of the substance through the application head.

According to an advantageous version of the invention, the pressurizing means comprise a mini-pump which can be actuated with the thumb, associated with a non-return valve, having the purpose of generating and maintaining downstream of this valve, the pressurized air necessary for the proper flow of the substance.

According to a preferred version of the invention, the closure capsule situated at the rear of the ink refill, and intended to be pierced by the hollow needle transmitting the air under pressure, is made up in whole or in part of an elastomeric material which remains airtight, even after it has been pierced several times by this needle, which makes it fulfill the function of non-return valve.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the description below.

• - la figure 1 est une vue en coupe longitudinale d'une première version du dispositif d'application conforme à l'invention sous la forme d'un stylo industriel de marquage,
• - la figure 2 est une vue en coupe suivant le plan II-II de la figure 1,
• - la figure 3 est une vue partielle en coupe longitudinale d'une variante de réalisation du dispositif,
• - la figure 4 est une vue en coupe longitudinale d'une autre variante de réalisation du dispositif.

In the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples:

• FIG. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a first version of the application device according to the invention in the form of an industrial marking pen,
• FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the plane II-II of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a partial view in longitudinal section of an alternative embodiment of the device,
• - Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of another alternative embodiment of the device.

The industrial pens shown in the accompanying drawings are intended to receive an ink refill of a particular type, containing volatile solvents.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the refill 1, which is intended to be discarded once empty, consists of a light but rigid metal tube 2, comprising at its front part, a screw thread tip 3, not sealed , and at its rear part, a cylindrical capsule 4 of thin plastic material, intended to ensure closure after filling in the factory. This hermetic refill 1 is almost entirely filled with ink so as to leave at the start only a small volume of air trapped between the surface of the ink and the closure cap 4.

This industrial pen is itself composed of a central body 5 made up of a metal tube whose internal part has a length and a diameter barely greater than those of the refill 1 in order to allow the latter to be there. inserted, practically without any longitudinal or lateral play, once the pen has been closed.

According to the present invention, this central body 5 has at its front part a removable sleeve 6 on which is mounted the writing head 7. This sleeve 6, the upper circular rim of which has an outside diameter which corresponds to the inside diameter of the body central 5 of the pen, is fixed by fitting onto said body and is easily locked therein by engagement of a key 8 in a housing provided for this purpose.

This sleeve 6 pierced from end to end, is intended to receive, at its internal end the threaded nozzle 3 of the ink refill 1, and at its external end the writing head 7. On the internal side this sleeve 6 therefore includes a screw thread adapted to that of the nozzle 3 of the ink refill 1 as well as a slightly conical hollow tube 9 which projects halfway through the threads of this screw thread. This hollow tube 9 acts as a sealer and is used to pierce the tip 3 of the refill 1 when the latter is screwed fully onto the sleeve 6, which has the effect of allowing the ink of the refill 1 to descend in the writing head 7, which is screwed onto the outer end of the sleeve 6.

This writing head 7 is constituted by a hollow cone of treated steel, the circular outlet orifice 10a of which is closed in a sealed manner by a steel ball 10 with a diameter very slightly greater than this outlet orifice . This ball 10 is held in place by a helical spring 11, but in such a way that part of the circumference of the ball 10 projects outside the orifice 25.

The central body 5 of the industrial pen according to the present invention comprises at its upper part a cylindrical closure end piece 12 comprising an upper cavity 13 and a lower cavity 14 separated by a wall pierced with a small eccentric hole 15, of a diameter about a millimeter. This end piece 12 is fitted in a sealed manner using an O-ring 16 in the central body 5.

On the upper cavity 13 of the endpiece 12 is fixed a hemispherical cap 17 whose wall is made of a semi-rigid but elastic material, for example neoprene, which tends to return to its initial shape when pressure is exerted on she. Drilled with a small axial hole 18 at its upper end, this cap 17 can be actuated with the thumb and act as a mini air pump. The hole 18 is closed with the thumb when this mini-pump is pressurized and lets the air in when we stop pressing the cap 17, which allows it to return to its original shape.

This cap 17, via the small hole 15 communicating the upper cavity 13 with the lower cavity 14 of the nozzle 12, is in communication with a non-return valve allowing air to pass only inward of the pen. This valve consists of an elastic washer 19, for example made of rubber, which is applied to the wall comprising the hole 15. The center of this washer 19 has a small slot 20 (see FIG. 2), which is offset relative to the hole 15 of air intake from the mini-pump 17.

The periphery of this washer 19 is held tight against the wall comprising the hole 15 by the circular lips of a hollow needle holder 21, being screwed into the lower cavity 14 of the endpiece 12.

As can also be seen in FIG. 1, a hollow needle 22, mounted on the hollow needle holder 21, projects a few millimeters inside the body 5 of the pen. The purpose of this hollow needle 22 is to pierce the cylindrical capsule 4 closing off the rear end of the ink refill 1, when the latter is introduced into the body 5 of the pen, and to communicate the interior of the refill ink with the pressurizing device constituted by the mini-pump 17 and the non-return valve 19.

The use of the industrial pen, object of the present invention is done as follows:

The front sleeve 6 on which the writing head 7 is mounted, is first removed from the central body 5 of the pen. The ink refill 1 is then fixed on the inner part of this sleeve 6, the end piece 3 of this refill being screwed into the thread 23 provided for this purpose. During screwing, the hollow sealing tube 9 protruding halfway up the threads of the thread 23, punctures the end of said nozzle 3, which allows the ink to access the writing head 7.

The ink refill 1, of which the sleeve 6 supporting the writing head 7 has become integral in a sealed manner, is then introduced into the central body 5 of the pen and this sleeve 6 is locked in sealed manner, by virtue of the presence of an O-ring 24 on the lower part of this central body. This locking is effected by the introduction of a stud 8 in a notch formed on the edge of said central body. At the time of this locking, the ink refill 1, the length and diameter of which are almost identical to those of the interior of the central body 5 of the pen, occupies the entire interior volume of the latter. Its plastic closure cap 4 located at its upper end then encountered the hollow needle 22 which projects at the bottom of the central body 5 of the pen and which is fixed to the hollow needle holder 21 screwed into the lower cavity 14 of the closure end piece 12. This hollow needle 22 pierces said closure capsule 4 and connects the interior of the refill d ink 1 with the air pressurization mechanism mounted on the closing end piece 12.

The pen being closed, the user exerts with the thumb a pressure on the top of the elastic cap 17 fixed in the upper cavity 13 of the closing end of the pen, which plugs the small hole 18 located at the top of this cap 17. The deformation of this cap 17 acts like a mini-pump which sends pressurized air through the small eccentric hole 15, drilled through the wall separating the upper cavity 13 from the lower cavity 14 of the closure piece 12. The pressurized air passing through this small hole 15 comes into contact with the center of the elastic washer 19. Under the effect of the pressurized air, the center of the plastic washer 19 deforms slightly, and the small slit 20 which is located there, is half-open to let the air pass to the hollow needle 22 and the ink refill 1.

When the mini-pump is no longer in operation, the air pressure which has been established downstream of the washer 19 has the effect of repositioning the center of this washer against the wall separating the two cavities 13, 14 from the 'closure tip 12, and to close the slot 20 through which the air has passed. This slot 20 is in fact offset relative to the air inlet hole 15 of the mini-pump, the elastic washer then forms a tight barrier and acts as a non-return valve, the pressurized air located downstream does not can no longer go in the opposite direction to the mini-pump.

This pressurized air is introduced, through the hollow needle 22 which has pierced its plastic closure cap 4, inside the refill 1 of waterproof ink, the volatile solvents of which also remain trapped downstream of the valve. anti-return. This pressurized air acts on the surface of the ink and tends to expel this ink towards the writing head 7, through the tip 3 of the refill 1 which was pierced by the sealing tube 9 when it was screwed onto the writing head of the pen.

This writing head 7, when it is not stressed, is closed in a sealed manner by the ball valve previously described and the ink cannot flow. In addition, volatile solvents cannot escape outside.

On the other hand, as soon as the circular orifice 10a of the writing head 7 is pressed perpendicular to the surface to be marked, the ball 10 serving as a valve enters the interior of this orifice 10a by pushing the spring 11 which keeps it on his seat. The ink subjected to the pressure of the compressed air then flows between the lips of said orifice 10a as long as the latter is in contact with the surface to be marked and as long as the pressure of compressed air remains sufficient inside. of the refill to ensure a regular flow. As soon as this pressure becomes insufficient, it can be easily restored during writing, by acting with your thumb on the mini-pump 17 located at the top of the closing end piece 12 of the pen.

A variant of the industrial pen object of the present invention is shown in Figure 3. The body 5 contains a very light piston 25 in contact with the ink. It consists of a cylinder comprising a circular elastic skirt adjusted to the inside diameter of the ink refill 1 but with sufficient tolerance so that it can slide there freely while taking advantage of the viscosity of the ink.

In this variant, the compressed air does not act directly on the surface of the ink but through this piston 25. The viscous ink always remaining downstream of the piston 25, even when the pen is placed at the upside down with respect to the vertical, it is then possible in this variant to write on the ceiling without the compressed air of the mini-pump passing through the ink and escaping through the writing head 7 when its ball 10 is brought into contact with the surface to be marked.

In another variant of the pen which is the subject of the present invention, represented by FIG. 4, the closure capsule 26 of the ink refill, is made up of an elastomer which has the property of becoming airtight again after 'it was pierced by a needle, even on several occasions. This closure cap 26 then itself acts as a non-return valve.

In this version of the invention, the closure tip 12 of the pen has only one upper cavity 27, in which the pump cap 17 made of neoprene is fixed. A small hole 28 is located in the center of the circular wall separating the cavity 27 from the central body 5 of the pen. This hole 28 makes it possible to slide therein a hollow needle 29 which is intended to pierce the elastomer patch located at the center of the capsule 26 for closing the ink refill 34.

In this version of the present invention, the central body 5 of the pen receiving the ink refill 34 is slightly longer than this refill, so that the hollow needle 29 does not pierce the closure capsule 26 as long as this needle is not requested. In fact, this hollow needle 29 is normally held back from this capsule 26 by a cylindrical return spring 30.

At the top of this hollow needle 29 and just above an eye 31 intended for the passage of compressed air inside this needle, is fixed, perpendicular to the axis of this needle, a circular flattened head 32 This needle head 32, the diameter of which is greater than that of the return spring 30, is located at the upper end of this spring. The lower end of this same spring 30 is fixed on the periphery 33 of the hole 28 drilled at the base of the upper cavity 27 of the closing end of the pen, through which part of the hollow needle 29 is already partially engaged, but without its tip having yet pierced the capsule 26 for closing the refill, as long as the head 32 of the needle has not been stressed.

In this version of the pen object of the present invention, when one exerts with the thumb an action on the pumping cap 17, not only does one generate a certain volume of air under pressure, but one presses on the head 32 of the needle hollow 29, which head compresses the return spring 30 which held the needle in the high position. This hollow needle 29 thus urged up and down, slides inside the spring 30 and through the hole 28 on the axis of which this spring is fixed.

At the end of the stroke, the tip of the needle 29 pierces the center of the elastomer closure capsule 26 of the ink refill. This hollow needle 29 then puts the interior of the pumping cap 17 into communication with the interior of the ink refill 34 and the compressed air generated by the deformation of this cap can pass through this refill.

When the pressure exerted via the pumping cap 17 on the head 32 of the needle is released, the return spring 30 to which this head is fixed, causes the needle 29 to rise. Its point then emerges from the patch elastomer 26. This having the property of becoming waterproof again after being pierced, even on several occasions, acts as a check valve. The compressed air introduced inside the ink refill 34 can no longer escape towards the pumping cap 17 and this compressed air exerts the desired pressure on the ink contained in the refill, either directly or at through a piston 25 in contact with the surface of the ink as shown in FIG. 3.

Compared to existing industrial markers, the industrial ink refill pen, in its different versions, which is the subject of the present invention, has the following advantages:

It is, in use, more economical than rigid industrial markers which also work with a mini compressed air pump but which are thrown away when empty. With equivalent writing autonomy, the unit cost of each refill of this industrial pen is also much lower than cost of said rigid markers and even lower than that of conventional markers with flexible metal walls.

Having a rigid metal body itself, it is designed as a workshop tool and is not fragile like industrial markers with flexible walls.

It is not necessary to apply finger pressure to the walls of the tube to ensure the flow of ink. It allows you to write like an ordinary pen, without any particular effort.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments which have just been described and many modifications can be made to them without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

1. Device for applying a liquid or semi-pasty substance to a surface, comprising a hermetic refill (1, 34) containing said substance, removably arranged in a body (5) intended to be handled manually, comprising one from its ends an application head (7) of said substance removably attached to said end, means (9) being provided for placing this application head (7) in communication with the interior of the refill (1 , 34), this application head comprising means (10, 11) preventing the exit of the substance, as long as this head is not applied to the surface, the other end of the body (5) comprising means shutter (12), characterized in that the refill (1, 34) is closed at its end opposite the application head (7) by a capsule (4, 26) of perforable material and in that the means of the closure (12) of the body (5) carry a hollow needle (22, 29) capable of perforating said capsule (4, 26) l when the refill is placed in said body (5), this hollow needle (22, 29) communicating with means (17) for pressurizing air which can be actuated manually and carried by said shutter means (12), these means (17) pressurizing being associated with means (19, 26, 20, 30) for closing the communication between the needle (22, 29) and these pressurizing means after release of the latter. 2. Device according to claim 1, allowing the marking, characterized in that the refill (1, 34) contains an ink or a paint. 3. Device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the pressurizing means comprise a mini-pump (17) which can be actuated with the thumb, associated with a non-return valve (19), intended to generate and maintain downstream of this valve (19), the pressurized air necessary for the proper flow of the substance. 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the application head (7) comprises a ball valve (10 and 11) not allowing the ink to flow only when the tip (10) of this writing head (7) is pressed perpendicular to the surface to be marked. 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the closure capsule (26) located at the rear of the ink refill (34), and intended to be pierced by the hollow needle (29) transmitting the air under pressure, consists wholly or partly of an elastomeric material (26) which remains airtight, even after it has been pierced several times by this needle (29), which makes it fulfill the function of non-return valve. 6. Device according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the mini-pump (17) is constituted by a chamber with an elastic wall in the shape of a cap having a hole (18) for air passage intended for be closed with your thumb when pressurized. 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the refill (1) has a volume substantially equal to the interior volume of the body (5) so that the hollow needle (22) automatically pierces the capsule (4) of the refill (1) when it is inserted inside the body. 8. Device according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the mini-pump (17) cooperates with the hollow needle (29) so as to push the latter towards the capsule (26) of the refill (34) to puncture it when this mini-pump is activated. 9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the hollow needle (29) is slidably mounted in an axial opening (28) of the shutter means and comprises a head (32) and an opening (31) located in the chamber with elastic wall of the mini-pump, this elastic wall being able, when it is pressed, to come into contact with the head (39) of the needle (29) to push the latter towards the capsule (26) of the refill (34) against the action of a return spring (30). 10. Device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the hermetic refill comprises a cylindrical piston (25) of low density material capable of smoothing in this refill and in contact with the surface of the substance, intended to receive on the face opposite to the substance the pressure of compressed air generated by the pressurizing means and to transmit it to the entire volume of substance contained in the refill, regardless of the position of the device relative to the vertical. 11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the capsule (4 or 26) for closing the hermetic refill (1 or 34) consists, in whole or in part, of a transparent material.

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