EP0547925B1 - Control device for the dispensing of a product, especially a foaming mousse product - Google Patents

Description

The subject of the present invention is a device for controlling the dispensing of a product, in particular a self-foaming product, intended to be integrated on a dispenser provided with a valve having a vertical tubular outlet nozzle according to the first part of claim 1.

Aerosol cans are now well known to the general public, and the trade offers a wide variety which may contain liquid, gaseous, self-foaming or other products; in the particular case of a self-foaming product, it is important that the product distribution control device is of course watertight but also that the distribution nozzle does not contain, after use, a residual quantity of product which, exposed to the air after use, would continue to foam even though the aerosol canister valve was closed properly.

To remedy this drawback, patent EP-0 031 123 proposes a control device according to the first part of claim 1 provided with a closure system complementary to that of the valve of the aerosol can, which closure system acts at the very end of the dispensing orifice so that a possible residual quantity of product is no longer in contact with the air and that, even if it continues to foam, it remains trapped by the hermeticity of the control device . However, the arrangement of this known device is such that, on the one hand, the dispensing opening is always coaxial with the nozzle of the valve of the aerosol can, on the other hand, the sealing of the closure of the orifice of outlet may deteriorate over time because the opening / closing is ensured by the deformation of a plastic part thus weakened.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a device whose the seal is reliable, and the direction of distribution of which may be perpendicular to the axis of the tubular end piece of the valve of the distributor.

By dispenser is meant a device belonging to the assembly consisting of: any conventional aerosol; any aerosol in which the product to be dispensed is physically separated from the propellant means contained in the same reservoir, such an aerosol comprising in the container either a flexible or semi-flexible bag, or a piston; any aerosol in which the propellant means consists of an elastically retractable pocket.

According to the present invention a device for controlling the distribution of a product, in particular a self-foaming product, comprising a base, which comprises means making it possible to secure it to a reservoir, reservoir which contains said product and which is provided with a valve having a tubular outlet nozzle, this device being capable of driving said tubular nozzle towards the interior of the reservoir to ensure the product leaving the reservoir, said tubular nozzle being subjected to an elastic return force which returns it to a position of closure, where the product no longer leaves the reservoir, said device comprising a hollow body which defines a cylindrical airlock, said airlock comprising, on the one hand, an inlet connected to said tubular end piece and, on the other hand, an outlet orifice valve seat shape arranged on one of the two bases of said airlock, said hollow body being provided, along the axis of the airlock, with a valve capable, in the closed position, of obtu rer said outlet orifice, is characterized in that the axis of the airlock is substantially transverse to the axis of the tubular end piece, the inlet of said airlock being oriented substantially transversely to the axis of said airlock, said valve being extended by a control rod which passes through a passage that of the two bases of the airlock, which is close to the entrance of said airlock, the movement of said control rod through the passage causing the movement of the valve to the inside the airlock to control the opening or closing of the exit orifice of said airlock.

Thus, after use, there will always remain some product in the cylindrical airlock, but on the one hand it will of course not be in contact with the ambient air, on the other hand it will be all the better kept hermetically in the airlock the valve head will be pressed even more against the valve seat if any overpressure occurs inside the airlock.

• d'une part, lors d'une poussée exercée sur le bouton-poussoir en direction du réservoir, en premier lieu, sous la poussée (P1), la tige de commande est entraînée selon l'axe du passage et commande l'ouverture de la soupape et, en deuxième lieu, sous la poussée (P2), le corps creux pivote autour de la charnière pour enfoncer l'embout tubulaire, ce qui provoque la distribution du produit à travers le sas et son orifice de sortie, et
• d'autre part, lors du relâchement de ladite poussée sur le bouton-poussoir, l'embout tubulaire et la soupape reviennent dans leur position de fermeture, ce qui arrête la distribution du produit et enferme de manière étanche une certaine quantité dudit produit dans le sas .

According to a preferred embodiment, said base and said hollow body are connected by a hinge allowing a movement of the hollow body relative to the base capable of ensuring the displacement of the tubular endpiece. It can also be provided that the control rod is connected to a push button by an orthogonal articulation allowing that:

• on the one hand, during a push exerted on the push-button in the direction of the tank, firstly, under the push (P1), the control rod is driven along the axis of the passage and controls the opening of the valve and, secondly, under the thrust (P2), the hollow body pivots around the hinge to push in the tubular endpiece, which causes the product to be distributed through the airlock and its outlet orifice, and
• on the other hand, upon the release of said push on the push button, the tubular end piece and the valve return to their closed position, which stops the dispensing of the product and tightly encloses a certain amount of said product in the airlock.

Thus, due to the presence of the orthogonal joint, a vertical action allowing the opening of the valve of the aerosol can, also allows the horizontal opening of the airlock.

Advantageously, on the part of the hollow body situated opposite the outlet orifice, on the side where the entrance to the airlock is not located, is arranged an annular bead with which an annular bead of the button cooperates by clipping -pusher, which constitutes a flexible bowl provided axially towards the reservoir with an axis control intermediate extending to the orthogonal articulation, said flexible bowl being arranged so that the axis is guided axially and that the flexible bowl acts as a return spring when releasing a thrust (P1, P2 ) on the push button. Thus, the function of guiding the control push button, and the function of the control return spring, are performed in a particularly economical manner.

In a preferred embodiment, said orthogonal articulation comprises, on the one hand, in the hollow body, a convex surface having substantially, in section through a plane parallel to or defined by the axes of the passage and the entry, the shape a quarter of a circle, one end of which is tangentially connected to the passage and, on the other hand, the control rod, which is made of a flexible material for, when it is biased towards the reservoir, come to conform to the shape of said convex surface. To achieve said orthogonal joint, the function of which is to transform the vertical movement of the push button into a horizontal movement of the valve stem, various more or less complex mechanical devices are possible, but the solution adopted is clearly more economical; advantageously, it allows the control rod, the intermediate control axis and the flexible bowl of the push button to constitute a single piece of molded plastic, said bowl and said control rod constituting flexible parts acting as return spring. The sobriety of the means used is remarkable.

The passage of the control rod through the base of the cylindrical airlock is not necessarily hermetic, it is advantageous that said single molded part comprises, at the connection between the valve and the control rod, a sealing collar in the form of a flexible lip intended to be in permanent support on the base of the airlock, in which the passage is arranged, and thus to ensure sealing at the level of the passage regardless of the position of the valve and of its control rod. Thus, the quantity of product present in the airlock cannot escape from it either on the valve side or on the side of the control rod.

In a preferred embodiment, the hollow body consists of two contiguous half-shells along an assembly plane delimiting the passage of the control rod, the upper half-shell comprising the annular bead intended for clipping the button -pusher, a passage for the intermediate control axis, a first half-lock and the valve seat constituting the outlet orifice, the lower half-shell comprising a second half-lock complementary to the first, the convex surface and the entry to connect with the tubular end piece, the two half-shells being assembled with one another in a sealed manner along their assembly plane after having disposed between them said single piece. Here too, the solution adopted is particularly economical since each half-shell is an easily moldable part.

Advantageously, the lower half-shell of the hollow body and the base form a single piece of molded plastic and are connected to each other by the hinge produced in the form of a film hinge. This hinge is the most economical embodiment of the hinge with horizontal axis provided in the control device to allow to push, not the tip of the valve.

To fix the whole of the control device thus formed on the reservoir, it is possible to provide that the means making it possible to secure the base on the reservoir are constituted by an annular bead of clipping arranged inside the base for clipping onto the crimping which secures the valve to the tank. This arrangement is such that the same molded part constitutes the lower half-shell, the flexible hinge, the base and its means of attachment to the tank.

The invention also relates to a dispenser equipped with a dispensing control device as defined above.

To better understand the object of the present invention, there will be described below, by way of purely illustrative and not limiting, an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawing.

• la figure 1 et la figure 1a représentent en coupe des variantes très similaires l'une de l'autre d'une pièce unique faisant office de soupape/bouton-poussoir ;
• la figure 2 représente en coupe une demi-coquille supérieure ;
• la figure 3 représente en coupe une demi-coquille inférieure ;
• la figure 4 représente en coupe le dispositif selon l'invention en position fermée ;
• la figure 5 représente le dispositif de la figure 4 en position soupape ouverte ;
• la figure 6 représente le dispositif des figures 4 et 5, en position soupape ouverte et embout enfoncé pour délivrer le produit ;
• les figures 7 et 8 sont des vues d'ensemble de face et de profil d'un bidon aérosol muni du dispositif conforme à l'invention.

On this drawing :

• Figure 1 and Figure 1 a sectional represent very similar variants of each other a single piece serving as valve / pushbutton;
• Figure 2 shows in section an upper half-shell;
• Figure 3 shows in section a lower half-shell;
• Figure 4 shows in section the device according to the invention in the closed position;
• Figure 5 shows the device of Figure 4 in the open valve position;
• FIG. 6 represents the device of FIGS. 4 and 5, in the open valve position and depressed nozzle for delivering the product;
• Figures 7 and 8 are overall front and side views of an aerosol can fitted with the device according to the invention.

Figures 1 a , 2 and 3 show the components of a device according to the invention, which elements once assembled are shown in Figure 4. Each element will first be described separately.

As can be seen in Figure 1 is quite similar variant of the preferred embodiment of Figure 1 a; because of this great similarity the same references and the same description will be used for the two figures. This part is the single part which constitutes the valve / push button; at one end is shown the valve head 10 having a bearing surface 11 in the form of an annular shoulder. We then see the valve stem 12 and a little further a sealing collar 13. All these first elements are preferably of circular section. The valve stem 12 is rigid as well as the valve head 10 and its bearing surface 11, while the sealing collar 13 has, due to its decreasing thickness up to its maximum diameter, a certain flexibility allowing it to behave, when it is supported on a flat surface, like a suction cup. Then there is the control rod 14 whose section is for example rectangular, the thickness of the rectangle being provided sufficiently small so that the control rod 14 has a certain flexibility; then comes the intermediate control axis 15 preferably of cylindrical shape and attached to the center of a flexible cup 17 whose rigid belt includes an annular bead of clipping 16. Due to the flexibility of the control rod 14, it is understood the variants of Figure 1 and Figure 1a are only two modes of molding a single piece in which all features are stored and simply fold the control rod 14 of Figure 1 which is finds the same arrangement as that of Figure 1 a .

FIG. 2 represents a half-shell comprising a half-lock 22 delimited by an assembly plane 20; at one end of the half-lock is shown a valve seat 21 located on the inside of the half-lock, the valve seat 21 being an orifice of revolution; at the other end of the half-lock is a half sealing sealing surface 26; beyond this same end of the half-lock is a passage 25, preferably cylindrical, the axis of which is substantially perpendicular to the assembly plane 20. This cylindrical passage leads to a bowl 24 which widens up to a rod 23 clip ring.

Figure 3 shows the other half-shell with its base; the base 30 is of generally cylindrical shape open downwards, its lower end being provided with an annular bead 33 for clipping; the upper base of the cylinder is not closed and it comprises a flexible film hinge 39 disposed perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder and relatively distant from it; this film hinge 39 connects the base 30 to the half-shell which comprises a half-lock 38 delimited by an assembly plane 37 and one end of which is provided with a half-sealing support 36; perpendicular to this sealing support 36 is a passage 35, the thickness D of which is substantially equal to the thickness of the control rod 14 mentioned above; the half-lock 38 also comprises an inlet duct 31 which communicates with a cylindrical housing 32 coaxial with the base 30; in the figure, the assembly plane 37 is shown relatively inclined relative to the common axis of the base 30 and the housing 32 but this is not an obligation and the assembly plane 37 could as well be substantially perpendicular to this axis; therefore we can consider that the axis of the inlet duct 31 is substantially transverse relative to the half-lock 38; beyond the passage 35 we see a convex surface in the form of an arc of a circle 34 the upper end of which comes to tangent the lower edge of the passage 35.

FIG. 4 represents the device 1 for controlling the distribution of a product according to the invention, in the closed position, mounted on a tank of the aerosol can 40 type; the aerosol can 40 is provided with a valve 41 generally fixed on the aerosol can 40 by means of a crimp 42; the valve 41 comprises a tubular endpiece 43 arranged vertically and of which it is known that it is necessary to depress it to control the output of the product contained in the aerosol can.

The distribution control device 1 has been mounted as follows: the annular bead 16 has been clipped onto the annular ring 23 after introduction of the valve head 10 through the passage 25 of the upper half-shell, then the control rod 14 has been inserted in the passage 35 of the lower half-shell thus allowing the assembly plane 20 to be opposite the assembly plane 37 taking care to place the valve head 10 opposite the valve seat 21 and not to injure the sealing collar 13 resting on the one hand on the sealing half-plane 36 and on the other hand on the sealing half-plane 26. Assembly means are then provided, for example welding, to assemble the two half-shells in a sealed manner along their assembly planes.

The device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention being thus constituted, its mounting on the aerosol can 40 does not present any difficulty: the annular bead 33 for clipping the base 30 is snapped onto the crimping 42 of the valve 41 , after verification that the tubular end piece 43 of the valve 41 is correctly housed in the housing 32 of the lower half-shell; this verification can, for example, be carried out visually since, normally, the flexible film hinge 39 must not be folded either in one direction or the other. The aerosol can 40 provided with the device 1 according to the invention is now ready to be used as shown in FIG. 4 in the standby position, that is to say a closed and sealed position.

The implementation of the device 1 is carried out in two stages controlled by a single movement, these two stages being represented respectively in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5 shows what happens when a first push P1 is exerted on the flexible cup 17 which acts as a push button; due to the clipping of the annular bead 16 on the annular ring 23, a thrust P1 on the flexible cup 17 forces the intermediate control axis 15 to move downward in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the clipping; this movement drives the control rod 14 which, flexibly resting on the arc of a convex circle 34 is drawn towards the outside of the airlock through the passage 35, and carries with it the valve rod 12 as well as the valve head 10 which causes the opening of the airlock outlet.

During this movement, the sealing collar 13 remained in abutment on the two sealing half-planes 26, 36 of the airlock, the lips of the collar having slightly flared to maintain the sealing of the support. When the flexible cup 17 comes into abutment on the bowl 24, the airlock is open and the first step in the operation of the device according to the invention is completed.

In Figure 6 is shown what happens when the push P1 is continued by a push P2 exerted in the same direction; at this moment the thrust P2 acts on the integral assembly constituted by the two half-shells and causes the downward folding of the film hinge 39 by pushing in the tubular end piece 43 of the valve 41, which is therefore open to let out the product contained in the aerosol can 40; during this second step, which is now complete, it is clear that the airlock outlet remained open and therefore that the product contained in the aerosol can 40 follows the path: tubular nozzle 43, entry 31 into the airlock, and exit from the airlock, the product being therefore available to the user as long as the thrust P2 is maintained.

At the end of use, the user naturally stops exerting a push on the flexible cup 17 and the device 1 returns by itself to the position of FIG. 4 because, on the one hand, the spring of the valve 41 pushes back the tubular end piece 43, which closes the valve and brings the film hinge 39 back into its horizontal position, on the other hand the flexible cup 17 acts as a return spring for pulling up the intermediate control axis 15 which causes the valve head 10 to come into sealed contact with the valve seat 21 while the sealing collar 13 remains in sealed contact with the surface 26, 36 owing to the fact that its flexible lips have slightly tightened. At this time a certain quantity of product is trapped in a sealed manner in the airlock from which it cannot leave, even if it is a self-foaming gel such as an isobutane solution which, at atmospheric pressure , boil at 28 ° C by developing foam; thus the device 1 for controlling the distribution of a product, in particular self-foaming product, always remains clean due to airtightness of the airlock.

It can be noted that if a strong and rapid push is exerted on the flexible cup 17, it is possible that the two stages of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 take place almost simultaneously, or even in the opposite direction; it is clear that this does not prevent the proper functioning of the device according to the invention, the airlock of which will remain sealed when returning to the rest position shown in FIG. 4.

Figures 7 and 8 are front views and purely illustrative profile of an aerosol can ready for use, equipped according to the present invention. We see the aerosol can 40 provided with the dispensing device 1 with its base 30, the valve head 10, and the periphery of the flexible bowl 17 which acts as a push button.

Claims (11)

1. Control device for dispensing a product, especially a foaming product, comprising a support (30) which includes means (33) enabling it to be fixed onto a container (40), which container contains the said product and is fitted with a valve (41) having a tubular outlet nozzle (43), this device being capable of pushing in, towards the inside of the container (40), the said tubular nozzle (43) in order to allow the product to escape out of the container (40), the said tubular nozzle being subjected to an elastic return force which brings it back into a closed position in which the product no longer escapes from the container (40), the said device including a hollow body which defines a cylindrical airlock (22, 38), the said airlock (22, 38) including, on the one hand, an inlet (31) connected to the said tubular nozzle (43) and, on the other hand, an outlet orifice (21) in the form of a valve seat arranged on one of the two bases of the said airlock, the said hollow body being fitted, on the axis of the airlock (22, 38), with a valve element (10, 12) capable, in the closed position, of blocking off the said outlet orifice (21), characterized in that the axis of the airlock (22, 38) is substantially transverse with respect to the axis of the tubular nozzle (43), the inlet (31) of the said airlock (22, 38) being oriented substantially transversely with respect to the axis of the said airlock, the said valve element (10, 12) being continued by a control rod (14) which traverses, via a passage (35), that one of the two bases of the airlock (22, 38) which is adjacent to the inlet (31) of the said airlock, the displacement of the said control rod (14) through the passage (35) causing the displacement of the valve element (10, 12) inside the airlock in order to open or close the outlet orifice (21) of the said airlock.
2. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the support (30) and the hollow body are linked via a hinge (39) allowing movement of the hollow body with respect to the support (30) capable of causing displacement of the tubular nozzle (43).
3. Device according to Claim 2, characterized in that the control rod (14) is linked to a push-button (17) via an orthogonal articulation (34, 14) allowing:

   - on the one hand, when a thrust is exerted on the push-button in the direction of the container (40), in the first place under the thrust (P1), the control rod (14) to be driven along the axis of the passage (35) and to open the valve element (12, 10) and, in the second place under the thrust (P2), the hollow body to pivot about the hinge (39) in order to push the tubular nozzle (43) in, which action brings about the dispensing of the product through the airlock (22, 38) and its outlet orifice (21), and

   - on the other hand, on releasing the said thrust on the push-button (17), the tubular nozzle (43) and the valve element (12, 10) to return to their closed position, which action stops the dispensing of the product and encloses, in a sealed manner, a certain quantity of the said product in the airlock (22, 38).
4. Device according to Claim 3, characterized in that, on that part of the hollow body located opposite the outlet orifice (21), on the side where the inlet (31) of the airlock does not lie, there is an annular rim (23) which engages, by a clipping-on mechanism, with an annular rim (16) on the push-button (17), which constitutes a flexible seat provided axially towards the container (40) with an intermediate control shaft (15) which continues as far as the orthogonal articulation (34, 14), the said flexible seat being designed so that the shaft (15) is guided axially and so that the flexible seat acts as a return spring when a pressure (P1, P2) on the push-button (17) is released.
5. Device according to Claim 4, characterized in that the orthogonal articulation (34, 14) includes, on the one hand, in the hollow body a convex surface (34) having, in section through a plane parallel to or defined by the axes of the passage (35) and of the inlet (31), substantially the shape of a quadrant one end of which is joined tangentially to the passage (35) and, on the other hand, the control rod (14) which is made of a flexible material in order, when it is pressed towards the container, to match the shape of the said convex surface (34).
6. Device according to Claim 5, characterized in that the valve element (10, 12), the control rod (14), the intermediate control shaft (15) and the flexible seat of the push-button (17) form a single component made of moulded plastic, the said seat and the said control rod (14) forming flexible parts acting as a return spring.
7. Device according to Claim 6, characterized in that the said moulded single component includes, at the join between the valve element (10, 12) and the control rod (14), a sealing collar (13) in the form of a flexible lip intended to bear permanently on the airlock base (26, 36) in which the passage (35) is made and thus to provide sealing at the passage (35) whatever the position of the valve element (10, 12) and of its control rod (14).
8. Device according to Claim 7, characterized in that the said hollow body consists of two half-shells joined along a joining plane (20, 37) delimiting the passage (35) of the control rod (14), the upper half-shell including the annular rim (23) intended for clipping onto the push-button, a passage (25) for the intermediate control shaft (15), a first half-airlock (22) and the valve seat forming the outlet orifice (21), the lower half-shell including a second half-airlock (38) complementary to the first, the convex surface (34) and the inlet (31) to be connected to the tubular nozzle (43), the two half-shells being joined to each other in a sealed manner along their joining plane after having placed the said single component (10-17) between them.
9. Device according to Claim 8, characterized in that the lower half-shell of the hollow body and the support (30) form one and the same moulded plastic component and are linked together via the hinge (39) produced in the form of a film hinge.
10. Device according to Claim 9, characterized in that the means enabling the support (30) to be fixed onto the container (40) are formed by an annular clip-on rim (33) designed inside the support to clip onto the crimp connection (42) which fastens the valve (41) to the container (40).
11. Dispenser equipped with a dispensing control device according to one of Claims 1 to 10, consisting of part of the whole assembly formed by: any conventional aerosol; any aerosol in which the product to be dispensed is physically separated from the propellent means contained in the same container, such an aerosol including, in the container, either a flexible or semi-flexible bag, or a piston; any aerosol in which the propellent means is formed by an elastically shrinkable bag.

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