EP0941147B1 - Device for dispensing a fluid product containing two components - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a device for dispensing fluid products, comprising a dispensing member (1), such as a pump, mounted on a container (2), and an actuating member (3), such as a thruster, for dispensing the product. The device comprises two reservoirs of products (10, 20) arranged such that they are successively emptied, the product contained in the second reservoir (20) being dispensed only when the first reservoir (10) is empty, characterised in that the first reservoir (10) is fixed to the body of the dispensing member (1) or to a support piece (9) of said body, and extends to the bottom of the container at least partially inside the second reservoir (20).

Description

The present invention relates to a device for bicomponent type fluid distribution, i.e. allowing to distribute two different products.

By different products is meant either products having a different composition, i.e. concentrations different from the same product.

There are many cases, especially in the treatment of certain diseases, where the use of a single product is not enough or does not work satisfactory for the treatment considered. To improve treatment, so it is often necessary to combine two different products or two concentrations different from the same product, which implies that the user must have at his disposal two product distributors. This presents many disadvantages. So the use of multiple dispensers increases the cost of treatment. Else apart, when two different products are used, there one usually has to be distributed before the other and the risk of confusion or error when choosing the distributor by user exists, which could render the treatment ineffective, by reversing and / or mixing the order of administration of the two products different. In addition, the use of two distributors is inconvenient for the user and presents a significant bulk which can also be annoying.

The object of the present invention is to avoid aforementioned drawbacks.

Document DE-U-94 03 512 is known a product distribution system fluids for dispensing two different products in the same distributor.

The present invention also aims to provide a such a distributor of fluid products making it possible, with different means, to obtain the most effective treatment possible at the lowest cost weak possible.

The present invention also aims to provide a such a fluid dispensing device which avoids the risk of confusion between the two products to distribute, thereby improving security for the user.

The present invention therefore relates to a device for dispensing fluid products, comprising a member distribution, such as a pump, mounted on a container, and an actuator, such as a pusher, for distribute product, the device comprising two product tanks arranged so that they are emptied successively, the product contained in the second tank only distributed when the first tank is empty, the first tank being attached to the body of the dispensing member or to a support part of said body, and extends to the bottom of the container at less partially inside the second tank.

Preferably, the first tank is connected to the distribution member and the second reservoir is connected said first tank through an element shutter which prevents the passage of the contained product in the second tank to the dispenser as long as the first tank contains product and which frees said passage when said first tank is empty, so that subsequent actuations of the device distribute the product contained in the second tank.

Advantageously, the first tank is connected by a side to the dispenser and has on the other side a connecting channel with the second tank, said first reservoir comprising a follower piston moving tightly in said first tank on each actuation of the device to compensate for the volume of product dispensed during each actuation, the displacement of said follower piston simultaneously sucking of the product from the second tank in the part upstream of the first reservoir located behind said piston follower in the direction of flow of the product, and said follower piston, when it reaches its end position in which the first tank is empty, cooperates with passage means for creating a passage between said upstream part of the first reservoir and the distribution, thereby distributing the product sucked into said upstream part of the first tank and / or remaining in the second tank.

Advantageously, said passage means are made in the form of one or more grooves formed at the downstream end of the side wall of the first tank.

Advantageously, said first tank is produced of a part with the body of the dispensing member or with the support piece of said body.

• la figure 1 représente une vue schématique en coupe d'un dispositif selon l'invention, avant sa première utilisation,
• la figure 2 représente une vue similaire à celle de la figure 1, après un ou plusieurs actionnements du dispositif,
• la figure 3 représente une variante de construction du dispositif de la figure 1, et
• la figure 4 est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 3 représentant une autre variante de construction du dispositif de l'invention.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear during the following detailed description, given by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• FIG. 1 represents a schematic sectional view of a device according to the invention, before its first use,
• FIG. 2 represents a view similar to that of FIG. 1, after one or more actuations of the device,
• FIG. 3 represents a variant construction of the device of FIG. 1, and
• Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 3 showing another alternative construction of the device of the invention.

With reference to the figures, the dispenser includes a distribution member such as a pump 1 mounted on a container 2 by means, for example, of a fixing such as a ring 4 which can be snapped on, crimped or fixed by any other means on the neck of the container 2. Conventionally, said pump can include a pusher 3 provided with an orifice dispensing 5 to dispense a dose of product. Advantageously, the pump also includes a nozzle 7 disposed near said distribution orifice 5 for spray the product, and a protective cap 6 can be provided to protect port 5 after use of the device.

According to the invention, the device comprises two product tanks 10 and 20 placed in the container 2, each of the tanks 10 and 20 comprising a product different either by its composition or by its concentration.

According to the invention, these two product reservoirs 10 and 20 are arranged so that they are emptied successively, that is to say that the product contained in the second tank 20 is only distributed when the first tank 10 is completely empty. To do so, a end of the first tank 10 is advantageously connected to pump 1, for example via a inlet valve, and said second tank 20 is connected at the other end of the first tank 10. According to the invention, the connection between the second tank 20 and the first tank 10 is produced by means of a sealing element 30 which prevents the passage of the product contained in the second reservoir 20 towards the pump 1, of so that when the device is activated, it is the product contained in the reservoir 10 which is distributed, the product contained in the second tank 20 being confined behind said closure element 30. This element shutter 30 is intended to clear the passage between the second tank 20 and pump 1 when the first tank 10 is completely empty, so that subsequent actuations of the device then distribute the product contained in the second tank 20.

Advantageously, this is obtained in that the pump 1 operates without air intake and the shutter element 30 acts as a follower piston in the first reservoir 10, so that each time the dispenser is actuated, a dose of product contained in the first reservoir 10 is dispensed and the volume of this dispensed dose is compensated by a displacement of said follower piston 30 to inside the first tank 10. The second tank 20 - being connected to the first tank 10 on the other side of said follower piston 30 when the latter moves in the first tank 10, the product contained in the second reservoir 20 is sucked upstream of said follower piston 30, in the first tank 10.

When the first tank 10 is completely emptied, the follower piston 30 reaches an end position in said first tank 10, where passage means 35 are provided to create a passage between the product contained upstream of said follower piston 30 and the pump 1. Advantageously, these passage means are produced under the shape of one or more grooves in the side wall 11 of the first reservoir 10, at said end position of the follower piston 30 which corresponds to said first empty tank. As seen on Figures 1 and 2, which represent the two positions end of the follower piston 30, it can be seen that when the follower piston 30 reaches its end position corresponding to the first empty tank 10, said first tank 10 is actually again filled with product from of the second reservoir 20, which appears in particular on the Figure 2 by a drop in the level of product contained in the second reservoir 20. Thus, the expression "first empty tank "means that the product in the first tank 10 was completely distributed and not that there is no longer any product contained in said first tank.

Thus, after complete distribution of the product contained in the first reservoir, the follower piston 30 reaches its end position where it cooperates with the means of passage 35 allowing the product upstream of said piston follower 30 to be distributed to pump 1, so that subsequent actuations of the device distributes the product initially contained in the second reservoir 20.

Preferably, the first tank 10 is connected directly on one side to the dispensing member 1, i.e. at the pump, and has on the other side a channel of link 15 which extends to near the bottom of the container 2, where it is connected to the second tank 20 which is formed directly in container 2. According to a first construction variant, the first tank 10 is made in one piece with the pump body and / or with a support part 9 of the pump body, such as shown in Figures 1 to 3. This support piece 9 receives the pump body inside and rests on the neck of the container, but it is also possible to remove this support piece 9 and dispose directly the pump body on the container neck. In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the seal between the pump body and the support part 9 is produced by radial tightening while in the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the seal between the part support 9 and the pump body is produced by means of a advantageously O-ring 8.

In the example shown in Figure 4, the first tank 10 is fixed to the support piece 9, for example by radial clamping of the side wall 11 in a lower end of said support piece 9. In this example, the seal between the pump body and the part support 9 is also produced by means of a seal 8.

So, in operation, when the user presses on pusher 3, it first distributes the product contained in the first reservoir 10, until the latter is completely empty. At that time, the follower piston 30 reaches its end position where it cooperates with the passage means 35 and the product which has been sucked in upstream of said follower piston 30 from said second tank 20 can be dispensed during actuations from the distributor. From then on, the first reservoir 10 and the connecting channel 15 act like a dip tube intended to completely empty the product contained in container 2, i.e. in the second tank 20. Of course, one can provide a venting of container 2 to compensate for the volume of distributed product, but it would also be possible to make this second tank without air intake, by example by means of a flexible pocket.

Claims (5)

1. Device for dispensing fluid products, comprising a dispensing component (1), such as a pump, mounted on a recipient (2), and an actuating component (3), such as a push-button, for dispensing products, the device comprising two product chambers (10, 20) fitted such that they are emptied successively, the product that is contained in the second chamber (20) only being dispensed once the first chamber (10) is empty, characterized in that the first chamber (10) is fastened to the body of the dispensing component (1) or to a support part (9) of said body, said first chamber extending to the bottom of the recipient at least partly inside the second chamber (20).
2. Device according to claim 1 wherein the first chamber (10) is connected to the dispensing component (1) and the second chamber (20) is connected to said first chamber (10) by a sealing part (30) that prevents the product contained in second chamber (20) from flowing towards the dispensing component (1) for as long as the first chamber (10) contains product and that releases said flow when said first chamber (10) is empty, such that when the device is subsequently actuated the product contained in second chamber (20) is dispensed.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the first chamber (10) is connected to a dispensing component (1) on one side and comprises a connecting channel (15) with the second chamber (20) on the other side, said first chamber (10) comprising a follow-through piston (30) that is displaced while remaining leaktight in said first chamber (10) each time the device is actuated in order to compensate for the volume of product that is dispensed each time the device is actuated, the displacement of said follow-through piston (30) simultaneously drawing in product from the second chamber (20) in the upstream section of first chamber (10) located behind said follow-through piston (30) in the direction of flow of the product, and when said follow-through piston (30) reaches the end position in which the first chamber (10) is empty, said follow-through piston operates in conjunction with passage means (35) to create a passage between said upstream section of the first chamber (10) and the dispensing component (1), thereby enabling the product drawn in said upstream section of the first chamber (10) and/or remaining in the second chamber (20) to be dispensed.
4. Device according to claim 3 wherein said passage means (35)are constituted by one or more grooves provided at the downstream end of lateral surface (11) of the first chamber (10).
5. Device according to any one of the above claims wherein said first chamber (10) is constituted in a single part with the dispensing component (1) body or with the support part (9) of said body (1).

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