Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
  • B05B11/0005—Components or details
  • B05B11/0037—Containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
  • B05B11/0005—Components or details
  • B05B11/0037—Containers
  • B05B11/0039—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means
  • B05B11/0044—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means compensating underpressure by ingress of atmospheric air into the container, i.e. with venting means
  • B05B11/00442—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means compensating underpressure by ingress of atmospheric air into the container, i.e. with venting means the means being actuated by the difference between the atmospheric pressure and the pressure inside the container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
  • B05B11/0005—Components or details
  • B05B11/0037—Containers
  • B05B11/0039—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means
  • B05B11/0044—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means compensating underpressure by ingress of atmospheric air into the container, i.e. with venting means
  • B05B11/00444—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means compensating underpressure by ingress of atmospheric air into the container, i.e. with venting means with provision for filtering or cleaning the air flow drawn into the container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
  • B05B11/0005—Components or details
  • B05B11/0037—Containers
  • B05B11/0039—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means
  • B05B11/0044—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means compensating underpressure by ingress of atmospheric air into the container, i.e. with venting means
  • B05B11/00446—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means compensating underpressure by ingress of atmospheric air into the container, i.e. with venting means the means being located at the bottom of the container or of an enclosure surrounding the container

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the technical field of packaging, and more specifically to that of the packaging of a fluid product, generally liquid but which may also be pasty or in gel, intended to be stored sterile without the addition of preservative, or protected from oxidation or, more generally, protected from any external pollution, although in contact with air, and also intended to be dispensed in unit doses using a manual pump.
• a fluid product generally liquid but which may also be pasty or in gel
• the invention more particularly relates to a device for packaging and dispensing in unit doses of such a product, and which comprises a container intended to contain the product to be dispensed in unit doses using a manual pump. of the type without air inlet, which is mounted on the container, sealingly closing an opening of the container, for example the open neck of a bottle.
• Packaging and distribution devices of conventional structure comprising a container on which is fitted a manual pump for distributing the product contained in the container.
• a manual pump for distributing the product contained in the container.
• Such a pump generally comprises a pusher, allowing, by simple pressure of the user's finger, to cause the displacement of a piston in a pumping chamber, the volume of which determines the dose of product to be dispensed.
• a first valve makes it possible to isolate this chamber from the internal volume of the container, when the product is expelled from this chamber by a second valve, under the effect of the displacement of the piston by pressing on the pusher, and the second valve allows to isolate the chamber from the outside, when this chamber fills with the first valve of a dose of product from the interior of the container, and sucked into the chamber by the return of the piston to its initial position, pressing against a stop of a pump body delimiting the pumping chamber and in " e- which slides the piston, and under the action of elastic return means.
• This suction of the product causes a vacuum inside the container. For this reason, it is necessary to allow outside air to enter the container.
• This air inlet is generally provided through the pump.
• a first type of known device comprises a pump without air inlet, as well as a deformable container, which contains the product to be packaged and dispensed by the pump.
• a deformable container which contains the product to be packaged and dispensed by the pump.
• the vacuum created therein contracts this deformable container, which is an internal container around which a rigid external container is provided to provide mechanical protection for the internal deformable container.
• the deformable internal container can retract.
• This air inlet can be made in the vicinity of the container neck, but the air inlet can also be provided in the bottom of the rigid container, in which a passage is arranged for this purpose.
• More sophisticated devices of this known type include an outside air inlet circuit through the pump provided with a closure system allowing the entry of outside air into the volume between the two containers, when the pump is actuated, but preventing the product vapors having passed through the wall of the deformable container and present in the volume between the two containers, from escaping from this volume towards the outside when the pump is not actuated.
• a disadvantage of this type of device lies in the fact that it requires the use of a pump comprising an air inlet circuit separate from the product outlet circuit and a system for closing this circuit. air inlet.
• a pump comprising an air inlet circuit separate from the product outlet circuit and a system for closing this circuit. air inlet.
• Such a pump of complex structure and comprising a large number of parts, is delicate and expensive to manufacture.
• Another disadvantage lies in the fact that the deformable container, when it has started to shrink, tends, by its own elasticity, to return to its initial position and therefore creates a depression within the product it contains.
• Another type of known device comprises a conventional container, with a single rigid wall, on which is fitted a pump comprising an air inlet circuit in which a filter is provided, for example sterilizing or capturing oxygen from the air. , to keep the product sterile or to protect it from oxidation, and which, in general, protects the product from any external pollution.
• a pump comprising an air inlet circuit in which a filter is provided, for example sterilizing or capturing oxygen from the air. , to keep the product sterile or to protect it from oxidation, and which, in general, protects the product from any external pollution.
• a filter for example sterilizing or capturing oxygen from the air.
• FR-A-2 669 379 the outside air which enters the container, to compensate for the depression created with each action on the pump having the effect of releasing a dose of product, is filtered for example sterile.
• the sterility of the product in the container is therefore not affected by contact with the air coming from outside, which is particularly advantageous for the packaging and distribution of pharmaceutical products for example.
• Packaging devices of the latter type have been described, in particular in FR-A-2 669 379, but, to the knowledge of the Applicant, none has ever been industrialized to date.
• a first object of the invention is to provide a device for packaging and distributing a product, with a conventional container, a manual pump and a filter, and which allows the use of standard metering pumps, available on the market at low prices. price.
• Another object of the invention is to provide such a device in which the creation of a depression in the generally liquid product, or in pasty fluid or gel, is avoided so as not to distort the dosage.
• the object of the invention is to remedy the drawbacks of similar devices of the state of the art and to propose such a device which is better suited to the various requirements of the practice than the known devices.
• the latter proposes a device for packaging and distributing a fluid product, generally liquid but which may in particular be pasty or in gel, including a single-walled container. rigid, intended to contain the product to be packaged and dispensed, a manual pump mounted on the container and intended to dispense the product in unit doses, and a filter, intended to filter the outside air entering the container when the pump is actuated, the device being characterized in that the pump is of the type without air entering the container, and the filter is arranged in an air inlet passage formed in the bottom of the container, which is advantageously injection molded from a synthetic material.
• the outside air can pass through the air inlet passage and the filter, preferably sterile, and compensate for the depression created in the container when the user operates the pump.
• the container consists of two parts, one of which is a neck with an open neck and on which the pump is tightly mounted, and the other of which is a body, with the bottom having the inlet passage d air which houses the filter, the two parts being separately injection molded and then assembled in a sealed manner.
• the filter is mounted in a rigid sheath, preferably made of plastic and of which the filter is made integral, and the external shape of the sheath corresponds to that of part of the passage air inlet in which the sheath is fixed by any suitable means, such as force fitting, ultrasonic welding and snap-fastening.
• the sterile filters allowing the passage of gases but also that of liquids, it is advantageous to choose a filter composed of a hydrophobic filter material when the product to be packaged and distributed is of an aqueous nature, or a filter composed of a hydrophilic filter material - that the product to be packaged and distributed is not of an aqueous nature.
• the hydrophobic filter lets in the outside air but repels the product which cannot escape to the outside, thus avoiding any risk of leakage, and when the product to be packaged and dispensed is not aqueous in nature, the hydrophilic filter leaves outside air but repels the product which cannot escape to the outside.
• the device comprises a valve intended to prevent any leakage of the product contained in the container through the air inlet passage, this valve being able to be placed between the filter and the interior volume of the container, to avoid any contact between the product and the filter, when the chemical nature of the latter is incompatible with that of the product.
• the filter can, as a variant, be placed between the product in the container and the valve when it is the chemical nature of the valve which is incompatible with that of the product.
• the valve is elastically deformable and cooperates with a seat, preferably conical, on and / or in a chimney secured to the bottom and delimiting the air inlet passage, and in which the filter is retained.
• a resilient valve can effectively prevent any exit of the product towards the outside of the container by the air inlet passage, while allowing the entry of outside air by bending elastically towards the inside of the container, under the effect of the suction of outside air during the pumping phase of a dose of product outside the interior volume of the container.
• the elastic valve is retained by a key on and / or in the chimney, for example on and / or in the end of the chimney which is turned towards the interior of the container.
• the air inlet passage may include grooves made in the key and / or in the seat and / or in the wall of an orifice in which the key for fixing the valve on the valve is retained. fireplace.
• the filter possibly with its sheath, to be mounted in a conical central part of a chimney in one piece with the bottom of the container. If it is desired to facilitate the injection molding of the container body, from a central point on its bottom, it is advantageous for the conical central part of the chimney to be closed, outwardly of the container by a bottom pierced ⁇ an eccentric hole of the air inlet passage.
• the air inlet passage opens, towards the interior of the container, in the central part of a conical bottom of the container, said bottom diverging towards inside the container so as to allow better emptying of the container.
• the container body As the container body, as well as its neck, if any, is made of plastic using injection techniques, it is advantageous to obtain perfect geometry of the part of the air inlet passage in which houses the filter, as well as the conical seat on which the elastic valve is applied, and other structural characteristics, such as the grooves of the air inlet passage for example.
• the air inlet passage comprises a female conical part in which is assembled, possibly by simple fitting, the male conical part of the sheath of the filter.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic view in axial section of a first example of a device according to the invention, comprising a container made of two assembled parts - o -
• FIG. 2 is an axial section view of the two parts of the container before assembly
• FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view in axial section showing the air passage in which the filter is placed as well as the valve, in the rest position, in the bottom of the container of a variant of the device of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 in which the valve is shown open, in the outside air inlet position
• - Figure 5 is an axial sectional view of the bottom of the body of a variant the container in which an air inlet passage is provided, provided with a housing intended to receive a filter
• FIG. 6 is an enlarged view in partial section showing another variant of the bottom of the body of the container
• Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5 of another variant of the bottom of the body of a container, with air inlet passage in a conical bottom allowing the distribution of all the product contained in the container
• Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 3 of yet another variant, with filter disposed between the valve and the product in the container.
• the device for packaging and dispensing in unit doses of a product for example liquid
• a container 15 with a single rigid wall made up of two parts, namely a body 15b, of shaped generally cylindrical, closed by a bottom and open at its upper part, and a neck 15a, of generally cylindro-conical shape converging upwards, and made tightly integral with the body 15b.
• the pump 13 comprises a body 32 having a cylindrical central part, in which slides a piston 3 having a central chimney by which the piston 3 is secured to a pusher 1 crossed by a distribution channel 33.
• a first valve 11 with a sealing ball, cooperates with a frustoconical seat 12 around a central opening in the bottom 34 of the cylindrical central part of the pump body 32, to isolate the pumping chamber 8, delimited in this body 32 between the piston 3 and the bottom 34 of this body 32, of the interior volume 20 of the container 15.
• a second valve 2, also with a sealing ball cooperates with a seat 4, also frustoconical, around the central opening in the chimney of the piston 3, in order to isolate the pumping chamber 8 from the outside, through the distribution channel 33 of the pusher 1.
• a helical compression spring 10 extending in the pumping chamber 8 between the lower part of the piston 3 and the bottom 34 d u pump body 32, recalls the piston 3 in the rest position, against a radial projecting stop inside the cylindrical part of the pump body 32. In this rest position, the two valves 2 and 11 are closed and the pumping chamber 8 is of maximum volume.
• the central cylindrical part of the pump body 32 is engaged inside the open neck 9 of the container 15, and an annular seal 5 is mounted around the pump body 32 and between a folded rim 6 of the latter and the neck 9 of neck 15a, thus ensuring sealing between body 32 of pump 13 and neck 9.
• the folded rim 6 of pump body 32 is provided with a step 7 projecting inwards of the body 32, and allowing the attachment of the pump 13 to the container 15 by snapping on the step 7 of the pump body 32 in a corresponding peripheral groove 27 formed in the external face of the neck 9 of the neck 15a of the container.
• the chimney 22 is double-walled in this example, and comprises an external wall, surrounding its conical female part 19, and the lower end of which is in one piece with the bottom 35 of the body 15b while its upper end, towards the interior of the volume 20 is in one piece with its conical female part 19.
• the chimney 22 also has, on its upper end towards the interior of the volume 20, a frustoconical face 18, very flared and diverging towards the inside the volume 20, and constituting a seat against which is applied, in the closed position, the valve 17 with an elastically deformable membrane, in the form of a flat annular disc retained on the chimney 22 by a key 16.
• This key 16 has a enlarged head, applied against the face of the valve 17 facing the interior of the volume 20, and a rod passing through the central opening of the annular valve 17 and made integral with the chimney 22 by force fitting the tig e of key 16 in an orifice in the chimney 22.
• This orifice participates in the delimitation of the air inlet passage, since this passage is never completely blocked by the key 16, so that outside air can always enter the internal volume 20 of the container 15 by passing through the filter 26 in the chimney 22 and while the valve 17 is moved away from its seat 18 by a depression in the volume 20, following an actuation of the pump.
• FIGS. 3 and 4 show a variant in which the filter 26 is retained inside the central passage of a tubular sheath 23, the shape of which outside may advantageously be frustoconical so as to be able to be itself made integral with the female conical part 19 of the chimney 22.
• a free space 24 remains between the top of the filter 26 and its sheath 23 and the bottom of the central upper part of the chimney 22 which has the seat 18, and grooves 25 are formed in this central upper part of the chimney 22 and provide communication between the free space 24 and the face of the valve 17 located on the side of its seat 18 on the chimney 22.
• the key 16 the lower part or rod of which is made integral with the central upper part of the chimney 22 by force fitting into an axial orifice of this part which e st adjacent to one of the axial grooves 25, has its upper part or enlarged disc-shaped head which makes it possible to retain the central part of the valve 17, forming a seal in the rest position, while allowing the peripheral part of this same valve 17 with elastic membrane to be raised, for the entry of outside air into the container 15, to compensate for a vacuum created in the container 15, when the user operates the pump 13.
• the sheath 23 surrounding the filter 26 can be force-fitted into the conical part 19 of the chimney 22, of geometric shape substantially complementary to the external shape of the sheath 23, which is made of a rigid plastic material, and can also to be ultrasonically welded into the chimney 22.
• the sheath 23 can also be retained in the chimney 22 by elastic snap-fastening of a peripheral ring of the sheath 23 in a complementary groove in the conical part 19 of the chimney 22.
• the container body 15b is made of plastic material using injection techniques and is assembled in leaktight manner at the neck 15a, also made of injected plastic material, by ultrasonic welding or by any other suitable waterproof assembly technique, it is possible to obtain an excellent geometry of all the parts of the central chimney 22, injection molded with the container body 15b, and in particular an excellent geometry of the conical seat 18 on which the elastic valve 17 is applied, and of the part conical 19 in which the filter 26 is housed, possibly surrounded by its conical sheath 23.
• the device operates in the following manner: manual pressure, exerted by the user on the pusher 1, moves the piston 3 against the spring 10, towards the bottom 34 of the body pump 32, which has the effect of creating an overpressure in the chamber 8.
• This overpressure raises the valve 2, which allows the product contained in the chamber 8 to escape towards the outside by borrowing the central chimney of the piston 3 then the channel 33 of the pusher 1, while simultaneously the valve 11 is closed, which prevents any backflow of the product contained in the chamber 8 towards the inside 20 of the container 15. A dose of product is thus distributed to the outside.
• This aspiration of the product from volume 20 creates a depression inside this volume 20, and it is necessary to allow air coming from outside to compensate for this depression.
• FIG 2 are shown separately the neck 15a and the body 15b forming, after tight assembly, the container 15.
• the neck 15a is a plastic part of revolution whose profile allows injection molding, which allows to obtain a great precision of realization.
• the neck 9 for the support of the seal 5 the groove 27 for the attachment of the corresponding step 7 of the pump body 32, as well as the widest part of the neck 15a, the diameter of which corresponds to that of the corresponding part of the body 15b, and by which the assembly is made with the body 15b by means of ultrasonic welding, for example.
• a circular step 28 allows better routing of the ultrasound by acting as a di- rector of energy.
• the body 15b is also a part of revolution produced by injection molding in the same plastic material as the neck 15a, so that it can be easily assembled with ultrasound with the latter.
• a circular nozzle 29, also acting as an energy director, is produced on the body 15b in opposition to the step 28 of the neck 15a, and allows easy and tight welding between the neck 15a and the body 15b.
• the simple shape of the chimney 22 also allows injection molding, thanks to which the frustoconical internal face of the conical part 19 of the chimney 22 is precisely obtained, for assembly by interlocking or by any other means, such as ultrasonic welding for example, of the sheath 23 of the filter 26, the orifice 31 (FIG. 2) for the assembly by force fitting of the key 16, the grooves 25 ( in the variant of FIGS. 3 and 4), and the conical seat 18 on which the lower face of the elastic valve 17 rests.
• the design of the container 15 in two parts 15a and 15b moldable by injection of plastic material, such as polypropylene for example, makes it possible to obtain the aim sought by the invention, namely a very precise shape of the part 19 of the chimney 22 of the container 15 in which the filter 26 is housed, of the part of this same chimney 22 of the container which constitutes the seat 18 on which the valve 17 is placed, and also the orifice 31 in which the key 16 , for retaining the valve 17, is introduced leaving an air passage.
• plastic material such as polypropylene for example
• the chimney 22 with single wall and in one piece, by its lower end, with the bottom of the container 15, always has a central passage of frustoconical shape converging towards the interior of the container 15, to receive the filter 26, optionally without the sheath 23 of Figures 3 and 4, but no valve is mounted on the chimney 22.
• the sterile filter 26 chosen can be of hydrophobic type, when an aqueous product is packaged in the container 15, or a hydrophilic filter otherwise.
• FIG. 6 shows another variant of the bottom 35 of the container and of the central part of the chimney 22 for entering the outside air.
• the chimney 22 with double wall and always in one piece with the bottom 35 by the lower end of its outer wall, has a bottom 36 at its wall or internally conical central part 19, to receive the filter and which, in this example, diverts towards the inside of the container 15, and no longer towards the outside of the latter, as shown in the other embodiments.
• the central bottom 36 is pierced with an eccentric hole 37, and, although it is not shown in FIG. 6, an elastic valve can be fixed on the top of the chimney 22, so as to cooperate with the frustoconical seat 18, in which, as in the example of FIGS.
• the flat bottom 35 of the container 15 of the examples described above has been replaced by a conical bottom 30, which allows, at the end of use, to recover more product than when the bottom is flat, in particular because the conical bottom 30 converges downwards and outwards of the container 15 through its central part in one piece with the upper end of the central chimney 22 with single wall and with a frustoconical central passage for the housing of the filter 26 in the air inlet passage through the chimney 22 and the center of the bottom 30.
• the conical shape By its conical shape, the latter simultaneously constitutes a seat for a possible elastic valve such as the valve 17 of Figures 3 and 4.
• the plunger 14 can be limited by the presence of the chimney 22, and the latter is protected, although projecting under the bottom 30, by the extension of the side wall of the body of the container 15 below the bottom 30.
• the chimney 22 at the center of the bottom 35 of the container body 15b, is single-walled with three sections of revolution in succession, the lower section, slightly frustoconical or cylindrical, being in one piece with the bottom 35, the frustoconical upper section (towards the interior of the container) constituting the conical female part 19 delimiting the air inlet passage and housing the filter 26 in its sheath 23, while the frustoconical intermediate section is very flared towards the outside under the bottom of the container.
• the lower section and the intermediate section thus delimit a housing in which is fitted the key 16 retaining the valve 17 with elastic membrane against the frustoconical seat 18 formed by the lower face of the frustoconical intermediate section.
• Air passage grooves 25 are formed laterally in the key 16 and terminate under the upper and central end of the valve 17, which is elastically deformed towards the inside of the chimney 22 under the effect of a suction. by a vacuum created in the container when the pump 13 is operating, and so as to allow outside air to enter the container by passing through the filter 26 which, in this variant, is disposed between the valve 17 and the product in the container.
• This variant has the following advantages. It prevents the valve 17 from being in contact with the product located in the container when the chemical nature of the valve 17 is incompatible with that of the product. This variant makes it possible to block the filter 26 and the sheath 23 using the key 16, so that the filter 26 and / or the sheath 23 does not escape towards the outside of the chimney 22. The filter 26 is protected from any external physical damage, detrimental to its integrity and proper functioning. Finally, this variant pro- cure a better esthetics to the container, by masking the presence of the filter 26.
• the bottom is possible without departing from the scope of the invention. It is not departing from the scope of the invention by making the container 15 in a single part, for packaging small volumes of product, because in this case, the diameter of the container is small and allows the attachment of a pump. directly on the container body. However, when the diameters of the container body are larger and do not allow the pump to be hooked directly to the body, the addition of an intermediate piece, of the connecting ring type, between the pump and the body to allow the attachment of the pump is a means equivalent to the addition of a neck such as 15a on a body such as 15b of the container.

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• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=9514286

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (18)

Family Cites Families (12)

• 1997
  • 1997-12-08 FR FR9715469A patent/FR2772007B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1998
  • 1998-12-07 US US09/581,275 patent/US6354469B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-12-07 JP JP2000524080A patent/JP2001525249A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 1998-12-07 WO PCT/FR1998/002640 patent/WO1999029433A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-12-07 CA CA002312881A patent/CA2312881A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-12-07 DE DE69816336T patent/DE69816336T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-12-07 CN CN98811926A patent/CN1281389A/zh active Pending
  • 1998-12-07 EP EP98958963A patent/EP1037714B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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