EP1064205B1 - Airless dispensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a dispensing device without air circulation, such as an airless pump, for dispensing a fluid, said device comprising a dispensing chamber (14) with variable volume including an intake (12) provided with an intake check valve (51; 53) and an outlet provided with an outlet check valve, said dispenser further comprising a piston (3) for varying the dispensing chamber (14) volume, sealing means (51; 52; 55; 63) being provided to seal the dispensing chamber (14) substantially at its intake (12) before the first use thereof, characterised in that the sealing means are formed by the intake check valve (51, 53).

Description

The present invention relates to an airless dispensing device, such as a airless pump, i.e. without return air so that the product dispensed is never in contact with air before distribution. This type of airless pump is especially used for the distribution of products which are likely to be deteriorate on contact with air. It can be pharmaceuticals like cosmetic products.

Conventionally, this type of dispenser includes a variable volume distribution with an inlet with an inlet valve and a outlet with an outlet valve. To vary the volume of the distribution, a piston is provided which is generally actuated by means of a so-called rod actuation through which the product is forced out of the chamber. This is there of a completely classic design for an airless pump.

To avoid any possibility of damage to the product to be distributed on contact of air, it is preferable to fill the vacuum tank and to mount the distribution on the tank always under vacuum. During the assembly operation of the dispenser on tanks in vacuum conditions, inside the dispenser and in especially the distribution chamber is also subjected to vacuum. The air is exhausted out of the distribution chamber by the inlet valve, which can be present under the shaped like a ball, washer or tapered flange member, which does not provide a perfect seal during this fixing operation of the vacuum distributor. In indeed, the valve seats do not have a sufficiently perfect surface finish to ensure perfect air tightness. As a result, air is also exhausted from the distribution chamber and there then reigns a partial vacuum. It should be noted that during this step of mounting the dispenser on the tank, the dispensing head is not still mounted on the valve actuator rod. When the vacuum is interrupted once the dispenser is attached to the tank, the tank and the pump are again subjected to atmospheric pressure so that all voids to inside the tank but also inside the distribution chamber are suddenly filled with the product contained in the tank. So there follows a at least partial filling of the distribution chamber. A major drawback is then produced when the dispensing head is mounted on the actuating rod, which has the effect of moving the rod and thereby the piston and thus reducing the volume of the distribution chamber at least partially filled with product. This results in therefore a distribution of the product contained in the distribution chamber. Through Therefore, before its first use and its placing on the market, the product fulfills the actuating rod and the distribution head ejection channel. This product is good obvious in contact with outside air and can therefore deteriorate.

This problem of product distribution when mounting the head distribution attempted to be resolved by introducing a gas inside the chamber before returning to atmospheric pressure from the dispenser. However, this process is very difficult to implement given the small diameter of the channel internal of the actuating rod, since it is indeed necessary simultaneously to push back the outlet valve and inject gas inside the chamber. This process gas injection is therefore very difficult to implement.

We also know from document EP-A-0 753 353 a dispenser whose tube inlet is formed with a plug which closes it. During the first actuation, the plug is punched by an extension of the actuating rod which penetrates into the inlet tube. the plug is here molded in one piece with the inlet tube, which complicates molding. In addition, the stopper, once punched, is free to move in the inlet tube which can interfere with the operation of the dispenser.

The present invention aims to overcome this drawback of the art by defining a distributor whose entry is initially closed by a cap easy to install without complicating the molding and which does not risk interfere with the operation of the dispenser once it is dislodged from its sealing position.

To do this, the present invention provides a dispensing device without air intake, such as an airless pump, for dispensing a fluid product, said device comprising a variable volume distribution chamber provided with an inlet provided an inlet valve and an outlet provided with an outlet valve, said distributor further comprising a piston for varying the volume of the distribution, closure means being provided for sealingly closing the distribution chamber substantially at its entrance before its first use, the closure means being formed by the inlet valve.

The outlet valve being perfectly sealed, the means for closing the inlet allow to insulate in a perfectly airtight manner the interior of the distribution. Thus, it is impossible for an air vacuum to be established inside.

Using the inlet valve itself as a means of sealing has the advantage of not adding an additional part to the dispenser.

So that the distribution chamber can again be in communication with the reservoir, the piston is mounted on an actuating rod having one end protruding inside the distribution chamber, said end forming a thrust member capable of pushing the inlet valve out of its position at the end of its travel waterproof in its normal working position.

According to a first practical form, the inlet valve is a wedged ball of tightly in a sleeve.

As a variant, the inlet valve is a member with a conical flange comprising a protruding peripheral sealing cord stuck in the entrance to the distribution.

Thus, the distribution chamber is perfectly isolated from the outside and therefore does not undergo the vacuum which reigns when the distributor is attached to the tank. These sealing means are only released during assembly of the head. distribution on the actuating rod, which has the effect of moving the rod inside of the chamber until its end moves the closure means so to establish communication between the chamber and the tank.

By using the inlet valve to seal the inlet, there is no need to mold a plug as in the previous art, and once dislodged, the valve is not likely to interfere with the operation of the dispenser.

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to attached drawings giving by way of nonlimiting example several embodiments of the present invention.

• la figure 1a est une vue en coupe transversale à travers un distributeur selon une première forme de réalisation ;
• les figures 1b et 1c sont des coupes transversales à travers le distributeur de la figure la lors de l'étape de montage de la tête de distribution pour illustrer le mode de dégagement des moyens d'obturation ; et
• les figures 2a et 2b sont des vues en section transversale d'un distributeur de l'invention selon un deuxième mode de réalisation.

In the drawings:

• Figure 1a is a cross-sectional view through a dispenser according to a first embodiment;
• Figures 1b and 1c are cross sections through the dispenser of Figure la during the step of mounting the dispensing head to illustrate the release mode of the closure means; and
• Figures 2a and 2b are cross-sectional views of a dispenser of the invention according to a second embodiment.

Reference will now be made to FIG. La to explain the structure of the dispenser according to the invention. In the two embodiments described, this involves a airless pump, that is to say that does not allow air to be introduced as the product is distributed. It is therefore necessary that the tank (not shown) may decrease in capacity as product is extracted from it. So it can be of a reservoir in the form of a flexible pocket or equipped with a follower piston. The internal structure of the airless pump is not critical to the invention and will not be therefore not described here in detail. However, in the embodiments shown, this airless pump comprises a body 1 defining a cylinder 10 in which is mounted a piston 3 mounted on the actuating rod is slidably mounted. The end lower part of the body 1 has an inlet 12 defining a valve seat 13 of frustoconical shape. At its upper end, the body 1 forms a flange of attachment 11 which projects radially outwards. This flange 11 allows the gripping the pump using a crimp ring 83. For sealing the pump on the tank (not shown), there are two O-rings 81 and 82 which are placed respectively between the flange 11 and the crimping ring 83 and between the upper end of the tank (not shown) and the crimp ring 83. The fixing of the pump on the neck of the tank (not shown) is therefore perfectly airtight. As mentioned above, the cylinder 10 formed by the body 1 internally receives a piston 3 which is itself slidably mounted on the actuating rod 2. The piston 3 is biased in its high rest position represented in FIG. 1 by a return spring 7 which acts by means of a gland 4 which rests on the piston 3. On the other hand, the rod actuation 2 is biased in its rest position shown in Figure 1 by a spring 4 which bears on the piston 3. The actuating rod 2 defines so conventional an outlet duct 21 which defines near its lower end two lateral openings 22 closed in the rest position (fig. 1a) by the piston. The arrangement formed by the lower end of the actuating rod 2, the piston 3 and the gland 4 constitute the outlet valve of the airless pump. Below this arrangement, the pump body 1 forms a pump chamber 14 of variable volume. At its lower end, the pump chamber is conventionally provided with a inlet valve 51 which is shown in Figure la in the form of a spherical ball. he can also be considered other forms for the inlet valve such as example a member with a conical flange (fig. 2a and 2b).

The design of the airless pump which has just been described is completely conventional and is common to both embodiments. Of course, it can be considered other forms of design for the pump structure without leaving the part of the present invention.

As can be seen in Figure la, the ball 51 does not rest on its seat valve 13 but is engaged in a sleeve 61 in which it is stuck. This sleeve is formed by a substantially cylindrical part 6 engaged inside the body 10 and resting on the bottom of the body being pressed by the spring 7 which is supported with its lower end 71. Consequently, the cylindrical part 6 is kept perfectly in place inside the body 10. The cylindrical part 6 further defines lateral grooves 62 for the passage of the product. In the position shown in Figure la, the inlet valve 51 does not rest on its seat 13 so that it cannot fulfill its function of selective closing of the entrance 12 of the room pump 14. The pump chamber 14 is perfectly insulated from the outside so airtight. Indeed, as has just been said, the ball 51 wedged in the sleeve 61 prevents any passage of air at the entrance to the pump chamber, and other hand, the positioning of the piston 3 on the lateral openings 22 of the rod actuation 2 prevents any passage of air at the level of the chamber outlet valve The pump chamber 14 therefore defines an isolated space.

As described above in the introductory part, when the vacuum assembly operation of the pump on a filled tank neck, the assembly of the pump and the tank are arranged in an enclosure in which one reigns a vacuum. By insulating from the outside in a perfectly airtight manner the pump chamber 14, this will not be subjected to an air vacuum during this operation vacuum assembly. In case of depression outside, which is the case when doing reign an air vacuum, the outlet valve remains perfectly sealed and the ball 51 stuck strongly in the sleeve 61 also provides a seal perfect, so that when the air vacuum is interrupted and the distributor in its assembly equipped with the tank filled with product is again under pressure normal atmospheric, the product contained in the tank cannot go back to inside the pump chamber 14 since its inlet is closed off by the presence of the ball 51 wedged in the sleeve 61. This guarantees that the pump chamber 14 remains on the one hand filled with air at atmospheric pressure and on the other hand that of the product is not inside chamber 14.

So we find ourselves after the vacuum filling operation with a pump airless as shown in Figure la. In this state, the pump cannot be used the fact that the ball 5 closes the inlet of the pump chamber 14. To bring the pump in an operational state, the ball 51 must be allowed to return to its normal position working on the conical inlet valve seat 13. To do this, simply push the ball 51 downwards to release it from its jamming in the sleeve 61. Referring to Figures 1b and lc, we will now describe how it is possible to release the ball 51 from its sealed wedge in the sleeve 61. When the assembly operation by vacuum crimping is carried out, the next step conventional is that of mounting the dispensing head 9 on the rod actuation 2. A conventional dispensing head includes a connection 91 internally defining a channel 92 which is extended laterally by an outlet duct 93 ending in a dispensing spout 94. Externally, the dispensing head 9 can form a peripheral skirt 96 which extends downwards to hide part of the pump and actuation rod 2. To perform the fitting of the dispensing head 9 on the actuating rod 2, it is necessary to position the sleeve 91 in alignment with the rod 2 then to exercise a pushing force on the surface 95 of the head 9 so as to achieve the fitting shown in Figures 1b and 1c. When we exercise this pushing force on the surface 95, the actuating rod 2 is biased downwards inside the body of the pump by driving with it the piston 3. The depression of the actuating rod in the body 1 has the effect of reducing the volume of the pump chamber 14 against the action of the return spring 7. As the actuating rod 2 is pushed in inside the body, the piston 3 and the gland 4 move on it in the opposite direction to so as to unmask the side openings 22, which establishes an air passage between the pump chamber 14 and the exterior via the channel 21, the conduit 92 and the channel 93. In other words, the outlet valve opens when the pressure inside the pump chamber 14 is sufficient to push back the piston 3 and unmask the side openings 22. If one continues to exert a push on the actuating rod 2, it continues to run inside the pump body until its lower end 23 comes into thrust contact on the ball 51 stuck in the sleeve 61. By exerting sufficient pressure, the end 23 of the rod 2 reaches dislodge the ball 51 from its sleeve 61 as can be seen in Figure 1b. In continuing to push on the actuating rod 2 until the sleeve 91 of the head 9 comes into abutment on the crimping ring 83, the lower end 23 of the rod 2 serving as a thrust member manages to completely disengage the ball 51 from the sleeve 61 so that it can be positioned on the conical inlet valve seat 13, which constitutes its normal working position allowing selective closure of the inlet 12 of the pump chamber 14.

In summary, the inlet valve, in this case a ball 51 serving as means shutter to isolate the chamber 14 during the vacuum crimping operation, is then pushed into its normal working position using the lower end of the actuating rod 2 serving as a thrust member during mounting of the distribution 9 on this actuating rod 2. Consequently, the release of the ball 51 of its sleeve 61 is possible without additional part and without operation additional, since the mounting of the actuating head 9 on the rod 2 is a conventional and compulsory operation.

A secondary advantage also results from the use of the cylindrical part 6 to form the sleeve 61 used for wedging the ball 51. Indeed, this cylindrical part 6 makes it possible to define with the valve seat 13 a space defining a housing in which the ball 51 is trapped, so that its freedom of movement is limited. This ensures that the ball 51 will always come in perfect position on its valve seat 13.

Compared to a conventional airless pump of the prior art, the only difference is the use of the cylindrical part 6 to wedge the ball. Its molding and its setting are perfectly simple to carry out, which does not entail any additional cost nor any heavy technical investment. When mounting the pump, the ball 51 is previously engaged in force in the sleeve 61 formed by the cylindrical part 6 then the assembly is simply introduced inside the pump body 1. We therefore see that it is possible to close off the inlet of the pump chamber 14 in a very simple manner and release the sealing means without using either additional parts or additional operations.

Referring now to Figures 2a and 2b, we can see a variant of the valve inlet in the form of a member 53 having a conical flange 54 intended for cooperate with the conical surface 13 of the valve seat. The shutter function performed by the shutter ball 52 is then provided by a peripheral sealing bead protruding 55 adapted to be positioned at the level of the inlet 12 just like the ball 52. During the assembly operation of the dispensing head 9 shown in FIG. 2b, the member 53 is then simply pushed by the push pin 23 which forms the lower end of the actuating rod 2 so that the cord is released from the inlet 12 and that the conical flange can then come to bear sealing against the conical surface of the inlet valve 13. The use of such a valve member instead balls 51 and 52 offer several advantages. First, it is a room monobloc and not of two separate parts so that the means serving as a shutter remain connected to the means serving as a valve, whereas in the case of the use of a ball shutter 52, the latter is expelled inside the container. Secondly, such a member can be molded in plastic, which is on the one hand less expensive, and on the other hand advantageous from the point of view of recycling capacity.

Thanks to the invention, it is possible to insulate in a perfectly airtight manner the distribution chamber 14 during a fixing operation, in particular of crimping, in a very simple way. In addition, the release of resources shuttering is carried out very simply without additional operation or organ.

Claims (4)

1. A dispenser device without any air intake, such as an airless pump, for dispensing a fluid substance, said device comprising a dispensing chamber (14) of variable volume, which chamber is provided with an inlet (12) equipped with an inlet valve member (51, 53), and is provided with an outlet equipped with an outlet valve member, said dispenser further comprising a piston (3) for causing the volume of the dispensing chamber (14) to vary, closure means (51; 52; 55; 63) being provided to close off the dispensing chamber (14) in airtight manner, substantially at its inlet (12), prior to it being used for the first time, said device being characterized in that the closure means are formed by the inlet valve member (51, 53).
2. A device according to claim 1, in which the piston (3) is mounted on an actuator rod (2) having an end (23, 24) that projects into the dispensing chamber, said end forming a pusher member (23) suitable, at the end of its stroke, for pushing the inlet valve member (51; 53) from its airtight position into its normal working position.
3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, in which the inlet valve member is a ball (51) wedged in airtight manner in a sleeve (61).
4. A device according to any one of claims 1, 2, or 3, in which the inlet valve member is a member (53) having a conical flange (54) and provided with a projecting peripheral sealing bead (55) wedged in the inlet (12) of the dispensing chamber (14).

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