EP1183194B1 - Product dispensing device comprising a reservoir housed in a casing - Google Patents

Abstract

A fluid product dispensing device comprising a reservoir (B), a pump (P) including two pump elements adapted to slide relative to each other in a longitudinal direction and an outer casing (R) provided with a nozzle (10) dispensing the product and an actuator for expelling a dose of product through the nozzle each time an action is exerted by the user of the actuator which comprises a pressing element (7, 8) accessible from outside the casing (R) and a force returning member, the pressing member being mobile substantially transversely to press on the force returning member between two longitudinal end parts, the transformation by the force returning member of the thrust force (F) exerted by the user into a longitudinal sliding force (F2) increasing while the thrust is being exerted.

Description

The present invention relates to a dispensing device a fluid, gaseous, liquid or pasty product, of the type comprising a tank containing several doses of product, on the neck of which is fixed a pump provided with a hollow sliding control rod in a pump body in a so-called longitudinal direction, and a housing in which said tank is housed, said housing being provided with a nozzle of distribution of the product connected by a connecting means to said hollow stem of control and means for actuating the pump to expel a dose of product by the dispensing nozzle with each action carried out by a user on said actuating means.

In product spraying devices, for example vaporizers, a pre-compression stroke is usually expected or a precompression effect, when actuating the pump, in order to release the product with sufficient ejection force to ensure spraying the product at the spray nozzle. This pre-compression stroke of the pump is intended to force the user to exercise with your finger or your hand an important force on the button during this pre-compression stroke. So, the finger or the hand of the user is driven by his momentum until the button be fully pressed, because beyond the pre-compression stroke, the product can be ejected by the pump and therefore the button is less resistant to his depression. It is possible to expel the entire dose of product to high speed, when the force exerted by the user exceeds the value precompression, which can be, for example, of the order of 25 N.

When one wishes, for reasons of space or ergonomics or other, that the movement of the actuating member in a direction different from that of the race of the stem of control of the pump, one can provide between them a double system inclined ramp, a first ramp cooperating with the means actuator, a second ramp being connected to the control rod of the pump, so that the sliding of the two ramps against each other causes the sliding of the control rod in the body of pump. However, in such a system, the friction between the two ramps are large enough, so that after the race of precompression, the finger of the user is not enough driven by its momentum to fully press the actuating means, but be braked by the resistive force of the friction between the ramps. he there is therefore no tilting effect after the precompression stroke, which causes the expulsion of the full dose of product at a speed sufficient to ensure its spraying. To reduce this friction, It is possible to provide low slope ramps, but in this case the actuation stroke is too important. If we choose ramps steeper slope, the actuation stroke is reduced, but in this case friction is very important.

US 4,315,582 discloses a pump system, in a variant of which the pump is triggered by a mechanism of trigger comprising a pivoting trigger and a Y-shaped element. This system according to the preamble of claim 1 has a complex external shape with parts outward-looking mobile devices, which increases the risk of untimely disassembly and undermines its ergonomics. In addition, it does not does not concern distribution devices comprising a housing in which is housed a tank with a pump.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and to propose a product dispensing device comprising a tank provided with a pump and a housing in which is housed said tank, which makes it possible to eject the product at a speed sufficient, and whose position of the dispensing nozzle is independent the position of the actuating means of the pump.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a device according to the claim

Moreover, in the aforementioned prior system, the efforts which the Y-element is subjected to are important because of the angle between his two members at the beginning of the race, so that the stabilization of the Y-shaped element and fatigue at the junction of members are problematic.

According to a particular characteristic of the invention, said two arms form together an obtuse angle in said rest position and remain misaligned in said active position without passing through a position aligned with both arms.

Advantageously, the two knee brace arms are articulated by means of a central part guided in translation transversely in said housing.

According to the invention, the support member is able to come to bear on said force return member on either side of said articulation knee brace on both arms of knee pad.

Preferably, the free end of the knee arm which form said fixed end of the force return member is articulated on a fixed point of the housing.

Advantageously, said force return member comprises two additional arms articulated respectively to each of said arms knee brace at the free ends of the latter, additional arms being hinged together at their ends opposed to said toggle arms to form a articulated quadrilateral.

Preferably, the articulation of said additional arms of the quadrilateral is retained transversely in sliding contact against a substantially longitudinal guide rib of said device for ability to slide against said guide rib during actuation of said pump.

Advantageously, that of said additional arms which is articulated to said fixed end of the force return member is in abutment against an oblique abutment rib of said device at said position of rest.

Preferably, said guide rib and said rib of stop are formed contiguous on an inner face of said housing.

Advantageously, said fixed end portion of the organ of force return is off-axis with respect to the axis of said hollow rod.

Advantageously, said first pump element is said hollow rod, said movable end portion of the return member of force is articulated on a tip fixedly mounted on the free end the hollow rod to press on said hollow rod, said bearing end the aforementioned connecting means.

Preferably, the aforementioned connecting means is a tube flexible or deformable bellows or one or more moving parts by compared to the box.

According to yet another characteristic of the invention, said first pump element is said pump body and said part moving end of the force return member bears against a substantially transverse wall carried by said pump body, said pump body and said reservoir being movable in said direction longitudinal relative to said housing.

Preferably, said hollow rod extends on the other side of said transverse wall with respect to said force return member, the free end of said hollow stem being fixedly mounted in a housing wall carrying said nozzle, said connecting means being a channel formed through said housing wall.

Advantageously, the dispensing nozzle is worn fixed by the housing.

Preferably, the abovementioned support member comprises a flexible membrane, fixedly mounted in the wall of the housing.

Advantageously, said housing is a dressing outside completely containing said tank. The whole of device can then be designed in a simple form and of a fairly small size, for example flat parallelepipedal shape, to be easily stowed in the pocket of a garment. Said tank can be advantageously formed of a flexible plastic film pocket.

Preferably, said force return member is contained in said outer housing. The knee joint (s) can be formed by film hinges.

The invention will be better understood, and other purposes, details, characteristics and benefits of this will become clearer in course of the detailed explanatory description which will follow of several embodiments of the invention, given solely for illustrative purposes and not limiting, with reference to the attached schematic drawing.

• la figure 1 est une vue partielle et en coupe longitudinale d'un premier mode de réalisation du dispositif selon l'invention, dans la position de repos ;
• la figure 2 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, mais en position active, en fin de course d'actionnement de la pompe ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en perspective d'une pièce de montage destinée à être insérée dans le récipient de la figure 1, ladite pièce de montage étant dans sa position venue de moulage ;
• la figure 4 est une vue en perspective analogue à la figure 3, mais représentant ladite pièce de montage dans une position repliée de service ;
• la figure 5 est une vue schématique et en coupe longitudinale d'un deuxième mode de réalisation du dispositif utile à la compréhension de l'invention, dans sa position de repos ;
• la figure 6 est une vue analogue à la figure 5, mais en position active, en fin de course d'actionnement de la pompe ;
• la figure 7 est une vue partielle et en coupe longitudinale d'un troisième mode de réalisation du dispositif utile à la compréhension de l'invention, en position de repos ;
• la figure 8 est une vue partielle et en coupe longitudinale d'un quatrième mode de réalisation du dispositif utile à la compréhension de l'invention, en position de repos ;
• la figure 9 est une vue analogue à la figure 8, mais en position active, en fin de course d'actionnement de la pompe, la buse de pulvérisation étant solidaire en translation de la tige de commande de la pompe ;
• la figure 10 est un schéma vectoriel représentant les forces d'actionnement pour le coulissement de la tige de commande de la pompe avec un dispositif conforme à l'invention ;
• la figure 11 est une vue partielle et en coupe longitudinale d'un cinquième mode de réalisation du dispositif utile à la compréhension de l'invention, en position de repos ;
• la figure 12 est une vue analogue à la figure 11, mais en position active, en fin de course d'actionnement de la pompe ;
• la figure 13 est une vue partielle et en coupe longitudinale d'un sixième mode de réalisation du dispositif utile à la compréhension de l'invention, en position de repos ;
• la figure 14 est une vue analogue à la figure 13, mais en position active, en fin de course d'actionnement de la pompe ;
• la figure 15 est une vue en coupe longitudinale selon la ligne XV-XV de la figure 16 d'un mode de réalisation du dispositif utile à la compréhension de l'invention, en position de repos ;
• la figure 16 est une vue en coupe longitudinale selon la ligne XVI-XVI de la figure 15 du dispositif de la figure 15 en position de repos ;
• la figure 17 est une vue en coupe longitudinale selon la ligne XVII-XVII de la figure 18 d'un mode de réalisation du dispositif utile à la compréhension de l'invention, en position active, en fin de course d'actionnement de la pompe ;
• la figure 18 est une vue en coupe longitudinale selon la ligne XVIII-XVIII de la figure 17 du dispositif de la figure 17 en position active, en fin de course d'actionnement de la pompe ;
• la figure 19 est une vue partielle et en perspective de la pièce de montage de la figure 3 dans une autre variante de réalisation ;
• la figure 20 est une vue partielle et en perspective d'une variante de réalisation de la genouillère de la figure 4 correspondant à la pièce de montage de la figure 19.

On this drawing :

• Figure 1 is a partial view in longitudinal section of a first embodiment of the device according to the invention, in the rest position;
• Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but in the active position at the end of the actuating stroke of the pump;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of a mounting piece for insertion into the container of Figure 1, said mounting piece being in its molded position;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view similar to Figure 3, but showing said mounting piece in a folded service position;
• Figure 5 is a schematic view in longitudinal section of a second embodiment of the device useful for understanding the invention, in its rest position;
• Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, but in the active position at the end of the actuating stroke of the pump;
• Figure 7 is a partial view in longitudinal section of a third embodiment of the device useful for understanding the invention, in the rest position;
• Figure 8 is a partial view in longitudinal section of a fourth embodiment of the device useful for understanding the invention, in the rest position;
• Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8, but in the active position at the end of the actuating stroke of the pump, the spray nozzle being integral in translation with the control rod of the pump;
• Fig. 10 is a vector diagram showing the actuating forces for sliding the control rod of the pump with a device according to the invention;
• Figure 11 is a partial view in longitudinal section of a fifth embodiment of the device useful for understanding the invention, in the rest position;
• Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11, but in the active position at the end of the actuating stroke of the pump;
• Figure 13 is a partial view in longitudinal section of a sixth embodiment of the device useful for understanding the invention, in the rest position;
• Figure 14 is a view similar to Figure 13, but in the active position at the end of the actuating stroke of the pump;
• Figure 15 is a longitudinal sectional view along line XV-XV of Figure 16 of an embodiment of the device useful for understanding the invention, in the rest position;
• Figure 16 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line XVI-XVI of Figure 15 of the device of Figure 15 in the rest position;
• FIG. 17 is a view in longitudinal section along the line XVII-XVII of FIG. 18 of an embodiment of the device useful for understanding the invention, in the active position, at the end of the actuating stroke of the pump. ;
• Figure 18 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line XVIII-XVIII of Figure 17 of the device of Figure 17 in the active position at the end of the actuating stroke of the pump;
• Figure 19 is a partial view in perspective of the mounting part of Figure 3 in another embodiment;
• FIG. 20 is a partial view in perspective of an alternative embodiment of the toggle lever of FIG. 4 corresponding to the mounting piece of FIG. 19.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown a bottle B for to contain several doses of product, the neck 1 is provided with a pump P. The pump P comprises a pump body 2 integral with a ring 3 which is crimped on the neck 1 of the bottle B, a hollow stem of 4 which is slidable in the pump body 2, for eject a dose of product. The pump P is connected to a plunger tube 5 which extends to the bottom of the bottle B (see Figures 5 and 6).

Bottle B is housed (at least partially) in a more large container or housing R, for example plastic, which constitutes a exterior dressing for the bottle. For example, the container R can be made of transparent plastic, with a layer of metallic varnish on the inner surface of the container, to hide the inside of the container R. Advantageously, the container R consists of two half-shells in plastic which are welded to each other.

In the variant of FIGS. 1 and 2, the side wall of the container R has an opening 6 through which is clipped to force a rubber membrane 7. The rubber membrane 7 has a relatively thick cylindrical wall 7a, which is to slip on a shoulder of the aforementioned opening 6 of the wall of the container R, and a substantially disk-shaped portion 7b of low thickness extending inside said thick cylindrical wall 7a, said membrane 7 having, at its center, a portion 7c plus thick sparing a housing to receive and hold the head of a plastic pusher 8 substantially mushroom shaped.

At its summit, the container R has a housing in which is mounted a nozzle 9 adapted to receive a spray nozzle or a nozzle 10 known per se. A locking ring 11 is mounted around the tip 9 in the thickness of the top wall of the container R to lock in place the nozzle 9 on the container wall. The tip upper 9 extends inside the container R by a mouthpiece cylindrical off-axis 9a which is adapted to receive the upper end of a flexible tube 12, the lower end thereof being fitted into a lower nozzle 13, which is extended by another coaxial nozzle 13a which is mounted on the upper end of smaller diameter 4a of the control rod 4 above.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, foam 14 is interposed between the bottle B and the inner wall of the container R, for stall the bottle.

As best seen in Figures 3 and 4, the tips upper 9 and 9a are carried by a substantially horizontal leg 15a integral part of a support member 15. The support member 15 consists of a vertical flat plate 16 with lateral raised edges 17, the flat plate 16 being intended to bear against a wall lateral side of the container R. The upper lug 15a mentioned above is connected, on either side of the aforementioned end pieces 9 and 9a, to a first arm 18 U-shaped or fork, via two hinges-film 18a. The opposite end of the first arm 18 is connected by a articulation 19 to a second arm 20, also substantially shaped of U. The set of two arms 18 and 20 and the hinge 19 constitutes a toggle joint. The overall shape of the knee pad is in H, articulated on the horizontal bar of H. The two branches of the second forked arms 20 are connected by a hinge-film 20a to a plate 21 which carries on both sides of its plane the tips 13 and 13a inferior above. The wafer 21 also comprises two lateral lugs 21a which are intended to engage in a groove 17a arranged in the aforementioned raised edges 17 of the support member 15. The grooves 17a serve to guide the sliding of the rod of order 4.

Each arm 18, 20 has reinforcing ribs laterals 18b, 20b and a transverse reinforcement rib 18c, 20c, at neighborhood of the joint 19.

The second arm 20 may also include a flexible tongue 22 which is adapted to bear against the bottom of the plate 16, in the mounting position, as shown in phantom interrupted in Figure 1, to serve as an elastic return of the knee to its rest position.

Advantageously, the support member 15 is integral with the end pieces 9, 9a, the toggle joint 18 to 20, the plate 21 and the end pieces 13 and 13a, as well as, where appropriate, the elastic tab or tabs 22. In the position illustrated in Figure 3, the entire body of said support 15 is shown in its position, as obtained in mold outlet. The entire support member therefore comes from molding. It can be seen in FIG. 3 that the demolding direction is substantially vertical, and that the arms 18 and 20 forming the toggle are in a position aligned with both the wafer 21 and the lug 15a.

In a variant shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, a the support member 15 with the plate 16, the raised edges 17 and the 9 and 9a and secondly, the toggle 18 to 20, the plate 21 and the end pieces 13 and 13a, as well as, if appropriate, the tongue or tabs 22, form two distinct sets obtained separately by molding. In this case, the first arm 18 has at each end fork 18a a cylinder 59 arranged transversely to form a pivot axis of the arm 18 in place of the hinges-films. The paw 15a of the support member 15 is in this case replaced by a wall upper 31 which completely closes the support member 15 of an edge 17 to the other, this upper wall always carrying the ends 9 and 9a aligned and, on its underside, on each side of the tip 9a, to each time two longitudinal tabs 33 between which the wall 31 has a transverse groove 60, the tabs 33 and the groove 60 forming a substantially semicylindrical bearing in which each axis of pivoting 59 of the arm 18 engages to form a pivot connection.

We will now briefly describe the operation of the device according to the invention with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 10.

In the rest position illustrated in Figure 1, the rod of control 4 of the pump P is in the projecting position upwards and the knee joint has an opening angle 1 between the arms 18 and 20, by example of the order of 115 ° in Figure 10. In this position, the push 8 bears on the transverse ribs 18c and 20c of the two arm 18 and 20, on both sides of the articulation 19, but without coming in contact with said articulation. If a spring leaf 22 is provided, it is slightly bent with its free end resting against the bottom of the plate 16, as shown in Figure 1. The flexible tube 12 has a substantially V-shaped bent shape within the R. container

When a user exerts a support force F on the central portion 7c of the membrane 7, to the right of the pusher 8, the membrane 7 is deformed towards the interior of the container, to take a substantially concave shape, with the concavity turned outwards, thanks to its wavy shape at rest, as shown in the figure 2. The pusher 8 then bears on the aforementioned ribs 18c and 20c to push back the arms 18 and 20. However, as the upper end 18a of the first arm 18 is fixed relative to the container R, it is the lower end 20a of the second arm 20 which moves downwards, pushing the control rod 4 inside the pump body to expel a dose of product to the spray nozzle 10, the jet of sprayed product being represented in J. The flexible tube 12 is deformed to take a longer position. As visible in Figure 2, the two arms 18 and 20 take a relative position more aligned than in the case of Figure 1, but without being completely aligned, in order to to avoid that the two arms 18 and 20 rock on the other side of their unstable alignment position. We will also notice that the end upper 18a of the first arm 18 is not aligned with the axis of the rod order 4, although this is possible. In the end position Product ejection stroke, shown in Figure 2, both arms 18 and 20 together form an angle 2 of the order of 145 ° in the figure 10. By way of example, the pusher 8 has moved by a distance d1 of the order of 4 mm in a transverse direction to bring the articulation 19 between its two positions illustrated in FIG. 10, and the lower end 20a of the second arm 20 has moved on a height d2 of the order of 4 mm. So we have a referral system of force in which a transverse support force F is transformed into a longitudinal or vertical displacement force F2.

In FIG. 10, there is shown in a vector diagram the balance of forces on the actuator. F is the support force transversal exerted by the user and transmitted by the pusher substantially at the joint 19. The force F3 is the reaction of the support member 15 on the free end 18a of the first arm 18, at the level of the pivot link. The force F2 exerted on the control rod 4 by the free end 20a of the second arm 20 is the resultant longitudinal which causes the sliding of the control rod 4 in the pump body 2, against pressure forces and the like who resist it. F can, for example, have an intensity of the order of 35.7 N, F3 an intensity of the order of 21.6 N and F2 an intensity of the order of N. The point 18a can be shifted by about 4 mm with respect to the axis longitudinal A of the control rod.

Since the knee brace opens during the race cross section of the pusher, the transformation of the thrust force F exerted by the user in longitudinal sliding force F2 exerted on the control rod increases during thrust. In effect, the lever arm of the thrust force F with respect to the axis of pivoting of the second arm 20 at its end 20a increases during the stroke of the joint 19, represented by the arc C, while the lever arm with respect to the joint 19 forces that are resistant to sliding of the rod 4 decreases. So, for resistance forces of constant intensity, the thrust F necessary to overcome these forces resistance, and thus cause the actuation of the pump P, decreases. This increasing transmission effect combines with the effect of precompression of the pump to result in a resistance force opposed to the thrust of the user decreasing during the race of thrust.

Once the initial resistance force has been overcome, the movement of the user therefore tends to continue through drive by causing an acceleration of the pusher, which allows to ensure an ejection pressure of the product dose sufficient to cause a spray or atomization of the satisfactory jet J by the spray nozzle 10.

When the user releases pressure on the push button 8, the spring integrated in the pump can automatically push back knee to rest position; however one can also foresee one or more flexible sipes 22 to contribute to the return of the knee to its rest position.

The vertical sliding of the wafer 21 is guided by the tabs 21a which slide in the grooves 17a of the flanges 17 of the organ support 15.

In the variant illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the same reference numerals are used to designate identical parts, while similar elements are represented by reference increased by a hundred.

In this variant, the aforementioned support member is removed, the upper ends 109, 109a being carried by a plate 115 attached directly to the top wall of the container R, and the lower ends 113 and 113a being carried directly by the stem of 4 control of the pump P. The knee is constituted, here, of an arm 118 upper hinged 118a on a top washer 115a fixed under the plate 115 above, a lower arm 120 hinged 120a on a lower plate 121, the two arms 118 and 120 being articulated on a central part 119 which serves as a push button. The ends 113 and 113a project from both sides of the plate 121. This central piece 119 is in contact with a membrane 107 having a substantially spherical cap shape that is inserted through the opening 6 in the wall of the container R. This membrane 107 comprises a flange peripherally projecting at its base 107a while its spherical central portion protrudes outwardly of the container. Advantageously, the central part 119 is guided in one direction cross-section (by means not shown), to prevent said piece 119 flips around one of its connecting hinges with the arm 118 and 120. Indeed, if the user exerts a force F, as indicated in FIG. 6, on the membrane 107, which leads to giving it a substantially concave shape depressed, the piece 119 moves transversely so as to open the angle formed by the toggle without provided that said coin is swinging up or down, which otherwise would not allow to transmit a movement of vertical sliding at the control rod 4.

For the rest, the operation of the variant illustrated on Figures 5 and 6 is similar to that of the first variant.

A third variant is illustrated in FIG. which the elements identical to those of the first variant the same reference figures, whereas similar elements the reference numbers increased by two hundred.

In FIG. 7, the aforementioned flexible tube is replaced by a bellows 212, whose upper end is fitted into a upper nozzle 209a and whose lower end is directly fitted on the free end 4a of the control tube 4 of the pump P. The upper nozzle 209a is carried by a plate 215, which is projection on the other side the nozzle 209 for receiving the jet 10. Under the plate 215 is mounted a washer 215a which is extended by a hinge-film 218a of the first arm 218 of the toggle. The other end of the first arm 218 is connected by the hinge 219 to the second arm 220, whose lower end is connected by a hinge-film 220a to a plate 221 which is mounted around the lower end of the bellows 212. The aforementioned articulation 219 is extended by a pusher 208 which can be directly accessible to the outside of the container (not shown in Figure 7).

The operation of this variant remains similar to that of the two aforementioned variants.

Figures 8 and 9 show a fourth variant, in which the spray nozzle 10 is carried by a moving part hollow link 312 of elongated shape which is carried directly to its lower end by the control rod 4 of the pump P. This movable part 312 has an axial passage 313 which leads to its bottom end on the hollow control rod 4 and at its end upper on the spray nozzle 10 which is positioned here perpendicularly to the axis of the container R. This piece 312 is suitable for slide vertically with respect to a guide sleeve 309 which extends inwardly of the container R from its top. By therefore, in this variant, the outlet nozzle 10 for the product is mobile compared to the container R, while in the other variants it was fixed relative to the container.

In addition, in this variant, an elastomer sleeve is provided on the entire periphery of the side wall of the container R, so as to can be compressed by clamping said sleeve in one hand. In In this variant, the elastomer sleeve is connected to its lower end directly into a throat the on top of the bottle B and at its upper end on the upper wall of the container R using a semi-toric ring 306. Inside the container R, it is at say in the space defined between the top of bottle B and the wall the top of the container R, a plurality of segments 308 are provided substantially vertical, regularly distributed all around the container, and in contact with the inner face of the elastomeric sleeve 307. The segments 308 are able to move radially towards the axis of the device. These segments serve as support members. Each segment 308 is extended by an upper arm 318 which slides in one direction transverse and radial with respect to the axis of the device. This first arm 318 is connected by a hinge 319 to a second lower arm 320 which is connected by a film hinge 320a to the aforesaid piece 312. The assembly of the arm 318, the articulation 319 and the second arm 320 form a toggle, in the sense of the invention.

In this variant, the piece 312, the knee pad and the Pusher 308 form a single molded piece.

A fifth embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. Analogous elements or identical to those of the first embodiment bear the same reference figure increased by 400.

In this variant, the housing R is formed of a container 448 in which is housed the bottle B and a lid 440 fixed on the containing 448 to close its longitudinal end face into the extension of the pump rod 404. The lid 440 has a substantially flat upper wall 458 and an annular sleeve 454 engaged longitudinally in the container 448 to stall transversely the lid 440. To the right of the nozzle 410, the sleeve 454 has a longitudinal notch 457 to allow the passage of the lid 440 around said nozzle 410 during assembly. A paw fixing the nozzle 410 is engaged in a transverse groove 455 at the bottom of the notch 457 to immobilize the nozzle 410 transversely compared to the box R.

The push button 408 is guided in translation transversely in an opening 423 in the lateral wall of the containing 448 and an opening 456 of the sleeve 454 aligned therewith. It has a bearing surface 424 substantially aligned with said side wall at the rest position and pressed into said housing R at the active position. The button 408 comprises an elastic tongue 425 deformable between a substantially rectilinear state at the rest position and bent against a lug 453 of the lid 440 at the active position of the push 408, to exert a return effort on it towards his rest position. In the rest position, a pin 426 of the button 408 is in abutment against the sleeve 454 of the cover 440.

The longitudinal face 408a opposite to the bearing face 424 is in sliding contact against the articulation 419 of at least one, of preferably two, toggle (s) formed each of a quadrilateral articulated composed of four arms 418, 420, 427 and 428. While the two arms 418 and 420 correspond to those of the first mode of embodiment, the two arms 427 and 428 are arranged substantially symmetrically to these with respect to the longitudinal axis of sliding A of the pump rod 404. The articulation 429 opposed to the hinge 419 is in sliding contact against a longitudinal rib 430 of the cover 440. The articulation 418a between the arms 418 and 428 is in sliding contact with a transverse rib 432. At the position of rest, the arm 428 abuts along an oblique rib 437. The ribs 430, 437 and 432 are formed contiguous on the inside of the sleeve 454.

The tip 413 fitted on the pump rod 404 has a shoulder on which a washer 434 rests on the transverse surface which rests the hinge 420a opposite to the hinge 418a. The upper end of the tip 413 opens transversely into the deformable bellows 412 connecting the tip 413 to the nozzle 410. During a transverse push on the push button 408, the articulation 429 being locked transversely against the rib 430 the transverse extension of the articulated quadrilateral decreases while its longitudinal extension increases. The hinge 418a being blocked by the rib 432, it is the hinge 420a which moves longitudinally causing, by means of the washer 434 and the nozzle 413, the actuation of the pump rod 404. during this movement, the joint 429 slides against the rib 430, the pivot 418a against the rib 432, the pivot 420a against the washer 434 and the hinge 419 against the surface 408 of the pusher 408.

At the end position of the latter run, the joint 419 abuts against a step 435 of the surface 408 and the hinge 420a against a shoulder 436 on the washer 434. The mechanical advantages of the articulated quadrilateral are identical to those of the toggle of the first embodiment. This articulated quadrilateral also has a greater resistance to fatigue because of a better distribution of efforts.

The sixth embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 1 differs from the previous one only by using a mancho deformable in place of each articulated quadrilateral. The elements similar or identical to those of the first embodiment now the same reference number increased by 500.

The substantially cylindrical sleeve 538 is arranged with its axis in a transverse direction substantially perpendicular to 1 direction of the push of button 508. It presents a section substantially elliptical whose major axis coincides with the direction of displacement of the pusher 508 and the minor axis with the direction longitudinal sliding of the pump rod 504. During the pushing the button 508 from its rest position to its active position, the parts of the sleeve 538 located at the ends 519 and 529 of said large axis are transversely spaced respectively between the surface 508a and the rib 530. The substantially perimeter sleeve 538 constant is then deformed by spacing the ends 518a and 520a said small axis, which causes the spacing of the washer 534 by compared to the rib 532 and the sliding of the pump rod 504 in the course 502. The washer 534 here has a central depression 539 intended to stabilize the sleeve 538 transversely. The advantages mechanical components of the actuating member formed of the sleeve 538 are similar in terms of transmission and referral of efforts to those of the toggle joint of the first embodiment. Preferably, a sleeve similar is arranged on each side of the pump rod 504.

We will now describe a seventh embodiment with reference to Figures 15 and 16. Analogous elements or identical to those of the first embodiment bear the same reference figure increased by 600.

In this variant, the housing R has a shape substantially of square section block including two diagonally opposite corners 647 are cut substantially perpendicularly to said diagonal and of which the thickness is substantially equal to a quarter of the length. The case R contains a 648 container with a throat mid-throat outer periphery 641 substantially in a semicircle and closed on its upper face by a cover 640. The deformable membrane 607 is formed by a substantially central thinned portion of the lid 640 and present at its rest position, visible in Figure 16, a convexity turned towards the outside of the case R. It carries on its inner face the thicker portion 607c in sliding contact with the hinge 619 of at least one, preferably two, toggle (s) formed (s) each of two arms 618 and 620.

The nozzle 610 is mounted substantially at mid-thickness in a side wall 649 of the container 648 on the inner side of which is directly engaged the pump control rod 604. A channel 612 through the wall 649 connects the rod 604 to the nozzle 610. The wall 649 present at the channel 612 a portion 646 projecting inwardly of the housing R. In this embodiment, the bottle is replaced by a tank B with a rigid wall 644 completely included in the case R and movable longitudinally in it under the action of the knee 618 to 620. Tank B is substantially E-shaped capitalized with a base 650 from which extend longitudinally two lateral wings 651 and a central collar 601 forming the neck of the tank in which the pump body is fixedly mounted 602.

The neck 601 is closed at its end by a plate transverse 643 traversed by the pump body 602 and having two end portions protruding transversely on each side of neck 601 to the side wings 651. The plate 643 attached to the tank B serves as support surface to each knee arm 620 whose free end 620a is engaged in a notch 645 of the plate 643 to form a pivot connection with it. The other arm 618 of each toggle has its free end 618a locked in translation longitudinally by a 642 lug formed at the bottom of the container 648. When the knee brace is opened by a transverse thrust exerted on the membrane 607, it is the entire reservoir B and the pump body 602 which slides longitudinally towards the nozzle 610 around the pump rod 604, thus causing the expulsion of a dose of product. To slide around the pins 642, the base 650 of the tank B has two grooves 652. During this sliding, the articulation 619 slides longitudinally on the thick portion 607c of the membrane 607. mechanical advantages of the two knee pads of this embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment.

The seventh embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 18 presents with respect to the sixth embodiment a design different from tank B. The elements similar or identical to those of the first embodiment carry the same reference numeral increased by 700.

In this variant, the tank B is formed of a pocket whose wall 744 is made of flexible plastic film. Tank B presents substantially a U shape with a 750 base and two side wings 751. The pump casing 702 is attached directly to the middle of the base 750 between the two wings 751 and carries the plate 743. Two grooves 752 under the base 750 allow its longitudinal sliding around the pins 742 of the housing R. As can be seen in FIG. 18, the membrane 707 present at the active position a convexity turned towards the inside of the box R.

Although the invention has been described in connection with several particular examples of realization, it is obvious that it is not in no way limited and that it includes all the technical equivalents of means described and their combinations if they fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims (27)

1. Device for dispensing a fluid, gaseous, liquid or pasty product, comprising a reservoir (B) containing several doses of product, a pump (P) comprising two pump elements, that is a hollow stem (4, 404, 504, 604, 704) and a pump body (2, 402, 502, 602, 702) fitted onto the said reservoir (B), the said two elements being capable of sliding one with respect to the other in a direction called longitudinal (A) in order to pump the said product, and an outer casing (R) cooperating with a nozzle (10, 410, 610) for dispensing the product, which nozzle is connected by a connecting means (12, 212, 312, 412, 612) to the said hollow stem, and equipped with a pump actuating means to expel a dose of product via the dispensing nozzle on each action exerted by the user on the said actuating means, the said actuating means comprising a bearing member (7, 8, 107, 208, 307, 308, 408, 508, 607, 707) which is accessible from the outside of the casing (R) and a member for transmitting force, the said member for transmitting force having two longitudinal end parts, one (20a, 120a, 220a, 320a, 420a, 520a, 620a), called moveable, of which is capable of bearing on a first of the said two pump elements in order to make it slide longitudinally and the other (18a, 118a, 218a, 318, 418a, 518a, 618a), called stationary, of which is locked in translation with respect to the said outer casing (R) in the aforementioned longitudinal direction, it being possible for the said bearing member to move essentially transversely in order to bear on the said member for transmitting force between the said two longitudinal end parts, so as to be able to deform the said member for transmitting force between a rest position, in which at least one intermediate portion (19, 119, 219, 319, 419, 519, 619) of the said transmission member has a non-zero curvature, and an active position, in which the curvature of the said intermediate portion is small, in order to increase the longitudinal extension of the said member for transmitting force by causing a mutual sliding of the said pump elements, the said member for transmitting force being arranged such that the transformation, by the said member for transmitting force, from the pushing force (F) exerted by the user on the said bearing member into a longitudinal sliding force (F2) exerted on the said first pump element increases throughout the push, which makes it possible to ensure that the said longitudinal sliding force (F2) ejects the dose of product at a velocity which is high enough to provide a spray via the said nozzle, the said member for transmitting force comprising two toggle joint lever arms (18, 20; 118, 120; 218, 220; 318, 320; 418, 420; 618, 620) hinged directly or indirectly one with respect to the other at the said intermediate portion, the free ends of the two arms opposing to the said hinge forming respectively the said longitudinal end parts of the said member for transmitting force, characterized in that the said reservoir (B) is housed at least partially in the said casing (R) and in that the bearing member (8) is capable of bearing on the two toggle joint lever arms (18, 20) on either side of the said articulation (19).
2. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said two arms together form an obtuse angle (1) in the said rest position and remain unaligned in the said active position, without going through an aligned position of the two arms.
3. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two toggle joint lever arms (118, 120) are hinged via a central piece (119) guided transversely in translation in the said casing (R).
4. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bearing member (8) is capable of bearing on the two toggle joint lever arms (18, 20) without coming into contact with the said articulation.
5. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bearing member (8) is able to bear on reinforcing ribs (18c, 20c) carried by the two toggle joint lever arms (18, 20).
6. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the free end of the toggle joint lever arm which forms the said stationary end (18a, 118a, 218a) of the member for transmitting force is hinged about a fixed point of the casing (R).
7. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the said member for transmitting force comprises two additional arms (427, 428) hinged respectively to each of the said toggle joint lever arms (418, 420) at the free ends (418a, 420a) thereof, the said additional arms being hinged together at their respective ends opposite the said toggle joint lever arms in order to form a hinged quadrilateral.
8. Device according to Claims 7, characterized in that the hinge (429) of the said additional arms (427, 428) of the quadrilateral is kept transversely in gliding contact with a substantially longitudinal guiding rib (430) of the said device in order to be able to slide against the said guiding rib (430) during the actuation of the said pump (P).
9. Device according to Claim 8, characterized in that one of the said additional arms (428) which is hinged to the said stationary end (418a) of the member for transmitting force is stopped against an oblique stop rib (437) of the said device in the said rest position.
10. Device according to Claim 9, characterized in that the said guiding rib (430) and the said stop rib (437) are formed contiguously on an inner face of the said casing (R).
11. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the said stationary end part (18a) of the member for transmitting force is offset with respect to the axis of the said hollow stem (4).
12. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the said first pump element is the said hollow stem (4), the said movable end part (200, 120a, 220a, 320a) of the member for transmitting force is hinged on an end piece (21, 121, 221) mounted fixedly on the free end of the hollow stem (4) in order to bear on the said hollow stem, the said end piece carrying the aforementioned connecting means (12, 212, 312).
13. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the aforementioned connecting means is a flexible tube (12) or a deformable bellows (212, 412) or one or more pieces (312) which can be moved with respect to the casing (R).
14. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the said first pump element is the said pump body (602, 702), the said movable end part (620a) of the member for transmitting force bearing on a substantially transverse wall (643, 743) carried by the said pump body (602, 702), the said pump body and the said reservoir (B) being moveable in the said direction (A) which is longitudinal with respect to the said casing (R).
15. Device according to Claim 14, characterized in that the said hollow stem (604) lies on the other side of the said transverse wall (643) with respect to the said member for transmitting force (618-620), the free end of the said hollow stem being mounted fixedly in a wall (649) of the casing (R) carrying the said nozzle (610), the said connection means being a duct (612) formed through the said casing wall.
16. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the dispensing nozzle (10, 410, 610) is carried fixedly by the casing (R).
17. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the dispensing nozzle (10) can move relative to the casing.
18. Device according to Claim 17, characterized in that the said connecting means is a connecting piece (312) that is carried directly at its lower end by the said hollow rod (4) of the pump and can move relative to the casing, the said connecting piece (312) having a passage that opens at one end onto the said hollow rod and at its other end onto the dispensing nozzle (10), the said dispensing nozzle being carried by the said connecting piece.
19. Device according to Claim 18, characterized in that the said connecting piece (312) and the said toggle joint lever arms (318, 320) form a single moulded part.
20. Device according to Claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the said connecting piece (312) is capable of sliding vertically relative to a means (309) for guiding the outer casing (R).
21. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the said casing has a lid (440) having a longitudinal notch (457) in line with the dispensing nozzle (410) in order to allow the said lid to pass around the said nozzle.
22. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 21, characterized in that the said bearing member has a pushbutton (408, 508) guided in translation transversely into an opening (423, 456) in the side wall of the casing (R).
23. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 22, characterized in that the dispensing nozzle (10) is positioned perpendicular to an axis of the outer casing (R).
24. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 23, characterized in that the aforementioned bearing member comprises a flexible membrane (7, 107, 307, 607, 707) mounted fixedly in the wall of the casing (R).
25. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 24, characterized in that the said casing (R) forms an outer packaging completely containing the said reservoir (B).
26. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 25, characterized in that the said reservoir (B) is formed from a pocket made of a flexible plastic film (744).
27. Device according to one of Claims 1 to 26, characterized in that the said member for transmitting force is contained in the said outer casing (R).

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