EP1251966B1 - Fluid product dispenser with gripping member - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a fluid product dispenser comprising: a soft pouch (1) containing the fluid product, said pouch having an opening; a pouch support (2) whereon the pouch opening (1) is fixed; a dispensing member (3), such as a pump, to draw the fluid product from the soft pouch by pressing on a push-member (35), said soft pouch not having a rigid shell enclosing or encasing the soft pouch. The invention is characterised in that it comprises gripping means (4) whereby the dispenser is held for applying pressure on the push member, said gripping means leaving the soft pouch at least partly exposed.

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser comprising a flexible pouch containing fluid product, a flexible pouch holder on which the pouch is fixed, for example by welding, and a dispensing member such as a pump for take fluid in the flexible bag by pressing on a pusher.

In the prior art, there are already many distributors using a pocket flexible and a pump. In general, the flexible pouch is positioned inside a hull rigid, which serves on the one hand to protect the flexible pouch and on the other hand to seize the distributor more easily. If we remove the rigid shell of such a dispenser, its grip at the level of his soft pocket becomes difficult because of the soft and deformable nature of the pocket flexible. It is therefore practically impossible to use such a distributor in the absence of the rigid shell. This is particularly the case when the flexible pouch is made from sheets of laminated material which have only a very limited holding.

A dispenser according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from US-A-5,139,168.

The present invention aims to define a flexible pouch dispenser devoid rigid shell whose grip is easy to press the pusher to operate the pump.

For this purpose, the present invention proposes a fluid dispenser having the characteristics of claim 1. These are true means of prehension that clearly different from a rigid shell of the prior art since there is currently no rigid shell in the dispenser of the present invention which surrounds or encloses a soft pocket.

According to the invention, the gripping means are located at the outside of the flexible pouch, and include several organs of gripping located substantially symmetrically on each side of the dispenser member. A peculiarity of this invention lies in the fact that each gripping member is adapted to be grasped by a finger of a hand. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, there are two gripping members adapted to be gripped respectively with the index and the middle finger, the thumb for actuating the pusher. This distributor is then used in the same way a classic syringe for which the index finger and middle finger come in opposition to the thumb to exert the pressure.

According to a practical embodiment, the gripping members are made under the shape of holes for the passage of the fingers. In a variant, the gripping members are made in the form of notches for the fingers. According to another embodiment, the grippers are made in the form of two arcuate brackets which can be grasped using two fingers.

According to one characteristic of the invention, the gripping means are attached to the pocket support. Advantageously, the gripping means are made in a manner monobloc with the pocket holder. In some embodiments, the means for gripping may surround the portion of the pocket support on which the pocket is attached.

The spirit of the invention lies in the fact of producing a flexible pouch dispenser of Minimalist design, that is, incorporating only the essential building blocks for its use. For this purpose, the classic rigid hull has been removed and replaced by appropriate gripping means allowing an ergonomic utility of the dispenser.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings giving without limitation several embodiments of the present invention.

• la figure 1 est une vue de face d'un distributeur de l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe transversale verticale à travers la partie supérieure du distributeur de la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue de dessus du distributeur de figures 1 et 2,
• la figure 4 est une vue partielle similaire à celle de la figure 1 montrant une seconde forme de réalisation d'un distributeur selon l'invention,
• la figure 5 est une vue en coupe transversale verticale à travers un distributeur selon une troisième forme de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 6 est une vue en perspective partiellement éclatée du distributeur de la figure 5.

On the drawings:

• FIG. 1 is a front view of a dispenser of the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the upper part of the dispenser of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a view from above of the dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2,
• FIG. 4 is a partial view similar to that of FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention,
• FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a dispenser according to a third embodiment of the invention,
• Figure 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the dispenser of Figure 5.

In all the embodiments shown in the figures, the distributor of fluid product according to the invention comprises a flexible bag 1 containing fluid, a pocket support 2 on which the flexible pouch 1 is fixed, most often by welding, a dispensing member 3, preferably a pump, for withdrawing fluid from the flexible pouch.

The flexible pouch is made of a flexible material that offers only a very poor manual holding. This manual holding may not be sufficient to operate the pump.

The flexible pouch 1 may for example consist of two sheets of a complex heat sealed together by welding on the periphery with the exception of a opening to be welded to the pocket support 2.

For this purpose, the pocket support 2 comprises a welding appendage 21, advantageously provided with welding ribs 211 on which the opening of the pocket 1 is welded. Above the welding appendage 211, the pocket support 2 defines a platform 2 from which protrudes upwardly a mounting sleeve 23 endowed 231. The pump 3 is provided with or comprises a fixing ring a fixing ring 32 internally forming a snap-fastening profile 34 intended to cooperate with the profile 231 of the socket 23. In the embodiments shown on In the figures, the fixing ring 32 forms a ratchet cord 34 internally. intended to engage under a bead 231 which protrudes outwardly.

Once the pump 3 is mounted on the pocket support on which the flexible pouch is welded, the dispenser is operational and it is possible to distribute the product in actuating the pump on the pusher 35.

This is a very classic design for a fluid dispenser flexible bag which is normally provided with a rigid shell in which is placed the soft pocket.

On the contrary in the present invention, the rigid shell has been removed and replaced by gripping means 4 which leave the flexible pouch entirely or at least partially apparent.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6, the gripping means 4 are located outside the pocket, so it is not necessary to seize the dispenser by the pocket.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 4, the gripping means 4 present in the form of a one-piece body for example made of plastic molded, which forms several gripping members 42, two in these modes of realization. More specifically, the body 4 comprises a plate 41 substantially shaped eye, as can be seen in Figure 3, from which extends a peripheral skirt 44 down. The plate 41 is pierced at its center with a through hole through which extends the fixing sleeve 23 and optionally the fixing ring 32. The body 4 forms two opposite parts of lesser thickness at which two holes of gripping 42 are formed as can be seen in Figure 1. These gripping holes 42 are located substantially on either side of the pump 3 as well as the pocket support 2. The peripheral skirt 44 has a height such that the body hides the part top of the flexible bag 2 at the level where its opening is fixed on the appendix of welding 21.

The body 4 is fixed to the distributor by any mechanical means, for example by snapping as can be seen in Figure 4. Indeed, the body forms internally a latching profile 45 intended to cooperate with the platform 22 formed by the pocket support 2. The snap profile 45 engages below the platform 22 and the plate 41 of the body 4 serves as an abutment surface to permanently fix the body on the pocket support 2. It goes without saying that with this latching technique the Body mounting 4 is fast and simple and requires only limited tooling.

In the variant shown in FIG. 4, the gripping holes have been replaced by gripping notches 42.

In both embodiments, whether holes or notches of gripping 42, it is easy to grasp the dispenser with two fingers, for example the index finger and middle finger, which is passed through the holes or notches 42, and actuation of the dispenser is carried out with the thumb which is pressed on the pusher 35. An easy grip of the device is thus achieved without having to maintain it by its pocket that presents only a mediocre outfit.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the gripping member 4 forms two tabs 42 extending in an arc of a circle in opposite directions. These two tabs 42 serve as a gripping element that is grasped with the help of two fingers of a hand, usually the index finger and the middle finger, so as to leave the thumb free to press the pusher 35. The two tabs 42 therefore take up the opposite reaction force to that exerted on the pusher 35. It is thus possible to actuate the dispenser with the aid of three only fingers.

The tabs 42 thus extend in an arc of a circle on either side of the pump 3 of diametrically opposite way. One can of course imagine variants in which the two tabs 42 are not arranged perfectly symmetrically by relative to the pump 3. The two tabs 42 are attached to either the pocket support member either directly to the pump 3. The two tabs 42 can be formed so monobloc with one of these two elements, but preferably, the two legs 42 are fixed to a holding plate 41 which serves for attachment to the dispenser. So advantageous and practical, the tabs 42 and the holding plate 41 are molded of a single piece for example plastic. For fixing the holding plate 41 on the distributor, one can use any technique such as screwing, snapping or welding. In the preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, the support plate 41 forms a snap-fit housing 43 intended to cooperate with the pocket support member 2, advantageously at the level of its 22. The housing 43, as can be seen more particularly in FIG. 2, is open so that the holding plate 41 can be snapped onto the sleeve 22 in the sliding sideways, which has the effect of temporarily enlarging the opening of the housing 43 when the plate 41 passes at the maximum diameter of the sleeve 22. Beyond the maximum diameter of the sleeve 22, the opening of the housing 43 narrows to again to enclose the socket 22. One can of course imagine a plate of holding 41 with a housing 43 closed so that the plate 41 can be put in place on the sleeve 22 by engaging from above while the pump is not yet in place. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the bushing 22 forms a bead external device 23 below which the plate 41 is snapped. As we can see it, the plate 41 is snapped into a housing formed by the appendix 21 and the cord 23. One can of course imagine variants in which the sleeve 22 does not include not such a ratchet cord 23 but is perfectly cylindrical so that the plate 41 with a closed housing 43 is engaged from the top on the bushing 22 and the attachment of the plate 41 is formed by the lower end 33 of the fixing ring 32 3. This is also the case in Figure 3, where we could do without the cord 23.

Claims (8)

1. A fluid dispenser comprising:

   a flexible pouch (1) containing a fluid, said pouch being provided with an opening;

   a pouch support (2) to which the opening of the pouch (1) is fixed; and

   a dispensing member, such as a pump (3), for drawing off fluid from the flexible pouch when a pusher (35) is pressed;

      said flexible pouch (1) not being provided with a rigid shell surrounding or enclosing the flexible pouch, handle means (4) being provided via which the dispenser is held for the purpose of pressing on the pusher, said handle means leaving the flexible pouch apparent, at least in part, the handle means being situated outside the flexible pouch, said fluid dispenser being characterized in that the handle means (4)comprise a plurality of handles (42) situated substantially symmetrically on either side of the dispensing member, each handle (42) being suitable for being held by a respective finger of a hand.
2. A dispenser according to claim 1, in which there are two handles (42) suitable for being held respectively by the index finger and by the middle finger, the thumb serving to actuate the pusher.
3. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the handle means (42) are fixed to the pouch support (2).
4. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the handle means (42) are made integrally with the pouch support (2).
5. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the handle means (42) surround that portion of the pouch support (2) to which the pouch (1) is fixed.
6. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the handles are implemented in the form of holes or notches (42) through which the fingers can pass.
7. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the flexible pouch (1) has a capacity to be held in the hand that is insufficient for actuating the dispensing member (3).
8. A dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the handles (42) are implemented in the form of two arcuate tabs that can be held by means of two fingers.

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