EP1360014B1 - Fluid product dispensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a device for dispensing a fluid product comprising: a dispensing member (1) such as a pump or a valve, provided with an actuating rod (12); an actuator (2) rotatably mounted on and around the actuating rod and provided with a dispensing orifice (26), the dispensing member being operated by pressing on the actuator; a fixing ring (4) for fixing the dispensing member on a container (6), said ring comprising catching means (41, 42) designed to co-operate with a neck of the container (60), the fixing ring (4) including at least an inner locking profile (45, 46) and the actuator comprises at least a locking member (22) engaged with said at least inner profile to prevent the actuator from being actuated. The invention is characterised in that the actuator (2) comprises a internal bushing provided with said at least one locking member (22) and an outer skirt (25) concentric with the inner bushing and defining the dispensing orifice (26), the bushing penetrating into the fixing ring and the skirt being adapted to be urged to enclose the fixing ring.

Description

• un organe de distribution, tel qu'une pompe ou une valve, pourvu d'une tige d'actionnement déplaçable axialement,
• un poussoir monté rotatif sur et autour de la tige d'actionnement, ce poussoir est pourvu d'un orifice de distribution par lequel le produit refoulé par l'organe de distribution est distribué suite à l'enfoncement du poussoir qui entraîne la tige d'actionnement dans l'organe de distribution, et
• une bague de fixation pour fixer la pompe ou la valve sur le col d'un récipient généralement pourvu d'un épaississement externe en dessous duquel la bague de fixation peut venir en prise à l'aide de moyens d'accrochage.

The present invention relates to a fluid device comprising:

• a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve, provided with an axially displaceable actuating rod,
• a pusher mounted rotatably on and around the actuating rod, this pusher is provided with a dispensing orifice through which the product discharged by the dispensing member is dispensed following the depression of the pusher which drives the rod of actuation in the dispenser member, and
• a fixing ring for fixing the pump or the valve on the neck of a container generally provided with an external thickening below which the fixing ring can engage by means of attachment means.

This is a quite conventional design for a pump or a valve used in the field of perfumery, cosmetics or pharmacy. The pressing of the pusher is usually done with the finger of one hand holding the body of the dispenser with the other fingers of the hand. Of course, such dispensing devices can be encountered in other fields such as the food sector or chemicals.

As mentioned above, pressing on the pusher has the effect of dispensing fluid product which is extracted from the reservoir by the dispenser member. Therefore, before reaching the end user, the dispensing device can be actuated accidentally or intentionally, so that the end user is not the first user. On the other hand, even in the possession of the end user, the dispensing device can be actuated accidentally, for example inside a handbag.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this disadvantage of undesired actuation of the dispensing device by defining locking means preventing the actuation of the pusher.

To achieve this goal, it is proposed that the fixing ring comprises at least one internal locking profile and the pusher comprises at least one locking member engaged with said at least one internal profile to prevent actuation of the pusher. Such a device is disclosed in the document US Pat. No. 5,772,080. In addition, the pusher comprises an inner socket provided with said at least one locking member and an outer skirt concentric with the inner socket and defining the dispensing orifice, the penetrating socket in the fixing ring and the skirt being adapted to surround the fixing ring. Advantageously, the internal profile comprises a locking bearing surface and a vertical actuating conduit, the locking member being adapted to be selectively displaced, by rotation of the pusher around the actuating rod, between a locking position. wherein the locking member bears on the locking bearing surface and an actuating position in which the locking member is free to move vertically in the conduit. Thus, any unwanted actuation of the dispensing device is prevented during storage, and the actuating position is easily reached by simply turning the pusher by rotation around the actuating rod of the dispensing member.

According to an interesting characteristic, the ring comprises three internal profiles and the pusher comprises three equiangularly distributed locking members. Thus, the pusher rests perfectly stable on the ring in the locked position, and it is possible to press the pusher directly to put the fixing ring in place on a container neck. The locked position thus becomes the mounting position of the dispensing device on a container neck. This is advantageous when the fixing ring comprises latching lugs provided with ratcheting heads which protrude inwards to become lodged under a thickening of a container neck, a trim band being mounted around the ring to prevent the legs to deform outwards. Indeed, the thrust necessary for the establishment of the ring on the container neck, and more particularly so as to accommodate the locking heads under the thickening of the neck, can be exerted by means of the pusher. locked position. Then simply lower the trim band on the ring to permanently prevent the tabs to deform outwardly and thus disengage from below the thickening.

One can of course imagine other fixing techniques in which the ring alone ensures the attachment to the neck, as in WO 98/156688, without the active collaboration of a trim band.

Thanks to the perfect stability of the pusher on the ring in the locked position, from the presence of three points of support, it is possible to mount the ring on a container neck using the pusher as thrust transmission member. This is particularly possible when the ring alone ensures the final fixation on the neck.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the internal profile defines at least one hardness notch at the bearing surface, said hardness notch being placed on the passage of the locking member. The hardness notch can be integrated in the support surface or extend vertically on the edge of the support surface. Advantageously, a hardness notch is located between the bearing surface and the conduit. Alternatively or additionally, a hardness notch is located near one end of the bearing surface opposite the conduit to define a locking end slot. These hardness notches allow the user to clearly distinguish the locked position and the unlocked position.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings giving by way of non-limiting example two embodiments of the invention.

• la figure 1 est une vue éclatée en perspective légèrement de dessus d'un dispositif de distribution selon une première forme de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 1 pour un second mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe transversale verticale à travers un dispositif de distribution selon la figure 1 ou 2 en prise sur un col de récipient, ,
• la figure 4 est une vue en perspective légèrement de dessous du poussoir de la figure 2, et
• les figures 5a et 5b sont des vues en coupe transversale horizontale à travers un dispositif de distribution selon la figure 2 respectivement en position verrouillée et déverrouillée.

In the figures:

• FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view from above of a dispensing device according to a first embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 for a second embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a dispensing device according to FIG. 1 or 2 in engagement with a container neck,
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view slightly from below of the pusher of FIG. 2, and
• Figures 5a and 5b are horizontal cross-sectional views through a dispensing device according to Figure 2 respectively in the locked position and unlocked.

In the two embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 2, the fluid dispenser device according to the invention comprises three essential components, namely a dispensing member 1, a fixing ring 4 and a pusher 2. A Once mounted on a container 6, preferably provided with a neck 60, the assembly may be referred to as a fluid dispenser. The present invention is more particularly related to the dispensing device, ie the upper part of the dispenser which is generally referred to as a dispensing device since it integrates the dispenser motor, ie a pump or a valve.

The dispensing member 1 may be a pump or a valve. In the remainder of the description, we will assume that the dispensing member is a pump for reasons of simplification. This pump 1 comprises a body 10 forming an upper flange 11 which projects outwards. Beyond the body 10, the pump is formed with an upwardly projecting actuating rod 12 which is axially displaceable by depression within the body 10. A valve may have a strictly identical design. We do not will not go into detail on the internal structure of the pump since this is not critical for the present invention.

The fixing ring 4 serves both to hold the pump 1 and to fix it on the neck 60 of the container 6. The ring 4 thus comprises a receiving housing 49 intended to receive by force snapping the projecting flange 11 formed by the body 10 of the pump 1. This is a particular but conventional embodiment: however, the present invention is not limited to this particular embodiment as a means of holding the pump 1 in the fixing ring 4. The fixing ring 4 forms around the receiving housing 49 a substantially cylindrical sleeve 40. The lower part of the sleeve 40 is here formed with tabs 41 which extend vertically downwards and are arranged side by side with vertical slots. Internally, these tabs 41 are formed with latching heads 42 disposed substantially at their lower free ends. These latching heads 42 are intended to engage under a thickening 61 which protrudes outwardly at the neck 60 of the container 6, as can be seen in FIG. quite classic design for a container neck. The latching heads 42 are therefore housed below this thickening 61 since the latching tabs 41 are separated from each other by vertical slots, they have a certain elasticity that allows them to deform radially. to the outside to allow the legs with their heads to pass over the thickening 61. As soon as the detent heads 42 have come under the thickening 61, the latching tabs 41 can return to their initial position is substantially cylindrical because of their elastic memory. However, to guarantee the blocking of the heads below the thickening 61, there is further used a trim ring 5 having a substantially cylindrical body 50 terminating at its upper end by a reentrant flap 51. This trim band 5 is mounted around the sleeve 40 of the ring 4, for example by force-fitting, so that the cylindrical body 50 prevents the tabs 41 from deforming radially outwardly once the latching heads 42 are engaged under the thickening 61. The heads 42 are thus prevented from disengaging from below the thickening 61. It is clear that with this fastening technique, it is is necessary to proceed in two stages: in a first step, the ring is mounted on the neck of a container so as to accommodate the locking heads below the thickening 61, and during a second subsequent step, the trim ring 5 is mounted on the ring to permanently lock the fixing of the ring under the thickening 61 of the neck 60. This is a particular fastening technique well known in the prior art .

One can also imagine a ring with a continuous unsplit skirt which internally has bosses or a snap cord under the thickening of the neck. We then have no hoop to block the fixing of the ring on the neck. It is thus possible to use a pusher to transmit the force required to snap the ring on the neck of the container. The substantially cylindrical sleeve 40 of the ring 4 also extends upwardly above the snap tabs 41. The sleeve 40 internally defines locking profiles. In the two embodiments shown in Figures 1 and 2, these locking profiles are three in number, but we can very well imagine other embodiments with one, two or more of three locking profiles. The three locking profiles are advantageously distributed equiangularly on the periphery of the inner wall of the cylindrical sleeve 40.

Each locking profile comprises a locking bearing surface 45 and a vertical operating duct 46. The locking bearing surface 45 is formed by a step formed in the inner wall of the cylindrical sleeve 40, and the duct actuation 46 is formed by a recess or a thinning of the inner wall of the cylindrical sleeve 40. This structure is common to both embodiments of Figures 1 and 2. Each locking profile also comprises a stop wall 44 at one end of the bearing surface 45 opposite the vertical duct 46. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the locking profile is furthermore formed with two hardness notches 471 and 472. The first hardness notch 471 is disposed between the conduit 46 and the bearing surface 45. The second hardness notch 472 is located near the end of the surface 45 opposite the conduit 46 and The two hardness notches 471 and 472 are here formed vertically on the edge of the bearing surface 45, but it is also possible to imagine notches of hardness formed in the bearing surface 45 so as to protrude vertically. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the upper edge of the cylindrical sleeve 40 is formed with an indentation 43.

For fixing the ring on the container neck, it is advantageous to use a neck seal 7 disposed between the ring and the upper end of the neck, as can be seen in FIG.

The pusher 2. comprises an inner sleeve 21 and an outer skirt 25 which extends coaxially around the sleeve 21. The sleeve 21 and the skirt 25 are connected together at their upper ends. The pusher 2 also forms a connecting sleeve 24 for mounting the pusher on the free end of the actuating rod 12 of the pump 1. This connecting sleeve 24 is extended by a conduit 23 which connects a dispensing orifice, here in the form of a nozzle 27 engaged in a nozzle housing 26. The nozzle housing 26 is formed in the outer wall of the skirt 25.

In the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2, the pusher 2 is capped with an overcap 3 which essentially fulfills an aesthetic purpose. The overcap 3 comprises a substantially cylindrical body 30 pierced with an opening 32 for the passage of the nozzle 27. In addition, the overcap 3 comprises an upper bearing surface 31 on which the thrust is exerted with the aid of a finger to actuate the pump 1. The overcap 3 is engaged on the pusher 2 with a frictional contact between the inside of the cylindrical body 30 and the outer wall of the skirt 25, which ensures the fixing of the overcap on the pusher 2. It should be noted that the lower end of the cylindrical body 30 of the overcap 3 may extend below the lower end of the skirt 25, as is the case in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

According to the invention, the sleeve 21 of the pusher 2 extends inside the cylindrical sleeve 40 of the ring 4 while the skirt 25 extends outside, around the cylindrical sleeve 40 of the ring 4. This is clearly shown in Figure 3. In other words, the skirt 25 of the pusher 2 or the body 30 of the overcap 3 hides at least the upper portion of the cylindrical sleeve 40 of the ring 4.

The sleeve 21 engaged in the sleeve 40 comprises at its outer surface three locking members 22, here in the form of ribs or vertical pins. These locking members 22 are equally distributed equiangularly on the outer periphery of the sleeve 21. Since the pusher 2 is rotatably mounted on and around the actuating rod 12 of the pump 1, it is possible to moving the locking members 22 in rotation about the actuating rod 12. According to the invention, the lower ends of these locking members 22 cooperate with the locking bearing surfaces 45 formed inside the sleeve 40 of the ring 4. When the locking members 22 are disposed vertically above the bearing surfaces 45, the pusher can not be depressed, and the pump can therefore not be actuated. On the other hand, by turning the pusher 2 so as to bring the locking members 22 at the vertical duct 46, it is possible to push the pusher 2 and thus actuate the pump. In the embodiment of Figure 1, to pass from the surface 45 to the conduit 46 and vice versa, the rib 22 formed by the sleeve 21 must pass on the hardness notch 471 disposed between the conduit 46 and the bearing surface 45 This hardness notch 471 which offers a point of hardness to the rotation of the pusher on the ring is clearly perceived by the user, and because of this, the latter knows precisely whether it is in the conduit 46 or on the surface 45. The second hardness notch 472 performs the same role of hardness point at the rotation experienced by the user, except that this second hardness notch 472 defines the entry of a lock end-lock housing 48, which the rib 22 can come to lodge. The user then knows that the dispensing device is in a locked safety position.

Figures 5a and 5b show very clearly the two locked and unlocked positions of the pusher on the ring. In the locked position shown in Figure 5a, the ribs 22 of the sleeve 21 are disposed on the bearing surfaces 45 of the ring, and the pusher can not be actuated. On the other hand, in the unlocked position of FIG. 5b, the ribs 22 are arranged at the level of the vertical duct 46 allowing the pusher to depress the ring.

With this locking system using three points of support of the pusher on the ring, the pusher rests particularly stable on the ring, and it can be used as a thrust transmission member for mounting the ring on a container neck.

Claims (9)

1. A fluid dispenser device comprising:

   - a dispenser member (1), such as a pump or a valve, provided with an actuator rod (12);

   - a pusher (2) mounted to turn on and about the actuator rod (12) and provided with a dispenser orifice (26), the dispenser member (1) being actuated by applying pressure to the pusher (2); and

   - a fastening ring (4) for fastening the dispenser member (1) on a receptacle (6), said ring (4) having fastening means (41, 42) for co-operating with a receptacle neck (60), the fastening ring (4) including at least one internal locking profile (45, 46) and the pusher (2) includes at least one locking member (22) engaged with said at least one internal profile (45, 46) to prevent the pusher (2) being actuated,

   the device being characterized in that the pusher (2) includes an inner bushing (21) provided with said at least one locking member (22) and an outer skirt (25) concentric with the inner bushing (21) and defining the dispenser orifice (26), the bushing (21) penetrating into the fastening ring (4) and the skirt (25) being adapted to surround the fastening ring (4).
2. A fluid dispenser device according to claim 1, in which the internal profile comprises a locking bearing surface (45) and a vertical actuation duct (46), the locking member (22) being adapted to be moved selectively by turning the pusher (2) about the actuation rod (12) between a locked position in which the locking member (22) bears against the locking bearing surface (45), and an actuation position in which the locking member is free to move vertically in the duct (46).
3. A fluid dispenser device according to claim 2, in which the internal profile (45, 46) defines at least one hard click (471, 472) at the bearing surface (45), the hard click (471, 472) being placed on the path of the locking member (22).
4. A fluid dispenser device according to claim 3, in which a hard click (471) is situated between the bearing surface (45) and the duct (46).
5. A fluid dispenser device according to claim 3 or 4, in which a hard click (472) is situated close to an end of the baring surface (45) remote from the duct (46) to define a socket (48) at the end of the locking stroke.
6. A fluid dispenser device according to any preceding claim, in which the ring (4) has three internal profiles (44) and the pusher has three locking members (22) that are distributed at equal angles.
7. A fluid dispenser device according to any preceding claim, in which at least one locking member (22) is in the form of an outwardly-projecting rib (22).
8. A fluid dispenser device according to claim 1, in which the pusher (2) is provided with a covering cap (3) engaged around the skirt (25).
9. A fluid dispenser device according to any preceding claim, in which the fastening ring (4) has snap-fastening tabs (41) provided with snap-fastening heads (42) which project inwards so as to be received beneath a thickening (61) on a receptacle neck (60), a band of trim (5) being mounted around the ring (4) to prevent the tabs (42) from deforming outwards.

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