Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D83/00—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents
  • B65D83/14—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for delivery of liquid or semi-liquid contents by internal gaseous pressure, i.e. aerosol containers comprising propellant for a product delivered by a propellant
  • B65D83/44—Valves specially adapted therefor; Regulating devices
  • B65D83/52—Valves specially adapted therefor; Regulating devices for metering
  • B65D83/54—Metering valves ; Metering valve assemblies

Definitions

• Valve and dispensing device comprising such a valve.
• the present invention relates to a valve and a fluid dispenser device comprising such a valve. More particularly, the present invention is particularly intended for metering valves.
• Valves are well known in the art. They generally comprise a valve body in which a valve slides between a rest position and a dispensing position, which is generally an axially depressed position inside the valve body. The valve slides relative to the valve body with the interposition of one or more seals in order to guarantee a safe and reliable distribution of the fluid product.
• a problem which may arise with the valves concerns the risk of leakage during reactivation, and therefore an imperfect distribution of the product. This can for example occur when the user, who actuates the valve, exerts a force which is not exactly axial on the valve.
• valve may move slightly relative to its central axis, which may cause leakage at the junction between the seals and said valve.
• This problem is particularly troublesome when the valve is a metering valve, that is to say a valve comprising a metering chamber defining a precise dose of product dispensed at each actuation of the valve.
• imprecision or non-reproducibility of the dose can be harmful for the user.
• Another problem which arises in particular in metering valves concerns the precision and reproducibility of the metering even in the event of storage between two actuations.
• the metering valves have a filling channel which makes it possible to fill the dosing chamber after dispensing a dose, when the valve returns from its dispensing position to its rest position. This filling is done by gravity when the valve is used in the inverted position and / or by vacuum due to the distribution of the previous dose.
• the valve is stored in an upright position, there is a risk that product will flow again through the filling channel back into the reservoir, which has the effect of reducing the dose contained in the dosing chamber, and therefore of altering the precision and reproducibility of the dose. Again, when it comes to pharmaceuticals, this can have serious consequences for the user.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a valve, in particular a metering valve, for dispensing fluid, which does not reproduce the above-mentioned drawbacks. More particularly, the aim of the present invention is to provide such a valve which guarantees optimum precision and reproducibility of the dosage on each actuation of the valve. The present invention also aims to provide such a valve which guarantees a safe and reliable operation thereof even when the user exerts a force which is not entirely axial on the valve. The present invention also aims to provide such a valve which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.
• the present invention therefore relates to a fluid dispensing valve comprising a valve body and a valve sliding in said valve body between a rest position and a dispensing position, said valve comprising a dispensing orifice, said valve comprising an axial guide element cooperating with a guided part of the valve, said guided part being opposite to said dispensing orifice.
• said guide element is integral, in particular in one piece, with said valve body.
• said guide element is a hollow sleeve whose internal diameter is approximately equal to the external diameter of the guided part of the valve sliding in said hollow sleeve.
• said hollow sleeve is blind.
• said hollow sleeve is through.
• said valve is a metering valve comprising a metering chamber, said valve comprising a distribution channel connecting the metering chamber at said dispensing orifice in the dispensing position of the valve, and a filling channel for filling said metering chamber when the valve returns to its rest position.
• said valve comprises an upper part comprising the dispensing orifice, and a lower part comprising said guided part, said upper and lower parts being assembled one inside the other to define said filling channel.
• the lower part of the valve has a blind hole comprising two lateral through holes, one of which opens into the metering chamber in the valve rest position, the upper part of the valve being fitted in said blind hole to close off axially. said blind hole.
• the blind hole in the lower part of the valve forms a central axial channel connected to said two lateral orifices, thus forming said filling channel, the lower end of said upper part of the valve axially delimiting said central channel.
• said central channel has a polygonal, in particular triangular, cross section.
• the upper part of the valve comprises a groove extending axially and defining with said blind hole of said lower part of the valve at least a part of the filling channel.
• at least one of said lateral orifices is at least partially conical while narrowing in the direction of the blind hole.
• the minimum diameter of said at least one conical orifice is approximately 0.3 millimeter.
• Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, showing another embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 3 is a sectional view along the section line CC of Figure 2
• Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line of section BB of Figure 2
• Figure 5 is a view similar to Figures 1 and 2, showing yet another embodiment of the present invention
• Figure 6 is an enlarged view of detail A of Figure 5
• Figure 7 is a sectional view along the section line BB of Figure 5
• Figure 8 is a sectional view along the section line CC of Figure 5.
• the valve comprises a valve body 10 in which slides a valve 20 between a rest position (shown in the figures 1, 2 and 5) and a dispensing position (not shown), in which the valve is axially inserted inside the valve body 10.
• the valve 20 has a dispensing orifice 25 and, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a part 29 opposite said - distribution orifice 25.
• this part 29 cooperates with an axial guide element 15, so that the movement of the valve 20 is always exactly aligned on the central axis Valve X.
• This guided part 29 of the valve 20 which cooperates with the guide element 15 is advantageously formed by the end of the valve 20 which is opposite to the dispensing orifice 25, to optimize the axial guidance.
• the axial guide element 15 is preferably integral, in particular produced in one piece, with said pump body.
• this guide element 15 can be produced in the form of a hollow sleeve whose internal diameter is approximately equal to the external diameter of the guided part 29 of the valve 20 sliding in said hollow sleeve.
• one or more product passage grooves 16 can be provided at said guide element 15, in order to allow a passage of the product from the reservoir (not shown) towards the interior of the valve body 10, around said guided part 29 of the valve.
• this at least one groove also makes it possible to avoid the risks of seizing between the valve and the valve body following possible deposits of active product on one of these parts.
• the passage for the product can be made in a side wall of the valve body 10.
• the hollow sleeve 15 forming the guide element can be blind, as shown in FIG. 1.
• the valve cannot deviate during its movement from this axis X due to the guide element 15 which axially guides the movement of the guided part 29 of the valve, and therefore of the whole of the valve.
• the valve is a metering valve, that is to say comprising a metering chamber 30.
• the valve 20 advantageously comprises a distribution channel 24 which connects the metering chamber 30 to the dispensing orifice 25 when the valve is in the dispensing position.
• a filling channel 26 is advantageously provided for filling the metering chamber 30 when the valve returns from its dispensing position to its rest position. In particular when the valve is used in the inverted position but stored in the upright position, there may be a problem of retention of the dose in the metering chamber 30 between two actuations of the valve.
• the present invention provides for reducing as much as possible the cross section of the filling channel 26 in order to to prevent product contained in the dosing chamber from flowing back to the reservoir through this channel.
• Figures 1, 2 and 4 show a first embodiment.
• the valve 20 has an upper part 21, which incorporates the dispensing orifice 25, and a lower part 22 which incorporates the guided part 29.
• These upper and lower parts 21, 22 are assembled one in the other, preferably in a sealed manner, to at least partially define the filling channel 26.
• the lower part 22 of the valve 20 has a blind hole 23 which comprises two lateral openings 27, 28 one of which opens into the metering chamber 30 in the rest position of the valve 20, and the other of which opens outside of this metering chamber 30 in a part connected to the reservoir.
• the blind hole 23 in the lower part 22 of the valve forms a central axial channel 23 which is connected to said two lateral holes 27 and 28, said central channel 23 and said lateral holes 27 and 28 thus forming said channel filling 26.
• the upper part 21 of the valve 20 is fitted into the blind hole 23 to axially close said blind hole 23, and therefore axially delimit said filling channel 26 in this first variant.
• the central channel 23 has a polygonal cross section, preferably triangular, as shown in FIG. 4. This makes it possible to increase the contact surface between the product and the channel, while reducing the section of this channel, to limit, see prevent a return of the product through it when storing the valve in the upright position.
• at least one of said lateral orifices 27, 28 is produced, preferably both, at least partially conical, preferably completely conical, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, by narrowing in the direction of the interior of the central channel 23.
• the minimum diameter of the conical orifice (s) 27, 28 is approximately 0.3 millimeter.
• FIGS. 5 to 8 show another embodiment of the present invention, in which the filling channel 26 is partially defined by a groove 23 'provided in the upper part 21 of the valve, and cooperating with said blind hole 23 to define at least partially the remphssage channel 26.
• the through holes 27 and 28 may be only partially conical, and they could even be completely cylindrical, with larger dimensions, the retention then not being provided mainly by these holes but by the very small section of the resealing channel 26 at the level of said groove 23 '. Again, it is by assembling the upper part 21 of the valve inside the lower part 22 thereof that one succeeds in producing a filling channel providing optimum retention, even in the event of prolonged storage.
• the shape and dimensions of the groove 23 ′ as shown in FIGS.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 2003
  • 2003-10-07 FR FR0311719A patent/FR2860503B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2004
  • 2004-10-04 DE DE602004013033T patent/DE602004013033T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-10-04 EP EP04805724A patent/EP1673961B1/de active Active
  • 2004-10-04 US US10/574,817 patent/US20070131722A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-10-04 WO PCT/FR2004/050481 patent/WO2005032970A2/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2004-10-04 CN CNA2004800331070A patent/CN1879448A/zh active Pending
  • 2004-10-04 JP JP2006530456A patent/JP2007533558A/ja not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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