EP2004005B1 - Device for applying an alum solution to the body - Google Patents

Abstract

This device for applying a deodorant comprises a chamber (1) which is a transparent bottle, which contains a saturated alum solution (2) and alum crystals (3). The device is equipped with a conventional hand pump (4) provided with a push-button (5) to allow the solution to be extracted and sprayed onto the body. The bottom of the pump has an inlet (6) via which the solution is drawn up when the pump is operated. A cylindrical second chamber (8) is fixed around the bottom of the pump via its upper end (9). The lower end (12) of the second chamber extends down to the bottom (10) of the bottle, but leaving a gap to allow the solution drawn up by the pump to pass through the passage (11) left open. The interior volume (13) of the second chamber (8) is at least three times greater than the volume of the solution that the pump can extract in a single press of the push-button. Each time the push-button is pressed, the pump therefore extracts only the top portion contained in the second chamber, which means that the small crystals, which are not carried up as high as this, do not block the pump. The volume of solution contained in the second chamber allows several applications in the inverted position.

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to the field of devices intended to apply saturated solutions of alum, on the skin, essentially as deodorants, these solutions may of course contain other ingredients, such as alcohol, preservatives, or any other agent, for example antiperspirants. The solution being saturated, it necessarily contains undissolved alum crystals. As the ammonium alum crystals have a density of 1.65, and the potassium alum crystals have a density of 1.73, the difference is minimal, and the invention therefore applies to any type of saturated solution. 'alum.

Prior art

Devices are known composed of a vial, preferably transparent, containing a saturated solution of alum, in which are bathed undissolved alum crystals, and which are provided with a manual pusher pump for projecting spray jets from the solution to the part of the body that the user aims at. As in the vast majority of hand pump sprayers, said pump is removably attached to the top of the bottle, usually by a thread. The solvent of the solution is preferably water. When the level of the alum solution is low, it suffices for the user to unscrew the pump and fill the bottle with water. Part of the crystals present in the bottle dissolve to the point of saturation. Since water is available almost everywhere, most often for free, the user can recharge his device several times, until the crystal pool is completely dissolved. This gives the device reduced dimensions, which makes it easily transportable, and therefore practical. In addition, the saturation point of the solution increases with temperature. The deodorant effect of the application therefore increases with temperature, which corresponds to natural requirements. Such a device, proposed in the application PCT / CH89 / 00104 Verdan (publication WO89 / 11849 ), was included in the patent US 5,544,682 McDaniel and in the corresponding patents, as well as in the patent EP 0 852 210 Valois . In each of these publications, the pusher pump screwed onto the top of the bottle containing the alum solution is provided with a tube which plunges towards the bottom of the bottle, in a conventional manner, so that the pumping of the solution remains possible even when the level is low. In the devices PCT / CH89 / 00104 Verdan and EP 0 852 210 Valois , the tube plunges almost the entire length of the bottle and its lower end "comes a short distance from the bottom.To prevent the pump sucks small crystals and closes, the lower end of the tube is provided However, the use of this device has proved disappointing because small crystals cling to the filter and clog it after a relatively short time. US 5,544,682 McDaniel simply propose to shorten the tube, stopping it halfway up the solution. It is actually in this form that the product is marketed. The alum crystals, which have a specific gravity of about 1.7, are deposited at the bottom of the bottle. In the upper part of the solution, the amount of crystals is much lower, zero roads, because the crystals sediment quickly. The shortened tube therefore pumps only in this upper part, and the risk of sucking a crystal is low. The disadvantage of this proposal lies in the fact that half of the alum solution remains out of reach of the pump, and it is therefore necessary to reload the bottle twice more often (or to carry a bottle twice). larger).

Moreover, it is a general problem, the solution of which has been the subject of many proposals, to allow the user to use his nebulizer not only in a position in which the pump is at the top, but also when the bottle is tilted or turned over, and the pump is down. In this regard, the idea of cutting the tube that feeds the pump halfway up the bottle is a partial solution: it only works until the bottle is half empty. Among the other solutions proposed, mention may be made of the document US 5,934,519 Kim wherein the suction tube, which is flexible, is provided at its end with a weight which causes this end to the lowest point of the bottle, regardless of the position of the latter. This solution is found in the document US 6,394,319 Pucillo and EP 1,527,823 Saint-Gobin Calmar Inc. The disadvantage of this solution is the same as in the document PCT / CH89 / 00104 Verdan In a saturated solution of alum, the end of the tube, with or without a filter, will be plugged at short notice, because the filter is always in the sector where is the largest quantity of crystals. It is true that these proposals are not presented for the application of saturated solutions of alum. Other documents propose flasks, which are also not intended for the application of a saturated alum solution, in which the suction tube has several branches, one of which opens into the bottom of the flask and one or more others in other sectors, especially at the top of the bottle. This is the case for example documents US2,630,942 Shaffer , US 3,545,488 Venus , or US 5,624,060 Ellion . The disadvantage of these proposals is in particular the need to produce fairly complex suction tubes. In addition, the disadvantage mentioned above of the risk of clogging in the case of an application of these proposals to the nebulization of a saturated solution of alum remains. Other documents propose dividing the bottle into several compartments, so that at least one retains the liquid even in the inverted position. This is the case of the documents US 2004/0112922 Ouellette and US 5,518,150 Witt . Neither of these two solutions, however, allows use when the bottle is completely inverted, vertically. In addition, the use of a standard bottle is impossible. Still other documents propose to include in the bottle a second sealed chamber and more or less flexible containing the solution to be dispensed, which deforms as the liquid it contains is pumped. This is the case for example documents US 3,089,624 Micallef , US 3,257,036 Micallef and US 4,322,020 Stone . The lack of these solutions lies in particular in the need to introduce and fix in the bottle a second chamber, which seems rather complex. The present invention aims to provide an apparatus that avoids the aforementioned drawbacks, that is to say an apparatus that allows to extract almost all the alum solution while minimizing the risk of blockage of the pump by crystals , as well as a use of the bottle in all positions, even completely reversed.

Presentation of the invention

In its most general embodiment, the apparatus for applying an alum solution according to the invention, comprising at least a first chamber containing a saturated solution of alum and crystals of alum, a pump suitable for actuated by at least one pusher and making it possible to emit part of the solution to a part of the body, the pump having at least one inlet connecting the pump to the first chamber, is characterized in that it comprises at least one second chamber in the upper part of which said inlet opens directly or via at least one duct provided with at least one suction point, said second chamber extending towards the bottom of said first chamber, at least one passage being arranged in the lower portion of said second chamber so as to communicate the interior volume of said second chamber with said first chamber, so that the saturated alum solution and the alum crystals at least partially fill said second chamber, said upper part being attached directly or indirectly in a sealed manner to the top of the first chamber or to the pump, so as to prevent any transfer said alum solution between said chambers by a route other than said passage.

In a first particular embodiment of the invention, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the interior volume of the second chamber between the inlet and the highest point of the passage represents at least three times the volume of alum solution that the pump can extract during a single stroke of the pusher.

In a second particular embodiment of the invention, applicable to the preceding as well as to the general form, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the second chamber has the shape of a hollow cylinder, the passage being constituted by the lower opening of said cylinder.

In a third particular embodiment of the invention, applicable to the preceding as well as to the general form, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that a filter is fixed before the suction point.

In a fourth particular embodiment of the invention, applicable to the above as well as to the general form, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the distance between the bottom of the second chamber and the bottom of the the first chamber is smaller than the inner diameter of said cylinder.

In a fifth particular embodiment of the invention, applicable to the previous as well as to the general form, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the second chamber is transparent.

In a sixth particular embodiment of the invention, applicable to the previous as well as to the general form, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the filter is placed in the upper part of the second chamber.

Brief description of the drawings

• La figure 1 est une coupe verticale d'un appareil dans une première forme d'exécution de l'invention, en position verticale, la pompe étant en haut.
• La figure 2 est une vue agrandie de la partie inférieur de la pompe représentée à la figure 1, avec la seconde chambre qui l'entoure selon l'invention.
• La figure 3 est une coupe comme celle de la figure 1, mais dans laquelle l'appareil est en position inclinée, la pompe étant en bas, et à l'entrée de laquelle on a ajouté un filtre, afin d'éviter l'intrusion de mini-cristaux dans la pompe.

The drawings represent two embodiments of the invention.

• The figure 1 is a vertical section of a device in a first embodiment of the invention, in a vertical position, the pump being at the top.
• The figure 2 is an enlarged view of the lower part of the pump shown at figure 1 , with the second chamber which surrounds it according to the invention.
• The figure 3 is a cut like that of the figure 1 but in which the apparatus is in an inclined position, the pump being at the bottom, and at the inlet of which a filter has been added, in order to avoid the intrusion of mini-crystals into the pump.

Best way to realize the invention

The apparatus comprises at least a first chamber 1, whose walls are preferably transparent, that is to say practically made of plastic material or glass, and which is provided with a threaded neck on which is screwed a manual pump 4. This pump 4, shown schematically, and in particular without the springs, is of a current model. It is actuated by a pusher 5. The first chamber 1 is filled with a saturated solution of alum 2. The solvent is preferably water. In this solution are bathed alum crystals 3, which ensure a constant saturation of the solution, even after several additions of water in the chamber, until their complete dissolution. Of course, the filling of the bottle is done by the neck, after unscrewing the pump. This is manually operated by the pusher 5. The details of the pump are not shown here. The inlet of the pump 6, under the ball that functions as a valve, however, is visible in particular at the figure 2 . In the embodiment shown here, the inlet 6 of the pump is extended by a conduit 7 which moves the suction point 16 at the end of this conduit. This conduit has a diameter corresponding substantially to that of the valve ball. Most often, a suction tube 15 is placed in the bore of the conduit 7, and extends to the bottom of the bottle, as is the case in the document PCT / CH8900104 Verdan . As we have seen, when there are solids in the solution, these fine ducts forcefully suck the mini-crystals present in the solution. The conduit drives the mini-crystals into the pump, preventing it from operating properly.

To avoid this clogging effect, the apparatus according to the invention comprises at least a second chamber 8, which here has the shape of a cylindrical pipe, but which could have other shapes. The second chamber surrounds by its upper end 9 the bottom of the pump 4. There is no gap between this upper end 9 and the bottom of the pump, so that the fixing between the bottom of the pump and the upper end 9 is sealed and prevents any passage of the alum solution from the top of the second chamber 8. The second chamber 8 extends to the bottom 10 of the first chamber 1. A passage 11 however opens to pass the solution through the lower end 12. In this case, the passage 11 is simply constituted by the lower opening of said second chamber. The solution can pass inside 13 of the second chamber 8 through this passage 11 because of the distance, preferably quite small, which is formed between the lower end 12 of the second chamber and the bottom 10 of the first chamber .

It is necessary and essential for the volume of the second chamber to be large enough and to size it so that the volume of alum solution 2 extracted during a single complete thrust of the pusher 5 only represents a relatively small fraction of the volume contained in the second chamber 8. In the currently known devices, in which the suction tube is thin, a single push of the pusher carries all the contents of the tube, and even more. It follows a very fast current, which drives the small crystals towards the entrance of the pump and the valve, and tends to clog them. On the contrary, in the apparatus according to the invention, a thrust of the pusher causes only a portion of the solution which is located at the top of the second chamber. A current occurs of course, but it is almost zero and much less strong than the current produced in the known devices. It follows that the small crystals are almost not drawn into the second chamber 8 and that they rise in the direction of the pump, which eliminates the risk of crystals being present around the suction point 16. Because of the force of gravity, the crystals remain at the bottom of the bottle and never come into contact with the point of contact. suction 16 of the pump. On the other hand; the liquid meanwhile will remain in the second chamber to the height of the suction point 16 even if the liquid level is lower than said suction point in the first chamber. This is because the second chamber 8 is sealed at its uppermost point, thereby preventing the liquid in the pump from escaping, the air not being able to enter to replace the liquid. The second chamber 8 will thus remain full until complete use of the liquid contained in the first chamber.

Partial or complete blockage of the pump is thus avoided almost completely.

In addition, as shown in figure 3 the amount of alum solution 2 that is inside the second chamber is sufficient to provide multiple applications in the inverted position where the pump is down.

Preferably, the internal volume 13 of the second chamber 8 represents at least three times the volume of alum solution that the pump can extract during a single stroke of the pusher 5, that is to say during operation of pushing the pusher 5 from its highest point to its lowest point, without reverse movement, that is to say again without the user lifts the finger during the operation. This allows the user, for example, to easily use the device for application on the feet which generally requires an inverted position of the bottle.

The slightest drop in temperature in a saturated solution of alum causes the formation of mini crystals of alum which, depending on the quantity, could prevent the proper functioning of the pump. To avoid this risk, a filter can be inserted upstream of the suction point 16 of the pump. In view of the above, it is important that the filter be placed as close as possible to the suction point 16. It can be seen at figure 3 an embodiment in which a tube 15. is attached to the inlet 6 of the pump 4, moving the suction point 16 at the end of the tube 15, tube in which is This solution makes it possible to prevent small crystals from getting into the pump and blocking it. The risk of clogging of the filter still exists, but it is reduced because the filter is located in an area in which the density of the crystals is less, in any case when the bottle is held vertically, the pump at the top. In cases where the flask is inverted, and if crystals are introduced through the passage 11 into the inner space 13 of the second chamber 8, these crystals tend to deposit at the bottom, that is to say, the made of the inverted position near the pump, as shown in figure 3 . The tube 15 and the filter 14, because of their length, are out of this zone, so that the risk of clogging is reduced. When the bottle is returned to its normal upright position, the crystals fall to the bottom of the first chamber.

Possibilities of industrial application

The invention, which can be easily produced with known means, is used in the cosmetics industry and is used for the application of a solution of alum as a scavenger.

Claims (7)

1. Device for applying an alum solution comprising at least a first chamber (1) containing a saturated alum solution (2) and alum crystals (3), a pump (4) capable of being operated by at least one push-button (5) and enabling the emission of a portion of the solution towards a part of the body, the pump (4) having at least one inlet (6) linking the pump (4) to the first chamber (1), characterised in that it comprises at least one second chamber (8) into the upper part (9) of which said inlet (6) opens directly or through at least one conduit (7) having at least one suction point (16), said second chamber extending towards the bottom (10) of said first chamber, at least one passage (11) being arranged in the lower part (12) of said second chamber such as to make the interior volume (13) of said second chamber communicate with said first chamber, so that the saturated alum solution and the alum crystals at least partially fill said second chamber, said upper part (9) being fixed, so as to be sealed, directly or indirectly at the top of the first chamber or to the pump, such as to prevent any transfer of said alum solution between said chambers by any other way than said passage (11).
2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the interior volume (13) of the second chamber (8) between the inlet (6) and the highest point of the passage (11) represents at least three times the volume of the alum solution that the pump (4) can extract during a single stroke of the push-button
3. Device according to one of Claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the second chamber is in the form of a hollow cylinder, the passage being formed by the lower aperture of said cylinder.
4. Device according to one of the Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that a filter (14) is fixed in front of the suction point (16).
5. Device according to Claims 3 or 4, characterised in that the distance between the bottom of the second chamber and the bottom (10) of the first chamber is less than the internal diameter of said cylinder.
6. Device according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the second chamber is transparent.
7. Device according to one of the claims 4 to 6, characterised in that the filter (14) is placed in the upper part (9) of the second chamber.

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