EP2532443B1 - Vial for dispensing a fluid product - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a dispensing bottle of a fluid product, in particular a liquid product, for example a cosmetic care, make-up or perfume product, or a pharmaceutical product.

Such dispensing bottle of a fluid product is disclosed by CA2744037 which describes the preamble of claim 1.

The dispensing bottle comprises a body in which a product conditioning tank is formed, as well as a device for removing the packaged product which is sealingly mounted on said body. In particular, the sampling device may comprise a manually operated pump which is fed with conditioned product, said pump being arranged to distribute the product under pressure, for example in the form of an aerosol.

To do this, the sampling device is equipped with a push button which is provided with a product dispensing orifice, said push button being reversibly movable over an actuating stroke of said device between a rest position and a depressed position. wherein the dispensing orifice is in communication with the reservoir via said device.

In an exemplary application, the bottles according to the invention allow the distribution of product samples, in particular for a volume of packaged product in the reservoir which is between 1 and 10 ml. In particular, the samples thus distributed can allow a customer to test the product, the bottles then being called sample vials. Alternatively, the bottles can be called "bag" in that they can easily transport a reduced volume of product, as opposed to bottles of higher capacity which are usually heavy and bulky because affluent.

In these applications, for example for logistical, practical or environmental recycling reasons, it may be desirable to be able to recharge the reservoir product from a source of said product. Indeed, it is impractical for a user to fill the tank with using a small funnel and unecological to discard an empty flask to replace it with a full constituent refill.

Dispensing bottles are already offered for sale, in which the body is equipped with a tank filling valve which is arranged to allow the communication of a product source with said reservoir. In particular, the valve can be opened by pressing the nozzle of the pump of a source bottle that must be actuated several times to perform the filling, which is an unintuitive gesture for the user.

The document FR-2,854,131 provides the emptying of a reservoir by means of a dispensing pump without air intake in the tank 2 of conditioning in compensation of the volume of product dispensed so as to create a vacuum of air in said tank, said depression allowing filling said tank by suction of the source product.

Dispensing flasks whose reservoir is empty of product and has an air vacuum which has been arranged to be able to subsequently perform the initial filling of the reservoir with product by sealing a source of product with said reservoir, have also been proposed. by means of a valve so that said depression induces the filling of said reservoir by suction of the product contained in said source.

However, in the suction filling solutions, there is the problem of the conservation over time of the air depression in the tank. Indeed, the sampling devices are never perfectly tight micro-air leaks because they include many sealing areas by clamping and are composed of plastic or elastomeric materials which, over time, are slightly porous to the air.

The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing in particular a dispensing bottle in which an air depression in the reservoir can be preserved for a prolonged period of time, in particular during the storage of the bottle before its initial filling, so as to make reliable the filling capacity by suction of said tank by sealing communication of a source of product with said tank.

For this purpose, the invention proposes a dispensing bottle of a fluid product comprising a body in which a reservoir for packaging said product is formed, said bottle further comprising a device for sampling said packaged product which is mounted in a sealed manner on said body, said sampling device being equipped with a push button which is provided with a dispensing orifice of said product, said push button being reversibly movable over an actuating stroke of said device between a rest position and a depressed position wherein the dispensing orifice is in communication with the reservoir via said device, said body being equipped with a filling valve of said reservoir which is arranged to allow the communication of a source of product with said reservoir , the tank having an air depression which is arranged to be able to realize the re mplying the reservoir product by sealed communication of a source of product with said reservoir through the valve so that said depression induces the filling of said reservoir by suction of the product contained in said source, said bottle further comprising a cap which is associated with the body forming a sealed internal space in which said push button is disposed, said internal space having an air depression and being arranged to hold said push button in the depressed position so as to be in communication with the reservoir .

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the description which follows, made with reference to the Figures 1 to 4 which each represent in longitudinal section a dispensing bottle according to one embodiment of the invention.

In the description, the spatial positioning terms are taken with reference to the position of the bottle shown in the figures.

In connection with the figures, there is described below a bottle for containing a fluid for distribution. In particular examples, the product may be liquid, in particular a cosmetic care, make-up or perfume product, or a pharmaceutical product.

The bottle comprises a body 1 in which a container 2 for packaging the product is formed. According to a particular application, the tank 2 may have a capacity of between 1 and 10 ml so as to allow the distribution of product samples.

In the embodiments shown, the body 1 is rigid, especially having sufficient rigidity so that the volume of the reservoir 2 remains substantially constant. The body 1 may be in one piece, for example produced by injection-blow molding or extrusion-blow molding, or in several parts injected and then assembled, for example by ultrasonic welding or by rotary friction, made of rigid plastic material, of metal, for example made of aluminum, or glass. In variant not shown, the body 1 can be flexible, especially deformable during the distribution of the product.

The bottle comprises a sampling device 3 of the packaged product which is sealingly mounted on the body 1, in particular in the upper opening of said body. The sampling device 3 is equipped with a push button 4 which is provided with a dispensing orifice 5 of said product, said push button being reversibly movable over an actuating stroke of said device between a rest position and a depressed position in which the dispensing orifice 5 is in communication with the reservoir 2 via said device.

In the embodiments shown, the sampling device comprises a dispensing pump 3 dispensed manually by means of a push button 4 which is fed with the product under pressure for distribution.

The pump 3 comprises means for supplying the conditioned product which, in the figures, comprises a dip tube 6 disposed in the tank 2, said tube being equipped with a valve 7 for entering the product into the pump 3. The button Pusher 4 is mounted on the nozzle 8 of the pump 3 by putting the dispensing orifice 5 in communication with an outlet channel 8a of said nozzle.

The pump 3 also comprises a piston 9 mounted around the nozzle 8 to delimit a metering chamber 10, said nozzle being reversibly movable over a distribution stroke - suction respectively - in which the piston 9 opens - respectively closes - the communication between the outlet channel 8a and the metering chamber 10.

The push button 4 comprises an upper zone allowing the user to exert a digital support on said push button in order to be able to move the nozzle 8 on its dispensing stroke to a depressed position of said push button, the return of the push button 4 in the rest position on the suction stroke of the nozzle 8 being conventionally realized by a spring 11.

The push button 4 is equipped with a spray nozzle 12 which is arranged to radially distribute an aerosol of the product through the dispensing orifice 5. However, the invention is not limited to a particular mode of dispensing the dispenser. product. In particular, especially for a nasal spraying nozzle, the push button 4 may allow axial distribution of the product and another type of sampling device 3 may be envisaged.

The body 1 of the bottle is equipped with a valve 13 for filling the reservoir 2 which is arranged to allow the communication of a source of product with said reservoir. The source of the product may comprise a source reservoir on which an outlet tube is arranged, filling the product with tank 2 being made by mounting said tube in sealing engagement on the valve 13 which is arranged to open reversibly.

In particular, it is possible to use as a product source a nipple of higher capacity, said bottle being equipped with a pump whose push button is removed to allow the arrangement of the nozzle in sealing engagement with the valve 13. in addition to the opening of the valve 13, the sealed support causes the opening of the pump to allow the passage of the filling product through it.

According to another embodiment, the source reservoir is formed inside a flexible bag which can be filled with product without air or gas for the proper preservation of said product. The transfer of the product into the tank 2 is then possible in all positions and the flexible bag can not be diverted from its source role since no propellant or internal pressure, or push button to actuate a possible pump or valve associated with the tube Release.

In the embodiments shown, the filling valve 13 is disposed on the lower end of the body 1, so in particular to fill the tank 2 by the bottom of the bottle, which corresponds to an intuitive gesture.

To do this, the lower end of the body 1 has an orifice 14 for communication with the reservoir 2 and the valve 13 has a nozzle 15 which is movable between a stable sealed state of the orifice 14 and a constrained state of opening of said orifice for the sealed communication of the product source with said reservoir.

In connection with the figures, the nozzle 15 is provided with an internal channel 16, said nozzle being mounted in translation in a ring 17 which is sealed in a cage 18 formed under the body 1. The valve 13 further comprises a spring 19 for returning the nozzle 15 in the closed position and two seals respectively external 20 and internal 21 to seal the mounting of the nozzle 15 in the ring 17 and the communication of the product source on said nozzle.

The tank 2 has an air vacuum which is arranged to be able to fill said tank product by sealed communication of the product source with said tank through the valve 13 so that said depression induces the filling said reservoir by suction of the product contained in said source. In particular, the air depression can be of the order of -980 hPa.

According to one embodiment, the air depression can be achieved by emptying the tank 2 by means of a sampling device 3 of the type without air intake (airless in English) in the tank 2 in compensation for the volume of product dispensed, the suction of the source product is then used to recharge said tank.

In another embodiment, the tank 2 may be empty of product and have an initial air depression which is used to make the first filling of said tank product. The sampling device 3 can then be of the type without air intake to allow subsequent refilling or with air intake to limit the use of the vial to a single filling. In the embodiments shown, the pump 3 has a vent hole 22 which is arranged to compensate for the volume of product taken from the tank 2 by air.

The bottle further comprises a cap 23 which is associated with the body 1 by forming a sealed internal space 24 in which the push button 4 is arranged, said internal space having an air depression and being arranged to keep said push button in a depressed position. so as to be in communication with the reservoir 2. Thus, a pressure balance is achieved between the inner space 24 of the cap 23 and the reservoir 2.

In particular, the internal space 24 is in communication with the reservoir 2 since, in the depressed position of the push button 4, the outlet channel 8a of the nozzle 8 and thus the dispensing orifice 5 opening into said internal space is in communication with the reservoir 2 via the metering chamber 10. In addition, the internal space 24 is in communication with the reservoir 2 via the vent hole 22.

Thus, the tightness of the air depression of the tank 2 is not achieved at the sampling device 3 which is kept in the open position, but by the combination of the cap 23 on the body 1, said association being easily arranged to retain in time said air depression, in particular without requiring modification of the sampling device 3.

The sealed association between the cap 23 and the body 1 can be made under the effect of the air depression so as to visualize an accidental loss of this depression since the dissociation of the cap 23 no longer allows the maintenance of the button pushbutton 4 in the depressed position. Thus, the cap 23 can serve as a vacuum indicator to show the operator if the bottle can be filled by suction. In addition, this embodiment allows, when filling the tank 2, to dissociate the cap 23 of the body 1 so as to allow the return of the push button 4 in the rest position.

In the embodiments shown, the cap 23 has an upper wall 25 which bears on the push button 4 to hold it in the depressed position, said wall being surrounded by a skirt 26 having a sealed association surface 27 on a wall 28 of the body 1.

In particular, the association surface 27 can be deformed under the effect of the air depression to ensure its tight sealing on the wall 28, said clamping being very small or even zero when the pressure of the internal space 24 is closer to that outside the cap 23.

The wall 28 shown extends around an upper annular flange of the body 1 in which the push button 4 is mounted, the association surface 27 being formed inside the free edge of the skirt 26 which is mounted around said wall to be clamped radially on said wall.

On the figure 2 , the body 1 has a groove 29 in which the association surface 27 is arranged to be wedged on the wall 28 so as to favor the support on the push button 4. More precisely, the groove 29 is formed around the base of the flange, the lower end of the skirt 26 being mounted in said groove which has a V-shaped section for corner clamping.

On the figure 3 , a seal 30 is interposed between the association surface 27 and the wall 28 of the body 1, said seal being associated on the lower end of the skirt 26 to be compressed on the base of the flange.

In relation to Figures 1 to 3 , the skirt 26 is rigid and has an axial dimension which is arranged to maintain the push button 4 in the depressed position. In addition, the association reach 27 may have an axial dimension which is smaller than the operating stroke of the push button 4 so as to prevent the cap 23 from being mounted when the push button 4 is in the rest position, in particular after the filling the tank 2.

In relation to the figure 4 , the skirt 26 has an elastically compressible zone 26a which is disposed between the upper wall 25 and the associated bearing surface 27, said zone being compressed by the air vacuum to maintain the push button 4 in the depressed position.

In particular, the compressible zone 26a is formed of a bellows made of an elastically deformable material, the upper wall 25 and / or the association surface 27 that can also be made of elastic material deformable to prevent use of the cap 23 when the reservoir 2 contains product.

Claims (13)

1. Bottle for dispensing a fluid product comprising a body (1) wherein a reservoir (2) intended for the conditioning of said product is formed, said bottle further comprising a device for sampling (3) of said conditioned product which is mounted in a sealed manner on said body, said device for sampling being provided with a push-button (4) which is provided with a dispensing orifice (5) of said product, said push-button able to be displaced reversibly on an actuating stroke of said device between a position at rest and a depressed position wherein the dispensing orifice (5) is in communication with the reservoir (2) by the intermediary of said device, said body being equipped with a filling valve (13) of said reservoir which is arranged in order to allow for the putting into communication of a product source with said reservoir, the reservoir (2) having an air depression which is arranged in order to be able to carry out the filling of the reservoir (2) with product by putting into sealed communication of a product source with said reservoir by the intermediary of the valve (13) in such a way that said depression induces the filling of said reservoir through suction of the product contained in said source, said bottle further comprising a cap (23), characterized in that the cap (23) is associated to the body (1) by forming a sealed internal space (24) wherein said push-button is arranged, said internal space having an air depression and being arranged to maintain said push-button in depressed position in such a way as to be in communication with the reservoir (2).
2. Bottle for dispensing according to claim 1, characterised in that the cap (23) has an upper wall (25) which is pressing against the push-button (4) in order to maintain it in depressed position.
3. Bottle for dispensing according to claim 2, characterised in that the upper wall (25) is surrounded by a skirt (26) having a sealed association surface (27) on a wall (28) of the body (1).
4. Bottle for dispensing according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the sealed association between the cap (23) and the body (1) is carried out under the effect of the air depression.
5. Bottle for dispensing according to claim 3 and 4 when claim 4 depends of claim 3, characterised in that the association surface (27) is deformed under the effect of the air depression in order to provide for its tight seal on the wall (28).
6. Bottle for dispensing according to any of claims 3 to 5, characterised in that the association surface (27) is mounted around the wall (28) in order to be radially tightened on said wall.
7. Bottle for dispensing according to any of claims 3 to 6, characterised in that the body (1) has a groove (29) wherein the association surface (27) is arranged in order to be thrust against the corner on the wall (28).
8. Bottle for dispensing according to any of claims 3 to 7, characterised in that a seal (30) is inserted between the association surface (27) and the wall (28) of the body (1).
9. Bottle for dispensing according to any of claims 3 to 8, characterised in that the skirt (26) is rigid and has an axial dimension that is arranged to maintain the push-button (4) in depressed position.
10. Bottle for dispensing according to claim 9, characterised in that the association surface (27) has an axial dimension which is less than the actuating stroke of the push-button (4).
11. Bottle for dispensing according to any of claims 3 to 8, characterised in that the skirt (26) has an elastically compressible zone (26a) which is arranged between the upper wall (25) and the association surface (27), said zone being compressed by the air depression in order to provide for the maintaining of the push-button (4) in depressed position.
12. Bottle for dispensing according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the device for sampling (3) is of the airless type in the reservoir (2) for conditioning as compensation for the volume of product distributed.
13. Bottle for dispensing according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterised in that the device for sampling (3) has a vent hole (22) which is arranged in order to make it possible to compensate for the volume of product sampled in the reservoir (2) by air, said vent hole being in communication with the sealed internal space (24).

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