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
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23P—METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; COMBINED OPERATIONS; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS
  • B23P19/00—Machines for simply fitting together or separating metal parts or objects, or metal and non-metal parts, whether or not involving some deformation; Tools or devices therefor so far as not provided for in other classes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C65/02—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure
  • B29C65/08—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using ultrasonic vibrations
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C65/02—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure
  • B29C65/14—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using wave energy, i.e. electromagnetic radiation, or particle radiation
  • B29C65/1403—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor by heating, with or without pressure using wave energy, i.e. electromagnetic radiation, or particle radiation characterised by the type of electromagnetic or particle radiation
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C65/00—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C65/48—Joining or sealing of preformed parts, e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor using adhesives, i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• • 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
  • B65D83/38—Details of the container body
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T156/00—Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
  • Y10T156/10—Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
  • Y10T29/49826—Assembling or joining
  • Y10T29/49947—Assembling or joining by applying separate fastener

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a fluid dispenser valve, and a fluid dispenser device comprising such a valve.
• Fluid dispensing valves especially dosing valves for dispensing pharmaceutical products in the form of aerosol sprays are well known. They generally comprise a cylindrical valve body defining a metering chamber between two seals, a high seal and a low seal, a valve sliding in a sealed manner in said metering chamber between a rest position and a dispensing position.
• the valve body is fixed, in particular snapped or crimped into a capsule, said capsule being adapted to then be crimped onto the neck of a container containing the product to be dispensed.
• a neck seal is interposed between the neck of the container and the capsule to seal at this level.
• the number of consecutive parts is important, which increases the complexity of manufacture and assembly and therefore the cost of the valve.
• the assembly of the different valve seals is relatively complicated.
• the spring of the valve generally metallic, is embedded in the fluid, which depending on the nature of the product may have undesirable effects on said product.
• the valve bodies generally extend inwardly of the tank on which they are assembled, thus creating a dead volume, particularly for valves used in inverted positions. This dead volume must generally be limited by adding a so-called can end ring, assembled around said valve body. This is yet another piece to manufacture and assemble.
• the valves are generally formed of two parts assembled into one another, which further complicates the manufacture and assembly of the valve.
• WO 01/66439 discloses a two-part valve body with a co-molded seal interposed between said two valve body parts.
• Documents EP-1 336 822, FR-2 850 165, WO 01/79079, US-3 128 924, GB-2 178 398 and DE-35 35 908 describe other devices of the state of the art.
• the present invention aims to provide a simplified valve that does not reproduce the aforementioned drawbacks.
• the present invention aims to provide a fluid dispenser valve, having fewer component parts and fewer assembly steps.
• the present invention also aims to provide a fluid dispenser valve that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.
• the present invention therefore relates to a fluid dispensing valve intended to be mounted on a neck of a reservoir containing fluid, said valve comprising a valve body comprising a metering chamber and a movable valve in said chamber. dosing between a resting position and a dispensing position, said dosing chamber having a high seal and a low seal cooperating sealingly with said valve, said valve having a neck seal cooperating sealingly with said valve body and said container neck, said neck seal and / or said top seal and / or said bottom seal being welded (s) or glued (s) to the valve body.
• said neck seal and said bottom seal are formed in the same material, in particular an elastomeric thermoplastic.
• said neck seal and said bottom seal and said top seal are formed of the same material, in particular an elastomeric thermoplastic.
• said neck seal and said bottom seal form a single piece.
• said bottom seal forms a lip extending radially inwardly and axially towards the reservoir, and sealingly cooperating with the valve in resting and dispensing positions.
• said valve is made of a single piece.
• said valve is movable in said valve between a rest position, in which the metering chamber is sealed from the tank and the atmosphere and a dispensing position, in which the metering chamber is sealed of the reservoir and connected to the atmosphere via the valve, said valve having a filling position between said resting and dispensing positions, wherein said metering chamber is isolated from the atmosphere and connected to said reservoir, for filling the the dosing chamber.
• said valve comprises a filling passage connecting said metering chamber to said reservoir in the filling position.
• the valve is biased towards its rest position by a spring isolated from the fluid in all positions.
• said valve comprises a central axial channel connected on one side to an outlet orifice and on the other side to a radial channel which opens into the metering chamber in dispensing position, said valve comprising an outer radial shoulder, said spring being disposed around the valve and cooperating with said radial shoulder to bias the valve towards its rest position, said spring being disposed around said radial channel in the rest position.
• said valve body is made in one piece.
• the present invention also relates to a fluid dispenser device comprising a reservoir containing fluid, comprising a valve as described above.
• said valve is assembled on the neck of the reservoir by an attachment capsule provided with an axial extension defining the passage opening of the valve, said axial extension receiving the spring of the valve.
• said valve body is fixed, in particular snapped, inside the fixing cap.
• the present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a device as described above, comprising the step of welding or bonding the top seal and / or the bottom seal and / or the neck seal on the body of valve.
• the welding step is performed by thermo-welding or ultrasonic welding or laser welding.
• said seals are formed from the same thermoplastic elastomer material.
• the method further comprises the steps of assembling the valve and the spring in the capsule and then fixing, in particular by snapping, the valve body in said capsule.
• said top seal is pre-assembled on said valve for assembly.
• said top seal is pre-assembled on said valve body for assembly.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a valve according to a first advantageous embodiment of the present invention, in the rest position,
• FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing a second advantageous embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing a third advantageous embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing a fourth advantageous embodiment of the present invention.
• the present invention relates in particular to a valve of the metering valve type for aerosol dispensing of a medicinal fluid product, by means of a propellant gas, in particular of the HFA type.
• a propellant gas in particular of the HFA type.
• the present invention can also be applied to valves of another type or used in different fields, such as perfumery or cosmetics.
• the present invention could also be applied to pumps operating without propellant.
• the valve shown in Figure 1 comprises a valve body 10 comprising a metering chamber 15.
• a valve 20 is slidably mounted in the metering chamber 15 between a rest position, shown in Figure 1, and a dispensing position, in which the valve is depressed axially towards the inside of the valve.
• the valve 20 is urged toward its rest position by a spring 60, which compresses when a user actuates the valve and urges the valve axially within the valve.
• the compressed spring 60 returns the valve 20 from its dispensing position to its rest position.
• the valve comprises a central axial channel 21 opening on one side on an axial outlet 25 and on the other side on a radial channel 22 which opens into the metering chamber 15 when the valve 20 is in the dispensing position.
• the metering chamber 15 has a high seal 30 and a bottom seal 40 (the terms “up” and “down” referring to the upright position of the valve shown in the figure) and the valve 20 slides tightly against these two up and down joints 30, 40.
• the valve body 10 is assembled on a reservoir 1, in particular on the neck 2 of this reservoir 1, by means of a fixing member 100, which is advantageously a crimping capsule as shown in the figure.
• a fixing member 100 which is advantageously a crimping capsule as shown in the figure.
• the fixing member could be of a different type, for example screwed, snap-fastenable or similar.
• a neck seal 50 is interposed between the valve body 10 and the fixing member 100, which will be hereinafter referred to as a fixing cap for reasons of simplicity of description. neck seal 50 being intended to seal between the valve body 10 and the neck 2 of the tank 1.
• the neck seal 50 and / or the top seal 30 and / or the bottom seal 40 is (are) welded (s) or bonded (s) to said valve body 10.
• at least two, preferably the three seals 30, 40, 50 are formed of the same material.
• the seal or seals are advantageously made of olefinic-based elastomeric thermoplastic material (TPE), for example PP / SBC (mixture of polypropylene and styrene block copolymer), POE (ethylene octene), PEB (ethylene butene), EVA ( ethylene vinyl acetate), PP / EPDM (blend of polypropylene and ethylene propylene diene monomer).
• TPE olefinic-based elastomeric thermoplastic material
• SBC mixture of polypropylene and styrene block copolymer
• POE ethylene octene
• PEB ethylene butene
• EVA ethylene vinyl acetate
• PP / EPDM blend of polypropylene and ethylene propylene diene monomer
• the welding may be of the heat sealing type, in which case the seal and body materials will be suitably selected.
• the welding could also be of the ultrasonic welding type, in which case the surface or surfaces to be welded will preferably be modified to form energy vectors, for example in the form of small pins. Laser welding is also possible.
• the seals will advantageously be relatively transparent to promote the efficiency of the process.
• Other types of welding are also possible, for example electron beam welding.
• suitable glues are preferably used, which limit the risk of pollution of the joints, including migration of pollutants to the surface of the seal in contact with the fluid to be dispensed.
• the valve body 10 is made in one piece, which simplifies its manufacture and assembly.
• the valve body is made of polyolefin, which can promote the welding of olefinic-based TPE joints, because of the chemical affinity of these materials.
• Other possible materials for the valve body include polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and alloys of all these materials.
• seal (s) include thermoplastic alloys (NBR / PP, butyl / PP, halobutyl / PP, HNBR / PE), thermoplastic elastomers prepared by dynamic vulcanization, thermoplastic polyamide elastomers (PEBA, PEA, PEEA , PCEA), thermoplastic polyether ester elastomers, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU), styrene block copolymers (SBS, SIS, SEBS, SEPS, SEEPS, SIBS), and mixtures of all these materials.
• thermoplastic alloys NBR / PP, butyl / PP, halobutyl / PP, HNBR / PE
• thermoplastic elastomers prepared by dynamic vulcanization thermoplastic polyamide elastomers (PEBA, PEA, PEEA , PCEA), thermoplastic polyether ester elastomers, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU),
• the neck seal 50 forms a single piece with the bottom seal 40, as can be seen in FIG.
• the present invention thus makes it possible to eliminate constituent parts and to simplify the assembly of the valve since, after welding or gluing of the seals, the unit formed by the valve body 10 and the seals 30, 40 is fixed in the crimping capsule. 100 in a single assembly step.
• this fixing is achieved by snapping the valve body 10, in particular a radially outer snap-fitting portion 1 1 of the valve body 10, on a corresponding snap-fitting shoulder 101 of the attachment cap 100.
• This shoulder of snap-fastening 101 may for example be made by stamping.
• the high seal 50 made of elastomer or TPE, can be made in the form of a flat gasket pre-assembled on the valve 20 or on the valve body 10.
• axial ribs 19 are provided on the valve body portion receiving said top seal 50.
• the top seal 50 could also be welded or glued to the valve body. One could thus form the three seals in one piece integral or welded to the valve body in a single step of welding or gluing.
• the bottom seal 40 may be formed of a lip for sealing. This lip extends axially downwards and radially inwards, as can be seen in FIG. 1, and is urged radially against the valve 20.
• This implementation guarantees a good seal.
• the bottom seal 40 after welding or gluing on the valve body 10, advantageously at least partially forms the lower edge of said unit formed of the valve body and welded or glued joints.
• the closure of the tank 1 forms a surface that is approximately flat, eliminating or in any case greatly limiting the dead volume of product inside said tank. It is therefore no longer necessary to provide an end ring of the can as for conventional valves.
• the spring 60 of the valve is completely isolated from the product contained in the reservoir or in the valve, in particular to avoid any interaction between said product and the spring, generally metallic.
• the capsule 100 may comprise an axial extension 1 10 intended to accommodate said spring 60.
• the upper end of this axial extension 1 defines the passage opening of the valve 20.
• the shoulder 26 of the valve pushed axially upwards by the spring in the rest position, cooperates with this upper end of the axial extension 1 10 of the capsule to define the rest position of the valve and therefore of the valve.
• the spring 60 cooperates on one side with a radial shoulder 26 of the valve 20.
• said shoulder 26 has an axial length large enough to effectively guide the top of the valve during actuation.
• the spring 60 can be supported for example on said high seal 30.
• This implementation also simplifies the assembly of the valve.
• the valve 20 is inserted into the capsule 100, with the spring 60 which is placed around said valve 20, in contact with said shoulder 26, then the unit formed by the valve body and the seals is snapped into the capsule 100.
• the valve is then assembled and ready to be fixed on a tank filled with the fluid to be dispensed.
• FIG. 2 represents another embodiment, in which a pellet or washer 70 is interposed between the gasket 30 and the spring 60, in order to avoid potentially negative interactions between the spring and the gasket, such as a deformation of said gasket .
• the pellet makes it possible to better distribute the stresses of the spring.
• This pellet 70 is also used during filling, when the fluid product is injected at high pressure through the valve, which can cause deformation of the seal 30 due to the sudden rise in pressure in the metering chamber 15. The presence of a pellet 70 prevents such deformation.
• FIG. 3 shows another variant embodiment, in which the valve comprises, between the shoulder 26 and the seal 30, ribs or grooves 27 which, in the actuating position, and thus also in the filling position, come into position. press by their lower front radial surfaces 28 against the seal 30, in particular to avoid deformation during filling.
• the valve 20 is made in one piece, and the metering chamber 15 is isolated from the tank by the bottom seal 40, both in the rest position and in the dispensing position. Only when the valve 20 moves between its rest and distribution positions, in a so-called filling position, the metering chamber 15 is connected to the reservoir, to allow its filling.
• the valve 20 comprises in this respect at least one filling passage 29 which connects the metering chamber 15 to said fluid reservoir, in the filling position of the valve, this filling position being situated between the dispensing position and the position rest. More particularly, the metering chamber 15 is advantageously sealed in the rest position of the valve 20, so that the bottom seal 40 seals the filling passage 29 when the valve 20 is in the rest position.
• the bottom seal 40 thus cooperates with the valve 20 to seal the filling passage 29 both in the rest position and in the dispensing position of the valve.
• the filling passage 29 is advantageously made by means of one or more lateral channel (s) formed in the lateral wall of the valve 20.
• the filling is dependent in particular on the depth and height of this filling passage 29.
• the valve 20 after expulsion of a dose, automatically returns to its rest position under the effect of the spring 60.
• the bottom seal 40 no longer cooperates sealingly with the valve 20, but is at the level of the channel (s) lateral (s) formed (s) in said valve 20.
• the filling will be more or less quickly, and the amount of the dose to be transferred into the metering chamber 15 determines the dimensions of the passage (s) side (s) 29.
• the depression created in the metering chamber 15 after the expulsion of the previous dose may promote the filling of a new dose when the valve 20 passes through its filling position during its return movement to its rest position. At the next actuation, the valve 20 will again pass through its filling position before reaching its dispensing position, so that if the dose was to be incomplete in the metering chamber 15, it would be completed during this actuation . It is obviously preferable to make the channel (s) side (s) (such) so that the filling of the metering chamber 15 is complete and complete, and that ensures a perfect reproducibility of the dose.
• Figure 4 shows another embodiment, wherein the bottom seal does not isolate the metering chamber 15 in the rest position.
• the filling passage 29 can be replaced by one or more grooves 19 which allow rapid filling of the metering chamber 15 when the valve is returned to the inverted position when filling the chamber by pressure differential and a slow emptying when the valve is in the rest position of FIG. 4 at iso-pressure between the can and the chamber.

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

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Publications (1)

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• 2010
  • 2010-12-03 FR FR1060046A patent/FR2968283B1/fr active Active
• 2011
  • 2011-12-02 WO PCT/FR2011/052846 patent/WO2012072962A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2011-12-02 CN CN2011800581413A patent/CN103328346A/zh active Pending
  • 2011-12-02 US US13/883,623 patent/US20130221035A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2011-12-02 EP EP11808673.5A patent/EP2646344A1/de not_active Withdrawn

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