EP2705904B1 - Dispensing head for a system for dispensing a pressurised product - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a dispensing head for a system for dispensing a product under pressure, a dispensing system comprising such a head fixed to a tube for feeding the product under pressure and a bottle containing a product to be dispensed under pressure by means of such a distribution system.

In a particular application, the product is of the lotion, gel or cream type, for example for use in cosmetics or for pharmaceutical treatments.

Dispensing systems are known comprising a pump provided with a tube for supplying the pressurized product on which a push-button type distribution head is fixed to actuate the displacement of said tube over a dispensing / suction stroke of the product.

In particular, the dispensing head may comprise a body having a mounting well of said head on the feed tube and a product distribution path between said mounting well and a dispensing orifice. Thus, by pressing on the body of the dispensing head, the pump is actuated to dispense the product through the dispensing orifice in the form of a hazelnut or a continuous stream.

The dispensing orifice may be formed between two longitudinal walls respectively upper and lower which are connected on either side by respectively a side wall whose transverse dimension is smaller than the longitudinal dimension of the longitudinal walls. Thus, the product is distributed in the form of a sheet having a longitudinal dimension which is greater than its transverse dimension, in particular having a substantially rectangular section.

Around the world, various directives aim to regulate, control and limit the presence of substances potentially dangerous for human health in products, especially cosmetics. One of them is the directive REACh (Registration Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals). Also, an environmental trend pushes cosmeticians to limit or eliminate from their formulas preservatives that are often cause allergies or intolerances.

Cosmetics are becoming more and more fragile. In particular, they hardly withstand mechanical or thermal stress (causing for example a phase shift), air contact (causing for example drying out, oxidation), and are easily contaminated by bacteria, yeasts and molds.

To fight against these contaminations, the formulators try to reinforce the intrinsic conservative activity of their products by adding ingredients with a conservative activity like certain essential oils, essences of orange, vitamin C, ... which are not declared as curators. Also, they limit the free activity of the water they are trying to keep low (AW <0.6) so that the bacteria do not grow or little. The NF 29621 standard describes such means. But the formulators quickly stumble on the limits of such a strategy.

On the other hand, protective distribution systems are appearing on the market. In particular, systems have been proposed whose distribution path is narrow and not very tortuous so as not to subject the product to pressures during its distribution. Airless systems have also been proposed, in which the air does not compensate for the volume of product dispensed, or the incoming air is filtered through a mesh of the order of 0.2 μm to retain bacteria, yeasts and molds.

Systems have also been proposed whose dispensing orifice is self-occulting, thus limiting the contact of the product with the air between two distributions. But this mechanical self-occultation, formed at the interface of two often imperfect geometries, can not claim the complete retention of bacteria, yeasts and molds whose size is a few tenths of a micron.

To solve these contamination problems, distribution systems have been proposed using materials containing antimicrobial agents, for example on an organic basis such as Trichlosan (trade name of Melcoplast) or on silver base, which are located in an area. contact with the product to prevent its contamination.

However, these antimicrobial agents act by contact and / or by diffusion in the product and are therefore effective only on a thin layer of product, that is to say having a short maximum distance between the product and the zones. antimicrobial contact.

To maintain a sufficient quantity of dispensed product, the longitudinal dimension of the sheet must then be increased, which leads to the distribution of a sheet whose appearance is not satisfactory, in particular by having insufficient mechanical strength.

WO 2011/126569 A1 discloses a dispensing head according to the preamble of claim 1.

The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing in particular a system for dispensing a product sheet that is satisfactory with respect to the dose of product dispensed and its appearance, said system making it possible to act effectively against contamination. by the bacteria, yeasts and molds of said tablecloth.

In addition, the invention provides a distribution system with improved antimicrobial property so as to distribute products whose preservative content is limited or even zero. Therefore, the combined use of a dispensing system according to the invention with a bottle containing such a type of product is particularly advantageous.

The combined use of a dispensing system according to the invention with a bottle containing a product to be dispensed is also particularly advantageous when the intrinsic conservative activity of said product is improved, for example by adding ingredients having a conservative activity such as certain essential oils, orange essences, vitamin C and / or by limiting the free activity of the water (AW <0.6).

To achieve these various improvements, according to a first aspect, the invention provides a dispensing head for a dispensing system of a product under pressure, said head comprising a body having a mounting well of said head on a feed tube product under pressure and a product distribution path between said well and a dispensing orifice of said product, said dispensing orifice being formed between two longitudinal walls respectively upper and lower which are connected on either side by a side wall respectively; whose transverse dimension is smaller than the longitudinal dimension of the longitudinal walls, each of the side walls having a projection extending between the longitudinal walls, at least the walls of the dispensing orifice comprising an antimicrobial agent for the product to be dispensed.

According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a system for dispensing a product under pressure, said system comprising such a dispensing head and a tube for feeding the pressurized product on which the mounting well of said head is fixed.

According to a third aspect, the invention proposes a bottle containing a product to be dispensed under pressure, said bottle comprising a neck on which such a dispensing system is associated so as to put the delivery tube in communication with the product to enable the dispensing conveying the product from said feed tube to the dispensing orifice.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une buse pour une tête de distribution selon un mode de réalisation de l'invention ;
• les figures 2 sont des vues respectivement en coupe longitudinale (figure 2a) et en coupe transversale (figure 2b) de la buse de la figure 1 ;
• les figures 3 sont des vues respectivement de dessous (figure 3a) et de dessus (figure 3b) de la buse de la figure 1 ;
• les figures 4 sont des vues partielles d'un flacon équipé d'un système de distribution selon un mode de réalisation de l'invention, respectivement en coupe longitudinale (figure 4a) et de côté (figure 4b).

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the description which follows, made with reference to the appended figures, in which:

• the figure 1 is a perspective view of a nozzle for a dispensing head according to an embodiment of the invention;
• the figures 2 are views respectively in longitudinal section ( figure 2a ) and in cross-section ( figure 2b ) from the nozzle of the figure 1 ;
• the figures 3 are views from below ( figure 3a ) and from above ( figure 3b ) from the nozzle of the figure 1 ;
• the figures 4 are partial views of a bottle equipped with a dispensing system according to one embodiment of the invention, respectively in longitudinal section ( figure 4a ) and side ( figure 4b ).

In connection with the figures, there is described a dispensing system comprising a pump 1 actuated by a dispensing head 2 of push button type to allow the dispensing of a product under pressure, for example in the form of a hazelnut or a continuous stream.

To do this, the dispensing system is mounted on a bottle 3 containing the product to be dispensed under pressure. In an exemplary application, the product is a lotion, a gel or a cream, for a cosmetic use or for pharmaceutical treatments.

The bottle 3 comprises a body 4 surmounted by a neck 5 and the dispensing system comprises a fixing band 6 on which the pump 1 is mounted, said band being associated with the neck 5 so as to put the pump 1 in sealed communication with the packaged product in said body.

On the figure 4a , the pump 1 is not cut but conventionally comprises a body in which are arranged means necessary for pressurizing the product to be dispensed. According to a particular embodiment, the pump 1 is of the type without air intake in compensation of the volume of product dispensed, so as not to introduce contaminant in the bottle 3 and therefore in the packaged product.

The invention is not limited to a particular pump structure 1, nor to a particular mode of mounting the pump 1 on the bottle 3. In addition, the pump 1 can be supplied with the conditioned product via a tube plunger 7 disposed in the bottle 3 or via a product supply piston which is slidably mounted in the body 4 so as to push the product into the pump 1.

The pump 1 comprises a supply tube 8 of the pressurized product, said tube being reversibly movable over a dispensing / suction stroke of the product. To actuate this movement, the dispensing head 2 is mounted on the downstream portion of the feed tube 8, said head comprising a body 9 having a mounting well 10 of said head on said feed tube and a delivery path of the produced between said well and a dispensing orifice 11.

In the embodiment shown, the distribution path has a downstream passage 12 which is equipped with a nozzle 13 in which the dispensing orifice 11 is formed. In particular, the dispensing head 2 has a housing 14 into which the downstream passage 12 opens, the nozzle 13 comprising a mounting chimney 15 which is sealingly fixed in said housing, the inside of said chimney being arranged on the passage downstream 12. In addition, the chimney 15 is extended by a front end 16 formed in one piece, a conduit 17 for supplying the dispensing orifice 11 being formed in said tip.

Thus, by fixing the mounting well 10 on the feed tube 8, the product is dispensed by pressing on the body 9 to actuate the movement of said tube in order to convey the packaged product from the feed tube 8 to the dispensing orifice 11 via the downstream passage 12, the chimney 15 and the feed duct 17.

The distribution system can also be used for other types of distribution. In particular, the bottle 3 may comprise a flexible body 4, the pressurization of the product in the feed tube 8 then taking place by bringing the walls of said bottle closer, without the use of a pump.

The dispensing orifice 11 is formed between two longitudinal walls respectively upper 11a and lower 11b which are connected on either side by respectively a side wall 11c, 11d. The transverse dimension of the side walls 11c, 11d is smaller than the longitudinal dimension of the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b in order to distribute the product in the form of a sheet which has a longitudinal dimension greater than its transverse dimension.

In the embodiment shown, the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b and 11c, 11d extend in the endpiece 16 to form the supply duct 17, said duct being convergent towards the dispensing orifice 11. Thus, the supply duct 17 has a section of identical geometry to that of the dispensing orifice 11, the flow of product under pressure being pushed into said duct to be distributed in the form of a sheet whose section is similar to that of the dispensing orifice 11.

Each of the side walls 11c, 11d has a projection 18 which extends between the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b, at least the walls 11a-11d of the dispensing orifice 11 comprising an antimicrobial agent for the product to be dispensed. Thus, it combines a stiffening of the web by means of the side projections 18 with an action against the contamination of the product of said web by bacteria, yeasts and molds.

In particular, it ensures the decontamination of the product which, between two distributions, is located in the vicinity of the dispensing orifice 11 and prevents the penetration of bacteria, yeasts and molds in the bottle 3 via the distribution path.

Advantageously, the outer surface 16a of the front end 16 in which the dispensing orifice 11 is formed may also comprise an antimicrobial agent. Thus, it prevents contamination of soil disposed on this surface 16a between two distributions, in particular by spreading said product during its recovery by the finger of the user, thus ensuring that the product subsequently distributed is not contaminated by said soils.

Similarly, the distribution path and in particular the feed duct 17 in which the product is immobilized between two distributions may comprise an antimicrobial agent, especially having a volume of less than 0.1 mm ^{3 in} order to limit the maximum distance separating said agent of the product for, by surface effect on a very small volume of product, ensure the decontamination of the product contained in said volume.

The projections 18 are arranged to prevent the web from rolling on itself during dispensing and to increase the contact area between the product forming the web and the antimicrobial agent. In particular, the projections 18 are disposed within the lateral edges of the web to improve the effectiveness of the antimicrobial action by limiting the maximum distance between the product contained in said edges and the antimicrobial agent.

In addition, the presence of the projections 18 makes it possible to increase the transverse dimension of the side walls 11c, 11d and thus of the lateral edges of the sheet, in particular to keep a dispensing orifice 11 whose passage section is sufficient for the dose of product to distribute, without altering the appearance and decontamination action of the web.

According to the embodiment shown, the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b are convex towards the inside of the dispensing orifice 11 so as to limit the transverse dimension of the central passage 19 which is formed between said longitudinal walls. Thus, a good action against the contaminations of the product distributed through the central passage 19 is guaranteed, while increasing the transverse dimension of the edges of said sheet to maintain a passage section sufficient for the dose to be dispensed.

• un passage central 19 entre les parois longitudinales 11a, 11b, ledit passage central présentant une dimension transversale réduite pour favoriser l'action antimicrobienne sur le produit distribué au travers de lui ;
• quatre passages latéraux 20 entre les parois longitudinales 11a, 11 b et les saillies 18, lesdits passages latéraux présentant une dimension réduite pour favoriser l'action antimicrobienne sur le produit distribué au travers d'eux, tout en contribuant à l'augmentation de la section de l'orifice de distribution 11.

In addition, each side wall 11c, 11d has an upper - respectively lower - connecting portion of the projection 18 with the longitudinal wall upper 11a - respectively lower 11b. Thus, in the dispensing orifice 11, one forms:

• a central passage 19 between the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b, said central passage having a reduced transverse dimension to promote the antimicrobial action on the product distributed through it;
• four lateral passages 20 between the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b and the projections 18, said side passages having a reduced size to promote the antimicrobial action on the product distributed therethrough, while contributing to the increase of the section of the dispensing orifice 11.

In the embodiment shown, each portion of the side walls 11c, 11d is rounded to form a lobe-shaped lateral passage 20 between each of the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b and a projection 18.

Advantageously, the maximum transverse dimension of the dispensing orifice 11 between the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b is less than or equal to 0.5 mm, that is to say that the maximum distance between the antimicrobial agent and the product distributed by the central passage 19 is less than 0.25 mm. Similarly, the maximum transverse dimension of the dispensing orifice 11 between the longitudinal walls 11a, 11b and the projections 18 may be less than or equal to 0.5 mm so that the maximum distance between the microbial agent and the dispensed product by the side passages 20 is less than 0.25 mm. Thus, by surface effect on a very thin film of product, decontamination of the product contained in the dispensing orifice 11 is ensured.

According to an advantageous embodiment, at least the walls 11a-11d of the dispensing orifice 11 comprise metallic copper which, by virtue of its microbiostatic properties, prevents the proliferation or eliminates the contaminants in contact with said walls, and without migration in the product of any antimicrobial agent.

Advantageously, the nozzle 13 comprises metallic copper, in particular being made of metallic copper or of synthetic material, for example of the polyolefin type, which is metallized and / or loaded with metallic copper.

According to another embodiment, at least the walls 11a-11d of the dispensing orifice 11 are made of a material containing an antimicrobial agent, in particular a microbiostatic and / or microbiocidal agent, for example on an organic base such as Trichlosan. (trade name of Melcoplast) or on a silver basis.

Claims (15)

1. Dispensing head (2) for a system for dispensing a product under pressure, said head comprising a body (9) having a mounting shaft (10) of said head on a feed tube (8) of the product under pressure and a product dispensing path between said shaft and a dispensing orifice (11) of said product, said dispensing orifice being formed between two longitudinal walls, respectively upper (11a) and lower (11b) which are connected to both sides respectively by a side wall (11c, 11d) of which the transverse dimension is less than the longitudinal dimension of the longitudinal walls (11a, 11b), with at least the walls (11a-11d) of the dispensing orifice (11) comprising an antimicrobial agent for the product to be dispensed, said dispensing head being characterised in that each of the side walls (11c, 11d) has a projection (18) which extends between the longitudinal walls (11a, 11b).
2. Dispensing head (2) according to claim 1, characterised in that each side wall (11c, 11d) has an upper - respectively lower - portion for connecting the projection (18) with the upper (11a) - respectively lower (11b) longitudinal wall, so as to form in the dispensing orifice (11) four lateral passages (20) and a central passage (19).
3. Dispensing head (2) according to claim 2, characterised in that each portion is rounded to form a lateral passage (20) in the shape of a lobe between each one of the longitudinal walls (11a, 11b) and a projection (18).
4. Dispensing head (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the longitudinal walls (11a, 11b) are convex inwardly of the dispensing orifice (11).
5. Dispensing head (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the maximum transverse dimension of the dispensing orifice (11) between the longitudinal walls (11a, 11b) is less than or equal to 0.5 mm.
6. Dispensing head (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the maximum transverse dimension of the dispensing orifice (11) between the longitudinal walls (11a, 11b) and the projections (18) is less than or equal to 0.5 mm.
7. Dispensing head (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that at least the walls (11a-11d) of the dispensing orifice (11) comprise metallic copper.
8. Dispensing head (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that at least the walls (11a-11d) of the dispensing orifice (11) are made of a material containing an antimicrobial agent.
9. Dispensing head (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the dispensing path has a downstream passage (12) which is provided with a nozzle (13) in which the dispensing orifice (11) is formed.
10. Dispensing head (2) according to claim 9, characterised in that the nozzle (13) comprises a chimney (15) for mounting on the downstream passage (12), said chimney being extended by a front end (16) wherein a duct (17) for feeding the dispensing orifice (11) is formed.
11. Dispensing head (2) according to claim 10, characterised in that the longitudinal (11a, 11b) and/or side (11c, 11d) walls extend in the front end (16) to form the supply duct (17).
12. Dispensing head (2) according to claim 10 or 11, characterised in that the supply duct (17) is convergent towards the dispensing orifice (11).
13. System for dispensing a product under pressure, said system comprising a dispensing head (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and a tube (8) for supplying the pressurised product whereon the mounting shaft (10) of said head is fixed.
14. Dispensing system according to claim 13, characterised in that it comprises a pump (1) actuated by the dispensing head (2), said pump comprising the tube (8) for supplying the pressurised product.
15. Bottle (3) containing a product to be dispensed under pressure, said bottle comprising a neck (5) on which a dispensing system according to claim 13 or 14 is associated so as to place the feed tube (8) in communication with the product for the conveying of the product from said feed tube to the dispensing orifice (11).

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