EP2879966B1 - Drop dispensing head - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid dispensing head from a bottle on which it is mounted. It relates more particularly to the design of drip dispensing bottles used in the pharmaceutical industry, but also the design of such bottles for cosmetics or parapharmacy, and more broadly for any industry with similar needs in the pharmaceutical industry. field of liquid distribution.

Liquid distribution heads are known which comprise permselective membranes arranged inside a mounting body in the neck of a receiver bottle of a liquid to be dispensed, across the path of the expelled liquid and that of the air sucked in replacement. Depending on their filtration capacity and their physicochemical characteristics responsible for semi-permeability properties, these membranes can play several roles. Thus, a membrane having properties equivalent to those with mesh sizes of less than 0.2 microns will function as a bacterial filtration membrane preserving the content remaining in the bottle of any bacterial contamination coming from the outside air called in. enter the bottle. Thus, a membrane of hydrophilic material will tend to remain impregnated with an aqueous liquid having passed through it during the expulsion of a drop and thus become impervious to air, while hydrophobic material membrane will be passed through without difficulty by air until the pressure balance between the two faces of the membrane.

Flasks equipped with liquid distribution heads through a hydrophilic membrane filter are described in particular in the documents US 5,105,993 (The Hague) ) and EP 0 617 951 (Shimizu ). The document WO2011 / 095877 A1 discloses a vial according to the preamble of claim 1. The present invention differs as defined in claim.

In flasks marketed by the Applicant, it is also known to form the interface between the internal volume of the flask and the outside air by a membrane made to present partly hydrophilic properties and partly hydrophobic properties. In practice, it is a membrane of bacterial filtration which is in hydrophilic material in certain areas (allowing itself to be impregnated and cross in particular by aqueous solutions) and hydrophobic material in other areas.

The aim of the invention is to provide an alternative to previous conventional designs by proposing dispensing heads in which it is intended to modify the design and arrangement of the semipermeable membrane so as to improve the conditions under which the management of the semipermeable membranes is ensured. exchange of fluids between the inside and the outside of the bottle according to a pressure differential between its two faces. It also aims to broaden the possibilities of application of the technique, and more specifically, in its preferred embodiments, to allow the dropwise distribution of viscous solutions preserved sterile.

For this purpose, the present invention consists in its principle in arranging the semi-permeable membrane in the longitudinal direction of the bottle rather than in the transverse direction as has been done hitherto. At the same time, the interface between liquid and air is maintained, at least at the level of the membrane with selective permeability to water (more generally to the liquid to be dispensed) in the presence of air, by configuring the membrane around one or more conduits in communication with the outside which dive into the bottle.

In practice, flexible tubes are used whose walls are made of the material of the membrane and whose ends open out of the bottle, through a perforated plate used to mount the assembly across the neck of the bottle of the liquid reservoir. distribute that surrounds their respective ends in a sealed manner by stiffening their walls so as to preserve the outlet of their internal conduits by individualized outlet ports.

For ease of manufacture and resistance to use, the practical solution currently adopted is to use tubes of sufficient length to be used U-folded on themselves and communicating with the outside at their two opposite ends. Each of these tubes then defines two communication ducts between the inside of the flask and the outside atmosphere through the interface membrane. The membrane which manages the alternation of the flows passing through the distribution head, is set up according to the pressures prevailing on both sides, in the form of tubular filters with permselective properties, which function either in liquid extraction out of of the bottle for its diffusion, or in return of outside air in the bottle in compensation of the liquid expelled.

In all cases, the dispensing head according to the invention; with the longitudinal arrangement of the tubular filters that it comprises, makes it possible to have a large active surface in selective permeability, which no longer knows the dimensional limits which are linked, in the current bottles, to the diameter of the head of the bottle across of which the membrane is arranged. This feature is of importance especially for the liquid expulsion function, while the particle filtration capacity is especially sought from the active air suction membrane surface.

In particular, a bacterial filtration membrane will have a protective role for a liquid that is kept sterile in the vial. There is no need for the latter to contain a preservative agent. However, it is known that the presence of a preservative in the composition of the product to be distributed entails risks of side effects, in terms of irritation of the mucous membranes, for example in the case of ophthalmic drops, or in the case of other zones. sensitive of the body, in dermatology in particular.

Increasing the liquid-permeable activated filtering surface makes it possible to reduce the pressure that it is necessary to exert on the walls of the bottle in order to expel the liquid, since the functional surface is larger. Thus also, it facilitates the use in the flask of liquids consisting of viscous solutions.

Another advantage lies in the fact that one gains in freedom in the extent and the arrangement of the membrane areas which are functional hydrophilic or functional hydrophobic respectively. It is certainly conceivable to have hydrophilic areas and hydrophobic zones along the same tube, but it appears simpler in manufacture and more effective in operation to reserve the hydrophilic character to some of the tubular conduits (for operation in extraction of liquid) and reserve the hydrophobic character for other tubular ducts (for operation in air intake). In this way, no mixing between the liquid phase and the gas phase can occur there.

It is considered here that the tubular duct in the broad sense is not necessarily folded back on itself, but that it may as well be tubes closed at the end and having a single end opening out of the reservoir bottle. liquid.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of such bottles, the filter assembly has antibacterial properties, and filter surfaces are hydrophilic and reserved for the extraction of the liquid while filter surfaces are hydrophobic and reserved for the entry of 'air. So that, when the flask is returned to deliver a drop, the air does not enter the bottle before the liquid outlet, it is generally desirable that the hydrophobic surfaces are arranged close to the mounting plate of the assembly which closes the axial passage of the annular body of the common distribution head to the liquid and to the air and that the hydrophilic surfaces extend longitudinally deeper into the liquid reservoir bottle. The hydrophobic surfaces thus bathe in liquid when the bottle is inverted, which prevents the passage of air.

In practice, the arrangements thus implemented according to the invention have the advantage of making it possible to regulate separately the extent of the areas reserved for the extraction of the liquid and the extent of the surfaces reserved for the entry of air, as well as that their respective provisions, more or less plunging deep into the bottle or more or less cantoned near the neck of the bottle. But also, since the liquid extraction ducts are distinct from the air inlet ducts, any mixing between the liquid phase and the gas phase is avoided in the course of these operations, which is particularly useful when, for example, the nature of its active ingredient or the presence of a surfactant in its composition, the liquid to be diffused is likely to generate a foaming phenomenon in contact with the air.

The separation of the functions of the conduits and the freedom of their positioning in the bottle advantageously combine in such an application to the diffusion of foaming products. Indeed, when the separation of physical order between the air passage and the passage of the liquid makes it possible to individually regulate the flows proper to the two fluids, this also makes it possible to dispense with the need for the porous flux regulating buffer. that generally comprise dispensing bottles of drops in which the bifunctional membrane, that is to say both hydrophilic and hydrophobic, is flat across the neck of the bottle. The vials according to the invention become all the more advantageous for the distribution of foaming products, since the porous buffer is itself a foam producer in this case. It is also in the case of foaming products that it will be particularly advantageous to gather at the top of the bottle, close to the plug closing the neck, the membrane air permeable membrane surfaces, and to reserve for the extraction of liquid those which are plunging, if necessary until being immersed in the liquid present in reserve.

For its part, the quality of protection of the liquid against the penetration of bacterial contamination is excellent. Only the ends of the tubes are flush on the outside, where they are open for the exit of the liquid. The free surface of liquid exposed to the outside is extremely low. On the other hand, the liquid that has passed through the membrane and remains in the tubes is confined in thin columns, which allow neither the diffusion of contaminated plots of liquid nor the bacterial proliferation from them.

In the concrete embodiment of the droplet dispensing heads according to the invention, it is however considered that it is advantageous to seal the assembly, over the open ends of the tubes, by a distribution buffer with respect to the liquid. extract from the bottle that gathers to form a drop in expulsion. Made from a porous material for this purpose, such a buffer also has the effect of preventing dust from the atmosphere from reaching the open ends of the tubular filters.

According to a secondary feature of the invention, it is advantageous to group the various tubular elements of hydrophilic membrane into a bundle of parallel ducts in the axis of the bottle which is surrounded by a sheath having the effect of keeping them elongated in the direction longitudinal of the bottle, which is in favor of a good functional availability of the membrane. The presence of such a sleeve, mechanically resistant, has the further advantage of facilitating assembly of the assembly in the plunging position in the bottle through the neck of the latter.

Since the sleeve surrounding the membrane tubes consists of a non-perforated tubular wall, it serves on the other hand to guide the circulation of the liquid which, during a distribution of drops, is pushed through it. in order to encourage the liquid to lick the walls of the membrane tubes while passing around them in a calm circulation mode.

Regarding the mechanical construction and assembly of the assembly, it can advantageously be provided to give the sheath an external configuration facilitating a sealed contact with the neck of the bottle.

Other provisions affecting the sheath meet the need to make possible the useful consumption of all the liquid content of the bottle.

From this point of view, it is advantageously provided a window through the tubular wall of the sleeve just below the base of the terminal dropper tip. It allows the passage of the liquid inside the sleeve when there is only a little liquid in the bottle and this liquid meets outside the sleeve in the bottle turned upside down. In any case this window can be used for the penetration of the air to enter the bottle when releasing the pressure on the walls of the bottle by returning it to the normal upright position after the expulsion of a drop of liquid.

However, as illustrated in the attached figure, it is advantageously above this window that is concentrated a functional membrane tube in air inlet, which forms several turns around the axis of the bottle, outside sheath wrapping the tubes reserved for the liquid outlet.

• la figure 1 représente, dans une vue en coupe partielle, un flacon ainsi équipé dans un premier mode de réalisation ;
• la figure 2 représente une vue éclatée d'éléments constitutifs du flacon illustré à la figure 1, et notamment un fourreau, des filtres tubulaires et un tampon diffuseur ;
• et la figure 3 représente une vue en coupe d'un flacon équipé d'une tête de distribution goutte à goutte selon un deuxième mode de réalisation.

The invention will now be more fully described in the context of its preferred features and advantages, with reference to Figures 1 to 3 which illustrate the essential elements of a liquid dispensing head according to the invention, mounted on a packaging bottle of a solution of ophthalmic drops. Among these figures:

• the figure 1 represents, in a partial sectional view, a bottle thus equipped in a first embodiment;
• the figure 2 represents an exploded view of constituent elements of the bottle illustrated in FIG. figure 1 , and in particular a sheath, tubular filters and a diffuser pad;
• and the figure 3 is a sectional view of a bottle equipped with a drip distribution head according to a second embodiment.

The invention will be described in accordance with these figures, and it will be understood that the characteristics of each of the embodiments may be combined to obtain a dispensing head according to the invention, adapted to be mounted on a liquid reservoir bottle and comprising a filtering device arranged across the neck of the bottle to interface between the inside and the outside of the bottle, on the path common to the liquid to the expulsion and to the external air sucked alternately .

A dispensing head 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention is illustrated on the figure 1 , mounted in a liquid conditioning bottle 2. The elements that constitute the bottle, and in particular the dispensing head, are generally made of a plastic material compatible with the application for the preservation of an ophthalmic solution. They are each made of polymer of the family of polyolefins, especially polyethylene.

The bottle comprises a liquid storage tank 4 whose cylindrical peripheral wall 6 is elastically reversible deformation, so as to allow a distribution of the liquid from a manual compression exerted on this wall by the user and a return spontaneous to its original shape by admission of air in compensation for the liquid released when this manual compression is released. The return air in compensation is performed in the reverse path of the outlet of each drop of liquid, through the dispensing head, here through the cylindrical bore 8 internal to the body of the dispensing head, which is annular shape. The cylindrical wall of the bottle has at its free end a throttling portion which is extended axially by a neck 10, wherein the dispensing head is fixed in sealed connection.

A removable cap 12 for closing the dispensing head is screwed in a conventional manner around the neck of the bottle. The cap is formed of a hollow cylinder closed at one end and having inside the cylinder a concentric chimney 14.

The dispensing head forms a dropper tip 16, terminating its cylindrical annular body 17 outside the bottle. The body 17 has a flange 18 which extends radially outwardly the cylindrical wall. At the end of the nozzle which is adapted to be oriented opposite the tank internal to the bottle, and through which the liquid exits the bottle, a throat is formed by a shoulder 20 so as to form an outlet port 22. of smaller diameter and a shoulder inside the tip.

A porous pad 24 is disposed at the end of the tip against this shoulder by filling the entire passage opening. The pad is made of a porous thermoplastic material based on polyethylene conferring a hydrophobic character which avoids the stagnation of liquid and which promotes the entry of air when the pad dries. It is obtained by sintering, that is to say by heat treatment of particles of thermoplastic material, and it may contain a bactericidal agent, consisting for example of silver ions known to be effective on many bacterial strains present on the skin and the ocular mucous membranes. The porous buffer has porosity characteristics capable of achieving a splitter effect with respect to the liquid exiting the bottle without substantially curbing its circulation, so as to form a droplet in expulsion. We can play on the diameter of the terminal orifice to define the size of the drop.

A filter device with semi-permeable membranes 26 is disposed inside the dispensing head. It comprises, on the one hand, a set of tubular filters, one with a hydrophobic semi-permeable wall and the other with a hydrophilic semi-permeable wall, and on the other hand an organic resin plate overmolded around the open ends of the tubular filters used for mounting the assembly across the nozzle 17 forming the body of the liquid dispensing head. This plate 28 is arranged transversely in the tip, in sealing contact with the inner wall of the latter on all its around, while the various tubular filters are adapted to dip from it into the liquid reservoir bottle.

As illustrated on Figures 1 and 2 , the set of tubular filters comprises filters 30 folded on themselves so as to have a shape of U, and an additional filter 32 wound in a spiral around the U-shaped filters. The bent filters extend longitudinally in the bottle at a distance farther from the plate than the additional spiral filter, while the latter remains closer to the plate, away from the liquid when the bottle is placed vertical at rest.

Each tubular filter has a wall in the form of a semi-permeable membrane. Here, the spirally wound tubular filter 32 is formed of a semipermeable membrane tube of hydrophobic material, thus selectively permeable to air and not to liquid, while the tubular filters extending longitudinally in the bottle are respectively formed of a membrane of hydrophilic material, so that they are selectively permeable to the liquid in the presence of air.

As described above, each of these filters is a semi-permeable membrane tube open at its ends 31, said ends being open through the plate 28 on the side of the upper face of the plate which is covered by the distribution buffer 24, opposite the tank 4. It can thus be seen that all the open ends 31 of the tubular filters 30, 32 of the filtering device are disposed on the same side of the plate 28, that is to say on the of the outlet channel, and that these tubular filters do not have an open end on the side of the tank.

According to an advantageous feature of the filter device of the invention, the porosity or mesh size of the membrane constituting the wall of the tubular filters, which determines the particulate filtration capacity, may be different depending on whether it is wall pipes. Hydrophobic membrane reserved for the aspiration of air or hydrophilic wall tubes reserved for the expulsion of liquid. So, while now a 0.2 micron bacterial filtration capacity for the air inlet membrane, in order to maintain a sterile medium inside the flask, we can settle for a coarser particle size filtration for the membrane of the tubes serving as liquid outlet.

The major advantage is to be able to use the vial for ophthalmic solutions of viscous consistency without having to excessively increase the pressure to be exerted to force the liquid to pass through the hydrophilic membrane, which is also a function of the semicircular surface area. permeable to the liquid available. The acceptable viscosity can be set in compromise with the ability of the liquid impregnated membrane to become airtight so that, without going to the finesse necessary to filter the bacteria, the membrane does not let the contaminating microorganisms from outside air, assuming they reach it. Throughout the filtering device, the porous buffer 24 contributes to the protection of a sterile content of the bottle by its filtering role with regard to the dust and equivalent particles present in the outside air, which it prevents from reaching at the entrance of ducts internal to the tubular filters, with the contaminating micro-organisms that they could convey. The same buffer prevents any direct contact between the skin or mucous membranes of the user and the plate 28 on the surface of which these conduits open. In total we ensure a good air filtration that allows the vial to an ophthalmic solution without preservatives.

A sheath 34 extends perpendicular to the plate inside the liquid reservoir flask, where it has a hollow internal diameter shape adapted to receive the longitudinal filter tubes to serve as an extension guide. Moreover, the sleeve serves as a support for winding the spiral tube.

The sheath is open at both longitudinal ends. At one of its ends, it is secured to the perforated plate 28 serving as a support for all the tubular filters, for example during the manufacture by overmoulding of the resin plate on the tubes. The sleeve has a liquid passage window 36 formed in its wall, close to the end adapted to be in contact with the transverse plate. It is made of a rigid plastic material, which provides protection for the tubes received inside and which guards the liquid penetrating the sheath by its open free end and the window.

As illustrated, the arrangement of the filters and the sleeve is such that the tubular filter with hydrophobic wall 32 is located between the plate and the window of the sleeve. The advantage of such an arrangement is in particular to prevent too much liquid remains stuck in the bottle without being able to leave the end of use of the bottle.

We will now describe the assembly of the dispensing head and the bottle as a whole, the dispensing head being formed separately from the bottle that is also made in a known manner.

For mounting the dispensing head, the tampon 24 is first inserted inside the body of the nozzle, pushing it from the end of the larger diameter to the stop formed by the shoulder. 20 at the opposite end. Once in position, the convex shape of the pad is flush with the curved shape of the end of the body of the tip. The assembly previously formed by the perforated plate for mounting the tubular filters, by the tubular filters and by the guide sleeve, is then forced into the endpiece until the plate comes into contact with the buffer.

The packaging bottle is then mounted by pressing the dispensing head into the neck of the bottle, after the reservoir of the bottle has been filled with liquid. The dispensing head is mounted by first inserting the sleeve in the bottle and this until the end of the collar of the tip against the upper end of the neck of the bottle. The dispensing head is then irreversibly snapped into the neck of the bottle by the cooperation of snap-fastening means at right angles which project from the circular wall of the nozzle and which cooperate with grooves of corresponding shapes formed in the inner wall of the neck of the bottle.

Note that the mounting of the dispensing head as just described has a double advantage in that on the one hand the elements are mounted in a simple manner, mainly by fitting, and in that on the other hand there is no risk of damaging the longitudinal membrane tubes at the time of insertion since they are protected by the sheath that surrounds them.

We will now describe the use of such a dispensing head and the associated packaging bottle, for the dropwise delivery of eye drops.

The user returns the bottle and positions it above his eyes, and he exerts on the tank wall a manual pressure so as to deform the elastically reversible wall by compressing the interior space. The liquid present in the reservoir is pressed against the membrane wall of the tubular filters, whether it is hydrophilic or hydrophobic, but only the hydrophilic membrane surfaces deliver a passage to the liquid which impregnates them because of the differential pressure on either side. membrane, closing at the same time any possibility of air penetration. The liquid found inside the hydrophilic wall-type tubular filter is then led to the distribution pad through the perforated plate closing the internal space of the annular tip. The passage of liquid from the reservoir to the outside of the bottle is thus initiated through the membrane, since it is blocked in the neck of the bottle by the plate which is impermeable to liquid and air in areas where there are no tubular filters. At the same time, when the bottle is turned over to drop a drop of liquid, the liquid covers the tubular filter consisting of hydrophobic membrane, here surrounded in a spiral around the sleeve near the mounting plate across the tip. The embedding of the hydrophobic membrane makes it possible to prevent an exit of the air present in the reservoir, so that the liquid outlet is promoted by other means. And the pressure effect resulting from the deformation of the tank wall prevents air from entering the tank in compensation for the expelled liquid.

The pressure to be exerted on the walls of the flask to expel the liquid is less strong than it should be in the bottles of the prior art since the exchange surface proposed by the longitudinal arrangement of the membranes is greater than previously not in the case of a transverse membrane. It also ensures a sufficient liquid output flow through the diameter of the tubes and the number of these tubes defining a hydrophilic passage zone substantially in the center of the plate disposed transversely to the air passage and liquid. The liquid passes beyond the plate and passes through the terminal buffer which provides a splitter effect for the formation of a drop.

When the desired number of drops is delivered, the user releases the pressure on the wall of the bottle and returns it to return it to the rest position. While the wall of the flask resumes its initial cylindrical shape, the liquid is sucked back into the flask by releasing the hydrophobic membrane and the air can freely penetrate therethrough into the flask until pressure equilibrium between the two faces of the flask is reached. filter device. All the time of this operation, the hydrophilic membrane remains impregnated with liquid and impervious to air, while the terminal buffer dries without difficulty.

When then we replace the cap 12 of the liquid distribution head according to the invention on the dropper tip, sealing the assembly with the chimney 14 bearing radially against the outer surface of the nozzle leads to a slight overpressure exerted on the terminal pad inside the cap. The porous buffer remains dry and the tubular membranes retain their proper functions, the hydrophilic surfaces and the hydrophobic surfaces being clearly distinct and remote from each other. The bottle is thus ready to be used again.

It is understood that for the proper functioning of the bottle and in particular for the good expulsion of the liquid and the air inlet in compensation for the expelled liquid, it is desirable for the hydrophobic surfaces to be arranged close to the through plate at the top of the bottle. at rest, while the hydrophilic surfaces extend longitudinally deeper into the liquid reservoir than the hydrophobic surfaces.

On the one hand, the longitudinal component of the hydrophilic surfaces, which dive deep into the tank, ensures a larger exchange surface to facilitate a larger volume of liquid leaving the tank, so that the pressure at exerting to expel a given volume of liquid can be reduced if the number of tubular filters and the diameter of their internal ducts to ensure the output flow of the liquid. This dive in the hydrophilic filter tank also allows to soak the filters very quickly and block the passage of air via these filters. Even at the end of consumption of the vial, when the liquid is entirely against the transverse plate and the end of the tubular filters opposite the plate is no longer embedded by the liquid, the hydrophilic portion is moistened and therefore impervious to air . On the other hand, the fact that over the length of the corresponding tubular filters the hydrophobic surfaces are arranged close to the transverse plate makes it possible to ensure that, when the bottle is inverted for use, there is liquid which covers and envelops the filter hydrophobic. A bottle is thus provided with which the fraction of liquid remaining spoiled becomes extremely reduced. Indeed, when after a number of important uses, the fact of returning the bottle no longer allows to bathe the hydrophobic filter liquid since all the liquid is passed between the plate and the hydrophobic filter, the air in the tank can go out and the remaining liquid gets stuck in the bottle and is lost.

It is then ensured that the hydrophobic surfaces are arranged close to the plate closing the neck of the bottle, and so that they fit between this plate and the passage window made in the wall of the sheath. This window allows the passage of the liquid inside the sheath when there is only a little liquid in the bottle and this liquid meets outside the sheath in the flask turned upside down. Thus, the small amount of lost liquid that stagnates against the plate and is not drained by the hydrophilic filters is used to soak the hydrophobic filters to prevent the release of air and allow the proper operation of the bottle until the fluid level is insufficient to fully bathe the hydrophobic filters.

A second embodiment will now be described, schematically illustrated on the figure 3 . The representation of the dispensing head has been voluntarily widened to clarify the arrangement of the elements relative to each other, so that the proportion may not be respected, for example between the width of the tubular filters and the thickness of the walls of the vial or between the height and width of the mouthpiece.

The hydrophobic membrane filters 132, selectively permeable to air, here have a U-shaped shape such as hydrophilic membrane tubular filters 130 dedicated to the liquid outlet. They are of similar diameter, of the order of a millimeter, but of much lesser length. In this way, the hydrophobic functional membrane surface is as previously grouped near the mounting plate of the filtering device, at the top of the bottle.

The second embodiment also differs in that the sleeve surrounding the tubes or its equivalent do not have a constant diameter. With respect to the pad 124 covering the whole, a proximal portion 142 is at the tip 116 and a distal portion 144 is in the bottle. The proximal portion is smaller in diameter and completely fills the inside diameter of the tip, while the distal portion is larger in diameter to reach the the wall of the neck of the bottle 110 before diving into the liquid reservoir. Thus, it facilitates the achievement of tightness at the time of mounting the bottle.

It can also be seen that there is no longer any annular space around the sheath in the tip body and that the liquid can therefore not get stuck. A window may however be made in the sleeve further inside the bottle, beyond the neck. In addition, the hydrophobic tubular filters 132 for the return of air are no longer separated from the hydrophilic filter bundle by the sheath. However, as in the first embodiment, it is observed that a hydrophobic filtration zone is delimited on the transverse plate 128 which surrounds a hydrophilic filtration zone on the same plate. Indeed, as in the previous case, it was chosen here to use the same perforated plate as a support for the hydrophilic tubes and as a support for the hydrophobic tubes.

The second embodiment also differs from the first in that the splitter buffer opens on an outlet channel 146 formed by the nozzle 116 which aims to facilitate the formation and good calibration of a drop. We can consider making the tip in a flexible material that deforms elastically to let the drop around the liquid distribution pad and drain on the channel 146.

In this context, the removable cap 112 has a shape adapted to close in its screwed position the end of the outlet channel. The cap is formed of a hollow cylinder closed at one end and having inside the cylinder a central pin 148 projecting from the radial end wall. The cap further comprises two concentric funnels 114 and 150 between the central pin and the peripheral side wall. The central pin is intended to cooperate with the outlet channel of the nozzle to close it while the chimneys are intended to bear against the outer surfaces of the nozzle, one bearing radially on the periphery of the body, the other coming in axial support on the collar.

Based on these two embodiments given by way of example, the foregoing description clearly explains how the invention achieves the objectives it has set. In particular, it uses tubular filters permselective membrane that provide a large exchange surface for the liquid and air to pass through the interface between the liquid reservoir bottle and the outside air. It also allows a simplified embodiment of two distinctly hydrophilic and hydrophobic zones to ensure the alternation of the passage of air and liquid which allows the proper operation of the bottle. It is found that one can thus increase the range of use of the dispensing head according to the invention by diversifying the type of more or less viscous liquid that can be inserted into the bottle associated with this dispensing head. On the one hand, having a larger exchange surface makes it possible to operate the assembly, for the same given liquid to be expelled, by reducing the force exerted to compress the wall of the tank. This therefore allows by extension, maintaining the same effort to provide as in previous bottles, allow the use of more viscous liquids and more difficult by nature to expel. On the other hand, the fact of facilitating the distinctiveness of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions makes it possible to make them different in filtration granulometry, for example. This makes it possible, for example, to reserve the bacterial filtration capacity for the hydrophobic membrane that is functional when drawing outside air and to be content with a lesser filtration capacity for the microorganisms for the hydrophilic membrane tubes in order to facilitate the expulsion. more viscous liquids.

It follows from the foregoing that the invention is not limited to the embodiments that have been specifically described and illustrated by the figures. On the contrary, it extends to any variant defined by the claims.

Claims (15)

1. Liquid-reservoir bottle with a reversible elastically deformable wall, equipped with a liquid-dispensing head (1) fixed in sealed connection in a neck (10) of the bottle (2), which comprises a filtering device (26) with a wall made from a semi-permeable membrane partly of a hydrophilic nature and partly of a hydrophobic nature, disposed at the interface between the inside and outside of the liquid-reservoir bottle and controlling the expulsion of liquid through an external orifice (22) and the entry of air through the same orifice, according to a pressure differential on either side, wherein, on its surface with a hydrophilic nature, said membrane is selectively permeable to the liquid in the presence of air and, on its surface with a hydrophobic nature, said membrane is selectively permeable to air in the presence of the liquid, characterised in that, on its surface with a hydrophilic nature, the membrane is produced in the form of tubular liquid-expulsion filters (30; 130) that extend longitudinally inside the bottle from a perforated plate (28) for mounting (28; 128) across said dispensing head through which the tubular filters (30; 130) emerge towards the outside; and in that, on its surface with a hydrophobic nature, said membrane is produced in the form of one or more tubular filters (32; 132) and disposed in the vicinity of said perforated plate (28; 128) in order to serve for the entry of air into the bottle in compensation for the expelled liquid.
2. Bottle according to claim 1, in which said hydrophobic membrane surface is produced and disposed so as to filter the air aspirated in the bottle from said external orifice (22) while protecting the space internal to the bottle from external contaminants.
3. Bottle according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the filtering device (26) comprises a plurality of tubular liquid-expulsion filters (30) in the axis of the bottle, and in which the hydrophobic tubular filter or filters (32, 132) selectively permeable to air in the presence of the liquid are disposed separately from said cluster, surrounding the latter in the vicinity of said perforated plate for mounting (28; 128) of the filtering device.
4. Bottle according to any of claims 1 to 3, in which the tubular air-inlet filter or filters (32, 132) emerge through said perforated plate (28, 128).
5. Bottle according to any of claims 1 to 4, in which said surface with a hydrophobic nature has a particular bacterial filtration capability.
6. Bottle according to claims 3 and 4 or 5, in which the filtering device comprises a tubular air-inlet filter (32) made from a hydrophobic membrane, and in which said tubular air-inlet filter made from a hydrophobic membrane is wound in a spiral around said cluster in the vicinity of said perforated plate (28) for mounting the whole of the filtering device (28).
7. Bottle according to claims 3 and 4 or 5, in which the filtering device (26) comprises a plurality of tubular air-inlet filters (32) made from a hydrophobic membrane disposed around said cluster of tubular filters (30) made from a hydrophilic membrane that are elongate longitudinally in the vicinity of said perforated plate (28) for mounting the whole of the filtering device (26) whereas the hydrophilic tubular filters (30) for the expulsion of liquid are implemented immersed at a depth in the bottle.
8. Bottle according to claim 3 and any of claims 4 to 7, in which said cluster of tubular liquid-expulsion filters (30) is surrounded by a mechanically strong guide sheath (34), having the effect of keeping them elongate in the longitudinal direction of the bottle, said sheath consisting of a non-perforated tubular wall for guiding the circulation of the liquid to lick the wall made from a hydrophilic membrane of the tubular filters of said cluster.
9. Bottle according to claim 8, in which said guide sheath (34) has a window (36) for the passage of liquid through the tubular wall of the guide sheath (34) when the dispensing head is turned upside down for expulsion of liquid, said window being disposed in the vicinity of said perforated plate (28).
10. Bottle according to claim 9, in which the hydrophobic-membrane surface in the form of a tubular filter (32) is situated between the perforated plate (28) and said window (36), forming turns around the axis of the bottle, outside the guide sheath (34) enveloping the tubular filters (30) made from a hydrophilic membrane reserved for the discharge of liquid.
11. Bottle according to claim 8, in which the guide sheath (34) surrounding the cluster of tubular filters (30) in the form of a hydrophilic membrane has the same diameter as the neck of the bottle (10) on which said dispensing head (1) is mounted, the hydrophobic tubular membrane for the entry of air being then situated inside said guide sheath.
12. Bottle according to any of claims 4 to 11, in which the particulate filtration capacity of the walls of the tubular filters (30, 32) is different depending on whether they are associated with the discharge of liquid or the entry of air, finer for the hydrophobic wall, which is preferably a bacterial filtration membrane, and coarser for the hydrophilic wall, so as to facilitate the dispensing of viscous solutions.
13. Bottle according to any of claims 4 to 12, in which the hydrophilic tubular filters (130) for the discharge of liquid and the hydrophobic tubular filters (132) for the entry of air are all bent in a U on themselves between two opposite ends where their internal pipes emerge through said transverse plate (128), the longitudinal height of the hydrophobic tubular filters (132) being less than that of the hydrophilic tubular filters (130).
14. Bottle according to any of claims 1 to 13, in which the tubular filters (30; 130; 132) are bent on themselves, the emerging ends (31) of each being both embedded in said perforated plate (28) so that the internal pipes of said tubular filters emerge at the top face (29) of said perforated plate (28; 128) in order to communicate with the outside.
15. Bottle according to claim 14, in which, over the emerging ends (31) of the tubular filters, the top face (29) of the perforated plate (28; 128) is covered with a porous protective pad (24, 124) with an effect of distributing the liquid extracted from the bottle, grouped together to form a drop of liquid being expelled.

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