EP3490406B1 - Device for collecting and applying a fluid product - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device comprising a base part and a removable member removably mounted on the base part. The removable member slides axially in a sealed manner in the base part over a determined axial stroke. The preferred fields of application of the present invention are those of perfumery, cosmetics or even pharmacy. The base part can be secured to a fluid reservoir, and the movable member can support an applicator.

In the field of perfumery, we know the document WO2013 / 017803 which describes an applicator dispenser comprising a removable member provided with an applicator which is adapted to be withdrawn axially by leaktight sliding out of a base part which comprises a cup whose bottom is pierced with an injection orifice connected to a dip tube. More precisely, the removable member is unscrewed from the base part, which generates its sliding axial displacement: at the end of unscrewing, the removable member can be completely removed and separated from the base part in order to be able to put the applicator in place. contact with a suitable surface, such as the skin. During unscrewing, a vacuum is formed between the base part and the removable member, so that the fluid stored in a tank is sucked through the dip tube and the injection orifice to fill the applicator.

On the other hand, we can see in this document WO2013 / 017803 that the applicator is formed by a tube internally defining a sampling and application space. The tubing is surrounded by a piston which slides inside a sliding barrel formed by the upper part of the bucket. Thus, the suction which makes it possible to fill the applicator by injection is created by the sliding of the piston inside the upper part of the cup. There is no sliding contact with the tubing forming the applicator.

Another problem with the distributor of this document WO2013 / 017803 is that the cup is partially filled with fluid once the applicator is removed from it. This is clearly visible on the figure 6 of this document. And when you put the applicator back in the cup, you push the contents of the cup and the dip tube back into the tank through the dip tube. As a result, the dip tube is empty of fluid, so that the next time the applicator is removed, the dip tube will first have to be filled. Another similar distributor is described in the document US 2014/0131392 A1 .

The object of the present invention is to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by defining an applicator dispenser of the type described in the documents. WO2013 / 017803 and US 2014/0131392 A1 , but the contents of the cup are purged in another way, in order to leave the dip tube filled, or at least in part, with fluid.

• une pièce de base montée sur un réservoir de produit fluide, la pièce de base comprenant un tube plongeur et un godet dans lequel est formé un orifice d'injection raccordé au tube plongeur, le godet étant pourvu d'un piston, et
• un organe amovible monté de manière amovible selon un axe de coulissement sur la pièce de base, l'organe amovible comprenant un appendice de préhension, une tubulure apte à coulisser axialement de manière étanche contre le piston sur une course axiale étanche et un applicateur apte à retenir une dose de produit fluide issue de l'orifice d'injection par aspiration générée par le coulissement étanche de la tubulure contre le piston, l'applicateur comprenant un espace de prélèvement et d'application formé dans la tubulure, le produit fluide étant injecté dans cet espace de prélèvement et d'application à travers le tube plongeur et l'orifice d'injection,
  caractérisé en ce que le godet est pourvu d'un clapet de vidange qui fait sélectivement communiquer l'intérieur du godet avec le réservoir de produit fluide, de manière à refouler le produit fluide contenu dans le godet vers le réservoir, lors de la remise en place de l'organe amovible sur la pièce de base.

To do this, the present invention provides a device for withdrawing and applying a fluid product comprising:

• a base part mounted on a fluid reservoir, the base part comprising a dip tube and a cup in which is formed an injection orifice connected to the dip tube, the cup being provided with a piston, and
• a removable member removably mounted along a sliding axis on the base part, the removable member comprising a gripping appendage, a tube suitable for sliding axially in leaktight manner against the piston on a sealed axial stroke and an applicator suitable for retaining a dose of fluid product coming from the injection orifice by suction generated by the sealed sliding of the tubing against the piston, the applicator comprising a sampling and application space formed in the tubing, the fluid product being injected in this sampling and application space through the dip tube and the injection orifice,
  characterized in that the bucket is provided with a drain valve which selectively communicates the interior of the bucket with the fluid reservoir, so as to discharge the fluid contained in the bucket towards the reservoir, when the removable member is replaced on the base part.

Thus, as soon as the contact between the tubing and the piston is again established during the replacement of the replacement of the removable member on the base part, the fluid contained in the cup is pressurized and can return directly to the tank through the drain valve.

Advantageously, the drain valve comprises at least one through hole passing through the wall thickness of the bucket, said at least one through hole being bordered by a valve seat, the drain valve also comprising a movable valve member arranged at outside the bucket and able to close the through hole, when a vacuum is created in the bucket.

According to an advantageous characteristic, in order to guarantee the emptying of the bucket without emptying the dip tube, the drain valve opens at an overpressure threshold in the bucket which is lower than that necessary to discharge the contents of the bucket through the dip tube . One can for example use a thin dip tube (outside diameter less than 1mm) to increase the pressure drop. The movable valve member does not need to rest tightly on its seat in the idle state, so that it is already open even before the overpressure is formed inside the bucket. On the other hand, as soon as the depression forms in the bucket, the movable valve member is immediately pressed onto its seat and hermetically seals the passage hole (s).

Advantageously, the bucket comprises a bottom, advantageously flat and perpendicular to the sliding axis, at which the drain valve is located. The through holes can extend axially and perpendicularly across the flat bottom.

On the other hand, the bottom can be crossed by a conduit which connects the dip tube to the injection orifice. This conduit can be formed by the cup or by the dip tube. The injection orifice is formed at the free upper end of the conduit.

According to a practical embodiment, the drain valve comprises several through holes arranged around the duct.

Advantageously, the basic part comprises a tube holder in which is engaged one end of the dip tube, the movable valve member being fixedly mounted around this tube holder, which advantageously forms a fixing profile. Alternatively, there is no tube holder and the dip tube is formed in one piece with the cup: the movable valve member is then fixedly mounted around the upper part of the dip tube.

Advantageously, the movable valve member comprises a fixing heel in fixed engagement with the tube holder and a flexible corolla which extends over said at least one passage hole to close them selectively.

According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the injection orifice is located inside the sampling and application space, when the removable member is in place on the base part. As a variant, the injection orifice is situated outside the sampling and application space, when the removable member is in place on the base part.

The spirit of the invention resides in the fact of emptying the contents of the bucket into the reservoir, when replacing the removable member, by passing it through a one-way valve, preferably placed at the bottom of the bucket. .

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, giving by way of nonlimiting examples, three embodiments of the invention.

• La figure 1 est une vue en coupe transversale verticale à travers un distributeur selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• La figure 2 est une vue fortement agrandie du détail A de la figure 1,
• La figure 3 est une vue similaire à la figure 2 pour un second mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• La figure 4 est une vue similaire aux figures 2 et 3 pour un troisième mode de réalisation de l'invention, et
• Les figures 5 et 6 sont des vues en perspective montrant deux versions de trous de passage dans le fond du godet.

In the figures:

• The figure 1 is a vertical cross-section view through a dispenser according to a first embodiment of the invention,
• The figure 2 is a greatly enlarged view of detail A of the figure 1 ,
• The figure 3 is a view similar to the figure 2 for a second embodiment of the invention,
• The figure 4 is a view similar to figures 2 and 3 for a third embodiment of the invention, and
• The Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views showing two versions of through holes in the bottom of the bucket.

We will first refer to the figure 1 to describe in detail the structure and operation of a dispenser applicator of fluid which can be used as a basic dispenser to integrate a drain valve according to the present invention. The three embodiments of the invention which will be explained below will detail only the differences compared to this basic applicator dispenser.

The dispenser first comprises a fluid reservoir 1 which is only very partially shown. Indeed, the figure 1 represents only the upper part of the reservoir 1 which forms a neck 11 which is entirely conventional, with an external reinforcement for attachment. The fluid reservoir 1 can be of any kind and be made of any material, since the reservoir is not a critical element for the present invention.

In addition to the tank 1, the dispenser comprises two other constituent parts, namely a base part 2 which is fixedly mounted on the tank 1 and a removable member 3 which is removably mounted on the base part 2.

The base part 2 comprises hooking means, which can be in the form of a skirt 20, split or not, which engages around the neck 11 of the tank 1. This is a design quite classic for fixing a distribution member in the fields of cosmetics, perfumery or even pharmacy. The attachment of the skirt 20 around the neck 11 can be used to crush an annular neck seal 4 on the upper edge of the neck 11. The base part 2 also includes a cup 21 which extends inside the neck 11 of the tank. At its lower end, the cup 21 forms a bottom 22 which is crossed by a conduit 23 which is formed at the junction between a tube holder 25 and a cannula 26. The tube holder 25 serves as a support for a dip tube 24 which extends inside the tank 1 as close to its bottom. The dip tube 24 includes an upper end forcibly engaged in the tube holder 25. The cannula 26 extends inside the cup 21 and forms at its upper free end an injection orifice 261. The cup 21 is provided with a piston 27 which forms a piston lip. The piston 27 is an insert which is placed in the cup 21 and held for example by snap-fastening. It is also possible to provide for the piston 27 by overmolding or bi-injection. The technique of holding the piston 27 in the cup 21 is not critical to the present invention. Furthermore, the base part 2 forms a socket forming an internal thread 28. Optionally, the base part 2 can comprise an external covering band 29, which can possibly participate in maintaining the skirt 20 around the neck 11.

The removable member 3 comprises a gripping appendage 31 that the user can grasp between his fingers. Internally, the removable member 3 forms an external thread 32 able to cooperate with the internal thread 28 of the base part 2. The removable member 3 also comprises a tube 33 of substantially cylindrical shape and internally defining a sampling space and d application 35 in which the cannula 26 and the injection orifice 261 are positioned, as can be seen on the figure 1 . It can be seen that this space 35 is open at its lower end and closed at its upper end, so as to define a blind space. The opening of the space 35 is located near the bottom 22 of the cup 21. It can also be seen that the tube 33 comes into tight contact with the lip of the piston 27.

Starting from the configuration shown on the figure 1 , a user can grasp the gripping appendage 31 to impart a rotational movement thereto, which has the effect of unscrewing the removable member 3 from the base part 2. In doing so, the tube 33 slides in leaktight manner. inside the piston 27, creating a depression inside the sampling and application space 35. This depression will generate a suction of fluid from the reservoir 1 through the dip tube 24 and the orifice injection 261. The fluid product will thus be injected inside the sampling and application space 35. The injection of fluid product will continue until the space 35 is filled and even at beyond that, as long as the tubing 33 is in sealed sliding contact inside the piston 27. It is thus possible to define an axial sealed sliding stroke between the piston 27 and the tubing 33. With the design shown in the figure 1 , the axial sliding stroke is substantial, so that a large quantity of fluid will be sucked and injected into the sampling space 35. This quantity is such that it will even fill part of the bucket 21, once that the removable member 3 will be completely removed from the base part 1. Thus, there remains fluid in the cup 21, once the removable member 3 removed.

We will now refer to the figure 2 to describe the first embodiment of the invention, which is also implemented in the figure 1 . On this figure 2 , it can be seen that the bottom 22 is pierced with at least two through holes 221 which pass through the wall thickness of the bottom. These through holes 221 have an axial orientation parallel to that of the sliding of the removable member 3. One can for example provide through holes 221 of cylindrical shape, as shown in the figure 5 , or curved oblong, as shown in the figure 6 . In both variants, the through holes 221 extend around the tube holder 25 and the conduit 23. These holes 221 create direct communication between the interior of the bucket 21 and the interior of the reservoir 1, without passing through the dip tube 24. The outer wall of the bottom 22 around the through holes 221 forms a valve seat 222.

On the figure 2 , it can also be seen that a movable valve member 5 is disposed around the tube holder 25 so as to extend against the valve seat 222, thereby closing the through holes 221. This movable valve member 5 is provided here in the form of a flat annular seal which is fixedly held at its inner annular edge; while the rest of the flat seal can be moved away from the seat 222 by elastic deformation. More specifically, the inner annular edge forms a fixed anchoring heel 51 which is held around the tube holder 25 between the bottom 22 and an anchoring rib 251 formed at the level of the external wall of the tube holder 25. It is understood easily as the movable valve member 5 vase press against the seat 222, when a depression is created in the bucket, which is the case when the removable member 3 is removed from the base part 2. The through holes 221 are then sealed in a sealed manner by the movable valve member 5. On the other hand, as soon as an overpressure is created in the bucket 21, which is the case when the removable member 3 is replaced on the base part 2, the member movable valve 5 is pushed away from the seat 222, thereby establishing a direct passage between the bucket 21 and the reservoir 1. Consequently, the contents of the bucket 21 are emptied into the reservoir through a drain valve, formed by the seat valve 222 and the movable valve member 5, which is forced into the open state by the pressurized fluid contained in the cup 21.

This drain valve is formed outside of the bucket 21 and inside the tank 1. It preferably opens at an overpressure threshold in the bucket which is lower than that necessary to discharge the contents of the bucket through the dip tube. Thus, the bucket can be emptied of its content through the drain valve, leaving the dip tube filled with fluid. In other words, the removable member 3 can be replaced on the base part 2 without emptying the dip tube 24, so that the next time the removable member 3 is removed, the fluid is immediately injected into space 35. In principle, the movable valve member 5 does not even need to rest in a sealed manner on its seat 222 in the rest state, so that it is already open even before the overpressure is formed inside the bucket 21. On the other hand, as soon as the depression is formed in the bucket 21, the movable valve member 5 is immediately pressed onto its seat 222 and hermetically seals the through holes 221. In order to increase the pressure drop across the dip tube 24, it is possible to decrease its internal diameter. It is also possible to provide a non-return valve upstream or downstream of the dip tube to prevent any passage of fluid from the bucket 21 to the reservoir 1. One could accommodate such a valve at the conduit 23 or the cannula 26 .

Referring to the figure 3 , we see a second embodiment for a drain valve according to the invention. The bottom 22 of the bucket 21 can be identical or similar to that of the first embodiment of the figure 2 . The difference lies in the mode of anchoring of the movable valve member 5 ′, which has an anchoring heel 51 ′ which is rounded and which snaps into an anchoring groove 252 of the tube holder 25 of corresponding shape. The upper edge of the groove 252 can extend in the extension of the valve seat 222.

On the figure 4 , we see a third embodiment for a drain valve according to the invention. The bottom 22 of the bucket 21 can be identical or similar to that of the first embodiment of the figure 2 . It can however be noted that there is no cannula 26, so that the injection orifice 261 is located outside the sampling and application space 35. It can be said that the injection port 261 is just outside the space 35. It is also possible to arrange the orifice 261 just inside the space 35. This configuration is more suitable for low viscous fluid products , like the scent, while the configuration of figures 2 and 3 , with a cannula which extends far inside the space 35, is more suitable for more viscous fluid products, such as creams or serums.

On the other hand, the embodiment of the figure 4 also differs from the previous ones by its movable valve member 5 "which includes an anchor heel 51" in the form of a sheath which encloses the tube holder 25 over a certain height. The advantage of this design lies in the fact that the tube holder can be conventional, without rib or anchoring groove.

Whatever the design of the movable valve member 5, 5 ', 5 ", it includes a fixed anchor heel 51, 51', 51" secured to the tube holder 25 and a flexible corolla 52 which allows selectively close the through holes 221 as a function of the pressure prevailing inside the bucket 21.

The movable valve member 5; 5 '; 5 "can be mechanically mounted on the tube holder 25, but it can also be produced by bi-injection with chemically incompatible materials, allowing mechanical strength, but no chemical bonding, so as to ensure separation of the flexible corolla 52.

Thanks to the invention, the dip tube 24 remains partially, and preferably entirely, filled with fluid, so that the filling of the sampling and application space 35 begins from the start of the sealed sliding of the member removable 3 from the base part 2. The formation of the through holes 222 is easy, because they have an axial orientation which is that of molding / demolding. Adding a seal as a movable valve member is an easy operation. The arrangement of the drain valve at the bottom 22 of the bucket 21 is preferred, but not exclusive.

Claims (11)

1. A device for collecting and applying a fluid product comprising:

   - a base part (2) mounted on a fluid product reservoir (1), the base part (2) comprising a dip tube (24) and a cup (21) in which is formed an injection orifice (261) connected to the dip tube (24), the cup (21) being provided with a piston (27), and

   - a removable member (3) removably mounted along a sliding axis on the base part (2), the removable member (3) comprising a gripping appendage (31), a nozzle (33) capable of sliding along a sliding axis in a sealed manner against the piston (27) on a sealed axial stroke and an applicator (35) capable of retaining a dose of fluid product coming from the injection orifice (261) by suction generated by the sealed sliding of the nozzle (33) against the piston (27), the applicator comprising a collection and application space (35) formed in the nozzle (33), the fluid product being injected in this collection and application space (35) through the dip tube (24) and the injection orifice (261),
   characterized in that the cup (21) is provided with an emptying valve (221, 222, 5; 5'; 5") which selectively communicates the interior of the cup (21) with the fluid product reservoir (1), so as to discharge the fluid product contained in the cup (21) towards the reservoir (1), when replacing the removable member (3) on the base part (2).
2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the emptying valve (221, 222, 5; 5'; 5") comprises at least one through passage (221) extending through the wall thickness of the cup (21), said at least one through passage (221) being bordered by a valve seat (222), the emptying valve (221, 222, 5; 5'; 5") also comprising a movable valve member (5; 5'; 5") disposed outside the cup (21) and capable of closing the through passage (221), when a vacuum is created in the cup (21) .
3. The dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the emptying valve (221, 222, 5; 5'; 5") opens at an overpressure threshold in the cup (21) which is lower than the one necessary to discharge the content of the cup (21) through the dip tube (24).
4. The dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cup (21) comprises a bottom (22) at which the emptying valve (221, 222, 5; 5'; 5") is located.
5. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the bottom (22) is crossed by a duct (23) which connects the dip tube (24) to the injection orifice (261).
6. The dispenser according to claim 5, wherein the emptying valve (221, 222, 5; 5'; 5") comprises several through passages (221) disposed around the duct (23).
7. The dispenser according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the base part (2) comprises a tube-holder (25) in which one end of the dip tube (24) is engaged, the movable valve member (5; 5'; 5") being fixedly mounted around this tube-holder (25), which advantageously forms a fixing profile (251; 252).
8. The dispenser according to claim 7, wherein the movable valve member (5; 5'; 5") comprises a fixing heel (51; 51'; 51") in fixed engagement with the tube-holder (25) and a flexible brim (52) which extends over said at least one through passage (221) to close them selectively.
9. The dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movable valve member (5; 5'; 5") is made by bi-injection with chemically incompatible materials.
10. The dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the injection orifice (261) is located inside the collection and application space (35), when the removable member (3) is in place on the base part (2).
11. The dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the injection orifice (261) is located outside the collection and application space (35), when the removable member (3) is in place on the base part (2).

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