FR2812826A1 - Fluid product atomizer has pump or valve actuated by side lever for use as a nasal spray - Google Patents

Abstract

Atomizer consists of a container (10) for the fluid product, a pump or valve (20) mounted on the container by a fixing ring (30), and a nozzle (40) with an outlet (45), is new. Atomizer consists of a container (10) for the fluid product, a pump or valve (20) mounted on the container by a fixing ring (30), and a nozzle (40) with an outlet (45). Pump or valve is actuated by a side lever (51) via the fixing ring, the lever being moved in a different direction and especially perpendicular to the direction of the outlet spray. In variants of the design the pump or valve can be actuated by push button(s) or a side skirt.

Description

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The present invention relates to a device for spraying a fluid product, and more particularly to a device for spraying a fluid product in which the actuating force exerted by the user is directed in a direction different from the direction of spraying the product through the spray port of the device.

Most fluid dispensing devices, whether dispensers for perfumes, drugs or cosmetics, are made in such a way that the user, when he wishes to dispense a dose of product, exerts a force either on the dispensing head, either on the product reservoir, this force being directed axially in the direction of movement of the piston or of the device valve. This type of actuation is very practical for all devices in which the spraying direction is not axial, that is to say is not parallel to the direction of movement of the piston or of the pump valve. or the device valve. On the other hand, for a nasal spray device, in which the product distribution direction is carried out axially to send the dose of product inside the nostril, this type of sprayer has a certain number of drawbacks.

Thus, in particular, the fact that the force to actuate the device must be exerted in an axial direction implies that it is difficult to hold the nosepiece fixedly in the nostril at the time of delivery. In addition, this type of actuation can involve a certain force necessary to overcome the precompression of the pump or the valve, which can present a certain number of difficulties for certain people such as the elderly or children, and which can also in extreme cases lead to injuries inside the nostril. Likewise, this type of device is relatively difficult to actuate by a third person who does not himself feel the contact of the nasal tip inside his nostril.

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 The object of the present invention is to provide a device for spraying a fluid product which does not have the abovementioned drawbacks.

In particular, the present invention aims to provide a fluid spraying device, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, and which adapts to any type of pump or valve currently existing, without involving any modification of the pump or valve design.

The present invention also aims to provide such a device for spraying a fluid product which is simple to actuate, in particular in a nasal application.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a device for spraying a fluid product which makes it possible to keep the dispensing orifice of the device fixed inside the nostril when the device is actuated.

The present invention therefore relates to a device for spraying a fluid product comprising a reservoir containing fluid product, a pump or a valve, mounted on the reservoir by means of a fixing ring, for selectively distributing the fluid product, and a dispensing head comprising a dispensing orifice, characterized in that the device comprises an actuating device which can be displaced relative to said dispensing head between a rest position and a dispensing position, the movement of said actuating device acting on the fixing ring or an element integral therewith for actuating the pump or the valve, the displacement of the actuating device being carried out in a different direction, and in particular approximately

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 perpendicular to the direction of spraying of the product through the dispensing orifice.

Advantageously, the dispensing head is an integral part of a body substantially surrounding the unit formed by the reservoir, the pump or the valve and the fixing ring, the actuating device being provided on a side wall of said body.

According to a first embodiment of the present invention, the actuating device comprises a lever pivotally mounted on said body, a part of said lever forming a cam cooperating with the fixing ring or an element integral with the latter.

Advantageously, the lever is pivotally mounted on the body at the bottom of the tank.

Advantageously, the actuation device comprises a precompression element, so that the pump or the valve is actuated only when the precompression threshold is overcome by the user.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the actuation device is produced in the form of one or more buttons provided in a side wall of said body and cooperating with said fixing ring, said buttons being movable in a perpendicular direction the direction of movement of the pump actuator rod or the valve valve.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, said actuating device is formed on the side skirt of the dispensing head and cooperates with a part of the fixing ring to actuate the pump or the valve.

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 Advantageously, the fixing ring or an element integral with the latter, comprises an oblique cam element cooperating with the lower end of the lateral skirt of the dispensing head, so that a displacement of said skirt in a transverse direction with respect to the spraying direction of the product is transferred by said oblique cam member in a movement in the spraying direction of the product.

Advantageously, the cam element is provided at the end of the actuation stroke of the dispensing head.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, said fixing ring comprises a fixing part on the reservoir and a pump fixing part which form an angle between them of about 90 so that the direction of movement of the rod actuation or valve of the pump or valve is perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the reservoir, said dispensing head also forming an angle of about 90 with the actuation rod or valve of the pump or valve so that the spraying direction of the product is parallel to the axis of symmetry of the reservoir, the actuation of the pump being carried out by displacement of the dispensing head in the direction of displacement of the actuation rod or valve.

Advantageously, the dispensing head is a nasal dispensing head which, when the pump or the valve is actuated, remains fixed in position in the nostril of the user.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly during the following detailed description.

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 of several embodiments of the present invention, given by way of nonlimiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which - Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; - Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, showing an alternative embodiment of the device in this first embodiment; - Figures 3a and 3b are schematic views of a device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; - Figure 4 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of the present invention; - Figure 5 is a schematic view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention; - Figures 6a and 6b schematically show a fifth embodiment of the present invention, respectively before and after actuation; - Figure 7 schematically shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention, the two positions before and after actuation being shown in the same figure; - Figures 8a and 8b schematically show a seventh embodiment of the present invention respectively before and after actuation; - Figures 9a and 9b schematically show an eighth embodiment of the present invention before and after actuation; - Figure 10 schematically shows a ninth embodiment of the present invention, the two positions before and after actuation being shown in the same figure; - Figure 11 schematically shows a tenth embodiment of the present invention, the two positions before and after actuation being shown in the same figure.

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 Figures 1, 2 and 4 show somewhat more detailed views of three alternative embodiments of the present invention, while Figures 3a, 3b, 5, 6a, 6b, 7, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10 and 11 are very schematic views which show various different embodiments of the actuating device, without showing in more detail the rest of the device.

With reference to the figures, and in particular to FIG. 1, the spraying device of the invention comprises a reservoir 10 which contains the fluid product to be dispensed, and a pump or a valve 20, in this case a pump in FIG. 1, which is mounted on the tank 10 by means of a fixing ring 30, which in this example is a ring snapped onto the neck of the tank. This pump 20 serves to selectively dispense the product through a dispensing orifice 45 provided in a dispensing head 40. In this example, as in the examples shown in the other figures, the dispensing head 40 is a nasal dispensing head, in which the orifice 45 is arranged axially in order to distribute the product inside the nostril.

Of course, the present invention is not necessarily limited to a nasal application, but applies to all types of device for dispensing a fluid product. Its use in a nasal-type dispensing device, however, has advantages which have been mentioned previously.

According to the invention, the spraying device comprises an actuation system 50 which is movable relative to the dispensing head 40, the direction of movement of the actuation device 50 being different from the direction of spraying of the product through the dispensing orifice 45. More specifically, the direction of movement of the

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 actuating device 50 is approximately perpendicular to the direction of spraying of the product through the dispensing orifice 45, it being understood that depending on the embodiment chosen for the actuating device, and in particular if it acts of a pivoting element, this direction is not always exactly perpendicular.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the actuation system 50 comprises a lever 51 pivotally mounted on the body 100. According to the invention, the actuation system 50, in this case the lever 51, acts on the fixing ring 30 of the pump or of the valve 20 on the reservoir 10, for actuating this pump or valve. The user therefore places the dispensing head 40 in his nostril, and actuates the lever 51 to dispense a dose of product, this actuation being carried out laterally so that the device remains motionless inside the nostril at the time of distribution, no axial force being exerted on the device. This lever 51 is preferably pivotally mounted on the body 100 and comprises a part forming a cam 55 which cooperates with the fixing ring 30 or an element integral with the latter. Figures 1, 2, 7, 9a and 9b show levers 51 pivotally mounted on an upper part of the body 100, near said fixing ring 30. Figures 6a, 6b, 8a 8b and 10 show pivoting levers 51 mounted pivoting on a lower part of the body 100, near the bottom of the reservoir 10. The cam means 55 of the lever 51 which cooperates with the fixing ring 30 or an element integral with the latter differ in the different embodiments shown on the figures.

Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 1, it is an internal end of the lever 51 which cooperates directly with the lower part of the fixing ring 30.

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 In the example of FIGS. 6a and 6b, a bent rod 55 which is itself pivotally connected to the body 100 is fixed on the one hand to the lever 51 and on the other hand to the fixing ring 30 so that the actuation of the lever 51 rotates the rod 55 to move the reservoir and therefore activate the pump.

In the example of FIG. 7, it is an extension 55 of the lever 51 beyond its pivot point which cooperates directly with the fixing ring 30.

The example of FIGS. 9a and 9b is similar to that shown in FIG. 7, the differences being mainly at the ergonomic and functional level.

In the example of FIGS. 8a and 8b, it is an oblique cam surface of the lever 51 which forms the part 55 cooperating with the actuating ring 30, or more precisely with an element, such as an ergo, bulge, shoulder or the like, integral with said ring 30.

In the example of FIG. 10, an element 55 integral with the lever 51 and having a certain elasticity is moved vertically upward by the actuation of the lever 51 to actuate the pump 20. This implementation provides a certain return force which automatically returns the lever to its starting position. Similarly, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the lever 51 comprises a precompression element 52 which makes it possible to actuate the pump or the valve 20 only if the precompression threshold is overcome by the user. This keeps the distribution of the entire dose and avoids partial actuations of the device.

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 In the examples of FIGS. 3a and 3b and 11, the actuating device 50 is not produced in the form of a pivoting lever but in the form of buttons 56 which can be moved laterally, said displacement actuating the pump or the valve 20. More specifically in the example of FIG. 11, a rod 57 is pivotally connected to the actuation buttons 56, said rod 57 being guided by an oblique surface so that the actuation of the buttons 56 causes said rod to move. 57 vertically upwards to activate the pump, the end of said rod being fixed or cooperating with the fixing ring 30 of the device. The exemplary embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5 show very different variants from those shown in the previous diagrams. Thus, in FIG. 4, the actuation system is arranged on the dispensing head 40 and not on the body of the device 100. It should be noted here that in the embodiments discussed previously represented in FIGS. 1, 2 and 8 to 11, the dispensing head is advantageously produced in a single piece with the body 100. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the dispensing head is a separate element from the body of the device (not shown in FIG. 4) and the actuating device 50 is formed on the lateral skirt 41 of the dispensing head 40. Advantageously as shown in FIG. 4, said fixing ring 30 comprises an oblique cam element 31 which cooperates with the lower end 50 of the lateral skirt 41 of the dispensing head 40 so that a displacement of said skirt 41 in a transverse direction relative to the spraying direction of the product is transferred by the oblique cam member 31 in a displacement in the spraying direction of the product. In the device of Figure 4, the actuating rod of the pump 20 is moved by the actuation of the dispensing head 40. Thus, it is advantageous that the cam element 31 of the fixing ring 30 cooperates with the lower end 50 of the skirt

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 lateral 41 of the dispensing head 40 at the end of actuation stroke of said dispensing head 40.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the fixing ring 30 includes a part for fixing to the tank 35, the tank not being shown in this figure, a part for fixing the pump 36, these two parts forming an angle of about 90 so that the direction of movement of the actuating rod or valve 21 of the pump or valve 20 is perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the reservoir. On the other hand, the dispensing head 40 also forms an angle of about 90 with the actuating rod or valve 21 of the pump or valve 20 so that the direction of spraying of the product is parallel to the axis of symmetry of the tank. Thus, the actuation of the pump is achieved by moving the dispensing head 40 in the direction of movement of the actuating rod or valve 21 but perpendicular to the direction of spraying of the product through the dispensing orifice 45 .

Of course, all these exemplary embodiments have only been described and shown very schematically, and other more or less equivalent variants could be used to implement the actuation system of the present invention. The invention is therefore not limited to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.

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Claims (11)

Claims 1. Fluid product spraying device comprising a reservoir (10) containing fluid, a pump or a valve (20), mounted on the reservoir (10) by means of a fixing ring (30), for dispensing selectively the fluid product, and a dispensing head (40) comprising a dispensing orifice (45), characterized in that the device comprises an actuating device (50) movable relative to said dispensing head (40) between a rest position and a dispensing position, the displacement of said actuating device (50) acting on the fixing ring (30) or an element integral with the latter to actuate the pump or the valve (20), the displacement of the actuating device (50) being produced in a different direction, and in particular approximately perpendicular, to the direction of spraying of the product through the dispensing orifice (45). 2. Device according to claim 1, in which the dispensing head (40) is an integral part of a body (100) substantially surrounding the unit formed by the reservoir (10), the pump or the valve (20) and the fixing ring (30), the actuating device (50) being provided on a side wall (101) of said body (100). 3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the actuating device (50) comprises a lever (51) pivotally mounted on said body (100), a part of said lever (51) forming a cam (55) cooperating with the ring. fixing (30) or an element integral with the latter. <Desc / Clms Page number 12>  4. Device according to claim 3, wherein the lever (51) is pivotally mounted on the body (100) at the bottom of the tank (10). 5. Device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the actuating device (50) comprises a precompression element (52), so that the pump or the valve (20) is actuated only when the threshold precompression is overcome by the user. 6. Device according to claim 2 or 5, wherein the actuating device (50) is made in the form of one or more buttons (56) provided in a side wall (101) of said body (100) and cooperating with said fixing ring (30), said buttons (56) being movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the actuating rod (21) of the pump (20) or of the valve (21) of the valve ( 20). 7. Device according to claim 1, in which said actuating device (50) is formed on the side skirt (41) of the dispensing head (40) and cooperates with a part (31) of the fixing ring (30 ) to activate the pump or the valve (20). 8. Device according to claim 7, wherein the fixing ring (30) or an element integral with the latter, comprises an oblique cam element (31) cooperating with the lower end (50) of the side skirt (41 ) of the dispensing head (40), so that a movement of said skirt (41) in a direction transverse to the direction of spraying of the product is transferred by said oblique cam element (31) in a movement in the spray direction of the product. <Desc / Clms Page number 13>  9. Device according to claim 8, in which the cam element (31) is provided at the end of the actuation stroke of the dispensing head (40). 10. Device according to claim 1, wherein said fixing ring (30) comprises a fixing part on the tank (35) and a pump fixing part (36) which form between. they have an angle of about 90 so that the direction of movement of the actuating rod or valve (21) of the pump or valve (20) is perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the reservoir, said dispensing head (40 ) also forming an angle of approximately 90 with the actuating rod or valve (21) of the pump or valve (20) so that the spraying direction of the product is parallel to the axis of symmetry of the reservoir, the actuation of the pump being effected by displacement of the dispensing head (40) in the direction of displacement of the actuation rod or valve (21). 11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the dispensing head (40) is a nasal dispensing head which, when the pump or the valve (20) is actuated, remains fixed in position in the user nostril.