FR2821830A1 - Fluid product dispenser comprises reservoir with vent in bottom sealed by venting system - Google Patents

Abstract

The dispenser comprises a product reservoir (10) and a dispensing pump or valve (20). There is a vent (12) in the reservoir bottom (11) which is sealed by a venting system (30) comprising an obturator (31) which spring loaded into a sealing position and elastically deformed to a vent open position when the reservoir pressure is less than atmospheric pressure.

Description

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 The present invention relates to a fluid product dispensing device, and more particularly a fluid product dispensing device comprising a reservoir on which is mounted a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve.

 These types of devices comprising a dispensing member mounted on a reservoir are well known in the state of the art. Generally, the reservoir contains a plurality of doses of product which are selectively distributed on each actuation by said dispensing member. To compensate for the volume of product expelled on each actuation of the dispensing member, there are generally two types of solutions. The product can either be contained in a tank whose volume can progressively decrease, for example a flexible bag or a rigid tank comprising a follower piston in its bottom and which rises progressively. The other solution consists in providing an air intake allowing air coming from the atmosphere to replace the volume of product expelled. In this second case, the air intake can be provided either inside the dispensing member, or at the level of the attachment of the dispensing member to the reservoir, or even in the reservoir itself.

 The present invention applies more particularly to this latter type of device, that is to say to the device comprising a vent hole at the level of the reservoir.

 Several problems can arise for this type of device. A vent hole in the tank obviously requires a shutter capable of sealing the tank to prevent leakage of the product, and capable of allowing vent air to pass after each actuation of the pump or the distribution valve. The installation of this shutter and its structure can be complex, and may even require the manufacturer to modify the shape of its reservoir to allow adaptation of such a shutter. This considerably increases the cost of manufacturing and assembling the device.

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

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 The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device for dispensing a fluid product which makes it possible to ensure safe and reliable venting while guaranteeing total tightness of the device.

 The present invention also aims to provide a fluid dispensing device which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

 The present invention also aims to provide a fluid dispensing device which allows the complete emptying of the tank.

 The present invention also aims to provide a fluid product distribution device which effectively prevents the entry of all types of bacteria inside the reservoir, and in particular in contact with the product.

 The present invention therefore relates to a fluid dispenser device, comprising a fluid reservoir and a dispenser member, such as a pump or a valve, mounted in leaktight manner on said reservoir, characterized in that said device has a vent hole provided in the bottom of said tank, said vent hole being closed by a venting system comprising a shutter elastically biased towards a closed position and displaced and / or elastically deformed towards an open position said vent hole when the pressure inside the tank is lower than atmospheric pressure, said venting system being implemented by the inside of the tank before filling said tank with the fluid product.

 Preferably, said venting system further comprises a filtration element, in particular bacteria, for the venting air.

 Advantageously, said shutter comprises a plug fixed in a sealed manner in said vent hole and having an open air passage in the open position of the shutter, said venting system further comprising a membrane cooperating on the one hand with said plug and on the other hand with said tank, said membrane allowing the venting air to pass inside the tank in the open position of the shutter.

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 Advantageously, the plug has a wall provided with a slot which is closed in the closed position and open in the open position of the shutter.

 Advantageously, said membrane is sealed and cooperates in a sealed manner with the internal lateral wall of the tank, said membrane being able to deform elastically to allow the venting air to pass inside the tank at the level of the contact zone between said membrane. and said tank.

 Advantageously, said membrane has a flat surface cooperating with said plug.

 Advantageously, said flat surface is extended by a frustoconical sleeve which widens away from the bottom of the tank, and whose outer edge of larger diameter cooperates in leaktight manner with the internal side wall of the tank, said membrane thus forming a narrowed bottom allowing complete emptying of the tank.

 Advantageously, said frustoconical sleeve is prestressed and is elastically biased in leaktight contact with the internal lateral wall of the tank.

 Advantageously, said membrane is fixed to said cap so as to define one or more air channels between them, to connect the air passage of the cap with a zone of the reservoir disposed upstream of said membrane in the direction of flow. vent air.

 Advantageously, said channels are grooves made in said plug and / or in said membrane.

 Advantageously, said filtration element is disposed between said plug and said membrane.

 Advantageously, said filtration element is arranged upstream of said air channels in the direction of flow of the vent air.

 Advantageously, the dispensing member comprises a dip tube extending towards the bottom of the tank, the lower end of said tube

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 plunger cooperating with said membrane to hold it fixedly on said plug.

 Advantageously, said dip tube is rigid and has one or more product passage holes at its lower end.

 Advantageously, said dip tube fixes and maintains said venting system in position in the vent hole of the tank.

 Advantageously, which said tank is made of glass.

 Advantageously, the distribution member operates without air intake, such as for example an airless or vacuum pump.

 Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly during the following detailed description of an advantageous embodiment thereof, given with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, and on which, - Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fluid dispenser device according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, and - Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of the device of Figure 1 .

 Referring to the figures, and in particular to Figure 1, the fluid dispenser device comprises a reservoir 10, which is preferably made of glass. The present invention however applies to all types of known tanks. A dispensing member, which in this case is a pump 20, but which could very well be a valve or the like, is mounted in leaktight manner on the reservoir. In the example shown in the figure, the pump 20 is crimped onto the neck of the reservoir 10 by means of a crimping ring or capsule 3.

Of course, other types of fixing means can be envisaged, such as for example a snap-on or screwable ring, or even a fixing directly from the pump to the reservoir without the use of a fixing ring.

A dispensing head 1 is mounted on the pump 20 for actuating the latter and for selectively dispensing the product contained in the reservoir 10. This dispensing head 1 incorporates a dispensing orifice 2 through which the product is dispensed. Advantageously, a protective cover 4 can be

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 arranged around the dispensing head 1 in the rest position. The example represents a dispensing head of the nasal type, but it is clear that the present invention applies to any type of dispenser, whether it is nasal, buccal or other.

 According to the invention, the bottom 11 of the tank 10 has a vent hole 12.

A venting system 30 is provided for closing said vent hole 12 while allowing the passage of venting air towards the interior of the tank 10 each time the dispensing member is actuated. This venting system 30 comprises a shutter 31 which is resiliently biased towards a closed position and which can move and / or deform elastically towards an open position of said vent hole 12 when the pressure inside the reservoir 10 is lower at atmospheric pressure. Such a pressure difference occurs when product is expelled. In particular, the shutter can be produced in the form of a plug 31 which is tightly fixed in the vent hole 12 and which has an air passage 32. The latter is advantageously closed by a wall 33 provided with a slot 34, said slot 34 being able to open in the open position of the shutter. Advantageously, said plug 31, and in particular said wall 33 provided with the slot 34, are made of an elastically deformable elastomeric material.

 According to the invention, said venting system 30 is put in place, and in particular fixed, inside the tank 10, before filling said tank 10 with the fluid product. Preferably, said venting system 30 is introduced through the neck of the reservoir 10, the reservoir 10 then being filled and then the pump fixed in leaktight manner on said neck.

 Preferably, the venting system 30 further comprises a membrane 36 which cooperates on the one hand with the plug 31 and on the other hand with the reservoir 10. This membrane 36 is adapted to allow the venting air to pass to inside the reservoir 10 in the open position of the shutter 31.

More particularly, this membrane is sealed and cooperates in a sealed manner at its peripheral edge 39 with the internal lateral wall of the reservoir 10. This membrane 36 can deform elastically to allow the venting air to pass into the interior of the reservoir 10 at the level of the

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 contact 39 between the membrane 36 and said tank 10, when the pressure inside the tank is lower than atmospheric pressure or more generally that of the environment in which the device is used. According to the advantageous embodiment shown in the figures, the membrane comprises on the one hand a flat surface 37 which cooperates with the plug 31, and on the other hand a frustoconical sleeve 38 which extends said surface places 37 by flaring in the direction of the internal side wall of the tank 10, the flare going away from the bottom 11 of said tank 10, as clearly visible in the figures. Preferably, the larger diameter outer edge 39 of said frustoconical sleeve 38 cooperates in a sealed manner with the internal lateral wall of the reservoir 10. This can be favored if said frustoconical sleeve is prestressed, that is to say if it is elastically stressed. in tight contact with said side wall of said tank 10. This prestressing of the frustoconical sleeve can in particular be obtained during the insertion of the venting system 30 through the neck of the tank. A particular advantage of this embodiment is that the membrane 36 forms a narrowed bottom for the product inside the reservoir 10, which promotes complete emptying of this reservoir 10.

 The membrane 36, and in particular the flat surface 37 thereof, cooperates with the plug 31 so as to define one or more air channels 35, in particular of radial shape, which make it possible to connect the air passage 32 of the plug 31 with a zone 15 of the reservoir 10 which is located upstream of the membrane 36 in the direction of flow of the vent air, that is to say under said membrane 36 in the figures. This or these air channels 35 can for example be made by grooves made either in the plug 31 or in the flat surface 37 of the membrane 36, or by any other suitable means.

Thus, the venting air, when the pressure decreases inside the tank 10, first opens the slit 34 of the plug 31 and then flows through the air channels 35 into the zone 15 of the tank located under the membrane 36, then deforms the outer edge 39 of said membrane to penetrate inside the tank and compensate for the volume of product expelled during actuation of the pump.

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 Preferably, a filter element 40 is arranged on the path of the venting air, in particular between the plug 31 and the membrane 36. Preferably, said filter element 40 is wedged between the plug 31 and the flat surface 37 of the membrane 36, upstream of said air channels 35, in the direction of flow of the vent air, as shown in the figures. In this way, the venting air necessarily passes through the filter element 40 before entering the interior of the tank. This filter element can be produced in any known manner suitable for eliminating any bacteria or other impurities which may present a risk for the product contained in the tank.

 Preferably, the venting system is fixed in the vent hole 12 of the tank 10 by the interior of said tank 10. Advantageously, this fixing is obtained by means of a dip tube 25 fixed to the pump 20 and which s 'extends towards the bottom of the tank. Preferably, this dip tube 25 is rigid and comprises at its lower end 26 one or more fluid passage holes 27 allowing the fluid product to penetrate inside said dip tube 25 to be expelled by said pump. This hole 27 can be radial or formed by a V cut, as shown in the figures.

The lower end 26 of the dip tube 25 can thus cooperate with the flat surface 37 of the membrane 36 to press it on the plug 31, with advantageously the interposition of the filter element 40, which can make unnecessary a fixing of said membrane 36 on said plug 31, this fixing being obtained by wedging the venting system between the bottom 11 of the reservoir 10 and the lower end 26 of the dip tube 25. Advantageously, it is the entire system d vent 30 which is fixed and held in position by the lower end 26 of the dip tube 25. Thus, the venting system, as explained above, is first introduced into the empty tank through the neck, then the tank is filled with the fluid. When the venting system 30 is in place in the vent hole 12 formed in the bottom 11 of the tank 10, and the tank is filled, the pump 20 is fixed in leaktight manner to the neck of the tank and the end lower 26 of the tube

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 plunger 25, preferably rigid, then presses on the flat surface 37 of the membrane 36 to on the one hand seal the fixing of the plug 31 in the vent hole 12 of the tank, and on the other hand fix the filter element 40 and the membrane 36 on said plug 31.

 The present invention being particularly intended for the device for dispensing a fluid product without a preservative, which implies the use of a filtration element for filtering the vent air, it is preferred that the pump, or more generally the member distribution 20, operates without air intake, so that the only air intake is carried out at said vent hole 12 formed in the bottom of the tank 10. In particular, the distribution member 20 may be a so-called airless or vacuum pump which prevents any penetration of outside air inside the tank through said pump.

 The present invention therefore provides a venting system which is very easy to produce and simple to assemble, since it suffices to provide a hole in the bottom of the tank, and to introduce a plug from the top of the tank, preferably in elastomer, which closes said hole. The sealing and / or filtration system is in the example shown particularly simple, which makes it possible to obtain very low manufacturing and assembly costs. The fixing of the venting system in the bottom of the tank by wedging between the bottom wall 11 of the tank 10 and the lower end 26 of the dip tube 25 which is preferably rigid, makes it possible to dispense with any fixing system whose assembly could be complicated and which would further increase the cost of assembly and manufacture of the device. In the context of the present invention, the various elements are simply introduced inside the reservoir, the whole being definitively fixed in position during the crimping, or more generally of the fixing, of the pump 20 on the reservoir 10.

 The present invention therefore makes it possible to ensure reliable and safe ventilation, and above all at a lower price, for any type of existing distribution device, and in particular those comprising glass tanks, without having to structurally modify the various standard components of the devices. .

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 The present invention has been described with reference to an advantageous embodiment thereof, but it is clear that the invention is not limited to this example shown in the figures, and that a person skilled in the art can make various modifications without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (17)

 fluid product.

Claims 1.-Device for dispensing fluid, comprising a reservoir (10) of fluid and a dispensing member (20), such as a pump or a valve, mounted in leaktight manner on said reservoir (10), characterized in that said device comprises a vent hole (12) provided in the bottom (11) of said tank (10), said vent hole (12) being closed by a venting system (30) comprising a shutter ( 31) urged elastically towards a closed position and displaced and / or elastically deformed towards an open position of said vent hole (12) when the pressure inside the tank (10) is less than atmospheric pressure, said venting system (30) being put in place from inside the tank (10) before filling said tank (10) with the 2.- Device according to claim 1, wherein said venting system (30) further comprises a filtration element (40), in particular bacteria, for the venting air. 3.- Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said shutter (31) comprises a plug (31) sealingly fixed in said vent hole (12) and having an air passage (32) open in position opening the shutter, said venting system (30) further comprising a membrane (36) cooperating on the one hand with said plug (31) and on the other hand with said reservoir (10), said membrane ( 36) allowing the venting air to pass inside the tank (10) in the open position of the shutter (31).  4.-Device according to claim 3, wherein the plug (31) has a wall (33) provided with a slot (34) which is closed in the closed position and open in the open position of the shutter.  5.-Device according to claims 3 or 4, wherein said membrane (36) is sealed and cooperates sealingly with the internal side wall of the reservoir (10), said membrane (36) being able to <Desc / Clms Page number 11>  elastically deforming to allow the venting air to pass into the interior of the reservoir (10) at the level of the contact zone (39) between said membrane (36) and said reservoir (10).  6.- Device according to claim 5, wherein said membrane (36) has a flat surface (37) cooperating with said plug (31).

 7.- Device according to claim 6, wherein said flat surface (37) is extended by a frustoconical sleeve (38) flaring away from the bottom (11) of the tank (10), and whose outer edge of larger diameter (39) cooperates tightly with the internal lateral wall of the reservoir (10), said membrane (36) thus forming a narrowed bottom allowing the complete emptying of the reservoir (10).  8.- Device according to claim 7, wherein said frustoconical sleeve (38) is prestressed and is resiliently biased in sealed contact with the internal side wall of the tank (10).  9.- Device according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein said membrane (36) is fixed on said plug (31) so as to define one or more air channels (35) between them, to connect the air passage (32) of the plug (31) with a zone (15) of the reservoir (10) disposed upstream of said membrane (36) in the direction of flow of the vent air.  10.- Device according to claim 9, wherein said channels (35) are grooves formed in said plug (31) and / or in said membrane (36).  11.- Device according to claim 2 and any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein said filter element (40) is disposed

 between said plug (31) and said membrane (36). 12.- Device according to claim 9 or 10, and claim 11, wherein said filtration element (40) is disposed upstream of said air channels (35) in the direction of flow of the vent air .  13.- Device according to any one of claims 3 to 12, wherein the dispensing member (20) comprises a dip tube (25) <Desc / Clms Page number 12>  extending towards the bottom (11) of the tank (10), the lower end (26) of said dip tube (25) cooperating with said membrane (36) to hold it fixedly on said cap (31).

14.-Device according to claim 13, wherein said dip tube (25) is rigid and has one or more holes (27) for passage of product at its lower end (26).  15.-Device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein said dip tube (25) fixes and maintains said venting system (30) in position in the vent hole (12) of the tank (10).  16.-Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said reservoir (10) is made of glass.

17.-Device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distribution member (20) operates without air intake, such as an airless pump or vacuum.