FR2837179A1 - Fluid product dispenser has outlet stopper co-operating with both rigid insert and outlet orifice - Google Patents

Abstract

The dispenser, comprising a pump and a distribution head (1) with an outlet channel (2) ending in an orifice (3), has a rigid insert (4) and a stopper (10) that co-operates with both the insert and the outlet orifice. When the insert is in its rest position the stopper blocks and seals the outlet orifice, while in its active position the stopper is displaced and/or deformed to leave the orifice open. The stopper is in the form of a sleeve (11) over the end (5) of the insert, with a radial wall (12) covering its tip and a projection (15) that seals/opens the orifice.

Description

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1 2837179

  The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser device comprising a dispensing head, and more particularly a dispensing head.

  distribution incorporating a shutter of the distribution orifice.

  The shutters for dispensing orifice for dispensing a fluid product are well known in the state of the art. There are several types. A first family of shutters includes those which are urged elastically towards their closed position and which wind deformed or displaced by the pressure of the product in the dispensing phase in order to open the dispensing orifice. These devices can either include shutters made of deformable material, or shutters produced in the form of a piston sliding in the expulsion channel away from the dispensing orifice under the effect of the pressure exerted by the product. Another family of shutters includes shutters mechanically deformed by a part of the distribution head at

  when the device is actuated to dispense a dose of product.

  s In this case, the shutter opening is independent of the pressure exerted

by product.

  These shutters, although operating correctly, have the disadvantage of being relatively complicated to manufacture and assemble, and therefore expensive. Generally, they require a modification of the dispensing head or to allow the adaptation of the shutter which also implies a

  increased manufacturing cost of the fluid dispenser device.

  On the other hand, when the dispensing head incorporates a spray profile, the presence of the shutter generally alters the geometric of said spray profile, which is detrimental to the quality of the spray during the expulsion of the

s product.

  The object of the present invention is to provide a fluid product dispensing head for a fluid product dispenser which does not reproduce the

aforementioned drawbacks.

  The present invention aims to provide a dispensing head which is simple to manufacture and assemble, and which does not require * modifications of

the distribution head.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing head - for a fluid dispenser in which the geometry of the spraying profile at the level of the dispensing orifice is not modified during

  the expulsion of the product *, guaranteeing an optimal quality of the spray.

  The present invention also aims to provide a distributor of

  fluid product comprising such a dispensing head.

  The subject of the present invention is therefore a device for dispensing a fluid product, comprising a pump and a dispensing head, said head comprising a body, a product expulsion channel ending in a dispensing orifice, a rigid insert. being disposed in said expulsion channel, said rigid insert forming or being integral with the outlet valve of said pump, said dispensing head comprising a closure element disposed in said expulsion channel, said closure element being displaceable and / or deformable between a position for closing the expulsion channel and a position for not closing the expulsion channel, said rigid insert being movable in said expulsion channel between a rest position and an actuation position , characterized in that said closure element cooperates on the one hand with said rigid insert and on the other hand with said dispensing orifice so that the rest position of ['insert t, the shutter element is in the closed position o and seals in a sealed manner the dispensing orifice, and in the actuation position of the insert, the shutter element is moved and / or deformed

  axially towards its non-shutting position.

  Advantageously, said closure element comprises on the one hand a hollow axial sleeve assembled around the downstream end of said rigid insert in the direction of flow of the product, and on the other hand a radial end wall covering said rigid insert and comprising a shutter part cooperating in a sealed manner with the dispensing orifice in the shutter position, said shutter part being displaced and / or deformed axially when it is loosely

  shutter is in the non-shutter position.

  N / A Advantageously, said shutter portion to said shutter element is elastically deformed in its shutter position by the rigid insert which, in its rest position, exerts an axial compressive force on said radial end wall, said obturation part returning elastically to its non-obturation position when the rigid insert is moved into its actuation position, in which it no longer exerts axial compressive force on

s said obturation part.

  Advantageously, the hollow sleeve is fixed in the expulsion channel between a front end wall at said channel and a retaining means, such as a shoulder or a radial projection, the end downstream of said rigid insert moving in said sleeve. hollow between its rest position and its position

o actuation.

  Advantageously, said closure part is a deformable membrane which is elastically deformed by ['insert against [' orifice of

  distribution, in the closed position.

  Advantageously, said hollow sleeve is fixed on the downstream end to said rigid insert, and moves in the expulsion channel together with said insert. Advantageously, said shutter portion is a lug or a stud projecting axially, which is compressed against the dispensing orifice in the shutter position. Advantageously, the front face to said expulsion channel comprises a spray profile. Advantageously, the pump comprises a piston for dispensing the product, said rigid insert forming the or being integral with the outlet valve of said pump being moved to its position. actuation at the end of the actuation stroke of the pump piston, and being brought back to its rest position

at the end of expulsion of the product.

  Advantageously, the expulsion channel is formed in a hollow rod produced in a single piece with the pump piston. Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear more clearly.

  clearly during the following detailed description, with reference to the drawings

  seals, given by way of nonlimiting examples, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a dispensing head part according to a first advantageous embodiment of the invention, in the closed position , - Figure 2 is a we similar to that of Figure 1, in the distribution position, - Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a distribution head part according to a second embodiment of [' invention, in the dispensing position, and - Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fluid dispenser o comprising the dispensing head

Figures 1 and 2.

  The present invention relates to a dispensing head for a shutter. The figures represent a nasal dispensing head, but the present invention can also very well be adapted to dispensing parties

s of another type.

  Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the dispensing head comprises a body 1

  defining an expulsion channel 2 which ends in a dispensing orifice 3.

  A rigid insert 4 is placed in this expulsion channel 2 making it possible to limit the dead volume of the expulsion channel and thus define a narrow passage for the

  o product, favoring its spraying at the distribution orifice.

  Advantageously, the dispensing head comprises a spraying profile 21, preferably made in the front end wall 20 of the expulsion channel 2, the dispensing orifice 3 then being in the center of said spraying profile 21. Preferably, and in known manner, the spray profile may include swirl channels which connect to a

  vortex arranged directly upstream of the distribution orifice 3.

  According to the invention, the rigid insert 4 is movably disposed in the expulsion channel 2, between a rest position shown in Figure 1 and an actuation position shown in Figure 2. A shutter element 10 is further arranged in the expulsion channel 2, and cooperates on the one hand with the body 1 of the dispensing head and on the other hand with ['rigid insert 4 so that in the rest position of [ 'rigid insert 4, [' shutter element 10 seals the dispensing orifice 3. In the actuating position of ['rigid insert 4, the shutter element 10 is moved and / or deformed to a non- obturation, in which it frees the passage for the product in

  s direction of the dispensing orifice 3.

  With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show a first advantageous embodiment of the invention, the closure element 10 comprises a hollow sleeve 11 which is arranged around a downstream end 5 of the rigid insert 4. The sleeve is assembled in the expulsion channel 2 and cooperates on the one hand with the front wall 20 of the expulsion channel 2 and on the other hand with retaining means 25, such as a shoulder or a projection, provided in the side wall of the expulsion channel 2. The closure element 10 further comprises a radial end wall covering said downstream end 5 of the rigid insert 4, and comprising a closure part 15. In the The example shown is the obturation part 15 which is advantageously produced in the form of an elastically deformable wall or membrane. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the rest position of the rigid insert 4, the closure part 15 is deformed axially by an axial compressive force exerted on it by the rigid insert 4, so that it cooperates in a sealed manner with the dispensing orifice 3, as shown in FIG. When the product is expelled, the rigid insert 4 is moved to its actuating position by sliding in said hollow sleeve 11 which remains fixed. The insert 4 then no longer exerts this axial compressive force on the radial end wall 12 of the shutter element, which returns elastically to its open position, represented in FIG. 2, in which it is detached from ['dispensing orifice 3, thereby freeing

  passage through the expulsion channel 2.

  Advantageously, as described above, the front wall 20 of the expulsion channel 2 may include a spray profile 21. The embodiment shown in the figures in this case presents an advantage o significant, in that actuation position or distribution, the spray profile 21 has an unmodified geometric, since the hollow sleeve 11 remains fixed, said sleeve 11 forming the bottom walls of the spray channels. This is different from the shutters existing to date, made of deformable material, which generally wind elastically deformed towards their non-shutting position, so that the spraying profile is necessarily changed at the time of expulsion, which can alter the quality of the spray. This drawback is not reproduced by the present invention, as

  clearly visible in Figures 1 and 2.

  FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment, in which the hollow sleeve 11 is not fixed in the channel 2, but fixed on the downstream end 5 o of the rigid insert 4. The obturation element 10 is therefore moved entirely with the insert 4. The closing part 1S is advantageously produced in the form of a stud or lug which is compressed against the distribution orifice 3 in the closed position, and which is detached from said distribution orifice 3 in position of

  distribution, as shown in figure 3.

  is At least the closure portion 1S of the closure element 10 is made of a deformable material, such as an elastomeric material. To simplify the manufacture, the closure element 10 can be made entirely in one piece in a deformable material. This of course applies

  to the two embodiments described above.

  o The dispensing head of the present invention can be applied to all types of fluid dispensing devices. Figure 4 shows an advantageous embodiment of a dispenser comprising, by way of example, a dispensing head as described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2. n includes a reservoir (not shown) containing the product s distributes, on which is mounted a distribution member, such as a pump SO, which comprises a piston 51, sliding in a pump body, the actuation to said piston S 1 making it possible to selectively distribute the product contained in the reservoir. A pump chamber 52 is defined between an inlet valve 53, which connects the pump chamber 52 to the reservoir, and an outlet valve 54 which connects the

  n / a pump chamber 52 to the expulsion channel 2 of said distribution head.

  Advantageously, the rigid insert 4 is integral with said outlet valve 54, so that) it is moved from its rest position to its actuation position when the outlet valve is open, allowing the product to be expelled from said pump chamber 52. In particular, said rigid insert 4 itself forms the outlet valve of the pump 50, and said rigid insert 4 is moved from its rest position to its actuation position at the end of travel. actuation of the piston 51 of the pump, guaranteeing an opening and the dispensing orifice 3 at the precise moment when the product contained in the pump chamber 52 is expelled. At the end of product expulsion, the outlet valve is closed, returning the insert 4 to its rest position, which deforms the shutter 10 towards its closed position (cf. FIG. 1). The shutter is therefore opened and closed mechanically by opening and closing the outlet valve of the pump 50. Advantageously, the expulsion channel 2, including the distribution orifice 3, is formed by a hollow rod 55 connected, in particular in one piece, to the piston 51 of the pump 50. Thus, in the event of an attempt to tear off the party, only the body 1 of the party risks being withdrawn, the part incorporating the distribution orifice 3 and the shutter 10 restart integral with the pump. This limits the risk of contamination in the event of accidental removal or not of the

head 1.

  The present invention has been described with reference to two advantageous embodiments thereof, but it is understood that various modifications can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention such as

  defined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

claims   1.- Fluid product distribution device, comprising a pump (50) and a distribution head, said head comprising a body (1), a product expulsion channel (2) ending in a distribution orifice (3 ), a rigid insert (4) being arranged in said expulsion channel (2), said rigid insert forming or being integral with the outlet valve (54) of said pump (50), said distribution head comprising an element of obturation (10) has in said expulsion channel (2), said closure element (10) being displaceable and / or deformable between a position of obturation of the expulsion channel to (2) and a position of no closing the expulsion channel (2), said rigid insert (4) being movable in said expulsion channel (2) between a rest position and an actuation position, characterized in that said closure element ( 10) cooperates on the one hand with said rigid insert (4) and on the other hand with said dispensing orifice (3) so that ten s rest position of the insert (4), the shutter element (10) is in the closed position and seals the dispensing orifice (3) in a sealed manner, and in the actuated position of the insert (4 ), the shutter element (10) is   moves and / or deforms axially towards its non-shutting position.   2.- Device according to claim 1, wherein said sealing element o (10) comprises on the one hand an axial hollow sleeve (11) assembled around the downstream end (S) to said rigid insert (4) in the direction d flow of the product, and on the other hand a radial end wall (12) covering said rigid insert (4) and comprising a closure part (15) cooperating in a sealed manner with the dispensing orifice (3) in position d 'shutter, said shutter portion (15) being displaced and / or deformed axially when the shutter element (10) is in the non-shutter position. 3.- Device according to claim 2, wherein said shutter portion (1S) to said shutter element (10) is elastically deformed in its closed position by ['rigid insert (4) which, in 28371 79   its rest position, exerts an axial compressive force on said radial end wall (12), said shutter part (15) returning elastically to its non-shutter position when the rigid insert (4) is moved in its operating position, in which it no longer exercises   s axial compression force on said closure part (15).   4.- Device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the hollow sleeve (11) is fixed in the expulsion channel (2) between a front end wall (20) to said channel (2) and a retaining means (25), such as a shoulder or a radial projection, the downstream end (5) of said rigid insert (4) moving in said hollow sleeve (11) between its position   rest and its actuation position.   5.- Device according to claim 4, wherein said closure portion (15) is a deformable membrane which is elastically deformed by ['insert (4) against [' dispensing orifice (3), in the is closed position .   6.- Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in   which said hollow sleeve (11) is fixed on the downstream end (5) to said rigid insert (4), and moves in the expulsion channel (2) together with said insert (4).   7.- Device according to claim 6, wherein said shutter portion (15) is a lug or an axially projecting stud, which is   compresses against the dispensing orifice (3), in the closed position.   8.- Device according to any one of the preceding claims,   wherein the front wall (20) of said expulsion channel (2) has a spray profile (21).   9.- Dispos * if according to any one of the preceding claims,   wherein the pump (50) comprises a piston (51) for dispensing the product, said rigid insert (4) forming the or being integral with the outlet valve (54) of said pump (50), being moved towards its position actuation at the end of the actuation stroke of the piston (51) of the pump (50), and being brought back to its rest position at the end of expulsion of the product.   10.- Device according to any one of the preceding claims,   in which the expulsion channel (2) is formed in a hollow rod (55)   s carried out in one piece with the piston (51) of the pump (50).