FR2841620A1 - SPRING AND DISTRIBUTOR COMPRISING SUCH A SPRING - Google Patents

Abstract

Spring (4) characterized in that it comprises two blades (41, 42) connected together by at least one connection (43, 44), at least one blade comprising a curved part which bears on the other blade at level d 'at least one support zone (413, 414, 423, 424) during its elastic deformation by pressure on its convex part to bring it towards the other blade, the connection being located outside this support zone.

Description

The present invention relates to a spring and a device for

  distribution using such a spring as a return spring used to return the distributor to the rest position. However, the spring should not be limited to its sole use in such a dispenser. Indeed, it can also be used in any other system requiring elastic return means. There are already many types of spring, and the most commonly used is the conventional spiral spring of cylindrical shape, and more rarely conical. When such a spiral spring has to be mounted automatically in a particular device or system, this requires orienting and then gripping the spring using an appropriate machine such as a robot. This is due to the fact that a spiral spring is very difficult to stand due to its cylindrical and elongated configuration. It cannot therefore be supplied directly

  in a device at a suitable location from bulk storage.

  The present invention seeks to define another type of spring whose orientation is advantageously easier, in the sense that the spring is positioned almost automatically in a position in which it can

ensure its spring function.

  The following springs are also known, described in documents US20 2,432,288 and US-4,932,508.

  In document US Pat. No. 2,432,288, the spring consists of two blades bent one over the other, the end of a blade coming into contact with the other blade. By pressing this spring so as to bring the blades closer to each other, the force necessary for the deformation of the spring only increases. In fact, the tab formed by the free end of one branch in contact with the other undergoes, when the blades are brought together, a continuous deformation which increases

permanently.

  Document US-4,932,508 describes a freewheel clutch comprising a leaf spring produced in the form of a zigzag. Each leaf of the spring is formed with a window in which is cut a curved tab which can come into contact with the other leaf when the spring is compressed. Again, the strength

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  necessary for the crushing of the spring only grows as the legs

bent out of shape.

  Therefore, with this type of spring, it is not guaranteed that the spring is fully crushed or bandaged, since the necessary crushing force increases. The crushing force may not be sufficient, so that the spring is only partially crushed. In the field of fluid dispensing using a return spring, this is really detrimental, because

  the doses of product distributed are not precise and constant.

  Document FR-2 813 364 is also known, which describes a spring and a distributor using such a spring. This spring is of the bimetallic strip type and is in the form of an open pin. The two blades of the spring are connected together for a bent junction produced by folding a metal strip. This angled junction not only connects the two blades, but also provides the elastic return function. Indeed, the blades do not deform very little, and it is therefore the angled junction which ensures the pivoting movement of the blades relative to each other. A disadvantage with this spring is that the elbow junction has a certain thickness due to the curvature of the metal on itself. The junction cannot be in the form of a sharp fold, because the spring function would no longer be ensured, or even worse, the junction could break and the two blades would then be separated. This happens in particular when this spring is used in a distributor intended to be incorporated into magazines as a sample. The magazines are stacked, and the weight on the magazines at the bottom of the piles can be very large. The spring is not only compressed, but its junction is completely flattened, which destroys its elasticity characteristic. The

  distributor, once out of the magazine, is no longer usable.

  The present invention aims to also remedy this problem by defining a spring which can be crushed to its maximum without risk of damaging it. To do this, the present invention relates to a spring characterized in that it comprises two blades connected together by at least one connection, at

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  at least one blade comprising a curved part which bears on the other blade at the level of at least one bearing zone during its elastic deformation by pressure on its curved part to bring it back towards the other blade, the connection being

located outside this support zone.

  This means that the connection does not participate or almost does not participate in the elasticity of the spring, but essentially serves to connect the two blades together so as to constitute a unitary unitary element. This also means that the connection does not form a support zone during the compression of the spring, as is the case in document US-2,432,288. In other words, the connection does not undergo or almost 1o the force exerted on the spring to compress it which is entirely or almost entirely supported by the support area (s). advantageously,

  the connection is substantially elastically deformable.

  Advantageously, the spring has a flat and planar configuration in

maximum compression.

  According to an advantageous embodiment, the bearing zone of the blade with a domed part comprises two substantially rectilinear side edges adapted to come into bearing contact on the other blade. Advantageously, the connection is formed at a curved transverse edge of the blade which extends substantially perpendicular to the lateral edges. Preferably, the connection forms a fold whose axis extends substantially perpendicular to the lateral edges. According to a practical form, the spring comprises two connections located respectively at

  ends of the curved transverse edge near the lateral edges.

  According to another aspect of the invention, the two blades are symmetrical with respect to a plane passing between them, so that each blade comprises a domed part and a support zone, the support zones of the blades coming in

  mutual support contact when the spring is compressed.

  Another interesting characteristic resides in the fact that said at least one connection serves as holding means making it possible to maintain the zones

  blade support in stable bearing contact during compression of the spring.

  The subject of the invention is also a fluid product dispenser comprising:

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  - a reservoir containing said fluid product and provided with at least one actuating wall on which pressure is exerted to decrease the volume of the reservoir, - a dispensing orifice through which the fluid product is dispensed, characterized in that the reservoir contains a spring as defined above. Advantageously, a removable closure element closes the dispensing orifice and thus isolates the reservoir from the outside, the spring being constrained so as to occupy a minimum volume as long as the closure element closes the dispensing orifice. Thus, the spring expands to increase the volume of the reservoir as soon as the closure element is removed by gas entry into the

  tank through the dispensing orifice.

  The use of such a spring is particularly advantageous in such a fluid dispenser, since it suffices to deposit the spring in the reservoir during the manufacture of the dispenser without having to worry too much about its particular orientation, since the spring is positioned automatically. This saves a prior orientation operation and

  of seizure of the spring. In addition, such a spring can be manufactured at a lower cost.

  Advantageously, the spring is positioned in the reservoir with its lateral edges extending parallel to the edge of the distributor where the orifice opens out.

of distribution.

  Advantageously, the spring defines at least one bearing surface which extends substantially in the same plane as its respective sheet with which it is

in touch.

  The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings which give by way of nonlimiting example an embodiment of the spring according to the invention, as well as an implementation in a dispenser.

particular fluid product.

  In the figures: - Figure 1 is a top view on a spring according to the invention in the predefined state, - Figure 2 is a profile view of the spring in Figure 1, * 5 - Figure 3 is a perspective view of the spring of Figures 1 and 2 in the finished state, ready for use, - Figure 4 is a side view of the spring of Figure 3, - Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view at through a fluid dispenser using a spring of Figures 1 to 3, said dispenser being unused, and - Figure 6 is a sectional view of the dispenser of Figure 4 ready to be used. To illustrate the embodiment of the spring according to the invention which is shown in Figures 3 and 4, we will first explain its mode of

  manufacture with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

  In these figures, it can be seen that the spring 4 is produced from a plate which is preferably planar, but possibly curved along an axis which will be specified below. The plate is here perfectly flat as can be seen in Figure 2. This plate can be made of any suitable material, such as plastic, but preferably metal, for example spring steel. One can of course imagine that the spring steel is coated with a protective plastic layer. As can be seen in Figure 1, the base plate has a rectangular or square configuration: however, other shapes can be envisaged. This plate is provided with an elongated central window 40 which divides the plate into two blades 41 and 42 connected by two links in the form of lateral flanges 43 and 44. Thus, the blade 41 comprises a lower transverse edge 411 overlooking the window 40, an upper transverse edge 412 and two lateral edges 413 and 414. Similarly, the blade 42 comprises an upper transverse edge 421 opening onto the window 40, a lower transverse edge 422 and two lateral edges 423 and 424. Since the central window 40 is elongated, the connecting flanges 43 and 44 are rather narrow, thus having two long sides and two short sides. One of the long sides makes the junction between the lateral edges 413, 423, respectively 414, 424, while the other side forms a narrow edge of the elongated central window 40. As for the

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  short sides, they join the boards at the edges

cross 411 and 421.

  The plate thus cut is then curved, that is to say curved, if this was not the case from the start. Indeed, as mentioned above, the base plate can have a domed or curved configuration from the start. This can

  in particular be the case when the spring is made of plastic.

  However, the method of bending or bending the spring can be carried out after the step of cutting the window 40. The bending is carried out along a transverse axis which extends so that the transverse edges 411, 412, 421 and 422 ultimately have a curved or bent configuration while the edges 413, 414, 423 and 424 remain perfectly straight. It is easily understood that the connecting flanges 43 and 44 remain substantially flat due to

their narrowness.

  The final step of manufacturing the spring consists in folding the plate on itself even at the level of the connecting flanges 43 and 44. This has the result of bringing the curved blade 41 above the other curved blade 42, as can be see it in Figures 3 and 4. Since the blades 41 and 42 were bent while the base plate was not yet folded, their bending curves are opposite in the final configuration of Figures 3 and 4. From this done, the blades 41 and 42 come into contact with each other at their lateral edges 413 and 423 respectively 414, 424. It is not necessary that the lateral edges 413, 423, 414, 424 of the blades 41 and 42 are in contact with each other in the spring rest position, that is to say when no compression force is exerted on the spring. It suffices that the folding carried out at the level of the connecting flanges 43 and 44, which thereby forms a respective fold 430, 440, is carried out in such a way that the respective lateral edges of the blades come in superposition of one another to produce a contiguous bearing contact without connection. This is possible because the side edges are straight while the transverse edges are curved or curved. Folding of the curved plate is possible, despite the presence of the connecting flanges 43 and 44 because they are relatively narrow with respect to the length of the transverse edges. Thus, the connecting flanges 43 and 44

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  can be folded to form folds 430 and 440 without affecting or decreasing the

bending of blades 41 and 42.

  It is easily understood that a compressive force exerted at the center of the blades 41 and 42 in order to bring them back towards each other by attenuating their respective bending has the effect of strongly pressing the edges 413, 423 and 414, 424 against each other. We can say that the blade 41 is supported on the blade 42 at two support zones formed by its lateral edges 413 and 414. Symmetrically, it can be said that the blade 42 is supported on the blade 41 at of two support zones formed by its lateral edges 423, 424. It is thus possible to compress the spring so as to bring the two blades 41 and 42 into contact with each other practically over their entire length by completely eliminating or almost completely their bending so that the spring is found in a flat and planar configuration whose thickness is

  approximately equal to the cumulative thickness of the two blades 41 and 42.

  It should be noted that the connection flanges 43 and 44 which form connection means connecting the two blades 41 and 42 do not or practically not participate in the elasticity or the stiffness of the spring, which is entirely ensured by the bending of the blades 41 and 42. Whether the spring is at rest or in the fully compressed state, the folds 430 and 440 of the connections 43 and 44 are practically in the same state, since they are located at the adjacent corners of the blades

  connecting the transverse edges 412 and 422 to the lateral edges 413, 423 and 414, 424.

  The folds 430 and 440 can even be very sharp and very flattened so that the spring, even at the folds 430 and 440, has a total thickness which is not much greater than the cumulative thicknesses of the two blades 41 and 42. In indeed, the folds 430 and 440 do not serve as joints by elastic deformation during the compression of the spring. Consequently, they undergo practically no deformation and can thus remain in their very flattened configuration even when the spring is at rest. The connections 43 and 44 therefore serve as means for connecting the two blades 41 and 42 together so as to produce a unitary unitary element. They also serve to keep edges 413, 423 and 414, 424 perfectly aligned, so that during compression of the

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  spring, these edges remain perfectly contiguous and aligned. More generally, the connections 43 and 44 allow the two blades 41 and 42 to be and remain

  perfectly superimposed with an edge-to-edge contact contact.

  It can thus be said that the mutual support zones of the blades 41 and 42 formed by their respective lateral edges 413, 423, 414, 424 do not include a material connection, that is to say a material bridge, given that the connections 43 and 44 are located on the transverse edges 412, 422. This is not the case in the aforementioned documents of the prior art in which the connection connecting the two blades also contributes to the elastic characteristic of the spring. With the spring i0 of the present invention, even if the folds 330 and 340 are very marked, that is to say very flat, the elasticity of the spring is still guaranteed, since it is only imparted by the bending of the blades 41 and 42 which are supported at their lateral edges. Furthermore, as these folds do not

  do not work, they are not likely to break.

  In the embodiment which has just been described, the two blades 41 and 42 are curved so that their lateral edges bear on each other. One can however imagine alternative embodiments in which a single blade is curved while the other can be perfectly flat or have another configuration. One can also imagine that the blades are curved in the other direction and connected by a single central connecting flange, so that the spring has a general X-shaped appearance. In this case, the two blades would come into contact at the level an area passing through the axis

median of the blades.

  The spirit of the invention resides in the fact that the spring ensures its characteristic of elasticity by the very configuration of the blades which rest on one another at the level of contiguous but unbound support zones, while the connection connecting the two blades only serves to connect them (without elastic articulation)

  to provide them with a stable overlay.

  It emerges as described above has a preferred application in a

  fluid dispenser as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

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  In this nonlimiting exemplary embodiment, the dispenser can be produced from two sheets of flexible complex film 1 and 2 which are welded together on their periphery 11, 12 so as to define between them a volume which corresponds substantially to that of a fluid reservoir 3. An insert 5 can also be placed between the two sheets 1 and 2: this insert 5 defines a dispensing orifice 50 and a housing in which a porous fiber 6 can be housed so as to extend to inside the tank 3. This fiber 6 is intended to impregnate the fluid contained inside the tank 3. Once this fiber is soaked in product, it suffices to pass an air flow through the fiber this 1o which creates a two-phase distribution at the level of the dispensing orifice 50 of the insert 5. In front of the dispensing orifice 50, the two sheets 1 and 2 welded together define a pull-out tab o u foldable 12 which closes

  the dispensing orifice 50 so as to isolate the reservoir 3 from the outside.

  According to the invention, the reservoir 3 contains a spring 4 which is arranged between the two sheets 1 and 2. The spring 4, as can be seen in FIG. 2, acts at least on one wall 1 of the dispenser, which can be the actuating wall, so as to increase the internal volume of the reservoir 3. According to a particularly advantageous characteristic, the spring 4 is constrained in its fully compressed state as long as the obturation element 12 closes the dispensing orifice 50 and thus isolates the tank 3 from the outside. In other words, the reservoir 3 was sealed during its manufacture with the spring constrained in its state

  maximum compressed so that the reservoir is then at its minimum volume.

  In this state shown in FIG. 1, the reservoir 1 contains practically only fluid and practically no or no gas at all. Since the reservoir 3 is perfectly isolated from the outside by the closure element 12, the spring 4 cannot relax inside the reservoir 3 due to the atmospheric pressure exerted on the walls 1 and 2 of the tank. The dispenser can then be stored before use in this state, it has a particularly reduced thickness which is defined substantially by the thickness of the spring 4 in its fully compressed state added to the cumulative thickness of the two sheets of film 1 and 2. The spring 4 then defines a minimum volume in

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  which the fluid product is stored without undergoing practically any pressure.

  Thus, there is no risk of leakage by crushing the reservoir 3. Such a dispenser can for example be inserted in a magazine since it is

  particularly flat and particularly resistant to pressure.

  As soon as the shutter element 12 is removed, the air can penetrate inside the tank 3 through the dispensing orifice 50 so that the spring 4 can relax inside the tank. so as to increase its internal volume. The reservoir 3 is then filled with fluid and gas, generally air. To obtain a distribution of sprayed product, it suffices to act on the wall 1 using the thumb for example against the action of the spring 4 so as to discharge air through the fiber 6 soaked with fluid product . The air passing through the soaked fiber 6 creates a two-phase spray at the level of the dispensing orifice 50. As soon as the pressure on the actuating wall 1 is released, the latter resumes its shape represented on the figure 6 due

  spring action 4.

  The spring 4 acts as an initiator when the shutter element 12 is torn off by increasing the volume of the reservoir 3, and acts as a spring for

  recall during actuation by pressing on the actuating wall 1.

  The use of a spring as defined above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 is particularly advantageous in this type of distributor since it can be placed in the reservoir during the manufacture of the distributor practically without any particular orientation, the fact that the spring is almost always positioned automatically, with each blade in contact with a respective sheet. However, it is preferable that the blades of the spring are oriented so that the transverse edges are parallel to the upper edge of the dispenser o opens the dispensing orifice. In Figures 5 and 6, the spring is rotated 90 for reasons of ease of representation. In addition, it is extremely flat in the fully compressed state, without risk of deterioration, which makes it possible to produce particularly flat dispensers, this being advantageous for the aforementioned reasons. On the other hand, it should be noted that the bearing surface on the spring, which is located at the top of the bending of the blades, is and always remains in the same plane as the sheets with which it is in contact, so that actuation of the spring does not induce force components which would tend to move it in the reservoir. He can stay

  static in the tank, which is not the case with the spring of document FR5 2813364.

  Thanks to this particularly crushing resistant spring, it is possible to make a dispenser from a simple packaging of fluid product.

without shape memory.

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Claims (14)

claims   1.- Spring (4) characterized in that it comprises two blades (41, 42) connected together by at least one connection (43, 44), at least one blade comprising a curved part which bears on the other blade at at least one bearing zone (413, 414, 423, 424) during its elastic deformation by pressure on its convex part to bring it back to the other blade, the connection being located outside this support area.   2. A spring according to claim 1, in which the connection is substantially elastically undeformable.   3. Spring according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spring has a   flat and flat configuration in maximum compression.   4. A spring according to any one of the preceding claims, in   which the support zone of the domed blade comprises two substantially straight lateral edges (413, 414, 423, 424) adapted to come into support contact on the other blade.   5. Spring according to claim 4, in which the connection is formed at the level of a curved transverse edge (412, 422) of the blade which extends   substantially perpendicular to the side edges.   6. Spring according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the connection forms a fold (430, 440) whose axis extends substantially perpendicular to the lateral edges. 7. A spring according to claim 5 or 6, comprising two connections (43, 44) located respectively at the ends of the curved transverse edge (412, 422) at near the side edges.   8. A spring according to any one of the preceding claims, in   which the two blades are symmetrical with respect to a plane passing between them, so that each blade comprises a curved part and a support zone, the support zones of the blades coming into mutual support contact when the spring is compressed . 13 2841620   9. A spring according to claim 8, wherein said at least one connection serves as holding means making it possible to maintain the support zones of the blades.   in stable bearing contact during compression of the spring.   10.- Fluid product dispenser comprising: - a reservoir 3 containing said fluid product and provided with at least one actuating wall 10 on which pressure is exerted to reduce the volume of the reservoir, - a dispensing orifice 50 through which the fluid is dispensed, characterized in that the reservoir 3 contains a spring 4 according to one   1o any of the preceding claims.   11. A dispenser according to claim 10, wherein a removable closure element 12 closes the dispensing orifice 50 and thus isolates the reservoir 3 from the outside, the spring 4 being constrained so as to occupy a   minimum volume as long as the closure element closes the dispensing orifice.   12. A dispenser according to claim 11, in which the spring 4 relaxes to increase the volume of the reservoir as soon as the element is removed.   obturation by gas inlet into the tank through the dispensing orifice.   13. A dispenser according to claim 10, 1 1 or 12, wherein the spring is positioned in the reservoir with its lateral edges extending parallel   at the edge of the dispenser o opens the dispensing orifice.   14.- Distributor according to any one of claims 10 to 13, in   which the spring defines at least one bearing surface which extends substantially   in the same plane as its respective sheet with which it is in contact.