FR2930178A1 - BOTTLE COMPRISING A DISTRIBUTION BELLOW. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a dispensing bottle of a fluid product, comprising a dispensing system for said product, said dispensing system comprising a ring (3) integral with the body (1) and a bellows (4) of elastically deformable material which comprises a base (5) mounted on said ring, said base being surmounted by a head (6) elastically compressible so as to define a variable volume inside said head, said bottle having an upper dosing chamber (22) whose volume is variable and a lower distribution chamber (23) which is formed inside the base (5) to be in communication with a dispensing orifice (24) formed in said base, the dispensing orifice (24) being externally surrounded by a projecting spout (29), the bottle further comprises a rigid cover (28) which is intended to cover the bellows (4) between the distributions, said cover in the recovery position being arranged to surround at least the base portion (5) with sufficient interféirence for sealingly bearing on the lug (29) to ensure closing of the orifice (24) between the distributions.

Description

The invention relates to a dispensing bottle of a fluid product, in particular a gel or a cream, for example a cosmetic product or a pharmaceutical product.

In particular, the bottles according to the invention find their use for dispensing product samples, especially in volume of between 1 and 10 ml.

Bottles equipped with a dispensing system comprising a bellows of elastically deformable material which is mounted on the body of said bottle to be in communication with the product are known. In addition, the dispensing system comprises an intake valve and a product exhaust valve which are arranged to manually press the bellows to pressurize the product for dispensing through an orifice. and, by releasing said compression, dosing the product to be dispensed into said bellows. Thus, the dispensing system forms a manually operated pump of particularly simple structure.

However, a problem with such dispensing bottles is the closure of the dispensing orifice between two dispensations. Indeed, such a closure must be performed to, on the one hand prevent leakage of the metered product in the bellows and on the other hand, limit the contact between the outside air and said product, in particular to prevent drying out and / or degradation of said product over time.

To solve this problem, EP-1 438 142 proposes an arrangement wherein the bellows is rotatable relative to a closure member integral with the body, between a dispensing position and a closed position of the dispensing orifice. However, this embodiment proves complex to achieve, especially in relation to product sample dispensing vials. In addition, rotation handling before and after dispensing is not entirely satisfactory from the point of view of ergonomics of use.

The invention aims to improve the prior art by providing in particular: a bottle in which the closure of the dispensing orifice is made particularly simple, ergonomic and reliable.

For this purpose, the invention proposes a bottle for dispensing a fluid product, comprising a body defining a container for packaging said product and a dispensing system for said product which is mounted on said body to be in communication with said tank by via a product supply device, said dispensing system comprising a ring integral with the body and a bellows of elastically deformable material which comprises a base mounted on said ring, said base being surmounted by an elastically compressible head of so as to define a variable volume inside said head, said ring being provided with a product supply channel from the supply device to the inside of the bellows, said channel being equipped with a valve of admitting the product inside said bellows and the bottle further comprises a product exhaust valve from the inside of said bellows, said exhaust valve being interposed between the ring and the bellows so as to delimit an upper metering chamber whose volume is variable and a lower distribution chamber which is formed inside the base to be in communication with an orifice dispensing nozzle formed in said base, the dispensing orifice being externally surrounded by a projecting spout and said flask further comprising a rigid cover which is intended to cover the bellows between the dispensings, said cover in the covering position being arranged to surround at least a portion of the base with sufficient interference to come into sealing engagement on the nose to ensure closure of the orifice between the distributions. According to another aspect, the invention aims to improve the fastening and sealing of the bellows on the ring, in particular during the removal of the cover. To this end, the invention also proposes a dispensing bottle for a fluid product, comprising a body defining a storage tank of said product and a dispensing system for said product which is mounted on said body to be in communication with said reservoir. via a product supply device, said dispensing system comprising a ring integral with the body and a bellows of elastically deformable material which comprises a base mounted on said ring, said base being surmounted by an elastically compressible head of so as to define a variable volume inside said head, said ring being provided with a product supply channel from the supply device to the inside of the bellows, said channel being equipped with a valve of admission of the product inside said bellows and the bottle further comprises a valve for exhausting the product from inside said bellows, said exhaust valve being interposed between the ring and the bellows so as to delimit an upper metering chamber whose volume is variable and a lower distribution chamber which is formed inside the base to be in communication with a dispensing orifice formed in said base, the base comprising a lower portion which is associated around a bearing surface of the ring and an upper part in which the chamber and the dispensing orifice are formed, the body of the bottle being made of rigid material and the ring being associated on said body by ensuring a radial clamping of the lower part of the base by said body.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the description which follows, with reference to the appended figures in which: FIG. 1 is a view of a dispensing bottle according to a first embodiment of the invention, respectively in perspective without the hood (Figure la) and in longitudinal section with the hood (Figure lb); Figures 2 are enlarged views of Figure 1b showing the distribution system 30 respectively in the rest position (Figure 2a) and compressed distribution position (Figure 2b); - Figure 3 is an enlarged view of Figure 2a showing the support of the membrane on the bellows; - Figure 4 is a perspective view of a dispensing bottle according to a second embodiment of the invention, shown without the cover; - Figures 5 are views in longitudinal section of the dispensing system shown in Figure 4, respectively in the rest position (Figure 5a) and in the compressed dispensing position (Figure 5b).

In the description, the spatial positioning terms are taken with reference to the position of the bottle shown in the figures.

In connection with the figures, there is described below a bottle for containing a fluid for distribution. In particular examples, the product may be a gel or a cream, for example a cosmetic product or a pharmaceutical product.

The bottle comprises a body 1 defining a product packaging reservoir 2 and a dispensing system of said product which is mounted on said body to communicate with said reservoir via a product feed device. In particular, the reservoir 2 may have a capacity of between 1 and 10 ml so as to allow the dispensing of product samples.

The dispensing system comprises a ring 3 which is integral with the body 1 and a bellows 4 of elastically deformable material, in particular polyolefin of the polyethylene or polypropylene type in which an elastomer 25 of the EPDM or polyurethane type is added. The bellows 4 comprises an annular base 5 mounted on the ring 3, said base being surmounted by a head 6 resiliently compressible so as to define a variable volume within said head.

In the figures, the bellows 4 comprises an axial superposition of annular folds forming the head 6, said folds being able to pass reversibly from a rest position with a nominal axial spacing (FIGS. 2a and 5a) to a compressed position in which the folds are brought together (Figures 2b, 5b) to reduce the internal volume of said head.

More specifically, three plies are shown, each ply comprising an upper radial wall 7 and a lower radial wall 8 which are connected by a U-shaped zone 9 disposed radially inwardly of the bellows 4, each ply being connected to an adjacent fold by a U-shaped zone 10 arranged radially outwardly. The volume variation is then obtained by deformation of the zones 9, 10 in U so as to induce the axial approximation of said walls.

The head 6 also comprises an upper surface 11 on which the compression can be actuated by axial manual support, said surface being connected to the upper radial wall 7 of the upper fold by means of a U-shaped zone 12 arranged radially towards the outside. In addition, the upper surface 11 is convex so as to be able to turn to reduce the volume of the head 6 at the end of compression stroke. Furthermore, the base 5 extends axially downwards by being connected to the lower radial wall 8 of the lower fold by means of a bend 13.

In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the body 1 of the bottle is made of rigid material, in particular of plastic material of polyethylene or polypropylene type, to present a hollow tube of constant circular section between a bottom 14 and a superior opening.

In addition, the feed device comprises a follower piston 15 which is slidably mounted in the reservoir 2 to bring the product into a feed tube 16, said tube being, on the one hand immersed in the product and secondly , in communication with the distribution system being integrated in the ring 3.

In this embodiment commonly referred to as airless, according to the filling method, the tank 2 may not contain air and, in use, air does not enter said tank in compensation for the product 6 distributed. The bottom 14 of the body 1 then has an orifice 17 allowing the entry of air into the body 1 in compensation for the sliding of the piston 15 The feed device shown in the figures is of conventional structure which is known to the man of the the invention may be implemented with other types of supply system, for example with air intake comprising a dip tube.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, the ring 3 is associated, in particular by tight fitting, in the upper opening of the body 1. To do this, the ring 3 comprises an upper bearing surface 3a around which the base 5 is associated, and a association lower reach 3b in the body 1.

In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the body 1 of the bottle comprises a flexible tube, in particular made of plastic material of polyethylene type, the bottom 18 of which is welded after packaging of the product. In this embodiment, the ring 3 is integrated in the tube 1 in one piece to be formed opposite the bottom 18. Furthermore, the ring 3 has a feed tube 16 and an upper bearing 3a around which the base 5 is associated.

The ring 3 is provided with a channel 19 for feeding the product into the interior of the bellows 4, the upstream portion of said channel being formed in the feed tube 16 and its downstream part being formed in an upper chimney 20 of the ring 3, said chimney surmounting said tube to be disposed inside the bellows 4. The supply channel 19 is equipped with an intake valve which, in the figures, comprises a ball 21 housed in a seat formed in the lower part of the chimney 20. This assembly allows the ball 21 to move from a low position closing the channel 19 during the compression of the bellows 4, to an upper position of admission of the product into the bellows 4 when decompression of it.

The bottle further comprises a valve for exhausting the product from inside the bellows 4 for distribution. The exhaust valve is interposed between the ring 3 and the bellows 4 so as to delimit an upper annular dosing chamber 22 whose volume is variable and a lower annular distribution chamber 23 whose volume is substantially constant, said chamber distribution being formed within the base 5 to be in communication with a dispensing orifice 24 formed in said base.

In the figures, the orifice 24 extends radially for a lateral distribution of the product. The base 5 comprises a lower part 5a which is associated around the upper bearing surface 3a of the ring 3, and an upper part 5b in which the chamber 23 and the dispensing orifice 24 are formed. In addition, the upper span 3a comprises means for anchoring the lower part 5a, in particular in the form of grooves 25.

The illustrated exhaust valve comprises an annular membrane 26 formed on the outer wall of the chimney 20, said membrane having a base formed integrally with said chimney and a free end 27. More specifically, the membrane 26 extends substantially radially around chimney 20 being slightly inclined upwards.

The membrane 26 is arranged to be displaceable in bending by compression of the product in the metering chamber 22 between a rest position (FIGS. 2a, 5a, 3) in which the free end 27 is in sealing engagement with the bellows 4 and a constrained position (Figures 2b, 5b) in which the free end 27 is disposed at a distance from said bellows to allow the passage of the pressurized product from the metering chamber 22 to the distribution chamber 23.

In particular, the free end 27 of the membrane 26 in the rest position is in sealing engagement on the lower face of the lower wall 8 of the lower fold. The function of the intake valve is thus obtained satisfactorily in that, during the compression of the bellows 4, said wall is substantially stationary in position relative to the ring 3. In addition, again to improve this exhaust function , the free end 27 of the membrane 26 comprises a contact bead 27a with the bellows 4. As shown in Figure 3, the bead 27a is annular and extends on the upper surface of the free end 27, said bead having a convex section, in particular substantially cylindrical. Thus, the contact between the bead 27 and the bottom wall 8 is substantially along a line of revolution, which contributes to the quality of the seal provided. In addition, the presence of the bead 27a mechanically reinforces the free end 27 of the membrane 26.

Moreover, the chimney 20 shown comprises an upper bearing surface 20a which extends axially above the free end 27 of the diaphragm 26. Thus, the bearing surface 20a allows a recovery of the forces of the bellows 4 at the end of the compression stroke, so as to avoid possible damage to the membrane 26.

The bottle further comprises a rigid cover 28 which is intended to cover the bellows 4 in the rest position between the distributions, said cover in the covering position being arranged to surround the base 5, at least on a height greater than that of its part. superior 5b. To do this, the cover 28 comprises an upper wall 28a which is surrounded by a skirt 28b whose lower part is arranged around the base 5. In the figures, the cover is arranged so that the skirt 28b covers the entire upper part 5b and a portion of the lower portion 5a.

To ensure the closure of the dispensing orifice 24 between two uses, said orifice is surrounded externally by a projecting spout 29 and the interference between the skirt 28b and the base 5 is sufficient for said skirt to come into sealing engagement on the spout. 29. In particular, the cover 28 being rigid and the spout 29 being made with the bellows 4 elastically deformable material, the interference can induce an elastic deformation of said spout so as to provide a reinforced seal during closure. In the figures, the spout 29 surrounds the entire periphery of the dispensing orifice 24 by having an oval geometry centered on said orifice, the thickness of said spout regularly decreasing from the center to the outside.

When the cover 28 is placed in the overlap position, the edge of the skirt 28b bears on the spout 29 to deform it while the said skirt is sliding on it, the said deformation stress is maintained as long as the cover 28 remains in position recovery. In addition, this deformation ensures the locking of the cover 28 in the overlap position.

Furthermore, the outer surface of the base 5, and in particular that of its upper part 5b, comprises bosses 30 for centering and locking the cover 28 in the overlap position. In the figures, two bosses 30 are provided at 120 ° on either side of the orifice 24 and in the same radial plane, said bosses having a thickness equivalent to that of the nozzle 29 so as to ensure the centering.

In relation to FIGS. 1 to 3, a combination of the ring 3 on the body 1 is described below by providing a radial clamping of the lower part 5a of the base 5 by the body 1. This embodiment aims at improving the fixing and sealing the bellows 4 on the ring 3, in particular when removing the cover 28. It can be used in combination with the embodiment described above to ensure the closure of the dispensing orifice 24 between two uses. However, the radial clamping of the lower part 5a of the base 5 can be used independently of the realization of the closure, or as a main feature combined with said realization of the closure.

To achieve radial clamping, the diameter of the upper bearing surface 3a of the ring 3 is smaller than that of its lower bearing surface 3b so as to form an annular recess between said upper bearing surface and the end 1a of the body 1, the lower part 5a the base 5 being tight in said housing. In particular, the difference in diameters between the bearings 3a, 3b may be slightly less than the thickness of the lower portion 5a, so as to put said portion in compression in said housing.

Thus, after the attachment of the lower part 5a on the upper bearing surface 3a and the filling of the container 2 produces, the ring 3 is fitted into the body 1 to perform the clamping. In addition, the clamping makes it possible to make the action of the fastening means of the base 5 more reliable on the upper bearing surface 3a made by the grooves 25.

Furthermore, the base 5 is provided with a bead 31 which extends outwardly, the cover 28 in the overlap position bearing axially on said bead. Thus, the bead 31 form limit stop cover overlap 28, ensuring damping due to its elastically deformable nature.

In Figures 1 to 3, the bead 31 is formed on the lower portion 5a so as to leave on either side of it an overlap zone of said lower portion respectively the skirt 28b and the end 1a of the body 1. Thus, the bead 31 extends on the end 1a of the body 1 to be interposed axially between said end and the lower end of Ila skirt 28b.

In Figures 4 and 5, the bead 31 is formed on the lower end of the lower portion 5a to extend on the radial wall 32 of junction between the tube 1 and the upper bearing 3a. This increases the interference length between the skirt 28b and the lower part 5a, so as to improve the fixing and sealing of the bellows 4 on the ring 3, in particular during the removal of the cover 28.

Claims (13)

REVENDICATIONS1. Dispensing bottle for a fluid product, comprising a body (1) defining a reservoir (2) for packaging said product and a dispensing system for said product which is mounted on said body to be in communication with said reservoir via a product supply device, said dispensing system comprising a ring (3) integral with the body (1) and a bellows (4) of elastically deformable material which comprises a base (5) mounted on said ring, said base being surmounted by a head (6) resiliently compressible so as to define a variable volume within said head, said ring being provided with a feed channel (19) of the product from the feed device inwards bellows (4), said channel being equipped with an inlet valve (21) of the product inside said bellows and the bottle further comprises an exhaust valve (26) of the product from the inside of said bellows let, said exhaust valve being interposed between the ring (3) and the bellows (4) so as to delimit an upper metering chamber (22) whose volume is variable and a lower distribution chamber (23) which is formed inside the base (5) to be in communication with a dispensing orifice (24) formed in said base, said bottle being characterized in that the dispensing orifice (24) is externally surrounded by a projecting spout ( 29), and in that said bottle further comprises a rigid cover (28) which is intended to cover the bellows (4) between the distributions, said cover in the overlap position being arranged to surround at least part of the base ( 5) with sufficient interference to come into sealing engagement on the spout (29) to ensure closure of the orifice (24) between the distributions. Dispensing bottle according to Claim 1, characterized in that the ring (3) comprises an upper stack (20) which is arranged inside the bellows (4) and in which the downstream part of the feed channel ( 19) is formed, the exhaust valve comprising an annular membrane (26) formed on the outer wall of said chimney having a free end (27), said diaphragm being flexibly displaceable by compressing the product in the dosing chamber (22) between a rest position in which the free end (27) bears tightly on the bellows (4) and a constrained position in which the free end (27) is disposed at a distance from said bellows to allow the passage product under pressure from the metering chamber (22) to the distribution chamber (23). 3. dispensing bottle according to claim 2, characterized in that the bellows (4) comprises an axial superposition of annular folds forming the head (6), the annular base (4) extending axially being connected to the radial wall lower (8) of the lower fold, the free end (27) of the diaphragm (26) in the rest position being in sealing engagement on the underside of said wall. 4. dispensing bottle according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the free end (27) of the membrane (26) comprises a bead (27a) of contact with the bellows (4). 5. dispensing bottle according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the chimney (20) comprises an upper bearing surface (20a) which extends axially above the free end (27) of the membrane . (26) 6. dispensing bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the outer surface of the base (5) comprises bosses (30) for centering the cap (28) in the overlap position. 7. dispensing bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the base (5) comprises a lower portion (5a) which is associated around a bearing surface (3a) of the ring (3), and an upper portion (5b) in which the chamber (23) and the dispensing orifice (24) are formed. 20 25 13 8. dispensing bottle according to claim 7, characterized in that the bearing surface (3a) of the ring (3) comprises anchoring means (25) of the lower part (5a) of the base (5). 9. Dispensing bottle according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the body (1) of the bottle is made of rigid material, the ring (3) being associated on said body ensuring a radial clamping of the lower part (5a ) of the base (5) by said body. 10. FI'acon distribution according to claim 9, characterized in that the ring (3) comprises an upper bearing surface (3a) of association of the base (5) and a lower bearing surface (3b) of association in the body (1), the diameter of the upper span (3a) being smaller than that of the lower bearing (3b) so as to form a housing between said upper bearing and the end (la) of the body (1), the lower part (5a) of the base (5) being clamped in said housing. 11. dispensing bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the body (1) comprises a flexible tube on which the ring (3) is integrated. 12. dispensing bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the base (5) is provided with a bead (31) which extends outwardly, the cover (28) in the covering position coming from in axial support on ledlit bead. 13. Dispensing bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the head (6) comprises an upper bearing surface (11), said surface being convex.