FR3027808A1 - NASAL DISTRIBUTION HEAD AND DEVICE FOR DISPENSING FLUID PRODUCT COMPRISING SUCH A HEAD. - Google Patents

Abstract

Nasal delivery head (30) having a nasal tip (31) for penetrating into a nostril of a user, said nose piece (31) terminating at its distal end through a dispensing orifice (35) through which a product fluid is distributed in the nostril of the user, said nose piece (31) comprising, upstream of said dispensing orifice (35), a deformable wall (40) adapted to deform radially outwardly during the dispensing of the product fluid, for increasing locally and during the duration of said dispensing the outer diameter of said nose piece (31) at said deformable wall (40) to substantially plug the nostril of the user during the dispensing of the fluid.

Description

The present invention relates to a nasal dispensing head and a fluid dispenser device comprising such a head. Nasal delivery devices are well known. They generally comprise a reservoir containing fluid and on which is mounted a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve. The fluid is generally sprayed as a spray through a dispensing orifice provided at the distal end of a nosepiece formed on a nasal dispensing head. A disadvantage of this type of device is that due to the conical shape of the spray at the outlet of the dispensing orifice, it is difficult for the active product to reach certain areas of the nasal cavity, such as the olfactory zone. . Another disadvantage is related to the fact that the droplets of liquid forming the spray tend to flow too quickly, in particular by gravity, from certain nasal mucous membranes on which they have been sprayed, with a limited action for the active product. on these mucous membranes. In some cases, a portion of the product sprayed into the nostril may even flow out of the nostril even though the nosepiece is still inside said nostril. The present invention aims to provide a nasal dispensing head and a fluid dispenser device that do not reproduce the aforementioned drawbacks. The present invention also aims to provide a nasal dispensing head and a fluid dispenser device for obtaining prolonged contact between the active product and the mucous membranes of the nostril.

The present invention also aims to provide a nasal dispensing head and a fluid dispenser device that are simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble. The present therefore relates to a nasal dispensing head having a nosepiece for penetrating into a nostril of a user, said nosepiece terminating at its distal end by a dispensing orifice through which a fluid is dispensed into the nostril of the user, said nasal nozzle comprising, upstream of said dispensing orifice, a deformable wall adapted to deform radially outwardly during the dispensing of the fluid product, to increase locally and during the duration of said distribution the diameter external of said nosepiece at said deformable wall, to substantially plug the nostril of the user during the dispensing of the fluid. Advantageously, said nosepiece comprises an axial central channel, the distal end of which comprises said dispensing orifice, and an expansion chamber delimited by said deformable wall. Advantageously, said expansion chamber is connected to said central channel by at least one transverse channel. Advantageously, said expansion chamber forms an integral part of said central channel. Advantageously, said nosepiece comprises a shutter at said dispensing orifice.

Advantageously, said shutter comprises an axial rod fixed to the dispensing head, and a transverse flange extending radially outwards with respect to said axial rod at the distal end thereof, said dispensing orifice being formed in said transverse flange. Advantageously, a distal end edge of said deformable wall is slidable radially with respect to said transverse flange, so that in the rest position, said distal end edge of said deformable wall is in contact with said axial stem of said deformable wall. shutter, thus closing said dispensing orifice, and in dispensing position, said distal end edge of said deformable wall is radially spaced from said axial rod, thereby opening said dispensing orifice. The present invention also relates to a fluid dispenser device comprising a fluid reservoir and a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve, mounted on the reservoir, said fluid dispensing device comprising a head distribution as described above. Advantageously, said dispensing member is a metering valve operating with a propellant gas, said fluid product being distributed through said dispensing orifice of said nasal dispensing head in the form of a foam, so that said fluid product can reproducibly reach the inaccessible areas of the nasal cavity, such as the olfactory zone.

These and other features and advantages will appear more clearly in the following detailed description, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, given as non-limiting examples, and in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fluid dispensing device comprising a nasal dispensing head according to a first advantageous embodiment of the present invention, in the rest position, - Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, in position of 3 is a detail view A of FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a nasal dispensing head, FIG. according to a second advantageous embodiment of the present invention, in the rest position, - Figure 6 is a detail view of Figure 5, in the dispensing position, and - Figure 7 is a similar view to that of Figure 5, illustrating a third advantageous embodiment of the present invention, in the rest position. In the description, the terms "distal" and "proximal" refer to the outlet of the dispensing member, in this case the valve 20 in Figs. 1 and 2. The terms "axial" and "radial" refer to to the central distribution axis B shown in particular in Figure 4. Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a first embodiment of the invention.

The nasal fluid dispensing device comprises a reservoir 10 containing the fluid product to be dispensed.

A dispensing member 20 is mounted on said reservoir to dispense a dose of fluid product with each actuation. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the dispensing member 20 is a metering valve operating with a propellant gas generally mixed in the reservoir 10 to the fluid to be dispensed. Typically, the valve 20 has a valve 21. It should be noted, however, that the present invention could also apply to pumps operating without propellant. A dispensing head 30 is mounted on the dispensing member 20, in particular on said valve 21 in the example of FIGS. 1 and 2. This dispensing head 30 comprises a nasal nozzle 31 intended to penetrate into the nostril of the user, and an attachment portion 32 connected to said dispensing member 20. The nasal nozzle 31 terminates at its distal end through a dispensing orifice 35 through which the fluid product will be dispensed into the nostril of the user during the treatment. actuation. In the figures, the nose piece 31 is shown inclined with respect to the reservoir 10, with the central distribution axis B, represented in FIG. 4, forming an angle with respect to the longitudinal central axis C of the device represented on FIGS. Figures 1, 2 and 5. This angle is then greater than 00 and less than 180 °. Alternatively, the nosepiece 31 could be aligned with said longitudinal central axis C, in which case the axis B would be coincident with the axis C. According to the invention, said nosepiece 31 comprises, upstream of said dispensing orifice 35 a deformable wall 40 adapted to deform radially outwardly during dispensing of the fluid product, to increase locally and during the duration of said dispensing the outer diameter of said nose piece 31 at said deformable wall 40. This increase of The diameter will substantially seal the user's nostril during delivery of the fluid into the nostril of the user, thereby preventing said fluid from flowing too rapidly out of said nostril. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate this increase in diameter for the first embodiment. In this variant, during dispensing, the passage of the fluid leaving the reservoir 10 and going towards the dispensing orifice 35 will deform the deformable wall 40, due to the pressure exerted by said fluid on said deformable wall 40. This then takes a curved shape, visible in Figure 4. During the distribution of the dose, the deformable wall 40 will substantially close the nostril. This not only limits the risk of fluid flow out of the nostril, but also encourages the user to maintain the nosepiece in his nostril until the end of the distribution. Once the dose has been dispensed, the pressure at the level of said deformable wall 40 decreases, which deflates and / or brings back the deformable wall 40 in its undistorted state. The seal with the nostril is then broken, and the nasal tip 31 can then be removed from the nostril. In the example of FIGS. 3 and 4, the nosepiece 31 comprises an axial central channel 32 whose distal end includes said dispensing orifice 35. An insert 33 is disposed in said central channel 32 to limit the dead volume. At least one transverse channel 34 is provided for connecting said central channel 32 to an expansion chamber 36 delimited by said deformable wall 40. Thus, when the device is actuated, the fluid under pressure passes through the central channel 32 and penetrates in said expansion chamber 36 through said at least one transverse channel 34 for inflating said deformable membrane 40. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a second embodiment, wherein the nasal dispensing head 31 has a shutter 50 at the In this variant, the expansion chamber 36 is disposed at the distal end of the nasal nozzle 31, at the level of said dispensing orifice 35. The obturator 50 comprises an axial rod 51 fixed to the dispensing head 30, and a transverse flange 52 extending radially outwardly relative to said axial rod 51 at the distal end thereof. The shutter 50 thus has substantially the shape of a T. Said transverse flange 52 can be curved, as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6. The dispensing orifice 35 is formed in said transverse flange 52, as can be seen in FIG. 6. The deformable wall 40 may here be substantially rigid, and radially deformable outwardly under the effect of the pressure of the fluid product being dispensed. The proximal end edge of said deformable wall 40 is fixed to said axial stem 51 of the shutter, while the distal end edge of said deformable wall 40 is radially slidable relative to said transverse flange 52. rest, shown in Figure 5, said distal end edge of said deformable wall 40 is in contact with said axial stem 51 of the shutter, thereby closing said dispensing orifice 35. In dispensing position, shown in Figure 6 said distal end edge of said deformable wall 40 is radially spaced from said axial rod 51, thus opening said dispensing orifice 35. This implementation makes it possible to guarantee that the fluid product is dispensed into the nostril only after clogging of the nostril by said deformable wall 40. FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment, in which the expansion chamber 36 forms an integral part of the central channel 32, which i here is narrow and devoid of insert. Upon actuation, the pressurized fluid product arrives in the expansion chamber 36 by a proximal portion of said central channel 32, which causes the radial expansion of the deformable wall 40. From this expansion chamber 36, the fluid product then flows to said dispensing orifice via a distal portion of said central channel 32. Preferably, the fluid is dispensed into the nostril in the form of foam, to properly line the nasal cavity. The foam also makes it possible to obtain prolonged contact between the mucous membranes and the active product in comparison with a liquid nasal spray. In addition, the use of a foam makes it possible to reproducibly reach the hard-to-reach areas of the nasal cavity, such as the olfactory zone. In known manner, the spray generated by the valve 20 is transformed into foam by expansion at the outlet of the device. Typically, a butane / propane mixture as a propellant is used to generate such a foam. Other propellants are of course also usable. In general, any suitable foam generating means may be used in the context of the present invention. The present invention has been described with reference to several advantageous embodiments, but it is understood that a person skilled in the art can make any modifications, without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1. nasal dispensing head (30) having a nose piece (31) for penetrating into a nostril of a user, said nose piece (31) terminating at its distal end by a dispensing orifice (35) through which a fluid product is distributed in the nostril of the user, characterized in that said nose piece (31) comprises, upstream of said dispensing orifice (35), a deformable wall (40) adapted to deform radially towards the external during dispensing of the fluid product, for increasing locally and during the duration of said dispensing the outer diameter of said nose piece (31) at said deformable wall (40), to substantially plug the nostril of the user during dispensing fluid product. 2. Head according to claim 1, wherein said nose piece (31) comprises an axial central channel (32), the distal end of which comprises said dispensing orifice (35), and an expansion chamber (36) delimited by said deformable wall (40). 3. Head according to claim 2, wherein said expansion chamber (36) is connected to said central channel (32) by at least one transverse channel (34). 4. Head according to claim 2, wherein said expansion chamber (36) forms an integral part of said central channel (32). 5. Head according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said nose piece (31) comprises a shutter (50) at said dispensing orifice (35). The head of claim 5, wherein said shutter (50) has an axial shaft (51) attached to the dispensing head (30), and a transverse flange (52) extending radially outwardly relative to said axial rod (51) at the distal end thereof, said dispensing orifice (35) being formed in said transverse flange (52). The head according to claim 6, wherein a distal end edge of said deformable wall (40) is radially slidable relative to said transverse flange (52), so that in the rest position said edge of said distal end of said deformable wall (40) is in contact with said axial stem (51) of the shutter, thus closing said dispensing orifice (35), and in dispensing position, said distal end edge of said deformable wall (40) is radially spaced from said axial rod (51), thereby opening said dispensing orifice (35). 8.- fluid dispensing device, comprising a reservoir (10) of fluid and a dispensing member (20), such as a pump or a valve, mounted on the reservoir, characterized in that said dispensing device fluid product comprises a dispensing head (30) according to any one of the preceding claims. 9.- Device according to claim 8, wherein said dispensing member (20) is a metering valve operating with a propellant, said fluid being dispensed through said dispensing orifice of said nasal dispensing head in the form of foam, so that said fluid product can reproducibly reach hard-to-reach areas of the nasal cavity, such as the olfactory zone.