FR3118766A1 - Assembly forming a dispenser for tabs or packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

Assembly forming a dispenser for strips or packaging Assembly forming a distributor of strips or packaging, in particular strips made of a material that can be impregnated with perfume, impregnated with perfume, consisting of a stack 1 of strips or packaging, in particular strips pre-impregnated with perfume or in a material that can be impregnated with perfume, and a device for automatically dispensing a strip or a packaging, in particular a strip impregnated with perfume, the device comprising at least one wheel or roller 11 arranged so as to drive a strip or a packaging out of the stack 1 of strips or packaging, in particular up to an outlet slot 13, characterized in that at least one tip 33, preferably a plurality of spikes, protrudes or protrudes from the tread of the at least one wheel or roller 11, the spike(s) 33 being capable of becoming embedded in the tongue or the packaging to be driven for the train with the at least one wheel or castor during its rotation. Figure for abstract: Fig. 1

Description

Assembly forming a dispenser for tabs or packaging

The present invention relates to an assembly forming a dispenser for strips or packaged products, hereinafter called packaging, having at least one flat face, for example strips, also called strips, for testing perfume in the form of a strip. in a material that can be impregnated with perfume, a case in the form of two sheets forming between them a pocket for receiving a product, for example a cosmetic product such as a make-up powder, lipstick, cream, lotion or care gel or the like, a packaging of products, such as a packet of cigarettes, sweets, a box of medicines or the like, the assembly comprising a dispensing device and a stack of tabs or packaging to be dispensed. The present invention also relates to a device for dispensing an assembly of this type.

More and more, businesses want to make products available to their customers, in particular perfume test strips, ensuring that they have not been touched beforehand by other customers. It is conventional, for perfumes, to offer a tab made of a material that can be impregnated with perfume that the customer takes by hand and soaks in perfume using a common bottle made available.

These prior art dispensing devices always require common parts, which are touched by several people, whether it be the bottle containing the perfume or the tab or any other dispensing device. These parts that can be touched by several people have the effect of allowing the spread of viruses between people.

We would like to provide an assembly forming a distributor of strips or packaging, in particular strips impregnated with perfume, which is safer from a health point of view and which in particular promotes less or does not promote the transmission of viruses between people. using. At the same time, it is desired to have available an assembly of simple structure and reliable operation.

According to the invention, an assembly forming a dispenser for strips or packaging, in particular strips made of a material that can be impregnated with perfume, impregnated with perfume, consisting of a stack of strips or packaging, in particular pre-impregnated strips of perfume or of a material that can be impregnated with perfume, and of a device for automatically dispensing a strip or a packaging, in particular a strip impregnated with perfume, the device comprising at least one wheel or roller arranged in in such a way as to lead a strip or a packaging out of the stack of strips or packaging, in particular as far as an exit slot, characterized in that at least one point, preferably a plurality of points, protrudes or protrudes ) of the tread of the at least one wheel or roller, the spike(s) being capable of becoming embedded in the tongue or the packaging to be driven in order to drive it with the at least one wheel or roller during of its rotation.

According to a favorable embodiment, means are provided for dispensing a dose of perfume onto the tab drawn out of the stack, these means being arranged so as to dispense the dose after the tab has come out of the stack, in particular between when the tab exits the stack and when it passes through the exit slot.

According to another advantageous embodiment, the tongues are pre-impregnated with perfume, in particular comprise beads of dry perfume which can be activated by friction.

In particular, the pre-impregnated tabs are in the form of laminates each comprising at least an upper film of plastic material, a central layer of paper or cardboard and a layer of a support material, such as a varnish or a resin, in which are incorporated perfume beads.

In particular, the central layer is a sheet of cardboard, in particular having a weight of between 100 and 500 g/m², in particular between 250 and 350 g/m².

Preferably, there are provided means forming a sensor of the presence of a person opposite the exit slot and control means, in particular electronic, able to control the rotation of the at least one wheel or roller when the means forming the sensor of presence detect the presence of a person in front of the exit slot

According to an advantageous embodiment, the at least one wheel or castor comprises at least one peripheral ring gear whose teeth form the point(s) capable of becoming embedded in the tongue.

In particular, the at least one wheel or roller comprises a plurality of peripheral ring gears arranged at a distance from each other along the axis of rotation of the wheel or roller, in particular at equal distance from each other.

Preferably, the control means are capable of actuating the at least one wheel or roller and the dispensing means.

In particular, the control means actuate the dispensing means following a time interval given in advance after the rotation of the at least one wheel or roller.

For example, the control means actuate the dispensing means via the tab or the package driven by the tip(s) of the at least one wheel or roller.

Thus, according to the invention, an assembly is obtained forming a distributor of tabs or packaging, which makes it possible to avoid any spread of viruses between the different people using it, these having to touch only one tab. or a single package extracted from the exit slot and no other parts of the dispenser. In addition, the system according to the invention has a particularly simple structure, but nevertheless allows reliable driving of the tab or of the packaging, in particular even in the case of quite rigid tabs or packaging and/or having faces that are quite rigid. smooth, in particular due to the presence of one or more layers of varnish or plastic.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dispensing means consist of a spray nozzle controlled by a pressure button.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the wheel or caster drives the tab or the lowest or lowest wrapper of the stack out of the stack of tabs or wrappers.

According to another particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the wheel or caster drives the tab or the uppermost or the most superior packaging of the stack of tabs or packaging.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the stack of tabs or packaging is at a distance from the exit slot, in particular at a distance greater than 10% of the length of the tab or of the packaging, from preferably greater than 20% of the length of the tab or of the packaging, even more preferably greater than 30% of the length of the tab or of the packaging, in particular between 30% and 50% of the tab or of the packaging.

Preferably, the assembly is encompassed as a whole in a housing, one face of the housing, in particular the front face, comprising the exit slot and the means forming the presence sensor being arranged so as to detect the presence of a person in front of this called a face of the case.

The present invention also relates to a device for dispensing strips or packaging, in particular perfume strips, of an assembly according to the invention, as well as to a piece of furniture comprising a plurality of assemblies according to the invention, in particular arranged next to each other and/or one above the other.

By way of example, embodiments according to the invention are described below with reference to the drawings given solely by way of example, in which:

there is an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of an assembly according to the invention;

there is an assembled perspective view of the assembly of the ;

there is a front view of the assembly of Figures 1 and 2;

there is a sectional view along line AA of the ;

there is a larger-scale view of circled part B of the ;

there is an exploded perspective view of an assembly according to another embodiment of the invention;

there is an assembled perspective view of the assembly of the ;

there is a front view of the assembly of Figures 6 and 7;

there is a sectional view along line AA of the ;

To is a larger-scale view of circled part B of the ;

there is an exploded perspective view of yet another embodiment of an assembly according to the invention

there is a front view of the assembly of the in assembled condition;

there is a sectional view along line AA of the ;

there is an exploded perspective view of yet another embodiment of an assembly according to the invention;

there is a front view of the assembly of the in assembled condition;

there is a sectional view along line AA of the ;

there is an exploded perspective view of yet another embodiment of an assembly according to the invention;

there is a front view of the assembly of the in assembled condition;

there is a sectional view along line AA of the ;

there is a sectional view of the assembly of Figures 17 to 19 in a state in which the dispensing device does not deliver a dose of perfume and no tabs are extracted from the stack;

there is a sectional view of the assembly of the in a state in which a tab has been extracted from the stack and the dispensing device dispenses a dose of perfume in an area between the stack and the extraction slot;

there is a top view of a tab of a battery according to the invention;

there is a side view of a tongue of an assembly according to the invention;

there is an exploded perspective view of yet another embodiment of an assembly according to the invention;

there is a front view of the assembly of the ;

there is a sectional view along line AA of the ;

there is a cross-sectional view of the prepreg tabs of the assembly of Figures 24 through 26.

To the , there is shown an assembly according to the invention. The assembly consists of a device for dispensing scented strips and a stack 1 of strips 10.

The assembly comprises a box 2 of rectangular parallelepipedal shape having a side opening allowing access therein, which can be closed by a partition 3. In the box 2 is received a bottle 4 containing the perfume to be dispensed on the tabs, which is held by a corner 5. A U-shaped auxiliary box 6 receives within it in form complementarity the stack 1 of tabs, being of dimension in cross section substantially equal to the dimension of the tabs to hold the stack of tabs in a vertical position. The auxiliary box 6 comprises, in the lower part in its central wall, three slots traversed respectively by two tubes or rollers forming rollers 7a and 7b (the roller 7a of the is shown in the mounted state in the receiving slot, while the roller 7b is shown at a distance therefrom). The two tubes are mounted fixed relative to the casing 2, in particular by being arranged between two vertical plates 29 and 31 fixed relative to the casing 2. The two tubes support the stack 1 from below. The third slit (which is not visible on the ) allows the passage within it of a shaft 8, which is driven in rotation by a motor 9 arranged in the housing 2 behind the housing 6. The shaft 8 is integral in rotation with a wheel 11 which comprises toothing made of a material harder than the material of the tabs, for example metal. These points can thus become embedded in the material of the face of the tongue which is opposite them in order to facilitate their removal from the stack 1.

The wheel 11 comprises a plurality of metal peripheral toothed crowns 33 at regular distances from each other along the axis of rotation of the wheel 11. These crowns are fitted around the circular cylindrical base body of the wheel, which can be in a material other than that of the teeth. Instead, one could also make the whole wheel of the same material, harder than the material of the tabs.

On the other hand, the auxiliary box 6 has a front slot 12 in its front side wall, the arrangement being such that the slot 12 is located directly opposite the lowermost tab of the battery 1 and has a dimension allowing the passage within it of this tongue by horizontal translation.

The slot 12 is located opposite (in particular at the same height) a tongue outlet slot 13 made in the front face of the main housing 2. An angle-shaped element comprises an upper horizontal plate 14, which extends above the area between the front slot 12 and the exit slot 13. The upper plate 14 supports a spray nozzle 15 connected by a pipe 16 to a pressure button 17, itself coupled to a valve 18, of the bottle 4. The nozzle is positioned so as to project perfume onto the upper face of the bottle. a tongue when it passes from the slot 12 before the slot 13 output. Pressure exerted on the pressure button 17 causes the valve 8 to come out of its seat in the neck of the bottle 4 and thus the ejection of a dose of perfume, transmitted, via the pipe 16, to the nozzle 15. This is a perfume spray valve system, well known in the field, and which will not be described further below.

A sensor 19 of the presence of a person is received in an opening 24 formed in the front wall of the housing 2 and detects the presence of a person in front of this front wall. The sensor is connected to an electronic card 20 for controlling the various elements of the device. The electronic card 20 is connected to the sensor 19 of the presence of a person in front of the housing 2, as well as to the motor 9 for driving the axis 8 integral in rotation with the roller 11. The control card 20 is also connected to an electronic element 22 for applying pressure during a given time interval on the pressure button 17, the given time interval being proportional to the dose of perfume that one wishes to project onto the tongue by the nozzle 15. This element 22 comprises a motor controlled by the control card 20 which drives, during the given time interval, following a downward vertical pressure movement a pressure element, such as a rod or a plate, which presses the pressure button 17 placed above the valve 18.

A tube 25 forming a roller is loosely mounted on a shaft 26 and allows the transmission of the tab extracted from the stack 1 to pass through the outlet slot 13. This roller passes through a slot formed in the foot 27 of the angle element arranged between the slots 12 and 13. The shaft 26 is mounted integral with a plate 28 fixed to the housing 2.

The upper horizontal plate 14 also supports a detector 30 of the presence of a tab in the region under the plate, between the two slots 12 and 13.

A battery or battery 23 provides the power supply to the various elements, in particular the electronic card 20, the wheel drive motor 9 and the electronic element 22, as well as the presence sensors 19 and 30.

A sheet 32 is also attached to the front face of the case 2 for decoration and/or information purposes, in particular being able to represent images of the perfume bottle distributed by the assembly.

The system following the works as follows. When a person comes in front of the sensor 19, the latter detects it and informs the electronic card 20 of the presence of a person. The card 20, possibly taking into account a minimum presence time of the person in front of the sensor, triggers a rotation of the wheel by controlling the motor 9 for a time allowing the extraction of the lowest tab 10 from the stack. 1 out of the battery and its transmission until part of the tab protrudes from the housing 2 through the slot 13 output.

At the end of a time interval, which can either be determined in advance according to the different dimensions and speeds of elements, in particular the speed of rotation of the roller, the dimension of the tongues and the like, or correspond to the moment when the presence sensor 30 detects the presence of the tongue under the plate 14, the electronic card triggers, after this time interval determined in advance, the electronic system 22, which then applies pressure to the pressure button 17, causing the dispensing by spraying of a dose of perfume through the nozzle 15 on the tab which has just been extracted from the stack and which is in the region between the slot 12 and the slot 13.

It follows that the tongue thus impregnated with perfume then comes out through the slot 13 available to the person in front of the main box, the presence of which was previously detected by the sensor 19.

To the , there is shown another embodiment of an assembly according to the invention. This comprises substantially the same elements as the assembly shown in and the elements having the same functions and/or being identical are represented by the same numerical references, to which the sign ' has been added.

In this embodiment, compared to the embodiment of the , the slot 13' is located in the upper part. Indeed, in this embodiment, the drive system is arranged so as to drive not the lowermost tab of the stack 1, but the uppermost tab of the stack 1' of tabs. Thus, the roller 11' is arranged above the stack 1, so as to drive, under the control of the card 20', the uppermost tab of the stack 1 through a slot 12', the tab being supported by an idler roller 41 which is in the form of a tube traversed by a shaft 40 mounted fixed relative to the housing 2', the shaft 40 being horizontal and perpendicular to the direction of movement of the tabs. There are also provided a pusher element 24 and a pusher plate 25 arranged under the stack 1′ of tabs and which, by a spring system not shown, push the stack of tabs upwards as the furthest tabs tops of the stack have been pulled out of the stack, to ensure that the topmost tab of the stack is always facing the slot 12' of the device.

In Figures 11, 12 and 13, there is shown a perfume assembly according to another embodiment.

The assembly is encompassed as a whole in a box 200 of rectangular parallelepiped shape open on one side and which can be closed by a lateral closure plate 213. The box 200 receives within it two wedges 211 and 212 made of foam. Wedge 212 is fixed while wedge 211 is mobile. The fixed wedge 212 is fixed by a vertical side face to an inner face of the side wall of the housing opposite the side closing plate 213, for example with glue. The other face of the fixed wedge is shaped so as to define between it and a corresponding opposite face of the mobile wedge 211 two reception spaces.

The first front reception space receives a perfume bottle 202 comprising a substantially circular cylindrical part forming a reservoir 203 and a part 204 in the shape of a neck of smaller diameter than the part forming a reservoir 203, the neck 204 ending in an opening 205, in which is received a ball 206 rotatable on itself, the arrangement being made so that the ball seals vis-à-vis the outside of the reservoir 203 as regards the passage of the perfume. The bottle 202 is held vertically in the case 200 with the neck downwards by means of the wedges 211 and 212, a support plate 209 on which the ball 206 bears and a shoulder 208 coming from the face interior of the top wall of the housing 200. Other means for stabilizing or additional means for stabilizing the bottle 202 in its vertical position shown can be provided. In particular, depending on the pressure that one wishes to have at the level of the contact between the ball 206 and the plate 209, one can provide additional holding means for the bottle so that it does not press too much against the plate 209, in particular so that the contact between the ball 206 and the plate 209 is flush.

The second rear reception space receives a stack 220 of tabs 10. This reception space has a cross section of the same dimensions in length and width (in the horizontal plane) as those of the tabs, this volume for receiving the tabs 10 stacked together on the others being delimited by the inner vertical walls facing each other of the two wedges 211 and 212. On the other hand, the reception space is delimited by a vertical plate 233 before and by the rear face of the box 200, the distance between the front vertical plate 233 and the rear face of the housing corresponding to the length of the tabs while the distance between the inner faces of the two wedges 211 and 212 corresponds to the width of the tabs.

The second rear reception space is delimited at the bottom by a bottom plate 215 which is continuous with the support plate 209. In particular, these two plates 215 and 209 can be sections of the same plate. The introduction of the stack and / or the bottle can be done through the side opening of the housing, the movable wedge 212 being inserted through the side opening of the housing following the bottle and / or the stack of tabs before the opening is closed by the side plate 213 which then bears against the wedge 212 to ensure the lateral stability of the assembly. On the other hand, it is possible to provide a bar 214 of ballast to be placed above the stack.

The front plate 233 ends with a lower edge 226 which is at a small distance from the bottom plate 215, so as to form a slot of identical size to the cross section of a tab (width and thickness), through which can be extracted the lower tab from the stack of tabs arranged in the volume for receiving the stack formed in the second rear receiving space.

Under the bottom plate 215, there is mounted a rotatable caster 250 with respect to a horizontal axis, the caster being fixed on the casing 200 so that the tips of its teeth projecting from its peripheral surface can become embedded in the underside of the lower tongue of the stack by passing through a through window 231 formed in the plate 215.

The wheel 250 is mounted in such a way as to be driven by the axis of an electric motor 251, the latter being able for example to be fixed by screws 252 to the side wall of the casing 200, in order thus also to carry out the fixing of the wheel to the housing.

The box 200 has in its front wall 220 a through slot 221 arranged so that its lower edge is exactly level with the upper face of the plate 209.

The box 200 has a presence detection slot 222 opposite which a presence sensor 223 is fixed inside the box 200.

A printed circuit board 224 is connected by suitable electrical wires to the motor and to the presence detector to control the motor and therefore the rotation of the wheel according to the detection of the presence of a person in front of the slot 222 for detection by the presence sensor 223. A power supply in the form of a battery 225 provides the power supply for the sensor, the motor and the control board.

The operation of the test device of FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 is carried out as follows: When the presence sensor detects the presence of a person in front of the slot 222, it triggers, by sending to the card 224 control of the presence information, a rotation of the wheel 250 over a sufficient number of turns to drive the lower tab of the stack along the plate 215 out of the stack and onto the plate 209, then between the ball 206 and the plate 209, then until part of the tongue comes out of the slot 221 for the person who triggered the operation to take hold.

During the passage of the tongue between the ball 206 and the plate 209, the tongue is impregnated with perfume in the following way: Under the effect of the abutment of the front edge of the tongue 10 and the dragging of friction between the material of the ball 206 and that of the tongue, the thrust by the action of the roller of this tongue has the effect of causing the ball 206 to turn on itself. As a result, the part of the outer surface of the ball which, before the entrainment of the ball by the tab, was inside the reservoir 202 is located outside after this entrainment and can thus impregnate the material of the tab with the perfume to be tested. The user thus has available a tongue 10 soaked in the perfume to enable him to test it.

Thus, the impregnation of the tongue by the ball 206 takes place after the extraction of the battery from the tongue by the action of the roller. The impregnation is thus controlled by the electronic control means of the control card 224 with a delay time interval with respect to the actuation of the wheel, the time that the front edge of the tongue passes from the stack to the ball.

A device forming a tester that is entirely “contactless” with customers is thus obtained.

In FIGS. 14, 15 and 16, an even more perfected embodiment is shown, in which the drawback of the embodiment of FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 which could constitute the fact that a person triggers the but does not take the tongue which then remains hanging from the slot 221, possibly after having touched it however.

In Figures 14, 15 and 16, the numerical references of the constituent elements identical to those of the embodiment of Figures 11, 12 and 13 have been retained and for the elements having the same function but which have been modified, the numerical references have been changed. supplemented with the prime sign “'”.

The difference between the two embodiments is the addition of an auxiliary wheel 260 driven by an auxiliary motor 261 which is fixed to the housing 200 in the same way as the motor 251 in the embodiment of Figures 7, 8 and 8A . the mounting is made so that the highest part of the peripheral surface of the auxiliary wheel 260 can come into contact with the ball 206 by passing through a through window 261 formed in the plate 209 opposite the ball.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the two rollers 250 'and 260 are identical to the rollers of the previous embodiments, comprising pointed teeth in a material harder than the material of the tongues to be driven in order to be able to embed themselves therein to train them.

The test device of Figures 14, 15 and 16 operates as follows:

When the presence sensor detects the presence of a person in front of the slot 222, it triggers, by sending presence information to the control card 224', a rotation of the wheel 250' on a sufficient number of turns to drive the lower tongue of the stack along the plate 215 out of the stack and onto the plate 209', then between the ball 206 and the plate 209', then until a part of the tongue comes out of the slot 221 to be taken by the person who triggered the operation. During the passage of the tongue between the ball 206 and the plate 209', the tongue is impregnated with perfume in the same way as in the case of the embodiment of the preceding figures. Further, the driving action of the auxiliary roller 260, rotated by the motor 261 under the control of the card 224', independently of the drive of the roller 250', ensures that the tongue 10' is pushed entirely outside the slot 221 of the housing, either for a grip by the person in front of the slot 221, or for reception in a tray 280 provided for this purpose under the slot 221.

In Figures 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21, there is shown yet another embodiment of an assembly according to the invention.

The assembly is encompassed as a whole in a box 300 of rectangular parallelepiped shape open on one side and which can be closed by a lateral closure plate 313. The box 300 receives within it two wedges 311 and 312 made of foam. Wedge 312 is fixed while wedge 311 is mobile. The fixed wedge 312 is fixed by a vertical side face to an inner face of the side wall of the box opposite the side closing plate 313, for example with glue. The other face of the fixed wedge is shaped so as to define between it and a corresponding opposite face of the mobile wedge 311 two reception spaces.

The first front reception space receives a perfume bottle 302 comprising a substantially circular cylindrical part forming a reservoir 303 and a part 304 in the shape of a neck of smaller diameter than the part forming a reservoir 303, the neck 304 ending in an opening 305, in which is received a wick 306 made of a material which can be soaked in the perfume contained in the reservoir 303, for example made of felt, the arrangement being made in such a way that the wick seals against the outside of the reservoir 303 with regard to the passage of the perfume. The bottle 302 is held vertically in the case 200 with the neck down by means of the wedges 311 and 312, a support plate 309 on which the distal end of the wick 306 rests. Other means stabilization or additional stabilization means of the bottle 302 in its vertical position shown may be provided. In particular, depending on the pressure that one wishes to have at the level of the contact between the wick 306 and the plate 309, one can provide additional holding means for the bottle so that it does not press too much against the plate 309, in particular so that the contact between the wick 306 and the plate 309 is flush.

The second rear reception space receives a stack 220 of tabs 10. This reception space has a cross section of the same dimensions in length and width (in the horizontal plane) as those of the tabs, this volume for receiving the tabs 10 stacked together on the others being delimited by the inner vertical walls facing each other of the two wedges 311 and 312. On the other hand, the reception space is delimited by a vertical plate 333 before and by the rear face of the box 300, the distance between the front vertical plate 333 and the rear face of the housing corresponding to the length of the tabs while the distance between the inner faces of the two wedges 311 and 312 corresponds to the width of the tabs.

The second rear reception space is delimited at the bottom by a bottom plate 315 which is continuous with the support plate 309. In particular, these two plates 315 and 309 can be sections of the same plate. The introduction of the stack and / or the bottle can be done through the side opening of the housing, the movable wedge 312 being inserted through the side opening of the housing following the bottle and / or the stack of tabs before closing the opening by the side plate 313 which then bears against the wedge 312 to ensure the lateral stability of the assembly. On the other hand, it is possible to provide a bar 214 of ballast to be placed above the stack.

The front plate 333 ends with a lower edge 326 which is at a small distance from the bottom plate 315, so as to form a slot of identical or substantially identical dimension to the cross section of a tongue (width and thickness), for which can be extracted the lower tab of the stack of tabs arranged in the volume for receiving the stack formed in the second rear receiving space.

Under the bottom plate 315, there is mounted a roller 350 rotatable relative to a horizontal axis, the roller being fixed on the housing 300 so that the tips of the teeth projecting from its peripheral surface can come into contact with the underside of the lower tongue of the stack passing through a through window 331 formed in the plate 315.

The caster 350 is mounted so as to be driven by the axis of an electric motor 351, the latter being able for example to be fixed by screws to the side wall of the casing 300, in order thus also to carry out the fixing of the caster to the casing. .

The box 300 has in its front wall 320 a through slot 321 arranged so that its lower edge is exactly level with the upper face of the plate 309.

The box 300 has a presence detection slot 322 opposite which a presence sensor 323 is fixed inside the box 300.

A printed circuit board 324 is connected by suitable electrical wires to the motor and to the presence detector to control the motor and therefore the rotation of the wheel according to the detection of the presence of a person in front of the detection slot 322 by the presence sensor 323. A power supply in the form of a battery 325 provides the power supply to the sensor, the motor and the control board.

In addition, this embodiment of the wick tester device further comprises a device capable of ensuring the airtightness of the wick, when the latter is not in contact with a tongue, in order thus to avoid drying out of the wick.

This sealing device comprises a tubular element 340 which surrounds the wick 306 while being able to slide vertically between a high position (FIG. 13B), at a distance from the plate 315, so that the wick emerges outside the tubular element 340 and can come into contact with a tab pushed laterally from the stack under the edge 326, and a low position in which the lower edge of the tubular element 340 bears against the plate 315, which on the one hand encloses the wick in an airtight enclosed space, preventing it from drying out, and on the other hand prevents a tab from passing under the wick.

To pass this tubular element between the two high and low positions, a link system 341. Each link 341 has an upper end which is hinged to an axis 343 coming from the side face of the tubular element 340 and a lower end which is hinged eccentrically to a respective disc 342 rotatably mounted with respect to an axis 344 horizontal and perpendicular to the direction of movement of the tabs, the axis 344 being fixed to the housing by being supported by a plate 346 fixed to the face inside the front wall of the housing 300. Two respective synchronization belts 345 connect the shaft of the motor 351 and the discs 342 mounted to rotate.

The operation of the test device of Figures 16 to 21 is carried out as follows.

When the presence sensor detects the presence of a person in front of the slot 322, it triggers, by sending presence information to the control card 324, a rotation of the wheel 350 over a number of sufficient turn to drive the bottom tab of the stack along plate 315 out of the stack and onto plate 309, then between bit 306 and plate 309, then until part of the tab sort outside of the slot 321 for grip by the person who triggered the operation. During the passage of the tongue between the wick 306 and the plate 309, the tongue became impregnated with perfume.

When the roller 360 is driven in rotation by the shaft of the motor 360, the belts 345 also drive the discs 342 in rotation around the axis 344, which has the effect of driving the rods upwards and therefore also tubular element 340, freeing access to the wick for the tongue pushed by the action of the wheel 350.

Thus, the impregnation of the tongue by the wick 306 takes place after the extraction of the battery from the tongue by the action of the roller. The impregnation is thus controlled by the electronic control means of the control board 324 with a delay time interval with respect to the actuation of the wheel, the time that the front edge of the tongue passes from the stack to the wick.

A device forming a tester that is entirely “contactless” with customers is thus obtained, in which the perfume is dispensed by a wick.

In Figures 22 and 23, there is shown a strip of material intended to be impregnated with perfume.

In Figures 24 to 26, there is shown yet another assembly according to the invention, in which pre-impregnated tongues are distributed. The assembly consists of a device for dispensing tabs 410 pre-impregnated with perfume and a stack 401 of tabs 410.

The assembly comprises a box 402 of rectangular parallelepiped shape having a side opening allowing access therein, which can be closed by a partition 403. 401 of tongues, being of cross-sectional dimension substantially equal to the dimension of the tongues to maintain the stack of tongues in a vertical position. The auxiliary casing 406 comprises, in the lower part in its central wall, a tube or roller forming an idler roller 407 mounted fixed relative to the casing, in particular by being arranged between two vertical plates 429 and 431 fixed relative to the casing 402. The tube 407 supports stack 401 from below. Also in the housing 407 is arranged a motor 409 which drives a shaft 408 in rotation. made of metal. The wheel 411 is arranged under the stack 401 and the tips of its teeth are in contact with the lowest tongue of the stack. These points can thus become embedded in the material of the face of the tongue which is opposite them to thus facilitate their driving out of the pile 401 during the rotation of the wheel.

The wheel 411 comprises a plurality of metal peripheral toothed crowns 433 at regular distances from each other along the axis of rotation of the wheel 411. These crowns are fitted around the circular cylindrical base body of the wheel, which can be in a material other than that of the teeth. Instead, one could also make the whole wheel of the same material, harder than the material of the tabs.

On the other hand, the auxiliary case 406 has a front slot 412 in its front side wall, the arrangement being such that the slot 412 is directly opposite the lowermost tab of the battery 401 and has a dimension allowing the passage within it of this tongue by horizontal translation.

The slot 412 is opposite (in particular at the same height) a tongue outlet slot 413 provided in the front face of the main housing 402 .

A sensor 419 of the presence of a person is received in an opening 423 formed in the front wall of the housing 402 and detects the presence of a person in front of this front wall. The sensor is connected to an electronic roulette control card 420. The electronic card 420 is connected to the sensor 419 of the presence of a person in front of the box 402, as well as to the motor 409 driving the axis 408 integral in rotation with the wheel 411.

A battery or battery 424 provides the power supply to the various elements, in particular the electronic card 420, the wheel drive motor 409 and the electronic element 422, as well as the presence sensor 419.

A sheet 432 is also attached to the front face of the box 402 for decoration and/or information purposes, in particular being able to represent images of the perfume bottle distributed by the assembly.

There is also provided a pusher element 425 disposed above the stack 401 of tabs and which, by a spring system not shown, pushes the stack of tabs downwards as the lowest tabs of the stack have been pulled out of the stack, to ensure that the lowermost tab of the stack still faces the slot 412 of the device.

The system works as follows. When a person comes in front of the sensor 419, the latter detects it and informs the electronic card 420 of the presence of a person. The card 420, possibly taking into account a minimum presence time of the person in front of the sensor, triggers a rotation of the wheel by controlling the motor 409 for a duration allowing the extraction of the lowest tab 410 from the stack 401 out of the stack and its transmission until a part of the tab protrudes out of the housing 402 through the exit slot 413 available to the person in front of the main housing, whose present has previously been detected by sensor 419.

To the , there is shown a pre-impregnated tab which may in particular form part of the assembly shown in Figures 24 to 26.

This tab is made of a laminate 500, having an upper layer 501 in the form of a plastic film, a central layer 502 in the form of a sheet of cardboard and a lower layer 503 comprising a material forming a matrix, such as a glue or a varnish, in which are incorporated beads 504 of dry perfume, which can be activated by friction.

The two outer layers 501 and 503 can each have a thickness of 50 to 500 microns, in particular between 100 and 300 microns, for example 200 microns.

The cardboard sheet may have a surface thickness/weight of the order of 150 to 500 g/m², in particular between 200 and 400 g/m², more preferably between 300 and 350 g/m².

Claims (8)

Assembly forming a dispenser for strips or packaging, in particular strips made of a material that can be impregnated with perfume, impregnated with perfume, consisting of a stack (1; 1'; 220; 401; 500) of strips or packaging, in particular tabs pre-impregnated with perfume or in a material that can be impregnated with perfume, and of a device for automatically dispensing a tab or a packaging, in particular a tab impregnated with perfume, the device comprising at least a wheel or roller (11; 11'; 250; 250'; 350; 411) arranged so as to drive a strip or a packaging out of the stack of strips or packaging, in particular as far as an exit slot, characterized in that at least one spike, preferably a plurality of spikes, protrude(s) from the tread of the at least one wheel or roller, the spike(s) being capable of becoming embedded in the tongue or the packaging to be driven in order to drive it with the at least one wheel or caster as it rotates. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that means are provided (4, 15, 16, 17, 18; 4', 15', 16', 17'; 202, 204, 206; 303, 304, 306 ) for dispensing a dose of perfume onto the tab drawn out of the stack, these means being arranged so as to dispense the dose after the tab has left the stack, in particular between the moment when the tab comes out of the stack and when it passes through the exit slot. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that the tongues (500) are pre-impregnated with perfume, in particular comprise beads (504) of dry perfume which can be activated by friction. Assembly according to Claim 3, characterized in that the pre-impregnated tabs are in the form of laminates each comprising at least one upper film (501) of plastic material, a central layer (502) of paper or cardboard and a layer (503 ) of a support material, such as a varnish or a resin, in which beads (504) of perfume are incorporated. Assembly according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that means are provided (19; 19'; 223; 323; 419) forming a sensor of the presence of a person opposite the exit slot and the means (20; 20'; 224; 224'; 324; 420) of control, in particular electronic, able to control the rotation of the at least one wheel or roller when the means forming the presence sensor detect the presence of a person in opposite the exit slot. Assembly according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the at least one wheel or roller comprises at least one peripheral toothed crown (33; 433) whose toothings form the tip(s) capable of being embedded in the tongue or the packaging. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one wheel or roller (11; 250; 250'; 350; 411) drives the tab or the lowest or lowest packaging of the stack out of the stack of tabs or wrappers. Assembly according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the at least one wheel or castor (11') drives the tab or the packaging which is the most upper or the top of the stack of tabs or packaging .