GB2113771A

GB2113771A - Dispenser

Info

Publication number: GB2113771A
Application number: GB08137923A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kevin David Nicholas Kearney
Original assignee: Colgate Palmolive Co
Current assignee: Colgate Palmolive Co
Priority date: 1981-12-16
Filing date: 1981-12-16
Publication date: 1983-08-10
Also published as: GB2113771B

Abstract

A dispenser, particularly for pasty material, the dispenser comprising a tubular housing with a dispensing mouthpiece 3 at one end; a piston 22 which is displaceable inside the housing towards the mouthpiece to force material out of the mouthpiece; lever means 12 located to be operable from outside the container at the mouthpiece end of the container; and connecting means 20 connecting the piston 22 to the said lever means 12 whereby operation of the lever causes reciprocation of the connecting means 20 which results in the piston being advanced stepwise towards the mouthpiece of the container. The piston is only slidable on the connecting means in the direction towards the mouthpiece. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dispenser The invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing pasty material from a discharge port of a tubular container by the inwardly drawn action of a product dispensing piston.

It will be described with particular reference to a dispenser for dispensing two pasty materials but the novel mechanism is equally useful in dispensers where only a single material is dispensed.

According to the present invention a dispenser, particularly for pasty material, comprises a tubular housing with a dispensing mouthpiece at one end; a piston which is displaceable inside the housing towards the mouthpiece to force material out of the mouthpiece; lever means located to be operable from outside the container at the mouthpiece end of the container; and connecting means connecting the piston to the said lever means whereby operation of the lever causes the piston to be advanced stepwise towards the mouthpiece end of the container, the lever means acting on the connecting means via a lost motion arrangement.

The piston and the connecting means preferably afford a unidirectionally-operating rachet arrangement.

The connecting means may comprise a drawing rod or shaft on which the piston is mounted so that the rod can slide through the piston -in a direction away from the mouthpiece end of the dispenser without the piston substantially moving but when the rod moves towards the mouthpiece end the piston is carried with it. This enables a compact mechanism to be produced.

The piston preferably carries or affords means adapted to engage the rod whereby the said unidirectional movement of the piston is achieved.

The lever is preferably mounted for pivotal or rocking movement about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawing rod or shaft.

In one form of the invention the lost motion arrangement comprises a pin and slot connection between the lever and the drawing rod, the slot preferably being straight for ease of manufacture.

Conveniently the drawing rod has an enlarged head extending transversely of the rod and the slot is located in the said enlarged head.

The lost motion arrangement is best located outside the part of the container in which the pasty material is located.

The lever may be pivoted by bearing pins located in bearings formed in walls provided by the container on either side of the central longitudinal axis thereof and a pair of legs may depend from the lever below the said bearing pins, the connecting pin extending between the said legs, which are disposed on either side of the said enlarged head of the drawing rod, and preferably holding the said legs from spreading apart.

The legs are preferably tapered at least on the side facing the rod so as to permit maximum pivoting movement before they interfere with the wall of the container.

The slot is disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the rod otherwise than substantially tangentially to the arc of movement of the pin of the lever and is dimensioned, and the lever positioned so that in the rest position of the arrangement the pin is at or adjacent one end of the slot (the rest end) and when the lever has been pivoted to draw the rod towards the mouthpiece end the pin has moved towards the other end of the slot (the actuating end), whereby longitudinal movement of the rod is achieved without it being subjected to significant transverse forces such as to interfere with its longitudinal movement. This is a significant advantage afforded by the invention and facilitates the dispensing of the pasty material with the minimum of effort by the user.

The slot may be disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

However increased longitudinal movement of the rod for the same pivotal movement can be obtained by the next described modification. In this modification the slot slopes from its rest end to its actuating end at an angle to the perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod, the rest end being nearer the mouthpiece end of the rod than the actuating end. This provides mechanical advantage.

In either arrangement the slot may be open at its rest end. This facilitates assembly.

The said angle is preferably at least 50, e.g. at least 100 e.g. 5 to 30 especially between 10 and 200 e.g. about 15 .

In another modification the lever includes a portion extending over the end of the drawing rod.

In the embodiment in which the slot is open ended this portion as well as having an aesthetic function can also act as a stop, in cooperation with a portion of the container wall which is suitably shaped so to cooperate, to prevent the lever being pivoted anticlockwise beyond its rest position and thus prevents the pin slipping out of the open end of the slot.

The invention can very conveniently be used in combination with a dispenser for dispensing two different coloured pasty materials.

Thus according to this aspect of the present invention a dispenser for co-extruding two or more pasty materials comprises an elongated container having a discharge end, provided with a main delivery channel having an inlet end communicating with a main storage area and a discharge port, the main delivery channel being offset from the axis of the container, and at least one subsidiary delivery channel communicating at one end with the main delivery channel at or adjacent its discharge port and at its other end with a subsidiary storage area, both storage areas being adapted to be exposed to pressure by the same pressure applying means, the said pressure applying means comprising a piston which is displaceable inside the housing towards the mouthpiece to force material out of the mouthpiece; lever means located to be operable from outside the container at the mouthpiece end of the container; and connecting means connecting the piston to the said lever means whereby operation of the lever causes the piston to be advanced stepwise towards the mouthpiece end of the container, the lever means acting on the connecting means via a lost motion arrangement.

The subsidiary storage area is preferably arranged to lie next to the main delivery channel.

The main delivery channel is preferably offset to one side of the container.

In a preferred form of this aspect of the invention the cross-section of the main delivery channel increases at or adjacent its discharge port and at least one of the subsidary delivery channels communicates with the main delivery channel in this region of increased cross-section.

The container according to this aspect of the invention uses a specially shaped chamber which makes it possible to press a thin stripe of a different coloured pasty material into the main stream of pasty material extruded from that in the remainder of the container in spite of the fact the the discharge port is offset from the containers longitudinal axis.

The chamber may have two or more main areas connected by a connecting area running between a delivery channel wall and a holding area wall in order to obtain a continuous chamber of maximum size. The connecting area may communicate with the delivery channel by means of a connecting orifice.

For ease of manufacture of the complete container, the shaped chamber may be of unitary construction with the delivery end of the container, and in fact the elongated tubular container will usually be formed as one piece.

The invention may be put into practice in various ways and a number of specific embodiments will be described by way of example to illustrate the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a dispensing container for pasty materials; Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line Il-Il of Figure 1, showing a first embodiment of actuator mechanism, in phantom form, the base, the piston, the drawing shaft and the actuating member of the dispenser in its rest position, the top half of Figure 2 being on an enlarged scale; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the actuator (only) in its operating position (in chain lines); Figure 4 shows, as a partial view similar to Figure 2, a second embodiment with the actuator and drawing shaft in their rest positions;; Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 of the embodiment shown in Figure 4 showing both the actuator and the drawing shaft in their operating positions; Figure 6 is an end elevation in the direction opposite to the arrow I in Figures 2 and 3 of the operating member shown in Figures 4 and 5; and Figure 7 is a plan view of the container for the dispenser shown in Figure 2 looking up from below with the end cap removed.

The container 1 is tubular and has at its lower end a flange 2 to form a circular base. At the upper or delivery end of container 1, a principle or main delivery channel 3 is provided which is parallel to but displaced from the longitudinal axis of the container, being displaced towards the periphery of the dispensing end. Opposite the delivery channel 3 vertical walls 12 and 13 (see Figure 1; 12 only is shown in Figure 2) are provided containing bearing openings (only the bearing opening 11 of wall 12 is shown in Figure 2), the bearing openings being adapted to permit the insertion of bearing pins 41 and 42 whose function will be described hereinafter.

As is most particularly visible from Figure 2, the area between the walls 12 and 13 is closed by a wall 9 through which extends an opening 8 located on the axis of the cylinder 1.The wall 9 is in the plane from which the lower end of the delivery channel 3 leads from the body of the container 1. The remaining cross-sectional area of the container 1 located in the plane of the wall 9 is open towards the flange 2 i.e. towards the main storage area, and part of the said area is taken up by the delivery channel 3, the remainder being taken up by the open bottom of the subsidiary storage area made up of a main area 5, a main area 6 and a connecting area 7 which together constitute a continuous space which is substantially closed at the top (Figure 2) and affords the said subsidiary storage area.Only the connecting area 7 is connected by a connecting orifice or subsidiary delivery channel 10 to the main delivery channel 3. As shown in Figure 2, the area where the connecting orifice 10 enters the delivery channel 3 is displaced somewhat with respect to the underlying wall portion, so that material discharged from the orifice 10 need not be pressed into the material stream discharged from the delivery channel 3. Instead, a corresponding free space is formed in the stream of material emerging from the channel 3 ready to accommodate the pasty material emerging through the orifice 10, i.e. the cross-sectional area of the main delivery channel 3 increases adjacent the discharge port.

Figure 2 shows the construction of the complete dispenser showing, in phantom form, a bottom base 21, a piston 22, a stop spring or spider 23 (acting as a unidirectionally-operating rachet arrangement), all mounted on a drawing shaft 20. An actuating member 24 is also shown in phantom form. The drawings shaft 20 extends through the opening 8 and is connected by means of a lost motion connection to the actuating member 24, which is pivotally located by bearing pins 41 and 42 in the bearing opening 11 in the wall 12 and the corresponding bearing opening in wall 13. A spring 26 bears on the wall 9 and presses the actuating member 24 upwardly into the position shown in Figure 2.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3 the lost motion connection is afforded by a transverse slot 31 disposed at right angles to the shaft 20 and in the plane of Figure 3 and located in an enlarged head 30 of the shaft 20, this enlarged head extending away from the area 7 towards the spring 26.

The head 30 is disposed in a gap formed in the underside of the member 24 between side flaps or legs 43 (not shown) and 44. A pin 25 is disposed between the legs 43 and 44 and holds them from sideways spreading by having its outer ends turned over, spread or otherwise provided with retaining means. The pin 25 is located in the slot 30 in the head 31. Thus when the member 24 is pivoted as shown in Figure 3 the pin 25 can rise to the position 25B drawing the shaft 20 upwardly with it whilst the sideways movement towards the area 7 caused by the pivoting is accommodated by the pin 25 sliding along the slot 30 thus preventing the head 31 being jammed against the wall 7 or the shaft 20 being jammed in the opening 8.

In this embodiment the pin 25 is just to the left of the vertical line through the pins 41 and 42.

In order to press the material out of the delivery channel 3, and a different coloured pasty material from the main areas 5 and 6 and the connecting area 7, the right-hand end (in Figure 2) of the actuating member 24 is depressed downwards and consequently the drawing shaft 20 is moved upwardly (in the sense of Figure 2). Due to the indexing action of the stop spring or spider 23, during this movement, the piston 22 is also moved upwardly and presses the pasty material in the container out of the delivery channel 3. Due to the resulting pressure, the differently coloured material is pressed out of the subsidiary storage area afforded by the main areas 5 and 6 and the connecting area 7 through the subsidiary delivery channel or connecting orifice 10, and joins the pasty material stream which is moving through the main delivery channel 3.

Upon releasing the actuating member 24, the drawing shaft 20 moves downwards until the spring 26 has relaxed, while the piston 22 remains in the position previously reached, because the drawing shaft 20 can slide with virtually no resistance past the stop spring or spider 23 going downwardly in order to reach the position shown in Figure 2.

Thus the piston 22 is caused to execute a stepwise or racheted series of upward movements on repeated actuations of the member 24, being held fixed relative to the shaft 20 by the spring 23 during upward movements of the shaft and thus moving up with it but not moving during downward movement of the shaft because the spring 23 does not lock against the shaft on downward movement thereof, so that the piston - remains stationary relative to the container during downward movement of the shaft 20.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the pin 25 in the actuator 24 is located just to the right of a vertical line through the pins 41 and 42.

The slot 30 in the head 31 is inclined downwardly from the offset or right-hand rest end 33 of the head 31 towards the centre line of the shaft 20 e.g. at an angle of at least 1, 5, 10 or 30 degrees e.g. 10 to 200 or about 150 in Figure 3.

The rest end 32 of the slot 30 by the end 33 of the head 31 may be left open to facilitate assembly since in this embodiment a stop member 40 (which also acts as a dust cover or shroud for the operating mechanism) is provided which prevents the actuator 24 pivoting (anticlockwise) beyond the position shown in Figure 4.

The legs 47 and 48 are slightly different in shape to the legs 42 and 43 being tapered, especially along their front edges 54 and 55, to allow greater pivoting movement than in Figure 3.

As can be seen in Figure 5 a substantially increased longitudinal movement can be achieved in this second embodiment as compared with the movement achievable in the first embodiment by a single pivoting operation.

The member 40 acts as a stop by engaging a step 50 which half surrounds the shaft 20 and extends to the right from the wall forming the area 7.

Instead of the spring 26 shown in Figures 2 and 3 the lever 24 is provided with an integrally moulded spring flap 60 of thin flexible but spring acting form. The end of this spring flap bears on the angle 61 between the wall 9 and the wall 62 and is of a length such as to urge the lever 24 into its rest position shown in Figure 4 while accommodating its pivoting movement as shown in Figure 5. This embodiment in combination with an open rest end 32 to the slot 30 provides for very easy assembly.

Thus the assembly merely involves putting the rod 20 in place and then the lever 24 merely has to be slid down into the gap in the container so that the pin 25 engages the slot 30 and the pins 41 and 42 then pressed home into the bearing slots 11 in the walls 12 and 13.

The arrangement shown in Figures 2 and 3 may also have the member 40 provided on the lever 24 if desired. Similarly the legs 43 and 44 may if desired have their front edges tapered as in the edges 54 and 55 in the embodiment of Figures 4, 5 and 6.

Also the inclined slot feature of Figures 4, 5 and 6 could be used in the arrangement shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The container may be manufactured from plastic material and can be produced in one piece by injection moulding.

The dispenser may be filled with toothpaste.

For example, using essentially conventional equipment with either one or two filling nozzles. In the case of single-nozzle equipment the specially shaped top end chamber (above the wall 9) is filled in the first operation and the dispenser is moved to the next filling station to be completely filled with the main product. Where the filling apparatus has two filling nozzles per filling station, the pasty materials are sequentially filled before insertion of the piston and final packaging.

Claims

1. A dispenser, particularly for pasty material, the dispenser comprising a tubular housing with a dispensing mouthpiece at one end; a piston which is displaceable inside the housing towards the mouthpiece to force material out of the mouthpiece; lever means located to be operable from outside the container at the mouthpiece end of the container; and connecting means connecting the piston to the said lever means whereby operation of the lever causes the piston to be advanced stepwise towards the mouthpiece end of the container, the lever means acting on the connecting means via a lost motion arrangement.

2. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 1 in which the piston and the connecting means afford a unidirectionally-operating rachet arrangement.

3. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the connecting means comprise a drawing rod or shaft on which the piston is mounted so that the rod can slide through the piston in a direction away from the mouthpiece end of the dispenser without the piston substantially moving but when the rod moves towards the mouthpiece end the piston is carried with it.

4. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 3 in which the piston carries or affords means adapted to engage the rod whereby the said unidirectional movement of the piston is achieved.

5. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 in which the lever is mounted for pivotal or rocking movement about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawing rod or shaft.

6. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5 in which the lost motion arrangement comprises a pin and slot connection between the lever and the drawing rod.

7. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 6 in which the drawing rod has an enlarged head extending transversely of the rod and the slot is located in the said enlarged head.

8. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7 in which the lost motion arrangement is located outside the part of the container in which the pasty material is located.

9. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 6 to 8 in which the lever is pivoted by bearing pins located in bearings formed in walls provided by the container on either side of the central longitudinal axis thereof and a pair of legs depend from the lever below the said bearing pins, the connecting pin extending between the said legs which are disposed on either side of the said enlarged head of the drawing rod.

10. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 6 to 9 in which the slot is disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the rod otherwise than substantially tangentially to the arc of movement of the pin of the lever and is dimensioned, and the lever positioned so that in the rest position of the arrangement the pin is at or adjacent one end of the slot (the rest end) and when the lever has been pivoted to draw the rod towards the mouthpiece end the pin has moved towards the other end of the slot (the actuating end), whereby longitudinal movement of the rod is achieved without it being subjected to significant transverse forces such as to interfere with its longitudinal movement.

11. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 10 in which the slot is disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the rod.

12. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 10 in which the slot slopes from its rest end to its actuating end at an angle to the perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rod, the rest end being nearer the mouthpiece end of the rod than the actuating end.

13. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 12 in which the said angle is at least 5 .

14. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 12 or Claim 13 in which the said angle is between 10 and 20 .

1 5. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 14 in which the slot is straight.

16. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 1 5 in which the lever includes a portion extending over the end of the drawing rod.

1 7. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 1 substantially as specifically described herein with reference to Figures 1,2 3 and 7 or Figures 1,4, 5, 6 and 7.