WO2002057022A1

WO2002057022A1 - Fluid product dispensing device

Info

Publication number: WO2002057022A1
Application number: PCT/FR2002/000159
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alex Milian; Yannick Pointel; Marisol Simard
Original assignee: Valois S.A.S.
Priority date: 2001-01-19
Filing date: 2002-01-16
Publication date: 2002-07-25
Also published as: FR2819793A1; ES2265485T3; EP1360014B1; DE60211855T2; CN1267203C; EP1360014A1; CN1503702A; DE60211855D1; FR2819793B1

Abstract

The invention concerns a device for dispensing a fluid product comprising: a dispensing member (1) such as a pump or a valve, provided with an actuating rod (12); an actuator (2) rotatably mounted on and around the actuating rod and provided with a dispensing orifice (26), the dispensing member being operated by pressing on the actuator; a fixing ring (4) for fixing the dispensing member on a container (6), said ring comprising catching means (41, 42) designed to co-operate with a neck of the container (60), the fixing ring (4) including at least an inner locking profile (45, 46) and the actuator comprises at least a locking member (22) engaged with said at least inner profile to prevent the actuator from being actuated. The invention is characterised in that the actuator (2) comprises a internal bushing provided with said at least one locking member (22) and an outer skirt (25) concentric with the inner bushing and defining the dispensing orifice (26), the bushing penetrating into the fixing ring and the skirt being adapted to be urged to enclose the fixing ring.

Description

Fluid product dispensing device

The present invention relates to a fluid product device comprising:

a dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve, provided with an axially movable actuating rod,

- a pusher mounted to rotate on and around the actuating rod, this pusher is provided with a dispensing orifice through which the product discharged by the dispensing member is dispensed following the depressing of the pusher which drives the rod d actuation in the distribution unit, and

- A fixing ring for fixing the pump or the valve on the neck of a container generally provided with an external thickening below which the fixing ring can come into engagement using hooking means. This is a completely conventional design for a pump or a valve usable in the field of perfumery, cosmetics or even pharmacy. The push-button is generally pushed in with one finger of one hand while holding the body of the dispenser with the other fingers of the hand. One can of course meet such distribution bodies in other fields such as the food sector or even chemicals.

As mentioned above, pressing the pusher has the effect of dispensing fluid which is extracted from the reservoir by the dispensing member. Therefore, before reaching the end user, the delivery device can be activated accidentally or intentionally, so that the end user is not the first user. On the other hand, even in the possession of the end user, the dispensing device can be activated accidentally, for example inside a handbag. The object of the present invention is to overcome this drawback of undesired actuation of the dispensing device by defining locking means preventing actuation of the pusher.

To achieve this object, it is proposed that the fixing ring comprises at least one internal locking profile and that the pusher comprises at least one locking member engaged with said at least one internal profile to prevent actuation of the pusher. In addition, the pusher comprises an internal bush provided with said at least one locking member and an external skirt concentric with the internal bush and defining the dispensing orifice, the bush penetrating the fixing ring and the skirt being adapted to come to surround the fixing ring. Advantageously, the internal profile comprises a locking support surface and a vertical actuating conduit, the locking member being adapted to be moved selectively, by rotation of the pusher around the actuating rod, between a locking position. in which the locking member is supported on the locking support surface and an actuating position in which the locking member is free to move vertically in the duct. Thus, any unwanted actuation of the dispensing device is prevented during storage, and the actuation position is easily reached by simply turning the pusher by rotation around the actuating rod of the dispensing member.

According to an advantageous characteristic, the ring comprises three internal profiles and the pusher comprises three locking members distributed equiangularly. Thus, the pusher rests perfectly stable on the ring in the locked position, and it is possible to press the pusher directly to put the fixing ring in place on a container neck. The locked position thus becomes the mounting position of the dispensing device on a container neck. This is advantageous when the fixing ring comprises latching lugs provided with latching heads which project inwardly to be housed under a thickening of a container neck, a covering hoop being mounted around the ring to prevent the legs to deform outward. Indeed, the thrust necessary for the positioning of the ring on the container neck, and more particularly so as to accommodate the latching heads under the thickening of the neck, can be exerted by means of the pusher. locked position. It then suffices to lower the covering band on the ring to definitively prevent the lugs from deforming towards the outside and thus to disengage from below the thickening.

One can of course imagine other attachment techniques in which the ring alone provides attachment to the neck, as in document WO 98/156 688, without the active collaboration of a covering band.

Thanks to the perfect stability of the pusher on the ring in the locked position, coming from the presence of three support points, it is possible to mount the ring on a container neck using the pusher as a thrust transmission member. This is especially possible when the ring alone provides the final fixation on the neck.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the internal profile defines at least one hardness notch at the bearing surface, said hardness notch being placed on the passage of the locking member. The hardness notch can be integrated into the support surface or extend vertically over the edge of the support surface. Advantageously, a hardness notch is located between the bearing surface and the conduit. As a variant or additionally, a hardness notch is situated near an end of the bearing surface opposite the duct to define a locking end-of-travel housing. These hardness notches allow the user to clearly distinguish the locked position and the unlocked position.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings which give, by way of non-limiting example, two embodiments of the invention. In the figures: FIG. 1 is a slightly exploded perspective view from above of a dispensing device according to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 for a second embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical transverse section through a dispensing device according to FIG. 1 or 2 engaged on a container neck,

FIG. 4 is a slightly perspective view from below of the pusher of FIG. 2, and

- Figures 5a and 5b are views in horizontal cross section through a dispensing device according to Figure 2 respectively in the locked and unlocked position.

In the two embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fluid dispenser device according to the invention comprises three essential constituent elements, namely a dispenser member 1, a fixing ring 4 and a pusher 2. A once mounted on a container 6, advantageously provided with a neck 60, the assembly can be designated by the term of fluid dispenser. The present invention attaches more particularly to the dispensing device, that is to say the upper part of the dispenser which is generally designated by the term of dispensing device since it incorporates the engine of the dispenser, ie a pump or a valve.

The dispensing member 1 can be a pump or a valve. In the following description, we will assume that the dispensing member is a pump for reasons of simplification. This pump 1 comprises a body 10 forming an upper flange 11 which projects outwards. Beyond the body 10, the pump is formed with an actuating rod 12 which projects upwards and which is axially displaceable by pressing inside the body 10. A valve can have a strictly identical design. We don't will not go into detail on the internal structure of the pump since this is not critical for the present invention.

The fixing ring 4 is used both for holding the pump 1 and for fixing to the neck 60 of the container 6. The ring 4 therefore includes a receiving housing 49 intended to receive by force snap-fastening the protruding flange 11 formed by the body 10 of the pump 1. This is a particular but conventional embodiment: however, the present invention is not limited to this particular embodiment as a means of holding the pump 1 in the fixing ring 4. The fixing ring 4 forms all around the receiving housing 49 a substantially cylindrical sleeve 40. The lower part of the sleeve 40 is here formed with tabs 41 which extend vertically downwards and are arranged side by side with vertical interlayer slots. Internally, these tabs 41 are formed with latching heads 42 disposed substantially at their lower free ends. These latching heads 42 are intended to come into engagement under a thickening 61 which projects outwards at the level of the neck 60 of the container 6, as can be seen in FIG. 3. This is a completely classic design for a container neck. The latching heads 42 are therefore housed below this thickening 61 since the latching lugs 41 are separated from each other by vertical slots, these have a certain elasticity which allows them to deform radially outward to allow the passage of the tabs provided with their heads above the thickening 61. As soon as the latching heads 42 have arrived below the thickening 61, the latching tabs 41 can return to their initial substantially cylindrical position due to their elastic memory. However, to guarantee the blocking of the heads below the thickening 61, use is also made of a covering hoop 5 having a substantially cylindrical body 50 ending at its upper end by a re-entrant flap 51. This covering hoop 5 is mounted around the sleeve 40 of the ring 4, for example by force fitting, so that the cylindrical body 50 prevents the legs 41 from deforming radially outward once the snap heads 42 are engaged under the thickening 61. The heads 42 are thus prevented from disengaging from below the thickening 61. It is clear that with this fixing technique, it it is necessary to proceed in two stages: during a first stage, the ring is mounted on the neck of a container so as to accommodate the snap heads below the thickening 61, and during a second subsequent step, the covering hoop 5 is mounted on the ring to permanently lock the fixing of the ring under the thickening 61 of the neck 60. This is a particular fixing technique well known in the prior art . One can also imagine a ring with a continuous non-split skirt which internally has bosses or a snap bead under the thickening of the neck. There is then no hoop to block the fixing of the ring on the collar. It is thus possible to use a pusher to transmit the force necessary to snap the ring onto the neck of the container. The substantially cylindrical sleeve 40 of the ring 4 also extends upwards above the latching tabs 41. The sleeve 40 internally defines locking profiles. In the two embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, these locking profiles are three in number, but one can very well imagine other embodiments with one, two or more than three locking profiles. The three locking profiles are advantageously distributed equiangularly around the periphery of the internal wall of the cylindrical sleeve 40.

Each locking profile comprises a locking bearing surface 45 and a vertical actuating conduit 46. The locking bearing surface 45 is formed by a step formed in the internal wall of the cylindrical sleeve 40, and the conduit actuation 46 is formed by a recess or a thinning of the internal wall of the cylindrical sleeve 40. This structure is common to the two embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2. Each locking profile also includes a stop wall 44 at one end of the bearing surface 45 opposite the vertical duct 46. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the locking profile is further formed with two hardness notches 471 and 472. The first hardness notch 471 is disposed between the duct 46 and the bearing surface 45. The second hardness notch 472 is located near the end of the surface 45 opposite the duct 46 and forms beyond a locking end-of-travel housing 48. The two hardness notches 471 and 472 are here produced vertically on the edge of the bearing surface 45, but one can also imagine hardness notches formed in the bearing surface 45 so as to project vertically. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the upper edge of the cylindrical sleeve 40 is formed with a notch 43. For fixing the ring on the container neck, it is advantageous to use a neck seal 7 disposed between the ring and the upper end of the neck, as can be seen in Figure 3.

The pusher 2 comprises an internal sleeve 21 and an external skirt 25 which extends coaxially around the sleeve 21. The sleeve 21 and the skirt 25 are connected together at their upper ends. The pusher 2 also forms a connection sleeve 24 allowing the pusher to be mounted on the free end of the actuating rod 12 of the pump 1. This connection sleeve 24 is extended by a conduit 23 which connects a dispensing orifice, here in the form of a nozzle 27 engaged in a nozzle housing 26. The nozzle housing 26 is formed in the external wall of the skirt 25.

In the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2, the pusher 2 is capped with an overcap 3 which essentially fulfills an aesthetic purpose. The overcap 3 comprises a substantially cylindrical body 30 pierced with an opening 32 for the passage of the nozzle 27. In addition, the overcap 3 includes an upper bearing surface 31 on which the thrust is exerted using a finger to activate the pump 1. The overcap 3 is engaged on the pusher 2 with a friction contact between the inside of the cylindrical body 30 and the external wall of the skirt 25, which ensures the fixing of the overcap on the pusher 2. It should be noted that the lower end of the cylindrical body 30 of the overcap 3 can extend below the lower end of the skirt 25, as is the case in the embodiment of FIG. 1. According to the invention, the sleeve 21 of the pusher 2 extends inside the cylindrical sleeve 40 of the ring 4 while the skirt 25 extends outside, and advantageously around the cylindrical sleeve 40 of the ring 4 This is clearly shown in FIG. 3. In other words, the skirt 25 of the pusher 2 or the body 30 of the overcap 3 masks at least the upper part of the cylindrical sleeve 40 of the ring 4.

The sleeve 21 engaged in the sleeve 40 comprises at its external surface three locking members 22, here in the form of ribs or vertical lugs. These locking members 22 are also distributed equiangularly on the external periphery of the sleeve 21. Since the pusher 2 is rotatably mounted on and around the actuating rod 12 of the pump 1, it is possible to move the locking members 22 in rotation around the actuating rod 12. According to the invention, the lower ends of these locking members 22 cooperate with the locking bearing surfaces 45 formed inside the sleeve 40 of the ring 4. When the locking members 22 are arranged directly above the bearing surfaces 45, the pusher cannot be depressed, and the pump cannot therefore be actuated. On the other hand, by turning the pusher 2 so as to bring the locking members 22 to the level of the vertical duct 46, it is possible to depress the pusher 2 and thus actuate the pump. In the embodiment of Figure 1, to pass from the surface 45 to the duct 46 and vice versa, the rib 22 formed by the sleeve 21 must pass over the hardness notch 471 disposed between the duct 46 and the bearing surface 45 This hardness notch 471 which provides a point of hardness for the rotation of the pusher on the ring is clearly perceived by the user, and therefore the latter knows precisely whether it is in the duct 46 or on the surface. 45. The second hardness notch 472 fulfills the same role of rotational hardness point that the user feels, except that this second hardness notch 472 defines the entry of a locking limit switch housing 48, in which the rib 22 can be received. The user then knows that the dispensing device is in a locked safety position. Figures 5a and 5b show very clearly the two locked and unlocked positions of the pusher on the ring. In the locked position shown in Figure 5a, the ribs 22 of the sleeve 21 are arranged on the bearing surfaces 45 of the ring, and the pusher cannot be actuated. On the other hand, in the unlocked position of FIG. 5b, the ribs 22 are arranged at the level of the vertical duct 46 allowing the push-button to be pressed onto the ring.

Thanks to this locking system using three support points of the pusher on the ring, the pusher rests in a particularly stable manner on the ring, and it can be used as a thrust transmission member for mounting the ring on a container neck.

Claims

claims

1.- Fluid product distribution device comprising:

- a dispensing member (1), such as a pump or a valve, provided with an actuating rod (12), - a pusher (2) rotatably mounted on and around the actuating rod and provided with a dispensing orifice (26), the actuation of the dispensing member operating by pressing on the pusher,

- a fixing ring (4) for fixing the dispensing member to a container (6), said ring comprising hooking means

(41, 42) intended to cooperate with a container neck (60), the fixing ring (4) comprising at least one internal locking profile (45, 46) and the pusher comprises at least one locking member (22) engaged with said at least one internal profile to prevent actuation of the pusher, characterized in that the pusher (2) comprises an internal socket

(21) provided with said at least one locking member (22) and an external skirt (25) concentric with the internal bush and defining the dispensing orifice (26), the bush penetrating the fixing ring and the skirt being adapted to surround the fixing ring.

2. A fluid dispenser device according to claim 1, wherein the internal profile comprises a locking support surface (45) and a vertical actuating conduit (46), the locking member (22) being adapted to be moved selectively, by rotation of the pusher around the actuating rod, between a locking position in which the locking member is in abutment on the locking support surface and an actuating position in which the he locking member is free to move vertically in the duct.

3. A fluid dispenser device according to claim

2, in which the internal profile defines at least one hardness notch (471, 472) at the bearing surface (45), said hardness notch being placed on the passage of the locking member (22).

4. Fluid product distribution device according to claim

3, in which a hardness notch (471) is located between the bearing surface (45) and the duct (46).

5. A fluid dispenser device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a hardness notch (472) is located near one end of the bearing surface (45) opposite the conduit (46) to define a locking limit switch housing (48).

6. A fluid dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ring comprises three internal profiles and the pusher comprises three locking members distributed equiangularly.

7. A fluid dispenser device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one locking member is in the form of a rib projecting outwards (22).

8. A device for dispensing a fluid product according to claim 1, in which the pusher (2) is provided with an overcap (3) engaged around the skirt (25).

9. A fluid dispenser device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the fixing ring (4) comprises latching tabs (41) provided with latching heads (42) which project inwardly to be housed under a thickening (61) of a container neck (60), a covering hoop (5) being mounted around the ring (4) to prevent the tabs (42) from deforming towards the outside.

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