WO2003008298A1

WO2003008298A1 - Fluid product dispenser

Info

Publication number: WO2003008298A1
Application number: PCT/FR2002/002515
Authority: WO
Inventors: Firmin Garcia; Alex Millian
Original assignee: Valois Sas
Priority date: 2001-07-19
Filing date: 2002-07-15
Publication date: 2003-01-30
Also published as: CN1533345A; DE60202775T2; DE60202775D1; JP2004534703A; BR0210693A; EP1414714B1; ES2236581T3; CN1241800C; FR2827576B1; FR2827576A1; EP1414714A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a fluid product dispenser comprising: a reservoir (12) with variable volume by displacement of a mobile wall (11; 11') so as to reduce the volume of the reservoir; a dispensing orifice (32); and actuating means (2; 2') for moving the mobile wall (11; 11') of the reservoir. The invention is characterised in that the actuating means are rotary and comprise a thread (21) engaged with the reservoir.

Description

Fluid dispenser

The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser comprising a reservoir of variable volume by displacement of a movable wall so as to reduce the volume of the reservoir and a dispensing orifice. The movable wall can be moved either by means of a deformation or by means of a sealed slide. In the first case, it is the tank or at least part of the tank which undergoes a deformation, hence the use of a flexible deformable and / or elastic material, and in the second case, we speak rather of systems piston follower in which a piston moves inside a cylindrical barrel so as to gradually reduce the useful volume of the tank. In both cases, the volume of the reservoir decreases as fluid is extracted from it. The fluid product is thus never in contact with the air inside the tank, which improves the conservation of the product, in particular when it is sensitive to oxidation or deterioration in contact with air. In distributors with a deformable reservoir, one can for example cite those whose deformation of the reservoir is effected by manual crushing: this is then commonly referred to as a "squeezze bottle". It is directly the user's hand that serves as a means of crushing the tank. On the other hand, in piston follower systems, the piston follower rises in the container either automatically under the effect of the vacuum created in the container after each actuation of the distributor, or using a spring which biases the piston in the direction of reducing the internal volume of the container.

The present invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a dispenser provided with actuating means which act on the movable wall of the dispenser.

The document EP-0 869 080 describes a dispenser comprising a flexible bag produced in the form of a helical bellows. The turns formed by the external wall of the bellows are in threaded engagement in a rotary skirt forming a single annular thread. Thus, by turning the skirt, the hehcoid turns of the bellows are gradually accumulated in the manner of an accordion. For allow almost total emptying of the pocket, the single annular thread of the skirt is located in the upper part of the pocket, so that the annular thread is initially engaged with the uppermost turn of the bellows and then gradually engages with the lower turns as we rotate the skirt freely on itself. In short, we use here the flexibility of the bellows to allow it to be crushed and we also use the resistance of the helical coils to advance the bellows on the other side of the single thread. The pocket must therefore simultaneously be deformable and rigid, because without deformation, the bellows cannot be crushed, and without rigidity, the hehcoidal turns do not remain engaged with the single thread. In addition, because the single thread is located in the upper part of the bellows, the bottom of the tank is free and only follows. The bottom must therefore be rigid. In short, the bellows must be both rigid and flexible. This double requirement is antagonistic and therefore very difficult to achieve in practice. The object of the present invention is to remedy this drawback of the prior art by defining a simpler dispenser.

To do this, the actuating means are rotary and include a thread engaged with the reservoir. The thread may include several separate threads. Advantageously, the reservoir comprises one or more displacement flanges secured to the movable wall and engaged in the thread. Thus, by rotation of the actuating means, the movable wall moves translatively in the direction of a reduction in the useful volume of the tank. It should be noted that the actuating means act directly on the bottom of the tank which constitutes the movable wall, unlike the aforementioned European document, in which the bottom of the tank is pulled upwards.

According to one embodiment, the dispenser comprises a body, the rotary actuating means being rotatably mounted in said body without effecting translational movement relative to said body. The actuating means thus rotate freely in the body by raising the movable wall to reduce the volume of the reservoir. Advantageously, the body forms part of the reservoir. According to a characteristic of the invention, the reservoir comprises a bellows in tight engagement with the body, said bellows forming the movable wall. Advantageously, the bellows comprises a tight fixing collar engaged with a connection sleeve formed by the body. Thus, the bellows is on the one hand fixedly connected to the body and on the other hand is in threaded engagement with the actuating means. According to a practical embodiment, the movable wall is connected to the fixing collar by a deformable wall. In addition, the dispensing orifice can be formed in the body.

According to another aspect of the invention, the actuation means form a bottom for the dispenser.

According to another characteristic, the actuation means comprise a peripheral gripping member capable of driving the actuation means in free rotation in the body. We can thus hold the body with one hand and rotate the actuating means with the other hand. The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawing, which gives an embodiment of the invention by way of non-limiting example.

In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a dispenser according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 1, and

- Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through the dispenser of Figures 1 and 2. The fluid dispenser of the invention essentially comprises three constituent elements, namely a bellows 1, actuating means 2 and a body or shell 3.

The bellows 1 is a single piece, for example made of a flexible deformable material such as an elastomer or an elastomeric thermoplastic. It has good deformability properties in very specific areas. The bellows 1 comprises a substantially rigid bottom wall 11. This bottom wall 11 can be perfectly flat, but it can also be convex as shown in FIG. 3.

It can indeed be seen in this figure 3 that the bottom wall 11 forms a kind of dome or overturned bucket which projects upwards. On its outer periphery, the bottom wall 11 defines at least one substantially rigid displacement flange 13. In the figures, there are three flanges 13.

The bellows 1 also forms a fixing collar 15 which is also substantially rigid. This fixing collar 15 can for example define a tight snap-in housing 16 intended to cooperate with a complementary member as will be seen below. The bellows 1 also comprises a deformable wall 14 which connects the fixing collar 15 to the bottom wall 11. The deformability of the wall 14 can for example be obtained by a thickness of the wall that is less than that of the bottom wall 11 or of the fixing collar 15. Thus, it is possible to translate the wall 11 of the fixing collar 15 by deformation of the wall 14. More specifically, it can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 that the deformable wall 14 forms a fold suitable for accentuating if there is a pressure tending to bring the collar 15 closer to the flanges 13. It is precisely this deformable wall 14 which gives the name to the part since it gives it a bellows function. One can of course imagine other means for producing a deformable part. The bellows 1 can for example be replaced by a flexible pocket fixed on a pocket support fulfilling the function of the fixing collar 15. The bottom wall 11 can be replaced by a plate on which the flexible pocket rests. The displacement flanges 13 can be formed by the periphery of the plate supporting the flexible bag. One can also imagine other embodiments such as for example with a follower piston displaceable in a sliding cylinder.

In the embodiment of the figures, the actuating means 2 comprise an internally threaded bush 20 so as to form one or more internal threads or threads 21. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the displacement flanges 13 of the bellows are in threaded engagement with these threads internal 21. Below the threaded sleeve 20, the actuating means define an actuating and gripping element 23 that the user can grasp to drive the actuating means in rotation. Optionally, the actuation means 2 form a bottom 22 which advantageously serves as the bottom for the dispenser. On the external wall of the threaded bush 20, a continuous bead or several protruding bead segments 24 are formed which extend over part or all of the periphery of the bush 20. It is easily understood that a rotation of the means actuation 2, while the bellows 1 is fixedly fixed, causes the flanges 13 to move inside the threaded bush 20.

The body 3 of the dispenser forms a sort of outer shell which largely imparts the aesthetic appearance to the dispenser. The body 3 comprises a peripheral skirt 33 inside which is the sleeve 20 of the actuating means 2. In the embodiment of the figures, the skirt 33 is formed internally with an annular housing 34 in which are received the protruding cord segments 24 formed outside of the threaded sleeve 20. The engagement of the cord segments 24 in the housing 34 ensures the rotatable holding of the sleeve 20 in the skirt 33. Thus, the actuation means 2 can rotate freely in the skirt 33 but cannot disengage from it. The rotation is free, since the cord segments 24 and the housing 34 are perfectly circular and not spiral.

Above the skirt 33, the body 3 forms a plate 31 in which a hole is formed which serves as a dispensing orifice 32 for the dispenser. A connection sleeve 35 extends under the plate 31 around the dispensing orifice 32. This connection sleeve has a fixing profile engaged with the waterproof fixing collar 15 of the bellows 1. Thus, the bellows 1 is connected fixedly even in rotation with the body 3. As a result, the bellows 1 and the body 3 together form a reservoir 12 of variable volume since the movable wall 11 can move in the direction of the plate 31 by deformation of the wall 14. This is precisely the case in the figures when the actuating means 2 are rotated while keeping the body 3 static. User can for example grasping the body 3 using the left hand and rotating the actuating means 2 with the right hand by grasping them at the level of its actuating and gripping element 23. This has the effect of making reassemble the displacement flanges 13 in the internal threads of the bushing 20. The movable wall 11 then rises towards the plate 31 by reducing the useful volume of the reservoir 12. The fluid stored inside the reservoir 12 is then forced back through the dispensing orifice 32 so that it can be collected by the user on the tray 31.

The reservoir 12 is here formed by the assembly of the bellows 1 and the body 3. However, one can imagine other forms of réahsation in which the reservoir 12 is formed by a single piece, for example a flexible pocket whose opening defines the dispensing orifice 32. In this case, the plate 31 would only serve as a bearing surface and a receiving surface for recovering the fluid product. Optionally, the body 3 can be formed with a cover 36 which is connected in one piece by a material bridge 37 to the rest of the body 3. This material bridge 37 thus produces a pivoting articulation making it possible to pivot the cover 36 relative to the skirt 33 and the plate 31. The cover 36 defines on its underside a shutter needle 38 adapted to be housed in a sealed manner in the dispensing orifice 32 to seal it hermetically. This is the case when the cover 36 is folded down on the plate 31.

Thanks to the dispenser of the invention, it is possible to obtain a dose of fluid product whose volume is directly proportional to the amount of rotation of the actuating means.

Claims

claims

1.- Fluid product distributor comprising:

a reservoir (12) of variable volume by displacement of a movable wall (11; 11 ') so as to reduce the volume of the reservoir, - a dispensing orifice (32), and

- actuation means (2; 2 ') for moving the movable wall (11; 11') of the reservoir, characterized in that the actuation means are rotary and include a thread (21) engaged with the reservoir.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir (12) comprises at least one displacement flange (13) integral with the movable wall (11) and engaged in the thread (21).

3. A dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a body (3), the rotary actuating means (2) being rotatably mounted in said body (3) without effecting translational movement relative to said body.

4. A dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the body (3) forms a part (31) of the reservoir (12).

5. A dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the reservoir (12) comprises a bellows (1) in leaktight engagement with the body (3), said bellows (1) forming the movable wall (11).

6. A dispenser according to claim 5, wherein the bellows (1) comprises a sealed fixing collar (15) engaged with a connection sleeve (35) formed by the body (3).

7. A dispenser according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the dispensing orifice (31) is formed in the body (3).

8. A dispenser according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the movable wall (11) is connected to the fixing collar (15) by a deformable wall (14).

9. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the actuating means (2) form a base (22) for the dispenser.

10. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the actuating means (2) comprise a peripheral gripping member (23) capable of driving the actuating means in free rotation in the body.

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