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AMENDED CLAIMS
[Received by the International Bureau on 15 July 2005 (15.07.05): original claims 1 and 42 amended; original claims 49, 57, 58 and 59 cancelled; remaining claims unchanged (12 pages)]
1. A pump-action dispenser device comprising a body having at least two component parts that when assembled together define between S them a pump chamber, said dispenser further comprising a valve for controlling the flow of fluid material across the valve, the valve comprising a male valve member and a female vnlve member for receiving the male valve member, a flow path for ihe fluid material being defined through the male valve member or between the male 10 valve member and the female valve member, the valve further comprising a deformable means associated with ne of me male valve member and the female valve member, the d foπnable meanB being movable from a first position in which it engages the other of the male valve member and the female valve embur to close off the 15 flow path and a second position in which it is spaced from the other of the male valve member and the female valve member and the flow path is opened, characterised in that the male valve member and the female valve member are each formed integrally with a respective one of the component parts of the body. 20 2. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in clai-a 1, in which the deformable means is movable firom the first position to the second position in response to a pressure differential across the valve. 3. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in clain 1 or claim 2, in which the male valve member is in the form of a projection. 25 4. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any < me of claims 1 to 3, in which the female valve member is in the fαιτn of a recess or cavity.
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5. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any oαe of claims 1 to 4, in which the male valve member has a circular or oval cross- section over most of its length.
6. A pump-actϊon dispenser device as claimed in claim 5, in which the female valve member is shaped so as to coπrespond ->γith the shape of the male valve member to ensure that a seal is fo.med between at least a downstream or outlet side wall of the female valve member and the downstream side of the male valve member.
7. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 6, in which the side walls of the female valve member contact and seal all-round an outer surface of the male valve member,
8. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any previous claim, in which the deformable means is resihently biased towards the first position. 9. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any previous claim, in which more than one flow path is defined through t ie valve to enable fluid materials from different sources to cross the va Ive.
1 . A pump-actϊon dispenser device as claimed h any previous claim, in which at least one flow path through the valve is de.ϊned by means of a groove in the surface of one or both of the male v alvc member and the female valve member. 1. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 10, in which the at least one groove extends from an upstream or i;ilet region of the valve towards a downstream or outlet region proximate to the, or a, deformable means.
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12. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in cla im 11, in which there is more than one groove, each groove being in fluid communication with a different source of fluid mateiial.
13. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any revious claim, in which the projection has a through bore efining ut least part of a flow path for fluid material through the valve.
14. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 13, when dependent on any one of claims 10 to 12, in which the through bore connects an inlet of the valve to a groove in the surface of one or both of the male valve member and the female valve member.
15. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 3, in which the through bore extends fiom an inlet of the valve to a position opposite from the deformable means.
16. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any previous claim, in which there is ore than one flow path through the valve and all the flow paths are opened and closed by a single deformable means.
17. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, in which there is more than one flow path through the valve and some of the flow paths are opened and closed y independently operable deformable means.
18. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 17, in which the independently operable deformable means are adapted to move from the first position to the second position at substantially the same pressure differentiaL 19. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in cli m 1 , in which some of the independently operable deformable menus are adapted to
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move from the first position to the second posiiion at different pressure differentials.
20. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any previous claim, the valve having more than one flow path defined between the male valve member and the female valve member and a seal means which is provided between the male valve member and ihe female valve member to prevent the fluid materials in each flow pat from mixing within the valve.
21. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 20, in which the seal means comprises a ridge or wall on one of the male valve member and the female valve member which engages in a corresponding groove or slot in the omer of the male valve member and the female valve member.
22. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 20, in which the free end of the male valve member is sealingly received in a hole or recess in the base of the female valve member and the flow paths extended between the male valve member and tae female valve member around different sides of the male valve member.
23. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any cne of claims 1 to 9, in which a flow path is defined by means of a small gap between the male valve member and the female valve member on the upstream side, with only the downstream sides f the male valve member and female valve member being in contact when the valve is closed. 24. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of the previous claim, in which the male valve member hollow and the, or each, defoπnable means comprises a movable wall portion of the
male valve member that can be deflected inwardly away from the surface of the female valve member.
25. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 24, in which the movable wall portion is thinner than the remainder < if the wall of the male valve member.
26. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 24, in which the movable wall portion is separated from the remainder of the wall of the male valve member by means of a line of weakness, such as a groove in the surface of the male valve member. 27. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 23, in which the, or each, deformable means comprises a side wall portion of the female valve member.
28. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 27, in which the or a deformable portion comprises a thin wall or iollar defining a downstream region of the female valve member, onu face of the wall or collar contacting the male valve member when it is in the first position.
29. A pump-action dispenser device member as claimed in claim 28, in which one or more grooves are formed in a face of he wall or collar opposite from the face that contacts the male valve n tember.
30. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 29 when dependent on claim 10, in which each groove in th wall collar is located opposite a respective groove in the surface of the male valve member. 31. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 30, in which the wall or collar is shaped so as to i.-urve towards the male valve member.
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32. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 31, in which the male valve member has a corresponding concavL; portion at the downstream side with which the curved portion of i tie wall or collar mates. 33. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 28 to 32, in which the ends of the deformable wall por ion or collar are adapted to bias the wall portion or collar into contact with the male valve member.
34. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any ύne of claims 28 to 32, in which the wall or collar is separated from the remainder of the female valve member by means of a slit at one or both ends,
35. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any oαe of claims 1 to 23, in which the deformable means comprises n flexible valve closure member located within the female valve me ber for contact with a free end region of the male valve member.
36. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 35, in which a flow path through the valve is defined by meanf. of a first inlet groove that extends along an upstream side of the male valve member from an inlet region to the free end thereof and a further outlet groove that extends along a downstream side the male valve member from the free end to an outlet region, tiie flexible valve closure member being deformable from a first position in which it abuts the free end of the male valve member to closu off the inlet and outlet grooves and a second position in which it is deformed away from free end so that fluid material can pass from tl ιe inlet groove to the outlet groove.
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37. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 36, in which the free end of the male valve member is flat and has a rυcess in a central region between the inlet and outlet grooves.
38. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 35 to 37, in which the valve closure member comprises a flexible washer.
39. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in
previous claim, comprising a further deformable means or flap adapted to close a flow path through the valve in response to a negative pressure. 40. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any previous claim manufactured from a plastics material using injection moulding techniques,
41. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 40 manufactured using a bi-iηjection moulding technique in which a flexible plastics material is over moulded onto a rigid plastics material.
42. A pump-action dispenser device comprising a body having at least two component parts that when assembled together define between them a pump chamber, said dispenser further com osing a valve for controlling the flow of fluid material across the valve, the valve comprising a male valve member and a female valve member for receiving the male valve member such that at least the side walls of the female valve member engage the outer surface of male valve member to form a seal, wherein at least one groove is provided in the surfece the male valve member, tha or each groove defining a flow path leading from a fluid inlet at an upstream or Wet portion of the male valve member towards a downstream or ou let portion of the male valve member, the male valve member bein£ movable from a first position, in which the downstream end of the, or each, groove is
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contained within the female valve member such that a rim portion of the female valve member engages with the surface f the male valve member beyond the downstream end of the groove i o close the flow path, to a second position, in which the male valve member is partially retracted from the female valve member such that the downstream end of the, or each, groove is positioned outside the female valve member and the flow path is opened so that the fluid material is able to pass across the valve through the ξroove, the male valve member and the female valve member each being formed integrally with one of the component parts of the body.
43. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 42, in which the male valve member comprises a peg or projection.
44. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 42 or claim 43, in which the female valve member comprises a recess or cavity. 45. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 42 to 44, in which the male valve member is mourned to a flexible member to enable it to move between the first and second positions.
46. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 45, in which the flexible member resiliently biases the male valve member towards the first position.
47. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 42 to 44, in which a base region of the male valve member has a region of weakness adapted such that the male valve member can be moved between the first and second positions. 48. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 42 to 47, in which the male valve member is adapted ιo move from the first position to the second position when the pressure of the fluid material in the groove reaches a predetermined thres hold value.
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49. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any pcevious claim, in which the valve comprises a pre-compression vilve adapted to control the release of a fluid material from the pump chamber into a fluid passageway. 50. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 49, in which the pre-compression valve is adapted to direct fluid into an expansion chamber forming part of the passageway.
51. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim. 49 or claim 50, in which the valve is adapted to control the release t »f fluid materials from two separate chambers of the pump-action dispenser into a passageway forming part of an outlet nozzle arrangement.
52. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 49 to 51, in which the pre-compression valve is arranged to direct fluid material into the passageway tangcntially so that the fluid material is caused to spin or rotate.
53. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 52 when dependent on claim 51, in which the valve is adapted to direct the fluid materials from the separate chambers into the passageway or expansion chamber tangentially, in the same or opposite directions. 54. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of the previous claims, in which the γalve comprises au inlet valve for controlling the introduction of fluid material from a fluid store into a chamber of the device. 55. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of the previous claims, in which the valve comprises a pressure release valve for a container to which the dispenser device mounted.
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56. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed any one of the previous claims, in which the at least two component parts of the body have corresponding abutment surfaces that are brought into contact when the component parts are assembled together to forrr. the body of the dispenser device, said abutment surfaces defining lietween them at least part of an internal passageway forming at leasi part of a nozzle arrangement of the dispenser device.
57. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 56, in which a seal means is provided between the at least two coi nponent parts of the body to resist fluid material leaking from the chiunber and/or the internal passageway between the components.
58. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 57, in which the seal means comprises a male seal member on one c f the component parts of the body and a corresponding female seal member on the other of the component parts of the body, the m,de seal member being received in tile female seal member when the component parts are assembled together.
59. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 57 or 58, in which the valve is a pre-compression outlet valve for the chamber and is formed integrally with the seal means.
60. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed claim 59 when dependent on claim 58, in which the male valve member is formed integrally with one of the male seal member and the female ,^eal member and the female valve member is formed integrally with the other of the male seal member and the female seal member.
61. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed claim 60, in which the male valve member and the female valve member are arranged to sit astride the male and female seal members.
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62. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 60, in which the male valve member and the female valve member are formed adj cent th male and female seal members with no jjap in between.
63. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 58 to 62, in which the male seal member is a rib or wa J and the female seal member is a groove or slot.
64. A pump-action dispenser device comprising a cbiimber having an inlet through which a fluid material can be drawn -torn a container and an outlet through which fluid material can exit the chamber into a nozzle arrangement- the device comprising at leas t two component body parts that when assembled together define the ubamber between them, the device further comprising a seal means between the body parts adapted to resist fluid material from leaking between the parts, the device further having an outlet valve for control! bg the release of fluid material from the chamber through the outlet, the outlet valve including a male valve member and a female v;-lve member for receiving the male valve member, characterised in that the male valve member and the female valve member are formed integrally with the seal means. 65. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 64, in which the body parts each have an abutment surface, which abutment surfaces are brought into contact when the parts are assembled together.
66. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claixr 65, in which the seal means comprises a male seal member on the abutment surface of one of the body parts and a corresponding female seal member on the abutment surface of the other of the body parts.
67. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in elan- - 66, in which the male valve member is formed integrally with one of the taala seal
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member and the female seal member and the female valve member is formed integrally with the other of the male seal member and the female seal member.
68. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 67, in which the male valve member and the female valve member are arranged to sit astride the male and female seal members.
69. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in claim 67, in which the male valve member and the female valve merrber are formed adjacent the male and female seal members with no jjap in between. 70. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any ,>ne of claims 66 to 69, in which the male seal member is a rib or wa 11 and the female seal member is a groove or slot.
71. A pump-action dispenser device as claimed in any one of claims 64 to 70, in which the male valve member is a peg or projection and the female valve member is a recess or cavity.