Fluid product dispenser with collapsible reservoir and tensioning means therefor

Abstract

A dispenser for dispensing a fluid product includes an assembly of a collapsible reservoir and a pump, a housing for removably accommodating the assembly, and means for actuating the pump. The housing includes a tensioning element, or tensioning means, which is configured to counteract, or negate, compression of the collapsible reservoir as fluid is removed from the collapsible reservoir. By counteracting compression of the collapsible reservoir, the tensioning element, or tensioning means, may prevent trapping of fluid product in the collapsible reservoir.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority pursuant to the Paris Convention to European Patent Application 06075257.3, filed Feb. 7, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein, in its entirety, by this reference. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 771,483, filed Feb. 9, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein, in its entirety, by this reference.FIELD OF INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing a fluid product and, more specifically, to a dispenser that includes a reservoir and an associated tensioning means for counteracting contraction of the reservoir when the reservoir is at least partially filled. BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART [0003] Fluid product dispensers with collapsible reservoirs and pumps for drawing fluid from the collapsible reservoirs and dispensing the fluid are well known. An example of such a fluid product dispenser i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] A dispenser according to the present invention may include a housing for removably accommodating an assembly that includes a collapsible reservoir and a pump. The collapsible reservoir is configured to contain a liquid product. The pump is connected to the reservoir and is configured to dispense a fluid product using the liquid product as an input. When the assembly is accommodated in the housing, the pump may be located at the underside of the reservoir. The liquid product may be withdrawn by the pump from the reservoir without a substantial gas flow back into the reservoir. The dispenser may further include actuating means for actuating the pump so as to dispense fluid from the pump to the exterior of the assembly. In addition, a dispenser that incorporates teachings of the present invention may be configured to help reduce waste of liquid product, such as liquid product that may otherwise be trapped in a collapsible reservoir.

[0016] Since bulging of a collapsible reservoir may be caused by the act of (partially) filling an empty reservoir that is relatively flat to start off with, a constant attempt to negate this bulging may thus amount to a constant attempt to revert the reservoir to flatness and emptiness. Stated another way, the tensioning means in the housing according to the invention may actively squeeze liquid product out of the reservoir, rather than just passively relying on gravity to cause as much liquid product as possible to migrate toward the pump. By applying a tensile force along the second direction, the bulging of the reservoir is pulled inward in a substantially homogeneous manner, thus decreasing the risk that excessive crumpling of the reservoir will occur, and therefore reducing the attendant risk of liquid product getting trapped in the internal folds, corners, etc., arising from such crumpling.

[0017] In an embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention, the tensioning means may include suspending means for suspending the reservoir by a first extremity so that it hangs under the force of gravity, the pump being attached to a second extremity of the reservoir located opposite the first extremity. Because the reservoir is hung up in the housing rather than, for example, sitting on a retaining shelf, the weight of the reservoir and its contents apply a tensioning force to the reservoir along the vertical direction (second direction), thus serving to counteract the (net) outward bulging of the reservoir in the horizontal direction (first direction).

[0024] The pump may include a liquid inlet valve for admitting liquid product into the pump from the reservoir, the influx of liquid product through the valve occurring along a flow axis; and the housing comprises clamping means for clamping the pump in a given posture, whereby the pump is thus postured by the clamping means that the flow axis is substantially horizontal. When the pump is actuated so as to dispense fluid, the liquid inlet valve may shut tightly so as to minimize migration of liquid product from the pump back into the reservoir. In the case of a liquid product containing a suspended granulate solid, a build-up of granulates within the liquid inlet valve (e.g., between a ball bearing / flap member / top hat member and a corresponding valve seat, or in the throat of a duckbill valve) can prevent the valve from shutting properly, and this can result in the creation of a substantial dead volume upstream of the valve. However, by ensuring that the flow axis into the valve is substantially horizontal, such an accumulation of granulates in the valve may be minimized. It is believed that if a buoyancy imbalance arises and granulates start to precipitate out of suspension, they will either sink downward (parallel to the direction of gravity) or float upward (anti-parallel to the direction of gravity). In the event of a vertical flow axis through the valve, a sinking effect would tend to cause a forward accumulation of granulates at the entrance side of the valve, whereas a floating effect would tend to cause a similar backward accumulation at the exit side of the valve, either of which would eventually lead to incorrect operation (jamming) of the valve. However, by arranging the flow axis to be horizontal (or, at least, substantially horizontal), the component of gravity along the flow axis is zero (or, at least, substantially zero), thus, it is currently believed, avoiding the accumulation effects described above.

[0025] As indicated in the opening paragraph, when the assembly of reservoir and pump is accommodated in the housing, the pump is located at the underside of the reservoir. For example, a throat may be provided at (or proximal to) the lowest point of the reservoir, and this throat may be connected to the liquid inlet valve of the pump (see previous paragraph) using a duct; see, e.g., the abovementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,853. The inventor has observed that, in the case of viscous liquid products as alluded to above, the distance H between the liquid inlet valve of the pump and the point at which the pump is attached to the reservoir is preferably kept as short as possible; for example, in the previous sentence, said duct is ideally kept as short as possible (without sacrificing practicality). In this manner, pressure loss in the head H is kept to a minimum, so that the ability of the pump to suck liquid product out of the reservoir is optimized. This helps achieve a further reduction in the amount of liquid product trapped in the reservoir.

Problems solved by technology

However, despite this contraction effect, a certain amount of liquid product nevertheless tends to get trapped in the reservoir, particularly along folds, seams and / or gussets that may be present in the reservoir, or in internal corners; such product is essentially wasted, since it is discarded with the old reservoir once a new reservoir is loaded into the housing.

This wastage problem can become particularly significant in the case of relatively viscous liquid products such as thick soap or detergent solutions, especially those containing a suspended granulate solid; liquid products containing such a granulate solid often contain chemicals that deliberately increase their viscosity, so as to prevent the particles of the granulate solid from settling or floating out of homogeneous suspension.

The trapping of liquid product within collapsible reservoirs is somewhat undesirable for a number of reasons.

For example, the liquid products concerned often contain relatively expensive chemicals, e.g., to keep them aseptic, prevent clotting, maintain the correct buoyancy level for suspended granulates, effectively dissolve various types of dirt, etc.

Wasted liquid product can therefore translate to relatively significant sums of wasted money.

As another example of the undesirability of wasted liquid product within a collapsible reservoir, the presence of substantial quantities of trapped liquid product in a depleted reservoir will generally mean that that reservoir will have to be treated as chemical refuse rather than as simple plastic residue.

This obviously puts a greater potential strain on the environment.

As a result, more elaborate disposal procedures are necessary, with an attendant increase in costs.

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