Fluid product dispensing device

Abstract

Fluid product dispensing device comprising a dispensing head (1) provided with an orifice (2), said head being assembled on a pump comprising: - a pump body (14), comprising a pump chamber (14a), said pump body comprising a lower opening (29) closed by an inlet valve (20), held in place by a valve holder (21) fixed in said pump body, - a piston (16) sliding in a sealed manner in said pump body around a hollow axial rod (15) connected to said head, said rod being provided with an internal axial channel (15a) closed on the lower side and comprising a radial orifice (17b), said piston comprising on a radially external edge an external sealing lip (16a) to ensure sealing against said pump body, and on a radially internal edge an internal sealing lip (16c), to seal said radial orifice (17b) in a sealed manner at rest,- an elastic return member (50) for urging said pump towards its rest position, and returning it to this rest position after each actuation, said valve holder comprising a sleeve (22) projecting axially upwards, an upper edge (22a) of which cooperates with said piston during priming, to move said piston (16) axially upwards to open said radial orifice (17b) and allow the expulsion of the air contained in said pump chamber (14a). "figure for the abstract: figure 1",

Description

Title of the invention: Device for dispensing fluid product

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for dispensing fluid product.

[0002] Documents FR2343137 and FR2403465 describe a device comprising a pump comprising a pump body in which a piston can move, slidably mounted on an actuating rod, the thrust force exerted on the rod by the user being transmitted to the piston by means of a spring, so that by actuating the actuating rod, a relative movement of the piston occurs with respect to the rod.

[0003] Document WO2020128269Al describes an improved version of the above pump.

[0004] These pumps, however, have certain drawbacks. Thus, they have two metal springs, which is not advantageous from a recycling point of view. In addition, they have a gland, cooperating with the return spring and necessary to prime the pump.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a fluid product dispensing device which does not reproduce the aforementioned drawbacks.

[0006] The present invention also aims to provide a fluid product dispensing device which improves recycling by eliminating metal springs.

[0007] The present invention also aims to provide a fluid product dispensing device which simplifies priming.

[0008] The present invention also aims to provide a fluid product dispensing device which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

[0009] The present invention therefore relates to a device for dispensing fluid product comprising a dispensing head provided with a dispensing orifice, said dispensing head being assembled on a pump comprising: - a pump body, comprising a pump chamber, said pump body comprising an upper opening closed by a piston and a lower opening closed by an inlet valve, held in place by a valve holder fixed in said pump body, - said piston sliding in a sealed manner in said pump body around a hollow axial rod connected to said distribution head, said hollow axial rod being provided with an internal axial channel closed axially on the lower side and communicating with the outside via a radial orifice, said piston comprising on a radially external edge an external sealing lip to ensure sealing against said pump body, and on a radially internal edge an internal sealing lip, to seal said radial orifice in a sealed manner at rest, - an elastic return member for urging said pump towards its rest position, and returning it to this rest position after each actuation, said valve holder comprising an axial sleeve projecting axially upwards, an upper edge of which cooperates with said piston during priming, to move said piston axially upwards to open said radial orifice and allow the expulsion of the air contained in said pump chamber.

[0010] Advantageously, said elastic return member is non-metallic.

[0011] Advantageously, said elastic return member is a bellows arranged between said distribution head and a part fixed on said pump body, such as a fixing ring.

[0012] Advantageously, a hollow axial insert is fixed in said hollow axial rod, said hollow axial insert comprising said radial orifice.

[0013] Advantageously, a fixing ring is provided for fixing said pump body to a reservoir with the interposition of a neck seal, a ring seal being provided to ensure the sealing of said fixing ring with said pump body.

[0014] Advantageously, in the rest position, an upper axial edge of said piston cooperates in a sealed manner with said ring seal.

[0015] Advantageously, a vent is provided in said pump body to allow the replacement of the product expelled by the pump with air at each actuation.

[0016] Advantageously, said piston comprises at least one deformable lip cooperating during actuation with a frustoconical part of said hollow axial rod to generate precompression.

[0017] These and other characteristics and advantages will appear more clearly during the following detailed description, made with reference to the attached drawings, given as non-limiting examples, and in which:

[0018] [Fig-1] [Fig.l] is a schematic cross-sectional view of a device for fluid product distribution comprising a fluid product distribution pump according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, in the rest position, and

[0019] [Fig.2] Figures 2 and 3 are schematic cross-sectional detail views showing the precompression, respectively before and during actuation.

[0020] [Fig.3] cf [Fig.2]

[0021] In the description, the terms "upper", "lower", "top" and "bottom" refer to the upright position of the device shown in the figures. The terms "axial" and "radial" refer to the vertical central axis of the pump.

[0022] [Fig.l] represents a pump according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, which improves a pump of the prior art as described in document WO2020128269A1.

[0023] This pump comprises a pump body 14 containing a pump chamber 14a. The pump body 14 is axially open on both sides, with an upper opening closed by a piston 16 and a lower opening 29 closed by an inlet valve 20.

[0024] A fixing ring 10 is provided for fixing the pump body 14 to the neck of a reservoir (not shown) with the interposition of a neck seal 11. A ring seal 13 ensures the sealing of the fixing ring 10 with the pump body 14.

[0025] The piston 16 slides in a sealed manner in the pump body 14, around a hollow axial rod 15 with a first internal axial channel 15a.

[0026] The first internal axial channel 15a opens axially upwards from the rod 15 to connect to a dispensing head 1 provided with a dispensing orifice 2.

[0027] The dispensing head 1 comprises a nasal tip 3 intended to be at least partially inserted into a nostril during use, as well as a radial flange 4 forming a support for the user's fingers during actuation.

[0028] Downwards, the first internal axial channel 15a is also axially open and the hollow axial rod 15 receives a hollow axial insert 17.

[0029] This hollow axial insert 17 comprises a second internal axial channel 17a which opens axially upwards into the first internal axial channel 15a of the hollow axial rod 15.

[0030] Downwardly, the second internal axial channel 17a is axially closed, and the hollow axial insert has a radial orifice 17b for connecting the second internal axial channel 17a with the exterior of the hollow axial insert 17.

[0031] Optionally, the rod 15 and the insert 17 could be formed from a single piece, for example by molding.

[0032] A non-metallic elastic return member 50 is provided to urge the pump towards its rest position, and to return it to this rest position after each actuation.

[0033] In the example shown, this elastic return member 50 is formed by a bellows arranged between the dispensing head 1 and the fixing ring 10, which elastically biases the dispensing head towards its rest position. During actuation, this bellows 50 is compressed, so that after actuation, the compressed bellows will elastically return to its uncompressed position, driving the dispensing head 1 with it towards its rest position, which in turn returns the piston 16 to its rest position by sucking the next dose of fluid product into the pump chamber 14a.

[0034] A radially outer edge of the piston 16 forms an outer sealing lip 16a, for sealing against the inner surface of the pump body 14.

[0035] An upper axial edge 16b of the piston 16 ensures at rest the seal against the ring seal 13.

[0036] The pump body 14 is closed downwards by the inlet valve 20, held in place by a valve holder 21. This inlet valve 20 closes the lower opening 29, communicating with the interior of the tank, and to which a dip tube 29a can be connected, in the well-known conventional manner.

[0037] The rod 15 has a shoulder 23, which serves to limit the upward movement of the rod 15, by forming a stop with the ring seal 13.

[0038] When the pump is at rest, the upper edge 16b of the piston 16 is applied against the ring seal 13.

[0039] The seal between the piston 16 and the hollow axial insert 17 is ensured by an internal part of the piston 16, preferably of conical shape, forming an internal sealing lip 16c.

[0040] At rest, the radial orifice 17b is in line with the internal sealing lip 16c, so as to be perfectly closed. The seal between the outside and the inside of the reservoir is therefore ensured on the one hand by the contact between the upper edge 16b of the piston 16 and the ring seal 13, and on the other hand between the internal sealing lip 16c and the hollow axial insert 17.

[0041] To achieve precompression during actuation, which in particular ensures good distribution of the entire dose without the risk of partial actuation travel, the piston 16 may comprise at least one deformable lip 16d cooperating with a frustoconical portion 15b of the hollow axial rod 15. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate this precompression. Alternatively, the frustoconical portion could also be produced on the hollow axial insert 17.

[0042] At rest, the lip 16d is substantially undeformed, and at the start of the actuation stroke, it will cooperate with the frustoconical part 15b which will progressively deform said lip 16d. This elastic deformation generates resistance to actuation, and therefore precompression, which requires a certain threshold force to achieve actuation of the pump.

[0043] Furthermore, this elastic deformation of the lip 16d elastically biases the piston 16 towards its rest position, in which the internal sealing lip 16c of the piston closes the radial orifice 17b of the hollow axial insert 17. Thus, after each actuation, as soon as the user releases his pressure on the dispensing head 1, the piston 16 automatically returns to its position for closing the radial orifice 17b, thus allowing the pump chamber 14a to be loaded with a new dose of fluid product drawn from the reservoir.

[0044] A vent (not shown) may advantageously be provided in the pump body 14 to allow the replacement of the product expelled by the pump with air at each actuation.

[0045] The pump described above operates as follows. At rest, the seal at the interior of the reservoir (not shown) is ensured by the neck seal 11 between the ring 10 and the reservoir (not shown), by the ring seal 13 between the ring 10 and the pump body 14, by the contact between the upper edge 16b of the piston 16 and the ring seal 13, and by the internal sealing lip 16c of the piston 16 against the hollow axial insert 17.

[0046] The reservoir, not shown in the drawings, and which can be any, is filled with a liquid, in particular pharmaceutical, to be distributed, in particular to be sprayed.

[0047] The fixing ring 10 may be made of plastic. It may be screwed, crimped, snapped or otherwise fixed to the tank.

[0048] The user must first prime the pump by operating it to expel the air until the pump chamber 14a is filled with liquid. During priming, the air contained in the pump chamber 14a is compressed, and it is by a mechanical stop between the valve holder 21 and the piston 16 that the insert 17 and the rod 15 can move relative to the piston 16 to open the radial orifice 17b and allow the expulsion of the compressed air. When the pump returns to the rest position, liquid is sucked into the pump chamber 14a through the dip tube 29a, in a well-known manner.

[0049] According to the invention, the valve holder 21 comprises an axial sleeve 22 projecting axially upwards, the upper edge 22a of which cooperates during priming with the piston 16, in particular the internal sealing lip 16c, to move the piston 16 axially upwards, to open the radial orifice 17b and allow the expulsion of the air contained in the pump chamber 14a.

[0050] The present invention therefore makes it possible to achieve reliable priming without using an additional part, such as a gland, interposed between the piston 16 and the rod 15 and / or the insert 17, as is the case in the pump of document WO2020128269A1.

[0051] After priming, the pump is ready to be used to dispense a dose of liquid with each actuation.

[0052] To achieve such actuation, the user presses axially on the dispensing head 1 to push in the rod 15. The liquid being incompressible, the piston 16 moves around the insert 17 by deforming the deformable lip 16d on the frustoconical profile 15b of the rod 15. When the pressure is sufficient to overcome the resistance to deformation of the deformable lip 16d, the piston 16 uncovers the radial orifice 17b, allowing the liquid to be expelled from the pump chamber 14a.

[0053] The liquid is expelled quickly through the radial orifice 17b, the second internal channel 17a and the first internal channel 15a, towards the distribution head 1 assembled on the pump.

[0054] After which, the user stops exerting pressure on the rod 15. The deformable lip 16d immediately urges the piston 16 to return to its rest position, which ensures the closure of the radial orifice 17b, and closes the pump chamber 14a by relative to the dispensing head 1. At the same time, the bellows 50 returns the dispensing head 1 to its rest position, which drives the rod 15 and the insert 17 upwards. This creates a vacuum in the pump chamber 14a, so that liquid is sucked in through the orifice 29, lifting the valve 20, while air replaces this liquid in the reservoir, passing through the central opening of the ring seal 13 around the rod 15, and through the vent 35. When the upper edge 16b of the piston 16 comes into contact with the ring seal 13, the air can no longer enter, and the piston 16 is blocked, the pump has returned to its rest position and is ready for further actuation.

[0055] An advantage of the pump shown in [Fig.l] is that it does not have any metal parts, which on the one hand makes the manufacture and assembly of the pump less complex and therefore less expensive, and which on the other hand is advantageous for recycling.

[0056] Another advantage is that the pump ensures reliable priming without an intermediate part between the piston and the rod and / or the insert.

[0057] The present invention has been described with reference to an advantageous embodiment, but it is understood that a person skilled in the art can make any modifications thereto, without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1.

2.

3.

4. Claims Fluid product dispensing device comprising a dispensing head (1) provided with a dispensing orifice (2), said dispensing head being assembled on a pump comprising: - a pump body (14), comprising a pump chamber (14a), said pump body (14) comprising an upper opening closed by a piston (16) and a lower opening (29) closed by an inlet valve (20), held in place by a valve holder (21) fixed in said pump body (14), - said piston (16) sliding in a sealed manner in said pump body (14) around a hollow axial rod (15) connected to said distribution head (1), said hollow axial rod (15) being provided with an internal axial channel (15a) closed axially on the lower side and communicating with the outside via a radial orifice (17b), said piston (16) comprising on a radially external edge an external sealing lip (16a) to ensure sealing against said pump body (14), and on a radially internal edge an internal sealing lip (16c), to seal said radial orifice (17b) in a sealed manner at rest, - an elastic return member (50) for urging said pump towards its rest position, and returning it to this rest position after each actuation, characterized in that said valve holder (21) comprises an axial sleeve (22) projecting axially upwards, an upper edge (22a) of which cooperates by mechanical stop with said piston (16), in particular said internal sealing lip (16c), during priming, to move said piston (16) axially upwards relative to said rod (15) to open said radial orifice (17b) and allow the expulsion of the air contained in said pump chamber (14a). Device according to claim 1, wherein said elastic return member (50) is non-metallic. Device according to claim 2, in which said elastic return member (50) is a bellows arranged between said dispensing head (1) and a part fixed on said pump body (14), such as a fixing ring (10). A device according to any preceding claim, wherein a hollow axial insert (17) is secured in said hollow axial rod (15), said hollow axial insert (17) having said radial orifice (17b).

5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a fixing ring (10) is provided for fixing said pump body (14) on a reservoir with the interposition of a neck seal (11), a ring seal (13) being provided for ensuring the sealing of said fixing ring (10) with said pump body (14).

6. Device according to claim 5, in which, in the rest position, an upper axial edge (16b) of said piston (16) cooperates in a sealed manner with said ring seal (13).

7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a vent is provided in said pump body (14) to allow the replacement by air of the product expelled by the pump at each actuation.

8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which said piston (16) comprises at least one deformable lip (16d) cooperating during actuation with a frustoconical part (15b) of said hollow axial rod (15) to generate precompression. * * *

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