Perfume bottle and spray system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a perfume bottle having a head (1) with spray nozzles (2) directed upwards at a specific angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the perfume bottle, and an adjusting mechanism that allows to dispense sprays in partial proportions, which can form a system in which perfume bottles are placed on a base (19) to have manual application or electromechanical application from the base (19) to both individual bottles and sets of bottles placed on the same base (19) in a circular shape, so as to obtain a specific mixture of perfumes to be applied to the user or to refill bottles (21).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a perfume bottle or a bottle containing a hydroalcoholic composition incorporating an atomizer outlet directed upwards at a specific angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the bottle and an adjustment mechanism capable of delivering a spray in partial proportions, which can be manually activated or form a system with bottles arranged on a base to be electromechanically activated through the base both individually and simultaneously in sets of bottles arranged opposite or in a circular configuration, in order to obtain a specific mixture of perfumes to be applied to the user or to empty bottles for refilling.

[0002] It is particularly applicable in the field of perfumery, in particular perfume bottles with atomizers and automatic dispensing devices. [Background technology]

[0003] There is a common method practiced by both perfume manufacturers and users, called "layering," which consists of mixing commercially available perfumes to create a personalized scent. One way to perform layering consists of creating and marketing scents or essences intended to be mixed together by the manufacturer. Another method consists of mixing several perfumes from different lines, which may or may not be from the same manufacturer, to create a new scent. The latter is more user-driven, either to personalize a unique perfume or to save costs by mixing several perfumes of different prices, although the latter can also be done at the manufacturer's suggestion to create a mixture of products for sale.

[0004] The manufacturer's suggestion for layering perfumes consists of achieving the desired mixture by spraying two or more perfumes thoroughly onto a body part. This technique is very limiting, since one spray is the only unit of measurement that can be taken for the mixture. An exemplary embodiment using three perfumes is described below. - 1 spray of perfume 1 + 1 spray of perfume 2 + 1 spray of perfume 3 will result in perfumes with percentages of 33.33% / 33.33% / 33.33% respectively, for a total result of 3 sprays. - 2 sprays of perfume 1 + 1 spray of perfume 2 + 1 spray of perfume 3 will give perfumes with proportions of 50% / 25% / 25% respectively, for a total result of 4 sprays. - 3 sprays of perfume 1 + 1 spray of perfume 2 + 1 spray of perfume 3 will result in perfumes with proportions of 60% / 20% / 20% respectively, for a total result of 5 sprays.

[0005] As can be seen, in order to lower the percentage of one perfume, the percentage of the other must be increased significantly, so in addition to using more product, there comes a point where the amount of perfume used makes the mixture non-viable and the perfume is applied in the form of a stream instead of being sprayed onto the part of the body to which it is applied.

[0006] Document EP 3880259 A1 comprises a device incorporating a casing and a rotatable carousel, as a revolver, for accommodating several cartridges with perfumes arranged one after the other so that a specific amount of perfume is drawn from inside by an actuator and deposited in a bottle arranged below it. This receiving bottle is a conventional bottle from which the atomizer has been removed, so that it can be filled with different perfumes in the desired proportions.

[0007] The cartridge used is that described in document EP 3849622, which consists of a perfume bottle with the conventional elements of a commercially available bottle, except for the missing atomizer, but in its place there is a tube that forces the perfume in liquid form downwards, all surrounded by a casing.

[0008] This invention has the drawback that the cartridges used cannot be used directly as a single perfume bottle and are not free from the device, and also the fact that there cannot be spray samples of the mixture, but rather the bottle must be refilled to know the result of a particular mixture. This device, unlike the one proposed, can be included in machines for making perfumes in laboratories, which has clear advantages for the user.

[0009] Document WO2021061056 discloses an electronically controlled perfume dispensing device that sprays by means of a mechanism located inside a casing, the device including several bottles so that the user can select a suitable mixture in a personalized way.

[0010] The technology used mainly consists of compressing the mixture of liquids in the same atomizer, transporting the fluids by means of elements specific to the purpose, such as pumps, solenoid valves, check valves, etc.

[0011] This invention has the disadvantage that, because it uses a unified fluid system, when preparing a mixture, once a first perfume is used, all common fixing elements of the device are impregnated with it. When the next bottle is used to draw product from it, all elements are already contaminated with the previous product. As a result, an undesirable mixture is obtained due to contamination from the previous perfume, which essentially changes the mixture. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] It is known to those skilled in the art that perfume compositions, in addition to the substances that provide the characteristic smell of the perfume itself, also contain fixing elements or substances, which are intended to ensure the adhesion and permanence of the perfume on the part to which it is applied, and which do not stain any part or element onto which the perfume flows, in particular non-removable elements such as those described in the relevant patents.

[0013] The present invention solves these problems that have not been overcome in the current state of the art and presents a perfume bottle that can be used to apply small amounts to the user, and multiple perfume bottles can also be used in a device to apply specific combinations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The present invention refers to a perfume bottle that has a series of differentiating features over bottles already commercially available.

[0015] The bottle consists of a head containing a spray nozzle from which the perfume to be sprayed emerges, a container as a housing in which the perfume is placed, and a body surrounding the container and through which the head slides to produce the spray. It should be noted that the container, together with the head, incorporates all the elements known in the prior art to enable spraying by simply pressing the head.

[0016] A first characteristic of the bottle of the invention consists in that the spray nozzle has an upward inclination at a specific angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the bottle, preferably between 40 and 50 degrees. Instead of being dispensed horizontally at 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the bottle, as is known in the prior art, spraying is carried out at this angle so that the perfume is dispensed slightly upwards.

[0017] A second feature of the bottle is that it incorporates an adjustment mechanism that allows the spray to be delivered in partial percentages. This adjustment can be thought of as a numerical value easily understood by the user, such as 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the spray. To achieve this adjustment, the bottle head incorporates markings with the spray percentage to be delivered. The head is attached to the bottle body by a ramp mechanism, or alternatively, a toothed mechanism, which allows the spray to be delivered only partially, rather than completely, according to a set amount. Thus, by rotating the head, the mechanism is positioned at a selected position.

[0018] The invention also relates to a perfume bottle, and in particular to a housing thereof, which can incorporate two operating elements, and therefore has two operating elements: a push button and an actuator.

[0019] The first activator is a push button at the head of the bottle, which is intended to be activated by the user in the conventional way, by simply pressing it, so that the liquid comes out of the spray nozzle, as in any known perfume bottle. This activator is incorporated into the bottle described.

[0020] The second actuator is an actuator intended for use with the bottle as an electromechanical device. It consists of an actuation projection located at the bottom of the bottle and connected to an internal mechanism. This actuator is intended for use in combination with a motorized base, which presses the projection to produce the spray.

[0021] When an electrically operated base is used, the adjustment mechanism for releasing the partial spray is electronic and acts directly on the motor, adjusting in particular its stroke.

[0022] When the motor in the base applies an impact to the protruding part of the bottle, the bottle tends to move in the direction of the impact received. To avoid this movement of the bottle and to avoid the impact being applied exclusively to the actuator, on the one hand, the bottle incorporates a recess in the lower peripheral zone, and on the other hand, the base incorporates a retention mechanism that fixes the tab in the recess of the bottle when a driving force is applied, preventing its movement.

[0023] This retention mechanism may consist of a manually actuated tab located on the base, which when the bottle is received in the base is actuated by pressure to be received in a recess, thus holding the bottle against movement transmitting the actuator force that causes the perfume to spray. However, the retention mechanism may also be electromechanical, as will be described below.

[0024] Furthermore, the base may be intended to accommodate a single bottle or multiple bottles.

[0025] With this actuator, the invention becomes an electromechanical device with all the electronic elements known in the art and not described yet, such as power supply, motor, MCU, sensors, Wi-Fi connection or Bluetooth, etc., which allows spraying of perfume through an application by an electrical device such as a mobile phone, computer or similar.

[0026] The adjusting and actuating mechanism is individual for each perfume bottle, making it possible to make combinations between perfume bottles in different proportions. To achieve this, it is sufficient to actuate the mechanisms of several bottles simultaneously in a specific proportion and point it directly towards the point intended to receive the mixture.

[0027] Combining all of the above, the present invention allows for three embodiments as described below.

[0028] The first embodiment consists of a separate perfume bottle with the particularity of allowing the desired spray rate to be adjusted in the bottle itself, so that it can be applied directly to the user's skin, as in commercial bottles. Its application is as usual, i.e. by pressing the head to spray.

[0029] The second embodiment consists of an electromechanical application of the sprayer, so that the invention is configured as a system incorporating a motorized base that activates a protrusion placed on the bottle. This embodiment focuses on a single bottle or several bottles used together. This last case is the one that will be described, as it is more common and incorporates the single-bottle case.

[0030] In this system, the bottles are arranged in a circle on a base, and the sprayers are all aimed at a projected point in space that the user places, preferably on the wrist or desired body part. The user adjusts the spray ratio of each perfume bottle by an electronic, rather than physical, adjustment mechanism, unlike manually adjusted bottles. The adjustment of the spray ratio is preferably performed through an application designed for this purpose, which sends commands to each motor, which in turn activates the actuator of the corresponding bottle, responsible for spraying the mixture in a synchronized manner. However, it can also be performed by a physical selector programmed to act on the motors. This technology allows for a wide range and precise application of perfume with various perfumes, since the adjustment is electromechanical and the spray can be adjusted in intervals of 1% or less.

[0031] Considering the possibility of adjusting the bottles, this technique allows for countless combinations by using several bottles. Extrapolating to the above example, it can be seen that it is possible to create mixtures using a much smaller amount of perfume, avoiding the appearance of a stream on the user's body, as previously mentioned. With certain adjustments to the standard spray, the above example can be modified as shown below: - 1 spray of perfume 1 (adjusted 25%) + 1 spray of perfume 2 (adjusted 25%) + 1 spray of perfume 3 (adjusted 25%) will result in perfumes with a percentage of 33.33% / 33.33% / 33.33% respectively, for a total result of 0.75 sprays compared to the traditional method which requires 3 sprays. - 1 spray of perfume 1 (50% adjusted) + 1 spray of perfume 2 (25% adjusted) + 1 spray of perfume 3 (25% adjusted) will result in perfumes with a ratio of 50% / 25% / 25% respectively, for a total result of 1 spray compared to 4 sprays using the traditional method. - 1 spray of perfume 1 (75% adjusted) + 1 spray of perfume 2 (25% adjusted) + 1 spray of perfume 3 (25% adjusted) will result in perfumes with a ratio of 60% / 20% / 20% respectively, for a total result of 1.25 sprays compared to 5 sprays using the traditional method.

[0032] A third embodiment incorporates the invention into a perfume refill bottle. As in the previous one, the perfume bottles are arranged in a circular pattern on the base, but the bottles located in the gap at the center of the base are intended to be refilled. This is achieved by adjusting the motor speed so that the spray rate of all bottles drops to a point where it becomes a stream. The refill bottle is filled by a centrally located component, such as a funnel with a central hole, fixed to the bottle, which collects all the dispensed perfume and directs it towards the empty bottle located below the funnel's hole. The funnel is configured with embossments around its periphery to connect the different bottles, and can also incorporate a shield intended to be placed in front of the perfume bottle's spray nozzle outlet to prevent the dispensed perfume from falling outside the funnel in the event of an oversized spray.

[0033] As the composition of perfumes contains a high proportion of alcohol, which is highly volatile, it is important to emphasize the motor adjustment technique applied to the actuator so that the perfume is released in liquid form instead of spray, otherwise this substance, which is crucial for the preservation and consistency of the perfume, will be lost.

[0034] Thus, in summary, the present invention can be seen to relate to a perfume bottle having a head, a spray nozzle arranged on the head, a container containing both the perfume and a mechanism for spraying which may include a supply conduit to the spray nozzle and a pump, and a body with a longitudinal axis in which both the container and the head are housed.

[0035] The spray nozzle is tilted relative to the longitudinal axis of the bottle body and has an adjustment mechanism that determines the rate of spray, the tilt being between 40 and 50 degrees, and the adjustment mechanism provides multiple rates of spray depending on its location at different positions.

[0036] The adjustment mechanism may be a ramp mechanism that allows for continuous adjustment of the spray rate delivered, or a toothed mechanism that allows for adjustment with varying spray rates delivered.

[0037] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a perfume spray system in which a bottle of the type described is used.

[0038] However, for use of the bottle in this system, the bottle has a protrusion and a recess that contact the container for the lifting movement to perform the spraying and for holding the bottle in place during this lifting movement, respectively.

[0039] The system has a base with a receptacle for the bottle, an actuator fixed to the base and associated with the receptacle for the bottle, and a motor for applying the spray.

[0040] The spray system also includes a plurality of receptacles for the bottles in the base, with an actuator associated with each of the receptacles.

[0041] Although a single motor can be used to use the system with multiple bottles, it is preferable to use a motor for each actuator, thereby allowing for independent and direct adjustment of the fractional spray for each bottle without the need to include additional mechanisms.

[0042] The motor used to spray, whether used in a base with a single bottle or a base with several bottles, can have an adjustable stroke so that the piston advances more or less depending on the spray rate the user wants to apply.

[0043] Additionally, the user can also adjust the motor speed, choosing between a high speed for applying the spray and a slow speed where the spray comes out in the form of a stream.

[0044] The use of a motor at low speed to apply perfume in a stream requires a spray system that also incorporates a central gap in the base to accommodate the refill bottle and a funnel-shaped collector with a central hole intended to be fixed to the bottle, whereby said hole is aligned with said central hole. In this way, by selecting a spray with a defined rate, each bottle emits a stream of perfume that falls into the collector and ends at the central hole, going to the refill bottle placed below it. This operation is repeated as many times as necessary until the refill bottle is filled with the desired amount.

[0045] Regarding the configuration of the actuator, on the one hand, the lifting mechanism can have a gear, a rack meshing with the gear, a piston integral with the rack, and a guide with a respective through slot for controlling the holding mechanism, and on the other hand, the holding mechanism comprises a pair of tabs each having a pair of legs joined by a pin accommodated in a respective slot through which the pin can move. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0046] In order to complete this specification and to assist in making the features of the invention more readily comprehensible, this specification is accompanied by a set of drawings which form an integral part thereof and which are given by way of illustration and not of limitation and which are represented below:

[0047] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal cross section of a bottle of the invention in an inactive or rest position. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the base with the bottle lift mechanism and its components. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a bottle of the present invention placed on a base in an inoperative position. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a bottle of the present invention placed on a base in an operative position. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the base with a lifting mechanism for lifting the bottle and its components in the inactive position. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the base with a lifting mechanism for lifting the bottle and its components in the operative position. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the bottle with the head separated from the body to show the toothed attachment mechanism for creating a partial spray. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows a diagram of different positions of the head relative to the body of the bottle based on the desired spray rate, and a ramp mechanism as an alternative to the toothed mechanism. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows the base with five bottles before they are placed in the base for electromechanical operation. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows the base of FIG. 9 with the collecting element assembled to the bottle for filling a refill bottle already assembled and placed in a hole in the center of the base. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] The present invention relates to a perfume bottle incorporating an atomizer outlet directed upwards at a specific angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the perfume bottle and an adjustment mechanism that allows for fractional spraying either manually or electromechanically by means of a motorized base (19), which may also be applied to several bottles at the same time.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows the bottle of the present invention, which can be seen to consist of a head (1), a container (3) containing perfume and a release mechanism, a spray nozzle (2) through which the perfume is released to the outside, and a body (4) surrounding the container (3) and housing the head (1).

[0050] Figure 2 shows the actuator responsible for electromechanically performing the atomization, to which end it incorporates a holding mechanism (7) and a lifting mechanism (8).

[0051] The lift mechanism (8) includes a gear (9), a rack (10), a piston (11), and a guide (12).

[0052] The gear (9) is actuated by the shaft of a motor, not shown in the drawings.

[0053] The rack (10) meshes with the gear (9), has side walls and terminates in a base.

[0054] The piston (11) is attached to the base of the rack (10) with its longitudinal axis in the direction of movement of the rack (10).

[0055] Each of the guides (12) incorporates a through slot (13) having a serpentine shape.

[0056] The retention mechanism (7) has a pair of tabs (16), each with a pair of legs (14) joined by a pin (15) received in a respective slot (13), through which the pin (15) can move.

[0057] The movement of the actuator when it has a bottle accommodated occurs as follows:

[0058] The actuator starts from a rest position with the holding mechanism (7) in a lower position. When the motor is activated, the gear (9) starts to rotate, causing the rack (10) to move.

[0059] This in turn causes the piston (11) to be lifted and to press against the projection (6) of the bottle to produce a spray.

[0060] On the other hand, it causes guide (12) to lift and pin (15) to move from its outermost position at the top of slot (13), as seen in Figure 5, to its innermost position at the bottom of slot (13), as seen in Figure 6. Figures 5 and 6 show the bottle placed on the actuator, shown in cross section to show how movement of retention mechanism (7) is caused to go from the inactivated position to the activated position, respectively.

[0061] Due to this movement, the tab (16) goes from an extended position to a more closed position and is received in a recess (5) incorporated in the body (4) of the bottle, preventing it from being displaced by the force exerted by the piston (11).

[0062] Figures 3 and 4 show the bottle contained in the actuator in a non-actuated or rest position and in an actuated position when spray delivery is initiated, respectively.

[0063] As mentioned above, one object of the present invention consists in the bottle being able to emit a partial spray instead of the customary full spray which can result in a large amount of product, especially when application of perfume by several bottles is required.

[0064] The manual application of partial sprays can be carried out by means of an adjustment mechanism placed between the head (1) and the body (4) of the bottle. In that sense, the head (1) incorporates markings that define the spray percentage that one wishes to produce, and by rotating it, the head (1) is positioned relative to the body (4) of the bottle to emit the desired spray. Depending on the position of these two elements, its movement is more or less restricted, causing a smaller or larger spray, respectively.

[0065] Figure 7 shows the bottle of the invention, in which the head (1) of the body (4) is shown in an exploded view so as to be able to see the regulating mechanism responsible for the percentage-based spraying. This figure shows that the regulating mechanism is composed of a toothed mechanism (18) formed by two elements connected to each other: a first element (18a) placed on the head (1) in the lower zone, and a second element (18b) placed on the body (4) in the upper zone.

[0066] Figure 8 shows the different positions that the adjustment mechanism can take due to the use of toothed mechanism 18, showing the different positions that the first element 18a can take relative to the second element 18b, and also shows a ramp mechanism 17 formed by a support 17a and a ramp 17b, which has the same principle as toothed mechanism 18, but with continuous position adjustment instead of discrete jerky adjustment.

[0067] 8 shows a planar simulation of the positions of the two elements of the adjusting mechanism in the two illustrated embodiments. It can be seen how, in the rest position, the two elements (18a, 18b) of the toothed mechanism (18) are not in contact, but only come into contact when spraying is performed at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the spray, causing the body (4) to move more or less relative to the head (1), thereby applying a larger or smaller spray, respectively, and the two parts of the adjusting mechanism come into contact at certain positions. Similarly, the ramp mechanism (17) is in a rest position where the support (17a) and the ramp (17b) are not in contact.

[0068] 9 shows a base (19) with several housings (24) intended to accommodate perfume bottles in order to perform layering or simultaneous release of several perfumes to achieve different results. Each of the housings (24) of the bottles is associated with an actuator, and the base (19) can incorporate a motor for actuating each of the actuators, or for actuating several actuators, or a single motor for actuating all the actuators. However, not incorporating a motor for each actuator avoids the problem of synchronization between sprays from different bottles, but has the additional problem that an additional adjustment mechanism must be incorporated into each actuator so that the movement of the motor activates each actuator differently, making it operate more or less depending on the selected spray rate.

[0069] Figure 10 shows the base (19) of Figure 9 with the bottle already placed in the receiving section (24), including a refill bottle (21) received in a central gap (20) defined in the base (19) and a collector (22) fixed to the bottle below the spray nozzle (2).

[0070] This configuration is for embodiments where the spray velocity is so small that instead of producing a spray, the bottle emits a liquid stream through the spray nozzle (2), which falls onto the collector (22) and reaches the refill bottle (21) through the central hole (23). Therefore, the motor speed must be adjustable by the user. To that end, the system can incorporate a push button that the user can access to select between the spray and stream positions. Alternatively, the push button can be electronic, so that the position is selected from an electronic application on a control device such as a mobile phone, computer, tablet, or the like.

[0071] The collector may incorporate a screen, not shown, intended to cause the liquid to hit the screen and fall back into the collector (22) instead of exiting the collector (22) if the release of the liquid perfume is more powerful than expected.

[0072] Finally, it should be considered that the present invention should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. Other configurations can be implemented by those skilled in the art based on this specification. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the following claims.

[0073] The list of symbols used in the drawings is given below: [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 head 2 spray nozzles 3 containers 4 Bottle body 5 recess 6 Protrusion 7 Retention mechanism 8 Lift mechanism 9. Gears 10 racks 11 Piston 12 Guide 13 slots 14 Guide leg 15-pin 16 tabs 17 Ramp mechanism 17a Support 17b Lamp 18 Toothed mechanism 18a First element 18b 2nd element 19 base 20 Gap 21 Refillable Bottles 22 Collector 23 holes 24 Storage section

Claims

1. A perfume bottle comprising a head (1), a spray nozzle (2) arranged on said head (1), a container (3) containing both perfume and a supply conduit to said spray nozzle (2) and a mechanism for spraying, and a body (4) with a longitudinal axis in which both said container (3) and said head (1) are housed, said bottle comprising: the spray nozzle (2) is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the body (4) of the bottle, The bottle has an adjustment mechanism that determines the rate of spray; the tilt is between 40 and 50 degrees; The adjustment mechanism provides multiple spray rates depending on where the bottle is positioned. A perfume bottle characterized by the above.

2. The adjustment mechanism is a ramp mechanism (17) that allows continuous adjustment of the spray rate delivered.

2. The perfume bottle according to claim 1.

3. The adjusting mechanism is a toothed mechanism (18) that allows for discrete adjustment with several spray rates being delivered.

2. The perfume bottle according to claim 1.

4. A perfume spraying system for a bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The bottle has a protrusion (6) and a recess (5) that contact the container (3), The perfume spray system has a base (19) with a container (24) for a bottle, said perfume spray system comprising an actuator fixed to said base (19) and associated with said bottle receiving portion (24) and a motor for applying said spray; The actuator is a lift mechanism (8) connected to said motor and responsible for acting on said protrusions (6) to perform spraying; a retaining mechanism (7) attached to the lifting mechanism (8) and intended to fix the base (19) to the bottle through the recess (5) when spraying occurs. A perfume spray system.

5. The base (19) has a plurality of bottle receiving portions (24), The speed of the motor is adjustable; The perfume spray system has an actuator associated with each of the containers (24).

5. The perfume spray system according to claim 4.

6. a central gap (20) for accommodating a refill bottle (21); a collector (22) having a funnel shape, intended to be fixed to the bottle, and having a central hole (23), said hole (23) being aligned with the gap (20); 6. The perfume spray system according to claim 5.

7. The lift mechanism (8) comprises a gear (9), a rack (10) meshing with the gear (9), a piston (11) integral with the rack (10), and guides (12) having respective through slots (13) for controlling the holding mechanism (7); The retention mechanism (7) has a pair of tabs (16), each having a pair of legs (14) joined by a pin (15) received in a respective slot (13) through which the pin is movable.

5. The perfume spray system according to claim 4.

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