Elastic Dispensing Nozzle With Mechanical Sealing and Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid product dispensing systems face issues with nozzle contamination and drying due to imperfect seals, complexity, and high cost, particularly in designs that rely on pressure-dependent nozzle openings or mechanically complex mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing head with a manually actuated pusher and an elastic nozzle that opens mechanically via opposing forces from a deformable insert and connecting element, ensuring complete sealing and protection from contamination without pressure dependency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the nozzle opening depends on pressure exerted by the product from the pump and reservoir, then the nozzle can open automatically during dispensing, but the nozzle cannot be perfectly airtight which causes product drying out and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pressure-dependent mechanical opening mechanism with a manually actuated pusher system. The pusher mechanically opens the nozzle by overcoming a retaining force, decoupling the opening action from product pressure. This allows the nozzle to remain perfectly sealed at rest while opening reliably during use.
2Reliability
If a mechanically controlled opening system with linkage mechanism and needle valve is used, then the nozzle can be sealed perfectly, but the design becomes more complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex linkage mechanism and needle valve components from the system. Instead, it uses a simple pusher that directly acts on the nozzle, removing unnecessary intermediate components while maintaining perfect sealing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using a mechanism that opens the nozzle through complex linkages, the patent inverts the approach by using a pusher that simply overcomes a retaining force to open the nozzle directly, simplifying the overall design.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the nozzle is made of elastic material to allow deformation for opening, then the nozzle can return to initial configuration for sealing, but additional constraints and mechanisms are needed to control the deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic nozzle material provides self-service by automatically returning to its initial sealed configuration after deformation. The material's inherent elasticity eliminates the need for additional springs or reset mechanisms, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a cost-effective, simple design that prevents contamination and drying by maintaining nozzle sealing between uses, reducing actuation effort, and protecting the product formula, especially for fragile lotions.
Implementation Method 1
a product dispensing nozzle (10) made of an elastic material... the nozzle moves from a closed position in which said nozzle is sealed to an open position allowing the dispensing of said product by deformation of said nozzle under the effect of a release of a constraint exerted by the pusher
Implementation Method 2
The insert is configured to exert a force in the opposite direction to the force exerted by the plunger to keep the nozzle closed at rest
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
The invention relates to a head (2) for dispensing a fluid product, comprising: - a pusher (5) that is actuable manually relative to an insert, - an elastic dispensing nozzle (10). During the movement of the pusher (5), the nozzle (10) passes from a closed position to an open position by deformation of the nozzle (10) under the effect of releasing of a stress exerted by the pusher (5). The pusher (5) comprises a stop (54) and the insert (6) is provided with two deformable tabs (60) which bring about a force on the pusher (5) such that the insert (6) exerts on the nozzle (10) a stress in the opposite direction to a stress exerted by the stop (54) on the nozzle (10), each tab (60) extending from a body (6a) of the insert (6) and having a distal end (60a) of the body, the ends being surmounted and connected together by a connecting element (70).