Source Bottle Return Valve for Refillable Dispenser Backflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refillable dispensers suffer from aesthetic issues due to visible vent channels and operational problems like fluid backflow during refilling, leading to contamination and leakage.
Innovation Solution
A refillable dispenser with a variable volume reservoir, preferably in the form of a flexible pouch, and a source bottle equipped with a return valve, along with an extended docking area and magnetic alignment, ensures no venting is needed and prevents fluid backflow and leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a venting channel is added to allow air escape during refilling, then the reservoir can be filled without overpressure, but the dispenser becomes aesthetically displeasing and fluid backflow contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful venting function is extracted from the traditional vent channel and transferred to the flexible pouch itself. The pouch's inherent flexibility allows it to expand and contract, providing venting functionality without requiring a separate visible channel. This eliminates the aesthetic defect and prevents fluid backflow through a dedicated vent path.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible pouch serves multiple functions simultaneously: it stores the fluid product, provides the venting function through its deformability, and prevents fluid backflow. By making the pouch wall itself perform the venting function through elastic deformation, the design eliminates the need for a separate vent channel while maintaining reliability during filling.
2Device complexity
If a rigid reservoir of fixed volume is used, then the structure is simple and stable, but air must be vented during refilling causing overpressure issues
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir transitions from a rigid fixed-volume structure to a dynamic flexible pouch that can change volume. The pouch expands when filled with fluid product and contracts when emptied, automatically accommodating volume changes without requiring complex venting mechanisms. This dynamic behavior simplifies the overall structure while ensuring reliable filling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The reservoir's volume parameter is made variable through the use of a flexible pouch instead of a rigid container. The pouch volume dynamically adjusts based on the amount of fluid product contained, allowing the reservoir to adapt its capacity from empty to full state without requiring external venting systems or complex mechanical adjustments.
3Productivity
If the pump chamber dose is fully injected into the refillable reservoir, then complete dosing is achieved, but overflow and leakage occur when the reservoir is already full
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback through the flexible pouch's physical state. When the pouch reaches full capacity, its tension and resistance increase, providing natural feedback that prevents further fluid injection. This passive feedback mechanism eliminates the need for complex sensors or control systems while preventing overflow and leakage during the refilling process.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible pouch's elastic properties provide preliminary resistance against overfilling before actual overflow can occur. As the pouch approaches full capacity, the increasing elastic resistance preemptively prevents excessive fluid injection, thereby preventing the harmful effect of overflow and leakage before it can happen.
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 dispenser that is aesthetically pleasing, prevents fluid backflow and leakage, and ensures complete filling without overflow, while maintaining alignment and stability during refilling.
Implementation Method 1
the flexible pouch, which is advantageously elastically deformable. Thus, the flexible pouch is stretched when filled and retracts when emptied.
Implementation Method 2
The refillable dispenser may be in magnetic means such as permanent magnets, the magnetic attraction force of which urges the area 141 towards the plate 26.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4a~4e
AI summary
A source bottle (S; S') intended to refill a refillable distributor (N; N') comprising a refillable reservoir (10) and a filling valve (13) connected to the refillable reservoir (10), the source bottle (S; S') comprising a source reservoir (20) and a pump (21) defining a pump chamber (210), the maximum dose of which is advantageously substantially equal to the maximum volume of the refillable reservoir (10), the pump (21) comprising a valve rod (25) adapted to be connected to the filling valve (13) of the refillable distributor (N; N'), characterised in that the pump (21) comprises a return valve (223, 224) able to discharge the fluid product from the pump chamber (21) into the source reservoir (20) when the refillable reservoir (10) is full.