EP0242253B1 - Disposable dispenser pump for liquid and pasty products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dispensing pump of a new type, of the kind used for dispensing liquid products which can be very fluid (alcohol), creamy, or more or less viscous (liquid soap, cream shave, etc.).

Distributor pumps of this kind are known, but all have various drawbacks.

First of all, their often complex structure leads to a significant cost price. These pumps must therefore be able to be reused with several successive refills of the product to be dispensed. This poses aseptic problems when you want to use them, for example in the operating room in a hospital.

In addition, most of the known pumps allow the outside air to rise in the product after each use. As a result, they tend to become clogged by drying the product. In addition, the air intake again poses a problem of asepsis for medical uses.

US Patent 2,772,817 shows, in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings, a pump device consisting of a deformable hollow body intended to receive a certain amount of the product to be dispensed, and which is equipped with an inlet valve to its upper part and a discharge valve at its lower part. These valves each consist of a tubular mouthpiece of flexible material whose downstream end is flattened to define a transverse slot. Thus, the lips of each of these slots maintain the corresponding slot elastically closed when the valve considered is at rest, while allowing product to pass when the pressure gradient appears upstream.

Such a solution for the production of a valve is entirely appropriate with regard to the intake valve, which does not need to include an absolute seal. By cons it is not the same for the discharge valve because the latter must have a perfect seal. Indeed, when the device is in the waiting position, it is absolutely necessary to avoid any risk of leakage of the pasty product located inside the deformable hollow body. Furthermore, at the end of an operation for expelling a determined dose of this product, it is essential to immediately obtain a perfect seal in order to avoid an entry of air inside the deformable hollow body and the drawbacks which result. However, a discharge valve of the type provided for in the US patent in question cannot be satisfactory on this subject.

This is why the present invention aims to achieve a simple and inexpensive dispensing pump, the discharge valve is nevertheless designed so as to obtain a perfect seal both in the waiting position and after completion of an operation of distribution. In addition, the design of this pump is such that it can be produced in a disposable form, so that it can be manufactured at the same time as the cartridge of the product to be dispensed in order to be disposed of at the same time as it.

To this end the invention relates to a dispensing pump intended to be placed under the lower flow opening of a container which contains a liquid product to be dispensed, comprising a tubular body of flexible material equipped at its lower part with a discharge valve and at its upper part of an intake valve being in the form of a tubular mouthpiece. flexible material, the downstream end of which is flattened to define a transverse slot located between two lips which keep it elastically closed when the valve is at rest, while they move apart when a pressure gradient occurs within the liquid to be dispensed. This pump is characterized in that the discharge valve comprises on the one hand a nozzle provided, at mid-height, with a projecting annular lip and on the other hand a obturator tube comprising a deformable tubular skirt engaged inside this nozzle and pressing against the annular lip thereof in the sealing position, this skirt being closed at its upper part by a transverse bottom around which there are provided passages for the passage of the product to be expelled between the tubular skirt and the discharge nozzle, so that when the tubular body is crushed, the downward thrust of the liquid on the outside of the skirt pushes this skirt inward to move it away from the annular lip so as to leak towards the down a dose of product.

According to another characteristic of the present pump, the upper end of the deformable skirt of the discharge valve comprises an external collar in which are formed lights constituting passages for the product to be expelled, this collar being arranged in an annular internal housing of the external nozzle.

According to another characteristic of the present pump, it can be incorporated into the lower opening of a rigid and deformable bottle with which it forms an assembly which is discarded after use.

• - la figure 1 est une coupe longitudinale d'une pompe distributrice selon l'invention lorsqu'elle est au repos,
• - les figures 2 et 3 illustrent deux phases de son fonctionnement,
• - la figure 4 montre l'utilisation d'un distributeur mural équipé de la pompe selon l'invention,
• - les figures 5 et 6 sont des vues en perspective montrant le clapet d'admission, respectivement fermé, puis ouvert,
• - la figure 7 montre le tube obturateur qui constitue le clapet de refoulement,
• - les figures 8 et 9 montrent une variante où la pompe forme avec son flacon rigide déformable, un ensemble unique et jetable après usage.

The appended drawing, given by way of nonlimiting example, will allow a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention.

• FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a dispensing pump according to the invention when it is at rest,
• - Figures 2 and 3 illustrate two phases of its operation,
• FIG. 4 shows the use of a wall-mounted distributor equipped with the pump according to the invention,
• FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing the inlet valve, respectively closed, then open,
• FIG. 7 shows the obturator tube which constitutes the discharge valve,
• - Figures 8 and 9 show a variant where the pump forms with its rigid deformable bottle, a single set and disposable after use.

There is shown in the drawings a container or cartridge 1 which contains the liquid 2 to be dispensed. This container has at its bottom an open flow ture 3 under which the distributor pump 4 according to the invention is adapted. The adaptation can be carried out by any known means, for example by welding, or by screwing, of a threaded sleeve 5 as was assumed in Figures 1 to 3.

The pump 4 comprises a tubular body 6 terminated at its top by a flange 7 on which an intake valve 8 is supported, and at its lower part by a discharge nozzle 9.

At its lower part, the nozzle 9 has an opening 10 for the ejection of a dose 11 of the product 2.

Halfway up, it is provided with an annular lip 12 projecting into its interior space.

At its upper part, it has an annular internal housing 13, designed to receive the flange 14 fitted to the top of a shutter tube 15.

The body 6 of the pump is made of a flexible molded material, which the user can crush between his fingers, as symbolized in FIG. 2 by the arrows 16.

The obturator tube 15 provided with a flexible cylindrical skirt 17 closed at its top by a transverse bottom 18. Around the latter is arranged the flange 14 in which are cut lights 19 to let the product 2 freely circulate around the skirt 17.

At rest, after assembly, the obturator tube 15 is held in place by the flange 14 in the housing 13 (Figure 3), while the skirt 17 is elastically tightened by the sealing lip 12 which surrounds it.

The inlet valve 8 is made in one piece from a flexible molded material. It has the shape of an annular transverse flange 20 extended downwards by a tubular mouth 23, flattened at its downstream end where it defines a transverse slot 21. This slot is located between two flexible lips 22 which, when the valve 8 is closed, remain tightly pressed against each other (Figures 2 and 5).

When, on the contrary, a pressure gradient appears from upstream to downstream within the product 2, the lips 22 move apart and open the slot 21 which lets the product 2 through (Figures 3 and 6, arrow 24).

• Lorsque l'appareil 1,4 est au repos, les clapets 8 et 9,15 sont tous deux fermés (Figure 1) et la pompe 4 est pleine du produit 2 dans tout l'espace situé au-dessus de la lèvre d'étanchéité 12 de la buse 9. L'air ne peut donc pas pénétrer dans la pompe, ce qui garantit l'asepsie du produit 2 et empêche son éventuelle dessication.
• Lorsque l'utilisateur écrase la paroi tubulaire du corps 6 (Figure 2, flèche 16), le clapet d'admission 8 reste hermétiquement fermé sous la poussée ascendante qui tend à refermer encore davantage les lèvres 22 l'une contre l'autre. Par contre, la poussée descendante exercée sur l'extérieur de la jupe 17 du tube obturateur 15 déforme vers l'intérieur cette jupe 17 qui s'écarte localement de la lèvre annulaire 12 et laisse fuir vers le bas la dose 11 de produit 2.

The operation is as follows:

• When the device 1,4 is at rest, the valves 8 and 9,15 are both closed (Figure 1) and the pump 4 is full of the product 2 in all the space located above the sealing lip 12 of the nozzle 9. The air cannot therefore enter the pump, which guarantees the asepsis of the product 2 and prevents its possible drying out.
• When the user crushes the tubular wall of the body 6 (FIG. 2, arrow 16), the intake valve 8 remains hermetically closed under the upward thrust which tends to close the lips 22 even more one against the other. On the other hand, the downward thrust exerted on the outside of the skirt 17 of the obturator tube 15 deforms inward this skirt 17 which deviates locally from the annular lip 12 and lets the dose 11 of product 2 leak downwards.

When the user releases the pump 4 (FIG. 3), his body 6 resiliently returns to its initial position (arrows 25), and the skirt 17 comes to close against the sealing lip 12. Any upflow of air through the nozzle 9 is thus prevented.

On the other hand, the pressure gradient appearing between the upstream and downstream of the intake valve 8 spreads the lips 22 (Figures 3 and 6) to allow the product 2 of the container 1 to penetrate into the body 6 of the pump 4 ( arrow 24) which is thus recharged, ready for a new use.

It is seen that the pump according to the invention can be manufactured for a very low cost price, so that it can be provided in disposable form. In particular, during manufacturing, it is possible to integrate it into the cartridge 1 containing the product 2. The assembly can then be delivered in sterile form, then discarded after use. This is particularly suitable for medical and surgical applications.

In the variant illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, the pump 4 is permanently welded to the single lower opening 3 of a bottle 26. The latter has the distinction of being made of a plastic material that is both rigid and deformable. Thus, when it is new and filled with liquid 2, the bottle has a well defined initial shape, for example parallelepipedic (FIG. 8), which makes it possible to adapt it to a wall-mounted dispenser. On the other hand, as the liquid 2 is withdrawn without the air entering the bottle 26, the latter collapses on itself by deformation like another (Figure 9). It is thus possible to discard the assembly 4 - 26 when the bottle 26 has been emptied.

Claims (3)

1. Dispenser pump which is intended to be placed beneath the bottom discharge outlet (3) of a container (1) filled with a liquid product (2) to be dispensed, comprising a tubular body of flexible material equipped at its lower end with a delivery valve and at its upper end with an admission valve designed in the form of a tubular mouthpiece of flexible material having a downstream end of flattened shape so as to define a transverse slit located between two lips which maintain it elastically closed when the valve is at rest whereas said lips separate under the action of a pressure gradient which appears within the liquid to be dispensed, characterized in that the delivery valve comprises on the one hand a nozzle (9) provided at its mid-height with a projecting annular lip (12) and on the other hand with a closure tube (15) having a deformable tubular skirt (17) engaged within the interior of said nozzle (9) and applied against the annular lip (12) of this latter in the sealing position, said skirt being closed at its upper end by a transverse end-wall (18) around which provision is made for passages (19) for the flow of the product to be expelled between the tubular skirt (17) and the discharge nozzle (9), with the result that, when the tubular body (6) is flattened by compression, the downward pressure of the liquid (2) on the exterior of the skirt (17) thrusts this skirt towards the interior in order to move it away from the annular lip (12) and thus to allow a dose (11) of product (2) to escape in a downward direction.

2. Dispenser pump in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the upper end of the deformable skirt (17) of the delivery valve has an external annular flange (14) in which are formed slots (19) constituting passages for the product to be expelled, this annular flange (14) being disposed within an annular internal housing (13) of the external nozzle (9).

3. Dispenser pump in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is incorporated with the bottom opening of a rigid and deformable bottle (26) with which it forms a single unit which is discarded after use.

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