EP1344570B1 - Fluid product dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

The unit (1) for applying measured amounts of liquid or paste products (30) comprises an application head (2) covered an application cap (10) with a plane surface (11) and a central opening (12). The latter is closable by a sealing element (15) whose face fully covers the opening and is flush with the surface (11).

Description

The invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing metered quantities of liquid to pasty products, consisting of a storage container with axially displaceable Nachführkolben and arranged on the storage tank dispenser head with a dispenser pump, the pumping chamber input and output side is limited by check valves and a downstream of the dispenser discharge channel with a closable by a sealing element application opening.

For the metered dispensing of liquid to pasty products, different devices are known for pressing out the product from the storage container through an application opening, which basically differ with respect to the structural design and the mode of operation.

A dispenser of the type described above is known from EP 0 048 420 B1 known. The dispenser consists of a hollow cylindrical storage container with a lower open end, which is closed by an axially displaceable Nachkolbenkolben. The upper end of the storage container has a top surface with an inlet valve.

On this cylindrical storage container, a dispenser head is arranged with a dispenser head located in the dispenser pump, the pumping chamber input and output side is limited by check valves and a downstream of the dispenser pump mouthpiece with application opening.

When metered discharge of the product to be dispensed is by a downward external pressure on the donor pump, thereby compressing the exhaust valve open and closed the inlet valve and pressed the product located in the pumping chamber via the application opening of the mouthpiece out.

Upon release and subsequent release and expansion of the donor pump, the discharge valve is closed and the input valve is opened. The vacuum formed by the expansion of the dispenser pump in the pumping chamber now causes a suction of new product from the storage container through the inlet valve of the top surface, wherein at the same time the follower piston moves further in the direction of the top surface. This process can be repeated until the storage container is empty and the Nachrückkolben has contact with the top surface.

From the German Utility Model G 92 12 242.6, in which a similar dispenser is described, it is known to close the mouth of the discharge channel of the pumping chamber with a loose stopper. In a dispenser of this type, however, there is a risk that the loose plug which closes the outflow opening is lost or accidentally thrown away by the user after a single use of the dispenser so that dirt or bacteria can penetrate into the unlocked outflow channel and spread within the dispenser , In addition, there is the possibility that a dropped on the floor plug by a careless user without cleaning is inserted back into the discharge channel. A further disadvantage with the use of a plug is that when inserting the plug a small amount of product is pressed out of the side of the plug and wets the dispenser or the hands of the user.

To remedy these disadvantages, German Utility Model G 94 19 268.5 proposes to arrange an automatically closing non-return valve opening in the outflow direction as an outlet valve at the lateral mouth of the outflow channel. In this case, the mouth valve consists of an elastic sealing lip ring which, in the closed position, rests sealingly against the cylinder jacket surface of a pin which is arranged inside or in front of the outflow opening. The diameter of the pin is greater than the opening diameter of the relaxed sealing lip ring in the application position.

EP 0 452 260 A2 discloses a generic dispenser.
EP 0 309 949 A2 discloses a dispenser for pasty masses.
DE 94 11 622 U discloses a sealing element for an aerosol can.

Based on this prior art, it is an object of the invention to form dispenser of the type mentioned with a sealing element for closing the application opening, which is as simple as possible and assembled, and that during the application of the product, for example when applying the product to the skin , does not hinder this process.

The stated object is achieved with a dispenser according to claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The inventive design of the dispenser with a dispenser head above or laterally final flat application surface of the dispenser can be used not only for the metered dispensing of liquid to pasty products, but in addition, the flat application surface disposed during the discharge of the product from the center in the application area Application opening and then for uniform distribution of the discharged product, for example, when applied to the skin, can be used.

This possible use of the flat application surface necessitates that this surface also remains flat, for which reason the sealing element which completely covers the application opening adapts without transition and without edge to the application surface and thus forms part of the application surface.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the dispenser, the application opening is formed from two or more flow-through openings interconnected by webs. In the center of the application opening an upright standing mandrel is arranged, whose height extends to the upper edge of the application area. The sealing element made of an elastic material, which has an outlet opening in its end face, is arranged so that the outlet opening of the end face is located exactly above the mandrel of the application opening.

In the closed position, in which the elastic sealing element is in its starting position, the end face of the sealing element rests on the application opening such that its outlet opening rests on the mandrel and thus the application opening is hermetically sealed.

During the application process, in which the product to be discharged is pressed with pressure upwards and against the sealing element, the sealing element lifts off from the mandrel and thus releases the application opening. The product can now pass unhindered through the application opening and further through the outlet opening of the end face of the sealing element upwards.

In one embodiment of the invention, the sealing element is a cylinder-shaped cap which is crimped with its side wall into a recess corresponding to the diameter of the cap of the application surface. The recess in the application surface is so deep that the side wall of the sealing element is completely bounced and the upper end face of the sealing element adjusts without edgeless and transitionless of the application surface or complements them. Due to its elasticity and at least one annular bead formed on the outer side, the side wall of the sealing element is clamped in so tightly that only the end face can bulge outward during the application process, whereas the side wall remains firmly in the recess.

Due to the simple configuration of the sealing element, a simple production is advantageously possible and also a simple mounting of the sealing element in the application area of the dispenser. Since the preparation of the sealing element can be carried out separately from the other construction elements of the dispenser, commercially available elastic raw materials can be used, for example thermoplastic elastomers (TPE, also known as thermoplastic rubber or elastoplasts or thermoplastics), nitrile rubber (nitrile-butadiene rubber NBR), Nitrile silicone rubber, silicone or other rubbery raw materials.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the sealing element is not in one piece, but manufactured in one piece with the application cap and thus with the application surface in 2-component injection molding.

With otherwise the same operation as the integrally manufactured separate sealing element results from this joint production has the advantage that the separate production and assembly of the sealing element is omitted in the application area. The disadvantage, however, is that only raw materials can be used for the production of the sealing element, which form an adhesive connection with the raw material of the application cap. Thus, the possible raw material selection is limited to all the raw materials that can be used in 2-component injection molding, for example thermoplastic elastomers (TPE).

Further advantages, features and characteristics of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in schematic drawing figures.

Fig. 1

einen Spender in einem Vertikalschnitt,

Fig. 2

die Applikationskappe der Fig. 1 in einer Vorderansicht,

Fig. 3

die Applikationskappe der Fig. 2 in einem Vertikalschnitt,

Fig. 4

eine Draufsicht auf Fig. 2,

Fig. 5

eine weitere Ausführungsform einer Applikationskappe in einem Vertikalschnitt,

Fig. 6

eine Draufsicht auf Fig. 5.

Show it:

Fig. 1

a donor in a vertical section,

Fig. 2

the application cap the Fig. 1 in a front view,

Fig. 3

the application cap the Fig. 2 in a vertical section,

Fig. 4

a top view Fig. 2 .

Fig. 5

a further embodiment of an application cap in one Vertical section

Fig. 6

a top view Fig. 5 ,

In the FIGS. 1 In a vertical section, a dispenser 1 for dispensing metered quantities of liquid to pasty products 30 with an embodiment of the application cap 10 according to the invention is shown. The dispenser 1 consists in its basic components of a storage container 3 for receiving the product to be dispensed 30 with a Nachführkolben 8, a dispenser pump 4 with pumping chamber 5 and a dispenser head 2 with outflow 9 and an application surface 11 with application opening 12. When not in use, the dispenser head. 2 covered with a cap 14.

Within the dispenser head 2, a sealing pin 18 is inserted from above, in which the outflow channel 9 is formed. This sealing pin 18 has centrally arranged a mandrel 13, whose upper surface is flush with the application surface 11 and at a distance from this mandrel 13, a circumferential sleeve 19th

Within the application surface 11, the sealing element 15 is arranged in a recess 17. In the illustrated embodiment, the sealing element 15 is manufactured together with the application cap 10, so that the sealing element 15 thus constitutes a part of the application surface 11.

The application cap 10 with the sealing element 15 has a circumferential collar 19 'extending below the sealing element 15, which collar is inserted into the circumferential sleeve 19 when the application cap 10 is mounted on the sealing pin 18. This ensures that the sealing element 15 just above the application opening 12 is located.

The sealing element 15 has in its center a small outlet opening 16 (FIG. Fig. 4 ), which sits exactly in the mounted state of the application cap 10 on the central mandrel 13 of the sealing pin 18 and thus the airtight sealing the application opening 12 located below the sealing element 15.

During the application process, the product 30 is pushed through the discharge chamber 9 in the sealing pin 18 by the pumping chamber 5 of the dispenser pump 4 with the inlet valve 6 closed and the outlet valve 7 open. The product 30 presses from below against the sealing element 15, whereby this bulges outward in the center and lifts off from the mandrel 13. The small central outlet opening 16 ( Fig. 4 ) of the sealing element 15 is thereby released and the product 30 can now escape freely through the application opening 12 and then through the outlet opening 16 to the outside.

In the FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 is the application cap 10 in a front view ( Fig. 2 ), a cut front view ( Fig. 3 ) and in a plan view ( Fig. 4 ) for a better overview. In particular, are made by the individual presentation FIG. 4 the size ratios of sealing element 15 and its small outlet opening 16 in relation to the application surface 11 more clearly.

In the FIGS. 5 and 6 an alternative embodiment of an application cap 20 according to the invention and the alternative sealing element 25 associated therewith is shown. The application cap 20 does not have an application surface 11 oriented at right angles to the donor axis like the donor head 10 of FIG Fig. 1 but the application surface 21 is formed here inclined to the donor axis. This is particularly advantageous in terms of application, when the application surface 21 is to be used for direct application to the skin.

The sealing the application opening sealing element 25 is not made in this embodiment together with the application cap 20, but in one piece separately. The sealing element 25 consists of a cylindrically shaped elastic cap with a round side wall 27 and an end face 25 '. This sealing element 25 is firmly crimped with its round side wall 27 into a correspondingly round and deep recess 28 of the application surface 21 so firmly that its end face 25 'seamlessly supplements the application surface 21 at this point. So that the sealing element 25 also retains its firm seat in the recess 28 during the protrusion during the application process, at least one annular bead 27 'is arranged on the outside of the side wall 27.

In Fig. 5 the application cap 20 is shown in the closed position. The sealing element 25 is seated with its outlet opening 26 (FIG. Fig. 6 ) on the mandrel 23, whereby the outlet opening 26 and thus also the underlying application opening 22 is hermetically sealed.

In Fig. 6 is the application cap 20 of Fig. 5 shown in a plan view. Through this view, the proportions are made clearer. Since the sealing element 25 must be manufactured separately and anchored with its side walls 27 in the application cap 20, it is designed with a significantly larger diameter and thus represents a significant proportion of the application surface 21. This proportion is significantly lower in the application cap 10 with its sealing element 15 , again Fig. 4 can be seen.

Claims (7)

1. Dispenser (1) for dispensing metered amounts of liquid to pasty products (30), consisting of a storage container (3) with axially displaceable feed piston (8) and a dispenser head (2), which is arranged on the storage container (3), with a dispenser pump (4), the pump chamber (5) of which is bounded at the inlet and outlet side by non-return valves (6, 7), and with an outflow channel (9), which is arranged downstream of the dispenser pump (4) and the application opening (12, 22) of which is closable by a resilient sealing element (15, 25), wherein an outlet opening (16, 26) of the sealing element (15, 25) is opened and closed by a plug (13, 23) arranged upright within the application opening (12, 22), characterised in that the dispenser head (2) is formed with an application cap (10, 20), which closes off the dispenser head upwardly in axial direction, with a planar application surface (11, 21) and with an application opening (12, 22), which is centrally arranged in the application surface, of the outflow channel (9), that the sealing element (15, 25) is, for closure of the application opening, so constructed and so arranged within the application surface (11, 21) that it completely covers the application opening (12, 22) by its end surface and thus without a transition and without an edge forms a part of the planar application surface (11, 21), that in the closed setting the central outlet opening (16, 26) of the sealing element (15, 25) is hermetically seated on the plug (13, 23) and thus closes the application opening (12, 22), wherein the upper surface of the plug (13, 23) is flush with the application surface (11, 21), and that in the application setting the sealing element (15, 25) is resiliently bulged outwards in the centre, the outlet opening (16, 26) is thereby raised from the plug (13, 23) and the application opening (12, 22) is freed.
2. Dispenser (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the application opening (12, 22) is formed from two or more throughflow openings connected together by webs.
3. Dispenser (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the sealing element (25) is a resilient cap of cylindrical construction which is forced by its round side wall (27) so deeply into a correspondingly round and deep recess (28) of the application surface (21) that the end surface (25') of the sealing element (25) complements the application surface (21) at this location without a transition.
4. Dispenser (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that for maintenance of a firm seat after the forcing in the sealing element (25) is formed at the outer side of its side wall (27) with at least one annular bead (27').
5. Dispenser (1) according to claim 4, characterised in that the sealing element (25) is made of a resilient raw material, for example thermoplastic elastomers, nitrile rubber, silicone or other rubber-like raw materials.
6. Dispenser (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the sealing element (15) is produced integrally with the application cap (10) in a two-component injection moulding.
7. Dispenser (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that the sealing element (15) together with the application cap (10) is made of raw materials usable in a two-component injection moulding, for example thermoplastic elastomers.

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