EP2279045B1 - Fluid product dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A fluid dispenser comprising: a fluid reservoir (1) provided with a neck (11) that is externally threaded and that internally defines an opening (10) that communicates with the inside of the reservoir, the neck (11) forming at least one helical thread (12); a dispenser head (2) mounted on the neck (11) of the reservoir (1), the head (2) comprising: a dispenser member (3), such as a pump or a valve; a pusher (4) for actuating the dispenser member (3); and a fastener member (5, 6) engaged both with the threaded neck (11) of the reservoir (1) and with the dispenser member; the fluid dispenser being characterized in that the fastener member (5, 6) comprises: a deformable and malleable skirt (51) for coming into engagement with the threaded neck (11); and a rigid hoop (6) that is engaged around the skirt (51) so as to push the skirt radially against the threaded neck (11) in such a manner as to deform the skirt (51) against the thread (12) so as to create a thread imprint (530) in the skirt.

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser comprising a fluid reservoir provided with an externally threaded neck and internally defining an opening communicating with the interior of the reservoir. The dispenser further comprises a dispensing head mounted on the neck of the reservoir, the head comprising a dispensing member such as a pump or a valve, a pusher for actuating the dispensing member and a fastener engaged with the times with the threaded neck of the tank and the dispensing member. Such dispensers are frequently used in the fields of perfumery, cosmetics or even pharmacy see the document FR-A-2,809,711 .

In general, the fixing member comprises a rigid skirt internally forming one or more threads intended to cooperate with the threaded neck of the reservoir. To set up the dispensing head on the tank, simply screw the threaded skirt fastener on the threaded neck of the tank.

A first disadvantage of this screw fastener lies in the fact that it is not always easy to determine the necessary torque with which it is necessary to screw the fastener on the threaded neck of the tank to obtain a suitable screwing. Another disadvantage with this screw fastener resides in the fact that the threaded skirt of the fastener can not always come into abutment on the shoulder of the neck at the end of screwing. More specifically, the neck of the tank is generally protruded from a shoulder which forms a part of the tank body. For aesthetic reasons, it is advantageous that the lower edge of the skirt of the fastener comes into abutment on the shoulder of the tank at the end of screwing. However, this is not always possible because the shoulder is not always located at the same distance from the threads of the neck. Therefore, it often happens that there remains a space between the lower edge of the skirt of the fastener and the tank shoulder at the end of screwing. This is not only unsightly, but also suggests to the user that the dispensing head is not properly mounted on the tank. Finally, the mounting of a fastener to be screwed requires the implementation of a special mounting machine that generates a controlled rotation.

The present invention aims to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by defining a fluid dispenser whose fastener has all the advantages of unscrewing without the disadvantages of screwing.

To do this, the dispenser fastener comprises a deformable and malleable skirt intended to engage with the threaded neck, and a rigid hoop engaged around the skirt to push the skirt radially against the threaded neck so as to deform the thread. skirt against the neck net to create a net print in the skirt. The skirt of the fixing member is thus brought into engagement with the threaded neck by a radial displacement towards the inside, and not an axial displacement by rotation, as is the case with the threaded skirts of the prior art. . Before the first assembly of the skirt on a threaded neck, the skirt has no thread imprint: it is only during the radial thrust performed using the hoop that the thread imprint will be created by plastic deformation deformable and malleable skirt. It is not necessary that the deformation of the skirt is instantaneous. In any case, the material constituting the deformable and malleable skirt will flow plastically around the threads of the neck of the reservoir to reach a final state with a satisfactory net imprint.

According to another interesting aspect of the present invention, the skirt contacts the neck on less than half of the periphery of the neck. This makes it possible to have a local, limited or discrete contact between the skirt and the neck to reduce the friction forces on unscrewing. Indeed, if the skirt comes into contact with the threads of the neck on the entire periphery, it is virtually impossible to unscrew the fastener with a reasonable torque, namely that it is possible to obtain using both hands. Advantageously, the skirt is provided internally with several bosses intended to be deformed by the thread of the neck. Thus, the contact with the neck net is only at the bosses that are distributed around the neck in a discreet way. Preferably, the bosses are elongated and extend substantially transversely to the net. The bosses may thus be in the form of ribs or vertical bars that will be deformed or dug at the thread of the neck to form the net footprint. The bosses can extend on both sides of the net. Finally, at least one thread imprint is formed in some of the bosses, this imprint comprising a bottom and two opposite flanks. Thanks to these bosses, we obtain a discontinuous thread imprint that will allow easy unscrewing of the dispensing head.

Of course, it is necessary that the skirt is made of a plastic material which is more deformable than the threads of the neck. As for the hoop, it is made of a more rigid material than that of the skirt, such as metal.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the skirt comprises flexible tabs separated by slots. The skirt can thus be brought into engagement around the neck without having to exert a considerable stress on the fastener. According to a practical embodiment, each tab may be provided with at least one elongated boss. We can of course provide two bosses, even more, on each leg.

The spirit of the present invention is to use a fastener skirt plus fret to bring the skirt radially in contact with the threaded neck, and not axially. The more fret skirt fasteners are already known to be used with unthreaded necks to achieve traction on the skirt in order to crush a neck seal. In the present invention, there is no traction on the skirt, but simply a radial thrust to cause it to deform against the threaded neck.

The fastener is thus engaged with the threads of the neck by radial displacement, and then behaves as a conventional fastener to unscrew and screw. The dispenser can thus be opened by unscrewing the fastener to fill it again or to recycle the dispenser by separating the reservoir and the dispensing head.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings giving by way of non-limiting example an embodiment of the invention.

The Figures 1 to 6 are views showing a fluid dispenser according to the invention during successive stages of assembly and disassembly.

The fluid dispenser shown in the figures to illustrate the present invention comprises two separate parts or subassemblies, namely a fluid reservoir 1 and a dispensing head 2 to be mounted on the reservoir to together constitute the distributor.

The fluid reservoir 1 is shown only partially in the figures. Only the neck 11 and part of the shoulder 14 of the tank 1 has been shown in the figures. The neck 11 protrudes axially upwards from the shoulder 14 which already forms part of the tank body (not shown). The neck 11 internally defines an opening 10 which communicates the interior of the tank with the outside. The opening 10 is delimited by an annular upper edge 13 of the neck 11. Externally, the neck 11 forms one or more helical threads 12, which are in the form of one or more protruding ribs arranged helically. The threads 12 may extend over all or part of the periphery of the neck 11. The threads 12 may be continuous, or conversely interrupted. The purpose of the threads 12 is to allow a conventional rotational movement combined with an axial displacement. We can talk about a screwing / unscrewing movement. The tank 1 can be made of any material to obtain a rigid and dimensionally stable collar. The reservoir may in particular be made of glass, metal or a rigid plastic material.

The dispensing head 2 essentially comprises three constituent members, namely a dispensing member 3 which may be a pump or a valve, a pusher 4 mounted on the dispensing member 3 to actuate it and a fixing member 5, 5 engaged with both threaded neck 11 of the reservoir and the dispensing member 3. Reference will now be made indifferently to the figures to describe the structure of the dispensing head 2.

The dispensing member 3 comprises a body 30 defining at one of its ends an inlet 31 for the fluid product from the reservoir. The body 30 forms a fastening flange 37 which protrudes radially outwards. The dispensing member 3 also comprises an actuating rod 32 which protrudes out of the body 30 upwards and which is axially displaceable back and forth relative to the body. A return spring 33 urges the actuating rod 32 into its most extended position out of the body. The actuating rod 32 internally defines a delivery channel for the fluid product pressurized inside the body 30. This is a quite conventional design for a pump or valve in the fields of perfumery, cosmetics or pharmacy. Since the internal structure of the dispensing member 3 is not critical to the present invention, it will not be further described.

The pusher 4 is mounted on the free end of the actuating rod 32 of the dispenser member 3. The fluid product coming from the actuating rod 32 is driven by an internal channel to a dispensing orifice 42 formed by the pusher. On the other hand, the pusher comprises a bearing surface 41 on which the user can press with the aid of one or more fingers to move the pusher 4 axially back and forth. In this way, fluid, in metered form or not, is dispensed through the dispensing orifice 42. Again, this is a completely conventional design for a fluid dispenser.

The fixing member comprises two distinct components, namely a fixing ring 5 and a locking ring 6. The hoop 6 is engaged around the ring 5 so as to mask it totally or partially. One purpose of the hoop 6 is to deform the ring 5 radially inwards and to maintain it in this state.

The ring 5 is advantageously made of a deformable and malleable plastic material making it possible to easily create zones. deformable, while other areas are more rigid. The ring 5 has a substantially cylindrical overall configuration of revolution about the axis of the distributor. The ring 5 is preferably made in one piece, but we can distinguish three parts each fulfilling a distinct function.

Thus, the ring comprises a skirt 51 which is intended to engage around the threaded neck 11 of the reservoir. The skirt 51 therefore extends around the neck 11 to below the threads 12 in the mounted position, as shown in FIGS. figures 4 and 5 . The skirt 51 can be continuous over its entire periphery so as to form a complete cylinder. In a preferred variant, as shown in the figures, the skirt 51 forms flexible tabs 52 which are separated by radial slots 54. This is clearly visible on the figure 1 . The number of legs 52 can vary from three to more than ten. In the figures, the skirt 51 forms six flexible tabs 52 separated by six radial slots 54. The slots 54 may extend over all or part of the height of the skirt 51. In other words, a portion of the skirt may stay continuous while another lower part is split to form the legs. In the figures, the skirt 51 is split over its entire height. Because the skirt 51 is slotted, the tabs 52 have great flexibility, especially in the radial direction. They can thus be freely deformed outwards and inwards without the risk of damage. The inner wall of the legs (or the skirt) may be perfectly smooth, or conversely, in a preferred variant, the lugs are formed with bosses 53 which project radially inwards. The bosses 53 are located near the lower free end of the legs 52. The bosses 53 are preferably thin and elongate in the axial direction. They are thus in the form of small ribs or separate vertical bars. The bosses 53 may have bevelled attack songs to promote the establishment of the ring on the neck of the tank. One can for example provide two or three bosses per leg. It is also conceivable to provide only one projection per leg that extends over all or part of the radial width of the tab. In the figures, there are two bosses per leg, and six legs, which makes a total of twelve bosses for the skirt 51. The bosses 53 are arranged at the level of the skirt 51 so as to be positioned at the level of the threads 12, as can be seen on the Figures 2 to 5 . The bosses 53 are intended to be deformed plastically against the threads 12 of the neck 11, as will be seen below.

In addition to the skirt 51, the ring 5 also forms a guide and preassembly sleeve 55 which extends upwardly in the extension of the skirt 51. The bushing 55 has a substantially cylindrical configuration with a diameter suitable for receiving the fret 6, as will be seen below.

At the junction between the bushing 55 and the skirt 51, the ring 5 forms a bearing flange 56 which projects radially inwards. This flange 56, which may be continuous over the entire periphery, or otherwise interrupted, is intended to engage the flange 37 of the body 30 of the dispensing member 3 to push it towards the upper edge 13 of the neck 11, with a neck seal 7 possibly interposed. Thus, the thrust of the flange 56 on the flange 37a has the effect of compressing the neck seal 7 on the annular edge 13 of the neck 11. A perfect seal is thus ensured between the dispensing member 3 and the neck 11. The compression state of the seal 7 is only provided by the press used for mounting the dispensing head, and not the deformation of the skirt 51, as is the case with the fasteners of the prior art.

The blocking ring 6 may be a visible aesthetic band, or on the contrary an invisible internal band. In the figures, the hoop 6 is a visible covering hoop which can for example be made of metal. The hoop 6 is generally cylindrical with an upper tuck flap 61 intended to abut on the free upper end of the sleeve 55. The inner diameter of the hoop 6 is slightly less than or equal to the outer diameter of the ring 5. Thus, the hoop 6 will constrain and maintain the ring 5 in a substantially cylindrical and blocked configuration.

Reference will now be made consecutively to the various figures in order to describe a cycle of assembly and disassembly of a head of dispensing on a threaded tank neck. On the figure 1 , the dispensing head 2 is not yet engaged with the neck 11. The tabs 52 of the skirt 51 then extend perfectly cylindrical without undergoing any deformation. The hoop 6 is preengaged around the ring 5 at the sleeve 55. Thus, the ring 5 and the hoop 6 constitute a unitary sub-unit inseparable, and therefore captive. In addition, the sleeve 55 allows to maintain and guide the hoop 6 perfectly axially. It should be noted that the hoop 6 is not yet engaged around the skirt 51. The first mounting step is to engage the skirt 51 around the threaded neck 11. This is shown on the figure 2 . The dispensing member 3 then being engaged inside the opening 10 of the neck. The seal 7 disposed under the flange 37 is then in contact with the upper edge 13 of the neck 11. The bosses 53 formed at the tabs 52 are arranged at the level of the threads 12. It may be noted that the tabs 52 are slightly deformed towards the outside, because the bosses 53 come into contact with the threads 12. The bosses 53 are not yet deformed against the threads 12. The third assembly step consists of lowering the band 6 around the ring 5. This is done by exerting pressure on the reentrant flap 61 of the hoop 6. This pressure makes it possible to crush the neck seal 7 to seal. The band 6 begins to engage around the skirt 51, as can be seen on the figure 3 . The bosses 53 begin to be strongly pressed against the threads 12. The operation of lowering or engaging the ferrule 6 around the ring 5 continues until the ferrule 6 completely surrounds the ring 5, as shown in FIG. the figure 4 . This corresponds to the final mounting position, in which the bosses 53 of the tabs 52 are deformed against the threads 12 so as to create fingerprints 530 in the material constituting the bosses 53. In this final mounting position, the reentrant flap 61 is in abutment on the upper end of the sleeve 55. It is also possible to determine the final mounting position when the lower end of the ferrule 6 comes into abutting contact with the shoulder of the reservoir. It is sufficient for this to provide a slightly higher fret. Because the nets 12 extend helically, the thread impression 530 is formed at different axial levels on the various bosses 53. For example, on the figure 4 , the net 12 in the right part forms a footprint 530 near the lower end of the boss 53, while on the left side, the impression 530 is formed upwardly of the boss 53. Advantageously, the nets do not come into contact of the skirt 51 at the bosses 53. Thus, the contact between the skirt and the collar is only partial on the periphery, and preferably extends over less than half of the periphery of the neck. This is the case since there are only twelve bosses 53 distributed on the periphery. This interrupted contact considerably reduces the friction forces between the skirt and the neck, thus allowing manual unscrewing of the dispensing head. This is represented on the figure 5 in which the torsion torque is symbolized by the rounded arrow shown above the pusher 4. The torsion torque is applied directly to the hoop 6 which is in close contact with the ring 5. Indeed, the contact between the hoop and the ring extends over the entire periphery and advantageously almost over the entire height of the ring. The friction between the ring and the hoop are therefore much greater than the friction between the bosses 53 and the threads 12. Unscrewing is then allowed. Once the unscrewing operation is completed, the dispenser is in the configuration shown on the figure 6 . It is then clearly visible the fingerprints 530 which have been created in the bosses 53. Each impression 530 comprises a footprint 531 bordered by two opposite impression flanks 532 and 533. This means that the formation of the fingerprints 530 was made without generating traction on the legs 52. In other words, the inward radial thrust created by the hoop 6 has not been transformed into an axial thrust component when the bosses 53 with the bosses 53 are touched. the threads 12. The compression of the neck seal 7 is thus entirely obtained and controlled by the force exerted by the mounting press. Such impressions 530 could be made because the bosses extend from both sides of the threads 12. There is therefore no effect of cam or force orientation transformation during the deformation bosses 53. The deformation of the bosses 53 is a plastic deformation by instantaneous and / or subsequent material displacement, in particular by creep. Indeed, it is known that plastic materials tend to flow over time to reach a state of final deformation. In the context of the present invention, this creep phenomenon is exploited since a relatively long period of time elapses between the dispenser assembly and the unscrewing of the dispensing head, when the reservoir is empty. The fingerprints 530, once the dispensing head unscrewed, will remain in this state to form a definitive complementary net. The plastic material constituting the bosses 51 will not deform in return by shape memory, since the material has fluted over a long period.

Thanks to the invention, it is possible to fix a dispensing head on a threaded neck reservoir without performing a screwing operation, while allowing the head to be unscrewed, to allow the tank to be filled or the dispenser to be recycled. separating the reservoir from its dispensing head.

Claims (9)

1. A fluid dispenser comprising:

   • a fluid reservoir (1) provided with a neck (11) that is externally threaded and that internally defines an opening (10) that communicates with the inside of the reservoir, the neck (11) forming at least one helical thread (12);

   a dispenser head (2) mounted on the neck (11) of the reservoir (1), the head (2) comprising: a dispenser member (3), such as a pump or a valve; a pusher (4) for actuating the dispenser member (3); and a fastener member (5, 6) engaged both with the threaded neck (11) of the reservoir (1) and with the dispenser member;
   the fluid dispenser being characterized in that the fastener member (5, 6) comprises:

   • a deformable and malleable skirt (51) for coming into engagement with the threaded neck (11); and

   • a rigid hoop (6) that is engaged around the skirt (51) so as to push the skirt radially against the threaded neck (11) in such a manner as to deform the skirt (51) against the thread (12) so as to create a thread imprint (530) in the skirt.
2. A dispenser according to claim 1, in which the skirt (51) comes into contact with the neck (11) over less than half the periphery of the neck.
3. A dispenser according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the skirt (51) is internally provided with a plurality of beads (53) for being deformed by the thread (12) of the neck (11).
4. A dispenser according to claim 3, in which the beads (53) are elongate and extend substantially transversally to the thread (12).
5. A dispenser according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the beads (53) extend on either side of the thread (12).
6. A dispenser according to any one of claims 3 to 5, in which at least one thread imprint (530) is formed in some of the beads (53), each imprint (530) comprising a bottom wall (531) and two opposite flanks (532, 533).
7. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the skirt (51) is made of a plastics material, that is more deformable than the threads (12) of the neck.
8. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the skirt (51) includes flexible tabs (52) that are separated by slots (54).
9. A dispenser according to claim 8, in which each tab (52) is provided with at least one elongate bead (53).

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