FR2848996A1 - Dispenser for free-flowing liquid or powdered product, e.g. perfume, has capillary feed taking product to porous element near outlet - Google Patents

Abstract

The dispenser consists of a container for a free-flowing liquid or powdered product and a gas, an outlet and a wall that is squeezed to expel the product through a porous element (5') located adjacent to the outlet. It has a capillary feed in the form of channels (25) in the branches (22) of a rigid peripheral structure (20) of the container that guide the product towards the porous element ready for dispensing. In a variant of the design the capillary feed can be in the form of a central absorbent wick in contact with or made as part of the porous element.

Description

The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser

  comprising a fluid and gas reservoir, a spray orifice, and an actuating wall for reducing the volume of the reservoir so as to put the gas and the fluid under pressure and thus discharge them together in a mixture through the spray orifice Fluid product is understood here to mean any liquid, fluid or pasty product, but also in certain cases pulverulent products such as powders. Such a dispenser can in particular find an application in the field of perfumery, cosmetics or else from the pharmacy.

  Document FR-2 781 770 describes a dispenser of this type comprising a reservoir formed between a substantially rigid shell and an opercular film. The shell defines an actuating wall which can be deformed by pressing in. There is also provided a support end piece supporting a porous material capable of being impregnated with fluid and gas The support nozzle also forms a dispensing orifice, and more particularly of spraying The piece of porous material is held in the support nozzle near or in direct contact of the spray orifice The piece of porous material held by the support nozzle extends inside the reservoir which contains a small quantity of fluid product, that is to say a liquid or a powder, and a greater quantity of gas, in this case air. Thus, by pressing on the actuating wall of the reservoir, the internal volume of the reservoir is reduced, which has the effect of putting re pressurized the gas and the fluid impregnated in the piece of porous material As a result, a mixture of fluid and air is forced through the dispensing orifice in the form of a two-phase spray.

  The piece of porous material is located in the reservoir, but located in the immediate vicinity or in direct contact with the dispensing orifice. Its function is to accumulate at least part of the fluid product in the immediate vicinity of the spraying orifice. , the major part of the reservoir is only occupied by fluid and air The fluid is retained by a capillary phenomenon inside the piece of porous material However, all the fluid is not impregnated inside the piece of porous material, so that part of the fluid remains outside of the piece of porous material inside the tank If the dispenser is held so that the piece of porous material is not in contact with the fluid 5 remaining inside the tank, and that the dispenser is then actuated, after a few actuations, the piece of porous material is emptied of its fluid product, so that only air is sprayed. To reload the piece of porous material with fluid product, it is then necessary to agitate or turn the dispenser so that the piece porous material again comes into contact with the fluid stored inside the tank. This fluid can again impregnate the piece of porous material.

  There is therefore a real problem of supplying the piece of porous material with a fluid product, when this piece of porous material does not directly soak in the free fluid product of the reservoir. The object of the present invention is to remedy this drawback of the 'prior art by defining a dispenser whose piece of porous material is automatically and necessarily supplied with fluid.

  To solve this problem, the present invention provides that the dispenser further comprises capillary supply means for supplying the piece of porous material with fluid product contained in the reservoir.

  This ensures that the piece of porous material is permanently impregnated with fluid as long as it remains in the tank.

  According to a first embodiment, the supply means by capillary action extend across the reservoir in a substantially median manner. Advantageously, the means for feeding by capillary action comprise an absorbent wick in contact with, or formed by, the piece of porous material and extending through the reservoir.

  According to another embodiment of the invention, the supply means by capillary action extend at least partially over the periphery 30 of the reservoir. Advantageously, the supply means comprise at least one peripheral capillary channel having a discharge end in contact with the piece of porous material Preferably, the capillary channel is open substantially over its entire length so that the fluid can penetrate said channel over a large part of its length.

  According to a characteristic which may be common to the two preceding embodiments, the dispenser may comprise a substantially rigid structure which extends at least partially at the periphery of the tank. This structure gives the dispenser a certain hold so that it can be more easily grasped by the user. In addition, it makes it possible to maintain the shape of the dispenser. Advantageously, said structure forms the means of feeding by capillary action. In certain cases, the structure can form the spray orifice. comprises receiving means for holding the porous part in place in the tank As a variant or additionally, the structure can form support means for return spring means capable of bringing the actuating wall 15 back to a corresponding rest position at the maximum tank volume According to another interesting characteristic of this str ucture, it can comprise two constituent parts attached to each other, the supply means being formed between said parts In this case, the supply means can comprise capillary channels whose cross section varies during 20 l actuation of the actuation wall In certain cases, the two constituent parts may be identical.

  According to another aspect of the invention, the actuating wall is formed by a flexible sheet tightly fixed to said structure. As a variant, the actuating wall is formed by a flexible sheet sealingly enveloping said structure.

  According to a practical embodiment, the structure forms two peripheral capillary channels each connecting the piece of porous material at the respective charging ends.

  The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, giving by way of nonlimiting example several embodiments of the invention.

  In the figures: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser according to a first embodiment of the invention in the unfinished state to show the internal structure of the dispenser, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dispenser according to a second embodiment of the invention in the unfinished state to also show the internal structure of the dispenser, FIG. 3 is another perspective view of a dispenser according to a third embodiment of the invention with a part removed to show the internal structure of the dispenser, Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view along the section line A of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a plan view of a dispenser according to a fourth embodiment embodiment of the invention, Figure 6 is a perspective view of an element of the dispenser of Figure 5, and Figure 7 and 8 are vertical cross-sectional views of the dispenser of Figure 5 in position r epos and activated respectively.

  Reference will firstly be made to FIG. 1 which illustrates the first embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention. The dispenser here comprises three constituent elements, namely a substantially rigid structure 10 advantageously made of molded plastic, a piece of porous material 5 and a piece of flexible sheet 6.

  The structure 10 has a general shape in an open U or V shape. The structure 10 comprises a dispensing head 11 defining a spraying orifice (not shown) which opens out towards the rear in FIG. 1. This spraying orifice is in communication with a holding housing 111 intended to receive a part of the piece of porous material 5, as will be seen below The dispensing head 11 serves as a joining element for two branches 30 12 which extend in a substantially symmetrical manner from of the head 11 The two branches 12 point substantially in the same direction with their free ends The two branches 12 and the head 11 together form an inscribed space which roughly corresponds to the volume of a reservoir of fluid and gas 16 The assembly monobloc formed by the head 11 and the two branches is substantially rigid In other words, the two branches 12 are not easily deformable one by relative to the other and relative to the head 11 The holding housing 111 for the piece of porous material 5 is open towards the inside of the reservoir 16, that is to say between the two branches 12 According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the two branches 12 serve as a support for two elastically deformable blades 13 which extend between the 10 branches 12 Each blade 13 connects a branch 12 to the other branch 12.

  Advantageously, one blade 13 has an upward curvature while the other blade has a downward curvature, so that it can be said that one blade is convex and the other concave or vice versa. The two blades 13 are much more flexible than the assembly formed by the branches 12 and the head 11 The curvature 15 of the blades 13 is such that the blades are not inscribed in the internal space formed by the branches 12 and the head 11 More particularly, the area median of the blades which has the greatest curvature can be located outside this inscribed space The flexible blades are here two in number, but we could very well have provided three, four or even more blades It will be readily understood that it it is possible to reduce the respective curvature of the blades by pressing on them so that they will approach each other or at least will tend to lie in a common plane, which is advantageously that of the assembly formed by the branches s 12 and the head 11 In other words, by pressing on the blades 13, it is possible to deform them so that it fits within the inscribed space.

  The piece of porous material 5 here comprises an anchoring head 51 engaged at least partially inside the holding housing 111 formed by the dispensing head 11 The anchoring head 51 advantageously extends as far as contact with the dispensing orifice (not shown) According to the invention, the piece of porous material 5 also forms supply means by capillary action which are here in the form of a strip which extends from the head d anchoring 51 Advantageously, this strip 52 extends between the two spring blades 13 The free end of the strip 52 is situated substantially at the same level as the free ends of the branches 12 It can be said that the supply strip by capillary action 52 extends in a substantially median manner between the two branches 12 The strip 52 can be produced in a single piece with the anchoring head 51 As a variant, it is also possible to provide that the strip 52 is attached or fixed s on the anchor head 51 This strip 52 therefore acts as an absorbent or capillary wick in contact with the anchor head of the piece of porous material. The anchor head 51 and the strip 52 can be of the same nature. They must in fact have absorption characteristics making it possible to retain a liquid fluid by capillarity. In certain cases, one can even imagine applications in which the piece of porous material as well as its supply means allow absorption of a pulverulent product. The piece of sheet 6 defines a lower sheet 61, a wafer 63 and an upper sheet 62 The lower sheet 61 is fixed below the branches 12 and the head in a sealed manner, for example by heat welding.

  The edge 61 is fixed in a sealed manner to the free ends of the branches 12, and the upper sheet 62 is intended to be fixed in sealed manner on the branches 12 and the head 11. Thus, the inscribed space defined between the branches 12 is isolated. from the outside and thus forms a reservoir which can only communicate with the outside through the piece of porous material 5 and the dispensing orifice (not shown) The piece of porous material 5 with its capillary strip 52 s' therefore extends inside the reservoir 16 by passing through it. This reservoir 16 is intended to contain a certain quantity of fluid, preferably liquid, and a greater quantity of gas, for example air. Thus, the piece of material porous 5, that is to say above all its anchoring head 51, can be impregnated with fluid and air by a simple phenomenon of capillarity. The sheets 61 and 62 cover the blades 13 and give them a certain res istance to depression The sheets 61 and 62 thus each define, at a central zone, a deformable actuating wall on which one can press, for example using one or more fingers, to decrease the internal volume of the reservoir 16 The depression of the actuation walls imply a deformation of the spring blades 13 As soon as the pressure is released, the blades 13 will bring the actuation walls back to the rest position, in which the reservoir 16 defines a maximum volume By pressing on the actuating walls and thereby reducing the internal volume of the reservoir 16, the air and the fluid inside the reservoir are subjected to a pressure which has the effect of discharge fluid and air through the dispensing orifice In reality, it is the pressure exerted on the air inside the tank 10 which will discharge the fluid and the air stored therein. interior of the mati room re porous at the level of the anchoring head 51, and more particularly at the level of the retaining housing 111 Normally, after some actuation of the dispenser, the anchoring head 51 tends to empty of its fluid product which is then gradually replaced by air However, due to the presence of the capillary strip 52, the anchoring head 51 is always supplied with fluid by a capillary effect which causes the fluid to rise, for example stored at a place located opposite of the dispensing orifice towards the anchoring head 51 through the capillary strip 52 Thus, the capillary strip 52 really acts as an absorbent wicking which conveys 20 of the fluid product to the head of anchor 51.

  Although the structure 10 here has two branches 12, one could also have provided an alternative structure without branch 12 Thus, the structure is limited to a dispensing head 11 serving as a support for the piece of porous material and on which the piece of sheet 6 is welded tightly. However, a return spring should be produced in a different way, for example in the form of a plastic or metallic bimetallic strip.

  Reference will now be made to FIG. 2 to explain the second embodiment of the invention. The dispenser also comprises a substantially rigid structure 20 which has a general shape similar to that of the first embodiment of FIG. 1 The structure 20 comprises a dispensing head 21 forming a dispensing orifice (not shown) to which two branches 22 are connected in a single piece The head 21 also forms a retaining housing 211 for a piece of porous material 5 ′ which may have a shape substantially similar to the anchoring head 51 of the first embodiment The structure 20 also forms two elastically deformable spring leaves 23 which extend in a manner substantially similar to that of the first embodiment.

  However, according to the invention, the structure 20 is formed of two constituent parts 2 'and 2 "which are attached to each other and held together. A constituent part 2' defines the upper face as well as the peripheral wall branches 22 and head 21 o is formed the dispensing orifice (not shown) This component part 2 'also forms the external part of the underside of the branches 22 This is visible in FIG. 2 The second component part 2 " forms the internal edge of the lower face of the branches 22 The internal face formed between the two branches 22 is formed partially by the part 2 'and partially by the part 2 "However, the two parts 2' and 2" are not contiguous at the inner face defined inside the branches 22, but together form a gap 25 which extends over the entire inner periphery of the branches 22 This is clearly visible in FIG ure 2 Each branch 22 thus comprises a gap 25 which extends from its free end to its level with the piece of porous material 5 ′, and even up to the level of the retaining housing 211 According to the invention, these two interstices 25 serve as a capillary supply means in the form of capillary channels which extend over the internal periphery of the structure 20, and therefore over the internal periphery of the reservoir 26 Indeed, just as in the 25 previous embodiment, this structure 20 is intended to be wrapped by a sheet (not shown) which is welded on the two faces of the first component part 2 'The sheet can also be welded on the underside of the second component part 2 ".

  Because the interstices 25 have a very small width, they have a capillary retention characteristic, so that the fluid product tends to remain stored inside these capillary supply channels. each channel 25 has a discharge end in communication with the piece of porous material 5 ′, the liquid fluid product can be supplied by capillary action from the bottom of the reservoir located opposite the head 21 to the piece of porous material 5 'to soak up it.

  Reference will now be made to FIGS. 3 and 4 which represent a third embodiment of the invention which can be considered as a variant of the second embodiment. In fact, the dispenser here also comprises a substantially rigid structure 30 which differs from that of the second embodiment of FIG. 2 by the fact that the two branches 32 of the structure 30 meet to thus form a sort of loop in the form of a drop of water Another difference resides in the fact that the structure 30 comprises six elastically deformable spring leaves 33 instead of two in the previous embodiments Otherwise, the structure 30 comprises a dispensing head 31 forming a spray dispensing orifice 15 310 The two branches 32 extend from the head 31 to join so as to thus form a loop Just as in the previous embodiment, the structure 30 comprises two pa constituent parts 3 ′ and 3 ″ which may have a cross section substantially similar to that of the previous embodiment In other words, the first constituent part 20 3 ′ may form the upper face of the branches and of the head as well as the spray orifice while the part 3 "forms only part of the underside of the branches The two parts 3 'and 3" also form between them a gap 35 which will serve as a capillary supply channel which extends all around the internal periphery of the structure 30 at the level of the branches 32 and which defines a discharge end in communication with the piece of porous material 5 "as can be seen very clearly in FIG. 4 To give an idea of the order of magnitude, the thickness of the structure 30 taken between these upper and lower faces is of the order of 2 to 3 mm Consequently, the thickness of the gap 35 is of the order of 3 at 4 tenths of a mm This makes it possible to give these interstices a capillary retention characteristic enabling the piece of porous material to be supplied continuously 5 ". This is all the more effective as the liquid fluid product always tends to s' accumulate on the periphery of the reservoir, that is to say on the internal periphery of the structure 30 The shape of this structure 30 in a loop is particularly advantageous, because it ensures that the fluid product can be supplied by capillary action whatever that is to say the place where it is inside the tank 36 In addition, the presence of six spring leaves 33 makes it possible to extend and standardize the spring function of the dispenser It may also be noted, as in the previous embodiment, that the blades can be brought in the same plane, since nothing prevents them, as was the case in the embodiment of Figure 1, in which the strip absorbent 52 extended between the two blades 13.

  Another difference of this third embodiment compared to the second embodiment lies in the fact that the structure 30 is associated with two pieces of sheet 61 ′ and 62 ′ respectively fixed each on each side of the structure 30 The sheet 61 ′ is welded on the upper face of the constituent part 3 ', while the sheet 62' is necessarily welded on the lower face of the constituent part 3 'and can also be welded on the lower face of the second constituent part 3 ".

  Reference will now be made to the fourth embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 to 8. In this latter embodiment, the dispenser comprises four constituent elements, namely a substantially rigid structure 40, a piece of porous material 5 "' , a dispensing head 7 and one or two sheets 61 ", 62".

  First of all with regard to the sheets 61 "and 62", these can be produced in a single piece by forming only one piece of sheet. It is then sufficient to fold the sheet 61 ′ over the sheet 62 "so that the two sheets remain connected to each other along a joining edge. The two sheets 61 "and 62" can be fixed together, for example by heat welding, over most of their periphery so as to define a substantially central internal volume which will serve as a reservoir for fluid and gas 46 The two sheets 61 "and 62" are thus welded together but also on the dispensing head 7 which defines the dispensing and spraying orifice 70 In addition, this dispensing head 7 also forms a retaining housing 70 used to hold the piece of porous material 5 "'. Thus, the two sheets 61" and 62 "together with the dispensing head 7 define the reservoir 46 which communicates with the outside only through the dispensing orifice 70.

  The substantially rigid structure 40 used in this embodiment is arranged without fixing inside the tank 46 It can however be provided that one or the two sheets are also fixed to the structure 40 This structure 40 has here an annular shape comprising a crown 42 inside which extends a cross-member 43 which is made in an elastically deformable manner to give the cross-member an elastic return characteristic. Consequently, this cross-member 43 fulfills the same function of return spring as the blades of the modes Similarly, this structure 40 comprises two constituent parts 4 ′ which are here completely identical. Referring to FIG. 6, one of the two constituent parts 4 ′ can be seen. Each part 4 ′ comprises a crown part 42 in which extends a cross 43 In addition, the crown 42 is formed with a series of pins 45 and holes 44 which allow a good interconnection of the two constituent parts 4 'one on the other Preferably, the two parts 4' are attached to each other with the cross-pieces 43 arranged in an offset manner as can be seen on FIG. 5 This gives a better distribution of the characteristic of the return spring over the whole of the crown. Preferably, each crosspiece 43 has a different bending, so that at rest, the two crosspieces 43 are separated as much as possible. one from the other this is visible in FIG. 7 which shows the distributor in the rest position In this position, the respective rings of the two constituent parts 4 ′ are in substantially contiguous contact so as to form a very thin gap between them 45 On the other hand, as soon as a pressure force is exerted which tends to bring the two braces closer to one another, as is the case in FIG. 8, the crowns respecti ves of the two parts 4 'tend to move relative to each other by increasing the size of the gap 45 More precisely, since the pressure is exerted at the center of the crown, the internal edges of the respective crowns will remain in contact while the outer edges will tend to separate so as to form a gap having a V-shaped cross section, as can be seen in Figure 8 Thus, each actuation of the distributor, the section of the gap 55 varies, which has the effect of conferring a pumping function in addition to the initial and intrinsic capillary supply function.

  It should be noted that the opening of the gap 5 occurs on the outside of the structure 30, that is to say around the weld line of the two sheets as can be seen in FIG. 5 In addition , the piece of porous material 5 "′ is disposed in direct contact with the external periphery of the ring 40, that is to say in direct contact with the gap 45 which serves as a peripheral capillary supply channel and pumping It is thus ensured that fluid product is supplied to the piece of porous material 5 "'from anywhere in the tank; and more particularly of the periphery of the tank.

  This pumping function can also be integrated or present in the previous embodiments, in which the substantially rigid structure is produced in two constituent parts.

  In all the embodiments, the dispensing orifice can be initially closed with a minimum volume of gas inside the tank. In this case, the blades, and more generally the spring means, are compressed to a state close to their maximum.

  In all the embodiments, a capillary supply function has thus been integrated without the addition of additional parts.

Claims (17)

claims   1. A fluid dispenser comprising: a reservoir (16; 26; 36; 46) of fluid and gas; a spray orifice (310; 70) s an actuating wall (61, 62; 61 '; 61 "; 62") for reducing the volume of the reservoir so as to put the gas and the fluid product under pressure and thus the discharge together through the spray orifice; and a piece of porous material (5; 5 '; 5 "; 5"') capable of being impregnated with fluid and gas and placed near the spray orifice, characterized in that it further comprises capillary supply means (51; 25; 35; 45) for supplying the piece of porous material with fluid product contained in the reservoir.   2. Dispenser according to claim 1, in which the capillary supply means (51) extend across the reservoir (16) in a substantially median manner.   3. Dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the capillary supply means comprise an absorbent wick (51) in contact with, or formed by, the piece of porous material (5) and extending through the reservoir. (16).   4 A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the capillary supply means (25; 35; 45) extend at least partially over the periphery of the reservoir.   5. A dispenser according to claim 4, in which the supply means comprise at least one peripheral capillary channel 25 (25; 35; 45) having a discharge end in contact with the piece of porous material (5 '; 5 "; 5 "').   6. Dispenser according to claim 5, in which the capillary channel (25; 35; 45) is open substantially over its entire length so that the fluid product can penetrate said channel over a large part of its length.   14 2848996 7. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a substantially rigid structure (10; 20; 30; 40) which extends at least partially at the periphery of the tank. 8 The dispenser of claim 7, wherein said structure (20; 30; 40) forms the capillary supply means (25; 35; 45).   9. The dispenser of claim 7 or 8, wherein the structure (10; 20; 30) forms the spray orifice (310).   10. The dispenser of claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the structure (10; 20; 30) comprises receiving means for holding the porous part (5; 5 '; 5 ") in place in the tank (16 ; 26; 36).   11. Distributor according to any one of claims 7 to 10, in which the structure (10; 20; 30; 40) forms support means (12; 22; 32; 42) for return spring means (13 ; 23; 33; 43) able to return the actuating wall to a rest position corresponding to the maximum volume of the reservoir.   12. Dispenser according to any one of claims 7 to 11, in which the structure (20; 30; 40) comprises two constituent parts (2 ', 2 "; 3', 3"; 4 '), one attached to the other, the supply means 20 (25; 35; 45) being formed between said parts.   13. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein the supply means comprise capillary channels (45) whose section varies during the actuation of the actuation wall (61 ", 62").   14. A dispenser according to claim 12 or 13, in which the two constituent parts (4 ') are identical.   15. Dispenser according to any one of claims 7 to 14, wherein the actuating wall is formed by a flexible sheet (6) fixed in a sealed manner on said structure (10; 20; 30).   16. A dispenser according to any one of claims 7 to 14, wherein the actuating wall is formed by a flexible sheet (61 ", 62") sealingly enveloping said structure (40).   17. A dispenser according to any one of claims 7 to 16, in which the structure (20; 30; 40) forms two peripheral capillary channels (25; 35; 45) each connecting the piece of porous material (5 '; "; 5 "') at the respective discharge ends.