EP0388270B1 - Viscous product dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a receptacle for dispensing a viscous substance. A receptacle body contains resilient structure bearing against the inside wall of the receptacle body. This structure comprise first and second spring-forming resilient blades with a reservoir made of flexible material placed between the inside faces thereof. An external return spring acts on the outside faces of the springs. The invention is applicable to making a receptacle for dispensing a viscous substance without using a propellant gas.

Description

The present invention relates to an improvement of the viscous substance dispensing container, as described and shown in document FR-A-2618127, which corresponds to EP-A- 300 886. The container described in this previous document comprises, as shown on FIG. 1 appended a container body 1 provided with a reservoir 2 containing the substance to be dispensed and with a dispensing head 3 capable of being controlled on opening or closing, the reservoir 2 being made of flexible material and the container further comprising pressure means 20, 23 making it possible to exert permanent pressure on the reservoir 2, in the presence of the substance, so as to allow the substance to be dispensed on command at the opening of the head. distribution 3. These pressure means preferably comprise first and second flat elastic blades forming a spring between the internal faces of which said reservoir made of flexible material is placed. They can be supplemented by external return means, formed by a support frame consisting of two angles, acting on the external face of the springs.

The container described above is satisfactory from the point of view of its operation.

However, it has been found, during tests for development and improvement of the aforementioned container, that it was expedient to provide, as a function of the power of restitution and distribution of the substance to be distributed, pressure means exerting their effect. in a different way.

The improvement, according to the present invention, in the viscous substance dispensing container according to document FR-A-26 18 127 (EP-A-300 886) is remarkable in that the external return means consist of an elastic sheath attached to the outer surface of the elastic blades and formed by a cylindrical rubber sleeve.

The container according to the invention, depending on the strength of the external return means, finds application in the distribution of creamy substances, either of high viscosity, conditioned under a pressure of 800 g / cm², or of more fluid substances such as emulsions. .

• la figure 1 représente une vue schématique en coupe longitudinale d'un récipient distributeur connu tel que décrit dans la demande de brevet français n° 87 10053,
• la figure 2a représente, selon une vue en coupe transversale correspondant au plan de coupe A-A de la figure 1, un mode de réalisation de l'invention dans le cas où le réservoir constitué par un matériau élastique est vide,
• la figure 2b représente le même mode de réalisation dans le cas où le réservoir en matériau élastique est partiellement rempli.

The container according to the invention will be described in more detail in the description below and in the accompanying drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 represents a schematic view in longitudinal section of a known dispensing container as described in French patent application No. 87 10053,
• FIG. 2a represents, according to a cross-sectional view corresponding to the section plane AA of FIG. 1, an embodiment of the invention in the case where the reservoir constituted by an elastic material is empty,
• Figure 2b shows the same embodiment in the case where the reservoir of elastic material is partially filled.

As shown in Figure 1 attached, the viscous substance dispensing container to which the invention applies comprises a container body 1, provided with a reservoir 2 containing the viscous substance to be dispensed. The viscous substance dispensing container also comprises a dispensing head 3, capable of being controlled on opening or closing, in order to ensure the distribution of the aforementioned substance or its storage in the container.

The tank denoted 2, is made of flexible material, and means denoted 20, 23 designated by pressure means, make it possible to exert on the reservoir 2, in the presence of substance, a permanent pressure. The aforementioned pressure means associated with the flexible material tank allow, on a single command when the distribution head 3 is opened, the distribution of the viscous substance to be distributed.

The tank 2 is advantageously constituted by a flexible elastic material constituting the wall or walls of the tank. These walls during the loading of viscous substance to be dispensed are put under mechanical tension, and the pressure means 20 are in this case, constituted in a nonlimiting manner by the elastic tension of the walls.

The viscous substance dispensing container according to the invention will now be described in connection with FIGS. 2a and 2b.

According to FIG. 2a, which represents a cross-sectional view of the dispenser according to section AA of FIG. 1, the elastic means 23, bearing on the internal wall of the container body 1, comprise a first 230 and a second 231 elastic blades forming a spring between the internal faces of which the reservoir 2 made of flexible material is placed. In addition, means 2400 play the role of external return means acting on the external face of the springs.

FIG. 2a shows the first 230 and the second 231 elastic blades surrounding the reservoir 2 made of flexible material, when the latter is completely empty.

According to the embodiment of FIGS. 2a and 2b, the external return means are advantageously constituted by an elastic sheath 2400, which is attached to the external face of the elastic blades 230 and 231.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the embodiment of FIGS. 2a and 2b, the elastic sheath 2400 is stretched over the elastic blades 230, 231 when the reservoir 2 made of elastic material is empty, the two elastic blades 230, 231 have a minimum spacing. To ensure the assembly of the assembly constituted by the reservoir 2 made of elastic material contained in the space constituted by the first 230 and second elastic blades 231 and by the sheath 2400, the sheath is deformed transversely so as to have a dimension d elongation greater than the size of the blades 230 and 231, the subassembly consisting of the elastic blades 230, 231 and the reservoir 2 made of elastic material then being introduced into the expanded sheath. After a suitable relative arrangement of the abovementioned sub-assembly in the sheath, the sheath is released and the latter comes to adapt directly to the elastic blades 230, 231, on the external wall of the latter.

Of course, the elastic sheath 2400 can be formed by a cylindrical rubber sleeve whose diameter, in the absence of deformation, is less than the diameter of the container body 1. Preferably, it is possible to choose a rubber sleeve of medium quality. , such as a synthetic rubber sleeve since, of course, the viscous substance to be dispensed does not come into contact with the latter.

It will also be noted that the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b has the advantage of isolating the elastic blades 230, 231 made of steel from the contact of the container body 1, this contact having to be notably avoided when the container body 1 consists of aluminum, in order to avoid interactions by electropositivity between aluminum and steel.

The embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, is thus very economical in so far as it makes it possible to provide for the use of elastic blades 230, 231 of small thickness, which makes it possible to reduce the manufacturing costs as a result. . The rendering power of the viscous substance is thus linked, not only to the elasticity of the springs and to their mechanical quality, but also to that of the sleeve 2400. Of course, the rendering power of the viscous substance can be adjusted by the choice of the thickness of the elastic blades 230, 231, as well as the elasticity and the tension of the sheath 2400. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b is particularly suitable for the distribution of emulsions of the viscous substance in the form of milk, such as toilet milk or even medicinal products, such as biafine, distributed by Laboratoires MEDIX in France and by its representatives.

A particularly efficient viscous substance dispensing container has thus been described in so far as an action external to the spring or elastic blades finally makes it possible, depending on the application considered, to modulate the dispensing power of the viscous substance considered.

Claims (3)

1. A receptacle for dispensing a viscous substance, the receptacle being of the type comprising a receptacle body (1) provided with a reservoir (2) containing the substance to be dispensed, and a dispenser head (3) suitable for being caused to open or to close, the reservoir (2) being made of a flexible material and the receptacle further including pressure means (20,23) for exerting pressure permanently on the reservoir (2) when containing the substance, thereby enabling the substance to be dispensed merely by causing the dispenser head (2) to open, said pressure means (23) bearing against the inside wall of the receptacle body and comprising first and second flat spring-forming resilient blades (230,231) with the said reservoir (2) made of flexible material being placed between the inside faces thereof ; and external return means acting of the outside faces of said spring, characterized in that said external return means are constituted by a resilient sheath (2400) applied to the outside surface of said resilient blades, and made by a cylindrical rubber sleeve.
2. A receptacle according to claim 1, characterized in that said resilient sheath (2400) has an extended state over said resilient blades when the reservoir (2) made of resilient material is empty, the two resilient blades (230,231) then being at a minimum distance apart.
3. A receptacle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said resilient sheath (2400) is constituted by a cylindrical rubber sleeve whose diameter, in the absence of deformation, is less than the diameter of the receptacle body (1).

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