FR2928357A1 - Shutter i.e. deliver flap, for e.g. pump of flexible bag-type reservoir in cosmetics field, has slot area with wall thickness larger than wall thickness of deformation zone such that slot area is more rigid than deformation zone - Google Patents

Abstract

The shutter (1) has a slot (10) closed in a sealed manner and opened under pressure of a fluid product, where the slot is formed at the level of a slot area (13) with wall thickness (P1). The slot area is partially surrounded by a deformation zone (15) with wall thickness (P2). The wall thickness (P1) is larger than the wall thickness (P2) such that the slot area is more rigid than the deformation zone. A rigid fixation ring (16) fixes the shutter in a reception housing. An independent claim is also included for a fluid distribution body comprising a tubular element forming a reception housing in which a shutter is fixed.

Description

The present invention relates to a shutter intended to be integrated in a fluid dispenser member generally associated with a fluid reservoir. The dispensing member, which may be a pump, typically comprises a fluid chamber of variable volume provided with an inlet valve and an outlet valve. Such dispensing members are very frequently used in the field of cosmetics, perfumery or pharmacy to dispense fluid products more or less viscous, such as perfumes, lotions, creams or pastes. Such dispensing members generally comprise a fluid chamber of variable volume provided with an inlet valve and an outlet valve. The fluid is pressurized in the chamber, which closes the inlet valve and opens the outlet valve. As a result, a dose of fluid product is forced out of the chamber through the open outlet valve. Conventionally, the dispensing member comprises a dispensing head, for example in the form of a pusher, which can be pressed to actuate the dispenser member, that is to say to vary the volume of the chamber of fluid product. The dispensing head typically includes a dispensing channel connecting the outlet valve to a dispensing port at which the user can collect the fluid. There are several fluid volume chamber designs with variable volume. A particular design provides for forming the chamber with an elastically deformable portion whose deformation varies the volume of the chamber. Document FR-2,671,330 describes a pump comprising two rigid walls each provided with a valve and connected together by a deformable peripheral membrane so as to allow the approximation and the separation of the rigid walls. One of the rigid walls is attached to a fluid reservoir while the other rigid wall forms a pusher which can be pressed to deform the elastic membrane and thus reduce the useful volume of the pump chamber.

In this document, the inlet and outlet valves are respectively mounted sealingly on the two rigid walls. The present invention relates more particularly to the outlet valve of such dispensing members. Even more generally, the present invention relates to a dispensing member shutter, this shutter being able to fulfill a function of a pump chamber or valve outlet valve, or a final shutter instead of or in addition to the outlet valve. of the distribution organ. The shutter of the present invention is of a particular type comprising a slot which is sealed at rest and opens under the pressure of the fluid product. This type of shutter is commonly called self-pointing slot shutter, in that the slot closes automatically in the absence of fluid under pressure. There are already many self-sealing slot shutter designs. Most of these shutters suffer from the same conventional drawbacks, namely a poor seal at rest, an opening that is too easy or, on the contrary, too difficult, a reduced passage section causing high pressure losses, a complicated integration of the shutter into the dispenser, fragility in handling, etc.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the conventional disadvantages of the prior art by defining a novel dispenser shutter design that can be implemented as a pump chamber or valve outlet valve. or as a final end plug at which the user can collect the fluid dispensed by the dispensing member. To do this, the present invention proposes a shutter intended to be integrated in a fluid product dispensing member, such as a pump or a valve, the shutter comprising a slot closed in a sealed manner at rest and opening under the pressure of the fluid product, the slot 30 being formed at a slot area having a first wall thickness traversed by the slot, said slot area being at least partially surrounded by at least one deformation zone having a second thickness of wall, characterized in that the first wall thickness is greater than the second wall thickness so that the slot area is more rigid than the deformation area. Thus, in the present invention, the displacement functions allowing the opening of the shutter and deformation allowing the displacement are distinct, since respectively ensured by a slot zone and a distinct deformation zone. In the shutters of the prior art, it is the slot area that provides both the displacement and the deformation, which causes the aforementioned drawbacks. By separating the opening displacement and the deformation, there is a relatively rigid slot area which moves but does not deform, the deformation being substantially entirely ensured by the deformation zone. The shutter then opens like some wallets with rigid edges, but flexible walls. The obturator can also be compared to a mouth 15 comprising relatively rigid lips, but flexible cheeks. In the present invention, this distinction between displacement and deformation is provided by a difference in wall thickness between the slot area and the deformation area. According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the slot zone 20 is curved so that the slot is curved. Thus, the two edges of the slot can move apart, that is to say move relative to each other, without deforming. In addition, the curvature of the slot area stiffens the slot. According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the deformation zone is substantially flat. This ensures a significant deformability of the deformation zone, since it is easier to deform a flat surface than a curved surface. It should be noted that this characteristic can be implemented independently of the fact that the wall thicknesses of the slot area and the deformation area are different. This also applies to the curvature of the slot area which could be implemented with a flat deformation zone, but without a difference in wall thickness between the slot area and the deformation area. According to a practical embodiment, a deformation zone is provided on each side of the slit zone. Advantageously, the two deformation zones extend in respective planes converging in the direction of the slot zone. The shutter then has a general configuration shaped like a duckbill. As for the slot area, it preferably has an inverted U-shaped section or dome. The deformation zone may have a solid horseshoe shape, that is to say in the form of a flat plate whose circumference is that of a horseshoe. According to another aspect of the present invention, the shutter may further comprise two hinge zones which advantageously have a third wall thickness which is smaller than that of the slit area. This unslotted portion advantageously serves as a hinge connecting the two substantially rigid edges of the slot, so that the two edges of the slot open by articulating on the unslotted portion and deforming the adjacent deformation zones. According to another characteristic of the invention, the shutter further comprises a substantially rigid fixing ring for securely anchoring the closure in a suitable receiving housing. Advantageously, the ring is annular and comprises an outer peripheral edge intended to be housed, preferably by snap sealing, in the receiving housing.

According to another aspect of the invention, the slot area and said at least one deformation area protrude from the fixing ring, so as to define a hollow interior. The present invention also defines a fluid dispenser member comprising a pump chamber provided with a shutter 30 as defined above as an outlet valve. Advantageously, the dispensing member comprises a tubular element forming a receiving housing in which the shutter is tightly received, the shutter being substantially entirely disposed within the tubular element. One principle of the present invention resides in dissociating the opening of the slot from the deformation allowing this opening. We play here on the differences in wall thicknesses to ensure this distinction. It is also conceivable to use different materials for the slot zone and the deformation zone, namely a rigid material for the slot area and a flexible material for the deformation zone. In this case, it is possible for the slit and deformation zones to have identical or substantially identical thicknesses, while guaranteeing the distinction between the opening and the deformation allowing the opening. Thanks to the shutter of the invention, the slot opens and closes quickly with a large passage section and a perfect seal at rest. The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which give by way of non-limiting examples an embodiment of the invention. In the figures: FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a fluid dispenser member incorporating a shutter according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a view from above of the shutter integrated into the shutter. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the shutter of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the shutter of Figures 2 and 3; FIG. 5 is also a vertical sectional view, but at 90.degree. to that of FIG. 4, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional views of a portion of the dispenser member of FIG. 1 according to the respective sectional planes of FIGS. 4 and 5. Reference is first made to FIG. 1 which shows a fluid dispenser member incorporating a shutter according to the invention. This dispenser member here is a pump and reference will be made to a pump in the following description. The pump is intended to be mounted on a tank, container or bottle containing a fluid product to be dispensed by the pump. The tank can be of any type, that is to say, fixed capacity, or on the contrary variable capacity, such as piston-follower tanks or flexible pouch. The dispensing member of the present invention is rather suitable to be mounted on a variable capacity tank to achieve a dispenser without air intake. The pump comprises several constituent elements, namely a shutter 1 according to the invention which serves as an outlet valve, a partially flexible monobloc component 2, an inlet valve 3, a pump body 4, a receiving ring and 5, a dispenser head or pusher 6 and an optional protective cover 7. These elements, or at least a part of them, can be made by injection molding plastic material appropriate. Bi-injection or overmoulding techniques can be used to form partially rigid, partially rigid elements. This is for example the case of the single piece 2, the valve 3 or the shutter 1. The pump body 4 comprises a central pipe 41 surrounded by passage openings 42, themselves surrounded by a valve seat 43. On its outer periphery, the pump body 4 forms an anchor housing 44 provided with a movable closure flange 45 for closing the housing 44. The flange 45 is intended to be engaged in the ring 5, as one will see it below.

The inlet valve 3 may for example be a one-piece plastic valve forming a foot 32 which is trapped inside the inlet pipe 41. The valve 3 may also form a corolla 31 intended to open and close the openings 42 by selectively coming into sealing engagement on the valve seat 43. The foot 32 can be movable within the tubing 41 so that the corolla 31 will move axially, or alternatively, the foot 32 is fixed to the inside of the tubular 41 and the corolla 31 will deform elastically. Instead of this valve 3, it is also possible to use a simple ball. The one-piece piece 2 comprises an anchoring heel 21 engaged in the housing 44, a flexible membrane 22 which acts as a piston and return spring and a substantially rigid tubular element 23 which extends axially upwards from the membrane 22. This tubular element 23 forms a receiving housing 24 for the shutter 1 which serves as an outlet valve for the pump. The shutter 1 is received in the housing 24 in a fixed and sealed manner. The shutter 1 will be described in detail below. The body 4, the one-piece piece 2, the valve 3 and the shutter 1 together define a pump chamber 20 of variable volume by deformation of the flexible membrane 22. By pressing axially down on the tubular element 23 or on the 22, the effective volume of the pump chamber 20 will decrease, thereby closing the inlet valve 3. When the pressure inside the chamber 20 has reached a certain value, the outlet valve formed by the shutter 1 opens and the pressurized fluid product is dispensed from the chamber 20. This is a quite conventional operation for a diaphragm pump.

The ring 5 comprises an axial guide bushing 51 which extends concentrically around the tubular element 23. The ring 5 also comprises a housing 52 for receiving the movable flange 45 of the body 4. During the engaging the body 4 in the housing 52, the movable flange 45 is moved radially inwardly so as to strongly wedge the anchoring heel 21 of the workpiece 2 within the housing 44. In this way, it is guaranteed perfect attachment and sealing between the body 4 and the part 2 by forcing the flange 45 inside the housing 52 against the heel 21. Outside, the ring 5 forms a sleeve 53 intended to be engaged in an opening of a tank. The sleeve 53 also serves as a support for the optional protective cover 7. The pusher 6 comprises a bearing surface 61 on which the user can press with the aid of one or more finger (s) to actuate the protective cover. distribution organ. On its periphery, the pusher 6 forms a skirt 62 which extends with its lower end inside the ring 5. The pusher 6 forms an outlet duct 63 which connects an outlet chamber 64 to a dispensing orifice 65 The chamber 64 is located just at the outlet of the shutter 1. On the other hand, the pusher 6 forms a fixing sleeve 66 which is engaged around the tubular element 23 inside the axial guide sleeve. 51. Thanks to this sleeve 51, it ensures a perfectly axial displacement of the pusher 6, and therefore a uniform deformation of the membrane 22. The axial guidance is further strengthened by the engagement of the skirt 62 to the The operation of this dispenser member is conventional: by pressing on the pusher 6, the membrane 22 is deformed which puts the fluid inside the chamber 20 under pressure which has no other choice than being pushed back through the shutter 1 which opens under the pressure of the fluid product. The user only has to recover the dose of fluid dispensed at the dispensing orifice 65. Reference will now be made indifferently to FIGS. 2 to 7 to describe in detail the design of the shutter 1 serving in FIG. this embodiment of an outlet valve for the pump chamber 20. The shutter 1 has a general configuration in the form of a flattened cap on two opposite sides. The shutter 1 can be made integrally by injection molding of a single plastic material. Alternatively, the shutter 1 can be made integrally from different plastics by an overmolding process or bi-injection.

The shutter comprises a slot 10 defined by two opposite edges 11, 12 intended to come into intimate contact at rest. On the other hand, when pressure is exerted on the slot 10, the edges 11 and 12 separate so as to clear an outlet opening. The slot 10, i.e. the edges 11 and 12, is formed at a slot area 13 which advantageously has a curved configuration. In cross section passing through the slot 10, it can be said that the zone 13 has an inverted U shape or dome. This is clearly visible in Figures 3 and 4. The slot area 13 extends downwardly by two hinge areas 14 which are not slit. The hinge zones 14 extend in the extension of the curvature of the slit zone 13, as can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. The hinge zones 14 can be curved, or rectilinear, as can be see it in Figure 4. They can however have a curvature in the perpendicular direction, as can be seen in Figure 2. It can also be seen in this figure that the slot area 13 is narrower in the middle than on its sides where it joins the hinge areas 14. Thus, the slot area 13 has a bone or diabolo shape. The slot 10 may be axially formed through the area 13 so as to define a mirror axis of symmetry. The slot area 13 and the hinge areas 14 are connected on either side to two deformation zones 15 which advantageously have a rounded shape in the manner of a solid horseshoe. The deformation zones 15 are substantially flat and advantageously converge towards each other in the direction of the slot 10. More precisely, a deformation zone 15 is connected to two hinge zones 14 and to the slot zone 13. L Another deformation zone 20 extends identically on the other side by mirror symmetry with respect to the slot 10, as can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 5. The two hinge zones 14 and the two zones deformation 15 connect at their lower ends a fastening ring 16 which advantageously has a circular annular shape. The ring 16 defines an outer peripheral edge 17 which is engaged inside the receiving housing 24 formed by the tubular element 23. Advantageously, the edge 17 is engaged by snapping inside the housing 24. Other Fixing forms are naturally conceivable. It can even be envisaged to make the shutter 1 in one piece 30 with the tubular element 23, that is to say with the one-piece piece 2. The zones 13, 14 and 15 thus project from the crown 16 forming a hollow interior 18 which defines a portion of the pump chamber 20. Thus, the pressurized fluid product in the chamber pushes on the deformation zones 15, which will allow the opening of the slot 10. According to FIG. an interesting feature of the invention, the slit area 13 has a wall thickness P1 which is greater than the wall thickness P2 of the deformation zones 15. The wall thickness P1 is also greater than the wall thickness P3 hinge areas 14. This is clearly visible in Figures 4 and 5. Thus, the slot area 13 is more rigid, and therefore less deformable, the deformation zones 15 and the hinge areas 14. The rounded slot or curve 10 can thus open io s The deformation will be almost completely ensured by the deformation zones 15 and the hinge zones 14, because of their small thickness, and consequently their greater capacity to deform. It may also be noted that the ring 16 has a thickness even greater than the thickness P1, which guarantees it a perfect dimensional stability, necessary for its fixing inside the housing 24. By thus acting on the thicknesses of walls, the opening of the slot 10 is completely decoupled from the deformation of the zones 14 and 15. The edges 11 and 12 move without deformation by articulating around the zones 14, which is permitted because of the deformability of the zones 15. On the other hand, because of the large thickness P1 of the slot area 13, the edges 11 and 12 have an increased surface, improving the sealing contact of the slot at rest. Conversely, when the slot 10 is open, its passage section is important, mainly because the slot is curved, and not straight. The increased width of the edges 11 and 12 also makes it possible to ensure sealing of the shutter in the event that the deformation of the zones 14 and 15 misaligns the edges 11 and 12. Thus, even in the event of unexpected behavior, the shutter would still fulfill its role. This difference in wall thickness allows the shutter 30 to be made integrally with a single plastic material, or a mixture of plastics material. However, it is also possible to realize the shutter with different plastics, for example a

Claims (14)

claims 1.- shutter (1) intended to be integrated in a fluid dispenser member, such as a pump or a valve, the shutter comprising a slot (10) sealingly closed at rest and opening under the pressure of the fluid product, the slot (10) being formed at a slot area (13) having a first wall thickness (P1) traversed by the slot (10), said slot area (13) being at least partially surrounded by at least one deformation zone (15) having a second wall thickness (P2), characterized in that the first wall thickness (P1) is greater than the second wall thickness (P2) so that the area slot (13) is more rigid than the deformation zone (15). 2. A shutter according to claim 1, wherein the slot area (13) is curved so that the slot (10) is curved. 3. Shutter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the deformation zone (15) is substantially flat. 4. A shutter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a deformation zone (15) is provided on each side of the slit region (13). 5. A shutter according to claim 4, wherein the two deformation zones (15) extend in respective planes which converge towards the slot area (13). 6. A shutter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the slot area (13) has an inverted U-shaped section or dome. 12 30 7. A shutter according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the deformation zone (15) has a solid horseshoe shape. 8. A shutter according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising two hinge zones (14) which advantageously have a third wall thickness (P3) smaller than the first thickness (P1). 9. A shutter according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a substantially rigid fixing ring (16) for firmly anchoring the closure (1) in a suitable receiving housing (24). 10. A shutter according to claim 9, wherein the ring (16) is annular and comprises an outer peripheral edge (17) intended to be housed, preferably by snap sealing, in the receiving housing (24). 11. A shutter according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the slot area (13) and said at least one deformation zone (15) protrude from the fixing ring (16), so as to define an interior hollow (18). 12. Shutter according to any one of the preceding claims, having a general configuration in the form of duckbill. 13. A fluid dispenser member comprising a pump chamber (20) provided with a shutter (1) according to any one of the preceding claims as an outlet valve. 14. A dispensing member according to claim 13, comprising a tubular element (23) forming a receiving housing (24) in which the shutter (1) is sealingly received, the shutter being substantially completely disposed of. inside the tubular element (23).