Abstract:
A vent for a liquid dispenser includes a vent flange comprising a flange body. The vent body includes a vent wall on which the membrane is applied. The vent wall extends parallel to the geometric axis of the device so as to have a sufficiently large area available for applying the transpiratory membrane and at the same time to limit the space occupied radially by the flange.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention refers to a vent for a device dispensing at least one liquid. The vent is suitable for venting towards the outside environment of gaseous fluids generated by the liquid contained in a container of the dispensing device.  
         [0002]     This invention also refers to a vent flange for the dispensing device.  
         [0003]     This invention also refers to a method for applying a membrane to the flange body of the vent flange.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     It is known that a dispensing device, for example of the trigger type, comprising a container for a liquid to be dispensed and a dispenser head, requires a vent system which enables the internal ventilation of the container.  
         [0005]     In fact, some liquids release vapors so that in the absence of a vent system they tend to build up inside the container, even provoking bulging of the same.  
         [0006]     Some known types of dispensing devices contain a mechanical vent active only in specific functioning phases of the device, such as during the dispensing phase.  
         [0007]     A dispensing device produced as described above is shown, for example, in document WO97/38796. Another device produced as described above is shown in document EP-A1-1199105, in the name of the same Applicant.  
         [0008]     The need has therefore arisen to produce dispensing devices equipped with means of ventilation that are always active, that is able to perform their ventilation function whatever the functioning configuration of the device.  
         [0009]     Examples of such dispensing devices are shown in documents EP-A1-0729901 and EP-A1-0891228.  
         [0010]     However, such solutions cannot be used in dispensing devices of the type comprising a container and a dispensing head.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The purpose of this invention is to provide a vent, a vent flange and a method for applying a membrane to the vent flange which overcomes the drawbacks shown by the known solutions and which, at the same time, satisfies the above requirements. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The features and advantages of the invention can be seen from the description below, given by way of example and not limited to such, as per the following drawings:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing in separate parts of a dispensing device including a vent flange as per this invention;  
         [0014]      FIGS. 2 and 3  show partial cross-sections of the dispensing device in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the vent flange in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0016]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are plan views of the vent flange in  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective drawing in separate parts of a dispensing device containing a vent flange as in this invention as in a further variation;  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  shows a cross-section of a detail of the device in  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  is a perspective drawing of the flange in  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0020]      FIGS. 10 and 11  are plan views of the flange in  FIG. 9 ;  
         [0021]      FIGS. 12 and 13  are plan views of a vent flange produced as in a further variation;  
         [0022]      FIG. 14  is a perspective drawing of a flange working with a support and an attachment head;  
         [0023]      FIG. 15  is a plan view of the flange, the support and the attachment head in  FIG. 14 , in a step of the application method, and  
         [0024]      FIG. 16  is a plan view of the flange, support and attachment head of  FIG. 14 , in a later step of the application method. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]     A dispensing device suitable for dispensing a liquid comprises means of containment suitable for containing the liquid (FIGS.  1  to  6 ).  
         [0026]     For example, the means of containment include a container defining a volume for containing the fluid. The container has an aperture, delimited by an annular rim.  
         [0027]     The annular rim extends in an annular manner around a geometric axis Z-Z. Perpendicular to the geometric axis Z-Z a geometric plane can be seen, denominated the picture plane.  
         [0028]     Additionally, the device includes a dispenser head  1 , which may be associated with the means of containment, for example by means of a threaded ring nut  2 .  
         [0029]     The dispenser head  1  includes a pumping mechanism which is suitable for being activated to suck a pre-set quantity of liquid from the means of containment during a suction step and suitable for dispensing the pre-set quantity of fluid to the outside of the dispenser during the dispensing step.  
         [0030]     Preferably, the pumping mechanism includes a piston element  6  including a tubular rod  8  which extends along a pumping axis X-X from the lower end  10  near the bottom of the container, and an upper end  12 , opposite to the lower end  10 .  
         [0031]     In addition, the piston element  6  includes a flexible cup-shaped membrane  14  which is connected to the tubular rod  8  near the upper end  12 .  
         [0032]     At the height of the upper end  12 , the tubular rod  8  presents a closed wall  16  which occludes the upper end  12  of the tubular rod  8 , partially separated from the remaining part of the tubular rod  8  by means of an incision.  
         [0033]     Additionally, the pumping mechanism preferably includes a coupling element  20  including a delimiting wall  22  suitable for coupling to the flexible membrane  14 .  
         [0034]     The coupling element  20  includes an attachment wall  24  and a backstop wall  26 , radially spaced out from each other and extending mainly along the pumping axis X-X.  
         [0035]     Further, the coupling element  20  includes a tubular dispensing element  27  which delimits a dispensing conduit  28  extending mainly along a dispensing axis Y-Y, preferably perpendicular to the pumping axis X-X.  
         [0036]     Further, the dispenser head includes a support body  30  extending mainly along the pumping axis X-X.  
         [0037]     Preferably, the support body  30  includes an external abutting wall  32 , an external hinging wall  34  and an internal tubular guiding wall  36 .  
         [0038]     The internal tubular guiding wall  36  extends from the lower end  38  close to the container, to the upper end  40  opposite the lower end.  
         [0039]     Further, the dispenser head  1  may be connected to an elongated tubular element  60  extending mainly along the pumping axis X-X, connecting with the tubular rod  8 , for example inserted close to the lower end  10  of the tubular rod  8  to suck the liquid from close to the bottom of the container.  
         [0040]     Further the dispenser head  1  includes an operating mechanism suitable for being activated by a user so as to activate the pumping mechanism.  
         [0041]     Preferably, the operating mechanism includes a trigger  70  suitable for being hinged to the support body  30 . Further the operating mechanism include an active portion  72 , connected to the trigger  70 , suitable for influencing the pumping mechanism for the dispensing of the fluid.  
         [0042]     Further, the dispenser head  1  includes a means of opening/closing suitable for being operated so as to enable/disable dispensing of the fluid.  
         [0043]     In a preferred version, the means of opening/closing includes a closing element  80  suitable for inserting, at least partially, in the dispensing conduit of the coupling element and for changing from a closed position in which it prevents the dispensing of fluid to an open position, rotated compared to the closed position, in which the dispensing is enabled.  
         [0044]     Furthermore, the dispenser head  1  includes a covering system suitable for covering, at least partially, the pumping mechanism.  
         [0045]     In one version, the covering system includes a covering wall  90  suitable for being coupled to the support body  30  and the delimiting wall  22 .  
         [0046]     The covering wall  90  includes an annular offshoot  92  which juts out from the wall and which is suitable for accommodating, at least partially, and retaining the delimiting wall  22  of the coupling element  20 .  
         [0047]     Further the dispenser device includes a vent of the “passive” type, in other words able to function independently of the functioning position of the dispenser device.  
         [0048]     The vent includes a vent flange  100  including a flange body  102  including an annular wall  104 , which can be inserted in the opening of the container.  
         [0049]     The annular wall  104  includes a vent wall  105  which at least one conduit  105   a  passes through.  
         [0050]     Preferably the vent wall  105  has a flat outside surface.  
         [0051]     The flange body  102  includes, in addition, a ledge wall  106  connected to the annular wall  104  which is suitable for abutting onto the edge of the opening of the container.  
         [0052]     Preferably the ledge wall  106  is in the form of an annular crown jutting out radially and externally from the annular wall  104 , preferably perpendicular to it.  
         [0053]     The flange body  102  includes moreover a base wall  108  positioned at the extremity of the annular wall  104 .  
         [0054]     The base wall  108  has a through hole  110 .  
         [0055]     The body of the flange includes, in addition, a dividing wall  112  concentric to the annular wall  102  positioned inside it and jutting out from the base wall  108  inside the flange body  102 .  
         [0056]     Preferably, the dividing wall  112  is tapered moving away from the base wall  108 .  
         [0057]     The flange body  102  includes moreover, a delimiting wall  114  concentric to the annular wall  102  arranged around the through hole  110  jutting out from the base wall  108  inside the flange body  102 .  
         [0058]     The vent includes moreover, filtering means connected with the vent conduit  105   a  of the vent wall  105  suitable for enabling the passage through the vent conduit  105   a  of gaseous fluids such as the vapors generated by the liquid contained in the container. At the same time the filtering means are suitable for preventing the passage of the liquid through the vent conduit  105   a  towards the outside.  
         [0059]     The filtering means occupy a coupling area of the vent wall  105  which, projecting parallel to the geometric axis on the plane of projection, defines a projection with a smaller superficial extension than the coupling area.  
         [0060]     In other words the filtering means are positioned on a vent wall not perpendicular to the geometric axis, so as to be able to provide an extensive coupling area without increasing the radial dimension of the space occupied by the vent flange.  
         [0061]     To explain in yet another way, by positioning the vent wall, which the filtering means are fitted on, obliquely compared to the geometric axis, an extensive vent wall is produced while limiting the radial extension of the vent flange, in other words perpendicular to the geometric axis.  
         [0062]     In a particularly preferred version, the vent wall is parallel to the geometric axis, that is the coupling area and the geometric axis are not incident.  
         [0063]     Preferably, the vent includes a transpiratory membrane  120  which, preferably, has a multi-layered structure.  
         [0064]     The transpiratory membrane contains a transpiratory layer, made from Gore-Tex® for example, and a connecting layer which is suitable for being secured to the vent wall  105  to attach the membrane to the vent wall.  
         [0065]     Generally, in assembling the dispensing device, the tubular rod  8  is inserted into the internal tubular guiding wall  36  of the support body  30 .  
         [0066]     Further, the trigger  70  is hinged to the hinging wall  34  of the support body  30  and the active portion  72  of the trigger  70  lies below the flexible membrane  14 .  
         [0067]     The flexible membrane  14  is kept in position between the support body  30  and the coupling element  20 . Specifically the delimiting wall  22  is positioned axially distanced from the membrane  14  delimiting with it a dispensing chamber for the dispenser head.  
         [0068]     The covering wall  90  is positioned so as to cover the coupling element  20 , keeping the delimiting wall  22  of the coupling element  20  in position by means of the annular offshoot  92 .  
         [0069]     The annular wall  104  of the vent flange  100  is inserted through the opening of the container and the ledge wall  106  abuts onto the annular rim of the opening.  
         [0070]     The dispenser head is located above the vent flange  100 . Specifically, the support body  30  abuts on the ledge wall  106  so that the ledge wall  106  is pinched between annular rim of the container and the support body  30 .  
         [0071]     As can be seen, the vent wall  105  of the flange  100  is bent by the means of connection towards the annular rim of the container, so as to be attached to the dispensing device avoiding the leakage of liquid towards the outside of the container.  
         [0072]     In other words, the vent wall  105 , by means of the ledge wall  106 , is compressed between the annular rim of the container and the ring nut  2  so as to avoid the leakage of fluid between the vent flange and the rim of the container itself, despite the vent wall being arranged so as to separate, at least partially, the internal compartment from the environment outside the space.  
         [0073]     The tubular element  60 , connected to the tubular rod  8  of the piston body, goes through the vent flange  100 , and is inserted into the through hole  110  in the base wall  108 .  
         [0074]     The delimiting wall  114  which surrounds the through hole  110  surrounds the tubular element  60  and the flange to prevent the liquid in the container from leaking towards the outside.  
         [0075]     In other words, the cavity between the delimiting wall  114  and the tubular element  60  produces a compensation conduit with a crown-shaped cross sectional area.  
         [0076]     The structural and functional details relating to such a system for preventing the leakage of a liquid are described in the European patent application No. 05425271.3 in the name of the same Applicant. Such application is incorporated here by reference for the realization of the system.  
         [0077]     Further, the dividing wall  112  which couples onto the lower end  38  of the internal tubular guiding wall  36  of the support body  30  creates a further seal which, beneficially, blocks the leakage of liquid towards the cavity formed by the dividing wall  112  and the annular wall  104 , preventing the transpiratory membrane  120  from being bathed by the liquid which, through the vent conduit  105   a  reaches the connecting layer of the transpiratory membrane.  
         [0078]     The cavity between the dividing wall  112  and the annular wall  104  and the cavity between the internal tubular guiding wall  36  and the external abutting wall  32  of the support body  30  form a section of a vent conduit which is suitable for connecting the conduit  105   a  of the vent flange  100  with the outside environment, for example through apertures made in the support body  30 .  
         [0079]     In another version, a dispensing device as described in this invention is suitable for dispensing two liquids at the same time ( FIGS. 7 and 8 ).  
         [0080]     The dispensing device includes a dispenser head. The structural and functional details of the dispenser head are described in the document EP-A1-1527822 in the name of the same Applicant. Such document is incorporated herein inasmuch as relevant to the realization of the dispenser head.  
         [0081]     Similarly to what has been described for the dispenser device suitable for dispensing only one liquid, the dispenser device suitable for dispensing two liquids has a means of containment which is suitable for containing the two liquids separately, such as a container with two separate compartments. The container has two openings, delimited by their respective annular rims.  
         [0082]     Furthermore, the dispenser head can be connected to the means of containment by means of a threaded ring nut  2 .  
         [0083]     Further the dispenser device includes a vent of the “passive” type, in other words able to function independently of the functioning position of the dispenser device.  
         [0084]     The vent include two vent flanges  200 , generally identical in structure. Below, the relative description is given with reference to only one of these.  
         [0085]     The vent flange  200  includes a flange body  202  including an annular wall  204  which can be inserted in the opening of the container.  
         [0086]     The flange body  202  also includes a vent wall  205  which at least one conduit  205   a  goes through, protruding with respect to the annular wall  204 .  
         [0087]     Specifically, the vent wall  205  forms a sack  207 , with a polygonal cross-section for example or with a trapezoidal cross-section for example, protruding from the annular wall  204 .  
         [0088]     Preferably, the vent wall  205  has a flat outer surface.  
         [0089]     The flange body  202  includes, in addition, a ledge wall  206  connected to the annular wall  204  which is suitable for abutting onto the rim of the opening of the container.  
         [0090]     The flange body  102  includes, moreover, a through conduit  208  around which is the annular wall.  
         [0091]     The sack  207  flanks the through conduit  208  thus producing an asymmetric configuration for the flange  200 .  
         [0092]     Preferably, the sack  207  is detached from the through conduit  208 , producing a cavity  209  between the through conduit  208  and the sack  207  ( FIGS. 9, 10  and  11 ).  
         [0093]     In another version produced, the sack  207  is delimited in the posterior section, that is in the part not connected to the filtering means, by the through conduit  208  ( FIGS. 12 and 13 ).  
         [0094]     The vent include, moreover, the filtering mechanisms containing a transpiratory membrane  220 .  
         [0095]     For the attachment of the transpiratory membrane  120 ,  220  to the vent flange  100 ,  200 , a method can be used to apply the membrane, the method can be carried out by means of attachment apparatus including a support  300 , an attachment head  302 , a reaction head  304  and means of attachment suitable for bending the transpiratory membrane  120 ,  220  to attach the membrane to the flange body  102 ,  202 .  
         [0096]     The method includes the following steps: 
        positioning the flange body  102 ,  202  over the support  300  so that the vent wall  105 ,  205  is accessible to the attachment head  302 ;     positioning the transpiratory membrane  120 ,  220  over the vent wall  105 ,  205  so that the connecting layer is lying on the vent wall  105 ,  205 ;     positioning the reaction head  304  alongside the flange body  102 ,  202 ;     using the means of attachment to apply the membrane to the flange body.        
 
         [0101]     Specifically the approach step includes the step of placing the attachment head  302  on the transpiratory membrane  120 ,  220 .  
         [0102]     In another version of this method the placement step is preceded by a step during which the reaction head  304  is inserted into the flange body.  
         [0103]     Specifically the placement step includes a step of compressing the membrane between the attachment head and the reaction head.  
         [0104]     Specifically the step of activating the means of attachment includes a step of welding the transpiratory membrane  120 ,  220  to the flange body  102 ,  202  using the attachment head  302 .  
         [0105]     During normal functioning of the dispensing devices described above the vapors from the liquid contained in the container exhale, transpiring towards the outside environment, and passing through the transpiratory membrane.  
         [0106]     At the same time, the liquid contained in the container, upon contact with the transpiratory membrane does not pass to the outside environment, such membrane being permeable only to vapors.  
         [0107]     Beneficially, the position of the vent wall compared to the annular wall enables, moreover, the application of a sufficiently extensive membrane to the flange body to guarantee the release of the vapors produced.  
         [0108]     In other words the non-radial position of the membrane, which translates into the geometric characteristic of having an orthogonal projection inferior to the membrane itself, makes it possible to apply sufficiently extensive membranes.  
         [0109]     At the same time such superficial extension of the vent wall makes it possible to place the attachment head such as a welding head, close to the membrane so as to attach the membrane to the flange body using established and efficient technology.  
         [0110]     Another beneficial aspect is that the substantially flat vent wall makes it much easier to apply the membrane.  
         [0111]     A further advantage moreover is that the vent flange couples onto the tubular element for the suction of the liquid in such a way as to make it tight, avoiding bathing the transpiratory membrane with liquid from the connecting layer part.  
         [0112]     A technician experienced in this area may modify the dispensing devices described above so as to meet contingent requirements and specifications.  
         [0113]     In another version for example the pumping mechanism uses a traditional cylinder- piston system.