Dispensing device for discharging a liquid or pasty product from a container, containing such a product

A dispensing device for discharging a liquid or pasty product from a container comprises a valve housing, provided with a vertical through passage for said product, including an upper inlet section for connecting the valve housing to an outlet of a container, a lower outlet section, and an intermediate valve chamber, defined between two resilient disk-like valve members which are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of said passage and provided with thickened hub portions by which they are mounted on a supporting pin, located centrally within the valve chamber. In order to facilitate a simplified and less expensive manufacture and assembly of the device, the supporting pin is formed integrally with the valve housing which, as a whole, is formed in one single piece. The supporting pin projects upwardly into the valve chamber from a partial bottom wall of the valve housing. Near its lower end, supporting pin has a shoulder on which the hub portion of the lower valve member rests. A retainer, acting on the upper end surface of the hub portion of the upper valve member, is mounted in axially fixed position within the inlet section of the through passage.

The present invention relates to a dispensing device for discharging a 
liquid or pasty product from a container, containing such a product. 
More particularly, the invention relates to such a device of the kind, 
comprising a valve housing, provided with a generally vertically extending 
through passage for said product, said passage including an inlet section, 
located in an upper portion of the valve housing and serving to connect 
the valve housing to an outlet of a container, an outlet section, located 
in a lower portion of the valve housing, and an intermediate portion, 
containing a valve chamber, defined between two valve means which are 
spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of said passage 
and which are formed by peripheral resiliently flexible generally 
funnel-shaped flanges of disk-like valve members, having thickened hub 
portions by which the valve members are mounted in axially fixed positions 
on a supporting pin located centrally within the valve chamber, the 
flexible peripheral flange of each valve member having its apex facing the 
inlet section of said through passage and being arranged, with its outer 
edge, to bear sealingly against the peripheral wall of the valve chamber, 
as long as any substantial pressure drop does not occur across said flange 
in a direction from its upper side and towards its lower side, while the 
flange is arranged, upon the occurrance of a pressure drop of sufficient 
magnitude across the same and in said direction, to be bent resiliently in 
a downward direction in order to define, between its outer edge and the 
peripheral wall of the valve chamber, a gap through which a flow of said 
product may pass the device further comprising a pressure means, located 
outside the valve housing and communicating with the valve chamber through 
an opening provided in the peripheral wall of the valve chamber, said 
pressure means being arranged, upon actuation thereof, temporarily to 
generate an increased pressure within the valve chamber, hereby causing a 
discharge of a certain quantity of said product from the valve chamber to 
the outlet section of the through passage, past the lower valve means. 
In practice, devices of said kind, hitherto known, have been found to have 
certain drawbacks, relating especially to the manufacture and assembly of 
said devices. The invention therefore has had for its object to provide an 
improved device of said kind permitting a simplified and less expensive 
manufacture and assembly of the device. 
According to the invention, for this purpose, there is provided a 
dispensing device of the kind initially specified which is primarily 
characterized in that the supporting pin for the two valve members is 
formed integrally with the valve housing which, as a whole, is formed as 
one single piece, the supporting pin projecting upwardly and into the 
valve chamber from a partial bottom wall of the valve housing partially 
closing the valve housing in a downward direction but leaving, at one side 
of the supporting pin, a free opening which terminates into an outlet 
passageway, formed in a portion of the valve housing projecting in a 
downward direction from said bottom wall, the supporting pin having a 
lower portion of enlarged cross-section, the upper end of which forms a 
shoulder on which the hub portion of the lower valve member rests with its 
lower end surface, the hub portion of the upper valve member being held in 
contact with the hub portion of the lower valve member by a retaining 
means, acting against the upper end surface of the hub portion of the 
upper valve member and provided in an axially fixed position within the 
inlet section of the through passage, above the upper valve member. 
By forming the supporting pin as an integral portion of the valve housing 
and forming the valve housing, as a whole, in one single piece, as 
proposed according to the invention, the manufacture and assembly of the 
device may be considerably simplified and made less expensive. 
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the retaining means 
may be formed by a disk, provided with through openings for the product to 
be dispensed and held in axially fixed position in the inlet section of 
the through passage of the valve housing by a sleeve, inserted in said 
inlet section and having a peripheral portion thereof in engagement with 
the wall of the inlet section. 
Said sleeve, which may consist of an outlet pipe of a container or be 
formed by a lower portion of a separate connection piece for connecting 
the device to the container, may be connected to the valve housing by 
snap-in means permitting relative rotation between said sleeve and the 
valve housing. The retaining disk may be formed integrally with said 
sleeve.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 generally designates a bag-like container 
for a liquid or pasty product, such as liquid soap or a disinfectant. At 
its upper end, container 10 is provided with a flat hook 11 by which the 
container may be mounted suspending from an eye 13 of a wall mounting 12. 
The container 10 may suitably consist of a blow-moulded bag consisting of 
a thin translucent non-rigid plastic, such as polyethylene. The container 
is permanently closed at its upper end, while, at its lower end, it is 
provided with an outlet pipe or neck 14 by which it is removably connected 
to a dispensing device, generally designated 15. By means of said device 
15, small doses of the product contained in the container 10 may be 
discharged therefrom in a convenient manner. The dispensing device 15 is 
supported by a yoke-shape member 16 projecting from the lower portion of 
wall mounting 12. 
As can be seen from FIG. 2, the body of the dispensing device 15 is formed 
by a valve housing 17 which, as a whole, is formed in one single piece. 
Said valve housing 17 may be formed as an injection-moulded piece and 
consist of a stiff plastic, such as polypropene. Reference numeral 18 
designates a vertical through passage provided in valve housing 17 to form 
a passageway through the valve housing for the product contained in 
container 10. Said passage 18 includes an inlet section 18a of circular 
cross-section, provided at the upper end of valve housing 17, an outlet 
section 18b at the lower end of valve housing 17, and an intermediate 
valve chamber 18c of circular cross-section, located between inlet section 
18a and outlet section 18b. Said valve chamber 18c is defined between two 
valve members 19 and 20 which are spaced apart in the longitudinal 
direction of passage 18 and consist of circular disks of nitrile rubber or 
any other suitable elastic material. Each valve member 19 and 20, 
respectively, has a central thickened hub portion 19a and 20a, 
respectively, and a peripheral resiliently flexible generally 
funnel-shaped flange 19b and 20b, respectively, the apex of which is 
turned in upward direction, i.e. towards the inlet section 18a of passage 
18. By means of their hub portions 19a and 20a, the two valve members 19 
and 20 are mounted on a supporting pin, or post, 21 located centrally 
within valve chamber 18c and extending in an upward direction within said 
chamber from a partial bottom wall 22 of valve housing 17. Said bottom 
wall 22 closes valve housing 17 partially in a downward direction while 
simultaneously leaving, on one side of supporting pin 21, a free opening 
23, terminating in an outlet passageway 24, formed in a thin portion 25 of 
valve housing 17 extending in a downward direction from bottom wall 22, 
said outlet passageway terminating, at its lower end, in a narrow 
discharge opening 24a. 
At its lower end, supporting pin 21 has a portion 21a of increased 
cross-section forming a shoulder 21b on which the lower valve member 19 
rests with its hub portion 19a. The upper valve member 20, in its turn, 
rests with its hub portion 20a on the hub portion 19a of the lower valve 
member 19 and it is axially fixed by means of a retaining disk 26 which, 
by means of a central hollow portion, is mounted on an upper end portion 
of supporting pin 21 extending above hub portion 20a. Said retaining disk 
26, which is provided with a number of through holes 27, forming 
passageways for the product contained in container 10, is held in its 
position, shown in FIG. 2, by means of a reduced-diameter portion of the 
outlet pipe 14 of container 10 projecting into the inlet section 18a of 
passage 18 and resting with its lower end against disk 26. Said outlet 
pipe 14 is axially fixed to valve housing 17 through snap-in engagement 
between an outer circumferentially extending ridge 28 on outlet pipe 14 
and an inner circumferentially extending ridge 29 on valve housing 17, 
located near the upper end of inlet section 18a. Said two ridges 28 and 
29, which form cooperating snap-in means, permit relative rotation to 
occur between the outlet pipe 14 of container 10 and valve housing 17. 
The two flexible funnel-shaped flanges 19b and 20b of valve members 19 and 
20 are normally in sealing contact with the peripheral wall of valve 
chamber 18c, formed by valve housing 17, then preventing any flow of the 
liquid or pasty product past them. This is the condition as long as any 
pressure drop does not exist across any of said flanges in a direction 
from its upper side and towards its lower side. However, the peripheral 
flange of each valve member may be bent resiliently in a downward 
direction if a pressure drop of sufficient magnitude occurs across the 
flange in said direction. When so bent, flange 19b or 20b, respectively, 
will cause a gap to occur between its outer edge and the wall of valve 
chamber 18c, said gap permitting a flow of the product to pass 
therethrough and past the valve flange. 
Reference numeral 30 designates a narrow hole provided in the peripheral 
wall of valve chamber 18c at a position between the two valve flanges 19b 
and 20b. Said hole communicates with a pressure means provided on the 
external side of valve housing 17 and serving to permit an overpressure to 
be temporarily generated within valve chamber 18c between the two valve 
flanges 19b and 20b. In the illustrated embodimemt, said pressure means is 
formed by a manually compressible pressure bulb 31 of semispherical shape 
which, by means of a retaining or locking ring 33, is secured in a holder 
32 formed integrally with valve housing 17. Said pressure bulb 31 may for 
instance consist of ethylene vinyl acetate. When the pressure bulb 31 is 
compressed, an overpressure will temporarily be generated within valve 
chamber 18c and cause the peripheral flange 19b of lower valve member 19 
to be bent downwardly. A certain quantity of the liquid or pasty product 
will then be discharged from valve chamber 18c to outlet passageway 24. 
Simultaneously, the peripheral flange 20b of upper valve member 20 will be 
forced against the peripheral wall of valve chamber 17 under increased 
pressure. When the pressure bulb 31 is again released, it will temporarily 
cause a vacuum in valve chamber 18c. This will cause the lower valve 
flange 19b to return into sealing contact with the peripheral wall of 
valve chamber 17, while the upper valve flange 20b, instead, will be bent 
downwardly and permit valve chamber 18c to be refilled from the inlet 
section 18a of passage 18, located above flange 20b. 
The dispensing device, shown in FIG. 3, is substantially identical with the 
device above described and shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, corresponding 
elements have been designated by the same reference numerals in both 
figures. 
In FIG. 3, the separate retaining disk 26 of FIG. 2 has been replaced by a 
corresponding disk-like retaining means 34 formed integrally with a sleeve 
35, inserted into the inlet section 18a of passage 18 and forming a lower 
portion of a separate connection piece 36. At its upper end, connection 
piece 36 has an internally threaded socket 37 by which it may be mounted 
on an externally threaded outlet pipe 38 of a container 39, shown in 
dash-dotted lines. 
The dispensing device above described and shown in the drawings may be 
manufactured at surprisingly low costs. Therefore, if used in combination 
with a blow-moulded container of the kind shown in FIG. 2, it is well 
suited, together with said container, to form a complete disposable 
package and dispenser for a liquid or pasty product. 
A special advantage of the device is also to be found in the rotatable 
connection between valve housing 17 and container 10, or connection piece 
36, respectively, which permits pressure bulb 31 to be oriented in any 
desired direction.