Abstract:
The invention concerns a fluid substance sample dispenser comprising a cylinder defining a chamber for receiving said substance and closed by a plunger adapted to slide inside said cylinder and by a cap, rotatably mobile between an open position and a closed position; said dispenser comprising locking means; said cap comprising a skirt adapted to be pressed against the wall of said cylinder, said skirt having a first radial slot designated to co-operate with a second radial slot provided in said cylinder in the open position such that said chamber projects outwards, and said locking means including a tubular member maintaining said cap in said closed position and locking it in translation, said tubular member having a cleavable portion.

Description:
[0001]     This application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2004/004230 filed on Apr. 21, 2004, which designates the United States and claims priority of French Patent Application No. 0304981 filed on Apr. 23, 2003. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a fluid sample dispenser, in particular but not exclusively for dispensing cosmetic substances.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Known dispensers comprise a cylinder that defines a chamber serving to receive said fluid. The cylinder is closed at a first end by a piston suitable for sliding inside said cylinder and at a second end by a cap. The cap is mounted to move in rotation relative to the cylinder between an open position and a closed position. Said dispenser further comprises locking means in order to prevent the piston from being pushed into said cylinder accidentally, which could cause said fluid to be expelled from said chamber if the cap happens to be in an open position at that time.  
         [0004]     Such a dispenser is described in particular in Document FR 2 826 245.  
         [0005]     In that document, the second end of the cylinder has at least a top wall portion which is perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder and in which an orifice is provided that is situated offset from the axis of rotation of the cap, and the cap has a wall portion adapted to bear against said orifice for closing it off, said wall portion having a bore leading to the outside of said cap and suitable for co-operating with said orifice. Thus, said cap is adapted to be driven in rotation so as to cause the bore to coincide with said orifice for the purpose of extracting said fluid.  
         [0006]     In addition, the cylinder is provided with a removable skirt forming the locking means, said skirt being extended around said piston to its base so as to prevent the piston from being pushed into the cylinder inadvertently.  
         [0007]     However, those locking means do not make it possible either to prevent the cap from being driven into said open position, at least before the dispenser is used for the first time, or to prevent the piston from being pushed in completely, it being easy for the piston to be actuated under the skirt.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     An object of the present invention is thus to provide a sample dispenser that makes it possible, prior to it being used for the first time, both to lock the cap in the closed position and also to prevent the piston from moving relative to said cylinder.  
         [0009]     To this end, the present invention provides a fluid sample dispenser for dispensing fluids, in particular cosmetic fluids, said dispenser comprising a cylinder that defines a chamber which serves to receive said fluid and which is closed at a first end by a piston suitable for sliding inside said cylinder and at a second end by a cap that is mounted to move in rotation between an open position and a closed position, said dispenser further comprising locking means; said cap has a skirt adapted to bear against the wall of said cylinder, said skirt being provided with a first radial slot serving to co-operate with a second radial slot provided in said second end of said cylinder, in said open position so that said chamber is open to the outside; and said locking means comprise a tubular member adapted to hold said cap in said closed position and to prevent it from moving in translation relative to said piston, said tubular member having a break-off portion for releasing said cap from said tubular member.  
         [0010]     Thus, an advantageous characteristic of the invention lies in the fact that, before the dispenser is used for the first time, said cap is held stationary relative to said piston by a tubular member having a portion that is suitable for being broken off. In this way, before said break-off portion has been removed, the cap and the piston cannot have been driven towards each other and the piston cannot have been pushed into the cylinder. It is thus possible to be absolutely sure that the dispenser has not already been used.  
         [0011]     Preferably, said tubular member and said cylinder have means for preventing them from moving in rotation relative to each other, and said tubular member and said cap are prevented from moving in rotation relative to each other so as to prevent said cap from moving in rotation relative to said cylinder in said closed position. Thus, not only is the piston prevented from moving in translation relative to the cylinder and the fluid that it contains cannot have been ejected, but also said fluid has necessarily been protected in substantially airtight manner before said break-off portion is removed.  
         [0012]     After the break-off portion has been removed, the cap and the piston are released from each other and the cap is suitable for being driven in rotation into an open position in which the two radial slots are disposed in register with each other. Then the cap being driven towards the piston makes it possible to force said piston into the chamber and to drive at least a portion of the liquid it contains out through the radial slots so that said liquid flows laterally out from the dispenser. The radial slots make it possible to shorten the path for the liquid between the chamber and the outside compared with the paths in prior art devices.  
         [0013]     Advantageously, as explained in more detail below, the cap is provided with a spout making it possible to channel the liquid.  
         [0014]     In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said tubular member has a body portion that is integral with or secured to said break-off portion, said piston being held so that it is prevented from moving in translation inside said body portion, spaced apart from the inside wall thereof so as to leave a cylindrical empty space between said piston and said inside wall, in which space said cylinder is suitable for being received. Thus, said cap being driven in translation towards said body portion causes said piston to move relative to and in said cylinder while said cylinder is driven inside said cylindrical empty space.  
         [0015]     Thus, by means of this characteristic, not only is the piston, which penetrates into the cylinder, preserved from dust or from knocks that could adversely affect the leaktightness between the piston and the cylinder, but also, during compression, the cylinder is inserted between the body portion and the piston. In this way, the body portion is adapted to be held in the hand while, with the thumb pressing on the cap, the cylinder is driven towards the piston which compresses the liquid of the chamber, the cylinder sliding under the body portion without hindrance for the operator.  
         [0016]     In a particularly advantageous first embodiment, said first end of said cylinder has a collar provided with a radial groove and suitable for being driven inside said cylindrical empty space, and said body portion is provided with an internal longitudinal rib that is adapted to be engaged in said radial groove in order to form said means for preventing said cylinder from moving in rotation relative to said tubular member. Thus, by means of this characteristic, since the cylinder is constrained to rotate with the body portion which itself is adapted to be connected to the cap by said break-off portion, said cap is suitable for being held in the closed position relative to said cylinder. In addition, after said break-off portion has been removed, the cap is suitable for being driven in rotation by holding the body portion in a stationary position without the cylinder also being driven in rotation by the friction forces appearing between the cap and the cylinder.  
         [0017]     In this first embodiment, and preferably, said body portion has internal retaining means against which said collar is adapted to come into abutment in order to prevent said cylinder from moving in translation relative to said piston in mutually opposite directions.  
         [0018]     In this way, with the piston being held in translation in said body portion, and with said cylinder, by means of its collar, being held in translation relative to said body portion, said piston which closes the first end of the cylinder is suitable for being held in this position without it being possible for it to escape therefrom. As explained in more detail below, this configuration, which is obtained while the cylinder is being filled, and after the chamber has been closed in airtight manner, makes it possible to seal the dispenser and to avoid any untimely opening.  
         [0019]     In a particularly advantageous second embodiment of the invention, that end of said piston which is opposite from said cylinder is extended by a concentric sleeve that surrounds said piston, the inside surface of said sleeve being spaced apart from the outside surface of said piston so as to form a tubular concentric space suitable for receiving said cylinder; and said sleeve is adapted to be received in a first cylindrical portion of said empty space, against said inside wall of said body portion, said concentric space coinciding with a second cylindrical portion of said empty space in which said cylinder is adapted to be driven.  
         [0020]     As explained in more detail below, this characteristic offers advantages for assembly of the dispenser of the invention, and makes it possible to stiffen it.  
         [0021]     Preferably, that end of said piston which is adapted to slide in said cylinder is provided with a flared circular sealing lip adapted to come into abutment against the inside wall of said cylinder. Thus, when the piston is driven inside the cylinder, the internal pressure of the chamber tends to press said lip against the inside wall of the cylinder, thereby increasing the sealing between the piston and the cylinder while the fluid is being ejected.  
         [0022]     In another particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said second end of said cylinder has a portion that is of cross-section smaller than the cross-section of said cylinder so as to form an internal shoulder and said skirt serving to be bear against the inside wall of said cylinder is provided with a peripheral bead projecting from the surface of said skirt and adapted to bear against said shoulder to prevent said cap from moving in translation relative to said cylinder.  
         [0023]     In this way, firstly the cap is prevented from moving in translation relative to the cylinder and secondly the cap is guided in rotation relative to the cylinder not only by the skirt against the inside wall of said second end portion but also by the bead which is bearing against the shoulder.  
         [0024]     Thus, in this configuration and in a particularly advantageous embodiment, said peripheral bead is interrupted to form two stop free ends, and said internal shoulder has an abutment extending in the vicinity of the surface of said skirt between said two stop free ends in order to limit the stroke in rotation of said cap relative to said cylinder between said closed position in which one of the stop free ends is in abutment against one face of said abutment and said open position in which the other of said stop free ends is in abutment against the opposite face of said abutment.  
         [0025]     Thus, by making provision for the bead to extend over three-quarters of the periphery of the skirt, two limit positions are obtained that are spaced apart by substantially one quarter of a turn, making it possible to close off said cylinder in airtight manner.  
         [0026]     Very advantageously, said tubular member and its body portion provided with said internal longitudinal rib and said cap are adapted to be molded integrally in one piece and to be made of plastics materials, thereby making it possible to obtain a dispenser at a very advantageous cost.  
         [0027]     Naturally, the piston and its concentric sleeve are also molded integrally in one piece as is the cylinder. In this way, with only three distinct parts that are easy to produce by molding, it is possible to make the dispenser of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0028]     Other features and advantages of the invention appear from reading the following description of particular embodiments of the invention, given by way of non-limiting indication, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0029]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic back view of a dispenser of the invention in a first state;  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic axial section view of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 1  on the plane II-II which is parallel to the plane of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  is an axial section view of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 1  on the plane III-III which is perpendicular to the plane of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is an axial section view of the dispenser of the invention in a second state; and  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  is a particular diagrammatic view from below of the dispenser of the invention shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0034]      FIG. 1  is an external back view of a dispenser of the invention in a locked first state indicating that it has not yet been actuated. Overall, said dispenser has a cylindrically symmetrical casing, and, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a tubular member  10  made up of a body portion  12  and of a break-off portion  14  which connects the body portion  12  to a cap  16  surrounding a cylinder  18  in part, in this example by extending over three-quarters of the circumference of the cylinder  18 .  
         [0035]     With reference to the section views of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , and to the view from below of  FIG. 5 , the component elements of the dispenser are described in detail below.  
         [0036]      FIG. 3  shows the body portion  12  extended by the break-off portion  14 , these portions together forming the tubular member  10 , and the cap  16  overlies the break-off portion  14  and closes off a top end  20  of the cylinder  18 . Said cylinder defines a chamber  21  that is suitable for containing a fluid, as explained in the description below.  
         [0037]     The lid  16 , the break-off portion  14  and the body portion  12  form one piece that has a first annular constriction  22  and a second annular constriction  24  defining the three parts; said annular constrictions  22 ,  24  constituting thinner wall portions making it possible for the break-off portion  14  to be subsequently broken off and to be separated completely from the cap and from the body portion  12 , as explained in more detail below.  
         [0038]     In addition, the section view of  FIG. 3  shows a piston-forming part  26  made up of a piston portion  28  that is engaged in part into a bottom end  30  of the chamber  21 , and of a concentric sleeve  31  that extends said piston portion  28  while surrounding it; the part  26  is thus U-shaped in radial section.  
         [0039]     The piston portion  28  closes off the bottom end  30  of the chamber in leaktight manner by means of a flared circular lip  32  that bears against the inside wall  34  of the chamber  21 .  
         [0040]     In addition, that end of said piston portion which is opposite from said cylinder  18  forms an end wall  36  to which the concentric  31  sleeve that surrounds said piston is connected. The concentric sleeve  31  is spaced apart from the piston portion  28  to form a concentric space  38  and it is applied against an inside wall  40  of the body portion  12 , the end-wall  36  being flush with an open end  42  of the body portion  12 .  
         [0041]     The body portion  12  forms a circularly-symmetrical cylinder inside which said part  26  and the concentric sleeve  31  extend, between the open end  42  and a top end  44 . Said top end  44  is narrowed so that it fits against the outside wall  45  of the cylinder  14  while forming an internal shoulder  46  against which the edge of the concentric sleeve  31  bears. Said narrowed top end  44  is extended by the break-off portion  14  from which it is distinct by means of the first annular constriction  22 .  
         [0042]     The cylinder  18  is prevented from moving in translation away from the piston portion  28 , in the narrowed top end  44 , by means of a projecting collar  48  which is situated in the vicinity of the bottom end  30  and which bears against the shoulder  46 . Naturally, the diameter of the collar  48  is smaller than the diameter of the concentric sleeve  31 , firstly so as to bear in full against the shoulder  46  while being adjacent to the edge of the concentric sleeve  31  and secondly so as to be driven in translation inside the concentric space  38  with the cylinder  18  without being subjected to friction stress, as explained below.  
         [0043]      FIG. 3  shows a longitudinal rib  50  which extends from the shoulder  46  vertically below the outside wall  45  of the cylinder inside the concentric space  38  against the concentric sleeve  31  and down to the end wall  36 .  
         [0044]      FIG. 5 , which shows a view from below of the dispenser shown in  FIG. 3 , without the part  26 , also shows the longitudinal rib  50  and the shoulder  46  from which it extends freely. In addition, the collar  48  of the cylinder  18  is provided with a groove  52  in which the longitudinal rib  50  is engaged. In this way, the cylinder  18  is held in rotation and is thus indexed relative to the body portion  12 . Conversely, the cylinder  18  is adapted to slide inside the concentric space  38 , the longitudinal rib engaged in the groove  52  being designed to guide it in translation over the entire stroke over which it travels.  
         [0045]      FIG. 3  shows that the top end  54  of the cylinder  18 , opposite from the bottom end  30 , forms a setback relative to the cylinder  18  defining an internal shoulder  56  and an external shoulder  58 . The cap  16  has an inner skirt  60  adapted to bear against the inside wall of the top end  54 , the free edge of the inner skirt having a projecting peripheral bead  62  that bears against the shoulder  56  serving to prevent the cap  16  from moving in translation relative to the cylinder  18 .  
         [0046]     In addition, the cap  16  has a top wall  64  to which the inner skirt  60  is connected, and which extends radially around the inner skirt beyond the free edge of the top end  54  of the cylinder  18 . An outer skirt  66 , concentric with the inner skirt  60 , extends from the top wall  64  against the outside wall of the top end  54  to the external shoulder  58 .  
         [0047]     It is at the external shoulder  58  that the break-off portion  14  and the outer skirt  66  delimited by the second annular constriction  24  are interconnected.  
         [0048]     In addition, the space situated between the two skirts, namely between the inner skirt  60  and the outer skirt  66 , forms a portion of a path opening out at the top end  68  of the cap  16 , forming a dispensing spout and that is described in detail with reference to  FIG. 4 .  
         [0049]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the top end  54  extends inside said space situated between the two skirts, and it closes off a first radial slot  70  shown in section.  
         [0050]      FIG. 5  also shows the radial slot  70  provided in the inner skirt  60 , and the peripheral bead  62  that extends around three-quarters of the periphery of the edge of the inner skirt while forming two stop free ends  72 ,  74 . The internal shoulder  56  presents an abutment  76  which extends in alignment with the inside wall of the inner skirt  54  towards the bottom end  30  of the chamber  21 , against the two opposite faces of which the two stop free ends  72 ,  74  are suitable for coming respectively into abutment. Naturally, this is possible insofar as the cap  16  is movable in rotation relative to the cylinder  16  as explained below.  
         [0051]      FIG. 2  shows the dispenser of the invention in axial section, offset by 90° in rotation relative to the view in  FIG. 3 , counterclockwise as seen from above.  
         [0052]      FIG. 2  shows the cap  16  whose dispensing spout is facing backwards, and the inner skirt  60  in which the radial slot  70  is provided. In addition,  FIG. 2  also shows the abutment  76  projecting from the shoulder  56 .  
         [0053]      FIG. 2  also shows a second radial slot  78  which is provided in the top end  54  of the cylinder  18  starting from its free edge. The second radial slot is completely closed off by the walls of the two skirts, namely the inner skirt  60  and the outer skirt  66 ; and it can be observed that the radial slots  70 ,  78  are offset by 90° relative to each other.  
         [0054]     Thus, the top end  54  of the cylinder  18  is closed off in substantially leaktight manner by the cap  16 .  
         [0055]     Advantageously, the body portion  12 , the break-off portion  14 , and the cap  16  are molded integrally in one piece and of a plastics material, and the cylinder  18  is then engaged into the tubular member  10 , the top end  54  being fitted into the cap  16  as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0056]     The chamber  21  defined by the cylinder  16  is then suitable for being filled with a fluid, e.g. a cosmetic fluid, and then closed again at its bottom end  30  by means of the piston portion  28 , by engaging the part  26  into the body portion  12  from the open end  42 . The part  26  is held in a stationary position in the body portion  12  by means of an internal peripheral bead  80  surrounding the open end  42  and against which the end-wall  36  comes into abutment.  
         [0057]     In this way, the resulting dispenser is suitable for being used.  
         [0058]     For the purpose of using the dispenser, firstly, the break-off portion  14  that surrounds the cylinder  18  in part as shown in  FIG. 1  is broken off. This operation can be performed merely by pulling on one of its free ends and by unrolling it, thereby causing tears to occur at the annular constrictions  22 ,  24 .  
         [0059]     In this way, the cap  16  is free relative to the body portion  12  and is thus free to rotate partially relative to the cylinder  18 . The rotation of the cap  16  is limited by the abutment  76  and the stop free ends  72 ,  74 . In  FIG. 5 , the stop free end  74  is in abutment against the abutment  76  in a closed position as shown in  FIG. 3 . Starting from this position shown in  FIG. 3 , and considering that the break-off portion  14  has been removed, the cap  16  is held in a stationary position, and the body portion  12  is moved in rotation through 90° counterclockwise as seen from below, thereby driving the cylinder  18  by means of the longitudinal rib  50  co-operating with the groove  52  in the collar  48 , and positioning the second radial slot  78  in register with the first radial slot  70 . The dispenser is then in the state shown in  FIG. 4 , in which firstly the cap  16  is free from the body portion  12  and thus from the piston portion  28 , and secondly a path F has been formed between the chamber  21  and the outside of the dispenser.  
         [0060]     In this way, as soon as stress is exerted on the cap  16  towards the body portion  12 , the cylinder  18  tends to penetrate into the concentric space  28  and simultaneously the piston portion  28  tends to penetrate into the chamber  21 , thereby expelling the fluid it contains through the path F.