Abstract:
A fluid dispenser comprising: a fluid reservoir ( 10 ) serving to contain fluid; and a dispenser head ( 2 ) mounted on the reservoir ( 10 ) to take fluid from the reservoir, said head ( 2 ) defining a dispensing chamber ( 26 ) communicating with the reservoir via an inlet valve ( 25, 215 ) and communicating with the outside at a dispensing orifice via an outlet valve ( 237, 222 ); said dispenser being characterized in that the chamber ( 26 ) comprises at least one elastically deformable actuating wall ( 231 ) that is depressed in order to generate a pressure inside the chamber that is high enough to close the inlet valve and to open the outlet valve.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser comprising a fluid reservoir, and a dispenser head mounted on or formed on the reservoir and for taking fluid from the reservoir. The head includes a dispensing chamber communicating with the reservoir via an inlet valve and communicating with the outside of the dispenser via an outlet valve. Dispensers of this type are in frequent use in the fields of perfumes, cosmetics, or indeed pharmaceuticals for packaging and dispensing various fluids, liquids, or powders. 
     (2) Description of Related Art 
     A conventional dispenser head for a conventional fluid dispenser consists of a pump forming a pump chamber provided with an inlet valve and with an outlet valve. The pump chamber also has a piston mounted to slide back and forth for selectively reducing the volume of the dispensing chamber. In general, the piston is mounted on an actuating rod capped by a pusher that can be depressed by means of one or more fingers of the hand in order to push the actuating rod and thus the piston into the dispensing chamber so as to reduce the volume thereof. The piston sliding results in the pressure inside the chamber increasing so as to close the inlet valve and so as to open the outlet valve, so that a passageway is opened for the fluid under pressure which can then be driven through the actuating rod to a nozzle that is advantageously formed in the pusher. It is also possible to drive the fluid at the outlet of the pump chamber towards a stationary dispensing orifice that is independent of the pusher. 
     Furthermore, also in the prior art, another type of fluid dispenser exists that does not have a pump and that is actuated by squeezing the reservoir. That results in the pressure inside the reservoir increasing so that a portion of the fluid stored in the reservoir is driven through a dispenser head that can optionally incorporate an outlet valve. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to define another type of fluid dispenser that uses neither a piston pump nor a squeezable reservoir. Another object of the invention is to define a dispenser that can dispense with good precision. Another object of the invention is to define a dispenser that enables the fluid dispensed to be applied with precision as soon as it leaves the dispenser. It should be possible for the dispenser to be grasped conveniently and for it to be manipulated with precision. 
     To these ends, the present invention proposes a fluid dispenser comprising: a fluid reservoir serving to contain fluid; and a dispenser head mounted on the reservoir to take fluid from the reservoir, said head defining a dispensing chamber communicating with the reservoir via an inlet valve and communicating with the outside at a dispensing orifice via an outlet valve; said dispenser being characterized in that the chamber comprises at least one elastically deformable actuating wall that is depressed in order to generate a pressure inside the chamber that is high enough to close the inlet valve and to open the outlet valve. Thus, the dispenser can be considered as a kind of combination between a conventional pump and a squeezable reservoir in that the dispensing chamber can be likened to a pump chamber but with a portion of the pump chamber being elastically deformable. Advantageously, the actuating wall is formed by a sleeve that is at least locally flexible and that internally defines a portion of the dispensing chamber. Thus, the actuating wall extends around the entire dispenser head so that the fluid dispenser can be grasped and actuated regardless of its angular position relative to the hand of the user. Since the sleeve is substantially cylindrical or at least tubular, the actuating wall is also not situated at an end of the dispenser, as it is in a conventional pump pusher, but rather it is situated peripherally or laterally. 
     According to another characteristic of the invention, the head has a top opposite from the reservoir, the dispensing orifice being placed substantially at the top of the head. Preferably, the dispensing orifice is placed in a manner such that it is centered axially relative to the axis of symmetry of the dispenser. Advantageously, the outlet valve forms the dispensing orifice from which the dispensed fluid can be collected. Thus, the outlet valve simultaneously forms a seal that prevents a portion of the fluid from coming into contact with air. All or almost all of the fluid can be taken from the dispensing orifice so that no fluid or almost no fluid remains on the dispenser and in contact with air. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the sleeve has a stationary end forming anchor means and an opposite end forming a flexible lip in leaktight abutment against a seat, the lip and the seat together forming the outlet valve. The sleeve thus has two functions, namely acting as an actuating wall and acting as a moving member for the outlet valve. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the head has a body forming a ring serving to co-operate with the reservoir for fastening the head to the reservoir, said body forming an inlet valve seat. 
     According to another characteristic, the head further has a tube having a fastening end and an opposite end forming an outlet valve seat, the sleeve extending around the tube. Advantageously, the tube defines an internal volume in which the inlet valve is received, the internal volume communicating with a peripheral volume that extends around the tube inside the sleeve via at least one through opening, the dispensing chamber including the internal volume and the external volume. Preferably, the tube is fastened to the body via its fastening end, the sleeve being fastened to the tube and to the body via its anchor means. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the reservoir is “airless”, i.e. it does not have any air intake. Advantageously, the reservoir is elongate and is preferably in the form of a fine tube. When the tube is of circular cross-section, it is advantageous for the diameter of the tube to be considerably smaller than its height. 
     According to another characteristic of the invention, the sleeve is surrounded by a substantially rigid sheath that defines at least one window giving access to the actuating wall. In a variant, or in addition, the sleeve is provided with a cap preventing access to the actuating wall. Advantageously, the cap is mounted to turn on the rigid sheath and is provided with at least one opening serving to come into register with said at least one window in a manner such as to enable the actuating wall to be accessed through a window and through an opening, with the window and the opening being mutually in register. In a variant, the cap has a collar in contact with the sleeve. 
     Preferably, the dispenser has the general shape of a pen that can be grasped in the hand in the manner of a pen, so that at least one finger of the hand is placed on the actuating wall with the dispensing orifice disposed at the tip of the pen. The dispenser of the invention can then be manipulated in the manner of a conventional pen, except that that portion of the pen on which the finger(s) of the hand rest(s) constitutes the actuating wall on which the user can press in order to dispense fluid. The elongate reservoir can be placed in the hand between the thumb and the index finger in the manner of the ink reservoir of a pen. By means of this ergonomic pen-shaped configuration, the dispenser of the invention can be manipulated easily and with precision. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings which show a non-limiting embodiment of the invention. 
       In the figures: 
         FIG. 1  is a vertical section view through a fluid dispenser of the invention in the assembled state; 
         FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  during assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged exploded view of the top portion of the dispenser of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a section view through the top portion of the dispenser in a variant of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 3 ; 
         FIGS. 5 and 6  are views respectively in section and in elevation of a dispenser in another variant of the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 3 , in the open position; and 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  are views similar to  FIGS. 5 and 6  in the closed position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , it can immediately be seen that the dispenser of the invention has a very elongate shape, and has an axis X of revolution or of circular symmetry X that extends longitudinally and vertically when the dispenser is positioned upright, as it is in  FIG. 1 . The symmetry is not quite total as is explained below. 
     The dispenser of the invention comprises two main component elements, namely a reservoir  1  and a dispenser head  2 . In this example, the dispenser head  2  is mounted on the reservoir  1 . However, it is possible to imagine embodiments in which a portion of the dispenser head  2  or even the entire dispenser head  2  is formed integrally with a portion of the fluid reservoir  1  or with the entire fluid reservoir  1 . 
     The fluid reservoir  1  is preferably highly elongate in shape in the manner of a fine tube. However, other shapes can also be imagined. The elongate shape is preferred for reasons given below. The fluid reservoir  1  comprises a drum  11  which, in this example, is substantially cylindrical in shape. Indeed, an exactly cylindrical shape is preferred. The drum  11  has a top end  15  which defines an opening inside the drum  11 . The drum  11  also has a bottom  12  which closes off the drum at its bottom end. However, holes  13  are provided in the bottom  12  for making it possible for the inside of the drum and the outside of the drum to communicate with each other. The drum  11  is also provided with a scraper or follower piston  14  which is initially positioned in the vicinity of or even in contact with the bottom  12 . Indeed, the bottom  12  is not essential and can even be omitted without modifying the function of the reservoir  1 . The drum  11  and the follower piston  14  co-operate to form the working volume  10  of the reservoir  1 . The follower piston  14  is adapted to move by sliding in leaktight manner inside the drum  11 . Therefore, it is preferable for the drum  11 , at least at its inside wall, to be exactly cylindrical. In fact, the follower piston  14  constitutes the bottom of the working volume  10  of the reservoir  1 . 
     In place of the follower piston system, it also possible, to form the reservoir  1  by using a system of flexible pouches comprising a freely deformable pouch whose inside serves as a working volume for storing fluid. The flexible pouch system can further comprise a rigid outer shell enclosing the flexible pouch. For example, the drum  11 , together with its bottom  12 , can constitute a rigid outer shell inside which a freely deformable flexible pouch can be positioned. Naturally, the flexible pouch is provided with an opening fastened to the dispenser head  2 . 
     The dispenser head  2  can be seen more clearly in  FIG. 3 . In this non-limiting embodiment, the head  2  comprises a plurality of component elements, namely a body  21 , a tube  22 , and a sleeve  23 . The body  21  forms a fastening ring  211  serving to be force fitted into or force snap-fastened into the drum  11  at its top end  15  which therefore forms a reservoir neck. The inside wall of the neck  15  can have a profile shaped suitably for enabling the ring  211  to be fastened securely into the neck. Similarly, the outside wall of the ring  211  can be provided with complementary graspable profiles. The ring  211  is thus pushed into the drum  11  over a certain depth. In order to limit the depth to which the ring is inserted into the drum  11 , the body  21  forms an abutment collar  212  which projects radially outwards. The collar  212  is situated above the ring  211  so that it comes into abutment against the top end edge of the neck  15  as can be seen in  FIG. 1 . At its bottom end, the ring  211  is extended by an annular flange  213  which connects internally to a duct  214  forming a free top end defining a seat for an inlet valve seat  215 . The ring  211  and the duct  214  extend substantially concentrically so that, together, they form an annular recess defined externally by the ring  211 , internally by the duct  214 , and downwards by the annular flange  213 . The annular recess is thus open upwards. Said annular recess serves to receive and to fasten the tube  22  and the sleeve  23  as explained below. The valve seat  215  co-operates in leaktight manner with a moving inlet valve member which, in this example, is in the form of a spherical ball  25 . It is also possible to provide a moving inlet valve member that has a shape other than the conventional spherical shape. A moving member made of a plastics material is possible and even preferable in certain cases. It is easy to understand from the figures that the duct  214  communicates directly with or is even an integral part of the working volume  10  of the reservoir  1 , as can be seen in  FIG. 1 . The duct  214  forms an inlet for enabling the fluid to enter the dispenser head  2 . 
     In a variant (not shown), the body  21  can be made integrally with the drum  11 . In which case, the drum  11  does not have a bottom  12  so that the working volume  10  can be filled through the open bottom of the drum  11 . Filling can then be performed while the dispenser head  2  is already in place on the reservoir  1 . 
     Like the body  21 , the tube  22  is preferably made of a rigid plastics material. The tube  22  is generally elongate and hollow in shape. The tube is open at its bottom end and it is closed at its top end. Overall, the tube can be subdivided into a bottom base  226  forming the open bottom end and a top end-piece  221  forming the closed top end  222 . The open bottom end  227  forms fastening means for fastening the tube to the ring  21  and more precisely into the annular recess formed inside the ring  211  around the duct  214 . For example, the bottom end  227  can be formed with a foot in the form of a flange that extends radially outwards. This flange can be force inserted into the annular recess so as to come into contact both with the ring  211  and with the duct  214 . The base  226  extends upwards from the bottom end  227  in substantially cylindrical manner. The base  226  surrounds the duct  214  and the ball  25 . At a very small distance above the ball  25 , the base  26  forms one or more inwardly extending shoulders  225  that hold the ball  25  captive in a delimited space. Thus, the ball  25  is always constrained to be re-positioned on its seat  215 . Starting from said shoulders  225 , the base  226  forms a transition portion  224  for connecting to the end-piece  221 . At said transition portion  224 , the base forms one or more through openings  223  that put the inside of the tube  262  into communication with the outside of the tube. Beyond said openings, the end-piece  221  extends substantially cylindrically to its end  222  which closes off the end-piece with a substantially rounded and partially spherical or semi-spherical shape. The inside volume formed by the tube  22  is also defined by the duct  214  and the ball  25  forms a first portion  262  of a dispensing chamber. 
     The sleeve  23  can be made of an elastically deformable material such as an elastomer thermoplastic. The sleeve is generally tubular in shape and can be approximately cylindrical, but with segments that are not cylindrical. The term “sleeve” indicates that this element surrounds the tube while being open at at least one of its ends, and in this example at both ends. 
     The sleeve  23  is provided with an anchor heel  234  engaged inside the neck  21  immediately under the flange  227  of the tube  22  and around the base  226 . Above said anchor heel  234 , the sleeve forms a stable first segment  223  which is held stationary so that it is prevented from turning about the base  226  by means of a ferrule  24  engaged around the segment  233  inside the ring  211 . Said ferrule  228  holds the heel  234  stationary and also holds the segment  233  of the sleeve  23  stationary inside the body  21 . Beyond said stable first segment  233 , the sleeve forms a second segment  232  that is at least locally elastically deformable and that extends around the end-piece  221  of the tube  22  without being in contact therewith. An annular volume or space remains inside the sleeve around the end-piece  221 . This internal volume constitutes a second portion  223  of a dispensing chamber. The volume  263  communicates with the volume  262  via openings  223 . The volumes  262  and  263  together form the working volume of the dispensing chamber. The segment  232  forms one or more actuating walls  231 . The wall can extend over the entire periphery and/or over the entire height of the segment  232 . A plurality of walls can be present, separated by rigid or flexible zones. 
     Beyond the elastically deformable segment  232 , the sleeve forms a frustoconical segment  235  that is extended by a casing  236  that is in contact with the top portion of the end-piece  221 . The casing  236  forms a central opening defined by an elastically deformable annular lip  237 . Said lip  237  comes into leaktight pressing contact against the top end or “top”  222  of the end-piece  221 . When the pressure inside the chamber  262 ,  263  increases, the ball  25  is pressed against its seat  215 , thereby preventing the fluid stored in the chamber  262 ,  263  from being driven back towards the reservoir  10 . The pressure then increases inside the chamber until the fluid under pressure forces its way between the casing  236  and the top end of the tube  21 . The fluid under pressure then reaches the lip  237  that it deforms so as to lift it off its seat  222 . A dispensing orifice  27  is then formed between the lip  37  and the top  222 . In this example, said dispensing orifice is annular in shape because the lip  237  is annular and comes into annular contact with the top  222 . The fluid under pressure that exits via the orifice  27  can then accumulate on the top  222  and on the lip  237 . The user can then collect the fluid, e.g. by means of a finger or else can apply it directly to a desired application surface, such as the skin, for example, a mucous membrane, an eye, a fingernail or a toenail, hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc. Naturally, as soon as the pressure falls again inside the chamber  262 ,  263 , the lip  237  is pressed again in leaktight manner against its seat  222 . The chamber is then isolated from the outside again. However, suction is generated inside the chamber as the pressure on the wall  231  of the sleeve  23  is released. This suction causes the ball  25  to lift off its seat  215 , thereby forming an inlet passageway for the fluid coming from the reservoir  10 . The fluid is sucked into the chamber by the suction. The chamber can then fill with fluid again. 
     It can be seen that the top portion of the head formed by the top  22 , by the casing  236 , and by the lip  237  has a configuration similar to the configuration of the tip of a ball-point pen. In a ball-point pen, a ball is urged into leaktight abutment against an annular seat. When said ball comes into contact with a writing surface, it is pushed away from its seat, thereby opening up a passageway through which ink can flow from a reservoir in which it is stored. The tip of a ball-point pen is preferably exactly centered on the longitudinal axis of symmetry of the pen. Thus, the pen can be held in the hand regardless of its angular position around its axis of symmetry. The same applies to the dispenser of the present invention, in which dispenser the dispensing orifice  27  is preferably exactly centered on the axis of symmetry X of the dispenser. An offset position in which it is offset relative to said axis can however be considered. In addition, it is also possible to observe that the deformable segment  231  of the sleeve  23  extends over the entire periphery of the head  2  and over a certain height. Thus, it is guaranteed that the user will position the fingers on the deformable segment  231  regardless of the angular position of the dispenser relative to its axis of symmetry X. The deformable segment  231  of the sleeve is positioned in a manner such that the user can grasp the dispenser in the same way as a conventional pen is grasped. It is even possible to write with the dispenser of the invention. The deformable segment  231  of the sleeve  23  can be deformed by means of one, two, or preferably three fingers of the same hand. Very high manipulation precision is thus obtained, enabling very precise and controlled dispensing to be achieved. 
     It should be noted that only the chamber portion  263  is subjected to a variation in volume, while the chamber portion  262  has a constant volume. If desired, a portion or even all of the volume of the chamber  262  can be filled so as to reduce the dead volume of the dispensing chamber. The chamber is then mainly constituted by the portion  263 . 
     It can also be observed that the highly elongate tubular shape of the drum  11  makes the dispenser look even more like a pen. The drum  11  can even rest in the hand between the index finger and the thumb when the user grasps the dispenser, in the manner of a conventional pen. 
     The principle of the invention also lies in the fact that a dispensing chamber is provided that has an elastically deformable actuating wall that is actuated laterally relative to the main axis of symmetry of the dispenser. The axial orifice further contributes to the ease with which the dispenser can be grasped and manipulated. 
       FIG. 4  shows the top portion of a dispenser in a variant in which a protective cap  28  is added that masks and protects the top portion of the dispenser head. The cap comprises a top wall  281  from which a peripheral skirt  282  extends that has a peripheral bottom end  283  engaged more or less tightly with the body  21 . More precisely, the end  283  of the skirt  282  engages around an annular flange  216  formed above the collar  212 . In addition, the bottom edge of the end  283  comes into abutment against the collar  212 . The cap  28  can thus be put in place and removed at will. Its function is to protect the top portion of the dispenser and more particularly the outer portion of the sleeve  23 . Advantageously, the cap  28  also forms a collar  284  which, in this example, extends from the bottom face of the top wall  281 . Said collar  284 , which is in the form of a cylindrical sheath, comes into engagement around the casing  236  and advantageously presses said casing  236  against the tube  22  so as to interrupt the fluid communication between the reservoir and the dispensing orifice  27 . Thus, when the cap is in place on the head, it both protects the casing  223  and also prevents any fluid leakage. Naturally, such a cap  28  can be implemented with the preceding embodiment. 
     The embodiment of  FIGS. 5 to 8  also implements a cap  25  which, more particularly, protects the actuating wall  231  formed by the sleeve  23 . The cap  25  remains secured to the dispenser head and cannot be removed therefrom, unlike the cap  28  of the  FIG. 4 . The cap  25  is mounted in a manner that is entirely static or stationary, or, in a variant, the cap can be mounted to turn. The cap  25  includes a fastening band  251  engaged on the body  21 . The fastening band  251  can be positioned in a manner similar to the bottom end  283  of the cap  28  of  FIG. 4 . Above the band  251 , the cap forms an internal shoulder  252  which is then extended by a skirt  253 . The skirt  253  extends around the sleeve  23  where it forms the actuating wall(s)  231 . Above the skirt  253 , the cap  25  forms a frustoconical segment  254 . The frustoconical segment  254  can come into engagement with the sleeve  23 . However, this is not shown in the figures. The skirt  253  is advantageously formed with one or more openings  255  which give access to the actuating wall(s)  231 . Said openings  255  define the place where the user is obliged to position the finger in order to press on the actuating wall  231 . For example, it is possible to provide one opening or two openings, as shown in the figures. Such a cap  25  can be mounted in a manner that prevents it from turning. 
     Advantageously, said cap  25  can be associated with a sheath  24 ′ whose bottom portion forms a ferrule  241  engaged in the body  21  around the sleeve  23 , in the manner of the ferrule  24  in the preceding embodiments. 
     Above said bottom portion forming a ferrule  241 , the sheath  24 ′ forms a segment  243  in which one or more windows  245  are provided that give access to the sleeve  23  where said sleeve forms the actuating walls  231 . The sheath  24 ′ is situated inside the cap  25 . The sheath is provided with a top collar  244  which comes into engagement around the sleeve  23 . The top end of the frustoconical segment of the cap can come into engagement with the collar  244 , optionally in turnable manner. The windows  245  of the sheath are situated at the same level as the openings  255  of the cap  25 . The cap  25  is mounted to turn on the sheath  24 ′, so that it is possible to bring the openings  255  and the windows  245  into register. Thus, the actuating wall  231  is accessible through an opening and through a window that are in register. This is shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . By turning the cap  25  relative to the sheath  24 ′, it is also possible to offset the openings  255  relative to the windows  245 . Thus, an uninterrupted portion of the segment  243  of the sheath  24  can be positioned at a window  255 . The uninterrupted portion then prevents access to the actuating wall  231  through the opening  255 . This is shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
     The sheath  24 ′ defines the place where the user is obliged to apply a finger in order to depress the actuating wall  231 . The turnable cap  25  also makes it possible to prevent access to the actuating wall  231 . 
     When the cap  25  cannot turn, the sheath  24 ′ can be omitted.