Abstract:
Fluid product dispenser having a fluid product reservoir ( 13 ) containing a fluid product, the reservoir ( 13 ) and, a distribution orifice ( 32; 22 ) through which the fluid product is forced in the form of a spray when the actuation wall ( 36 ) is pressed. The reservoir includes a deformable actuation wall ( 36 ) that is pressed to reduce the internal volume of the reservoir, a bottom plate ( 1 ), an intermediate plate ( 2 ) defining an opening ( 24 ), and a cover plate ( 3 ) including the actuation wall ( 36 ), and wherein the opening ( 24 ) is formed in the intermediate plate ( 2 ) defining the useful volume of the reservoir ( 13 ) with the bottom plate ( 1 ) and the cover plate ( 3 ).

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/317,961, filed Sep. 10, 2001 now abandoned, and priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) of French patent application No. FR-01.09667, filed Jul. 19, 2001. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to a fluid product dispenser comprising a fluid product reservoir containing a fluid product and advantageously adapted to also contain a gas such as air, the said reservoir comprising a deformable actuation wall on which the user presses to reduce the internal volume in the reservoir, and a distribution orifice through which the fluid product is forced in the form of a spray by pressing on the actuation wall. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A dispenser of this type is already known in document FR 2 791 645. In this document, the reservoir is formed starting from two deformable flexible sheets welded together around their peripheries and holding a plastic part between them defining an outlet orifice and supporting an element made of a porous material that extends inside the reservoir to become full of the fluid product. The two flexible sheets each forms one deformable actuation wall. These two deformable actuation walls are activated by separating one from the other by elastic means in the form of a spring that can be placed inside the reservoir, or outside the reservoir. Therefore it is possible to move the two walls closer together by pressing the two towards each other against the action of the spring. This document incorporates a very attractive characteristic that may also be used within the framework of this invention. In fact, the distribution orifice is closed off by a removable closing device, while the spring is compressed to its maximum state such that the reservoir defines a minimum volume. This minimizes the thickness of the dispenser so that it can be inserted in magazines or brochures as a free sample in the form of a genuine dispenser spray. 
     However, due to the fact that the reservoir is formed from two flexible deformable sheets acted upon by a spring, it is difficult to guarantee that the dispenser is perfectly aesthetic. The spring tends to deform the flexible sheets when the removable closing device is in place, because it is compressed to its maximum. In order to overcome these aesthetic problems, it is preferable to coat or surround the dispenser inside an outer skin that improves its aesthetics. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The purpose of this invention is to overcome this disadvantage with prior art by defining a fluid product dispenser for which the aesthetics is not affected by the nature of the material used to make the reservoir, and more particularly its deformable actuation walls. 
     In order to achieve this purpose, this invention proposes that the reservoir should include a bottom plate, an intermediate plate defining an opening and a cover plate in which actuation wall is included, the opening formed in the intermediate plate defining the useful volume of the reservoir with the bottom plate and the cover plate. Unlike what is described in the document according to prior art mentioned above, the reservoir is no longer formed simply from two flexible sheets welded together to define an internal volume acting as a reservoir, but on the contrary the useful volume of the reservoir is formed by the opening in the intermediate plate that is completed by fixing two other plates, namely the bottom and the cover respectively. The intermediate plate is rigid, or almost rigid and the bottom and cover-plates may also be rigid, or they may be flexible. Preferably, the bottom plate is rigid or almost rigid, and the cover plate may possibly be formed from a deformable or quasi-deformable flexible sheet. 
     Advantageously, the wall thickness of each plate is less than about 1 mm. Preferably, the intermediate plate is the thickest plate, so that it can define a sufficiently large useful reservoir size. The opening in the intermediate plate is in the form of a simple or complex shaped cut-out. This cut-out defines a very low height cylinder, considering that the thickness of the intermediate plate is only about one millimeter. The bottom and cover plates simply close this cylinder in order to obtain a cylindrical reservoir. 
     The actuation wall is included in the cover plate, but it would also be possible to integrate this actuation plate in the bottom plate. It would also be possible to use two actuation walls, one in each bottom plate and cover plate. 
     Advantageously, the actuation wall is formed in a single piece with the cover plate. However preferably, the actuation wall is added into the cover plate which is provided with a window in which an actuation device forming the actuation wall can be fitted. With this second embodiment, it is possible to use bottom, intermediate and cover plates by punching simple plates and making the actuation device by moulding a deformable plastic material. 
     According to one advantageous embodiment, the actuation wall comprises elastic means that give it a shape memory that brings it back into the rest position corresponding to the maximum volume of the reservoir. Preferably, the elastic means comprise a flexible strip embedded in the thickness of the actuation wall. Thus, the elastic means are not in contact with the fluid product contained in the reservoir such that there is no possible interaction between the flexible strip and the fluid product. Furthermore, the flexible strip is not visible from the outside, which improves the aesthetics of the actuation wall. Furthermore, the flexible strip is perfectly protected inside the thickness of the actuation wall. 
     According to another characteristic, the reservoir contains a part made of porous material capable of retaining the fluid product. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, the distribution orifice is formed in the cover plate. As a variant, the distribution orifice is formed in the intermediate plate. 
     Furthermore, the distribution orifice may be provided with a removable sealed closing device closing off the orifice before the first use and that can be repositioned on the orifice after use. 
     According to another interesting characteristic, the closing device is initially welded around the orifice and also comprises an adhesive that can be repositioned and is capable of bonding repeatedly around the orifice. The closing device thus assures the user that he or she is the first to use it because it is initially welded, and also provides an appropriate sealed closing means such that the dispenser can be reused later without a risk of leakage. 
     According to another aspect, the bottom, intermediate and cover plates are stacked and fixed to each other, advantageously by welding or gluing around the opening formed by the intermediate plate. 
     As in the above-mentioned document according to prior art, the actuation wall may be flattened before the first use such that the reservoir contains practically nothing other than the fluid product, and the thickness of the dispenser is then less than or equal to about 2 mm. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be described more fully with reference to the attached drawings given as non-limitative examples of two embodiments of the invention. 
     In the figures: 
     FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a dispenser according to a first embodiment of the invention, 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to the view in FIG. 1 for a dispenser according to a second embodiment of the invention, 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the dispenser in FIG. 1, 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the dispenser in FIGS. 1 and 3 during assembly, 
     FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the actuation device used in the dispenser in FIG. 1, 
     FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the actuation device in FIG. 5, and 
     FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the actuation device in FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In both embodiments, the dispenser comprises a bottom plate  1 , an intermediate plate  2 , a cover plate  3 , an actuation wall  36  and a distribution orifice  32 ;  22 . The plates  1 ,  2 ,  3  and the actuation wall  36  together define a fluid product reservoir  13 . The dispenser also comprises a part  4  made of porous material contained in the reservoir  13 . Optionally, the dispenser may be provided with a removable sealed closing device  5  that covers the distribution orifice  22 ;  32  in a sealed manner. 
     The only difference between the embodiments in FIGS. 1 and 2 are the position of the distribution orifice, namely at the cover plate  3  for the distribution orifice  32  in FIG. 1, and at the intermediate plate  2  for the distribution orifice  22  in FIG.  2 . Obviously, other embodiments could be considered, for example in which the distribution orifice is located in the bottom plate  1 . In any case, it would be advantageous to see the distribution orifice together with the actuation wall  36 . 
     FIG. 3 shows the six component parts of the dispenser according to the embodiment in FIG. 1, since the distribution orifice is made in the cover plate. 
     Plates  1 ,  2  and  3  are preferably plates made of a relatively rigid plastic material. However, the cover plate  3  may be a simple flexible sheet that is actually used as a cover to fill in the reservoir  13  formed by the intermediate plate  2  and the bottom plate  1 . It would also be possible for the bottom plate  1  to be made from a deformable flexible sheet. Even the intermediate plate  2  may be deformable. However, it is preferable that at least one of the three plates should be rigid or almost rigid so that the dispenser has a certain stiffness. In practice, the bottom plate  1  and the intermediate plate  2  are relatively rigid plates, and the cover plate  3  may be an almost rigid plate or a deformable flexible sheet. 
     According to another characteristic, the accumulated thickness of the dispenser is approximately equal to or less than 2 mm so that it can be inserted in magazines or brochures. This requires that the wall thickness of each plate should be less than or equal to about 1 mm. In practice, the intermediate plate  2  is the thickest, while the bottom plate  1  and the cover plate  3  may be thinner. 
     Now with reference particularly to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the bottom plate  1  is a simple very flat and solid rectangular element since there are no cut-outs or openings in it. For example, the bottom plate  1  may be the size of a conventional credit card with a thickness of less than about 1 mm. It can be made from any appropriate material, such as plastic, paper, metal, or a combination of plastic, paper and metal. Preferably, the bottom plate  1  is made by punching a large and almost rigid plastic material, for practical and cost reasons. 
     Advantageously, the intermediate plate  2  has the same dimensions as the bottom plate  1 ; however, it may be thicker. The intermediate plate  2  may also be made by punching a large plate of almost rigid plastic material. It would also be possible to use other materials like the materials used for the bottom plate  1 . The intermediate plate  2  is cut-out to form an opening  21  that in this case can be broken into two parts  23  and  24  that work together to form a single opening. In the figures, the opening  21  does not extend to an outer side edge of the plate, but this is possible. The opening would thus be in form of a notch extending from an edge of the plate. 
     Advantageously, the cover plate  3  has the same dimensions as the bottom plate  1  and the intermediate plate  2 . However, it may be thinner than the intermediate plate  2  and even thinner than the bottom plate  1  since it can be made from a relatively flexible deformable sheet. However, an almost rigid plate would be preferable. For example, it would be possible to make the bottom plate  1  and the cover plate  3  from the same sheet of material. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1,  3  and  4 , the cover plate  3  is also formed with a distribution orifice  32  that passes through the cover plate. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the distribution orifice  22  is formed transversely through the intermediate plate  2 ; the distribution orifice  22  that defines an exit channel extends from the opening  21  as far as the outside edge of the intermediate plate, as can be seen in FIG.  2 . 
     In both embodiments, the deformable actuation wall  36  is formed by an actuation device  35  that forms a dome defining the actuation wall  36 . This dome fits into a reception housing  31  formed in the cover plate  3 . In this case the actuation device  35  is a separate part added into the reception housing  31  formed in the cover plate  3 . However, it could be imagined that the actuation wall  36  could be formed in a single piece with the cover plate  3  in order to close the reception housing  31 . This housing may be made by using a thinner wall for the actuation wall  36 . However in this case, it will no longer be possible to make the cover plate  3  by punching a large flat plastic plate. It would then be necessary to make the cover plate  3  using an injection and moulding technique. It is preferred to form the actuation wall using a separate actuation device for cost reasons and for practical reasons so that the cover plate can be made simply by punching. Thus, the actuation device  35  defines this actuation dome  36  around the periphery of which there is a collar  37  that fits under the edge of the reception housing  31 . This collar  37  also fits into the opening part  23  of the opening  21  formed in the intermediate plate  2 . The lower surface of the collar  37  bears on the bottom plate  1 . As can be seen with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the lower surface of the collar  37  is formed with several passage grooves  38  such that a passage is created even when the collar  37  is pressed on the bottom plate  1 . 
     The actuation wall  36  is provided with elastic means that give it a shape memory bringing it back into a convex rest position. The volume defined below the actuation wall is maximum in this position. When the actuation wall is pressed, the wall is pushed in such that the volume defined below it is very much reduced. When the pressure on the actuation wall is released, it returns to its initial convex shape, under the action of the elastic means. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 that corresponds to FIGS. 5 and 6, these elastic means are provided directly by the material from which the actuation device is made, and that has elastic shape memory qualities. A thermoplastic material is perfectly suitable. On the other hand, in the embodiment in FIG. 2 that corresponds to FIG. 7, these elastic means may be complemented by a flexible strip  361  that is advantageously embedded in the thickness of the actuation wall  36 . The flexible strip may even extend into the collar  37  as can be seen in FIG.  7 . Since the flexible strip  361  is embedded inside the actuation wall  36 , it cannot come into contact with the fluid product to be distributed. Furthermore, it is also protected from the outside. This embedded flexible strip  361  provides or improves elastic shape memory characteristics of the actuation wall  36 . Note that this characteristic may be used in any elastically deformable actuation wall independently of the fact that the dispenser is composed of three superposed plates. Therefore, this characteristic can be protected independently. 
     Finally, the part  4  made of porous material may be made from any material that can be impregnated with a fluid product. The shape of the part  4  made of porous material is advantageously adapted to the shape of the opening part  24  of the opening  21  formed through the intermediate plate  2 . Furthermore, the part  4  made of a porous material is formed with a recess  41  into which the collar  37  of the actuation device  35  fits. This can be seen clearly in FIG. 4, where the intermediate plate  2  installed in contact on the bottom plate  1  can be seen with the part  4  made of porous material fitted into the opening part  24  and the actuation device  35  housed in the opening part  23  and in the recess  41 . 
     The removable sealed closing device  5  is in the form of a flexible edge strip that defines a permanent attachment part  51  fixed to the lower face of the bottom plate  1 , a closing part  52  covering the distribution orifice  22 ;  32  in a sealed manner, and a gripping tab  53  through which the user can pull the edge strip  5  in order to pull off the closing part  52  of the distribution orifice. Advantageously, the closing part  52  is initially welded around the distribution orifice to isolate it in a sealed manner. Furthermore, the closing part  52  is provided with a repositionable adhesive in order to close off the distribution orifice later, after use. Thus, the dispenser can be used several times without any risk of leakage caused by the product flowing through the distribution orifice. Note that this characteristic, namely a heat sealed adhesive and repositionable closing tab, may be used on any dispenser with a distribution orifice, independently of the embodiment with three stacked plates superposed on each other described here. Therefore, this characteristic can be protected independently. 
     According to the invention, the intermediate plate  2  with its opening  21  is fixed on the bottom plate  1  along a sealed attachment line  19 . Advantageously, the heat sealing technique is used for attachment of the intermediate plate  2  on the bottom plate  1 . The bottom plate  1  and the intermediate plate  2  then together define an internal volume in which the peripheral walls are formed by the edges of the opening  21  and the bottom of the bottom plate  1 . The part  4  made of porous material is located in the opening  21  in part  24 . Similarly, the actuation device  35  is placed in the opening  24  in part  23 . The actuation device  35  is advantageously fixed by welding to the bottom plate  1  along an attachment line  39  that extends around the collar  37 . At this stage, the configuration is as shown in the FIG.  4 . Finally, the cover plate  3  is fixed in a sealed manner on the intermediate plate  2  along a sealed attachment line  29  that can be made by heat sealing. The cover plate  3  being put into position on the intermediate plate  2  makes the dome-shaped actuation wall  36  engage with the actuation device  35  through the reception housing  31  formed in the cover plate  3 . The cover plate  3  is also welded to the actuation device  35  at the attachment line  39 . 
     The stack of three plates  1 ,  2  and  3  and their sealed mutual attachment with the actuation device  35  defines a reservoir  13  that extends around the entire extent of the opening  21  of the intermediate plate  2 , in other words at the actuation wall  36  and at the part  4  made of porous material. As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the part of the reservoir defined at the actuation wall  36  is in communication with the part of the reservoir defined in the part  4  made of porous material by passage grooves  38  formed on the underside of the collar  37  of the actuation device  35 . Note that the part  4  made of porous material is located between the actuation wall  36  and the distribution orifice  22  or  32 . Consequently, compressing the actuation wall  36  reduces the internal volume of the reservoir  13  and forces the fluid product to be distributed by spraying at the distribution orifice through the part  4  made of porous material. Preferably, the reservoir  13  contains a small quantity of a fluid product and a gas, for example air. For example, the fluid product may be contained entirely inside the part  4  made of a porous material, whereas the part of the reservoir defined under the actuation wall  36  may contain air only. Pressing on the actuation wall  36  will drive out the air contained in this part of the reservoir through the passage grooves  38  and then through the part  4  made of porous material that is impregnated with fluid product. The two-phase air and fluid product mix is then distributed through the distribution orifice in the form of a sprayed two-phase jet. 
     According to another characteristic of the invention, the actuation wall  36  is completely pushed in to bring the wall  36  into contact with the bottom plate  1  before use. Closing the distribution orifice using the closing device  5  prevents penetration of air inside the reservoir  13  that contains only, or almost only, the fluid product. Thus, the thickness of the dispenser in its storage condition before use corresponds to the accumulated thickness of the three plates (bottom, intermediate and cover) which is advantageously less than about 2 mm. As soon as the removable closing device is removed, air can penetrate into the reservoir and the elastic means in the actuation wall  36  bring it into the convex rest position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. After use by pushing the actuation wall  36  inwards, the closing device can be put back into its position using its appropriate adhesive, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     In another embodiment, the cover plate may be interconnected or attached to the bottom plate in some zones. This may namely be the case when the opening of the intermediate plate opens to an outer edge of the plate. At this area, the cover and bottom plates may be welded together. 
     According to the invention, the fluid product dispenser has good mechanical resistance, a flat and smooth aesthetic appearance, is reliable in operation and is leak resistant.