Abstract:
A sprayer push-button with a lateral spraying outlet. The push-button is made up of two parts which fit into each other and define between them a whirl chamber, a part of which is formed by a cavity ( 38 ) defined inside the outer part on a face of the latter that is tilted in a direction and at a sufficient angle (∝), suitable for making it possible to remove the outer part from the mould “along the axis” without damaging the cavity.

Description:
[0001]     This application is a continuation of pending International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2004/003801 filed Apr. 8, 2004 which designates the United States and claims priority of pending French Application No. 0304418 filed Apr. 9, 2003.  
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to a sprayer push-button with a lateral spraying outlet and relates, more particularly, to an improvement that makes it possible to simplify the structure of this element and, mainly, to reduce the number of parts that it comprises. The invention also covers all manually activated sprayers provided with a pump comprising such a push-button.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     In the field of manually activated sprayers, it is known to arrange a whirl chamber inside the push-button, directly before the conduit for ejecting the sprayed liquid. This whirl chamber, with a peripheral intake and a lateral outlet communicating with the ejection conduit, has the function of placing the liquid to be expelled by the pump in swirling, rotating circulation just before it is ejected, causing it to spray.  
         [0004]     Patent FR 2 095 836 describes a push-button with a lateral spraying outlet, made up mainly of two parts made from a moulded plastic material, an inner part and an outer part that forms a cover, respectively, that are globally coaxial and fitted into each other. The inner part is connected to the end of an outlet tube of the pump. It is simply inserted by force onto the latter in order for the push-button unit to be supported by the pump outlet tube. The latter is mounted in the neck of a bottle that encloses the product to be sprayed.  
         [0005]     In this push-button, the whirl chamber is made by moulding a cavity on the inner lateral surface of the outer part by means of an internal mechanism of the outer part using a die mechanism that is necessarily large and expensive, difficult to implement and very cumbersome from the point of view of the rhythm of production. In addition, the size of the mechanism intended for insertion in the said outer part makes it impossible to apply this method for manufacturing smaller push-buttons. The invention provides a solution to this series of problems.  
         [0006]     The basic idea of the invention consists of defining the essential elements of the whirl chamber by a cavity moulded on the inner face of the outer part, around the inner orifice in the conduit for ejecting the sprayed liquid, without having to resort to any transversally mobile die mechanism inside the mould, but rather by arranging it so that the removal of the said outer piece from the mould can be carried out “along the axis” without, therefore, damaging the cavity.  
         [0007]     More specifically, the invention relates to a sprayer push-button with a lateral spraying outlet of the type that comprises a whirl chamber with a central outlet and a peripheral intake, arranged between two moulded parts that are globally coaxial, an inner part and an outer part respectively, these two parts being fitted into each other, and a cavity that is a part of the said whirl chamber defined inside the said outer part, which comprises, in addition, an ejection conduit that extends through its wall starting at the centre of the said cavity, characterised in that the said two parts comprise faces that are tilted in relation to their shared joining axis, applied against each other, characterised in that the said cavity is made on the tilted face of the said outer part and in that the said tilted faces are oriented in a direction and according to a sufficient angle that is suited for making it possible to remove the said outer part from its mould along the said shared axis without damaging the said cavity.  
         [0008]     In practice, the angle (∝) defined above, must be greater than 20°, preferably comprised between 30° and 50°.  
         [0009]     Advantageously, the tilted faces of the two parts are tapered, which makes all indexing unnecessary, since the whirl chamber is defined entirely by the cavity made on the inner face of the outer part and by the part of the tapered wall of the outer face of the inner wall that is applied against this cavity.  
         [0010]     In order to supply the said whirl chamber, it is possible to provide an annular shoulder at the end of the said inner part, which extends between an end face of this part and the said tapered face, which has the effect of defining, together with the outer part, an annular supply channel. Furthermore, the inner part comprises an axial conduit in which the liquid to be sprayed is forced back by the pump. This axial conduit opens into the centre of the end face of the inner part, and at least one transverse passage is defined between the said end face and the inner face opposite the outer part. This transverse passage extends between the axial conduit and the annular supply chamber. Preferably, it is defined by at least one serration or rib moulded onto the inner part, and extending along the end face of the latter. The transverse passage is thus defined between the two end faces in relation to the outer part and the inner part. Obviously, a comparable arrangement defined on the inner face of the outer part would make it possible to define the transverse passage.  
         [0011]     Usually, the inner part forms a kind of support fitted by force onto the end of the outlet tube of the manually activated pump, while the outer part forms a kind of decorative cover that is used to cover the support. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The invention will be better understood and further advantages will be made clear from the following description of a push-button according to its principle, provided only as an example and made in reference to the appended drawings, in which:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is an elevated, cross-section view of the push-button mounted on the end of a manually activated pump;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a detail perspective view of the inside of the outer part, showing the cavity of the whirl chamber; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of one of the elements of the mould of the said outer part. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]     Considering  FIG. 1  more particularly, it shows the top of a sprayer  11  comprising a bottle  12 , in the neck of which is installed a manually activated pump  13  usually comprising an outlet tube  14  through which the liquid under pressure is expelled when the tube is pushed in by means of a push-button  15 , which is installed on the end of this tube.  
         [0017]     The push-button  15  comprises only two parts, that is to say, an inner part  17  fitted by force onto the end of the outlet tube  14  and an outer part  19  that covers the inner part and forms a kind of decorative cover. The inner part  17  is the support for the outer part. The two parts are made from a moulded plastic material and are globally coaxial, with their shared axis y-y merging with the axis of the outlet tube  14  when the push-button is installed on the end of the latter. The two parts are fitted into each other along the axis y-y, with no indexing. In the usual manner, the inner part  17  comprises an axial conduit  20  that opens into the centre of an end face  22  of this part, perpendicular to the axis. The end of the axial conduit that is further from this end face comprises a widened section  24 , which defines a shoulder  25 , suited for receiving the end of the outlet tube  14 , mounted through fitting by force. At least one transverse passage is defined between the end face  22  of the inner face and the inner face  27  of the outer part  19 . This transverse passage extends between the axial conduit  20  and an annular supply chamber  30  defined between the two parts. More precisely, the inner part comprises an annular shoulder  32  defined in the periphery of the end face  22  and extending along the inner face of the outer part. It is clear that the axial conduit  20  communicates with the transverse passage  26  which opens into the said annular supply chamber  30 . Consequently, the liquid pushed back by the pump floods this annular supply chamber.  
         [0018]     The end face of the inner part comprises at least one serration or rib  29 , which is moulded and defines the transverse passage  26  between the opposing faces  22  and  27 .  
         [0019]     According to an important characteristic of the invention, the two parts  17 ,  19  comprise faces  34 ,  36  that are tilted in relation to their shared axis and applied against each other. The inner tilted face  34  of the outer part  19  has a cavity  38  that defines the main part of a whirl chamber  39 . The latter is closed off by the outer tilted face  36  of the inner part  17 . The whirl chamber communicates with the said annular supply chamber  30 , as can be seen in  FIG. 1 . Furthermore, an ejection conduit  40  for the sprayed liquid extends through the wall of the outer part  19 ; it opens on the inside into the centre of the said cavity  38 . In the example, the ejection conduit is perpendicular to the shared axis of the two parts; it could also be perpendicular to the tilted face in which the cavity is made. Tilted face means, more precisely, a surface that has a section passing through the shared axis y-y forming an acute angle ∝ with this axis, the top of which is outwards and “towards the front” in relation to the end face  22  or  27  perpendicular to this axis. This type of tilt facilitates removing the outer part that comprises the cavity from its mould “along the axis”, without damaging the cavity. As mentioned above, the angle ∝ has a value of at least approximately 20°, and should preferably be chosen between 30° and 50°.  
         [0020]     According to another advantageous characteristic, the tilted faces  34 ,  36  of the two parts, which are in contact, are tapered, which allows for mounting without indexing.  
         [0021]      FIGS. 2 and 3  provide a better understanding of the structure of the cavity  28  and its suitability for being easily removed from the mould “along the axis”. In  FIG. 2 , it can be seen that the cavity comprises a hollow with a circular outline  42 , concave or tapered, centred on the inner orifice  43  of the ejection conduit  40 , with two grooves  44  extending substantially parallel to a profiling plate of the tapered surface  34 , on either side of the said hollow section, and two channels  46 ,  48  extending respectively between the said hollow section and each groove  44 . The two grooves  44  communicate with the annular supply chamber  30  and each channel  46 ,  48  opens substantially tangentially into the hollow section at points that are substantially diametrically opposed. Furthermore, each channel  46 ,  48  comprises two sides with a V-shaped cross-section. In the example, the angle of the sides is 90°. One of the sides extends substantially perpendicular to the shared axis y-y, while the other extends substantially along a cylindrical surface that centres on this axis. In the case that the conduit is, as shown here, perpendicular to the shared axis y-y of the two parts, the channel  48  that is further from the annular chamber  30  has a larger gauge than the other channel  46 . This gauge difference makes it possible to regain a balance in the whirl of the liquid in the chamber  39  even though the outlet conduit  40  is not “perpendicular” to the said chamber since it is, on the contrary, perpendicular to the axis y-y.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows, more particularly, the element  50  of the mould, with the structure elements that are intended to create the cavity  38  embossed. It is possible to distinguish two ribs  44   a  that are intended to form the grooves and extend in a raised pattern across a tapered surface  34   a  on either side of a tapered projection  42   a  that is intended to form the hollow section  42 . Two ribs  46   a ,  48   a  that are intended to form the channels  46 ,  48  extend between this tapered projection and the ribs  44   a . Obviously, the rib  48   a  has a larger gauge than the rib  46   a.