Abstract:
A distributor ( 1 ) of fluid, particularly of liquid soap, has a sealed shell ( 2 ) suitable for containing the fluid to be distributed. The shell ( 2 ) has a shape and dimensions suitable for being able to be held between the hands of a user when the hands are being washed. Distribution mechanisms ( 30 ) are mounted movably on the shell ( 2 ) between a rest position in which they prevent the fluid from coming out of the shell and an active position in which they allow the fluid to come out when the user presses his hands against them during washing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a liquid soap dispenser. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     There currently exist various ways for a person to wash himself, particularly his hands. 
     The first way is to use a solid dry soap such as a bar of soap that the person rubs between his hands after having preferably already run them under the water. Once the hands have been covered with suds, the person puts the bar of soap onto the ledge of a basin or into a suitable soap holder. In this case, the bar of soap thus often sits in a puddle of water which causes the soap to soften, thereby rapidly impairing its qualities. Pasty residues which are not very pleasing to the eye may also collect in the soap holder and stick to the bottom of the latter, requiring it to be cleaned frequently. 
     In addition, after the hands have been wetted and rubbed on the bar of the soap, the latter is very often covered with dirty suds. The bar of soap thus has a not very attractive appearance. From a hygiene point of view, the next person who will be washing his hands with the dirty bar of soap will partially be covered with this dirt. Microbes can also be transferred easily from one individual to another. 
     Finally, one of the main drawbacks of a bar of soap is that it wears down rapidly over time, dries out, and cracks. When it is below a certain size it becomes difficult or even impossible to use and is thus thrown away, which is not very economical. 
     The second way involves liquid soap dispensers which are portable or fixed on a wall in the immediate vicinity of the basin. These devices generally have a refillable vessel provided with a filling opening and a pump actuated by the person in order to dispense liquid soap. However, these pumps are often difficult to manipulate, especially with wet hands. When the pump is manipulated after the hands have been run under the water, dirt which has come unstuck during this operation (grease, earth, etc.) is deposited on the pump which is not very attractive or hygienic unless it is cleaned after each use. 
     This type of device is actuated by a pump which dispenses an uncontrollable amount of liquid soap and hence much more is used than is needed. 
     After use, the pouring spout of the pump often allows drops of liquid soap to escape, which drops spread out on the ledge of the basin requiring extra cleaning (rinsing and wiping). 
     Finally, refilling this type of device is sometimes tricky, unless the pump is retained and a new prefilled vessel is bought each time, this being very costly and not very ecological. 
     It is thus an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problem with the aid of a solution which is easy to implement, is reliable and is inexpensive. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Thus, the subject of the present invention is a fluid dispenser, particularly for liquid soap, comprising a hermetic casing suitable for containing the fluid to be dispensed and provided with means for dispensing the fluid, characterized in that the casing has a form and dimensions such that it can be held between a user&#39;s hands while they are being washed, and in that the dispensing means are mounted on the casing such that they can move between a rest position in which they prevent the release of fluid from the casing and an active position in which they allow the release of fluid when the user presses his hands against them during the washing process. 
     According to various preferred embodiments, the dispenser according to the present invention may further comprise at least one of the following features:
         the casing is made of two parts connected together in a fluid-tight manner along a peripheral joint plane;   the dispensing means are located on at least part of the casing and protrude locally from the external surface of the latter;   the dispensing means comprise at least one closing element engaging tightly in an outlet orifice made in the wall of the casing, said closing element being able to move axially in order to pass from a state where it blocks the fluid into a state for dispensing the latter;   the peripheral surface of the outlet orifice has a conical cross section narrowing from the inside toward the outside of the casing, the closing element having a complementary form such that fluid-tightness is provided in the blocking state;   the closing element is mushroom shaped and has a shank located in the casing and extended axially by a head which, in the rest position of the closing off means, bears against the peripheral surface of the orifice, said shank being surrounded by a compression spring exerting an axial pressure on the head in order to press it against said peripheral surface;   the casing contains a supporting plate provided with an opening which holds and axially guides the shank of each closing element;   a ring is fastened under the plate, coaxially with the opening, in order to center the shank of the corresponding closing element;   the dispenser comprises two tapped coaxial sockets protruding from the internal surface of each part of the casing, the supporting plate being immobilized between these sockets by way of a screw that can be accessed from outside the casing;   one of the sockets is provided at its free end with protuberances for centering the supporting plate in engagement with recesses made in the surface of said socket;   the supporting plate is cross shaped and is provided with an opening at the end of each arm of the cross;   that part of the casing which is opposite the part provided with the outlet orifice has on its internal surface a hollow socket which holds and guides the shank of the closing element in a sliding manner, the compression spring being compressed between the free edge of the socket and the face of the head directed toward it;   the closing element comprises a ball comprising a first part resting against the peripheral surface of the outlet orifice and a second part resting on a compression spring housed in a centered manner in a socket protruding from the internal surface of that part of the casing which is opposite the part provided with the outlet orifice, the spring exerting an axial pressure on the ball in order to press it against the peripheral surface of the outlet orifice;   the second part of the ball rests on a hemispherical portion of a hollow piston surrounding the socket in a sliding manner and bearing against the spring which is guided axially by said socket;   the bottom of the hemispherical portion is pierced by an orifice coaxial with the compression spring;   the ball is of dimensions suitable for performing a massaging function in combination with a liquid massage product contained in the casing;   the closing element forms a cylinder having a rounded head suitable for resting against the peripheral surface of the outlet orifice and a tubular part which holds one of the ends of a compression spring, the other end of which is held in a centered manner in a socket connected to the part of the casing opposite the part provided with the outlet orifice;   the tubular part of the closing element is mounted around the socket and guided axially by the latter;   the outlet orifice has a circular peripheral surface that makes an angle of around 45° with its axis of symmetry;   a first socket protrudes from the internal surface of the part of the casing provided with the dispensing means and has a free end part having a polygonal internal cross section and a part opposite the end part which is tapped and holds a screw for fastening the parts of the casing together;   a second socket protrudes from the internal surface of the other part of the casing, in the axis of the first socket, and has a free end part having a polygonal external cross section and engaging in a sliding manner with the end part of the first socket, while the fastening screw passes through the second socket;   the second socket has a housing opening on the outside of the casing and in which the head of the screw is held without protruding from the external surface of the corresponding part of the casing, the housing being closed off by a removable cap;   a filling orifice is located opposite the fluid dispensing means and is closed off by a removable sealing cap; and   the dispenser is made of a cast or molded material selected from the group consisting of a metal, glass, a ceramic and a plastic, and has the form of a bar of soap.       

     The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to particular embodiments given solely by way of illustration and shown in the appended figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a dispenser according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view on the line II-II in  FIG. 1  illustrating a first embodiment of the dispenser. 
         FIG. 3  is a detail view of  FIG. 2  in a use position. 
         FIG. 4  is a detail view of a closing element. 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of a closing element supporting plate. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a first part of the dispenser casing. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the other part of the dispenser casing. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the dispenser according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is a bottom view of the dispenser. 
         FIG. 11  is a detail view in cross section of a second embodiment of the closing element. 
         FIG. 12  is a detail view in cross section of a third embodiment of the closing element. 
         FIGS. 13 to 15  are an internal view along the arrow A, a cross-sectional view and a detail view of another variant of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows a liquid soap dispenser  1  for use, for example, in a bathroom, a kitchen or a toilet. This soap dispenser  1  has the form and dimensions of a bar of soap, which makes it easy to manipulate with the hands. Typically, it has the form of a cobble measuring around 5 to 10 centimeters long, 3 to 6 centimeters wide and 1 to 3 centimeters thick. 
     The soap dispenser  1  is produced from a cast or molded material selected from the group consisting of a metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel, glass, a ceramic and a plastic. 
     The dispenser  1  has a hermetic casing  2  suitable for containing the liquid soap to be dispensed. This casing  2  consists of two half shells  10  and  20  of substantially the same dimensions and joined together at a peripheral joint mid-plane  5 . 
     As is also illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the external surface  11  of the first half shell  10  has soap dispensing means  30 . The soap dispensing means  30  are mounted on the first half shell  10  such that they can move between a rest position in which they prevent the release of fluid from the casing ( FIG. 2 ) and an active position in which they allow the release of fluid when the user presses his hands against them during the washing process ( FIG. 3 ). 
     More precisely, each soap dispensing means  30  has at least one closing element  31  engaging tightly in an outlet orifice  12  made through the wall of the first half shell  10 . 
     According to a first embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 2 to 7 , the closing element  31  is mushroom shaped and has a shank  32  located inside the casing  2  and extended axially by a head  33  bearing, in the rest position of the closing off means  30 , against the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12 . 
     As can be seen in particular in  FIGS. 3 and 6 , the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12  has a conical cross section narrowing from the inside toward the outside of the casing  2  while the closing element  30  has a complementary form such that fluid-tightness is provided in the blocking state. In the present case, the peripheral surface  13  makes an angle of around 45° with the axis of symmetry of the corresponding orifice  12 . 
     Part of the head  33  protrudes locally a few millimeters from the external surface  11  of the first half shell  10  such that it can be actuated by a user&#39;s hands. The shank  32  is surrounded by a compression spring  34  exerting an axial pressure on the head  33  in order to press it against the peripheral surface  13  of the orifice  32 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     The casing  2  also contains a supporting plate  40  provided with an opening  41  which holds and axially guides the shank  32  of each closing element  31 . A ring  42  is fastened under the plate, coaxially with the opening  41 , in order to center the shank  32  of the corresponding closing element  31 . Thus, when the shank  32  is displaced axially as a result of a force F exerted by the user&#39;s hands on the head  33  (see  FIG. 3 ), the shank  32  slides within the opening  41  and into the ring  42  such that it does not tilt. This enables a suitable release of liquid soap along the arrows S in  FIG. 3 . The spring  34  rests firstly against a surface  35  of the head  33  facing the supporting plate  40  and secondly on a surface  45  of the supporting plate  40 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates the distribution of the liquid soap dispensing means. Thus, the external surface  11  of the first half shell  10  is provided with four outlet orifices  12  distributed in the shape of a cross. The supporting plate  40  is itself cross shaped, each end of the arms having a through opening  41  coaxial with an outlet orifice  12 . 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the first half shell  10 , the internal surface  15  of which is provided with a central socket  50 . This socket has internal thread  51  for holding a fastening screw  55  ( FIG. 1 ) which is accessible from the outside of the casing and enables the two half shells  10  and  20  to be fastened together in a leaktight manner. The socket  50  also has, at its free end  52 , two protuberances  53  engaging with recesses  43  provided on the supporting plate  40  ( FIG. 5 ) in order to be able to center and hold said socket in position. The second shell  20  itself has another socket  70  protruding from its internal surface  25 . The supporting plate  40  is clamped firmly between the sockets  50  and  70  and the latter are pushed toward one another by virtue of the fastening screw  55 . 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 7 , a leaktight filling cap is provided on the second half shell  20  in order to be able to refill the liquid soap dispenser of the present invention. 
     In a variant illustrated in  FIGS. 8 to 10 , the shank  32  of each closing element  31  slides axially in a hollow socket  60  protruding from the internal surface  25  of the second half shell  20 , inside the casing  2 . The compression spring  34  is compressed between the free edge  62  of the socket  60  and the surface  35  of the head  33  facing the latter. 
     The internal surface  25  of the second half shell  20  also has a central socket  70  protruding inside the casing  2 , coaxially with the socket  50  protruding from the internal surface  15  of the first half shell  10 . The socket  50  has a free end part  53  have a polygonal internal cross section and a part  51  opposite the end part which is tapped in order to hold the fastening screw  55 . The socket  70  has a free end part  73  having a polygonal external cross section engaging in a sliding manner with the end part  53  of the socket  50 . The fastening screw passes all the way through the socket  70 . 
     The external surface  21  of the second half shell  20  also has, continuing the socket  70 , a housing  26  which opens onto the outside of the casing  2 . The head  57  of the screw  55  is held in this housing  26  without protruding from the external surface  21  of the second half shell  20 . The housing  26  is also closed off by a removable cap  27 . 
     According to another embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the closing element  31  has the form of a cylinder having a rounded head  37 , suitable for resting against the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12 , and a tubular part  36 . The compression spring  34  is housed in the tubular part  36  and held in a centered manner in the socket  70  protruding from the internal surface  25  of the second half shell  20 . 
     When the user&#39;s hands press on the head  37 , the tubular part  36  slides axially along the socket  70  and the compression spring  34  is progressively compressed. Thus, an outlet passage for the liquid soap is formed between the head  36  of the closing element  31  and the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12 , as in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
     According to another embodiment of the closing element  31  illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the latter comprises a metal ball  39  having a first part  39   a  resting against the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12  and a second part  39   b  resting on a hemispherical portion  92  of a hollow piston  90 . The hollow piston  90  surrounds the socket  70  in a sliding manner, said socket  70  protruding from the internal surface  25  of the second half shell  20 . It also rests on the compression spring  34  which is housed in a centered manner in the socket  70  and exerts an axial pressure on the ball  39  in order to press it against the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12 . 
     Thus, when the user&#39;s hands press against the ball  39 , the latter is displaced axially into the casing  2  so as to form an outlet passage for the liquid soap. When the pressure is released, the return force of the compression spring  34  presses the ball  39  in a leaktight manner against the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12  in order to close off the latter and prevent any escape of soap. 
     Advantageously, the ball  39  is of dimensions suitable for performing a massaging function on the body in combination with a liquid massage product contained in the casing  2 . 
       FIGS. 13 to 15  illustrate a variant of this embodiment. Specifically, as can be seen in  FIG. 13  which is an internal view along the arrow A of the upper half shell  10 , the dispenser  1  has the form of a puck of round cross section having three closing elements  31  arranged in a circle and angularly spaced regularly around a single circle, that is to say at 120° to one another. Each closing element  31  comprises a ball  39  having a first part  39   a  resting against the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12  and protruding slightly from the external surface of the half shell  10 , and a second part  39   b  resting on an upper hemispherical portion  92  of a hollow piston  90  which forms a seat. 
     The hollow piston  90  surrounds the socket  60  in a sliding manner, said socket protruding from the internal surface  25  of the second half shell  20 . It also rests on the compression spring  34  which is housed in a centered manner in the socket  60  and exerts an axial pressure on the ball  39  in order to press it against the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12 . 
     The upper hemispherical portion  92  of the hollow piston  90  furthermore has a central orifice  92   a  coaxial with the spring  34  which enables the ball  39  to revolve about itself. This orifice  92   a  also enables the soap which may be present in the socket  60  to coat the ball when it rotates on the seat  92 . 
     Thus, when the user&#39;s hands press on the balls  39  by rubbing, these balls are slightly displaced axially into the casing  2  so as to form an outlet passage for the liquid soap at the orifice  12 . In addition, the ball  39  may rotate about itself while resting on the seat  92  and thus convey soap to its peripheral surface. When the pressure is released, the return force of the compression spring  34  presses the ball  39  in a leaktight manner against the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice  12  in order to close off the latter and prevent any escape of soap. 
     The dispenser  1  according to this embodiment is also provided with a filling cap located at the center of the face opposite the face containing the closing elements  31 . 
     It goes without saying that the detailed description of the subject of the invention, given purely by way of illustration, constitutes no limitation whatever and that technical equivalents are also included within the scope of the present invention. 
     Thus, the number of dispensing means  30  is not limited, nor is the distribution thereof on one half shell or on both half shells at once. 
     The form of the closing element may also vary as long as leaktightness can be ensured with the peripheral surface  13  of the outlet orifice. 
     The fastening screw for the two half shells can later be welded in place to prevent the latter from coming apart. Alternatively, it is also possible to weld the half shells directly together, for example at their joint plane, by a technique involving ultrasound, high frequency or friction. 
     The ball may be made from a variety of materials, for example molded plastic, metal or glass.