Patent Publication Number: US-2007095940-A1

Title: Fluid product dispensing head

Description:
This present invention concerns a fluid-product dispensing head intended to be fitted to a fluid product dispensing device, said head including a body forming a dispensing channel with an inlet that is substantially axial, opening downwards and intended to be connected to the dispensing device, and a lateral outlet opening onto a external peripheral area of the body, with an external crown forming a dispensing orifice, the body being mounted in the crown so that the lateral outlet of the channel communicates with the dispensing orifice. Such a dispensing head can, for example, be used in the fields of the perfumery, cosmetics or pharmacy, amongst others.  
      Document FR-2 793 779 describes a dispensing head of this type. The crown is fitted to the body from above, or alternatively, the body is set into the crown from below. This does not guarantee a high attachment quality, since a vertical press applied from top to bottom on the body results in separation of the crown. Now in this type of dispensing head, which frequently comes in the form of a push-button device, the user applies pressure from top to bottom to activate the dispensing device on which the dispensing head is mounted.  
      The goal of this present invention is to overcome this disadvantage in previous designs by creating a dispensing head whose attachment between the crown and the body is more reliable.  
      In order to attain this goal, the present invention proposes that the crown should include abutment means, the body forming a bearing surface in abutted contact with the abutment means, the body being suitable for axial insertion from above into the crown. Advantageously, the abutment means include an abutment rim onto which the bearing surface presses, said rim forming an abutting zone facing substantially upwards, while the bearing surface is oriented substantially downwards. Preferably, the crown includes a cylindrical internal wall in sealed contact with the external peripheral area of the body, the abutment means being located at the lower or upper edge of this cylindrical internal wall.  
      In another aspect of the invention, the dispensing head includes swirling means formed upstream of the dispensing orifice.  
      In addition, the dispensing head can also include a covering band in which the crown and the body are mounted. Advantageously, the band includes an substantially cylindrical skirt pierced with a lateral opening, and an upper wall closing off the skirt at its upper end, with the crown including an external wall at which the dispensing orifice opens, the crown being positioned within the band with the dispensing orifice positioned to face the lateral opening. Advantageously, the band includes means for locking the crown and the body inside the band. According to one form of implementation, the external wall of the crown is in tightly locked onto the skirt of the band. Additionally or alternatively, the locking means can include at least one locking profile formed within the skirt, with the crown latching onto the said “at least one locking profile” so as to prevent any movement of the crown out of the band, the body thus being locked between the crown and the upper wall of the band. According to one practical form of implementation, the skirt includes a lower edge folded inwards, the said edge forming a locking extremity oriented upwards in the direction of the upper wall.  
      Thus the body, inserted into the crown from above, is trapped between the band and the crown, which is itself locked within the band. A dispensing head is thus created that cannot be dismantled, since all the parts lock each other in position. This would not be the case with the dispensing head of the aforementioned document describing previous designs.  
      The invention will now be described more fully, with reference to the drawings, and giving two methods of implementation of the invention, by way of non-limited examples. 
    
    
      In the figures:  
       FIG. 1  is a view in vertical cross section through a dispensing head according to a first method of implementation of the invention, and  
       FIG. 2  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 1 , for a second method of implementation of the invention. 
    
    
      In both methods of implementation, the dispensing head is a head of the push-button device type, on which one presses in order to activate an under-lying dispensing device such as a pump or a valve. The dispensing head is intended to be fitted to the upper end of an operating and return rod which forms part of the dispensing device. The dispensing device and its associated dispensing head can be mounted on or in an opening formed by a fluid-product reservoir. However, a dispensing head according to the invention can also be used for the single function of dispensing, without being associated with a push-button function. In other words, the push-button employed to activate the dispensing device can be dissociated from the dispensing head.  
      In both methods of implementation, the dispensing head includes a body  1 , a crown  2  and a covering band  3 . The covering band is optional but advantageous, particularly in the case where the dispensing head takes the form of a push-button device. The body  1  and the crown  2  can be made from a plastic material, while the covering band can be made from a plastic material or from metal. The covering band  3  conventionally has no function other than an aesthetic one, and is used to hide the plastic structure, not always perfect, of the body and the crown.  
      In  FIG. 1 , the body  1  includes a connecting sleeve  11  which extends downwards. The connecting sleeve  11  is open downwards and forms within it a housing  12  designed to receive the upper end of an operating and return rod forming part of a dispensing device such as a pump or a valve. This housing  12  is extended upwards by an axial inlet  131 . This inlet  131  is extended radially to form a dispensing channel  13  which opens, forming a radial lateral outlet  132  at the level of an external peripheral area  15  of the body  1 . The connecting sleeve  11  occupies a position that is substantially central and axial, while the dispensing channel  13  extends radially from the axial centre to the external periphery of the body. The external peripheral area  15  is formed with several channels or recesses at the level of the outlet  132  of the dispensing channel  13 . These channels and recesses form swirl channels as well as a central swirl chamber  161 . These channels and this chamber can be formed only or partially by the body  1 . The body  1  also includes an upper surface  14 , which here is substantially flat, but formed with a recess  18  which can act as an orientation interlock when attaching the body  1 . The body  1  forms a lower surface, opposite to the middle of which extends the connecting sleeve  11 . In addition, directly below the external peripheral area  15 , the lower surface forms an abutting edge  16  which forms a bearing surface facing downwards. This bearing surface  17  can be continued over all of the periphery of the edge  16 , or can be formed by separate segments. Although this bearing surface may be formed directly below the external peripheral area  15 , this bearing surface can also be placed at a different position on the lower surface of the body  1 . This is the  FIG. 1  case.  
      The crown  2  includes an substantially cylindrical internal wall  21 , an substantially cylindrical external wall  22 , an upper annular wall  25  and a lower annular wall  24 . The internal wall  21  is perfectly cylindrical over most of its height from the upper wall  25 . On the other hand, at its lower end, the internal wall  21  forms an abutment rim  26  forming an abutment zone  27  facing upwards. This abutment zone  27 , like the abutment surface  17 , does not need to be flat. In fact, the zone  27  and the surface  17  can be inclined. It is possible, for example, to have an abutted contact of the cone-to-cone type. However, the internal wall  21  is pierced with a dispensing orifice  23  which lies on the side of the external wall  22  in the form of a transmission cone  231 . The dispensing orifice  23  is perfectly centred on the swirl chamber  161 . According to the invention, the swirl chamber and its associated swirl channels form swirling means, formed jointly by the body  1  and the crown  2 . The channels and/or the swirl chamber can be formed jointly by the crown and the body or by either of them. It can be seen easily that the final mounting position of the body  1  in the crown  2  is achieved when the bearing surface  17  presses onto the abutment zone  27 . Of course, it is necessary that the external peripheral area  15  makes a sealed contact with the internal wall  21 , particularly at the point where the dispensing channel  13  opens out, and also at the swirl channels and the swirl chamber. Given that the abutment zone  27  is facing generally upwards while the bearing surface  17  is facing generally downwards, the insertion or the mounting of the body  1  in the crown  2  is effected by engaging the body axially in the crown  2  from above.  
      Holding the crown  2  firmly, the body  1  should be inserted axially from top to bottom into the crown  2 . Orientation of the body  1  in the crown  2  is necessary in order to centre the dispensing orifice  23  on the swirl chamber  161 . This orientation can be effected by means of the recess  18  and the dispensing cone  231 .  
      A dispensing head of the invention can be composed of only two component parts, namely the crown and the body. Nevertheless, according to the invention, the dispensing head can also include a covering band  3  into which the assembly formed by the body and the crown are inserted. In the method of implementation of  FIG. 1 , the covering band  3  includes an upper wall  31  which acts as push surface on which a user applies one or more finger(s) to put pressure on the dispensing head, and thus to operate the under-lying dispensing device. The covering band  3  also includes a cylindrical skirt  32  which extends downwards from the external periphery of the upper wall  31 . This skirt  32  has a free annular lower end  34 . The skirt is advantageously pierced with an opening  35  which must be centred on the dispensing orifice  23 . The skirt  32  includes an substantially cylindrical internal wall  33 . The inside diameter of this internal wall  33  is substantially equal to or slightly below the outside diameter of the crown  2 . Thus, the assembly formed by the crown and the body can be inserted by force into the covering band so as to create a clamping radial contact between the external wall  22  of the crown  2  and the internal wall  33  of the band  3 . This radial clamping locks the assembly formed by the crown and the body  1  within the band  3 . It should be noted that locking the crown  2  in the band  3  involves locking or trapping of the body  1  between the crown  2  and the upper wall  31  of the band  3 , given that the body  1  is inserted into the crown  2  from above. In order to improve the retention of the crown  2  in the band  3 , it is possible to provide any locking means, such as small notches  34  formed on or by the internal wall  33  of the band  3 . These small notches  34  have a slight slope followed by sharp edge in the manner of a harpoon. Insertion of the crown  2  in the band  3  is possible due to the slight slope, and after passing the small notches  34 , the lower wall  24  of the crown  2  takes up a position just to above the sharp edge of the small notches  34 . Thus, the crown  2  is definitively locked within the band  3 . These small locking notches  34  are optional, and definitive attachment can be effected by the radial clamping of the crown  2  in the band  3  alone.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 2 , which shows an alternative embodiment, in which (the covering band  3 ′ is different from the covering band  3  of  FIG. 1 ), and the body  1  and the crown  2  are slightly different from those of  FIG. 1 . Nevertheless, the crown is able to form a shoulder  26 ′ at the upper end of the internal wall  21 . This shoulder also lies on the upper wall  25 . This shoulder forms an abutment area  27 ′ which is facing generally upwards, like abutment surface  27 . In addition, the body is able to form a continuous collar or discrete flanges  16 ′ which lie radially on the outside of the external surface  15 . This collar or these flanges form a bearing surface  17 ′ facing generally downwards, like bearing surface  17 . This abutment area  27 ′ can be implemented with or without abutment area  27  and pressing area  17 . In  FIG. 2 , the rim  26  is partially eliminated, but still remains alongside the dispensing orifice. In addition, the shoulder  16 ′ is not formed at the orifice. In any event, these surfaces  27 ′ and  17 ′ have the same function as surfaces  27  and  17 , namely to limit the axial engagement of the body in the crown from above. Likewise, the cylindrical skirt  32 ′ of the band  3 ′ is formed here with an inside folded or lipped part  36 , so that the end  35 ′ of the skirt is facing upwards. Advantageously, this end  35 ′ is located just below the lower wall  24  of the crown. This end  35 ′ has the effect of locking the crown  2  in the band  3 . To allow the passage of the crown  2  inside the band  3  the skirt has a smaller wall thickness at the lipped part  36 . A small space is left between the skirt  32 ′ and its folded part  36  so that the folded part  36  can deform elastically and radially outwards during the passage of the crown  2 . When the crown  2  has reached its final position above the end  35 ′, the folded part  36  can again shrink radially inwards, to definitively lock the crown in the band  3 ′. Here again, the crown  2  is locked in the band  3 ′, definitively trapping the body  1  between the crown  2  and the upper wall  31  of the band  3 ′.  
      By means of the invention, a dispensing head is created in two or three parts, which is particularly solid an able to withstand very high pressures.