Patent Publication Number: US-11027297-B2

Title: Fluid product dispensing and application assembly

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a National Stage of International Application No. PCT/FR2017/051680 filed Jun. 23, 2017, claiming priority based on French Patent Application No. 1655984, filed Jun. 27, 2016. 
     The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser comprising a dispenser member, such as a pump, a dispenser head, such as a fluid applicator, and a fluid reservoir that is connected in leaktight and removable manner to the dispenser member. Thus, the reservoir, once empty, can be removed from the dispenser member so as to be replaced by a full reservoir of the same kind or of a different kind. The advantageous fields of application of the present invention are the fields of cosmetics, perfumery, and pharmacy. 
     In conventional manner, the fluid reservoir of a conventional dispenser is connected to the dispenser member by mechanical means (screw-fastening, snap-fastening, etc.) which makes it possible to compress a neck gasket between them. Sealing is thus provided by axial compression. As a result, the particular positioning of the reservoir relative to the dispenser member is determined by the thickness of the neck gasket, once compressed. This mutual positioning is also influenced by the manufacturing tolerances of the reservoir and of the dispenser member. In any event, sealing is obtained only when the neck gasket is compressed sufficiently. As a result, it is impossible to guarantee that the reservoir, and in particular its bottom wall, is accurately positioned relative to the dispenser member. 
     An object of the invention is to remedy the above-mentioned drawback of the prior art by defining a fluid dispenser in which the positioning of the fluid reservoir relative to the dispenser member is not dependent on the compression of a neck gasket. 
     To do this the present invention proposes that the sealing between the dispenser member and the fluid reservoir is obtained by coaxially sliding leaktight radial contact that is interrupted when the fluid reservoir is disconnected from the dispenser member, such that the fluid reservoir is connected in leaktight manner to the dispenser member over a determined axial height range. Thus, the dispenser of the invention does not involve flattening a neck gasket axially, by providing radial sealing that is provided, not only at a particular axial position, but also over an axial height range, as a result of the sealing being dynamic sealing obtained while sliding coaxially. In this way, sealing is guaranteed over the entire axial height range, regardless of the particular positioning of the reservoir relative to the dispenser member. In other words, the reservoir is now fastened mechanically on the dispenser member in a manner that is totally independent of the sealing between the reservoir and the dispenser member. By way of example, it is possible to provide a screw-fastened connection with radial sealing that is provided over the entire axial height of the screw-fastening. 
     Furthermore, the dispenser member further comprises an outer covering element that is open at its bottom end for inserting the fluid reservoir that is provided with a stopper element that comes into abutting contact with the bottom end of the outer cover so as to form a continuous outer cover. Thus, the final position of the reservoir relative to the dispenser member is determined by the abutting contact between the outer cover and the stopper element, without any concern about the sealing between the reservoir and the dispenser member that is provided in any event by the coaxially sliding leaktight radial contact. 
     In an advantageous embodiment, the dispenser member includes an inlet tube, the inside of which forms an inlet duct and the outside of which forms an annular bearing surface that is in leaktight sliding contact in a slide cylinder that is secured to the fluid reservoir, so as to define between them said coaxially sliding leaktight radial contact. The leaktight contact is provided while the annular bearing surface is in contact with the slide cylinder over the determined coaxial height range. According to an advantageous additional characteristic, the slide cylinder is initially closed by a closure membrane that is pierced by the inlet tube. 
     In an embodiment, the fluid reservoir may be connected to the dispenser member by screw-fastening. Naturally, other forms of connection could be envisaged without going beyond the ambit of the invention. 
     In a practical embodiment, the dispenser member may include a connection ring that forms the inlet tube and an external thread, the fluid reservoir including a connection ferrule that forms the slide cylinder and an internal thread for coming into engagement with the external thread of the connection ring. Advantageously, the end-of-screw-fastening abutment is defined by the abutting contact between the outer covering element and the stopper element, while the coaxially sliding leaktight contact is already established. In a practical aspect, the dispenser member may be held in place in the outer covering element by the connection ring that is advantageously adhesively-bonded in the outer covering element. 
     According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the dispenser member projects out from the outer covering element and includes a pusher, a removable protective cap advantageously being provided so as to cover the dispenser head and the pusher. 
     In another advantageous practical aspect, the fluid reservoir comprises a reservoir body, advantageously provided with a follower piston, the connection ferrule and the stopper element being mounted on the reservoir body. 
     The spirit of the invention resides in creating axially sliding leaktight radial contact between the reservoir and the dispenser member so as to decouple sealing from the relative position between the reservoir and the dispenser member. It is thus possible to determine the particular positioning of the reservoir relative to the abutting contact between two outer covering parts. The coaxially sliding radial sealing may be provided by means of a connection ring that is secured to the dispenser member and by a connection ferrule that is secured to the fluid reservoir. In other words, the radial sealing may be obtained merely by adding two additional parts to a conventional dispenser. 
     The invention is described below in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show an embodiment of the invention by way of non-limiting example. 
    
    
     
       In the figures: 
         FIG. 1  is a vertical section view through a fluid dispenser of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the  FIG. 1  dispenser; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the dispenser in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in its assembled state; 
         FIG. 4  is a view similar to the view in  FIG. 1  with the reservoir removed; 
         FIG. 5  is a view on a much larger scale showing a detail A of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6 a    is a view similar to the view in  FIG. 1  while the reservoir is being connected; 
         FIG. 6 b    is a view on a much larger scale showing a detail B of  FIG. 6   a;    
         FIG. 6 c    is a view on a much larger scale showing a detail C of  FIG. 6   a;    
         FIG. 7 a    is a view similar to the view in  FIG. 6 a   , with the reservoir in its final position; 
         FIG. 7 b    is a view on a much larger scale showing a detail D of  FIG. 7 a   ; and 
         FIG. 7 c    is a view on a much larger scale showing a detail E of  FIG. 7   a.    
     
    
    
     In entirely general manner, the fluid dispenser of the present invention comprises a dispenser member  1  that is associated in leaktight and removable manner with a fluid reservoir  2 . The dispenser member may be of any kind, e.g. it may incorporate a pump, a valve, an applicator head, etc. The main function of the dispenser member is to convey fluid from the fluid reservoir  2  to a dispenser orifice from where the user can recover the fluid. The fluid dispensed at the dispenser orifice may present the form of a spray, a dab, a drop, etc. As described below, the dispenser member may include an applicator for applying and spreading the fluid on an application surface, such as the skin, the nails, the hair etc. 
     Reference is made below to  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3  in order to describe in entirely general manner the structure of a fluid dispenser of the invention. In this embodiment, the dispenser member  1  incorporates a pump with a pump chamber  10  that is provided at its inlet with an inlet valve member  11  and at its outlet with an outlet valve member  12 . The pump chamber  10  is provided with a pusher  13  in the form of a laterally-actuated wall on which the user can press so as to reduce the volume of the chamber  10 . Thus, the fluid contained in the chamber  10  is put under pressure in such a manner as to close the inlet valve member  11  and open the outlet valve member  12 . The fluid is thus forced towards the applicator head  14 , advantageously provided with an applicator pad  15  having a dispenser orifice  16  passing therethrough. At its opposite end, the dispenser member  1  includes a skirt  18  inside which an insert  17  is received that supports the inlet valve member  11 . This can be seen more particularly in  FIG. 5 . 
     In the invention, the dispenser member  1  is provided with a connection ring  3  that includes a collar  31  that is engaged around the insert  17  inside the skirt  18 . The ring  3  also forms one or more fastener ribs  32 , having a function that is explained below. The ring  3  also forms an external thread  33  inside which an inlet tube  34  extends. More precisely, the inside of the inlet tube  34  forms an inlet duct  35  that communicates directly with the inlet valve  11  through the insert  17 . The outside of the tube  34  forms an annular bearing surface  36  that is advantageously cylindrical, or even slightly frustoconical. At its bottom end, the tube  34  forms one or more perforator profiles  37 . 
     The dispenser member  1  is also provided with an outer covering element  51  that is of substantially tubular shape. The covering element  51  forms an inwardly-directed shoulder  511  at its top end, and a bottom end  512  that is wide open so as to enable the dispenser member  11  to pass therethrough during assembly. As can be seen in  FIG. 5 , the inwardly-directed shoulder  511  comes into abutment against the top edge of the skirt  18 . In addition, the connection ring  3  may be sealed inside the covering element  51 , e.g. by means of an adhesive deposited on the fastener ribs  32 . In this way, the dispenser member  1  is fastened in stable and permanent manner inside the covering element  51 . As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the major fraction of the dispenser member  1  projects upwards out from the covering element  51 , which covering element is filled in part only by the dispenser member, and in particular by the connection ring  3 . Specifically, the pusher  13  and the applicator head  14  are arranged above the inwardly-directed shoulder  511 . As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , a protective cap  53  comes to cover, in removable manner, the fraction of the dispenser member  1  that projects out from the covering element  51 . Advantageously, the protective cap  53  forms a closure pin  56  that penetrates into and closes the dispenser orifice  16  in leaktight manner. Advantageously, the bottom edge of the protective cap  53  comes into abutting and continuous contact with the covering element  51  at the inwardly-directed shoulder  511 . Advantageously, the diameter of the cap  53  is strictly equal to the diameter of the covering element  51 , so that they are only visually defined by a nearly invisible line, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The fluid reservoir  2  comprises a reservoir body  21  that is advantageously provided with a bottom wall  22  and that forms a neck  23  that is provided with one or more fastener profiles. The inside of the reservoir body  21  may receive a follower piston  24  that, in its initial position, is arranged in the proximity of the bottom wall  22 , when the reservoir is filled with fluid. 
     In the invention, the reservoir  2  is provided with a connection ferrule  4  that is mounted in stationary manner on the neck  23 . With reference to  FIG. 6 b   , it can be seen that the connection ferrule  4  includes a fastener flange  41  that comes into engagement with the neck  23 , e.g. by snap-fastening. The ferrule  4  forms a self-sealing lip  42  that is in leaktight contact with the inside wall of the neck  23 . In addition, the ferrule  4  includes an internal thread  43  for co-operating with the external thread  33  of the connection ring  3 . The connection ferrule  4  also forms a slide cylinder  46  inside which the tube  34  is engaged. More precisely, the annular bearing surface  36  is for coming into leaktight sliding contact inside the slide cylinder  46  of the ferrule  4 , as can be seen clearly in  FIG. 6 b   . Advantageously, the ferrule  4  also forms a closure membrane  47  that is formed inside the slide cylinder  46 . 
     The fluid reservoir is also provided with a stopper element  52  that is situated at the bottom end of the reservoir. More precisely, the bottom end of the reservoir body  21  may merely be force-fitted into the stopper element  52  that forms a top edge  522 . The top edge  522  is for coming into abutting and continuous contact with the bottom end  512  of the covering element  51  for covering the dispenser member  1 , so as to co-operate with each other to form a continuous cover. Preferably, the stopper element  52  presents a diameter that is identical to the diameter of the covering element  51 , so that they are separated only by a nearly invisible line, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The stopper element  52  also serves as a grip member for the fluid reservoir  2 , so as to be able to insert it into the covering element  51  through its open bottom end  512 . A user thus takes hold of the reservoir  2  by the stopper element  52  and engages it inside the covering element  51  until the ferrule  4  comes into contact with the ring  3 . The tube  34  immediately engages inside the slide cylinder  46 , and the internal threads  43  and the external threads  33  come into engagement. The user may thus impart a turning movement on the stopper element  52 , so as to screw-fasten the ferrule  4  on the ring  3 . During the screw-fastening operation, the ferrule  4  moves axially towards the ring  3 . In the invention, during the screw-fastening operation, the tube  34  slides in leaktight manner inside the slide cylinder  46 , thereby creating coaxially sliding leaktight radial contact. The user can continue to screw-fasten the reservoir into the covering element  51  until the user encounters a small amount of hardness or resistance as a result of the tube coming into abutment against the membrane  47 . This configuration is shown in  FIGS. 6 a , 6 b , and 6 c   . In particular, in  FIGS. 6 a  and 6 c   , it can be seen that the covering element  51  is still separated from the stopper element  52  by a small gap d. The user can thus impart additional torque on the stopper element  52  so as to continue screw-fastening, enabling the perforator profile  37  to break the membrane  47 . This final configuration is shown in  FIGS. 7 a , 7 b , and 7 c   . In particular, it can be seen that the membrane  47  is pushed into its open position by the perforator profiles  37 , and that the thread  33  is fully screw-tightened in the thread  43 . In addition, in  FIG. 7 c   , it can be seen that the bottom end  512  is in intimate and continuous abutting contact with the top edge  522  of the stopper element  52 . 
     It should be observed that the abutting contact between the covering element  51  and the stopper element  52  is made possible as a result of the sealing between the ferrule  4  and the ring  3  being provided by means of coaxially sliding leaktight radial contact, and not by the axial flattening of a neck gasket. From another point of view, it could be considered that the sliding radial contact over a determined axial height range makes it possible to position the reservoir axially relative to the dispenser member  1  with a significant amount of axial latitude, thereby making it possible in particular to be able to determine the position of the reservoir relative to the dispenser member as a function of other criteria, e.g. the cover, formed by the covering element  51  and the stopper element  52 . However, in the ambit of the present invention, it should be considered that the sliding radial contact may be used in other applications that require the reservoir to be positioned relative to the dispenser member. 
     The present invention departs from the conventional neck gasket that is axially flattened, by providing sliding radial contact that thus makes it possible to position the reservoir relative to the dispenser member over a range of axial heights that is relatively large compared to axially flattening a neck gasket.