Abstract:
The invention concerns a push-button nozzle for liquid or semi-liquid product dispenser, said dispenser comprising means for delivering the product under pressure which are mounted on the product container bottle and which comprise an ejection tube projecting outside. The invention is characterized in that said nozzle comprises a needle valve tightly closing the spraying orifice provided at the end of said nozzle, means for being fixed on the ejection tube and means for supplying products to a turbulence chamber located proximate said orifice.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation of pending International patent application PCT/FR2006/001113 filed on May 17, 2006 which designates the United States and claims priority from French patent application 0506278 filed on Jun. 21, 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to a spraying nozzle for a liquid or semi-liquid product. 
         [0003]    The invention more particularly relates to the spraying nozzles fitted on pharmaceutical or cosmetic products dispensers such as nasal sprayers. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The known nozzles generally comprise an extending outer part provided, at its lower part, with a collar forming a push-button, and an internal tube which supplies, at its upper part, an end nozzle and connected, at its lower part, to the ejection tube of the means for delivering the product under pressure, such as a pump or a valve, mounted on the neck of a bottle containing the product. 
         [0005]    Such nozzles, however, have the disadvantage of not including their own sealing means. 
         [0006]    As a matter of fact, the passages formed inside the nozzle to route the liquid from the end of the ejection tube up to the spraying nozzle outlet are not provided with any type of element which may, guarantee a temporary closure. 
         [0007]    Although the pump or the valve are equipped with such means which preserve the water tightness of the bottle, such unsatisfactory tight condition at the level of the nozzle also that of prejudicial to the product in particular in pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. 
         [0008]    This problem more particularly concerns the volume of waste product which remains in the above-mentioned passages of the nozzle, between two successive sprayings. Besides, the traditional nozzles do not make it possible to carry out a spraying which is regular as regards the flow rate, the pressure, the jet geometries, from the beginning to the end of the restitution of a product dose and independently from the manual squeezing velocity. 
         [0009]    Such discontinuity is prejudicial to the users&#39; comfort and to the assimilation of the product in the case of a drug. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The aim of the invention is to solve this problem and to supply the nozzle with a reinforced-tightness specific structure. 
         [0011]    This aim is reached, according to the invention, using a nozzle characterized in that said nozzle comprises a needle valve guaranteeing the tight closing of the spraying opening arranged at the end of said nozzle, means for fixing on the ejection tube and means for supplying the product to a turbulence chamber located close to said vent. 
         [0012]    According to an advantageous characteristic, the fixation means come in a nozzle barrel, one of the ends of which has a ring for the connection to the ejection tube of the delivery means. 
         [0013]    According to an advantageous variation, the upper end of the ejection tube is provided with a socket which can fit into a ring of said barrel, the diameter of said ring being such that it can fit into said sleeve with a radial tightening. 
         [0014]    According to a specific characteristic, said barrel includes a recoil chamber which is tightly closed with a peripheral tight ring carried by a collar of said needle valve. 
         [0015]    According to another characteristic, the nozzle comprises a control enclosure for checking the tightness of the recoil chamber which may be communicating with air-operated measuring means. 
         [0016]    According to another variant, said means of supplying the product to the turbulence chamber comprise a fixed core, through which goes a central bore for guiding an axial rod integral with said valve, said core having means for connection with said barrel and arranging a terminal channel which opens, at upper part, laterally into the turbulence chamber. 
         [0017]    According to still another characteristics, the means for supplying the liquid comprise an upstream channel for supplying the liquid which is arranged through said barrel, and the inlet of which is located close to the means for fixing on the ejection tube, whereas the outlet opens to the outside of said barrel. 
         [0018]    According to other characteristics, the nozzle includes an internal sleeve in which said barrel is fitted. 
         [0019]    Preferably, said internal sleeve has a diameter greater than that of said barrel, so as to define an intermediate annular space for said liquid product, said passage constituting at least partially, the means for supplying said product from the end of the ejection tube up to the neighborhood of said spraying hole. 
         [0020]    According to a special characteristic, said nozzle has a peripheral zone for resting arranged close to the fixation means on the end of the ejection tube. 
         [0021]    The nozzle according to the invention provides a reinforced tightness and thus makes it possible to guarantee the physicochemical properties, as well as the sanitary quality of the product, whichever the volume of the container and the delivered doses. 
         [0022]    Besides, the needle valve is compact and is more particularly well-incorporated into the structure of the nozzle while contributing, through a sudden breaking of tightness like a valve, to the obtaining, during the spraying, of a very fine and intense dispersion of the product. 
         [0023]    The nozzle according to the invention separates the functions of guiding the mobile needle and circulating the product in the terminal channel supplying the internal nozzle. 
         [0024]    Thus, when the needle recoils to release the vent, the profile of the channel is not modified and the sections of the passage for the product remain unchanged during the whole stroke of the needle which guarantees a stability of the supplying parameters (velocity, pressure) of the nozzle and thus the evenness and homogeneity of the spraying. 
         [0025]    Eventually, the connection of the nozzle to the delivering means is particularly simple and stable which guarantees an easy assembling and makes it possible, when it is activated by pushing it, to preserve the axial alignment of the nozzle on the bottle which is a necessary condition to have a reliable and accurate dose. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]    Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear adequate when reading the description while referring to the appended drawings in which: 
           [0027]      FIG. 1  shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the nozzle according to the invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  mounted on a pump which is assembled to a bottle; 
           [0029]      FIGS. 3A to 3D  show the nozzle of the preceding figures during the various products dispensing phases; and 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  shows an exploded perspective view of the nozzle of the preceding Figures. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0031]    The nozzle shown in  FIGS. 1 to 4  shows a cone-shaped outer enclosure  5  having a central axis defining, at least in the upper part, the wall of an internal pipe  50  which opens upwards outside, via the small diameter spraying hole  50   a  and extends downwards through an internal sleeve  51 . 
         [0032]    The outer enclosure  5  has a lower skirt  52  which covers the neck of the bottle, as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0033]    A removable cover C can advantageously cover the upper part of the enclosure  5 , as also shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0034]    The enclosure  5  of the nozzle has a concave peripheral area  53  arranged close to its means for fixing onto the end of the ejection tube E and making it possible to manually press the nozzle to activate the product delivery means. 
         [0035]    The nozzle also includes a valve accommodated in the pipe  50 , which is supplied with a needle  1 , the upper end of which  1   a  cooperates with the outlet  50   a  of the turbulence chamber  54  thus forming a spraying nozzle. 
         [0036]    Therefore, the end  1   a  has a pin, the profile of which matches that of the hole  50   a  in which it is introduced to close it tightly, like a plug. 
         [0037]    The lower end  1   b  of the needle  1  cooperates with a helical return spring  2  which is carefully weighted, as a function of the pressure threshold desired upon the opening of the valve and the parameters desired for the spraying jet. 
         [0038]    When the valve is closed, the spring activation  2  pushes the needle  1  upwards, in order to secure the tightness of the chamber  54 . 
         [0039]    Conventionally, the turbulence chamber  54  is located inside the nozzle close to the hole  50   a  and comprises tangential grooves arranged on the nozzle internal wall. 
         [0040]    The needle  1  is composed of an axial rod  12  extending downwards by a collar  13  carrying a peripheral ring  13   a , and then by a lower wedging and centering finger  14 , which engages into the spring  2 . 
         [0041]    In the upper part, the internal pipe  50  is provided with a substantially cylindrical core  3 . Through the core  3  is arranged a central guiding bore  31 , in which the axial rod  12  of the needle  1  may slide. The core  3  is immobilized in its upper housing by a radial tightening and its upper face partially closes the grooves of the turbulence chamber  54  which laterally open onto the terminal channel  30  for routing the product, defined between a longitudinal flat section  32  of the core  3  and the wall of the internal conduit  50  of the nozzle. 
         [0042]    The nozzle includes a barrel  4  having the shape of an added part which is engaged into the internal conduit  50 . The lower end of the barrel has a ring  41  which guarantees the connection to the ejection tube E of means for delivering the product under pressure of the pump P or valve type (refer to  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0043]    The end of the ejection tube E is provided with a socket D having an upper outlet for the liquid under pressure which is fitted in the connection ring  41  of the barrel  4 . 
         [0044]    The diameter of the ring  41  is such that it can receive the socket D with a tight radial tightening. 
         [0045]    The barrel  4  defines a recoil chamber  20  in which the spring  2  is accommodated and which is tightly closed, at its upper part, by the collar  13  and the tight ring  13   a  of the mobile needle  1 . The barrel  4  includes the cross-sectional plate  42  which is used as a rest surface for the spring end  2  inside the channel  20  and hanging over an enclosure  43  which makes it possible to check the tightness while communicating with air-operated measuring means. 
         [0046]    The enclosure  43  has a side hole  44  which makes it possible on the one end, to discharge the compressed air while the needle is introduced into the barrel  4  and, on the other end to measure the pressure, which aims at checking the tightness between the collar  13  and its tight ring  13   a  with the barrel  4 . 
         [0047]    The barrel  4  is fitted into the internal conduit  50  until the ring  41 , the diameter of which is larger than that of the barrel, abuts upwards against the lower edge of the internal sleeve  51 . 
         [0048]    In its upper part, the edge of the sleeve  51  rests against a radial shoulder  33  carried by the core  3  which guarantees its holding and its wedging into the channel  50  and makes it possible to guarantee the integrity of the pre-compression cell  10 . 
         [0049]    The core  3  also includes means for a connection with the barrel  4 , in the form of a set of anchoring pads  34  fitted into the upper part of the barrel  4  while defining a product pre-compression cell  10  which is positioned under the core  3  and above the collar  13 . 
         [0050]    The cell  10  supplies the terminal channel  13 , downstream, with the product and the internal pressure inside this cell commands the displacement of the needle  1  and thus the opening and the closing of the valve. 
         [0051]    The means for supplying the product further comprise, at their lower part, an upstream channel  40  for supplying the liquid which is provided inside the barrel  4 . The upstream channel  40  is parallel to the axis of the nozzle and has an inlet at its lower end which is located inside the connection ring  41  whereas at its upper end, the outlet opens laterally into the intermediate annular space  60  located between the outer wall of the barrel  41  and the internal wall of the sleeve  51 . 
         [0052]    The bottom of the ring  41  is provided with a cavity  45  which forms a dead volume opposite the end of the outlet of the socket D and in which the inlet of the channel  40  is arranged. 
         [0053]    The space  60  communicates, at its upper part, with the cell  10  and with the terminal channel  30 . 
         [0054]      FIGS. 3   a  to  3   d  show the progression of the liquid product, into the various portions of the supplying means during the ejection of the product under pressure by pressing on the nozzle. 
         [0055]    The needle valve is opened when the pressure in the cell  10  reaches a threshold which results in the needle  1  going down into the chamber  20  and when the turbulence chamber  54  is simultaneously under load as shown in  FIG. 3   d.