Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Including supply holder for material – Resilient holder wall
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-24
2004-04-06
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3751)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Including supply holder for material
Resilient holder wall
C239S326000, C239S323000, C239S309000, C222S630000, C222S631000, C222S107000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715697
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for dispensing a product, for example, a fluid product, in the form of a spray. In one example, the device could be configured to dispense a miniature spray of one or more cosmetic products and/or care products, for example, a product comprising at least one substance for imparting a scent.
2. Description of the Related Art
Examples of some dispensers are generally described in the following patent applications: FR-A-2 778 639, EP-A-0 761 314, FR-A-2 443 980; in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,897,005, 3,412,907; and BE 870 592. These devices generally suffer from at least one principal drawback, such as, for example, cost of manufacture, difficulty to use, or inability to generate a quality spray.
For example, for dispensers that contain samples of products that are generally not intended for sale, it is sometimes desired to keep the cost of manufacture as low as possible. In such dispensers, it may be important for the devices to include parts which can be produced easily by mass production and which can be assembled in a simple manner. Furthermore, it is sometimes desired for dispensers to be capable of generating a spray possessing good quality and consistent characteristics. It may also be desirable for dispensers to generate a relatively gentle spray for a certain duration, so that the spray may possess characteristics similar to the spray of an aerosol-type spray.
One solution for producing dispensers at a lower cost might include producing a reservoir in the form of a dosing bottle, for example, a dosing bottle of the type sometimes used for dispensing some physiological serums, eye ointments, and/or makeup removing products. Such a dosing bottle may be formed in a single piece, for example, with a spray orifice which may be opened by pulling off an endpiece (e.g., by twisting the endpiece off about the axis of the spray orifice). Such a dispenser may be filled via an open bottom in the reservoir. The open bottom may then be sealed, for example, by welding, in a manner similar to welding the end of a tube.
Such a solution may, however, suffer from two major drawbacks. A first drawback may arise from the fact that upon opening, the spray orifice resulting from pulling-off the endpiece (e.g., by twisting) may have an imprecise shape and size. This may result in the spray characteristic varying greatly from one device to another when compressible walls of the reservoir are pressed to initiate spraying. In some instances, the cross section of the orifice may be such that it is not possible to generate a spray. In such instances, the product may be able to flow out of the dispersing orifice only in the form of droplets of a greater or lesser size, or in the form of a continuous stream, rather than in the form of a spray.
A second drawback may be found, for example, in the welding operation. For example, in a dispenser containing a highly volatile product such as a scent, there is a risk that the product will evaporate when subjected to the heat associated with a welding process. The product may even deteriorate or ignite, as is the case for the dispenser described in Patent BE 870 592.
One subject of the invention relates to a dispenser, for example, a spray device, which may fully or partly obviate one or more drawbacks associated with the related art. Another subject of the invention relates to a device which may be easy to mass-produce in a cost-effective manner. Another subject of the invention concerns a device which may render it possible to generate a spray of satisfactory quality which may be consistently reproducible from one device to another. A further subject of the invention pertains to a device that may be capable of generating spray for a certain duration, and that may be capable of obtaining a relatively gentle spray. These subjects are optional and exemplary. Other subjects might also be possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the following description, certain aspects and embodiments will become evident. It should be understood that the invention, in its broadest sense, could be practiced without having one or more features of these aspects and embodiments. It should also be understood that these aspects and embodiments are merely exemplary.
In one aspect, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention includes a device for dispensing a fluid product. The device includes a reservoir configured to contain a fluid product and a spray orifice associated with the reservoir. The reservoir may include one or more actuating zones having a predetermined threshold resistance to deformation. The actuating zone may be configured to deform in response to pressure exerted on the actuating zone so as to cause the product to be sprayed out from the orifice. Moreover, the actuating zone may be configured so that when pressure exerted on the actuating zone is less than a threshold pressure PS sufficient to overcome the predetermined threshold resistance to deformation of the actuating zone, substantially no portion of the product is sprayed from the spray orifice. The device may also be configured so that actuating zone deformation resulting from exertion of at least the threshold pressure P
s
on the actuating zone persists when the pressure exerted ceases.
As used herein, a zone having a “threshold resistance to deformation” means a zone configured in such a way that its deformation does not depend linearly on the pressure exerted on it in order to deform it, but entails the passing of a threshold. Thus, pressure exerted by a user on the actuating zone before the threshold pressure P
s
(i.e., the pressure necessary and sufficient to overcome the predetermined threshold resistance to deformation of the actuating zone) is reached, may cause some deformation of the zone which does not allow the product to be sprayed but which does allow energy to be built up so that when the pressure exerted by the user on the zone reaches the threshold pressure P
s
, the zone deforms suddenly. The volume inside the reservoir is then reduced in such a way that an overpressure is suddenly created inside the reservoir. This overpressure allows the product to be expelled from the spray orifice in the form of a spray. In at least some embodiments, that spray may be a good quality spray.
As used herein, the term “spray” means to eject and/or disperse a substance (e.g., a liquid) in the form of a mass or cloud of droplets, or in a discontinuous stream of droplets, such as, for example, in an atomizing fashion where the substance is in the form of a fine mist of tiny particles and/or droplets. In one example, the “spray” could be in a form similar to that of perfume dispensed in small particles dispersed in the air. In another example, the spray could be in a form similar to that sometimes associated with aerosol dispensers.
In another aspect, the device may be configured so that deformation of the actuating zone causes the product to be sprayed from the spray orifice for a duration of at least 1 second. The device may also be configured to contain a sample dose of fluid product, and the device may further include the fluid product contained in the reservoir. For example, at least prior to a first use of the device, the product may have a volume ranging from about 0.5 milliliter to about 15 milliliters. The product may include at least one of a cosmetic product and a care product and such a product may have a volume that is a sample dose. For example, the product may include at least one component imparting a scent to the product. In some examples, the product may comprise at least one of a perfume and a cologne.
In another aspect, the device may be configured so that deformation of the actuating zone causes the product to be sprayed from the spray orifice for a duration ranging from about 1 second to about 45 seconds. For example, the device may be configured to so that deformation of the actuating zone causes the product to be sprayed from the spray orifice for a duration ranging from about 2 seconds to abo
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
Kokabi Azy
L′Oreal S.A.
Mancene Gene
LandOfFree
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