Dispensing – With discharge assistant – With movable nozzle interconnected therewith
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-13
2003-04-08
Kaufman, Joseph A. (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
With discharge assistant
With movable nozzle interconnected therewith
C222S382000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06543653
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for dispensing a fluid, gaseous, liquid or pasty product, of the type comprising a reservoir containing several doses of product, to the neck of which is mounted fixedly a pump equipped with a hollow control stem sliding in a pump body in a direction called longitudinal, and a casing in which said reservoir is housed, said casing being equipped with a nozzle for dispensing the product, connected by a connecting means to said hollow control stem, and with a means for actuating the pump in order to expel a dose of product via the dispensing nozzle on each action exerted by a user on said actuating means.
In spraying product devices, for example atomizers, a precompression stroke or a precompression effect is generally provided, on actuating the pump, in order to liberate the product with enough ejection force to provide a spray of the product at the spray nozzle. The purpose of this precompression stroke of the pump is to force the user to exert, with his finger or his hand, a large force on the actuating button during this precompression stroke. Thus the finger or the hand of the user is carried by its impetus until the button is depressed to the bottom, since, beyond the precompression stroke, the product can be ejected by the pump and therefore the button is less resistive to its depression. It is possible to expel the whole dose of product at high speed, when the force exerted by the user exceeds the precompression value, which may be, for example, about 25 N.
When it is desired, for size, ergonomic or other reasons, that the actuating member is moved in a direction other than that of the stroke of the control stem of the pump, it is possible to provide between them an inclined double-ramp system, a first ramp interacting with the actuating means, a second ramp being connected to the control stem of the pump, so that the gliding of the two ramps one against the other causes the control stem to slide in the pump body. However, in such a system, the friction between the two ramps is great enough so that after the precompression stroke, the user's finger is not driven enough by its impetus to press to the bottom on the actuating means, but is impeded by the resistive force of friction between the ramps. There is therefore no tilting effect after the precompression stroke, which leads to expelling the complete dose of product at a speed which is high enough to ensure that it is sprayed. In order to reduce this friction, it is possible to provide ramps with a shallow slope, but in this case the actuating stroke is too large. If ramps with a shallower slope are chosen, the actuating stroke is smaller, but in this case friction is very great.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,582 describes a pump system, in a variant of which the pump is actuated by a trigger assembly comprising a pivotally-mounted trigger and a Y-shaped element. This system has a complex outer shape with projecting moveable parts which are accessible from the outside, which increases the risk of inadvertent dismantling and is detrimental to its ergonomics. Furthermore, it does not relate to dispensing devices comprising a casing in which a reservoir equipped with a pump is housed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the invention is to remove the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a device for dispensing product comprising a reservoir equipped with a pump and a casing in which said reservoir is housed, which makes it possible to eject the product at a high enough speed, and in which the position of the dispensing nozzle is independent of the position of the means for actuating the pump.
To this end, the subject of the invention is a device for dispensing a fluid, gaseous, liquid or pasty product, comprising a reservoir containing several doses of product, a pump comprising two pump elements, that is a hollow stem and a pump body fitted onto said reservoir, said two elements being capable of sliding one with respect to the other in a direction called longitudinal in order to pump said product, and an outer casing equipped with a nozzle for dispensing the product, which nozzle is connected by a connecting means to said hollow stem, and with a pump actuating means to expel a dose of product via the dispensing nozzle on each action exerted by the user on said actuating means, said actuating means comprising a bearing member which is accessible from the outside of the casing and a member for transmitting force, said member for transmitting force having two longitudinal end parts, one, called moveable, of which is capable of bearing on one of said two pump elements in order to make it slide longitudinally and the other, called stationary, of which is locked in translation with respect to said outer casing in the aforementioned longitudinal direction, it being possible for said bearing member to move essentially transversely in order to bear on said member for transmitting force between said two longitudinal end parts, so as to be able to deform said member for transmitting force between a rest position, in which at least one intermediate portion of said transmission member has a nonzero curvature, and an active position, in which the curvature of said intermediate portion is small, in order to increase the longitudinal extension of said member for transmitting force by causing a sliding of said hollow stem toward the inside of said pump body, characterized in that said reservoir is housed at least partially in said casing, said member for transmitting force being arranged such that the transformation, by said member for transmitting force, from the pushing force exerted by the user on said bearing member into a longitudinal sliding force exerted on said first pump element increases throughout the push, which makes it possible to ensure that said longitudinal sliding force ejects the dose of product at a velocity which is high enough to provide a spray via said nozzle.
In addition, in the aforementioned previous system, the forces to which the Y-shaped element is subjected are large because of the acute angle between its two members at the start of the stroke, such that the stabilization of the Y-shaped element and the fatigue at the junction of the members are problematical.
According to a particular characteristic of the invention, said member for transmitting force comprises two toggle joint lever arms hinged directly or indirectly one with respect to the other at said intermediate portion, the free ends of the two arms opposed to said hinge forming respectively said longitudinal end parts of said member for transmitting force, said two arms forming together an obtuse angle in said rest position and remaining unaligned in said active position, without going through an aligned position of the two arms.
Advantageously, the two toggle joint lever arms are hinged via a central piece guided transversely in translation in said casing.
Advantageously, the bearing member is integral with the hinge between the two aforementioned arms.
Advantageously, the bearing member is able to bear on said member for transmitting force on either side of said toggle joint hinge, on reinforcing ribs carried by the two toggle joint lever arms.
Preferably, the free end of the toggle joint lever arm which forms said stationary end of the member for transmitting force is hinged about a fixed point of the casing.
As a variant, the free toggle joint lever arm end which forms said stationary end of the member for transmitting force is able to be displaced in translation in a substantially transverse direction of the casing, the corresponding toggle joint lever arm being able to act as bearing member.
Advantageously, said member for transmitting force comprises two additional arms hinged respectively to each of said toggle joint lever arms at the free ends thereof, said additional arms being hinged together at their respective ends opposite said toggle joint lever arms in order to form a hinged quadrilateral.
Preferably, the hinge of said additional arms of the quadrilateral
Kaufman Joseph A.
Techniplast
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
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