Fluid dispenser

Details Fluid dispenser Fluid dispenser

2003-02-19

2004-03-02

Mancene, Gene (Department: 3754)

Dispensing

Resilient wall

Fluid pressure generating pump or pulsator and/or removable...

C222S094000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06698627

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser comprising a dispensing member and packaging surrounding said dispensing member at least in part. The dispensing member comprises a fluid reservoir defining a deformable actuating wall that can be pushed in by using a finger to reduce the internal volume of the reservoir and thus to deliver some of the fluid stored inside the reservoir through a dispensing orifice. Such dispensing members are in frequent use in the field of perfumes, or indeed cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the prior art, mention may be made, for example, of Documents FR-2 778 639, FR-2 781 770, FR-2 791 645, or FR-2 796 368. All of those documents describe dispensing members forming reservoirs containing fluid and air. To dispense the fluid, a deformable face of the reservoir is pressed in so that a mixture of fluid and of air is delivered through a dispensing orifice in the form of a two-phase spray. In Document FR-2 796 368, the dispensing member is provided with trim that is in the form of a packaging jacket that covers the deformable face of the reservoir at least in part. That packaging jacket is fixed to the dispensing member over the rear face thereof, i.e. over its face opposite from the deformable face. It can also be noted that that reservoir is made up of a shell that is advantageously thermoformed and that forms the deformable actuating face. That shell is closed by a sealing film which is connected to the shell over the plane periphery thereof. For the same type of packaged dispensing member, mention may be made of Document FR-2 784 361 which describes a dispensing member provided with a flap that extends over the deformable actuating face. That flap is fixed either onto the edge of the shell or onto the edge of the sealing film that closes it. In that Document as well, the reservoir is made up of a shell and of a sealing film. In the preceding two documents, it is easy to fix the packaging to the dispensing member because said dispensing member forms one or more plane surfaces that facilitate fixing.
It is an entirely different matter when the dispensing members do not have such plane surfaces suitable for fixing. An object of the present invention is to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, which drawbacks are related to the specific structure of the dispensing member (shell+film), while also associating very attractive packaging with it. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser formed of a dispensing member and of packaging, and whose dispensing member is in a more conventional form with a preferably one-piece reservoir forming a neck at which the dispensing orifice is provided.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To this end, the present invention provides a fluid dispenser comprising a dispensing member and packaging surrounding said dispensing member at least in part, said dispensing member comprising a fluid reservoir defining a neck and at least one deformable actuating wall serving to be pushed in to reduce the internal volume of the reservoir, said dispensing member being provided with a dispensing orifice through which the fluid is delivered by pressing on the actuating wall of the reservoir, said packaging having at least one deformable face situated facing the actuating wall of the reservoir, so that the actuating wall can be pushed in via the deformable face of the packaging, said fluid dispenser being characterized in that the packaging is connected to the dispensing member at a fixing appendage that is secured to or integral with the dispensing member and that has a fixing zone for fixing to the packaging. Advantageously, the fixing appendage is situated in the vicinity of the neck of the reservoir. In an embodiment, the fixing appendage is made integrally with the dispensing member. In a variant, the fixing appendage is separate and mounted on the dispensing member.
In a more practical embodiment, the dispensing member further comprises a dispensing end-piece forming the dispensing orifice and mounted in or around the neck of the reservoir, the fixing appendage being secured to or integral with the end-piece.
In any event, the fixing appendage may have an outer peripheral outline that defines the fixing zone for fixing to the packaging. Advantageously, the fixing zone is cylindrical, with a diamond-shaped or eye-shaped cross-section.
As regards the packaging, it may have two faces connected together along their side edges and connected to the fixing appendage along their top edges, their bottom edges advantageously defining an open bottom. In practical manner, the packaging may be made up of two separate sheets of elastically deformable material, or of one sheet of elastically deformable material folded in half.
For example, the reservoir of the dispensing member may be in the form of a flask or of a small bottle having a deformable wall, e.g. made of soft thermoplastic. A standard end-piece may then be mounted on the deformable bottle. One advantage of the present invention is that it enables a fixing appendage of any shape to be mounted on the standard end-piece. In this manner, it is possible to produce a standard dispensing member and to equip it subsequently with a fixing appendage of desired design. It should be noted that the packaging can be fixed to the fixing appendage merely by sealing or even by adhesive.


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patent: 4020978 (1977-05-01), Szczepanski
patent: 4798311 (1989-01-01), Workum
patent: 5108007 (1992-04-01), Smith et al.
patent: 5275311 (1994-01-01), Piarrat
patent: 5388727 (1995-02-01), Jouillat
patent: 5564596 (1996-10-01), Meadows et al.
patent: 5579945 (1996-12-01), Ichikawa et al.
patent: 6142344 (2000-11-01), Kai
patent: 406064671 (1994-03-01), None
patent: WO 94/16960 (1994-04-01), None

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