Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
  • B05B11/01—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use characterised by the means producing the flow
  • B05B11/10—Pump arrangements for transferring the contents from the container to a pump chamber by a sucking effect and forcing the contents out through the dispensing nozzle
  • B05B11/1001—Piston pumps
  • B05B11/1023—Piston pumps having an outlet valve opened by deformation or displacement of the piston relative to its actuating stem
  • B05B11/1025—Piston pumps having an outlet valve opened by deformation or displacement of the piston relative to its actuating stem a spring urging the outlet valve in its closed position
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
  • B05B11/01—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use characterised by the means producing the flow
  • B05B11/10—Pump arrangements for transferring the contents from the container to a pump chamber by a sucking effect and forcing the contents out through the dispensing nozzle
  • B05B11/1042—Components or details
  • B05B11/1066—Pump inlet valves
  • B05B11/1067—Pump inlet valves actuated by pressure
  • B05B11/1069—Pump inlet valves actuated by pressure the valve being made of a resiliently deformable material or being urged in a closed position by a spring
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
  • B05B11/0005—Components or details
  • B05B11/0037—Containers
  • B05B11/0039—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means
  • B05B11/0044—Containers associated with means for compensating the pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the pressure inside the container, e.g. pressure relief means compensating underpressure by ingress of atmospheric air into the container, i.e. with venting means
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05B—SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES
  • B05B11/00—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use
  • B05B11/01—Single-unit hand-held apparatus in which flow of contents is produced by the muscular force of the operator at the moment of use characterised by the means producing the flow
  • B05B11/10—Pump arrangements for transferring the contents from the container to a pump chamber by a sucking effect and forcing the contents out through the dispensing nozzle
  • B05B11/1042—Components or details
  • B05B11/1043—Sealing or attachment arrangements between pump and container
  • B05B11/1046—Sealing or attachment arrangements between pump and container the pump chamber being arranged substantially coaxially to the neck of the container
  • B05B11/1047—Sealing or attachment arrangements between pump and container the pump chamber being arranged substantially coaxially to the neck of the container the pump being preassembled as an independent unit before being mounted on the container

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a fluid dispenser pump.
• the documents FR2343137 and FR2403465 describe a device comprising a pump comprising a pump body in which a piston can move, slidably mounted on an actuating rod, the thrust force exerted on the rod by the user being transmitted to the piston by means of a spring, so that by actuating the actuating rod, there is a relative displacement of the piston relative to the rod.
• this pump has certain drawbacks.
• the dose dispersion between successive doses is relatively large.
• the operation of the pump may be negatively impacted.
• EP1506818 describe other devices of the state of the art.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a fluid dispensing pump which does not have the abovementioned drawbacks.
• the present invention also aims to provide a fluid dispensing pump which improves the dose reproducibility between successive doses.
• the present invention also aims to provide a fluid dispensing pump which improves operating reliability, in particular in the case of non-axial actuation.
• the present invention also aims to provide a fluid dispensing pump which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.
• the present therefore therefore relates to a fluid dispenser pump comprising: a pump body, comprising an opening closed by an inlet valve, held in place by a valve holder fixed in said pump body,
• a piston sliding in a sealed manner in said pump body, around a hollow rod, provided with an internal axial channel closed axially on the lower side of said rod and communicating with the outside of the rod by a radial orifice, said piston comprising, on a radially external edge, an external sealing lip for sealing against said pump body, and on a radially internal edge, an internal sealing lip, for sealing against said rod,
• a return spring disposed between said valve holder and said rod, urging said piston towards its rest position
• valve holder comprising an axial sleeve receiving said rod in the actuation position, said axial sleeve comprising at least one axial rib, to form a mechanical stop in the actuation position of the pump between the lower axial end of said rod and said at least one axial rib of said valve holder.
• said axial sleeve comprises at least two axial ribs.
• four axial ribs extend two by two in diametrically opposite fashion around an axial opening of said valve holder.
• a through hole is formed in said axial sleeve to ensure the passage of the liquid in the actuating position.
• a fixing ring is provided for fixing said pump body to a container with the interposition of a neck seal, a ring seal being provided for sealing said fixing ring with said pump body.
• an upper axial edge of said piston cooperates sealingly with said ring seal.
• a vent is provided in said pump body to allow the product expelled by the pump to be replaced by air on each actuation.
• the present invention also relates to a device for dispensing a fluid product comprising a pump as described above.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic view in cross section of a fluid dispenser pump of the prior art, in the rest position,
• FIG. 2 is a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 1, in the actuation position,
• FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view in cross section of a fluid dispensing pump according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, in the rest position,
• FIG. 4 is a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 3, in the actuation position,
• FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial schematic view of part of the pump of FIG. 4, and
• Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of a valve holder
• the terms “upper”, “lower”, “top” and “bottom” refer to the straight position of the device shown in Figures 1 to 4.
• the terms “axial” and “radial” refer to the vertical central axis A of the pump, shown in Figure 1.
• the pump comprises a pump body 14.
• a fixing ring 10 is provided for fixing the pump body 14 to the neck of a container (not shown) with the interposition of a neck seal 11.
• a ring seal 13 seals the fixing ring 10 with the pump body 14.
• a piston 16 slides in leaktight manner in the pump body 14, around a hollow rod 15, with an internal axial channel 15a.
• a radially external edge of the piston 16 forms an external sealing lip 16a, in order to seal against the internal surface of the pump body 14.
• An upper axial edge 16b of the piston 16 ensures, at rest, the seal against the ring seal 13.
• the internal axial channel 15a opens axially towards the top of the rod 15. Towards the bottom, the channel 15a is closed axially and communicates with the outside of the rod via a radial orifice 15b.
• the pump body 14 is closed at the bottom by an inlet valve 20, held in place by a valve holder 21.
• This inlet valve closes an opening 29, communicating with the interior of the container, and to which a dip tube 29a can be connected, in the well-known conventional manner.
• the rod 15 has a shoulder 23, against which an actuating spring 24 applied on the other side is pressed against the piston 16. This actuating spring 24 serves to transmit the pressure force from the rod 15 to the piston 16
• the shoulder 23 also serves to limit the upward movement of the rod 15, by forming a stop with the ring seal 13.
• a return spring 25 biases the piston 16 upwards, and with it the rod 15 by means of the actuating spring 24.
• the seal between the piston 16 and the rod 15 is ensured by an internal part of the piston 16, preferably of conical shape, forming an internal sealing lip 31.
• an internal part of the piston 16 preferably of conical shape, forming an internal sealing lip 31.
• the pump comprises a support piece or gland 32, better visible in FIG. 5, and comprising upwards an oblique or frustoconical surface 32a of inclination appropriate to that of the internal sealing lip 31 of the piston 16.
• the lower surface 32b of the gland 32 serves as a stop against the valve holder 21, in order to limit the stroke of the piston 16 downwards.
• the force exerted by the return spring 25 must be greater than that which is exerted by the actuating spring 24, so that the upper edge 16b of the piston 16 is suitably applied to the ring seal 13.
• the force exerted by the actuating spring 24 increases rapidly and substantially exceeds the force exerted by the return spring 25 so that the difference in the thrusts exerted by the springs 24, 25 corresponds to the desired pressure in the lower part of pump body 14.
• a vent 35 is provided in the pump body 14 to allow the product expelled by the pump to be replaced by air on each actuation.
• the pump described above operates as follows. At rest, the seal inside the container is ensured by the neck seal 1 1 between the ring 10 and the container (not shown), by the ring seal 13 between the ring 10 and the pump body 14, by the contact between the upper edge 16b of the piston 16 and the ring seal 13, and by the internal sealing lip 31 of the piston 16 against the rod 15.
• the container is filled with a liquid, in particular pharmaceutical, to be dispensed, in particular to be sprayed.
• the fixing ring 10 can be made of metal or plastic. It can be crimped, screwed, snapped or otherwise fixed to the container. The user must first prime the pump by operating it to expel the air until the lower part of the pump body 14 is filled with liquid.
• the liquid is rapidly expelled through the orifice 15b and the channel 15a, towards a dispensing head (not shown) assembled on the pump, and the pressure is kept constant during this operation, by the actuating spring 24, which exerts the desired pressure while the orifice 15b is open.
• the piston 16 actuated by the actuating spring 24 closes the orifice 15b.
• the gland 32 provides an excellent seal with an internal sealing lip 31 made in the mass of the piston 16, that is to say in an inexpensive material, which does not require high precision of the characteristics over time and temperature.
• the choice of the size of the gland 32, in particular its axial length, makes it possible to adjust the stroke of the piston 16, that is to say the volume of the dose dispensed at each actuation. It is therefore possible, with a single pump model, to obtain very different doses by an appropriate choice of the length of the gland.
• the volume of the dose is defined by the volume displaced by the piston sub-assembly 16 and the gland 32 on the one hand, and by the volume displaced by the rod 15 on the other hand.
• a disadvantage of the pump of the prior art shown in Figures 1 and 2 relates to the reliability of operation in the event of non-axial actuation.
• the end of the rod actuation travel stop is produced by the actuation spring 24 which is completely compressed, with the contiguous turns. It is therefore a deformable component, because even with contiguous turns, the actuating spring 24 remains relatively flexible. The end of dose is therefore dependent on a deformable component, and on variations depending on the actuation force of the user and / or the precision of the spring.
• a non-axial actuating force exerted on the rod 15 therefore passes through the actuating spring 24 with contiguous turns and by the cone-to-cone contact between the internal sealing lip 31 of the piston 16 and the oblique surface 32a of the gland 32 , these flexible elements being liable to deform which generates a malfunction of the pump in the actuation position, also called tilting, capable of generating an undesired modification of the volume of the dose delivered.
• a mechanical abutment of the pump is provided between the lower axial end 15c of the rod 15 and the valve holder 21, to define the end of actuation stroke of the rod 15.
• said valve holder 21 has at least one axial rib 21a formed in an axial sleeve 21c receiving the rod 15 in the actuating position.
• a passage hole 21b is formed in said axial sleeve 21c, as visible in FIG. 6.
• axial ribs 21 a are provided, as shown in FIG. 6. These axial ribs 21 a can extend in pairs diametrically opposite around an axial opening 21 d of said valve holder 21.
• This stop formed by the contact, in the actuating position, between the ribs 21 a of the valve holder 21 and the lower axial end of the rod 15, ensures a transmission of the actuating force directly from the rod 15 to the pump body 14, via the valve holder 21, without risk of deformation of the flexible elements of the pump defining the dose volume.
• the reproducibility of the dose is therefore improved and the risk of tilting reduced.
• FIGS. 3 to 6 have been carried out and are shown in the table below.
• the present invention generates a slightly lower average dose in volume, but that the standard deviation, that is to say the dose dispersion, is greatly reduced with the present invention.
• this dose dispersion is reduced by 48%, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the present invention, with the reproducibility of the dose between successive actuations which is greatly improved.

Landscapes

• Reciprocating Pumps (AREA)
• Details Of Reciprocating Pumps (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=66676701

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (6)

Family Cites Families (22)

• 2018
  • 2018-12-19 FR FR1873361A patent/FR3090417B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2019
  • 2019-12-16 WO PCT/FR2019/053079 patent/WO2020128269A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2019-12-16 CN CN201980084434.5A patent/CN113226567B/zh active Active
  • 2019-12-16 JP JP2021535883A patent/JP7411661B2/ja active Active
  • 2019-12-16 US US17/415,075 patent/US11618045B2/en active Active
  • 2019-12-16 EP EP19842815.3A patent/EP3898003B1/de active Active

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