1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a delivery system for dispensing product(s) in adjustable and/or variable quantities. More particularly, the present invention relates to a delivery system for dispensing a product in a user-defined dosage. Also provided is a delivery system that dispenses at least two components in a user-defined ratio.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are certain consumer products which are required to be used in a particular quantity/ratio by the user. For such products, consumers seek a package that provides them with the convenience of adjusting the required dosage of a product while in case of two products being used, the user would go for a package that allows him/her to adjust the ratio as per his/her requirement. Further, in certain applications, the incompatibility of the component ingredients dictates that the components remain separate until the moment of use. In such a case, containers having two cavities are used to keep the substances separate until they are dispensed. Such dual packages can deliver products while preserving the activity and effectiveness of the individual components.
Previous attempts to deliver a required dosage or to adjust the mixing ratio have been made by adjusting the stroke of the pump plunger which in turn has been effected by way of the pumps being mounted pivotally on the lever acting on the pump which is adjustable. The pivoting motion of the pumps is made possible by a ball joint. However, such a mechanism is more complex to be manufactured. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,210 to Brugger describes a device that is relatively complex, having a mechanism that enables actuation of a pushbutton to be transformed into strokes of greater or shorter length for actuating pump rods.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,107 to Brugger, discloses a proportioning dispenser for proportioning two components in an adjustable ratio. The products are supplied from the compartments via a pump unit wherein the adjustment of the mixing ratio is effected by a transmission member, the point of application of which is adjustable with respect to the two pump units. The actuation of the pump units is performed by a pivotable transmission member, the pivoting axle of which can be displaced relative to the operating members of the pump unit. Thus, it is made possible to change the point of application of the transmission member at the pump units and thus their stroke by changing the position of the pivoting axle relative to the pump units. The dispenser uses a circumferential rotating pivot/hinged mechanism to dial the desired ratio, however it is of a structure that is relatively complex.
Also U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,752 to Ponton discloses a dispenser device for dispensing at least two components in an adjustable ratio. The device comprising a plurality of reservoirs for containing respective substances, a pump associated with each said reservoir, a pushbutton, at least one elastically-deformable transmission member associated with at least one of the control members, and at least one adjustment member for adjusting an end-of-stroke position of the displacement at least of the control member associated with the transmission member. Each pump unit in the device is associated with a movable control member which, when actuated, causes the substance contained in the reservoir associated with the pump to be dispensed. Further, the at least one elastically-deformable transmission member is disposed in such a manner as to transmit displacement of the pushbutton to the at least one control member in order to dispense substance(s). The adjustment member comprises a plurality of surfaces situated at different heights and against which the actuator members can come to bear when the associated control members have reached their respective end-of-stroke positions.
However, the mechanism in the above device is complex and difficult to manufacture and moreover, it has a shortcoming that the user might have to keep on pressing the pushbutton for the product to be dispensed as it takes time for the control member to reach their respective end-of-stroke position.
Although the existing dosage/proportioning dispensers are being used for products, most of them still have the defect that the adjustment mechanism for adjusting the mixing ratio has a comparably complicated design. The requirement of either the cartridges or a transmission member having to be pivotally mounted is comparably complicated and expensive. Moreover, most of the existing proportioning dispensers utilize pump mechanisms to deliver at least two products in adjustable proportions and have more number of parts which are again costly to manufacture. Another shortcoming of these dispensers is that they are difficult to be made portable as they can not be scaled down to smaller dimensions such as that of a pen.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a delivery system that dispenses a product in adjustable quantities or at least two products in a user-defined ratio, has an easy manufacturability and is less expensive. The present invention therefore, is directed to a delivery system that delivers as effectively as a pump delivery system and delivers the products in a user-defined ratio/dosage and at the same time is cost-effective in manufacturability. Also, the delivery system of the present invention is smaller in size and easy to use by virtue of it being efficiently portable as well as having reduced chances of dialer malfunction.
The present invention generally is a delivery system for dispensing product(s) in adjustable and/or variable quantities. The delivery system of the present invention may also dispense at least two products in variable proportions as may be desired by a user. The delivery system according to the invention has essentially simpler design as compared to the proportioning dispensers described in the Description of Related Art as the number of movable parts is reduced. The delivery system of present invention is simple in construction and reliable as to its operation.
According to an embodiment of the invention there is provided a delivery system for dispensing a product in a user-defined dosage/ratio. There is also provided a delivery system that is easy to operate by a user and is portable as it can be produced in the form of a pen as well.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the delivery system comprises a body, an actuator wherein the actuator has an inclined profile at one of its ends that is in communication with the body. The delivery system further comprises of a means for changing the position of the incline of the actuator with respect to the body. The said means is arranged so as to be operatively connected to the actuator which helps in positioning the actuator for dispensing different ratios/dosages. Further, the body has at least one cavity for housing the product(s) and a plunger or a piston and rod assembly.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the cross-section of the actuator is radially symmetrical and is characterized in that it has an inclined profile similar to a ramp at one of its ends, more particularly at its end proximal to the cavity of the body. The actuator may have a cavity in and embodiment having an extended piston rod so that the cavity receives the extended piston rod. The actuator may actuate a plurality of dispensing units by aligning its end having an inclined ramp profile with specific parts of the piston assembly that operate the dispensing units. Further, the angle of inclination of the ramp in engagement with the piston/plunger assembly may define the total amount of the product dispensed by the respective piston/plunger assembly.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the piston assembly comprises of a piston, a piston rod, an anti-slip jaw and a propeller jaw. The terms “Anti-slip jaw” and “Propelling jaw” as used herein refer to a radially symmetrical component with cut outs in the center, said cut-outs defining formation of flanges, said flanges making the jaw to be elastically deformable towards one axis. The piston rod is profiled wherein the profiles serve as appropriate means of engagement with the anti-slip and the propeller jaws. The piston rod may also be profiled in a manner that there are present ratchets on the rod periphery. The piston assembly further comprises a stationary holder for holding the anti-slip jaw, a propelling holder that holds the propelling jaw and a biasing member biasing the movement of both the holders and in turn both the jaws. The propeller jaw and the anti-slip jaw control the movement of the piston rod. The stationary holder is so arranged inside the cavity of the body that it remains stationary whereas the propelling holder is arranged to be movable inside the cavity.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the actuator when caused to push the propelling holder results in the propelling jaw being displaced which in turn causes the piston rod to move/displace, also anti-slip jaw being flexible allows the piston rod to move further upwards and displace the piston which causes the fluid to be dispensed. As soon as the propelling holder moves backwards to come back to its earlier position, due to the action of the biasing member, the anti-slip jaw being stationary engages with the profile on the piston rod and holds it in place for next actuation. The anti-slip jaw therefore helps in gripping the piston rod thereby restricting the piston rod to move down after it is caused to advance and thereby enables the consecutive displacement of product upon reactivation of the actuator.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the actuator having an inclined profile may further have a step profile on the incline which provides an efficient push for the piston rod to be displaced. Alternatively, the profile on the incline may be executed as a smooth plane, stepped or teeth profile or any other suitable profile.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the means for changing the position of the incline of the actuator and the actuator may be biased by a biasing member that provides smooth actuation by the actuating member.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the means for changing the position of the incline of the actuator may be in the form of a dialer. Also, rotation of such a dialer results in simultaneous rotation of the actuator. The incline of the actuator defines a top end and a bottom end of the incline. As the actuator has an inclined profile, its displacement causes it to be positioned in such a way that its peripheral inclined profile top end touches the propelling holder placed in the cavity, thereby resulting in different dosages to be dispensed depending on the section of the incline profile touching the propelling holder.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the actuator may be locked with respect to the dialer such that it does not get actuated accidentally.
Further, in case of a dual delivery system, the body may define two cavities in it wherein each of the cavities houses a plunger/piston and rod assembly and the two products respectively. During operation, the means for changing the position of the incline of the actuator, for example a dialer is rotated to fix a ratio to be dispensed which causes the actuator to be positioned in such a way that its peripheral incline profiled top end touches the piston assemblies of the two product cavities. Upon actuating the actuator, the top end and the bottom end of the incline profile displace to a certain distance. The product displacement is thus caused by the movement of the actuator. As the position of the incline profile on the actuator is changed relative to the piston assemblies, the displacement of the respective piston rods and therefore the respective pistons is also changed such that the proportioning ratio of different components relative to one another is adjusted. Moreover, as there are no pivoted movable parts in the present delivery system, the chances of dialer malfunction are reduced as compared to the existing ratio/dosage delivery systems.
Delivery system of the present invention can be used to dispense a wide variety of consumer and industrial products related to cosmetic, skin care, hair care, oral care, personal care, pharmaceutical, wound care, orally administrable products, home-care or adhesives.
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
The terms “Anti-slip jaw” and “Propelling jaw” as used herein refer to a radially symmetrical component with cut outs in the centre, said cut-outs defining formation of flanges, said flanges making the jaw to be elastically deformable towards one axis. Also, the terms “propelling holder” and “stationary holder” refer to the components capable of holding the propelling jaw and the anti-slip jaw respectively.
As shown in
As illustrated in
As represented in
As shown in
Rotation of the dialer 103 results in simultaneous rotation of the actuator 102. The incline of the profile 121 defines a top end 122 and a bottom end 123 of the incline. As the actuator 102 has an inclined profile, its displacement causes it to be positioned in such a way that its peripheral ramp profiled end touches the propelling holders 115, 115a placed in the cavities 108 and 107 respectively, thereby resulting in different quantities to be dispensed depending on the section of the incline/ramp profile 121 touching the propelling holder.
Further, as shown in
For ratio dispensing the position of the actuator is changed with respect to the dispensing units in the cavities by the user. The change in the positions may be effected by the help of a means for changing the position of the incline of the actuator, for example a dialer 103.
Further, when the actuator is displaced from its position in
As the actuator is displaced further from its position in
Corresponding intermediate positions of the incline/ramp profile 121 of the end of actuator proximal to the propelling holders, respectively, result in corresponding intermediate ratios of the displacement volumes of the pistons 109, 109a, so that these are continuously variable between 100:0 and 0:100 for each product.
Further, as the delivery system of the present invention does not use any pivoted movable parts, the chances of dialer malfunction are reduced as compared to the existing ratio/dosage delivery systems.
The materials suitable for forming the piston rods and the propelling holder and stationary holder may be polyacetal or any other suitable polymeric material. The biasing members may be made of any suitable metal such as steel. The body, cap and the applicator sleeve may be formed of any suitable material such as polypropylene. The material for forming pistons may be any suitable polymeric material such as polypropylene, polyacetal or low-density polyethylene. The actuator and the dialer may be formed of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or any suitable polymeric material. The applicator may be made from any suitable polymeric material such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, injection molded silicone or injection molded silicone. The applicator may also be made of a combination of both injection molded silicone and injection molded silicone. The aforementioned materials for forming various parts of the delivery system of the present invention are an example, however other suitable materials may also be used.
Although the above description and drawings show the delivery system, and in particular the body, actuator and dialer thereof, being cylindrical, the shapes and profile cross section thereof are not limited to the same.
Also, the applicator of the present invention could be cylindrical and slightly domed on top having concentric grooves with multiple orifices that contain the products when they are being dispensed. The applicator top could alternatively have concentric fins instead of grooves which help in mixing of the products during application. However, the applicator could have any suitable form to target a specific application.
Delivery system of the present invention can be used to dispense a wide variety of consumer and industrial products related to cosmetic, skin care, hair care, oral care, personal care, pharmaceutical, wound care, orally administrable products, home-care or adhesives.
The delivery system of the present invention may also be used for such consumer products where it is desirable to keep one or more of the components separate until just before dispensing them in the final product. It could be used in the cosmetic products that require a mixture of such ingredients that undesirably tend to break down if the components are allowed to co-exist together for an extended period of time. For example surfactant and conditioner ingredients in shampoos, surfactants and moisturizer ingredients in shower gels, vitamins in cosmetic preparations or the components of a hair dye could be stored and dispensed separately. The delivery system of present invention can also provide for variation of similar products for example different shades or flavors of lip-balm. The delivery system of the present invention could allow for use of many combinations of complementary products in certain pharmaceutical preparations.
Various examples of the products where the delivery system of the present invention could be used are but not limited to cheek blush, cheek plumping gel/cream, lip plumping gel/cream, moisturizer, sunscreen, temporary hair colors, hair styling gel, hair mousse, hair repair cream, hydrating cream, antiseptic and correction cream, acne treatment cream, concealer, blemish concealer, skin treatment cream, hair repair cream, anti-dandruff cream, hair treatment serum, scalp hydrating oils, teeth whitening gel, teeth whitening and teeth lamination solutions, pain relieving cream, antibiotic cream and analgesic cream, antipyretic and analgesic serums/solutions, bleaching agent, fabric softener, stain remover, bleaching agent and adhesive gels, among others.
The delivery system of present invention could also be used to dispense two products simultaneously wherein the two products dispensed are but not limited to cheek blush with vitamins, cheek blush with cheek plumping gel/cream, lip plumping gel/cream with moisturizer, temporary hair colors, hair styling gel with glitter, hair styling gel with colour, hair mousse with hair repair cream, exfoliant with hydrating cream, antiseptic and correction cream, acne treatment cream and concealer, blemish concealer with skin treatment cream, hair repair cream with anti-dandruff cream, hair treatment serum with scalp hydrating oils, teeth whitening gel with mouth wash, teeth whitening and teeth lamination solutions, pain relieving cream with cooling serum, antibiotic cream and analgesic cream, two active antibiotic creams, antipyretic and analgesic serums/solutions, bleaching agent with fabric softener, stain remover with sanitizer and bleaching agent with fragrant solution, among others, while in adhesives the two-part adhesives gel could be dispensed by the delivery system of the present invention.
While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow. Accordingly, the appended claims should be construed to encompass not only those forms and embodiments of the invention specifically described above, but to such other forms and embodiments as may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from its true spirit and scope.