1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing metered amounts of liquid or paste-like products. The dispenser comprises a cylindrical reservoir open at the bottom. The open bottom end is closed by an axially movable plunger. The dispenser further comprises a dispensing head arranged on the reservoir. The dispensing head comprises a bell-shaped dispensing pump with elastic sidewalls. The dispensing pump forms a closed pump chamber together with an intake valve and an outlet valve arranged in the pump neck.
2. Description of the Related Art
For dispensing metered amounts of liquid or paste-like (pasty) products, different devices are known for pressing the product out of the reservoir and through an application opening. These devices differ significantly with respect to their configuration as well as their function.
A dispenser of the aforementioned kind is known from European patent 0 048 420 B1. The dispenser is comprised of a hollow reservoir of a cylindrical shape with an open end at the bottom end which is closed by an axially movable tracking plunger. The upper end of the reservoir has a cover with an intake valve. A dispensing head is arranged on this cylindrical reservoir and comprises a dispensing pump arranged in the dispensing head whose pump chamber is limited at the intake side and at the exit side by a check valve. A mouthpiece with an application opening is arranged downstream of the dispensing pump.
For a metered dispensing of the product to be dispensed, a downwardly acting pressure is applied onto the dispensing pump causing the dispensing pump to be compressed, the outlet valve to be opened, and the intake valve to be closed so that the product contained within the pump chamber is forced out via the application opening of the mouthpiece.
Upon releasing and subsequent relaxation and expansion of the dispensing pump, the outlet valve is closed and the intake valve opened. The under pressure or vacuum which is generated in the pump chamber when the dispensing pump expands now causes new product to be taken in from the reservoir through the intake valve of the cover wherein at the same time the plunger or the closure is moved farther in the direction toward the cover. This process can be repeated until the reservoir is empty and the tracking plunger contacts the cover.
A common feature of such dispensers is that after emptying they generally cannot be refilled but must be disposed of. Therefore, a general and important requirement in this connection is that the product “disposable dispenser” can be manufactured as inexpensively and simply as possible. This holds true, in particular, for the complex construction parts contained within the dispenser, for example, the check valves whose valve flaps are mechanically loaded and must work properly during the entire service life of the dispenser. The check valves are often positioned at locations of the dispenser that are not easily accessible so that the attachment of the valve flaps, usually by riveting, is often difficult and expensive.
It is an object of the present invention to configure the dispenser of the aforementioned kind with a headpiece whose dispensing pump is provided with an outlet valve having a valve flap that can be mounted easily and has a configuration that is as simple as possible.
In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that the outlet valve is manufactured as a unitary part of the pump neck, such that with a simple working step the entire upper through opening of the pump neck can be closed by a valve flap.
The dispensing pump of the dispensing head is formed as a unitary element having a bell-shape and is inserted through the bottom into the dispensing head and in the mounted state (the dispensing head is pushed onto the reservoir) forms together with the cover of the reservoir a pump chamber. The dispensing head narrows or tapers at its upper end to a neck with a circular cross-section. This hollow inner neck of the dispensing pump represents the outlet opening of the pump chamber and is used as an outlet valve by arranging a valve flap at its upper end.
According to the invention, this arrangement of the valve flap is such that the valve flap is a unitary part and covers the entire upper through opening of the pump neck so that it can function as an outlet valve.
In accordance with an advantageous configuration of the invention, the valve flap of this outlet valve is a rubber disk having a central bore which is placed onto a projecting axial pin of the pump neck. The pin, according to the invention, is a part of the dispensing pump or of the pump neck and is formed as a unitary part thereof wherein it is connected by stays to the pump neck. For the attachment of the rubber disk on the pin, the pin is provided with a peripheral groove at the level of the upper edge of the pump neck. The rubber disk engages this groove lockingly when placed onto the pin.
The final assembly step only requires to place the rubber disk with its central opening onto this pin of the dispensing pump in order to convert the outlet opening of the pump neck into an outlet valve.
When dispensing is carried out, wherein the outlet valve is open for dispensing the product, the rubber disk is curved with its outer periphery upwardly in the direction toward the mouth piece while the center of the rubber disk is secured in the peripheral groove of the pin in its original position. When returning the outlet valve into its rest position by means of the under pressure or vacuum generated in the pump chamber, the outer edge returns into its initial position and the rubber disk again rests sealingly on the pump neck.
In order to simplify the manufacture of the outlet valve even more, according to another advantageous configuration of the invention it is alternatively suggested to employ a portion of the pump neck as a valve flap.
For this purpose, the pump neck is manufactured as a unitary part with a cap which closes off the neck in the upward direction. By a separating process this cap is separated from the pump neck only partially so that the remaining unseparated portion of the cap forms a bracket and the cap remains connected to the pump neck. Since the bracket is manufactured of the same elastic material as the entire dispensing pump, the bracket operates as a hinge for the valve flap, which is formed by the initial cap of the pump neck.
The manufacture of this valve flap is thus reduced to a simple partial separating process performed on the dispensing pump which has been manufactured as a unitary part, for example, by injection molding.
In the drawing:
The dispenser 1 is comprised of a reservoir (storage container) 3 with a lower open end 31 for filling the product to be dispensed into the reservoir. After completion of filling, this open end 31 is closed by a tracking plunger 32. The upper end of the reservoir 3 is delimited by a cover 30 with intake valve 7.
The dispensing head 2 is pushed onto the reservoir 3. It is comprised of a dispensing pump 10 with a bell-shaped or dome-shaped configuration having an outlet valve 8 and a dispensing channel 6 downstream of the outlet valve 8. A mouth piece 4 with application opening and a cover flap 5 are provided. The dispensing head 2 is pushed onto the storage container or reservoir 3 such that the dispensing pump 10 open at the bottom sits tightly on the cover of the dispensing container or reservoir 3 and is locked therewith so that a pump chamber 18 is formed between the dispensing pump 10 and the cover 30. The cap 9 is pushed onto the dispensing head 2 for protecting it.
The outlet valve 8 of the bell-shaped dispensing pump 10 is arranged at its open neck-shaped end where a valve flap 20 rests sealingly. According to the invention, this valve flap 20 is formed, for example, by a rubber disk with a central hole or opening 26 which is pushed onto a central pin 11 of the pump neck 12.
In
When applying external pressure in the downward direction of arrow 24 onto the dispensing pump 10, causing the elastic walls 13 of the dispensing pump 10 to yield and the pump neck 12 to be moved in the same direction downwardly, the contents of the pump chamber 18 is pushed upwardly in the direction of arrow 17 so that the outer periphery of the rubber disk 20 curves upwardly and thus partially releases the through opening 15. The position of the central area of the rubber disk 20 remains unchanged because it is secured in the groove 14 of the pin 11.
In
In
Moreover, in this enlarged illustration of the dispensing head 1 according to the invention, the rivet-shaped connection of the valve flap 33 of the intake valve 7 with the cover 30 of the reservoir 3 can be seen more clearly than in
Because of the few and simple parts according to the inventive configuration, the dispenser of
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202 01 742 U | Feb 2002 | DE | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20030168475 A1 | Sep 2003 | US |