The present invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing a liquid. In particular, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing a dangerous liquid such as a poisonous or toxic liquid.
Dispensers for dangerous liquids generally include a safety feature associated with the lid or cap of the dispenser which inhibits removal of the lid or cap by requiring a sequence of movements or simultaneous movements to be performed on the lid or cap in order to remove it. Typically the movements are difficult to perform, for example because two movements in transverse or naturally opposing or counterintuitive directions are required simultaneously. Such safety features are generally referred to as “childproof” or “child resistant” since they were developed in order to inhibit a child's access to dangerous contents within a bottle such as medicines whether in solid or liquid form. However, children may learn to remove such “child resistant” lids or caps and users having weak hand strength such as the aged or infirm may be unable to remove “child resistant” lids or caps. Perversely, this leads to some users leaving the lids or caps off the bottles or at least in an intermediate configuration which is not childproof and easy to remove thereby making the content accessible to children or other persons who may be not aware of the dangerous nature of the contents of the bottle.
A study from the US Centre For Disease Control and Prevention dated 3 Apr. 2014 reported that more than half (51.1%) of calls to poison centres due to E-cigarettes involved young children under the age of 5, and about 42% of the poison calls involved people aged 20 and older.
Aspects and embodiments in accordance with the present invention were devised with the foregoing in mind.
Viewed from a first aspect there is provided a dispenser for dispensing a liquid, comprising:
In such an embodiment, the closure is configured to engage with the housing for removably retaining the closure in a closed outlet position. Suitably, the closure and the housing comprise mutually cooperative engagement formations configured for removably retaining the closure in a closed outlet position.
Such a dispenser requires at least two separate activities in order to gain access to the contents of the dispenser. Furthermore, once the first activity, i.e. removal of the closure has been completed, access to the contents of the dispenser is still inhibited. Dispensing the contents requires a specific action deliberately to dispense the contents. Thus, inadvertent dispensing of contents may be reduced or avoided.
Suitably, the housing comprises an aperture configured to permit the closure to engage with the reservoir. In a particular arrangement, the closure comprises an engagement member configured to engage with the reservoir for urging the arrangement into the second configuration. Typically, the engagement member is disposed in the interior of the closure.
In at least one embodiment the arrangement forms a valve assembly for controlling liquid communication between the reservoir and the outlet and operative to permit liquid communication between the reservoir and the outlet responsive to relative movement of the outlet with respect to the reservoir. A valve is a suitable arrangement for controlling the flow of a liquid.
The arrangement may comprise a conduit including a first aperture in a wall of the conduit, the reservoir including a second aperture complementary to the first aperture, and wherein in the first configuration the conduit is disposed such that the wall occludes the second aperture and in the second configuration the first aperture opposes the second aperture to permit liquid communication therebetween. Suitably the reservoir and conduit are slideably movable with respect to each other between the first and second configuration.
Synergistically, the reservoir includes a guide for guiding movement of the conduit between the first and second configuration and the guide may provide the wall in which the second aperture is provided.
Typically, the guide is tubular and may extend into the reservoir. Suitably, the guide extends along a side of the reservoir.
In at least one embodiment an end of the conduit comprises the outlet.
The arrangement may be constrained to be movable between the first and second configuration only while the closure is in the open position which reduces the likelihood of accidental dispensing or spillage of contents. Such accidents may be further reduced by the closure being configured to engage with the reservoir for removably retaining the closure in a closed outlet position.
In at least one embodiment, the outlet is mounted on a plug member insertable to an open end of the reservoir, the plug member comprising the arrangement and movable with respect to the reservoir from the first configuration to the second configuration.
Suitably, the closure and the reservoir comprise mutually cooperative engagement formations configured for removably retaining the closure in a closed outlet position.
The closure may further comprises an occlusion member in its interior configured to occlude the outlet while the closure is in the closed position. In this way, further accidental spillage leakage of the content of the dispenser may be avoided or the likelihood reduced.
Synergistically, the engagement member is configured to occlude the outlet when the closure is in the closed position.
In one or more embodiments the reservoir is configured to permit pressure to be exerted on a liquid in the reservoir to dispense liquid from the outlet. In certain embodiments the housing is deformable to permit pressure to be exerted on a liquid in the reservoir.
One or more embodiments may comprise a bias mechanism configured to bias the reservoir away from the second configuration. Such an arrangement maintains the reservoir out of liquid communication with the outlet unless a positive pressure is applied to bring them into liquid communication thereby reducing the likelihood of leakage and accidental dispensing of contents. Suitably, the bias mechanism is fixed at one end to the closure.
In one or more embodiments the housing comprises an end cap supporting the outlet and the arrangement. Typically, the end cap is removably attached to the housing.
In one or more embodiments, the mutually cooperative engagement formations comprise a détente arrangement movable between an engaged and disengaged position, wherein in the engaged position the closure is retained in the closed outlet position and in the disengaged position the closure is movable to the open outlet position. Suitably, the mutually cooperative engagement formations are arranged to provide a “child resistant” release mechanism. For example, the mutually cooperative engagement formations are arranged to provide a squeeze and pull release mechanism.
One or more embodiments in accordance with the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring now to
As can be seen in
Referring now to
Valve member 4 is slidable between its open and closed configurations in close cooperation with the interior sides 14 of reservoir 2 that extend beyond the storage cavity of reservoir 2. In the described embodiment slidable close cooperation is achieved by protruding tongue members 9 disposed at the sides of valve member 4 which slide within cooperatively disposed grooves 11 located on the interior sides 14 of reservoir 2 extending beyond the storage cavity 12. Optionally, the tongue members 9 do not run in corresponding grooves but engage with the interior sides 14 of the protruding part of the reservoir sidewalls. For example, the tongue members 9 may be inclined so as to form a wedge thereby firmly engaging the valve member 4 with the reservoir 2 but allowing the valve member 4 to be drawn away from the reservoir 2 cavity into the valve member 4 open configuration.
Lid 3 is made of a deformable material such as a medium density plastics material such as polypropylene and the like, and also includes a cavity 17 which is shaped to accommodate protrusion 18. When the lid 3 is pushed onto valve member 4 the wall of the lid encountering protrusion 18 deforms sufficiently for the lid to pass over protrusion 18 until protrusion 18 engages with cavity 17 to releasably couple the lead to the valve member 4. The lid may be removed by simply squeezing the side walls 20 thereby causing the sidewalls 21 in the vicinity of cavity 17 to move outwards away from valve member 4. Movement of sidewalls 21 away from valve member 4 release protrusion 18 from cavity 17 thereby permitting lid 3 to be removed.
Turning now to
In the valve member 4 open position aperture 10 in conduit member 7 is positioned opposite guide wall aperture 28 to provide a liquid communication path between the storage cavity 12 of reservoir 2 and the interior of conduit member 7. Thus, liquid stored in reservoir 2 may flow through apertures 28 and 10 into the interior of conduit member 7 and subsequently to outlet 5. In the described embodiment the walls of reservoir 2 are made of a deformable material such as a deformable plastics material and therefore may be squeezed to apply pressure to liquid stored in cavity 12 thereby forcing the liquid through apertures 28 and 10 onward through the interior of conduit member 7 to outlet 5 for dispensing of the liquid.
Such an arrangement comprises two safety features. The second safety feature is only accessible once the first or primary safety feature has been removed. A simple single direction operation, i.e. pulling the valve member 4 away from the reservoir into the open position creates a liquid path between the reservoir cavity 12 and the outlet 5 so that liquid stored in the reservoir cavity 12 may be dispensed.
Referring now to
Referring now to
An exploded view of the dispenser in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention is schematically illustrated in
In the described embodiment, housing 52 and reservoir 68 have transparent sections 67 and 69 respectively in order for a user to see the amount of liquid in the reservoir 68. Additionally, reservoir 68 includes a moulded spring 70 which in the described embodiment is attached to a neck 71 of reservoir 68. Valve member 58, sometimes referred to as a “bottle nib” includes an engagement member 62. Valve member 58 also includes a conduit member 74 which includes an aperture 76. Moulded spring 70 is configured such that conduit 74 may be inserted through the helix forming the spring 70 so that the spring 70 may abut the top of the interior of valve 58 or some other feature against which the moulded spring 70 may abut. As illustrated in
The cross-section of dispenser 50 with lid 54 removed is illustrated in
The interior cavity 71 of reservoir 68 is where liquid is stored. Valve member 58 includes a conduit 74 which is in liquid communication with outlet 60. Conduit 74 extends through moulded spring 70, which is mounted to the edge of neck 72 and continues through neck 72 of reservoir 68 into the storage cavity 71. The end of conduit 74 extending into the storage cavity 71 is closed at an end wall and includes an aperture, 76, in a side wall towards the closed end. In the valve closed configuration as illustrated in
Just below neck 72 of reservoir 68 is disposed a seal arrangement 78, 80 and 81. The seal arrangement is such that in the valve closed position liquid communication between the storage cavity 71 and aperture 76 is inhibited. As can be seen from reference 80 of the seal arrangement a small section, 81, protrudes under the closed end of conduit 74. Seal arrangement 78, 80 and 81 forms a concentric ring comprised of region 81 protruding under the closed end of conduit 74 when the valve is closed and widening out in a circular cone-like configuration towards the interior of storage cavity 71. The seal arrangement, at least in region 81, comprises a resiliently deformable material such as rubber or silicone. The resiliently deformable region 81 is configured so that it is biased towards the closed end of conduit 74 but may be urged back towards the cavity when conduit 74 is inserted into the cavity such as when the valve is opened.
Referring now to
Conduit 74 is urged into storage cavity 71 by movement of reservoir 68 towards valve member 58 against the bias of moulded spring 70. Movement of reservoir 68 from the valve closed position to the valve open position is achieved by the action of abutment member 82. Abutment member 82 extends from the interior top of lid 54 into the interior cavity of lid 54. When lid 54 is placed over the non-outlet end of housing 52 abutment member 82 passes through aperture 53 in the end of housing 52 to abut an exterior end wall of reservoir 68. As lid 54 is urged over the end of housing 52 reservoir 68 is moved against the bias of helical spring 70 such that conduit 74 deforms the seal arrangement in region 81 and enters storage cavity 70. Removal of lid 54 from the end of housing 52 results in reservoir 68 being urged back and away from valve member 58 and with the bias of moulded spring 70 such that conduit 74 moves out of the storage cavity 71. The deformable region 81 of the seal arrangement relaxes back to protrude under the closed end of conduit 74 thereby inhibiting liquid communication between storage cavity 71 and aperture 76 to close the valve member 58.
In a particular embodiment abutment member 82 may be cylindrical and configured to accommodate outlet 60 in its interior thereby to provide further protection against contents of the dispenser.
As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or the phrase “in an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).
In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the invention. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the invention. This description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.
In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For example, the embodiment of a dispenser in accordance with the present invention has been described with reference to a moulded helical spring. However, the spring need not be moulded but may be a conventional helical spring made of wire. Optionally, or additionally, the spring may be a leaf spring or some other resilient member configured to bias the reservoir 68 away from valve member 58. Although polypropylene has been provided as an example of material for which the dispenser may be made, other plastics materials or other suitable material such as a resin may also be utilised.
The scope of the present disclosure includes any novel feature or combination of features disclosed therein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation thereof irrespective of whether or not it relates to the claimed invention or mitigate against any or all of the problems addressed by the present invention. The applicant hereby gives notice that new claims may be formulated to such features during prosecution of this application or of any such further application derived therefrom. In particular, with reference to the appended claims, features from dependent claims may be combined with those of the independent claims and features from respective independent claims may be combined in any appropriate manner and not merely in specific combinations enumerated in the claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1422317.6 | Dec 2014 | GB | national |
1521722.7 | Dec 2015 | GB | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160167826 A1 | Jun 2016 | US |