This invention relates to fluid dispensers, and more particularly to a fluid dispenser with a frangible element that prevents the fluid dispenser from being refilled and reused.
Various fluid dispensers are known with pump assemblies that are intended to be replaced regularly, to help prevent contamination. However, such previously known devices suffer the disadvantage that users may choose to reuse the same pump assembly in spite of the manufacturer's instructions to the contrary, and thereby increase the risk of contamination.
To reduce the risk of contamination, it is known to provide pump assemblies in which the fluid reservoir and the fluid pump are configured to be non-removable from each other, thus preventing the fluid reservoir from being refilled.
It is also known to provide pump assemblies with frangible features that are designed to fail when the fluid reservoir and the fluid pump are separated, so as to prevent reuse. For example, European Patent No. EP3081312 to Ophardt, granted Mar. 17, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a fluid pump with a frangible region that is configured to fracture when the pump is pulled axially away from the fluid reservoir, leaving a portion of the pump trapped within the reservoir and rendering the pump non-functional.
The inventors have appreciated a disadvantage of the prior art is that, when all or part of the fluid pump remains connected to or trapped within the fluid reservoir, the fluid reservoir is not easily recyclable. This is because the fluid reservoir and the fluid pump are often made from different materials, which need to be separated prior to recycling.
To at least partially overcome some of the disadvantages of previously known systems, devices and methods, in one aspect the present invention provides a fluid dispenser including a fluid reservoir containing a supply of a fluid, and a fluid pump that is removably attached to the fluid reservoir. The fluid pump is operable on activation to dispense an allotment of the fluid from the fluid reservoir, and has a frangible sealing element and a pump engagement feature. The fluid reservoir has a reservoir engagement feature that is configured to engage with the pump engagement feature on application of a removal force, such that at least some of the removal force is transmitted to the frangible sealing element so as to cause the frangible sealing element to rupture. The fluid pump is configured to be removable from the fluid reservoir once the frangible sealing element has ruptured, without any portion of the fluid pump remaining in contact with the fluid reservoir post-removal. Preferably, when the frangible sealing element is intact, the frangible sealing element forms at least part of a fluid tight seal that is required for operation of the fluid pump, and when the frangible sealing element is ruptured, the fluid pump is unable to form the fluid tight seal, which renders the fluid pump inoperable.
The inventors have appreciated that the fluid dispenser in accordance with the invention not only prevents reuse of the fluid reservoir and fluid pump, thereby reducing the risk of contamination, but also provides for easy recycling by allowing the fluid reservoir and the fluid pump to be completely separated, without any portion of the fluid pump remaining in contact with the fluid reservoir post-removal.
Further aspects of the invention include:
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, comprising: a fluid reservoir containing a supply of a fluid; and a fluid pump that is attached to the fluid reservoir; wherein the fluid pump is operable on activation to dispense an allotment of the fluid from the fluid reservoir; wherein the fluid pump comprises a frangible sealing element that forms at least part of at least one fluid tight seal; wherein the fluid pump further comprises a pump engagement feature, and the fluid reservoir comprises a reservoir engagement feature; wherein the pump engagement feature is configured to engage with the reservoir engagement feature upon application of a removal force; wherein, while the pump engagement feature is engaged with the reservoir engagement feature, the frangible sealing element is configured to rupture from the application of the removal force; wherein the pump engagement feature is configured to disengage from the reservoir engagement feature once the frangible sealing element has ruptured; wherein the fluid pump is configured to be removable from the fluid reservoir once the frangible sealing element has ruptured and the pump engagement feature has disengaged from the reservoir engagement feature, without any portion of the fluid pump remaining in contact with the fluid reservoir post-removal; and wherein, when the frangible sealing element is ruptured, the fluid pump is unable to form the at least one fluid tight seal, which renders the fluid pump inoperable.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the pump engagement feature is supported at least in part by the frangible sealing element; and wherein the frangible sealing element is configured so that, once the frangible sealing element is ruptured, the pump engagement feature has an increased freedom of motion that allows the pump engagement feature to disengage from the reservoir engagement feature.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the frangible sealing element is configured to remain connected to at least one component of the fluid pump after the frangible sealing element is ruptured.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the fluid reservoir has a threaded reservoir surface; wherein the fluid pump has a threaded pump surface; wherein, when the fluid pump is attached to the fluid reservoir, the threaded reservoir surface is threadedly engaged with the threaded pump surface; and wherein the fluid pump is configured to be removable from the fluid reservoir by applying the removal force as torque rotating the fluid pump in a loosening direction relative to the fluid reservoir.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the fluid reservoir has a cylindrical neck portion with an inner neck surface and an outer neck surface; wherein the outer neck surface comprises the threaded reservoir surface; wherein the inner neck surface supports the reservoir engagement feature; wherein the fluid pump has a cylindrical reservoir engagement wall; and wherein the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall supports the pump engagement feature.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the reservoir engagement feature comprises at least one rib that extends radially inwardly from the inner neck surface; and wherein the pump engagement feature comprises at least one tooth that extends radially outwardly from the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the at least one tooth has a locking surface that faces in the loosening direction and a sloped surface that faces in a tightening direction; wherein the sloped surface extends laterally outwardly from the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall at a first slope that is selected so that, when the fluid pump is rotated in the tightening direction relative to the fluid reservoir, the at least one rib is able to slide over the sloped surface and move past the at least one tooth without locking in engagement with the at least one tooth; and wherein the locking surface extends laterally outwardly from the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall at a second slope that is selected so that, when the fluid pump is rotated in the loosening direction relative to the fluid reservoir, the at least one rib is unable to slide over the locking surface and becomes locked in engagement with the at least one tooth until the frangible sealing element is ruptured.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein a portion of the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall is formed by the frangible sealing element; wherein the frangible sealing element comprises a supporting portion and at least one frangible connecting portion; wherein the supporting portion supports the pump engagement feature; and wherein the at least one frangible connecting portion has a reduced wall thickness that is selected so that at least part of the at least one frangible connecting portion will rupture under the removal force.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the supporting portion is configured to be moveable laterally inwardly away from the reservoir engagement feature once the frangible sealing element has ruptured.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall has a sealing portion and a locking portion; wherein the locking portion of the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall is formed by the supporting portion of the frangible sealing element; wherein the pump engagement feature is located on the locking portion; and wherein the reservoir engagement feature is positioned so that, when the fluid pump is connected to the fluid reservoir, the reservoir engagement feature is spaced from the sealing portion.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the at least one frangible connecting portion comprises a leading edge connecting portion that forms part of the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall and is located adjacent to the supporting portion in the loosening direction.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the at least one frangible connecting portion comprises a trailing edge connecting portion that forms part of the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall and is located adjacent to the supporting portion in the tightening direction.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the at least one fluid tight seal comprises a radial seal that is formed between the inner neck surface of the cylindrical neck portion and the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the fluid pump has a transverse annular wall that extends radially inwardly from the threaded pump surface; wherein the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall extends from the transverse annular wall; and wherein part of the transverse annular wall is formed by the frangible sealing element.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein, when the fluid pump is connected to the fluid reservoir, the cylindrical neck portion of the fluid reservoir engages with the transverse annular wall; and wherein the at least one fluid tight seal comprises an axial seal that is formed between the cylindrical neck portion and the transverse annular wall.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the fluid pump further comprises: an air vent that extends through the transverse annular wall; and an air valve that engages with the transverse annular wall to regulate air flow through the air vent; wherein the at least one fluid tight seal comprises a valve seal that is formed between the air valve and the transverse annular wall.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the at least one frangible connecting portion comprises an outer connecting portion that forms part of the transverse annular wall and is located radially outwardly from the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall.
A fluid dispenser, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the at least one frangible connecting portion comprises an inner connecting portion that forms part of the transverse annular wall and is located radially inwardly from the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall.
A method, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, comprising: connecting a fluid pump to a fluid reservoir; using the fluid pump to dispense fluid from the fluid reservoir; applying a removal force to the fluid pump, the removal force causing a pump engagement feature of the fluid pump to engage with a reservoir engagement feature of the fluid reservoir; continuing to apply the removal force until a frangible sealing element of the fluid pump ruptures, allowing the pump engagement feature to disengage from the reservoir engagement feature; and removing the fluid pump from the fluid reservoir once the frangible sealing element has ruptured and the pump engagement feature has disengaged from the reservoir engagement feature, without any portion of the fluid pump remaining in contact with the fluid reservoir post-removal; wherein, once the frangible sealing element has ruptured, the fluid pump is unable to form at least one fluid tight seal, which renders the fluid pump inoperable.
A method, which optionally incorporates one or more features of any one or more of the preceding and/or following aspects, wherein the fluid pump and the fluid reservoir form a fluid dispenser when connected; and wherein the fluid dispenser comprises the fluid dispenser in accordance with any one or more of the preceding aspects.
Further aspects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The fluid dispenser 10 is configured to be received by a housing, not shown, which has an actuation mechanism that can activate the fluid pump 14 so as to dispense fluid from the dispenser 10. Any suitable housing structure could be used, such as the housing disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,959,037 to Ophardt et al, issued Jun. 14, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference.
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The piston chamber forming body 32 defines an air chamber 46 between the inside surface of the air chamber forming wall 42, the bottom surface of the transverse annular wall 38, and the outside surface of the liquid chamber forming wall 44, the air chamber 46 having an air chamber opening 48 at its lower end. The inside surface of the liquid chamber forming wall 44 defines a liquid chamber 50 having an upper liquid chamber opening 52 at its upper end, and a lower liquid chamber opening 54 at its lower end.
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The foam generating chamber 78 carries a foam generating assembly 88, which is designed to turbulently mix liquid received from the liquid chamber 50 and air received from the air chamber 46 to generate a foam. The foam generating assembly 88 may have any suitable structure, including one or more mesh layers and one or more porous sponge plugs, as is known in the art.
The fluid outlet 80 is located below the foam generating chamber 78 for dispensing the foam from the fluid pump 14. The housing engagement body 82 extends outwardly near the fluid outlet 80, and is configured to engage with an actuation mechanism of the fluid dispenser housing, as is known in the art.
The operation of the fluid dispenser 10 will now be described with reference to the Figures. Preferably, the fluid dispenser 10 is sold in a preassembled state, with the fluid reservoir 12 filled with a foamable hand cleaning liquid, such as soap or hand sanitizer, and with the fluid pump 14 connected to the neck portion 18 of the fluid reservoir 12.
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Once the threaded connection is fully tightened, a number of fluid tight seals are formed between the fluid pump 14 and the fluid reservoir 12. For example, a first seal 90 is formed between the inner surface 22 of the neck portion 18 and the outer surface of the inner reservoir engagement wall 40. As can be seen in
A second seal 92 is furthermore formed between the terminal end of the neck portion 18 and the transverse annular wall 38. As can be seen in
A third seal 94 is also formed between the air valve 56 and the transverse annular wall 38. The third seal 94 prevents the liquid from leaking out of the air vent 58, and also prevents the liquid from leaking into the air chamber 46. As can be seen in
To operate the fluid dispenser 10, the fluid dispenser 10 is placed within a fluid dispenser housing, not shown, so that an actuation mechanism of the housing is in engagement with the housing engagement body 82 of the fluid pump 14. On activation of the actuation mechanism, the piston element 30 is moved relative to the piston chamber forming body 32 between the retracted position shown in
When the piston element 30 is in the extended position shown in
As the liquid and the air move through the foam generating assembly 88, the liquid and air are turbulently mixed, so as to form a foam. The foam is then discharged from the fluid pump 14 out the fluid outlet 80.
When the piston element 30 moves from the retracted position shown in
At the same time, the volume of the air chamber 46 increases. This lowers the pressure within the air chamber 46, and causes air to be drawn into the air chamber 46 via the fluid outlet 80, the foam generating chamber 78, and the open air passage 86. Once the piston element 30 reaches the extended position shown in
To reduce the risk of contamination, the fluid dispenser 10 is designed to be replaced with a new fluid dispenser 10 once the fluid reservoir 12 is empty. In order to more easily recycle the fluid dispenser 10, the fluid pump 14 can be removed from the fluid reservoir 12.
To remove the fluid pump 14, the fluid pump 14 is rotated in the loosening direction relative to the fluid reservoir 12. This is done by applying a removal force to the fluid pump 14, for example by holding the fluid reservoir 12 with one hand and applying torque to the fluid pump 14 using the other hand. The rotation of the fluid pump 14 in the loosening direction causes the locking surfaces 70 of the teeth 68 to engage with the ribs 28 on the fluid reservoir 12. Because of the steep slope of the locking surfaces 70, the teeth 68 are unable to slide past the ribs 28 and become stuck.
While the teeth 68 are stuck against the ribs 28, at least some of the removal force is transmitted from the teeth 68 to the surrounding material of the fluid pump 14. The thin, frangible connecting portions 64 are configured to rupture when a sufficient removal force is applied, as can be seen in
The frangible sealing element 60 is preferably configured so as not to become completely separated from the rest of the fluid pump 14 during the removal process. In particular, the sizes and shapes of the central tab 62, the teeth 68, and the ribs 28 are preferably selected so that only a moderate increase in the flexibility of the frangible scaling element 60 is required to allow the teeth 68 to move past the ribs 28 in the loosening direction. This moderate increase in the flexibility of the frangible sealing element 60 can be provided by rupturing only a part of the frangible connecting portions 64, typically the leading edge in the loosening direction. Once the frangible sealing element 60 is sufficiently flexible to slide past the ribs 28, the remaining parts of the frangible connecting portions 64 remain intact. This reduces the number of separate parts that need to be recycled, and helps to ensure that the frangible sealing element 60 is recycled together with the rest of the fluid pump 14. In
Advantageously, the fluid pump 14 can thus be separated from the fluid reservoir 12 without any portion of the fluid pump 14 remaining attached to or in contact with the fluid reservoir 12. This allows the fluid pump 14 and the fluid reservoir 12 to be recycled separately, as may be required and/or preferred if the fluid pump 14 and the fluid reservoir 12 are made from different materials. The fluid pump 14 may, for example, have a mixed polyolefin construction, and the fluid reservoir 12 may be made from PET.
The ruptured frangible sealing element 60 also prevents the fluid dispenser 10 from being reused, and thus helps to prevent contamination. In particular, if the fluid reservoir 12 were to be refilled and reattached to the fluid pump 14, the ruptured frangible sealing element 60 would cause the fluid dispenser 10 to be inoperable.
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It will be understood that, although various features of the invention have been described with respect to one or another of the embodiments of the invention, the various features and embodiments of the invention may be combined or used in conjunction with other features and embodiments of the invention as described and illustrated herein.
The invention is not limited to the particular structures of the preferred embodiments that have been shown in the drawings. For example, the principles of the invention could be incorporated into any suitable fluid dispenser 10 structure, including one or more of the structures disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,984,825 to Ophardt et al., issued Jul. 26, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 8,684,236 to Ophardt, issued Apr. 1, 2014; U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,970 to Ophardt, issued Dec. 20, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,482 to Ophardt et al., issued Nov. 17, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 8,113,388 to Ophardt et al., issued Feb. 14, 2012; U.S. Pat. No. 9,682,390 to Ophardt et al., issued Jun. 20, 2017; U.S. Pat. No. 10,242,301 to Ophardt et al., issued Mar. 26, 2019; U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,099 to Ophardt, issued Dec. 4, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 8,272,539 to Ophardt et al., issued Sep. 25, 2012; U.S. Pat. No. 8,733,596 to Ophardt et al., issued May 27, 2014; U.S. Pat. No. 9,573,152 to Ophardt et al., issued Feb. 21, 2017; and U.S. Pat. No. 10,105,018 to Jones et al., issued Oct. 23, 2018, which are incorporated herein by reference. The fluid dispenser 10 need not be designed to dispense foam, and could instead be used to dispense any desired fluid such as liquid soap or liquid hand sanitizer.
The invention is not limited to the particular structure of the frangible sealing element 60 as shown in the drawings. Rather, any suitable frangible sealing element 60 structure could be used that is configured to rupture when the fluid pump 14 is removed from the fluid reservoir 12, without any portion of the frangible sealing element 60 remaining in contact with the fluid reservoir 12 post-removal. The frangible sealing element 60 could also form or contribute to a different seal or seals from the ones shown in the drawings. Optionally, the frangible sealing element 60 could form part of the fluid reservoir 12 instead of the fluid pump 14. Rupturing the frangible sealing element 60 may cause the fluid pump 14 to become inoperable by allowing the liquid to leak out of the dispenser 10; by allowing the liquid to drain out of a chamber where the liquid is required for operation of the dispenser; by allowing the liquid to flow into a chamber that must remain liquid-free for normal operation; by preventing the dispenser 10 from producing pressure changes required for normal operation; and/or by making any other change or changes that cause the dispenser 10 to lose some or all of its functionality.
In the preferred embodiment, the removal force is described as a twisting motion or torque. In other embodiments of the invention, other directions of force could be used as the removal force, such as a linear force pulling the fluid pump 14 away from the reservoir 12.
The pump engagement feature 66 and the reservoir engagement feature 26 need not have the particular structures shown in the preferred embodiments. There could also be a greater number or a smaller number of teeth 68 and/or ribs 28. For example, a plurality of ribs 28 could be arranged about the entire circumference of the neck portion 18. Preferably, there is at least one portion of the inner surface 22 that is free of ribs 28, where the teeth 68 are positioned when the threaded connection is fully tightened. Optionally, the ribs 28 could have a sloped surface 72 facing in the tightening direction and a locking surface 70 facing in the loosening direction, similarly to the teeth 68.
The pump engagement feature 66 and the reservoir engagement feature 26 could have any suitable structure that prevents removal of the fluid pump 14 unless the frangible sealing element 60 is ruptured.
The fluid dispenser 10 can be used to dispense hand cleaning fluids, such as soap or hand sanitizer. The fluid dispenser 10 could also be used to dispense any other desired fluid, such as shampoo, body wash, or moisturizer. The term “fluid” as used herein is intended to refer broadly to any flowable substance, including liquids, gels, foams, emulsions, and dispersions.
The threaded inner surface 36 is also referred to herein as the threaded pump surface 36; the threaded outer surface 20 is also referred to herein as the threaded reservoir surface 20 or the outer neck surface 20; the neck portion 18 is also referred to herein as the cylindrical neck portion 18; the inner surface 22 is also referred to herein as the inner neck surface 22; the inner reservoir engagement wall 40 is also referred to herein as the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall 40; the slope of the sloped surface 72 is also referred to herein as the first slope; the slope of the locking surface 70 is also referred to herein as the second slope; the central tab 62 is also referred to herein as the supporting portion 62; the frangible connecting portion 64 that forms part of the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall 40 and is located adjacent to the supporting portion 62 in the loosening direction is also referred to herein as the leading edge connecting portion; the frangible connecting portion 64 that forms part of the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall 40 and is located adjacent to the supporting portion 62 in the tightening direction is also referred to herein as the trailing edge connecting portion; the first seal 90 is also referred to herein as the radial seal 90; the second seal 92 is also referred to herein as the axial seal 92; the third seal 94 is also referred to herein as the valve seal 94; the frangible connecting portion 64 that forms part of the transverse annular wall 38 and is located radially outwardly from the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall 40 is also referred to herein as the outer connecting portion; and the frangible connecting portion 64 that forms part of the transverse annular wall 38 and is located radially inwardly from the cylindrical reservoir engagement wall 40 is also referred to herein as the inner connecting portion.
Although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to these particular embodiments. Rather, the invention includes all embodiments which are functional or mechanical equivalents of the specific embodiments and features that have been described and illustrated herein.
This application claims priority to the 21 Jul. 2023 filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/514,947, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63514947 | Jul 2023 | US |