Patent Application
20220106103
This application claims priority to Italian Patent Application for Invention No. 102020000023515 filed on Oct. 6, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a device for dispensing a fluid substance.
In particular, it refers to a device for dispensing a fluid substance contained under pressure within an aerosol-type can, or which is pressurised upon dispensing by means of a manual pump coupled with the substance container.
There are different types of fluid substance dispensing devices on the market, for fluids including deodorants, perfumes, rooms fresheners, insecticides, etc.
Upon dispensing at least, the fluid substance is sent, under pressure, to a nozzle that nebulises it in order to create a very fine, homogeneous spray.
It should be noted that before being sent to the nozzle, the fluid substance may be pressurised using a hand-operated pump. In this case, it is the said force applied by the user pushing a dispenser button and activating the pump which sends the substance under pressure through a hollow stem to the nozzle.
Systems of the type commonly known as aerosols are also known. In this case, the substance is already pressurised inside a container and the user's action simply opens a valve which then allows the substance to reach the nozzle (again through a hollow stem).
The nozzles of the commonly known kind are rather complex as they have to generate a considerable turbulence in the substance to be dispensed in order to create homogeneous vaporisation.
They generally include a pad that is pressure-fitted in a special seat made in the dispenser button, right next to a substance delivery channel outlet.
The system works well.
Nevertheless, the production (generally involving moulding) and the fastening of the pad to the dispenser button is expensive and significantly impacts the cost of the finished device.
The object of the present invention is to provide a fluid substance dispensing device which is improved compared with the prior art.
A further object of the invention is to provide a fluid substance dispensing device which is cheaper than those currently available on the market.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a device for dispensing a fluid substance which minimises the operations required to assemble the various pieces in order to obtain the device in its final configuration.
This and other objects are achieved by means of a fluid substance dispensing device produced according to the technical teachings of the appended claims.
Further features and advantages of the innovation will become clearer in the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the device, illustrated—by way of a non-limiting example—in the drawings annexed hereto, in which:
With reference to the figures stated, reference number 1 is used to denote, as a whole, a fluid substance dispensing device.
Reference should initially be made to
The device 1 for dispensing a fluid substance 5, comprises a container 2 in which the fluid substance 5 is housed. The fluid substance can be housed directly inside the container 2, or it may be contained in a deformable bag.
The container 2 may be coupled to a valve 3, as shown in
If there is a valve 3 present, the container 2 is pressurised, whether the fluid substance is contained directly inside the container or whether it is housed within a deformable bag; in the second case, the pressurisation occurs outside the bag.
If there is a pump 3A present, the vessel may not be pressurised.
Essentially, the pump or valve is equipped with a hollow stem 4 which is movable between at least a first position, in which the fluid substance 5 is dispensed through a cavity 4A thereof, and a second position, in which the dispensing of the fluid substance through the cavity thereof is prevented.
At the top (or free end) of the hollow stem 4, there is a dispensing button 7 coupled, essentially in a sealed manner, so that the application of pressure to the said button 7 moves the hollow stem 4 between the said second and the said first position.
In the configuration in
In the configuration in
In the present wording, the term “essentially sealed”, when referring to the coupling between the base and the stem, means that the coupling must prevent or minimise leakage of the fluid substance at the said coupling, at least during dispensing of the fluid substance.
Going back to
The channel 8 is also endowed with a surface 10 facing the stem cavity 4A.
According to the present invention, the surface 10 is conical or pyramidal, being tapered towards the stem cavity.
The surface 10 may be integrally formed with the button 7 (i.e. formed in a single piece). The button 7 may be formed in a single piece, preferably of injection moulded plastic.
The conical surface may be a solid of rotation obtained by rotating a right-angled triangle around one of its cathetuses. The axis of the cone may be the cathetus around which the solid is constructed; the base of the cone is also the circle obtained by the rotation of the other cathetus. Finally, the vertex of the cone is the point of the axis opposite the intersection with its base.
A cone may be considered to be a pyramid with a circular base, therefore having an infinite number of oblique faces.
A pyramid (or pyramidal surface) is defined as a polyhedron consisting of a polygonal face, known as the base, and a vertex which does not lie on the same plane as the base and which is sometimes known as the apex of the pyramid. Its edges are the sides of the base polygon and the line segments bounded by the apex and each of the vertices of the base. The faces of the pyramid include the base thereof and the triangular faces (known as the lateral faces) which have the apex of the pyramid as their apex.
In the present invention, the pyramidal surface may, therefore, consist of a polygonal base and from four to very many (an infinite number) sides, thus “degenerating” into a conical surface, as defined above.
The delivery channel can comprise a first portion 80 (with a radius which is essentially comparable to the external radius of the stem) which extends axially to the stem, and a second portion 81, which extends radially to the stem 4.
Said surface 10 may be located in said first portion 80. Specifically said surface may be located at a closed end of said first portion. The said surface 10 may face the stem 4.
The second portion 81 may be simply a through hole, whose diameter is smaller than that of the first portion 80.
The second portion 81 may extend radially with respect to the axis A of the stem 4.
A longitudinal axis B of the second portion 81 may be inclined either by an angle α with respect to the axis A of the stem 4 or with angle α between a range of 60° and 135° inclusive, preferably 98°.
The second portion 81 may be endowed with a second opening 8B in the first portion 8A, near or at a base of the said conical or pyramidal surface 10.
As already mentioned, the surface 10 may have a truncated cone or truncated pyramid conformation, being therefore endowed with an essentially flat surface facing the cavity 4A, as shown here.
The surface 10 may also have an actual vertex or apex facing the said cavity. In this case, it can be considered to be a cone or a pyramid.
An axis of the cone or pyramid (but also of the truncated cone or the truncated pyramid) may coincide with an axis A of the stem.
To improve dispersion of the fluid substance, the surface 10 may be endowed with a surface groove S which extends between the part near the stem and the base, optionally between the part near the stem and the said second opening 8B.
The groove can advantageously open (or end) directly at the second opening 8B, as shown in
In this way, the groove can efficiently convey the fluid substance towards the second portion 81 of the dispensing channel.
It has been found that with a surface groove S configured as a spiral whose radius increases towards the base, excellent results are obtained in terms of dispersion of the fluid substance and turbulence during dispersion.
It has also been found that the present invention provides comparable or superior results (in terms of aerosol homogeneity) to those obtained using dispensers equipped with a pad.
In the embodiments described, it has been found that an opening angle β of the conical or pyramidal surface of between 60° and 80° gives good results, and even better results if the angle is between 65° and 75°, more preferably 70°.
It has also been found that the ratio between the depth P and the width L of the groove may be between 0.6 and 6.66.
The groove width L can be between 0.15 mm. and 0.5 mm, while its depth P may be between 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm.
The spiral groove S (which is obviously three-dimensional) may also comprise a number of turns comprised between 0.5 and 3, preferably 1.5 turns (as shown in
Various embodiments of the innovation have been disclosed herein, but further embodiments may also be conceived using the same innovative concept.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102020000023515 | Oct 2020 | IT | national |
