Media dispenser

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a dispenser for media. These are particularly liquid, but may also be or contain a paste, a powder, a gas or the like. Thus the media are flowable or trickling or non-flowable. The dispenser is held and actuated single-handedly. All or almost all components, particularly the exposed components, are injection-molded or made from plastics.

The dispenser may resuck medium from a reservoir during a working or stroke cycle or may contain, in a separate reservoir chamber, serval premeasured doses of the medium to be discharged in sequence. Preferably the dispenser is made for a single unidirectional stroke or medium discharge and then emptied. To prevent aging, chemical change or contamination of the medium the reservoir chamber is closed, not only tightly against the presence of germicides but also the medium is maintained in contact with only materials which avoid either chemical reactions with the medium or a physical change by contact with the medium. This is difficult to achieve with usual thermoplastic or other plastics materials such as polythene or with elastomers such as rubber, chlorinated or bromobutyl rubber.

The dispenser may be accidentally actuated by external forces when prevented from actuation merely by friction, e.g. by a catch. This applies irrespective of whether the reservoir chamber is closed or not by a stopper or the like such as pump piston which is primarily separate from a piston rod and then connected thereto. Even positive prevention of actuation may be accidentally released e.g. by mutual rotary motion of the two dispenser units.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a dispenser avoiding the disadvantages of prior art designs or of the kind as described above. A further object is to ensure reliable enclosure of the medium during its shelflife by closing off the reservoir chamber or by preventing accidental actuation. Another object is to alert a user concerning any prior use or operation of the dispenser. Still a further object is to achieve simple design and ease of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention locking means are provided which either maintain the reservoir chamber sealingly closed or prevent any relative motion thereof in a discharge mode. A movement for releasing the lock is expediently provided. In the vicinity of the locking or sealing face releasing lock motion is linear or parallel to the plane of the reservoir outlet. It may also be an arc or pivot motion. The securing or locking member can remain connected to the dispenser in its released position or can be totally removable to thus clearly signal prior use of the dispenser.

The locking member is also suitable to fixedly lock the medium reservoir to one of the dispenser units. Thus these components form a preassembled module which is then assembled to the other dispenser unit by an axial or linear motion. The locking member may be released solely by being pulled, but also by being pushed. Pushing may release a catch securing the locking member against release motions or may render a handle accessible which is initially not accessible. Thereafter, the locking member may be fully released by gripping the handle.

The reservoir may be firmly seated or movable on the corresponding unit and may be moved relative to this unit during insertion and release of the locking member or during discharge actuation.

The locking member is tensioned directly relative to the reservoir by two opposing or remote strain faces. One of these strain faces may engage the reservoir only indirectly, namely via a spacer. The strain faces then act on separate bodies which are mutually movable both in the release direction and in the tensioning direction oriented transverse thereto for straining the one relative to the other. If the strain faces are fixedly interconnected with respect to the release or tensioning direction, the spacer may be omitted and their support may be provided directly by the housing of the associated dispenser unit and by the reservoir.

The locking member is located between the reservoir outlet and the pump piston or piston rod. The piston may also be provided within the reservoir chamber as an additional closure plug which seals by radial pressure and thus not like the locking member by axial pressure. Particularly when the locking member is provided only for locking manual actuation its locking position may also be secured with respect to the associated unit by a snap connector or a nominal rupture connection. Then the locking member can be translated into the release position solely by untieing or breaking this connection on commencement of the motion of the discharge actuator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following and illustrated in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1

is an axial section through a dispenser of the invention,

FIG. 2

is a partial length section through a detail of

FIG. 1

,

FIG. 3

is a cross-section of

FIG. 1

,

FIG. 4

is a further embodiment in a view according to

FIG. 2

,

FIGS.

5

+

6

are further embodiments in views according to

FIG. 1

,

FIG. 7

is an enlarged axial section through

FIG. 6

, and

FIG. 8

is a plan view of

FIG. 7

on the scale of FIG.

6

.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In

FIGS. 1 and 5

the dispenser

1

is in its initial or rest position, namely in its state of longest extension and simultaneously in its positively locked state. The dispenser has first and second dispenser main units

2

,

3

with base bodies

5

,

6

and an intermediate unit

4

with a base body

7

located permanently totally within units

2

,

3

. As shown in

FIG. 1

units

2

,

3

form the outermost, freely exposed faces of the dispenser

1

, while being rotatable and axially movable relative to each other. Unit

4

is locked with respect to unit

3

in the rotational direction, axially and radially without motion play. Thus units

3

,

4

are movable relative to unit

2

in the cited directions. This also applies to a one-part reservoir

8

which in the locked state and with respect to units

2

to

4

is centered axially positively and radially with little motion play while being non-positively but fixedly connected as to rotational forces. Reservoir

8

has over its entire length a reservoir chamber

9

also being a pressure or pump chamber which provides over its full length a cylinder slide face for a pump, such as a thrust piston pump. All of the cited components are located in a common dispenser axis

10

, to which they may be configured axially or rotationally symmetrical. Also the environmentally porting medium outlet

11

or the reservoir outlet

12

and an outlet duct

13

valvelessly connecting outlets

11

,

12

is located parallel to or coaxial with axis

10

. Outlet

12

and duct

13

provide an outlet path for the medium.

The pump comprises a piston

14

having at least two and maximally four serially coaxial and acutely flanked piston lips. These lips can slide with sealing pressure and be linearly in contact with the inner circumference of chamber

9

, but are located contact-free outside of chamber

9

in FIG.

1

. Piston

14

is provided on the end of rod-shaped plunger ram

15

made in one part with piston

14

. Piston rod

15

extends from piston

14

up to the inner end of a nozzle duct forming outlet

11

and bounds duct

13

up to this nozzle duct in one part. At the inner end of the nozzle duct a flow chamber may be provided for generating a flow transverse to axis

10

. This can be a mixing, swirl or twisting chamber which causes a medium swirl about axis

10

with which the medium then emerges finestly atomized from outlet

11

. Outlet

11

may also be designed to release the medium dose as a non-atomized jet or as a single droplet. The inner end of duct

13

traverses the end face of piston

14

.

Reservoir

8

is made of glass or a material having comparable properties such as a plastics material. Its cylindrical jacket

16

adjoins in one part the entirely closed bottom

17

and a flange

18

annularly protruding beyond its outer circumference. The free end face of flange

18

forms an annular boundary edge

19

spaced from and located between the inner and outer circumferences of jacket

16

or of flange

18

. Boundary edge

19

is perpendicularly or obtusely flanked, sharp and protrudes axially the most to provide the boundary of outlet

12

.

Together with body

7

the reservoir

8

is fixed as described relative to body

6

by a securing or preventing means

20

which seal chamber

9

hermetically from the exterior. Lock

20

positively prevents axial actuation of dispenser

1

or ingress of parts

14

,

15

into chamber

9

. For this an oblong locking or securing member

21

is radially inserted between parts

14

,

15

and parts

8

,

18

only into bodies

6

,

7

. Thus member

21

is located between piston

14

and the free end face of flange

18

. On discharge the medium flows axially in direction

22

through the dispenser

1

from chamber

9

directly through piston

14

, rod

15

and outlet

11

away from unit

2

. This requires to displace unit

3

relative to unit

2

in the opposite direction

23

. To release the lock

20

member

21

needs to be entirely pulled out of the dispenser

1

at right-angles relative to axis

10

in direction

24

. In the opposite direction

25

member

21

is inserted as shown in

FIG. 1

for transferred into the locking position. Member

21

may be symmetrical to an axial plane

26

of axis

10

, but is asymmetrical relative to the axial plane at right-angles thereto. Thus member

21

is insertable into the dispenser

1

from one side only or by a single leading end while being removable only to this side.

The one-part base body

5

has a cylindrical shell

27

, a planar bottom

28

at the rearmost shell end and an axial projecture

29

which freely protrudes from the bottom's inside with radial spacing from shell

27

and less far than shell

27

. This cruciform mandrel

29

extends up to bottom

17

and has roughly the same outer width as jacket

16

. Between reservoir

8

with mandrel

29

and unit

14

,

15

a plate-type seal

30

is located. The planar, slightly resiliently compressible sealing face

31

is supported axially pre-stressed on boundary edge

19

where it exhibits its maximal sealing pressure. The closure and securing body

30

is fixedly connected to dimensionally rigid part

21

, is made of tetrafluoroethylene or a material having similar sealing and sliding properties and is fully fillingly inserted in a recess of member

21

. The securing and sliding face

31

thus connects gap- and stepfree or contionuously in direction

24

or

25

to an outermost face of member

21

which face forms a continuation of face

31

. The inner circumference of the recess may fully envelope the outer circumference of seal

30

. The recess may also be a transverse groove which like seal

30

extends up to the outermost side flanks of member

21

. Seal

30

may be inserted as a separate part into the recess with radial pressure. Seal

30

may also be fixedly connected to the material of member

21

by molding. Seal

30

may also be coated or compounded on member

21

.

The one-part base body

6

has a shell

32

freely protruding counter shell

27

and only in direction

23

from an annular end wall

33

. Body

6

also has a stud

34

freely protruding in the opposite direction

22

. The free end wall of stud

34

is traversed by outlet

11

and bounds the nozzle duct in one part. The end face of rod

15

supports against the inside of this end wall. The smallest width of the nozzle duct or of outlet

11

is maximally one or half a millimeter. Stud

34

has an outermost shell

35

protruding only in direction

22

from planar wall

33

. Shell

35

is acutely or conically tapered over its entire length. This constriction is continuous in connection to wall

33

and progressive in the transition to the end face traversed by outlet

11

. Radially spaced from and within shell

35

the stud

34

has an inner shell

36

adjoining the end wall of stud

34

in one part and protruding in direction

23

freely beyond the inside of wall

33

. Unit

14

,

15

is inserted into this inner end in direction

22

. Thus the outer circumference of rod

15

supports against the inner circumference of shell

36

with radial pressure and piston

14

is axially slightly spaced from the inner end of shell

36

. The outer width of the piston

14

is slightly larger than that of shell

36

. The outer circumference of shell

32

is slidingly in close contact with the inner circumference of shell

27

. Shell

27

may define the radially largest extension of the dispenser

1

and may almost entirely accommodate shell

32

.

Units

2

,

3

form a manual discharge actuator

37

including two remote pressure handles

38

,

39

which are located at the rearmost end of the dispenser

1

respective of stud

34

. Handle

38

is formed by the outside of end wall

28

. Annular handle

39

surrounds stud

34

or protrudes only at two remote sides of stud

34

while being formed by the outside of the wall

33

. Wall

33

protrudes only beyond the outer circumference of shell

35

or the inner circumference of shell

32

.

A guide

40

receives locking member

21

and is provided in shell

32

and body

7

. Guide

40

envelopes member

21

in section as shown in

FIG. 2

over the complete circumference closely or so sealingly that no dirt is able to ingress from without into the housing formed by bodies

5

6

. This housing is formed by the two cap bodies

27

,

28

and

32

,

33

and accommodates body

7

fully as well as the majority of the member

21

fully enveloped. The one-part body

7

has a widest shell

41

freely protruding in direction

22

, a less wider and longer shell

42

adjoining shell

41

in direction

23

and an end wall

43

interconnecting shells

41

,

42

. The outside of wall

43

may be supported with respect to the outer circumference of shell

42

by circumferentially distributed ribs. An annular support member

44

or a bead protrudes slightly beyond the inside of wall

43

, forms a continuation of shell

42

and positively supports reservoir

8

on the transition shoulder between shell

16

and flange

18

. Projecture

41

slides with its outer circumference on the inner circumference of shell

32

, is axially spaced (

FIG. 1

) from a stop formed by the inner face of wall

33

, surrounds piston

14

, and is radially spaced from reservoir

8

, from flange

18

as well as from seal

30

. Projecture

42

surrounds shell

16

with a minor or zero radial clearance only over part of the reservoir length, protrudes in direction

23

less far than shell

32

and is radially entirely spaced from shells

27

,

32

. Thus body

7

is permanently totally located within cap

32

,

33

of body

6

. As compared to this reservoir

8

freely protrudes in direction

23

beyond bodies

6

,

7

into body

5

by its bottom end which juts from shell

42

and extends up to the end face of mandrel

29

.

Reservoir

8

, which like bodies

5

to

7

is dimensionally rigid, is axially stressed directly relative to body

7

with member

21

and is secured relative to body

6

without motion play. The stressing forces act thereby only on the remote end faces of flange

18

. In cross-section perpendicular to directions

24

,

25

member

21

has an acutely bevelled plate

45

with a planar wedge face which faces outlet

12

while being oriented at right-angles to axis

10

and located in the plane of face

31

. The remote planar pitch or wedge face

47

approaches in direction

25

the first-mentioned wedge face at an acute angle of a few degrees. The middle part

45

adjoins on both sides legs

46

to provide a U-profile. Legs

46

protrude only in direction

22

and continuously cover the majority of the length of member

21

. Legs

46

have edge faces oriented over their length parallel to direction

24

or

25

and thus having a height increasing in direction

25

. Legs

46

stiffen member

21

and plate

45

. Guide

40

has breakthroughs or openings

51

,

52

in two limited circumferential and opposite sections of shell

32

. Guide

40

has also openings or breakthroughs

53

,

54

in corresponding sections of shell

41

. Openings

51

to

54

are aligned. The bounds of the openings are closely adapted to the outer contour of member

21

and are thus also U-shaped. Thus each opening has a shape or size differing from those of all remaining openings.

When positioned member

21

is positively locked against motions in direction

24

or

25

by a lock

50

without motion play relative to bodies

6

,

7

. To prevent motions in release direction

24

member

21

has at one end a locking or snap member

49

, namely a cam protruding beyond the locking face

47

. Cam

49

is spaced from and located between legs

46

. In locking position this cam supports between legs

46

on an outer face of shell

32

which is remote from the inner circumference. To prevent motions in direction

25

member

21

has at its other end a stop or handle

55

which supports opposite to cam

49

on a corresponding circumferential face of shell

32

. The largest distance of the plate or cup member

49

or

55

from axis

10

may be maximally as large as the corresponding maximal distance of body

5

or shell

27

so that the protruding parts do not hinder. Members

49

,

55

may be curved about axis

10

(FIG.

3

). Members

45

,

46

,

49

,

55

are in one part. Webs

46

adjoin handle

55

.

Piston

14

juts between stiffeners

46

and is directly juxtaposed with face

47

. A counterface

48

for face

47

is a corresponding wedge or sliding face on body

7

. Face

48

is formed by those sections of openings

53

,

54

which are nearest to outlet

11

. Thus member

21

not only prevents mutual motion of parts

6

,

7

,

14

,

15

, but can also positively limit the mutual axial stroke of parts

5

to

8

and

14

, namely by abutting mandrel

29

or the free end of shell

27

on member

21

when member

55

is in the motion path of this free end. Opening

51

may receive that section of member

21

without axial motion play, which directly connects to member

55

. Opening

51

thus receives this section self-lockingly and firmly seated like a shallow wedge key.

To release the dispenser lock

20

the dispenser is manually gripped between handle

55

and shell

32

and member

21

is entirely pulled out of the dispenser

1

in direction

24

. Thereby face

31

and then the adjoining face of member

21

slides along the boundry edge

19

of the free end face of flange

18

. Thus, on commencement of this motion the axial pressure of face

31

is loosened or eliminated to thus release the catch

50

. Then, by manually mutually approaching handles

38

,

39

the pumping stroke may be implemented. Thereby, mandrel

29

drives reservoir

8

together with or independent from body

7

in direction

22

relative to unit

3

. Thus, piston parts

14

,

15

enter the conically flared outlet

12

to again seal it tightly except for duct

13

. In the further stroke course the medium stored in chamber

9

is pressurized and discharged through duct

13

from outlet

11

where the medium detaches from the dispenser

1

. Piston

14

thereby reaches bottom

17

. If the body

7

is thereby codriven, the free end of its shell

41

abuts after a stroke portion on a counterstop, namely the inner face of wall

33

. When the member

21

is inserted in direction

25

, body

7

executes with body

8

an axial tensioning motion relative to body

6

. Body

6

may be preassembled with each of parts

7

,

8

,

14

,

15

,

21

,

30

before being assembled with the one-part unit

2

.

Parts

7

,

8

may also be in one part commonly. In

FIG. 4

member

21

is tensioned without spacer

7

directly relative to reservoir

8

since member

21

simultaneously contacts the two remote end faces of flange

18

with axial tension. In this case legs

46

protrude beyond plate

45

only in direction

23

and have at their ends projectures directed toward plane

26

. These projectures form the wedge faces

47

which face the face

31

. Faces

47

support linearly and prestressed on counterface

48

of reservoir

8

. The obtuse conical face

48

is formed by the transition between jacket

16

and flange

18

. Face

48

is remote from the free end face of flange

18

. Seal

30

is provided on the inside of the planar connecting section

45

and extends up to the inner faces of legs

46

which may slide or be guided between boundary edge

19

and face

48

on the cylindrical outer circumference of flange

18

. Members

8

,

21

may be preassembled before then being assembled with unit

3

or body

6

. Thus chamber

9

may be sealingly closed by member

21

directly after the medium has been filled in. On the pump stroke mandrel

29

pushes reservoir

8

beyond wall

33

between shells

35

,

36

. Thereby reservoir

8

can enter shell

42

.

In

FIG. 5

the connection or end wall between shells

41

,

42

is formed by radial ribs

43

uniformly distributed about axis

10

. Between ribs

43

axial through-openings are formed which directly adjoining the opposite inner and outer circumferences of shells

41

,

42

. The free end of shell

27

forms circumferentially distributed and axial projectures

57

which are adapted to pass the openings of the rib wall

43

. Projectures

57

are separated by breakthroughs

56

or slots. Shell

32

clasps the outer circumference of shell

27

. Thus shell

27

or body

5

may be entirely pushed into cap

32

,

33

while permanently sliding on the outer circumference of shell

42

. After the first partial stroke projectures

57

enter the openings in end wall

43

until the bottom or end faces of slots

56

abut against wall

43

to then drive body

7

until it abuts on wall

33

. Thereby projectures

57

do not protrude beyond the free end of shell

41

. Once the protuberances

57

have entered the openings in body

7

a positive rotation prevention free of motion play is achieved between parts

5

,

7

. Thereby projectures

57

also slide on the inner circumference of shell

41

.

Locking member

21

is braced directly relative to body

6

or piston unit

13

,

14

because the free end of piston

14

forms the counter face

48

in contact with the tension face

47

. Thus, the counter member for catch member

49

may be formed by the inner circumference of shell

41

or

32

, e.g. when member

49

is located between the axis

10

and member

55

. In this case handle

55

is totally countersunk in shell

32

or in opening

51

. Handle

55

does not protrude beyond the outer circumference of shell

32

. At the other end member

21

has a pressure member

58

which similar to handle

55

is widened with respect to the intermediate section

45

,

46

. Button

58

is likewise entirely countersunk in shell

32

or in opening

52

.

Members

55

,

58

form a smooth continuation of the outer circumference of shell

32

. To release member

21

the button

58

first needs to be pushed until member

21

is displaced sufficiently so that handle

55

protrudes far enough out of shell

32

to permit manual gripping. Member

58

could also be formed by a part separate from member

21

or could be connected thereto via a nominal rupture connection. Thus member

58

could remain on body

6

without needing to be moved inbetween reservoir

8

and piston

14

when member

21

is released.

Bodies

5

,

6

may also be directly interlocked by a lock

60

. Thereof a withdrawal preventor

59

prevents bodies

5

,

6

from being axially pulled apart in the rest position. A rotational lock

61

prevents mutual rotation of bodies

5

,

6

in any position or until the rotational lock is effective between bodies

5

,

7

. A corresponding lock may also be provided directly between bodies

6

,

7

. Means

60

have cams

62

on body

5

and circumferentially distributed about axis

10

. Cams

62

protrude radially outwards from the outer circumference of shell

27

and adjoin the bottom faces of openings

56

. Counter cams

63

cooperate with cams

62

and protrude beyond the inner circumference of the shell

32