Exemplary dispensers, pumps and refill units are disclosed herein. An exemplary refill unit includes a container and a foam pump. The foam pump includes a liquid pump chamber, a compressible air inlet chamber and a compressed air inlet. The volume of the compressible air inlet chamber is less than the volume of air used to make a dose of foam. A one-way air inlet valve is located proximate the compressed air inlet. A piston is included that is movable within the liquid pump chamber and has a liquid seal member and an air seal member. The liquid pump chamber includes a liquid outlet into a center portion of the piston. One or more openings extend through the piston wall and provide a passage from the compressible air chamber to the center portion of the piston. The pump further includes mix media and an outlet.

A discharge device having an actuating handle, a first pump system for conveying a first medium and a second pump system for conveying a second medium. The actuating handle can be moved between an initial position and an end position. The first pump system includes a first pump chamber and a first piston arranged in a displaceable manner in the first pump chamber. The second pump system includes a second pump chamber and a second piston arranged in a displaceable manner in the second pump chamber. The first piston and the second piston can be displaced via the actuating handle in the direction of actuation, and the actuating handle and the first piston are coupled to each other such that the actuating handle and the first piston can be displaced relative to each other in a direction of actuation via a free travel.

Exemplary two chamber foam pumps, refill units and dispensers utilizing the same are disclosed herein. An exemplary refill unit includes an inverted container having a neck located at the bottom of the container and a foam pump secured neck. The foam pump includes a first air pump chamber, a liquid pump chamber and a second air pump chamber. In addition, the pump includes a piston. The piston has a hollow central portion. A first air inlet aperture is located through a wall of the piston between the first air pump chamber and the hollow central portion. A liquid inlet aperture is located below the first air inlet aperture and between the liquid pump chamber and the hollow central portion. A second air inlet aperture is located through the wall the piston located below the liquid inlet aperture and between the second air pump chamber and the hollow central portion.

A dispensing device as well as a dispensing head and use thereof are proposed. Through depression of the dispensing head, an associated dispensing valve is opened and the product to be delivered can escape or be dispensed through an outlet space and via a downstream outlet valve. In order to prevent or at least minimize subsequent dripping or foaming, the volume of the outlet space is initially reduced upon actuation of the dispensing head and enlarged again upon completion of actuation, particularly after closing of the dispensing valve, whereby the product is suctioned away from the outlet or outlet valve back into the outlet space.

In one general aspect, a flow control valve includes: a housing including a tubular wall surrounding an interior passage, and a flow control section in which the tubular wall includes a conical inner wall surface; a protrusion disposed on an exterior surface of the tubular wall at the flow control section; a sealing member disposed in the housing and configured to be selectively moved to a sealing position in which the sealing member engages the conical inner wall surface to restrict flow of a fluid through the interior passage; and a recess disposed the conical inner wall surface and configured to allow the fluid to flow past the sealing member through the recess when the sealing member is in the sealing position, wherein the recess and the protrusion are radially aligned on the tubular wall.

A suck-back valve selectively actuatable for dispensing liquid in its open condition from an associated liquid storage container, and for avoiding continued presence of excess dispensed liquid about the exit orifice in the closed condition of the valve, is formed at least in part of a spring member and a pin. The spring member includes a distal web that defines a valve seat and a dispensed liquid exit orifice, a proximal web, and a plurality of flexibly elastic bands helically connecting the distal and proximal webs. The pin includes an elongated shaft having a proximal end secured to the proximal web and carrying a substantially hollow frustoconical cone at its distal end. The cone has an outer valving surface for releasable abutment with the valve seat and the shaft has a bore of predetermined cross-sectional extent defined longitudinally along and within the shaft to create a continuous fluid passageway through and along the pin. Dispensed liquid remaining proximate the exit orifice is sucked back into the liquid container through the shaft bore as the valve returns from its open to its closed condition under the return urgency of the elastic bands.

A foamer dispenser includes a hollow stem, an air piston configured to pressurize and pump air, and a tubular guide that is coupled integrally to the air piston, that defines an airway for air supply between the hollow stem and the tubular guide, that holds the hollow stem slidably, and that is configured to come out of abutment with the flange in response to sliding of the hollow stem, thereby opening the airway is provided. The flange is provided with: an outer annular wall protruding upward from an outer edge of the flange; and a guide rib located on an outer side of the tubular guide in the radial direction and configured to be guided by the tubular guide during sliding of the hollow stem.

A piston pump dispenser in which a volume in a compartment defined inside a piston chamber-forming member and between axially spaced discs on a piston varies with movement of the piston in a cycle of operation due to the piston having a tubular portion between the discs which varies in axial length. The tubular portion has a circumferentially extending wall in the shape of a solid of revolution about an axis of the piston with opening through the wall for fluid flow. The tubular portion acts as a spring to axially bias the axially spaced disc apart.

An actuating system is provided for a dispenser cartridge that can be mounted on a frame and that has a reciprocatable product-dispensing hollow stem that (A) is biased to an extended position in which the cartridge is unactuated, and (B) is moveable from the extended position to a depressed position in which the cartridge is actuated for discharging the fluent substance through the stem. The actuating system includes a plunger on the frame, and a discharge conduit located adjacent the frame to accommodate relative movement between the discharge conduit and the frame. The discharge conduit includes (A) ml inlet opening communicating with the dispenser cartridge hollow stem, (B) ml outlet opening from which the fluent substance can be dispensed, (C) a passageway between the inlet opening and outlet opening, and (D) an intermediate opening that is in communication with the passageway between the inlet opening and the outlet opening.

A dispensing system includes a pump mechanism that has a liquid chamber, a liquid piston for delivering fluid to a mixing chamber, and a valve component biased to close the outlet from the liquid chamber. The pump mechanism also has an air chamber, and an air piston for delivering air to the mixing chamber. A bore allows passage of a mixture of the air and the liquid from the mixing chamber to a dispensing tube. A pump actuator moves the air piston and the liquid piston to propel a dose of the mixture of the air and the liquid through the bore and into the dispensing tube and to collapse a draw-back chamber. The draw-back chamber expands to draw the mixture of the air and the liquid from the dispensing tube into the draw-back chamber. The valve component is biased to close the first outlet before the draw-back chamber expands.