Valve for an end piece including a shut-off device

Abstract

Some embodiments are directed to a valve, including a rigid end piece that defines a center; a rod at the center of the end piece defining an axis; and a flap, wherein the flap is in one piece and has a flexible wall situated opposite a free end of the rod, the flexible wall is perforated by an orifice concentric with the end of the rod, the orifice has a contour substantially homothetic with that of the contour of the end of the rod in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rod, the orifice has a surface below a projected surface of the end of the rod in the plane, the flap is connected to the end piece by a non-deformable fixed connection, and the flexible wall presses against the end of the rod at any point of its surface in contact with the end.

Claims

1. A valve for an airless dispensing system, comprising a rigid outlet nozzle that defines a center and having: a stem at the center of the nozzle defining an axis; and a flap, wherein: the flap is in one piece and has a flexible wall situated facing a free end of the stem, the flexible wall is perforated by an orifice that is concentric with the free end of the stem and has a surface which is opposite to the end of the stem, the orifice of the flexible wall has a contour that is homothetic with the contour of the free end of the stem in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the stem, the orifice of the flexible wall has an area smaller than a projected area of the free end of the stem in the plane, the flap is connected to the nozzle by a non-deformable fixed connection, when no action is exerted on the valve, the flexible wall presses in an airtight manner against the free end of the stem at all points of the surface of the flexible wall in contact with the free end of the stem, thereby ensuring the air tightness of the nozzle and preventing penetration of air in the dispensing system through the valve, the pressing of the flexible wall against the free end of the stem is obtained by elastic deformation of the flexible wall, said elastic deformation resulting from the assembly of the flap and the nozzle, wherein the flap is equipped with a hollow shaft, a first end of which is joined to a peripheral region of the flexible wall, the flap is fixed to the nozzle by the hollow shaft being fitted into the cavity, along the axis, an outer face of the hollow shaft and an inner face of a wall of the cavity describing a annular axisymmetric shape cooperating with one another, the outer face pressing in a leaktight manner against the inner face of the wall of the cavity, the stem being disposed inside the hollow shaft and an inner face of the hollow shaft pressing against the flank of the stem.

2. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle forms a one-piece assembly.

3. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the flexible wall is inscribed in a convex cone of revolution, coaxial with the axis, an angle of the flexible wall with the axis being between 90 and 135, when the wall of the cavity is pressing against the free end of the stem.

4. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the orifice of the flexible wall and the projection of the free end of the stem in the plane have a circular shape.

5. A device of an airless flexible tube type having an orifice, comprising: a valve according to claim 1 being housed in the orifice of the flexible tube and forming a shut-off nozzle of the flexible tube.

6. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the flap is made of an elastomer.

7. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle forms a one-piece assembly.

8. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the orifice of the flexible wall and the projection of the free end of the stem in the plane have a circular shape.

9. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the flexible wall of the flap has a convex conical shape when it presses against the end of the stem, exhibiting an angle of between 90 and 135 with the axis.

10. A valve for an airless dispensing system, comprising a rigid outlet nozzle that defines a center and having: a stem at the center of the nozzle defining an axis; and a flap, wherein: the flap is in one piece and has a flexible wall situated facing a free end of the stem, the flexible wall is perforated by an orifice that is concentric with the free end of the stem and has a surface which is opposite to the end of the stem, the orifice of the flexible wall has a contour that is homothetic with the contour of the free end of the stem in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the stem, the orifice of the flexible wall has an area smaller than a projected area of the free end of the stem in the plane, the flap is connected to the nozzle by a non-deformable fixed connection, when no action is exerted on the valve, the flexible wall presses in an airtight manner against the free end of the stem at all points of the surface of the flexible wall in contact with the free end of the stem, thereby ensuring the air tightness of the nozzle and preventing penetration of air in the dispensing system through the valve, the pressing of the flexible wall against the free end of the stem is obtained by elastic deformation of the flexible wall, said elastic deformation resulting from the assembly of the flap and the nozzle, and wherein: the stem is disposed insideat the center ofa cavity pierced by a first opening, the free end of the stem being disposed at the center of the first opening, the first opening being inscribed in a plane perpendicular to the axis, the flap is equipped with a hollow shaft, a first end of which is joined to a peripheral region of the flexible wall, the flap is fixed to the nozzle by the hollow shaft being fitted into the cavity, along the axis, an outer face of the hollow shaft and an inner face of a wall of the cavity describing a annular axisymmetric shape cooperating with one another, the outer face pressing in a leaktight manner against the inner face of the wall of the cavity, the stem being disposed inside the hollow shaft and an inner face of the hollow shaft pressing against the flank of the stem.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) Further advantages may also become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from reading the following examples, illustrated by the appended figures, which are given by way of illustration:

(2) FIG. 1 is a cross section through the nozzle according to some embodiments,

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross section through the flap according to one embodiment before mounting on the nozzle (before deformation),

(4) FIG. 3 is a cross section through the valve according to some embodiments,

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross section through an embodiment of a dispensing system equipped with the valve according to some embodiments,

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross section through another embodiment of a dispensing system equipped with the valve according to some embodiments,

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the flap,

(8) FIG. 7 is a cross section through a valve according to another embodiment,

(9) FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C are cross-sectional views of a flexible tube of the related art, without a lid, equipped with a removable screw-type lid, and equipped with a fixed lid known as a flip-top lid, respectively,

(10) FIG. 9 is the detail of a cross section through a tube equipped with the valve of some embodiments according to a first variant,

(11) FIG. 10 is the detail of a cross section through a tube equipped with the valve of some embodiments according to a second variant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(12) For the rest of the description, the top will be considered to correspond to the orifice of the nozzle and the bottom will be considered to correspond to the part through which the product arrives and the interior will be considered to correspond to the middle of the nozzle.

(13) The nozzle 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is in one piece, and includes a stem 11 of axis xx fixed to a body 10 and positioned in the centre of a cavity 12. This cavity 12 is pierced by a first opening 13 positioned in the top part and by a duct 14 that opens out in the bottom part of the cavity 12.

(14) The flap 2 shown in FIG. 2 is also in one piece, and includes a flexible wall 22 pierced by an orifice 23 and a hollow cylindrical part of axis xx in the form of a hollow shaft 24. The hollow shaft 24 has an outer face 221 intended to cooperate with the inner face 121 of the cavity 12. During the fitting of the flap 2 on the nozzle 1, the flexible wall 22 will deform, its inclination with respect to the axis xx being modified.

(15) The hollow shaft 24 has a first end 241 joined to a peripheral region of the flexible wall 22.

(16) As described in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flexible wall has an inclination directed towards the inside of the flap before mounting (FIG. 2). After mounting, the flexible wall has a flattened convex cone shape, i.e. exhibits an angle of between 90 and 135, advantageously between 90 and 120, with the axis xx as illustrated in FIG. 3.

(17) The mounted valve illustrated in FIG. 3 is made up of the nozzle 1 and the flap 2. The flap 2 is fitted in the cavity 12 and the outer face 221 of the flap presses against the inner face 121 of the cavity 12. The deformation of the flexible wall 22 during the fitting of the flap 2 has the effect of pressing the flexible wall 22 against the free end 111 of the stem, thereby ensuring the leaktightness of the nozzle 1 when the metered product has been evacuated.

(18) In an embodiment (FIG. 7), the outer face 221 of the hollow shaft 24 of the flap presses against the face 121 of the cavity 12 and its inner face 222 presses against the flank 112 of the stem 11. The passage of product is ensured by a channel 113 made in the stem 11.

(19) Of course, the stem 11 is solid on the side of its free end 111, i.e. does not have any passage in this entire region.

(20) In this embodiment, the channel 113 is situated away from the end 111 of the stem in a radial extension of the stem, as described in FIG. 7. The channel 113 is off-centre such that its projection P1 in the plane P is inscribed in a region situated outside the projection of the end 111, and thus outside the projection P2 of the region in which the lips 22 press against the end 111 in the plane P.

(21) The functioning of the valve of some embodiments will now be described. At rest, i.e. when no action takes place on the nozzle 1, the flexible wall 22 is pressing, the pressure being substantially identical on both sides of the wall 22, and the nozzle 1 is leaktight, the product remaining in the passage 15 and the duct 14. When the user exerts a pressure on the product with the aid of a pump, the pressure of the product increases until it causes at least a part of the flexible wall 22 to lift, opens up the passage between the end 111 of the stem and the orifice 23 in the wall 22, and allows the output of the product. As soon as the product has come out, the pressure equalizes on both sides of the flexible wall 22, which returns to its rest position pressing against the end 111 of the stem.

(22) When the flexible wall 22 has a flattened convex cone shape, i.e. forms an angle greater than 90 with the axis xx as illustrated in FIG. 3, the opening of the passage between the end 111 and the wall 22 causes elastic deformation of the elongation of the wall 22 in the vicinity of the orifice type. This elongation creates a significant return force which ensures the leaktightness of the valve in the rest position after passage of the dispensed liquid.

(23) The valve of some embodiments may be disposed at the end of an airless dispensing system equipped with a pump that fulfils the function of a shut-off nozzle of the dispensing system.

(24) In a first version illustrated in FIG. 4, the nozzle acts as a shut-off nozzle, the pump being equipped with an inlet valve 41 and an outlet valve 42.

(25) In a second version illustrated in FIG. 5, the nozzle acts both as a shut-off nozzle and as an outlet valve of the pump, the pump only being equipped with a single inlet valve 41.

(26) The valve of some embodiments can also act as a shut-off nozzle for an airless flexible tube.

(27) As can be seen in FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C, the flexible tubes are generally made up of three constituents: a flexible body or skirt 101, a tube head 102 and a cap, that is to say a lid. The head of the tube is a rigid element having a fixing device or fixer 102-1 for the cap, the cap being able to be fixed, in the case of the flip-top cap 103 (FIG. 8C), or removable, in the case of the screw cap 105 (FIG. 8B).

(28) When the tube is equipped with a cap 105, the head of the tube 102 forms a one-piece assembly incorporating the fixing device or fixer 102-1 of the removable cap 105 and delimiting the evacuation orifice 104 for the product contained in the tube. The orifice 104 is closed by screwing the cap 105 onto the head of the tube.

(29) The fixed cap 103 is made up of two parts: a first part, referred to as base 103-1, is permanently fixed to the tube by the fixing device or fixer 102-1, and a second part, referred to as cover 103-2, is fixed to the base 103-1 by a hinge.

(30) In this arrangement, it is generally the wall of the base 103-1 which delimits the contour of the orifice 104. The cover 103-2 is free to pivot with respect to the base 103-1. In the open position, it frees up the orifice 104, and in the closed position (FIG. 8C), it closes the orifice 104.

(31) The flexible tube according to some embodiments includes a valve housed in the orifice 104, the valve acting as a shut-off nozzle of the flexible tube.

(32) In the first variant illustrated in FIG. 9, the airless flexible tube includes a valve housed in the orifice 104 delimited by the walls 102 or 103-1, depending on whether the tube is equipped with a removable cap 105 or a fixed cap 103. The valve acts as a shut-off nozzle for the tube. The free end 111 of the stem 11 and the face 121 act as a rigid support wall and a device or fixer for fixing the flap 2, respectively.

(33) In a second variant illustrated in FIG. 10, the nozzle 1 also bears a second flexible flap 5 that is fitted on the stem 11 and presses against the face 122 of the rigid wall situated at the bottom of the cavity 12 facing the first opening 13, the second flap 5 forming, with the nozzle 1, an additional non-return valve. This additional non-return valve and the valve forming the shut-off nozzle open and close at the same time depending on whether the user exerts a pressure on the wall of the tube or interrupts this pressure. The flexible tube thus has two barriers to the entry of air into the container, the two barriers being disposed in series with respect to one another. This embodiment is particularly economical since the rigid support walls and the device or fixer for fixing each flap are realized in the one-piece nozzle 1. The free end 111 of the stem 11 and the face 121 act as a rigid support wall and a device for fixing the flap 2, respectively, and the face 122 and the stem 11 act as a rigid support wall and as a device or fixer for fixing the flap 5, respectively.

(34) The faces 121 and 122 and the stem 11 are part of the one-piece nozzle 1.

(35) Advantageously, the nozzle 1 forms a one-piece assembly with one and the other of the walls of the head 102 or of the base 103-1 depending on whether the tube is equipped with a removable cap 105 or a fixed cap 103.

(36) In a first version, the flap has an inside diameter of 6.50 mm and an orifice with a diameter of 0.60 mm. The stem has a diameter of 1.20 mm in the plane P.

(37) The flap may be made of an elastomer of the SEBS, TPP or TEV type.

(38) The nozzle does not have any specific mechanical properties and will be made of a rigid polymer of the polypropylene or HDPE (high-density polyethylene) type, or optionally made of polycarbonate.