Push button for distribution system, with crossings of fluidic paths

Abstract

The invention proposes a pushbutton for a system for dispensing several pressurized products, the pushbutton including: a body; a spraying nozzle secured to the body, the body and the nozzle forming a subassembly, the nozzle being provided with several outlet orifices, each outlet orifice being linked to a product.
The pushbutton includes a first channel passing through the body and the nozzle and forming a passage for a first product arriving in a first well of the body and emerging through a first outlet orifice of the nozzle. It also includes a second channel passing through the nozzle only and forming a passage for a second product arriving in a well of the nozzle and emerging through a second outlet orifice of the nozzle overhanging the first outlet orifice.

Claims

1. A pushbutton for a system for dispensing several pressurized products, said pushbutton comprising: a body; a spraying nozzle secured to the body, the body and the nozzle forming a subassembly, the nozzle being provided with several outlet orifices, each outlet orifice being linked to a product; said pushbutton comprising a first channel passing through the body and the nozzle and forming a passage for a first product arriving in a first well of the body and emerging through a first outlet orifice of the nozzle, and a second channel passing through the nozzle only and forming a passage for a second product arriving in a well of the nozzle and emerging through a second outlet orifice of the nozzle overhanging said first outlet orifice.

2. The pushbutton according to claim 1, further comprising a third channel passing through the body and the nozzle and forming a passage for a third product arriving in a second well of the body and emerging through a third outlet orifice of the nozzle.

3. The pushbutton according to claim 2, wherein the three outlet orifices are arranged in a triangle, the second outlet orifice overhanging the two other outlet orifices.

4. The pushbutton according to claim 3, wherein each channel comprises an axial section and a transversal section of appearance perpendicular to the axial section.

5. The pushbutton according to claim 4, wherein the transversal sections of the first and third channels extending in one same transversal plane, comprising the first and third outlet orifices of the nozzle.

6. The pushbutton according to claim 5, wherein the axial section of the second channel passes through said transversal plane and passes between the two transversal sections of the first and third channels, within the nozzle.

7. The pushbutton according to claim 6, wherein the transversal sections of the first and third channels deviate by extending from the outlet orifices, leaving a sufficient space for the passage of the axial section of the second channel.

8. The pushbutton according to claim 7, wherein the nozzle and the body consist of two separate parts assembled to form said subassembly.

9. The pushbutton according to claim 8, wherein the nozzle and the body are assembled by the interlocking of corresponding hollow shapes partially forming the first and third channels.

10. The pushbutton according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle and the body consist of one single part forming said subassembly, the nozzle being secured to the body by over-molding.

11. A system for dispensing several pressurized products comprising: a pushbutton comprising a body; a spraying nozzle secured to the body, the body and the nozzle forming a subassembly, the nozzle being provided with several outlet orifices, each outlet orifice being linked to a product; said pushbutton comprising a first channel passing through the body and the nozzle and forming a passage for a first product arriving in a first well of the body and emerging through a first outlet orifice of the nozzle, and a second channel passing through the nozzle only and forming a passage for a second product arriving in a well of the nozzle and emerging through a second outlet orifice of the nozzle overhanging said first outlet orifice.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the pushbutton further comprises three tanks each provided with a pump, each tank being linked to an outlet orifice of the nozzle.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the pushbutton further comprises a facing portion wherein the outlet orifices of the nozzle open out, and a rear portion opposite the facing portion, and in that a first tank from among said three tanks is located in the facing portion and linked to the second channel, the two other tanks being located in the rear portion and linked to the first and third channels.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the pushbutton further comprises a sleeve mounted on the tanks, the body of the pushbutton being mounted on this sleeve.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the body of the pushbutton has a funnel capable of being interlocked on a central well of the sleeve.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:

[0034] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a dispensing system including the pushbutton according to the invention;

[0035] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dispensing system according to FIG. 1;

[0036] FIG. 3 is a front view of the dispensing system, highlighting the pushbutton;

[0037] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a subassembly of the pushbutton, composed of a body and a nozzle;

[0038] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the subassembly of FIG. 4;

[0039] FIG. 6 is a perspective and transparent view of the pushbutton according to the invention, composed of a body, a nozzle, and a bezel;

[0040] FIG. 7 schematically illustrates, as a top view, the body and the nozzle, as well as the different fluid channels passing through them;

[0041] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional and perspective view of the subassembly according to a transversal plane passing through the two lower outlet orifices of the nozzle, as schematically represented by the drawing on the left of the figure;

[0042] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional and perspective view of the subassembly along a transversal plane passing through the upper outlet orifice of the nozzle, as schematically represented by the drawing on the left of the figure;

[0043] FIG. 10 shows, as a perspective, a sleeve for fixing the pushbutton on a vial of the dispensing system;

[0044] FIG. 11 shows a duo system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0045] In relation to the figures, below is described a pushbutton 1 for a system for dispensing a product, in particular pressurised liquid, the product could be of any nature, in particular used in perfume-making, in cosmetics or for pharmaceutical treatments.

[0046] In relation to FIGS. 1 to 3, the dispensing system includes a pushbutton 1 protected by a cap 5 and connected to an extraction device mounted inside a vial 11 which contains the product to be dispensed.

[0047] The extraction device can include a manual actuation pump 6, as is the case in the figures presented, or a manual actuation valve in the case where the product is packaged pressurised in the vial 11. Thus, during a manual movement of the pushbutton 1, the pump 6 of the valve is actuated to supply the pressurised product to the pushbutton 1.

[0048] In the present case, there is a vial 11 inside which three tanks 10 are located, each containing a different product. Each tank 10 is associated with a pump 6. There are therefore three pumps 6, with three pistons 9 and three drain rings 8, maintained in a sleeve 7 fixed on the vial 11. The pushbutton 1 is directly associated with these three pumps 6 by way of three wells 17a, 17b, 18 allowing the fluid passage between the tanks 10 and the pushbutton 1.

[0049] The pushbutton 1 is mainly composed of three parts, namely: [0050] a body 3 having, in the present case, two mounting wells 17a, 17b capable of being secured with two inlet tubes of the pressurised product belonging to two pumps 6; [0051] a spraying nozzle 4 secured to the body 3 and in fluid communication with the wells 17a, 17b, this nozzle 4 itself having a mounting well 18 capable of being secured with an inlet tube of the pressurised product belonging to a third pump 6; [0052] an aspect bezel 2 which surrounds the body 3 and the nozzle 4, and which has an upper supporting zone 21 on which the user can press to activate the pushbutton 1 manually, in this case to be able to axially move it.

[0053] The body 3 and the nozzle 4 form a subassembly, which is inserted inside the bezel 2.

[0054] In the present case, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the nozzle 4 has three dispensing orifices 22, to dispense the three products contained in the three tanks 10. Each orifice 22 is connected independently with a pump 6 and the corresponding tank 10 by independent fluid passages.

[0055] In the present case, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nozzle 4 is fixed to the body 3 by interlocking corresponding shapes. In this case, the nozzle 4 has a rear face provided with two hollow cylindrical sections 30, capable of being interlocked inside two other hollow cylindrical sections 31, of greater dimension, provided on a facing portion of the body 3. Each hollow cylindrical section 31 of the body 3 is extended perpendicularly through one of the wells 17a, 17b described above.

[0056] The nozzle 4 and the body 3 are thus two separate parts which are secured to one another in order to form the subassembly.

[0057] It would however be absolutely feasible to foresee that the nozzle 4 is overmoulded on the body 3 during a second moulding step. In this case, the nozzle 4 and the body 3 would only form one single part, forming the subassembly.

[0058] The bezel 2 itself, illustrated in FIG. 5, is a hollow revolving part, of cylindrical appearance, closed in the upper portion by the supporting surface 21, and having a window 20 at the level of its peripheral wall 29.

[0059] This window 20 is provided to let the nose 19 of the nozzle 4 pass through, which constitutes the facing face of the nozzle 4, where the three dispensing orifices 22a, 22b, 22c open out.

[0060] In the example presented, the dispensing system has a facing face AV, illustrated in FIG. 2, defined by the nose of the nozzle 4. At the level of this facing face AV a facing tank 10 is located, situated directly under the nozzle 4. This facing tank 10 is directly connected to the nozzle 4 via the central well 18 of the nozzle 4. There are then two rear tanks 10, located in the rear portion AR of the dispensing system. In particular, there is a left-hand rear tank 10 connected to the body 3 via the left-hand rear well 17a, there is a right-hand rear tank 10 connected to the body 3 via the right-hand rear well 17b. Finally, the three tanks 10 are arranged in a triangle as a top view, with a facing tank 10 under the nozzle 4 and two rear tanks 10 under the body 3.

[0061] In reference to FIG. 6, it can be seen that the nozzle 4 includes three outlet orifices 22a, 22b, 22c arranged in a triangle, in the present equilateral case, with an upper orifice 22b which overhangs two lower orifices 22a, 22c. For better clarity, the left-hand lower orifice 22a will be called first outlet orifice, the upper orifice 22b will be called second outlet orifice, and the right-hand lower orifice 22c will be called third outlet orifice.

[0062] In this FIG. 6, two fluid pathways are represented with arrows.

[0063] In particular, one of the fluid pathways starts in a well 17b of the body 3, then passes through the body 3, then arrives in the nozzle 4 and emerges through one of the lower orifices 22c. The other fluid pathway starts in the well 18 of the nozzle 4, passes through the nozzle 4 and emerges through the upper orifice 22b. There is also a third fluid pathway in the present example, but which cannot be seen in FIG. 6, through its orientation. This third fluid pathway is moreover represented in FIG. 7. In this FIG. 7, as a top view, and very schematically, the body 3 and the nozzle 4 of the subassembly of the pushbutton 1 are seen. In this diagram, the three fluid pathways are represented. These pathways are materialised in concrete terms by channels. More specifically, the subassembly includes a first channel 47 arriving at the level of the right-hand side body 3, passing through the body 3, then passing through the nozzle 4 to arrive at the first outlet orifice 22a. The subassembly includes a second channel 48 arriving at the level of the nozzle 4 directly, without passing through the body 3, and ending at the level of the second outlet orifice 22b. Finally, the subassembly includes a third channel 49 arriving at the level of the left-hand side body 3, passing through the body 3, then passing through the nozzle 4 to arrive at the third outlet orifice 22c. It can clearly be seen that the second channel 48 is situated between the first channel 47 and the third channel 49.

[0064] Each channel 47, 48, 49 therefore transports a product, as has been mentioned above. At the nozzle 4 outlet, each orifice 22a, 22b, 22c deliver a dose of a product, and the user recovers a total mass composed of three doses of the three products. The three orifices 22a, 22b, 22c are very close to one another such that the user recovers one single homogenous drop, and not three separate small drops.

[0065] Each channel 47, 48, 49 includes an axial section and a transversal section of appearance perpendicular to the axial section. By axial section, this means a section which is developed about the axis for mounting the dispensing system.

[0066] In FIG. 8, are represented the first channel 47 and the third channel 49, in particular thanks to a transversal cross-section at the level of the plane containing the transversal section 44 of the first channel 47 and the transversal section 46 of the third channel 49. This cross-sectional plane is in particular illustrated on the small diagram on the left of the figure. It is seen that this transversal plane passes through the two lower outlet orifices 22a, 22c. Thanks to the perspective of the figure, the axial sections 41, 42, 43 of the three channels 47, 48, 49 are also perceived.

[0067] For the first channel 47, situated on the left-hand side of the subassembly, the axial section 41 which passes through the mounting well 17a is perceived, then which is extended perpendicularly through the transversal section 44 which first passes through the body 3 then the nozzle 4, before opening out at the level of the first outlet orifice 22a.

[0068] For the third channel 49, situated on the right-hand side of the subassembly, the axial section 43 which passes through the mounting well 17b is perceived, which is extended perpendicularly through the transversal section 46 which first passes through the body 3 then the nozzle 4, before opening out at the level of the third outlet orifice 22c.

[0069] The transversal sections 44, 46 of the first channel 47 and of the third channel 49 get closer together as they progress towards the nozzle 4 and towards the outlet orifices 22a, 22c. Thus, the deviation between these transversal sections 44, 46 is maximal at the level of the wells 17a, 17b, and is minimal at the level of the nose 19 of the nozzle 4, such that the first orifice 22a and the third outlet orifice 22c are very close to one another.

[0070] In this FIG. 8, a portion of the axial section 42 of the second channel 48 is also perceived, which starts in the central well 18 of the nozzle 4, and which passes through the nozzle 4 over all of its height, by passing between the transversal sections 44, 46 of the first channel 47 and of the third channel 49. There is therefore an intersection between the axial section 42 of the second channel 48 and the transversal sections 44, 46 of the two other channels 47, 49. Indeed, the well 18 of the nozzle 4 is offset with respect to the nose 19 of the nozzle 4, such that the deviation between the transversal section 44 of the first channel 47 and the transversal section 46 of the third channel 49 is sufficient such that the axial section 42 of the second channel 48 can pass, while ensuring a sealing between these different sections 44, 46, 42, and while avoiding a reduction of the cross-section of the channels 47, 49, 48.

[0071] In FIG. 9, the end of the axial section 42 of the second channel 48 is perceived, which is then extended perpendicularly through the transversal section 45 which opens out at the level of the outlet orifice 22b. This can be seen, thanks to a transversal cross-section made this time at the level of the second outlet orifice 22b, as is illustrated by the small diagram on the left of the figure.

[0072] The pushbutton 1 is fixed on the vial of the dispensing system, by means of a sleeve 7. More specifically, the body 3 of the pushbutton 1 includes a central funnel 40 capable of being interlocked on a central well 50 of the sleeve 7. The sleeve 7 itself also includes three hollow cylindrical sections 51, 52, 53 capable of receiving the three pumps 6 of the dispensing system. One of the cylindrical sections 51, 52, 53 is situated in the facing portion of the system, to be able to correspond with the facing tank 10, and the two other cylindrical sections are situated in the rear portion of the system, to be able to correspond with the two rear tanks 10.

[0073] FIG. 11 groups together FIGS. 11a, 11b and 11c which show a duo system according to the invention. The same reference signs as those of the trio system above are used. FIG. 11a is a perspective view. FIG. 11b is a front view opposite the nozzle. FIG. 11c is a cross-sectional view along A-A such as defined in FIG. 11b.

[0074] The nozzle is provided with a lower outlet orifice 22a (first orifice), and an upper outlet orifice 22b (second orifice), as illustrated in FIG. 11a and 11b.

[0075] According to FIG. 11c, the pushbutton includes a first channel 47 passing through the body 3 and the nozzle 4 and forming a passage for a first product arriving in a first well 17a of the body 3 and emerging through the first outlet orifice 22a of the nozzle 4.

[0076] The pushbutton also includes a second channel 48 passing through the nozzle 4 only and forming a passage for a second product arriving in a well 18 of the nozzle 4 and emerging through the second outlet orifice 22b of the nozzle 4 overhanging the first outlet orifice 22a.

[0077] In this case, the second channel 48 is concentric and is developed around the first channel 47.

[0078] More specifically, the axial section 42 of the second channel 48 is concentric with a portion of the transversal section 44 of the first channel 47.

[0079] The configurations shown in the figures cited are only possible examples, not at all limiting, of the invention which includes, on the contrary, the variants of shapes and designs in the scope of a person skilled in the art.

[0080] Of note, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms a, an and the are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms includes, and/or including, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0081] As well, the corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

[0082] Having thus described the invention of the present application in detail and by reference to embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims as follows: