Portable refillable liquid dispenser

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a portable liquid dispenser, preferably for perfume or the like, which can be easily refilled. Many portable perfume dispensers are disposable instead of being refillable. We have invented a system that has all of the functionality of a portable dispensersuch as an atomizer or a roll-on applicatorbut also provides access so that the dispenser is easily refilled from a larger container. Therefore, we have also invented a method for refilling a portable liquid dispenser.

Claims

1. A portable refillable liquid dispenser (1) for perfume, comprising: a receptacle (2) having an opening (3), a dispensing device (6) for removing the liquid from the receptacle (2) through the opening (3), and a removable cover cap (13) to cover the dispensing device (6), wherein: the dispensing device (6) is detachably connected to the receptacle (2), the cover cap (13) can be connected to the receptacle (2) when the dispensing device (6) has been removed, the receptacle (2) comprises screw threads (5) on its outer surface capable of receiving both the dispensing device (6) and the cover cap (13), the cover cap (13) has a refill opening (24), through which the liquid can be filled into the receptacle (2) when the cover cap (13) is connected to the receptacle (2), the refill opening (24) being designed to receive a spray tube (25) from a storage container (26), and the cover cap (13) has threads for detachably connecting to screw threads of the receptacle (2), and has a latching, snap-in, or plug-in connection (18, 19) which connects to the dispensing device.

2. Liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 1, in which the receptacle (2) can be filled through the opening (3) when the cover cap (13) is connected to the receptacle (2).

3. Liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 1, in which the opening (3) is the only opening of the receptacle (2).

4. Liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 2, in which the opening (3) is the only opening of the receptacle (2).

5. System consisting of a liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 1 and a storage container (26) with a spray mechanism that has a spray tube (25).

6. System consisting of a liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 2 and a storage container (26) with a spray mechanism that has a spray tube (25).

7. System consisting of a liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 3 and a storage container (26) with a spray mechanism that has a spray tube (25).

8. System consisting of a liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 4 and a storage container (26) with a spray mechanism that has a spray tube (25).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in detail below based on the drawings. In this regard:

(2) FIG. 1 shows the upper end of a liquid dispenser according to the invention in the closed state of use in a sectional view;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the upper end from FIG. 1, though with a cover cap directly attached to the bottle for refilling, in a sectional view.

(4) All figures show the invention not to scale but only schematically and with their essential components. Identical reference symbols correspond to elements with the same or comparable function.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) The upper portion of a portable refillable liquid dispenser 1 for perfume is shown in its state of use in FIG. 1. The dispenser 1 comprises a receptacle 2 in the form of a glass bottle, for example with contents of 5 ml. The cross-section of the glass bottle 2 can be circular or oval, for example. The glass bottle 2 is of a pin-shaped design, for example.

(6) The receptacle 2 has a single opening 3 on its upper end. The bottleneck 4 of the glass bottle 2 has a connecting thread 5. Attached to this is a dispensing device 6 to remove the perfume from the receptacle 2 through the opening 3. The dispensing device 6 is a rolling head to distribute perfume. The roll mechanism comprises a plastic or glass ball 7, which is enclosed in a socket 8 of the rolling head 6 and can rotate within this socket 8. The fit between the ball 7 and the socket 8 is selected so that the ball 7 can transport a layer of perfume outwards through its rotating movement, while being held in the socket 8. Part of the ball 7 has contact with the inside part of the bottle 2, another part with the outside environment. The outwardly directed part of the ball 7 can apply and distribute the perfume, for example, directly on the skin, after the ball 7 has been previously wetted with perfume inside the receptacle 2.

(7) As previously noted, the dispensing device 6 need not be a rolling head and may be any type of mechanism to distribute perfume, such as a spray head, without deviating from the spirit of the invention. In this case, a tube that can be placed in the liquid and a pump that is connected to the tube are provided, the pump being equipped with a nozzle through which the liquid can be sprayed.

(8) The counterthread 8 required for the connection to the bottleneck 4 is affixed inside an assembly mandrel 11 of the rolling head 6, provided opposite the socket 8. An outer casing 12 surrounds the area of the assembly mandrel 11, forming a panel that at the same time serves as visual protection.

(9) The dispenser 1 moreover comprises a cap 13 to cover the rolling head 6. The cover cap 13 can be removed from the dispensing device 6. The dispensing device 6 is detachably connected to the receptacle 2, and can thus be unscrewed. When the dispensing device 6 is removed, the cover cap 13 can be connected to the receptacle 2 instead of the dispensing device 6, as shown in FIG. 2. For this purpose, the cover cap 13 has a suitable screw thread. This is also embodied as a counterthread 9 to the connection with the threads 5 on the bottleneck 4 and is arranged inside a connecting mandrel 14 that extends away from the flat top 15 of the cover cap 13. Here, too, an outer casing 16 encompasses the area of the connecting mandrel 14 and foams a panel that at the same time serves as visual protection. Preferably, the two outer shells 12, 16 of the dispensing device 6 and cover cap 13 align with each other in the operating state (FIG. 1) and moreover serve to provide an imaginary extension of the outside 17 of the receptacle 2 until the top 15 of the cover cap 13, resulting as a whole in an optically continuous body for dispenser 1.

(10) The cover cap 13 is placed on the dispensing device 6 when in a closed state by forming a latching connection. For this purpose, the dispensing device 6 has a circumferential groove 18 on the outside of the socket 8 holding the ball 7 and the cover cap 13 has a bead 19, which runs at the free end of the connecting mandrel 14 and corresponds to the groove 18, to engage the groove 18.

(11) In the normal operating state (FIG. 1), the screw thread 9 of the cover cap 13 has no function. The cover cap 13 can be placed onto the dispensing device 6 or removed from the dispensing device 6 in the longitudinal direction of the bottle 21. If the dispenser 1 is to be refilled, the cover cap 13 can be screwed together at the location of the dispensing device 6 with the receptacle 2 (screw movement 22 around the central longitudinal axis 23 of the bottle 2).

(12) In the center of its top 15, the cover cap 13 has a refill opening 24, through which the liquid can be filled into the receptacle 2 when the cover cap 13 is attached to the receptacle 2 (FIG. 2). This refill opening 24 is designed to receive a spray tube 25 of a storage container. A commercially available perfume bottle 26, e.g. with contents of 100 ml, which has a standard pump spray mechanism (not depicted), serves as a storage container. After the spray button of this perfume bottle 26 has been removed, which is usually possible by simply peeling it off, the spray tube 25 of the perfume bottle 26 is free and can be inserted into the refill opening 24. When the spray tube 25 has been introduced into the refill opening 24, perfume can be transferred from the perfume bottle 26 through the opening 24 into the receptacle 2 by pumping several times. The otherwise closed top 15 of the cover cap 13 serves as a mechanical stop and counter-bearing for the perfume bottle 26 to operate the spray valve (not depicted) of the perfume bottle 26.

(13) A refillable dispenser 1, which can be filled several times, is thus provided. For refilling, the ball 7 need not be removed from its socket 8, nor does an additional refill opening or the like have to be provided in the receptacle 2.

(14) In order to make it possible to refill a portable liquid dispenser (1) with a simple and cost-effective design, particularly for perfume or the like, a method with the following steps is proposed: a dispensing device (6) to remove the liquid from a receptacle (2) of the liquid dispenser (1) is separated from the receptacle (2); a cap (13) to cover the dispensing device (6) is separated from the dispensing device (6) and connected to the receptacle (2); a spray tube (25) from a storage container is placed in a refill opening (24) provided in the cover cap (13); and liquid is transferred from the storage container (26) into the receptacle (2) of the liquid dispenser (1).