Leaktight non-return valve

Abstract

Some embodiments are directed to a valve made up of a rigid wall and a flap. The flap has a non-perforated flexible and deformable peripheral region situated facing the rigid wall. The rigid wall is perforated by at least one orifice situated facing the peripheral region. The flap is joined to the rigid wall by a non-deformable fixed connection. The peripheral region has a substantially conical shape before mounting with a large base and a small base and an inner face on the inner side of the cone. The peripheral region exhibits a deformation following the pressing of the inner face of the large base against the rigid wall in a assembled position.

Claims

1. An airtight valve, comprising: a rigid wall; and a flap that has a non-perforated flexible and deformable peripheral region situated facing the rigid wall, the rigid wall being perforated by at least one orifice situated facing the peripheral region, the flap being joined to the rigid wall by a non-deformable fixed connection, the peripheral region having a conical shape before mounting with a large base and a small base and an inner face on the inner side of the cone, the peripheral region exhibiting a deformation of the flattening type, causing elongation following the pressing of the inner face of the large base against the rigid wall in an assembled position.

2. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the flap is made in one piece of elastic shape memory polymer.

3. The valve according to claim 2, wherein the flap is joined to the rigid wall by a fixing device disposed inside the peripheral region.

4. A pump type device, comprising: an inlet valve; and an outlet valve, at least one of the inlet valve and the outlet valve including the valve of claim 2.

5. An airless flexible tube type device, comprising: a nozzle with the orifice, the nozzle including the valve according to claim 2.

6. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the flap is joined to the rigid wall by a fixing device disposed inside the peripheral region.

7. The valve according to claim 6, wherein the fixing device is formed by a stem or a hollow cylinder joined fixedly to the rigid wall and by a hollow shaft disposed at the center of the flap, the hollow shaft being fitted on the stem or the hollow cylinder.

8. The valve according to claim 7, wherein the stem or the hollow cylinder and the rigid wall are part of a one-piece part.

9. A pump type device, comprising: an inlet valve; and an outlet valve, at least one of the inlet valve and the outlet valve including the valve of claim 8.

10. An airless flexible tube type device, comprising: a nozzle with the orifice, the nozzle including the valve according to claim 8.

11. A pump type device, comprising: an inlet valve; and an outlet valve, at least one of the inlet valve and the outlet valve including the valve of claim 7.

12. An airless flexible tube type device, comprising: a nozzle with the orifice, the nozzle including the valve according to claim 7.

13. A pump type device, comprising: an inlet valve; and an outlet valve, at least one of the inlet valve and the outlet valve including the valve of claim 6.

14. An airless flexible tube type device, comprising: a nozzle with the orifice, the nozzle including the valve according to claim 6.

15. A pump type device, comprising: an inlet valve; and an outlet valve, at least one of the inlet valve and the outlet valve including the valve of claim 1.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the inlet and outlet valves have an identical flap.

17. An airless flexible tube type device, comprising: a nozzle with the orifice, the nozzle including the valve according to claim 1.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the nozzle is covered by a second flexible flap for shutting off the orifice, the second flexible flap being fixed to an internal face of a hollow shaft pressing against the free end of a stem, the stem and the hollow shaft being in one piece with a support part.

19. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the flap after deformation, the peripheral region of the flap is compressed in the form of a squashed cone frustum, the outside diameter of the ring has an elongation of the material of around 9%.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

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

(2) FIG. 1 is a cross section through an airless dispensing system of which the pump is equipped with an inlet valve and an outlet valve according to some embodiments,

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross section through the valve according to some embodiments in a first disposition,

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

(5) FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the flap according to some embodiments before mounting,

(6) FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the flap in FIG. 4 compressed after mounting,

(7) FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C 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,

(8) FIG. 7 is a cross section through the valve according to some embodiments which is covered with a reducer and disposed on a flexible tube,

(9) FIG. 8 is a cross section through the valve according to some embodiments which is covered with a second flexible shut-off flap and disposed on a flexible tube.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(10) The leaktight non-return valve of some embodiments fits on a first device of the pump type equipping an airless dispensing system (airless dispenser).

(11) In the rest of the description, the side on which the lid is situated will be called the top and the side on which the container is situated will be called the bottom.

(12) The airless dispenser in FIG. 1 includes a push button 2 and a pump 1, made up of a first element 6a and a second element 3, which are movable with respect to one another, the combination of these two elements making it possible to form a closed space of variable volume forming a dispensing chamber 11. The dispenser is fixed to a container (not shown) disposed on the opposite side from the push button 2.

(13) The pump 1 is equipped with an inlet valve made up of a flap 7 pressing against the rigid wall 63 belonging to the first element 6a of the pump 1, and an outlet valve made up of a flap 8 pressing against the rigid wall 35 belonging to the second element 3 of the pump 1.

(14) The inlet valve ensures the barrier between the container and the pump 1, the outlet valve ensures the barrier between the pump 1 and the outside, thus delimiting three spaces, which are leaktight with respect to one another, of the container, of the pump and of the outside atmosphere.

(15) The flap 7 includes a flexible peripheral wall 70 and a central fixer formed by a hollow shaft 71. Before assembly, the flexible wall 70 describes a cone of revolution of axis XX, the generatrix of which is approximately a straight line that forms an angle A with the axis XX of the hollow shaft 71, for example 45 (FIG. 4). The value of the angle A can vary depending on the polymer and on the diameter of the flap 7. The preferred angle A combines the greatest pressing area and the greatest pressing force after assembly.

(16) The assembly covers pressing the flap 7 against the wall 63, by fitting the hollow shaft 71 on a stem 62 that also belongs to the first element 6a of the pump and is substantially perpendicular to the wall 63. This assembly is a non-deformable fixed connection 710.

(17) The cone of revolution has a large base 72 and a small base 73, and an inner face 720 on the inner side of the cone. Once the flap 7 is assembled in the pressing position, i.e., after squashing, the flap 7 describes an axisymmetric shape, the generatrix of which is approximately a quarter of a circle, the outer end of the peripheral region 70 describing a flattened ring (cf. FIG. 5) and pressing against the rigid wall 63, the large base 72 being deformed by the pressing of its inner face 720 against the rigid wall 63. The outside diameter of the large base changes from 5.67 mm to around 6.20 mm, i.e., an elongation of the material of around 9%. This elongation causes a considerable pressing force, much greater than a non-elastic deformation, which ensures leaktightness at rest.

(18) The rigid wall 63 is pierced by at least one orifice 64 that is disposed under the flap 7 and allows the outlet of the product from the container. The flexible peripheral region 70 ensures leaktightness up to an overpressure of the upstream region of between 120 and 160 millibar, above which the region 70 will deform in order to open the valve and allow the product to pass through. This value is both sufficient to ensure the leaktightness of the valve and sufficiently low to be comfortable for the user.

(19) The outlet flap 8 of the pump has the same features before and after assembly as the flap 7. It has a flexible wall 80 and a hollow shaft 81. The cone of revolution has a large base 82 and a small base 83, and an inner face 820 on 30 the inner side of the cone. In a preferred solution, it is strictly identical to the flap 7. After assembly, the flexible wall 80 is pressed against a rigid wall 35 belonging to the second constituent element 3 of the pump, with identical features to the pressing of the flexible wall 70 against the rigid wall 63. The hollow shaft 81 is fitted on a hollow stem 21 substantially perpendicular to the wall 35 which is perforated by at least one orifice 36 disposed under 5 the flap 8. This fitting is a non-deformable fixed connection 810.

(20) The outlet valve thus has identical properties to the inlet valve.

(21) The push button 2 is pierced by a duct 22 which allows the product to be dispensed.

(22) The mode of operation of the pump will now be described. At rest, the two valves are closed, the two flaps are pressed against the rigid walls 63 and 35, and the second element 3 of the pump 1 and the push button 2 are fixedly connected.

(23) The push button 2 is able to move. The back and forth movement of the push button 2 causes a variation in the volume of the variable-volume dispensing chamber 11. When the user presses on the push button 2, he compresses the dispensing chamber 11 and creates an overpressure in the dispensing chamber 11. The overpressure causes the flap 8 of the outlet valve to open, the volume in the dispensing chamber to reduce, and the product to be evacuated to the outside. When the user releases the push button 2, the latter rises again under the effect of a returner 5 and creates a negative pressure in the dispensing chamber 11. The negative pressure causes the flap 8 of the outlet valve to close, the flap 7 of the inlet valve to open, and the dispensing chamber 11 to be refilled from the container (not shown).

(24) The leaktight non-return valve of some embodiments fits on a second device of the flexible tube type.

(25) As can be seen in FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C, the flexible tubes are generally made up of three constituents: a flexible body or skirt 101, a tube head 102 and a cap. The head of the tube is a rigid element having a fixer 102-1 for the cap, the cap being able to be fixed, in the case of the flip-top cap 103 (FIG. 6C), or removable, in the case of the screw cap 105 (FIG. 6B).

(26) When the tube is equipped with a removable cap 105, the head of the tube 102 forms a one-piece assembly incorporating the fixer 102-1 of the removable cap 105 and the nozzle 102-3, which delimits the evacuation orifice 104 for the product contained in the tube. The orifice 104 is closed by screwing the cap 105 onto the fixer 102-1.

(27) The fixed caps 103 are made up of two parts: A first part, referred to as base 103-1, is permanently fixed to the tube by the fixer 102-1; and A second part, referred to as cover 103-2, is fixed to the base 103-1 by a hinge.

(28) In this arrangement, the nozzle 103-3 delimiting the orifice 104 of the tube is in one piece with the base of the cap. The cover is free to pivot with respect to the base. In the open position, it opens up the orifice 104, and in the closed position, it closes the orifice 104.

(29) The flexible tube according to some embodiments includes a valve housed in the orifice 104. The support part 6b is a one-piece assembly which combines the stem 62, the hollow shaft 106, and the rigid wall 63 (cf. FIGS. 7 and 8). The support part 6b may be assembled together with the nozzle 102-3, 103-3.

(30) The support part 6b may be an element of the one-piece nozzle 102-3, 103-3.

(31) In a first variant, shown in FIG. 7, the nozzle is covered by a reducer 105 for protecting the flap 7 and giving the outlet orifice 104 the required diameter. The reducer 105 is fixed to the support part 6a in the hollow shaft 106.

(32) In the second variant, shown in FIG. 8, the nozzle is covered by a second flexible flap 107 for shutting off the orifice 104 instead of the reducer 105 in FIG. 7. The second flap 107 is fixed to the internal face of the hollow shaft 106, pressing against the free end 621 of the stem 62. The valve forming the shut-off nozzle and the non-return valve open and close simultaneously depending on whether the user exerts a pressure on the wall of the tube or interrupts this pressure.

(33) The free end of the stem 62 and the wall 106 act as a rigid pressing wall and as a fixer for the flap 107, respectively.

(34) This embodiment is particularly economical since the fixer for fixing the flaps 7 and 107, and the rigid pressing walls of these flaps, are produced from the one-piece part 6a.

(35) The flap 7 or 8 may be made of an elastomer of the SEBS, TPP or TEV type. The rigid wall 63, 35 may be made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP) or styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) and of any type of rigid polymer compatible with the packaged product.