Dispenser with ventilation filter
11969743 ยท 2024-04-30
Inventors
Cpc classification
B05B11/1087
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B65B3/027
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B05B11/00444
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B05B11/1074
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
B05B11/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B05B11/10
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B65B3/02
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B65B3/04
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
A dispenser system for a pumpable dispensed product, in particular a cosmetic fluid dispensed product such as a washing lotion, a cream lotion, a perfume liquid or similar includes a rigid or pliable product container and a dispensing device with a pump apparatus. The pump apparatus includes at least one first valve group for conveying the dispensed product out of the product container. The pump apparatus includes a second valve group for feeding air into the product container, wherein the second valve group defines a feed duct in which at least one filter unit for filtering sterile air is arranged. In subsidiary aspect, a filter unit for the dispenser system as well as a manufacturing facility and a manufacturing method for the manufacture of the dispenser system are provided.
Claims
1. Dispenser system for a pumpable product, comprising a rigid or pliable product container and a dispensing device with a pump apparatus, wherein the pump apparatus comprises at least one first valve group for conveying the product out of the product container, as well as a second valve group for feeding air into the product container, wherein the second valve group defines a feed duct in which at least one filter unit for filtering sterile air is arranged and wherein the pump apparatus is arranged to introduce a volumetric quantity of sterile air into the product container that is greater than the volumetric quantity of the product to be supplied, so that a positive pressure of sterile air is settable in the product container by sterile air, wherein the pump apparatus is designed as a manually operable double-pump apparatus and comprises a double-piston system for simultaneous conveying of the product out of the product container via negative pressure and introduction of the sterile air into the product container via positive pressure, so that sterile air and product are conveyed simultaneously into and out of the product container by a single piston actuator.
2. Dispenser system according to claim 1, wherein the pump apparatus is connected to the product container in an airtight manner, preferably inextricably connected to the product container, and when not used the product is sealed in an airtight manner against the surroundings.
3. Dispenser system according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit comprises a sterile air filter with a filter class of H13 or class 100 or higher, and the filter unit comprises a labyrinth-type filter duct.
4. Dispenser system according to claim 1, wherein the pump apparatus is designed according to the principle of a scoop piston pump with a scoop piston, wherein the scoop piston comprises two piston segments, with a first piston segment for conveying the product and a second piston segment for supplying sterile air, and furthermore that the two piston segments are designed concentric.
5. Dispenser system according to claim 1, wherein the second valve group comprises at least two non-return valve units connected one after another in the feed duct.
6. Dispenser system according to claim 5, wherein the filter unit is arranged in the feed path from the external air to the first non-return valve unit.
7. Dispenser system according to claim 1, wherein a non-return valve unit is arranged in the pump apparatus in the outlet duct of the product in the region of an outlet nozzle.
8. Dispenser system according to claim 1, wherein the product container is pliable.
9. Dispenser system according to claim 8, wherein the product container is designed as a foil container.
10. Filter unit for use in a dispenser system according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit comprises a sterile air filter with a filter class of H13 or class 100 or higher.
11. Dispenser system for a pumpable product, comprising a rigid or pliable product container and a dispensing device with a pump apparatus, wherein the pump apparatus comprises at least one first valve group for conveying the product out of the product container, as well as a second valve group for feeding air into the product container, wherein the second valve group defines a feed duct in which at least one filter unit for filtering sterile air is arranged, so that a positive pressure of sterile air is settable in the product container, wherein the pump apparatus is designed as a manually operable double-pump apparatus and comprises a double-piston system for simultaneous conveying of the product and introduction of the sterile air, wherein the second valve group comprises at least two non-return valve units connected one after another in the feed duct, wherein the filter unit or a second filter unit is arranged between a first non-return valve unit and a second non-return valve unit or between the second non-return valve unit and a third non-return valve unit.
12. Manufacturing facility for the manufacture and filling of a dispenser system for a pumpable product, the dispenser system comprising a rigid or pliable product container and a dispensing device with a pump apparatus, wherein the pump apparatus comprises at least one first valve group for conveying the product out of the product container, as well as a second valve group for feeding air into the product container, wherein the second valve group defines a feed duct in which at least one filter unit for filtering sterile air is arranged, so that a positive pressure of sterile air is settable in the product container, wherein the pump apparatus is designed as a manually operable double-pump apparatus and comprises a double-piston system for simultaneous conveying of the product and introduction of the sterile air, the manufacturing facility comprising at least a raw material tank, a processing tank and a storage tank for manufacture of the product, as well as a filling station for filling the product into the product container and for connecting the product container to the pump apparatus in an airtight manner, wherein a supply of external air takes place through at least one sterile air pressure line to which at least one sterile air filtering apparatus is connected.
13. Manufacturing facility according to claim 12, wherein the filling station comprises a sterilization apparatus for the product container, a filling apparatus and a pump fitting apparatus.
14. Manufacturing facility according to claim 13, wherein the filling apparatus is arranged to fill a product container that opens at the base, wherein the pump fitting apparatus is upstream, and the sterilization apparatus is arranged between the pump fitting apparatus and the filling apparatus and is designed to carry out a sterilization of the open-base product container in an open position of the pump apparatus.
15. Manufacturing facility according to claim 13, wherein the sterilization apparatus comprises a foil welding or foil deep-drawing unit for the manufacture of pliable product containers.
16. Method for the manufacture of a dispenser system for a pumpable product, the dispenser system comprising a rigid or pliable product container and a dispensing device with a pump apparatus, wherein the pump apparatus comprises at least one first valve group for conveying the product out of the product container, as well as a second valve group for feeding air into the product container, wherein the second valve group defines a feed duct in which at least one filter unit for filtering sterile air is arranged, so that a positive pressure of sterile air is settable in the product container, wherein the pump apparatus is designed as a manually operable double-pump apparatus and comprises a double-piston system for simultaneous conveying of the product and introduction of the sterile air, comprising: S1: providing raw material under cover of sterile air; S2: processing the raw material to create product under the cover of sterile air; S3: storing the product under the cover of sterile air; S4: filling the product into the dispenser system under the cover of sterile air.
17. Method according to claim 16, comprising, in connection with the filling of the product in step S4, following the filling steps of: M1: fitting of the pump apparatus onto an open-base product container; M2: sterilization of the product container in an open position of the pump apparatus; M3: filling the product in a locked position of the pump apparatus; M4: closing the product container base; M5: sealing the product container base.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Further advantages emerge from the drawings and the descriptions of the drawings below. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings. The drawing, the description and the claims contain numerous features in combination. The person skilled in the art will expediently also consider the features individually and combine them to form useful further combinations.
(2) Here:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(13) The same reference numerals have been used to identify components that are identical or of the same type in the figures.
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(15) A pliable product container 212 of a refill pack of a dispensed product from the prior art is shown in
(16) A dispenser system 220 of the prior art that uses a dispensing device 200
(17) A section through an upper region of a dispenser system 10 of a first exemplary embodiment is illustrated in
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(19) An embodiment modified from
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(21) The raw material can be passed on, under cover of sterile air, to reactors in processing tanks 72, which may also be known as reactor tanks, in which the processing steps with physical and chemical processes take place, while sterile air can continue to be provided as a process atmosphere through a pressure line 62 from a sterile air filtering device 64. The dispensed product is manufactured in this process step S2, and is usually passed on in process step S3 for initial storage in storage tanks 74. Coverage with sterile air takes place again here, after which filling takes place in a filling station 76, wherein the dispensed product can be removed from the storage tanks 74.
(22) Sterile air cover in the raw material tank 70 is not essential, since process temperatures of 85? C. or more prevail in the processing tanks 72, also known as reactor tanks, whereby biological contaminations at least are usually killed. Cooling down to room temperature at about 25? C. however takes place in the processing tanks 72. As a result of the cooling process, external air flows in to the processing tank(s) 72, so that there is a risk that contamination can enter the dispensed product 12 during cooling. Sterile air cover at a slight positive pressure above the normal atmospheric pressure is thus necessary at least following the processing stage of the processing tanks 72.
(23) Two quite different embodiments can be considered as the filling station 76, namely a filling station 76a in which the rigid product containers can be filled, or a filling station 76b in which the pliable product containers can be filled.
(24) The filling station 76 is composed of various stations, for example having a blow-molding machine as the first stage in which the hot, and thereby sterile, raw material is formed into a bottle. A laminar flow sterile filter 78 with a mesh size of, for example, 0.45 ?m can be arranged on the actual filling apparatus 82. Biocides range in diameter down to a minimum of 0.6 to 0.5 ?m, and are therefore retained by the filter. A particle number in tanks secured in that way of 0.3 particles/milliliter is documented in the operating records. The dispensed product remains without any contact with unfiltered external air, from raw material through production to packaging.
(25) A filling station 76a for rigid product containers comprises a sterilization apparatus 80 in which the product containers that have been manufactured are first cleaned and sterilized, after which the dispensed product is filled in a filling apparatus 82, and finally the dispensing device 16 is placed on the product container 14 and sealed in an airtight manner in a pump fitting apparatus 84. The connection between the product container 14 and the pump apparatus 18 is usually made in an inseparable manner, so that refilling the product container 14 is not possible. It can, however, also be provided that a refillable dispenser system 10 is made available, wherein refilling can, however, be carried out a sterile air cover. One possible design of a sterilization apparatus 80 for the sterilization of rigid product containers is shown in the following illustration in
(26) A filling station 76b that is prepared for filling the dispenser product into pliable product containers can alternatively be operated in parallel or independently. The filling station 76b comprises for this purpose both a sterilization apparatus and a foil welding and foil deep-drawing unit 86. The foils to be welded are sterilized in the sterilization apparatus 80, for example by exposure to ozone, after which they are welded together or deep-drawn, so that a pliable product container is formed. A filling with the dispensed product then takes place under sterile air cover, followed by fitting of the dispensing device 16 to the product container 14 in the pump fitting apparatus 84.
(27) Sterile air cover can be achieved through a central sterile air pressure line 62 with a sterile air pressure line, or via one or more laminar flow filters 78 that can be arranged directly at the filling station 76.
(28) A part of a filling station 76 for filling rigid product containers 52 is illustrated in
(29) An embodiment of the sterile air filter apparatus 64 is illustrated in
(30) A perspective view of the internal design of the sterile air provision apparatus 110 illustrated in
(31) As an alternative to the filling station 76 illustrated in
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
(32) 10 Dispenser system 12 Dispensed product 14 Product container 16 Dispensing device 18 Pump apparatus 20 First valve group 22 Second valve group 24 Non-return valve unit 26 Conveying tube 28 Sterile air feed duct 30 Filter unit 32 Double-pump apparatus 34 Double-piston system 36 Scoop piston 38 First piston segment 40 Second piston segment 42 Outlet duct of the dispensed product 44 Outlet nozzle of the dispensed product 46 Sterile air 48 Labyrinth-type filter duct 50 Surroundings 52 Rigid product container 54 Return spring element 56 Pump actuator 60 Manufacturing facility 62 Sterile air pressure line 64 Sterile air filter apparatus 66 Sterile air filter of a sterile air filter apparatus 70 Raw material tank 72 Processing tank 74 Storage tank 76 Filling station 78 Laminar flow filter 80 Sterilization apparatus 82 Filling apparatus 84 Pump fitting apparatus 86 Foil welding or foil deep-drawing unit 106 Sterile air compression tank 108 Sterile air pressure controller 110 Sterile air provision apparatus 112 Ambient air inlet region 114 Sterile air outlet region 116 Preliminary filter unit 118 Filter fan 120 Differential manometer 122 Pressure manometer 130 Sterilization medium filling unit 132 Sterilization medium processing unit 134 Sterilization medium extraction unit 136 Exhaust air duct 138 Sterilization medium feed line 140 Exhaust air line 142 Dispensed product filling line 144 Gasket 146 Transition seal 200 Dispensing device of the prior art 202 Pump actuator 204 Pump unit 206 Conveying tube 210 Dispensed product refill pack of the prior art 212 Pliable product container 214 Screwed connection 216 Foil container 218 220 Dispenser system of the prior art 222 Rigid product container 224 Threaded seat of the pump apparatus at the product container 300 Filling station 302 Filling apparatus 304 Pump fitting apparatus 306 Product container with open base 308 Product container base 310 Welded seam 312 Open position of the pump apparatus 314 Locked position of the pump apparatus 316 Pressure-proof closure ring 318 Sterilization apparatus 320 Sterile air positive pressure container 322 Base welding apparatus