Dispenser for discharging liquid to pasty masses

Abstract

A dispenser for discharging liquid to pasty masses, has a pump head and a pump chamber, having a pump chamber wall and an inlet valve and an outlet valve. The pump chamber is formed by a bellows part, on which the inlet valve is integrally formed. The inlet valve is retained of retaining arms, which extend in the peripheral direction of the inlet valve and are connected to the pump chamber wall and to the inlet valve, and the inlet valve forms a peripherally extending valve lip, which freely protrudes in cross-section. The inlet valve extends in the shape of a circle segment in a longitudinal cross-section of the bellows part, having an upper dome segment and the lower valve lip. The connection to the retaining arms is formed at a height center of the inlet valve or at an offset therefrom toward a free edge of the valve lip.

Claims

1. A dispenser (1) for discharging liquid to pasty masses (4) comprising a pump head (2) and a pump chamber (12), which is formed in the pump head and has a pump chamber wall, as well as an inlet valve (14) and an outlet valve (24), wherein the pump chamber (12) is formed by a bellows part (13), on which the inlet valve (14) is integrally formed, wherein the inlet valve (14) is retained by means of retaining arms (30), which extend in the circumferential direction of the inlet valve (14) and are connected to the pump chamber wall and to the inlet valve (14), and wherein the inlet valve (14) extends in the shape of a circle segment in a longitudinal cross section of the bellows part (13) and comprises an upper dome section (31) and a circumferentially extending lower valve lip (23) that protrudes in cross section and which closes the valve (14) by contacting an outer surface of a counter ring (21), wherein the connection to the retaining arms (30) is located at a height center of the inlet valve (14) or at an offset therefrom toward the free edge of the valve lip (23).

2. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the connection is located in the transition of the upper dome section (31) into the lower valve lip (23), which extends linearly.

3. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dome section (31) forms a semicircle together with the valve lip (23).

4. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the wall thickness (d) of the dome section (31) is greater than the wall thickness (e) of the valve lip (23).

Description

(1) The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to the attached drawings that merely show an exemplary embodiment. In these drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a dispenser of the type in question in the form of a longitudinal section;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the enlarged region II in FIG. 1, and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a bellows part in the form of a sectioned perspective view.

(5) A dispenser 1, which essentially consists of a pump head 2 and a reservoir 3, is initially described with reference to FIG. 1.

(6) The pump head 2 is designed for discharging a liquid to pasty mass 4 stored in the reservoir 3.

(7) The pump head 2 may be designed modularly and inserted into the reservoir 3 from above. The connection between the reservoir 3 and the pump head 2 is produced by means of an adapter part 5.

(8) The adapter part 5 is essentially realized in a pot-shaped fashion with an upper pot opening for receiving the pump head 2.

(9) The outer pot wall of the adapter part 5 is provided with circumferential and preferably annular projections and recesses for the clamped retention of the reservoir 3 and preferably also for the clamped retention of a cap 6 that the overlaps the pump head 2 in the unused position. The adapter part 5 is preferably supported on the circumferential outer opening edge of the reservoir 3 with an annular shoulder 7, which is integrally formed on the outer side of the circumferential pot wall.

(10) The adapter part 5 furthermore forms an outer telescopic part 8 for accommodating the pump head 2, which accordingly forms an inner telescopic part 9, in a linearly displaceable fashion.

(11) The pump head 2 is provided with an inner telescopic wall 10, which preferably extends circumferentially concentric to a longitudinal center axis x of the dispenser 1. This inner telescopic wall is guided in the adapter on the inner side of the pot wall that forms the outer telescopic wall 11.

(12) This allows a telescopic linear displacement of the pump head 2 relative to the adapter part 5, namely over a maximum displacement path that approximately corresponds to one-third to half of the pot height of the adapter part 5 in the direction of the longitudinal axis.

(13) The pump head 2 features a pump chamber 12 consisting of a flexible bellows part 13.

(14) In FIG. 1, the bellows part 13 is illustrated in the form of a longitudinal cross section through its center, wherein the longitudinal axis x is illustrated in the plane of section in the form of a line extending in a zigzag-shaped fashion. In a horizontal section extending transverse thereto, the bellows part 13 has the shape of a circular ring.

(15) This bellows part preferably consists of an injection-molded plastic part of a correspondingly flexible, resilient plastic material.

(16) An inlet valve 14 is integrated into the bottom side of the bellows part 13. This inlet valve interacts with a valve seat formed on the bottom side of the pot-shaped adapter part 5.

(17) The pump head 2 and the adapter part 5 interact telescopically outside the bellows part 13.

(18) On the bottom side of the pot facing the bellows part 13, the adapter part 5 forms a supporting base 16, in which a bottom region of the bellows part 13 is seated. In this region, the bellows part 13 is no longer realized in the form of a bellows or zigzag-shaped in a longitudinal cross section, but rather with a massive wall that has a reinforced triangular cross section in the overlapping region of the supporting base 16.

(19) The lower side of the bellows part 13 is seated on the bottom 19 of the adapter part 15 by means of separate circumferential supporting legs 17, 18 that are preferably realized annularly. The bottom 19 forms a central opening 20 in the form of a supply channel leading to the inlet valve 14, wherein said opening 20 is set back toward the interior of the pump chamber 12 relative to the bottom 19.

(20) On the outlet side, the channel ends in two concentric rings 21, 22, wherein the outer surface of the ring 21 is designed for interacting with a valve lip 23 of the bridge-like inlet valve 14 in a sealing fashion.

(21) An outlet valve 24 consisting of a flexible plastic material is located in the pump head 2 essentially above the pump chamber 12. This outlet valve is seated in a seat part 25, which retains an upper collar 27 of the bellows part 13 or the pump chamber wall by means of clamping in interaction with an opposite retainer part 26.

(22) The opposite retainer part 26 features a lower section 28, which protrudes into the region of the folds of the bellows part 13 and is basically realized cylindrically. The supporting part 25 is guided in the lower section 28.

(23) The supporting part 25 forms a channel section, in which the outlet valve 24 is seated. The channel section is connected to the pump chamber 12 by means of radially directed through-openings of the supporting part 25 and the lower section 28.

(24) On the opposite side of the pump chamber 12, the channel section of the seat part 25 transforms into a discharge channel 29.

(25) The inlet valve 14, which spans the opening 20 in the bottom 19 in a bridge-like fashion, is connected to the bellows part 13 by means of retaining arms 30 extending in the circumferential direction of the inlet valve 14.

(26) The connection of the retaining arms 30 to the inlet valve 14 is preferably produced in the transition of the bridge section into the annular valve lip 23, which points downward in the direction of the bottom 19.

(27) In a longitudinal cross section according to FIG. 2, the valve lip 23 essentially extends linearly at least with respect to the circumferential outer wall thereof.

(28) The bridge section of the inlet valve 14 located adjacent to the valve lip 23 forms a dome section 31, wherein the outer surface of said dome section, which faces the pump chamber 12, has in a longitudinal cross section a curvature radius a that approximately corresponds to 0.4-times the outside radius b of the valve lip 23.

(29) The dome section 31 protrudes in the direction of the pump chamber 12 and may in a longitudinal cross section feature a flattened area 32 in the region of its zenith, wherein said flattened area preferably lies in a plane that extends parallel to the plane, which is defined by the free lip end of the valve lip 23 and in the closed state of the inlet valve 14 essentially extends transverse to the longitudinal axis x.

(30) The height c of the inlet valve 14 measured from this valve lip plane to the zenith of the dome section 31 at least approximately corresponds to the radius b such that an inlet valve 14 with a dome section 31 and a valve lip 23, which has an essentially semicircular shape, is ultimately formed.

(31) The wall thickness d in the region of the dome section 31 approximately corresponds to 2-times the wall thickness e of the valve lip 23, particularly in its free end region. Advantages during the course of the opening motion of the inlet valve 14 and/or during the course of the closing motion thereof can be achieved due to the dome-like design of the bridge section of the inlet valve.

(32) The preceding explanations serve for elucidating all inventions that are included in this application and respectively enhance the prior art independently with at least the following combinations of characteristics, namely:

(33) A dispenser, which is characterized in that the inlet valve 14 extends in the shape of a circle segment in a longitudinal cross section of the bellows part and comprises an upper dome section 31 and a lower valve lip 23, wherein the connection to the retaining arms 30 is produced at a height center of the inlet valve 14 or at an offset therefrom toward the free edge of the valve lip 23.

(34) A dispenser, which is characterized in that the connection is produced in the transition of the upper dome section 31 into the lower valve lip 23, which essentially extends linearly.

(35) A dispenser, which is characterized in that the dome section 31 essentially forms a semicircle together with the valve lip 23.

(36) A dispenser, which is characterized in that the wall thickness d of the dome section 31 is greater than the wall thickness e of the valve lip 23.

(37) All disclosed characteristics are essential to the invention (individually, but also in combination with one another). The disclosure content of the associated/attached priority documents (copy of the priority application) is hereby fully incorporated into the disclosure of this application, namely also for the purpose of integrating characteristics of these documents into claims of the present application. The characteristic features of the dependent claims characterize independent inventive enhancements of the prior art, particularly for submitting divisional applications on the basis of these claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(38) 1 Dispenser 2 Pump head 3 Reservoir 4 Mass 5 Adapter part 6 Cap 7 Annular shoulder 8 Outer telescopic part 9 Inner telescopic part 10 Inner telescopic wall 11 Outer telescopic wall 12 Pump chamber 13 Bellows part 14 Inlet valve 15 Valve seat 16 Supporting base 17 Supporting leg 18 Supporting leg 19 Bottom 20 Opening 21 Ring 22 Ring 23 Valve lip 24 Outlet valve 25 Seat part 26 Opposite retainer part 27 Collar 28 Lower section 29 Discharge channel 30 Retaining arm 31 Dome section 32 Area a Radius dimension b Radius dimension c Height d Wall thickness e Wall thickness x Longitudinal axis