DEVICE FOR DISPENSING A FLUID PRODUCT

Abstract

A fluid dispenser device comprising a body (10) that supports, in stationary manner, a reservoir (20) containing fluid, a dispenser head (30) being assembled on said body (10) so as to be axially movable relative to said reservoir (20), said dispenser head (30) being provided with a dispenser orifice (31), said dispenser head (30) including a proximal bearing surface (35) that, during actuation, receives at least one, and typically two, of the user's fingers, and said body (10) including a distal bearing surface (15) that, during actuation, is suitable for receiving one of the user's fingers, and typically the thumb, said device including a removable actuator member (40) that is fastened in removable manner on said body (10) at said distal bearing surface (15), said removable actuator member (40) having a radial dimension that is greater than the radial dimension of said bearing surface (15).

Claims

1. A fluid dispenser device comprising a body that supports, in stationary manner, a reservoir containing fluid, a dispenser head being assembled on said body so as to be axially movable relative to said reservoir, said dispenser head being provided with a dispenser orifice, said dispenser head including a proximal bearing surface that, during actuation, receives at least one, and typically two, of the user's fingers, and said body including a distal bearing surface that, during actuation, is suitable for receiving one of the user's fingers, and typically the thumb, said device being characterized in that it includes a removable actuator member that is fastened in removable manner on said body at said distal bearing surface, said removable actuator member having a radial dimension that is greater than the radial dimension of said bearing surface.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said reservoir contains a single dose of fluid.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said reservoir contains only two doses of fluid.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said removable actuator member includes a hollow axial sleeve that is engaged in removable manner, in particular by friction, on said body, in particular around said distal bearing surface.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said removable actuator member includes a radial flange, such as a disk, that projects radially outwards relative to said distal bearing surface of said body.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said removable actuator member is made out of a flexible material, such as a TPE.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein blocking and/or pre-compression means are provided between said body and said dispenser head.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said blocking and/or pre-compression means comprise breakable bridges.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein the area of said distal bearing surface is less than 100 mm.sup.2, advantageously less than 80 mm.sup.2, preferably about 60 mm.sup.2.

10. A device according to claim 1, wherein the area of said removable actuator member is greater than 150 mm.sup.2, advantageously greater than 220 mm.sup.2, preferably about 515 mm.sup.2.

Description

[0019] These characteristics and advantages and others appear more clearly from the following detailed description, given by way of non-limiting example, and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a dispenser device to which the invention applies;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a detail of the removable actuator member, in an advantageous embodiment;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic section view of the

[0023] FIG. 1 device, provided with the FIG. 2 removable actuator member, shown before actuation; and

[0024] FIG. 4 is a view similar to the view in FIG. 3, shown after inhalation.

[0025] In the description, the terms axial and radial are relative to the longitudinal axis of the device shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The terms proximal and distal are relative to the dispenser orifice.

[0026] The fluid dispenser device of the invention conventionally comprises a body 10 that supports, in stationary manner, a reservoir 20 containing fluid. A dispenser head 30 is assembled on said body 10 in axially movable manner relative to said reservoir 20, said dispenser head 30 being provided with a dispenser orifice 31.

[0027] In known manner, said dispenser head 30 includes a proximal bearing surface 35 that, during actuation, receives at least one, and typically two, of the user's fingers. Likewise, the body 10 includes a distal bearing surface 15 that, during actuation, is suitable for receiving one of the user's fingers, and typically the thumb.

[0028] A piston 25 is slidably mounted in the reservoir 20, said piston 25 being moved, during actuation, by the dispenser head 30 while said dispenser head is moving axially relative to the body 10 and thus relative to the reservoir 20.

[0029] In the invention, the device includes a removable actuator member 40 that co-operates in removable manner with said body 10 at said distal bearing surface 15. In particular, the removable actuator member 40 is fastened in removable manner on said body 10. The removable actuator member 40 has a radial dimension that is greater than the radial dimension of said bearing surface 15. Advantageously, the area of said distal bearing surface 15 is less than 100 mm.sup.2, in particular less than 80 mm.sup.2, in particular about 60 mm.sup.2, whereas the area of said removable actuator member is advantageously greater than 150 mm.sup.2, in particular greater than 220 mm.sup.2, in particular about 515 mm.sup.2. This thus increases the contact area between the user's thumb and the device during actuation, thereby making it easier to actuate the device by distributing the actuation force exerted by the thumb over a larger area of bearing surface. By making the actuation force more acceptable, the device of the invention also makes it easier to deliver an actuation stroke that is complete. This may be particularly advantageous for a large nominal dose, e.g. due to a long actuation stroke or to a viscous fluid.

[0030] Advantageously, the removable actuator member 40 includes a hollow axial sleeve 41 that is engaged in removable manner, in particular by friction, on said body 10. As can be seen in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, engagement preferably occurs around the distal bearing surface 15 of the body 10. Optionally, said hollow axial sleeve 41 may include clamping profiles, such as splines or the like, for promoting easy engagement and removal of said removable actuator member 40.

[0031] The removable actuator member 40 advantageously includes a radial flange 42, such as a disk, forming the substitute bearing surface that projects radially outwards relative to the distal bearing surface 15 of the body 10, thereby increasing the contact area with the thumb.

[0032] In order to avoid accidental actuation and to generate pre-compression in the user's hand during actuation, the device advantageously includes blocking and/or pre-compression means 50, preferably formed by breakable bridges arranged between the body 10 and the head 30. Naturally, other blocking and/or pre-compression means can be envisaged. Furthermore, the pre-compression means could be separate from the blocking means.

[0033] The addition of a removable actuator member 40 on the base of the body 10 makes the force to be provided by the user more acceptable as a result of the larger surface area in contact with the user's thumb.

[0034] Since said actuator member 40 is removable from the body, the user has the choice of whether to use it or not use it.

[0035] Said removable actuator member 40 is advantageously made out of a material that is relatively flexible, such as a TPE. This presents several advantages, including in particular:

[0036] agreeable contact with the user's thumb; and

[0037] simple assembly on the body 10 and equally simple retention by clamping.

[0038] Said removable actuator member 40 also presents the following advantages compared to a solution that is not removable from the body 10:

[0039] the removable actuator member 40 can be removed easily after actuation, such that when the user pulls on it, it detaches from the body 10; it therefore cannot be used to dismantle the device, and thus gain access to the fluid remaining in the device after actuation;

[0040] the flexibility of the material implies that said removable actuator member 40 becomes detached from the body 10 if the user does not push along the axis of the body; this makes it possible to avoid tilting, and thus limits the risks of a malfunction or of an incomplete dose.

[0041] The invention applies more particularly to devices of the single-dose or two-dose type, containing only a single dose or only two doses of fluid.

[0042] The present invention is described with reference to an advantageous implementation, however it should be understood that a person skilled in the art can apply any modification thereto without going beyond the ambit of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims.