LIQUID DISPENSER AND PROTECTIVE CAP FOR A LIQUID DISPENSER

Abstract

A liquid dispenser for dispensing in pharmaceutical liquids via a discharge or dispensing opening protected by a protective cap. The protective cap has a fastening part, designed for coupling to a housing of the liquid dispenser, and an inner part separate from the fastening part. The inner part, when the protective cap is in a fitted state, protects the discharge opening. The inner part is captively coupled to the fastening part by a coupling device, and the inner part is freely rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the protective cap in relation to the fastening part.

Claims

1. A liquid dispenser for discharge of liquids, comprising a liquid store, the liquid store storing liquid prior to discharge; a housing; a discharge opening, the liquid being dispensable through the discharge opening into an environment; and a protective cap, the protective cap, in fitted state, protecting the discharge opening and being removable for discharging liquid, the protective cap comprising a fastening part configured for coupling to the housing; of the liquid dispenser, an inner part separate from the fastening part, the inner part in the fitted state of the protective cap surrounding the discharge opening, the inner part being captively coupled to the fastening part by a coupling device, said inner part being freely rotatable in relation to the fastening part about a longitudinal axis of the protective cap.

2. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective cap has a ventilation path, and when the protective cap is in the fitted state, the discharge opening is connected to an atmosphere surrounding the liquid dispenser via the ventilation.

3. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fastening part and the inner part each comprise at least one aperture, the ventilation path extending through the at least one aperture of each of the fastening part and the inner part.

4. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein: the protective cap has a sterile filter arranged in the ventilation path and spanning either the at least one aperture in the fastening part or the at least one aperture in the inner part; and/or the protective cap has an absorption pad provided on the inner part, and the absorption pad when the protective cap is in the fitted state, lies at the discharge opening or is arranged immediately adjacent the discharge opening.

5. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one aperture in the fastening part is aligned with the sterile filter and/or the absorption pad.

6. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protective cap a screw cap having an internal thread arranged on the fastening part.

7. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim wherein the protective cap comprises a push-on cap and the fastening part include an interior clamping surface.

8. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner part is fastened to the fastening part in an axially movable manner.

9. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening part comprises a receiving space, the inner part being captively arranged in the receiving space, in the receiving space terminating at an open end of the fastening part at a retaining edge, the retaining edge defining a free cross section smaller than an outer diameter of the inner part.

10. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner part and the fastening part are composed of different materials.

11. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the liquid store is filled with a pharmaceutical liquid; and/or the liquid store has a volume of at most 200 mL and/or the liquid dispenser has a pump device; and/or the liquid dispenser is in the form of a droplet dispenser and the liquid dispenser includes a droplet forming contour downstream of the discharge opening.

12. A protective cap for a liquid dispenser having a housing and a discharge opening, the protective cap comprising a fastening part configured for coupling to the housing of the liquid dispenser, the protective cap comprising an inner part separate from the fastening part, the inner part in a fitted state of the protective cap on the liquid dispenser, surrounding the discharge opening, the protective cap further comprising a coupling device, the inner part being coupled to the fastening part by the coupling device such that said inner part is freely rotatable in relation to said fastening part about a longitudinal axis of the protective cap.

13. The protective cap as claimed in claim 12, comprising at least one of the following additional features: the protective cap has a ventilation path and when the protective cap is in the fitted state, the discharge opening of the liquid; is connected to an atmosphere surrounding the liquid dispenser; and/or the fastening part and the inner part each comprise at least one aperture the ventilation path extending through the at least one aperture of both of the fastening part and the inner; and/or the protective cap has a sterile filter arranged in the ventilation path and spanning either the at least one aperture in the fastening part or the at least one aperture in the inner part; and/or the protective cap has an absorption pad provided on the inner part and which, when the protective cap is in the fitted state, the absorption pad lies at the discharge opening of the liquid dispenser or is arranged immediately adjacent the discharge opening; and/or the at least one aperture in the fastening part is a with the sterile filter and/or the absorption pad and/or the protective cap comprises a screw cap having an internal thread arranged on the fastening part, or the protective cap comprises a push-on cap and an interior clamping surface is provided on the fastening part; and/or the inner part is fastened to the fastening part in an axially movable manner; and/or the fastening part comprises a receiving space, the inner part being captively arranged in the receiving space, the receiving space terminating at an open end of the fastening part at a retaining edge, the retaining edge defining a clear cross section smaller than an outer diameter of the inner part; and/or the inner part and the fastening part are composed of different materials.

14. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein: the absorption pad comprises a hydrophilic material; and/or the absorption pad comprises a fiber material or a porous material; and/or the sterile filter has a separation limit of 0.3 ?m or less; and/or the absorption pad and/or the sterile filter is connected to the fastening part or to the inner part by overmolding.

15. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the at least one aperture in the fastening part has a narrowest diameter of at most 5 mm.

16. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 8, wherein the inner part is axially movable in relation to the fastening part by at least 0.5 mm.

17. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein: the retaining edge on the fastening part comprises a circumferential retaining edge of a uniform inner diameter; and/or the inner part has a retaining edge, said retaining edge cooperating with the retaining edge on the fastening part, the retaining edge of the inner part having a circumferentially uniform outer diameter.

18. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 10, wherein the material of the inner part is softer than the material of the fastening part.

19. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 11, further including an actuating button for actuating the pump device, the actuating button being disposed on a lateral surface of the housing and being pushable radially inward.

20. The liquid dispenser as claimed in claim 19, wherein the protective cap covers the actuating button in the fitted state.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Further advantages and aspects of the invention will emerge from the claims and from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are explained below with reference to the figures.

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a sectional illustration of a liquid dispenser according to the invention.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a sectional illustration of the protective cap of the liquid dispenser according to FIG. 1.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a sectional illustration of a second variant of a protective cap according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0040] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a liquid dispenser according to the invention and the protective cap thereof.

[0041] In the present case, the liquid dispenser 10 is in the form of a droplet dispenser. It has a liquid store 12, a pump device 20 and a discharge opening 16 which are surrounded by a droplet forming surface 18. As a droplet dispenser, the liquid dispenser 10 is used, for the intended purpose, in an overhead position, in which the discharge opening 16 points downward. In this position, the user presses in an actuating button 22, by means of which liquid is conveyed by the pump device 20 from the liquid store 12 in the direction of the discharge opening 16. Upstream of the discharge opening 16 is a discharge valve 24 which opens in the event of sufficient pressure and allows the liquid to escape to the droplet forming surface 18.

[0042] In order to protect in particular the discharge opening 16, but also the actuating button 22, provision is made of a protective cap 50 which is illustrated separately and in enlarged form in FIG. 2. The protective cap 50 has two main components, specifically a fastening part 60 and an inner part 80.

[0043] The fastening part 60 comprises a lateral wall 60A and an end wall 60B. An internal thread 52 is provided at the lower end of the lateral wall 60A in the perspective view of FIG. 2, since the protective cap 50 is in the form of a screw cap. Correspondingly thereto, an external thread is provided on the outer side of the housing 14 of the liquid dispenser 10.

[0044] Furthermore, a ring-like tamper-evident portion 70 is provided at the mentioned lower end of the protective cap 50 and is connected to the lateral wall 60A by means of thin plastics bridges. The end wall 60B is passed through by an aperture 62. On the inner side, the protective cap 50 comprises a circumferential retaining web with a retaining edge 66 which downwardly delimits a receiving space 64 of the fastening part 60.

[0045] The already mentioned inner part 80 is arranged in this receiving space 64. Said inner part also comprises a lateral wall 80A and an end wall 80B. An outwardly pointing retaining web with a retaining edge 86 secures the inner part 80 in relation to the fastening part 60. However, the receiving space 64 is dimensioned such that the inner part 80 is movable therein, specifically is rotatable in relation to the fastening part 60 in particular about the longitudinal axis 2.

[0046] The end wall 80B, like the end wall 60B, is provided with an aperture 82, this aperture being spanned by a layer composite composed of a sterile filter 56 and an absorption pad 54. This layer composite is overmolded, in its peripheral region, by the plastics material of the inner part 80.

[0047] In addition to the rotational movability, the inner part 80 is also axially displaceable in relation to the fastening part 60 in the direction of the longitudinal axis 2, preferably by approximately 0.5 to 1 mm.

[0048] If the protective cap 50 is fitted in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1, an inner side 88 of the lateral wall 80A effects sealing with a slightly tapering sealing surface 14A of the housing 14 and thus prevents gas exchange here.

[0049] Entry of air into the receiving space 64 and into the outlet opening space 84 defined by the inner body is nevertheless possible along a ventilation path 4 through the apertures 62, 82, the air entering here being freed from bacteria by the sterile filter 56.

[0050] The two-part configuration of the protective cap obtains very good sealing at the sealing point 88, 14A. If the screw cap 50 is unscrewed, a circumferential frictional relative movement between the sealing surfaces 88, 14A does not occur. Instead, only the fastening part 80 is rotated. Only after said fastening part has been displaced to some extent axially on account of the thread 52 is the inner part 80 pulled off from the housing 14.

[0051] FIG. 3 shows an alternative design of the protective cap 50. This is in the form of a plug-on cap. Correspondingly, instead of the thread 52, it comprises ribs, the interior surfaces of which form clamping surfaces 53.