Dispenser for dispensing liquids

Abstract

Dispenser with a liquid storage unit, a dispensing head with a perforated plate component which has at least 25 dispensing openings in a dispensing opening region, with a pre-chamber connected upstream of the dispensing openings of the perforated plate component and from which the dispensing openings are supplied, and a connecting channel which connects the liquid storage unit to the pre-chamber. The perforated plate component is fastened on the dispensing head in an edge region and the dispensing opening region is pressed into a curved form by means of a curvature body which is arranged in the pre-chamber and acts with force upon the perforated plate.

Claims

1. A dispenser for dispensing liquids, said dispenser comprising: a liquid storage unit; a dispensing head with a perforated plate component having multiple dispensing openings disposed in a dispensing opening region and arranged in a density of at least 5 dispensing openings/mm.sup.2; a pre-chamber connected upstream of said dispensing openings of said perforated plate component and from which said dispensing openings are supplied; a connecting channel connecting said liquid storage unit to said pre-chamber; and an outlet valve including a valve seat fixed in position with respect to an outside housing of said dispensing head and a valve body movable in relation to said valve seat and controlling an inflow of liquid to said dispensing openings together with said valve seat, one of said valve seat and said valve body being formed by said perforated plate component, said outlet valve having a closed position wherein said valve seat and said valve body abut one another and prevent liquid from exiting said dispensing head; the valve seat and the valve body forming a circumferential valve pressure chamber for collecting liquid coming from the connecting channel and preventing the liquid from passing to the dispensing openings until the valve body has been displaced more than a set spaced distance from the valve seat, wherein once the valve body has moved more than the set spaced distance from the valve seat, the liquid is allowed to simultaneously flow to all the dispensing openings.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said outlet valve moves into the closed position without causing substantial deformation of said valve seat and said valve body.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said outlet valve includes a biasing member disposed to bias said outlet valve in the closed position and prevent fluid flow through said dispensing openings.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said dispensing opening region in an area thereof facing the other of said valve seat and said valve body is substantially planar and the other of said valve seat and said valve body has a substantially planar end face disposed to abut said substantially planar area of said dispensing opening region in the closed position of said outlet valve.

5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein said outlet valve includes a biasing member disposed to bias said outlet valve in the closed position and prevent fluid flow through said dispensing openings.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said valve seat is formed by said perforated plate component and said outlet valve has an open position in which pressurized liquid is supplied from said connecting channel to said circumferential valve pressure chamber and causes displacement of said valve body into the open position wherein said valve body is spaced from said perforated plate component.

7. The dispenser of claim 6, wherein said outlet valve includes a biasing member disposed to bias said valve body in the closed position of said outlet valve, and the pressurized liquid in said circumferential valve pressure chamber causes displacement of said valve body into the open position against a biasing force of said biasing member to allow fluid flow through said dispensing openings.

8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said outlet valve has an open position and includes a valve surface disposed in surrounding relation with all of said dispensing openings, said valve body and said valve seat abutting against one another in a region of said valve surface in the closed position of said outlet valve and being out of contact with one another in the region of said valve surface in the open position of said outlet valve.

9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein said valve surface defines part of said pre-chamber.

10. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein said outlet valve includes a biasing member disposed to bias said outlet valve in the closed position to prevent fluid flow through said dispensing openings, and pressurized liquid in said circumferential valve pressure chamber causes displacement of said valve body into the open position against a biasing force of said biasing member to allow the fluid flow through said dispensing openings.

11. The dispenser of claim 10, wherein said valve seat is formed by said perforated plate component and the pressurized liquid is supplied from said connecting channel to said circumferential valve pressure chamber to cause displacement of said valve body into the open position wherein said valve body is spaced from said perforated plate component.

12. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said valve seat and said valve body define respective valve surfaces disposed in opposed relation with one another and in surrounding relation with all of said dispensing openings, said pre-chamber being defined between said valve surfaces.

13. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein said outlet valve includes a biasing member disposed to bias said outlet valve in the closed position to prevent fluid flow through said dispensing openings, and pressurized liquid in said circumferential valve pressure chamber causes displacement of said valve body into an open position against a biasing force of said biasing member to allow the fluid flow through said dispensing openings.

14. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the circumferential valve pressure chamber is formed between a first peripheral step on the valve seat and a second peripheral step on the valve body.

15. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the first peripheral step and the second peripheral step are complimentary with a first one of the first peripheral step and the second peripheral step being received within a second one of the first peripheral step and the second peripheral step when the circumferential valve pressure chamber is closed and when the valve seat abuts the valve body.

16. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the first peripheral step and the second peripheral step are complimentary with the first peripheral step being received within the second peripheral step when the circumferential valve pressure chamber is closed and when the valve seat abuts the valve body.

17. A dispenser for dispensing liquids, said dispenser comprising: a liquid storage unit; a dispensing head with a perforated plate component having multiple dispensing openings disposed in a dispensing opening region and arranged in a density of at least 5 dispensing openings/mm.sup.2; a pre-chamber connected upstream of said dispensing openings of said perforated plate component and from which said dispensing openings are supplied; a connecting channel connecting said liquid storage unit to said pre-chamber; and an outlet valve including a valve seat fixed in position with respect to an outside housing of said dispensing head and a valve body movable in relation to said valve seat and controlling an inflow of liquid to said dispensing openings together with said valve seat, one of said valve seat and said valve body being formed by said perforated plate component, said outlet valve having a closed position wherein said valve seat and said valve body abut one another and prevent liquid from exiting said dispensing head; wherein the liquid is prevented from passing to the dispensing openings until the valve body has been displaced more than a set spaced distance from the valve seat, wherein once the valve body has moved more than the set spaced distance from the valve seat, the liquid is allowed to simultaneously flow to all the dispensing openings.

18. The dispenser of claim 17, wherein said outlet valve moves into the closed position without causing substantial deformation of said valve seat and said valve body.

19. The dispenser of claim 17, wherein said outlet valve includes a biasing member disposed to bias said outlet valve in the closed position and prevent fluid flow through said dispensing openings.

20. The dispenser of claim 17, wherein said dispensing opening region in an area thereof facing the other of said valve seat and said valve body is substantially planar and the other of said valve seat and said valve body has a substantially planar end face disposed to abut said substantially planar area of said dispensing opening region in the closed position of said outlet valve.

21. The dispenser of claim 20, wherein said outlet valve includes a biasing member disposed to bias said outlet valve in the closed position and prevent fluid flow through said dispensing openings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Along with the claims, further aspects and advantages of the invention are also produced from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention which are explained below by way of the figures, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1a-1d show various perspective views of a perforated plate component for a dispenser according to the invention,

(3) FIGS. 2a and 2b show a variant of the perforated plate component of FIGS. 1a to 1d,

(4) FIGS. 3a and 3b show a first variant of a dispenser according to the invention with the perforated plate component of FIGS. 2a and 2b,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a detail of the dispensing head of a dispenser realized as an alternative to the development in FIG. 3,

(6) FIGS. 5a to 5c show a further development of a dispenser according to the invention,

(7) FIG. 6a shows a further development of a dispenser according to the invention,

(8) FIGS. 6b and 6c show different inside components for use with a dispenser according to the invention and by way of the example of the interaction of one of them with the perforated plate component,

(9) FIGS. 7a to 7c show a further development of a dispenser according to the invention and

(10) FIGS. 8a to 8b show a further development of a dispenser according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) FIGS. 1a to 1d show various perspectives of a perforated plate component 10 to be used with dispensers according to the invention. Said perforated plate component 10, in the case of the embodiments shown below in the realization according to FIGS. 1a to 1d or the similar realizations according to FIGS. 2a and 2b, provide an application which is fastened in the dispensing head of a dispenser. In principle, developments where the perforated plate component is realized integrally with an outside housing of the dispensing head are conceivable.

(12) With reference to FIG. 1a, a perforated plate component 10 of this type has a circumferential edge region 12 with latching means 12a which are provided for latching in a latching groove of a dispensing head housing 12b. The circumferential edge region 12 bears a plate-like dispensing opening region 16 which spans over an inner region 14 of the perforated plate component and is penetrated by a plurality of dispensing openings 18. In total, the perforated plate component 10 of FIGS. 1a to 1d has more than 300 dispensing openings 18 which are arranged in the manner of a matrix. The thickness of the plate-like dispensing opening region which is penetrated by the dispensing openings in the present case is approximately 0.3 mm. The matrix-like arrangement of the dispensing openings 18 can be seen well in FIGS. 1b and 1c which show the perforated plate component 10 from an inside surface and an outside surface. With reference to FIG. 1d which shows the dispensing openings 18 from the inside surface, it can be seen that the dispensing openings are in each case in the form of a negative truncated pyramid and consequently taper from an inside surface 16a to an outside surface 16b of the dispensing opening region 16.

(13) As can also be seen by way of the further exemplary embodiments, it is provided at least in the case of some developments of dispensers according to the invention that the dispensing opening region 16 is curved in the mounted state of the dispenser. Consequently, in the mounted state there is deformation of the dispensing opening region which consists of plastics material and is curved outwards as a result proceeding from the non-mounted state of FIG. 1a.

(14) The second variant 110 of the perforated plate component which is shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b has a modification in relation to the embodiment of FIGS. 1a to 1d which is provided with regard to such a curvature. Thus, on the dispensing opening region 116 a pin or projection 117 which points towards the inside surface 116a is integrally formed on the dispensing opening region 116.

(15) FIG. 3a shows a dispenser 200 according to the invention utilizing the perforated plate component 110 of FIGS. 2a and 2b.

(16) The dispenser 200 shown has a dispensing head 202 which is connected in a manner not shown in any detail to a pump device 203 or a supply valve 203 in such a manner that in reaction to the dispensing head 202 being depressed in the direction 2a, liquid is supplied out of the liquid storage unit through the connecting channel 204 to the perforated plate component 110.

(17) A pre-chamber 220, in which an inside body 230 is arranged or which is defined by said inside body 230, is connected upstream of the perforated plate component 110. Said inside body 230 fills out the pre-chamber 220 extensively. Over and above this, it has an end face 232 which points to the dispensing opening region 116 and has a curvature. The pin 117 of the perforated plate component 110 is supported on said end face 232 such that the dispensing opening region 116 is deformed and a gap of an approximately constant width is produced between the inside surface 116a of the dispensing opening region 116 and the end face 232 in the region of the dispensing opening region 116. The width of said gap in the present case is approximately 0.2 mm.

(18) The dispensing opening region 116 is accordingly curved by the inside component 230 such that a diverging alignment of the dispensing openings 118 is produced. This leads to a spray jet as is indicated in the enlarged representation of FIG. 3b. Said spray jet consists of a plurality of individual jets.

(19) As a result of its composition from individual jets, such a spray jet is suitable for the targeted planar dispensing of liquid, for example on the skin of a user. The spray jet is perceived to be very soft and pleasant as a result of the individual jets.

(20) The development of FIG. 4 shows a very simple use of the perforated plate component 10 of FIGS. 1a to 1d in a dispenser which on the other side of the region shown in FIG. can have the identical design as that of FIG. 3a. The perforated plate component 10 is not deformed in the case of said development. However, there is provided an inside component 330 which, in a manner not shown in any more detail, enables in an edge region 305 an inflow of liquid out of the connecting channel 304 as far as up to the dispensing opening region 16. Additional grooves can be provided for this purpose in the edge region. The end face 332 of the inside component 330 is positioned very close to the inside surface 16a of the dispensing opening region 16. An inside gap between the inside surface 16a and the end face 332 is only 0.1 mm.

(21) It has been shown that such a very narrow gap is advantageous, in particular as it allows the flow resistance of the liquid up to the dispensing openings 18 to be influenced purely as a result of the choice of a certain surface roughness on the end face 332. Consequently, different dispensing characteristics can be achieved purely as a result of the surface roughness on the end face 332 and with one constant perforated plate component 10.

(22) In the case of the development according to FIGS. 5a to 5c, the perforated plate component of FIGS. 1a to 1d is used once again. Said perforated plate component interacts with an inside component 430 which has a similar development to that inside component 230 of FIG. 3a. The inside component 430 also has a curved end face 432 which points in the direction of the dispensing opening region 16 of the perforated plate component 10. In the non-active state of the dispenser there is interaction, as shown on the bottom left-hand side in FIG. 5b. The inside surface 16a of the dispensing opening region 16 abuts flatly against the end face 432 and consequently in said non-active state closes the dispensing openings 18, in particular also against the ingress of contaminants. If the pre-chamber 420 is then supplied with pressurized liquid through the supply channel 404, a liquid pressure builds here which, as a result of the very narrow dispensing openings, is suitable to raise the dispensing opening region 16 in its totality from the end face 432. The previously closed dispensing openings 18 are opened as a result of this and a diverging spray jet which is comparable with that of FIG. 3b is formed. As soon as the liquid pressure falls away, the dispensing opening region 16 returns into the position in FIG. 3a and consequently closes the dispensing openings 18 again.

(23) FIG. 6a shows a variant of the dispenser or of the dispensing head thereof where such deformation of the dispensing opening region 16 is not provided. Instead of which set-back free regions 534 are provided in the inside component 530 on the end face 532 thereof, through which free regions the liquid is able to pass selectively to some of the dispensing openings 18, whilst others are permanently blocked by the end face 532. As a result, a spray pattern, which does not require different perforated plate components 10 but is able to be realized purely by different inside components, can be adjusted from case to case.

(24) FIG. 6b shows a plurality of possible inside components.

(25) The inside component 630a corresponds with the inside component which is used in the case of the developments of FIGS. 3a, 3b, 5a, 5b and 5c. The other inside components 630b to 603i lead to particular spray patterns as, in each case, they cover some of the dispensing openings 18 or, however, the inflow of liquid is influenced in another manner.

(26) Thus, for example, only two left-hand and right-hand part regions of the dispensing opening region of the perforated plate component 10 are not closed by the inside component 630g. By way of FIG. 6c it can be seen that the predominant part of the dispensing openings 18 can serve not for dispensing liquid. The liquid only exits in the two part regions 16c, 16d of the dispensing opening region 16 and consequently brings about a diverging spray pattern divided into two.

(27) A particular mention is also advisable with regard to the inside component 630h. In this case, the inside component 630h is provided with penetrating channels 636h which supply the indentations on one end face 632h and consequently the dispensing openings of the perforated plate component with liquid to be dispensed. Consequently, no care has to be taken to ensure that the liquid is able to pass laterally past the inside component as far as up to the dispensing opening region 16.

(28) The representation of the inside component 630b acts to explain a particular surface roughness in the region of the end face. The surface on said end face of the component has an average peak-to-valley height R.sub.t of between 10 m and 100 m, preferably of between 20 m and 50 m. When such an inside component 630b is used with the dispensing head of FIG. 6a, the liquid, which has flowed laterally past the inside component 630b, is able to pass to the dispensing openings 18 without requiring displacement or deformation of the dispensing opening region 16 or of the inside component as a result of the named peak-to-valley height on the end face. By varying the peak-to-valley height, in this case, it is possible to influence the size of the corresponding volume flow.

(29) The development of FIGS. 7a to 7c is comparable with the development of FIGS. 5a to 5c with regard to its intended action. Here too a valve, which is able to close the dispensing openings 18 of the perforated plate unit 10, is provided. However, said valve includes an inside body 730 which is displaceable in contrast in its totality and is acted upon with force in the direction of the closed position by means of a spring 738 which is supported on the housing of the dispensing head. This can be seen in particular in FIG. 7c.

(30) The result of said application of force is that in the case of a lack of liquid supply, an end face 732 of the inside body 730, which acts as the valve body, abuts against an inside surface 16a of the dispensing opening region 16 of the perforated plate component 10 and consequently closes the dispensing opening region 18. As soon as the liquid flows in, it passes into a narrow gap between the end face 732 and the perforated plate component 10 and then presses the valve body 730 against the force of the valve spring 738 into its open position, which is shown in FIG. 7b. It is possible to dispense liquid in said open position. Once the dispensing has been terminated and the liquid pressure has fallen away, the valve assumes its closed position again of FIG. 7a.

(31) The development of FIGS. 8a and 8b shows an alternative development where the perforated plate component and the valve body 830 are adapted to one another and have a gradation as a result of which a circumferential valve pressure chamber 834 is formed. The pressure chamber 834 is defined, at least partially, by and between opposed valve surfaces 834a and 834b of the plate 10 and the valve body 830, these opposed valve surfaces 834a and 834b being provided on peripheral steps on the valve body and the valve seat. The incoming liquid is initially collected during dispensing in said valve pressure chamber 834, but is not yet able to pass to the dispensing openings 18. Not until the valve body 830 has been displaced sufficiently rearwards as a result of the liquid pressure of the liquid in the valve pressure chamber 834 does the liquid pass into an intermediate region between the valve body and the dispensing opening region of the perforated plate component 10 and is dispensed from there. As a result of said design with the circumferential gradation, it is accordingly achieved that the unobstructed inflow to all the dispensing openings 18 is created at the same time.