DISPENSER FOR SUPPORTS TO BE IMPREGNATED WITH AN ODOUR

Abstract

The invention relates to a machine for dispensing perfume-testing supports, comprising support storage means for storing a batch of supports, support-dispensing means for transporting the supports one by one to a delivery point, and support impregnation means for depositing a perfume sample on each dispensed support, before the dispensing thereof. The dispensing means comprise support-marking means for Marking each dispensed support at the moment of the dispensing thereof, the marking means and the impregnation means being automatically actuated during the dispensing process.

Claims

1. Machine for dispensing support means intended to be impregnated by an odour to be selected, comprising means for storing the support means, means for dispensing the support means and delivering to a person, means for receiving means for emanating odour, means for impregnating the support means with the odour, wherein said receiving means are arranged to receive a vial of perfume to be selected, the support means are intended to be impregnated with an odour to be selected, said impregnation means are means for impregnating the odour to be selected the dispensing means and delivery means comprise means for matching i) the impregnated support means and ii) the odour to be selected.

2. Dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein the means for emanating the odour to be selected comprise a selection perfume vial.

3. Dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein the means for emanating the odour to be selected comprise a plurality of selection perfume vials.

4. Dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein the support means intended to be impregnated with odour comprise a plurality of individual strips.

5. Dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein the support means intended to be impregnated with odour comprise a large strip pre-cut into strips or strip sections to be detached from each other.

6. Dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein the means for matching the support means and the odours to be selected comprise means for marking the support means.

7. Dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein the impregnation means are arranged to be actuated automatically.

8. Dispensing machine according to claim 6, wherein the marking means comprise embossing means.

9. Dispensing machine according to claim 6, wherein the marking means comprise a set of two marking rollers between which the impregnated support means pass during the dispensing.

10. Dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein a vial support is provided, to receive a vial of a perfume to be selected there, and the impregnation means comprise a pump connected, on the one hand, to the vial and, on the other hand, to a spraying nozzle located over the trajectory of the support means to be impregnated between the storage means and the matching means.

11. Dispensing machine according to claim 10, wherein the pump is actuated by a lever connected to the dispensing means.

12. Dispensing machine according to claim 9, wherein the dispensing means comprise drive pulleys arranged to be driven by the support means to be impregnated and which are connected to a drive mechanism arranged to bring the support means up into the grip of the marking rollers.

13. Dispensing machine according to claim 12, wherein the drive pulleys are connected in rotation to the marking rollers.

14. Dispensing machine according to claim 12, wherein the drive mechanism comprises: transportation bodies arranged so as to retrieve the support means to be impregnated by friction and to transport them up to the grip of the marking means, an alternative drive mechanism to drive the transportation bodies alternatively: in a first phase, by the drive pulleys when these are rotated by the retrieval of the support means, in a second phase, by the energy storage means arranged to store energy during the first phase.

15. Dispensing machine according to claim 14, wherein the energy storage means comprise a spring acting on a rack meshing with the sprockets connected to the transportation bodies in a temporarily separable way.

16. Dispensing machine according to claim 10, wherein a control case is provided, connected to detection means to detect the replacement of a vial, to means for counting the actuation number of the impregnation means and the means for detecting the presence of support means to be impregnated in the storage means, the control case moreover comprising indication means.

17. Dispensing machine according to claim 16, wherein the means for detecting the replacement of the vial comprise electric contact means held by the vial support and connected to the control case.

Description

[0045] The dispenser, such as represented in FIG. 1, comprises a case 1 in a general cubic or parallelepipedic form, for example, around 150 to 200 mm on the side. This case comprises a bottom 11 serving as a frame for supporting the different subassemblies and functional bodies of the machine. It ensures the positioning of the different mechanisms inside the dispenser, while guaranteeing its placement, in particular on perfumery displays. The dispenser comprises a lid 12, here made from an opaque plastic material, which conceals the internal mechanism and isolates it from users, while ensuring the aesthetic part of the dispenser. An angle of the cube is occupied by a window 13 made from transparent material enabling to view the product to be selected and to be tested, here a small perfume bottle 14, to showcase it. The window is held on the lid by a tab 131 which can be locked on the lid by insertion into a slot 121 of it.

[0046] Inside the case 1, a spraying unit 2 comprising a small bottle support 21, connected to a perfume spraying pump 3, a strip storage container 4, a dispensing mechanism 6 and an electric control case 9 are arranged.

[0047] The small bottle support 21 comprises a base 22, provided with a level 23 comprising a vertical notch 231. A top flange 24 is slid onto the level and holds a lock 241 which cooperates with the notches of the level. This arrangement is provided so that the flange 24 can permanently press onto a connector 25 arranged to be adapted on the small bottle 20 containing the test perfume, and whereon is connected, moreover, a first suction tube 26, itself connected to the pump 3, of which the actuation will be defined below. The pump 3 is moreover connected by a second tube 27 to a spraying nozzle 28 attached onto the frame 61 of the dispensing mechanism 6.

[0048] The connector 25 is indeed similar to a closing and spraying cap, adaptable on a common small bottle, whereon the tube 26 is connected and whereon it is placed on the conventional nozzle of the small bottle, after it is replaced. The locking of the top flange 24 enables to hold the small bottle surrounded between the base 22 and the flange 24, by also holding the pressed connector, in a position adapted for enabling the passage of the perfume from the small bottle 20 up to the pump 3.

[0049] The base 22 moreover holds a magnet 221 on its bottom face, provided to ensure the holding of the base on the bottom 11 of the case, and a contact tongue 222 arranged to ensure an electric connection between two contact strips 91 extending over the bottom 11 and connected to the electric case 9, when the small bottle support 21 and said electric case are in place. This system enables to supply a signal to the electric case 9, when the small bottle support 21 is repositioned on the bottom 11 of the case, after a replacement of the small bottle 20 held by this support.

[0050] The container 4 for storing strips, represented in FIGS. 11 and 12, is typically adapted for containing, for example, 200 strips 40, having a format of 8228 mm, for example. It comprises a container body 41 closed on its bottom part by a bottom wall 42 comprising a retrieval cut-out 421 and arranging in a front wall 411 a retrieval window 412 just above the bottom wall. The bottom wall is sliding to enable access to the inside of the container, to refill it with a batch of new strips. A pressure plate 43 is assembled sliding into the container, pressed towards the bottom by the springs 44 to press the batch of strips towards the bottom wall, and holds the lateral tabs 431, 432 guided into the vertical windows 415, 416 arranged in the lateral walls 417 of the body. One of these tabs 431 is intended to actuate a contactor 92 when the pressure plate 43 gets to the end of the bottom run, to thus indicate that there are no more than a few strips left, and that the container must be refilled.

[0051] The container 4 is held attached by clipping onto the frame 61 of the dispenser mechanism 6, in a position determined to enable the retrieval of strips by the dispenser mechanism, as will now be seen.

[0052] The dispenser mechanism 6 here comprises, held by this frame 61, a matching unit, here a printing unit, 62 constituted by two embossing rollers with parallel axes, comprising a top roller 621 and a bottom roller 622, which hold the print of the mark to be printed, elevated on the strips. The rollers are respectively assembled on a top drive shaft 623 and a bottom drive shaft 624 with which they are connected in rotation, for example, by keying. The centre of the rollers 621, 622, and therefore these shafts 623, 624, is predetermined, according to the diameter of the rollers and the thickness of the strips 40, to form a grip 620 between the rollers specific to ensure the elevated printing, or embossing, of the strips when they pass between the rollers 621, 622.

[0053] The bottom and top drive shafts are assembled rotating in the levels arranged on the lateral flanges 611, 612 of the frame 61, the distance between the flanges being slightly more than the width of the strips 40. On each side, axially, each one of these rollers, between the rollers and the flanges, are assembled the drive pulleys 625, 626, also connected in rotation with the bottom and top transmission shafts and specific to ensure the rotating drive of these shafts by friction with a strip when such a strip located in the grip 620 between the rollers and the pulleys, is retrieved from the dispenser, as will be seen below. It will be noted that it is the rotating drive of the pulleys 625, 626, by friction with the strip 40 which ensures the rotation of the drive shafts 623, 624 and therefore the rollers 621, 622, which avoids any inappropriate sliding, which could take place between the strip and the rollers, and which would be damaging to the printing carried out on the strips.

[0054] The two bottom and top drive shafts are further connected in rotation, in opposite directions, by a set of synchronising sprockets 627, 628, also assembled connected in rotation on one of the ends of said shafts, which enables to ensure a perfect synchronisation between the embossing rollers, and therefore to guarantee the quality of the printing carried out on the strips.

[0055] On the opposite side to the synchronisation wheels 627, 628, a roller 629 is assembled on the end of the top drive shaft 623, to enable the manual driving of the rollers during the first commissioning, or in the event where the strip would no longer have been supplied from the container, to insert a strip between the rollers.

[0056] The bottom drive shaft 624 also holds, on the opposite side of the synchronisation pulleys 625, 626, a notched pulley 631 connected by a first notched belt 63 to a second notched pulley 632 of the same diameter, held by a front transmission shaft 64 assembled in rotation on the frame 61 at the back of the printing unit 62. The front transmission shaft 64 is driven in synchronisation with the rollers 621, 622 and the pulleys 625, 626.

[0057] The front transmission shaft 64 holds, centred between the two frame flanges, a front notched pulley 641, connected in rotation with said shaft 64 and whereon a second notched belt passes 65 ensuring the connection with a rear notched pulley 651 assembled connected in rotation on a rear shaft 66 called an impregnation shaft.

[0058] The second notched belt 65 also serves to retrieve the strips 40 from the container 4 by friction. To this end, the second belt 65 is arranged so that its rear part extends under the container 4, so that its top strand 651 is moved in the retrieval cut-out 421 formed in the bottom sliding wall 42, along this cut-out, and the bottom strip from the stack of strips presses on this strand, to be driven outside of the container when the second belt 65 moves.

[0059] The front notched pulley 641 and the rear notched pulley 651 have the same diameter, determined so that the diameter measured on the external face of the second notched belt 65, to the right of one of the notched pulleys, is equal to or slightly larger than that of the rollers 621, 622 and of the pulleys 625, 626, so as to ensure the supply of a strip in the grip 620 of the rollers each time the wheels and rollers turn.

[0060] The impregnation shaft 66 holds a handle 661 at one end, driving a crank 662 connected to a pivoting lever 663 which actuates the pump 3. Thus, each time the impregnation shaft 66 turns, the pump 3 sends a small quantity of perfume to the spraying nozzle 28. Furthermore, the handle 661 actuates a contactor 93 on each turn.

[0061] The impregnation shaft 66 also holds, on its end opposite to the handle 661, a first pinion 665 which meshes with a second pinion 671 held by a secondary shaft 67 which also holds a rear sprocket 672. The rear sprocket 672 is assembled on the secondary shaft 67 by the intermediary of a free wheel system 673, ensuring a connection in rotation between the rear sprocket and the secondary shaft in one single rotating direction. Moreover, the rear sprocket 672 meshes with a rack 68 which extends longitudinally over the side of the frame 61 and which is pulled back towards the front of the device by a spring 681.

[0062] The transmission shaft holds, on its end opposite to the notched pulley 632, a partial sprocket 642, of the same pitch diameter as the rear sprocket 672, which could also mesh with the rack 68. The gearing of the partial sprocket 642 extends over around half of its circumference and is arranged to mesh with the rack 68 over only a half-turn.

[0063] The contactors 92 and 93 are connected to the electric case 9. The electric case moreover comprises a small calculator supplied on an internal battery arranged to determine the volume of perfume remaining in the small bottle 220 according to the number of pushes sent by the sensor 93 from the contact established between two contact strips 91 by the contact tongue 222, and according to the volume of the small bottle 20 and the quantity of perfume dispensed by each actuation of the pump 3, and to indicate the need to replace the small bottle 20, by means of an indicator light 94 that can be seen at the front of the case 1. The indicator light 94 also indicates the need to replace the container with strips 4, in response to the signal supplied by the contactor 92.

[0064] The presence of a slot 15 located just opposite the grip 620 between the rollers 621, 622 on the front of the case 1 will also be noted, for the passage of the strips 20.

[0065] The functioning of the dispenser will now be defined.

[0066] In rest mode, the internal mechanism of the dispenser is found in the location illustrated in FIG. 3, a strip 40a being in the grip of the rollers 621, 622 as represented in FIG. 15, its end emerging from the case through the slot 15.

[0067] A user can thus grip this strip and pull it to them, according to the arrow F1 in FIG. 15. By friction with the wheels, the traction of the strip drives the pulleys 625, 626 in rotation, which also drives the shafts 623,624 and the embossing rollers 621, 622. The pattern to be printed is located on the rollers, so that it is printed on the section of strip still gripped between the rollers 621, 622 during this traction.

[0068] It will be noted that the length of the strips 40 relates to the diameter of the rollers and wheels, substantially equal to or slightly less than their circumference, and to ensure that the traction on the strip 40a rotates the wheels and therefore the bottom drive shaft 624 in one half-turn.

[0069] Simultaneously, the rotation of the wheels leads to a corresponding rotation:

[0070] of the front transmission shaft 64, by the pulley 631, the belt 63 and the pulley 632, and of the impregnation shaft 66;

[0071] of the impregnation shaft 66, by the pulley 641, the belt 65, and the pulley 651; and

[0072] of the handle 661 assembled on the impregnation shaft 66.

[0073] In its movement, the belt 63 drives another strip 40b by friction, that is retrieves from the container 4 through the retrieval window 412 and drives towards the printing unit 62, until the front part of this strip 40b is located under the spraying nozzle 28, as represented in FIG. 16. Simultaneously, the handle 661 brings about the pivoting of the lever 663 by the intermediary of the crank 662 and actuates the pump 3 which thus sends a small quantity of perfume through the tube 27 up to the spraying nozzle 28 which projects the perfume onto the strip 40b.

[0074] Simultaneously, the partial sprocket 642 meshes with the rack and moves it towards the back, according to the arrow F2, bringing about the tensioning of the spring 681, as can also be seen in FIG. 16. It will be noted that the sliding of the rack drives the rotation of the rear sprocket 672 by meshing, which freely turns on the secondary shaft 67 because of the free wheel 673. This enables the impregnation shaft 66 to turn in the direction forced by the belt 65, by driving, by the pinion 665, the pinion 671 and the secondary shaft 67 in the opposite direction of the rear sprocket 672.

[0075] Having arrived in the position represented in FIG. 16, after a half-turn of all the aforementioned shafts, pulleys and sprockets, and the strip 40a being totally retrieved and available for the user, the partial sprocket 642 is found disengaged from the rack, which is thus pulled back towards the front by the spring 681, according to the arrow F3 in FIG. 17. In doing so, the rack drives the rear sprocket 672 in the opposite direction of its rotation in the preceding phase, thus engaging the free wheel 673 and consequently driving the secondary shaft 67 and the impregnation shaft 66. It will be noted that, the impregnation shaft turns in the same direction as in the preceding phase, because of the change in rotating direction brought about by the meshing of the pinions 671, 665. The force exerted by the spring 681 on the rack is thus conveyed by the continued rotating of the impregnation shaft 66 which drives the scrolling of the belt 65, the rotation of the front transmission shaft 64, and the drive shafts 623, 624, and therefore the pulleys 625, 626 and the rollers 621, 622, enabling the strip 40b to be inserted between the rollers and start to be driven by the wheels.

[0076] Simultaneously, the belt 65 starts to retrieve a new strip 40c from the container 4, and the handle continues its rotation to bring about the suction by the pump 3 of a new dose of perfume retrieved from the small bottle 20.

[0077] It will be noted that, during this second phase, illustrated by FIG. 17, the partial sprocket 642 is still rotated in the same direction by the transmission shaft 64, but does not interfere with the sliding of the rack in the opposite direction, because there is thus no longer any meshing between the rack 68 and said wheel 642.

[0078] In this second phase, after the user has removed the strip 40a, the dispensing mechanism thus functions autonomously, only by the energy stored by the spring 681 during the first phase. All the dispensing mechanisms therefore require no external energy source, the only energy necessary for these mechanisms being in fact supplied by the user when they retrieve the strip from the dispenser.

[0079] At the end of the second phase, the spring 681 has brought the rack into its initial position, and all the mobile elements are found in the location in FIG. 15, the new strip 40b thus being ready to be gripped by a user.

[0080] It will again be noted that, during its rotation, the handle 661 will have caused a press on the contactor 93, thus sending a signal to count the number of uses to the electric case's calculator.

[0081] The invention is not limited to the embodiment which has been defined above, only as an example. In particular, the system of sprockets, partial to ensure the disconnection between the wheel 642 and the rack 68 during the second functioning phase could be replaced by any other disengageable connecting means enabling the disengagement of the front transmission shaft 64 from the rack when it arrives at the end of the run towards the rear 10 and during the second functioning phase.

[0082] Also, while keeping the strip retrieval device outside of the container, the spraying device and the marking rollers, an electric motor could be provided to drive these systems. The elevated printing by embossing could also be replaced by other printing methods. Lighting or holographic means can also be used, in particular, to complement the presentation of the product in the window and, to this end, provide a cable passage, for an electrical supply cable, in the bottom wall of the case.