Head for dispensing fluid material

Abstract

A fluid dispenser head (T) including a spray wall (26) that is perforated with a network of holes (O) through which the fluid under pressure passes so as to be sprayed in small droplets; the dispenser head being characterized in that the network of holes (O) comprises at least two series of holes (O), with the holes (O) of a given series presenting holes that are substantially identical in size, and with the holes (O) of different series presenting holes that are different in size, such that one series of holes (O) generates a spray of small droplets with droplet sizes that define a first Gaussian distribution, while another series of holes (O) generates a spray of small droplets with droplet sizes that define a second Gaussian distribution that is offset relative to the first Gaussian distribution, thus producing a complex spray having at least two distinct Gaussian distributions.

Claims

1. A fluid dispenser for application of a sprayed fluid to a user's skin, comprising a dispenser member (P) and a fluid dispenser head (T) including a spray wall that is perforated with a network of holes (O) through which a fluid under pressure passes so as to be sprayed in small droplets, the dispenser member configured to generate pressure on the fluid lying in the range of 2 bars to 13 bars; wherein the network of holes (O) comprises at least two series of holes (O), with the holes (O) of a given series presenting holes that are same in size, and with the holes (O) of different series presenting holes that are different in size from the size of the holes in the given series, such that one series of holes (O) is configured to generate a spray of small droplets with droplet sizes that follow a first Gaussian distribution, while another series of holes (O) generates a spray of small droplets with droplet sizes that follow a second Gaussian distribution that is offset relative to the first Gaussian distribution, thus producing a complex spray having at least two distinct Gaussian distributions; and wherein the size of the holes of the two series of holes lies in the range of 5 μm to 30 μm.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a series of holes (O) of larger size is arranged around a series of holes (O) of smaller size.

3. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a series of holes (O) of smaller size is arranged around a series of holes (O) of larger size.

4. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the series of holes (O) are arranged in concentric rings.

5. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the series of holes (O) present a geometric arrangement.

6. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the spray wall defines an upper zone (Zs) and a lower zone (Zi), the series of smaller-size holes (O) extends mainly in the upper zone (Zs), while the series of larger-size holes (O) extends mainly in the lower zone (Zi).

7. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the series of holes (O) are interleaved in substantially uniform manner.

8. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein each series of holes (O) comprises at least five holes (O) that are same in size.

9. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the sizes of the holes (O) of different series differ by at least 30%.

10. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the size of the holes (O) of the series of holes (O) lies in the range of 1 μm to 100 μm.

11. A dispenser according to claim 9, wherein the size of the holes (O) of the series of smaller-size holes (O) lies in the range 5 μm to 15 μm, and the size of the holes (O) of the series of larger-size holes (O) lies in the range 15 μm to 30 μm, in particular for spraying fluid that contains a fragrance.

12. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the fluid dispenser head comprises: an inlet well for connecting to an outlet of the dispenser member; an axial assembly housing; a feed duct that connects the inlet well to the axial assembly housing; and a nozzle including an assembly wall that is engaged in the axial assembly housing, the spray wall being secured to the nozzle.

13. A dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the assembly wall is overmolded on the spray wall.

14. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser member is a pump (P), configured to generate internal pressure on the fluid lying in the range of 2 bars to 7 bars.

15. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser member is a valve, configured to generate internal pressure on the fluid lying in the range of 6 bars to 13 bars.

16. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser member is a pump or a valve.

17. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the size of the holes of the series of holes lies in the range of 10 μm to 20 μm.

18. A dispenser assembly, comprising a dispenser according to claim 1 mounted on a reservoir containing fluid that, when the dispenser is actuated, passes under pressure so as to be sprayed in small droplets with the droplet sizes that follow the first Gaussian distribution and the droplet sizes that follow the second Gaussian distribution.

19. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the spray wall is made of plastics material.

20. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the fluid dispenser is configured to be manually actuated by depressing the dispenser head.

21. A fluid dispenser system comprising the fluid dispenser according to claim 1 and a fluid reservoir on which the dispenser member is mounted, wherein the fluid reservoir contains a perfume, and wherein the dispenser member is a pump or a valve.

22. A fluid dispenser system, comprising a fluid dispenser, comprising a dispenser member (P) and a fluid dispenser head (T) including a spray wall that is perforated with a network of holes (O) through which a fluid under pressure passes so as to be sprayed in small droplets, the dispenser member configured to generate pressure on the fluid lying in the range of 2 bars to 13 bars; and a fluid reservoir on which the dispenser member is mounted; wherein the network of holes (O) comprises at least two series of holes (O), with the holes (O) of a given series presenting holes that are same in size, and with the holes (O) of different series presenting holes that are different in size from the size of the holes in the given series, such that one series of holes (O) is configured to generate a spray of small droplets with droplet sizes that follow a first Gaussian distribution, while another series of holes (O) generates a spray of small droplets with droplet sizes that follow a second Gaussian distribution that is offset relative to the first Gaussian distribution, thus producing a complex spray having at least two distinct Gaussian distributions; and wherein the fluid reservoir contains a perfume or pharmaceutical, and wherein the dispenser member is a pump or a valve; wherein the size of the holes of the two series of holes lies in the range of 5 μm to 30 μm; and wherein the dispenser member is a pump configured to generate internal pressure on the fluid lying in the range of 2 bars to 7 bars.

23. A fluid dispenser system, comprising a fluid dispenser, comprising a dispenser member (P) and a fluid dispenser head (T) including a spray wall that is perforated with a network of holes (O) through which a fluid under pressure passes so as to be sprayed in small droplets, the dispenser member configured to generate pressure on the fluid lying in the range of 2 bars to 13 bars; and a fluid reservoir on which the dispenser member is mounted; wherein the network of holes (O) comprises at least two series of holes (O), with the holes (O) of a given series presenting holes that are same in size, and with the holes (O) of different series presenting holes that are different in size from the size of the holes in the given series, such that one series of holes (O) is configured to generate a spray of small droplets with droplet sizes that follow a first Gaussian distribution, while another series of holes (O) generates a spray of small droplets with droplet sizes that follow a second Gaussian distribution that is offset relative to the first Gaussian distribution, thus producing a complex spray having at least two distinct Gaussian distributions; wherein the fluid reservoir contains a perfume or pharmaceutical, and wherein the dispenser member is a pump or a valve; wherein the size of the holes of the series of holes lies in the range of 5 μm to 30 μm; and wherein the dispenser member is a valve, configured to generate internal pressure on the fluid lying in the range of 6 bars to 13 bars.

Description

(1) In the figures:

(2) FIG. 1 is a vertical section view through a pump fitted with a dispenser head of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 dispenser head;

(4) FIG. 3 is a vertical section view through the dispenser head in FIGS. 1 and 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is a larger-scale perspective view of the nozzle in FIGS. 1 to 3;

(6) FIG. 5 is a larger-scale vertical section view through the FIG. 4 nozzle; and

(7) FIGS. 6 to 13 are front views on a much larger scale of the spray wall of the nozzle in FIGS. 4 and 5 in eight embodiments of the invention.

(8) In FIG. 1, the dispenser head T is mounted on a dispenser member P, such as a pump or a valve, that presents a design that is entirely conventional in the fields of perfumery and pharmacy. The dispenser member P is actuated by the user pressing axially on the head T with a finger, in general the index finger.

(9) For a pump, the normal pressure generated by pressing axially on the fluid inside the pump P and the head T lies in the range about 5 bars to 6 bars, and preferably in the range about 5.5 bars to 6 bars. Peaks lying in the range 7 bars to 8 bars are nevertheless possible, but in conditions of use that are abnormal. Conversely, when approaching 2.5 bars, the spray is degraded, in the range 2.5 bars to 2.2 bars the spray is significantly degraded, and below 2 bars there is no longer any spray.

(10) For an aerosol fitted with a valve, the initial pressure generated by the propellant gas lies in the range about 12 bars to 13 bars and then drops to approximately 6 bars as the aerosol empties. An initial pressure of 10 bars is common in the fields of perfumery and cosmetics.

(11) When the assembly comprising the head (T) and a pump or valve is mounted on a fluid reservoir, the resulting fluid dispenser is entirely manual, without requiring any supply of power, in particular of electrical power.

(12) In comparison, in the technical field of ultrasonic-vibration spray devices (in particular piezoelectric spray devices), the pressure of the fluid at the nozzle is about 1 bar, i.e. atmospheric pressure, or a little less. Given the pressure values and the power used by such ultrasonic-vibration spray devices, they lie outside the scope of the invention.

(13) Reference is made to FIGS. 1 to 6 taken together in order to describe in detail the component parts of a dispenser head T made in accordance with the invention, and how they are arranged relative to one another.

(14) The dispenser head T comprises two essential component parts, namely a head body 1 and a nozzle 2. The two parts can be made by injection-molding plastics material. The head body 1 is preferably made as a single part: however, it could be made from a plurality of parts that are assembled together. The same applies for the nozzle 2 that may be made as a single part out of a single material, or by overmolding or by bi-injection, possibly with a subsequent reworking operation.

(15) The head body 1 includes a substantially-cylindrical peripheral skirt 10 that is closed at its top end by a disk 14. The head body 1 also includes a connection sleeve 15 that, in this embodiment, extends in coaxial manner inside the peripheral skirt 10. The connection sleeve 15 extends downwards from the disk 14. The inside of the connection sleeve defines an inlet well 11 that is open at its bottom end, and that is closed at its top end by the disk 12. The connection sleeve 15 is for mounting on the free end of an actuator rod P5 of the dispenser member P. The actuator rod P5 is movable downwards and upwards along the axis Y. The actuator rod P5 is hollow so as to define a flow duct that is in communication with a metering chamber P0 of the pump P or the valve. The inlet well 11 extends upwards, extending the actuator rod P5 so that the fluid coming from the metering chamber P0 can flow into the inlet well 11. The head body 1 also defines a feed duct 13 that connects the inlet well 11 to an assembly housing 12, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. The axial assembly housing 12 is of generally cylindrical configuration, thereby defining an inside wall that is substantially cylindrical. The feed duct 13 opens out into the assembly housing 2 in central manner. It should also be observed that the inside wall of the assembly housing 12 presents fastener profiles enabling the nozzle 2 to be held more securely, as described below.

(16) Optionally, the head body 1 may be engaged in a cover 3 that comprises a top bearing surface 31 on which a finger can press, and a side casing 32 that forms a side opening 33 through which the nozzle 2 can pass.

(17) The nozzle 2 presents a configuration that is generally substantially conventional, in the form of a cup that is open at one end and closed at its opposite end by a spray wall 26 in which a plurality of spray holes or orifices O are formed. More precisely, the nozzle 2 comprises a nozzle body 20 of shape that is generally substantially cylindrical and that is preferably circularly symmetrical about an axis X, as shown in FIG. 1. In other words, the nozzle 2 does not need to be oriented angularly, prior to being presented in front of the inlet of the axial assembly housing 12. The nozzle body 20 forms an outer assembly wall 21 that is advantageously provided with fastener portions in relief that are suitable for co-operating with the fastener profiles of the assembly housing 12. Thus, the nozzle 2 can be engaged axially without any particular orientation in the axial assembly housing 12, as shown in FIG. 1. Once axial assembly has been completed, the nozzle 2 is in the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

(18) The inside of the nozzle body 20 forms a chamber 22 that is defined by an inside wall 23 of configuration that is generally substantially cylindrical, although it forms a frustoconical section 23a and two small cylindrical sections 2b and 23c. On its outer front face, the nozzle body 20 forms a plane annular flat 25 in which a guide cone 25 is formed.

(19) The spray wall 26 is secured to the nozzle body 20, advantageously where the small cylindrical section 23c meets the guide cone 25. The spray wall 26 is fastened to the nozzle body 20 by any means, such as by overmolding, by bi-injection, by molding as a single part made of a single material, by snap-fastening, by crimping, by rolling, etc.

(20) The spray wall 26 may be a single-piece part made of a single material, an assembly of a plurality of parts, or a multilayer structure, e.g. a laminate. It can be made of metal, plastics material, ceramic, glass, or a combination thereof. More generally, any material that is suitable for being perforated with small holes or orifices can be used. The thickness of the spray wall 26 where the holes O are formed lies in the range about 10 μm to 100 μm. The number of holes O lies in the range about 30 to 500. Its thickness may be constant, or in contrast it may vary. The diameter of the spray wall 26 where the holes O are formed lies in the range about 0.5 millimeters (mm) to 5 mm. The spray wall 26 may be completely plane on one or both of its faces, or in contrast it may be convex, preferably towards the outside. Alternatively, it may be plane in part and convex in part, e.g. at its center. The convex shape of the wall 26 may be made after the holes O have been perforated, or in contrast before they have been perforated. The orientation of the holes O may be identical, e.g. parallel to the axis X, or in contrast their orientations may diverge, in particular when the wall 26 is convex. The density of the holes O over the wall 26 may be uniform, or in contrast it may be non-uniform, e.g. increasing or decreasing from the center of the wall.

(21) In an advantageous method of manufacture, the holes O are perforated in the spray wall 26 while it is already secured to the nozzle body 20. Thus, the nozzle body 20 may be used as a holder for holding the spray wall 26 while it is being perforated, which may be done by laser, for example. It should be kept in mind that the spray wall 26 is a very small part, and as a result is difficult to handle. It should be observed that perforating the holes O with the spray wall 26 pre-mounted on the nozzle body 20 is a method that may be implemented regardless of the size of the holes O, i.e. regardless of the fact that the holes are of different sizes.

(22) Specifically, in the invention, the spray holes or orifices O form a network of holes comprising two series 27, 28 of holes O of different sizes, with the holes O of a single series 27 or 28 presenting hole sizes that are identical, ignoring manufacturing tolerances, which do not exceed 10%. Thus, for a spray wall 26 perforated with one hundred holes O, it is possible to have a first series 28 of fifty holes O each having a diameter of 10 μm, and a second series 27 of fifty holes O each having a diameter of 20 μm. The first series 28 of fifty holes O generates a spray of small droplets having a size-distribution curve that presents a peak formed by a Gaussian distribution that is relatively narrow, while the second series 27 of fifty holes O generates a spray of bigger droplets having a size-distribution curve that also presents a peak formed by a Gaussian distribution that is relatively narrow, but that is offset and distinct from the first Gaussian distribution of the series 28. A spray is thus obtained with two droplet sizes that correspond to the two Gaussian size-distribution curves.

(23) The shares between the series 27 and 28 may vary over the range 10% to 90%, with a minimum of five holes O per series. The hole size of the series 27 may vary over the range 15 μm to 50 μm, while the hole size of the series 28 may vary over the range 5 μm to 20 μm, with the size of the series 27 always being significantly greater, by at least about 30%, than the size of the series 28.

(24) FIG. 6 shows the visible portion of the spray wall 26 of the dispenser head T in FIGS. 1 to 5. It should be observed that it includes a first series 27 of ten holes O that present a size or a diameter that is significantly greater than the forty holes O of a second series 28. The first series 27 forms a ring that surrounds two other rings that form the series 28. The configuration is generally concentric. The spray wall 26 may be used to spray perfume onto a user's body. The diameter of the holes of the first series 27 may lie in the range about 15 μm to 30 μm, and the diameter of the holes of the second series 28 may lie in the range about 5 μm to 15 μm. In this way, it is possible to optimize the wetness perception of the perfume when it is deposited on the skin by means of the spray coming from the first series 27, and to optimize the olfactory perception of the perfume by means of the spray coming from the first series 28. In addition, by arranging the series 27 around the series 28, the smaller droplets of the series 28 are surrounded, channeled, and guided by the bigger droplets coming from the series 27. In this way, the smaller droplets are prevented from dispersing too much and creating turbulence.

(25) FIG. 7 shows a spray wall 26a that presents a reverse arrangement, with the series 27a of greater diameter surrounded by two rings of small holes forming a series 28a of smaller diameter. In this way, a spray is obtained with a dense central core surrounded by a cloud of vapor. With perfume, preference is given to the olfactory aspect, while nevertheless guaranteeing the wet feel aspect.

(26) FIG. 8 shows a spray wall 26b that defines two distinct zones, namely an upper zone Zs and a lower zone Zi that are separated by a horizontal mid-line. The greater-diameter holes O of the series 27b occupy the lower zone Zi, while the smaller-diameter holes O of the series 28b occupy the upper zone Zs. Both series 27b and 28b present a configuration that is semi-circular, and they co-operate with each other to form a complete disk. With this arrangement, the cloud of vapor coming from the holes O of the series 28b disperse rapidly into the air and are immediately perceived by the user's sense of smell, because in general the perfume is directed at a target situated below the nose.

(27) FIG. 9 shows a spray wall 26c with a greater-diameter series 27c occupying the lower zone Zi and arranged in a disk shape, and with the smaller-diameter series 28c occupying the upper zone Zs and arranged in an elongate rectangle. The resulting spray is even more complex than that described above.

(28) FIG. 10 shows a spray wall 26d with a greater-diameter series 27d occupying both the lower zone Zi and also a portion of the upper zone ZS and arranged in the shape of a crescent, and the smaller-diameter series 28d occupying the upper zone Zs and arranged in a disk shape inside the crescent shape of the series 27d. For perfume, the wet aspect is enhanced with an olfactory aspect that is channeled, but nevertheless directed upwards.

(29) FIG. 11 shows a spray wall 26e with a greater-diameter series 27e arranged in a triangle surrounded by a smaller-diameter series 28e also arranged in a triangle around the series 27e. It should be observed that the triangle points downwards, so that the majority of small holes O of the series 28e are arranged in the upper zone of the wall.

(30) FIG. 12 shows a spray wall 26f with a greater-diameter series 27f arranged in a square surrounding a smaller-diameter series 28f inside the series 27f and also arranged in a square. A spray is obtained that is substantially comparable in performance to the spray of the spray wall 26 in FIG. 6.

(31) FIG. 13 shows a spray wall 26g with a greater-diameter series 27g dispersed in a smaller-diameter series 28g. The holes O of different sizes are mixed together and distributed in substantially uniform manner.

(32) Without going beyond the ambit of the invention, spray walls may be made including more than two series of holes. Starting from FIG. 7, it is quite possible to imagine that the intermediate ring presents a hole size that is different from the hole sizes of the outer and inner rings.

(33) The number of series of holes, the number of holes per series, the arrangement of the holes in the spray wall, and the size or diameter of the holes are all parameters that make it possible to determine the number of Gaussian distributions, the peak value of each Gaussian distribution, and the structure of the spray. The parameters should be determined as a function of the fluid to be sprayed and of the multiple functions that are desired: tactile and olfactory for fluids containing fragrances—penetration to various depths in the respiratory system for a fluid to be inhaled—accurate and controlled density gradation on an application surface.