PUMP HOUSING ARRANGEMENT AND USE OF A DISPENSER PUMP

Abstract

Pump housing arrangements and methods of dispensing liquid for cosmetic applications from dispenser pumps are provided. The pump housing arrangements comprise a chamber, an inlet channel, an outlet channel, and a movable piston, wherein the chamber comprises a flexible wall part adapted to be expanded outwards with respect to the inside volume of the chamber at an increasing inside pressure of the chamber, and a blocking element relative moveable with respect to the chamber between a blocking position and an operating position is provided. The blocking element blocks an expansion of the wall part in the blocking position and enables the expansion of the wall part in the operating position.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A pump housing arrangement for a dispenser pump, comprising: a chamber for receiving a fluid to be dispensed inside an inside volume of the chamber; an inlet channel for sucking in the fluid into the chamber; an outlet channel for dispensing the fluid out of the chamber; and a movable piston bordering an axial side of the chamber, wherein the chamber comprises a flexible wall part adapted to be expanded outwards with respect to the inside volume of the chamber at an increasing inside pressure of the chamber, a blocking element relative moveable with respect to the chamber between a blocking position and an operating position is provided, and the blocking element blocks an expansion of the wall part in the blocking position and enables the expansion of the wall part in the operating position.

17. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the inside volume of the chamber is increased and/or the inside pressure of the chamber is reduced in the operating position of the blocking element compared to the blocking position of the blocking element during a dispensing of the fluid via the outlet channel.

18. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the flexible wall part of the chamber is provided by a flexible membrane fixed to the chamber, wherein the membrane closes a relief opening of the chamber.

19. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the flexible wall part of the chamber is provided by a flexible membrane fixed to the chamber at an outer surface of chamber pointing away from the inside volume of the chamber, wherein the membrane closes a relief opening of the chamber.

20. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the flexible wall part is located at a lateral surface of the chamber outside an overlapping axial area with the piston and in fluid communication with the inside volume of the chamber.

21. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the blocking element is designed as a ring relative turnable with respect to the chamber and adapted to be manipulated by hand, wherein the blocking element comprises a blocking wall for blocking the flexible wall part in the blocking position and at least one open window for being arranged above the flexible wall part in the operating position, wherein the window is located offset in circumferential direction with respect to the blocking wall.

22. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 21, wherein the blocking element comprises several windows, wherein each window unblocks a differently large area of the flexible wall part.

23. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the blocking element is turnable with respect to the chamber by a maximum amount in circumferential direction of 15135.

24. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the blocking element is turnable with respect to the chamber by a maximum amount in circumferential direction of 4560.

25. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the flexible wall part is covered at an inner surface of chamber pointing towards the inside volume of the chamber by a rigid sieve.

26. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 16, wherein at least one releasable locking means for locking the blocking element in the blocking position and/or in the operating position is provided.

27. The pump housing arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the blocking element comprises at least one protruding actuating flange for moving the blocking element between the blocking position and the operating position by hand.

28. A dispenser pump for dispensing a fluid, comprising a dispenser housing to be held by a user, the pump housing arrangement according to claim 16 arranged inside the dispenser housing, and a dispenser head for applying the fluid, wherein the dispenser head communicates with the outlet channel of the pump housing arrangement, wherein a free space is provided between the chamber and the dispenser housing for receiving the expanded flexible wall part.

29. The dispenser pump according to claim 28, wherein the dispenser head is connected with the piston via the outlet channel penetrating the piston for providing a fluid communication between the dispenser head with the inside volume of the chamber.

30. The dispenser pump according to claim 28, wherein the inlet channel communicates via an inlet valve with a fluid reservoir for storing the fluid to be dispensed, wherein the inlet valve is adapted to open at a negative pressure and to close at a positive pressure inside the chamber.

31. A series of dispenser pumps, comprising a first dispenser pump according to claim 28, wherein the blocking element of the first dispenser pump is located in its blocking position and a second dispenser pump according to claim 28, wherein the blocking element of the second dispenser pump is located in its operating position, wherein all respective manufacturing parts of the first dispenser pump and the second dispenser pump are identically formed.

32. A method comprising: dispensing a liquid for a cosmetic application from the dispenser pump according to claim 28.

Description

[0030] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter, wherein the described features can constitute each solely or in combination an independent aspect of the invention. In the drawings:

[0031] FIG. 1: a simplified sectional view of a dispenser pump,

[0032] FIG. 2: a perspective view of a pump housing arrangement for the dispenser pump of FIG. 1 in an operating position,

[0033] FIG. 3: a perspective view of the pump housing arrangement of FIG. 2 in a blocking position,

[0034] FIG. 4: a perspective view of a blocking element for the pump housing arrangement of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 and

[0035] FIG. 5: a top view of the blocking element of FIG. 4.

[0036] The dispenser pump 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 can be used for dispensing a specifically selected amount of a fluid, particularly provided as a liquid. Preferably the fluid is used for a cosmetic application like providing a liquid onto the hair of a client applied by a hair dresser. The dispenser pump 10 comprises a dispenser head 12, which can be pushed downwards against a spring force of a spring 14 supported by a connector cap 16. The connector cap 16 is adapted to be connected, particularly screwed, to a dispenser housing, particularly a bottle or the like, where the fluid to be dispensed is stored. The dispenser head 12 is connected with a piston 18 via a stem 20. The piston 18 provides a movable upper axial face of an inside volume 22 of a chamber 24, so that the amount of the inside volume 22 can be changed by moving the piston 18 during a stroke of the piston 10. When the piston 18 moves upwards by means of the spring force of the spring 14 out of the illustrated position, the inside volume 22 of the chamber 24 increases and a negative pressure is present in the inside volume 22. A fluid to be dispensed can be sucked into the inside volume 22 via an inlet channel 26 comprising an inlet valve 28 designed as a one-directional valve due to the negative pressure. When the piston 18 moves downwards by means of pushing the dispenser head 12 by hand into the illustrated position, the inside volume 22 of the chamber 24 decreases and a positive pressure increases in the inside volume 22. The fluid to be dispensed can be pumped out of the inside volume 22 via an outlet channel 30 comprising an outlet valve 32 designed as a one-directional valve due to the positive pressure. The outlet channel 30 penetrates the piston 18 and is provided inside the stem 14 in the illustrated embodiment. The fluid pumped through the outlet channel 30 may leave the dispenser 12 via a not illustrated nozzle of the dispenser heads 14. The inlet channel 26 is designed as a dip tube communicating with a not illustrated fluid reservoir inside a not illustrated lower part of the dispenser housing of the dispenser pump 10. A similar dispenser pump 10 is shown in WO 96/28257 A1.

[0037] The dispenser pump 10 comprises a pump housing arrangement 34 as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 with can be received between the upper part of the dispenser housing and the lower part of the dispenser housing inside the dispenser housing. The chamber 24 is surrounded at its outer surface within a lower axial end part of the chamber 24 by a ring-like blocking element 36. The blocking element 36 comprises a window 38 along a part of the axial extension of the blocking element 36 provided by a recess, where no material of the blocking element 36 is present. In the illustrated embodiment, the window 38 is open at its lower axial end and extends in circumferential direction by for example 45+15. A separate membrane 40 is fixed at the outer surface of the chamber 24 covering at least one opening or a plurality of openings in the material of the chamber 24 providing a flexible wall part of the chamber 24. The blocking element 36 can be turned by applying a force at a radially outwards protruding actuating flange 42 during the manufacturing process. When the blocking element 36 is positioned at a circumferential angle, where the membrane 40 is located inside the window 38, as illustrated in FIG. 2, an operating position of the blocking element 36 is selected. When the pressure inside the chamber 24 is increased, a partial amount of the fluid present inside the chamber 24 may bypass the outlet channel 30 and pushed outside the chamber 24 by expanding the flexible membrane 40 radially outwards through the window 38. The membrane 40 may lift off the outer surface of the chamber 24 so that a bypass opening is opened and a part of the fluid may spill out the chamber 24 via the bypass opening back to the fluid reservoir until the inside pressure of the chamber 24 is decreased at an amount where the bypass opening is closed again by the membrane meeting the outer surface of the chamber 24 again. A smaller amount of the fluid is delivered via the outlet channel 30 in the operating position of the blocking element 36.

[0038] When the blocking element 36 is turned into a blocking position, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the flexible membrane 40 is fully covered by the material of the blocking 36. When the pressure inside the chamber 24 is increased, the membrane 40 cannot elastically deformed anymore, but meets the rigid blocking element 36 mainly immediately, so that no partial amount of the fluid present inside the chamber 24 may bypass the outlet channel 30 anymore. The fluid cannot expand the membrane 40 anymore and cannot be pushed outside the chamber 24 through the window 38 anymore. The full, i. e. a larger, amount of the fluid is delivered via the outlet channel 30 in the blocking position of the blocking element 36. Although the amount of the fluid to be delivered can be set to different amounts by means of turning the blocking element 36 during the manufacturing process, the stroke length of the piston 18 stays the same in the operating position of the blocking element 36 as well as in the operating position of the blocking element 36.

[0039] As can be derived from FIG. 3 the blocking element 36 may comprise more than one window 38. In the illustrated embodiment, two identical formed windows 38 may be arranged above two identical designed flexible wall part s of the chamber 24 in the operating position of the blocking element 36, so that the amount of the fluid to be delivered can be reduced further. However, it is possible that two or more differently formed windows 38 may be used for the same membrane 40 and/or two or more differently formed membranes 40 may be used for the same window 38, so that a corresponding number of different amounts for the fluid to be dispensed can be selected. This enables a series of several similar dispensers adapted to different output amounts using the same manufacturing parts.

[0040] As can be derived from FIG. 4, the blocking element 36 may comprise radially inwards protruding guiding elements 44. The guiding elements can be located in axial direction between a lower rim of the chamber 24 and an inner surface of the dispenser housing, so that the blocking element 36 can be loss-proof connected to the chamber 24, but stays turnable with respect to the chamber 24. The blocking element 36 may be linear guided along the lower rim of the chamber 24 by means of the guiding elements 44 sliding along the lower rim of the chamber and/or by means of the blocking element 36 sliding along the dispenser housing.