Device for dosed dispensing of fluid media

Abstract

A device for dosed dispensing of a fluid medium is provided with a pen-like housing which has a storage chamber for accommodating the fluid medium and which has at its front end a tip in which there is provided an outlet opening for the fluid medium. Arranged in the front end is a valve element which closes the outlet opening under the force of a spring and is arranged such that it at least partially opens the outlet opening in the event of radial pressure being applied from the outside on the front end of the housing. The valve element is arranged in a tiltable manner at the outlet opening.

Claims

1. A device for dosed dispensing of a fluid medium, comprising: a generally tubular housing defining a longitudinal axis, said housing having a front end and including a storage chamber for accommodating the fluid medium, and a spring exerting a force, a tip being provided at said front end, in which tip there is provided an outlet opening for the fluid medium, a valve element arranged in said front end at said outlet opening in a tiltable manner, said valve element closing said outlet opening under the force of said spring, said valve element being arranged such that it tilts in a transverse direction relative to said longitudinal axis to at least partially open the outlet opening in response to radial pressure being applied from outside onto said front end of said housing, and wherein the housing comprises at its front end a generally flattened gripping region, which gripping region is made of a material that deforms elastically under radial pressure, and which gripping region is located at an axial location of said housing, said valve element further having a rear end that is arranged at approximately the same axial location as the gripping region, such that the deformation of said gripping region acts directly on said valve element causing the rear end of said valve element to tilt in the transverse direction.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the valve element comprises a front end having a sealing element for closing the outlet opening, said rear end of said valve element being designed to accommodate a front end of said spring, said spring being an axially acting compression spring.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said compression spring has a rear end, said compression spring extending axially between its front end and its rear end along the gripping region, said rear end of said compression spring being anchored inside said housing.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the valve element comprises at its rear end a cylindrical bushing, in which the front end of the compression spring is arranged.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the valve element comprises at its rear end a cylindrical bushing, in which the front end of the compression spring is arranged.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein at least one through-opening for the fluid medium is provided in or on the valve element.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein the outlet opening is enclosed by an annular shoulder, on which the sealing element rests.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein the sealing element comprises a sealing plate made of a flexible material.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein the sealing element comprises a sealing ring.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein a lateral recess is provided on an inside of the tip at the outlet opening, said lateral recess facing the gripping region of the housing.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein an applicator for dispensing said fluid and a channel for accommodating said applicator is provided in the tip of the housing, the outlet opening into said channel.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein a sensing tip is provided on the valve element, said sensing tip extending through the outlet opening and the channel and protruding beyond the channel towards the applicator.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the applicator is arranged such that it is longitudinally displaceable in the channel and projects towards the valve element through the outlet opening such that it interacts with a front end of the valve element.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein a longitudinally displaceable insert is mounted in the channel which interacts by way of its rear end side with the front end of the valve element, the applicator being arranged in said insert.

15. A device for dosed dispensing of a fluid medium, comprising: a generally tubular housing defining a longitudinal axis and having a front end and a gripping region arranged at said front end at a first axial position of said housing, said gripping region made of resilient material, said housing including a storage chamber for accommodating the fluid medium, and a spring exerting a force, a tip being provided at said front end of said housing, in which tip there is provided an outlet opening for the fluid medium, a valve element arranged in said front end at said outlet opening in a tiltable manner, said valve element closing said outlet opening under the force of said spring, said valve element having a rear end that is arranged at approximately the first axial position, such that the rear end of said valve element tilts in a transverse direction relative to said longitudinal axis in response to radial pressure being applied from outside onto said gripping region, causing said valve element to at least partially open the outlet opening, the valve element comprises a front end having a sealing element for closing the outlet opening, said rear end of said valve element accommodating a front end of said spring, said spring being an axially acting compression spring, said compression spring has a rear end, said compression spring extending between its front end and rear end along the gripping region.

16. A device for dosed dispensing of a fluid medium, comprising: a generally tubular housing defining a longitudinal axis and having a front end and a gripping region arranged at said front end, said gripping region made of resilient material that deforms elastically under radial pressure, said housing including a storage chamber for accommodating the fluid medium, and a compression spring having a front end and a rear end anchored inside said housing and exerting a force, a tip being provided at said front end of said housing, in which tip there is provided an outlet opening for the fluid medium, a valve element arranged in said front end at said outlet opening in a tiltable manner, said valve element comprising a front end having a sealing element for closing said outlet opening under said force of said compression spring, said valve element having a rear end for receiving said front end of said compression spring, said compression spring extending axially between its front end and rear end along said gripping region, such that said valve element tilts in a transverse direction relative to said longitudinal axis to at least partially open the outlet opening in response to radial pressure being applied from outside onto said gripping region.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing and explained in more detail in the following description. In the drawing:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through the novel device, but without an applicator and closure plug;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an illustration as in FIG. 1, but with applicator, closure cap, closure plug and introduced medium;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a side view and plan view of the device from FIG. 2, but without the closure cap;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an enlarged sectional illustration in the region of the tip of the device from FIG. 1, with the valve element closed;

(6) FIG. 5 shows an illustration as in FIG. 4, but with the valve element tilted;

(7) FIG. 6 shows an enlarged illustration of the tilted valve element according to FIG. 5;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a further embodiment of a device as in FIG. 4, but with a sensing tip integrally connected to the valve element;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment of the device as in FIG. 5, but with axially displaced applicator in order to open the outlet opening;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a section through the tip of the housing in the longitudinal direction and a section through the tip of the housing in the radial direction;

(11) FIG. 10 shows at the bottom an illustration in longitudinal section and at the top a perspective illustration of the valve element according to the embodiment from FIGS. 1 to 9;

(12) FIG. 11 shows, in a sectional illustration as in FIG. 10, bottom, a further embodiment of the valve element;

(13) FIG. 12 shows, in an illustration as in FIG. 8, an embodiment in which the applicator is mounted in a longitudinally displaceable insert, with the outlet opening closed; and

(14) FIG. 13 shows an illustration as in FIG. 12, but with the outlet opening open.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(15) FIG. 1 shows a schematic longitudinal section and side view of a device 10 which serves for dosed dispensing of fluid media.

(16) The device 10 comprises a pen-like housing 11 which has a storage chamber 12 for accommodating the fluid media. At its front end 14, the housing 11 is equipped with a tip 15 in which there is arranged a channel 16 which extends axially to an outlet opening 17.

(17) An applicator is to be inserted in a manner yet to be described in the channel 16 in order that the medium can be applied to a surface to be treated.

(18) Inside the housing 11, a valve element 18 is fitted on the outlet opening 17, said valve element 18 resting, such that it can tilt freely, on the edge, which can be seen more clearly in FIG. 9, of the outlet opening 17 and being biased under the force of a compression spring 19 in the closed position, which is shown in FIG. 1 and in which it closes the outlet opening 17.

(19) The tip 15 is adjoined axially to the rear, i.e. to the right in FIG. 1, by a flattened gripping region 21, the wall 22 of which has a smaller thickness in this region than the wall 23 of the accommodating chamber 12 in the rear region of the housing 11. The housing 11 with the tip 15, gripping region 21, wall 22 and wall 23 is produced in one piece from plastic.

(20) The material of the gripping region 21 can be elastically deformed under pressure, and so a pressure exerted in the direction of the arrow 24 leads to the valve element 18 tilting, i.e. moving in FIG. 1 in the rear region, i.e. where the compression spring 19 meets the valve element 18, downwardly in FIG. 1, as will be described below.

(21) FIG. 2 shows the device 10 from FIG. 1 in the same sectional illustration, with a closure cap 25 now having been positioned on the tip 15, said closure cap 25 extending by way of its wall 26 over the flattened gripping region 21 as far as the wall 23 in order in this way to avoid unintentional actuation of the valve element 18 during transport.

(22) In the tip 15 there is now fitted an applicator 27 in the form of a wick, which is held in the channel 16 via a fitting bushing 28.

(23) The housing 11 is provided at its rear end 29 with a closure plug 31 so that medium 32 introduced into the storage chamber 12 cannot run out.

(24) It can be seen in FIG. 2 that the medium 32 extends over the entire interior of the housing 11, i.e. passes through the compression spring 19 and into the valve element 18. From there, with the valve element 18 tilted, it passes through the outlet opening 17 and into the channel 16 where it saturates the applicator 27.

(25) A mixing ball is indicated at 33 in FIG. 2 and ensures that the medium 32 is mixed when the device 10 is subjected to a shaking movement.

(26) FIG. 3 shows at the top a side view of the device 10 from FIG. 2 and at the bottom FIG. 3 shows a plan view thereof. In this case, in particular the flattened gripping region 21 is clearly visible, said region serving for grasping the device 10, which is designed here as a metering pen. The gripping region 21 allows not only the actuation of the device 10 but also makes this easier, because it indicates where radial pressure has to be exerted from the outside in order to tilt the valve element.

(27) FIG. 4 shows the device 10 from FIG. 2, but without a closure cap 25, on a larger scale in the region of the front end 14.

(28) It can be seen from FIG. 4 that the valve element 18 has at its front end 34 a sealing element in the form of a sealing plate 35 which rests on the outlet opening 17 and closes it. The sealing plate 35 consists of a flexible material which adapts to relatively small unevenness around the outlet opening 17 and so ensures reliable sealing.

(29) At its rear end 36, the valve element 18 is provided with a cylindrical bushing 37 in which the front end 38 of the spring 19 is arranged such that it rests on a shoulder 39 provided in the bushing 37.

(30) The spring 19 extends to the rear along the entire gripping region 21 and its rear end 41 is fixed in a suitable manner, for example clamped in or adhesively bonded, inside the housing 11, above the gripping region 21, i.e. above the transition region 40 from the gripping region to the wall 23.

(31) In this way, the compression spring 19 presses the valve element 18 onto the outlet opening 17 and closes the latter via the sealing element 35, which is arranged at the end at the front end 34 of the valve element 18.

(32) The valve element 18 is shown in detail in FIGS. 10 and 11.

(33) FIG. 5 shows the device 10 from FIG. 4, with radial pressure now being exerted on the gripping region 21 from outside in the direction of the arrow 24 according to FIG. 1.

(34) Since the gripping region 21 is located at the same axial height as the rear end 36 of the valve element 18, i.e. at the same axial height as the bushing 37, this pressure 24 causes the valve element 18 to carry out a tilting movement in the direction of the arrow 42, as a result of which the sealing element 35 at the end is lifted off the outlet opening 17.

(35) This tilting movement 42 of the valve element 18 is made possible by the compression spring 19 having an appropriate axial length so that it so to speak buckles in the middle and allows the tilting movement 42. At the same time, the compression spring 19 exerts such an axial force on the valve element 18 that, as the radial pressure 24 is reduced, it aligns itself axially again and recloses the outlet opening 17.

(36) FIG. 6 shows the situation in FIG. 5 on an enlarged scale as a detail. It can be seen here in particular that the valve element 18 has lateral through-openings 43 and 44 both at its rear end 36, i.e. in the bushing 37, and at its front end 34, through which through-openings 43 and 44 the medium can flow from inside to outside in the direction of an arrow 45, so that it can flow past the frusto-conical front end 34 of the valve element 18 and through the outlet opening 17 to the applicator 27.

(37) A lateral recess 46 is provided on the inside of the tip 15 at the outlet opening 17 in that region which is opened by the tilting of the valve element 18, i.e. which faces the gripping region 21, said lateral recess 46 ensuring even better discharging of the medium into the channel 16; in this regard, see the description below relating to FIG. 9.

(38) FIG. 7 shows a further embodiment of the novel device 10, in the case of which a sensing tip 47 is connected integrally and centrally to the valve element 18, said sensing tip 47 extending through the opening 17 into the channel 16 and from there towards the outside, so that is protrudes forwards beyond the channel 16.

(39) Also inserted into the channel 16 with the aid of a fitting bushing 48 is an applicator in the form of a brush 49, in which the sensing tip 47 then runs.

(40) Otherwise, the construction of the device 10 from FIG. 7 is identical to the construction from FIGS. 1 to 6.

(41) If the sensing tip 47 is now pressurized either in the axial direction or transversely, this leads to the valve element 18 being lifted axially off the outlet opening 17 or else being tilted as is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

(42) In this way, it is possible to ensure the subsequent flow of medium out of the housing 11 to the brush 49 by applying appropriate pressure via the sensing tip 47.

(43) FIG. 8 shows in a further embodiment that a wick 50 can be used as applicator, said wick 50 being inserted into the channel 16 via a fitting bushing 51.

(44) The rear end 52 of the wick 50 protrudes through the outlet opening 17 and rests against the sealing element 35 of the valve element.

(45) In FIG. 8, the wick 50 has been displaced so far to the right that it has lifted the valve element 18 off the outlet opening 17 counter to the force of the compression spring 19.

(46) As in the case of the device from FIG. 7, it is thus possible to lift or tilt the valve element 18 off the opening 17 by pressing the device 10 hard against the surface to be treated.

(47) FIG. 9 shows on the right-hand side a section through the tip 15 of the housing 11 in the longitudinal direction and on the left-hand side a section through the tip 15 of the housing 11 in the radial direction. It can be seen that the outlet opening 17 inside the tip 15 adjoins an annular portion 53 in which there is provided the lateral recess 46, through which medium passes to the outlet opening 17. Around the outlet opening 17 an annular shoulder 54 runs as the edge of the outlet opening 17, the sealing plate 35 provided at the front end 34 of the valve element 18 rising up in a freely tiltable manner on said annular shoulder 54 in the closed state.

(48) FIG. 10 shows at the bottom a longitudinal sectional illustration and at the top a perspective illustration of the valve element 18 according to the embodiment from FIGS. 1 to 9. It can be seen that the valve element 18 is formed at its front end 34 as a frustoconical cone 57 and thus together with the rear bushing 37 as a whole as a rotationally symmetrical, hollow valve bushing 55, in which the lateral through-openings 43, 44 are arranged such that the valve bushing 55 can be inserted into the housing 11 in any desired circumferential orientation.

(49) FIG. 11 shows, in a sectional illustration as in FIG. 10 at the bottom, a further embodiment of the valve element 18, provided at the front end 34 of which, in addition to the sealing element formed as a sealing surface 35, is a further sealing element in the form of a sealing ring 56 which ensures sealing with respect to the annular shoulder 54, which is shown in FIG. 9.

(50) FIGS. 12 and 13 show a modified embodiment in which, as in FIG. 8, a wick 50 is mounted in a longitudinally displaceable manner in a fitting bushing 51. However, the wick is in this case arranged firmly in a tubular insert 59 which can be displaced in the longitudinal direction to only a limited degree. The rear end 61 of the insert 59 protrudes through the outlet opening 17 towards the rear and interacts there with the valve element 18.

(51) At the rear end 61, the insert 59 is provided with a shoulder 62 which is directed towards the rear and is assigned a forwardly directed shoulder 63 inside the tip 15.

(52) In FIG. 12, the valve element closes the outlet opening in a manner already described, since it rests against the annular shoulder 54. If axial pressure is now applied to the wick 50 towards the right in FIG. 12, the insert 59 is displaced to the right into the fitting bushing 51 until the shoulders 62, 63 come into abutment against one another, as is shown in FIG. 13.

(53) In this case, an end face 64 provided at the rear end 61 and directed towards the rear comes into abutment against the valve element 18 which is acted on by the compression spring 19, which is not shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

(54) As a result, the sealing element 35 on the valve element 18 is lifted off the annular shoulder 54 surrounding the outlet opening 17 and the outlet opening 17 is thus opened. The medium can now pass to the wick 50, with passages (not shown) in the rear end 61 allowing the medium to pass through.

(55) If the axial pressure on the wick 50 is removed, the insert 59 is moved back into the position in FIG. 12 via the valve element 18 that is moved forwards under the pressure of the compression spring 19, with a rearwardly directed end side 65 of the fitting bushing 51 coming into abutment against a forwardly directed collar 66 at the rear end 61 of the insert 59 and preventing the insert 59 from falling out of the fitting bushing 51.