Spray head and container thus equipped, method and use

Abstract

Head for spraying a product in a spraying direction, for example a cosmetic product, in particular a deodorant, this spray head comprising: a body, comprising: a channel for conveying the product, a housing in which the conveying channel emerges, the spray head also comprising: a spray nozzle mounted on the housing, this nozzle comprising at least two, better still three, spray orifices, respective feed channels being formed between the nozzle and the body, these channels connecting the conveying channel to the said corresponding spray orifices, and being obliquely inclined relative to the spraying direction.

Claims

1. A head for spraying a product in a spraying direction, the spray head comprising: a body comprising: a channel for conveying the product, and a housing in which the conveying channel emerges; and a spray nozzle mounted on the housing, the spray nozzle comprising at least two spray orifices, the spray orifices being defined within the spray nozzle itself, wherein respective feed channels are formed between the spray nozzle and the body, the feed channels connecting the conveying channel to the corresponding spray orifices, and being obliquely inclined relative to the spraying direction, and wherein the spray orifices are positioned at 120 with respect to one another, around an axis of the spray nozzle.

2. The spray head according to claim 1, the spray nozzle being deprived of a central channel.

3. The spray head according to claim 2, wherein the feed channels extend along respective longitudinal axes which are obliquely inclined with respect to the spraying direction by an angle of between 30 and 60.

4. The spray head according to claim 1, wherein an angle of a longitudinal axes of the feed channels relative to the spraying direction is the same for each of the feed channels.

5. The spray head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises recesses which partially define the feed channels.

6. The spray head according to claim 1, wherein the spray orifices have axes which are parallel to one another and are parallel to the spraying direction, which coincides with an axis of the spray nozzle.

7. The spray head according to claim 1, wherein the spray nozzle comprises a peripheral fitting skirt provided with one or more raised parts used for snapping onto the body of the spray head.

8. The spray head according to claim 1, wherein the spray nozzle exhibits a front face on which the spray orifices emerge, the front face being a face which is fully visible when the spray nozzle is fitted to the body of the dispensing head.

9. The spray head according to claim 8, wherein the front face exhibits a central cutout, around which the spray orifices are positioned.

10. The spray head according to claim 9, wherein the central cutout exhibits a conical bottom.

11. The spray head according to claim 1, wherein the spray orifices terminate in a narrowing of their section.

12. The spray head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the body of the spray head is one-piece and is produced with at least one raised part intended to fix the spray head to a container.

13. The spray head according to claim 12, wherein the conveying channel is produced with a push button, which is connected via a flexible portion to a fitting hoop on the container.

14. The spray head according to claim 1, wherein the spray nozzle is fixed in the housing without prior location of its orientation around its axis.

15. A method for the cosmetic treatment of human keratinous substances, comprising a stage of spraying at least one cosmetic product over the keratinous substances, the spraying being carried out using a spray head as defined in claim 1.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the cosmetic product is chosen from body hygiene products, deodorant or antiperspirant products, styling products, or colouring products.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the cosmetic product is a deodorant product.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the spray head makes it possible to obtain, when the product is sprayed over a target 15 cm away from the spray head and perpendicular to an axis of spraying: at least 50% of a weight of product sprayed which reaches a disc of the target centred on the axis of spraying and with a radius of 2 cm.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the product is sprayed over the skin.

20. The method according to claim 15, the product being sprayed over the keratinous fibres, preferably the hair.

21. A use of a spray head according to claim 1 for spraying a cosmetic product over keratinous substances, in order to improve accuracy of the spraying of the cosmetic product and/or a concentration of the cosmetic product close to an axis of the spraying, the spraying being configured such that, when the product is projected onto a target 15 cm away from the spray head and perpendicular to the axis of spraying: at least 50% of a weight of product sprayed reaches a disc of the target centered on the axis of spraying and with a radius of 2 cm.

22. A cosmetic kit comprising, with one and the same packaging: a spray head according to claim 1; and a cosmetic product chosen from body hygiene products, deodorant or antiperspirant products, styling products, or colouring products.

23. The kit according to claim 22, further comprising a container configured to contain the cosmetic product and on which the dispensing head is configured to be positioned and fixed.

24. A head for spraying a product in a spraying direction, the spray head comprising: a body comprising: a channel for conveying the product, and a housing in which the conveying channel emerges; and a spray nozzle mounted on the housing, the spray nozzle comprising at least two spray orifices, wherein respective feed channels are formed between the spray nozzle and the body, the feed channels connecting the conveying channel to the corresponding spray orifices, and being obliquely inclined relative to the spraying direction, and wherein the spray orifices emerge on respective bosses projecting from a front face of the spray nozzle.

Description

(1) The invention may be better understood on reading the following detailed description of a non-limiting implementational example thereof and on examining the appended drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 represents in perspective, in isolation, the dispensing head according to the invention, protective cap removed,

(3) FIG. 2 represents the dispensing head, fitted to a container with the protective cap in place, in partial and diagrammatic longitudinal cross-section,

(4) FIG. 3 is a front view of the dispensing head, represented in isolation,

(5) FIG. 4 represents, in isolation, in axial cross-section, the spray nozzle,

(6) FIG. 5 is a rear view along V of FIG. 4,

(7) FIG. 6 is a side view along VI of FIG. 5,

(8) FIG. 7 diagrammatically represents a target used to evaluate the ability of a spray head according to the invention to provide concentrated spraying of an active ingredient, and

(9) FIG. 8 diagrammatically represents a cosmetic kit according to the invention.

(10) The spray head 1 represented in the figures is intended to equip a container 2, for example an aerosol can, comprising a product which is dispensed under the pressure of a propellant gas. It is, for example, a deodorant.

(11) The dispensing head 1 can also be fitted, in an alternative form not illustrated, on a bottle equipped with a pump.

(12) In the example of FIGS. 1 to 3, the container 2 is equipped with a valve for release by pushing in a hollow control rod 4 along the longitudinal axis X of the container. In an alternative form, the valve is for release by tipping.

(13) The dispensing head 1 comprises means for fitting to the container 2 which comprise, in the example illustrated, a hoop 6, also known as fitting skirt, intended to be snapped over an annular recess 7 produced on the container 2, in a way known per se.

(14) In alternative forms not illustrated, the dispensing head 1 is fitted otherwise to the container containing the product to be sprayed, for example being screwed, welded or adhesively bonded to the container. The container can also be produced at least partially by moulding with the body of the dispensing head.

(15) In the example illustrated, the body 5 of the dispensing head 1 comprises a push button 8 which defines a surface 9 on which the user can press in order to dispense the product. The push button 8 is connected to the hoop 6 by a flexible portion 10 which, in the example under consideration, is situated on the side of the dispensing head from which the product is sprayed.

(16) The hoop 6 defines, in the upper part, a shoulder 12, which makes it possible to fit a protective cap 14, which is advantageously made of a transparent thermoplastic material.

(17) The push button 8 is produced with a joining piece 16 interlocked over the valve rod 4, this joining piece 16 being in communication with a conveying channel 17, the longitudinal axis Y of which is non-perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X of the container, being inclined upwards, when the container 2 is vertical and the dispensing head 1 is fixed above.

(18) The hoop 6, the flexible portion 10 and the push button 8 are moulded from a single part in a thermoplastic material, for example polypropylene (PP).

(19) The conveying channel 17 emerges in the bottom of a housing 18, which receives a spray nozzle 20.

(20) The nozzle 20 exhibits several spray orifices 22, numbering three in the case in point, the axes Z of which are parallel to the spraying direction, which coincides with the longitudinal axis Y of the conveying channel 17.

(21) The nozzle 20 comprises, at its periphery, a tubular fitting skirt 24 which is used to fix the nozzle 20 to the body 5. This skirt 24, with an axis W, exhibits, on its exterior surface, a raised part, for example in the form of an annular notch, as illustrated in FIG. 4, which is designed in order to be snapped into a recess 28 of corresponding shape produced in the push button 8.

(22) The orifices 22 emerge on a front face 30 of the nozzle 20, which is visible after the nozzle has been fitted to the push button 8.

(23) The nozzle 20 is produced by moulding thermoplastic material, for example made of PP or POM.

(24) The front face 30 exhibits three bosses 32 which project therefrom, the orifices 22 emerging at the top 35 of these bosses. These bosses 32 exhibit, for example, as illustrated, a top 35 which is substantially flat and perpendicular to the axis W. In the example illustrated, the nozzle 20 is devoid of channels which produce swirling, the orifices 22 being directional.

(25) The nozzle 20 comprises a central indentation 36, which emerges on the front face 30 and which has a bottom 37 which is substantially conical.

(26) The nozzle 20 comprises, on its rear face 43, which exhibits a general dome shape, three recesses 40 each extending longitudinally along an axis K which forms, with the axis W of the nozzle 20, an angle preferably of approximately 45.

(27) Apart from the recesses 40, the wall of the nozzle 20 extending between the rear face 43 and the central indentation 36 exhibits a substantially constant thickness e, as may be seen in FIG. 4. The slope of the rear face 43, with respect to the axis W, is, for example, equal to the angle , as illustrated.

(28) The recesses 40 define, with the bottom of the housing 18 of the push button 8 which receives them, feed channels 50 which connect the conveying channel 17 to the spray orifices 22.

(29) The bottom of the housing 18 is produced with a conical shape generated by rotation around the axis Y of the conveying channel 17.

(30) These terminate, as may be seen in FIG. 4, in a narrowing 52 of their interior cross-section. More specifically, each feed channel 50 is connected to a cylindrical section generated by rotation 57, having the axis Z. A conical section 54 converging towards the outlet connects the section 57 to another cylindrical section 55 generated by rotation, having a smaller diameter, which emerges on the top 35 of the bosses 32.

(31) The diameter of the cylindrical section 55 is, for example, 0.25 mm and that of the cylindrical section 57 is 0.6 mm. The axial dimension d of the conical section 54 and of the cylindrical section 57, considered together, is, for example, between 1 and 1.5 mm, for example being 1.3 mm, and the axial dimension of the cylindrical section 55 is, for example, between 0.4 and 0.8 mm, for example being 0.6 mm.

(32) The external diameter of the nozzle 20 is, for example, less than or equal to 15 mm. The spray orifices 22 can be relatively close, which makes possible the formation at a short distance, for example less than 10 cm from the spray head 1, of a homogeneous spray.

(33) The overall axial dimension t of the nozzle 20 is, for example, between 4 and 6 mm, for example being 5.7 mm.

(34) The fitting of the nozzle 20 can be carried out without prior angular location, before it is snapped into the housing 18. The angular orientation of the nozzle 20 relative to the axis Y is thus random, from one dispensing head to the following, during the manufacturing process.

(35) The quality of the spray is thus independent of the angular orientation of the nozzle during the fitting thereof to the body of the dispensing head.

(36) In order to use the dispensing head 1, the user presses on the push button 8, which actuates the valve rod 4 and brings about the arrival of product under pressure in the conveying channel 17. The product moving through the conveying channel 17 is distributed in the three feed channels 40 and is directed towards the spray orifices 22, which provide for the dispensing thereof in the form of jets which meet at a nonzero distance from the nozzle.

(37) The invention is not limited to the implementational example which has just been described. In particular, the nozzle 20 can be produced with more than three spray orifices.

(38) Furthermore, the nozzle can be oriented with an angle with respect to the head, it being possible for the channels 40 to be formed in part in the nozzle on the rear face 43 and in part in the sheet metal in the bottom of the housing 18.

(39) A cosmetic kit 300 according to the invention, comprising a spray head 1 according to the invention and a cosmetic product 302, for example a deodorant product, has been represented in FIG. 8.

(40) In an alternative form which is not illustrated, the kit additionally comprises a container on which the head is intended to be positioned and fixed, the container being intended to contain the cosmetic product.

EXAMPLE

(41) The test described in detail below shows the ability of the spray heads according to the invention to concentrate an active ingredient over a target area.

(42) For this test, use was made of a target 100 with a diameter of 16 cm (see FIG. 7) composed of a central disc with a diameter of 4 cm and of three concentric rings, each with a width of 2 cm, encircling the central disc.

(43) An anhydrous antiperspirant Minral GARNIER pierre d'alun hypoallergnique, sold by L'Oral, was sprayed in the direction of the centre of this target, for 5 seconds and at a distance of 15 cm.

(44) After spraying, the four parts of the target are separated and weighed individually.

(45) The weighings require a balance accurate to within a 100th.

(46) The results are combined in the table given below.

(47) TABLE-US-00001 Overall weight Central disc, Ring 1, Ring 2, Ring 3, Cumulative weight r = 2 cm r = 4 cm r = 6 cm r = 8 cm Spray head according 0.56 g 0.39 g 0.09 g 0.03 g 0.02 g to the invention 0.53 g Minral GARNIER 0.58 g 0.21 g 0.14 g 0.05 g 0.04 g single-nozzle 0.44 g

(48) The spray head according to the invention concentrates the sprayed product virtually two times more than the Minral GARNIER single-nozzle in the central area of the target.

(49) This test clearly demonstrates that the spray head according to the invention generates a significantly more centered spray (less divergent from the centre of the target, narrower spray cone). This is because: 70% of the product arrives on the central disc, whereas only 36% arrives thereon with a conventional spray head, 95% of the flow is found on the target, against only 75% with a conventional nozzle.

(50) This concentrating of the active ingredient in the area of interest advantageously makes it possible to increase its effectiveness.

(51) For example, for styling sprays, this concentrating favours the firm holding and the local shaping of the hair.

(52) The invention is suitable for the dispensing of products other than cosmetics, for example an oven cleaner or an insecticide.

(53) The expression comprising a should be understood as being synonymous with comprising at least one.