Liquid dispenser

Abstract

A droplet dispenser for dispensing cosmetic or pharmaceutical liquids in the form of individual droplets, having a medium reservoir with a first and second medium chambers, which are isolated from one another for separately storing two media. The medium chambers are connectable to produce a combined liquid. The droplet dispenser has a discharging opening and, downstream of the discharging opening, a droplet forming contour in order to create droplets which detach from the droplet forming contour as soon as the droplets have reached a defined volume. The droplet dispenser has a pump device between the medium reservoir and the discharging opening, wherein the pump device has a variable-volume pump chamber for delivering combined liquid. The pump device has an inlet valve on the entry side and an outlet valve on the exit side.

Claims

1. A droplet dispenser for dispensing cosmetic or pharmaceutical liquids in the form of individual droplets, the droplet dispenser comprising: a media reservoir with a first media chamber and a second media chamber, the first and second media chambers being isolated from one another for separately storing two media, the first and second media chambers being connectable to one another for producing a blended liquid; an outlet opening; a droplet-forming contour downstream of the outlet opening; and a pump device between the media reservoir and the outlet opening, the pump device having a volumetrically variable pump chamber for conveying blended liquid, the pump chamber having an inlet valve on an inlet side and an outlet valve on an outlet side; wherein the pump device is configured to convey an amount of liquid of at most 100 l upon full actuation.

2. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least one of: the droplet dispenser has an outlet valve upstream of the outlet opening and configured to open at a liquid excess pressure of at most 1 bar.

3. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a housing and a removable screw cap protecting the outlet opening in a fitted state, the screw cap being fastened to the housing by a cap thread, the cap thread and the media reservoir thread being in the form of opposing threads.

4. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a closure part and an inner body, the inner body having an open end closable by the closure part.

5. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a main body delimiting the first media chamber, an inner body displaceable with respect to the main body and delimiting the second media chamber, the inner body being displaceable with respect to the main body between an isolation position and a connection position, and a connecting channel, the connecting channel being between the media chambers and being closed in the isolation position and the connecting channel being open in the connection position, the inner body being displaceable with respect to the main body by a media reservoir thread for transferring from the isolation position to the connection position, the main body having a sleeve-shaped wall, the second media chamber being arranged in the sleeve-shaped wall, the media reservoir thread having an external thread provided on an outer side of the sleeve-shaped wall, the inner body having a sleeve portion arranged outside the sleeve-shaped wall of the main body, the sleeve portion having an inner side, and the media reservoir thread having an internal thread provided on the inner side.

6. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a latching device, associated with the media reservoir thread, the latching device allowing the inner body and the main body to be latched together in the connection position in a manner secured against rotation.

7. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the media reservoir has a tamper-evident portion, the tamper-evident portion, prior to operation, being integrally molded on the inner body or on the main body and being separated from the inner body or the main body upon transfer to the connection position.

8. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the droplet dispenser has a housing and the outlet opening is provided on the housing, the first media chamber is delimited by the main body and the housing, and the main body is in the form of a component separate from the housing such that the main body is couplable to the housing when the housing is filled with medium.

9. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein respective liquids are stored in the first and second media chambers.

10. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein a liquid is stored in one of the first or second media chambers and a powder or granules is/are stored in the other first or second media chamber.

11. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 10, wherein the powder or the granules is/are stored in the first media chamber and the liquid is stored in the second media chamber, and the droplet dispenser further includes an outlet channel leading to the outlet opening and being connected to the first media chamber such that the liquid can only be discharged if the liquid was transferred from the second media chamber to the first media chamber beforehand.

12. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 4, wherein the closure part and the inner body are connected as a snap-fit connection.

13. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the inner body is movable partially out of the main body by the media reservoir thread to increase an overall volume of the media reservoir.

14. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the media reservoir is configured such that an overall volume thereof is increased by connection of the first media chamber to the second media chamber.

15. The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1, further including an elongate housing extending in a direction of a main axis of extent, and an actuating pushbutton for actuating the pump device, the actuating pushbutton comprising a laterally arranged actuating pushbutton, the laterally arranged actuating pushbutton being pressable radially inwardly for actuating the pump device.

16. A method for producing a droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 5, including coupling the main body and the inner body such that the main body and the inner body are in the isolation position while the main body is not yet coupled to a housing of the liquid dispenser.

17. The method for producing a droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 5, including coupling the main body and the inner body while the main body is arranged in a positionally fixed fashion in relation to a housing of the liquid dispenser.

18. The method for producing a droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 16, further including filling one of the media chambers with a liquid, and removing moisture from the liquid before the one media chamber is closed such that only a solid that was present in the liquid beforehand remains.

19. The method for producing a droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 16, including: filling the first media chamber before a structural unit comprising the main body and the inner body is coupled to a housing of the liquid dispenser; and/or filling the second media chamber before a structural unit comprising the main body and the inner body is coupled to a housing of the liquid dispenser.

20. The method producing a droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 17, further including filling the first media chamber before or after the main body is fastened to the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and aspects of the invention will emerge from the claims and from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are explained below on the basis of the figures.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a sectional illustration of a liquid dispenser according to the invention, which is in the form of a droplet dispenser.

(3) FIGS. 2 and 3 show the individual parts of a media reservoir of the liquid dispenser of FIG. 1.

(4) FIGS. 4A to 4C depict the setup of the liquid reservoir of FIG. 1.

(5) FIGS. 5A to 5D depict a first variant of a mounting and filling operation for the liquid reservoir of FIG. 1.

(6) FIGS. 6A to 6D depict a second variant of a mounting and filling operation for the liquid reservoir of FIG. 1.

(7) FIGS. 7A to 7D depict a third variant of a mounting and filling operation for the liquid reservoir of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(8) FIG. 1 shows a sectional illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a liquid dispenser 10 according to the invention. This liquid dispenser 10 is in the form of a droplet dispenser. Its outlet opening 60 is therefore surrounded by a droplet-forming surface 62. In order to discharge liquid from the media reservoir 20, the liquid dispenser 10 has a pump device 50, which can be actuated by means of an actuating pushbutton 58 mounted on the side of a housing 12 of the liquid dispenser 10. The pump device 50 has a pump chamber 52, the inlet 53 of which is provided with an inlet valve 54 and the outlet 55 of which is provided with an outlet valve 56. The inlet 53 is connected to the media reservoir 20. The outlet 55 is connected to the outlet opening 60, wherein the outlet opening 60 is upstream of an outlet valve 64, which already opens when slight pressure is applied.

(9) If the dispenser is not used, the outlet opening 60 and the actuating pushbutton 58 are covered by a protective cap, which in the present case is in the form of a screw cap 70.

(10) The media reservoir 20 is formed by four components, specifically by the already mentioned housing 12 of the liquid dispenser 10, by a main body 30 fixedly connected, for example snap-fitted, to the housing 12, by an inner body 40 pushed into and in the process screwed onto the main body 30 from a distal end, and by a closure part 48 sealingly pushed into the inner body 40.

(11) These components together form two media chambers 22, 24, which are separate from one another in the as-supplied state of FIG. 1. The first media chamber 22 is primarily delimited by the housing 12 and the main body 30. In relation to the alignment in FIG. 1, the first media chamber 22 is delimited at the lower end by an end portion 45B of the inner body 40. The second media chamber 24 is primarily delimited by an inner sleeve portion 45 of the inner body 40, wherein a plurality of apertures 45A are provided in this sleeve portion 45. In the as-supplied state of FIG. 1, two sealing surfaces 31, 41 of the main body 30 and of the inner body 40 bear against one another, with the result that although medium from the media chamber 24 can pass through the apertures 45A, at first it cannot flow past the sealing point formed by the sealing surfaces 31, 41.

(12) The inner body 40 integrally has, in addition to the inner sleeve portion 45 that primarily delimits the second media chamber, an outer sleeve portion 44, which is on the outer side of the wall 34 around the circumference of the main body 30. This outer sleeve portion 44 ends, at its upper end in FIG. 1, at an integrally molded, annular tamper-evident portion, which in the as-supplied state is connected to the inner body 40 by plastics webs, which are not illustrated in more detail. The outer side of the outer sleeve portion 44 forms a grip surface.

(13) The main body 30, the inner body 40 and the closure part 48 are explained in detail on the basis of FIGS. 2 and 3.

(14) In the manner already described, the main body 30 has a wall 34 around the circumference, on the outer side of which the external thread 32 is provided. On the inner side, the main body 30 has a latching device 36 in the form of a vertical latching web. A sealing web around the circumference, of which the internal terminating surface forms the sealing surface 31, is provided inside the main body 30.

(15) In the manner visible in particular in FIG. 3, the inner body 40 has the already mentioned sleeve portions 44, 45. The inner sleeve portion 45 transitions into the end portion 45B, wherein cutouts forming the already mentioned apertures 45A are provided. Latching arms, which form a latching device 46, are provided on the outer side of the inner sleeve portion 45. The internal thread 42 is provided on the inner side of the outer sleeve portion. Furthermore, the already-described annular tamper-evident portion 47 is mounted on the free end of the sleeve portion 44.

(16) The procedure for setting up the dispenser is explained on the basis of FIGS. 4A to 4C.

(17) FIG. 4A shows an as-supplied state of the dispenser 10. In this as-supplied state, the media chambers 22, 24 are separated from one another by the sealing points of the sealing surfaces 31, 41, which bear against one another. The inner body 40 is screwed onto the main body 30 as far as an end position by means of the thread 32, 42.

(18) A first medium in the form of granules or a powder is in the first media chamber 22. A liquid medium is in the second media chamber.

(19) To set up the dispenser, it is grasped with two hands, wherein one hand grasps the screw cap 70 and/or the housing 12 while the other hand grasps the grip surface on the outer side of the outer sleeve portion 44 of the inner body 40. If now the screw cap 70 or the housing 12, on the one hand, and the inner body 40, on the other hand, are rotated with respect to one another, as depicted by the arrows 2A, 4B, the sealing point opens and the media chambers 22, 24 are connected to one another. During this operation, there is no risk of instead inadvertently unscrewing the screw cap 70, since the thread of the screw cap 70 and the media reservoir thread 32, 42 run in opposite directions. The rotation of the screw cap 70 in the direction of the arrow 4B thus corresponds to a screwing-on movement of the cap, and not an unscrewing movement.

(20) In the state in FIG. 4b, one of the latching arms of the latching device 46 latches to the latching web of the latching device 36 by being drawn irreversibly over this latching web with elastic deformation. This prevents the inner body 40 from rotating back with respect to the main body 30. The second latching arm serves to prevent the complete unscrewing of the inner body 40.

(21) As can be seen in FIG. 4B, the screwing movement of the inner body 40 with respect to the main body 30 causes the annular tamper-evident portion 47 to separate from the rest of the inner body 40, with the result that, in addition to the irreversible axial relative position of the inner body 40 with respect to the main body 30, it is also visible at the separated tamper-evident portion 47 that the connection of the media chambers 22, 24 has already taken place. The liquid medium from the media chamber 24 has already flowed into the first media chamber 22 in the state in FIG. 4B and has blended with the powder there. Usually, it is necessary to shake the dispenser as a whole in order to achieve better blending. The user may also be required to wait a short time until sufficient blending of the media has taken place.

(22) Then, the dispenser is ready for operation, as soon as the screw cap 70 has been unscrewed by a screwing movement in the opposite direction, as depicted by the arrows 2B and 4A. An annular tamper-evident portion 72 remains on the housing 12 here, too.

(23) The dispenser can now be actuated by pressing in the actuating pushbutton 58, with the result that liquid is conveyed to the outlet opening 60 and here forms a droplet on the droplet-forming surface 62. The pump device 50 has its inlet 53 and its outlet on the same side, and therefore the blended liquid is deflected multiple times during the pumping operation. This promotes the homogeneity of the blended liquid.

(24) Even if, during the setup, the transfer of the media reservoir 20 to the connection state beforehand is erroneously forgotten about, and instead the screw cap 70 is directly unscrewed in the wrong direction by application of torque, there is no risk of an erroneous discharge. The pump device 50 is not able, or is able only to a limited extent, to draw the powder that is not blended with liquid into the isolated media chamber 22.

(25) FIGS. 5A to 5D, 6A to 6D and 7A to 7D show three different methods for filling the dispenser in the course of production.

(26) In the case of the method of FIGS. 5A to 5D, starting from an inner body 40 already inserted sealingly in the main body 30, the second media chamber 24 is first of all filled and preferably then closed by means of the closure part 48.

(27) After the first media chamber 22 or that part of the first media chamber that is part of the housing has also been filled, the structural unit consisting of the main body 30, the inner body 40 and preferably the closure part 48 is then connected to the housing 12 by inserting the main body into the housing and latching it there, preferably in a manner secured against rotation.

(28) In the case of this procedure, it is easy to avoid contact between the media during production. The structural unit consisting of the main body 30, the inner body 40 and the closure part 48 can be filled at a separate location. An already isolated second media chamber 24 is fed for mounting with the housing 12.

(29) In the case of the method of FIGS. 6A to 6D, first of all the first media chamber 22 is filled, wherein the main body 30 may already be coupled to the housing 12 in the meantime, although this is not imperative. For this method, the main body may also be formed in one piece with the housing 12.

(30) After the first media chamber 22 has been filled, the inner body 40 is fitted onto the already attached main body 30, with the result that here the first media chamber 22 is isolated with respect to the surroundings and the second media chamber 24. Then, the second media chamber 24 is filled, and closed by means of the closure part 48.

(31) In the case of the method of FIGS. 7A to 7D, in a similar way to the method of FIGS. 5A to 5D, first of all the second media chamber 24 is filled starting from an inner body 40 already inserted sealingly in the main body 30. The filling is effected with a liquid in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7A. Before the media chamber is closed by means of the closure part 48, the moisture is removed from the liquid, in particular by heating the sub-unit consisting of the main body 30 and the inner body 40 to over 60 in an oven over several hours. The porous solids structure illustrated in FIG. 7B remains. Only after the moisture has been removed is the closure part 48 fitted and the media chamber 24 isolated as a result.

(32) In the case of this method, a liquid is filled into the first media chamber 22. Then, the sub-unit consisting of the main body 30 and the inner body 40 is inserted into the housing.

(33) Although in the case of the method of FIGS. 7A to 7D a media reservoir 20 with two media chambers 22 and 24 which can be coupled by a thread is provided, according to a particular configuration according to the invention it may also be provided that filling with liquid that is evaporated prior to closing is also provided in the case of liquid dispensers with a pump device, in particular in the case of droplet dispensers of which the media chambers 22 and 24 can be coupled to one another in another way, for example by removing a closure part from a connecting channel between the media chambers.