Fluid product dispenser

Abstract

A dispenser for paste material such as gels and creams as typically used in pharmaceuticals, personal care and food products, having a discharge channel ( 31 ) consisting essentially of resilient elastomeric tube ( 3 ), with an inlet end connected to receive material from the paste material container ( 1,101,201,301 ) and an outlet end terminating in a tip with a slit-opening e.g. a duckbill valve ( 33,333,433 ). An actuating element ( 5,7,8,9,9′,405 ) is mounted in the container behind the elastomeric tube ( 3 ), movable in a dispensing stroke laterally relative to the tube ( 3 ), and includes a blocking portion ( 53,253,83,93,93 ′) towards the inlet end of the tube ( 3 ) which moves laterally in advance of a compression region ( 55,255,85,95,95 ′) to block the tube ( 3 ) wholly or partly by squeezing it. The compression region ( 55,255,85,95,95 ′) then presses along the side of the tube ( 3 ) and squeezes material from the outlet end ( 36,136,336,436,5381 ).

1 - 22 . (canceled)  
   
   
       23 . A dispenser for dispensing flowable product from a container, the dispenser having a structure comprising: 
 (a) a tube, the tube having an inlet end and an outlet end and a resiliently deformable wall, and defining a discharge flow channel between said inlet and outlet ends;    (b) an actuator element, the actuator element being mounted beside the tube and being movable laterally relative to the tube in a dispensing stroke, to deform the deformable wall of the tube and thereby compress the discharge flow channel, to expel flowable product in said channel from the outlet end of the dispenser in use; the actuator element comprising a blocking portion and a compression portion, the blocking portion moving laterally in the dispensing stroke to displace a portion of the deformable wall at an upstream portion thereof, that is, relatively towards the inlet end of the tube, and a compression portion of the actuator element extending along the tube downstream relative to the blocking portion, that is, relatively towards the outlet end, the blocking portion being movable laterally in advance of the compression portion in the dispensing stroke to block the tube at least partially at said upstream position and thereby inhibit flow of flowable product back towards the inlet during said compression of the discharge flow channel by the compression portion of the actuator element;    said blocking portion being provided as a longitudinally-localised lateral projection on a resiliently flexible limb formed integrally with the actuating element, whereby flexing of said limb provides for resilient retraction of the blocking portion relative to the compression portion during the dispensing stroke.    
   
   
       24 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  in which the actuating element has a one-piece plastics unit, comprising said limb carrying the blocking portion integrally with a second limb which constitutes the compression portion, and an actuating surface.  
   
   
       25 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 24  in which the limb carrying the blocking portion lies behind the limb constituting the compression portion.  
   
   
       26 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  in which the actuator element is mounted pivotally.  
   
   
       27 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 24  in which the actuator element is mounted pivotally.  
   
   
       28 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  in which the actuator element is exposed for direct manual engagement.  
   
   
       29 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  comprising a static reaction abutment on the opposite side of said tube from the actuator element, to support the tube against the action of the actuator element.  
   
   
       30 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  comprising an additional actuator element opposed to the said actuator element on the opposite side of the tube, and laterally movable relative to the tube, for the tube to be compressed between said actuator element and said additional actuator element.  
   
   
       31 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  in which the outlet end of the tube has a slit opening, constituting both a discharge opening and discharge valve of the dispenser.  
   
   
       32 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  in which the outlet end of the tube has a duckbill valve formation integral with the deformable wall of the tube and constituting the discharge opening of the dispenser.  
   
   
       33 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  in which the tube is a one-piece elastomeric entity.  
   
   
       34 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  comprising, at its inlet end, a closure cap for a container.  
   
   
       35 . A dispenser for dispensing flowable product from a container, the dispenser having a structure comprising 
 (a) a tube, the tube having an inlet end and an outlet end and a resiliently deformable wall, and defining a discharge flow channel between said inlet and outlet ends;    (b) an actuator element, the actuator element being mounted beside the tube and being movable laterally relative to the tube in a dispensing stroke, to deform the deformable wall of the tube and thereby compress the discharge flow channel, to expel flowable product in said channel from the outlet end of the dispenser in use;    the actuator element comprising a laterally movable button and a leaf spring, the leaf spring being anchored into the button and projecting forwardly from it so as to be engageable with the deformable wall of the tube, the leaf spring having a forwardly-projecting flange constituting a blocking portion for indenting the tube towards its inlet end, and a flat leaf spring portion extending downstream of the blocking portion for compressing the tube to expel flowable product as aforesaid, whereby in a dispensing stroke of the actuator element button the blocking portion, compressing the tube towards its inlet end in advance of its compression by the flat leaf spring portion downstream, acts to inhibit flow of flowable product back towards the inlet during said compression of the discharge flow channel by the leaf spring in the dispensing stroke in use.    
   
   
       36 . A dispenser for dispensing flowable product from a container, the dispenser having a structure comprising 
 (a) a tube, the tube having an inlet end and an outlet end and a resiliently deformable wall, and defining a discharge flow channel between said inlet and outlet ends;    (b) first and second actuator elements opposed to one another on opposite sides of the tube, the actuator elements being movable laterally relative to the tube in a dispensing stroke to deform the tube between them and thereby compress the discharge flow channel to expel flowable product therein from the outlet end in use,    each of said first and second actuator elements comprising a blocking portion and a compression portion, the blocking portion moving laterally in the dispensing stroke to displace a portion of the deformable wall at an upstream portion thereof, that is, relatively towards the inlet end of the tube, and a compression portion of the actuator element extending along the tube downstream relative to the blocking portion, that is, relatively towards the outlet end, the blocking portion being movable laterally in advance of the compression portion in the dispensing stroke to block the tube at least partially at said upstream position and thereby inhibit flow of flowable product back towards the inlet during said compression of the discharge flow channel by the compression portion of the actuator element.    
   
   
       37 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 36  in which each of said actuator elements comprises a resiliently flexible limb carrying a longitudinally-localised lateral projection constituting said blocking portion, and a further limb constituting the compression portion.  
   
   
       38 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 37  in which each of said actuator elements is made from a one-piece plastics unit comprising said limbs and a manually-engageable actuating surface.  
   
   
       39 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 36  in which the actuator elements are mounted pivotally in the dispenser.  
   
   
       40 . A dispenser as claimed in  claim 39  in which pivotal mountings of the actuator elements are adjacent the inlet end of the tube.  
   
   
       41 . A dispenser package comprising a container for flowable product, and a dispenser as claimed in  claim 23  mounted on the container.  
   
   
       42 . A dispenser package as claimed in  claim 41  in which the container is a rigid container with a follower piston.  
   
   
       43 . A dispenser package comprising a container for flowable product and a dispenser as claimed in  claim 35 , mounted on the container.  
   
   
       44 . A dispenser package as claimed in  claim 43  in which the container is a rigid container having a follower piston.  
   
   
       45 . A dispenser package comprising a container, and a dispenser as claimed in  claim 36  mounted on the container.  
   
   
       46 . A dispenser package as claimed in  claim 45  in which the container is a rigid container having a follower piston.