Fluid product dispenser

Abstract

The inventive fluid product dispenser comprises a container ( 10 ) containing a fluid product, a propellant, a control non-metering valve ( 20 ) which is mounted on said container and provided with a valve element displacing between the closed and open positions thereof. Said valve ( 20 ) is used for deliver the fluid product when the valve element is maintained in the open position. Said dispenser also comprises a delivering head ( 30 ) mounted on said valve element of the valve ( 20 ) and provided with a delivering orifice ( 31 ) and is characterised in that said head ( 30 ) comprises a metering system ( 32, 33, 34, 35 ) which delivers an exact and reproducible dose at each actuation of the device.

1 . A fluid-product dispensing device that includes a reservoir ( 10 ) containing a fluid product and a propellant, a non-metering dispensing valve ( 20 ) being mounted on the said reservoir ( 10 ), the said valve ( 20 ) including a valve stem which is movable between a closed position and an open position, the said valve ( 20 ) being designed to dispense fluid product for as long as the valve stem is kept in the open position, the device also including a dispensing head ( 30 ) mounted on the said valve stem ( 20 ) and including a dispensing orifice ( 31 ), the said head ( 30 ) including a metering system ( 32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35 ) designed to dispense a precise and repeatable metered quantity of fluid product with each operation of the device, characterised in that the said metering system ( 32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35 ) includes an operating element ( 34 ), a control element ( 32 ) and a metering element ( 33 ), the said operating element being capable of moving the said control element and the said metering element, the said control element ( 32 ) moving the said actuator ( 20 ) between its closed and open positions, and the said metering element ( 33 ) being movable within the control element ( 32 ) between a shut-off position and a dispensing position.  
     
     
         2 . A device according to  claim 1 , in which the said operating element ( 34 ) is attached to the said control element ( 32 ) by means of an elastic element ( 35 ), such as a spring, whose stiffness is greater than the force necessary to move the valve stem( 20 ), so that at the start of the operation, the operating element ( 34 ), the control element ( 32 ) and the metering element ( 33 ) move together as a static unit.  
     
     
         3 . A device according to  claim 2 , in which, when the control element ( 32 ) is in abutment, with the valve stem ( 20 ) in the open position, product is fed into the said dispensing head ( 30 ), with the metering element ( 33 ) in the shut-off position and preventing any dispensing of this product.  
     
     
         4 . A device according to  claim 2 , in which, when the control element ( 32 ) is at in abutment, with the valve stem( 20 ) in the open position, continuation of the operating element ( 34 ) in its operating trajectory gives rise to a deformation of the said elastic element ( 35 ) placed between the operating element ( 34 ) and the control element ( 32 ), and therefore a movement of the said operating element ( 34 ) and of the said metering element ( 33 ) in relation to the said control element ( 32 ).  
     
     
         5 . A device according to  claim 4  in which, when the metering element ( 33 ) moves in relation to the control element ( 32 ), it first arrives at a metering position in which it shuts off, in a sealed manner, a passage ( 40 ) to the said valve stem ( 20 ), thus determining the volume of the metered quantity, and then at a dispensing position in which the said metered quantity is dispensed through the said dispensing orifice ( 31 ).  
     
     
         6 . A device according to  claim 1 , in which the control element ( 32 ) is hollow and forms, at least partially, a metering chamber ( 50 ) and a feed passage ( 40 ) between the said metering chamber ( 50 ) and the said valve stem ( 20 ), the said metering element ( 33 ) including a first gasket ( 36 ) forming, together with the said feed passage ( 40 ), an entry valve for the metering chamber ( 50 ), and a second gasket ( 37 ) forming, together with the metering chamber ( 50 ), an exit valve from the metering chamber ( 50 ).  
     
     
         7 . A device according to  claim 6 , in which, during operation, the said entry valve closes before opening of the said exit valve, and after operation, the said exit valve closes again before opening of the said entry valve.  
     
     
         8 . A device according to  claim 6 , in which the said first gasket ( 36 ) is annular and fits onto the walls of the feed passage ( 40 ) in the closed position of the entry valve, the said passage ( 40 ) and/or the said metering chamber ( 50 ) including walls of larger diameter fitting onto the said first gasket ( 36 ) in the open position of the said entry valve.  
     
     
         9 . A device according to  claim 6 , in which the said second gasket ( 37 ) is annular and fits onto the walls of the said metering chamber ( 50 ) in the closed position of the exit valve, the said metering chamber ( 50 ) including walls of larger diameter fitting onto the said second gasket ( 37 ) in the open position of the said exit valve.  
     
     
         10 . A device according to  claim 1 , in which the said operating element ( 34 ) is snapped onto the said control element ( 32 ).  
     
     
         11 . A device according to  claim 1 , in which the control element ( 32 ) contains a metering chamber ( 50 ), the said metering element ( 33 ) simultaneously forming the entry valve ( 36 ) and the exit valve ( 37 ) of the said metering chamber ( 50 ).