FR2672957A1 - PUMP OR MANUAL VALVE COMPRISING A TUBE OR A ROD SLIDING IN ITS INTAKE DUCT. - Google Patents

Abstract

Pump or valve for spraying or dispensing a fluid product, comprising an inlet duct (14) in communication with a product tank, characterized in that an elongated member (5, 25), such as a tube or a rod, is mounted axially sliding in said intake duct (14).

Description

The present invention relates to a manual pump or valve, comprising

  a rod or a tube sliding in its inlet orifice More particularly, the present invention relates to such miniaturized pumps or valves which can be held in the hand, intended to spray or distribute a fluid or pasty product such as a perfume, a product cosmetic or pharmaceutical product Such pumps or valves are generally actuated by hand, but can also be actuated

  by mechanical and / or electrical means.

  The pumps or valves have an inlet port through which they communicate with a product reservoir. In some cases, this inlet port 1 O is fitted with a dip tube force fitted into an inlet pipe of the body.

  pump, and therefore integral with the pump body.

  The present invention relates to a miniaturized pump or valve for spraying or dispensing a fluid product, comprising an inlet duct in communication with a product tank, characterized in that an elongated member 1 5 is mounted axially sliding in said Intake duct Said organ

  elongated can be a dip tube or a rod.

  Advantageously, the intake duct comprises at least one inner peripheral sealing lip applied elastically against the elongated member, or else the elongated member comprises at least one outer peripheral lip

  seal applied elastically against the intake duct.

  Optionally, the intake duct may include a retention means allowing the elongated member to slide preferably in one direction. This retention means may be an inner peripheral lip of the intake duct, delimited by a sliding frustoconical surface slightly inclined by relative to the elongated member and converging in the preferential direction of sliding of said elongated member, and by a stop surface making with the elongated member a greater angle or

equal to 90.

  As a variant, the elongated member may comprise a retention means allowing the intake duct to slide preferably in one direction. This retention means may be an external peripheral lip of the elongated member, delimited by a sliding frustoconical surface slightly inclined by relative to the intake duct and converging in the preferential direction of sliding of said elongated member, and by a stop surface making an angle with the intake duct

greater than or equal to 900.

  Advantageously, the intake duct has a length equal to at least one

  times the diameter of the elongated member, so as to guide said elongated member.

  The friction between the elongated member and the intake duct may be sufficient to prevent the movement of said elongated member when it is subjected to

  load less than 49 N (5 kg).

  If the elongated member is a tube, it may have a lower or outer end cut out not perpendicular to the axis of the tube. It is then possible to implement a method of mounting a device for spraying or distributing a fluid product comprising a such a pump or valve and a reservoir having a bottom separated by a distance L 2 from the intake duct when the pump or valve is mounted on said reservoir, said method comprising at least the following steps: 1 O partial fitting of the dip tube in the inlet duct of said pump or valve, so that a length Li greater than L 2 of the tube projects outside the pump or the valve, and installation of the pump or the valve on its reservoir , the bottom of the tank

  pushing the tube of length Ll-L 2 towards the pump or the valve.

  1 5 The invention also relates to a pump or valve having the characteristics described above, characterized in that the elongated member extends in the pump or the valve, and has an end located in the vicinity of a movable member of said pump or valve, so that, at least during the first actuation of the pump or valve, said movable member presses on the elongated member and makes it slide in the direction of the reservoir of product, while letting said product pass from the reservoir to

  inside the pump or valve.

  The elongated member may be integral with the movable member of said pump or valve, so that each actuation of the pump or of the valve, said elongated member exerts a remote control function of a member disposed in the tank, such

than a flap or valve.

  The elongated member can be expelled into the product tank by a part

  of said movable member at the end of the first actuation of the pump or of the valve.

  Advantageously, if the elongated member is a tube, it may have one end located in the vicinity of the movable member, cut not perpendicular to the axis of the tube, so that the contact between said movable member and said end

interior is not waterproof.

  If the elongated member is a rod, it may have longitudinal grooves over at least part of its length, forming a passage between the interior of the pump or the valve and the reservoir, at least after the first actuation of said Pump or valve Advantageously, said rod has a smooth part on which rests elastically said inner peripheral sealing lip of said duct.

  intake before the first actuation of the pump or valve.

  Said rod may have an end external to the pump or valve, formed in a point or enlarged in a pestle, possibly comprising reliefs such as

  longitudinal ribs or grooves.

  The invention also relates to a device for spraying or distributing a fluid product incorporating a pump or a valve having the characteristics described above, further characterized in that its reservoir is separated into at least two compartments by at least one separation means which is opened by the axial movement of the elongated member during the first actuation of the pump The separation means may be a membrane punctured by the elongated member during the first actuation of the pump or of the valve, or a plug, repelled by

  the elongated member when the pump or valve is first actuated.

  At least one of the tank compartments may contain gas under

  pressure, or be depressed.

  Advantageously, the compartments of the reservoir each contain a product, the mixing of the two products being carried out during the first actuation of the

pump or valve.

  Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent on

  reading of the following description of several embodiments of the invention,

  given by way of nonlimiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a pump according to a first embodiment of the invention, before being placed on its tank, FIG. 2 is a detail view of the intake duct of the pump of Figure 1, Figure 2 a is a variant of the detail of Figure 2, Figure 2 b is a detail view of Figure 2 a, Figure 2 c is a partial view of a dip tube having a retention and / or sealing lip, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the pump in FIG. 1 after being placed on its reservoir, FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a variant of pump according to the first embodiment of the invention, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a pump according to a second embodiment of the invention, equipped with a sliding rod, said sliding rod being uncut, FIG. Sa is a section along line AA of the sliding rod of the figure, FIG. 5 b is a section along line BB of the sliding rod of the figure, FIG. 5 c is a section along the line CC of the sliding rod of the figure, FIG. 5 d is a sectional view of a variant of the pump of FIG. 5, the figure 6 is a sectional view of the pump of FIG. 5, at the end of actuation, 1 O FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the intake duct of the pump of FIG. 5, FIG. 8 a is a view in elevation of a variant of the outer end of the sliding rod equipping the pump of FIG. 5, FIG. 8b is a view in elevation of another variant of the outer end of the sliding rod equipping the pump of Figure 5, Figure 9 a is a sectional view of an example of a spraying or dispensing device using the pump of Figure 5, in the storage position, Figure 9b is a sectional view of the device of Figure 9 a, after a first actuation of the pump, Figure 9 c is a sectional view of the device of the fig re 9 a, in the position of use, Figure l Oa is a sectional view of another example of spraying or dispensing device using the pump of Figure 5, during the packaging of a lyophilisate, Figure l Ob is a sectional view of the device in FIG. 1a, in the storage position, FIG. 1a is a sectional view of another example of spraying or dispensing device using the pump of FIG. 5, in position storage, 3 O Figure 1 lb is a sectional view of the device of Figure 1 la, in the position of use, Figure 12 a is a sectional view of another example of spraying or dispensing device using the pump of FIG. 5, in the storage position, FIG. 12 b is a sectional view of the device of FIG. 12 a, in the position of use, FIG. 12 c is a partial sectional view along the line CC of the Figure 12a device, and Figure 13 is a sectional view of a pump according to a third form of

realization of the invention.

  Figures 1 to 3 show an example of a pump according to a first embodiment of the invention. Such a manual pump for dispensing or spraying a fluid or pasty product is described in documents FR-2 305 241

1 O and 2,314,772.

  The pump of FIG. 1 comprises a hollow cylindrical pump body 1, having an axis of revolution. The pump body 1 comprises a first end 11 provided with means for fixing to a product reservoir, such as for example a metal capsule. 13 crimpable, and a second end 12 intended for 1 5 to be inside the product reservoir In the vicinity of its end 12, the pump body 1 has an annular bottom 15 pierced with a central inlet orifice 16 Le annular bottom 15 is extended towards the end 11 of the pump body by a cylindrical wall 17 of reduced diameter, itself extended radially outwards by a widening 18 which is extended to the end 11 by a substantially wall cylindrical 19 The bottom 15 can be extended axially towards

  outside the pump body, i.e. towards the inside of the product tank -

  by a tubular conduit 14, up to an inlet end 14 c of said tubular conduit, and the cylindrical wall 17 is extended axially towards the end 11 by a tubular endpiece 4 which extends a certain distance inside of the pump body 1 It will be noted that the cylindrical wall 17 of reduced diameter and the widening 18 could be omitted without departing from the scope of the present invention: in this case, the tubular nozzle 4 would extend from the bottom 15 towards the end 11, and the bottom 15 would be directly linked

to the cylindrical wall 19.

  A piston 2 slides in the cylindrical wall 19 of the pump body 1, defining with the pump body 1 a pump chamber 20 The piston 2 is extended towards the end 11 of the pump body 1 by a push rod 3 which extends beyond said end 11 The push rod 3 has a central or axial channel 3 a, which opens on the one hand into the pump chamber 20, and on the other hand outside the pump body 1 From of the pump chamber 20, the channel 3 a first has a wide part, then a narrowing 7 a forming a valve seat, as it

will be seen below.

  The pump also comprises a valve 6 arranged between the piston 2 and the bottom 15 of the pump body 1, and resiliently biased towards the piston 2 by a spring 10 which rests on the bottom 15 of the pump body The valve 6 has an axial needle 7 applied elastically to the valve seat 7 a of the channel 3 a, under the bias of the spring 10 In addition, the valve 6 is provided with a cylindrical skirt 8 extending over a certain distance towards the bottom 15 of the pump body, and adapted to be fitted onto the tubular end piece 4 Advantageously, the skirt 8 may include an inner peripheral sealing lip 8 a suitable for perfecting the tightness of the fitting of said skirt 8 on the end piece 4 The skirt 8 can be guided by 1 O external ribs 8 which slide in the pump body 1 It will be noted that the skirt 8 could be adapted to be fitted inside the end piece 4 or the wall

  cylindrical 17, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The end 11 of the pump body is finally provided with an attached ferrule 21, fixed to the pump body 1, which serves as a stop for the movement of the piston 3 towards said

1 5 end 11.

  The pump in Figure 1 operates as described below In the

  description of this operation, we will assume the pump chamber 20 filled

  of product to be dispensed or sprayed.

  When a user presses on the rod 3, generally using a pusher (not shown), the piston 2 descends in the pump body by driving the valve 6, against the thrust of the spring 10 In this downward movement , skirt 8 comes

  fit onto the tubular endpiece 4, which isolates the pump chamber 20.

  The downward movement of the piston tends to decrease the volume of the pump chamber 20 But since the liquid or pasty product which it contains is incompressible, this movement results in a rapid increase in the pressure in said pump chamber, said pressure exerting a downward action on the valve 6 When the pressure in the pump chamber is sufficient to counterbalance the thrust of the spring 10, the needle 7 of the valve 6 comes off from its seat 7 a, which releases a passage for the pump chamber 20 outwards The product contained in the pump chamber then escapes through this passage, as and

  as the piston descends into the pump body.

  This downward movement stops when the valve 6 or the piston 2 arrives in a stop position. The pressure in the pump chamber then decreases due to the stop of the movement of the piston, which causes the channel 3 to be closed. by the needle

  7, which is again applied elastically to its seat 7 a by the spring 10.

  When the user releases his push on the rod 3, the spring 10 pushes the valve 6 upwards, at the same time driving the piston 2. At the start of this upward movement, the pump chamber 20 is isolated by fitting the skirt 8 on the tubular end piece 4, and by application of the needle 7 on its seat 7 a The rise of the piston 2 therefore creates a depression Before the piston 2 abuts against the ferrule 21, the skirt 8 is released from the nozzle 4 Under the effect of the vacuum prevailing in the pump chamber 20, the product contained in the reservoir

  is then sucked towards said pump chamber, which is refilled.

  When such a pump is used in an upright position, that is to say as shown in FIG. 3, the pump being arranged above its reservoir.

  product, a dip tube 5 is placed in the tubular conduit 14.

  1 O According to the present invention, the dip tube 5 is slidably mounted with friction in the tubular conduit 14, and not force-fitted as is usual. For this the internal diameter of the conduit 14 is slightly greater than the internal diameter of the dip tube 5, so that there is a certain clearance between the dip tube 5 and the duct 14, and, as shown, in FIG. 2, the tubular duct 1 5 14 has an inner peripheral sealing bead 14 a of small thickness, ( for example approximately 0.1 mm), which ensures a tight contact between the dip tube 5 and the conduit 14 by peripheral elastic support on the dip tube 5 Indeed, the tightening force of the cord 14 a on the dip tube 5 can be quite large, and the contact surface between the bead 14 a and the dip tube 5 is very low, so that the pressure exerted by the bead 14 a on the dip tube 5 is very large, which allows excellent sealing Since the contact surface between the cord 14 a and the dip tube 5 is very small, the friction between the cord 14 a and the dip tube 5 is limited, and therefore does not prevent the sliding of the dip tube 5 in the conduit. tubular 14 The friction between the cord 14 a and the dip tube 5 is however sufficient to prevent accidental sliding of the tube 5, for example

  example during assembly or handling of the pump.

  The tubular conduit 14 could comprise only the cord 14 a. It may further comprise, in the particular embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, a retention means 14b which allows the dip tube 5 to slide in the conduit 14 towards the end 11 of the pump body, but prevents or brakes its movement in the opposite direction As shown in FIG. 2, the retention means 14 b can take the form of a peripheral inner lip 14 b in the form of a wedge, which in this particular example is shown adjacent to the intake orifice 16, but which could be located elsewhere in the tubular conduit 14 Optionally, the sealing bead 14 a could be omitted in this particular example, the lip 14 b then ensuring times its retention role and a sealing function As shown in FIG. 2, the inner lip 14 b has a tapered sliding surface 14 d, closer to the end of th inlet 14 c of said conduit 14, and a

  annular stop surface 14 f, further from the inlet end 14 c of the duct 14.

  The sliding surface 14 d converges towards the pump chamber 20 while being slightly inclined relative to a dip tube 5 inserted in the duct 14, while the stop surface 14 f is directed towards said pump chamber 20 and substantially

  perpendicular to a dip tube inserted in the conduit 14.

  As a variant, as shown in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b, the sliding surface 14 d always forms an acute and small angle a with the dip tube 5, but the stop surface 14 f is itself frustoconical and converges towards the pump chamber 20, in 1 O forming with the dip tube 5 an angle z greater than 90 In the general case, it will therefore be said that the sliding surface 14 d is slightly inclined relative to the dip tube 5 or to a rod replacing the tube plunger 5 and the stop surface 14 f made with the dip tube 5 an angle 3 greater than or equal to 900 In the embodiment described here, the retention lip 14 b is arranged so that the preferred direction 1 5 of sliding from the tube 5 is directed towards the pump chamber 20 In other embodiments of the invention, the retention lip 14 b could however be oriented so that its preferred direction of sliding is reversed,

  without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  According to another variant, the sealing bead 14 a and / or the peripheral lip 14 b could be formed on the dip tube 5 and more particularly outside of the tube 5, with an identical shape As shown in FIG. 2 c , the outer peripheral lip of the tube 5 would then be delimited by a sliding frustoconical surface 14 d slightly inclined relative to the intake duct 14 and converging in the preferential direction of sliding of said tube, and by a stop surface 14 f

  making an angle greater than or equal to 90 'with the intake duct 14.

  In this particular embodiment of the invention, the dip tube 5 is rigid. This rigidity can be obtained by giving it a significant wall thickness.

  and / or by making it in a rigid material, for example polypropylene.

  Advantageously, the dip tube 5 has a lower end Sa provided with a notch 5 b, the usefulness of which will be seen later. Optionally, the two ends of the dip tube 5 can be provided with identical notches, which simplifies assembly by allowing fitting any end of said dip tube into the pipe 14. As shown in FIG. 1, during assembly of the pump, the dip tube 5 is partially fitted into the tubular pipe 14 The friction between the cord 14 has tubular conduit 14 and the dip tube 5 are sufficient for said dip tube 5 thus to remain partially fitted until the pump is mounted on its reservoir. In this position, a length L1 of the dip tube comes out

  from tubular conduit 14 to the outside of the pump.

  As shown in Figure 3, the pump is then mounted on a tank 22 having a bottom 23 Once the pump mounted on the tank 22, the bottom 23 of the tank is separated from the tubular conduit 14 by a distance L 2 less than Li When mounting the pump on the reservoir 22, the dip tube 5 is therefore pushed back by the bottom 23 by a distance L 1 -L 2 towards the interior of the pump body, without going beyond a position o said dip tube could abut against the valve 6 during actuation of the pump Thereafter, the lower end 5 of said dip tube 1 O remains in contact with the bottom 22 This does not interfere with the suction of the product by the dip tube 5 , thanks to the notch 5 b already described above. As a variant, the notch 5 b could be replaced by a slit or a cut at an angle to the end Sa of the dip tube 5, or any other cut not perpendicular to the 'axis of said dip tube 5,

  so that the contact between the end 5a of the tube 5 and the bottom 23 is not sealed.

  1 5 This arrangement is particularly advantageous with a tank, the bottom 23 of which has an upper surface 23 a converging towards a central bottom point 23 b, on

  which rests on the lower end Sa of the dip tube 5.

  Thus, whatever the manufacturing tolerances of the reservoir 22, of the pump body 1 and of the dip tube 5, and whatever the mounting tolerances of the pump on the reservoir, it is certain that the lower end 5 has dip tube 5 is at the low point of the tank 22 and can suck the product contained in the tank 2 to the last drop This is particularly important when the

  product to be sprayed or dispensed is expensive.

  It will be noted that when the dip tube S has returned inside the pump body 1, as shown in FIG. 3, it participates in keeping the spring in place and avoids the molding of a tubular conduit for holding the spring, usually

  formed on the pump body around the inlet port 16.

  Finally, it will be noted that the intake duct itself 14 only plays a role in guiding the tube 5, the sealing and holding functions of the tube 5 being fulfilled by the cord 14 a and / or the lip 14 b If the guidance of the tube 5 does not need to be very precise, the conduit 14 may be very short, or even reduced to the thickness of the bottom 15 of the pump body 1, the guidance of the tube 5 then being done only by the spring 10 On the other hand, if the guide of the tube 5 in its sliding must be very precise, the conduit 14 will be given a sufficient length, for example at least one

times the diameter of the tube 5.

  The invention is not limited to a pump such as that of FIG. 1 On the contrary, any manual pump or valve for spraying or dispensing is capable of being fitted with a sliding dip tube, which allows adjustment of the external length of said dip tube when mounting the pump or the valve on its reservoir, so that the lower end of the dip tube is exactly in contact with the bottom of the reservoir. For example, FIG. 4 represents a manual pump comprising an inlet valve 50 having a seal 51 adapted to close off an inlet orifice 16 of the pump In such a configuration, the dip tube 5 cannot penetrate into the pump, due to the seal 51 But the pump comprises a conduit 1 O inlet tubular 14, of internal diameter slightly greater than the external diameter of the tube 5, on which is tightly fitted a socket 52 having a bottom 53 having an upper face 53 a directed towards the c corrugated 14 and a lower face 53 b The bottom 53 is pierced with a central orifice 54 flared downwards, that is to say towards the product reservoir. Thus, the orifice 54 has an internal diameter slightly less than 1 5 outside diameter of the dip tube 5 in the vicinity of the surface 53a of the bottom 53, and an inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the dip tube 5 in the vicinity of

  the lower surface 53 b of the bottom 53.

  The dip tube 5 is fitted into the conduit 14 through the orifice 54, so that it is guided by the conduit 14 and clamped by the bottom 53 of the sleeve 52, which thus ensures the seal between the tube 5 and the pump and the maintenance of the tube 5, while allowing its sliding In addition, the flared shape of the orifice 54 facilitates the sliding of the tube 5 towards the interior of the conduit 14, while the upper surface 53 has the bottom 53, perpendicular to the tube 5, makes sliding or sliding in the opposite direction difficult or impossible. Thus, the bottom 53 fulfills both the function of the cord 14 a and the

lip 14b of figure 2.

  As a variant, the orifice 54 of the bottom 53 could be drilled cylindrical, and include

  an inner sealing lip such as the bead 14 a in FIG. 2.

  Optionally, the sleeve 52 could be eliminated, and the tubular conduit 14 could then simply be provided with an inner peripheral sealing bead

  similar to cord 14 a in FIG. 2.

  Figure 5 shows a pump similar to that of Figure 1, the

  description will not be repeated in detail here, the parts identical to those of FIG.

  being designated by the same references The pump of FIG. 5 differs from that of FIG. 1 in that its intake duct 14, shown in detail in FIG. 7, does not have a non-return lip 14 b, of so that a dip tube or rod placed in the conduit 14 can slide in both directions, while being

  maintained by the friction due to the elastic peripheral support of the cord 14 a.

  With reference to FIG. 5, a cylindrical rod 25, having one end 25 a disposed inside the pump body 1, and one end 25 b disposed outside, is placed in the pump inlet duct 14. of said pump body 1. During assembly of the pump, as shown in FIG. 5, the inner end a of the rod is placed in abutment against the valve 6 of the pump As explained previously for the pump of FIG. 1, the diameter of the tubular intake duct 14 is slightly greater than the diameter of the rod 25, so that only the sealing cord 14a is in elastic abutment against the rod 25, which limits the friction between said rod and the conduit 14 and allows the rod to slide under

  sufficient strength, while holding it in place during storage or assembly.

  The rod 25 could possibly be replaced by a dip tube, without leaving the

part of the present invention.

  1 5 As shown in FIG. 5 a, the rod 25 has longitudinal grooves 26, which allow communication between the pump chamber 20 and a product reservoir. These grooves can be formed over the entire length of the rod, but more advantageously, the grooves 26 are not formed over the entire length of the rod 25, so that said rod 25 comprises a smooth portion 27 not grooved, placed at the level of the sealing bead 14 a of the conduit 14 during assembly of the pump Thus, after mounting the pump on a reservoir of product to be sprayed or distributed and as long as it is not actuated, the sealing bead 14a is in elastic peripheral support on the non-grooved part 27 of the rod 25, so that the pump chamber 20 is isolated from the product contained in the reservoir The product contained in the reservoir therefore does not risk being polluted by

  pump springs or lubricants during storage.

  For reasons which will be seen later, the outer end 25b of the rod

  can be cut at an angle or bevel, so as to form a point.

  Advantageously, the rod 25 may also be provided with hollow longitudinal grooves 28, or possibly longitudinal ribs projecting outside the rod, or other reliefs, which extend a certain distance from the vicinity from its end 25 b, as shown in section in FIG. 5 c: the role of

  grooves 28 will appear clearly in the following description. As a variant, as

  shown in FIG. 8 a, the end 25 b of the rod 25 can be formed in a warhead, still with longitudinal grooves 28 Or, as shown in FIG. 8 b, the end 25 b can be of section greater than the section of the rod 25, forming a pestle The rod 25, or possibly the dip tube 5, will preferably be made of a rigid material, such as for example acetal resin, PBT or polypropylene. With reference to FIG. 6, during the first actuation of the pump, the rod 25 is pushed axially towards the reservoir, by pressing the valve 6 on its inner end 25. By this movement, it is for example possible to pierce a membrane or move a cap separating the product reservoir into two compartments, as will be seen in the application examples given below After the first actuation of the pump, the rod 25 no longer moves. It is thus possible to mix two products at the time of use, at least one of the products being liquid, and one of the products 1 O possibly being a powder or a lyophilisate to be mixed with a liquid Or else, by piercing at the time of use a sealed reserve of compressed gas, in particular an inert gas such as nitrogen, the reservoir of product to be dispensed can be pressurized at the time of use, thus avoiding pressure losses by leakage at the seal of the

tank during storage.

  1 5 In addition, the axial movement of the rod 25 brings part of the grooves 26 out of the tubular conduit 14, that is to say into the product reservoir. Thus, the grooves 26 constitute a passage between the product reservoir and the pump chamber 20,

  allowing product suction at the end of each pump actuation.

  Note that until a user voluntarily actuates the pump for the first time, the rod 25, or possibly a dip tube, placed in abutment against the valve 6 or in the vicinity of said valve, prevents actuation accidental pump under low stress applied to the push rod 3 of said pump, for example during transport or handling, thanks to the friction existing between the rod 25 and the bead 14a sealing the conduit 14 For example, these friction will be sufficient to prevent movement of the rod 25 under a stress less than 49 N (5 kg), said friction being able to have another value without going out

of the scope of the present invention.

  As a variant, the rod 25 can be integral with the valve 6, so that it slides axially in the intake duct 14 each time the pump is actuated, following the movement of the valve 6. It is thus possible to use the rod 25 to control a member, such as a valve or a valve, on each actuation of the pump In this particular case, it is necessary that the grooves 26 extend over the entire length of the rod 25 or at least over a sufficient length so that said ribs 26 allow communication between the pump chamber 20 and the product reservoir

  when the pump is in its rest position.

  Optionally, the valve 6 can push the rod 25 out of the intake duct 14 at the end of the first actuation of the pump, after said rod 25 has fulfilled its function of perforating a membrane or moving a plug or another member, so that said rod 25 falls into the product reservoir and can then serve as an agitator to facilitate the homogenization of said product. To obtain this result, it is possible, for example, to provide the valve 6 with an axial pin. 6 a extending towards the end 25 a of the rod 25, as shown in FIG. 5 d, so as to push the rod 25 out of the intake duct 14 during the first

pump activation.

  In the configuration shown in Figures 5 and 6, that is to say when a rod 25 and not a dip tube is mounted in the conduit 14 of the pump inlet, 1 O it is generally intended to operate in the inverted position, that is to say with a reservoir of product disposed above it Nevertheless, it should be noted that such a pump could be used in the upright position with a flexible reservoir, in operation without recovery air, that is to say without returning air to the tank at the

  as the product it contains is consumed.

  In this embodiment, the invention is not limited to the particular pump of FIG. 5: it applies to any pump or to any valve in which the rod 25, or a dip tube, can extend to the interior of the pump or valve to the vicinity of a movable member sliding axially in said pump or

  valve when said pump or valve is actuated.

  FIGS. 9 a to 9 c represent a first example of use of the pump of FIG. 5 As shown in FIG. 9 a, the pump body 1 is mounted on a neck 36 of a reservoir 30 comprising two compartments 31 and 32 separated by a tearable membrane 33 In the storage position of the device, as shown in FIG. 9 a, the rod 25 penetrates into the compartment 31 of the reservoir 30, and the outer end 25 b of said rod is in the vicinity of the tearable membrane 33 Advantageously, as explained above, the sealing bead 14 a of the intake duct 14 of the pump is in contact with an ungrooved part 27 of the rod, so that the pump chamber 20 is isolated from compartment 31 of

  tank 30 until the pump has been activated.

  In the example presented in FIG. 9 a, the compartment 31 contains a solvent and the compartment 32 contains a lyophilisate. But each of the compartments 31, 32 can contain any product, in liquid, pasty form, in powder form, or in solid form such as a lyophilisate: at least one of the compartments 31, 32 must nevertheless contain a liquid product, in order to facilitate the mixing of the two

  produced during the perforation of the membrane, as will be seen below.

  As a variant, the compartment 32 can be sealed in a perfectly leaktight manner, and contain a pressurized gas, in particular an inert gas such as nitrogen, in order to avoid gas leaks during storage of the device. In this case, the compartment 32 may also contain a product to be mixed with the content of compartment 31, in addition to the gas Optionally, compartment 31 may also contain a gas under

  pressure, in addition to the product to be sprayed or dispensed it contains.

  Optionally, one of the compartments can be placed under vacuum or under vacuum.

  In the particular embodiment shown in FIG. 9a, the reservoir comprises a bottomless enclosure 31 a delimiting the compartment 31 and on which the pump is mounted, said enclosure possibly being made of plastic material The reservoir 30 comprises in addition to a socket 32 a assembled to the enclosure 31 a, for example by screwing, which closes the enclosure 31 a and which delimits the compartment 32 The socket 32 a can be made of any material, for example glass The socket 32 a is closed by a plug 34 provided with a central orifice 34 a, placed in the extension of the rod 25 when the sleeve 32 a is assembled on the enclosure 31 a, and the tearable membrane 33 is tightly fixed on the cap 34 by closing

orifice 34 a.

  This arrangement is particularly advantageous in the case where the compartment 32 contains a lyophilisate. In fact, the sleeve 32 can be used for the lyophilization of the product in a well known manner. It suffices for this to have the product to be lyophilized in the sleeve 32 and partially engaging the plug 34 on said socket without completely closing the compartment 32 For example, the plug 34 could be provided with a slot 34b extending over part of its height, so as to constitute a passage between the compartment 32 and the outside when the plug 34 is partially engaged on the sleeve 32 a The product contained in the compartment 32 can then be frozen, then suddenly heated under vacuum, which causes the sublimation of the water contained in said product and leaves a dry and solid residue: lyophilisate The compartment 32 is then closed by pressing the stopper 34 completely, then assembling the socket 32 a on the enclosure 32 a, filling the c compartment 31 in solvent, and the pump body 1 is assembled on the reservoir 30 Optionally, the compartment 32 can also be filled with pressurized gas before the plug 34 is fully inserted. Furthermore, the compartment 31 can possibly be subsequently filled of pressurized gas, for example as explained below with reference to FIG. 13 But in this case, the grooves 26 of the rod 25 must extend from the pump chamber 20 to beyond the intake duct 14, in order to make the compartment 31 communicate with the pump chamber 20 before the

first pump activation.

  1 5 With reference to FIG. 9 b, during the first actuation of the pump, the rod 25 is pushed back towards the membrane 33, which it punctures, which causes the liquid contained in the compartment 31 to flow towards the compartment 32, where it mixes with the lyophilisate The flow of the solvent is facilitated by the longitudinal grooves 28 formed at the end 25 b of the rod 25 FIG. 9 b represents a rod 25 having an end 25 b cut into a point, but it could have any other form, without departing from the scope of the present invention As has already been seen above, the axial movement of the rod 25 causes the grooves 26 of the rod to appear in the compartment 32, so that said grooves 26 allow communication between the tank 20 and the

1 O pump chamber 20.

  Once the lyophilisate has dissolved, the device can be returned to the position shown in FIG. 9c, that is to say with the pump located below the reservoir. The product to be sprayed or dispensed then passes into the compartment 31, so that it can be sucked into the pump chamber 20 to 1 5 through the grooves 28 at the end of each actuation of the pump Advantageously, the enclosure 31 a has a peripheral sealing lip 35 applied elastically against the pump inlet duct 14, in order to prevent product from passing into the volume between the pump body 1 and the neck 36 of the reservoir 30, o

  said product could no longer be sucked up by the pump.

  Figures l Oa and l Ob show an alternative embodiment of the example of Figures 9 a to 9 c, in which the reservoir 30 comprises an enclosure 31 a, made for example of plastic, and having a cylindrical part 37 s' extending between

  an open end 37 a and a neck 36 on which the pump body 1 is mounted.

  As seen previously, the enclosure 3a may include a peripheral lip

  seal 35 applied elastically against the intake duct 14 of the pump.

  The reservoir 30 further comprises a hollow cylinder 38 adapted to fit into the cylindrical part 37 of the enclosure 31 a, in sealed contact with said cylindrical part 37 This hollow cylinder 38 is divided into two compartments 31, 32 by a partition 39 annular, extending from said hollow cylinder 38 inwards The annular partition 39 delimits a central orifice 39 a, closed by a membrane

  tearable 33, and located in the extension of the rod 25.

  In the particular example shown in Figures l Oa and l Ob, the enclosure 31 a may further comprise a slot 37 b extending axially on its cylindrical part 37, over a certain distance from the open end 37 a Thus, we can use the device to freeze-dry a product in compartment 31 by partially engaging the enclosure 31 a, on which the pump has been previously mounted, on the cylinder 38: the slot 37 b then allows the communication of compartment 31 with the outside during freeze-drying, then the enclosure 31 a is fully pressed onto the cylinder 38, which isolates the compartment 31 The compartment 32 can then be closed after it has also been filled, for example by crimping a metal capsule 40 on the open end 37 a of the enclosure 31 a, a solid joint 41 in the form

  disc being placed between the metal capsule 40 and the end 37 a of the enclosure 3 la.

  Advantageously, the annular partition 39 can be raised towards the center, so that the lyophilisate, or another powder, accumulates around the membrane 1 O 33 but not on said membrane, so as not to hinder the perforation of said

  membrane when the pump is first activated.

  In Figures l Oa and l Ob, the end 25b of the rod 25 is shown enlarged,

  but it could have any other form without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The operation of the device in Figures l Oa and Ob is the same as that of

  1 5 Figures 9 a to 9 c so it will not be repeated here.

  Figures 1 a and 1 lb show a variant of the device of Figures l Oa and Ob, in which the central orifice 39 a of the annular wall 39 is closed not by a tearable membrane but by a plug 42 fitted into said orifice 39 a During the first actuation of the pump, horn shown in Figure 1 lb, the rod 25 pushes the plug 42 into the compartment 32, which allows communication between the compartments 31 and 32 It is advantageous that the plug 25 is sufficiently bulky: thus, when pushed back into the compartment 32 by the rod 25, it violently drives the product contained in the compartment 32 towards the compartment

  31, which facilitates the mixing of the products.

  In this particular embodiment, the end 25b of the rod 25 will be non

  pointed, preferably enlarged, so as to push the plug 42 well.

  Figures 12 a 12 b and 12 c show a device similar to that of Figures l Oa, l Ob, i la and 1 lb, in which a dip tube 5 is slidably mounted in the intake duct 14 of the pump L ' outer end Sa of the tube 5 comprises a narrowed portion 43 Furthermore, the compartment 32 comprises a portion of tube 44 3 5 extending axially between an upper end 44 a adjacent to the membrane 33 and a lower end 44 b in contact with the joint 41 forming the bottom of the compartment 32 The tube portion 44 is held centered in the compartment 32 1 7 by at least three radial arms 45 extending from said tube portion 44 to the hollow cylinder 38, and placed in contact with the annular partition 39 The lower end 44 b of the tube portion 44 is cut in a bias or bevel, or has a notch, so as not to be applied in a sealed manner on the point 41 In general, the lower end ure 44 b of the tube portion 44 is therefore not perpendicular to the axis of said tube portion 44 On the other hand, the upper end 44 a of said tube portion 44 forms a housing 44 c complementary to the part

narrowed 43 of the dip tube 5.

  Thus, during the first actuation of the pump, the dip tube 5 punctures the membrane membrane and the constricted part 43 comes to fit sealingly in the housing 44 c: the tube 5 is then coupled to the tube portion 44 , so that the pump can suck the contents of compartment 32 from the lower end 44 b, resulting from the

  mixture of the products initially contained in compartments 31 and 32.

  FIG. 13 represents a pump similar to that of FIG. 5, comprising

  1 5 no longer a rod 25 slidably mounted in the conduit 14, but a dip tube 5.

  Optionally, the dip tube could be replaced by a rod (25) having longitudinal grooves extending from a part of the rod (25) inside the pump to the inside of the reservoir so as to constitute a passage between the pump chamber 2 c and the reservoir before the first actuation of the pump The pump of FIG. 13 further comprises a rod 7 b extending the needle 7 and

  projecting from a distance H 1 beyond the outer end of the hollow rod 3.

  In addition, at rest, the skirt 8 is separated by an axial distance H 2 from the tubular end piece 4, H 2 being greater than Hl. Such a configuration easily allows filling in

  gas, especially nitrogen, from the product reservoir on which the pump is mounted.

  As explained in French patent application NO 90 11465, it suffices for this to press on the rod 7b so as to cause it to descend from the height Hl, which opens a passage between the needle 7 and the valve seat 7 a, without fitting the skirt 8

  on the tubular end piece 4 The gas is then injected through the channel 3 a.

  But with a conventional pump as described in the aforementioned patent application, transient overpressures of the injected gas can cause accidental fitting of the skirt 8 on the nozzle 4: the pressure of the gas on the valve 6 then maintains the fitting, so the communication with the tank

  remains shut off and gas filling is not done.

  On the contrary, with a pump according to the invention, an inner end 5 c of the dip tube 5 can be placed in the vicinity of the valve 6, and in any case separated from said valve 6 by a distance H 3 less than H 2 Said interior end 5 c is advantageously provided with a notch 5 d or cut at an angle or at a bevel. Thus, 1 8 when the gas is injected, the dip tube 5 forms a stop preventing the skirt 8 from fitting onto the end piece 4 in case of transient gas overpressure The friction of the sealing bead 14a on the dip tube 5 is sufficient to retain the tube during such overpressures: in fact, as long as the skirt 8 is not fitted on the end piece 4, the gas can flow to the tank, so that the force thus exerted on the valve 6 towards the tube 5 is limited In addition, the spring 10 helps the tube 5 to retain the valve 6 For example, friction between the tube plunger 5 and the sealing cord 14 a, or more ge generally between the dip tube 5 and the intake duct 14, will be sufficient to prevent movement of the rod 25 under a stress 1 O less than 49 N (5 kg), said friction being able to have another value

  without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  As seen previously, during the first actuation of the pump by a user, the dip tube 5 is pushed back towards the product reservoir. Before this first voluntary actuation, the dip tube 5 constitutes a safety against an accidental actuation of the pump, as previously explained next to the

pump of figure 5.

1 9

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1 Pump or manual valve for spraying or dispensing a fluid product, comprising an intake duct (14) in communication with a reservoir of product, characterized in that an elongated member (5, 25) is mounted axially sliding in said intake duct (14). 2 Pump or valve according to claim 1, further characterized in that said elongated member is a dip tube (5). 3 Pump or valve according to claim 1, further characterized in that 1 O said elongated member is a rod (25). 4 Pump or valve according to any one of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the intake duct (14) has at least one inner peripheral sealing lip (14a, 14b) applied elastically against the member elongated (5, 25). 1 5 5 A pump or valve according to any of claims 1 to 3, further characterized in that the elongate member (5, 25) has at least one peripheral sealing outer lip (14a, 14b) applied resiliently against the intake duct (14). 6 Pump or valve according to any one of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the intake duct (14) comprises a retention means (14b) allowing the sliding of the elongate member (5, 25) preferably in a sense. 7 Pump or valve according to claim 6, further characterized in that the retention means (14 b) is an inner peripheral lip of the intake duct, delimited by a sliding frustoconical surface (14 d) slightly inclined relative to the elongated member (5, 25) and converging in the preferential direction of sliding of said elongated member (5, 25), and by a stop surface (14 f) making an angle with the elongated member (5, 25) a) greater than or equal to 90. 8 Pump or valve according to any of claims 1 to 5, further characterized in that the elongate member (5, 25) includes a retention means (14b) allowing the intake duct (14) to slide preferably in a sense. 9 Pump or valve according to claim 8, further characterized in that the retention means (14b) is an outer peripheral lip of the elongated member (5, 25), delimited by a slightly tapered frustoconical surface (14d) inclined relative to the intake duct (14) and converging in the preferential direction of sliding of said elongated member (5, 25), and by a stop surface (14 f) forming with the intake duct (14) a angle greater than or equal to 90. The pump or valve of one of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the inlet conduit (14) has a length equal to at least once the diameter of the elongated member (5, 25), so as to guiding said elongated member (5, 25). 11 Pump or valve according to any one of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the friction between the elongated member (5, 25) and the intake duct (14) is sufficient to prevent movement of said elongated member when '' it is subjected to a stress lower than 49 N (5 kg). 1 O 12 Pump or valve according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the elongate member is a tube (5), further characterized in that said tube has a lower or outer end (5a) cut not perpendicular to it. axis of the tube (5). 13 A method of mounting a device for spraying or distributing i 5 fluid product comprising a pump or a valve according to claim 12 and a reservoir (22) having a bottom (23) separated by a distance L 2 from the conduit d admission when the pump or valve is mounted on said reservoir (22), further characterized in that it comprises at least the following steps: partial fitting of the dip tube into the intake duct of said pump or valve, so that a length L1 greater than L 2 of the tube (5) protrudes outside the pump or the valve, and placing the pump or the valve on its reservoir (22), the bottom (23) of the reservoir (22) pushing the tube (5) of length L 1-L 2 towards the pump or the valve. 14 Pump or valve according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the elongated member (5, 25) extends in the pump or the valve, and has one end (25 a, 5 c) located at vicinity of a movable member (6) of said pump or valve, so that, at least during the first actuation of the pump or valve, said movable member (6) presses on the elongated member (5,25) and the slide in the direction of the product reservoir, while letting said product pass from the reservoir towards the interior of the pump or of the valve. The pump or valve of claim 14, further characterized in that the elongate member (5, 25) is integral with the movable member (6) of said pump or valve, and in that upon each actuation of the pump or of the valve, said elongated member (5,25) exerts a function of remote control of a member disposed in the reservoir, such as a valve or a valve. 16 Pump or valve according to claim 14, further characterized in that the elongate member (5, 25) is expelled into the product reservoir by a portion (6a) of said movable member (6) at the end of the first actuation pump or valve. 17 The pump or valve of claim 14, wherein the elongate member is a tube (5), further characterized in that said tube has one end (5 c) located in the vicinity of the movable member (6), cut out not perpendicular to the axis of the tube (5), so that the contact between said movable member (6) and said inner end (5 c) is not sealed. 18 The pump or valve of claim 14 wherein the elongate member is a rod (25), further characterized in that said rod (25) further includes longitudinal grooves (26) on at least a portion of its length, forming a passage between the interior of the pump or valve and the reservoir, at least after the first actuation of said pump or valve. 19 The pump or valve of claim 18, further characterized in that said rod (25) has a smooth portion (27) on which said interior sealing peripheral lip (14a, 14b) is resiliently supported intake duct (14) before the first actuation of the pump or valve. The pump or valve of claim 18 or claim 19, further characterized in that said rod (25) has one end (25b) external to the pump or valve, formed as a point. 21 Pump or valve according to one of claims 18 to 20, further characterized in that said rod (25) has an outer end (25 b) in the vicinity of which reliefs (28) are formed. 22 Pump or valve according to claim 21, further characterized in that said reliefs (28) are longitudinal grooves formed in the hollow in the rod (25). 23 Pump or valve according to claim 21, further characterized in that said reliefs (28) are longitudinal ribs formed outside of said rod (25). 24 Pump or valve according to claims 18 or 19, further characterized in that said rod (25) has an enlarged outer end (25b). A fluid spraying or dispensing device incorporating a pump or valve as claimed in any of claims 14 to 24, further characterized in that its reservoir (30) is separated into at least two compartments (31, 32) by at least one separation means (33, 42) which is opened by the axial movement of the elongated member (5, 25) when the pump is first actuated. 26 Device according to claim 25, further characterized in that the separation means is a membrane (33) punctured by the elongated member (5, 25) during the first actuation of the pump or the valve. 27 Device according to claim 25, further characterized in that the separation means is a plug (42), pushed back by the elongated member (5, 25) during the first actuation of the pump or the valve. 28 Device according to any of claims 25 to 27, further characterized in that at least one of the compartments (31, 32) of the tank (30) contains a gas under pressure.   1 O 29 Device according to any one of claims 25 to 27, characterized   further in that at least one of the compartments (31, 32) of the tank (30) is placed under vacuum.   Device according to any one of claims 25 to 29, characterized   further in that the compartments (31, 32) of the reservoir (30) each contain a product, the mixing of the products taking place during the first actuation of the pump or valve.