Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2166998
A dlsp~n^-r, ln p-rt~cul~r fo~ p~sty ~u~t~n~
This lnvcntion relatss to a di~penser, ln particular ~or
pa~ty 6ub~t~nce~, ~o~p~i~lng a ~eplac~able s~pply ~ontainar,
wherein ~aid cupply ccntainer i6 preferably a ~upply ba~ in
th~ form o~ a bladder comprising thln foldable walls as well
a~ a mouth end and a bottom end with said bottom end being
reinforced.
A di~penser is kno~n for instance from EP-A2-219 750. In
~a~d di~pen6e~, a ~upply Pag i~ emptied by axially exert~ng
pr~ssur~. This dispenser i~ ~till consid~red rolativ~ly
lntrlaate r~gardi~g the emptying mechani~m. B~Yid~s, it
turned out that, when empt~ed u~in~ pre~ure, the supply
bags cannot or only with great effort be completely emptied.
Tha o~ct underlying thi~ in~ention i~ to provide
di~p~nF~r, in particular for pasty sub~tance~, comprising a
c~mple 6upply ~ag which ma~e~ it po~sible to empty the
3upply bag without employing a complicated mechani3m.
Furthermore, lt i~ to ~e possib~e to empty the supply bag
almo~t completely.
This object i6 achieved with the featureOE o~ the patent
claims.
In exampl~s it is shown that thore i~ a holding part in th~
d~spon~er which ca~ be r~tat~d around a longitudinal axis
~hrough Qaid mouth end and 6aid bottom end o~ the CUpp~y
container or supply bag and that ~aid holding par~ coacts
with th~ r~infor~m~nt of said bottom end of said ~upply bag
for t~isting ~aid ~upply bag, wherein s~id ~upply bag i~
mounted non-ro~at~bly in ~ld dl~pencer in the reglon o~
haid ~ou~h end. Ac~ording to this invention, a dispens~r
with a 3upply bag i~ propo~ed whlch, due to the twlst~ng
p-cgr~Ying from ~ottom to top, ~orce6 out the aonten~, in
particular a pa~ty 6ub~tance 6Uch as toothpastc, ~ayonnalso,
2 1 6 6 9 9 8 PCI/EP91/0~61 AMENDED PAGES
la
GB-A-495 856 describes a twistable bag accommodated in a
two-part housing. This bag comprises at its bottom end a
wing-like rotating element held in a positive engagement in
a slot of a gliding piece. The dispenser of US-A-2 203 313
uses a supply container whose bottom end is held by a
garland-like bottom plate.
21G6998~
ke~chup or the li~e, but al~o ~olid 6ub~tan~e~, ~uch a~ a
d~odorant ~ticX, ~om 6a~d mouth end o~ said ~upply bag. In
an embodimont, said bottom end of ~aid supply b~g i8 to be
r~c~ivod in a positive engag~m~nt w~th ~aid hol41ng par~.
Thi~ simple po6itive engagsment, which e.g. ma~e~ plugging
in from the top possible, ls only nec-~nry w-th re~ard to a
twisting o~ ~aid bottom énd r~lativ~ to ~aid ~ou~h end of
said ~upply bag. Adapted h~eto, the positive en~agem~nt may
b~ designed as de6ired. ~urthermore, a pre~erred em~odiment
i8 that ~aid bottom end of said ~upply bag i~ ~XiAlly
movable ~n ~a~d holding pPrt o~ ~id di~p~n~r hou~ing. As
the twisting or torston pro~r~os~, depending on thQ
m~teri~ id ~upply ~ag i~ g~nerally short~nQd, ~ue to the
fact that said bottom Qnd is axially ~ovable in ~a~d holdlng
part, the po~itive engagement with said holding part i6
maintaln~d while ~aid supply ~g can be axial7y ~hortened.
Said bottom end being in the ~h~pe of a po$ygonal bar for
ln~tance i~ considered to b~ a ~uitabl~ decign of 6aid
bottom e~d of ~id ~upply bag. For ~xample a equare or a
~xagon cro~-GP~tlon i~ preferable. Said b~r may be ~olid
or - pre~erably - hollow ~or the reduction of weight and
material consumpt$on. Cor~ponding to ~id bottom end of
~aid 8upply bag, s~id holding part of said di~pon~er
compri~e~ a polygonal soc~t, docignod ~ known ~rom Allsn
Key~. Said mouth Qnd of ~aid supply bag ~urther preferably
comprl6~s a mouth cap comp~lsing - ~xternal - positive
engagem~nt msans, which eng~gement meang ma~e a non-
rotatable mounting in 6aid dl~pense~ housing po~sible.
Alto~natively or additionally th~re may be a non-positive
engage~ent, Thu~, sald bottom end may be twi~ted relative to
said mouth end o~ ~aid supply bag without said mouth end
turn~ng too. With regard to the deslg~ of sald supply b~g it
i~ furthermore preferrsd that s~id eupply bHg e~nti~lly
consist~ o~ a pla~tlc film, for examp~e cylindrically
extruded. Of thi~, very ~hin pla~tic f~lm~ ~re pr~f~rrod.
However, the u~e o~ mult~lay~ pla~tic film~ i~ al~o
posaibl~. Alt~rnatively, ~ald ~upply contain~r may con~i~t
of 6uv~ral plastic ~ilm part~ pr~f~rakly weld~d
`~ 2166998
PCrIEP9~/01~61 AS OR~GINALLY FLED
together. Furthermore, it is preferred that said bottom end
of said supply container is injection-molded to the plastic
film. For details, reference is made to the German patent
application No. P 43 21 275.1, the full disclosure content
of which is herewith incorporated in the present
application. Furthermore, it is possible to connect the
mouth cap with the extruded plastic film by means of
injection-molding, e.g. in the form of a hinged closure. For
details, reference is made to the above-mentioned patent
application. Finally, another preferred design is that said
supply container comprises a taper in the region of said
bottom end for the determination of a starting cross-section
in twisting. When twisting, the smallest cross-section of
the supply container - filled with substance - exerts the
least resistance and will thus begin to contract when a
corresponding torque is exerted on said supply container.
In the following, the invention is explained further with
reference to the enclosed drawings, which show embodiments
by way of examples only. In the drawings:
Fig. 1 shows a side view of the dispenser;
Fig. 2 shows a top view of the dispenser of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view through the dispenser
of Fig. 1, cut along the line III-III in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 shows another cross-sectional view through the
dispenser of Fig. 1, cut along the line IV-IV in
Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the dispenser of
Fig. 1, cut along the line V-V in Fig. 3;
Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the dispenser
according to Fig. 3, with a partially twisted supply
bag;
21646998
PCr/EP94/0~61 AS ORIGINALLY FILED
Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the dispenser of
Fig. 1 cut along the line VII-VII in Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of the dispenser of
Fig. 1 in a depiction according to Fig. 3,
comprising a coil spring for the transfer of the
torque;
Fig. 9- shows a depiction according to Fig. 8, comprising an
elongated coil spring and a partially twisted supply
bag;
Fig. 10 shows a cross-sectional view through another
embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 11 shows the embodiment of the invention of Fig. 10
without supply bag and lid;
Fig. 12 shows the embodiment of the invention of Fig. 10 in
dispensing position;
Fig. 13 shows a detail of the embodiment of the invention of
Fig. 12 immediately after its return into the
waiting position;
Fig. 14 shows a cross-sectional view through another
embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 15 shows the embodiment of the invention of Fig. 14
~ before inserting the supply bag; and
Fig. 16 shows the embodiment of the invention of Fig. 14
with twisted supply bag.
First, referring to Fig. 1, a dispenser 1 is depicted and
described, for instance for the release of a pasty
substance, such as toothpaste. Said dispenser 1 comprises -
2166998
PCIIEP9~/0~61 AS ORIGL~ALLY FILED
now with reference to Fig. 3 - a supply bag 2 exchangeably
received in the dispenser housing 3. In detail, said supply
bag is in the form of a bladder comprising thin foldable
walls 2a. Furthermore, said supply bag 2 comprises a mouth
end 4 and a bottom end 5. Said bottom end 5 is shown - cf.
Fig. 5 - having a rectangular cross-section.
Furthermore, said bottom end comprises a bar section 6 and a
transition area 7. Said transition area 7 is a connection
with the film walls 2a of said supply bag. As can be
inferred from the Figure, said transition area 7 is tapered
waist-like in comparison with an average cross-section - for
example in the area of the line IV-IV in Fig. 3 - of said
supply bag.
Said bar section 6 is located in a holding part 8 of said
dispenser 1. Said holding part 8 can be rotated around a
longitudinal axis extending through said mouth end 4 and
said bottom end 5 of said supply bag. Due to the positive
engagement of said bar section 6 in said holding part 8,
said supply bag is twisted when said holding part 8 is
rotated, as is indicated in Fig. 6.
As said supply bag is progressively twisted, said bottom end
5 and in particular said bar section 6 move upwardly, as is
also indicated in Fig. 6. The opening 9 of said holding part
8 which is undercut-free in the upper direction allows for
this axial movement.
Said mouth end 4 comprises external locking cams 10 engaging
with recesses 22 (cf. 4) in said dispenser walls 3. They
prevent said mouth end 4 from rotating relative to said
dispenser housing 3. Thus, the desired twisting of the
supply bag is achieved when said holding part 8 of said
dispenser 1 is rotated.
Said mouth end 4 particularly comprises a conical portion
11, which is integrally formed with a cylindrical section
~ 2166998
- PCI'/EP9110'~61 AS OR~GINALLY FILED
12. Said cylindrical section 12 is connected to the extruded
plastic film 2a. In the mouth direction, a dispensing
opening 13 follows said conical section 11.
Said holding part 8 is connected non-rotatably (e.g. by
means of an adhesive) to a handling piece 14 having a pot-
shaped cross-section which interacts with said dispenser
wall 3 by means of a ratchet mechanism.
Said ratched mechanism is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6.
Said handling piece 14 comprises two spring arms 15 which
come into engagement with recesses 16 oriented axially at
said dispenser. Upon rotating said handling piece 14, said
spring arms 15 run over cams 18 due to a slant 17 (cf.
rotation against direction of arrow). In case the rotation
is in the direction of the arrow, blocking takes place and
said supply bag 2 can be emptied as desired.
It can also be seen that said handling piece 14 is knurled
on the outside for easier handling. Furthermore, said
handling piece 14 is secured axially in said dispenser walls
3 by means of a surrounding recess 19.
As an alternative to the shown ratchet mechanism it is also
possible that said handling piece 14 simply interacts with
said dispenser walls 3 via a frictional engagement. If said
frictional engagement is selected strong enough, it is
impossible for said handling piece 14 to be turned back due
to restoring forces of said supply container when twisted so
that this embodiment is also suitable.
Figures 8 and 9 relate to an alternative embodiment of
holding part 8. In these Figures, said holding part 8
comprises a coil spring 20, which comprises substantially
perpendicular transverse elements 21 for the transmission of
a torque, which transverse elements are provided such that
they go into mesh with one another like a zipper - regarding
turns of said coil spring that run above one another. Thus,
2166998
pCllEP9~,10~61 AS ORIGINALLY FILED
this coil spring can follow said bottom end axially in
height as said twisting of said supply container progresses
without losing the capability to transmit the required
torque. Correspondingly, it is not necessary to form said
bottom end 5 of said supply container with an adapted length
(bar section 6). Fig. 9 shows a condition in which said
supply container already shows a certain shortening. An
upper end of said coil spring 20 rests against a rotational
stop in the bottom of said supply bag 2 and a lower end is
fixed -to said handling piece 14. This is not shown in
detail.
Fig. 10 shows another embodiment of the dispenser of the
invention, wherein a twisting of said supply bag 2 is
achieved by said housing 3 exerting axial pressure to a
bottom part 29 against a pressure spring 30. In this
embodiment, a screw 32 runs into a nut 31 at said bottom 29.
At the position 24c, said screw 32 is fixed to a rotation
sleeve 24, in which a catch 26, which is connected to said
supply bag 2, is mounted axially movably. Via the rotation
of said rotation sleeve 24 and said catch 26, turning said
screw 32 causes said supply bag 2 to twist. The thus
resulting shortening of said supply bag 2 causes said catch
26 to move upwardly within said rotation sleeve 24.
The dispenser of Figure 10 comprises a lid 22. A flange 27
comprising a slanted lateral outlet pipe 13 is located at
the upper part of said supply bag 2. Said outlet pipe 13 is
mounted in corresponding openings in the lid 22 and the
dispenser housing 3 and thus prevents the bag flange 27 from
rotating within said dispenser. In the waiting position of
said dispenser 1 as shown in Figure 10, the opening of said
outlet pipe 13 is closed by means of a flap 23. Said flap 23
is connected by means of a hinge with a fixed ring 25 inside
said dispenser housing 3 and is guided through an opening 3b
of said dispenser housing 3.
2166g98
PCI/EP9~/0~61 AS ORlGlNALLY FILED
Fig. 11 shows the embodiment of the invention of Fig. 10
without supply bag 2 and without lid 22. The ring 25 is
preferably fixed to the bottom 29 via three bars 28. At a
circular cross-section of said dispenser, said bars 28 are
arranged at an angle distance of 120. They are preferably
12 mm wide. Said bars 28 comprise noses 34, which, in a
waiting position, retain said dispenser housing 3 under the
pressure of said spring 30 at said bottom 29. Furthermore,
said rotation housing 24 is shown. It comprises slots 24a,
into which the ends of a bar-shaped catch 26 are inserted
via insertion slants 24b.
Fig. 12 shows the embodiment of Fig. 10, wherein said
dispenser housing 3 is pushed to the limit to said bottom 29
against the force of said spring 30. During this process,
said screw 32 screwed into said nut 31 and caused said
supply bag 2 (not shown in this Fig.) to twist. The thread
of said screw and nut has a strong lead, preferably 100 mm
per rotation. The hoisting height results in the dosage so
that said hoisting height is adapted to the substance to be
dispensed. Pushing down said dispenser housing 3 causes a
movement of said flap 23 relative to the holding part ring
25 standing firmly on said bottom 29. The opening 3b moves
downwardly, said flap 23 moves away from the opening of said
outlet pipe 13 and substance is released from said supply
bag 2. On the other hand, when there is no more pressure
exerted, said dispenser housing 3 goes back into the waiting
position, touching said noses 34 of said bars 28, due to the
pressure exerted by said spring 30. At the same time, said
opening 3b lifts up said flap 23 again and thus closes off
said outlet pipe 13.
Fig. 13 shows the embodiment of Fig. 12 immediately after
said spring 30 has been released. Said nut 31 is in positive
engagement with said bottom 29 only in a horizontal
direction. Therefore, it was, still screwed onto the screw
32, also lifted upwards by said spring 30. Due to its own
weight, said nut 31 then screws off said screw 32 again and
2166998
PCrlEP9~10~51 AS ORIGINALLY FILED
falls back onto said bottom 29, where it comes into positive
engagement again with projections 3la in corresponding
recesses 29a at the bottom. Thus, the waiting position of
Fig. 10 is achieved again and twisting may be continued by
another exertion of pressure releasing more substance from
said dispenser.
Figures 14 to 16 show another embodiment of the invention
particularly suitable for a stick-shaped product of
relatively solid consistency such as a deo stick, adhesive
stick or crayon. In this embodiment, said supply bag 2 is
connected to a lid 14a by means of a turnable handling piece
14 via a telescope-like holding means 35, 36 allowing the
lower end of said supply bag 2 to move vertically upon
twisting.
Fig. 14 shows another embodiment of the dispenser 3 of the
invention in a waiting position with a closure cap 39 on
said dispenser housing 3 and a seal 40. Said supply bag 2 is
mounted in a positive engagement with said dispenser by
means of said flange 27, said dispenser preferably having an
oval cross-section. The lower end of said supply bag 2
comprises a catch 26 engaged in the inside of a catch sleeve
36 by means of hooks 26a. In a waiting position before said
dispenser is operated, said hooks 26a reach slightly further
into said catch sleeve in order to balance out any
tolerances in the dimensions of said bag and/or filling.
Said catch 26 is welded to said bag 2 and with a stabilizing
part 26b reaches into said supply bag 2, thus coming into
contact with the substance 41 and therefore stabilizing the
position of said catch. Said handling piece 14 can be turned
by means of a nose 14b behind a projection 3a of said
dispenser housing 3 and is preferably engaged slightly
resiliently. Thus, said supply bag 2 is prevented from
untwisting. A certain tightness in said handling piece 14
may also be achieved by slight fluting in the transition
area between said handling piece 14 and said dispenser
housing 3.
^ 216~C~
pCTlEP9~/0~'~61 AS ORIGINALLY FILED
Fig. 15 shows the embodiment of the invention of Fig. 14
without cap with said bag 2 not being mounted in its holding
part yet. Before inserting it, said bag 2 is preferably
covered with a tamper-proof seal 42 (film), which is ripped
off upon insertion. Said catch 26 is inserted into a star-
shaped toothing 36a in said catch sleeve 36 by means of said
hooks 26a, which, as described above and shown in Fig. 14,
reach further than said toothing 36a.
Fig. 16 shows the embodiment of the invention of Fig. 14 in
the end position of the twisting of the supply bag 2, i.e.
when said substance 41 is completely expelled. At the
beginning of the twisting process, said catch 26 is lifted
and said hooks 26a engage underneath said star-shaped
toothing 36a. During this process, said telescope sleeve 35
and said catch sleeve 36 gradually shift upwardly to the
limit stops 38 in grooves 37.
The embodiments of Figures 1 to 16 show supply bags 2
tapering off at their bottom portion for predetermining a
preferred site for the beginning of the twisting. In a
preferred embodiment, the dispensers are essentially made of
plastics.
The features of the invention as disclosed in the above
description, in the drawings and the claims may be of
importance for the realization of the invention both
individually and in any combination. All disclosed features
are essential to the invention.
