Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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The present invention relates to a ?in-shaped device for
releasing a flowable medium from ~ supply cortainer wit~. a brush-
like application element. More oarticularly, it relates to such a
device in which the application elemen.t is displacea~le through a
closable opening of a front of the device by means of a pistor. rod
acting against a spring force anà communicating with a dosing
piston in a chamber provided at the end side of the supply
container.
The application elemen~ in form of a brush or another
conventional fiber writing tip must be supDlied during each actu-
ation of the device with a predetermined quantity of a flowable
medium. It must be guaranteed th.at the flowable medium cannot be
dried in the supply chamber and in the dosing chamber. Fast
~5 drying with the removed clos~ng cap in the supply opening into
which the application element is withdrawn must be prevented.
~ The U.S. Patent 3,14~,676 discloses a pin-shaped device
for applying liquids by means of a brush. The liquid is supplied
from a supply chamber via a dosina chamber or the like to
the brush. Since in this device no actuating element is provided,
the brush is moved from the dosing chamber only with the tip
facing upwardly, under the action of the force of gravity. In
this position the dosing chamber is not closed, so that during the
operation or when the device is left open with projecting brush,
drying in the dosing chamber can take place.
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1 For applying flowable cosmetics substances, a further
device is disclosed in the Japanese document number CH0 60-8803,
Figures 2 and 3 of this document show a oin-shaped device in which
the application element is connected with a throughgoing piston
rod. The piston rod can be a~.ially aisolaceable at the rear end
of the pin by rotation. The application pin contains also a
supply chamber and a dosing chamber. During the forward movement
of the piston rod a throughopening from the supply chamber to the
dosing cha~ber is released for filling the dosing chamber with
liquid. Moreover, during the forward movement of the piston rod a
dosing piston or the like is actuated, which supplies a suction pad
or a sponge arranged in the suooly opening with the liquid. From
this sponge the liquid is transferred to the application element.
This device has the disadvantage that in the inoperative position
the dosing chamber is not closed from air entrance. There is,
therefore, the danger that the liauid can be dried in the dosing
chamber,
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Accordingly, it is an. object of the present invention to
provide a pin-shaped device for releasing a flowable medium which
avoids the disadvantages of the ~rioY art.
More particularly, it is an object of the present inven-
tion to provide a device for reieasing a flowable medil~m from a
container in which the function of dosing is guaranteed and in
which the medium cannot be dried in the supply chalnber and dosing
chamber with reliability. Moreover, the application element can
be protected from drying as well.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will
become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention
resides, briefly stated, in that the device is provided with a
control piston which ls fiY~edly connected with a throughgoing
piston rod which carries also the aDplication element, and also
provided with a movable dosing piston on the DiSton rod. It is,
therefore guaranteed, that both the supply chamber and the dos.~ng
chamber are always sealed from the outer air.
Y/~r, The supply chamber is sealed from the piston rod by
means of a sealing ring and the chamber is sealed by means of a
further sealing ring relative to the control piston, so that the
sealing action is increased. An additional sealing of the supply
chamber from the outer air is achieved by a construction in which
the dosing piston abuts against an outer surface of the control pis-
ton by means of an inner cone and carries on its outer periphery a
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I seallng element which is complementary to a sealing cylinder. The
dosing chamber is thereby sealed relative to the piston rod in the
inoperative position.
In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment of
S the invention, the dosed quantitv of the flowable medium is
exactly determined and changed in a simple manner exclusively by
change of the control piston, in correspondence with the proper-
ties of the flowable medium. This is achieved when the axial path
of the piston rod is greater than the length of the control piston
and greater than the axial path of the dosing piston, while the
length of the control piston and the a.Yial path of the dosing
piston are different.
For adding air to the volume of the discharge medium in
the s~pply chamber, a valve is provided which allows a pressure
and volume equalization of the pressure differences between the
outer atmosphere and the interior of the supplv cham~er. It is
advantageous to provide a conical ring-shaped groove in the inter-
mediate wall which closes the supply chamber from behind, such
that ~he ring-shaped groove narrows toward rear end of the housing
and carries a ring-shaped seal. The ring-shaped seal abuts
against the piston rod and the ring-shaped groove is formed wider
than the ring-shaped seal in the direction of the conical region.
A positive sealing of the supply chamber from outside
can be achieved in an advantageous manner when the dosing piston
has a supporting pipe which in the initial position of the piston
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I rod abuts against the ring sealing under the action of the pres- sure spring. The force of the return spring of the piston rod is
used so that in the inoperative position the dosing chamber is
sealed.
In accordance with a further advantageous feature of the
invention, the supply chamber is sealed by a diaphragm valve rela-
tive to the piston rod. It is mounted in a throughflow bush by
means of a valve bush in an outer diameter portion, and abuts in
the initial position of the piston rod against the supporting pipe
with an inner diameter portion. The diaphragm valve has the
advantage that it easily reacts to pressure differences.
The sealing on the dosing piston can be improved in an
advantageous manner without changing the principle of the device,
when a seallng is used to seal the inner and outer diameter. In
an advantageous manner, a further diaphragm~ e sealing element
is mounted between the dosing piston and the supporting pipe. Its
inner diameter portion abuts against the piston rod and its outer
diameter portion abuts against the sealing cylinder.
The inventive device can be adjusted ln a simple manner
to different viscosities of the media to be used, when the connec-
tion between the supply chamber and the dosing chamber is per-
formed through a throughflow bush which is supported by means of a
ring-shaped flange and an intermediate bush in the housing and
provided with one or several overflow surfaces. The outer dimen-
sions of the throughflow bush can be retained unchanged, so that
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I the automatically mounted device can remain ~he same with respect
to the number and dimensions of the used parts. At the same time,
by the change of one individual part, it can be adjusted to the
properties of the flowable medium.
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'' For preventing advancement of a medium in a hori~ontal
position of the device when the supply chamber is only partially
filled, capillary channels can advantageously be provided and
formed as an intermediate storage. An advantageous embodiment of
this intermediate storage is achieved when the communication from
the supply to the dosing chamber is performed through a through-
flow bush which is supported by means of a ring-shaped flange and
an intermediate bush in the housing and which has one or several
overflow passages.
In order to enable filling the device with different
lS media, the changes must be made only in the dosing piston and the
throughflow bush. In an advantageous manner, a premounted struc-
tural unit can be provided which contains changeable parts, while
the r~m"aining parts of the device remain the same. In accordance
with a further embodiment of the invention, a structural group is
formed so that the intermediate bush serves for supporting the
front part, the cylinder bush and the throughflow bush and is
inserted,in the housing.
An especially simple dosing is achieved when it is
performed not only by friction, but also under the action of a
predetermined force. The dosing force can be adjusted accurately
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1 when, in accordance with a further embodiment of the inventlon, a
dosing sprlng acts with its end upon the dosing piston, extends
through the throughflow bush, and is supported with its opposite
end against a housing-fixed supportina wall
For avoiding actuation of the dèvice and dosing of a
flowable medium with fitted closure ca~, another advantageous
embodiment of the device providès that the piston rod is mounted
in a guided piston which is displaceable along an inner wall of
the housing and has a coupling piece for receiving a closure cap.
The device can be actuated only after plugging of the closurè cap.
A further advantage is obtained for the user when the closing cap
can be placed on the rear end of the device and not lost. Simul-
taneously, also an improvèd guidance of the piston rod is achieved
when it is supported in the guiding piston.
For facilitating the operation by the user, an arresting
device is provided which is known in the ball-type writing instru-
ments for adjusting the writing lead. With the above arresting
device, the application element, similarly to a ball writing lead,
can be extended from the housing and locked in this position. The
above arresting device can be designed in a very simple manner
when it includes an arresting element displaceable transversely to
the movement direction of the piston rod under the action of a
spring in a cutout and fixable by a releasing pin.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the inven-
tion, an abutment disk is mounted fixedly on the piston rod and
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I abuts wlth its one side under the action of the vressure spring
against the intermediate wall of the housing, while at its ?P-
site side lt abuts against the dosing spring which in turn presses
with its another end against a sup?orting ring connec~ed with a
sealing element and a dosing piston. In this manner it is possi-
ble to retain very low the spring force of the dosing spring and
particularly its pretensioning in the initial position. The
dosing spring is pretensioned during the movement of the piston
rod, until it is in the position to move the dosing piston. This
provides the advantage that a small spring force is obtained for
the pressure spring as well, which brings the p~ston rod to the
initial position. The device is easy to handle ~ith these struc-
tural features.
When the abutment dis~ is designed so that it has seve-
'5 ral openings extending parallel to its center axis, a further
advantage is provided. The flowing medium in the supply container
is pressed during movement of the piston rod through the openings
and c~anges the viscosity of the medium with the use of the thi~o-
tropie effect.
The novel features which are considered as character-
istic for the invention are set forth in particular in the
appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its
construction and its method of operation, together with additional
objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the
following description of specific embodiments when read in connec-
tion with the accompanying drawing.
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Figure 1 is a view showing a longitudinal section of a
device for releasing a flowable medium in accordance with the
present invention, with a withdra~/n applicatior. element:
S Figure 2 is a view showing the device of Figure 1 with
the application element in the position of use;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section showing the device
during the beginning of a dosing ~rocess;
~!rb Figure 4 is a perspective view of a throughflow bush of
the device in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the throughflow
bush of the inventive device in accordance with another embodiment
of the invention;
Figure 6 is a view showing a longitudinal section of the
lS device for releasing a flowable medium of a further embodiment,
with a withdrawn application element;
Figure ? ~s a view showing the device of Figure 6 with
the outwardly projecting application element;
Figure 8 ls a view showing the device for releasing a
flowable medium in accordance with still a further embodiment of
the invention in an initial position and in the region of the
dosing chamber: and
Figure 9 is a view showing the device of Figure 8 in the
working position of its application element.
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A device for releasing and applying a flowable medium
shown in Figure 1 includes a housing 1 which has an interme~iate
wall 2 with a flange 3 formed on the latter. The flange 3 is
provided with a conical annular groove 4 and a ring-shaped spring-
receiving depression 5. The intermediate wall 2 has a guiding
opening 6, and also a longitudinal groove 7 provided in the rear
region of the housing 1 and ending in a cutout 8.
As shown in the drawing, the housing 1 is closed by a
collar bush 9 which is pressed and glued to the housing. The
collar bush 9 serves for mounting an annular clip lo which carries
at its springy clip leg a releasing pin 11, The housing 1 has a
chamber which is located above the intermediate wall 2 and accom-
modates a guiding piston 12 which is provided with a coupling
piece 13 having a slot 14. The guiding piston 12 has a transverse
opening for an arresting element 16 which abuts against a spring
1~. The guiding pin 12 also has a blind hole lB for mounting an
end of a piston rod 19.
~ The piston l9`has a length which approximately corre-
sponds to the length of the housing 1 and carries in its front
region a th.ickened portion formed as a control piston 20, which is
connected with the piston rod 19 b,v an outer cone 21. The piston
19 carries at its free end an application element 22. The appli-
cation element 22 preferably is formed as a brush. However, it
can also be formed as a fiber tip which can be used as known
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1 paintlng tlps,
The housing 1 is closed at its front end by a closin~ cap
23 which is connected with the housing by a thread 24 and abuts
against a part of the housing I with its sealing wall 25. The
S piston 19 is held in its end position by a pressure spring 26
which urges the guiding piston ~2 toward abutment against the
collar bush 9.
An intermediate bush 27 is mounted on the front end of
the housing 1. It has an outwardl~ extended cran~-shaped flange
28 and a further ring-shaped flange 2g e.Ytending inwardly. A
front part 30 is inserted into the above intermediate bush 2?. A
supply opening 31 is provided in the front part 30 and extends
rearwardly so as to form a ring-shaped recess 3 . This recess 32
accommodates a sealing ring 33 which abuts against the control
piston 20 in the inoperative position.
A dosing piston 34 is arranged axially immovably on the
piston rod 19 in an opening 36. The dosing piston 34 carries on
its outer periphery a sealing element 35. It is also provided at
its front end with an inner cone 3? which is complementary to the
ou~er cone 21 of the control piston 20. The dosing piston 34 is
located inside a cylinder bush 38 which has a throughflow cylinder
39 and a sealing cylinder 40 connected with one another by a
running incline 42. Furthermore, the cylinder bush 38 has at its
end side a supporting flange 41 which can be brought to abutment
against the dosing piston 34.
I 12
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A throughflow bush 43 is arranged in the lnner ring-
shaped flange 29 of the intermediate bush 2~. The throughflow
openings are formed by overflow surfaces 45 as shown more clearly
in Figure 4. The throughflow bush 43 is guided at its opposite
end on the flange 3 of the intermediate wall 2. For this purpose
it is provided with a supporting wall 4~ which closes the conical
ring-shaped groove 4 and encloses a ring-shaped sealing 48.
A further embodiment of a throughflow bush 50 is shown
in Figure 5. Here, it has a preformed flange 51 which is inter-
lo rupted by overflow passages 52. The overflow passages 52 have the
advantage that they adjust the flowing medium in an especially
satisfactory manner so as to form at this location an intermediate
accumulator of a kind in which a certain quantity of the medium to
be applied is held to be aspirated from there.
I Figures 6 and 7 show a further embodiment of the device
in¦accordance with the present invention. It substantially corre-
sponds to the device shown in Figure 1, but has a different dosing
pi~ton 53. A sealing element 54 is arranged in the dosing piston
53 and held by a supporting bush 55. At the rear end of the
housing 1 the supporting bush 55 is e.vtended in form of a sup-
por~ting pipe 56. A diaphragm valve 57 is pressed under the action
of a pressure spring 26 by means of the piston rod 19 against the
throughflow bush 50. The diaphragm valve 57 is fixed on its outer
diameter by means of a valve bush 58 which has a supporting flange
59 and is pressed in the throughflow bush 50.
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In condition of use of the device, a stlpply chamber 60
ls completely filled with the flowir.~ medium to be released, A
dosing chamber 61 is provided at the discharge end of the device
inside the cylinder bush 38. As can be seen from Figure 6, in the
initial position both the supply chamber 60 and the dosing chamber
61 are sealed from the atmosphere,
In the device in accordance with the embodiment of
Figures 8 and 9, an abutment dis~ 72 is seated stationarily on a
piston rod ~0 and notch 71. The abutment disk 72 has a plurality
of openings 73. The outer diameter of the abutment dis~ ~2 corre-
sponds substantially to the inner diameter of the housing 1.
Also, a dosing piston ~4 is provided in this embodimene and con-
nected with a sealing element 75 and a supporting ring ~6. A
semi-collar 77 serves for fixing a membrane valve ~8 on the inter-
mediate wall 2.
The device for releasing a flowable medium in accordance
with the present invention operates in the following manner:
For transporting the flowable medium which fills the
supply chamber 60, to the application element 22 and moving the
lat~er~to the position of use, the closing cap 23 is first
unscrewed and placed onto the coupling piece 1.,. When a force is
applied onto the closing cap 23 which serves as a button, the
guiding plston 22 moves forwardly against the force of the spring
26. Through the piston rod 19, also the control piston 20 and the
dosing piston 34 are moved axiallv. The sealing element 35 of the
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1 dosing piston 34 runs on the running incline 42. The dosing
piston 34 is thereby held while the piston rod 19 and the control
piston 22 are moved further rorwardly. As long as the control
piston 20 leaves the sealing ring ~3 the medium can be pressed
from the doslng chamber 61 into the supp~y opening 31. After
opening the dosing chamber 61 the dosing spring 49 is in the
position such that the dosing piston :34 is moved ~n the sealing
cylinder so and the medium is supplied to the supply opening 31.
The path of the dosing piston :34 is identified with reference
letter H in Figure 2.
~ At the end of the forward movement of the piston rod 19
the arresting element 16 is pressed by means of the spring 17 in
the cutout 8 and arrests the guiding piston 12 in its front posi-
tion. In this position which is shown in Figu.re 2 the application
element projects beyond the front part 30 and is in the position
ready to use. The application element 23 is filled with the
medium since as shown in Figures 1 2 and 3 during multi-actuation
of the piston rod l9 the supply opening 31 is partially filled
with the medium discharged to the apnlication element 22.
For adding air to the medium which is supplied from the
supply chamber 60 the ring-shaped sealing 48 is provided. It
enables an air admixture to t~e supply chamber 60. The negative
pressure which is formed in the supply chamber 60 when the dosing
piston 34 is moved into the sealing cylinder 40 contributes to an
air exchange. The atmospheric pressure is then greater than the
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1 pressure lnslde the supply chamber 60, so that because of the
conical design of the ring-shaped groove 40 an air supply from
outs~d~de inwardly can take place.
For withdrawing the piston rod 19, the releasing pin 11
is pressed into the cutout 8 and the arresting element 16 is
unblocked. The piston rod 19 is brought under the action of the
pressure spring 26 to its initial position. The guiding piston 12
abuts again against the collar bush '3.
In the embodiment shown in ~igu.res 6 and 7 the same
~n
operation of the pin-shaped device for apDlication of a f~owable
medium takes place. The advantage of this construction is that
directly behind the differently designed dosing piston 53, the
sealing element 54 is arranged and forlned as a diaohragm. The
sealing element 54 abuts simultaneously against the sealing cylin-
lS der 40 and the outer diameter of ~he piston rod 1~3. In this
manner an additional sealing of the dosing chamber 61 from the
atmosphere is achieved. Moreover, in the inoperative position
shown in Figure 6, a forced sealing by the membrane valve 57 is
provided, since the supporting pipe 56 under the action of the
pressure spring 26 acts upon the second diaphragm valve 57 and
cldses the same in force-transmitting manner in the inoperative
position. With the introduced application element 22, a pressure
equalization can be carried through the diaphragm valve 5? as long
as a negative pressure takes places in the supply chamber 60. The
diaphragm valve 57 can be designed so that it reacts in a very
1;~7~3~ 3
1 The device shown in ~ig~res 8 and 9 functions in princi-
ple in the same manner as the above described devices. This
further embodiment makes possible to reduce the forces for actua-
tion of the dosing and arresting Ulli ~ and thereby to Drovide the
user with a product which is especially easy to handle. The
dosing spring 49 must act in this embodiment not with the help of
its pretensioning upon the dosing stroke H. The spring forc~ is
re~uired only for bringing the dosing piston 74 against the piston
rod 70 in its initial position shown in Figure 8. During dis-
placement of the piston rod ?0, the abutment disk 72 is moved and
a pretensioning of the dosing spring 49 is formed until it is in
the position in which the dosing piston 74, including its sealing
ellment 75, is to be displaced. The device can also be designed
so~that the dosing spring 49 is compressed to a ~loc~ length and
only thereafter the movement of the dosing piston 74 is obtained.
Inlthe last case the dosing stroke can be brought directly by the
user. The pressure SDring 26 can, therefore, be designed so that
it~.has to overcome the return forces for moving the ~iston rod 70
with connected individual parts.
Also, in this embodiment the Diston rod 70 is first
adtanced axially until the control piston 20 leaves the sealing
32. After this either a pretensioning of the dosing spring 49 is
formed, or alternatingly the dosing spring 49 is compressed to the
block length. With the sufficient Dretensioning or block length,
the dosing piston 74 can be moved by a predetermined stroke.
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~;~7~ 3 22386-25o2
Since during this movement the abutment disk 72 is moved into
the supply chamber 60, simultaneously because o -the opening 73
the flowable medium is moved. In the event of thixotropous
media, the desired change of the viscosity takes place, which
leads to a favourable flow condition. The medium is moved by
the dosing piston 74 into the supply opening 31, and then it is
brought in communication with the application element 22 when
it is withdrawn to the position shown in Figure 8.
It will be understood that each of the elements
described above, or two or more together, may also find a use-
ful application in other types of constructions differing from
the types described above.
While the invention has been illustrated and
described as embodied in a pin-shaped device for applying a
flowable medium, it is not intended to be limited to the
details shown, since various modifications and structural
changes may be made without departing in any way from the
spirit of the present invention.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully
reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by
applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various
applications without omitting features that, from the stand-
point of prior art fairly constitute essential characteristics
of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.
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