JPH0249987B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates in particular to a dispensing device for dispensing a substance, such as toothpaste, in portions, the dispensing device comprising one cylinder. , in which one piston moves relative to the cylinder stepwise in a direction towards the dispensing opening;
whereas in the opposite direction said piston is clampable on the inner wall of the cylinder via a clip-type reed spring arranged thereon, said distribution opening being at the same end as the end of the distribution device to which pressure is applied. It is located in

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION US Pat. No. 2,356,874 shows a conventional dispensing device for dispensing toothpaste. This conventional dispensing device, shown in FIG. 12, has a tubular body 100 containing toothpaste;
A cap 110 that slides coaxially with the tubular body is provided at the open top end of the tubular body.
The sliding movement of the cap toward or away from zero opens or closes a paste outlet 103 provided at the top end of the opening of the tubular body. An outer bottom cap 105 is fitted onto the outer periphery of the bottom end of the tubular body so as to be slidable relative to the tubular body. A disk 114 is disposed within the outer bottom cap 105 and abuts the bottom end of the tubular body and is slidably disposed relative to the outer bottom cap. A leaf spring 106 is provided between the disk 114 and the bottom of the outer bottom cap, which separates the outer bottom cap 105 from the bottom end of the tubular body. At the center of the bottom of the outer bottom cap, a shaft 116 is provided integrally with the bottom portion, the shaft extending through the disc and coaxially with the tubular body 100, along the center of the tubular body, and at the top end of the shaft. Part 10
8 is a cap 1 at the top end of the tubular body by a pin 113.
It is fixed at 10. The shaft 116 has a pawl-like step, and a driven member 118 cooperates with the pawl-like step and is slidably mounted on both the shaft having the pawl-like step and the wall of the tubular body. It is provided inside the tubular body. During operation, this driven member moves only in one direction upward of the tubular body by the pawl-like stepped portion and transfers the toothpaste paste to the paste outlet 103.
discharge from.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The dispensing device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,356,874 has a drawback in that it is difficult to hold the driven member 118 on the inner wall of the tubular body 100 when the shaft 116 is moved rearward. It was hot. This is due to the following reasons. That is, the driven member 118 is slidably mounted on both the inner wall and the shaft, and the ratchet grip 119 engages only the pawl-shaped shaft 116. Therefore, when the shaft 116 is moved in the direction towards the dispensing opening, the ratchet grip 119 is moved against the pawl-shaped shaft 11.
This ratchet grip 119 is required to have rigidity in order to be engaged and fixed with the grip at 6, and when the shaft is moved backward, the ratchet grip 119 must be flexible (i.e. easy to bend). This is due to the necessity of mutually contradictory properties such as being required to have .

Furthermore, this prior art has the disadvantage that it is necessary to provide a pawl-shaped shaft 116 of a complicated shape with high dimensional accuracy, resulting in a complicated and expensive structure.

In addition, when refilling the toothpaste, the shaft 116 must be inserted into the hole 111 of the cap 110 after filling the bottom of the tubular body 100 with toothpaste. The drawback was that it was a rather troublesome task to insert it from the bottom of the body and fit it into the small hole 111 in the cap at the top.

The object of the invention is to obtain a dispensing device for dispensing pasty substances in portions, which improves on the drawbacks of these conventional dispensing devices.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The dispensing device of the present invention is a dispensing device 10 for dispensing a paste-like substance in certain amounts, comprising a cylinder 12 containing the substance,
Arranged in said cylinder is a piston 19 mounted on an axially movable piston rod 41 and actuated by a return spring 28, with a reed spring 44 mounted on the underside of the piston, said reed spring having a radial It has an inner lead 45 and an outer lead 46 in the arrangement, the inner lead and the outer lead being held together by a common connecting ring 47 and sloping downwardly, with the inner lead 45 pointing in the direction in which the piston rod is towards the dispensing opening 18 ( The cylinder 12 is mounted within a housing-like container portion 32, and the outer lead 46 is retained on the cylinder inner wall when the piston rod is moved rearward (downward), and the cylinder 12 is It is movable in the longitudinal direction against the action of a return spring 28 supported on the cylinder and on the container part 32, which at the same time serves as a gripping member and on which a piston rod is attached. 41 is fixed.

[Function] According to the invention, the cylinder is mounted for displacement in the longitudinal direction against the action of a return spring provided in a housing-type container part, the container part acting at the same time as a gripping member and ,
The piston rod is firmly connected at least indirectly to the container part. Thus, when pressure is applied on the top of the cylinder, a dose is dispensed and the piston is fixed to the piston rod, while during the return stroke of the cylinder the piston is fixed to the cylinder.

Since said cylinder, which contains the substance and is essentially a rigid part, is mounted for longitudinal displacement in a container housing which acts as a gripping member, the extent of the quantity to be discharged can be easily realized in the cylinder. Depends only on constant stroke. The piston can be moved stepwise upwards along a stationary piston rod, and the relative position of the piston to the outer container part remains constant even when pressure is applied on the upper part of the cylinder, so that the desired substance distribution is achieved. The portion is metered, while during the return stroke of the cylinder the piston is returned so as to maintain a constant volume occupied by the substance. Partial dosing of contents, such as toothpaste, for example on a toothbrush, is thus possible in a simple manner.

[Examples] Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The dispensing device 10 comprises a cylinder 12 containing a substance 11, for example toothpaste, whose lower side 13 is open and whose upper enclosure 14 comprises a straight section 16 which acts as a push button 15. ing. This section 1
6 is followed by a tubular distribution channel 17 with a distribution opening 18 on one side. Substance 11 is contained inside cylinder 12 between distribution opening 18 and piston 19 . The upper part 20 of the piston 19 has a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder 12 and a contour that allows it to enter the interior 21 of the inclined upper section 22 of the cylinder 12 formed below the push button 15 (in particular the second (see figure). cylinder 1
Along the inner surface 23 of 2, the piston 19 is guided by surrounding sealing lips 24 and 25.

A disc 27 is inserted loosely into the lower annular end face 26 of the cylinder 12, below which a return spring 28 takes up the supporting role, here designed as a helical compression spring 29. The second seat of the compression spring 29 is formed by the inside 30 of the bottom 31 of the container part 32. The bottom part 31 is connected to the container part 32 by means of a plug connection, for which purpose a snap structure 33 consisting of an annular bead and an annular groove is present.

The container part 32 is cylindrical and surrounds the cylinder 12 over substantially its entire length, except for the upper sections 22 and 34. cylinder 12
In the area where the outside 36 of the container part 32 and the inside 37 of the container part 32 meet, a substantially axially oriented plug arrangement of ribs and slots or similar form is arranged, which means that the cylinder 12 is aligned with the longitudinal axis. B
This prevents the container part 32 from rotating around the container part 32. Conveniently, the length 35 provided in the direction of axis B is larger than one metering stroke.

The dimensions of the dosing stroke are determined in this embodiment by the distance 38 between the underside of the disc 27 and the upper side of the collar 39 formed on the inside 30 of the bottom 31. In fact, after removing the screw cap 40, the cylinder 12 is moved downwardly by a length 38 by applying pressure in the direction of the arrow 49 on the push button 15 with respect to the container part 32 against the action of the return spring 28. It is possible to do so.

A piston rod 41 is fixed coaxially with the longitudinal axis B in the collar 39 of the bottom part 31. The free end 42 of the piston rod terminates at a distance 43 from the underside of the upper enclosure 14 of the cylinder 12, which distance 43 corresponds to the metering stroke 38.
Preferably, it is somewhat larger than . The lower side of the upper enclosure 14 is thus prevented from hitting the piston rod 41. However, piston rod 2
It would also be possible to define the stroke by a length of 1. If dimension 38 is larger than dimension 43, the latter dimension 43 will determine the dosing stroke.

In order to be able to move the piston 19 step by step in the direction of the discharge opening 18 for the purpose of dispensing the substance, the piston is connected on its underside to a clamping element or reed spring 44 .
This spring 44 each carries an inner lead 45 and an outer lead 46 in a substantially radial arrangement, which are held together by a common connecting ring 47. Not only the inner lead 45 but also the outer lead 46 are sloped slightly downward toward the inner side 30 of the container bottom 31. Inner lead 45 is capable of clamping engagement with outer jacket 48 of piston rod 41;
On the other hand, the outer lead can reliably contact the inner jacket 23 of the cylinder 12.

This results in the following operating behavior. If pressure is applied on the button 15 in the direction of the arrow 49, the dispensing device 10 will not move, whether the dispensing device 10 is standing with its bottom 31 on a support or the container portion 32 is grasped in the hands of a person. , the cylinder 12 is the container part 3
2 is pushed down. A pressure in the same direction is also induced on the bottom of the piston, so that the reed 45 sinks along and engages the piston rod 41.
The piston 19 cannot move towards the container bottom 31. However, the slope of the outer lead 46 of the lead spring 44 allows the cylinder 12 to easily move downwardly relative to the retained piston 19. The volume 50 containing the substance 11 is thus reduced and a portion of the substance is expelled from the opening 18 in an amount corresponding to the displaced volume. Once the substance has been expelled, the button 15 is released and the cylinder 12 is moved upwards by the spring 29. The outer lead 46 of the spring 44 then enters and engages the inner wall 23 of the cylinder, while the clamping wedge effect between the inner lead 45 and the piston rod 41 is eliminated. Therefore, the piston 19 is returned as the cylinder 12 returns,
Volume 50 remains constant. The position thus obtained differs from the starting position of FIG. 1 in the sense that the piston 19 is one stroke length (dimension 38) above its original level. The return stroke of the cylinder 12 is realized by a top stop 51 at the end of the container part 32, which stop 51 is designed as an inward facing collar, in which the cylinder 12
A contact shoulder 52 is attached.

The dispensing device according to the invention is designed to maximize its internal drainage. This also applies in particular to the upper end section. This is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows that the last possible dose has been dispensed when the cylinder 12 is fully depressed. In this position, a minimum distance exists between the surface of the piston part 20 and the underside of the upper seal 14 of the cylinder 12. Essentially, therefore, the substance is now only present inside the distribution tube 17. This is possible essentially due to the fact that the piston rod 41 is in the highest possible raised position, allowing the piston to enter the uppermost section 22.

In order to enable the user to confirm that the container is empty after expelling the last possible dose, applying additional pressure on the pushbutton 15 does not cause the cylinder to move the piston, e.g. The whole structure is designed so that even if a similar clamping action is applied on 21, the piston will make a wasted stroke without striking the underside of the bottom. The means for achieving this first of all comprises a slightly tapered section 53 in the end region of the piston rod 41. The diameter of the narrow section 53 is chosen such that when the inner lead 45 of the spring 44 reaches this area it can no longer come into clamping contact with the piston rod 41. The length L of the narrow section 53 is somewhat longer than one stroke length (dimension 38), and preferably the narrow section begins at a distance A from the free end of the piston rod 41. This dimension A is somewhat larger than the distance Z between the clamp edge of the inner lead 45 and the lip seal 54. Here, a lip seal 54 is located in the region of the piston bottom and is in operative contact with the piston rod 41, which includes the narrow section 53.

When the piston 19 reaches the upper position and the inner lead 45 enters the area of the narrow section 53 and breaks contact with the piston rod 41, the sealing lip 54 is still in contact with the upper end section of the piston rod 41. Therefore, material cannot pass downward through the holes in the bottom of the piston.
If the cylinder 12 is allowed to rise again, starting from FIG.
3 between the clamp connections. However, the pressure acting on button 15 causes the piston to move downwards again without any force being exerted. This is because the piston can no longer be supported on the piston rod 41. Naturally, the contents are no longer removed through the discharge opening 18.
The user thus knows that the container is empty.

In the illustrated example, a normally sized section 55 is present above the narrow section 53 to ensure optimal sealing between the lip seal 54 and this section 55. However, the sealing lip 54 has a narrow section 53.
Alternatively, the section 53 could extend upwardly over the entire length A, since it is also required to provide a sealing effect in the area of .

After the return stroke is completed (FIG. 1), the cylinder 12 has its upper section 22 connected to the container part 3.
Stand out from 2. This section 22 is provided with a threaded structure 55 on the outside, which can cooperate with a threaded structure 56 on the corresponding inner side of the threaded cap 40. At the same time, the structure is such that the lower end face 57 of the screw cap 40 can be supported on the upper end face 58 of the container part 32. Since the grippable screw shoulder also projects from the container part 32 in the pressed position of the cylinder 12, it is possible to pull the cylinder 12 out of the container part 32 by means of a screw movement in the screwed-in state of the cap. This is advantageous if, for unforeseen reasons, only the compression spring 28 is unable to perform the complete return stroke. Furthermore, the screw cap is provided with a conical inner surface 59 adapted to the slope of the plane of the distribution opening 18, the dimensions of the screw cap 40 being such that the conical surface 59 acts as a seal and the cylinder 1
2 contact areas 51 and 52 and the annular end surface 60 surrounding the mouth 61 of the dispensing opening 18 before the container part 32 comes into contact with it. If, for example, the cap 40 and/or the tube 17 are made of elastic material, this connecting action can be tightened by screwing the cap 40 into the dispensing opening 1.
8, a particularly reliable sealing action is obtained.

A second embodiment of the dispensing device according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 3 to 7.

This dispensing device, indicated generally at 10 in FIGS. 3 to 7, comprises a cylinder 12 containing a pasty substance 11, such as, inter alia, toothpaste. The lower side 13 of the cylinder 12 is open. At the top the cylinder terminates with a closing part 14. The top of this closure portion 14 is designated 14'.

From the closing part 14 the longitudinal axis X of the dispensing device
A distribution channel 17 extends coaxially and parallel to -X and is eccentrically arranged. Upstream of the distribution opening 18, the channel section has a reduced cross section compared to the bottom channel. The transition area in the lower part is provided with external threads 55. The screw 55 cooperates with a corresponding internal counter-screw 56 of the screw cap 40. The screw cap has its lower annular end surface 57 in contact with the upper end surface 58 of a similar cylindrical container section.

The container portion 32 is connected to the closed portion 14 of the cylinder 12.
has an extension in the form of a support contact S extending over the top 14' of the support contact S. This support contact container part 3
is formed by a section 32' of 2;
Section 32' is the closed portion 14 of cylinder 12.
a passage 5 for a distribution channel 17 extending parallel to the distribution device and forming a tubular distribution opening of the distribution device;
1'. The diameter of the passageway is such that when the cap 40 is removed, the dispensing opening is freely displaceable within the passageway.

An expansion wedge K is provided between the support contact S and the top 14' of the closure part 14. S and 1
The expansion area A that expands the distance y between 4' is 14
is engaged with the top of the The basic position of the expansion wedge K is clear from FIG.

The expansion wedge K extends so as to form a freely accessible push button 15. Button 15
The operating region of is indicated by D. When viewed in cross section, the button is somewhat larger than a semicircle (see Figure 5). A section 32' forming a supporting contact S for passing the pushbutton actuating end.
provides an appropriately shaped passageway. The expansion wedge K, which thus acts like a stop bar, has the necessary freedom of movement relative to the edge 32'' of the container part 32.

The end face of the edge 32'' terminates at the same level as the section 32' forming the supporting contact S while retaining the shape of the cylinder 12.

The expansion surface A is aligned with the longitudinal axis X- of the dispensing device 10.
It exists in the area of X. The connecting line G between the support point S' of the expansion wedge K in the support contact S and the expansion surface A runs at an angle of inclination of approximately 50 DEG to the axis of displacement of the cylinder 12. Since the connecting line G does not extend beyond the dead center position, the return spring 2 biases the cylinder and container part 32 into the basic position.
8 simultaneously maintains the button 15 in the operating reference position.

The connecting line G between the inflation surface A and the support point S' is shorter than the push button activation area of the inflation wedge K, the ratio being approximately 1:2.

The support point S' is located at the support contact S towards the inside of the housing and behind the projection N. The projection is located below this support contact S and extends perpendicularly to the top 14' of the closure part 14. The projection engages in a recess M in the section of the expansion wedge forming the stop bar and secures the wedge against displacement. The wedge has a fork shape. Two fork teeth 15' surround the discharge channel 17 at a distance y from the distribution device 10. The fork morphology is evident in FIG.

When the expansion wedge K moves, the piston 19 is pushed in the direction of the discharge opening 18. The piston is pot-shaped and guided by integrally molded surrounding sealing lips 24, 25 on the inner jacket 23 of the cylinder 12.

The lower annular end face 26 of the cylinder 12 is provided with a loosely inserted disc 27 . A return spring 28 is supported on the underside of the disk.
Spring 28 is a helical compression spring.

The second seat for the return spring 28 is closed by the inner side 30 of the lid-shaped bottom 31 and the bottom 3
1 closes the housing container 32 from below,
Can be closed with a clip. The bottom part also carries a piston rod 41. The piston rod 41 extends in a plane X--X passing through the longitudinal axis of the dispensing device 10 and terminates at a distance from the inside of the bottom 14 of the cylinder 12. This distance corresponds at least to the maximum working stroke of the wedge K.

A reed spring 44 is connected to the underside of the piston by means of a locking device for the purpose of moving the piston 19 stepwise towards the dispensing opening 18 and ejecting the substance portion. In a radial arrangement the lead spring carries an inner lead 45 and an outer lead 46, which are held together by a common coupling ring 47. As shown, not only the inner lead 45 but also the outer lead 46 are sloped slightly downward toward the inside 30 of the container 1.
The inner lead 45 is connected to the surface 48 of the piston rod 41.
while the outer lead 46 is in operative contact with the inner surface 23 of the cylinder 12. The disk 27 is perforated in the center so that the piston rod 41 can freely pass therethrough.

In this way, the following functions are obtained. When pressure is applied by the push button 15 in the direction of the arrow 49, the surface A of the expansion wedge K supported on the support contact S displaces the cylinder 12 in the direction of the container bottom 31. This relative displacement of cylinder 12 and housing container 32 discharges a quantity of substance 11 corresponding to the stroke. The same amount of substance is always dispensed. This is because the lower side of the push button 15 facing the push button actuation area D is the top 1 of the closing part 14.
This is because it is arranged in a manner that limits contact with 4'. The connecting line designated G therefore assumes a more elevated position (see FIG. 7), and the region A of the top 14' of the closing part 14 is at that point slightly displaced in the direction of the housing wall. In this operation, the piston 19 is connected to the piston rod 41.
It remains fixed by the locking inner lead 45 at. Instead, the outer lead 46 allows the cylinder to slide downwardly against the spring force. If the pushbutton is released, the outer lead 46 enters the cylinder and the inner lead 45 slides up along the piston rod under the force of the return spring 28. As mentioned above, the same spring 28 is push button 1
5 to return to the standard position. If the screw cap 40 is then reinstalled, the end surface 5
7 comes into contact with the corresponding upper end face 58 of the housing receptacle, actuation of the push button 15 is blocked.

In a third embodiment of the invention according to FIGS. 8 and 9, instead of the stop-rod-type expansion wedge, a sliding wedge is displaceable across the length of the cylinder.
K′ is used. Wedge K' is the closing part 14
transversely displaceably located at the top 14' of the. The upper side of the wedge K′ is the wedge surface 6
5 is formed. The opposing wedge surfaces are formed by support contact members S extending on top 14' of closure part 14. In this case as well, a fork tooth configuration is adopted. Projecting from the end face of the fork tooth 15' is a compression spring F mounted in a blind hole in the wedge K', which spring rests on a contact member of the cylinder 12 formed by the upright part 14''. Since the function is otherwise identical to the previous example, further explanation is omitted.The trapping interaction of the sliding wedge K' is carried out via the clip connection, as can also be seen from the plan view (FIG. 9). Instead of two compression springs F, it is possible to provide a single annular spring F' between the rear wall 15'' of the wedge K' and the central upright 14 of the cylinder 12. This upright part 14 at the same time forms a limiting contact element for the sliding wedge K' on its wedge-side surface. The rear wall 15'' terminates with the wall of the cylinder. The wall of the housing container is cut there to facilitate handling.

The fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 10 and 11
The embodiment uses a rotating wedge K'', which expands at the top 1 of the closed part 14 of the cylinder.
The fork teeth 15' forming a curved skid member on 4' act like an eccentric and exert pressure on the top 14' of the closure part 14.
A horizontally oriented support pin 66 is formed on the fork tooth 15'. In this embodiment also the housing container part 32 is a rotating wedge.
K'' has an extension in the form of a supporting contact member S, the expanding surface A of the wedge being located at the top 14' of 14, the wedge having a distance y between S and 14'. The support pin 66 has a support opening 67 formed by the container part 32 and the cylinder 12.
Located within. carriers 68 in opposite orientations;
69 are adjacent to each other and overlap (first
(See Figure 1). One carrier groove extends upwardly into the guide shaft. The guide shaft guides the support pin 66 when the cylinder 12 is pushed upwards.

[Effects of the Invention] In the dispensing device of the present invention, when the piston rod 41 is moved in the direction toward the dispensing opening 18, the piston is firmly held on the piston rod 41 by the tightening locking member attached to the piston, while the piston rod is moved backwardly. Since the piston is firmly held against the inner wall of the cylinder when it is moved, it can operate more reliably than conventional dispensing devices.

Furthermore, in the conventional distribution device, a claw-shaped shaft 6 of a complicated shape with high dimensional accuracy must be provided, or a device such as a ball valve must be provided, resulting in a complicated and expensive configuration, but the present invention This has the effect of not requiring a complicated and expensive configuration.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the filled dispensing device, FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the upper section of the container emptied as far as possible, and FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of one of the dispensing devices. A perspective view of the embodiment, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dispensing device, the lower part being
1 is a diametrical cross-sectional view taken along the line -
The upper portion is an offset parallel section taken along line - in FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 5 in the installed closed position; and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line of FIG. 8 is a view showing another embodiment of the dispensing device as shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 9 is a plan view of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a view shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 10, with the cross-sectional plane slightly changed for the sake of clarity. , FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a conventional dispensing device. 12...Cylinder, 28...Return spring, 32...
...Container parts, 41...Piston rod, 19...
Piston, 14...top of the cylinder.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A dispensing device 10 for dispensing a paste-like substance in certain quantities, comprising a cylinder 12 containing the substance,
Arranged in said cylinder is a piston 19 mounted on an axially movable piston rod 41 and actuated by a return spring 28, with a reed spring 44 mounted on the underside of the piston, said reed spring having a radial It has an inner lead 45 and an outer lead 46 in the arrangement, the inner lead and the outer lead being held together by a common connecting ring 47 and sloping downwardly, the inner lead 45 being directed in the direction in which the piston rod is directed towards the dispensing opening 18 ( The cylinder 12 is mounted in a housing-like container part 32, and the outer lead 46 is held in the inner wall of the cylinder when the piston rod is moved rearward (downward), and the cylinder 12 is It is movable in the longitudinal direction against the action of a return spring 28 supported on the cylinder and on the container part 32, which at the same time serves as a gripping member and on which a piston rod is attached. 41 is fixed, a distribution device.