Fluid product dispenser with gripping member

Abstract

A fluid dispenser comprising:

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser comprising a flexible pouch containing fluid, a flexible pouch support to which the pouch is fixed, e.g. by sealing, and a dispensing member such as a pump for drawing off fluid from the flexible pouch when a pusher is pressed.

[0002] In the prior art, numerous dispensers exist that use flexible pouches and pumps. In general, the flexible pouch is positioned inside a rigid shell which serves firstly to protect the flexible pouch and secondly to make it easier to take hold of the dispenser. If the rigid shell is removed from such a dispenser, it becomes very difficult to hold its flexible pouch because of the floppy and deformable nature of the flexible pouch. It is therefore almost impossible to use such a dispenser in the absence of the rigid shell. This applies particularly when the flexible pouch is made up of laminated sheets of material that offer only very limited stiffness.

[0003] An object of the present invention is to define a dispenser that has a flexible pouch with no rigid shell and that is easy to hold for the purpose of pressing on the pusher to actuate the pump.

[0004] To this end, the present invention provides a fluid dispenser having the characteristics of claim 1. Claim 1 defines genuine handle means that differ clearly from a prior art rigid shell precisely because there is no rigid shell surrounding or enclosing a flexible pouch in the dispenser of the present invention.

[0005] In a first embodiment, the handle means are situated outside the flexible pouch.

[0006] Advantageously, the handle means comprise a plurality of handles. Preferably, the handles are situated substantially symmetrically on either side of the dispensing member. A particularity of the present invention lies in the fact that each handle is suitable for being held by a respective finger of a hand. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, there are two handles suitable for being held respectively by the index finger and by the middle finger, the thumb serving to actuate the pusher. The distributor is then used in the manner of a conventional syringe for which the index finger and the middle finger oppose the thumb to exert pressure.

[0007] In a practical embodiment, the handles are implemented in the form of holes through which the fingers can pass. In a variant, the handles are implemented in the form of notches for the fingers. In another embodiment, the handles are implemented in the form of two arcuate tabs that can be held by means of two fingers.

[0008] According to a characteristic of the invention, the handle means are fixed to the pouch support. Advantageously, the handle means are made integrally with the pouch support. In certain embodiments, the handle means surround that portion of the pouch support to which the pouch is fixed.

[0009] Another embodiment of the invention makes provision for the handle means to comprise a substantially rigid element disposed inside the flexible pouch. It is then possible to take hold of the dispenser by the pouch which has stiffness imparted to it by the rigid element. The advantage of this embodiment is that it does not adversely affect the appearance of the dispenser because it is totally invisible. In addition, the flexible pouch always retains the same presentable appearance. Advantageously, said substantially rigid element is connected to the pouch support. In addition, said substantially rigid element extends along the opposite side edges of the flexible pouch.

[0010] The spirit of the invention lies in the fact that the dispenser having a flexible pouch is of minimalist design, i.e. it incorporates only those component elements which are essential for using it. To this end, the conventional rigid shell is omitted and replaced by suitable handle means making the dispenser convenient to use.

[0011] The invention is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings which give embodiments of the present invention by way of non-limiting example.

[0012] In the drawings:

[0013] FIG. 1 is a front view of a dispenser of the invention;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a vertical section view through the top portion of the dispenser of FIG. 1;

[0015] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the dispenser of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0016] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to the FIG. 1 view, but showing a second embodiment of a dispenser of the invention;

[0017] FIG. 5 is a vertical section view through a dispenser in a third embodiment of the invention;

[0018] FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 5; and

[0019] FIGS. 7 and 8 are section views through two other embodiments of the invention.

[0020] In all of the embodiments shown in the figures, the fluid dispenser of the invention comprises a flexible pouch 1 containing fluid, a pouch support 2 to which the flexible pouch 1 is fixed, usually by sealing, and a dispensing member 3, preferably a pump, for drawing off fluid from the flexible pouch.

[0021] The flexible pouch is made of a flexible material whose capacity for being held in the hand is very poor. This capacity for being held in the hand is not sufficient to enable the pump to be actuated.

[0022] For example, the flexible pouch 1 may be made up of two sheets of a heat-sealable composite that are connected together by sealing around the periphery except at an opening serving to be sealed to the pouch support 2.

[0023] To this end, the pouch support 2 is provided with a sealable appendage 21, advantageously provided with sealable ribs 211 to which the opening of the pouch 1 is sealed. Above the sealable appendage 211, the pouch support 2 defines a platform 2 from which a fixing bushing 23 provided with a snap-fastening profile 231 projects upwards. The pump 3 is provided with or includes a fixing ring 32 internally forming a snap-fastening profile 34 serving to co-operate with the profile 231 of the bushing 23. In the embodiments shown in the figures, the fixing ring 32 internally forms a snap-fastening bead 34 serving to come into engagement under a rim 231 that projects outwards.

[0024] Once the pump 3 is fitted to the pouch support to which the flexible pouch is sealed, the dispenser is operational and it is possible to dispense fluid by actuating the pump by pressing on the pusher 35.

[0025] This is an entirely conventional design for a dispenser having a flexible fluid pouch that is normally provided with a rigid shell inside which the flexible pouch is placed.

[0026] In the present invention, the rigid shell is omitted and replaced by handle means 4 that leave the flexible pouch entirely or at least partially apparent.

[0027] In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 6, the handle means 4 are situated outside the pouch, so that it is not necessary to take hold of the dispenser by the pouch.

[0028] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the handle means 4 are in the form of a one-piece body, e.g. made of a molded plastics material, forming a plurality of handles 42, two such members being formed in these embodiments. More precisely, the body 4 comprises a plate 41 that is substantially eye-shaped, as shown in FIG. 3, and from which a peripheral skirt 44 extends downwards. The plate 41 is provided with a through hole in its center, through which the fixing bushing 23 extends, and through which the fixing ring 32 may optionally extend. The body 4 forms two opposite portions that are thinner and that are provided with respective handle holes 42 formed as shown in FIG. 1. The handle holes 42 are situated substantially on either side of the pump 3 and of the pouch support 2. The peripheral skirt 44 has a height such that the body masks the top portion of the flexible pouch 2 where its opening is fixed to the sealable appendage 21.

[0029] The body 4 is fixed to the dispenser by any mechanical means, e.g. by snap-fastening, as shown in FIG. 4. The body internally forms a snap-fastening profile 45 serving to co-operate with the platform 22 formed by the pouch support 2. The snap-fastening profile 45 comes into engagement under the platform 22, and the plate 41 of the body 4 acts as an abutment surface for fixing the body permanently to the pouch support 2. Naturally, this snap-fastening technique makes it quick and simple to fit the body 4 and requires only a limited amount of tooling.

[0030] In a variant shown in FIG. 4, the handle holes are replaced with handle notches 42.

[0031] In these embodiments, regardless of whether they have handle holes or handle notches 42, it is easy to take hold of the dispenser by using two fingers, e.g. the index finger and the middle finger, which are placed in the holes or notches 42, and the dispenser is actuated by means of the thumb that is pressed against the pusher 35. The device is thus easy to hold without having to hold it by its pouch, whose capacity for being held in the hand is poor.

[0032] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the handle 4 forms two tabs 42 that extend over circular arcs in opposite directions. The tabs 42 serve as handle elements that are held using two fingers of one hand, in general the index finger and the middle finger, so as to leave the thumb free for pressing on the pusher 35. The two tabs 42 thus take up the reaction force opposing the force exerted on the pusher 35. It is thus possible to actuate the dispenser by using only three fingers.

[0033] The tabs 42 thus extend over circular arcs on either side of the pump 3 in diametrically opposite manner. Naturally, it is possible to imagine variants in which the two tabs 42 are not disposed exactly symmetrically relative to the pump 3. The two tabs 42 are fixed either to the pouch support member or directly to the pump 3. The two tabs 42 may be formed integrally with one of those two elements, but preferably the two tabs 42 are fixed to a holding plate 41 that serves for fixing to the dispenser. In advantageous and practical manner, the tabs 42 and the holding plate 41 are molded in one piece, e.g. of a plastics material. For fixing the holding plate 41 to the dispenser, it is possible to use any technique, such as, for example, screw-fastening, snap-fastening, or indeed sealing. In the preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, the support plate 41 forms a snap-fastening recess 43 serving to co-operate with the pouch support member 2, advantageously at its bushing 22. As shown more particularly in FIG. 2, the recess 43 is open so that the holding plate 41 may be snap-fastened to the bushing 22 by sliding it sideways, thereby momentarily enlarging the opening of the recess 43 as the plate 41 passes over the maximum diameter of the busing 22. Beyond the maximum diameter of the bushing 22, the opening of the recess 43 becomes smaller again so as to clamp the bushing 22. Naturally, it is possible to imagine a holding plate 41 provided with a closed recess 43 so that the plate 41 can be put in place on the bushing 22 by engaging it from above before the pump is put in place. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the bushing 22 forms an external peripheral bead 23 under which the plate 41 is snap-fastened. As shown, the plate 41 is snap-fastened in a recess formed by the appendage 21 and by the bead 23. Naturally, it is possible to imagine variants in which the bushing 22 is not provided with such a snap-fastening bead 23 but is exactly cylindrical so that the plate 41 with a closed recess 43 is engaged from above onto the bushing 22 and the plate 41 is fixed permanently by the bottom end 33 of the fixing ring 32 of the pump 3. This applies in FIG. 5, in which it is possible to omit the bead 23.

[0034] With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, two other embodiments are shown, in which the handle means are disposed inside the flexible pouch 1 so that they are not visible and therefore do not adversely affect the appearance of the dispenser. In both versions, the handle means comprise a substantially rigid element 4 that imparts stiffness to the flexible pouch 1 so that it is possible to take hold of it without it deforming too much. In addition, it thus retains a substantially identical shape even when it is empty or nearly empty. To impart such stiffness to the pouch, the rigid element 4 may, for example, extend along the opposite side edges of the pouch, thereby forming an internal frame. In FIG. 7, the element is a U-shaped element with the web disposed at the bottom of the pouch, whereas, in FIG. 8, the rigid element 4 is connected to the pouch support 2.

Claims

1/ A fluid dispenser comprising:

a flexible pouch containing a fluid, said pouch being provided with an opening;

a pouch support to which the opening of the pouch is fixed; and

a dispensing member, such as a pump, for drawing off fluid from the flexible pouch when a pusher is pressed;

said flexible pouch not being provided with a rigid shell surrounding or enclosing the flexible pouch, handle means being provided via which the dispenser is held for the purpose of pressing on the pusher, said handle means leaving the flexible pouch apparent, at least in part, the handle means being situated outside the flexible pouch, said fluid dispenser being characterized in that the handle means comprise a plurality of handles situated substantially symmetrically on either side of the dispensing member, each handle being suitable for being held by a respective finger of a hand.

2/ A dispenser according to claim 1, in which there are two handles suitable for being held respectively by the index finger and by the middle finger, the thumb serving to actuate the pusher.

3/ A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the handle means are fixed to the pouch support.

4/ A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the handle means are made integrally with the pouch support.

5/ A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the handle means surround that portion of the pouch support to which the pouch is fixed.

6/ A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the handles are implemented in the form of holes or notches (42) through which the fingers can pass.

7/ A dispenser according to any preceding claim, in which the flexible pouch has a capacity to be held in the hand that is insufficient for actuating the dispensing member.

8/ A dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the handles are implemented in the form of two arcuate tabs that can be held by means of two fingers.