DISPENSER FOR BOTH FOAM AND LIQUID

• US 20130104939A1
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Menicon Nect Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Menicon Nect Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nagao, Tomio, Shibata, Miduho
• Granted Patent: US 8,740,017 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/25.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 12/08 using chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/16 having selectively- effective outlets
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/0059 allowing operation in any orientation, e.g. for discharge in inverted position
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/026 Membranes separating the content remaining in the container from the atmospheric air to compensate underpressure inside the container
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/04 Deformable containers producing the flow, e.g. squeeze bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/047 characterised by the outlet or venting means B05B11/041 and B05B11/042 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0018 with devices for making foam
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0037 including sieves, porous members or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0416 with arrangements for mixing one gas and one liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/06 with pouring spouts or tubes; with discharge nozzles or passages with slidable spouts B65D47/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 13/008 Devices specially adapted for cleaning contact lenses

Abstract

A dispenser used when attached to an opening of a squeeze bottle to discharge a content liquid when inverted. The dispenser has a first channel to discharge a straight forward-moving liquid and a second channel to discharge a foaming liquid. The first channel has a first through channel connecting a first inlet for the content liquid to a first outlet. The second channel has a conduit that has an opening at an inner bottom of the bottle, extends to a foaming chamber, serves as an air supply channel, and has an inner diameter; the foaming chamber is connected to the conduit and mixes the content liquid with air to foam the content liquid; and a second through channel connecting the foaming chamber to a second outlet.

Claims

1. A dispenser to be attached to an opening of a squeeze bottle, the squeeze bottle being configured to discharge a content liquid when inverted, the dispenser being provided with a first channel configured to discharge a straight forward-moving liquid and a second channel configured to discharge a foaming liquid,

wherein the first channel has a first through channel connecting a first inlet for the content liquid to a first outlet,

wherein the second channel has a conduit that has an opening at an inner bottom of the bottle, extends to a foaming chamber, serves as an air supply channel, and has an inner diameter of 0.8 to 4 mm;

the foaming chamber connected to the conduit and configured to mix the content liquid with air to foam the content liquid; and

a second through channel connecting the foaming chamber to a second outlet, and

wherein a second inlet for the content liquid leading to the conduit is formed with an inner diameter size of 0.06 to 2 mm at a portion adjacent to the foaming chamber.

2. The dispenser according to claim 1,

wherein the dispenser is capable of selectively discharging the straight forward-moving liquid or the foaming liquid,

wherein the dispenser further comprises a hollow support member and a rotational member rotatably supported in a hollow of the support member, the first and second channels being separately formed in support member,

wherein at least part of the first through channel and the foaming chamber are formed in the rotational member separately, and

wherein when the first through channel communicates with the first outlet by rotating the rotational member by a predetermined angle, the foaming chamber is isolated from one of the conduit and the second through channel;

when the conduit, the foaming chamber, and the second through channel communicate with one another by rotating the rotational member by a predetermined angle, the first through channel is closed.

3. The dispenser according to claim 2,

wherein if part of the first through channel formed in the rotational member is defined as a third through channel, the first through channel comprises the second through channel and the third through channel,

wherein the second through channel is shared by the second channel and the first channel, and

wherein an outlet is shared by the straight forward-moving liquid and the foaming liquid.

4. The dispenser according to claim 1,

wherein a ratio of an inner diameter of the second inlet to an inner diameter of the conduit at a position where the air and the content liquid are merged is 1/50 to 40/50.

5. The dispenser according to claim 1,

wherein the foaming chamber has a hollow tube structure where openings are formed on a side thereof adjacent to an outlet and a side thereof adjacent to an inlet,

wherein the openings are covered by screen filters, and

wherein a mesh of the filter adjacent to the inlet is set as being coarser than a mesh of the filter adjacent to the outlet.

6. A method for using the dispenser according to claim 1 to clean and store contact lenses, comprising:

cleaning contact lenses using a foaming liquid discharged from the dispenser; and

pouring a straight forward-moving liquid discharged from the dispenser into a contact lens container to store the contact lenses.

7. The dispenser according to claim 2,

wherein a ratio of an inner diameter of the second inlet to an inner diameter of the conduit at a position where the air and the content liquid are merged is 1/50 to 40/50.

8. The dispenser according to claim 3,

wherein a ratio of an inner diameter of the second inlet to an inner diameter of the conduit at a position where the air and the content liquid are merged is 1/50 to 40/50.

9. The dispenser according to claim 2,

wherein the foaming chamber has a hollow tube structure where openings are formed on a side thereof adjacent to an outlet and a side thereof adjacent to an inlet,

wherein the openings are covered by screen filters, and

wherein a mesh of the filter adjacent to the inlet is set as being coarser than a mesh of the filter adjacent to the outlet.

10. The dispenser according to claim 3,

wherein the foaming chamber has a hollow tube structure where openings are formed on a side thereof adjacent to an outlet and a side thereof adjacent to an inlet,

wherein the openings are covered by screen filters, and

wherein a mesh of the filter adjacent to the inlet is set as being coarser than a mesh of the filter adjacent to the outlet.

11. The dispenser according to claim 4,

wherein the foaming chamber has a hollow tube structure where openings are formed on a side thereof adjacent to an outlet and a side thereof adjacent to an inlet,

wherein the openings are covered by screen filters, and

wherein a mesh of the filter adjacent to the inlet is set as being coarser than a mesh of the filter adjacent to the outlet.

12. A method for using the dispenser according to claim 2 to clean and store contact lenses, comprising:

cleaning contact lenses using a foaming liquid discharged from the dispenser; and

pouring a straight forward-moving liquid discharged from the dispenser into a contact lens container to store the contact lenses.

13. A method for using the dispenser according to claim 3 to clean and store contact lenses, comprising:

cleaning contact lenses using a foaming liquid discharged from the dispenser; and

pouring a straight forward-moving liquid discharged from the dispenser into a contact lens container to store the contact lenses.

14. A method for using the dispenser according to claim 4 to clean and store contact lenses, comprising:

cleaning contact lenses using a foaming liquid discharged from the dispenser; and

pouring a straight forward-moving liquid discharged from the dispenser into a contact lens container to store the contact lenses.

15. A method for using the dispenser according to claim 5 to clean and store contact lenses, comprising:

cleaning contact lenses using a foaming liquid discharged from the dispenser; and

pouring a straight forward-moving liquid discharged from the dispenser into a contact lens container to store the contact lenses.