Dispenser head and receptacle fitted therewith

• US 6,257,503 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2000
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: L'Oreal SA
• Original Assignee: L'Oreal SA
• Inventors: Baudin, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Douglas, Lisa Ann
• Application Number:
  US09/567,105
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 239/333, 239/337, 239/546, 239/602, 239/463, 239/464, 239/533.1, 239/533.13, 239/DIG.12, 222/490, 222/491, 222/494, 222/495, 222/402.1, 222/402.13, 137/843, 137/537, 137/541
• US Class Current: 239/337
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/06 in annular, tubular or hollow conical form
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/28 with integral means for shielding the discharged liquid or other fluent material, e.g. to limit area of spray; with integral means for catching drips or collecting surplus liquid or other fluent material means for any of these purposes, per se, B05B12/16, B05B12/32, B05B14/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/0064 Lift valves B05B11/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/007 being opened by deformation of a sealing element made of resiliently deformable material, e.g. flaps, skirts, duck-bill valves
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/0072 A valve member forming part of an outlet opening
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/2075 in which the stem is raised by the pressure of the contents and thereby opening the valve
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/205 Actuator caps, or peripheral actuator skirts, attachable to the aerosol container
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/026 the valve member being a movable body around which the medium flows when the valve is open
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/148 the closure elements being fixed in their centre
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7879 Resilient material valve
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7924 Spring under tension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7931 Spring in inlet

Abstract

A spray head for fixing on a control rod of a valve or a pump. The spray head includes a body and a shutter disposed in a housing of the body. The housing is suitable for dispensing substance under pressure. At rest the shutter is in a closed position in which its frustoconical head portion is seated a frustoconical bearing surface of the body. The shutter moves away from the bearing surface under the pressure of the substance contained in the housing when the substance is being dispensed to form an annular dispenser orifice enabling the substance to be dispensed in the form of a hollow conical spray, at least in the vicinity of the spray head. The shutter moves away from the bearing surface against a resilient return action urging it back towards its closed position and returns to the closed position when the pressure of the substance diminishes.

Claims

1. A spray head for fixing to a control rod of a valve or a pump, the spray head comprising a body and a shutter disposed in a housing of said body, the housing being suitable for communicating, in use, with a source of substance under pressure, the shutter being arranged at rest to take up a closed position in which it rests via a frustoconical head portion against a frustoconical bearing surface of said body, and being suitable for moving off said bearing surface under the effect of the pressure of a substance contained in said housing while dispensing the substance, thereby forming an annular dispenser orifice enabling the substance to be dispensed in the form of a hollow conical spray, at least in the vicinity of the head, the shutter moving away from said bearing surface against a resilient return action tending to urge it back into the closed position when the pressure of the substance diminishes.

2. A spray head according to claim 1, wherein the return action is obtained at least in part by elastic deformation of the frustoconical head portion of the shutter.

3. A spray head according to claim 2, wherein at least the peripheral portion of the frustoconical head portion is made of an elastomer material.

4. A spray head according to claim 1, wherein the return action is obtained at least in part by deforming a resilient segment which connects the frustoconical portion of the shutter to a portion that serves to fix the shutter to the body of the spray head.

5. A spray head according to claim 1, wherein the frustoconical head portion is made of rigid plastic material.

6. A spray head according to claim 5, wherein the frustoconical head portion is secured to a rod including a segment of elastomeric material.

7. A spray head according to claim 6, wherein the rod of the shutter further has a segment of rigid plastic material, the rod being fixed to the body of the spray head by said segment of rigid plastic material.

8. A spray head according to claim 1, wherein the width of the annular dispenser orifice, while the substance is being dispensed, is less than 0.1 mm.

9. An aerosol receptacle, including a spray head as defined in claim 1.

10. A spray head according to claim 1, wherein said frustoconical head portion has a surface in contact with said bearing surface of said body when the shutter is in said closed position and wherein said surface of said frustoconical head portion diverges in a direction in which the substance is dispensed.

11. A spray head for fixing to a control rod of a valve or a pump, the spray head comprising a body and a shutter disposed in a housing of said body, the housing being suitable for communicating, in use, with a source of substance under pressure, the shutter being arranged at rest to take up a closed position in which it rests via a frustoconical head portion against a frustoconical bearing surface of said body, and being suitable for moving off said bearing surface under the effect of the pressure of a substance contained in said housing while dispensing the substance, thereby forming an annular dispenser orifice enabling the substance to be dispensed in the form of a hollow conical spray, at least in the vicinity of the head, the shutter moving away from said bearing surface against a resilient return action tending to urge it back into the closed position when the pressure of the substance diminishes, wherein the shutter includes a covering made of elastomeric material and a central core made of a rigid plastic material.

12. A spray head according to claim 11, wherein the core serves to fix the covering to the body of the spray head by clamping the covering in a setback of the housing in which the shutter is placed.

13. A spray head according to claim 12, wherein the covering has portions in relief corresponding with complementary portions in relief of the body for fixing the shutter.