Fluid cosmetic dispenser

• US 7,674,061 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2005
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conopco (Unilever PLC)
• Original Assignee: Conopco (Unilever PLC)
• Inventors: Baines, Roger Anthony, Haigh, Paul, Somers, Mark Geoffrey, Pay, Paul Nicholas, Tavares da Silva, Reginaldo Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US11/184,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20060018704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 401/208, 401212-214, 401/216, 401/219, 401/263, 401/264, 401/205, 401/206
• US Class Current: 401/213
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 34/04 Appliances specially adapted for applying liquid, e.g. using roller or ball
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 34/041 using a roller, a disc or a ball

Abstract

In cosmetic dispensers for fluids, such as for example deodorants or antiperspirants comprising a bottle, a flow regulator in a housing mounted on the bottle and a cap rotatably mounted on the bottle or particularly onto the flow regulator housing, there is a risk that the housing can part from the bottle or be moved out of alignment by fitting or removal of the cap. This problem can be ameliorated or eliminated by employing a plurality of sets of anti-rotation elements at or adjacent to the mouth of the bottle around its periphery, each set comprising a peg and a socket. Preferably, the housing is bifurcated inward of the flow regulator, one wall extending within the bottle and the other wall extending out side the wall, and desirably the bottle wall is of reduced wall thickness in the overlap so that the exterior of the bottle surface and housing surface can be flush at their line of contact.

Claims

1. A dispenser for a cosmetic fluid comprising:

a bottle for a fluid having a side-wall defining a mouth and having an exterior face and an interior face

a flow regulating outlet mounted on the mouth of the bottle comprising a housing having an inward end in fluid communication with the mouth of the bottle, an opposed outward end and a side-wall, extending between the inward end and the outward end and having an interior that is adapted to retain a flow regulator,

the side-wall of the housing and the side-wall of the bottle each being provided with means for mounting the housing on the bottle at or adjacent to the inward end of the housing and

a cap for the outward end of the housing removably mountable on the housing or bottle,

in which the side-wall of the housing overlaps axially with the bottle side-wall, either internally or externally, to create an overlap zone and the means for mounting the housing on the bottle comprises (a) co-operating snap-fit annular beads or bead and groove on contiguous faces of the housing and bottle side walls and (b) a plurality of opposed sets of anti-rotation elements positioned in the overlap zone peripherally around the mouth of the bottle, each set comprising a lug mounted on one of the housing side-wall and bottle side-wall and a socket defined by the other of the housing side-wall and bottle side-wall, and wherein the dispenser further comprises one or more annular, unbroken, flexible, anti-leakage blades mounted in the interface between the housing and bottle side walls,

wherein the housing comprises a spider mounted within the housing intermediate between the flow regulator and the inward end.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which the exterior of the housing and the exterior of the bottle are flush.

3. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which the set of anti-rotation elements comprise an outward-facing peg and an inward-facing socket.

4. A dispenser according to claim 3 in which the socket comprises an axial slot or channel into which the peg can be slid whilst mounting the housing on the bottle.

5. A dispenser according to claim 4 in which the peg comprises an axially-extending flange.

6. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which at least three sets of anti-rotations elements are employed.

7. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which the sets of elements are symmetrically positioned around the mouth of the bottle.

8. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which the cap is mountable on the housing or bottle by means of a plurality of sets of locking means that engage by rotation of the cap around the housing or bottle, each set preferably comprising a bayonet that engages with a retaining lug.

9. A dispenser according to claim 8 in which successive sets of locking means are distanced progressively closer to the outward end of the housing or bottle.

10. A dispenser according to claim 8 in which the number of sets of anti-rotation elements is the same as the number of sets of locking means, and each set of anti-rotation elements is aligned axially with a set of locking means.

11. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which the anti-leakage blades have a V-shape and are mounted on the housing side wall.

12. A dispenser according to claim 1 in which the flow regulator comprises a spherical ball that defines with the interior surface of the housing a channel through which fluid can flow when the cap has been removed.

13. A dispenser for a cosmetic fluid comprising:

a bottle for a fluid having a side-wall defining a mouth and having an exterior face and an interior face

a flow regulating outlet mounted on the mouth of the bottle comprising a housing having an inward end in fluid communication with the mouth of the bottle, an opposed outward end and a side-wall, extending between the inward end and the outward end and having an interior that is adapted to retain a flow regulator,

the side-wall of the housing and the side-wall of the bottle each being provided with means for mounting the housing on the bottle at or adjacent to the inward end of the housing and

a cap for the outward end of the housing removably mountable on the housing or bottle,

in which the side-wall of the housing overlaps axially with the bottle side-wall, either internally or externally, to create an overlap zone and the means for mounting the housing on the bottle comprises (a) co-operating snap-fit annular beads or bead and groove on contiguous faces of the housing and bottle side walls and (b) a plurality of opposed sets of anti-rotation elements positioned in the overlap zone peripherally around the mouth of the bottle, each set comprising a lug mounted on one of the housing side-wall and bottle side-wall and a socket defined by the other of the housing side-wall and bottle side-wall, and wherein the dispenser further comprises one or more annular, unbroken, flexible, anti-leakage blades mounted in the interface between the housing and bottle side walls

wherein, the bottle mouth has a diameter in the range of from 20 to 50 mm and wherein adjacent the mouth, wall thickness on the inner face of the bottle side wall is reduced, forming one or more shallow annular recesses.

14. A dispenser according to claim 13 in which the outward end of the housing has a circular lateral exterior cross section and the inward end of the housing has an asymmetric exterior cross section.

15. A dispenser according to claim 13 in which the bottle and housing are moulded from a thermoplastic material.

16. A dispenser according to claim 15 in which the thermoplastic material from which the housing is moulded is low density polyethylene.

17. A dispenser according to claim 13 in which the cap enables the dispenser to stand stably in an invert orientation.

18. A dispenser according to claim 17 in which the bottle moulding denies the dispenser from standing stably in an upright orientation.

19. A dispenser according to claim 13 in which the cap is mounted on the housing.

20. A dispenser according to claim 13 wherein the anti-leakage blades are located on the inward face of the bottle.

21. A dispenser according to claim 13 wherein the anti-leakage blades are mounted on the housing wall.

22. a dispenser according to claim 21 wherein the anti-leakage blades are positioned on the housing wall between the snap fit on the housing wall.

23. A dispenser for a cosmetic fluid comprising:

a bottle for a fluid having a side-wall defining a mouth and having an exterior face and an interior face

a flow regulating outlet mounted on the mouth of the bottle comprising a housing having an inward end in fluid communication with the mouth of the bottle, an opposed outward end and a side-wall, extending between the inward end and the outward end and having an interior that is adapted to retain a flow regulator,

the side-wall of the housing and the side-wall of the bottle each being provided with means for mounting the housing on the bottle at or adjacent to the inward end of the housing and

a cap for the outward end of the housing removably mountable on the housing or bottle, in which the side-wall of the housing overlaps axially with the bottle side-wall, either internally or externally, to create an overlap zone and the means for mounting the housing on the bottle comprises a plurality of opposed sets of anti-rotation elements positioned in the overlap zone peripherally around the mouth of the bottle, each set comprising a lug mounted on one of the housing side-wall and bottle side-wall and a socket defined by the other of the housing side-wall and bottle side-wall, and one or more annular, unbroken, flexible, anti-leakage beads mounted in the interface between the housing and bottle side walls, and wherein the housing has at least one alignment recognition marker comprising a skirt subtending a minor arc and extending below the inward end of the housing.

24. A dispenser according to claim 23 in which two recognition markers are spaced symmetrically on either side of one set of anti-rotation elements.

25. A dispenser for a cosmetic fluid comprising:

a bottle for a fluid having a side-wall defining a mouth and having an exterior face and an interior face

a flow regulating outlet mounted on the mouth of the bottle comprising a housing having an inward end in fluid communication with the mouth of the bottle, an opposed outward end and a side-wall, extending between the inward end and the outward end and having an interior that is adapted to retain a flow regulator,

the side-wall of the housing and the side-wall of the bottle each being provided with means for mounting the housing on the bottle at or adjacent to the inward end of the housing and

a cap for the outward end of the housing removably mountable on the housing or bottle,

in which the side-wall of the housing overlaps axially with the bottle side-wall, either internally or externally, to create an overlap zone and the means for mounting the housing on the bottle comprises a plurality of opposed sets of anti-rotation elements positioned in the overlap zone peripherally around the mouth of the bottle, each set comprising a lug mounted on one of the housing side-wall and bottle side-wall and a socket defined by the other of the housing side-wall and bottle side-wall, and one or more annular, unbroken, flexible, anti-leakage beads mounted in the interface between the housing and bottle side walls, and wherein the housing has two recognition markers spaced symmetrically on either side of one set of anti-rotation elements and in which the two recognition markers exhibit mirror symmetry axially.