U.S. patent application number 09/527694 was filed with the patent office on 2001-10-04 for dispensing pump, dispenser and dispenser unit-assembly.
Invention is credited to Czech, Manuel, Lorscheidt, Willi, Prox, Matthias.
Application Number | 20010025863 09/527694 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25681495 |
Filed Date | 2001-10-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010025863 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lorscheidt, Willi ; et
al. |
October 4, 2001 |
Dispensing pump, dispenser and dispenser unit-assembly
Abstract
A dispensing pump implemented as modular functional unit
comprises a piston body (10) having a piston section (11) and a
cylinder body (20) having a cylinder section (21). The piston
section (11) is slidably accommodated in the cylinder section (21).
Both said elements define a pump chamber (30) together. An inlet
channel (24) and an outlet channel (14) are connected via the pump
chamber (30). A respective check valve (31, 32) is arranged in each
of said channels (14, 24). Limiting devices (12, 22), which are
adapted to be brought into engagement with one another, are
provided on said piston body (10) and said cylinder body (20). In
addition, a dispenser and a dispenser unit-assembly system are
suggested.
Inventors: |
Lorscheidt, Willi; (Pulheim,
DE) ; Prox, Matthias; (Frechen, DE) ; Czech,
Manuel; (Donaustauf, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Lawrence E Laubscher Sr
745 South 23rd Street
Arlington
VA
22202-2451
US
|
Family ID: |
25681495 |
Appl. No.: |
09/527694 |
Filed: |
March 17, 2000 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09527694 |
Mar 17, 2000 |
|
|
|
PCT/EP98/06062 |
Sep 23, 1998 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/256 ;
222/321.7; 222/321.9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B 11/0072 20130101;
B05B 11/3001 20130101; B05B 11/3074 20130101; B05B 11/0005
20130101; B05B 11/00416 20180801; B05B 11/3047 20130101; B05B
11/00412 20180801 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/256 ;
222/321.7; 222/321.9 |
International
Class: |
G01F 011/00; B65D
088/54 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 23, 1997 |
DE |
297 17 034.1 |
Claims
1. A dispensing pump implemented as modular functional unit and
comprising a piston body (10) having a piston section (11) and a
cylinder body (20) having a cylinder section (21), said piston
section (11) being slidably accommodated in said cylinder section
(21) and both said elements defining a pump chamber (30) together,
further comprising an inlet channel (24) and an outlet channel (14)
connected via the pump chamber (30), a respective check valve (31,
32) being arranged in each of said channels (14, 24), and still
further comprising a resetting device (40) arranged between the
piston body (10) and the cylinder body (20) as well as limiting
devices (12, 22) which are provided on said piston body (10) and
said cylinder body (20) and which are adapted to be brought into
engagement with one another.
2. A dispensing pump according to claim 1, characterized in that
the limiting devices (12, 22) come into contact with one another
when the maximum pump-chamber volume has been reached so as to
limit the relative movement between the piston body (10) and the
cylinder body (20) beyond a maximum pump-chamber volume.
3. A dispensing pump according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in
that the piston body (10) and the cylinder body (20) are each
bell-shaped, one of them being inside the other, and that they
define the modular dispensing pump.
4. A dispensing pump according to one of the claims 1 to 3,
characterized in that the limiting devices are provided as
projections (12, 22) on opposed walls (13, 23) of the piston body
(10) and of the cylinder body (20) and that they slidingly engage
the respective opposed wall (23, 13).
5. A dispensing pump according to one of the claims 1 to 4,
characterized in that each check valve (31, 32) is implemented as
an annular gap valve provided with an annular valve body (35, 35'),
each of said annular valve bodies (35, 35') covering an annular gap
(36, 36') of the inlet and outlet channels (14, 24).
6. A dispensing pump according to one of the claims 1 to 5,
characterized in that the piston section (11) of the piston body
(10) is implemented as an attachable piston (11').
7. A dispensing pump according to claim 6, characterized in that
the piston (11') is coaxially attached to a tubular outlet channel
section of the piston body (10) and that it is secured in position
by a snap-in connection.
8. A dispenser for dispensing flowable, e.g. fluid and/or pasty
media, comprising a storage container (1, 101) provided with a
storage chamber for accommodating the medium to be dispensed, a
head piece (2, 102, 202) provided with a dispensing opening, and a
pumping means provided with a pump chamber delimited by check
valves on the inlet as well as on the outlet side thereof, the
pumping means being implemented as a modular dispensing pump and
being adapted to be connected to the head piece and/or the storage
container via locking connections or screw connections.
9. A dispenser according to claim 8, characterized in that the
pumping means (3) is held between the storage container (1) and the
head piece (2).
10. A dispenser according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that
the pumping means (3) is provided with at least one fastening
projection (25) abutting on the storage container (1) with one side
thereof and on the head piece (2) with the other side thereof so as
to secure the pumping means (3) in position in the assembled
condition of the dispenser.
11. A dispenser according to one of the claims 8 to 10,
characterized in that the storage container (1) has a cylindrical
shape, that a suitably shaped follow-up piston (4) is arranged in
the storage chamber (5) of the storage container (4), and that the
storage container (1) has an upper opening (6) at the top, said
upper opening (6) extending across the whole cross-section of the
storage chamber.
12. A dispenser according to one of the claims 8 to 11,
characterized in that the pumping means (3) is implemented
according to one of the claims 1 to 8, each fastening projection
(25) of the pumping means (3) being provided on a radial outer wall
of a dispensing-pump part arranged on the side of the storage
container.
13. A dispenser according to one of the claims 8 to 12,
characterized in that, in the assembled condition of the dispenser,
the head piece (2) is arranged directly on the storage container
(1) thus enclosing the pumping means (3).
14. A dispenser according to one of the claims 8 to 13,
characterized in that the pumping means (3) is implemented
according to one of the claims 1 to 8, the pumping-means part
arranged on the side of the storage chamber being secured to the
storage container (101) in the assembled condition of the
dispenser.
15. A dispenser according to one of the claims 8 to 14,
characterized in that the storage container (1, 101) is cylindrical
in shape and has at the top end thereof an upper opening (6, 106)
extending across the whole cross-section of the storage chamber,
and that a bellows (150) enclosing the medium to be dispensed is
arranged in the storage container.
16. A dispenser according to claim 15, characterized in that the
bellows (150) is adapted to be inserted into the storage container
(101) through the upper opening (106) and that it is adapted to be
secured in position on the storage container (101) by means of a
holding section (151).
17. A dispenser according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that
the bellows (150) has at the top end thereof a connection piece
(152) for connecting the bellows (150) to an inlet channel (124) of
the pumping means (3).
18. A dispenser according to one of the claims 15 to 17,
characterized in that the bellows (150) is provided with a bottom
flange (154) having a flexible, radially outer annular section
(155) which is followed by folds (156) of the bellows (150), and
that, in the empty condition of the corrugated bellows (150), the
flexible annular section (155) is deformed by the abutting folds
(156) in a direction opposite to the direction of emptying.
19. A dispenser unit-assembly system comprising head pieces (2,
102, 202), storage containers (1, 101) and at least one pumping
means (3), a respective head piece, storage container and
dispensing pump defining together a dispenser in the case of which
various head pieces can be combined with the same pumping means
(3).
20. A dispenser unit-assembly system according to claim 17,
characterized in that various storage containers can be combined
with the same pumping means (3).
21. A dispenser unit-assembly system according to claim 17 or 18,
characterized in that the pumping means (3) is implemented
according to at least one of the claims 1 to 8.
22. A dispenser unit-assembly system according to claim 21,
characterized in that the same piston body (10) can be combined
with various cylinder bodies (20, 120).
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to dispensers operating
according to the pump principle. In addition, the present invention
refers to a dispensing pump itself as well as to a dispenser
unit-assembly.
[0002] Dispensers operating according to the pump principle are
generally known from the prior art. Such dispensers are provided
with a pumping head and a storage container connected thereto. Up
to now, the storage container and the pumping head have, however,
been individually adapted to one another in the case of such
dispensers so that one pumping head always matches only one
specific storage container. The design and manufacturing
expenditure for such dispensers is correspondingly high.
[0003] In view of the manifold possibilities of use of dispensers,
there is, however, an interest in reducing this expenditure.
[0004] Hence, it is the object of the present invention to create a
dispensing pump having manifold uses. Furthermore, it is the object
of the present invention to provide a suitable dispenser as well as
a dispenser unit-assembly.
[0005] This object is achieved by a dispensing pump implemented as
modular functional unit and comprising a piston body having a
piston section and a cylinder body having a cylinder section, said
piston section being slidably accommodated in said cylinder section
and both said elements defining a pump chamber together, further
comprising an inlet channel and an outlet channel connected via the
pump chamber, a respective check valve being arranged in each of
said channels, and still further comprising a resetting device
arranged between the piston body and the cylinder body as well as
limiting devices which are provided on said piston body and said
cylinder body and which are adapted to be brought into engagement
with one another.
[0006] In this way, a particularly compact dispensing pump is
obtained, which is adapted to be used with a large number of
dispensers whose head piece and storage container can have an
arbitrary structural design.
[0007] Preferably, the limiting devices come into contact with one
another when the maximum pump-chamber volume has been reached so as
to limit the relative movement between the piston body and the
cylinder body beyond the maximum pump-chamber volume. Due to the
fact that the limiting devices are formed on the piston and on the
cylinder body, additional holding elements, which are often used in
the prior art, can be avoided. This will reduce the variety of
parts used in the dispensing pump so that it will suffice to have a
smaller number of parts in stock and so that a more efficient
assembly will be possible. The limiting devices also serve the
purpose of preventing the pump from falling apart.
[0008] Preferably, the piston body and the cylinder body are each
bell-shaped, one of them being inside the other, said piston body
and said cylinder body defining the modular dispensing pump. The
limiting projections restrict the mamximum pump-chamber volume. Due
to the bell-shaped configuration, the dispensing pump has a
capsular structural design on the outer side thereof, which
contributes to a reduction of the structural volume. A dispensing
pump having this kind of structural design can be used with a great
variety of different dispensers.
[0009] The axial overall length of the dispensing pump is shorter
in the compressed condition than in the extended condition where
the pump chamber has its maximum volume. Hence, the dispensing pump
can be used with dispensers in which, when a dispensing key is
being pressed down, also the outlet opening moves as well as with
dispensers in which the outlet opening is not movable.
[0010] Preferably, the two check valves of the dispensing pump are
implemented as annular gap valves with annular valve bodies. This
permits the medium to flow uniformly into the pump chamber and a
discharge channel so that, especially in the case of pasty media,
asymmetric dead zones in the flow path will be avoided.
[0011] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the
present invention, the limiting devices on the piston body and the
cylinder body are provided as projections on opposed walls, said
projections being in sliding engagement with the respective opposed
wall so as to improve the guiding effect and so as to prevent the
piston-cylinder arrangement from tilting. This permits a long
service life of the re-usable dispensing pump.
[0012] The above-mentioned object is also achieved by a dispenser
for dispensing flowable, e.g. fluid and/or pasty media, said
dispenser comprising a storage container provided with a storage
chamber for accommodating the medium to be dispensed, a head piece
provided with a dispensing opening, and a pumping means provided
with a pump chamber delimited by check valves on the inlet as well
as on the outlet side thereof, the pumping means being implemented
as a modular dispensing pump and being adapted to be connected to
the head piece and/or the storage container via locking connections
or screw connections.
[0013] Due to the fact that the storage chamber provided in the
storage container is delimited by an outer wall of the dispensing
pump in the axial direction, a corresponding wall on the storage
container can be dispensed with. The storage container can thus be
manufactured more easily. Due to the modular structural design of
the storage container, the dispensing pump and the head piece, the
dispensing pump can be assembled separately from the other parts so
that, subsequently, it can be assembled with the storage container
and the head piece in an efficient manner.
[0014] In the above-mentioned dispenser, the storage container is
preferably implemented as a cylindrical body having at the top end
thereof an upper opening, which extends across the whole
cross-section of the storage chamber. For example, a follow-up
piston delimiting the storage chamber or an insert container with a
follow-up piston can be inserted into the storage container from
the top end thereof in this way. The storage container can then
also be filled from this side so that all the assembly steps can be
carried out from the same side of the storage container.
[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the dispenser, the
head piece is fixed directly to the storage container in the
assembled condition. Forces acting on the head piece from outside
can thus be prevented from being transmitted directly on the
dispensing pump. In addition, the fixing force that can be realized
between the head piece and the storage container is stronger than
the fixing force which could be realized if the head piece were
fixed directly to the dispensing pump, since, if the dispenser is
reused, i.e. if the storage container is exchanged or refilled and
the head piece released, there will be no risk of damage being
caused to the dispensing pump. Hence, a stronger fixing force
between the head piece and the storage container can be chosen so
that the head piece is saveguarded against being lost with a high
degree of reliability.
[0016] Preferably, the separate dispensing pump is provided with at
least one fastening projection abutting on the storage container
and on the head piece in the assembled condition. This has the
effect that the dispensing pump is secured in position in the
dispenser without being fixedly connected to the head piece or the
storage container. This will substantially simplify the assembly,
since the dispensing pump only has to be inserted between the
storage container and the head piece, whereas the fixing in
position of said dispensing pump will be effected by fixing the
head piece to the storage container. Alternatively, the
dispensing-pump part arranged on the side of the storage chamber
can also be secured to the storage container itself.
[0017] According to one advantageous further development of the
dispenser, a bellows enclosing the medium to be dispensed is
arranged in the storage container. The medium to be dispensed is
therefore no longer in direct contact with the inner wall of the
storage container, but the storage chamber is provided within the
bellows. This permits simple and neat filling and especially
refilling of the storage container.
[0018] Furthermore, the above-mentioned object is achieved by a
dispenser unit-assembly system comprising head pieces, storage
containers and at least one pumping means or dispensing pump, a
respective head piece, storage container and dispensing pump
defining together a dispenser in the case of which various head
pieces can be combined with the same pumping means.
[0019] Advantageous further developments of the present invention
are disclosed in the additional subclaims and the description
following hereinbelow.
[0020] In the following, the present invention will now be
described on the basis of embodiments making reference to the
drawing, in which:
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a dispenser in the
assembled condition,
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the dispensing pump
according to FIG. 1,
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a dispenser in the
assembled condition,
[0024] FIG. 4 shows a side view of the dispensing pump according to
FIG. 3,
[0025] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the bellows of FIG. 3 in
the full and in the empty condition,
[0026] FIG. 6 shows a first head piece for the dispenser shown in
FIG. 3,
[0027] FIG. 7 shows a second head piece for the dispenser shown in
FIG. 3,
[0028] FIG. 8 shows a dispenser unit-assembly system comprising
various head pieces, dispensing pumps and storage containers.
[0029] The dispenser in FIG. 1 is composed of a storage container
1, a head piece 2 and a pumping means or dispensing pump 3. The
storage container 1 is implemented as an essentially cylinderlike
body having a storage chamber 5 provided therein. This storage
chamber 5 is delimited by a follow-up piston 4 on the bottom side
thereof. At the top end of the storage container an upper opening 6
is provided into which the dispensing pump 3 can be inserted. The
follow-up piston 4 can be introduced in the storage container
through the upper opening 6. Said upper opening 6 is also used for
filling the storage container shown. In the embodiment shown, the
storage container is closed by a wall on the bottom side thereof,
said wall having only provided therein a vent. This is particularly
advantageous in cases where, as will be shown in the second
embodiment described hereinbelow, a bellows containing the medium
to be dispensed is inserted in the storage container 1. The bottom
wall then also serves to protect the bellows. Alternatively, the
storage container can, however, be implemented in the usual way
without a bottom wall; in this case, the storage container will be
filled and the follow-up piston 4 will be inserted from the bottom
side.
[0030] The interior of the storage container 1 is delimited by an
outer wall of the dispensing pump 3 in the axial direction at the
top end thereof. This dispensing pump is shown in detail in FIG. 2.
It comprises a piston body 10 with a piston section 11 and a
cylinder body 20 with a cylinder section 21. The piston section 11
is slidably received in the cylinder section 21, a pump chamber 30
being defined between these two components. This pump chamber
connects an inlet channel 24 and an outlet channel 14. Each of
these channels has arranged therein a check valve 31, 32. Both
check valves are installed such that they open in the same
direction, i.e. in the dispensing direction. In addition, a
resetting device, preferably a cylindrical spring, is arranged
between the piston body 10 and the cylinder body 20 in such a way
that it acts on the piston body 10 and the cylinder body 20 in a
direction in which the pump chamber is enlarged so as to refill
said pump chamber 30 after a pump stroke in the course of which the
pump-chamber volume is reduced. Instead of a cylindrical spring 40
also other elastic elements can be used as a resetting device.
[0031] For limiting the maximum pump-chamber volume, limiting
devices are provided on the piston body 10 and the cylinder body
20, said limiting devices coming into contact with one another when
the maximum pump-chamber volume has been reached. In the embodiment
shown, the limiting devices are implemented as projections 12, 22
on opposed walls 13, 23 of the piston body 10 and of the cylinder
body 20. Each of these projections 12, 22 is in sliding engagement
with the respective opposed wall so that the piston section 11 will
be guided more stably on the cylinder section 21. The projections
12, 22, which can e.g. also be implemented as annular projections,
prevent the dispensing pump 3 from falling apart. Their ramplike
structural design permits easy assembly of the piston body 10 and
of the cylinder body 20, simply by attaching one element to the
other, whereby the ramps will snap in position one behind the
other.
[0032] The piston body 10 and the cylinder body 20 are each
bell-shaped. They are in engagement with one another and delimit
the dispensing pump towards the outside so that a capsular housing
is formed. Due to the fact that the projections 12, 22 are provided
on radial walls 13, 23, a displacement of the piston body relative
to the cylinder body results in a reduction of the axial length of
the pump in the compressed condition, i.e. in the case of the
minimum pump-chamber volume.
[0033] A radial outer wall 26 of the cylinder body 20 is
additionally provided with at least one fastening projection 25,
which may, for example, also be implemented as an annular
projection. This fastening projection serves to secure the
dispensing pump 3 in position in the installed condition between
the head piece 2 and the storage container 1.
[0034] In the embodiment shown according to FIG. 1, the check
valves 31, 32 are implemented as annular-gap valves provided with
an annular valve body 35, 35', each of said annular valve bodies
35, 35' covering an annular gap 36, 36' of the inlet and outlet
channels 14, 24, respectively. The check valve 32 arranged in the
inlet channel 24 is secured in position on the cylinder body 20 by
means of a retaining ring 34. The check valve 31 located on the
side of the outlet channel 14 rests on the piston section 11, which
is here implemented as a separate piston 11' attached to a
outlet-channel section. By means of the radially symmetric
structural design of the dispensing pump 3, a homogeneous
dispensing behaviour is achieved. The dispensing pump 3 is,
however, not limited to radially symmetric structural designs, but
it may also have an arbitrary, e.g. square or polygonal
cross-sectional shape. Instead of the annular-gap valves shown,
also other known check valves, e.g. flap valves, may be used.
[0035] Furthermore, the piston 11' can be formed integrally with
the piston body 10. A kinematic reversal of the dispensing pump 3
with a reversal of the opening direction of the check valves is
possible as well. The fastening projections 25 should then be
attached to the stationary part. All the components which are to be
interconnected are preferably implemented as a snap-in connection
so that the components can be assembled easily by joining them
axially; this can also be done in an automated operation.
[0036] The dispensing pump 3 is followed by the head piece 2
comprising a movable part 7, a holding element 8 and a cap 9. The
movable part 7 is provided with a dispensing channel leading to an
outlet opening. In the embodiment shown, the outlet opening is
additionally provided with an automatically closing sealing-lip
valve which prevents an ingress of foreign particles in the
dispensing channel. The movable part 7 is movably arranged on the
holding element 8 in the axial direction of the dispenser, which
extends parallel to the axial direction of the dispensing pump, and
is protected against removal towards the top in FIG. 1. The holding
element 8 is provided with a fastening section, which is arranged
on the holding-element end facing the storage container and through
which said holding element can be secured to a fastening section
provided in the area of the upper opening 6 of the storage
container 1.
[0037] In the assembled condition of the dispenser, the fastening
projection 25 of the dispensing pump is secured in position between
the holding element of the head piece 2 and the upper edge of the
storage container 1. When the dispenser is being assembled, the
dispensing pump 3 can therefore be attached loosely to the storage
container 1. The fastening is then effected simultaneously with the
fastening of the head piece 2 on the storage container 1; for this
purpose, a snap-in connection is preferably used, which permits the
head piece to be simply pressed onto the storage container. The
fastening device can be implemented such that it is releasable so
as to permit the dispensing head, i.e. the dispensing pump 3 and
the head piece 2, to be reused. In the first embodiment shown, no
positive-engagement fastening means are necessary between the
dispensing pump 3 and the storage container 1 and the dispensing
pump 3 and the head piece 2.
[0038] Although the dispensing channel of the movable part is
connected to the outlet channel 14 of the dispensing pump 3, forces
applied to the head piece 2 from outside will be dissipated via the
storage container 1 due to the fact that the head piece 2 is
connected to said storage container 1.
[0039] A further embodiment is shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the head
pieces shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 being mutually exchangeable.
[0040] The dispenser in FIG. 3 has, fundamentally, the same
structural design as the dispenser in FIG. 1 so that only the
differences existing with respect to the dispenser shown in FIG. 1
will be discussed in the following.
[0041] The dispensing pump 3 of the second embodiment is provided
with a bell-shaped fastening flange 125 on the cylinder body 120,
instead of the fastening projection 25 on the cylinder body 20,
said fastening flange 125 surrounding the actual pump capsule
radially. The circumference of the fastening flange 125 is provided
with a stop 126 and with a fastening section 127 through which the
dispensing pump 3 is adapted to be fixed in the area of the upper
opening 106 of the storage container. On the opposite side of the
stop 126, a further fastening section 128 is provided through which
a cap 109 surrounding the actual head piece 102 can releasably be
attached to the dispensing pump 3.
[0042] Between the actual pump capsule 129, whose structural design
can correspond to that of the dispensing pump shown in FIG. 2, and
the fastening flange 125 an annular gap is formed into which a
radial circumferential section 102d of the head piece 102
extends.
[0043] A first head piece 102 which is adapted to be used in
combination with the dispensing pump is shown in FIG. 6. This head
piece has a substantially caplike shape on the end face 102a of
which an outlet opening 102d is provided, which is protected
against the ingress of foreign bodies by an automatically closing
valve. A dispensing channel 102c leads to said outlet opening 102b,
said dispensing channel being coupled to the outlet channel 114 of
the dispensing pump in the attached condition of the head
piece.
[0044] A second head piece 202 is shown in FIG. 7. This head piece
202, which has a caplike shape as well, is provided with an
applicator 202a which is inclined relative to the axial direction
of the dispenser. An outlet opening 202b is provided on one end of
the applicator 202a, said outlet opening 202b being connected to
the outlet channel 114 of the dispensing pump via a dispensing
channel 202c.
[0045] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the head piece
serves simultaneously as a dispensing key. The dispensing pump
shown in FIG. 4 can, however, be coupled with any head piece having
a known structural design, provided that the connecting dimensions
between a dispensing channel of the head piece and the outlet
channel 114 match.
[0046] As has been shown in the first embodiment, the storage
container 101 can be implemented with a follow-up piston 104, the
medium to be dispensed being then filled directly into the storage
chamber.
[0047] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a bellows 150,
which accommodates the medium to be dispensed, is inserted into the
storage chamber. The storage container 101 primarily serves to
protect the bellows 150, which is preferably implemented as a
corrugated bellows. The bellows 150 is adapted to be inserted into
the storage container through the upper opening 106 and is
additionally provided with a holding section 151 by means of which
said bellows can be fixed to the storage container 101. The holding
section 151 is preferably implemented as a separate retaining ring
which is attached to a connection piece 152 of the bellows 150 via
a snap-in connection and which is releasably secured in position in
the storage container 101 through a further snap-in connection. The
connection piece 152 of the bellows 150 is sealingly connected to
the inlet channel 124 of the dispensing pump in the assembled
condition of the dispenser. On the side loacted opposite the
connection piece, the bellows is provided with a bottom flange 154
fulfilling here the function of the follow-up piston. The bottom
flange 154 is provided with a flexible radially outer annular
section 155 which is followed by the radial boundary wall of the
bellows. When the bellows 150 is being emptied, this radial wall is
folded up. For permitting orderly folding, preformed folds 156 are
provided on the radial wall. This prevents the radial wall from
closing the connection piece 152 prematurely under unfavourable
conditions. For guaranteeing that the corrugated bellows is emptied
as completely as possible, the annular section 155 is flexible so
that, when the bellows has been emptied, said annular section can
be deformed towards the bottom side, whereas a rigid part 157 of
the bottom wall can be sucked up to the connection flange 152.
[0048] As has already been stated hereinbefore, various head pieces
can be combined with the dispensing pump 3. Likewise, a storage
container 101 with a corrugated bellows 150 can be used instead of
a storage container 1 with a follow-up piston.
[0049] This modular structural design shown in FIG. 8 permits, in
the form of a dispenser unit-assembly system, an individual
adaptation of the dispensers to various products, without any
necessity of developing a completely new dispenser for this
purpose. A dispenser can therefore easily be adapted to the medium
to be dispensed, the desired volumetric delivery per dispensing
stroke, or the volume stored in the storage container, without any
problems arising.
[0050] Especially the head piece can individually be adapted to the
respective requirements with regard to the direction of the
dispensing opening as well as with regard to the use of opening
valves. The head pieces are not limited to those having a
dispensing opening which is moved together with a dispensing key,
but they may also comprise head pieces of the type having a
stationary dispensing opening.
[0051] It follows that the dispensing system consisting of head
pieces, storage containers and at least one dispensing pump permits
a plurality of head pieces 2;102;202 to be combined with the same
dispensing pump. Likewise, different storage containers can be
combined with the dispensing pump.
[0052] As can be seen in the first embodiment, the head pieces can
be implemented such that they can be fixed directly to the storage
container. The individual modules of the dispensing system can be
implemented in accordance with the respective dispensing pumps and
dispensers and their components, which are claimed in the present
application, but they are not limited to those.
[0053] The dispensing pump 3 of the dispenser unit-assembly system
is adaptable, depending on the size and the diameter of the storage
container. For this purpose it will suffice to replace, according
to requirements, one cylinder body 20 by another cylinder body 120
provided with a fastening flange 125. All the other components of
the dispensing pump 3 can be used with either cylinder body.
[0054] Preferably, all the components of the dispensing pump, of
the dispenser and of the dispenser unit-assembly system can be
produced as injection-moulded parts, also as injection-moulded
parts consisting of plastic material that can be recycled. For the
resetting device some other material may be chosen as well.
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