A Dispensing Container

Abstract

A dispensing container includes a cylindrical hollow body containing therein a deformable member separating a product to be dispensed from a propellant gas. When an outlet in the hollow body is opened, the deformable member is deformed by the gas and forces the product to be discharged through the outlet. A tubular side wall of the deformable member has a plurality of fold lines forming an array of alternately disposed trapeziums which define cavities in staggered formation whereby deformable member is expansible or contractable in a concertina fashion.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to dispensing containers, and in particular, dispensing containers in which the product initially received in the containers is discharged from the containers by the action of a propellant gas.

Dispensing containers are already known in which a propellant gas exerts pressure on a piston, slidable in the container, for discharging the product in the container. The main drawback of these known containers is that the propellant gas often escapes between the piston and the cylinder, and as well as just escaping, can contaminate the product.

This drawback has caused means to be employed which provides a partition between the product to be dispensed and the propellant gas. The partition is generally a member hermetically sealed to the wall of the container or the base of the container, the member being capable of distortion, being made of plastic or metallic material.

When the member is made of natural rubber or synthetic material, the fluid tightness of the member is not satisfactory. When the member is metallic, it is necessary that its distortion can be ensured by a form of pleating allowing the sides to expand or contact in concertina fashion. When the pleating is made in the usual way, as by moulding, work hardening of the metal during moulding and forming cannot be avoided and can cause the metal to crack. On the other hand, during folding, the smaller moulded diameters must still decrease, leading therefore to a restraint of metal on that circumference, while the longer diameters must increase. The metal is thus more solicited in that case than in a real folding.

In the case of a pre-folding by single compression, the pleats appear in a random way and the regions where cracks can appear are difficult to localize.

AIMS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is the provision of a dispensing container of the type in which the product received in the container is discharged from the container by the action of a propellant gas, which container has a member separating the product from the propellant gas, which member can be simply made, and operates by expansion or contraction in concertina fashion.

According to the present invention, a container comprises a hollow outer body, a deformable member in the hollow outer body, the deformable member separating a product from a propellant gas which, when an outlet in the hollow body is opened, causes the deformable member to deform and force the product to discharge through the outlet, the deformable member having a plurality of pleats or fold lines forming an array of alternately disposed trapeziums which define cavities arranged in zig-zag or staggered formation in a side wall of the member.

Preferably, the deformable member is attached to the base of the hollow body and is expanded in concertina fashion by expansion of the propellant gas between the base and the member, the expansion of the propellant gas causing the expansion of the member towards the outlet.

Alternatively, the deformable member is attached to the hollow body adjacent the outlet, and is contracted in concertina fashion by expansion of the propellant gas between the base and the member, the expansion of the propellant gas causing the contraction of the member towards the outlet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, reference being made to the Figures of the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a container in which a metallic hollow member containing a propellant gas is received, the hollow member being in a contracted position, that is, the container is loaded with a product;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1, except that hollow member is shown expanded, that is, when all the product is discharged from the container; and

FIG. 3 is a cross--sectional view of a container, in which a metallic hollow member is in a contracted position when all the product is discharged from the container.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a dispensing container comprises a hollow cylindrical body 1 having a collar and a base 3. A deformable metallic hollow member 2 is arranged for sliding movement inside the cylindrical body 1. The member 2 is anchored to the base 3 of the cylindrical body 1 by an inturned part 2a of the base 3.

A propellant gas 5 is introduced into the space between the base 3 and the member 2 by a hole provided in the base 3 and closed by a seal 6. Some of the gas enters the member 2.

A product 4 to be distributed is introduced into the space between the inner surface of the body 1 and the face 2c of the member 2. The product 4 is discharged through an outlet controlled by a valve 7.

The member 2, containing the propellant gas 5, expands little by little during the distribution of the product 4, that is, when the outlet is open.

Referring to FIG. 3, in another embodiment, the metallic hollow member 2 is arranged for sliding movement inside a hollow cylindrical body 1 and anchored to the cylindrical body 1 by a seam 9 engaging around an edge 2b of the member 2.

The propellant gas 5 is introduced in the space between the base 3 and the face 2c of the member 2 through an orifice provided in the bottom 3 and closed by a seal 6.

The product 4 to be distributed is introduced into the interior of the member 2 and is discharged through an outlet controlled by a valve 7. The member 2, containing the product 4 to be distributed, contracts little by little during the distribution of the product 4 that is, when the outlet is open.

The geometrical arrangement of the pleats on fold lines 8 on the tubular side wall of the member 2 predetermines the type of concertina-like deformation which the member 2 is caused to take.

The member 2 of both embodiments has a flexible thin metallic wall formed with fold lines 8 and 10.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the fold lines making a relief in an external direction are laid according to identical and adjacent hexagons, or losanges, and the fold lines 10 which correspond to a cavity in the inner surface of the wall extend along circumferential directions, perpendicularly to the axis of the member 2 but do not constitute continuous lines on a complete circumference and are spaced with alternately disposed fold lines 8, constituting endless peripheral lines each form a polygon.

The arrangement of fold lines or pleats, in fact, in such that the metal only submits to a constraint of pure flexion and only in the regions of the fold lines. Under these conditions, the crushing risk of metal during compression is very slight and exactly localized. The lines of weakness of metal, which are therefore reduced, are situated at right angles to and not along the peripheral fold lines, and easy to be localized, and controlled. On the other hand, the fabrication of an array of fold lines by two wheels having complementary profiles acting on both sides of the metallic wall of the member 2 enables production of the members, with an array of fold lines identical from one member to another. The behavior of such members, during use, that is to say during their distortion, will therefore be identical.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A dispensing container for dispensing a product comprising: a hollow body having an outlet; means for controlling the opening and closing of the outlet; and a deformable member in the hollow body separating a product to be dispensed from the container and contained in a space between the inner surface of the hollow body and one side of the deformable member from a pressurized propellant gas contained in a space between the inner surface of the hollow body and an opposite side of the deformable member, the deformable member having a tubular side wall in which are arranged a plurality of endless peripheral lines each composed of a plurality of alternately disposed alike rectilinear first fold lines and alike rectilinear second fold lines, said first fold lines being longer than said second fold lines and the first and second fold lines of each peripheral line being symmetrically staggered in relation to those of the adjacent peripheral lines, each point between adjacent first and second fold lines of one peripheral line being joined to a complementary point between adjacent first and second fold lines of each adjacent peripheral line by a rectilinear third fold line whereby the first fold lines of each peripheral line and the second fold lines of the adjacent peripheral lines form with said third fold lines an array of alternately disposed trapeziums, said wall being folded about said first fold lines with said first fold lines disposed innermost and about said second and third fold lines with said second and third fold lines disposed outermost so that said deformable member is deformable in a generally axial direction of said tubular side wall by an accordion-like folding about said fold lines; whereby opening of the outlet permits the propellant gas to expand and to deform the deformable member which forces the product to discharge through the outlet.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the hollow body is generally cylindrical and the member is deformable along the length of the hollow body.

3. A container according to claim 1, wherein said deformable member is made of metal.

4. A dispensing container for dispensing a product comprising: a hollow cylindrical body having an outlet at one end and a base at the opposite end closing the body at said opposite end; means for controlling the opening and closing of the outlet; a hollow expansible member in the hollow body separating a product to be dispensed from the container and contained in a space between said one end of the hollow body and the expansible member from a pressurized propellant gas contained in a space between the base of the hollow body and the expansible member, the expansible member having a tubular side wall in which are arranged a plurality of endless peripheral lines each composed of a plurality of alternately disposed alike rectilinear first fold lines and alike rectilinear second fold lines, said first fold lines being longer than said second fold lines and the first and second fold lines of each peripheral line being symmetrically staggered in relation to those of the adjacent peripheral lines, each point between adjacent first and second fold lines of one peripheral line being joined to a complementary point between adjacent first and second fold lines of each adjacent peripheral line by a rectilinear third fold line whereby the first fold lines of each peripheral line and the second fold lines of the adjacent peripheral lines form with said third fold lines an array of alternately disposed trapeziums, said wall being folded about said first fold lines with said first fold lines disposed innermost and about said second and third fold lines with said second and third fold lines disposed outermost so that said hollow member is expansible in a generally axial direction of said tubular side wall by an accordion-like folding about said fold lines; and means for anchoring one end of said side wall to the base of the hollow body; whereby opening up the outlet permits the propellant gas to enter into the interior of the hollow member to expand the hollow member which thereby forces the product to discharge through the outlet.

5. A dispensing container for dispensing a product comprising: a hollow cylindrical body having an outlet at one end and a base at the opposite end closing the body at said opposed end; means for controlling the opening and closing of the outlet; a hollow contractable member in the hollow body separating a product to be dispensed from the container and contained in a space between said one end of the hollow body and the contractable member from a pressurized propellant gas contained in a space between the base of the hollow body and the contractable member, the contractable member having a tubular side wall in which are arranged a plurality of endless peripheral lines each composed of a plurality of alternately disposed alike rectilinear first fold lines and alike rectilinear second fold lines, said first fold lines being longer than said second fold lines and the first and second fold lines of each peripheral line being symmetrically staggered in relation to those of the adjacent peripheral lines, each point between adjacent first and second fold lines of one peripheral line being joined to a complementary point between adjacent first and second fold lines of each adjacent peripheral line by a rectilinear third fold line whereby the first fold lines of each peripheral line and the second fold lines of the adjacent peripheral lines form with said third fold lines an array of alternately disposed trapeziums, said wall being folded about said first fold lines with said first fold lines disposed innermost and about said second and third fold lines with said second and third fold lines disposed outermost so that said hollow member is contractable in a generally axial direction of said tubular side wall by an accordion-like folding about said fold lines; and means for anchoring one end of said side wall to said one end of the hollow body; whereby opening of the outlet permits the propellant gas to contract the hollow member which thereby forces the produce to discharge through the outlet.