Fluid dispenser with improved catch mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10849468-B2
Application number	US-202016739907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2020
Priority date	Jan 11, 2019
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A fluid dispenser having a piston pump mechanism and a pump driver. The pump mechanism has two piston arms, each piston arm having an inwardly extending piston tip. Each piston tip has a downwardly directed catching shoulder and an upwardly and inwardly directed camming surface. The pump driver has a first driver hook and a second driver hook, each of the driver hooks having an outwardly extending driver tip with an upwardly directed catch shoulder and a downwardly and outwardly directed cam surface. The pump driver is coupled to the pump by moving the pump driver downwards so that engagement of the cam surfaces of the driver hooks with the camming surfaces of the piston arms deflects the piston arms outwardly, until the driver tips move below the piston tips, allowing the piston arms to move inwardly to a coupled position.

First claim

We claim:

1. A fluid dispenser comprising:
a fluid reservoir containing a fluid to be dispensed;
a housing for supporting the fluid reservoir;
a piston pump mechanism for dispensing the fluid from the fluid reservoir; and
a pump driver for activating the piston pump mechanism;
the piston pump mechanism having a piston chamber forming body and a piston forming element;
the piston forming element being coaxially slideable along an axis relative to the piston chamber forming body to draw the fluid from the fluid reservoir and discharge the fluid from a discharge outlet;
the piston forming element having two resilient, deformable piston arms that extend axially upwardly from a seat portion of the piston forming element, with a first one of the piston arms positioned on a first lateral side of the piston forming element and a second one of the piston arms positioned on a second lateral side of the piston forming element;
each piston arm being secured at an anchored lower end to the seat portion and extending upwardly to an upper distal end, the upper distal end of each piston arm carrying a piston hook with a laterally inwardly extending piston tip;
each piston tip having an axially downwardly directed catching shoulder and an axially upwardly and laterally inwardly directed camming surface;
the pump driver having a downwardly extending catch member that extends from an anchored upper end to a lower distal end, the catch member having a first driver hook and a second driver hook at the lower distal end;
each of the driver hooks having a laterally outwardly extending driver tip with an axially upwardly directed catch shoulder and an axially downwardly and laterally outwardly directed cam surface;
the pump driver being movably secured to the housing for axial movement relative to the housing;
the piston pump mechanism being removably coupled to the housing, with the piston forming element positioned axially downwardly from the pump driver;
wherein the pump driver is movable from an uncoupled position to a coupled position by:
moving the pump driver axially downwards relative to the piston forming element so that the catch member engages with the piston arms, with the cam surface of the first driver hook engaging with the camming surface of the first piston arm, and the cam surface of the second driver hook engaging with the camming surface of the second piston arm, the engagement of the cam surfaces of the driver hooks with the camming surfaces of the piston arms deflecting the piston arms laterally outwardly, until the driver tips move below the piston tips, allowing the piston arms to move laterally inwardly to the coupled position under the resiliency of the piston arms;
wherein, when in the coupled position, the catching shoulders of the piston arms are positioned axially above and in opposition to the catch shoulders of the driver hooks, so that movement of the pump driver axially upwards relative to the piston chamber forming body moves the piston forming element axially upwards relative to the piston chamber forming body through engagement of the catch shoulders with the catching shoulders, and movement of the pump driver axially downwards relative to the piston chamber forming body moves the piston forming element axially downwards relative to the piston chamber forming body through engagement of a contact surface of the pump driver with a contacting surface of the piston forming element; and
wherein the piston arms and the driver hooks are each extended in a back-to-front direction to allow the piston arms to slide forwardly past and out of engagement with the driver hooks, the piston pump mechanism being removable from the housing by sliding the piston pump mechanism forwardly relative to the pump driver.

2. The fluid dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein each piston arm is spaced laterally from a central portion of the piston forming element that extends upwardly from the seat portion;
wherein the catch member comprises a first driver arm carrying the first driver hook and a second driver arm carrying the second driver hook, the first driver arm being spaced laterally from the second driver arm so as to define a gap therebetween; and
wherein the central portion of the piston forming element extends into the gap between the first driver arm and the second driver arm when the pump driver is coupled to the piston forming element.

3. The fluid dispenser according to claim 2 , wherein the central portion of the piston forming element has a first side surface that faces laterally outwardly towards the first piston arm, and a second side surface that faces laterally outwardly towards the second piston arm;
wherein the first driver hook has a first inner surface that faces laterally inwardly towards the second driver hook;
wherein the second driver hook has a second inner surface that faces laterally inwardly towards the first driver hook; and
wherein, on movement of the pump driver axially downwardly from the uncoupled position to the coupled position:
the first inner surface of the first driver hook engages with the first side surface of the central portion while the cam surface of the first driver hook engages with the camming surface of the first piston arm, so that the first driver hook acts as a wedge moving between the central portion of the piston forming element and the first piston arm to deflect the first piston arm laterally outwardly; and
the second inner surface of the second driver hook engages with the second side surface of the central portion while the cam surface of the second driver hook engages with the camming surface of the second piston arm, so that the second driver hook acts as a wedge moving between the central portion of the piston forming element and the second piston arm to deflect the second piston arm laterally outwardly.

4. The fluid dispenser according to claim 3 , wherein the piston forming element is located in lateral alignment with the pump driver through the engagement of the first inner surface of the first driver hook with the first side surface of the central portion, the engagement of the cam surface of the first driver hook with the camming surface of the first piston arm, the engagement of the second inner surface of the second driver hook with the second side surface of the central portion, and the engagement of the cam surface of the second driver hook with the camming surface of the second piston arm.

5. The fluid dispenser according to claim 4 , wherein a first piston slot is defined between the first piston arm and the first side surface of the central portion, and a second piston slot is defined between the second piston arm and the second side surface of the central portion;
wherein the first piston slot and the second piston slot are each open axially upwardly to a respective upper opening for receiving the first driver hook and the second driver hook, respectively, when the pump driver is moved axially downwardly from the uncoupled position to the coupled position;
wherein the first piston slot and the second piston slot each extend rearwardly to a respective rearward opening for releasing the first driver hook and the second driver hook, respectively, when the piston pump mechanism is slid forwardly relative to the pump driver;
wherein the piston forming element has a rear surface and a front surface;
wherein the first piston slot and the second piston slot each extend forwardly from their respective rearward openings to respective terminal barriers that are spaced rearwardly from the front surface of the piston forming element;
wherein the terminal barriers prevent the first driver hook and the second driver hook from sliding forwardly of the terminal barriers when received within the first piston slot and the second piston slot, respectiv

Assignees

• Op Hygiene Ip Gmbh

Inventors

• Ophardt Heiner
• Mcdonagh Padraig

Classifications

• A47K5/12

  for liquid or pasty soap · CPC title

• A47K5/1205 Primary

  Dispensing from the top of the dispenser with a vertical piston · CPC title