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EP-4556396-B1 - A LIQUID DISPENSER FOR AN INVERTED CONTAINER

EP4556396B1EP 4556396 B1EP4556396 B1EP 4556396B1EP-4556396-B1

Inventors

  • DAGNELIE, THIERRY CHRISTIAN FRANCIS
  • ROMERO GUEVARA, Ana Lucia
  • TOELEN, Cedric Daniel Junior
  • DE WILDE, VINCENT HUBERT MONIQUE

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240619

Claims (15)

  1. A liquid dispenser (1) for affixing to an inverted container (2) containing dispensable liquid, the dispenser (1) comprising: a) a body (10) of the dispenser (1) comprising a connecting sleeve (11), wherein the connecting sleeve (11) is adaptable for engaging to an exterior surface proximate an opening (5) of the inverted container (2) and is spaced radially inwardly to define an internal discharge conduit (12) for establishing fluid communication with the liquid contained in the inverted container (2); b) a valve (20) localized in the body (10) extending across the internal discharge conduit (12), the valve (20) having an interior side (21) for being contacted by the liquid contained inside the inverted container (2) and an exterior side (22) for being exposed to the exterior atmosphere, wherein the valve (20) defines a dispensing orifice (23) that is reactably openable when the pressure on the valve interior side (21) exceeds the pressure on the valve exterior side (22); and c) an impact resistance system (30) localized upstream of the valve (20), the system (30) comprises: a housing (31) having a cavity (32) therein and extending longitudinally from the body (10) and radially inwardly from the sleeve (11); characterised in that the housing (31) comprises at least one inlet opening (33a) that provides a flow path for the liquid from the inverted container (2) into the housing (31),and at least one outlet opening (33b) that provides a path of egress for the liquid from the housing (31) to the exterior atmosphere when the dispensing orifice (23) is opened, wherein the cavity (32) is adapted to be partially occupied by a compressible substance, wherein the at least one inlet opening (33a) comprises a lower edge (38) proximal to the body (10) and an upper edge (39) distal to the body (10), such that the at least one inlet opening (33a) has an inlet opening height (H), and in that : the impact resistance system (30) further comprises a wall (60) positioned radially inwardly from the housing (31), extending longitudinally from the body (10), and encircling around the valve interior side (21), and the wall (60) extends longitudinally from the body (10) into the cavity (32) defining an overlap distance (O) further than the upper edge (38) of the at least one inlet opening (33a), wherein the ratio of the overlap distance (O) to the inlet opening height (H) is 1.0 or higher, and the ratio of the diameter of the housing internal surface (35) to the diameter of the wall outer surface (36) is at least 1.5:1.
  2. The liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 1, wherein the housing (31) has an internal volume of from 375 mm 3 to 400,000 mm 3 , preferably from 600 mm 3 to 100,000 mm 3 , more preferably from 1,500 mm 3 to 60,000 mm 3 .
  3. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inlet opening (33a) has a total surface area of from 1 mm 2 to 250 mm 2 , preferably from 5 mm 2 to 150 mm 2 , more preferably from 15 mm 2 to 100 cm 2 .
  4. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inlet opening (33a) has a height (H) of from 0.5 mm to 7.5 mm, preferably from 1.0 mm to 6.0 mm, more preferably from 1.5 mm to 3.5 mm.
  5. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of the overlap distance (O) to the inlet opening height (H) is from at least 1.5:1 to 4:1, more preferably from at least 1.5:1 to 2.5:1.
  6. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the body (10) or the housing (31) comprises an upper retainer surface (29a), and the lower edge (38) of the at least one inlet opening (33a) is positioned longitudinally from the upper retainer surface (29a) a distance of less than 5.0 mm, preferably less than 4.0 mm, more preferably less than 3.0 mm from the upper retainer surface (29a).
  7. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the body (10) or the housing (31) comprises an upper retainer surface (29a), and the wall (60) extends longitudinally from the upper retainer surface (29a) a distance of from 4.5 mm to 30 mm, preferably from 6.0 mm to 20 mm, more preferably from 7.5 mm to 15 mm.
  8. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (31) comprises of a plastic material, preferably a thermoplastic material, preferably polypropylene.
  9. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the internal resistance force of the valve (20) is at least 10 mbar, preferably at least 25 mbar to open the dispensing orifice (23).
  10. The liquid dispenser (1) according to claim 9, wherein the internal resistance force of the valve (20) is less than 250 mbar, more preferably less than 150 mbar, most preferably less than 75 mbar.
  11. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the valve (20) comprises of a flexible central portion (24) having at least two, preferably a plurality of, slits (25) which extend radially outward to distal ends (26), the slits (25) intersect to define the dispensing orifice (23).
  12. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the body (10) comprises at a bottom end (B) an exterior portion (14) adapted for resting the inverted container (2) on a flat surface in the upside-down position.
  13. The liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a baffle (40) located in between the interior side (21) of the valve (20) and the impact resistance system (30), preferably the baffle (40) includes an occlusion member (41) supported by at least one support member (42).
  14. An inverted container (2) comprising the liquid dispenser (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the liquid dispenser (1) does not comprise a closing cap or seal.
  15. The inverted container (2) according to claim 14, wherein the inverted container (2) comprises a liquid detergent composition, preferably wherein the liquid detergent composition has a viscosity of 50 to 5,000, preferably 75 to 1,000, more preferably 100 to 500 mPa.s, when measured at a shear rate of 100 s -1 , at a temperature of 20°C.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a liquid dispenser for dispensing liquid from an inverted container, and inverted containers comprising them, in particular, liquid dispensers for dosing viscous liquids. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Liquid dispensers designed for use with viscous liquids are well-known in the field of cleaning products, especially for liquid laundry detergent compositions. These dispensers typically consist of containers with a spout positioned at the top, commonly referred to as "top-dispensing bottles." To dispense the liquid, consumers typically need to open a cap, expose the spout, and then invert and squeeze the bottle. However, these top-dispensing bottles have several issues. Firstly, the liquid tends to flow out upon inversion, even without squeezing, making it challenging to control the amount of liquid dispensed and leading to potential spillage when the bottle is returned to an upright position. Secondly, these bottles often leave liquid residue around the spout, which can dry and form a crust, eventually obstructing the spout. Additionally, the poor ergonomic design of these bottles can cause inconvenience and discomfort, particularly for elderly consumers or when using larger-sized bottles. To address these issues, inverted containers have gained popularity among consumers. Inverted containers have an orifice at the bottom for liquid dispensing and are used in an upside-down position, resting on their bottom when placed on a horizontal surface. These containers typically feature a flexible bottle with the orifice positioned bottom surface of the container, and some improvements include the incorporation of a resilient valve in the discharge orifice. Such valves aim to control the volume of liquid dispensed and minimize leakage, ensuring that liquid does not escape unless force is applied to the container. However, leakage remains an issue, even for such bottom-dispensing containers that comprise a cap covering the orifice. A particular challenge with these types of inverted containers is the prevention of leakage of the liquid contained therein during steady state (i.e., storage) and/or upon impact, especially upon impact. For example, leakage may occur during storage when the inverted container is subjected to a temperature change, specifically increase (e.g., inverted container placed beside sunny window or near stove top, etc.), that can lead to internal pressure increases and leakage. Specifically, by "impact" it is meant that when the inverted container is handled, transported, dropped or knocked over. As a result of the impact, transient liquid pressure increases, also referred to as hydraulic hammer pressure, inside the container and can momentarily force open the valve causing liquid to leak out, which will result in consumer dissatisfaction with the product. Previous attempts to overcome the leakage problem have involved including a closing cap (see for example CN2784322U (Liu Zhonghai) & WO2014/130079 (Dow Global Technologies)). However, inclusion of a closing cap means additional steps of having to open the closing cap for dosing and reclose the closing cap after the dosing process, which is undesirable to consumers. Furthermore, the cap does not avoid liquid messiness and dried up crust of liquid around the spout/cap. Other attempts have incorporated baffles on top of the resilient valve (see for example JP2007/176594 (Lion), & WO2000/68038 (Aptar Group)), which have not completely resolved the leakage issue particularly as it pertains to inverted containers, more particularly upon impact. JPH02127252A seeks to prevent liquid from leaking by providing a liquid path for discharging liquid from a device on a body, wherein a passage part having a first opening opened at an opening end and a second opening located above the opening end are included so that liquid is guided upward from the opening end at a mouth part. The need for improved liquid dispensers for an inverted container which substantially reduces or prevents the tendency of the valve to open when the inverted container is impacted, particularly dropped or knocked over has been met through the use of dispensers as described in EP3492400B1 and EP3511402B1. However, it remains challenging to dose accurate quantities of the liquid composition, contained within the inverted container, especially for small dose sizes. EP24175572.7 discloses a liquid dispenser and inverted container that provides for improved dosing of liquid compositions, especially at low dosage volumes, while being more resistant to leakage, even for low viscosity liquids. However, when dispensing more viscous liquid compositions, such dispensers can require a greater pressure to be exerted by the user onto the container, in order to dispense the liquid composition contained therein. While the valve contained within the dispenser typically has an opening pressure, above which, the liquid is dispensed, viscous liquids resul