Multi-dose dispenser

Inventors

LEFEBVRE, CHRISTELLE • Robin, Michel

Assignees

Virbac SA

Abstract

Multi-dose dispenser comprising: a product reservoir (14), on the X-axis, opening at a distal end through an outlet orifice and comprising a barrel (24); a piston (20) comprising a piston rod (38) having a rack and, at a distal end of the piston rod, a piston head (34) slidably mounted in the barrel (24) along the X-axis; a pawl mounted so as to be movable along the X-axis relative to the reservoir and configured to cooperate with the rack so as to drive the piston along the X-axis only in a forward direction of the piston in the barrel; a spring arranged to push the pawl back along the X-axis in a reverse direction; a case containing the pawl and at least a part of the piston; and a check valve arranged to seal the outlet orifice and allow only an outlet of product from the reservoir.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a multi-dose dispenser for a product reservoir arranged on a longitudinal axis, opening at a distal end through an outlet orifice and comprising a barrel. A piston includes a piston rod with a rack and a piston head slidably mounted in the barrel along the longitudinal axis. A pawl is mounted to be movable along the longitudinal axis relative to the reservoir and configured to cooperate with the rack to drive the piston only in a forward direction in the barrel, with a spring arranged to push the pawl back in a direction opposite to the forward direction, where the spring and the pawl form a one-piece assembly.

The dispenser further includes a case containing the pawl and at least a part of the piston, and a push-button projecting out of the case and mounted to be movable along the longitudinal axis relative to the case. The push-button is mechanically coupled with the pawl such that pressing the push-button in the forward direction advances the pawl in the forward direction, while the spring returns the pawl rearward. The rack-and-pawl driving is further characterized by the spring extending in a plane including the longitudinal axis, with at least one spring arm diverging from the longitudinal axis and arranged between two guide ribs configured to guide deformation of the at least one spring arm in a plane passing through the longitudinal axis.

Further refinements of the dispensing mechanism include rack and pawl structures in which the rack comprises first and second rows of teeth along the longitudinal axis, and the pawl comprises first and second pawl arms ending in clamp portions arranged to elastically clamp the rack by pressing on the first and second rows of teeth, respectively. In addition, a deactivatable locking device is arranged inside the case to prevent the administration of a product contained in the reservoir, where the locking device has a stop pin configured to limit displacement of the pawl along the longitudinal axis in the forward direction after deactivation.

Claims Coverage

The partial content includes four independent claims. Across these independent claims, the core inventive coverage centers on a forward-only rack-and-pawl piston drive actuated by a push-button with a one-piece spring/pawl assembly, with additional structural and functional limitations relating to guide-rib deformation control, teeth/pawl-arm clamping, and a deactivatable locking device with a stop pin.

The independent claims primarily cover a forward-only rack-and-pawl piston drive actuated by an externally pressable push-button, with a one-piece spring/pawl return assembly. Additional claim coverage includes guide-rib controlled spring-arm deformation, elastically clamped rack tooth rows by corresponding clamp portions of pawl arms, and a deactivatable internal locking device with a stop pin limiting forward pawl displacement after deactivation.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications