WO2004062450A1

WO2004062450A1 - Holder for a container for a liquid or pasty product

Info

Publication number: WO2004062450A1
Application number: PCT/SE2003/001866
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bror Valfrid Kallioniemi
Original assignee: Samhall Ab
Priority date: 2002-12-03
Filing date: 2003-12-02
Publication date: 2004-07-29
Also published as: AU2003303693A1; SE0203572L; EP1571955A1; SE0203572D0; SE524364C2

Abstract

A container (19) for a liquid or pasty product is provided with a dispensing device (20) comprising a cylindrical cap (21), mounted on a neck portion of the container, and a dosing pump (22, 23, 24), connected to said cap and comprising an approximately cylindrical pump housing (22), projecting in an axial direction from the cap (21) and having an outer diameter which is small as compared to that of the cap and, at one side thereof, provided with a backing plate (23) for an elastically compressible pressure bulb (24), said backing plate projecting in mutually opposite, approximately tangential directions from the pump housing (22). A holder for said container (19) comprises a supporting element (10) for the dispensing, device (20), arranged to support the container (19) in a state in which it rests on the supporting element (10) by means of the dispensing device (20) and has said device turned in a downward direction. The supporting element (10) is arranged to hold the dispensing device (20) in a state in which it is firmly fixed thereto.

Description

Holder for a container for a liquid or pasty product

The present invention relates to a holder for a container for a liquid or pasty product.

More particulary, the invention relates to a holder for such a container of the kind provided with a dis- pensing device comprising a cylindrical cap, mounted on a neck portion of the container, and a dosing pump, connected to the cap and comprising an approximately cylindrical pump housing, projecting in an axial direction from the cap and having an outer diameter which is small as compared to that of the cap and, at one side thereof, provided with a backing plate for an elastically compressible pressure bulb, said backing plate projecting in mutually opposite, approximately tangential directions from the pump housing, the holder comprising a supporting element for the dispensing device arranged to support the container in a state in which it rests on the supporting element by means of the dispensing device and has said device turned in a downward direction. A holder of the above kind is previously known through SE-B 463 902. However, this known holder suffers from the disadvantage that it does not permit containers of different designs to be stably held thereby.

The invention has for its purpose to provide an improved holder of the kind above specified which eli- minates the above disadvantage of the known holder.

The holder, according to the invention proposed for said purpose, is primarily characterized in that the supporting element is arranged to hold the dispensing device in a state in which it is firmly fixed there- to.

By utilizing the supporting element as a fixation means for the dispensing device, it is possible to secure that the container can be stably held by the holder irrespectively of the precise design of the container.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in a front portion thereof, the supporting element may suitably be provided with a vertically extending slot-shaped gap, defined by two tongues which are located at mutually opposite sides of said gap and arranged to be brought into engagement each with one of two mutually opposite portions of the pump housing, located immediate- ly behind the backing plate.

Additionally, adjoining to said gap the supporting element may be provided with a cavity for receiving a portion of the cap, adapted to be inserted therein. Preferably, this cavity may be defined by walls which are arranged to encircle the cap along more than one half of its circumference. The cavity may be arranged to receive the cap with a negligible clearance therein. However, in order to strengthen the holding of the dispensing device to the supporting element, said cavity may alternatively at least partially be defined by walls arranged to be brought into frictional engagement with the cap.

Below the invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a holder according to a first embodiment of the invention, selected by way of example only,

Figure 2 shows a corresponding view of the holder, also illustrating a container mounted in the holder, Figure 3 shows a front elevation of a body of the holder according to Figure 1, made from sheet metal, Figure 4 shows a top plan view of said body, Figure 5 shows a side elevation of a dispensing device mounted on the container, Figure 6 shows a bottom plan view of said dispensing device, and

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a holder according to a second embodiment of the invention, also selected by way of example only. The holder shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a body 10, formed by bending it from a sheet metal blank and comprising two rear laterally projecting mounting flanges 11 by means of which it may be mounted on a wall or the like. The more precise shape of body 10 may be seen from Figures 3 and 4.

Body 10 has a vertically extending slot-shaped gap 13 , provided in a front portion 12 of the body and defined by two tongues 14 which are located at opposite sides of said gap. Furthermore, body 10 also comprises a part-cylindrical cavity 15, located above gap 13 and tongues 14 and defined on the one hand by the peripheral wall 16 of a part-circular opening in an upper horizontal portion 17 of body 10 and, on the other hand, by two opposite vertical walls 18 of a rectangular opening pro- vided in front portion 14 above gap 13 and adjoining said gap.

As shown in Figure 2, body 10 is intended to serve as a supporting element for a dispensing device 20 of the kind shown more in detail in Figures 5 and 6 which is mounted on a container 19. Said element is capable of supporting the container in a state in which the container rests thereupon by means of the dispensing device and has said device turned in a downward direction.

As may be seen from Figures 5 and 6, dispensing device 20 comprises a cylindrical cap 21, mounted on a neck portion of container 19, and a dosing pump, connected to said cap and comprising an approximately cylindrical pump housing 22, projecting in an axial direction from cap 21 and having an outer diameter which is small as compared to that of the cap. At one side thereof, pump housing 22 is provided with a backing plate 23 for an elastically compressible pressure bulb 24, said backing plate extending in mutually opposite approximately tangential directions from the pump housing. Containers provided with dispensing devices of this kind are commonly used as disposable packages for various kinds of liquid or pasty products, for instance liquid soap and disinfectants.

Gap 13 in front portion 12 of body 10 is dimensioned in such a way that, when the dispensing device is pushed down into body 10 to the position shown in Figure 2, tongues 14 may, in the manner illustrated in dash-dotted lines in Figure 6, be brought into frictional engagement each with one of two mutually opposite portions 25 of pump housing 22, located immediately behind backing plate 23. Hereby, tongues 14 can hold dispensing device 20 in a position in which it is firmly fixed to body 10.

When dispensing device 20 and container 19 are mounted in the holder, cavity 15 will serve to receive a portion of cap 21 therein. Together, walls 16 and 18 of the cavity are arranged to encircle the cap along more than one half of its circumference. Hereby, said walls will bring the dispensing device to be backed up along an extended portion of its length. Cavity 15 may be dimensioned so as to receive cap 21 with a negligible clearance therein. However, it may preferably be dimensioned so as to cause at least portions of walls 16 and 18 to be brought into frictional engagement with the cap. In addition to body 10, the holder also comprises an operating lever 26, pivotally mounted in the body.

Said lever includes a portion 27, adapted to be applied against pressure bulb 24, and serves to facilitate a convenient discharge of the product contained in the container in small doses through a discharge pipe 28 of device 20. The holder shown in Figure 7 comprises a body 10' of modified design, formed by bending it from a sheet metal blank, and an operating lever 26 pivotally connected to said body. Similarly to body 10 of the embodiment according to Figures 1 .and 2 , in a front portion thereof body 10' is provided with a vertically extending slot-shaped gap 13, comptDising two tongues 14 located at opposite sides of said gap, and a part-cylindrical cavity 15 located above gap 13 and tongues 14. Hereby, a dispensing device of the kind above described mounted on a container may be mounted to and held by body 10' in the manner previously described.

In order to make it possible to mount body 10' on a wall or the like in a simple manner, there is provided a rear upwardly bent mounting plate 29.

Furthermore, the holder according to Figure 7 also comprises a ring-shaped element 30, formed integrally with body 10' and bent in an inclined forward and upward direction therefrom. Said element only serves to prevent a container mounted in the holder and consisting of a soft and highly flexible material from being bent far too much in a forward and downward direction over' the lower portion of the holder. If so desired, an element having the corresponding function may be incorporated also in the holder according to Figures 1 and 2.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments above described and shown in the drawings. Instead, many other embodiments are feasible within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. By way of example only, it could be mentioned that the body of the holder as well as the operating lever may consist of suitably designed plastic elements.

Claims

1. Holder for a container (19) for a liquid or pasty product, said container being provided with a dispensing device (20) comprising a cylindrical cap (21), mounted on a neck portion of the container, and a dosing pump (22, 23, 24) connected to said cap and comprising an approximately cylindrical pump housing (22), projecting in an axial direction from the cap (21) and having an outer diameter which is small as compared to that of the cap and, at one side thereof, provided with a backing plate (23) for an elastically compressible pressure bulb (24), said backing plate projecting in mutually opposite, approximately tangential directions from the pump housing (22), said holder comprising a supporting element (10) for the dispensing device (20), arranged to support the container (19) in a state in which it rests on the supporting element (10) by means of the dispensing device (20) and has said device turned in a downward direction, characterized in that the supporting element (10) is arranged to hold the dispensing device (20) in a state in which it is firmly fixed thereto.

2. Holder according to claim 1, characterized in that, in a front portion (12) thereof, the supporting element (10) is provided with a vertically extending slot-shaped gap (13), defined by two tongues (14) which are located at mutually opposite sides of said gap and arranged to be brought into engagement each with one of two mutually opposite portions (25) of the pump housing (22), located immediately behind the backing plate (23).

3. Holder according to claim 2, characterized in that, adjoining to said gap (13), the supporting element (10) is provided with a cavity (15) for receiving a portion of the cap (21) adapted to be inserted therein.

4. Holder according to claim 3, characterized in that said cavity (15) is defined by walls (16, 18) which are arranged to encircle the cap (21) along more than one half of its circumference.

5. Holder according to claim 4, characterized in that said cavity (15) is arranged to receive the cap (21) with a negligible clearance therein.

6. Holder according to claim 4, characterized in that said cavity (15) is at least partially defined by walls (16, 18) arranged to be brought into frictional engage- ment with the cap (21).