The present invention relates to the technical area of packaging, and
more precisely the area of packaging a fluid product, in general liquid but
which can also be in paste or gel form, intended to be kept germ-free without
addition of a preservative, or to be protected from oxidation, or, more
generally, to be sheltered from all external pollution, although in contact with
the air, and also intended to be dispensed in unit doses by means of a manual
pump.
More particularly, the object of the invention is a device for packaging
and dispensing a product in unit doses, and including a container able to
contain the product to be dispensed in unit doses by means of a manual pump
of the type without an air intake, which is mounted on the container while
tightly sealing an opening in the container, for example, the open neck of a
flask.
Packaging and dispensing devices of conventional structure are known,
comprising a container on which is fitted a manual pump for dispensing the
product contained in the container. Such a pump generally includes a plunger
which allows a piston to be moved by simple finger pressure in a pumping
chamber the volume of which determines the dose of the product to be
dispensed. A first valve allows this chamber to be isolated from the internal
volume of the container when the product is expelled from this chamber
through a second valve, as a result of movement of the piston caused by
pressure on the plunger, and the second valve allows the chamber to be
isolated from the outside, when this chamber is filled via the first valve with a
dose of product coming from inside the container, the dose being drawn into
the chamber by the return of the piston towards its initial position, where it
rests on a stop forming part of the pump body enclosing the pumping chamber,
within which the piston is caused to slide by elastic return means.
Thus, each time the piston returns to its starting position, reached
though the effect of elastic return means, such as a spring, a dose of product
is drawn into the pump chamber.
This suction of the product causes a partial vacuum inside the
container.
For this reason, it is necessary to admit air from the outside to the
container. This admission of air is generally provided through the pump.
The major disadvantage of this type of device lies in the fact that the
admission of outside air to the interior of the container does not allow the
product contained in the container to be kept sterile, or to be protected from
oxidation, or, more generally, from all external pollution.
To remedy this disadvantage, different types of device are proposed.
A first type of known device comprises a pump without an air intake,
and a deformable container which contains the product to be packaged and
dispensed by the pump. Each time a dose of the product is expelled from the
deformable container, the partial vacuum created in the latter causes
contraction of this deformable container, which is an internal container around
which a rigid external container is provided to ensure the mechanical
protection of the deformable internal container. In order for a device with a
double container to function, it is necessary that the deformable internal
container is able to retract.
For this reason, it is necessary to allow outside air to enter the space
enclosed between the deformable internal container and the rigid external
container.
This air intake can be provided near the neck of the container, but the
air intake can also be provided at the bottom of the rigid container, in which a
passage is provided for this purpose.
Further-developed devices of this known type comprise an outside air
intake circuit through the pump, which is fitted with a closing system which
allows outside air to enter the space between the two containers when the
pump is actuated, but prevents vapours from the product which have passed
though the wall of the deformable container and are present in the space
between the two containers from escaping from this space to the outside when
the pump is not being actuated.
A disadvantage of this type of device lies in the fact that it requires the
use of a pump including an air intake circuit distinct from the product outtet
circuit, and a dosing system for this air intake circuit. Such a pump has a
complex structure comprising a large number of parts, and is intricate and
difficult to fabricate.
Another disadvantage lies in the fact that when the deformaWe
container has begun to retract it tends, through its own elasticity, to return to its
starting position, thereby creating a partial vacuum within the product it
encloses.
A consequence of this partial vacuum, principally when the product is a
liquid or a fluid, and in particular a paste or a gel, is the appearance of a
cavitation phenomenon leading to the formation within the product of bubbles
which impair the precision of the dosage.
Another type of known device comprises a conventional container with a
single rigid wall on which is fitted a pump including an air intake circuit in which
a filter is provided, for example, for sterilising or absorbing the oxygen from the
dir, for keeping the product sterile or for protecting it from oxidation, and
generally for protecting the product from any external pollution.
In such a device, known from FR-A-2 669 379, for example, the outside
air which enters the container to compensate for the partial vacuum created by
each action on the pump which causes a dose of product to be released, is, for
example, filtered in a sterile manner.
The sterility of the product in the container is not, therefore, affected by
contact with air coming from the outside, which is especially advantageous for
the packaging and dispensing of pharmaceutical products, for example.
The major disadvantage of this type of packaging device lies in the fact
the it necessitate the use of a special pump including a filter. The addition of
the filter to the pump is a delicate and onerous operation, as it requires
substantial structural modification to known pumps.
Packaging devices of this last type have been described, notably in
FR-A-2 669 379, but, to the knowledge of the Applicant, none has been
commercialised up to now.
A first objective of the invention is to propose a device for packaging
and dispensing a product with a conventional container, a manual pump and a
filter, which allows the use of standard dosing pumps, available at low cost on
the market.
Another objective of the invention is to propose such a device in which
the creation of a partial vacuum inside a generally liquid product, or a paste or
gel, is avoided, in order not to distort the dosage.
More generally, the objective of the invention is to remedy the
disadvantages of similar devices representing the state of the art, and to
propose such a device which meets the various practical demands better than
known devices.
In order to attain the goals pursued by the invention, it proposes a
device for packaging and dispensing a fluid product, which is generally liquid
but may be, in particular, a paste or a gel, comprising a container with a single
rigid wall for containing the product to be packaged and dispensed, a manual
pump mounted on the container for dispensing the product in unit doses, and a
filter for filtering outside air entering the container when the pump is actuated,
the device being characterised in that the pump has no air intake in the
container, and the filter is arranged in an air intake passage provided in the
base of the container, which is advantageously injection-moulded in a
synthetic material.
Thus, outside air can pass through the air intake passage and the filter,
which is preferably sterile, and can compensate the partial vacuum created in
the container when the user operates the pump.
The container is advantageously formed of two parts, one of which is a
neck with an open mouth, on which the pump is mounted in a tightly sealing
manner, while the other is a body with a base including the air intake passage
which accommodates the filter, the two parts being injection-moulded
separately and then assembled in a sealed manner.
In a first, advantageously simple embodiment, the filter is mounted in a
rigid sheath, preferably made of plastic and closely fitted to the fitter, and the
outer shape of the sheath matches that of a part of the air intake passage in
which the sheath is fixed by any appropriate means, such as pressure fitting,
ultrasonic welding or snap-fitting.
Since sterile filters allow both gases and liquids to pass, a filter made of
a hydrophobic filtering material will advantageously be chosen when the
product to be packaged and dispensed is of an aqueous nature, or a filter
made of an absorbent filtering material will be chosen when the product for
packaging and dispensing is of a non-aqueous nature.
Thus, when the product for packaging and dispensing is of an aqueous
nature, the hydrophobic filter admits outside air but repels the product, which
cannot escape to the outside, thus avoiding any risk of leakage, and when the
product for packaging and dispensing is of a non-aqueous nature, the
absorbent filter admits outside air but repels the product which cannot escape
to the outside.
Advantageously, the device comprises a valve for preventing any
escape of the product contained in the container through the air intake
passage ; this valve may be arranged between the filter and the internal space
of the container, to avoid any contact between the product and the filter, when
the chemical nature of the latter is incompatible with that of the product. But
the filter may, in a variant, be arranged between the product in the container
and the valve, when the chemical nature of the valve is incompatible with that
of the product.
Advantageously, the valve is elastically deformable and cooperates with
a seat, preferably conical, on and/or in a shaft formed integral with the base
and enclosing the air intake passage, and in which the fitter is retained. Such
an elastic valve can efficiently oppose any escape of product to the outside of
the container through the air intake passage, while admitting outside air by
flexing elastically towards the inside of the container under the effect of the
sue: on of outside air during the phase of pumping a dose of proouct from the
internal space of the container.
Advantageously, the elastic valve is retained by a plug on and/or in the
shaft, for example, on and/or in the end of the shaft facing towards the inside
of the container. In this case, the air intake passage may include grooves
provided in the plug and/or fie seat and/or the wall of an orifice in which the
plug fixing the valve on the shaft is retained.
In these different variants, it is always advantageous for the filter, with
its sheath if applicable, to be mounted in a conical central part of a shaft
formed in one piece with the base of the container.
If it is desired to faoState the injection-moulding of the body of the
container, starting from a central point in its base, it is advantageous that the
conical central part of the shaft be closed towards the outside of the container
by a base in which a hole forttie air intake passage is provided eccentrically.
In another variant, which allows the maximum of the product contained
in the container to be dispensed, the air intake passage opens to the inside of
the container in the central part of a conical base of the container, the said
base widening towards the inside of the container so as to permit an optimum
emptying of the container.
As the body of the container, like its neck, if applicable, is made of
plastic using injection techniques, a perfect geometry can be advantageously
obtained for the part of the ak intake passage in which the filter is housed and
for the conical seat on which the elastic valve is fitted, and for other structural
characteristics, such as the grooves in the air intake passage.
With the objective of simplifying the manufacture of the filter, especially
when it is sterile, it can be used commercial filters normally used in conjunction
with a syringe and a needle, with a view to sterilising the product contained in
the syringe, these commercial filters being housed in a plastic sheath including
a conical female part for assembling with the conical male outlet of the syringe,
and a conical male part for assembling with the conical female part of the
needle. For this reason, it is advantageously proposed that the air intake
passage includes a female conical part in which the male conical part of the
filter sheath is assembled, if applicable, by a simple snap fit.
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention can be seen from
the description given below, with reference to the attached drawings, which
show, by way of non-limiting examples, embodiments of the construction and
use of the object of the invention. In these drawings:
Fig. 1 is a schematic view in axial section of a first example of a device
according to the invention, comprising a container made in two parts
assembled together in a sealed manner, and cooperating with a manual pump
for dispensing unit doses, a filter and a valve for protection against leakage of
the product through the air intake passage,
Fig. 2 is view in axial section of the two parts of the container before
assembly,
Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial view in axial section showing the air
passage in which are placed the filter and the valve, in the rest position, in the
base of the container in a variant of the device in Fig. 1,
Fig. 4 is a view analogous to Fig. 3, in which the valve is shown in the
open position admitting outside air,
Fig. 5 is a view in axial section of the base of the body of a variant of the
container in which an air passage is provided which has a housing for
receiving a filter,
Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in a partial section showing another variant of
the base of the container body,
Fig. 7 is a view analogous to Fig. 5 of another variant of the base of the
container body, with an air intake passage in a conical base allowing the
totality of the product contained in the container to be dispensed, and
Fig. 8 is a view analogous to Fig. 3 showing yet another variant, with the
filter arranged between the valve and the product in the container.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the device for packaging and dispensing a
product, for example a liquid, in unit doses comprises a container 15 with a
single rigid wall formed in two parts, namely a body 15b, of generally cylindrical
form, closed by a base and open in its upper part, and a neck 15a, of generally
cylindrical-conical form tapering inwards towards the top, and joined in a
sealed manner to the body 15b. A dosing pump 13, of a type without an air
intake and of known general structure and operation, is mounted in a sealed
manner on the open mouth 9 of the neck 15a, while a filter 26 for purifying the
outside air entering the container 15 and of a sterile type, for example, is
mounted in the conical part 19 of a central shaft 22 enclosing an intake
passage for admitting outside air to the container 15, and located in the base
35 of the body 15b, a valve 17 being mounted on the end of the shaft 22 facing
towards the inside of the container 15. This valve 17 protects the filter 26 from
the product contained in the container 15 and prevents any leakage of this
product from the container 15 through the air intake passage.
The pump 13 comprises a body 32 having a cylindrical central part, in
which slides a piston 3 having a central shaft by which the piston 3 is attached
to a plunger 1 through which passes a dispensing passage 33. A first valve 11,
with a sealing ball, operates in conjunction with a tapered seat 12 around a
central opening in the base 34 of the cylindrical central part of the pump body
32, to isolate the pumping chamber 8, enclosed in this body 32 between the
piston 3 and the base 34 of this body 32, from the internal volume 20 of the
container 15. A second valve 2, also with a sealing ball, cooperates with a seat
4, also tapered, around the central opening in the shaft of piston 3, so as to
isolate the pumping chamber 8 from the outside through the dispensing
passage 33 in the plunger 1. A helical compression spring 10, extending inside
the pumping chamber 8 between the lower part of the piston 3 and the base 34
of the pump body 32, returns the piston 3 to its rest position, against a stop
projecting radially from the inside of the cylindrical part of the pump body 32. In
this rest position the two valves 2 and 11 are closed and the pumping chamber
8 has its maximum volume. A plunger tube 14, assembled by press fitting
around a small sleeve on the lower part of the pump body 32, allows the
product to pass from the inside space 20 of the container 15, close to the base
of the latter, towards the inside of the chamber 8 when the valve 11 is open.
The central cylindrical part of the pump body 32 is engaged inside the
open mouth 9 of the container 15, and an annular sealing gasket 5 is fitted
around the pump body 32 and between a flanged shoulder 6 of the latter and
the mouth 9 of the neck 15a, to ensure a sealed fit between the pump body 32
and the mouth 9. In addition, the flanged shoulder 6 of the pump body 32 has
a step 7 projecting towards the inside of the body 32 and allowing the pump
13 to be attached to the container 15 by snap-fitting of the step 7 of the pump
body 32 into a corresponding peripheral groove 27 provided in the outside face
of the mouth 9 of the neck 15a of the container.
The central shaft 22, located at the centre of the base 35 of the
container body 15b with which the shaft 22 is formed in one piece, includes a
tapered central female part 19, enclosing the air intake passage and in which
the filter 26, of the sterile type, is retained by press fitting or by any other
assembly means such as ultrasonic welding, for example. The shaft 22 has a
double wall in this example, and comprises an outer wall surrounding its
conical female part 19, its lower end being formed in one piece with the base
35 of the body 15b, while its upper end, facing towards the inside of the space
20, is formed in one piece with its conical female part 19. The shaft 22 also
has, on its upper end facing towards the inside of the space 20, a tapered face
18, which is very flared and widens towards the inside of the space 20. and
constitutes a seat against which the valve 17, which has an elastically
deformable membrane and has the form of a flat annular disc held on the shaft
22 by a plug 16, bears in the closed position. This plug 16 has an enlarged
head bearing on the face of valve 17 facing towards the inside of the space 20,
and a stem passing through the central opening in the annular valve 17 and
firmly attached to the shaft 22 by press fitting of the stem of the plug 16 into an
orifice in the shaft 22. The orifice forms part of the boundary of the air intake
passage, since this passage is never totally blocked by the plug 16, so that
outside air can always enter the inside space 20 of the container 15 by passing
through the filter 26 in the shaft 22 when the valve 17 is lifted from its seat 18
by a partial vacuum in the space 20 following an actuation of the pump.
The assembly of the filter 26 and the valve 17 is shown in more detail in
Figs. 3 and 4, which show a variant in which the filter 26 is retained inside the
central passage of a tubular sheath 23, the outer shape of which can
advantageously be tapered so as to be able to fit snugly into the conical
female part 19 of the shaft 22. A free space 24 remains between the top o* the
filter 26 and of its sheath 23 and the underside of the central upper part of the
shaft 22 which includes the seat 18, and grooves 25 are provided in this
central upper part of the shaft 22 to allow communication between the free
space 24 and the face of the valve 17 located on the side of its seat 18 on the
shaft 22. The plug 16, the lower part or stem of which is fixed firmly into the
central upper part of the shaft 22 by press fitting in an axial orifice in this part
which is adjacent to an axial groove 25, has its upper part or head enlarged in
the form of a disc, enabling it to retain the central part of the valve 17 and
forming a sealed joint in the rest position, while allowing the peripheral part of
this same valve 17 with elastic membrane to lift to allow outside air to enter the
container 15 to compensate a partial vacuum created in the container 15 when
the user operates the pump 13.
In Figs. 3 and 4 the sheath 23 surrounding the filter 26 can be press-
fitted into the conical part 19 of the shaft 22, the geometrical form of which
substantially matches the outer form of the sheath 23, which is made of rigid
plastic material and may also be welded ultrasonically into the shaft 22. In a
variant, the sheath 23 may also be held in the shaft 22 by elastic snap-fitting of
a peripheral snap ring en the sheath 23 into a matching groove in the conical
part 19 of the shaft 22.
As the body of the container 15b is made of plastic using injection
techniques and is assembled in a sealed way on to the neck 15a, also made of
injected plastic, by ultrasonic welding or by any other appropriate assembly
technique producing a sealed joint, an excellent geometry can be obtained for
all the parts of the central shaft 22, which is injection-moulded with the body of
the container 15b, and in particular an excellent geometry can be obtained for
the conical seat 18 on which the elastic valve 17 bears, and for the conical part
19 in which the filter 26 is h&used, surrounded by Hs conical sheath 23 if
applicable.
The device the structure of which has just been described operates in
the following manner: manual pressure exerted by the user on the plunger 1
moves the piston 3 against the spring 10 towards the base 34 of the pump
body 32. and has the effect of creating an overpressure in chamber 8 This
overpressure lifts the valve 2, permitting the product contained in the chamber
8 to escape to the outside by passing through the central shaft in piston 3 and
then through the passage 33 in the plunger 1, while the valve 11 is
simultaneously closed, preventing any return of product contained in the
chamber 8 towards the inside 20 of the container 15.
A dose of product is thus dispensed to the outside.
When the manual pressure on the plunger 1 is no longer exerted the
spring 10 returns the piston 3 to its initial rest position, resting against the stop
in the pump body 32, which creates a partial vacuum in chamber 8. This partial
vacuum closes the upper valve 2, preventing any outside air from entering the
chamber 8, and simultaneously opens the lower valve 11, allowing a new dose
of product to enter the chamber 8 from the internal space 20 of the container
15.
This induction of the product from the space 20 creates a partial
vacuum inside this space 20, and it is necessary to allow air to enter from the
outside to compensate this partial vacuum
Under the suction effect produced by the rising of the piston 3 in the
pump body 32, outside air enters the interior space 20 of the container 15 after
successively passing through the filter 26, the free space 24 and the grooves
25 (see Figs. 3 and 4), and after having lifted the peripheral part of the elastic
valve 17, as shown in Fig. 4.
When the partial vacuum created inside the space 20 is fully
compensated by the air entering from outside, the suction ceases and the
outside air no longer enters the container 15 through the filter 26 and by lifting
the valve 17 which, through its inherent elasticity, again comes into contact
with the conical seat 18 of the shaft 22, preventing the product in the space 20
from coming into contact with the filter 26 and thus preventing any leakage of
product to the outside.
In Fig. 2 the neck 15a and the body 15b which form the container 15
after sealed assembly, are shown separately. The neck 15a is a plastic part of
circular section the profile of which allows injection moulding, so that extremely
precise manufacture can be achieved This enables very precise forming of the
mouth 9 on which the sealing gasket 5 Dears, of the groove 27 for engaging
with the matching step 7 in ihe pump body 32, as well as of the wider part of
the neck 15b, the diameter of which matches that of the corresponding part of
the body 15b and by which the neck 15 a is assembled to the body 15b by
means of ultrasonic welding, for examole. On this part of the neck 15a a
circular step 28 allows the ultrasound tc focus better by acting as an energy
guide. The body 15b is also a part of circular section and produced by injection
moulding in the same plastic as the neck 15a, so that it can be easily
assembled with the latter by ultrasound A circular step 29, also acting as an
energy guide, is formed in the body 15b opposite the step 28 in the neck 15a,
allowing easy and watertight welding between the neck 15a and the body 15b.
In the base 35 of the body 15b tr>e simple shape of the shaft 22 also
allows injection-moulding, and therefore allows precise forming of the tapered
inside face of the conical part 19 of the shaft 22, for assembly by interlocking
or by any other means, such as ultrasonic welding, of the sheath 23 of the filter
26, of the orifice 31 (Fig. 2), for assembly by press-fitting to the plug 16, of the
grooves 25 (in the variant in Figs. 3 and 4) and of the conical seat 18 on which
the lower face of the elastic valve 17 rests
The design of the container 15 in two parts 15a and 15b which can be
formed in plastic, such as polypropylene for example, by injection moulding,
allows the goal of the invention to be achieved, namely a very precise forming
of the part 19 of the shaft 22 of the container 15 in which the filter 26 is
housed, of the part of this same shaft 22 of the container which forms the seat
18 on which the valve 17 is tocated, and of the orifice 31 in which the plug 16
for holding the valve 17 is inserted while leaving an air passage.
In the variant in Fig. 5, the shaft 22, with a single wall and integrated by
its lower end with the base of the container 15, still has a tapered central
passage narrowing towards tfie inside of the container 15 to receive the filter
26, if applicable without the sheath 23 in Figs 3 and 4, but no valve is fitted to
the shaft 22. In this structure, still more simple to produce, the sterile filter 26
selected can be of the hydrophobic type when an aqueous product is
packaged in the container 15 or an absorbent filter :n the opposite case.
Fig. 6 shows another variant of the base 35 of the container and of the
central part of the shaft 22 of the outside air intake. In this embodiment the
shaft 22, which has a double wall and is still integrated with the base 35 by the
lower end of its outer wall, includes a base 36 forming part of its wall or
internally conical central part 19, for receiving the filter and, in this example,
widening towards the inside of the container 15 and no longer towards the
outside of the latter, as shown in the other embodiments. To allow outside air
to enter the container, an eccentric hole 37 is provided in the central part of the
base 26 and, although not shown in Fig. 6, an elastic valve may be fixed to the
top of the shaft 22, so as to cooperate with the tapered seat 18 in which, as in
the example in Figs. 3 and 4, at least one groove 25 forming an air passage is
provided and is extended into the inside face of the conical central part 19.
The advantage of this embodiment lies in the possibility of injecting the
plastic into the centre of the base 36 when producing the body 15b, allowing a
better dispensing of the material and the production of a part which is almost
perfectly cylindrical.
In Fig. 7 the flat base 35 of the container 15 in the examples described
previously has been replaced by a conical base 30, allowing more of the
product to be dispensed at the end of use than when the base is flat, in
particular because the conical base 30 narrows towards the bottom and the
outside of the container 15 through its central part, formed in one piece with
the upper end of the central shaft 22 which has a single wall and a tapered
central passage to house the filter 26 in the air intake passage passing through
the shaft 22 and the centre of the base 30. Through its conical form, the latter
at the same time forms a seat for an elastic valve such as the valve 17 in Figs.
3 and 4, if applicable. In this variant, the length of the plunger tube 14 may be
limited by the presence of the shaft 22, and this latter, although projecting
below the base 30, is protected by the prolongation of the side wall of the
container body 15 below the base 30.
In Fig. 8, the shaft 22 at the centre of the base 35 of the container body
15b has a single wall formed by three successive tubular sections, the lower
tube, slightly tapered or cylindrical, being formed in one piece with the base
35, the upper tapered tube (towards the inside of the container) forming the
female conical part 19 delimiting the air intake passage and housing the filter
26 in its sheath 23, while the intermediate tapered tube is very flared towards
the outside underneath the base of the container. The lower tube and the
intermediate tube thus enclose a housing in which is fitted the plug 16 holding
the elastic membrane valve 17 against the tapered seat 18 formed by the
lower face of the tapered intermediate tube.
Grooves 25 forming air passages are provided laterally in the plug 16
and end below the upper and central face of the valve 17, which is elastically
deformed towards the inside of the shaft 22 through the suction cause by a
partial vacuum created in the container when the pump 13 is operated, so as
to admit outside air to the container through the filter 26 which, in this variant,
is arranged between the valve 17 and the product in the container.
This variant has the following advantages. It avoids the valve 17 being
in contact with the product located in the container when the chemical nature
of the valve 17 is incompatible with that of the product. This variant also allows
the filter 26 and the sheath 23 to be blocked by the plug 16 so that the filter 26
and/or the sheath 23 do not escape towards the outside of the shaft 22. The
filter 26 is protected from any outside physical attack which might impair its
integrity or its good functioning. Finally, this variant improves the appearance
of the container by concealing the presence of the filter 26.
Other embodiments of the base are possible without departing from the
scope of the invention.
It also does not go outside the scope of the invention to form the
container 15 in one piece for packaging small volumes of product, since in this
case the diameter of the container is small and allows a pump to be attached
directly to the body of the container.
But when the diameters of the container body are larger and do not
allow the pump to be attached directly to the body, the addition of an
intermediate part such as a linking ring between the pump and the body to
allow the pump to be attached is a means equivalent to adding a neck such as
15a to a body such as 15b of the container
WE CLAIM :
1. Device for packaging and dispensing a product comprising a rigid
container (15) for containing the product to be packaged and dispensed,
a manual pump (13) mounted on the container (15) for dispensing the
product in unit doses and a filter (26) for filtering the outside air entering
the container (15) when the pump (13) is actuated, characterised in that
the pump (13) has no air intake in the container (15) and the filter (26) is
arranged in an air intake passage provided in the base (35) of the
container (15), which is preferably injection-moulded in a synthetic
material.
2. Device according to Claim 1, characterised in that the container (15) is
formed in two parts, one of which is a neck (15a) with an open mouth
(9) on which the pump (13) is mounted with a sealing means (5), and
the other is a body (15b) the base (35) of which includes the air intake
passage which houses the filter (26), the two parts (15a, 15b) being
injection-moulded separately and assembled in a sealed manner.
3. Device according to one of the Claims 1 and 2, characterised in that it
includes a valve (17) for preventing any leakage of the product
contained in the container (15) through the air intake passage.
4. Device according to Claim 3, characterised in that the valve (17) is
elastically deformable and cooperates with a seat (18), preferably
conical, on and/or in a shaft (22) integrated with the base (35) and
delimiting the air intake passage, and in which the filter (26) is retained.
5. Device according to Claim 4, characterised in that the elastically
deformable valve (17) is retained by a plug (16) on and/or in the shaft
(22).
6. Device according to Claim 5, characterised in that the air intake
passage includes grooves (25) provided in the plug (16) and/or in the
seat (18) and/or in the wall of an orifice (31) in which the plug (16) for
fixing the valve (17) on the shaft (22) is retained.
7. Device according to any one of the Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that
the filter (26) is mounted in a rigid sheath (23) the outer form of which
matches that of a part of the air intake passage and in which the sheath
(23) is fixed by any appropriate means, such as press-fitting, ultrasonic
welding or snap-fitting.
8. Device according to Claim 7, characterised in that the filter (26) with its
sheath (23), if applicable, is mounted in a conical central part (19) of a
shaft (22) formed in one piece with the base (35) of the container (15).
9. Device according to Claim 8, characterised in that the conical central
part (19) of the shaft (22) is closed towards the outside of the container
(15) by a base (36) in which an eccentric hole (37) of the air intake
passage is provided.
10. Device according to any one of the Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that
the air intake passage ends, toward the inside of the container (15) at
the central part of a conical base (30) of the container (15), said base
(30) widening towards the inside of the container (15) so as to permit
better emptying of the container (15).
11. Device according to any one of the Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that
the valve (17) is arranged between the filter (26) and the internal space
(20) of the container (15) to prevent any contact between the product
and the filter (26).
"12. Device according to any one of the Claims 1 to 10, characterised in that
the filter (26) is arranged between the valve (17) and the internal space
(20) of the container (15) to prevent any contact between the product
and the valve (17).

The device comprises a rigid container (15), a manual pump (13)
mounted on the container (15) for dispensing in unit doses the product
contained in the container (15), and a filter (26) for filtering outside air entering
the container (15) when the pump (13) is actuated. The pump (13) has no air
intake in the container (15) and the filter (26) is arranged in an air intake
passage provided in the base (35) of the container (15), which is injection-
moulded.
The invention is useful for packaging and dispensing of fluids, in particular
liquids, which need to be kept germ-free.