Dispenser for discharging pharmaceutical liquids
A dispenser for discharging pharmaceutical liquids, in particular in the form of individual drops. Such a dispenser is designed as a side-actuation dispenser with an actuation button on the dispenser in the region of a lateral surface of the housing and has a liquid store, a pump device with a pump chamber which has a variable volume, and a dispensing opening for dispensing the liquid. The actuation button is a spring-loaded toggle switch, the volume of the liquid channel is reduced using an insert, and a special housing design is provided for the purpose of adapting the dispenser to the customer's needs.
1 . A droplet dispenser for discharge of pharmaceutical liquids formed as individual droplets, the dispenser comprising:
a liquid reservoir;
a pump device having a volumetrically variable pump chamber and a displaceable and/or deformable pump chamber wall bounding the pump chamber on one side;
a delivery opening for delivery of liquid, the delivery opening being disposed at a distal end of the dispenser;
a droplet formation surface surrounding the delivery opening;
an elongate housing oriented in a main direction of extension, the housing having an outer surface and an interior;
a rocker button disposed in a region of the outer surface of the housing at a lateral side of the dispenser, the rocker button having an exterior surface disposed on the lateral side of the dispenser, the exterior surface being accessible from an outside of the dispenser and configured for receiving a depressive force applied by a user, the rocker button when depressed pivoting with respect to the housing about a rocker axis between an unactuated starting position and an actuated final position, the rocker axis being disposed within the interior of the housing on the lateral side of the dispenser adjacent the exterior surface, the rocker button having a force input region disposed at a first distance from the rocker axis and a connecting region disposed at a second distance from the rocker axis, the connecting region pivoting about the rocker axis when the rocker button pivots between the unactuated starting position and the actuated final position, the second distance being different from the first distance, the rocker button being connected to the pump chamber wall at the connecting region, the rocker button acting on the pump chamber wall at the connecting region when the rocker button is depressed to reduce a size of the pump chamber; and
a spring device acting on the rocker button at the force input region and subjecting the rocker button to a force in a direction of the unactuated starting position.
2 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rocker axis is disposed at an end of the rocker button located opposite the delivery opening with respect to the main direction of extension.
3 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a detent disposed at a side of the rocker button remote from the rocker axis, the detent being configured such that a minimum force is required to depress the rocker button.
4 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one of the following:
an elastically deformable compensation section disposed between the rocker button and the pump chamber wall; and/or
the pump chamber wall comprises a deformable membrane part.
5 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rocker button includes at least one axis section and a bearing, the at least one axis section being accommodated in the bearing on a housing side.
6 . The dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the dispenser comprises a dispenser cap configured for placement onto the housing, the dispenser cap protecting the delivery opening when in place on the housing.
7 . The dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following is met:
a difference between a maximum pump chamber volume and a minimum pump chamber volume is between 20 μl and 50 μl; and/or
a quotient between a minimum pump chamber volume and a maximum pump chamber volume is not more than 1:2; and/or
the dispenser has a delivery valve upstream of the delivery opening; and/or
the liquid reservoir of the dispenser has an outer surface formed in one-piece with the housing and surrounding the pump device, the dispenser including a base in the form of a separate part and being secured to the outer surface at an end opposite from the delivery opening; and/or
the liquid reservoir is connected to a surrounding atmosphere by a ventilation channel, or the liquid reservoir has a variable internal volume and is bounded by a flexible or displaceable wall.
8 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 3 , wherein an actuating force of at least 10 Newtons is required at the side of the rocker button remote from the rocker axis to overcome the detent.
9 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance, and/or the first distance and the second distance differ from one another by at least 20% based on a smaller one of the first or second distances.
10 . The dispenser as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the dispenser cap is configured as a ventilated cap and has a ventilation opening through which the delivery opening is connectable to a surrounding atmosphere even with the dispenser cap in place, and/or the dispenser cap has a pad, the pad, with the dispenser cap in place, being positioned over or on the delivery opening such that any liquid residue remaining downstream of the delivery opening is absorbed and/or decontaminated by the pad.
11 . The dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rocker button is attached to the pump chamber wall at the connecting region.
12 . The dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rocker button is fixed to the pump chamber wall at the connecting region.
13 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connecting region is disposed between the rocker axis and the force input region, and the spring device is disposed in the interior of the housing in opposed relation with the force input region of the rocker button.
14 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the rocker button has first and second spaced-apart end portions and an intermediate portion disposed between the first and second end portions, the rocker axis being disposed at the first end portion, the connecting region being disposed at the intermediate portion and the force input region being disposed at the second end portion.
15 . The droplet dispenser as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the rocker axis is disposed within the interior of the housing adjacent the first end portion of the rocker button.
16 . A droplet dispenser for discharge of pharmaceutical liquids as individual droplets, the dispenser comprising:
a liquid reservoir;
a pump device having a volumetrically variable pump chamber and a pump chamber wall defining part of the pump chamber;
a delivery opening for delivery of liquid and disposed at an end of the dispenser;
a droplet formation surface surrounding the delivery opening;
an elongate housing having an outer surface and a hollow interior;
a rocker button having an exterior portion disposed at the outer surface of the housing and depressible by a user, the rocker button being mounted for pivoting movement relative to the housing about a rocker axis between a starting position and an actuating position, the rocker button having a first region fixed to the pump chamber wall and pivoting about the rocker axis when the rocker button pivots between the starting position and the actuating position, the pump chamber wall reducing a size of the pump chamber when the rocker button is depressed from the starting position towards the actuating position, the rocker button having a second region forming a first end of the rocker button and the rocker axis is disposed within the interior of the housing at the second region and adjacent the exterior portion of the rocker button, the rocker button having a third region spaced from the second region and forming a second end of the rocker button, the first region being disposed between the second and third regions; and
a spring disposed within the interior of the housing in opposed relation with the third region of the rocker button, the spring acting on the third region of the rocker button and biasing the rocker button in a direction towards the starting position.