Actuating device for a medium dispenser
An actuating device for a manually operable medium dispenser includes an energy store for storing an actuating energy necessary to actuate the medium dispenser and a control device for liberating the actuating energy. The control device is being configured for a liberation of the actuating energy when a minimum energy stored in the energy store is exceeded.
1. An actuating device for a manually operable medium dispenser, comprising:
a hollow outer sleeve,
a holding device inside the hollow outer sleeve and configured for movement relative to the outer sleeve along a longitudinal axis of the outer sleeve to cause operation of the medium dispenser in response to the aforesaid relative movement,
an energy store configured for storing an actuating energy necessary to actuate the medium dispenser, and
a manually operative loading means configured for loading the energy store with the actuating energy in response to a manual movement of an actuating element relative to the outer sleeve,
a control device provided between the outer sleeve and the holding device, the control device comprising a holding face on the outer sleeve and a contact face on the holding device, the energy store providing an initial energy to urge the holding face and contact face into engagement with one another so as to establish a static friction engagement therebetween,
wherein the contact face and the holding face are inclined relative to a horizontal plane which is aligned orthogonally to the longitudinal axis, the contact face and the holding face being positionally stable with respect to one another in response to the application of the initial energy to the holding device and the static friction therebetween and as the energy store is loaded by the manual operation of the loading means, and
wherein at least one of the contact face and the holding face is configured to be elastically deflectable orthogonally to the longitudinal axis, so that once a sufficient actuating energy level greater than the initial energy from the energy store is applied to the holding device, the static friction stability between the contact face and the holding face is overcome and a sliding movement of the contact face relative to the holding face will occur causing the contact face and the holding face to slidingly separate and thus liberating the actuating energy of the energy store to urge the holding device along the longitudinal axis to operate the medium dispenser.
2. The actuating device according to claim 1 , wherein the energy store is designed for storage of a kinetic energy by means of elastic deformation.