Dose indicator device for a fluid or powdery product dispenser

1. A dose-indicator device for using with a dispenser device for dispensing fluid or powder, in particular a pharmaceutical, so as to indicate the number of doses that have been emitted or that remain to be emitted from the dispenser device, the indicator device being characterized in that it comprises a first rotary disk ( 10 ) and a second rotary disk ( 20 ), said first disk ( 10 ) including indicator numbers and/or symbols ( 11 ) that are disposed in peripheral manner about an axis of rotation (X) of said first rotary disk ( 10 ) around at least two concentric circles, and said second disk ( 20 ) including a plurality of viewing windows ( 21 );

wherein the plurality of viewing windows ( 21 ) are disposed in a peripheral manner about an axis of rotation (Y) of said second rotary disk ( 20 ) around at least two concentric circles;

wherein the number of concentric circles of indicator numbers and/or symbols ( 11 ) on the first rotary disk ( 10 ) is identical to the number of concentric circles of viewing windows ( 21 ) on the second rotary disk ( 20 ).

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the viewing windows ( 21 ) cooperate successively and/or alternately with indicator numbers and/or symbols ( 11 ) that are disposed around different concentric circles.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the viewing windows comprise a plurality of sets (E) of viewing windows ( 21 ), each set (E) comprising at least two of the viewing windows ( 21 ) that are mutually offset both radially and peripherally.

4. The device according to claim 3 , in which said second disk ( 20 ) includes a plurality of similar sets (E) of viewing windows ( 21 ) that are distributed peripherally about the axis of rotation (Y) of said disk ( 20 ).

5. The device according to claim 1 , in which the axes of rotation (X, Y) of the first and second rotary disks ( 10 , 20 ) are mutually offset.

6. The device according to claim 1 , in which the diameter of the first disk ( 10 ) is greater than the diameter of the second disk ( 20 ).

7. The device according to claim 6 , in which said first and second rotary disks ( 10 , 20 ) are tangential at a point on their outer peripheries.

8. The device according to claim 1 , in which said second disk ( 20 ) is superposed on said first disk ( 10 ), said two disks ( 10 , 20 ) co-operating with a stationary viewing slot ( 30 ) of the device, such that a respective indicator number and/or symbol ( 11 ) of the first disk ( 10 ) is visible in said viewing slot ( 30 ), through a respective viewing window ( 21 ) of the second disk ( 20 ).

9. The device according to claim 8 , in which the positions of the indicator numbers and/or symbols ( 11 ) on the first disk ( 10 ) and the positions of the viewing windows ( 21 ) on the second disk ( 20 ) are predetermined, such that each time the device is actuated, a single indicator number and/or symbol ( 11 ) is visible in said stationary viewing slot ( 30 ) of the device, through a single viewing window ( 21 ) of the second disk ( 20 ).

10. The device according to claim 1 , in which said first disk ( 10 ) includes a first peripheral set of teeth ( 15 ) that co-operates with actuator means ( 40 , 41 ) that are adapted to cause said first disk ( 10 ) to turn about its axis of rotation (X) and a second peripheral set of teeth ( 16 ), said second disk ( 20 ) including a third peripheral set of teeth ( 26 ) that co-operates with said second peripheral set of teeth ( 16 ) of said first disk ( 10 ), such that turning the first disk ( 10 ) causes the second disk ( 20 ) to turn.

11. The device according to claim 1 , in which, on said first disk ( 10 ), each indicator number and/or symbol ( 11 ) occupies a space having a surface area of at least 8 mm 2 .

12. The device according to claim 1 , in which said first disk ( 10 ) includes at least sixty indicator numbers and/or symbols ( 11 ), advantageously sixty-three, distributed around three concentric circles about the axis of rotation (X) of the first disk ( 10 ).

13. The device according to claim 1 , in which said second disk ( 20 ) includes twenty-one viewing windows ( 21 ) forming seven sets (E) of three windows ( 21 ), said seven sets (E) being distributed peripherally about the axis of rotation (Y) of the second disk ( 20 ), said three windows ( 21 ) of each set (E) being mutually offset both radially and peripherally.

14. The device according to claim 1 , in which said first disk ( 10 ) has a diameter of about 55 mm and/or the second disk ( 20 ) has a diameter of about 45 mm.

15. The device according to claim 1 , in which, each time the device is actuated, the first disk ( 10 ) is caused to turn through an angle α, and the second disk ( 20 ) is caused to turn simultaneously through an angle 3 α/ 2 .

16. The device according to claim 15 , in which the angle αis equal to 22.86° and the angle 3 α/ 2 is equal to 34.28°.

17. The fluid or powder dispenser device, characterized in that it includes a dose-indicator device according to claim 1 .

18. The fluid or powder dispenser device according to claim 17 , in which the indicator device is actuated each time the fluid dispenser device is actuated.

19. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the second rotary disk is opaque.

20. The device according to claim 1 , wherein, on said first disk, each indicator number and/or symbol occupies a space having a surface area of at least at least 10 mm 2 .

21. The device according to claim 1 , wherein, on said first disk ( 10 ), each indicator number and/or symbol occupies a space having a surface area of at least 12 mm 2 .