HK1139355A - Refill pack for a personal use device - Google Patents

Description

Refill pack for a personal use device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for personal use, preferably a toothbrush, a shaving device or a hair removal device. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a refill pack for such a device for personal use, the refill pack having a supply container, in particular a supply bag. The supply container contains at least one care and/or treatment substance to be dispensed, such as toothpaste or the like, and has a pump which is firmly connected to the supply container, whose pump chamber is connected to the inner chamber of the supply container via an inlet valve, and whose volume can be varied by deformation of a membrane which serves to restrict the pump chamber. The invention also relates to a method for filling such refill packs.

Background

In electronic devices for personal use, it is known to deliver substances that aid care or cleaning in addition to the mechanical working effect. For example, an electric shaver may deliver a pre-shaving lotion to the shaving head where the substance is distributed over the skin to enable a close shave with less skin irritation. The refill container is herein made of flexible material in the form of a bag or of hard plastic in the form of a cartridge, which bag or cartridge is placed in a corresponding hollow space in the device and discarded after they have become empty.

In electric toothbrushes, it is further known to use refill packs containing toothpaste that can be filled into a pouch coupled within the device. After emptying, they are replaced with new supply containers and they are discarded. Because refill packs are disposable components with short life cycles, they should be constructed to be cost effective and to use as few components as possible. In most cases, such a bag is a plastic piece with a coupling point to the device where a single-use valve or a multi-use valve is provided such that the bag is sealed, and a foil welded to the plastic piece. In many cases, the closure can only be opened once, since other means can be employed immediately to prevent the substance contained in the supply container from drying out once the refill pack has been loaded into the device.

In order to remove a quantity of substance from the refill pack and dispense it, a pump is typically used which may be integrated into the refill pack; see EP 1598118a1 or WO 02/16047. To meet the cost pressures present with these disposable units, the pumps are typically designed as diaphragm pumps, wherein a deformable diaphragm defines a pump chamber, such that the pump chamber volume can be varied by deformation of the diaphragm and a pumping effect can be obtained. A problem with such a diaphragm pump is that the pasty mass contained in the supply container can dry out. Over time, moisture may diffuse through the thin pump membrane and be lost, causing the substance in the pump to lose moisture, which is particularly a problem for the long shelf life required for such refill packs. On the other hand, in order to deliver a particularly pasty substance, the pump must generate a partial vacuum large enough to suck the substance out of the supply container if slight drying has taken place. This only occurs in pumps where the dead volume is small compared to the discharge volume and where the inlet and outlet valves connected to the pump chamber have only a very slight air leakage. If air is present in the pump as a compressible medium, the required pressure can no longer be built up, which can lead to system failure.

In order to generate the suction force required to suck a sufficient amount of pasty substance from the supply container into the pump chamber, the diaphragm is generally made in the form of a dome-shaped projection made of elastomeric material having a sufficient thickness to cause, after being pressed into the pump chamber, a return force sufficient to cause a corresponding increase in the volume of the pump chamber and therefore to suck the substance into the pump chamber; see, for example, DE 19963218a1 or DE 102004040834. WO 2004/082849a1 also describes a refill pack with an integrally formed membrane pump, wherein the membrane is designed in the form of a curved button in the shape of a dome, the method proposes that the material of the foil bag can also be used for the membrane, which nevertheless creates a situation like the bag material, a corresponding elastic foil material having to be used to obtain the desired suction effect.

Such a configuration of the pump and its membrane is often problematic for the drying out of the substance in the pump, so that liquid may seep out of the membrane via diffusion over time. On the other hand, the cost pressure experienced by such disposable packs is problematic.

Disclosure of Invention

Against this background, the invention is based on the following object: resulting in an improved personal use device for the above-mentioned type, an improved refill pack for said device, and an improved filling method of such refill packs, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art and further improves it in an advantageous manner. Preferably, a very simple and economical design of the refill pack will ensure that the function of the pump integrated into the refill pack is not problematic and will prevent the substance contained in the refill pack from drying out.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a refill pack as claimed in claim 1, a device for personal use having such a refill pack as claimed in claim 28, and a method for filling such a refill pack as claimed in claim 29. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The invention thus deviates from the path followed so far, namely the filling of the pump chamber and the suction of the substance into the pump chamber by the restoring force of the membrane, and the membrane is made correspondingly highly elastic for this purpose. Since the diaphragm itself no longer has to exert a restoring force, it is no longer subject to the boundary conditions required to obtain elasticity, so that on the one hand it can be manufactured at lower cost, and on the other hand it can be designed to be less difficult in terms of drying out. According to the invention, the diaphragm is made of a flexible foil and is pressed into a position in which the volume of the pump chamber can be enlarged by means of a spring located in the pump chamber. In this context, "flexible" does not necessarily mean completely free of any elasticity. However, the foil forming the diaphragm is too flexible or its elasticity is too weak to overcome the flow resistance of the substance and may block the inlet valve located upstream of the pump chamber. The return force of the diaphragm is applied with a spring separately located in the pump chamber so that the configuration of the diaphragm is no longer determined by the elasticity with which the return force has to be applied.

In particular, in a development of the invention, the foil of the membrane forms a permanent gas-tight and diffusion-proof barrier. In this way, the substance contained in the pump chamber is prevented from drying out, since moisture is prevented from being lost by diffusion through the membrane (even if the pump is not used for several months), as would occur due to the long-term storage of such refill packs on a shelf. On the other hand, air is also reliably prevented from entering the pump chamber, which improves the conveying effect and its compressibility in the pump chamber in the event of a lack of air.

In order to obtain the desired barrier effect, the foil can have a multilayer design and can have at least one barrier layer made of metal, preferably aluminum, the metal layer being applicable on at least one carrier layer made of plastic, preferably polyethylene, which overall gives the foil sufficient strength and durability.

In particular in this method, the membrane can be made of the same foil as the supply container itself. In a particularly preferred development of the invention, a portion of the foil forming the supply container may itself form the diaphragm of the pump, in particular by pulling the foil of the supply container through a pump chamber housing forming the pump chamber, so that the foil of the supply container covers the pump chamber. Alternatively, however, the diaphragm of the pump can also be designed in the form of a separate foil which is fixed to the pump chamber housing, preferably using a material adhesive, in particular welded and/or glued to the pump chamber housing, and which covers the pump chamber as a diaphragm. However, the above-described embodiment, in which the foil forming the supply container itself forms the membrane at the same time, is preferred because of the simple and easy to manufacture design of the refill pack.

In order to create a pump unit which is particularly easy to install and which can be manufactured economically, in a development of the invention the spring and the inlet valve are designed in one piece with one another so that they form a common component which can be placed in the pump chamber housing, which is advantageous for economical manufacture even if the diaphragm has a flexible construction.

In principle, the spring and/or the inlet valve can be integrally formed on the pump chamber housing. However, the spring and the inlet valve are each advantageously manufactured separately from the pump chamber housing, in particular in the form of an insert which can be placed in the pump chamber.

In order to prevent the spring from rubbing against the membrane and causing damage to the membrane, in an advantageous development of the invention the spring comprises a circular engagement portion in which the spring presses against the membrane. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring may have a compressible spring washer with an outer jacket surface located on the diaphragm. Such compressible spring washers are simple in construction, having no significant effect on flow through the pump chamber, other than a slight friction effect on the diaphragm.

The inlet valve in combination with the spring advantageously forming a common assembly will in a preferred embodiment of the invention be able to have a spring-loaded closure plate which abuts against the port of the inlet conduit from the inside of the pump chamber, which conduit is used to connect the inner chamber of the supply container with the pump chamber, as long as said inlet valve does not block this connection. The spring support of the closure plate can in particular be performed such that the closure plate can be pivoted or tilted away from the port hole of the inlet duct by a corresponding pressure force such that the flow cross section of the port hole is at least partially released.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the closure plate is integrally formed onto a spring seat bearing the spring and is supported on the wall bounding the pump chamber on the side of the pump chamber located opposite the diaphragm.

In order to achieve an embodiment in which only a few components can be manufactured economically, the pump can have an outlet valve which closes the pump chamber on the pressurized side and at the same time forms a closure or a connection for a refill bag and closes the bag. If desired, the refill pack connector may be additionally sealed with an additional closure, preferably a single use closure. When the refill pack is used for the first time in the respective device, the closure is removed or opened. However, an additional closing member of the connecting member may advantageously be omitted and the outlet valve on the pressurizing side of the pump chamber may replace the double function described, i.e. to prevent suction of fluid back on the pressurizing side and on the other hand to prevent drying out of the connecting member for forming the pump outlet when the respective diaphragm moves.

The pressurized side outlet valve of the pump may be manufactured in various ways. In a refinement of the invention, the outlet valve comprises a soft diaphragm in the form of a groove as the valve element that opens and closes when the pump is activated. In particular, the outlet valve may be designed as a two-component part having a hard component and a resilient component. The resilient member forms the above-mentioned trough-shaped soft diaphragm, which may advantageously be curved and expand and open the valve due to the applied pressure.

In order to ensure problem-free activation and safe aspiration of the substance stored in the supply container, despite the simple pump construction and the dead space volume of the pump, according to a further aspect of the invention, the refill pack is pre-treated by filling or filling the pump chamber with a liquid and/or pasty substance in a substantially air-free manner, even before the first activation of the refill pack. That is, already at the point where the supply container has assumed its maximum initial volume and is completely filled according to its intended use, i.e. the pump chamber has been filled before the first volume quantity is drawn into it from the storage container, so that the pump can ideally pump. By such a pre-priming of the pump, the air in the pump is removed as compressible medium, thus significantly improving the pumping performance, since the filling of the pump with incompressible medium builds up a significantly greater pressure than with air. At the same time, the above-described advantageous configuration of the pressurized-side outlet valve (which at the same time forms a closure or a connector of the refill pack) can be easily achieved. Although in pumps initially operated by air, in which the pump chamber is not prefilled, the partial vacuum generated by the actuation of the diaphragm is calculated from the ratio of the compressed air volume to the dead volume and according to the ideal gas law, and when the dead volume is larger, a partial vacuum deficiency will be generated accordingly, which will be further reduced by leakage at the valve; in pumps that have been filled up beforehand, the dead space does not play any major role. In this way, the outlet valve on the pressurised side of the pump can also be provided at a distance from the pump chamber itself, and in particular can be provided at the end of the conduit forming one of the connecting rings, and can therefore simultaneously serve as a terminal end for the flow conduit, so that a second valve on the pressurised side is no longer required.

In principle, the pump may be pre-filled with the care or treatment substance itself to be dispensed, however, in a development of the invention, the pump can also be pre-filled with some other medium, in particular a servicing medium that assists in servicing the pump, such special pre-filled substances may be optimally matched in their viscosity and drying characteristics to the bearings and to the pump, including the valve, in this method, essentially only the pump, rather than the supply container connected thereto, may advantageously be filled with the further substance, so that when the device is activated or the pump of the refill pack is first activated, the substance used to pre-prime the pump prevents the remaining care or treatment substance from drying out and helps the pump begin to operate.

When the refill pack has a device-side configuration, the filling of the pump can in principle take place in various ways. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the bag can be formed first and sealed on its side remote from the pump. The bag is then filled with the treatment or therapy substance, when the pump has not yet been connected thereto, until the air cushion remains only at the upper opening edge of the bag. In a next step, the bag is welded or glued to the pump housing. Excess air still entrapped in the supply container in the vicinity of or in the pump is pressed out of the bag or sucked out by means of a partial vacuum, so that the pump is at least partially filled with the substance.

Alternatively, a pump may be integrated into the refill container even before the container is filled; wherein in this case the supply container has a further opening at a further location, in particular on the side opposite the pump. The filling of the supply container takes place through this section, which for the first time remains open. After filling, the supply container may be sealed and the excess area may be removed by cutting.

In the manner described above, if the pump is to be filled with a particular other substance, this substance is first brought into the pump and then the supply container is filled with the care or treatment substance to be dispensed.

Of course, the refill pack may in principle have various shapes and mounting dimensions adapted to the particular device. In a modification of the invention, for use with in particular toothbrushes but also for other applications, the refill pack may be generally rectangular or generally "sausage-shaped"; wherein the pump may advantageously be provided at the front side of the end portion of the refill and in particular may be welded and/or glued into the side seam of the supply container. In this method, in an advantageous development of the invention, the connection piece formed by the pressure outlet of the pump chamber can project from the supply container on the front side or can project beyond the supply container. The orientation of the preferably tubular connection may in principle vary and may be adapted to the specific configuration of the refill cartridge connection on the device. An advantageous realization can be that the nipple-like connection extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the supply container.

In order to achieve optimum cleaning or care results, in particular in the field of oral care, it is of interest to deliver two or more substances sequentially or in parallel. For this purpose, in a development of the invention, the refill pack can be subdivided overall into at least two subunits for dispensing at least two different or the same types of substances. The refill pack then forms a dual pack for delivering and dispensing the two substances.

In this context, in a development of the invention, the refill pack may have a supply container comprising two separate storage chambers, or alternatively a plurality of separate supply containers, such that each of the plurality of storage chambers or supply containers advantageously has a respective inlet valve which can communicate with a separate pump chamber, such that each substance can be dosed separately.

If the substances are to be dispensed in parallel from sub-units of a refill pack, the pump chambers may be conveyed using a common output conduit.

In order to be able to dispense separately with respect to time or space, it is advantageous in a development of the invention, however, if the sub-units of the refill pack have separate connecting pieces, preferably each in the form of a nipple, through which the respective substance can be dispensed separately.

In order to enable the respective multiple packs (although having a plurality of sub-units) to be handled in the same way as a single pack, in a development of the invention the plurality of connectors of the sub-units are fixed in a predetermined position and/or in a predetermined orientation relative to each other.

In order to make the connection simple and also the design compact, it is advantageous if the connecting elements of the multiple packs are arranged at a small distance from each other. The connecting pieces arranged very close to each other can make contact with the connecting pieces on the device (which are then also arranged close to each other) more easily than the connecting pieces arranged far from each other or on different sides of the refill pack. In a development of the invention, the connecting pieces are arranged at a distance of less than 20mm, preferably even less than 15mm, from one another. A particularly simple connection is obtained if the connecting elements are at a distance of less than 10mm from one another, since this allows the connecting elements to be arranged uniformly on the respective device-side connecting element with a linear movement, without a slightly inclined guide to make one of the connecting elements more inclined.

For this purpose, the connecting elements of the multiple packs can in principle be fixed in place in various ways. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the positioning can be performed by the configuration of the pump itself. In particular, the pump can be designed in the form of a double pump or a multiple pump, wherein the multiple pump chambers and the connecting pieces extending therefrom are produced in a common, preferably one-piece pump chamber housing.

Alternatively, a separate pump unit and in particular a separate pump chamber housing may also be provided; in this case, the multiple connections of the multiple packs are fixed relative to one another by positioning elements which are placed on the multiple pump units and/or their connections. With such a positioning element, the subunits can be handled in the form of a single pack, even when completely separate subunits are constructed.

The preferred nipple-like connecting piece, on which the pressure-side outlet valve of the respective pump chamber is advantageously formed, can be designed separately from the pump chamber housing and, in a development of the invention, can be placed onto this housing in a form-fitting manner. In order to further reduce the number of components, the connecting piece can also advantageously be integrally formed on the pump housing in a development of the invention. In this way, a refill pack can be manufactured with a minimum number of components.

In particular, the refill pack may consist of five or less parts, preferably four or less parts, and in particular may consist of only three parts, namely the pump housing with the connecting piece or the pressure-side outlet valve integrally formed thereon, the spring for pretensioning the diaphragm in the pump housing with the outlet valve integrally formed thereon, and finally the supply container itself, which can be materially bonded to the pump housing, in particular welded thereto. In the above manner, if the connecting member is designed separately from the pressure-side outlet valve integrally formed thereon, four components are provided accordingly. When the refill pack is designed in the form of a multiple pack with a plurality of subunits, the number of components is maintained for each subunit, wherein in this case, however, the number of components is also applicable for the entire multiple pack if the pump or its pump housing is designed in the form of a multiple pump; wherein a different spring unit for each pump chamber may optionally result in a corresponding increase in the number of components.

These and other features, in combination or sub-combination with each other, independently of their features in the claims, may constitute the subject matter of the invention, not only arising from the claims but also from the drawings and from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective side view of a refill pack for a toothbrush according to a first advantageous embodiment of the invention, showing a pump provided at one front side on a supply container,

fig. 2 is a schematic perspective side view of the refill cartridge of fig. 1, showing the diaphragm of the pump,

fig. 3 shows a part of a longitudinal section of a refill pack, cross-sectioned in the preceding figures, showing the design of the pump and its connection to the supply container,

figure 4 is a perspective exploded view of the pump of the refill pack from the previous figures,

figure 5 shows a portion of a longitudinal cross-section similar to figure 3 of a pump filling the bag in cross-section according to an alternative embodiment,

figure 6 is a perspective exploded view of the embodiment of figure 5,

fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a refill pack in the form of a dual pack having two separate subunits, showing the two subunits and the retainer securing them together in an exploded view,

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the dual refill pack of FIG. 7 in an assembled ready-to-use condition, and

fig. 9 is a perspective functional view indicating placement of the dual refill packs of fig. 7 and 8 onto the handle of a toothbrush.

Detailed Description

The refill 1 shown in figures 1 to 4 contains toothpaste and may be placed in an electric toothbrush which delivers the toothpaste contained therein out of the refill 1. The refill 1 has a generally rectangular profile and may be generally referred to as "sausage-shaped", wherein the refill tapers in cross-section towards one of its ends; see the right end of fig. 1. The refill 1 comprises a rectangular supply container 2 having a sausage-shaped profile with a flattened end. In the described embodiment, the refill pack is designed as a foil pouch that is welded together by flat foils or flat foil pieces. In this context, the supply container 2 can in particular be made of a permanently gas-tight and diffusion-proof barrier foil which can have a multilayer construction, and in particular can have a barrier layer made of aluminum and at least one carrier layer made of polyethylene.

On the front side of the supply container 2, which is arranged opposite the flat end of the supply container 2, a pump 3 is integrated into this container, which has a pump chamber housing 9 which is partially integrated into the interior 6 of the supply container 2; see fig. 3. The housing 9 of the pump 3 is welded in its side seam 15 into the front edge region 14 of the supply container 2, so that the pump 3 is connected to the supply container 2 in a gas-tight manner.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the pump chamber 4 is designed into the pump chamber housing 9, said pump chamber 4 being open only to one side relative to the pump chamber housing 9. This open side of the pump chamber 4 is closed with a diaphragm 7 which completely covers the open side of the pump chamber 4, which is clearly visible in fig. 4, and is bonded to the pump chamber housing 9 in a gastight manner, in particular by welding and/or adhesive, substantially along the edge of the pump chamber opening.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the diaphragm 7 of the pump 3 is formed by a wall of the supply container 2, which is designed as a foil pouch; i.e. the foil of the supply container 2 is pulled through the pump chamber housing 9 far enough that said foil of the supply container 2 forms the diaphragm 7.

Since the foil of the supply container 2 is flexible, i.e. does not have the elasticity required per se to reset the diaphragm 7 to a position where it will enlarge the volume of the pump chamber 4 and thus to suck toothpaste from the supply container 2 into the pump chamber 4, a spring 8 is provided in the pump chamber 4, which spring 8 presses the diaphragm 7 from the inside of the pump chamber 4 and presses it into a position where it will increase the volume of the pump chamber. However, the diaphragm 7 is sufficiently elastic that it can be pressed into the pump chamber 4a certain distance under the pretensioning force of the spring 8. In order to enlarge the stroke volume, the membrane 7 can also be placed so loosely and loosely enough above the pump chamber 4 that a corresponding pump movement can be performed, even if the stretchability of the membrane 7 is little or not at all stretchable.

As shown in fig. 3, in the pump chamber housing 9, the pump chamber 4 is connected to the inner cavity 6 of the supply container 2 via an inlet duct 12 formed in said housing, the connection being made by means of the inlet valve 5, such that the inlet duct 12 is open when the volume of the pump chamber 4 increases and is closed when the volume of the pump chamber 4 decreases.

As shown in fig. 4, the inlet valve 5 and the spring 8 are advantageously combined to form an integrated universal assembly. In the particular embodiment depicted, the spring 8 comprises a spring washer 10 mounted on a plate-shaped spring seat 13, on which spring seat 13 the inlet valve 5 is also integrally formed at one end. The assembly comprising the spring 8 and the inlet valve 5 forms an insert 23 which can be precision fitted into the pump chamber 4.

In the embodiment described, the inlet valve 5 is designed in the form of a closure plate 11 which is placed from the inside onto the port of an inlet duct 12 which connects the pump chamber 4 to the inner chamber 6 of the supply container 2. In this context, the closure plate 11 can perform a spring-loaded movement, in particular by pivoting, relative to the spring seat 13, so that it can release the port of the inlet duct 12 when a partial vacuum is created in the pump chamber 4.

On the pressurised side or outlet side, the pump chamber 4 is connected to a connecting piece 17, which connecting piece 17 protrudes from the front side of the supply container 2, wherein the connecting piece is designed to comprise an outlet duct 24 with a circular cross section. In the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and 4, the outlet duct 24 comprises two portions laterally offset from each other; see fig. 3. On a first part of the outlet conduit 24, which is integrally formed to the pump chamber housing 9, a separate connecting piece is placed in a form-fitting manner in order to be fluid-tight and preferably also gas-tight, wherein a second part of the outlet conduit 24 is designed. On one front side of the connecting piece 17, an outlet valve 18 is provided which forms, on the one hand, a pressure-side valve of the pump 3 and, on the other hand, simultaneously a closure member which seals off the interior of the supply container 2 or the pump 3 in a gastight manner and in this way prevents the substance contained therein from drying out.

In the particular embodiment depicted, the outlet valve 18 is designed as a two-component part. In the body of the connecting piece 17 (which is injection-molded from hard plastic) a trough-shaped soft diaphragm 19 is provided, which closes the connecting duct 24 on the front side and is spherically curved in the described embodiment; see fig. 3. The outlet valve 18 can be opened and closed by elastic deformation of the soft diaphragm 19.

In order to further reduce the number of components, the above-described connecting member 17 may also be integrally formed to the pump chamber housing 9. Such an embodiment is shown in fig. 5. An outlet valve 18 for closing the pressure side of the pump 3 can be made into an outlet duct 24, which extends in the pump chamber housing 9. For this purpose, the pump chamber housing 9 can advantageously be injection-molded in a two-component technique, so that the outlet valve 19 is injection-molded in the form of a soft diaphragm 19 shown in fig. 5 into the body of the pump chamber housing 9 made of hard plastic. Similar to the above described embodiments, in fig. 5 the septum 7 may also be formed by the wall of the supply container 2. This is shown in an exploded view in fig. 6, where the foil portion of the supply container (which extends over the pump chamber 4) is clearly visible.

There are various ways to fill the supply container 2 in the above-described manner so that the pump 3 is also filled with a pasty or liquid substance. In a first step, according to one embodiment of the invention, the supply container 2 is shaped as a bag and sealed on the underside. The bag is then filled with the treatment substance until the air cushion remains at the top. In the next step, the bag forming the supply container 2 is welded to the pump chamber housing 9 and sealed in this way. Excess air is pressed out of the bag or sucked out by means of a partial vacuum so that the pump 3 is also at least partially, preferably completely, filled with the substance.

Alternatively, before filling, the housing 9 of the pump 3 can also be welded to the part of the foil of the supply container 2 provided for this purpose, so that a supply container is formed which is open on its underside, i.e. on the side opposite the pump 3. The filling of the container takes place on the lower side through the opening which remains open. After filling, the foil is sealed and the excess area can be removed by cutting.

During filling, a substance other than the care or cleaning substance to be dispensed from the supply container 2 can be let into the inner cavity of the pump 3, in particular into the pump chamber 4. during filling, the further substance is provided such that essentially only the pump 3 is filled with the substance.

Advantageously, the pump 3 can also have a connecting part, preferably a connecting contour 25, which produces a rigid connection, which facilitates the exact positioning of the refill 1 in the respective device. As shown in fig. 1, these connecting profiles 25 can be designed in the form of rigid connecting projections and/or recesses which can be fitted closely onto corresponding profile sections on the device.

Fig. 7 to 9 show a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, according to which the refill 1 can also be designed in the form of a multiple pack. In fig. 7 to 9, an embodiment as a dual packet is shown. However, it may be divided into more than two subunits 20 and 21 if desired.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 7 to 9, the two subunits 20 and 21 are designed completely independently of one another. In this context, each subunit 20 and 21 substantially corresponds to a separate refill pack, as shown in fig. 1 to 6.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, a positioning element 22 is advantageously provided in this context, which holds the two subunits 20 and 21 in a defined position relative to one another, and in particular fixes the two connecting elements 17 of the two subunits 20 and 21 in a precisely defined position relative to one another, so that double packs can be handled in the form of a single pack, and in particular can be placed in or on the corresponding connecting elements on the device in a precisely fitting manner.

As shown in fig. 7, the securing element 22 can be designed in particular in the form of a plug-in cap with a receptacle recess 26, the connecting element 17 fitting in the recess 26. In the form described, these recesses 26 are designed in the form of through-holes, through which the connecting elements 17 can be inserted.

As shown in fig. 7, the profiles of the two subunits 20 and 21 are aligned with each other so that they can be placed against each other when they are connected by the spacer 22. In this context, the contour alignment can be provided, in particular, in the form of a flat side 27 or flat region, which flat side 27 or flat region can extend over the supply container 2 and/or the pump chamber housing 9.

The positioning element 22 advantageously comprises an inner contour which is aligned with the front outer contour of the refill 1 and its subunits 20 and 21, so that a rigid connection between the positioning element 22 and the refill 1 beyond its connection 17 is produced. In this way, the subunits 20 and 21 fit closely and tightly on the positioning member 22.

As shown in fig. 9, on the refill 1, in particular on its positioning element 22, there is additionally provided a positioning element 28 for a precision-fit positioning on a part of the device, in particular on the toothbrush handle, which element holds the refill 1 in a predetermined position on the device. Advantageously, the positioning means 28 may be designed in the form of a rigid connection fastening means which holds the refill 1 in a form-fitting manner on the device part. In the depicted embodiment, the positioning means 28 comprises a carriage comprising one or more projections and one or more slot-type grooves that can be pushed into each other and hold the refill packs 1 on the device parts in the pushed-together position. As shown in fig. 9, the refill 1 extends circumferentially along the device handle, wherein the connector 17 of the refill 1 protrudes at the front side of the device handle and extends substantially parallel to the insertion axis of the toothbrush handle, so that the toothbrush attachment can simultaneously engage with the drive shaft and with the connector 17 of the refill 1 by a simple sliding movement.

It is advantageous for the two connecting pieces 17 to be spaced apart from one another by less than 20mm, preferably less than 15mm, in particular about 10 mm.

Claims (31)

1. Refill pack for a device for personal use, such as a toothbrush, having a supply container (2) containing at least one care and/or therapeutic substance to be dispensed, and a pump (3), which pump (3) is fixedly connected to the supply container (2), the pump chamber (4) of which pump is connected to the inner cavity (6) of the supply container (2) via an inlet valve (5) and the volume of which pump chamber can be changed by deformation of a diaphragm (7) for limiting the pump chamber (4), characterized in that the diaphragm (7) consists of a flexible foil and is pressed into a position in which the volume of the pump chamber can be enlarged by means of a spring (8) located in the pump chamber (4).

2. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the foil of the membrane (7) forms a permanent gas-tight and/or diffusion-proof barrier.

3. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the foil of the membrane (7) has a multilayer construction and has at least one barrier layer made of metal, preferably aluminium, on at least one carrier layer made of plastic, preferably polyethylene.

4. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the membrane (7) is made of the same foil as the supply container (2).

5. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pump (3) is integrated into the supply container (2) and the diaphragm (7) of the pump (3) is formed by a portion of a foil forming the supply container (2).

6. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring (8) and the inlet valve (5) of the pump chamber (4) form an integral, one-piece, integrally designed component, preferably made of resilient plastic.

7. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring (8) and/or the inlet valve (5) are designed and/or form an insert which can be placed in the pump chamber (4) separately from the pump chamber housing (9).

8. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the spring (8) has a compressible spring washer (10), the outer jacket surface of the spring washer (10) being located on the diaphragm (7) of the pump (3).

9. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inlet valve (5) has a spring-loaded closure plate (11), the closure plate (11) being placeable onto a port of an inlet conduit (12) from the inside of the pump chamber (4), the inlet conduit (12) connecting the inner chamber (6) of the supply container (2) to the pump chamber (4).

10. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the shutter (11) is integrally formed onto a spring seat (13) supporting the spring (8).

11. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pump (3) is welded and/or glued to a front side edge portion (14), in particular a side seam (15), of the supply container (2).

12. Refill pack according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pressurised side (16) of the pump chamber (4) has at least one, preferably tubularly shaped, connecting member (17) for connecting the refill pack to a refill pack connection port on the device for dispensing the care and/or therapeutic substance.

13. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the connecting piece (17) protrudes from the supply container (2) at the front side and/or extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the supply container (2).

14. Refill pack according to any one of the two preceding claims, wherein the pump (3) has an outlet valve (18), which outlet valve (18) closes the pump chamber (4) on the pressurised side and at the same time forms a closure and/or a connection (17) of the refill pack.

15. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the outlet valve (18) has a trough-shaped soft diaphragm (19) as valve element.

16. Refill pack according to the preamble of claim 1 or any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pump chamber (4) is filled with a liquid or pasty substance and/or is filled substantially without air when the supply container (2) has a maximum initial volume and/or the supply container (2) has a full intended filling amount.

17. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the pump chamber (4) is filled with a substance different from the care and/or therapeutic substance located in the supply container (2) and to be dispensed when the supply container (2) has the maximum initial volume and/or the supply container (2) has the full intended filling quantity.

18. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the other substance filled into the pump chamber (4) is a servicing substance for servicing the pump (3).

19. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the refill pack is divided into at least two subunits (20, 21) for dispensing at least two different or identical substances.

20. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the supply container (2) has two separate supply chambers, and/or two separate storage containers (2a, 2b) are provided, which can be connected with separate pump chambers (4a, 4b) via respective inlet valves (5).

21. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the two pump chambers (4a, 4b) are each connectable on the pressurised side with a separate, preferably tubularly shaped, connecting piece (17a, 17b) which is held in a predetermined position with respect to each other.

22. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the two connectors (17a, 17b) are spaced from each other by less than 20mm, preferably less than 15mm, in particular less than 10 mm.

23. Refill pack according to any one of the three preceding claims, wherein the two pump chambers (4a, 4b) are designed to be located in a common, preferably integral, pump chamber housing.

24. Refill pack according to any of claims 20 to 22, wherein two separate pump chamber housings (9a, 9b) are provided and the two connecting pieces (17a, 17b) are held in a predetermined position relative to each other by positioning members (22) placed on both said pumps and/or on the connecting pieces (17).

25. Refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the refill pack consists of five or fewer parts, preferably four or fewer parts.

26. Refill pack according to the preceding claim, wherein the refill pack consists of three parts, namely a pump housing (9) and an integrally formed outlet valve (18), a spring (8) in the pump chamber (4) and an integrally formed inlet valve (5), and a supply container (2).

27. Refill pack according to any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein each subunit (20, 21) consists of five or less parts, preferably four or less parts, in particular three parts.

28. A device, preferably a toothbrush, for personal use, the device having a refill pack according to any preceding claim.

29. Method for filling a refill pack according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in a first step the supply container (2) is filled with a care and/or treatment substance to be dispensed and in a second step the supply container (2) is sealed, characterized in that the pump chamber (4) is filled with a paste-like or liquid substance before the refill pack (1) is first activated.

30. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the filling of the pump chamber (4) according to the second step is performed, wherein, after sealing the supply container (2), the air still remaining in the pump chamber (4) is pressed out of the pump chamber (4) by applying pressure to the supply container (2) and/or is sucked out of the pump chamber (4) by applying a partial vacuum.

31. Method according to claim 29, wherein the filling of the pump chamber (4) is performed before the above-mentioned second step, wherein the pump (3) is connected to the supply container (2) before the filling of the supply container (2) and the supply container (2) is filled with the pump (3) fixed thereto.