The invention relates to dispensers for gels or viscous liquids, particularly to dispenser pumps for rigid bottles.

Typical liquid dispenser pumps for bottles usually utilize vacuum suction resulting from a depressing action associating with restoration of a built-in spring to drain liquid from the bottle.

To generate a vacuum, the dispenser pump must be disposed with a steel ball. The steel ball can temporarily close the liquid passage while a pressing head is being depressed and open the liquid passage while the pressing head is elevated by the spring. As a result, the liquid can be drained out of the bottle.

A structure taught by U.S. patent No. 7,025,233 uses a flexible valve. But the flexible valve still needs to be inserted into the cylinder and must need a protrusion to fix in the cylinder. Due to a limited inner space of the dispenser pump, the insertion process of the flexible valve is so complicated. This is a real problem to be solved.

An object of the invention is to provide a cylinder assembly which can simplify the manufacturing process by means of elimination of a steel ball or any other independent valve.

To accomplish the above object, the cylinder assembly of the invention includes a first body, a second body and a coupling mechanism. The first body is of a tubular shape and has a valve set at a bottom end thereof. The valve set includes a valve, an elastomer and a passage. The second body has a ring with an outline fitting the valve. The coupling mechanism includes a first coupling piece disposed on the first body and a second coupling piece disposed on the second body and is used for detachably coupling the first and second bodies. The valve is located in an aperture of the ring, the elastomer flexibly supports the valve to abut against the ring and seal up the aperture or retracts to open the aperture for allowing liquid to flow into the first body through the passage.

The invention also provides a dispenser pump includes a cylinder assembly and a pump assembly. The cylinder assembly of the invention includes a first body, a second body and a coupling mechanism. The first body is of a tubular shape and has a valve set at a bottom end thereof. The valve set includes a valve, an elastomer and a passage. The second body has a ring with an outline fitting the valve. The coupling mechanism includes a first coupling piece disposed on the first body and a second coupling piece disposed on the second body and is used for detachably coupling the first and second bodies. The valve is located in an aperture of the ring, the elastomer flexibly supports the valve to abut against the ring and seal up the aperture or retracts to open the aperture for allowing liquid to flow into the first body through the passage. The pump assembly for generating a siphon effect to drain a liquid is disposed in the cylinder assembly.

• FIG. 1A is an exploded sectional view of the cylinder assembly of the invention;
• FIG. 1B is an assembled sectional view of the cylinder assembly of the invention;
• FIGS. 2A-2D show different embodiments of the valve set;
• FIGS. 2E-2H are sectional views of the cylinder assembly; and
• FIGS. 3A-3B are sectional views of the dispenser pump.

The invention provides a cylinder assembly and a dispenser pump using the same. The principle it uses is well-known by a person skilled in the art, so the following description will not repeat this principle. Meanwhile, objects shown in the figures are not and do not need to be illustrated by their actual sizes.

Please refer to FIGS. 1A 1 nd 1 B, which show a preferred embodiment of the cylinder assembly 100 according to the invention. The cylinder assembly 100 includes a first body 10, a second body 20 and a coupling mechanism 30. The first body 10 is of a tubular shape and a valve set 11 is disposed at a bottom end thereof. The valve set 11 includes a valve 111, an elastomer 112 and a passage 113. The second body 20 has a ring 21 with an outline fitting the valve 111.

The coupling mechanism 30 includes a first coupling piece 31 disposed on the first body 10 and a second coupling piece 32 disposed on the second body 20 and is used for detachably coupling the first and second bodies 10, 20. An outline of the coupling mechanism 30 is not limited to the screwing type shown in the figures, other means for connecting two objects are also available, such as engagement. Additionally, the coupling mechanism 30 may further include an airtight ring between the first and second coupling pieces 31, 32 to enhance an airtight effect.

The valve 111 is located in an aperture of the ring 21, the elastomer 112 flexibly supports the valve 111 to abut against the ring 21 and seal up the aperture or retracts to open the aperture for allowing liquid to flow into the first body 10 through the passage 113. The pump assembly for generating a siphon effect to drain a liquid is disposed in the cylinder assembly 100.

The valve 111 is located in an aperture of the ring 21 with elastic support from the elastomer 112. Thus the valve 111 may move down to abut against the ring 21 to close the aperture or move up to open the aperture for allowing a liquid to flow into the first body 10 through the passage 113.

Please refer to FIGS. 2A-2H, which show several embodiments of the valve 111 and elastomer 112. A cross section of the valve 111 may be geometric, arc-shaped, polygonal, semicircular or irregular, even a combination of polygon and arc. Any shapes which can close the aperture of the ring 21 are available. The elastomer 112 provides flexible support to make the valve 111 able to open or close the aperture of the ring 21. Thus, similarly, its shape may be arc-shaped polygonal, semicircular or irregular, even a combination of polygon and arc. As shown in FIGS. 2E-2H, the elastomer 112 is located in the passage 113 without closing. Further, the ring 21 may be formed with a guiding slant 211 or formed into a funnel shape for guiding the valve 111 to close the aperture more smoothly.

Accordingly, by means of the valve 111, the cylinder assembly 100 of the invention does not need a steel ball or any other independent valves so as to simplify the manufacturing process. The valve 111 can replace a steel ball to elastically close or open the aperture of the ring 21.

Please refer to FIGS. 3A-3B, which show a dispenser pump 1 composed of the abovementioned cylinder assembly 100, a pump assembly 200 and a pressing head assembly 300. The pump assembly 200 and pressing head assembly 300 are operably associated with the cylinder assembly 100. When the pressing head assembly 300 is depressed, the pump assembly 200 and cylinder assembly 100 will generate a siphon effect to drain a liquid through a nozzle 301.

The cylinder assembly 100 is the same as the abovementioned and includes a first body 10, a second body 20 and a coupling mechanism 30. The first body 10 is of a tubular shape and a valve set 11 is disposed at a bottom end thereof. The valve set 11 includes a valve 111, an elastomer 112 and a passage 113. The second body 20 has a ring 21 with an outline fitting the valve 111. The coupling mechanism 30 includes a first coupling piece 31 disposed on the first body 10 and a second coupling piece 32 disposed on the second body 20 and is used for detachably coupling the first and second bodies 10, 20.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the above embodiments have been described by way of examples only and not in any limitative sense, and that various alterations and modifications are possible without departure from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.