Container with a Connection Piece Having a Ventilation Function, and Dosing System

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a container for a dosing system that can be positioned in the interior of a dishwasher and which comprises a dosing device by means of which at least one preparation can be dosed into the interior. The invention further relates to the dosing system having the container and the dosing device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

EP 2 296 520 B1 discloses such a dosing system having a container and a dosing device. A housing of the container forms several chambers, each of which stores a preparation. Each chamber is paired with a connection piece with which the container is connectable to the dosing device to form a liquid-tight connection. The dosing device has several connection receptacles for this purpose. The connection piece of the chamber is connectable to one of these connection receptacles. The dosing device and the container connected thereto are then placed in the interior and a rinse cycle can begin. The dosing device exchanges signals with the dishwasher so that the preparations in the chambers can be dosed in a targeted manner at different times and in different quantities during the rinsing process, depending on various parameters.

The dosing device and container are detachably connected to one another so that the container can be replaced when it is empty after several rinse cycles. EP 2 296 520 B1 relates to a plug-in connection between a connection piece and a connection receptacle, where the connection piece must be pressed into the connection receptacle with a certain pressure force in order to establish the plug-in connection. In particular, a membrane of the connection piece must be pierced which, when the connection piece is new, protects the preparation in the chamber from environmental influences. By connecting the connection piece of the container and the connection receptacle in the dosing device, the preparation can enter the dosing device and be dosed out accordingly. In EP 2 296 520 B1, when the container and dosing device are coupled for the first time, a ventilation opening is also opened for each chamber and is closed with a closure element in the form of a plug and a cap before the first coupling operation. The plug (or cap) is then pierced by a pin or similar when the container and dosing device are coupled or connected for the first time.

The plug has to be manufactured separately and placed in the ventilation opening when the container is manufactured. This insertion into the ventilation opening results in a high level of installation effort. Recycling the container can also be difficult if the container housing and the plug are made of different materials that need to be separated during the recycling process.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a container having a ventilation function for a dosing system that can be placed in a dishwasher, which container can be manufactured in a cost-effective and resource-saving manner and the replacement of which can be carried out easily.

The object of the invention is achieved by the combination of features according to claim 1. Exemplary embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims of claim 1.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, the connection piece comprises a main part which has an air chamber that serves to ventilate the chamber and has an air chamber wall, with a projection being integrally formed on the air chamber wall. The projection has a contact point for an abutment of the connection receptacle. The contact point is spaced apart from the air chamber wall so that a force acting on the contact point of the projection when connecting the connection piece and the connection receptacle generates a bending moment. The bending moment causes the projection to rotate, tearing an opening into the air chamber wall. The tear or break in the air chamber wall is primarily due to tensile stresses in the air chamber wall caused by the bending moment or rotation of the projection. The ventilation function of the connection piece is activated by opening the air chamber wall.

In contrast to the prior art, in which a separate plug is pierced to activate the ventilation function, the material of the air chamber wall is subjected to a tensile stress, which results in the tear in the material. The tensile stress is dependent on the bending moment, which is a product of the force applied to the contact point and of the lever arm of the projection. The lever arm corresponds to the distance between the contact point of the projection and the air chamber wall on which the projection is integrally formed, and contact pointed.

The contact point for the abutment of the connection receptacle is preferably at a free end of the projection, the projection being connected to the air chamber wall at a root, i.e., at an end opposite the free end. Mechanically, the projection can also be considered as a cantilever beam or cantilever girder having a free end.

The bending moment and thus the tensile stresses in the air chamber wall can be adjusted via the length or the effective lever arm of the projection, which corresponds to the distance between the contact point and the air chamber wall. In one exemplary embodiment, the effective lever arm is in a range of 2 to 6 mm, preferably 2.5 to 4 mm.

The air chamber wall can have a predetermined breaking point with a reduced wall thickness. The predetermined breaking point should preferably be provided where the greatest tensile forces are to be expected in the air chamber wall due to the rotation of the projection. Owing to the reduced wall thickness, high tensile stresses then occur in the material at the predetermined breaking point which cause the air chamber wall to tear. Due to the interaction of the lever arm and the reduced wall thickness of the predetermined breaking point in the region of the highest tensile forces, the air chamber for activating the ventilation function can be realized even with a relatively small force between the contact point of the projection and the abutment on the connection receptacle.

The air chamber wall can have a hinge point about which the projection rotates when the connection piece is connected to the connection receptacle. This hinge point can also be characterized by a reduced wall thickness. In one exemplary embodiment, the projection is still connected via the hinge point even after the connection piece has been connected to the connection receptacle. The advantage of this is that, when the container is replaced, the projection continues to adhere to the main part and does not remain in the dosing device as a loose piece that could hinder the insertion of a new container into the dosing device.

In one exemplary embodiment, the main part, the air chamber wall, and the projection form an integral part which is made of only one material, preferably injection-molded. By selecting the material for this integral part, it is possible to influence the force required to tear the air chamber wall when connecting the connection piece to the connection receptacle. The main part (and thus also the air chamber wall and the projection, if the integral piece is made of the same material) can be made of polyolefin, preferably polypropylene. To ensure that the air chamber wall will reliably tear when the connection piece is connected to the connection receptacle without having to apply too much force, the plastic from which the air chamber wall is made can be provided with a filler, preferably with an inert filler. The brittleness of the plastic can be adjusted by choosing the filler and its content. A preferred filler is chalk (CaCO₃), the grain size of which can be chosen to be very small so that the grain diameter is not larger than the wall thickness in the region of the predetermined breaking point. In one exemplary embodiment in which polypropylene (PP) is used as the plastic, the filler content is 1 to 10%, preferably 4 to 8%. The plastic for the main part must also not be too brittle; this ensures that it does not break under impact (which may occur if the container is accidentally dropped, for example).

In one exemplary embodiment, the main part has a weld-in part, the weld-in part being sealed and secured to a chamber wall of the chamber. The main part can have a plug-in part, it being possible to insert the plug-in part into the connection receptacle. Insertion is carried out preferably by a linear movement. The plug-in part can be pulled out of the connection receptacle by an opposite linear movement.

The weld-in part can form an air channel which is connected to the air chamber and has an insertion receptacle for a separate air pipe which projects into the chamber. An end of the air pipe facing away from the air channel ends in a region of the chamber remote from the connection piece. When the dosing system is in use, said remote region can constitute the upper region of the chamber. When dosing the preparation, air can flow into the upper part of the chamber. The air required for ventilation flows through the opening torn into the air chamber wall, through the air channel connected to the air chamber and through the air pipe into the chamber. A negative pressure in the chamber, which makes dosing difficult, can thus be avoided.

The weld-in part can form an inflow channel. The plug-in part can form an outflow channel, wherein, when the container is new, the inflow channel and the outflow channel are separated from one another by a closed membrane. If the membrane is pierced or torn, there is a connection between the inflow channel and the outflow channel, so that the preparation can pass from the chamber to the connection receptacle of the dosing device. Before the membrane is pierced or torn and before the air chamber wall is torn, i.e., before the connection piece is connected to the connection receptacle, the still intact membrane and the not yet opened air chamber ensure that the chamber is airtight and liquid-tight. This means that the preparation in the chamber is protected from environmental influences and can be stored in the container for a longer period of time. Only when the container is connected to the dosing device does the membrane lose its sealing effect.

Preferably, the membrane is integrally formed on the main part, which makes it easier to manufacture the connection piece. The wall thickness of the membrane can be 0.04 to 0.2, preferably 0.08 to 0.12 mm, in order to keep the force required to penetrate the membrane small.

A finger ring can be attached to the main part, which can be moved from an initial position into an active position, wherein in the active position the finger ring is designed to be engaged from behind by a human finger in order to introduce a tensile force into the main part, by means of which the connection piece can be separated from the connection receptacle.

In one exemplary embodiment, the finger ring can be rotated about a pivot axis into the active position starting from the initial position. Preferably, a hinge in the form or type of a film hinge is provided between the finger ring and the main part, which is integrally formed on the finger ring and the main part.

The finger ring may be attached to the main part by two connecting webs, wherein the two connecting webs can define the pivot axis about which the finger ring can be pivoted from the initial position into the active position. A pivot angle between the initial position and the active position can be 80 to 100°, preferably approx. 90°.

Preferably, the finger ring together with the main part and the two connecting webs forms a tab having a closed peripheral region. The closed peripheral region is stable and can absorb high tensile forces.

A pressure plate for receiving a human finger can be formed on the main part, the pressure force of which can act to connect the connection piece to the connection receptacle. In the initial position, the finger ring can surround the pressure plate and lie substantially in the same plane as the pressure plate. While the finger ring in the active position serves to pull the cover part out of the connection receptacle in order to release the connection between the connection piece and the connection receptacle, the pressure plate serves to press the plug-in part of the main part into the connection receptacle. In this exemplary embodiment, the force required to establish the connection between the connection piece and the connection receptacle can therefore also be guided directly to the connection piece.

In one exemplary embodiment, the pressure plate is arranged coaxially to the membrane. This means that the pressure force required to penetrate the membrane can be applied directly above the membrane without any lateral offset. The membrane can lie in a plane that extends parallel to the plane of the pressure plate.

The pressure plate can be slightly curved inwards (concave). The inward curvature prevents the finger from slipping when pressure is applied. In one exemplary embodiment, the diameter of the pressure plate is 10 to 20 mm. In the exemplary embodiment with the finger ring enclosing the pressure plate, the effective contact surface for the finger is increased, since part of the pressure force can now also be applied to the finger ring.

A further object of the invention, that of providing a dosing system having a container and dosing device and it being possible to easily replace the container and dose the preparation, is achieved with the combination of features according to claim 15. In the embodiments described here, the dosing system according to the invention comprises a dosing device and a container, the connection receptacle in the dosing device having the abutment against which the projection on the connection piece abuts when the connection piece is connected to the connection receptacle. The abutment can be in the form of a rib or the like. A contact surface of the abutment with which the contact point of the projection comes into contact when connecting the connection piece to the connection receptacle can be inclined.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. in which:

FIG. 1 is a dosing system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross section of the dosing system;

FIG. 3 schematically is a container according to the invention for the dosing system;

FIG. 4 shows various views of a connection piece of the container according to the invention (FIG. 4A to 4B);

FIG. 5 shows further views of the connection piece of FIG. 4 (FIG. 5A to 5D);

FIG. 6 shows two sectional views of the connection piece of FIGS. 4 and 5 (FIGS. 6A and 6B); and

FIG. 7 is the connection piece in another sectional view with parts of the dosing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a dosing system 1 comprising a dosing device 10 and a container. The container is accommodated within a flat housing 11 of the dosing device 10 and cannot be seen in FIG. 1. FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically show the dosing system 1 with the dosing device 10 and with the container denoted by 40.

The dosing system 1 can be placed in the interior of a dishwasher and is designed to dose one or more preparations, which are located in the container 40, during a rinse cycle. The dosing system 1 can exchange signals, data, control commands, etc., with the dishwasher so that the preparations can be dosed precisely in terms of time and quantity.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 11 of the dosing device 10 has a front wall 12 and a rear wall 13. The front wall 12, which is rectangular in its basic shape, and the rear wall 13, which is likewise rectangular in its basic shape, extend from a bottom 14 to an upper housing edge 15. Near the upper housing edge 15, a film hinge 16 is provided between the front wall 12 and the rear wall 13 so that the housing 11 can be folded open, and a container compartment 17 (see FIG. 2) of the dosing device 10 is open. The container compartment 17 serves to receive the container 40. In the folded-open state of the housing 11, the container 40 can be removed from the container compartment 17 in order to replace it with another container. The container 40 may be designed to receive the preparation or preparations in an amount sufficient for several wash cycles (for example, for 20 to 30 wash cycles). After emptying, the container 40 can be replaced by a filled container.

It can also be seen in FIG. 1 that a first recess 18 and a second recess 19 are provided in the rear wall 13. Only the first recess 18 is discussed in more detail below. Since the second recess 19 is identical in terms of its design to the first recess 18, the statements regarding the first recess 18 also apply analogously to the second recess 19.

The first recess 18 starts at the bottom 14 and extends in the direction of the upper housing edge 15. The recess 18 is designed as an elongated, channel-like or groove-like recess, wherein a length in the longitudinal direction of the recess (in the direction from the bottom 14 to the upper housing edge 15) is significantly greater than a width of the recess transverse to the longitudinal direction. The first recess 19 has a groove bottom 20, the distance of which from the plane in which the rear wall 13 lies defines a depth of the first recess 18. The depth decreases starting from a lower, open end 21, which is located at the bottom 14, to an upper, closed end 22. Accordingly, the depth at the lower end 21 is greater than the depth in the region of the upper end 22. Starting from the lower end 21, the groove bottom 20 is initially straight (i.e., the depth is initially constant there) and then changes into a curved portion with a decreasing depth.

The two recesses 18, 19 each serve to receive a support bar of a plate holder of a dish drawer, which support bar stands approximately vertically upright or is slightly inclined to the vertical, and which dish drawer can be pulled out of the interior for loading and unloading dishes. The plate holder usually has two parallel rows of support bars, which are at a certain distance (bar spacing) within a row. The distance between the two recesses 18, 19 corresponds to the distance between the two rows, such that the dosing device 10 with the container 40 located in the housing 11 can be placed like a plate in a plate compartment of the plate holder. The dosing device 10 is supported like a plate on the support bars that form the plate compartment. Due to the special shape of the groove bottom 20 with the depth decreasing towards the upper end 22, the dosing device 10 can, on the one hand, be placed in a plate holder in which the bar spacing is small and the support bars have a medium length. On the other hand, the dosing device 10 can also be placed in a plate holder in which the bar spacing and the length of the support bars are large. In the latter case, the dosing device is supported by the upper end of the support bar in the upper region of the recess 18, i.e., where the depth of the recess is small. As a result, even with a large bar spacing, the dosing device 10 stands upright in the plate holder and does not block adjacent plate compartments by being too inclined.

The height (distance between the bottom 14 and the upper edge 15) and the width of the front wall 12 and the rear wall 13 correspond to the diameter of a larger dinner plate. For example, the housing 11 can have a height of 200 to 280 mm. The width of the housing 11 can be from 200 to 280 mm. The height-to-width ratio can be 0.8 to 1.2.

As can also be seen in FIG. 1, the housing 11 has a thickness which is greatest in the region of the bottom 14 and then decreases slightly in the direction of the upper edge 15.

A maximum thickness of the housing, preferably in the region of the bottom 14, can be between 20 and 28 mm. The schematic representation of FIG. 2 shows the housing 11 in a simplified form with a constant thickness.

While FIG. 1 shows the dosing system 1 standing on the bottom 14, FIG. 2 shows the dosing system 2 in a lying position with the rear wall 13 facing downwards. In this lying position, the housing 11 can be opened by pivoting the front wall 12 about the pivot axis of the film hinge 16 (in the representation of FIG. 2, the pivot axis extends perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing). The container 40 can be removed from the container compartment 17 when the front wall 12 is folded open. It will be explained in more detail below how this removal of the container 40 takes place and how a new container can be reconnected to the dosing device.

From FIG. 3, it becomes clear that the container 40, which is only shown schematically, has a plurality of chambers. In the exemplary embodiment shown, there are three chambers 41, 42, 43. Each chamber serves to receive a preparation, which may, for example, be an alkaline cleaning preparation, an enzymatic cleaning preparation, a rinse aid, or a fragrance. Each chamber is assigned a connecting piece 44, which does not differ in its structure from the structure of the other connecting pieces 44. The chambers 41, 42, 43 are approximately the same size, but they can also differ significantly from one another in their volume and shape. For example, one of the chambers for a preparation that is dosed at twice the quantity in one wash cycle in comparison to the other preparations can be designed to be twice as large, so that, when the container needs to be replaced, all chambers are emptied as completely as possible, or at least only very small residual quantities are left.

The chambers 41, 42, 43 are delimited by two housing halves or chamber walls 45, 46. Each housing half 45, 46 forms three shells or troughs, which form a chamber with the respective opposite shell. A (folded) plastic film, which is drawn or blown into corresponding deep-drawing molds can be used for producing the housing halves 45, 46. The housing halves 45, 46 are welded together at a circumferential edge 47 and also at intermediate webs 48 between the individual chambers 41, 42, 42. In a portion 47a of the edge 47, the connecting pieces 44 are arranged between the two housing halves 45, 46. These connecting pieces are inserted between the housing halves 45, 46 before the welding of the portion 47a and are then welded to the housing halves 45, 46 in a liquid-tight manner. The portion 47a is sealed/welded to the connection pieces 44 expediently only after the chambers 41, 42, 43 have been filled with the respective preparations. However, during filling, the housing halves 45, 46 are already welded together at the edge 47 (except for the portion 47a) and at the intermediate webs 48. Thermoforming makes thin walls possible. The amount of material required is very low. The housing halves 45, 46 may be made of polypropylene (PP), for example.

The dosing device 10 has a connection receptacle 23 for each connecting piece 44 (see FIG. 2, which shows one of the connection receptacles). When the container 40 is inserted into the housing 11 of the dosing device 10, the connecting piece 44 and the connection receptacle 23 form a liquid-tight connection so that the preparation can pass from the chamber into a dosing chamber of the dosing device 10 assigned to the corresponding chamber. The dosing chamber and a dosing valve are not shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows only a dosing compartment 24, which receives the dosing chamber and the dosing valve and is integrated into the rear wall 13. The dosing compartment 24 has a dosing opening 25 for each chamber/dosing valve, through which opening the preparation from the corresponding chamber then passes through the connection between the connecting piece 44 and the connection receptacle 23 into the interior of the dishwasher. It should be noted that, in the operating position of the dosing system 1, the bottom 14 points downwards so that the preparations from the chambers 41, 42, 43 can flow out of the respective dosing opening 25 due to gravity when the dosing valve is open.

FIG. 4 to 7 show different views of the connection piece 44 alone. FIG. 4 shows two perspective views (FIGS. 4A and 4C as well as a chamber-side view (FIG. 4B) and a side view (4D). FIG. 5A shows the connection piece 44 from below, FIG. 5C from above in plan view. FIG. 5B shows a front view. FIG. 5D shows another side view. FIG. 6A is a horizontal longitudinal section through the connection piece 44. FIG. 6B shows the connection piece 44 in a vertical longitudinal section, while FIG. 7 shows a cross-section which runs perpendicular to the two sections 6A, 6B. FIG. 7 moreover shows sketched parts of the dosing device.

The connection piece 44 has a main part 49 with a weld-in part 50 and a plug-in part 51. The weld-in part 50 forms an inflow channel 52 through which the preparation passes from the chamber into the connection piece 44. The plug-in part 51 forms an outflow channel 53 through which the preparation flows from the connection piece 44 into the connection receptacle 23 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). A connecting channel 54 is provided between the inflow channel and the outflow channel which connects the inflow channel 52 and the outflow channel 53. In a new state of the connection piece 44, the inflow channel 52 and the outflow channel 53 or the connecting channel 54 are separated from one another by a membrane 55. In other words, when the container 40 is new, the preparation cannot enter the outflow channel 53 from the chamber 41, 42, 43. The membrane 55 therefore protects the preparation in the chamber from environmental influences and also prevents it from leaking out.

A longitudinal axis 56 of the inflow channel 52 is at a right angle to a longitudinal axis 57 of the outflow channel 51. The connecting channel 54 is aligned substantially with the inflow channel 52. The connecting channel 54 is limited towards the top by a round, slightly inwardly curved pressure plate 58. The pressure plate 58 serves to accommodate a human finger in order to build up a pressure or a compressive force to press the connection piece 44 with the plug-in part 51 into the connection receptacle 23 of the dosing device 10. A central axis of the pressure plate 58 coincides with the longitudinal axis/central axis 57 of the plug-in part 51 or has only a very small offset in relation thereto. The resulting force of the finger force applied to the pressure plate 58 acts vertically directly above the plug-in part 51. In FIGS. 4D, 6B and 7, the resulting force is denoted by FD. Several smaller openings in the pressure plate 58 can be provided to save material and simplify the injection molding of the connection piece 44.

A finger ring 59 is attached to the main part 49. The finger ring 59 is attached to the main part 49 via two spaced connecting webs 60 (see, for example, FIGS. 5C and 6A). Due to the connecting webs 60, which each start at a circumferential end of the finger ring 59, the finger ring 59 has a closed circumference. The finger ring 59 extends in the circumferential direction over an angular range of approximately 270°. When viewed in the circumferential direction, in the middle between the two end-side connecting webs 60, a fixing web 61 is moreover provided between the finger ring 59 and the pressure plate 58 in order to hold the finger ring 59 in the position shown.

The position shown is a so-called initial position of the finger ring 59. In this initial position, the finger ring 59 lies in the same plane as the pressure plate 58 and constitutes a certain radial extension of the pressure plate 58. From this initial position, the finger ring 59 can be pivoted into an active position. For this purpose, a handle tab 62 is provided in the immediate vicinity of the fixing web 61, by means of which the finger ring 59 can be lifted relative to the pressure plate 58, but in this case the fixing web 61 must be broken. Further lifting of the handle tab 62 leads to a pivoting movement of the finger ring 59 about a pivot axis 63 (see dash-dotted line in FIGS. 5C and 6A). The pivot axis 63 is defined by the position of the connecting webs 61, which are deformed during the pivoting movement and form a kind of film hinge. Compared to the fixing web 61, the connecting webs 60 are designed to be significantly stronger and can absorb tensile forces that are transmitted through the finger ring 59 and into the main part 49.

In FIG. 5D, the active position of the finger ring 59 is indicated by the dashed line 59′. In this position, a human finger can be hooked into the finger ring 59 or 59′. It is thus possible to apply a comparatively large tensile force to the main part 44 and in particular to the plug-in part 51. The resulting force of the hooked-in finger is denoted by Fz in FIG. 5D. The combination of FIGS. 4D and 5B shows that the resulting force FD for establishing the connection between the connection piece 44 and the connection receptacle 23 and the force FZ for breaking this connection are opposite. The connection can be established and broken by a linear movement which is directed perpendicular to the front wall 12 or rear wall 13.

With the finger ring 59 in the active position, the connection piece 44 can thus be pulled out of the connection piece 23. As a result, the container 40 can be separated from the dosing device 10 in the position when inserted in the housing 11 (see FIG. 2). It is not necessary to introduce the required forces into the container 40 via the rather unstable housing halves 45, 46.

To remove the container 40, the three connection pieces 44 can first be lifted slightly one after the other out of the respective connection receptacles by means of the finger ring so that they rest on the connection receptacles with practically no resistance and without any insertion force. The container 40 can then be removed from the housing 11 either by one finger ring or by two finger rings simultaneously.

The weld-in piece 50 forms not only an inflow channel 52 for the preparation, but also an air channel 64 which opens into a closed air chamber 65 in the main part 44. The air chamber 65 is arranged next to the connecting channel 54 (see FIGS. 6A and 7). As can be seen in FIG. 6A, an air hose 66 can be inserted into the open end of the air channel 64. The length of the air hose 66 is dimensioned such that the free end of the air hose, i.e., the end which is not inserted into the air channel 64, is located at an end of the chamber that is opposite the connection piece 44. In FIG. 3, the air hose 66 is indicated by the dashed line only for chamber 42. In the inserted position of the dosing system 1, i.e., when the bottom 14 of the dosing device 10 faces downward, the open end of the air hose 66 ends in the upper region of the chamber 42. Such an air hose is also provided for the connection pieces 44 of the two other chambers 41, 43, but this is not shown in FIG. 3.

The closed air chamber 65 is surrounded by an air chamber wall 67. An outward-facing projection 68 is formed on the air chamber wall 67. At a root of the projection 68, the air chamber wall 67 has a predetermined breaking point 69 with reduced wall thickness and a thin hinge point or connection point 70. When inserting the plug-in part 51 into the connection receptacle 23, the membrane 55 is first pierced by a hollow mandrel 26 of the connection receptacle 23 (see FIG. 7). When the plug-in part 51 is pressed further into the connection receptacle 23, an abutment 27 on the connection receptacle comes into contact with a contact point 71 of the projection 68. The contact point 71 is provided at a free end of the projection 68.

The contact point 71 has a distance 72 to the predetermined breaking point 69 and the connection point 70. Due to the force acting on the projection 68 by the fixed abutment 27 and due to the distance 72, a bending moment acts on the root of the projection 68, which leads to tensile stresses in the region of the predetermined breaking point 69. If the tensile stresses become too great, the air chamber wall 67 tears in the region of the predetermined breaking point 69. In so doing, the projection 68 rotates upwards in an anti-clockwise direction around the thin connection point 70 in the illustration in FIG. 7, without the projection 68 becoming completely detached from the main part 44. Due to the tear or break at the predetermined breaking point 69, an exchange of air between the environment and the air chamber 65 and thus an exchange of air between the environment and the chamber is now possible. Ventilation of the relevant chamber is activated.

The connection piece 44 and the connection outlet 23 are designed such that when the plug-in part 51 is inserted into the connection outlet 23, the membrane 55 is pierced before ventilation of the chamber is activated, i.e., before the air chamber wall 67 tears. The hollow mandrel 26 and the abutment 27 of the connection receptacle 23 as well as their relative height to one another are only indicated schematically in FIG. 7. According to FIG. 7, the beginning of the piercing of the membrane 55 is imminent, while there is still a gap between the abutment 27 and the contact point 71 of the projection 68. Only when the connection piece 44 is pressed further into the connection receptacle 23 does the projection 68 abut against the abutment 27.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

• • 1 Dosing system
  • 10 Dosing device
  • 11 Housing
  • 12 Front wall
  • 13 Rear wall
  • 14 Bottom
  • 15 Upper housing edge
  • 16 Film hinges
  • 17 Container compartment
  • 18 First recess
  • 19 Second recess
  • 20 Groove bottom
  • 21 Lower end
  • 22 Upper end
  • 23 Connection receptacle
  • 24 Dosing compartment
  • 25 Dosing opening
  • 26 Hollow mandrel
  • 27 Abutment
  • 40 Container
  • 41 Chamber
  • 42 Chamber
  • 43 Chamber
  • 44 Connecting piece
  • 45 Housing half/chamber wall
  • 46 Housing half/chamber wall
  • 47 Edge (portion 47a)
  • 48 Intermediate web
  • 49 Main part
  • 50 Weld-in part
  • 51 Plug-in part
  • 52 Inflow channel
  • 53 Outflow channel
  • 54 Connecting channel
  • 55 Membrane
  • 56 Longitudinal axis
  • 57 Longitudinal axis
  • 58 Pressure plate
  • 59 Finger ring (59′ finger ring in active position)
  • 60 Connecting web
  • 61 Fixing webs
  • 62 Handle tab
  • 63 Pivot axis
  • 64 Air channel
  • 65 Air chamber
  • 66 Air hose/air pipe
  • 67 Air chamber wall
  • 68 Projection
  • 69 Predetermined breaking point
  • 70 Connection point/hinge point
  • 71 Contact point
  • 72 Distance