CA1277293C - Non-aerosol pressurized plastic dispenser with anti-fouling means - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A fluid dispensing container and method for its manufacture is disclosed. The container has an upper and lower portion defining an enclosed chamber. The upper and lower portions are sealed together. An expandable pouch for generating pressurizing gas is contained within the enclosed chamber. A dispensing valve is provided housed in a receptacle molded into the upper portion. In one embodiment, a cylindrical guard molded to the upper portion extends downwardly from the receptacle and is disposed around the valve. A cap frictionally secured to the guard retains the dispensing valve in the receptacle and closes off the cylindrical guard. The guard or cap includes suitable apertures for allowing fluid to reach the valve for dispensing the fluid. The guard and cap prevent the expandable bag from interfering with the operation of the dispensing valve. A method of manufacturing the container is also disclosed.

Description

3L~ 7~7;~3 NON-AEROSOL PRESSVRIZED PL~STIC DISPENS~R
WI~H ANTI-FOULING MEANS

Back~round of the Invention 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of containers for dispensing fluids under pressure. More particularly, the invention relates to a plastic container for dispensing fluids under pressure which is adapted to employ an expanda~le bag to generate the expulsion pressure within the container, and the method for manufacturing such a container.

2. Background of the Invention Containers for dispensing fluids under pressure have traditionally fit into two categories: (1) pressurized containers, such as the common aerosol container, in which constant pressure is exerted on the fluid to be expelled both during use and non-use; and (2) pump-type containers in which the user creates the expulsion pressure during use by manual actuation of a pump apparatus. Commercially suitable pump-type containers have been constructed from a variety of materials, including metals, glass, ceramics and plastics, among others. Since the expulsion pressure is only developed during times of actual use in these containers, complete gas impermeability has not been a design requirement.
In contrast, commercially available pressurized containers have almost exclusively been constructed of metal. By and large, gas propellants within the container have provided the requisite pressure for expelling the fluid contents of the container upon actuation of a valve mechanism. Gas impermeabllity has therefor been a prime requirement for such containers, and since techniques for ~7i~

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~277;2~3 forming ga~ imperme~ble ~sal~ ln metal containerq have long been ~uccessful, metal container~ have prevailed.
Metal di~pensing containers do po~ess 4 di~advantage~ however, not the lea~t o~ which are high material coqt~ and manu~acturing co~plexity. Further, ~uch 6 metal containers generally amploy mounting cup~ in which the 7 valve as~embly i~ mounted and which must be crimped to the ~ top portion of the contalner. Con~equently, efforts have g been made to produce pre~urized di~pen~ing containers made from other materials, e~pecially plastic~. To date, however, 11 these ef~ort~ have not reQulted in an entirely sati~ractory 12 alternative to the pressurized ~etal container.
13 For example, U.S. Patent No. 3,140,80Z disclo~e~ a 14 pre~3urized di~penslng container ~hich include~ a collap~ible bag and a separate compartment into which an expandable 16 fluid, such a~ nFreon" i~ placed. The bag is ~Pated securely 17 in a container which may be con~tructed of pla~tic, and lB attached to the ~ide wall of the container by an adhesive or 19 by heat Realings. (Col. 3, lines 4-7). The lower sur~ace of the bag i~ ad~acent to a "cradle" which ~orms one wall o~ the 21 Freon-containing compartment. Holes are ~ormed in the cradle 22 so that the expanding ga~ can exert pres~ure on the exterior 23 surface o~ the bag and cause its content~ to be expelled when 24 the valve of the oonta~ner i~ actuated. Thi~ arrangement represent~ an attempt to separate the ~luid content~ to be 26 expelled from the container rrom the pre~ure-producing ga~
27 propellant and thu~ reduce the number o~ seallng locatlon~
28 where the ga~ can escape.
29 The seals bet~een the bag and the interior wall o~
the contalner and the lower portion of the container thus : .:

1 become critical in as~uring that the ga~ propellant does not 2 escape into the at~osphere.

3 U.S. Patent Noq. 3,698,595 and 3,791,557 are 4 representative of an alternative appro~ch to the ~olutlon of the gas permeabili~y problems which have heretofore been endemic to pre~surized pla~tic di~penQing containers. Both 7 Or these patent~ di~clo~e pres~urized di~psnsing oontainers 8 in which the pre~ure i~ developed on the fluid to be g expelled by the contraction of an ela~tic bladder in which the fluid is contained. The former patent states that one of ll the advantageQ of a bladder-type container ~uch as the one 12 di~clo~ed therein is that the container as~embly can be made 13 of plastic. ~Col~ 1~ lines 34-38). Bladder-type containers 14 thu~ ~olve the gas permeability problem by elimlnating gas a~
a propellant altogether. Quite obviously, the ~tructural 16 integrity and contra~ting characteri~tic~ of the bladder 17 material are llmiting ~actor on the Yuitablity of thi~ type 18 of container for commerc~al u~e.
19 Laqtly, British Patent Publication ~o. 2,101~225 disclose~ a plaqtic di~pen~ing container which, like the 21 common metal aero~ol container, u~e~ a ga~ propellant mixed 22 in with the fluid to be expelled to create the requisite 23 explu~ion pressure. In thiA oase, an attempt i~ made to 24 ~olve the gas permeability problem by a ~ariety of sealing arrang2ment~ between the valve as~embly portion o~ the 26 contalner and the ves~el portion. A metal valve cup 18 u~ed 27 in the preferred e~bodiment and sealing i~ accompli~hed by 2~ cri~ping the metal over the pla~tic rim or nbeadn Of the 29 ve~el port~on of the oontainer.

;293 ~u~ r~ v~n~
The present inventlon is an improved pla~tic pressurized di~p~nsing container in which the n~ed ror the cumbersome ba~ and bladder arrangements and the relatively complex and co~tly sealing arrangementq ~hown in the prior 6 art is eliminated. Moreover, the pre3ent container i~ made 7 entirely of plastio aside fro~ the valve components and 8 pos~es~es a minimal number of oompollent parts, thus g ~implifying manuracturs. The reduced cost and simplicity o~
the container o~ the invention make~3 it much more suitable 11 for large-scale commerc~al use than both ~etal and plastic 12 containers ~n the prior art.
13 The plastic container of the invention includes two 14 essential component part~, an upper portion which hou~e the valve mechanism nece~sary for di~pen3~ng of the ~luid 16 product, and a lower portion which when cealed to the top 1~ mean3 forms the chamber ~n which the fluid to be di~pen3ed is 18 retained. The dispen3ing valYe is hou~ed in the upper 19 portion o~ the container in a reeeptable formed pre~erably by in~ection molding, thus el~minatlng the need to ~eat the 21 valve aqsembly within a mounting eup and crimp the rup to the 22 top of the container ~n manuracture.
23 Internal pres~ure for expelling the content~ of the 24 container upon actuatlon of the valve i~ provided by an expandable bag located ~ith~ the chamber in whioh the ~luid 2~ to be expelled i3 retained. The bag contain~ compo~ltions 27 which when reaoted together 8enerate a ga~, thereby ~nflatlng 28 the bag and causing the bag to exert pre~sure upon the ~9 content~ to be expelled rro~ the oontainer. Suoh an expandable bag i~ di~clo3ed in U.S. Patent No. 4,376,500.

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To prevent the expan~lon of the bag from blocking relea e Or any p~rtion of the ~luid content~ within the chamber, a tube quch a~ that disclosed in the aforementioned 4 U.S. Patent No. 4,376,500 may be included within the chamber to provide a clear pa~age ~or expulsion of the la~t remain-6 ing fluid within the container a~ th~e bag reache~ it~ ~ully 7 expanded condition. Alternatively, a rib may be integrally B formed along the portion of the container forming the ~de g wall o~ the fluid-containing chamber to accompli~h the same purpoqe-11 In a ~imilar Yein, a valve ~kirt or clo~ure i~
12 provided within the top meanq of the eontainer around the 13 periphery of the valve mechani~m ln order to prevent any 14 portion of the expanding baB ~rom ob~tructing the e~cape of fluid through the valve. The valve, which ~ay be o~ a male 16 or female type i~ mounted within a receptacle molded in the 17 top end of the upper portion o~ the con~ainer. The valve 18 mean~ i~ retained in plaee by mean~ of a ~pring member 19 mounted within the clo~ure and urging the valve against the receptacle wall.
21 ln order to permit the mo~k ef~icient utilization 22 of ~pace and s~mpli~y manufacture, each of the ~tructural 23 components of the container are 3haped such that they will 24 ne3t together in cup rashion. In the a~em~ly proces~ ror 2~ the preferred embodiment, a cup-like bottom mean~ from a 26 ne~ted ~tack i~ fed onto the as~embly line and oonveyed to a 27 ~tation where the rluid to be di~pen~ed i~ poured $nto lt and 28 th~n conveyed to a ~urther statlon where ~he expandable bag 25 i9 dropped into th~e op~n mouth Or that bottom mean~. The 30 lower portlon o~ tlle container lnto ~hlch the expandable ba~

is inserted is formed with an unobstructed or generally full opening. In this manner, the expandable bag may be inserted withou-t any sideways crushing necessary to facilitate insertion into conventional aerosol containers having narrow openings.
At the next two stations, the top means of the container is first seated onto the open mouth of the bottom means and then welded to the bottom means by a suitable plastic welding process, such as ultrasonic welding, spin welding or friction welding. Once the top means is sealed to the bottom means assembly is complete. The sealing require-ments for such a container are such that the generated seal must be capable of sustaining fluid pressure of at least twenty-five pounds per square inch without any substantial amount of fluid leakage.
Accordingly, it is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide a plastic container for dis-pensing fluids under pressure which includes two essential component parts to be assembled in manufacture.
~t is an object of an aspect of the invention to provide a plastic container for dispensing fluids under pres-sure which is adapted to utilize an expandable bag to generate the expulslon pressure within the container.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to provide a plastic dispensing container utilizing an expandable bag expulsion system which includes novel structural features to prevent the fluid to be expelled from being trapped within ,' . . .

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the container by the expanding bag.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to provide a plastic dispensing container which is formed from nestable component parts.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to provide a simple/ low cost method for assembling a plastic container for dispensing fluids under pressure.
Various aspects of the invention are as follows:
A container including a pressure generating expandable bag for dispensing fluid contained in the container which comprises:
a one-piece lower portion formed of a pressure -resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic material, said lower portion having a bottom closed end, and side walls extending upwardly from said closed end and terminating to form a substantially fully open end;
expandable bag means including pressure generating means therein for dispensing fluid from said container, said expandable bag being adapted to be inserted into the open end of said lower portion of said container without any substantial crushing thereof;
a one-piece upper portion formed of a pressure resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic material, said upper portion having a top end, side walls extending downwardly from said top end and terminating to form a substantially fully open end sized for mating with said open end of said lower portion and a dispensing valve receiving means integrally molded in said top end and including guarding means extending downwardly from said top end for preventing the expandable bag from blocking the release of fluid from said container;
sealing means for joining said lower portion and said upper portion to form a single fluid-impermeable .

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:, , . - : ,' ' - , --,, : . ' ' 7 a :~L,2~7;~93 chamber with said guarding means extending into said chamber;
dispensiny valve means for releasing fluid from said chamber disposed in said dispensing valve receiving means and protected from interference with said expandable bag by said guarding means; and closure means for retaining said valve means in said dispensing valve receiving means and for providing communication with the fluid to be dispensed, said closure means including cap means having a cylindrical ridge for centering said dispensing valve means and being secured to a lower edge of said guard means, said guard means having openings therein to permit the fluid to pass from said chamber to said valve means, said guard means preventing the expandable bag from blocking sald openlngs.
A top dispensing member for use with fluid dispensing containers having an expandable bag means therein for exerting pressure on fluid in the container to be dispensed which comprises:
unitary one-piece molded member formed of a pressure resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic material having a top end, side walls extending downwardly from said top end and terminating to form a substantially fully open end sized for mating with an open end of a lower portion of the container and a dispensing valve receiving receptacle means formed in said top end and including depending guard means extending do~nwardly from said top end into said container for preventing the expandable bag from blocking the release of fluid from said container;
dispensing valve means for releasing fluid from the container, disposed in said receptacle;
closure means for retaining said valve means in said receptacle means and including cap means having a cylindrical ridge for centering said dispensing valve ~ ~;j r ' ' ' ' ~ ' ~
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means and being secured to a lower edge of said guard means, said guard means having openings therein to permit the fluid to pass from the container to said valve means, at least one of said guarding means and said closure means including a surface which said expandable bag means engages upon expansion to restrain the expandable bag means from substantially interfering with said valve means and the dispensing of fluid therefrom; and resilient means disposed between said closure means and said valve means for urging said valve means into a sealing relation with said receptacle means.
Still further objects may become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description set forth below.
Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate similar parts, and in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a plastic dispensing container in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the plastic dispensin~ container of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the fluid to be dispensed and the expandable bag in place within the interior of the container;
FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the plastic b B

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~;277;2~3 dispensing container of FIG. l;
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the plastic dispensing container of FIG. 1 taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed view in perspective of the valve assembly and surrounding structure of the container of the invention;
FIG. 6 illustrates an e.xploded view of the structural components of the plastic dispensing container of FIG. 1, and the expandable bag used therewith;

~3 7~c 7~:9~3 FIG. 7 illu~trateq a detailed view in cro~s-~ection Or the interface between the two ba.qic COmpOnentQ of the container Or the invention, ln thi~ ca~e the top and bottom means o~ the container of FIG. l;
FIG. 8 ~llustrateq an exploded view o~ the structural components of the valve assembly and clo~ure mean~
enclo~ing the valve as~e~bly;
e FIG. 9 illustrate~ an exploded ~iew o~ an g alternative embodlment of the valve a~embly closure means;

FIG. 9a illu~trates an exploded view of a further 11 alternative embodiment of the valve a~Qembly clo~ure mean~;
12 FIG. 10 show~ a cross--~ectional view of a nested 13 stack of top means Or the pla~tic diqpenQing container o~ the 14 invention ~hown ln FIG. l;
FIG. 11 ~how~ a cro~ ectional ~iew o~ a neQted 16 ~tack of bottom mean~ of the plastic di~pen~ing container Or 17 the invention Qhown in FIG l;

18 FIG. 12 show~ a cro~ ectional view of a nested 19 ~tack o~ ba~e cup mean~ o~ the pla~tic diQpenslng container 2~ ~ the invention shown in FI~

~l FIG. 13 illu~trate~ the a~embly ~equence ~or the 22 pre~erred embodiment of the pla~tic di~pen ing container of 23 the invention; and 24 FIG. 14 illu~trates a cro~ ectional view o~ an a}ternative container embodiment utilizing the top meanQ Or 26 the pla~tic dl~pen3ing ~ontain~r.

27 De~cription of the Pre~erred Embodi~ent 28 Referring now to the drawing3, the preferred 29 embodiment of the pla~tic dispen~ing container of the invention is ~hol~ in FIGS. 1-4, 6 and 9-11, and i3 . --8--.

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.' ~2~7~3 designated generally by reference numeral 10. FIGS. 1-4 ~how varlou~ Yie~s of container 10 in itq Pully-aY~embled oondition while FIG. 6 ~hows an exploded view of the 4 structural components of container 10. Container 10 lncludes t~o basic ~tructural component~, top mean~ 12 and bottom 6 means 14. Top means 12 generally take~ the form o~ a tapered ~ cap, having a ~ide open lower portion 16 and a narrower upper 8 portion 18. Lower portion 16 tapers outwardly to for~ the g wide~t dimen3ion of the top mean~ 12, and terminateC in a depending flange 20 who~e purpo~e will be hereinarter ll de~cribed.
12 Upper portion 18 of top mean~ 12 include3 a wide 13 transverse groove, or rece~s, 22 having a ~ub~tantially flat 14 bottom wall 24. Bottom wall 24 includes a cylindrical housing 26 in the center thereo~ having an aperture 2 l~ therein.
17 Cylindrical hou~ing 26, which ~orm~ a receptable 18 for the valve a~embly, iY integrally molded with the bottom 19 wall 24 o~ the top 12 and extends upward there~rom. The interior of cylindrical housing 26 l~ sized to receiYe a 21 conventional ~alve a~embly which may be either of the male 22 or ~emale type. Extend~ng downward from and integrally 23 molded with bottom ~all 24 is a cylindrical guard 27 24 encirel~ng the valve a~sembly and which lnclude~, a3 de-qcribed in greater detall below, a holding means for 26 retaining the valve a~embly within the receptable 26.
27 Mounted ~ithin hou~ing 26 is a ~pring-loaded 28 aero~ol spray ~alve as3embly 30, lncluding valve ~tem 32, 29 which as mentloned may be either male or female. Any 9uitable 9pray head (not 9hown) ~ay be moun~ed on valve stem :: _g_ ,: : :

~77293 1 32 to impart flo~ characteristics which are appropriate for 2 the flu~d being dlspensed and the end use to which the ~luid 3 19 being put. The width dimen~ion Or rece~ 22 i~ choqen ~o 4 that the finger of any uqer of the container may easily gain acce~q to the valve meanQ 30. Rece~ 22 provide~ protection 6 ~or Yalve means 30 ~hen the container i~ not in actual use, 7 and al~o lnsure~ that the ~luid being expelled from the 8 container will not travel in a direction which the user does g not intend.
The manner in which valve aqqembly 30 ~q retained 11 within the oylindrical receptable ~5 and guard 27 i~ best 12 depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9. Valve a~embly 30 1~ poQitioned 13 within cylindrlcal hou~ing 26 with the stem 32 aligned to 1~ extend through aperture 28 and the ~eal 29 which abut~
again~t the in~ide of the top wall of receptable 26. Valve 16 9tem 32 ~ncludeq a hole 32a, ~o that when the valve ~tem is 17 depre~qed by a user, the hole will be dispo~ed below seal 29, 18 allowing fluid to enter the hole to be di~pensed. Valve 19 a~embly 30 i~ urged into an abutting ~ealing relation with receptcle 26 by means of a compre~ion spring 31 which 21 engages the bottom o~ valve a~3embly body 30b. Locking o~
22 the valve a~embly 30 within the receptable 26 1~
23 aocomplished by mean~ of a oap 33 ~hich i~ ~a~tened to the 24 guard or 3kirt 27 and which holds compres~ion ~pring 31 25 against Yalve a~embly 30. Cap 33 include~ a oylindrioal 26 rldge 33a ~hlch serve~ to centsr spring 31. In order to 27 allow ~luid materlal to be di~pen~ed to enter the valve 28 a~sembly, apertures 62 are provided in guard 27.
29Cap 33 may be bonded to the depending ~kirt 27 by 30means o~ ~pin or sonic weldlng a~ slill be de3cribed belowO

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-~, ~2~7Z93 An alternative mounting of cap 33 to skirt 27 iq depicted in FIG. 9. Ears 33c are positioned about the periphery of cap 33 and include groove~ 33d which engage and mate with the rib 27a extending about the periphery of ~kirt 27. An alternative frictional mounting of the cap i~ depicted in FIG. 9a. A plurality Or frictional gripping members 33e are po~itioned on the upwardly extending wall 33f of cap 33.
8 Gripping member~ 33e, which are preferably metal, engage and g bite into the outer surface of ~kir-t 27 and thus hold spring 31 againqt valve asYembly 30. Cap 33 and wall 33f thereof ll may further be provided with hole~ 33g to allow for material 12 flow from the container into the val~e as~embly. ~
13 Alternatively, in~tead oP forming guard 27 14 integrally with top means 12, guard 27 could be formed lS integrally with cap 33 and ~uitable mounting means could be 16 provided on the top means 12, such aQ tho~e already di~cus~ed 17 or variation3 thereof.

lB Utilization of the valve a~embly and it~ mounting l~ within the integrally molded receptacle 26 eliminate~ thç
need ~or the valve mounting cup~ u~ed in the prior art.
21 Further, the a~sembly described herein eliminateq the step of 22 crimping the mounting cup to the container which ha~
23 heretofore created numerouQ problemc as~ociated with leakage 24 particularly when the container ha~ been dropped.
Bottom mean~ 14 compri~e~ a generally cup-shaped 2S ve~3el which i~ tapered from a relatlYely ~ide open end 38 to 27 a narrower clo~ed end 40. In the pre~erred embodiment, 28 clo~ed end 40 l~ rounded to ~eat ~lthin a ba~e cup mean~ 42 29 ~hich will ~e here~nafter de~cribed. However, it ~hould be under~tood that clo~ed end 40 may in the alternative have a . ~ ' ~LZ77~9~

flat bottom wall or other configuration that will enable bottom means 14 to ~tand upright ~ithout ~upport.
3 A~ is best ~een in FIGS. 2 and 7, bottom mean~ 14 4 ~ncludes near itq open end 38 a laterally extending ~houlder 44 which Qurround~ the outer periphery of bottom mean~ 14.
6 ~th reference particularly to FIG. 7, which illu~trate3 the ~ lnterface between top means 12 and bottom mean~ 14 prior to 8 welding, qhoulder 44 is located at a distance below the rim 9 46 of the open end of bottom means 14 which i~ approximately equal to the di~tance which flange 20 of top mean~ 12 extend~
ll below rim 48 of top means 12. Located at the edge of rim 46 12 f bottom mean~ 14 ls a bead 50. In the proces~ of welding 13 the top and bottom mean~ of contalner 10 together, bead 50 l~
14 partially melted to form a weld between rim 48 of top means ~5 12 and rim 46 of bottom mean~ 14. When weldlng is complete, 16 the lower end of flange 20 rests upon the upper surface of 17 ~houlder 44. The width dimen ion of ~houlder 44 i3 chosen to 18 match the width of ~lange 20 90 that a Qmooth ~unction i~
l9 formed when the top and bottom mean~ are welded together.
Effective ~olning of the top and bottom portion~ o~
21 contain~r 10 ~ay be obtained by ~pin welding in which the top 22 portion 12 i~ rotated ~hile bearing again~t the bottom 23 portion 14. In thi~ manner, an effective ~eal may be 24 achieved qu~ckly having a ten3ile ~trength virtually equal to that of the pla~tic ~aterial. ~lternatively, ~onic or 26 ultra~onic ~elding may be employed. In any ca~e, exce~ive ~7 ~la~hlng 9hould be trim~ed. In a container o~ the type 28 de3~ribed utlli~ing an expandable bag, the sealing of the 29 component parts ~hould be ~ufficient to with~tand an lnternal ~luld pre3~ure of at lea~t 25 pounds per square inch. Such ~ . .

qy~tems have been found to exert pressures in the range of 25 to 90 pounds per square inch.
The ~ealing o~ top mean~ 12 to bottom ~eans 14 thus forms within the container a ~luid impermeable chamber 53.
Fluid 54 i~ ~hown located within chamber 53 in FIG. 2, a~
well as an expandable bag 56 such as that de~cribed in detail in the aforementioned V.S. Patent No. 4,376t500.
8 In brief, the expandable bag of the above-mentioned g patent includes a ~irct group of compartments which are relea3ably sealed to the internal ~ide wall of the bag and 11 which contain a sub~tance such a~ citric a~id in powdered 12 form or ln aqueou~ solution. Locatéd within the bag external 13 to the fir3t group Or compartments ~ a ~econd sub~tance, 14 such as Yodium bicarbonate, which ~hen reacted in the ~olution with the citric acid component will generate carbon 16 dioxide gas. The solvent medium, water ~or example, for the 17 aforesaid reaction i~ contained in a ~eparate rupturable 18 compartment in~ide the bag. A time release capsule of the 19 citric acid component i~ located in the bag adjacent to the second comp~nent~ Quch that it can be di~olved in the ~1 solvent medium when deQired to lnitially activate the ga~
22 generating system, l.e., at the point of Pinal assembly o~
23 the bag into the di~pen~ing container 10. As the bag expands 24 lnitially9 the flr3t group o~ compartment3 i~ 3ucce~sively un~ealed ~rom the ~ide wall thereo~, thereby discharging 26 their eontent~ into the ~olvent containing the second 27 eo~ponent and ~a~ ntaining generation of the ga3 until the bag 28 reache~ its ~ully expanded condition.

29 A~ bag 'j 6 expand-~ ~ithin chamber 5 3 o~ container 10, a greater and greater portlon of the volume occupied by 2~3 fluid 54, and any air initially entrapped wi~hin chamber 53, 2 ~ill be di~placed until the force exerted by the expanding 3 gasee within bag 56 reacheA equilibrium with the reactionary 4 force exerted by the fluid 54 and entrapped air ~lthin the chamber 53. Initial actuation Or the valve mechani~m 30 will 6 permit the entrapped air ~ith~n chamber 53 to escape an~
7 allow the bag 56 to expand further to occupy the Yolume B evacuated by the entrapped air. Succeeding actuations o~ the g valv~ mechani~m 30 will permit fluid 54 to be expelled from chamber 53 under the preq~ure exerted by the expanding bag 56 11 until bag 56 di3places the entire volume o~ chamber 53 12 occupied by fluid 54 and all of the fluid hae been expelled.
13 The expan~ion of bag 56 within ehamber 53 create~
14 the po3sibility that the bag will expand to the limit~ of the upper portion of chamber 53 be~ore expanding to the lower 16 limit~ o~ chamber 53, thereby trapping ~luid in that lo~er 17 portion. In order to prevent thi~ ~rom happening, the 18 preferred embodiment of container 10 include~ along the 19 interior ~ide wall o~ bottom portion 14 a longitudinal rib 58. Rib 58 will prevent bag 56 ~rom expanding completely to 21 the ~ide walls o~ bottom portion 14, thereby creating an 22 eccape pasqage ~or any ~luid in the lower portion o~ chamber 23 53. The function of rib 58 may al~o be ~erved by a tube 24 placed within the bottom portlon 14 of the container 10 during manufacture. Such a tube i~ ~hown and de~cribed in 26 the above-mentioned U.S. Patent No. 4,376,500.
27 In a ~lmilar vein, cylindrical guard 27 ~hieh i~
2~ integrally forme~ ~ith top mean~ 12 rurther ~erve~ to preYent 29 the expanding bag 56 ~rom obstructing the valve a~embly ~0.
30 Cyl~ ndrical guard 27 include a plurality o~ groove3 62 .

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~LX77;~93 therein to provide pa~age for fluid 54 to r~ach the valve 2 a~embly 30.
3 A~ mentioned earlier, the bottom mean~ 14 Or the 4 preferred embodiment of oontainer 10 ha4 a rounded lower portion 40 which ~eat~ within a ba~e cup mean~ 42 a~ shown in 6 ~IG. 2. Ba e cup means 42 includeq a bevelled inter~or wall 7 64 which i~ formed to ~nugly ~it again~t the tapered ~ide 8 ~alls of bottom mean 14. The lower portion of ba~e cup g mean~ 42 form~ an annular inwardly ~lop~ng ~eat 66 which ~upport~ the rounded bottom port1on 40 of bottom mean~ 14.
ll Bevelled ~all 64 and annular ~eat 66 cooperate to pOQition 12 bottom cup mean~ 14 in an upright po~ition.
13 All of the structural components of container 10 14 hereinbefore de~cribed (~ith the exception o~ certain internal part~ of valve a~embly 30 and the spring 31) are 16 formed o~ any one Or a number of ~ynthetic pla~tic~ which are 17 both fluid impermeable and strong enough to with~tand the 18 pre~qure developed ~ithin the container. Among the pla~tic~
l9 from which the eontainer of the invention may be formed are polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride and the 21 polyacronitriles. The ~tructural component~ o~ the container 22 may be made by any one Or a number of proceQs@s for forming 23 pla~tic part~, such as blow molding, extrusion or injection 24 ~oldin~.
A~ sho~n ln FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, top mean~ 12, 26 bottom mean~ 1~ and ba~e cup means 42 of She preferred 27 embodiment o~ container 10 are each shaped ~o as to be ~tored 28 ln nested stack~. The ne~table ~hape3 oP top mean~ 12, 29 bottom mean8 14 and ba3e cup mean~ 42 permit ~torage of those co~ponents prior to ~anufacture in relatively ~mall area~, .

thus efficiently utilizing the ~pace availab:Le ~or Qtorage and lowering warehousing costq. The ne table shape~ al~o promote ea~ier ~eeding of the eomponent~ on the as3embly line 4 ~uring manufacture.
S The manufacturing aYsembly ~equence ~or the ~ preferred embodiment of the container of the invention i~
7 illu~trated from le~t to right in FIG. 13. Botto~ cup meanq 8 42 i9 fir~t fed from a nested stack onto a moving belt or g other conveying device, and then dellvered to Station (1).
l~ At Station (1), a bottom means 14 is ~ed from a ne~ted ~tack ll and seated ~n base cup mean~ 42. The requltin~ suba~embly ~ then delivered to Station (2), where bottom mean~ 14 is l~ filled wi~h fluid which i to be di~pen ed. After being 14 filled with ~luid, the ~ubas~embly i~ conveyed to Station (3)~ where an expandable bag 56 is in3erted from a magazine 16 into bottom means 14. Since the bottom mean~ 14 ha3 a wide 17 opening extending for its entire ~nner dlameter, in~ertion o~
18 the expandable bag 56 is accomplished w$thout requirlng l9 oru~hing. Next, the ubas~embly is conveyed to Station (4~, where top mean~ 12 i~ ~ed rrom a magazine containing a ne~ted 21 stack of that component onto the open end of bottom means 14.
22 At the next Station, Station (5~, top mean~ 12 is welded to 23 botto~ means 14 by one of a number of uitable plastic 24 ~elding techn~que~, 3uch a~ ultrasonic weld~ng~ friction 25 weldlng or spin ~elding~ The completed eolltainer 10 i~ then 26 conveyed to a pa~king 3tation and then prepared ~or ~hipment.
Appropriate modif~cation~, ~hich ~11 be obvious to 2~ tho~e ~killed in the art, may be made to the a~e~bly 29 ~equence lllu~trated in FIG. 13 to accommodate containers of di~ferent ~hape~. For exa~ple, as prevlou~ly ~entloned, .
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~'77~3 bottom means 14 may have a flat bottom wall enabling it to stand upright without base cup means 42, thereby eliminating base cup means 42 from the assembly sequence. Alternatively, bottom msans 14 or top means 12 may have non-nestable shapes which would require them to be placed or fed onto the assPmbly line by a different method than that shown in FIG. 13.
The cap or top means 12 of the container 10 herein may readily be adapted for use in association with a refill pouch of the type disclosed in applicant~s Canadian Patent No. 1,195,298, issued October 15, 1985 and entitled "A Dispensing System And A Refill Pouch".
With particular re~erence to FIG. 14, the top means 92 of container 90 is generally of the same construction as that previously described except that a different manner of sealing the two basic components of the container together is provided. The lower portion of top means 92 of container 90 includes an extended depending flange 96 which is provided with screw threads on its interior wall. Mating screw threads are provided on the exterior surface of the upper portion of bottom means 94. An o-ring seal may be utilized in association with the threads, to secure an appropriate seal.
The bottom means 94 again includes the expandable bag 95, depicted in FIG. 14 in a partially expanded state, including pressure generating means 9 and rupturable compartment 100 for initiating gas generation. A tube 101 may be provided so that material to be dispensed at the bottom of bottom means 94 is not "pinched off" by the expandable bag 95~ As explained in greater detail in aforementioned Canadian Patent No.
1,195,298, the material to be dispensed is housed within an outer pouch 97, as is also the expandable bag 95.
Outer pouch 97 preferably conforms to the shape of bottom means 94 and top means 92, as shown. The top of outer pouch 97 is open to allow fluid material to be P;
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~.2~293 dispensed to be in communication with the valve assembly. Such an opening may be made by removal of a tear strip as explained in aforemantioned Canadian Patent No. 1,195,298 or by an appropriate puncturing of the outer pouch 97. Once all of the material has been dispensed, container 90 may be opened by removal of the top means 92 and a new refill inserted as described in aforementioned Canadian Patent No. 1,195,298.
This invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments set forth in detail, but it should be understood that these are by way of illustration only and that the invention is not nacessarily limited thereto. Modifications and variations will be apparent from this disclosure and may be resorted to without departing from the spirit o~ this invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand.
Accordingly, such variations and modifications of the disclosed invention are considered to be within the purview and scope of this invention and the following claims.

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Claims (18)

1. A container including a pressure generating expandable bag for dispensing fluid contained in the container which comprises:
a one-piece lower portion formed of a pressure -resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic material, said lower portion having a bottom closed end, and side walls extending upwardly from said closed end and terminating to form a substantially fully open end;
expandable bag means including pressure generating means therein for dispensing fluid from said container, said expandable bag being adapted to be inserted into the open end of said lower portion of said container without any substantial crushing thereof;
a one-piece upper portion formed of a pressure resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic material, said upper portion having a top end, side walls extending downwardly from said top end and terminating to form a substantially fully open end sized for mating with said open end of said lower portion and a dispensing valve receiving means integrally molded in said top end and including guarding means extending downwardly from said top end for preventing the expandable bag from blocking the release of fluid from said container;
sealing means for joining said lower portion and said upper portion to form a single fluid-impermeable chamber with said guarding means extending into said chamber;
dispensing valve means for releasing fluid from said chamber disposed in said dispensing valve receiving means and protected from interference with said expandable bag by said guarding means; and closure means for retaining said valve means in said dispensing valve receiving means and for providing communication with the fluid to be dispensed, said closure means including cap means having a cylindrical ridge for centering said dispensing valve means and being secured to a lower edge of said guard means, said guard means having openings therein to permit the fluid to pass from said chamber to said valve means, said guard means preventing the expandable bag from blocking said openings.

2. A container in accordance with Claim 1 which further includes rib means integrally formed along the interior side wall of said lower portion for preventing said fluid from becoming trapped within said chamber by said expandable bag means as said bag means expands.

3. A container in accordance with Claim 1 wherein at least one of said upper and lower portions has a nestable shape.

4. A container in accordance with Claim 1 wherein said lower portion is welded to said upper portion forming a seal capable of sustaining a fluid pressure of at least twenty-five pounds per square inch without any substantial amount of fluid leakage.

5. A container in accordance with Claim 1 wherein said lower portion has a rounded closed end and said container further includes:
base cup means into which said rounded closed end of said lower portion is disposed, for supporting said lower portion in an upright position.

6. A container in accordance with Claim 2 which further includes rib means integrally formed along the interior sidewall of said top portion of said container for preventing said fluid from becoming trapped within said chamber.

7. A container in accordance with Claim 1 wherein said dispensing valve receiving means comprises an upwardly extending generally cylindrical housing adapted to conform to the body of said valve means, said valve means having an upwardly extending valve stem, said cylindrical housing having an aperture in the upper end thereof to facilitate passing of the valve stem therethrough.

8. A container in accordance with Claim 7 which further includes resilient means disposed between said closure means and said valve means for urging said valve means into a sealing relation with an upper end of said cylindrical housing.

9. A container in accordance with Claim 8 wherein said closure means further comprises:
a plurality of coupling members perpendicular to the surface of said cap means and positioned around the periphery of said cap means, said coupling members having a groove on the inside portion thereof, a rib extending around the outer surface of said guard means, said groove of the coupling members engaging with said rib for mounting the cap means to said guard means.

10. A container in accordance with Claim 8 which further includes frictional holding means securing said guard means and said cap means.

11. A container in accordance with Claim 8 wherein said closure means further comprises a plurality of gripping members positioned on the inside of a cylindrical wall of said cap means, said gripping members frictionally engaging the outer surface of said guard means.

12. A container in accordance with Claim 11 in which said gripping members are metal.

13. A top dispensing member for use with fluid dispensing containers having an expandable bag means therein for exerting pressure on fluid in the container to be dispensed which comprises:
unitary one-piece molded member formed of a pressure resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic material having a top end, side walls extending downwardly from said top end and terminating to form a substantially fully open end sized for mating with an open end of a lower portion of the container and a dispensing valve receiving receptacle means formed in said top and and including depending guard means extending downwardly from said top end into said container for preventing the expandable bag from blocking the release of fluid from said container;
dispensing valve means for releasing fluid from the container, disposed in said receptacle;
closure means for retaining said valve means in said receptacle means and including cap means having a cylindrical ridge for centering said dispensing valve means and being secured to a lower edge of said guard means, said guard means having openings therein to permit the fluid to pass from the container to said valve means, at least one of said guarding means and said closure means including a surface which said expandable bag means engages upon expansion to restrain the expandable bag means from substantially interfering with said valve means and the dispensing of fluid therefrom; and resilient means disposed between said closure means and said valve means for urging said valve means into a sealing relation with said receptacle means.

14. A top dispensing member in accordance with Claim 13 wherein said receptacle means comprises an upwardly extending generally cylindrical housing, the interior of which is adapted to conform to the body of said valve means, said valve means having an upwardly depending valve stem, said cylindrical housing having an aperture in the upper end thereof to facilitate passing of said valve stem therethrough.

15. A top dispensing member in accordance with Claim 13 which further includes frictional holding means securing said cap means and said guard means.

16. A top dispensing member in accordance with Claim 13 wherein said closure means further comprises:
a plurality of coupling members perpendicular to the surface of said cap means and positioned around the periphery of said cap means, said coupling members having a groove on the inside portion thereof;
a rib extending around the outer surface of said guard means, said groove of the coupling members engaging with said rib for mounting the cap means to said guard means.

17. A top dispensing member in accordance with Claim 13 wherein said closure means further comprises a plurality of gripping members positioned on the inside of a cylindrical wall of said cap means, said gripping members frictionally engaging the outer surface of said guard means.

18. A top dispensing member in accordance with Claim 17 wherein said gripping members are metal.