Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05C17/00—Hand tools or apparatus using hand held tools, for applying liquids or other fluent materials to, for spreading applied liquids or other fluent materials on, or for partially removing applied liquids or other fluent materials from, surfaces
  • B05C17/005—Hand tools or apparatus using hand held tools, for applying liquids or other fluent materials to, for spreading applied liquids or other fluent materials on, or for partially removing applied liquids or other fluent materials from, surfaces for discharging material from a reservoir or container located in or on the hand tool through an outlet orifice by pressure without using surface contacting members like pads or brushes
  • B05C17/00576—Hand tools or apparatus using hand held tools, for applying liquids or other fluent materials to, for spreading applied liquids or other fluent materials on, or for partially removing applied liquids or other fluent materials from, surfaces for discharging material from a reservoir or container located in or on the hand tool through an outlet orifice by pressure without using surface contacting members like pads or brushes characterised by the construction of a piston as pressure exerting means, or of the co-operating container
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05C—APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
  • B05C17/00—Hand tools or apparatus using hand held tools, for applying liquids or other fluent materials to, for spreading applied liquids or other fluent materials on, or for partially removing applied liquids or other fluent materials from, surfaces
  • B05C17/005—Hand tools or apparatus using hand held tools, for applying liquids or other fluent materials to, for spreading applied liquids or other fluent materials on, or for partially removing applied liquids or other fluent materials from, surfaces for discharging material from a reservoir or container located in or on the hand tool through an outlet orifice by pressure without using surface contacting members like pads or brushes
  • B05C17/01—Hand tools or apparatus using hand held tools, for applying liquids or other fluent materials to, for spreading applied liquids or other fluent materials on, or for partially removing applied liquids or other fluent materials from, surfaces for discharging material from a reservoir or container located in or on the hand tool through an outlet orifice by pressure without using surface contacting members like pads or brushes with manually mechanically or electrically actuated piston or the like

Definitions

• the present invention relates to apparatus for use in dispensing material from a cartridge.
• dispensing apparatus in the form of a handheld caulking gun, which supports a cartridge containing material to be dispensed.
• the gun allows pressure to be applied to the cartridge in a controlled manner so as to ensure correct dispensing of material from a cartridge nozzle. Once all the material within the cartridge has been dispensed, the cartridge can be removed and replaced.
• Such apparatus has been used for decades and the conventional gun arrangement takes the form of a handle arrangement provided on a supporting frame.
• the supporting frame extends along the length of the cartridge in order to hold the cartridge securely in place for pressure to be applied. Pressure is then applied by a plunger arrangement which is actuated by a lever and which arrangement moves against a sealing piston in the cartridge which is arranged to travel along the length of the cartridge causing material to be dispensed through the nozzle at the far end of the cartridge as it does so.
• the removal of a cartridge is a two-handed operation requiring three separate steps, namely (1) releasing the nonreturn mechanism with one hand, (2) retracting the plunger from the cartridge with the other hand, and finally (3) lifting the cartridge out of the enclosing frame.
• a further aim of the invention is to provide dispensing apparatus with reduced dimensions.
• a further aim of the invention is to provide dispensing apparatus capable of receiving cartridges of different sizes.
• dispensing apparatus for dispensing material from a cartridge
• a body portion comprising: a body portion; retaining means arranged to receive an end of a cartridge and retain the cartridge in connection with the body portion for application of a force thereto during use, and to allow subsequent release of the cartridge;
• said retaining means includes at least one deformable member arranged to be deformable upon reception of the cartridge by the retaining means; characterised in that the at least one deformable member is arranged to engage at least part of an external surface of the cartridge.
• one or more deformable members are engageable with an external surface at an end of the cartridge such that the remainder of the cartridge extends from the apparatus.
• material is dispensed from an outlet at the end of the cartridge opposing that which is engaged by the apparatus.
• the retaining means of the present invention is particularly advantageous since the cartridge can be held fast without the need to surround the cartridge with the frame.
• a dispensing gun according to the present invention is more compact than conventional designs.
• By engaging the outer perimeter of the cartridge at only one end a cartridge can be attached or removed without the need to remove the cartridge from a conventional frame or retract the plunger and as a result can be removed relatively quickly.
• the present invention also carries a surprising advantage in that the cartridge itself can be gripped by a user, rather than the frame surrounding the cartridge and so a user can hold the cartridge with more accuracy, with less opportunity for uncontrolled movement of the cartridge and improved feedback.
• one or more deformable members are disposed around the circumference of the cartridge during use.
• the deformable member is arranged outwardly of the cartridge circumference.
• the deformable members are range taking.
• the deformable member is selectively interchangeable.
• one or more deformable members are deformable in a radial direction.
• one or more deformable members extend radially between the cartridge wall and the remainder of the apparatus body during use.
• one or more deformable members are provided in an annular arrangement.
• the deformable member includes a series of deformable elements arranged around a ring.
• the individual elements can therefore deform individually or else in unison.
• the retaining means is provided with a reception area such as a slot or groove, typically annular in shape for receiving the end of a cartridge.
• the at least part of the deformable members or elements protrude over the slot or groove such that insertion of the cartridge into the slot or groove causes deformation of the elements .
• the apparatus is provided with a release member.
• the release member is movable so as to allow a releasing force to be selectively applied to the deformable member.
• the release member is arranged to deform the deformable member in substantially the same direction as the direction of insertion of the cartridge.
• the portion of the release member which comes into contact with the deformable member is annular in shape.
• the release member typically contacts all the deformable members or elements simultaneously or at least a sufficient number of the same as to allow the retaining force on the cartridge to be reduced to a sufficient extent to allow the cartridge to be released.
• the release member therefore allows removal of the cartridge from the apparatus in a single direction, simply by pulling the cartridge in one direction and the release member in the other. This is particularly advantageous since a cartridge can be removed from a dispensing gun, without first requiring the plunger to be returned to a fully retracted position.
• a cartridge will usually contain a viscous fluid such as sealant or glue for use in DIY and trade applications .
• a viscous fluid such as sealant or glue
• the present invention is not limited to such uses and may be applied to any other dispensing cartridges.
• the pressure to be applied to the cartridge may be applied manually or else by other conventional means, such as pneumatic means or else by electromechanical actuation.
• a retaining means for exerting a gripping force at or adjacent to an end of an article, said article having a wall portion having an outer surface depending therefrom at said end, said retaining means including a reception area into which at least part of the wall portion can be located and wherein there is provided one or more resilient deformable elements at least partially protruding from or overlying the periphery of said reception area such that movement of the article into the reception area causes the said elements to contact with and be moved by the article to exert a gripping force on the article outer surface.
• the deformable member has a substantially circular shaped perimeter with the deformable elements located therealong.
• the deformable member is frustoconical in shape.
• the deformable elements form part of the wall of the deformable member. Typically the deformable elements depend inwardly.
• the deformable member has an annular ridge formed offset from the perimeter, which ridge causes the elements to lie at substantially the same angle with respect to the remainder of the ring.
• the retaining means can be provided in conjunction with a release member, said release member moveable into contact with the deformable member to cause the gripping force exerted by the deformable elements to be reduced to a sufficient extent to allow the manual release of the article.
• the size of the deformable member and/or deformable elements can be adjusted to allow location of a particular article size therewith. More typically, one of a range of deformable members can be selectively fitted in position to suit the particular size of the article which is to be retained.
• the retaining means is provided as part of a caulking gun and the article is cartridge with a fluid therein which is to be dispensed from the caulking gun when the article is retained in the same.
• Figure Ia shows a side view of a dispensing apparatus according to the prior art
• Figure Ib is a sectional view of a conventional cartridge
• Figure 2 is a side view of a dispensing apparatus according to the present invention.
• Figure 3 is an end view of the retaining means of the dispensing apparatus of figure 2;
• Figure 4 is a sectional view of the retaining means of figure 3 taken through the plane A-A ;
• Figure 5 is an exploded isometric view of the dispensing apparatus of Figure 2.
• Figure 6 illustrates a side view of an exploded isometric view of a deformable member (a) when not in use; (b) when deformed by insertion of a cartridge.
• a conventional dispensing apparatus is shown in figure Ia and comprises a handle portion 2, a frame 4 and a rod 6.
• the frame 4 has a body portion 8 and a supporting cradle 10 which extends in front of the handle 2 and provides a support for a cartridge 12 which is shown in figure Ib .
• the handle portion 2 includes a lever 14 which acts on a washer 16, through which the rod 6 passes .
• actuation of the lever 14 causes the washer to pivot away from its rest position and to grip the rod 6, moving the rod forward towards the front of the cradle 10.
• a spring 18 Upon release of the lever 14, a spring 18 returns the washer 16 to its resting position such that subsequent actuation of the lever advances the rod further forwards . In this manner the rod can be moved in a stepwise manner to apply pressure to a cartridge held in the frame 4.
• the rod end 20 acts as a plunger.
• a conventional cartridge having an outer wall 22 defining a cavity 24.
• the cavity is filled with material to be dispensed, which may be a viscous liquid such as for example a glue or a sealant.
• the cartridge has a nozzle 26 defining an opening at one end for dispensing the material.
• a movable wall 28 defines the opposing end of the cavity such that, upon application of a pressure to the exposed face of the movable wall, the material is forced out of the opening in the nozzle.
• the rear end of the cartridge is therefore open so as to allow access to the movable wall for application of the required pressure.
• the cartridge In use the cartridge is seated within the frame 4 such that the nozzle protrudes through an opening in the front of the cradle 10. Actuation of the lever causes the rod 6 to progress towards the movable wall 28 through the rear end 30 of the cartridge 12. Upon contact between the plunger 20 and the movable wall 28, further actuation of the lever 14 causes material to be dispensed through the nozzle. The flow of material through the nozzle is therefore controlled by a user via controlled actuation of the lever 14.
• a return lever 32 is provided, which once depressed, allows a user to pull the rod in a reverse direction back through the body portion 8. Only once the rod is pulled into its rearmost position can the cartridge be removed from the cradle.
• FIG 2 avoids the need for the front cradle according to the prior art and instead is provided with a more compact arrangement for reception of a cartridge such that the cartridge can be securely held in place for use and subsequently removed as required.
• the arrangement according to the present invention has a body portion 34 with retaining means which are enclosed within housing 36. Protruding from the housing 36 is a release member 38, the operation of which will be described below. Both the housing and the release member are generally cylindrical in shape in accordance with the shape of standard cartridges which are also cylindrical. However it will be appreciated that these parts may take a different form to suit other cartridge configurations.
• Figure 3 shows an end view of the retaining means of figure 2.
• the rod 6 can be seen to extend through the centre of a deformable member, which takes the form of a metal ring 40.
• the ring is provided with a series of deformable elements in the form of tabs or protrusions 42 which are provided around the circumference of the ring 40.
• the tabs 42 extend radially inwardly from the ring and are spaced by slits .
• Behind the tabs 42 there is provided a reception area in this case in the form of a groove or annular slot or recess 44, which can be seen more clearly in figure 4, for reception of the end of a cartridge.
• the housing 36 encloses an annular member 45.
• the annular member 45 is shaped to provide the slot 44 for reception of the cartridge.
• the annular member has a central aperture 46 for reception of the rod 6 such that the rod can slide back and forth through the aperture 46.
• Positioned on the annular member 45 is the deformable ring 40.
• the deformable ring is seated on an outer lip 48 around the annular member and the deformable elements extend inwardly of the lip 48.
• the rearmost edge of the annular member provides an abutment 49 for spring 18 so as to maintain the compression of the spring 18 during use.
• the housing has a backing member 50 which is rigidly attached to the body 34.
• the backing member is integral with the gun body and may be moulded as a single part.
• the backing member is provided with a threaded protrusion 52 which mates with a correspondingly threaded portion of the housing 36 so as to maintain correct alignment of the housing and internal parts during use.
• the release member 38 is in the form of a sleeve which can slide a short distance against the inside wall of the housing 36.
• the sleeve has a ridge 54 to prevent the sleeve being pulled out of the opening 58 in the housing 36.
• the travel of the sleeve in the opposite direction is limited by flange 56 such that the sleeve is held adjacent the housing with a limited degree of freedom.
• the rod 6 is inserted through the annular member 45, spring 18, body portion 34, spring 60, washer 16 and return lever 32, and these components are held in place on the rod 6 by rod ends 20, 20' and secured thereto by nuts 62, 62' threaded onto the ends of the rod 6.
• the lever 14 is pivotally connected to the handle 2 via pivot points 64.
• the release member 38 is snap-fitted into the housing 36 and retained by a protrusion as hereinbefore described.
• the deformable ring is then inserted into the slot 44 in the annular member 45 and the housing is screwed thereover via threaded protrusion 52.
• a cartridge is inserted into the retaining means through the opening 58 in direction B.
• the cartridge fits inside the retaining means and is pushed into contact with the ring 40.
• the cartridge deforms the elements or tabs 42 such that the cartridge can slide past the ring 40 and into the slot 44.
• the elastic deformation of the tabs 42 causes a frictional contact between the tabs and the cartridge once inserted. This contact resists the removal of the cartridge.
• the resistance is greater in magnitude than the force applied to the movable wall of the cartridge such that the cartridge is firmly held in place during use.
• Figure 6 illustrates how the end of the cartridge 30 can deform the ring 40, as the cartridge forces apart the inner deformable elements such that they provide a grip on the cartridge.
• the release means can be depressed by a user by pressing on the flange 56. This presses the opposing end of the sleeve against the ring 40 so as to deform the tabs 42.
• the force applied to the release member exceeds the resistance of the deformable member such that the tabs deform to a greater extent than that caused by the insertion of the cartridge end.
• the deformable members release their grip on the cartridge wall allowing the cartridge to come away from the gun.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Coating Apparatus (AREA)

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• 2006
  • 2006-07-26 GB GB0614814A patent/GB0614814D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2007
  • 2007-06-29 WO PCT/GB2007/002431 patent/WO2008012494A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-06-29 EP EP07733415A patent/EP2043789A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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