GB2085531A

GB2085531A - Dispenser for liquid preparations

Info

Publication number: GB2085531A
Application number: GB8124877A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-08-23
Filing date: 1981-08-14
Publication date: 1982-04-28
Also published as: GB2085531B

Abstract

Body 10, of a pump having a plunger rod 15 depression of which causes liquid to be ejected through nozzle 17 and upward movement of which under the action of spring 20 causes liquid to be sucked up tube 30 and past non-return ball valve 22, is provided with a threaded spigot 28 enabling it to be mounted permanently in place, e.g. on a sink top 36 adjacent a bowl 37. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Dispenser for liquid preparations This invention concerns dispensers for liquid substances and preparations.

It is already known to provide pump-type liquid dispensers for use in conjunction with liquid containers, such as bottles, the dispenser being adapted to fit onto or into the mouth or lid of the container and having a plunger which is hollow and integral with a nozzle through which liquid from the container is dispensed upon depression of the plunger. These dispensers are quite satisfactory in many circumstances and locations, especially where the user has both hands free, so that he can hold the container with one hand and operate the plunger with the other. For example they can conveniently be used in a bathroom for dispensing hair cream, the user dispensing a quantity of the cream into his hand for application to his hair.These known arrangements suffer from the disadvantage, however, that the dispenser/container combination is relatively unstable, so that its use requires a reasonable amount of care. Setting up of the combination in a fixed location requires the provision of special means such as a bracket for the dispenser and container to fit to or of a holder for the container to be fitted into.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser arrangement which is adapted to be fitted stationarily in a desired location, such as on a sink top or adjacent a wash basin, in a very simple, convenient and inexpensive manner, so that liquid (such as detergent, liquid soap, shampoo or the like) required at said location can be dispensed easily and reliably as required, if desired in predetermined measured amounts.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a dispenser for liquid substances and preparations comprising a pump having a body from an upper end of which projects a plunger depression of which will cause a pumping action, so as to dispense liquid from a nozzle of the dispenser, characterised in that said body has, at its lower end, a threaded spigot by which the body may be fixed to a supporting structure by the spigot protruding through a hole in the structure and the latter being clamped between the body and a nut screwed onto the spigot.

Conveniently, the plunger of the pump is hollow and has the nozzle projecting therefrom.

The body of the pump may be of cylindrical configuration.

The spigot may, if desired, be constructed for a liquid container, such as a bottle or the like made for example of a plastics material, to be connected directly thereto. However, the spigot may serve to provide for a tube, which may be a flexible tube, to extend to a container spaced at a distance from the dispenser. The tube may conveniently be provided, at its free end remote from the spigot, with a non-return valve which serves to present flow-back of liquid from the dispenser to the container. Such a non-return valve may be provided at the lower end of a dip tube carried by a closure cap of the container and adapted for the flexible tube to be connected thereto.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred practical embodiment thereof, it being understood that the following description is illustrative and not restrictive of the scope of the invention. In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation illustrating the preferred embodiment of the dispenser fitted to a sink top; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the lower end of the flexible tube of the dispenser of Fig. 1 connected to a container; and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic part-sectional view, to a reduced scale, illustrating the entire arrangement.

The preferred embodiment of the liquid dispenser of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a pump having a body which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 0.

The operative disposition of this body 10 when installed, as shown in Fig. 1 and will be described in detail later, is with its axis substantially vertical.

The body 10 comprises an internal cylinder 11 made, for example, of a tough plastics material, incorporating an integral external collar 1 2 above which is a screw-threaded section 1 3 onto which threadedly engages a top closure cap 1 4. A hollow rod 1 5 of a plunger of the pump extends through the top closure cap 14. This rod 1 5 is coaxial with the body 10 and has, on its upper end, an enlarged head 1 6 from which a nozzle 17 of the pump extends radially, with a slightly downwardlyturned free end 1 8.

The plunger further includes a piston 1 9 which is a sealed sliding fit within the cylinder 11 and is loaded resiliently upwards by a helical spring 20 the lower end of which serves to load downwards, onto a frusto-conical seat 21, a non-return valve member in the form of a ball 22.This piston 19 is so shaped that upon depression of the plunger to move the piston 1 9 downwards in the cylinder 11, any liquid in the cylinder 11 will be forced up the interior of the rod 1 5 and out of the nozzle 1 7, since it is prevented from moving downwards by the ball 22; then, upon upward movement of the plunger under the action of the spring 20, the piston 1 9 serves to apply suction to an inlet socket 23 at the bottom end of the cylinder 11 to draw further liquid into the cylinder 11 as will be described later.

Surrounding the cylinder 11 is a two-part telescopic casing, e.g. of stainless steel or other suitable metal. This comprises an upper tubular outer section 24 having, at its upper end, an inwardly-directed flange 25 which is clamped between the closure cap 14 and the collar 12, and a lower tubular inner section 26, the bottom of which is flared slightly and has a bottom plate 27 to the centre of which is connected an externally threaded spigot 28 on which is a nut 29.

A flexible tube 30 by which liquid may be supplied to the dispenser is a snug fit through the spigot 28 and a liquid tight fit into the inlet socket 23.

As is shown in Fig. 2, the other lower end of the tube 30 is fitted to a nipple 31 formed integrally with a closure cap 32 of a container 33 for a liquid required to be dispensed, for instance a domestic detergent, a shampoo or liquid soap. This nipple 31 communicates with an integral dip tube 34 at the lower end of which is a non-return inlet valve 35, which is held in close to the bottom of the container 33 by the dip tube 34.

The dispenser as described is particularly suitable for installation, for example, on a supporting structure in the form of a kitchen sink top, which is indicated diagrammatically at 36 in Fig. 1, to provide a permanent arrangement enabling a detergent or washing-up liquid to be supplied into a bowl 37 forming part of the sink top 36 in a simple and convenient manner. For this installation, all that is necessary is to bore, through the sink top in an appropriate location where the dispenser is to be installed, a round hole of diameter just greater than the external diameter of the threaded spigot 28.

The lower tubular inner section 26 of the casing (separated from the rest of the components of the dispenser) is now fitted in place by inserting the spigot 28 through the hole, a cushion washer 38 being provided between the bottom of the section 26 and the sink top 36, and tightening thereon the nut 29 with the interposition of a washer 39.

Then, the lower end of the tube 30 is pushed down through the spigot 28 and the remaining components of the dispenser, all assembled together as shown in Fig. 1, are brought into place, simply by sliding the upper tubular outer section 24 of the casing onto the section 26, as shown.

The dispenser having been so fitted, the lower end of the flexible tube 30 is fitted to the nipple 31 of the cap 32 on the container 33 with the latter disposed in any suitable location beneath the sink top 36, e.g. in a corner of a cupboard structure supporting the sink top 36.

Operation of the dispenser will readily be understood from the foregoing description.

Depression and release of the plunger of the pump causes the latter to pump liquid from the container 33 up through the flexible tube 30, and to dispense it through the nozzle 1 7 the non-return valve 35 preventing any possibility of the liquid falling back into the container 33. Accordingly, with the nozzle 1 7 directed towards the sink bowl 37, a user can readily dispense a desired amount of detergent into the bowl, in a safe and reliable manner, without the necessity of having to handle an entire container, simply by depressing the plunger. The container 33 with which the dispenser is used may be a conventionallyavailable detergent bottle as available currently by way of retail sale, of the type normally used by inverting the bottle and squeezing out a desired amount of its contents.However, it can, if desired, be a relatively large container, such as one of 5 litres capacity, which would not be capable of handy use in the same way as a squeeze type bottle as above described.

Naturally, the invention is not confined to the foregoing example and variations may be made thereto. In the described embodiment, for example, the spigot 28 could, if desired, be constructed for a container, such as a detergent bottle, to be fitted directly thereto, without the interposition of the flexible tube 30. The tube 30, where provided, need not be flexibie, but may be substantially rigid, and can be embodied directly with the spigot 28, instead of being fitted thereto, the spigot then providing the inlet to the cylinder 11 of the dispenser.

Of course, the precise structure of the pump, its mechanism and body may be varied as desired, since the precise form or construction thereof are not critical to the invention. The body of the pump may be substantially closed at its top, with just an opening for the plunger to project through, access to the pump being available through the bottom of the body. In this case or in the described case, the bottom of the body may be removable, being secured in place for instance by threads or a bayonet connection.

The use of the dispenser of the invention is not confined to household detergents. It can be used in any location where the frequent dispensing of small liquid quantities is required. Thus, it may be installed, for instance, alongside the bowl of a wash basin so as to dispense liquid soap or a shampoo. Other applications are possible.

Claims

1. A dispenser for liquid substances and preparations comprising a pump having a body from an upper end of which projects a plunger depression of which will cause a pumping action, so as to dispense liquid from a nozzle of the dispenser, characterised in that said body has, at its lower end, a threaded spigot by which the body may be fixed to a supporting structure by the spigot protruding through a hole in the structure and the latter being clamped between the body and a nut screwed onto the spigot.

2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plunger of the pump is hollow and has the nozzle projecting therefrom.

3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the body is of cylindrical configuration.

4 A dispenser as claimed in claim 3 wherein the body comprises a tubular lower part carrying the spigot and a tubular upper part which encloses' a cylinder from which the plunger projects, and which is a telescopic fit to the tubular lower part.

5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 4 wherein the tubular upper part includes a flange which is clamped between a collar on the cylinder and a top closure cap screwed onto the cylinder, whereby the cylinder and tubular upper part are united.

6. A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the spigot provides for a tube to extend from the pump to a container spaced at a distance from the pump.

7. A dispenser as claimed in claim 6 wherein the tube is flexibie.

8. A dispenser as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein the tube is provided, at its end remote from the spigot, with a non-return valve which serves to prevent flow-back of liquid from the dispenser to the container.

9. A dispenser as claimed in claim 8 wherein the non-return valve is provided at the lower end of a dip tube carried by a closure cap of the container.

10. A dispenser for liquid substances and preparations substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.