GB2161401A

GB2161401A - Cleanable nozzle assembly for pressurised dispensers

Info

Publication number: GB2161401A
Application number: GB08516768A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Herbert Fossler; Gunter Vogel
Original assignee: Aerosol Inventions and Development SA AIDSA
Current assignee: Aerosol Inventions and Development SA AIDSA
Priority date: 1984-07-11
Filing date: 1985-07-02
Publication date: 1986-01-15
Also published as: IT1185208B; GB2161401B; ES287807U; FR2567423B1; AU4471885A; ZA855073B; AU570125B2; ES287807Y; IT8521487A0; GB8516768D0; FR2567423A1; DE8519968U1

Abstract

An actuating and dispensing nozzle assembly for a pressurised dispenser (so-called 'aerosol') especially for food products like cream or mousses, or for two-component products, the nozzle (2) is made easy to clean without removing it from the container by allowing it to hinge right back (4,8,9) to expose both ends (6,3) for rinsing under a tap or with a solvent. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cleanable nozzle assembly for pressurised dispensers This invention relates to a nozzle assembly for the kind of small pressurised dispensing containers, usually hand-held, often known colloquially as aerosols. It is concerned in particular with a nozzle assembly in which the nozzle itself designed to be easily cleaned.

Where food products, such as whipped cream, are dispensed from such pressurised dispensers it is desirable to be able to free the dispensing nozzle from any traces of the product after use, since any dried residue will contaminate the fresh product next time the dispenser is used.

This need for cleaning also applies to dispensers in which two separate products are dispensed si multaneously and are only brought together within the nozzle, where possibly they undergo a mutual chemical reaction; this arises for example in the case of certain glues and polyurethane mousses.

With conventional nozzles it is necessary to take the nozzle off altogether in order to clean it; this is not always easy, and furthermore the inexperi enced user is likely to have difficulty in replacing it correctly on the stem of the valve. More seriously, he is quite likely to damage either the valve stem or the co-operating socket in the nozzle when doing so.

The aim of the invention is to reduce this danger and make it easier to wash out the nozzle after use without damaging either the nozzle or the stem of the valve.

According to the invention we propose that a nozzle assembly for mounting on a pressurised dispensing container and co-operating with the valve on the container should comprise an annular baize for snap engagement with the neck of the container or with the usual valve mounting cup around an upstanding actuating stem of the valve, and a dispensing nozzle communicating with an in let spigot designed to engage the valve stem, the nozzle being hinged to the base at a hinge line to one side of the spigot in such a manner as to allow the nozzle sufficient axial and lateral freedom to move in actuation of the valve when the spigot is in engagement with the stem and the nozzle is de pressed by the user, and the hinging being such as to allow the nozzle to be swung aside through at least 45" and preferably up to 1800 about the hinge line, so as to bring both ends of the nozzle well clear of the valve and allow easy rinsing, yet with out detaching the nozzle from the container.

The nozzle assembly is preferably a one-piece moulding in plastics material. The hinge line could be defined by a web left in an otherwise circumfer entially extending gap between the inner edge of a flange on the base and a periphery of the nozzle.

The nozzle may incorporate a raised platform, pref erably ribbed, for engagement by the user's finger to depress it and actuate the valve, the platform being on the opposite side of the nozzle from the hinge.

In a modification the gap could also be bridged by a tamper-evident feature in the form of a breakable web at a point diametrically opposite the hinge, this web being broken by the user the first time the dispenser is used.

The axis of the nozzle may be laterally offset from that of the spigot in a direction towards the hinge.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an axial section through a nozzle assembly according to the invention, taken on the line I-I in Figure 2; Figure 2 is a view of the nozzle assembly from above; and Figure 3 is an elevation looking in the direction of the arrow Ill in the other two figures.

The nozzle assembly illustrated is a one-piece moulding in plastics material and comprises an an nular base 1 joined to a dispensing nozzle 2. The base has internal ribs 11 and 12 by which it can be brought into snap engagement with the rim of a conventional one-inch mounting cup of a standard so-called aerosol valve mounted on a pressurised dispensing container.

An inwardly directed flange at the upper edge of an upstanding rim 13 on the base 1 is joined to the lower part of the nozzle 2 by a hinge 4 which bridges an otherwise almost continuous annular gap 7. Diametrically opposite the hinge 4 there is a very narrow, and therefore easily breakable, web 14 bridging the gap 7. As will be seen in Figure 3 the gap 7 also extends through the flange and down into the rim 13 so that the hinge includes a horizontal portion 8 and vertical portion 9.

The nozzle 2 is joined at its lower end to a spigot or socket 3 which has a short vertical bore, the lower end of which is flared to ensure easy engagement with the upper end of the actuating stem of a conventional valve (not shown) on the container to which the assembly is fitted.

The axis of the nozzle 2 is offset laterally in relation to the axis of the socket 3, in a direction towards the hinge 4. This offset forms a chicane in the path of the product to be dispensed, the effect of which is to help its expansion where the product is a mousse, or to help good mixing where two products are being dispensed simultaneously and are to react together in the nozzle.

On the opposite side of the nozzle 2 from the hinge 4 is a raised platform 10 with a ribbed upper surface for engagement by the user's finger. bepressing the nozzle by downward pressure on this platform opens the valve (not shown) and dispenses the product through the nozzle.

The upper end of the nozzle in the example shown has a saw-tooth rim 6 to produce a decorative effect on the emerging product. In a modification, not illustrated, the upper part, at least, of the nozzle could be made as a separate detachable component, having a spigot engagement with the rest of the assembly, so that any one of a number of different ends can be fitted, allowing a variety of different patterns to be imparted to the emerging product.

The nozzle assembly described bears a superficial resemblance to actuator nozzle assemblies which are already known. However, in these known assemblies the hinging of the nozzle was only sufficient to allow actuation of the valve, for which angular movement of only a few degrees was sufficient. In contrast to this, by virtue of the extended hinge defined by the horizontal portion 8 and vertical portion 9, themselves defined by the gap 7 extending not only circumferentially but also, radially and vertically through the rim 13 at two spaced points, the nozzle in the assembly according to the invention is much more flexibly hinged and can be pivoted through at least 45" and preferably up to 1800.Consequently the nozzle 2 can be swung back at least to the position shown in the broken lines in Figure 1, without removal from the container, so that it is to one side of the valve, with both ends fully exposed, and it can easily be held under a tap or cleaned with a solvent if necessary to rinse away any residues of the product. Moreover, when it has been cleaned the nozzle can be swung back into position, lining up with and engaging the stem of the valve with the minimum risk of damaging the valve stem or the socket 3.

In the example shown, the nozzle is swung back through about 1500 for cleaning, and most of the hinging movement takes place at the root of the vertical portion 9 of the hinge. However, the whole of the hinge, i.e. the portions 8 and 9 together, could be made thin enough to flex evenly without creating any local high stress.

Claims

1. A nozzle assembly for mounting on a pressurised dispensing container and co-operating with the valve on the container comprising an annular base for snap engagement with the neck of the container or with the usual valve mounting cup around an upstanding actuating stem of the valve and a dispensing nozzle communicating with an inlet spigot designed to engage the valve stem, the nozzle being hinged to the base at a hinge line to one side of the spigot in such a manner as to allow the nozzle sufficient axial and lateral freedom to move in actuation of the valve when the spigot is in engagement with the stem and the nozzle is depressed by the user, distinguished by the feature that the hinging is such as to allow the nozzle to be swung aside through at least 45" about the hinge line so as to bring the nozzle clear of the valve and expose both ends of the nozzle for easy access for cleaning without its removal from the container.

2. A nozzle assembly according to claim 1 which is a moulding in plastics, with the hinge defined by a portion bridging an otherwise substantially continuous circumferentially extending gap between an upper rim of the base and the nozzle.

3. A nozzle assembly according to claim 2 in which the gap extends not only circumferentially but also, at two circumferentially spaced points, radially through an inward flange on the rim of the base to define a radially extending portion of the hinge.

4. A nozzle assembly according to claim 2 or claim 3 in which the gap extends not only circumferentially but also, at two circumferentially spaced points, vertically through the rim of the base to define a vertically extending portion of the hinge.

5. A nozzle assembly according to any one of the claims 1 to 4 in which the hinge is such as to allow movement of the nozzle through not less than 150".

6. A nozzle assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the nozzle has a raised platform for engagement by a user's finger at a point on the opposite side of the nozzle from the hinge.

7. A nozzle assembly according to any one of the claims 1 to 6 in which the axis of the nozzle is laterally offset from the axis of the spigot in a direction towards the hinge.

8. A cleanable nozzle assembly for mounting or a pressurised dispensing container, substantially a described with reference to the accompanying drawings.