IE42865B1 - Dispensing pump - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an improved dispensing pump. According to the present invention there is provided a pump of the resiliently deformable diaphragm type comprising: upper and lower housing members interconnected in fluid tight manner to define a pump housing, said members respectively having relatively opposed and upper and lower clamping surfaces; a resiliently deformable diaphragm having an encircling imperforate flange clamped between said clamping surfaces in fluid tight manner, said flange constituting a unitary portion of said diaphragm and being the sole portion of said diaphragm which engages both of said housing members; said diaphragm and said upper housing member jointly defining an enclosed pump chamber; said lower housing member having a central opening therethrough surrounded by its said clamping surface; actuating moans carried hy said housing for movement through said opening in operative engagement with said diaphragm for deforming the latter to vary the volume of said pump chamber; said lower housing member being formed with an inlet port adapted for communication with a source of fluid and opening upwardly through said lower clamping surface beneath said flange, said upper clamping surface being formed with a recess opposite said inlet port extending from the outer peripheral edge of said flange into communication with said pump chamber to permit local upward flexing of said flange and flow of fluid from said inlet port around the outer edge of said flange into said recess; said upper housing member being formed with an outlet port communicating with said pump chamber and opening downwardly through said upper clamping surface, said flange normally seating against said last mentioned clamping surface to close the outlet port; said lower housing member being formed with a further recess in said lower clamping surface opposite said outlet port extending to the outer peripheral edge of said flange for permitting local downward flexing of said outer peripheral edge and flow of fluid from said pump chamber around said outer peripheral edge into said further recess, said further recess communicating through a discharge passage with the atmosphere.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a cross sectional view through a pump of the invention as applied to a conventional product container for dispensing the liquid or fluid product therefrom.

Figure 2 is a detail plan view of the lower housing member of the pump housing, the upper housing member and diaphragm being removed. - 3 65 Figure 3 is a detail bottom plan view of the upper housing member.

Figures 4 and 5 are similar sectional views, taken in the line 4-4 of Figure 2, of the operative portions of the pump structure, showing the positions assumed by the parts respectively during the compression or discharge stroke of. the pump, and during its suction or return stroke.

Referring now In detail to the accompanying drawings: The pump of the preferred embodiment comprises a rigid pump housing which is defined by the upper and lower rigid housing members 10 and 12 respectively having relatively opposed upper and lower clamping surfaces 14 and 16 (best shown in Figures 3 and 2 respectively) of endless, preferably circular configuration, between which is clamped the encircling flange 18 of a resiliently deformable diaphragm 20 which co-operates with the upper housing member 10 to therewith define an enclosed pump chamber 22. The housing members may be interconnected by conventional means, such as threaded fasteners, disposed through the holes 23. The diaphragm 20 includes, as an integral portion thereof, a central dome of generally hemispherical shape within the encircling preferably circular flange 18, with the concave side of the dome presented toward the housing member 10 to therewith define the pump chamber 22 and the upwardly presented base or periphery - 4 42865 of the dome, at i!ts juncture with the flange, preferablyabutting against the under face of the upper housing member 10, to be compressed and deformed thereagainst during the pumping operation.

The convex side of the dome is received in the central opening 24 of the lower housing member for engagement by the lever arm 25 of an actuating lever or trigger 26, the upper end of which is fulcrumed at 27 to the lower housing member for swinging movement in a slot 28 (Figure 2) which communicates with the opening 24. It is to be noted that in the illustrated embodiment, the inner edge portion of the flange 18 is in permanent sealing engagement with the lower clamping surface 16 completely around the opening 24 to thereby prevent leakage into the opening of the fluid product being pumped.

While provision of the hereinafter described intake and discharge passages and ports will permit passage of fluid outwardly from the pump chamber 22 above the flange 18, as an incident to the pumping operation, the two housing members 10 and 12 are interconnected in fluid tight manner, as for instance by the provision of a ring type seal 30 to prevent undesired leakage of the liquid product from the housing and to confine same to its intended path of discharge. - 5 » 9 Depending from the lower housing member 12 at a location across the central opening 24 thereof from the trigger or actuating lever 26 is a supporting plug 32 preferable constituting an integral portion of the lower housing member 12.

The plug 32 extends through an opening in a closure cap 33 which is threaded onto the container neck, and is formed with an integral encircling flange 31 which is clamped between the cap and the upper end of the container neck. The plug thus supports the pump housing 10, 12 and actuating lever 26 in cantilever manner from the container. With both the operating lever or trigger 26 and the diaphragm 20 offset laterally from the container at one side thereof, all in a manner to minimize the total height of the container and pump, while placing the depending lever 26 in an optimum position for actuation by the same hand of the user which encircles and grips the upper portion of the container during the pumping operation.

It will be noted that the plug 32 projects into the opening 24 and its upper end portion is formed to define a sealing surface 34 which is shaped and disposed for sealing engagement with the exterior convex surface of the diaphragm dome 20 when the latter is in its normally fully expanded and undeformed condition. A vent passage 35 extends upwardly from the container interior through the lower end of the plug 32 and terminates in a vent port opening to the atmosphere through the venting valve seat defined by the surface 34. - 6 42865 Also extending upwardly from the interior of the container through the plug 32 is an inlet passage 36 which opens upwardly through the lower clamping surface 16 to define an inlet port at a location normally covered and closed by the flange 18 which seats against the lower clamping surface around the port thus provided. By means of a conventional dip tube 37, the inlet passage communicates with the lower end portion of the container.

The upper clamping surface 14 of the upper housing member is formed with a recess 38 directly opposite the inlet port 36 to permit local upward flexing and unseating of the outer edge portion of the flange 18. Since the recess 38 communicates with the pump chamber across the upper surface of the t flange 18, suction produced by expansion of the pump chatriber on its suction stroke, will open or unseat the flange 18 from inlet port 36 and draw liquid product from the container into the pump chamber.

Also formed in the upper housing member is an outlet port defined by one or more slots 40 extending outwardly par20 tially across the downwardly presented clamping surface 14 and opening downwardly to the flange 18. The flange 18 in its undeformed state normally seats against the clamping surface 14 and over the downwardly opening outlet port 40 to close the latter. 865 Directly beneath tbe outlet port 40, tbe lower housing member is formed with a recess 42 which extends beneath the outer peripheral edge of the flange and is proportioned to permit local downward flexing of the outer edge portion of the flange so that the latter may unseat from and open the outlet port 40 to permit a flow of the fluid product from the pump chamber 22 into the recess 42 which in turn communicates with a discharge spout 44 leading to the atmosphere. in the operation of the invention, with the pump applied to a container in the manner illustrated and described in connection with Figure 1, the container may be supported in one hand with the fingers of that hand encircling the depending trigger 26 so as to be capable of intermittently squeezing and releasing the trigger. This will alternately collapse the pump chamber 22 as shown in Figure 4 and permit it to expand under its own resiliency. The resilient expansion of the chamber which occurs whenever the trigger is released serves to return the trigger to its normal position in Figure 1.

Assuming that the pump has been primed to fill the pump chamber with the liquid to be dispensed, each time the trigger is actuated to collapse the resilient diaphragm dome 20, the resulting pressure of fluid on flange 18 unseats it from the port 40 so as to allow a portion of the pump chamber contents to be discharged through the port and discharge passage 42, 44 - 8 42865 into the atmosphere. Upon release of the trigger, the resulting resilient expansion of the dome returns the trigger to its original position, while opening the flange 18 from inlet port 36, due to the resulting sub-atmospheric pressure and drawing a fresh supply of fluid from the container into the pump chamber, as best illustrated in Figure 5.

It will be readily appreciated that during each compression stroke, the deformation of the dome 20 by the trigger, as shown in the .drawing, will cause the dome to uncover the upper end of the vent passage 35 whereby atmospheric air may flow into the opening and through said passage into the container to replace that portion of the liquid product which is withdrawn from the container by the pumping action and, in general, to maintain the interior of the container at substantially atmos15 pheric pressure.

It will thus be seen that the single integral diaphragm structure herein disclosed is so formed that when associated with the other parts of the pump, separate portions of the diaphragm serve the multiple functions of intake and discharge valves, as well as of a venting valve and, in addition, the inner periphery of the flange serves as a seal to prevent loss or leakage of liquid product thiough the central opening 24 of the lower housing member through which the lever arm 25 moves in operative engagement with the resiliently deformable dome.

Further, it will be apparent where the dome and its flange are of circular configuration, they may be readily operatively assembled to the associated housing members without necessity for angular· or rotational orientation with respect to those members, it being necessary only that the members themselves be oriented with respect to each other. Such orientation may be fceadily accomplished by use of suitably located fasteners or other means well known in the art.

Claims (8)

1. CLAIMS:1. A pump of the resiliently deformable diaphragm type comprising: upper and lower housing members interconnected in 5 fluid tight manner to define a pump housing, said members respectively having relatively opposed upper and lower clamping surfaces; a resiliently deformable diaphragm having an encircling imperforate flange clamped between said clamping XO surfaces in fluid tight manner, said flange constituting a unitary portion of said diaphragm and being the sole portion of said diaphragm which engages both of said t housing members; said diaphragm and said upper housing member 15 jointly defining an enclosed pump chamber; said lower housing member having a central opening . therethrough surrounded by its said clamping surface; actuating means carried by said housing for movement through said opening in operative engagement with said 20 diaphragm for deforming the latter to vary the volume of said pump chamber; said lower housing member being formed with an inlet port adapted for communication with a source of fluid and opening upwardly through said lower clamping surface beneath said flange, said upper clamping surface being formed with a recess opposite said inlet port extending from the outer peripheral edge of said flange into communication with said pump chamber to permit local upward flexing of said flange and flow of fluid from said inlet port around the outer edge of said flange into said recess; said upper housing member being formed with an outlet port communicating with said pump chamber and opening downwardly through said upper clamping surface, said flange normally seating against said last mentioned clamping surface to close the outlet port; • I said lower housing member being formed with a further recess in said lower clamping surface opposite said outlet port extending to the outer peripheral edge of said flange for permitting local downward flexing of said outer peripheral edge and flow of fluid from said pump chamber around said outer peripheral edge into said further recess, said further recess communicating through a discharge passage with the atmosphere.

2. A pump as defined in claim 1, in which said actuating means comprises a lever fulcrumed on and depending from the pump housing at one said of said central opening, and having a lever arm disposed for operative movement upwardly through said opening into deforming engagement with said resiliently deformable diaphragm, and for return movement reresponsive to resilient return of the diaphragm to its normal undeformed shape. 42S65

3. A pump as defined in claim 2 wherein said lower housing member is formed with a vent passage for communicating with the interior of a container to which the pump is applied, said vent passage terminating in a vent port within said central 5 opening, said port being surrounded by a valve seat positioned for sealing engagement with the diaphragm in the normally undeformed condition thereof, and for disengagement with the diaphragm to open said port when the diaphragm is deformed by said lever arm.

4. A pump as defined in claim 2, in which said 10 diaphragm includes a central dome within said encircling flange, the concave side of said dome being presented toward said upper housing member to therewith define the pump chamber, the convex side of said dome being received in said central opening for engagement by said lever arm. 1 5 5. A pump as defined in claim 2, including a supporting plug depending from said housing for fluid tight reception in the outlet of a container, means for securing said plug in fluid tight manner in a container outlet, said plug being located across said opening from the said lever to 2o support said pump housing and lever in cantilever manner from the container, with the lever spaced laterally from the container at one side thereof, there being an inlet passage extending through the lower end of said plug and terminating in said inlet port, and a dip tube for establishing communication between 25 said passage and the lower portion of the container. ..W 6. A pump as defined in claim 5 wherein said housing is formed with a vent passage communicating with the interior of' a container to which the pump is applied, said vent passage extending upwardly through the lower end of said

5. Plug and terminating in a vent port within said central opening, said housing defining a valve seat around said vent port for sealing engagement with the diaphragm in the normally undeformed condition of the diaphragm.

6. 7. A pump as defined in claim 1, in which said 10 diaphragm flange ahd said clamping surfaces of the housing members are of annular configuration to avoid necessity for angular orientation of the diaphragm with respect to said λ housing members.

7.

8. A pump as defined in claim 7, in which said diaphragm 15 includes a central 1 dome within said encircling flange, the concave side of said dome being presented toward said upper housing member to therewith define the pump chamber, the convex side of said dome being received in said central opening, said central opening communicating with the 20 atmosphere, said lower housing member being formed with a vent passage terminating in a vent port within said opening, said port being surrounded by a valve seat conformed for sealing engagement with the convex side of said dome in the normally undeformed condition of said dome. 15 9· A pump substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.