IE850314L - Plastic dispensing container. - Google Patents

Abstract

A fluid dispensing container and method for its manufacture is disclosed. The container has an upper (12) and a lower (14) portion defining an enclosed chamber (53). The upper and lower portions are sealed together. An expandable pouch for generating pressurizing gas (56) is contained within the enclosed chamber. A dispensing valve (30) is provided housed in a receptacle (26) molded into the upper portion. In one embodiment, a cylindrical guard (27) molded to the upper portion extends downwardly from the receptacle and is disposed around the valve. A cap (33) frictionally secured to the guard retains the dispensing valve in the receptacle and closes off the cylindrical guard. The guard or cap (33) includes suitable apertures (62) for allowing fluid to reach the valve for dispensing 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

Th-s present Invent Ion palates to the fisld of containers for dispensing fluids und«r pressure. More particularlys the invention relates to a plastic container . for dispensing fluids under pressure which is adapted to employ an expandable bag to generate the expulsion pressure within the container.

Containers for dispensing fluids under pressure have traditionally fit into two categories: (1) pressurised containers, such as the cometon aerosol container, in which constant pressure is ejserted on the fluid to be expelled both during us© end non-use; end (2) puap-tvpe containers in which the usar creates the expulsion pressure during use by manual actuation of a pump apparatus. Commercially aiui table pisap-type containers have bean constructed froa a variety of materials, 1 ncluding aetalap gless, c operates end plastics, among others. Siacs the expulsion pressure is only developed during times of actual use in these containers, completes gas iiapenasebillty has aot been a design requirement.

In contrast, ec-asepoifelly available pressurised containers hiave almost exclusively been constructed of aetal. By and large, gas propellents within the container have provided she requisite pressure for expelling the fluid contents of the container upon actuation of a valve EMchaniBBu Gas lapermeablllty has therefor been a prltie requirement for such oontuiners, and since techniques for forming gas iapcratable seels in metel containers have long been successful, a®tasl containers hsve prevailed.

Metal dispensing containers eo possess disadvantages, however, Hot the least of which are high naterial costs and manufacturing complexity. ?urth«r, such saefcsl containers generally ssapXoy mounting eups la which the valve ass eiably is taowtZsd and which aust be crimped to the top portion of the container. Consequently, effortu have been made to produce pressurised dispensing containers gmde from other materials, especially plastics. To date, however, these efforts have not resulted in an entirely satisfactory alternative to the pressurized octal container.

For exaaple, U.S. Patent So. 391*0,802 discloses s pressurized dispensing container which Includes a collapsible bag (sad & sep&rats coap&rtaent into which an sxp&ndable fluid, such as "Freon" is placed. The beg is seated securely in a container which naay be constructed of plastic, end sttischsd to the aide wall of the container by en adheaivs or by heat sealings. (Col. 3» lines M-f). The lower surface of the bag is adjacent to & "cradle" which forsns on® wall of the Preon-confeeiitiing eoiapartasnt. Holes are formed In the cradle so that the expanding gas can ®x®rt pressure on the exterior surface of the bag and cause its contents to i»a expelled when the valve of the container ta actuated. This arrangeacnt represents an attaapt to separate the fluid oontents to be expelled frotj the container froa the pressure-producing gas propellent and thus reduce the nuaber of sealing locations where the gas ears escape. the seals between the bag and the interior wall of the container and the lower portion of the container thus become critical in assuring that the gas propellent does not escape into the atmosphere.

U.S. Patent Bos. 3»&98»595 and 39791s557 are representative of an alternative approach to the solution of 3 the gas permeability probleas which have heretofore been •and sale to pressurised plastic diapanaing containers. Both of those patents disclose pressurised dispensing containers in which ths pressure is developed on the fluid to be expelled by the contraction of an elastic bladder in »hioh 10 the fluid is contained. "he former patent states that one of the advantages of a bladder-type container auch as the one disclosed therein is that th® container assembly can be made of plastic. (Col. 1, lines 3^-38)• Bladder-type containers thus solus the g&s permeability problem by British Patent Publication No. 2,101,225 discloses a plastic dispensing container which, 11 St® the common metal aerosol container, uses & gas propellent si steel in with the fluid to bo expelled to create the requisite explussiea pressure. In this ease, an attempt is wade to solve ttie gas permeability problem by a variety of sealing 2 5 arrangenenta between tbs valve assembly portion of the container and the vessel portion. A netal valve cup Is used in this preferred »s»boflliaeni and sealing is e,cooeplish«d by crispias She metal over the plastic rla or "bead" of the vessel portion of the container. s US-A-4 376 500 discloses an aerosol-type liquid dispensing container in which internal pressure for expelling the contents of the container upon actuation of the valve is provided by an expandable bag located within the chamber in which the liquid to be expelled is retained. The bag contains compositions which when reacted together generate a gaa, thereby inflating the bag and causing the bag to exert pressure upon the contents to be expelled from the container. To prevent the expansion of the bag from blocking release of any portion of the fluid contents within the chamber, a tube may be included within the chamber to provide a clear passage for expulsion of the last remaining fluid within the container a® the beg reaches its fully expanded condition. system and in which the container has an open upper end closed and sealed by a cover screwed on to the container and having a central valvo controlled outlet. No provision is made for protecting the valve from being enveloped by the expandable bag and thereby blocked.

Patent disclose® a similar dispensing 6 This invention provides a container for dispensing fluid contained therein which comprises: a lower portion formed of a pressure-p'ssistasst a fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic material, said lower 5 portion having a bottoa closed end, and side walls extending upwardly from said closed end and terminating to form a substantially fully open end; expandable bag scans adapted to be inserted into the open end of said lower portion of said container without lo any substantial crushing thereof; an upper portion formed of a pressure-resistant fluld-iiapermeable synthetic plastic Material, said upper portion having a top end, aide walls extending downwardly from said top end and terminating to foria a substantially 15 fully open end sized for mating with said open end of said lower portion; sealing means for Joining said lover portion and said upper portion to form a single fluid-impermeable chamber; dispensing valve means for releasing fluid from said chamber; receptable asens molded in said top end of said upper portion adapted to receive said dispensing valve means; and s closure means for retaining said velve means in said receptable seana and including openings therein to permit the fluid to pass froa said chamber to said valve means,, sifiid closure means being disposed about an end of the valve 5 means in communication with the fluid uithin said chamber to restrain said expandable bag means froa interfering with said valve means and the dispensing of fluid therefrom; said closure means comprising guard means depending from the tup end of a said upper portion to encircle the valve means with a cap means at the 10 lower end thereof and said openings being formed in the guard means.

Thus the present invention provides an improved plastic pressurised dispensing container in which the na<3d for the cumbersome bag and bladiSar arrangements and the relatively complex and costly sealing arrangements shown in the prior 15 &rt is eliminated. Moreover, the present container Is made -entirely of plastic aside from the valve components and possesses a minimal number of component partis, thus simplifying manufacture. The reduced cost and simplicity of the container of the invention stakes it much more suitable 20 for large-scale commercial use than both eaetal end plastic containers in the prior art.

The plastic container of the invention Includes two essential component parts, an upper portion uhich house the valve mechanism necessary for dispensing of the fluid 25 product, and a lower portion which when sealed to the top means forms the chamber in which the fluid to be dispensed is retained. The dispensing valve is housed in the upper portion of the container in a receptable formed preferably by injection molding, thus eliminating the need to seat the jo valve assembly within a sount.tng cup snd crimp the cup to the top of the container in Manufacture. 8 In order to permit the saost efficient utilization of space end simplify manufactursB each of the structural components of the container are shaped such that they will nest together in cup fashion. In the assembly process for 5 the preferred embodiment, a cup-like bottom means from a nested stack is fed onto the assembly line and conveyed to a station where the fluid to be dispensed is poured into it and then conveyed to a further station where the expandable bag is dropped into the open south of ihet bottom means. The 10 lower portion of the container into which the expandable bag 13 inserted is formed with an unobstructed or generally full opening. In this manner, the expandable bag may be inserted without any sideways crushing necessary to facilitate Insertion Into conventional aerosol containers having narrow 15 openings. ftt 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 20 welding or friction welding. Once the top means is sealed to the bottom means, assembly is complete. The sealing requirements for such a container are such that the generated seal must be capable of sustaining fluid pressure of at least — 32 172.3 x 10~ N/rom (twenty-five pounds per square inch) with-25 out any substantial amount of fluid leakage* The container which may further include rib means integrally formed alotg 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.

In accordance with any of the above arrangements said lower portion may have a rounded closed end and said container may further include base cup means into which said rounded closed end of said lower portion it) disposed, for supporting said lower portion in an upright position.

Said receptacle means may comprise an upwardly extending generally cylindrical housing adapted to conform to the body of said valve means, said valve means may have an upwardly extending valve stem, said cylindrical housing may have an aperture in the upper end thereof to facilitate passing of the valve stem therethrough. 1'3 The latter construction may further include 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.

In any of the above arrangements said depending guard means 20 extending downwardly into said chamber from said receptacle means may be molded in said top end of said upper portion and forming a lower edge, and ciaid cap means may be secured to said lower edge of said guard means.

The following is a description of some specific embodiments 25 of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate similar parts, and in which: 1 © FIG. 1 Illustrates a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of fc plastic dispensing container* in accordance with the invention; FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the plastic dispensing 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 dispensing container of FIG. 1; FIG. « illustrates & cross-sectional view of the plastic dispensing container of FIG. 1 taken along line of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 illustrates & detailed view in perspective of the valve assembly end surrounding structure of the container of the invention; FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of the structural components of the plfestic dispensing container of FIG. 1, and the expendable bag used therewith; 11 FIG. 7 illustrates a detailed yis« In eross-aection of the interface between the two basic components or the container of the invention, in this cfc8 Referring a©1*? to the drawings, the preferred •sBbo Upper portion 18 of top means 12 includes a wide transverse groove, or recess, 22 having a substantially flat bottom wall 2*8. Bottom wall 2H includes a cylindrical ihousing 36 in the center thereof having an aperture 28 therein.

Cylindrical housing 26, which forma a receptesble for the valve assembly,.is Integrally molded with the bottom wall 2^ of the top 12 and extends upward therefrom. The 2o interior of cylindrical housing 25 is sisad to receive ® conventional valve ossmbly which say b® either* of the sm 1 e or female type. Extending downward from and integrally molded with bottom vail 2'i is a cylindrical guard 27 encircling the valve assembly end which includes„ fes 2r, described in greater detail belows a holding means for retaining the valve assssably withla th® receptable 3s>» Hountcd within housing 26 is a spring-loaded aerosol spray valve asseably 30P including valve atea '32, which as oentloned may be either mala or female. Any 30 suitable spray head (not show) say be mounted on valve stem 32 so lapart flow characteristics which are appropriate for the fluid bsing dispensed and the end ua-2 to which the fluid is being put. The width dimension of recess 22 is chosen so that the finger of any user of the container way easily gala access to the waive weans 30. Recess 22 provides protection for valve bs an a 30 when the container la not la aetual use, and cj'iao insures that the fluid being expelled frosa the container Mill not travel in a direction which the user does not intend.

The manner in which waive assembly 30 is retained within the cylindrical receptable 26 and guard 27 is best depleted in PX6S. 8 and 9. Waive asseisbly 30 is positioned within cylindrical housing 26 with the atas 32 aligned to extend through aperture 28 end the seel 29 which abuts against the Inside of the top wall of receptable 26. Valve ©tea 32 Includes a hols 32a, so that when the walw® stem is depressed by a user„ the hole Mill b® disposed below seal 29 e allowing fluid to enter the hole to be dispensed. Valve assembly 30 is urged Into an abutting seeling relation with receptele 26 by neons of a compression spring 31 which engages the bottom of valve eiasetmhlv body 30h» Looking of the valve asseably 30 within the receptable 26 is accomplished by soane of a cap 33 which is fastened to the guard or skirt 27 and which holds compression spring 31 agalnat valve aaaenbly 30. Cap 33 includes a, cylindrical pidgs 33a wbloh aerv«a to center spring 31. Xn order to allow fluid aaterlal to b® dlapanaed to eotar the valve asseably, apertures 62 are provided in guard 27.

Cap 33 aay be bonded to the depending nkirt 27 by means of apia or sonic welding «us will b« described below. 1 4 &n alternative counting of cap 33 skirt 27 is depleted in FIG. 9. Ears 33c e.re positioned about the periphery of cap 33 end include grooves 33d which engage &nd sate with the rib 27a extending about the periphery of skirt 27. An 5 alternative fric'tJ.onfsl counting of the cap is depicted in FIG. 9a. k plurality of frictionsl gripping members 33a sirs positioned on the upwardly ©standing wall 33^ of cap 33. Gripping members 33e„ which are preferably metal. engage and bite into the outer surface of skirt 27 and thus hold spring 10 31 against valve assembly 30. Cap 33 ®>nd 33? thereof may further be provided with holes 33s to allow for asternal flow from the container into the valve assembly.

Alternatively 5, instead of forming guard 27 integrtslly with top means 12, guard 27 could be formed 15 integrally with cap 33 ®nd suitable Mounting aeens could be provided on the top means 12, such as those already discussed or variations thereof.

Utilisation of the valve assembly and its counting within th® integrally molded receptacle 26 elirainfitss the 20 need for the valve mounting cups used in the prior art, Further,, the asseably described herein eliminates fche step of crimping the mounting cup to the container which has heretofore created numerous problems associated with leakage particularly when the container has been dropped. 2 5 Botton means 1U comprises a generally oup-3h&ped vessel whloh is fcapeped frosa a relatively wide open and 38 fee a narrower closed end ^0. Xn the preferred @sabodl@entv closed ®aa 40 is rounded to sect within a base cup means *52 which will be hereinafter dssoribsd. Howevere it should be 3o understood £het closed end 40. any in the alternative have es flat bottom wall or other configuration that will enable bottom asans 14 to stand upright without support.

As la best seen In PIGS. 2 and 7» bottom Beans 14 Includes near its opart and 38 a laterally extending shoulder 5 44 which surrounds the outer periphery of bottooi aeans 14.

With reference particularly to FIQ. 7 , whieh illustrates the Interface between top aeans 18 and bottoe seans 14 prior to welding, shoulder 44 is located at a distance below the riss 46 of the open end of bottom Means 14 which is approximately io equal to the distance which flange 20 or top means 12 extends below ria 43 of top iseans 12. Located ®t the edge of rlsa 46 of bottosa means 14 Is a bead 50. In the process of welding the top and bottosa means of container 10 together, bead 50 Is partially aelted to for® a veld between risn 48 of top Beans 15 12 and ris 45 of bottom taean® 14. When welding Is complete, the lover end of flange 20 rests upon the upper surface of shoulder 44, The vidth dimension of shoulder 44 Is chosen to ne.teh the width of flange 20 so that a seooth junction is formed when the top end bottoia me&ns are welded together. 20 Effective joining of the top nnd bottom portions of container 10 aay be obtained by spin welding in which the top portion 12 is rotated while bearing against the bottoa portion 14. la this nanner, an effective seal aisy be achieved quickly hs^lBig » tensile strength virtually equal to 25 that of the plastic material. Alternatively, sonic or ultrasonic welding say be employed. In any ease, exoeaslve flashing should he trlaaed. Xn a oontalner of the type described utilising «a expaesd®role bag. the sealing of the component parts should be sufficient to withstand an Internal -3 2 fluid pressure of at least 172.3 x 10 N/mm (25 pounds per square inch). Such systems have been found to exert pressures In the range of -3 -3 2 172.3 x 10 to 1551.4 x 10 N/mm (25 to 90 pounds per square inch).

The sealing of sop means 12 to bottom means 14 thus forms within the container a fluid impermeable ohaaber 53. Fluid 5* is shown located within ctisaber 33 In PIG. 2, &b well as an expandable bag 55 such as that described In detail in the aforementioned U.S. Patent Mo. 376,500.

In brief, the expandable bag of the above-sentionsd patent includes a first group of compartments which are releasably sealed to the internal side vail of the bag and which contain a substance such as citric acid in powered form or In aqueous solution. Located within the bag external to the first group of compartments la a second substance, such as sodium bicarbonate, which when reacted in the solution with the citric acid component will generate carbon dioxide gas. The solvent medium, water for sjcaaple, tot iho aforesaid reaction is contained in & separate ruptur&ble compartment inside the bag. & time release capsule of the citric acid component is located in the bag adjacent to the second component, such that it can be dissolved in the solvent medium when desired to Initially (activate* the gas generating systems i.e., at the point of final assembly of the beg iato the dispensing container 10. Aa the bag expands Initially, the first group of compartments is successively unsealed fro® the side well thereof, thereby discharging their contents into the solvent containing the second component and maintaining generation of the gas until the bag reaches its fully expanded condition.

A» bag 56 expands within chamber 53 of container 10e a greater and greater portion of the volume occupied by fluid 5«; and any air Initially ^strapped within chamber 53? will bs displaced until she rorce exerted by she expanding gases within bag 56 reaches ®quilibriisa with she reactionary force exerted by the fluid 5and entrapped eir within the ch&aber 53. Initial actuation of the vp.lve aeoh&nlsa 30 will par si i i he entrapped air within ohaiaber 53 to escape and «11om she bag 56 to expand further to occupy the voluae evacuated by the entrapped air. Succeeding actuations of the valve aechenlsa 30 will p&rsaiz fluid 5® to be ejjpsllsd from chamber 53 under the pressure eserted by tha expanding bag 56 until bag 56 displaces the entire volime of chamber 53 occupied by fluid 5" and all of the fluid has been expelled.

The expansion of bag 56 within chanber 53 creates the possibility that the b&g will expand to the Halts of the upper portion of chaiaber 53 before expanding to the lower lisaita of chamber 53. thereby trapping fluid In that lower portion. In order to prevent this froia happening, the preferred embodiment of container 10 includes along the interior side wall of bottom portion 1U a longitudinal rib 58. Bib 58 will prevent beg 56 froa expanding completely to &h® side walla of bottom portion 11, thereby creating an escape passssge for any fluid in the lower portion of chamber 53. The function of rib 58 nay also be served by a tube placed within the bottom portion 11 of the container 10 during manufacture. Such a tube is shown end described in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent So. 1,376*500.

In a slnilar vein, oylindrioal guard £7 whleh Is integrally forned with top saeana 12 further serves to prevent the expanding bag L5S .froa obstructing the valve asseably 30. Cylindrical guas*d 27 lnoluties a plurality of grooves 32 18 therein So provide passage for fluid 5"' to rftfieh the valve asseably 30. la mentioned earlier, the bottom means 14 of the preferred embodiment of container 10 has a rounded lower portion 4o which seats within a bcsc cup means *s2 as ahown in FIG. 2. Base cup means U2 includes a bevelled interior wall 6^ Bhich is forocd to snugly fit against the tapered side wells of bottom Means l^s. The lower portion of base cup saeans '42 forma an annular inwardly sloping seat 56 which supports the rounded bottom portion *!0 of bottom sae&na 14. Bevelled vi&ll 6" and annular seat 66 cooperate to position bottom cup sae&ns 14 in an upright position.

Si! of the structural components of container 10 hereinbefore described (with the exception of certain internal parts of valve asseably 30 and the spring 31) &rs formed of any one of a number of synthetic plastics which are both fluid impermeable and strong enough to withstand the pressure developed within the container. Aaong the plasties from which the container of the invention may be forms(3 ere polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride and the polyacronitriles. "fee structural components of the container* may be made by any one of & number of processes for forming plastic parte, such as blot-? moldings extrusion or Injection aoldlng.

As shown in FICSS. 10, 11 and 12, top seams 12, bottom means 1 >s and base cup ne&na H2 of the preferred eabodiaeat of oontainar 10 &f*«a ©ash shaped so as to be stored in ne&ted stacks. ths nestable shapes of top aeana 12, bottom raaana 1% and &&a« cup nenna H2 pet-rait storage of those components prior to raanufaalura in relatively small araas, thus efficiently utilizing the space available for storage I'ftnd lowering warehousing costs, Ths nestable shapes also promote easier feeding of the components on the asseably line during Manufacture.

The aanufacturing asseably sequence for the preferred esbodisrsent of the container of the invention is illustrated from left to right in ?IG. 'S3- Bottom cup saeans 62 is first fed froa a nested stack onto h moving belt or other conveying device. and then delivered to Station (1), At Station (1), a bottom saeans 16 la fad frora a nested stack end seated in base cup aeans U2. The resulting subasseBbly-As then delivered to Station (2), where bottoa neans 16 is filled with fluid which is to be dispensed, After being filled with fluidt tho jsubaaisenbly i« eonveyed to Station (3), Mhere an expandable bag 5b is inserted frosa a nagsslne into bottoa aoans 1«. Since the bottom ©seas 16 has is vide opening gjctending for its entire inner dieaeter, insertion of the expandable bag 56 is accomplished without requiring crushing. Next, tho aubasseably is conveyed to Station (6), where too aeans 12 la fed froa a aagazine containing a nested stack of that component onto the open end of bottoa means 14. At the next Stntion, Station (5)> top means 12 1* welded to bottoa aeana 16 by one of a nuaber of suitable plastic welding techniques, suoh ss ultrasonic welding, friction welding op spin welding. The ooespleted container 10 is then oonveyed to a packing stntion and then prepared for shipcient.

Appropriate aodifieationa, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art, taay aade to the asseably sequenoe illustrated in FIG. 13 to aoeoaaodate oontainers of iiffwMt shapes. For «x«nplc, as previously mentioned. bottom lagans 1 'J mav have % flat bottoa wall enabling it to stand upright without base cup asena <92, thereby sliiainnting base oup means 12 froa the assembly aequenoe. alternativelys bottoa aeana 11 or top astans 12 say have aon-nsstsble shapes 5 which would require th«a to be piecad or fed onto the assembly Una by fi different aethod than that shown In FIG. 13- The cap or top taeans 12 of the container 10 herein may readily be ad&ptad for use In association with & refill pouch. 10 With particular reference to FIG. 14, Che top means 92 or 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 15 includes an extended depending flange 96 which is provided with screw threads on ita interior wall. Hating screw threads are provided on the exterior surface of the upper portion of bottom means 91. An o-ring seal may be utilized in association with the threads, to secure an appropriate 20 seal.

The bottom me&ns 91 again includes the expandable bag 95. depicted in 1?XG. 11 in & partially expended state, including pressure generating raeans 98 end rupturable compartment 100 for initiating gas generation. A tube 101 2 5 stay be provided so that a&terl&l to be dispensed at the bottoa of bottoas sae&ns 91 is not "pinched off3 by the expandable bag 95. As explained in greater dot&ll in Application Serial Ho. 365.552, the material to be dispensed is housed within an outer pouch 97, &s is also the expandable bag 95. Outer* pouch 97 preferably oonf'orms to the ahape of bottom saeans 9^ and top means 92, as shown. The top of outer pouch 97 is open to allow fluid material to be dispensed to be in communication with the valve assembly.

Such an opening saay be made by removal of a tear strip 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.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS: 1. & container for dispensing fluid contained therein which comprises: a lower portion formed of a pressure-resistant fluld-iraperraaabla synthetic plastic materialt said lowar portion having a bottom closed ana, and side walis extending upwardly from ©aid closed and end terminating to fona a substantially fully open end; expandable beg means adapted to be Inserted into the open end of said lower portion of said container without any substantial crushing thereof; an upper portion forsaed of ® pressure-resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plsstic assterialp sales upper portion having a top end, aide walls eiri ending downwardly from said top end and terminating to form a substantially fully open end sized for mating with said open end of arid lower portion; sealing means for joining said lower portion and said upper portion to form a single fluid,-impermeable chamber; dispensing valve means for releasing fluid from aeid chamber; receptable grants molded in said top end of said upper portion adapted to receive s®id dispensing valve mean® and closure Bjeans for retaining said valve saeans in said receptable weans And including openings therein to perait the fluid to pass from said chasaber to said valve raeana,, said closure Beans being disposed about an end of the valve means in communication with the fluid within said chamber to restrain oaid expandable bag means from interfering «ith said valve naeans and the dispensing of fluid therefrom; said closure aiiMiis comprising guard means depending f rom the top end of n said upper portion to encircle the valve means with a cap means' at the lower end thereof and said openings being formed in the guard means 2. k 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 or 2, wherein at least one of said upper and lower portions has a nestable shape. 1. k container in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 3, where said lower portion is welded to said upper portion forming a seal capable of sustaining a fluid pressure of at least 172.3 x 10 2 N/mm (twenty-five pounds per square inch) without any substantial amount of fluid leakage. 5. & container in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 4, where said lower portion has e. rounded closed end and said container further includes: base cup means into «?hich a aid rounded closed end of said lower portion is disposed, for supporting said lower portion in an upright position. 2 45 6. A container in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 5, which further includes rib means integrally formed along the interior sidewall of said top portion of said container for preventing said fluid frosa becoming trapped within said 5 chamber. 7. A container in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein said receptable means comprises en upwardly extending generally cylindrical housing adapted to conform to the body of said valve means„ said valve aeans having an upwardly 10 extending valve stem, said cylindlcal housing having an aperture In the upper end thereof to facilitate passing of the valve stem therethrough. 3. k container in accordance with Claim 7, which further includes resilient raeana disposed between said 15 closure means and said waive moans for urging said valve means into a sealing relation with an upper end of said cylindrical housing. 9. A container in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein said depending guard means extending 20 downwardly into said chamber from said receptacle means is molded in said top and of a which 25 further inaludoa frictions.! holding means securing said guard a® an is and tsaid cap ewnns. 2 5 11. A container according to Claim 1, substantially as liereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. F. R. KELLY & CO., AGENTS FOE THE APPLICANTS.