JP2017013902A - Powder dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dispenser mechanism for dispensing solvent particulate material, such as a powder, in a known quantity per pump cycle.SOLUTION: A pump dispenser is arranged for dispensing solid material under a manually developed pressure, with the dispenser being capable of pumping and mechanically agitating the solid material in a storage container. The resultant dispensed solid fluid is provided with more consistent suspended solid concentrations with greater solid particle distribution homogeneity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

  The present invention relates generally to dispensers, and more particularly to a dispenser with an arrangement for efficiently dispensing solid particulate material, such as powder, from within a container.

  Liquid manual pumps and pressurized gas dispense dispensers are widely implemented in a variety of applications, but dispensers for solid materials are less common. In addition to the obvious challenges that solid materials have higher viscosities, surface friction and specific gravity than liquid materials, the design of the solid material dispensing system is designed to improve the fluidity and dispersion of the contained material in preparation for dispensing, In addition, the influence on the fluidity of the material in the presence or absence of environmental conditions such as the influence of moisture accumulation over time in the container for solid materials must also be considered. Due to these and other challenges, attempts to develop solid material dispensers have been limited.

  A particular disadvantage in the potential use of conventional solid material dispensers is to manufacture the device relatively inexpensively, as it is useful for the storage, sale and distribution of relatively inexpensive consumer products. Currently available solid material dispensers are prohibitively expensive to use for low-cost consumer products, especially as disposable consumer product dispensers, and / or contain a desired amount or quality of solid material. It is not effective to distribute in the same way.

  One conventional approach in the distribution of solid material relies on a pressurized gas that disperses the solid particulate material in a simulated suspension for incorporation into the outlet conduit. The pressurized gas can be pressurized air by manual pumping by the user, or air or other gas removably contained in a separate container under pressure. . Pumping by the user or selective release of pressurized gas from a separate container, or both, acts to drive solid material into one or more outlet lines, and in some cases And partially suspended in a pressurized gas. However, such conventional approaches are not uniform when delivering a known amount of solid material to the outlet line, and the specific gravity of the product, the amount of product remaining in the container, the flowability of the product, and the container It is easy to change based on the changes in the characteristics of the product over time. Furthermore, conventional systems that rely on pressurized air to spread and dispense solid material products may be inadequate for dispersing and evenly distributing known quantities and quality products. I know.

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser mechanism for dispensing a dissolving particulate material, such as a known amount of powder, per pump cycle.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser of solid particulate material that effectively maintains the homogeneity of the discharge contents for each pump cycle.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a manual pump mechanism for mechanically mixing solid material products in a container.

  Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser mechanism that is effective in limiting environmental exposure of solid material products in containers.

  With the present invention, it is possible to distribute solid materials with uniform quality and concentration. It is possible to economically manufacture devices for dispensing such solid materials so that they are useful for disposable and other relatively low cost consumer product applications.

  In one embodiment, a pump dispenser of the present invention for dispensing material under manually generated pressure includes a container defining a cavity for containing material, a pump chamber, a pickup chamber, and a dispensing And a pump body positionable in the cavity having a chamber. The pump body has a central axis that defines an axial direction and a radial direction that are perpendicular to each other, and includes an intake that communicates the cavity with the pickup chamber. The pump dispenser includes a piston positioned in the pump chamber and slidably engaged with the pump body. The piston is axially movable within the pump chamber and includes an air inlet opening. An air intake valve regulates the air flow through the air inlet opening of the piston. The pump dispenser further includes a manipulator removably secured to the pump body at the manipulator portion, the manipulator configured to cooperate with the intake port to move material through the intake port and into the pickup chamber. Including an arm with a distal end. The actuator rod is movable axially to actuate the manipulator and thereby operate the manipulator arm.

  In another embodiment, the pump dispenser of the present invention includes a container defining a cavity for containing a dispensable material, a pick-up chamber positionable in the cavity and in fluid communication with the dispensing chamber. And a pump body having a pump chamber capable of fluid communication. At least a portion of the dispensing chamber is defined by the lumen of the flexible elastic member. The pump body further includes an intake that communicates the cavity with the pickup chamber, and a central axis that defines an axial direction and a radial direction that are perpendicular to each other. The flexible elastic member seals and separates the distribution chamber from the pump chamber so that the pump chamber can only be in fluid communication with the distribution chamber through the pickup chamber. The pump dispenser further includes a piston positioned in the pump chamber and is slidably engaged with the pump body. The piston is movable axially in the direction of the first axis in the pump chamber so as to force an air flow into the pickup chamber to a degree sufficient to carry the dispensable material through the distribution chamber.

It is sectional drawing in the uppermost position of the dispenser of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the lowest position of the dispenser shown to FIG. 1A. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the dispenser shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B during the lift stroke portion of the pump cycle. FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the dispenser shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B during the down stroke portion of the pump cycle. 1B is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the dispenser shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. 1B is an enlarged sectional view of a part of the dispenser shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 2 is a side view of a portion of the dispenser device shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B with the nozzle member open. 1B is a side view of a portion of the dispenser shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B with the nozzle member in a closed state. FIG. It is sectional drawing in the uppermost position of the dispenser of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the lowest position of the dispenser shown to FIG. 6A. It is sectional drawing in the uppermost position of the dispenser of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the lowest position of the dispenser shown to FIG. 7A. It is a partial expanded sectional view of the dispenser of this invention.

  The objects, purposes, and advantages listed above, the features, and the advances presented by the present invention will now be illustrated with reference to the detailed embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various aspects of the present invention. It is representative of a possible realization. It will be appreciated that other embodiments and aspects of the invention are within the purview of those skilled in the art.

  In the following description of the present invention, the terms “top position” and “bottom position”, “upper side” and “lower side”, or similar related terms, describe each component part of the dispenser and their relative positions. Used to do. Such terms are used only with respect to the drawings and should not be considered as limiting the absolute positioning of each component part in operation.

Referring now to the drawings, and referring first to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the pump dispenser 1 can be particularly suitable for dispensing solid material under manually generated pressure. Solid materials can be distributed as suspensions, pseudo-suspensions so that they can be distributed as suspensions, dispersions, or mixtures of solid substances in a moving air stream under the force of pressurized air. It can be a solid particulate material that is dispersible in a liquid or air mixture. In some embodiments, the solid material 21 can be talc powder that includes hydrated magnesium silicate as a leaf-like or fibrous mass having a specific gravity of 2.5-2.8 g / cm ³ . However, it is contemplated that other particles, crystals, fibers, minerals, agglomerates, compounds, etc. can be dispensed by the pump dispenser 1 of the present invention.

  The pump dispenser 1 includes a container 12 that defines a cavity 22 in which a solid material 21 can be accommodated and ready for dispensing. As will be described in more detail below, the container 12 is in the form of a plastic bottle, for example, having a threaded neck 23 that engages in cooperation with the connector 6 to secure the pump mechanism to the container 12. can do. Thus, the container 12 can take a variety of configurations and materials suitable for confining the solid material 21.

  The pump body 2 can be positioned in the container 12 and can be fixed to the neck portion 23 by press-fitting between the connector 6 and the upper edge portion 24 of the neck portion 23. In the illustrated embodiment, a resilient gasket 5 helps to seal and secure the pump body flange 2 a to the upper edge 24 of the neck 23. When the connector 6 is screwed into the neck portion 23, the pump body 2 is fixed to the container 12 in a desirably sealed form.

  The pump body 2 includes a pump chamber 26, a pickup chamber 28 and a distribution chamber 30. The operation of the pump dispenser 1 is such that a manually pressurized air flow proceeds from the pump chamber 26 to the pick-up chamber 28 and subsequently to the distribution chamber 30 and finally through the nozzle member 15 of the cap 3. Make it possible. The operation of the pump dispenser 1 is described in further detail below, but one or more valves or the like can separate one or more of the pump chamber 26, the pickup chamber 28, and the dispensing chamber 30. It is contemplated that there is. However, in the illustrated embodiment, pressurized air or other gas can be sent from the pump chamber 26 through the pick-up chamber 28 and the dispensing chamber 30 by operation of the pump dispenser 1. Thus, alternatively, the combination of pump chamber 26, pickup chamber 28, and dispensing chamber 30 can be considered as a single fluid connected chamber. However, in this description, each part of the pressurized air movement through the pump dispenser 1 is described as a chamber part shown so far. No particular structure can define a transition from or between any of the pump chamber 26, pick-up chamber 28, and dispensing chamber 30, which will be used herein for purposes of illustration. It should be understood that only that is shown.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the pump chamber 26 communicates with the pick-up chamber 28 through the isolation valve 20, and the isolation valve 20 is in air when the pressure drops sufficiently from the pump chamber 26 to the pick-up chamber 28. Can be a one-way valve that allows flow from the pump chamber 26 into the pick-up chamber 28. The exemplary isolation valve 20 is a check valve with a predetermined opening force that opens only when a sufficient pressure differential is created between the pump chamber 26 and the pickup chamber 28. In most embodiments, the isolation valve 20's primary utility may be to prevent backflow of air and / or solid material 21 from the pick-up chamber 28 to the pump chamber 26. The force required to open 20 is relatively small. Another usefulness of the isolation valve 20 is that when the opening force of the isolation valve 20 is exceeded, a suddenly pressurized air stream is released from the pump chamber 26, so that “ It can be to produce an “explosive” air flow. Such explosive air flow into the pick-up chamber 28 disperses the solid material 21 into the moving air flow in the pick-up chamber 28 and the solid material / air flow mixture moves into the distribution chamber 30. Can help.

The intake 32 corresponds to an opening through which the cavity 22 communicates with the pickup chamber 28 and through which the solid material 21 can be taken into the air flow path for dispensing out of the pump dispenser 1. To do. The intake 32 can be positioned at or near the base 14 of the pump body 2, usually by gravity, where the solid material 21 is collected near the bottom of the cavity 22 very close to the base 14. As a result, the solid material 21 can be utilized to be introduced through the intake 32 until it is almost or completely discharged from the cavity 22. In order to be effective as an entry point for the solid material 21, the inlet 32 allows a solid filling of the solid material 21 therethrough to enter the air stream pressurized at the desired volume concentration in the pickup chamber 28. It is preferred that it be appropriately sized and configured to allow it to accommodate the degree of dispersion of the material. In some embodiments, inlet 32 is between about 10 to 100 mm ^2, more preferably have an open area of between approximately 25-50 mm ^2.

  The connection 34 may constitute a transition from the pickup chamber 28 to the distribution chamber 30. In some embodiments, the connection 34 can be located at or near the base 14 and directs the pressurized air stream past the adjacent intake 32 and into the distribution chamber 30.

  The pump body 2 has a central axis 36 that defines an axial direction 37 and a radial direction 38 that are perpendicular to each other. Although alternative arrangements are contemplated by the present invention, the pump body 2 can typically be arranged to facilitate operation of the pump generally along the axial direction 37.

  The pump dispenser 1 further includes a piston 4 that selectively generates pressurized air in the pump chamber 26 as the piston 4 moves axially downward relative to the pump body 2. The pump body 2 is slidably engaged with the pump body 2. The piston 4 includes a piston head 40, a piston rod portion 42, and a piston seal portion 44 extending from the piston head 40. The piston seal 44 is slidably engaged with the side wall 18 of the pump body 2 that defines a portion of the pump chamber 26 and preferably forms an airtight seal with the side wall 18. As shown in FIG. 1B, the axial downward movement of the piston 4 into the pump chamber 26 compresses the air in the pump chamber 26 and, accordingly, in the pump chamber 26 as previously described. The air pressure is increased to a level that exceeds the opening force of the isolation valve 20. When opened, the isolation valve 20 causes the pressurized air to flow into the pick-up chamber 28 and into the mixed air flow stream where the solid material 21 is delivered to the distribution chamber 30. Makes it possible to distribute. The directional arrows shown in FIG. 1B indicate the pressurized air flow through the pump chamber 26, the pickup chamber 28 and the distribution chamber 30. In operation, the piston seal 44 moves up and down relative to the side wall 18 of the pump body 2 slidably engaged as shown in the relationship between FIGS. 1A and 1B. The piston 4 is in the uppermost position 46 in FIG. 1A and in the lowermost position 48 in FIG. 1B. As will be described in more detail below, the movement of the piston 4 between the uppermost position 46 and the lowermost position 48 causes the operation of the pump dispenser 1 when collecting and dispensing a mixture of solid products under pressure.

  The piston head 40 includes an air inlet opening 50 that is adjusted by the air intake valve 7 to selectively allow movement of air from the external environment into the pump chamber 26. Enlarged views of the piston head 40 and the air intake valve 7 are shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, which shows that the air intake valve 7 allows the inflow of air into the pump chamber 26. 2B illustrates the “down stroke” of the piston 4 that prevents the air intake valve 7 from allowing air to flow out of the pump chamber 26 through the air inlet opening 50. The upward axial movement of the piston 4 during the upstroke portion of the pump cycle is indicated by a directional arrow 52, and the downward axial movement of the piston 4 in the downstroke portion of the pump cycle is shown in FIG. 2B. And is represented by a directional arrow 54. During the upward stroke portion of the pump cycle shown in FIG. 2A, as the volume of the pump chamber 26 increases, the upward axial movement of the piston 4 driven by the spring biasing force causes the pump chamber 26 to move into the pump chamber 26. A reduced pressure environment is generated. The reduced pressure environment within the pump chamber 26 creates a pressure differential with respect to the surroundings, thereby generating a force that pushes the valve tip 56 away from the boundary wall 41 of the piston head 40. The displacement of the valve tip 56 from the boundary wall 41 is also caused by the difference in air pressure between the external environment and the reduced pressure environment in the pump chamber 26. The relatively positive pressure applied to the valve tip 56 displaces the valve tip 56 away from contact with the boundary wall 41. As shown in FIG. 2A, such displacement allows air to pass through the air inlet opening 50 and into the pump chamber 56 around the valve tip 56.

  During the downward stroke of the pump cycle shown in FIG. 2B, the downward axial movement of the piston 4 reduces the volume in the pump chamber 26, thereby creating a boosting environment in the pump chamber 26. . The increased pressure in the pump chamber 26 pushes the valve tip 56 against the boundary wall 41 in the form of an air seal, preventing air from flowing out through the air inlet opening 50. Thus, the air intake valve 7 acts as a one-way valve that allows air to enter through the air intake 50 during the upward stroke of the piston 4, but in the downward stroke portion of the compression of the pump cycle. During that time, air is prevented from flowing out of the pump chamber 26. Various valve arrangements for manual pump systems are well known in the art, and thus various configurations are contemplated to be useful in the present invention.

  In one aspect of the present invention, one or more manipulators 19 can be pivotally secured to the pump body 2 with a manipulator pivot 60. The illustrated embodiment shows two manipulators 19 pivotally fixed to the pump body 2 about the pivot 60 of each manipulator, but one or more such manipulators 19 are combined with the pump dispenser 1. It is contemplated that various mechanisms may be used to actuate mechanical movement relative to the manipulator 19. In the illustrated embodiment, the manipulator 19 cooperates with the manipulator arm 62 extending from the manipulator head 64 and the inlet 32 of the pump body 2 and through the inlet 32 into the pickup chamber 28. A distal end 66 is configured to be moved. In some embodiments, the manipulator 19 provides open and close access to the intake 32 in sequence by a pump cycle applied to the piston 4 and the solid material 21 is It can be arranged to perform mechanical movements that help to disperse into a relatively homogeneous mass, with features that facilitate collection and uptake through the inlet 32. For example, the solid material 21 may have a tendency to fit into a mass that does not flow relatively under gravity, and may even fit into a naturally inhomogeneous particle size / specific gravity distribution under gravity. By disturbing the mass of solid material 21 prior to filling / uptake of solid material 21 into pick-up chamber 28, a more homogeneous sample of solid material 21 can be collected and dispensed from pump dispenser 1 The sex becomes higher. Accordingly, the manipulator 19 can act as a disturbing / stirring member for mixing and dispersing the solid material mass in the container 12. In practice, however, “pushing” the solid material 21 through the inlet 32 into the pickup chamber 28 allows the manipulator 19 to help fill the pickup chamber 28 with a volume of solid material 21. It is also contemplated. In some cases, the mechanical operation of the manipulator 19 can act to provide a solid material 21 of uniform fill volume and / or mass through the inlet 32 to the pickup chamber 29. One aspect of the present invention is to increase the ability of the pump dispenser 1 to collect and dispense a known amount of solid material 21 in each pump cycle. Further, by repeatedly agitating the solid material 21, the manipulator 19 can help provide uniform sample quality or homogeneity to the pick-up chamber 28 in each pump cycle. Thus, the pump dispenser 1 is advantageously capable of dispensing a more uniform amount and homogeneity of solid material 21 in each pump cycle compared to conventional dispensing devices.

  To actuate the manipulator 19, the actuator rod 17 actuates the manipulator 19 around the respective manipulator pivot 60, thereby pivoting the manipulator arm 62, stirring, dispersing and dispersing the solid material 21. It can be made axially movable to collect.

  The piston 4 is in contact with the first urging member 8 which is a coil spring in the illustrated embodiment, and is movable in the axial direction with respect to the pump body 2. The first biasing member establishes a biasing force in the pump dispenser 1 that biases the piston 4 axially upward in the direction 37 toward the uppermost position 46 under axial compression. Are arranged as follows. The first biasing member 8 may be disposed between the pump chamber base platform 68 and the piston head platform 70 during axial compression. As shown in FIG. 1B, for example, the first biasing member 8 is in wide contact with both the base platform 68 and the piston head platform 70 in the axial direction, and the piston 4 is axially moved with respect to the pump body 2. Energized upward, the pump chamber base platform 68 pushes a part of the pump body 2, is connected to a part of the pump body 2, or is an integral part of the pump body 2. Become. Therefore, actuation of the piston 4 during the downstroke portion of the pump cycle must overcome the biasing force generated by the first biasing member 8.

  The generation of the downward force applied to the piston 4 may be caused by the user at the cap 3, and the downward pressure against the cap 3 is caused by the piston shoulder 72 and / or the cap edge 74 at the piston edge. It is transmitted to the rod part 42. Contact with the piston rod portion 42 of the piston 4 between the cap shoulder 72 and / or the end edge 74 of the cap transmits a downward force applied to the cap 3 by the user to the piston 4. In the downward stroke portion of the pump cycle, such downward force overcomes the biasing force of the first biasing member 8 and moves the piston 4 downward in the axial direction.

  As described above, the actuator rod 17 responds axially to the moving force applied to the piston 4 through the cap 3. A downward moving force can be applied to the actuator rod 17 by the piston rod portion 42 of the piston rod 4 at the interface between the piston rod shoulder 76 and the actuator rod head 78. Thereby, in the illustrated embodiment, the actuator rod 17 can be moved axially within the distribution chamber 30 by the downward moving force applied from the cap 3 and the piston 4.

  Thus, the actuator rod 17 is movable axially downward through the dispensing chamber 30 and contacts the manipulator head 64 and actuates the manipulator head 64 about the respective pivot 60. FIG. 3 shows the operation of the manipulator 19 alone. As described above, when the actuator rod 17 is moved downward in the axial direction during the downward stroke, the end 80 of the actuator rod 17 comes into contact with the manipulator tab 65 extending from the manipulator head 64. Continued movement of the actuator rod 17 activates the manipulator 19 by pushing the manipulator tab 65 downward, causing each manipulator head 64 to pivot about its respective manipulator pivot 60. As described above, such a pivoting movement causes the manipulator arm 62 to move outwardly from the pump body 2 along an arcuate path around a respective pivot axis 61 that extends through the pivot 60 of the manipulator. In the illustrated embodiment, the pivot shaft 61 is substantially perpendicular to the central axis 36. However, it is contemplated that other relationships can be used to achieve the desired movement of the manipulator 19 when agitating and processing the solid material 21 within the cavity 22.

  The operation of the manipulator 19 about its respective pivot axis 61 is, in the illustrated embodiment, a coil spring disposed between the pump body platform 82 and the manipulator tab 65 under axial compression. It acts on the recovery force generated by the second urging member 13. Accordingly, the downward force applied to the manipulator tab 65 from the actuator rod 17 acts on the recovery biasing force of the second biasing member 13. When the downward pressure on the manipulator tab 65 is released, the restoring biasing force of the second biasing member 13 pushes the manipulator tab 65 upward in the opposite pivot direction, and the manipulator arm is shown in FIG. 1A. Return toward the closed position 84. Such a closed position positions the distal end 66 of the manipulator arm 62 over the inlet 32. Thus, the distal end 66 can at least partially cover the intake 32 when the manipulator arm 19 is in the closed position 82.

  As described above, the manipulator arm 62 is arranged to open and close in response to the pump operation of the pump dispenser 1. The open position 86 of the manipulator 19 is shown in FIG. As described above, one function of the manipulator 19 is to stir and disperse the solid material 21 to produce a more homogeneous mass of the solid material 21 and to enter the pickup chamber 28 through the intake 32. That is. It is also contemplated that the manipulator 19 can cooperate with the inlet 32 to realize one or more other useful elements to facilitate the output of a uniform air / particle mixture. Is done. In one mode of operation, the piston 4 moves down a distance for a certain distance before the actuator rod 17 contacts the manipulator 19. Thus, in such a mode, pressurized air is generated in the pump chamber 26 before operating the manipulator 19 to move the actuator arm 62 from the closed position 84 to the open position 86. In some embodiments, such increased air pressure in the pump chamber 26 is sufficient to open the isolation valve 20, and therefore the actuator rod 17 is pressurized before opening the manipulator arm 62. The conditioned air can pass through the pickup chamber 28 and enter the distribution chamber 30. In such an embodiment, the solid material 21 filled into the pick-up chamber 28 through the inlet 32 in the previous pump cycle is picked up by the airflow moving through the pick-up chamber 28 and is a mixture of air and solid. It is carried into the distribution chamber 30. After the air / solid mixture has been dispensed out of the dispensing chamber 30, the actuating rod 17 continues to move downward, pushing the manipulator tab 65 and pivoting the manipulator arm 62, correspondingly distally The relationship where the end 66 covers the intake 32 is excluded. The opening movement of the manipulator arm 62 causes the solid material 21 to be dispersed and homogenized to some extent, and when the downward pressure on the manipulator tab 65 by the actuator rod 17 is released, the subsequent closing movement of the manipulator arm 62 The distal end 66 pushes the solid material 21 through the inlet 32 and into the intake chamber 28 as a filling action to be picked up by the airflow in the next pump cycle. Thus, the operation of the collection device formed by the distal end 66 of the manipulator arm 60 allows the pickup chamber 28 to be filled with a substantially known amount of solid material 21 in each pump cycle. Establishing a known amount of solid material 21 to be dispensed with each pump cycle may be a desirable feature of the present invention, and a manipulator that captures and collects solid material 21 during open and closed operating cycles. The “collecting” action of the distal end 66 of the arm 62 provides for the filling of the relatively uniform amount of solid material 21 into the pickup chamber 28.

  In other modes of operation, the pressurized air flow moves from the pump chamber 26 through the pick-up chamber 28, while the actuator rod 17 contacts the manipulator tab 65 and activates the manipulator tab 65. The manipulator arm 62 is opened. In such an operating mode, substantially simultaneously with the opening of the manipulator arm 62 from the closed position 84 to the open position 86, pressurized air generated in the pump chamber 26 opens the isolation valve 20 and passes through it. can do. The solid material 21 is drawn into the intake 32 by a suction force generated by a pressurized air stream that moves into the distribution chamber 30 through the connection 34. This mode of operation is indicated in FIG. 3 by the arrow in the direction of the solid material 21 entering the pickup chamber 28 through the inlet 32.

  The mode of operation of the pump dispenser 1 is caused by the relationship between the length of the actuator rod 17 and its contact position when the manipulator 19 is activated, with respect to the stroke distance of the piston 4 between the uppermost position 46 and the lowermost position 28. Can do. Various changes and modifications may be made to the timing and extent of opening of the inlet 32 by actuation of the manipulator arm 62 to the stroke of the piston 4 between the uppermost position 46 and the lowermost position 48 in the pump cycle. Please understand that this is possible.

  At least a portion of the distribution chamber 30 is a flexible elastic that hermetically separates the distribution chamber 30 from the pump chamber 26 so that the pump chamber 26 can be in fluid communication with the distribution chamber 30 only through the pickup chamber 28. Another aspect of the present invention, defined by the lumen of member 10, is shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 4. FIG. The elastic tube 10 is of a feature that allows a hermetically sealing connection to both the piston rod portion 42 of the piston 4 and the support column 88 of the pump body 2. Thus, the elastic tube 10 can define a sealed passage portion of the distribution chamber 30 between the support column 88 of the pump body 2 and the piston rod portion 42 of the piston 4. For the purposes herein, the term “sealing” is intended to mean a substantially airtight connection to the air pressure exerted on the components of the pump dispenser 1 in its normal operation. Thus, the substantially airtight connection that forms a “sealing engagement” between the elastic tube 10 and the piston 4 and between the elastic tube 10 and the support column 88 is pressurized by the pumping action of the piston 4 in the pump chamber 26. Contains mixed air / particulate solid air stream suitable for carrying. The substantially airtight sealed connection substantially prevents air from leaking into or out of the dispensing chamber 30 under normal operating conditions of the pump dispenser 1.

  To create the aforementioned sealed connection, the tube 10 is provided by a scaffold 9, which in the illustrated embodiment is a coil spring that is placed under radial compression within the lumen of the elastic tube 10. It is preferably sufficiently resilient to receive a moderate radial expansion force and to self seal against the respective surfaces of the piston rod portion 42 and the support column 88. The scaffold 9 preferably provides a radially outward restoring force sufficient to push the elastic tube 10 into sealing engagement with the piston rod portion 42 of the piston 4 and the support column 88 of the pump body 2. Are arranged as follows. The scaffold 9 further includes a pump cycle during which the actuator rod head 78 compresses the scaffold 9, preferably axially against the restoring force of the scaffold 9, ie, the downward stroke of the pump cycle. Between the sections, it can be arranged to help keep the lumen of the elastic tube 10 open. Because the actuator rod head 78 moves downward during the down stroke of the pump cycle, the elastic tube 10 only needs to return to its original configuration upon completion of the up stroke toward the top position 46 during the down stroke. It is also preferable that the elastic tube 10 has sufficient flexibility to allow folding or wrinkle formation. The elastic tube 10 thus forms a sealing flexible portion of the structure defining the distribution chamber 30 to accommodate movement of the actuator rod 17 through the distribution chamber 30. Exemplary materials for the elastic tube 10 have an inner diameter between about 1-10 mm, preferably between about 3-7 mm, and a wall pressure between about 0.1-4 mm, more preferably between about 0.2-1.5 mm. It is silicone which has. Such parameters provide the desired range of elasticity and flexibility that is an aspect of the present invention.

  As previously described, the axial compression of the scaffold 9 creates an axial restoring force that preferably biases the actuator rod head 78 upward along the axial direction 37. The scaffold 9 can be a separate component that is positioned within the lumen of the elastic tube 10 or, alternatively, can be incorporated into the elastic tube 10 or radially outward. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the elastic tube 10 can have a configuration other than a cylindrical tube and can have only portions that exhibit elastic and / or flexible properties. It should be understood that the elastic tube 10 is intended to define a flexible portion of the structure that defines the dispensing chamber 30 to accommodate movement of the actuator rod 17 relative to the dispensing chamber 30.

  A flexible tube 110 is engaged with the actuator rod 17 through a resilient plug 112 to define a portion of the dispensing chamber 30 and hermetically separate the dispensing chamber 30 from the pump chamber 26 in a manner similar to that previously described. An exemplary alternative embodiment for the tube 10 and scaffold 9 combination is shown in FIG. The elastic plug 112 may preferably have an inner diameter that is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the actuator rod 17 so as to elastically engage the outer diameter surface of the actuator rod 17 by friction. The elastic plug 112 is positioned on the actuator rod head 78 of the actuator rod 17, and the second elastic plug 112 is positioned on the support column 88 of the pump body 2. The elastic plug 112 can be made from rubber or other materials that exhibit elastomeric properties that elastically engage the actuator rod 17 and the flexible tube 110.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the flexible tube 110 may have an “accordion” type configuration that facilitates axial compression and expansion in response to a pump cycle as described above. In one exemplary embodiment, the flexible tube 110 can be made from relatively thin-walled polyethylene, such as low density polyethylene. The end 114 of the flexible tube 110 is capable of frictional engagement with the elastic plug member 112 and sealing engagement between the plug member 112 and each one of the piston 4 and the support column 88.

  Another aspect of the present invention includes a nozzle member 15 having a flow passage 90 extending therethrough for dispensing an air / solid material mixture out of the dispensing chamber 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzle member 15 can be selectively movable within the cap 3 such that the flow path 90 is in communication with the distribution chamber 30 or not. In the closed state relative to the nozzle member 15 shown in FIGS. 1A, 5B and 6A, the wall 92 substantially or completely closes the outlet 94 of the dispensing chamber 30 within the cap 3. When pivoted to the open state, the nozzle member 15 directs the flow of air / solid material out of the pump dispenser 1 with the flow path 90 directed toward the outlet 94 of the distribution chamber 30 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 6B. Allows to dispense. The nozzle member 15 can be pivotally secured to a cap bracket 96 having a small pivoted node 98 extending through the cap bracket recess 99. The swiveling movement of the nozzle member 15 is indicated by a directional arrow 97.

  The advantage of introducing a swirling nozzle member 15 prevents or prevents moisture or other environmental elements from entering the dispensing chamber 30 from the external environment, and more importantly into the cavity 22 containing solid material. Thus, the outlet 94 of the distribution chamber 30 can be easily closed. In some embodiments, the pump dispenser 1 can be used to operably dispense talc powder that can significantly change its physical properties in a wet environment. Therefore, limiting the ingress of moisture into the solid material 1 in the container 12 can be a useful function of the pump dispenser 1. Minimizing moisture or other environmental elements from entering the cavity 22 by allowing the nozzle member 15 to pivot so that the wall 92 can be positioned to close the outlet 94 of the dispensing chamber 30; A closed environment for the solid material 21 is created.

  Another utility of the pivotable nozzle member 15 that can pivot the wall 92 of the nozzle member 15 into a closed state that prevents operation of the pump dispenser 1 is shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In particular, the closed state of the nozzle member 15 positions the wall 92 in contact with the upper surface 95 of the connector 6. When trying to push the cap 3 down, such as in the down stroke of the pump cycle, the contact between the wall 92 and the upper surface 95 of the connector 6 prevents or stops the downward movement of the cap 3. In some embodiments, the configuration of the nozzle member 15 causes the wall 92 to substantially contact the upper surface 95 of the connector 6 when the piston 4 is in the uppermost position 46. When the nozzle member 15 is in the closed state, such an arrangement establishes a “lock” that prevents the nozzle member 15 from moving downward in the cap 3. However, in other embodiments, when the nozzle member 15 is closed, the cap 3 is allowed to move downward to some extent, and such downward movement between the uppermost position 46 and the lowermost position 48 is suppressed. FIG. 6B shows the nozzle member 15 in an open state in which the flow path 90 is in fluid communication with the outlet 94 of the distribution chamber 30 within the cap 3. As shown in FIG. 6B, in the down stroke of the pump cycle that generates a pressurized air flow and distributes the air / product mixture out of the nozzle member 15, the positioning of the nozzle member 15 in the open state results in The downward movement of the cap 3 indicated by the directional arrow 91 is possible.

  Another embodiment of the present invention in which the nozzle cap 104 can be pivotally secured to the cap bracket 96 such that the cap 3 selectively opens and closes the outlet 94 of the dispensing chamber 30 is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. Shown in

  In addition to the above, the operation of the pump dispenser 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Initially, the nozzle member 15 is rotated from the closed state to the open state along the direction 97 to allow downward movement of the cap 3, and the flow path 90 is communicated with the distribution chamber 30 by the cap 3. When a downward force along the directional arrow 91 is applied to the cap 3, such force is transmitted to the piston head platform 70 by the cap shoulder 72, thereby causing a downward axis along the directional arrow 37. The directional movement is transmitted to the piston 4. Such downward movement is also transmitted from the piston rod shoulder 76 to the actuator rod head 78 so that the actuator rod 17 also advances axially downward along the directional arrow 37.

  In the pump down stroke, as the piston 4 advances axially downward, the air pressure in the pump chamber 26 increases to a point where the isolation valve 20 opens and allows air to move into the pickup chamber 28. . As piston 4 and actuator rod 17 continue to move downward, actuator rod end 80 contacts manipulator tab 65 to push manipulator tab 65 downward and manipulator 19 pivots about manipulator pivot 60. Let When the manipulator 19 is operated, a quantity of solid material 21 enters the pickup chamber 28 through the intake 32, and the pressurized air flow causes the solid material to become a mixed air / solid material flow, Enter distribution chamber 30. By maintaining the air pressure, the flow mixture is pushed through the outlet 94 and the channel 90 of the nozzle member 15 as shown in FIG. 6B. By removing the force on the cap 3, the first biasing member 8 and the second biasing member 13, as well as the scaffold 9, recover the piston 4, the actuator rod 17 and the manipulator tab 65 upward. Energize and place the distal end 66 of the manipulator arm in a relationship covering the inlet 32 and urge the piston 4 and actuator rod 17 toward position 46. Due to the negative air pressure generated in the pump chamber 26 by the expanding volume in the pump chamber 26, the open air intake valve 7 causes the external environment air to enter the pump chamber 26 and the internal pressure And allow external pressure to be substantially equal. When the piston 4 and the actuator rod 17 reach the uppermost position 46, the pump dispenser 1 is ready for the next pumping operation.

  This specification provides a detailed description of the present invention in order to provide those skilled in the art with the information necessary to follow the patent laws, apply novel principles, and configure and use embodiments of the present invention as needed. I have written. However, it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention itself.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pump dispenser 2 Pump main body 2a Flange 3 Cap 4 Piston 5 Gasket 6 Connector 12 Container 14 Base 15 Nozzle member 18 Side wall 20 Isolation valve 21 Solid material 22 Cavity 23 Neck part 24 Upper edge part 26 Pump chamber 28 Pickup chamber 30 Distribution chamber 32 Intake port 34 Connection portion 36 Center axis 37 Axial direction 38 Radial direction 40 Piston head 42 Piston rod portion 44 Piston seal portion 46 Top position 48 Bottom position

Claims (3)

A container defining a cavity for containing a dispensable material;
A pump body having a pump chamber positionable in the cavity and in fluid communication with a pick-up chamber in fluid communication with the distribution chamber, wherein at least a portion of the distribution chamber includes the distribution chamber. Defined by a lumen of a flexible member for hermetically separating from the pump chamber so that the pump chamber is in fluid communication with the distribution chamber only through the pick-up chamber, and the pump body is A pump body further comprising an inlet communicating a cavity with the pick-up chamber and a central axis defining an axial direction and a radial direction perpendicular to each other;
A piston positioned in the pump chamber and slidably engaged with the pump body for directing air flow to the pick-up chamber to a degree sufficient to carry the dispensable material through the dispense chamber. A pump dispenser having a piston that is axially movable in the direction of the first axis within the pump chamber to push.   The pump dispenser of claim 1, comprising a scaffold that radially supports the flexible member to maintain the lumen open.   The pump dispenser of claim 2, wherein the scaffold is disposed in the lumen in contact with the flexible member.