MXPA00003605A - Manually operable dispensing pump - Google Patents

Abstract

A manually operable dispensing pump (10) for use with a primary container (12) containing a primary fluid, the pump having a body containing a sprayer mechanism and having a primary attachment means (20) for attaching to the primary container and secondary attachment means for attaching to a secondary container (14) having contents to be co-dispensed with the primary fluid. The secondary container is attachable by the secondary attachment means directly to the body at a location remote from the primary container. The secondary container has a holding chamber for holding selected contents and an outlet that provides immediate communication between the holding chamber and the sprayer mechanism when the secondary container is attached to the body so that contents of the secondary container can pass immediately into a mixing chamber in the body to be mixed with primary fluid pumped from the primary container. The mixing chamber contents are then discharged from the pump. Preferably, the secondary container is detachable. A detachable secondary container to be used with the pump is also disclosed.

Description

MANUALLY OPERABLE SUPPLY PUMP CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED REQUESTS Not applicable. Statement regarding federally sponsored research or development. Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a manually operated dispensing pump for mixing and simultaneously delivering two separate materials, preferably two fluids. In particular, the invention relates to said dispenser pump, wherein the proportions of a first fluid to a second material to be supplied are such that a relatively large amount of the first fluid is mixed with a relatively small amount of the second material. Commonly the second material is a concentrate, active ingredient or activating substance that is mixed in relatively small amounts with the first fluid, which may be a liquid diluent, vehicle or substance that requires activation just before use. The technique related to manually activated pumps for spraying liquids simultaneously is replete.

Commonly, as in the patent of E.U.A. 5,472,119 of Park and Corba, the pumps are intended to be used with double bottles of very similar construction. See also, patent of E. U. A. 5,385,270 of Cataneo and others; patent of E.U.A. 5,009,343 to Lawrence et al .; U.A. Patent 4,902,281 to Avoy; patent of E.U.A. 4,826,048 to Skorka et al .; patent of E.U.A. 3,760,986 to Castner et al .; U.S. Patent 5,332,157 to Proctor; patent of E.U.A. 5,339,990 to Wilder; and U.S. Patent No. 4,949,874 to Fiedler et al. The descriptions of these patents and all other publications referred to herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Some of the prior art devices employ completely separate or parallel pumping systems, one for liquid container, with the output of the pumping systems being mixed at or just before a nozzle (see, US Patent No. 5,535,950). Skorka and others, and Barriac and others, in Figure 9, as examples). Another technique employs separate drip tubes or other liquid transfer means, each ejecting from separate bottles, with the liquids being expelled through an individual piston into a mixing chamber before entering the piston for ejection through a nozzle . See, for example, US patent. 5,629,259 to Maas et al .; patent of E.U.A. 5,385,270 from Cataneo and others; patent of E.U.A. 5,009,342 to Lawrence et al .; and patent of E.U.A. 5,472,119 to Park et al.

The patent of E.U.A. 5,332,157, Procter, shows a cylinder and piston device wherein the liquid is conducted through liquid transfer means towards openings with valves on the face of a piston. The upper space inside the cylinder above the piston serves as a mixing chamber. Similarly, patent of E.U.A. 5,562,250 from O'Neill, shows an individual arrangement of cylinder and piston, with the space in the cylinder above the piston serving as a mixing chamber. In the O'Neill patent, drip tubes descending into the compartments of a multi-compartment container communicate directly with openings in the cylinder. The relative amounts of liquid pumped from different compartments are commonly controlled by restricting or selecting the relative sizes of the liquid flow paths at some point where the containers and the place where they are mixed before being dispensed. See patent of E.U.A. 5,562,250 O'Neill; patent of E.U.A. 4,355,739 of Vierkótter and patent of E. U. A. 3,786,993 of Metzler, Ill, among others. Devices with double pump cylinders, such as the patent of U.S.A. 5,535,950 to Barriac et al., Can clearly obtain a relative dosing of materials through the selection of relative displacement volumes of each of the two pumping mechanisms. A device recognized in the art and believed to have been assigned to Calmar, Inc., of City of Industry, California, employs two separate pistons of different sizes. The smaller piston is directly mounted as an axial extension of the larger piston, with valves so that the small piston always ejects liquid from the container attached thereto in an amount that is in a ratio fixed to that expelled by the larger piston. from the container attached to the larger piston. The liquid ejected to the smaller piston through a drip tube that communicates with a secondary container is discharged directly into the headspace above the larger piston, which serves as a mixing chamber. Several important aspects are not well addressed in the art. For example, specifically if the contents of a secondary container are a concentrate, drip tubes and other extensive fluid transfer means may require inconvenient amounts of the concentrate to be simply ejected to close the pump or otherwise fill the system. The technique does not provide a manually operated dispensing pump designed to pump fluid from a primary container and combine it with contents expelled from a secondary container, where the contents of the secondary container are delivered to a mixing chamber without having passed through a tube. Interfering drip or comparable, extensive fluid transfer media. In addition, the technique does not show a device that also provides convenient replacement of a secondary container by another secondary container, without disturbing the primary container. A replaceable secondary container can allow for convenient recharging of the device or exchange of one secondary ingredient for another. In addition, most of the art shows multiple containers that are either grouped as subdivided parts of a unitarily formed bottle or smaller deposit inserted into a larger bottle. In the last arrangement, the smaller reservoir is bathed in its outer part by the liquid contained by the larger bottle, while holding its own contents in its interior, and the first arrangement requires at least one common wall. In any case, the secondary deposit must be made of a material that can successfully contain one of the two materials that will be co-supplied as long as it can also resist infiltration by the other material. However, one of the advantages of the double assortment gives the opportunity to supply essentially compatible materials that are mixed in the assortment pump and immediately applied. Such incompatible materials may have different containment requirements, making it desirable for the two deposits to be physically separated from one another. The technique does not provide any convenient means to provide such separation without the need for drip tubes or other extensive fluid transfer means for each reservoir.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a manually operable dispensing pump for use with a primary container containing a primary fluid and a secondary container having contents that will be co-supplied with the primary fluid. The dispensing pump has a body having primary attachment means for attaching the body to the primary container and secondary attachment means to which the secondary container can be attached. The dispensing pump includes a spray mechanism held by or formed inside the body. The sprinkler mechanism includes a piston and a cylinder having a cylinder head space above the piston. A mixing chamber is provided which is in fluid communication with the head space of the cylinder. The sprinkling mechanism also includes a drip tube or other primary fluid transfer means for transferring fluid to the mixing chamber from the primary container. The primary fluid transfer means includes a check valve that allows fluid to be transferred therefrom to flow only towards and not far from the mixing chamber.

The spray mechanism also includes a trigger operated with the finger or other means of manual operation to reciprocate the piston with the cylinder, increasing and shining alternately the upper space of the cylinder to extract the contents to and then expel the contents from the mixing chamber. The upper space of the cylinder by itself can serve as the mixing chamber, although a chamber simply separated in fluid communication with the upper space of the cylinder can also serve as the mixing chamber, either by itself or in combination with the top space of the cylinder. The sprinkler mechanism also includes a discharge orifice and a discharge conduit that provides fluid communication between the mixing chamber and the discharge orifice. The discharge conduit has a discharge check valve which allows the fluid to move in the discharge conduit only towards the discharge orifice and not back to the mixing chamber. The dispensing pump of the invention further includes a secondary container that can be attached directly to the body through the secondary attachment means at a site away from the primary attachment means. The secondary container includes a support chamber that maintains selected contents and an outlet that provides immediate communication between the support chamber and the spraying mechanism when the secondary container is attached to the body. The attachment of the secondary container to the body is achieved in such a way that the contents of the secondary container can immediately pass into the mixing chamber. It will be understood that the contents will be able to pass immediately from the secondary container to the mixing chamber if the contents are not required to pass through a drip tube or other structure that is not part of or is contained within the body of the container. assortment pump. A secondary check valve allows the contents of the secondary support chamber to move only towards and not far from the mixing chamber. The secondary check valve can be either part of the spray mechanism or part of the secondary container. Depending on the requirements of the particular design of the pump, the secondary check valve may be a ball valve, a sunshade valve, a flapper valve, a duckbill valve, or any other one-way valve of many well-known types. by those skilled in the art. As a consequence of the structure described above, when a user moves a piston through the use of manual operating means, the contents of the secondary container and the fluid of the primary container both are first drawn into the mixing chamber, where they intermingle. They are then expelled through the discharge port through the discharge conductor. It will be noted that this mixed discharge is achieved through an assortment pump that keeps the secondary container separate from the primary container, without any part of the device containing or otherwise interacting with both of the materials that will be stocked until they reach the chamber of mixing. In addition, the fact that the contents of the secondary container can pass immediately into the mixing chamber avoids the use of drip tubes or other extensive fluid communication arrangements for the secondary container, reducing the amount of secondary container contents that must be available simply to prime the pump or otherwise load the system. The secondary container can be permanently attached to the body and can even be unitarily formed therewith. However, in a preferred embodiment of the dispensing pump of the invention, the secondary container can be replaceably separated from the secondary attachment means. This provides convenient filling after the contents of an initial secondary container have been ejected. When it is combined with the separation of the primary and secondary containers and the union of the secondary container in such a way that their contents can pass immediately to the mixing chamber, it becomes evident the possibility of using several secondary replacement containers having contents that differ between yes. Each secondary container can be made of selected materials that are specifically appropriate for the long-term containment of its contents. In addition, since a minimum amount of contents of the secondary container is required to prime the system and reach the mixing chamber, only a minimum amount of waste spraying must be discarded before the new contents are loaded into the system. When the secondary container is separated as a replacement, it is preferred that the secondary check valve be a part of the secondary container. The other preferred embodiment, the dispensing pump includes dosing means for dosing fluid from the primary content and material contained in the secondary container to the mixing chamber in a selected ratio. This is especially valuable when the material of the secondary container, for example, is a concentrate or a highly active material that is intended to be mixed with the fluid of the primary container in a specific relative amount to achieve a final spray of a desired concentration or a particular activation effect. A number of alternative embodiments of the dosing means are described below in the detailed description of the invention. The primary fluid and the contents of the secondary container mutually may be incompatible. It is understood that the materials are "incompatible" if they are both destroyed, modified, reduced in activity, that become less stable, or otherwise altered by extended exposure to other materials that are to be co-supplied by the pump or may have that effect on those other materials. "Extended" exposure must mean exposure of at least the minimum time materials are expected to be stored in the pump and primary and secondary containers before use. The contents of the secondary container preferably include an active ingredient selected from the group consisting of essences, cleansing active ingredients, biocides and active pest control ingredients. The "cleaning active ingredients" include, but are not limited to, bleaches, surfactants, acids, enzymes, and the like. "Biocides" include, but are not limited to, antibacterials, anti-mold agents, herbicides, and the like. The "active pest control ingredients" include an ingredient for killing or altering the behavior or development of pests such as insects, arachnids, Chilopoda (centipede), Diplopoda (millipedes), and the like. In still another aspect, the invention includes a secondary container for containing contents selected for use with the assortment pump described above. The secondary container includes a content-tight support chamber having an outlet and matching means through which the secondary container can be attached to the secondary attachment means of the assortment pump, with the outlet in immediate communication with the spray mechanism of the bomb. The secondary container thus described is intended to be used as a filling for the dispensing pump to renew the supply of the contents of the secondary container. Alternatively, different contents or different content delivery speeds can be provided in different secondary containers. Through this, it is possible to select between alternative secondary container contents or to select between different contents ratios of the secondary container to primary fluid in the aspersion supplied by the pump.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view from the back and to the side of a preferred embodiment of the dispensing pump of the invention, attached to a conventional bottle serving as a primary container. Figure 2 is a partially schematic and simplified cross-sectional view of the dispensing pump of Figure 1, without the bottle, the cross-sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a simplified and partially schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the dispensing pump of the invention, corresponding to the view of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a simplified, partially schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the dispensing pump of the invention, corresponding to the view of Figure 2, with the upper portion of the secondary container truncated. Figure 5 is a simplified and partially schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the dispensing pump of the invention, corresponding to the view of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a simplified and partially schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the dispensing pump of the invention, corresponding to the view of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a simplified and partially schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the dispensing pump of the invention, corresponding to the view of Figure 2.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a secondary container of the invention taken axially, along the middle line of the secondary container, with the secondary container shown in perspective from opposite and below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, wherein similar parts of the same embodiment and strictly corresponding parts in alternative embodiments are indicated with similar reference numbers, a preferred embodiment of the manually operable dispensing pump of the invention is generally shown in Figure 1 and , in cross section, in Figure 2 in 10, the pump 10 is shown in Figure 1 mounted on a primary container 12. The primary container 12 shown in Figure 1 is a conventional bottle of a general common class in the Spray product technique with trigger. The primary container 12 is intended to contain a primary fluid (not shown). The assortment pump 10 is used with and may include a secondary container 14 having contents (not shown) that will be co-supplied with the primary fluid. The assortment pump 10 has a body 16 having primary attachment means for attaching the body 16 to the primary container 12, such as the threads 20 shown in Figure 2. The pump 10 also has secondary attachment means to which it can be attached the secondary container 14, such as the secondary threads 22 shown in Figure 2. Alternative embodiments of the primary and secondary attachment means, such as, but not limited to, bayonet, jump or compression fixation, will be obvious to those skilled in the art and included within the scope and spirit of the invention. The assortment pump 10 includes a spray mechanism maintained by or formed within the body 16. The spray mechanism includes a piston 24 and a cylinder 26 having an upper cylinder space 28 above the face of the piston. A mixing chamber 30 is provided which is in fluid communication with the upper space of the cylinder 28. The sprinkling mechanism also includes a drip tube 32, a collapsible or non-vented bottle, or other fluid transfer means primary means for transmitting the fluid to the mixing chamber 30 from the primary container 12. The primary fluid transfer means includes a primary check valve 34, such as the conventional ball valve shown schematically in Figures 2, 5-7. The primary check valve 34 allows fluid that is being transferred through the primary fluid transfer means to flow only towards and not far from the mixing chamber 30. The spray mechanism also includes a trigger 36 operated with the finger or other manual operating means for reciprocally moving the piston 24 within the cylinder 26, increasing and alternatingly reducing the upper cylinder space 28 to extract the primary liquid and the contents of the secondary container to and then expel them from the chamber mixed 30. Preferably, the upper cylinder head 28 itself can serve as the mixing chamber 30, as illustrated in Figures 2, 4-7. However, a chamber simply separated in fluid communication with the cylinder head space 28 can also serve as the mixing chamber 30, either by itself or in combination with the head space of the cylinder. Said arrangement is shown in the embodiment of the pump 10 shown in Figure 3. The spray mechanism also includes a discharge orifice 38, together with a discharge conduit 40 that provides fluid communication between the mixing chamber 30 and the orifice of download. The discharge conduit 40 has a discharge check valve 42 which allows the fluid to move in the discharge conduit only towards the discharge orifice 38 and not back to the mixing chamber 30. The secondary container 14 can be attached directly to the body 16 of the pump 10 through the secondary attachment means at a site away from the primary attachment means. The secondary container 14 includes a support chamber 44 for maintaining the selected contents and an outlet 46 that provides immediate communication between the support chamber and the spray mechanism when the secondary container is attached to the body 16. The attachment of the secondary container 14 to the body 16 is achieved in such a way that the contents of the secondary container can immediately pass into the mixing chamber 30. A secondary check valve 48 allows the contents of the support chamber 44 to move only towards and not far from the chamber mixed 30. The secondary check valve 48 can be either part of the spray mechanism (as in the pump mode 10 shown in Figure 7) or part of the secondary container 14 (as in the embodiments shown in Figures 2- 6). As a consequence of the structure described above, when a user moves the piston 24 through the use of the manual operating means, the contents of the secondary container 14 and the fluid of the primary container 12 are both first drawn into the mixing chamber 30, where they intermingle. Then, they are expelled through the discharge orifice 38 through the discharge conduit 40. The secondary container 14 can be permanently attached to the body 16, as in the embodiments shown in Figures 3 and 4, and can still be unitarily formed with the same. However, in a preferred embodiment of the assortment pump 10, the secondary container 14 can be detachably separated from the secondary attachment means, as in the embodiments shown in Figures 2, 5, 6 and 7. Said replaceable joint allows the convenient replacement of a secondary container 14 filled after the contents of an initial secondary container have been ejected. Other advantages of the replaceable union have been discussed above. When the secondary container 14 separates in replaceable form, it is preferred that the secondary check valve 48 be part of the secondary container. It is preferred that the assortment pump 10 includes dosing means for dosing the fluid from the primary container 12 and the material contained in the secondary container 14 to the mixing chamber 30 in a selected ratio. Alternative modes of dosing media are shown in Figures 2-7 and discussed below. The advantages of the dosing means are discussed above. In the modalities shown in Figures 3 and 7, the dosing means includes a primary orifice 50 and a selected size, through which the fluid in the primary container 12 must flow as it moves into the mixing chamber 30. A secondary orifice 52 of a selected size is also provided. , through which the material contained in the secondary container 14 must pass as it moves towards the mixing chamber 30. The ratio of the fluid from the primary container to the material of the secondary container entering the mixing chamber 30 is determined to through the relative sizes of the primary and secondary orifices 50, 52. Preferably, when the secondary container 14 is removably separated from the secondary attachment means, the secondary orifice 52 is a part of the secondary container. Alternative metering means having other advantages can be provided, for example, the piston 24 of the assortment pump 10 described above can be designated as the "primary piston 54", having a selected primary piston displacement. The dosing means can then include secondary pumping means for moving the contents from the support chamber 44 to the mixing chamber 30. The secondary pumping means can be located either in the body 16 (as shown in the embodiment of FIG. Figure 6) or secondary container 14 (as shown in the embodiments of Figures 2, 4-5). The secondary pumping means operate in physical coordination with the primary piston 54, the secondary pumping means having a selected secondary displacement being driven mechanically, hydraulically, or through other means. The primary piston 54 pumps the fluid from the primary container 12 and the secondary pumping means pumps the contents from the secondary container 16, with the relative amounts of the fluid from the primary container and the contents of the secondary container delivered to the mixing chamber 30 and being respectively determined by the displacements of the primary piston 54 and the secondary pumping means. When the secondary container 14 is removably separated from the secondary attachment means, it is preferred, but not required, that the secondary pumping means form part of the secondary container. Several secondary pumping means are possible and representative and preferred embodiments are illustrated in Figures 2-6. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the support chamber 44 of the secondary container has a wall 56, and the secondary pumping means includes a flexible membrane 58 located in the wall of the support chamber. Means are provided for flexing the membrane 58 towards and away from the support chamber 44 in physical coordination with the movement of the primary piston 54. A one-way valve 60 allows the contents of the support chamber to be pumped through the outlet 46 of the support chamber towards the mixing chamber 30 when the membrane 58 is flexed inwardly with respect to the support chamber 44, increasing the internal pressure of the contents of the support chamber, the support chamber being such that the flow out through the chamber 60 is the residence means for relieving pressure within the support chamber. The one-way valve 60 prevents contents from flowing back through it when the membrane 58 is bent outwardly. Preferably, the one-way valve 60 is mounted directly on the wall 56 of the support chamber, as shown in Figure 2, and both constitutes and is directly in fluid communication with the outlet 46 of the support chamber. In the embodiment of Figure 2, the means for flexing the membrane 58 includes a piston extension rod 62 activated by the primary piston 54. The piston extension rod 62 is pushed against the membrane 58 when the primary piston 54 moves., flexing the membrane. Although not required, it is preferred that, as shown in Figure 2, the piston extension rod 62 be coaxial with the primary piston 54, extending from the face of the primary piston through the end of its cylinder. The piston extension rod 62 can only make contact and can not be attached to the primary piston 54. The piston extension rod 62 can still form a part of the secondary pumping means. However, it is preferred that the piston extension rod 62 be physically attached to or at least be engaged by the primary piston 54. Preferably, the piston extension rod 62 is slidably surrounded by a seal, as shown in FIG. 64 in Figure 2, which prevents free intermixing of the contents of the headspace above the face of the primary piston 54 and any material in contact with the seal surface away from the primary piston. The slidable seal 64 also prevents leakage of the primary fluid when the secondary container 14 is removed for replacement.

Other possible arrangements of the piston extension rod will be apparent to those skilled in the art, such as a lateral location, with the piston extension rod being directly or indirectly attached to the primary piston at a point away from its face, but, however, moving with and being driven by the primary piston. Said alternative provisions are within the scope and spirit of the invention. In any case, when the secondary container 14 removably attaches to the secondary attachment means, it is preferred that the flexible membrane 58 forms part of the secondary container and that the means for flexing the membrane remain in a portion of the spray mechanism of the second container. body 16 when the secondary container is removed, if a piston extension rod or other bending means are employed.

The flexible membrane 58 is preferably made of an elastic material that elastically returns to its original shape after it has been flexed, thus being prepared for a secondary pumping stroke. Alternatively, a spring (not shown) or other alternative mechanical means may be provided to restore the bending membrane to its original position. However, when the primary piston 54 is so moved that the mixing chamber 30 is under a negative pressure with respect to the secondary container support chamber 44, the flexible membrane 58 will be pushed back to its original position simply by the pressure differential. . The alternative pumping means related to the flexible membrane arrangement just described are shown in the embodiment of Figure 4. In the embodiment of Figure 4, the support chamber 44 includes a compression chamber 68 and a reservoir 70, both being in communication through a compression chamber valve of an address 72 that allows the flow of the contents of the reservoir only towards and not outside the compression chamber. The secondary check valve 48 is preferably located in the wall of the compression chamber 68. A flexible membrane shown at 66, generally similar in physical characteristics and pumping function to the membrane 58 of the embodiment of Figure 2, can be flexed inwards towards the compression chamber 68, forcing the contents of the compression chamber through the secondary check valve 48. When the flexible membrane 66 returns to its original position, the contents of the reservoir are extracted to the compression chamber 68. through the one-way directional chamber valve 72. This arrangement allows the reservoir 70 to be a soft bag or other structure that can be crushed, the advantages of such deposits are discussed below. In an alternative and highly preferred embodiment, the secondary pumping means includes a secondary piston with a secondary cylinder such as those shown respectively at 74 and 76 in the embodiments of Figures 5 and 6. The secondary cylinder 76 is in communication with both the support chamber 44 of the secondary container 14 as with the mixing chamber 30. At least one one way valve 78 permits the flow of the contents of the support chamber only towards the mixing chamber 30. Means are provided for driving the secondary piston 34 in physical coordination with the primary piston 54 for pumping the contents from the support chamber 44 and then pumping the contents into the mixing chamber 30. The secondary piston 74 may have a peripheral seal 80 which is biased against the sides of the piston. its cylinder 76 and it is made so that, if there is no alternative flow path of less resistance, the material with held in the upper space above the secondary piston will be blown by the peripheral seal as the upper space is compressed when the secondary piston is moved towards the end of the secondary cylinder 76. If the space behind the secondary piston 74 is in communication with mixing chamber 30, the peripheral seal 80 can operate by itself as a one-way valve allowing the flow of the contents of the support chamber only towards the mixing chamber. If the peripheral seal 80 is a resilient flexible jacket-type flange that extends rearwardly from the upper space of the secondary piston 74 to make contact with the walls of the secondary cylinder 76 (such as the peripheral seal shown in the figures), the flange it will easily deform to allow the material under pressure to pass through it from the side of the secondary piston towards its rear part. However, the elasticity and / or proper fluid pressure of the opposite direction flange will cause the flange to press more tightly against the walls of the secondary cylinder 76, resulting in increased resistance to reflux. The primary and secondary pistons 54, 74 can be located collaterally with their physically combined movement being achieved by being actuated through an individual trigger with appropriate linkage well known in the art, and other arrangements of the pistons and other means for physically coordinating their movement will be apparent to those skilled in the art. However, it is preferred that the means for driving the secondary piston 74 include a piston extension rod 84 comparable to the piston extension rod 62, driven by the primary piston 54 and adapted to move the secondary piston within the secondary cylinder 76. The piston extension rod 84 can be either attached to the secondary piston 74 (through a unitary construction, spherical bearing arrangement, or other means) or can simply contact it. In the latter case, it is preferred that the means for driving the secondary piston include a secondary spring 86 which deflects the secondary piston rearwardly, the piston extension rod and the secondary spring cooperatively moving the secondary piston in physical coordination with the primary piston 54. Although the presence of the secondary spring 86 is preferred to assist the secondary piston movement 74 rearwardly after it has been pushed toward the end of the secondary cylinder 76, other arrangements are possible. For example, if the space behind the head of the secondary piston 75 is in communication as in the mixing chamber 30, when the mixing chamber is under reduced pressure as the primary piston 54 is removed, the space below the The upper part of the secondary piston will similarly be under reduced pressure. If that pressure is less than the pressure of the contents in the support chamber 44 of the secondary container, the pressure differential may be sufficient to move the secondary piston rearward, without the need for a diverter spring. When the secondary container 14 is removably attached to the secondary attachment means, it is preferred that the secondary piston 74 and its cylinder 76 form a part of the secondary container, together with the secondary spring 86, if said spring is used, although the means for actuating the secondary piston remain as a part of the body sprinkler mechanism 16 when the secondary container is removed. Said disposition is shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5. The contents of the secondary container 14 can be a fluid, including either liquids or gases, and can also include pumpable solid particles. "Solid" in this context should refer to any material capable of emerging as a discrete particle of a non-flowable material, including traditional solids, gel particles and the like. A solid particle can be said to be "pumpable" if it has characteristics so that it can be extracted through the valves or other joints within the dispensing pump 10 through which the fluid is forced by the action of the pump to be downloaded from it. Stable suspensions of said particles within liquids are preferred. The primary fluid and the contents of the secondary container 14 can be mutually incompatible. It must be understood that the materials are "incompatible" if they are either destroyed, modified, reduced in activity, that become less stable, or otherwise altered by extended exposure to other materials that are to be co-supplied by the pump. or can have that effect on those other materials. The "extended" exposure means the exposure for at least the minimum time that the materials are to be stored in the pump 10 and the primary and secondary containers 12, 14 before use. The invention can also be understood as a secondary container 14, separable, independently of outlet, to contain contents selected for use with the dispensing pump described above and having the aspects described above for the secondary container when it has been described in the embodiments that it can be removed from the secondary attachment means. Figure 8 shows a preferred embodiment of said secondary container 14 independently of output. The secondary container 14 includes a support chamber 44 hermetic to contents having an outlet 46 and matching means through which the secondary container can be attached to the secondary attachment means of the dispensing pump, the output in immediate communication with the mechanism of spray pump 10. The secondary container 14 thus described is intended to be used as a filler for the assortment pump 10 to renew the supply of the contents of the secondary container or to allow different selectable contents or different rates of supply of contents provided in two different secondary containers. Since the removable secondary container 14 is intended to be handled and sold as a separate object, not already attached to the dispensing pump, it is preferred that removable closure means be provided to avoid the loss of the contents of the secondary container prior to installation in the pump 10. Said closing means may be a lid (not shown) that removably attaches to the matching means. Alternatively, a pierceable seal may be provided to close the outlet 46 in a leak-tight relationship to the contents to prevent leakage and preserve the contents of the contact with the surrounding environment. The technique is well familiar with stamps made of materials such as sheet, paper and plastic that are suitable for this application. When said seal is used, it is preferred that the secondary attachment means of the dispensing pump include seal perforation means to pierce the seal and provide immediate communication between the outlet of the secondary container and the spraying mechanism of the dispensing pump. In the secondary container 14 shown in Figure 7 installed in the pump 10, the support chamber 44 includes a collapsible bag 87 contained within a rigid shield 89. The collapsible bag 87 has a pierceable wall 88 which it looks towards the pump when the secondary container 14 is installed in the pump 10, the same pierceable wall functioning as the seal. The embodiment of the pump 10 shown in Figure 7 includes a sharp tip 90 adapted to pierce the wall 88 as the secondary container moves to the position on the pump. The wall 88 is preferably made of materials known in the art which tend to surround and seal a piercing object, such as the tip 90, to adhere the tip in a hermetic relationship to the contents. As the contents of the support chamber 44 are moved therefrom through the dispensing pump 10, the support chamber will acquire a negative pressure, will have no ventilation and other means to relieve that pressure. The support chamber 44 of the secondary container embodiment 14 shown in Figure 3 is a collapsible bag that can simply be reduced in volume to mitigate that pressure. In the modality of Figure 8, the support chamber has rigid side walls 92 and an end wall 96 spaced from the outlet 46. The margin of the end wall 94 has a slidable seal adapted to slide within the side walls in a hermetic relationship to the contents. Through this, as the contents of the support chamber 44 are pumped therein, the end wall 94 can slide towards the outlet 46, allowing the volume of the support chamber to be reduced, thus eliminating the need for ventilate the support chamber. A retaining spring, such as that shown at 96 in the embodiment of Figure 2, can be used to prevent backward movement of the end wall 94. Other means for reducing the size of the support chamber 44 as its The contents are removed, will be apparent to those skilled in the art, including, but not limited to, support chambers 44 that are partially rigid but include flexible wall portions that can move inwardly as the contents of the chamber are removed. Alternatively, the support chamber 44 can be ventilated through any of several means known in the art. It is also preferred that the secondary container 14 include secondary pumping means for pumping the contents of the secondary container through the outlet 46. The secondary pumping means are adapted to operate in physical coordination with the primary piston 54 when the secondary container is attached to the body 16 of the assortment pump 10. The alternative modes and function of the secondary pumping means with respect to the dosing of relative amounts of the contents of the secondary support chamber 14 and the fluid contained within the primary support chamber 12 were established in detail above. All parts of the pump 10 can be manufactured from the suitable plastic and elastomeric well known to those skilled in the art through standard molding techniques. The springs can be conventionally made of metals with suitable plastic. The embodiments of the alternative of the invention to those described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art, although such alternatives are within the scope and spirit of the invention. The invention is defined not only by the preferred embodiments described, but also by the claims set forth below.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The utility of pumps for co-supplying materials is well established in the art, since they are the manufacturing means presented above.

Claims (34)

1. - A manually operated dispensing pump for use with a primary container containing a primary fluid, the dispensing pump comprising: a. a body that has: i. primary joining means for joining the body to the primary container; and ii. secondary attachment means; b. a spraying mechanism maintained by or formed within the body and including: i. a piston and a cylinder having a cylinder head space above the piston; ii. a mixing chamber in fluid communication with the upper space of the cylinder; iii. primary fluid transfer means for transferring fluid to the mixing chamber from the primary container, including a primary check valve that allows the fluid to be transferred to flow only toward and not only away from the mixing chamber; iv. manual operating means for reciprocally moving the piston inside the cylinder, increasing and reducing in an alternating manner the upper cylinder space to extract the contents towards the mixing chamber and then expel the contents; v. a discharge orifice and a discharge conduit that provides fluid communication between the mixing chamber and the discharge orifice, the discharge conduit having a discharge check valve that allows the fluid to move in the discharge conduit only towards the discharge hole; and a secondary container that can be attached through the secondary attachment means directly to the body at a site away from the primary container, the secondary container having a support chamber for maintaining selected contents and an outlet that provides immediate communication between the camera support and sprinkler mechanism when the secondary container is attached to the body, so that the contents of the secondary container can pass immediately into the mixing chamber, one of the sprinkler mechanism and the secondary container having a secondary check valve that allows the contents of the secondary container move only towards and not far from the mixing chamber; whereby, when a user moves the piston through the use of manual operating means, the contents of the secondary container and the fluid of the primary container both are first drawn into the mixing chamber and then expelled through the orifice of the container. discharge through the discharge conduit.

2. The dispensing pump according to claim 1, wherein the secondary container can be detachably separated from the secondary attachment means.

3. The dispensing pump according to claim 2, wherein the secondary check valve is a part of the secondary container.

4. The dispensing pump according to claim 1, including dosing means for dosing the fluid of the primary container and the material contained in the secondary container to the mixing chamber in a selected ratio.

5. The dispensing pump according to claim 4, wherein the dosing means includes a primary orifice of a selected size, through which the fluid of the primary container must flow as it moves toward the mixing chamber and a secondary orifice of a selected size through which the material contained in the secondary container can pass as it moves towards the mixing chamber, the ratio of the fluid from the primary container to the secondary container material entering the mixing chamber being determined by the relative sizes of the primary and secondary holes.

6. The dispensing pump according to claim 4, wherein: a. the piston constitutes a primary piston having a selected primary piston displacement, and b. the dosing means include secondary pumping means for moving the contents of the secondary container towards the mixing chamber, the secondary pumping means being located in one of the body and of the secondary container, operating in physical coordination with the primary piston and having a selected secondary displacement, the primary piston pumping fluid of the primary container and the secondary pumping means pumping contents from the secondary container, with the relative amounts of the fluid in the primary container and the contents of the secondary container supplied by the primary piston and the secondary pumping means being determined respectively by the displacements of the primary piston and secondary pumping means, thus determining the ratio of those quantities that enter the mixing chamber.

7. The dispensing pump according to claim 6, wherein the secondary container can be detachably separated from the secondary attachment means and the secondary pumping means form part of the secondary container.

8. The dispensing pump according to claim 6, wherein the support chamber of the secondary container has a wall and the secondary pumping means include: a. a flexible membrane located in the support chamber wall; b. means for flexing the membrane inside and outside the support chamber in physical coordination with the movement of the primary piston; and c. a one-way valve allowing the contents of the support chamber to be pumped through the outlet of the support chamber into the mixing chamber when the membrane is bent inward but preventing contents from flowing back through it the membrane flexes outwards.

9. The dispensing pump according to claim 8, wherein the means for flexing the membrane includes a piston extension rod driven by the primary piston which pushes against the membrane when the primary piston is moved.

10. The dispensing pump according to claim 8, wherein the secondary container can be attached removably to the secondary attachment means and the flexible membrane forming part of the secondary container and the means for flexing the membrane remaining as a part of the mechanism of body spray when the secondary container is removed.

11. The dispensing pump according to claim 6, wherein: a. the support chamber includes a compression chamber and a reservoir, with a one-way valve communicating with each other that allows the flow of the reservoir contents only in and out of the compression chamber, the secondary check valve being located in a wall of the compression chamber; b. located on a wall of the compression chamber, a flexible membrane that can be flexed inwards towards the compression chamber through the bending of the membrane, to force the contents of the compression chamber through the secondary check valve , the contents of the tank being extracted towards the compression chamber through the valve of one direction when the flexible membrane returns to its original position.

12. The dispensing pump according to claim 6, wherein the secondary pumping means include: a. a secondary piston and a secondary cylinder that is in communication with the supporting chamber of the secondary container and the mixing chamber, with valves of one direction allowing the flow of the contents of the support chamber only towards the mixing chamber; and b. means for actuating the secondary piston in physical coordination with the primary piston for pumping the contents from the support chamber and then pumping the contents into the mixing chamber.

13. The dispensing pump according to claim 12, wherein the means for driving the secondary piston include a piston extension rod driven by the primary piston, the piston extension rod moving the secondary piston in physical coordination with the piston. primary piston.

14. The dispensing pump according to claim 12, wherein: a. the secondary container is removably attached to the secondary attachment means; b. the secondary piston is a part of the secondary container; and c. the means for driving the secondary piston remain as part of the body spray mechanism when the secondary content is removed.

15. The dispensing pump according to claim 14, wherein the means for driving the secondary piston includes a piston extension rod driven by the primary piston and adapted to move the secondary piston from a first position inside the secondary cylinder towards a second position and a secondary spring that diverts the second piston rearward back to the first position, the piston extension rod and the secondary spring moving the secondary piston in physical coordination with the primary piston.

16. The dispensing pump according to claim 1, wherein the contents of the secondary container are a fluid.

17. The dispensing pump according to claim 1, wherein the contents of the secondary container include pumpable solid particles.

18. The dispensing pump according to claim 1, where the primary fluid and the contents of the secondary container are mutually incompatible.

19. The dispensing pump according to claim 1, wherein the secondary container comprises a hermetic contents support chamber having an outlet and matching means through which the secondary container can be attached to the joining means secondary with the exit in immediate communication with the mechanism of aspersion of the assortment pump.

20. The dispensing pump according to claim 19, wherein the secondary container includes a pierceable seal closing the outlet in hermetic relation to the contents, wherein the secondary attachment means of the dispensing pump include seal perforation means for pierce the seal to provide immediate communication between the outlet and the sprinkler mechanism.

21. The dispensing pump according to claim 19, wherein the secondary container includes a secondary check valve that allows the contents of the secondary container to move only towards the mixing chamber of the dispensing pump.

22. The dispensing pump according to claim 19, wherein the supporting chamber of the secondary container has rigid side walls and an end wall separated from the outlet, the end wall including a slidable seal adapted to slide within the side walls. in a hermetic relation to the contents, so that, as the contents of the support chamber are pumped from it, the sliding seal slides towards the exit, allowing the volume of the support chamber to be reduced and eliminated thus the need to ventilate the support chamber.

23. The dispensing pump according to claim 19, wherein the secondary container includes a hollow rigid protection and a sheath that is airtight to the contents that can be crushed, contained within the protection and defining the support chamber, the interior of the lining holding the contents of the secondary container and being in communication with the outlet, so that as the contents of the support chamber are pumped from it, the liner collapses, reducing the volume and eliminating the need to ventilate the chamber of support.

24. The dispensing pump according to claim 19, wherein the secondary container support chamber is rigid and ventilated.

25. The dispensing pump according to claim 19, wherein the secondary container includes secondary pumping means for pumping the contents of the secondary container through the outlet, which operate in physical coordination with the primary piston when the secondary container is attached to the body of the pump assortment.

26. The dispensing pump according to claim 25, wherein the secondary container includes: a. a support camera wall; b. a flexible membrane located in the support chamber wall positioned to interact with the means in the supply pump to flex the membrane inside and outside the support chamber in physical combination with the primary piston movement when the secondary container is attached to the secondary attachment means; and c. an opening with a one-way valve in the wall of the support chamber allowing the contents of the support chamber to be pumped through the opening with the valve and the exit from the support chamber towards the mixing chamber when the container The secondary element is thus joined to the secondary joining means and the membrane is flexed inwards, but preventing the contents from returning through it when the membrane is bent outwards.

27. The dispensing pump according to claim 26, wherein the membrane of the secondary container is positioned to receive and can be flexed through the movement of the piston extension rod.

28. The dispensing pump according to claim 25, wherein the secondary container includes a secondary piston and a cylinder that, when the secondary container is attached to the secondary attachment means, is in communication with the container support chamber. secondary and the mixing chamber, with valves of one direction allowing the flow of the contents of the support chamber only towards the mixing chamber, the secondary piston being driven through means located in the pump dispenser to drive the secondary piston that it is in physical coordination with the primary piston to pump the contents of the support chamber into the mixing chamber.

29. The dispensing pump according to claim 28, wherein the secondary container includes a secondary piston that is positioned to receive and be actuated by the movement of the piston extension rod.

30. The dispenser pump according to claim 28, wherein the means of the secondary container are located in the dispensing pump for driving the secondary piston that is adapted to move the secondary piston from a first position of the secondary cylinder to a second position. , the secondary container including a secondary spring that deflects the secondary piston back towards the first position. 31.- The dispensing pump according to claim 19, wherein the secondary container contains a material that will be mixed with the fluid of the primary container through the assortment pump. 32. The dispensing pump according to claim 31, wherein the material is a fluid. 33. The dispensing pump according to claim 31, wherein the material includes a finely divided, pumpable solid. 34. The dispensing pump according to claim 31, wherein the material includes an active material selected from the group consisting of aromas, cleaning active ingredients, biocides and active insect control ingredients.