MXPA98004541A - High pressure and manual drive spraying pump that requires reduced force of action. - Google Patents

Abstract

A manually operated, high pressure spray pump (300) to deliver a fluid. The spray pump (300) comprises a nozzle (110) through which the fluid is uncovered and a pumping mechanism (120). The pumping mechanism (120) comprises a reservoir (195), a cap or closure (150), and a piston (130). The tank (195) has an open top (152) and a closed bottom and an interior surface (193). The plunger (130) has an outer surface (135) and a longitudinal passage (132) extending therethrough. The plunger (130) further has an outlet valve (240) mounted thereon and an upper end (126) and a lower end (128). The lower end (128) is slidably positioned within the open top (152) of the reservoir (195) forming an interior chamber (178) within the reservoir (195). The lower chamber (178) has an annular chamber (133) and a main chamber (179). The annular chamber (133) is in fluid communication with the main chamber (179). The annular chamber (133) is formed by the external surface (135) of the piston (130) which is spaced from the inner surface (193) of the reservoir (195), so that there is no frictional contact between the external surface (135) and the interior surface (193). The closure (150) is attached to the open top (152) of the reservoir (195) allowing the plunger (130) to extend slidably through the cap or closure (150), so that the inner chamber (178) Close in sealed form. The nozzle (110) is mounted on the upper end (126) of the piston (130) so that the longitudinal passage (132) is in fluid communication with the nozzle (110). The inner chamber (178) is spaced from the longitudinal passage (132) by the outlet valve (24).

Description

HIGH PRESSURE SPRAY AND MANUAL DRIVE PUMP THAT REQUIRES REDUCED DRIVE FORCE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved spray pump which is not an aerosol type, to produce a spray similar to the aerosol and, more particularly, to an improved spray pump which is not an aerosol type, which is capable of generate a high hydraulic pressure required for an ultra-fine spray.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Nowadays, spray dispensers that are held by hand to spray hair are typically of the type that use a manually operated spray or spray type spray. Aerosol spray dispensers use a liquefied propellant that "scatters and removes" to create an ultra-fine spray. These ultrafine dews have a mean diameter of droplets or an average particle size of the order of about 40 microns. When the propellant is "dispersed and eliminated", the change of phase causes the liquid to disintegrate forming ligaments and drops. Although the small average droplet diameter of the ultrafine spray produced by the aerosols tends to leave a desired dry sensation in the hair, the aerosols continue to be subject to environmental debate. Therefore, many consumers prefer to use spray pump dispensers that are manually operated. Dispensers type manually operated spray pumps or finger drive pumps, depend on the consumer to generate a hydraulic pressure and pumping mechanism, in order to dispense the fluid. Most pumping mechanisms typically use a standard piston and cylinder arrangement in order to generate this hydraulic pressure. In this way, when the consumer applies a driving force by pushing the piston down, the hydraulic pressure of the fluid in the cylinder increases. For example, in a pressurized vortex nozzle spray pump dispenser, the hydraulic pressure created in the pumping mechanism forces the fluid to pass to a pressurized vortex nozzle that imparts rotational motion to the fluid. The fluid rotates inside the nozzle and forms a thin conical film that leaves into the atmosphere and breaks into ligaments and drops. A fluid of current interest that requires the generation of high hydraulic pressure, in order to be properly dispatched by a manually operated spray pump dispenser, is the mist for hair.

Most manually operated spray pump dispensers have been useless in producing dewdrops having a mean droplet diameter of less than about 55 microns for many of the hair spray fluids currently on the market. These higher average particle sizes, ie greater than about 55 microns, produced by conventional manual spray pumps result in dews that the consumer calls "wet". The wet and sticky feeling of these dews is due to the fact that a longer drying time is required to dry the larger size particles. Various methods have been proposed to reduce the average particle size produced by conventional manual spray pumps, for example, one is to increase the amount of hydraulic pressure created within the spray pump. Typically, most conventional spray pumps operate at a hydraulic pressure of approximately 90 psig. Research has indicated that when hydraulic pressure in these conventional spray pumps increases up to levels close to 200 psig, the average droplet diameter of approximately 40 microns or less can be achieved when used with a vortex-type nozzle. One method to develop a high hydraulic pressure of approximately 200 psig involves the use of P610 a preload or pre-compression type outlet valve that will not open until the desired high hydraulic pressure (ie 200 psig) is reached. In order to get these high hydraulic pressures, the rigidity of the compression spring is normally increased. A more rigid compression spring will prevent the opening of the outlet valve until the desired high hydraulic pressure criteria are met. However, with this type of outlet valve arrangement, the driving force to be applied on the plunger that is required to disperse the fluid from the conventional spray pump may vary from 10 pounds force to about 20 pounds. pounds strength. A driving force in this range is too much for most ordinary consumers. This driving force at this level can quickly fatigue the finger and the hand, even of people with a better physical condition, without taking into account the typical users of most of the pumps that are operated with the finger. Thus, there is a need for a manually operated spray pump that is capable of delivering hydraulic pressures substantially greater than those of conventional spray pumps, without correspondingly increasing drive forces that can be used to provide an ultra-fine spray P610 from a non-aerosol type dispenser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect of the invention, a manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid is provided in this specification. The spray pump comprises a nozzle through which the fluid is dispensed and a pumping mechanism. The pumping mechanism comprises a reservoir, a cap and a plunger. The tank has an open top, a closed bottom and an interior surface. The plunger has an outer surface and a longitudinal passage extending therethrough. The plunger further has an outlet valve mounted thereon and has an upper end and a lower end. The lower end of the plunger is slidably positioned within the open top of the reservoir, forming an inner chamber within the reservoir. The inner chamber has an annular chamber and a main chamber. The annular chamber is in fluid communication with the main chamber. The annular chamber is formed by the external surface of the plunger which is separated from the inner surface of the reservoir, so that there is no frictional contact between the external surface of the plunger and the inner surface. The cap or closure is attached to the upper part of the reservoir and has an opening therein which allows the plunger to slide slidably through the cap or closure, so that the inner chamber is closed in a sealed manner. The main chamber is formed from the rest of the inner chamber. In this way, the annular chamber and the main chamber are portions of the inner chamber with volumes that vary inversely during the movement of the plunger within the reservoir. The annular chamber increases the volume and the main chamber decreases in volume during the application of a driving force. The nozzle is mounted on the outer end of the plunger, so that the longitudinal passage is in fluid communication with the nozzle. The inner chamber is separated from the longitudinal passage by the outlet valve. This spray pump operates in response to the application of a driving force on the nozzle, causing the plunger to move within the reservoir and pressurize the fluid into the inner chamber, so as to generate a high hydraulic pressure within the reservoir. inner chamber, in response to the movement of the plunger. The outlet valve opens in response to high hydraulic pressure, thus allowing a portion of fluid to flow from the inner chamber through the longitudinal passage and through the nozzle, where the driving force used to generate this pressure P610 upper hydraulic decreases compared to conventional spray pumps that generate the same high hydraulic pressure. In a second aspect of the invention, a peripheral ring is attached to the external surface of the plunger and is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the reservoir. The peripheral ring separates or defines a boundary between the annular chamber and the main chamber. The peripheral ring also has a flow path that extends through it, allowing the annular chamber to be in fluid communication with the main chamber. In another aspect of the invention, the peripheral ring has a top sealing surface extending towards the inner surface of the reservoir and an inner sealing surface extending towards the inner surface of the reservoir. The upper sealing surface and the inner sealing surface are in sliding seal contact with the inner surface of the reservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS While the specification concludes with the claims that particularly state and claim in a respective manner to the invention, it is considered that this invention can be better understood with the following description taken in conjunction with the appended claims and the drawings that are incorporated herein by reference. accompany, wherein the identification numbers are retained for all drawings, and wherein: Figure 1 is a vertical and cross-sectional view of a conventional spray pump; Figure 2a is a simplified and cross-sectional partial view of a pumping mechanism illustrating equilibrium forces in a conventional spray pump; Figure 2b is a simplified and cross-sectional partial view of a bobbing mechanism illustrating the balancing force in a spray pump embodying the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional and vertical view of a spray pump embodying the present invention, shown in a fully upward position; Figure 3a is a cross-sectional, annular view of the spray pump of Figure 3, taken along the line 3a-3a; Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the spray pump of Figure 3, shown in a retracted position and at the end of the stroke; Figure 5 is a vertical and sectional view Transverse P610 of a first alternative embodiment of a spray pump that incorporates the present invention; Figure 6 is a vertical and cross-sectional view of a second alternative embodiment of a spray pump embodying the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a conventional spray pump generally designated 100, of which the present invention is an improvement. As shown in Figure 1, the conventional spray pump 100 consists of a nozzle, generally designated 10, a pumping mechanism generally designated 20, which is adapted to be connected to a container (not shown) where it can be store the fluid that will be dispensed. The nozzle 10 includes a driven head 12, a channel 34 and a nozzle insert 14 having an outlet orifice 18. The nozzle insert 14 can be press fit within the driven head 12, so that it remains in fluid communication with channel 34. Within the nozzle insert 14 is a vortex chamber 16 for transforming a pressurized fluid into an atomized spray. The pumping mechanism 20 shown in Figure 1 comprises a rod or piston 30, a reservoir 95, a closure or cap 50, a precompression spring 90, a return spring 70, a check valve 40, a replenishing cup 60 and a closed bottom 82. The plunger 30 has an outer surface 35 extending from below from the channel 34 in the nozzle 10 and the plunger 30 also includes a longitudinal passage 32 for conveying fluid to the nozzle 10. The plunger 30 has a ring peripheral or piston 44 formed in the lower end 28 thereof, opposite the nozzle 10 which is attached to an upper end 26 thereof. The peripheral ring 44 extends radically outwardly of the plunger 30. The peripheral ring 44 includes an upper seal surface 36 that extends upwardly from the peripheral ring 44 and a lower seal surface 39 that extends downward from the peripheral ring. 44. The upper and lower seal surfaces 36 and 39 are annular and create a leak tight seal between the peripheral ring 44 and an inner surface 93 of the reservoir 95. The reservoir 95, in the form of a cylinder, is connected to a open top 52 thereof to the lid or closure 50 adjacent to the plunger 30. The reservoir 95 extends downward and can be deposited within a container (not shown). An annular space 91 is formed between the inner surface 93 of the reservoir 95 and P610 the upper and lower seal surfaces 36 and 39 of the peripheral ring 44. The reservoir 95 includes a vent hole 96 that extends from the interior surface 93 through the outside of the reservoir 95, so that the vent hole 96 forms a vent from the annular space 91. The reservoir 95 also includes a priming flange 97 projecting from the interior surface 93 inwardly. This priming lip 97 does not extend continuously around the periphery of the inner surface 93 and the priming lip 97 can be positioned at a point along the circumference of the inner surface 93. In addition, a valve seat 98 is placed in the closed bottom 82 of the container 95. The closed bottom 82 is formed by the valve seat 98 which acts together with a ball 80, so that the ball 80 rests on the valve seat 98. When the bottom is constructed in this way Closed 82 is in the form of an inlet valve 82 that controls the transfer of fluid from the container (not shown) into an interior chamber 78. A shoulder 99 is placed in the container 95 below the valve seat 98. The shoulder 99 is adapted to receive a dip tube (not shown). The dip tube (not shown) is used to convey fluid from the container (not shown) to the inlet valve 82.

As shown in Figure 1, the inner chamber 78 of the reservoir 95 is positioned below the peripheral ring 44 in the plunger 30. In this form, the inner chamber 78 is located completely below the peripheral ring 44. A more detailed description of the particularities of components of this conventional spray pump 100 can be found, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 5,064,105 issued November 12, 1991 to Montaner and U.S. Patent No. 5,025,958 issued on October 25, 1991. June 1991 to Montaner et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. Conventional spray pumps 100 of this general type are, for example, commercially available versions sold by Calmar Dispensing Systems Inc., under the trade name "Mark IV Fine Mist Spayer". According to the present invention, it has been determined that the driving force required by the conventional spray pump 100, shown in Figure 1, can be reduced by decreasing the area of the peripheral ring 44. This can be achieved by reducing the effective area over which the hydraulic pressure acts. For example, if a solid circular surface has a given diameter, and thus a certain measurable area, and this diameter is reduced, it is this reduction in size diameter that reduces the measurable area of the solid circular surface.

P610 Therefore, the force equation is the pressure multiplied by the area (F = P * A), where F = force, P = pressure and A = area, for a specific value of P that acts normally in all surfaces (ie perpendicular), if A is reduced then F is also reduced proportionally. The effective area (A) is defined as the cross-sectional area of the plunger 30 which, when multiplied by the distance that the plunger 30 has moved within the reservoir 95, is equal to the volume of the displaced fluid. In the present invention, the effective area (A) of the peripheral ring 44 is reduced and, therefore, the driving force (F) required to create the hydraulic pressure (P) in the inner chamber 78 is reduced. Preferably, this driving force is less than about 10 pounds force (44.5 N) and, more preferably, the driving force is less than about 7 pounds force (31.1 N). Figure 2a illustrates a simplified partial cross-sectional drawing of the pumping mechanism 20 of a conventional spray pump 100 and Figure 2b illustrates a partial, simplified, cross-sectional drawing of the pump of the pump mechanism 120 of a pump manually driven, high friction dew 300 for the present invention. The pumping mechanism 120 of this invention is also shown in Figure 2b and provides a shape P610 novel to reduce the effective area (A) of the peripheral ring 144 and, therefore, the required driving force. The effective area of the peripheral ring 144 is reduced by providing at least one flow path 131 extending through the peripheral ring 144, between the main chamber 179 and an annular chamber 133. This flow path 131 allows the fluid of the main chamber 179 flows through annular chamber 133, communicates with it and pressurizes it. In Figure 2a, the plunger 30 and the peripheral ring 44 of the pumping mechanism 20 are shown with a driving force of F1 = P1 * A1. In contrast, the peripheral ring 144 and the plunger 130 of the pumping mechanism 120, which incorporates the present invention, are shown in Figure 2b, have a driving force of F2 = P1 * A2. As Plf acting perpendicular to all surfaces, Ax and A2 are always positive numbers, therefore A2 is less than Al f the driving force F2 will be less than F1. In other words, the present invention alters the force equation by reducing the effective area of the peripheral ring 144, thus reducing the driving force required to dispatch the fluid. However, this reduction in the area results in less amount of fluid being displaced from the pumping mechanism 120 in a stroke section.

P610 equivalent. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the manually operated, high pressure spray pump 300 of the present invention in greater detail. Figure 3 illustrates the manually operated, high pressure spray pump 300, in a fully upward position, while Figure 4 illustrates the manually operated, high pressure spray pump 300, in a retracted position at the end of the stroke . As shown in Figure 3, the present invention has many of the same components and functional characteristics and is an improvement of the conventional spray pump 100 shown in Figure 1. However, the spray pump 300 shown in Figure 3 , incorporates a flow path 131 within the peripheral ring 144. The flow path 131 allows fluid to travel from the main chamber 179, past the lower seal surface 139 and beyond the upper seal surface 136, and into the interior of the annular chamber 133 which is preferably provided above the peripheral ring 144. The inner chamber 178 is formed by the main chamber 179 which includes thereto, the annular chamber 133 and the flow path 131. inner chamber 178 therefore comprises all the open space within the container 195 which is in fluid communication with the annular chamber 133 when the P610 inlet valve 182 and outlet valve 142 close. In this embodiment, the annular chamber 133 is formed between the upper sealing surface 136 and the outer surface 135 of the plunger 130 and also between the inner surface 193 of the container 195 and the external surface 135. The annular chamber 133 can be formed in other ways different and between several different components. For example, and not as an illustrative way, the annular chamber 133 can be formed as a cavity placed entirely within the plunger 130; the annular chamber 133 may be formed as a cavity partially positioned within the internal rim 156 of the lid 150, or in any combination of these and various other components. Preferably, the annular chamber 133 has a smaller volume than that of the main chamber 179 before the initiation of a dispensing cycle and, preferably, the annular chamber 133 is placed above the main chamber 179. Therefore, , the annular chamber 133 and the main chamber 179 are portions of the inner chamber 178 with volumes that vary inversely during the movement of the plunger 130 within the reservoir 195. Additionally, the annular chamber 133 is preferably ring-shaped, but may have any of various volumetric shapes or geometric configurations. The main chamber 179 is formed of a remaining part of the inner chamber 178 that extends towards the P610 closed bottom 182, not including annular chamber 133 or flow path 131. Preferably, closed bottom 182 is in the form of an inlet valve 182. More preferably, closed bottom 182 has a valve seat 198 and a ball 180 that forms the inlet valve 182 therein, which allows fluid to enter the inner chamber 178. The plunger 130, as shown in Figure 3, has a longitudinal passage 132 extending axially through the same and an upper end 126 and a lower end 128. The nozzle 110 is mounted just to the upper end 126 of the plunger 130, so that the longitudinal passage 132 is in fluid communication with the nozzle 110. Opposite the nozzle 110 which is fixed to the plunger 130 at the upper end 126, the peripheral ring 144 is formed at the lower end 128 of the plunger 130. Preferably, the peripheral ring 144 extends radically outwards from the outside. the plunger 130. More preferably, the peripheral ring 144 is made integral with the plunger 130. Alternatively, the peripheral ring 144 may be made as a separate piece that is attached on the outer surface 135 of the plunger 130. In this embodiment, the peripheral ring 144 has an upper seal surface 136 extending toward the inner surface 193 of the reservoir 195 P610 and a lower seal surface 139 extending toward the inner surface 193 of the reservoir 195. Preferably, the upper seal surface 136 extends substantially upward and radically outwardly of the peripheral ring 144 and the lower seal surface 139 is extends substantially downward and radically outward from the peripheral ring 144. With further reference, the upper and lower surface of seal 136 and 139 are annular in shape. The top seal surface 136 and the bottom seal surface 139 are in slidable seal contact with the interior surface 193 of the reservoir 195. In this form, the dew pump 300 has a reservoir 195 with an interior surface 193 that is in contact sliding with the upper and lower seal surfaces 136 and 139, which create a leak tight seal between the peripheral ring 144 and the inner surface 193 of the reservoir 195. For reference, the peripheral ring 144 is separated from the inner surface 193 by the upper and lower seal surfaces 136 and 139. More preferably, the peripheral ring 144 has at least one axial flow path 131 extending therethrough, allowing the fluid to be in communication through the inner chamber 178 and allowing fluid to flow from the main chamber 179 to the annular chamber 133.

P610 The equation to approximate the pressure drop of the fluid through the flow path 131 is specified by:? P = [128 * Q * μ * L] / [p * Dh4] where? P is the pressure drop through the flow path 131, μ is the viscosity of the fluid, Q is the flow velocity through the flow path 131, Dh is the hydraulic diameter of the flow path 131 and L is the path length of flow 131. The hydraulic diameter is equivalent to an effective diameter of the cumulative flow path areas 131. For a specific flow rate (Q) of fluid moving into the annular chamber 133, the pressure drop (? P) through the flow path 131 increases as the hydraulic diameter (Dh) decreases. As the hydraulic diameter (Dh) becomes sufficiently small, the pressure drop (? P) becomes large enough so that the pressure inside the annular chamber 133 and the main chamber 179 are no longer equivalent. When this condition occurs, the driving force (F) that is required to be applied to the head of the actuator 112, by the consumer to dispatch the product, will increase due to the increase in the hydraulic pressure (P) of the main chamber 179. Referring now to Figure 3a, which is P610 a complete annular cross section of the dew pump 300, taken along the line 3a-3a, the flow paths 131 are shown in greater detail. The reservoir 195, the annular space 191, peripheral ring 144, the inner chamber 178 and the check valve 240 are all shown in cross section. The peripheral ring 144 is shown with multiple stream paths 131 extending therethrough. Although the flow paths 131 are illustrated generally rectangular in shape, various other shapes and configurations may be used. For example and not as an illustration, the flow paths 131 shown in Figure 3a may be circular, oval, square, octagonal, irregular, serrated, sinusoidal, oblong and the like. Additionally, as shown in Figure 3, these flow paths 131 are tapered in the axial direction. However, the flow paths 131 can be placed in many different configurations, for example, and not as illustration, in conical configuration, curved, convergent, divergent, parallel, irregular and the like. These flow paths 131 can be of different shapes and configurations as long as the fluid is allowed to pass through the flow path 131. The closure or lid 150 as shown in the Figure 3, extends circumferentially around the plunger 130 and the reservoir 195. The closure 150 is attached to the open top 152 of the reservoir 195 and has an opening therein, allowing the plunger 130 to slide slidably through the closing 150, so that the inner chamber 178 is closed in a sealed manner. In addition, the closure or lid 150 preferably includes internal threads 154 for attaching the closure or lid 150 on a container (not shown) in a leak-tight manner. Other alternative methods for attaching the closure or lid 150 on the container can be used. Preferably, the closure or cap 150 further has an internal flange 156, which engages the open top 152 of the container 195, thereby attaching the closure or cap 150 to the reservoir 195. The inner flange 156 is sealingly coupled to the cap. open top 152 providing the seal of the inner chamber 178 adjacent the annular chamber 133. The inner flange 156 also defines the periphery of the opening in the closure or cap 150 and the inner flange 152 is in sliding seal contact with the surface external 135 of the plunger 130, at a location between the upper end 126 and the lower end 128. In this embodiment, shown in Figure 3, the seal of the inner chamber 178 is provided by sizing the coupling components to allow an P610 frictional or sliding seal in order to prevent leakage of the annular chamber 133 and sealing of the inner chamber 178. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5, a seal of rods 164 of the seal variety of cleaning or rubbing, may provided and preferably, is integrated into the inner flange 256. Many additional seal arrangements can be used, for example, as shown in Figure 6, an outer seal or cap 362 and a stem seal 364 can be provided in order to preventing leakage of the fluid from the annular chamber 333. The outer cap or seal seal 362 is preferably placed between the closure 350 and the reservoir 395 adjacent the open top 352 of the reservoir 395. The rod seal 362 is preferably located between the plunger 330 and the closure or cap 350, in order to ensure that there is no leakage of fluid from the annular chamber 333 towards the nozzle 310, around the plunger 330. Preferably, the External seal 362 and stem seal 364 are constructed of a resilient material. As already shown in Figure 3, the pumping mechanism 120 further comprises a resale cup 160 attached to the plunger 130 at the lower end 128, which extends into the main chamber 179 and the pumping mechanism 120 further comprises a relief valve. retention 240, slidably or movably placed inside the resale cup P610 160 adjacent the longitudinal passage 132. An outlet valve 142 is shown formed by the check valve 240 which is pushed against the longitudinal passage 132 by a precompression spring 190. The check valve 240 is positioned at the lower end 128 of the plunger 130 in order to be able to slide or move away from the longitudinal passage 132. Preferably, this movement of the check valve 240 is a movement of transnational type wherein the check valve 240 is moved from a first position, blocks the passage longitudinal 132 to a second position, it is separated from the longitudinal passage 132 and vice versa. The precompression spring 190 is preferably placed around the outer circumference of the check valve 240. The check valve 240 and the precompression spring 190 are both placed inside the resale cup 160 which is connected to the end lower 128 of plunger 130 by a knob 168 and recess 169 that creates a snap-fit coupling between cup reseller 160 and plunger 130. Knob 168 and recess 169 are preferably in the form of multiple tines that allow that the fluid passes between open spaces thereof and surrounds the check valve 240 adjacent the lower end 128. The precompression spring 190 acts together with a reseller cup 160 P610 for pushing the check valve 240 upwards and in this way, the check valve 240 is pushed against the longitudinal passage 132, in order to form the outlet valve 142. Preferably, the outlet valve 142 is opened when a predetermined hydraulic pressure is reached within the inner chamber 178. The return spring 170 is placed within the inner chamber 178 between the reservoir 195 and the replenishing cup 160 and is preferably placed around the replenishing cup 160. The return spring 170 engages a ring 166 placed on the resell cup 160 and pushes it. The return spring 170 pushes the return cup 160, the plunger 130 and the nozzle 110 upwards and keeps them in a fully upward resting position, before the initiation of a dispensing cycle. Furthermore, in order to compensate for a high hydraulic pressure, the rigidity of the precompression spring 190 can be increased. A more rigid precompression spring 190 may use wire turns having, for example, larger diameters or more rigid materials. A more rigid pre-compression spring 190 increases the hydraulic pressure required to move the check valve 240 away from the longitudinal passage 132, thus preventing the opening of the outlet valve 142 until the criteria of high hydraulic pressure are met P610 desirable. A check valve 240 of greater strength, for example, of a mass configuration instead of a hollow configuration, can be used in order to provide greater durability by using a more rigid precompression spring 190. Also, a check valve surface flat 141 can be provided in the check valve 240 in the outlet valve 142, in order to reduce wear on the check valve 240. While the manually operated, high pressure spray valve 300 of this invention can be primed in In the same manner as the conventional spray pump 100 shown in Figure 1, the venting scheme of the container is modified. To allow venting of the container (not shown), a vent hole 138 is provided on the lid or closure 150 and a groove 137 in the nozzle 110. The groove 137 preferably has the shape of a recessed area on the nozzle surface 113. The driving head 112 of the nozzle 110 is sealed along the circumference, keeping in contact with the upper skirt 15 of the lid or closure 150, around the periphery of the surface 113 of the nozzle, when the pump dew 300 is in the fully up position. Referring to Figure 4, during the operation of the head P610 of drive 112, this moves downward to the application of a driving force. When the drive head 112 moves downwardly, the groove 137 is aligned just inside the upper skirt 15 and, in the retracted position, the upper skirt 15 is spaced from the nozzle surface 113, thus providing an air gap for the ventilation of the container. The air can then communicate between the container and the atmosphere through the vent hole 138 of the lid. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, venting of the container can be provided by making the nozzle surface 313 and the skirt surface 319 taper or in tilt relation, so that when the spray pump 500 is in the fully upward position, there is a circumferential contact between the skirt surface 319 and the nozzle surface 313. However, when the drive head 312 moves downward, an air gap is formed between the skirt surface 319 and the nozzle surface 313, thus ventilating the container. A venting scheme of the container that can increase the driving force, for example, a projection on the nozzle 110 or on the lid 150 that is used to deflect another component in order to form an air space, may not be preferred, but however these schemes of P610 ventilation as well as various other ventilation schemes are well known to those skilled in the art and can be provided without departing from the invention described herein. As shown in Figure 4, because the inner chamber 178 can be initially filled with air, priming of the pumping mechanism 120 is achieved by moving the plunger 130 downwardly to pressurize the air into the inner chamber 178. As the plunger 130 moves downward, the lower sealing surface 139 on the peripheral ring 144 comes into contact with the priming flange 197, thereby raising part of the lower seal surface 139 that leaves the interior surface 193 and allows the air passes into the annular space 191 and then out through the vent hole 196. This release of air from the inner chamber 178 produces a vacuum within the inner chamber 178 during a return stroke of the plunger 130 as the return spring 170 pushes plunger 130 and nozzle 110 back to their upward positions. This vacuum draws or sucks fluid through the inlet valve 182 and into the inner chamber 178, thereby filling the main chamber 179 of the inner chamber 178 with fluid. In order to start a dispatch cycle a user P610 applies a driving force by pressing down with your hand or fingers the actuating head 112. Preferably, this driving force is less than about 10 pounds force (44.5 N) and, more preferably, the driving force is less than approximately 7 pounds force (31.1 N). This driving force urges the nozzle 110, the plunger 130 and the peripheral ring 144 to move downwardly within the reservoir 195, thereby pressurizing the fluid in the inner chamber 178. In this invention, as the hydraulic pressure accumulates at through the inner chamber 178 and as the plunger 130 moves downward, the annular chamber 133 increases in volume and the main chamber 179 decreases in volume. A portion of the fluid contained within the main chamber 179 will flow through the flow path 131 to the annular chamber 133. As the main chamber 179 and the annular chamber 133 are in fluid communication through the flow path 131, the hydraulic pressure within each chamber is essentially equivalent through the inner chamber 178. As the plunger 130 and the peripheral ring 144 move downwardly within the reservoir 195, in response to the driving force applied on the Nozzle 110 operating head 110, fluid in inner chamber 178 becomes increasingly pressurized.

P610 The precompression spring 190 is selected so that its spring force is exceeded at a predetermined high hydraulic pressure. When the pressure inside the inner chamber 178 reaches the predetermined high hydraulic pressure, the spring force of the precompression spring 190 is overcome and the check valve 240 is pushed away from the longitudinal passage 132 by the high hydraulic pressure, thus opening to the outlet valve 142. In the sense used here, a high hydraulic pressure is the maximum value reached by the hydraulic pressure inside the inner chamber 178. Preferably, the hydraulic pressure inside the inner chamber 178 reaches a maximum value of at least between about 120 psig (827 kPa) at about 200 psig (1379 kPa) and, more preferably, a maximum value of about 200 psig (1379 kPa). When the outlet valve 142 is opened, the pressurized fluid travels to the longitudinal passage 132, through the nozzle 110 via the channel 134 and is dispensed out of the outlet orifice 118. Preferably, the fluid is dispensed from the pump. 300 spray in an ultra-fine mist. The ultrafine spray, in the sense used herein, has an average particle size of about 40 microns or less. At the end of the downward drive stroke, the hydraulic pressure in the inner chamber 178 decreases by P610 below the predetermined high hydraulic pressure, due to the release of fluid through the nozzle 110, allowing the precompression spring 190 to push back the check valve 240 against the longitudinal passage 132 to close the outlet valve 142 , thus ceased the flow of fluid. When the user releases the driving head 112 by withdrawing the driving force, the return spring 170 is urged against the rim 166 of the reselling rate 160 to urge the reselling rate 160, the plunger 130 and the nozzle 110 to return to its original position up. As the cup reseller 160 and plunger 130 move upward, a vacuum is generated in the inner chamber 178 which causes the ball 180 to lift from the valve seat 198, allowing the fluid to be drawn upward and flow further. past the inlet valve 182 and refill the inner chamber 178 with fluid for the next dispatch cycle. The driving force depends on the method or the manner in which the fluid has been dispensed from the dew pump 300 and the speed at which the plunger 130 travels downward. The drive force for this dew pump 300 is measured using, for example, an Instron 8501 universal test machine in order to generate the dispatch cycle and a digital oscilloscope P610 Nicolet model 410, in order to record the measurements and collect the data. The drive head 112 of the nozzle 110 is pressed down at a speed of about 3 inches per second, by the Instrom 8501 model, in order to simulate the typical movement of the consumer on the plunger 130 downwards. A distance of about 0.22 inches is the total distance that the plunger 130 travels and that is equal to the full stroke of the pump. The full stroke of the pump is limited by the length of the reservoir 195 and the configuration of the inner chamber 278. The graphs of the data representing the time, distance and driving force are generated in this way. The test is carried out at ambient temperature conditions of approximately 72 ° F. As can be seen in Figure 4, the annular chamber 133 has expanded in size as the plunger 130 and the peripheral ring 144 move downwardly within the reservoir 195. Some portions of the fluid coming from the main chamber 179 have been transferred through the flow path 131 to the annular chamber 133, above the peripheral ring 144 and certain fluid portions coming from the main chamber 179 have been dispensed out of the nozzle 110 through the longitudinal passage 132. From this In this manner, the present invention allows the effective area of the peripheral ring 144 to be P610 reduce, thus reducing the driving force required to dispatch the fluid from the pumping mechanism 120. As something of the fluid portion is transferred from the main chamber 179 to the annular chamber 133 above the peripheral ring 144, during the cycle of dispatch, less fluid is available to be dispensed through the nozzle 110 by an equivalent stroke length of the plunger 130. The volume of fluid dispensed during a single dispensing cycle is referred to herein as a pumping dose which is equivalent to the global pumping stroke in distance, multiplied by the effective area of the plunger 130. In order to compensate for any variation in the pumping rate, the stroke of the pump can be lengthened or shortened to provide approximately a pumping dose equivalent to that supplied in a pump. conventional spray pump. You may notice that the pumping dose may increase or decrease in this way. The stroke of the pump, in the preferred embodiment, increases with increasing length of the reservoir 195, the plunger 130 and the return spring 170 together with various other component parts within the pumping mechanism 120. In this manner, a dose can be obtained of equivalent or most desired pumping. In a first alternative mode of the pump P610 of manually operated, high-pressure spray 400, as shown in Figure 5, the peripheral ring 144 of Figure 3 has been moved or reduced in diameter and the annular chamber 233 is in direct fluid communication with the main chamber 279 thus forming the inner chamber 278. This reduction in diameter can be such that the diameter of the peripheral ring 144 of Figure 3 is now essentially the same as the diameter of the plunger 230 or some intermediate stage of more or less diameter, in where the flow path 131 of Figure 3 has simply become an annular ring around the periphery of the plunger 230 and is thus incorporated into the annular chamber 233. As shown in Figure 5, the annular chamber 233 it is formed between the outer surface 235 of the plunger 230, the inner surface 293 of the reservoir 295 and the lid 250. Thus, in this embodiment, the fluid that is inside the inner chamber 278 can flow through the interior. between the annular chamber 233 and the main chamber 279. As shown in Figure 5, the effective area of the peripheral ring 144 of Figure 3 is reduced and essentially becomes equivalent to the effective area of the plunger 230. In operation, a As the plunger 230 and the check valve 240 move downwardly within the reservoir 295, in response to a driving force on the nozzle 210, the fluid is displaced within the P610 inner chamber 278 and the fluid becomes more and more pressurized. When the hydraulic pressure in the inner chamber 278 reaches a predetermined high hydraulic pressure, the check valve 240 will be pushed away from the longitudinal passage 232 to release the fluid through the longitudinal passage 232, and through the nozzle 210 through the channel 234, in order to be dispatched. Additionally, ventilation of the inner chamber 278 is achieved when the bulb 265, located above the rod seal 164 on the outer surface 235 of the plunger 230 and extending partially around the circumference of the plunger 230, moves upwards and is placed in contact with the rod seal 164, allowing the air to escape fierce from the inner chamber 278. While the present invention has been described in relation to spray pumps having a compression spring 190 and a return spring 170, as It is shown in Figure 3, it should be understood that this invention can also be applied to other types of dual spring pumps, as well as to many single spring type spray pumps. In a second alternative embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, a manually operated, high pressure dew pump 500, wherein the compression spring 190 of Figure 3 and the return spring 170 of Figure 3 have been P610 replaced with a single spring 390, shown. In addition, the replenishing cup 160 of Figure 3 has also been removed in this embodiment. The check valve 340 is configured as shown in Figure 6, to move away from the longitudinal passage 332 and into contact therewith, as the hydraulic pressure increases and decreases, respectively, by opening and closing the outlet valve 342. The single spring 390 operates in a manner similar to the above embodiments, except that the single spring 390 acts in conjunction with the check valve 340, in order to return the plunger 330 and the nozzle 310 to their upward positions. Similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, this second alternative embodiment incorporates an annular chamber 333 above the peripheral ring 344, which is in fluid communication with the main chamber 379 through at least one flow path 331. in the peripheral ring 344. When a driving force is applied to the driving head 312 of the nozzle 310, the fluid is pressurized inside the inner chamber 378. The inner chamber 378 is comprised of the annular chamber 333, the path of flow 331 and the main chamber 379. When a predetermined high hydraulic pressure is reached, a portion of the fluid that is inside the inner chamber P610 378 travels through the outlet valve 342 to the longitudinal passage 332 and is dispensed from the nozzle 310. In this way, the flow path 331, as in the above embodiments, provides a means to reduce the effective area of the flow. peripheral ring 344, so that high hydraulic pressure can be generated in the manually operated, high pressure spray pump 500, without significantly increasing the driving force required to initiate a dispatch cycle. The present invention has been described in relation to a manually operated, pressure-controlled spray pump 500 for dispensing a fluid. Preferably, the fluid comprises a mist for the hair. However, it should be understood that the present invention can be used to dispense any number of different types of fluids, for example: hair spray, cosmetics, perfumes, deodorants, antiperspirants, hard surface cleaners, carpet cleaners, products based on oil, stain removers, laundry products and the like. Although many materials may be used in the construction of this spray pump, preferably, the precompression ring 190, the return spring 170 and the single spring 390 are made of a helical metal material, for example stainless steel, and the ball 80 It is preferably constructed of a metal or metallic material such as steel P610 stainless, and all the remaining components of this spray pump, preferably, are made of a plastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene or the like. The manufacturing process of the plastics that is currently preferred is injection molding. Although particular versions and embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, various modifications may be made to this manually operated, high pressure spray pump, without departing from the teachings of this invention. The terms used in describing the invention are used in a descriptive and non-limiting sense, it being understood that all equivalents thereof are included within the scope of the appended claims. The following examples illustrate a combination of spray pump and fluid that has been successfully prepared and illustrates the relationship between the different parameters discussed above as detail.

EXAMPLE A fluid suitable for use in a spray pump according to the present invention is a spray product prepared from the following components (% by weight): P610 SD alcohol 40 78.7600 Water 15.5243 Copolymer of octylacrylamide / acrylates / butylaminoethyl methacrylate 4.0000 Aminoethyl propanol 0.7135 Copolyol dimethicone 0.5000 Cyclomethicone 0.2400 C9-10 perfluoroalkylsulfonate ammonium 0.1400 Fragrance 0.1000 Panthenol 0.0100 Octyl salicylate 0.0100 Miristoil hydrolyzed collagen 0.0020 Keratin Amino acids 0.0002 100.0000% An example dew pump according to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 3, which is used with the above-described products, was constructed with the following details: Pumping Mechanism M300 finger pump Monturas, S.A. Precompression spring K = 26.2 lb / inch Flow Path Diameter 0.018 inch Number of Flow Paths 30 When this combination of spray pump. and fluid was tested using the test method described above, a driving force of 7.66 pounds was obtained at the time when the opening of the outlet valve was initiated.

P610

Claims (10)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid, the spray pump comprises a nozzle through which the fluid is dispensed and a pumping mechanism that includes a reservoir, a cap or closure and a plunger; the reservoir has an open top and a closed bottom and an inner surface, the plunger has an outer surface and a longitudinal passage extending therethrough, the plunger further has an outlet valve mounted therein and an end upper and lower end, the lower end is slidably positioned within the open upper part of the reservoir forming a lower chamber; characterized in that the lower chamber includes an annular chamber and a main chamber, the plunger further has a peripheral ring that is attached to the outer surface and is in sliding contact with the inner surface, the peripheral ring separates the annular chamber from the main chamber , the peripheral ring has a flow path therethrough which allows the annular chamber to be in fluid communication with the main chamber, the lid or closure is attached to the open top of the reservoir allowing the plunger to extend slidably to through the lid or closure, so that the inner chamber is closed in a sealed manner, the P610 nozzle is mounted on the upper end of the plunger so that the longitudinal passage is in fluid communication with the nozzle, the inner chamber is separated from the longitudinal passage by the outlet valve, and the spray pump works in response to the application of a driving force on the nozzle, causing the plunger to move within the reservoir and pressurize the fluid into the inner chamber, so that a high hydraulic pressure is generated within the inner chamber in response to the movement of the plunger, the The outlet valve opens in response to the high hydraulic pressure thus allowing a portion of the fluid to flow from the inner chamber through the longitudinal passage to the nozzle, where the driving force used to generate the high hydraulic pressure is lower in comparison with conventional spray pumps.
2. 2. The manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid according to claim 1, wherein the closed bottom is characterized by an inlet valve.
3. 3. The manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the outlet valve is opened at a predetermined hydraulic pressure.
4. 4. The manually operated spray pump P610 for dispensing a fluid according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the outlet valve is characterized by a check valve pushed against the longitudinal passage by a precompression spring.
5. 5. The manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the high hydraulic pressure within the inner chamber reaches a value between approximately 120 psig and approximately 200 psig.
6. 6. The manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the driving force is less than about 10 pounds.
7. The manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the closure or cover is further characterized by an internal flange, the internal flange is attached to the open top of the reservoir and is in contact of sliding seal with the external surface of the plunger in a location between the upper end and the lower end.
8. 8. The manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the fluid is characterized as being a mist for hair. P610
9. 9. The manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pumping mechanism is further characterized by a resale cup attached to the plunger at the lower end and extending into the main chamber. The manually operated spray pump for dispensing a fluid according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pumping mechanism is further characterized by a check valve movably connected within a resupply cup adjacent to the longitudinal passage, the valve The retainer is movable between a first position, where the longitudinal passage is blocked, and a second position, separated from the longitudinal passage. P610 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A manually operated, high pressure spray pump (300) for dispensing a fluid. The spray pump (300) comprises a nozzle (110) through which the fluid is uncovered and a pumping mechanism (120). The pumping mechanism (120) comprises a reservoir (195), a lid or closure (150), and a plunger (130). The tank (195) has an open top (152) and a closed bottom and an interior surface (193). The plunger (130) has an outer surface (135) and a longitudinal passage (132) extending therethrough. The plunger (130) further has an outlet valve (240) mounted thereon and an upper end (126) and a lower end (128). The lower end (128) is slidably positioned within the open top (152) of the reservoir (195) forming an interior chamber (178) within the reservoir (195). The lower chamber (178) has an annular chamber (133) and a main chamber (179). The annular chamber (133) is in fluid communication with the main chamber (179). The annular chamber (133) is formed by the external surface (135) of the plunger (130) that is separated from the inner surface (193) of the reservoir (195), so that there is no frictional contact between the outer surface (135) and the inner surface (193). The closure (150) is attached to the open top P610 (152) of the reservoir (195) allowing the plunger (130) to extend slidably through the cap or closure (150), so that the inner chamber (178) closes in a sealed manner. The nozzle (110) is mounted on the upper end (126) of the plunger (130) so that the longitudinal passage (132) is in fluid communication with the nozzle (110). The inner chamber (178) is separated from the longitudinal passage (132) by the outlet valve (240). P610