NZ255442A

NZ255442A - Rotatable dispensing cap with lockable non-use position, for aerosol can

Info

Publication number: NZ255442A
Application number: NZ255442A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Theo Derrien
Original assignee: Reboul Smt
Priority date: 1992-09-09
Filing date: 1993-08-23
Publication date: 1995-10-26
Also published as: FR2695379B1; CA2144060A1; FR2695379A1; DE69301402D1; AU681599B2; EP0659157A1; EP0659157B1; ATE133389T1; JP3369563B2; JPH08501045A; WO1994005564A1; AU4964393A

Abstract

Pushbutton-distributor characterized in that the upper part (4) of its body (1) is surrounded by a ring (2) which is free to rotate but which is wedged in axial translation, and radialy extended by a manual actuation lever (18), and in that the edge (21) of the ring on the side of the body base is diametrally inclined, the ring being shorter below the lever, while its longer side, diametrally opposite to the lever, is in the immediate vicinity of a circular shoulder (5) of the external wall of the base (3) of the body.

Description

255 4 4 2 New Zealand No. 255442 International No. PCT/FR93/00822 Priority Date(s): Complete Specification Filed: , C!?.ss: Publication Date: P.O. Journal No: NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Title of Invention: Lockable pushbutton-distributor for aerosol valve Name, address and nationality of applicant(s) as in international application form: REBOUL-SMT, of Rue des Terrasses, F-74961 Cran Gevrier, France A ft<3rC3r\ Cbrnpcr^ ¥ 1 255442 LOCKABLE DISPENSER BUTTON FOR AEROSOL VALVES The present invention concerns the industrial packaging of pressurised fluids in "aerosols" and more particularly the dispensing; buttons for operating the 5 valve of such packaging.

To prevent accidental or unintentional operation of the valve of an aerosol the button is usually protected by a cap that the user must remove to obtain access to the button. A problem arises in that the user must hold 10 the cap in their hand or put it down on a table or some other support during use, with the risk of the cap being damaged or overlooked. Devices have been proposed in which the button rotates on a support fixed to the container and in which it can slide axially in only one 15 predetermined angular position. This has the drawback of leaving the dispensing nozzle of the button constantly exposed to external soiling and often complicates the operation of fitting the button in packaging lines, especially if the position of the button nozzle jet has 20 to be indexed relative to the container.

An object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of conventional dispenser buttons and to provide packaging in which the nozzle is protected from external pollution and the valve cannot be operated 25 between intentional usages, without there being any cap or other part to be removed to obtain access to the button and without requiring any specific precautions when fitting the dispenser button to the container equipped with its valve.

The invention consists in a lockable dispenser button for aerosol valves including a one-piece body whose base includes means for fixing it to an aerosol container and the upper part of which is articulated to the base by a flexible tongue defined by a cut-out in the 35 wall of the body and includes at the side a dispenser 2 ¥ nozzle located above the articulation tongue and connected to an axial tube connected to the hollow actuator and dispenser rod of the valve, which dispenser button is characterised in that the upper part of its 5 body is surrounded by a ring which is free to rotate but which is prevented from axial movement in translation and is extended radially by a manual operating lever and in that the edge of the ring towards the base of the body is inclined, the ring being shorter on the side in vertical 10 alignment with the lever, whereas its longer side, diamet rally opposite the lever, is in the immediate vicinity of a circular shoulder on the outside wall of the base of the body so that when, by rotating the ring, the lever is moved to the side opposite the nozzle it can 15 be depressed to operate the valve by inclining the upper part of the body on the base by virtue of the articulation tongue located under the nozzle and because the ring is shorter on the side under the lever whereas, if the lever is on the same side as the nozzle, it cannot 20 be depressed because the articulation tongue is then under the lever and the longer side of the ring is abutted against the shoulder on the base, opposite the lever, so that the dispenser button is immobilised in this position to prevent unintentional actuation of the 25 valve.

To protect the nozzle, the ring and the lever preferably have extensions forming a nut in front of the nozzle in the locked position of the dispenser button.

In most applications sufficient movement to operate 30 the valve is obtained if the edge of the ring is inclined at approximately 7° to the axis of the ring.

In one embodiment of the invention the axis of the nozzle is inclined at approximately 120° to the axis of the upper part of the body, the nozzle discharging 35 normally onto an end frustoconical wall of the upper part ¥ 3 255442 of the body.

To prevent the user from having to position the lever by trial and error, the ring and the upper part of the body advantageously carry complementary indexing 5 means of the elastic lug and notch type for locating the lever carried by the ring on the same side as the nozzle in the locked position and on the opposite side to the nozzle in the operative position.

The invention also consists in pressurised 10 packaging of the "aerosol" type fitted with a lockable dispenser button in accordance with the invention.

The invention will be better understood from an examination of and the detailed description of the appended drawings which show one embodiment of the 15 invention selected by way of example only from many possible embodiments, adaptations and variants of the invention that will suggest themselves to the person skilled in the art.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view in elevation and in axial section of a dispenser button in accordance with the invention in its locked position; Figure 2 is a view analogous to that of figure 1 of the same dispenser button in its operative position; and 25 Figure 3 is a diagrammatic top view of the same dispenser button.

The same components are identified by the same reference numbers in all the figures. To simplify the drawings the respective dimensions and proportions of 30 these components are not necessarily to scale.

The dispenser button of the invention shown in the drawings is in two parts moulded from a plastics material such as polypropylene and nesting one within the other, namely a body 1 and a ring 2.

The body has a base 3 and an upper part 4 255442 articulated to a circular shoulder 5 at the top of the base by an elastic tongue delimited by a circuit arc shape cut-out 6. Above this tongue the upper part 4 of the body •includes a dispenser nozzle 7 discharging 5 normally onto a frustoconical wall 8 at the end of this upper part. The nozzle 7 is connected by a passage 9 inclined at approximately 120° to an axial tube 10 connected to the hollow actuator and dispenser rod 11 of the valve of an aerosol packaging container 12. The rod 10 11 is shown in dashed outline in figure 2. The tube 10 is reinforced by radial fins 13, 13'. The inside of the base 3 includes a marginal bead 14 and radial fins 15a-15e which snap over the marginal lateral part of the top of the container 12 (figure 2) to fasten the body 1 15 to the container.

The ring 2 pivots freely about the upper part 4 of the body 1 but is locked against axial movement because an internal circumferential rib 16 on the ring clips into an external circumferential groove 17 on the cylindrical 20 side wall 18 of the upper part 4 of the body 1. The ring 2 is extended in the radial direction by a manual operating lever 18 which includes a depression 19 on which the finger 20 of the user rests (figure 2) . The edge 21 of the ring facing the shoulder 5 on the base 3 25 is inclined at approximately 7° to the axis of the ring so that the edge of the shorter side of the ring is below the lever 18 at a distance from the shoulder 5 and the edge of the longer side of the ring diametrally opposite the lever is in the immediate proximity of the shoulder 5 30 which therefore forms an abutment. The lever 18 has two sides 21, 22 and a top 23 which, in conjunction with an extension of the wall of the ring beyond the rib 16, surrounds the nozzle 7 in the locked position (figure 1) and so protect it from external pollution. The plate 23 35 incorporates an axial lug 24 which cooperates with two 255442 diametrally opposed notches 25, 26 at the top of the upper part 4 of the body for clear indexing of the lever and consequently of the ring in either the locked position (figure 1) or the operative position (figures 2 and 3). 255H 6

Claims

1. Lockable dispenser button for aerosol valves including a one-piece body whose base (3) includes means (14-15) for fixing it to an aerosol container (12) and the upper part (4) of which is articulated to the base by a flexible tongue defined by a cut-out (6) in the wall of the body and includes at the side a dispenser nozzle (7) located above the articulation tongue and connected to an axial tube (10) connected to the hollow actuator and dispenser rod (11) of the valve, which dispenser button is characterised in that the upper part (4) of its body (1) is surrounded by a ring (2) which is free to rotate but which is prevented from axial movement in translation and is extended radially by a manual operating lever (18) and in that the edge (21) of the ring towards the base of the body is inclined, the ring being shorter on the side in vertical alignment with the lever, whereas its longer side, diametrally opposite the lever, is in the immediate vicinity of a circular shoulder (5) on the outside wall of the base (3) of the body so that when, by rotating the ring, the lever is moved to the side opposite the nozzle it can be depressed to operate the valve by inclining the upper part of the body on the base by virtue of the articulation tongue located under the nozzle and because the ring is shorter on the side under the lever whereas, if the lever is on the same side as the nozzle, it cannot be depressed because the articulation tongue is then under the lever and the longer side of the ring is abutted against the shoulder on the base, opposite the lever, so that the dispenser button is immobilised in this position to prevent unintentional actuation, of the valve.

2. Dispenser button according to claim 1 characterised in that the wall of the ring (2) and the lever (18) have extensions (21, 22, 23) forming a screen 255442 7 V in front of the nozzle (7) when the dispenser button is in its locked position.

3. Dispenser button according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that the edge (21) of the ring (2) is 5 inclined to the axis of the ring at approximately 7°.

4. Dispenser button according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterised in that the axis of the nozzle (7) is inclined to the axis of" the upper part (4) of the body at approximately 120°, the nozzle discharging normally 10 onto a frustoconical wall (8) at the end of the upper part of the body.

5. Dispenser button according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the ring (2) and the upper part (4) of the body carry complementary indexing means 15 of the elastic lug/notch type (24, 25, 26) for locating the lever (18) carried by the ring on the same side as the nozzle (7) in the locked position, and on the opposite side to the nozzle in the operative position.

6. Aerosol packaging characterised in that it 20 includes a dispenser button in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 5. 255442 8 ABSTRACT LOCKABLE DISPENSER BUTTON FOR AEROSOL VALVES Dispenser button characterised in that the upper part (4) of its body (1) is surrounded by a ring (2) free to rotate but prevented from axial movement in translation, extended radially by a manual operating lever (18), and in that the edge (21) of the ring at the base of the body is inclined, the ring being shorter in vertical alignment with the lever, whereas its longer side, diametrally opposite the lever, is in the immediate vicinity of a circular shoulder (5) on the outside wall of the base (3) of the body. Figure 2.