NZ335647A - Spray dispenser rechargeable by inserts within spray container - Google Patents

Abstract

Insert 20 has separated compartments 22, 24, 26 which are each able to be punctured by dip tube 18 of head 12. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Description

£35647 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No: Divided out of No. 291008 Date: Dated 25 July 1995 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION RECHARGEABLE DISPENSERS We, SPRAYEX L.L.C., a limited liability company organised and existing under the laws of the State of Virginia, United States of America, of2046-D Jefferson Davis Highway, Stafford, Virginia 22554, United States of America, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: IN I tLLtUTUAl PROPERTY OFFICE 0FN.Z. - 7 MAY 1999 . RECEIVED (followed by page la) ' 1 - la - Rechargeable Dispensers Field of the Invention This invention relates to rechargeable dispensers, in particular rechargeable spray bottle dispensers, that can be recharged or refilled. Specifically, the present invention is particularly directed to spray bottle dispensers having a reservoir containing chemical and a refillable zeservoir containing water or solvent associated with the spray bottle dispensers so that the spray bottle dispensers can be recharged by simply adding water or solvent to the refillable reservoir.

In addition, the present invention is directed to bottles and adapters for use with the rechargeable dispensers according to the present invention.

) Background of the Invention The use of spray bottles for dispensing chemical reagents (e.g., water, cleaners, soaps, insecticides, hair spray, etc.) are well-known. Due to regulations limiting the amount of volatile 5 organic carbons (VOCs) released in the atmosphere, products originally contained and dispensed through aerosols are currently being replaced with spray bottles.

Bottlers of chemical reagents typically market their products by purchasing separately empty plastic container bottles and sprayheads. The bottlers then fill, assemble, and label the 10 completed spray bottle packages for delivery to retailers. Consumers purchase the filled spray bottles at the point-of-sale, and then consume the chemical contents of the spray bottle. Most consumers dispose of the spray bottles upon the one time use of the contents of the spray bottles. However, the spray bottles are still fully functional with respect to containing and dispensing chemical reagents, since the plastic bottles are substantially chemically resistant and the sprayheads remain fully functional after consuming the contents. Conventional point-of-sale type spray bottles can be recharged numerous times with chemical concentrate and water (i.e., at least 10 times, possibly 100 times while maintaining full operation). Thus, consumers dispose of large quantities of reusable product (i.e., empty spray bottles) having high utility value. t o In today's environment of numerous regulations to control pollution, and consumer and industrial awareness for conserving resources and reducing landfill waste, it is highly desirable to promote the reuse of products that maintain their utility, and dispose of only products that no longer have any utility. Many bottlers are currently selling concentrate in various sized containers to allow consumers to recharge point-of-sale type spray bottles with their particular concentrates. However, many consumers are unwilling to adopt such methods apparently due to some inconvenience in the steps involved with the recharging process of the spray bottles. In particular, there is some inconvenience in removing the sprayhead, opening the chemical concentrate container, pouring the chemical concentrate into the empty spray bottle, adding water, and re-attaching the sprayhead to the bottle. Further, consumers apparently lack interest in recharging spray bottles due to some reluctance based on their inexperience and knowledge in mixing and diluting liquids, which is done by processing chemists for the bottlers. In addition, recharging is usually a messy undertaking due to spillage of chemical concentrate while pouring from one container to the other, overfilling, accidentally knocking over the bottle being filled due to its instability when unfilled, and other undesirable mishaps that can occur, that provide substantial inconveniences.

Importantly, sizeable containers (e.g., pint, quart, gallon, liter sizes) of chemical concentrate can be significantly hazardous to transport and handle by consumers unaware of the potent chemical properties of the chemical concentrates. Specifically, chemical spills of O concentrate can damage items around the home including flooring, carpeting, countertop in kitchens and bathrooms, shelves, and other items the chemical concentrate could potentially come into contact with. Further, chemical concentrate can impose a significantly greater health risk to persons coming into accidental contact therewith potentially causing tissue burns and other damage.

Most importantly, chemical concentrate imposes a great risk to children who may accidentally ingest the chemical concentrate and become poisoned. Chemical concentrate greatly increases the chance of permanent injury or death in this regard to children versus current diluted chemical reagents contained in point-of-sale type spray bottles.

Summary of the Invention* A first object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable dispenser, for example, a spray bottle dispenser, having a chemical concentrate reservoir and a water or solvent reservoir associated with the spray bottle dispenser.

* The stated objects of the invention are those of preferred embodiments of the invention. Not every embodiment of the invention is claimed by the claims of the present specification; some embodiments are claimed by the claims of a parent Patent Specification No. 291008. Furthermore, it is not necessary for any embodiment to satisfy all stated objects of the invention.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable dispenser, for example, a spray bottle dispenser, having a chemical concentrate reservoir and water or solvent reservoir disposed within the spray bottle dispenser.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable dispenser, for example, a spray bottle dispenser, comprising a bottle with a chemical concentrate reservoir and water or solvent reservoir.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable dispenser, for example, a spray bottle dispenser, having a chemical concentrate reservoir and a refillable water or solvent reservoir.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable dispenser, for example, a spray bottle dispenser, having a refillable chemical concentrate reservoir and a refillable water or solvent reservoir.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser comprising a liquid chemical concentrate reservoir and a liquid solvent or dilutent reservior. 335647 A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable dispenser comprising a liquid chemical concentrate reservoir and a liquid solvent or dilutent reservoir.

An eight object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable spray bottle dispenser comprising a liquid chemical concentrate reservoir, a liquid solvent or dilutent reservoir, and a sprayhead in liquid communication with the reservoirs.

A ninth object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable spray bottle dispenser comprising a refillable/non-refillable liquid chemical concentrate reservoir, a refillable solvent or dilutent reservoir, and a sprayhead in liquid communication with the reservoirs.

A tenth object of the present invention is to provide a rechargeable spray bottle dispenser comprising a bottle for containing solvent or dilutent, a liquid chemical reservoir disposed within the bottle, and a sprayhead in liquid communication with the bottle and reservoir.

An eleventh object of the present invention is to provide products with chemical contents using the dispensers of the above objects one through ten. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 o NOV 2000 RECEIVED 33 5647 -6a- In a first aspect, the present invention broadly consists in a spray dispensing apparatus, comprising: a spray bottle for containing fluid, said spray bottle having a neck portion; a pump type spray head connected to said neck portion, said spray head including a down tube extending into said spray bottle for drawing fluid from said spray bottle into said spray head; and an insert disposed within said spray bottle, said insert including a passageway for accommodating said down tube so as to extend through said insert, said insert including at least one reservoir for containing fluid, said reservoir having a frangible upper portion and a frangible lower portion to allow said reservoir to be accessed by puncturing said frangible portions with said down tube or other puncturing device to release fluid contained in said insert into said spray bottle.

In a second aspect, the present invention broadly consists in a spray dispensing apparatus, comprising: a spray bottle for containing a first fluid; a manually operated spray head connected to said spray bottle, said spray head including a pump; a reservoir for containing a second fluid, said reservoir disposed within said spray bottle; a first fluid pickup tube disposed within said spray bottle and configured for withdrawing the first fluid from said spray bottle; intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 received ■*- 335647 a second fluid pickup tube disposed within said reservoir and configured for withdrawing the second fluid from said reservoir; a fluid metering and mixing device disposed within said spray bottle, said fluid metering and mixing device fluidly connecting said first fluid pickup tube and said second fluid pickup tube to said spray head, said fluid metering and mixing device including a mixing chamber, a first fluid inlet passageway for conveying the first fluid from said first fluid pickup tube into said mixing chamber, a second fluid inlet passageway for conveying the second fluid from said second fluid pickup tube into said mixing chamber, and a fluid outlet passageway for conveying mixed fluid from said mixing chamber into said spray head, said first fluid inlet passageway provided with a fluid checking valve configured for allowing flow of the first fluid into said mixing chamber when suction is applied to said mixing chamber by operation of said spray head while preventing back flow into said first fluid pickup tube during non-operation of said spray head, and said second fluid inlet passageway is provided with a fluid metering and checking valve including a metering chamber containing a metering ball configured for delivering a predetermined volume of the second fluid into said mixing chamber when suction is applied to said mixing chamber by operation of said spray head while preventing back flow into said second fluid pickup tube during non-operation of said spray head; a first air passageway for venting said spray bottle; and a second air passageway for venting said reservoir.

In a third aspect, the present invention broadly consists in a trigger pump spray dispensing apparatus, comprising: intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 received 335647 a spray bottle defining a first fluid reservoir for containing a first fluid, said spray bottle including a threaded neck portion; a second fluid reservoir for containing a second fluid, said second fluid reservoir disposed within said spray bottle; a fluid mixing device disposed within said spray bottle for mixing together the first and second fluids to form a mixed fluid; a first fluid pickup tube connected to said mixing device and extending into said spray bottle for withdrawing the first fluid from said first fluid reservoir into said mixing device; a second fluid pickup tube connected to said mixing device and extending into said second fluid reservoir for withdrawing the second fluid from said second fluid reservoir into said mixing device; a manually operated trigger pump type spray head threadedly connected to said spray bottle for receiving mixed fluid from said fluid mixing device and then dispensing the mixed fluid; a connecting tube for connecting said fluid mixing device located inside spray bottle to said spray head located outside said bottle; a first passageway for venting said first reservoir; and a second passageway for venting said second reservoir.

In a fourth aspect, the presenting invention broadly consists in a multiple fluid spray pump dispensing apparatus, comprising: intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 RECEIVED -6d- a spray bottle having a threaded neck; 335 6 ^ a manually actuated pump-type spray head connected to said spray bottle; a first fluid reservoir for storing a first fluid, said first fluid reservoir disposed inside said spray bottle; a second fluid reservoir for storing a second fluid, said second fluid reservoir disposed inside said spray bottle; a plug-like fluid mixing device for mixing together first fluid and second fluid for generating mixed fluid, said fluid mixing device being disposed within said neck of said spray bottle, said fluid mixing device connected to said spray head for transferring mixed fluid from said fluid mixing device to said spray head; a first downtube configured for withdrawing first fluid from said first reservoir, said first downtube connected to said fluid mixing device for transferring first fluid from said first reservoir to said fluid mixing device; and a second downtube configured for withdrawing second fluid from said second reservoir, said second downtube connected to said fluid mixing device for transferring second fluid from said second reservoir to said fluid mixing device.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention broadly consists in a multiple fluid spray dispensing apparatus, comprising: a spray bottle having an outer wall enclosing and defining a first fluid reservoir for a first fluid; a manually operated trigger-type spray head connected to said spray bottle; and intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 R E 0 E J V E D 335647 an adapter including a body portion with a radial outwardly extending upper flange portion, said adapter including a second fluid reservoir suspended inside said first fluid reservoir of said spray bottle by said body portion of said adapter, said adapter including a first downtube configured for withdrawing fluid from said first fluid reservoir and a second downtube configured for withdrawing fluid from said second fluid reservoir, said adapter including a mixing chamber and at least one metering valve for metering at least one of the first fluid and the second fluid into said metering chamber. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 received The main concept according to the present invention is to provide a rechargeable dispenser, in particular a spray bottle dispenser package having at least one supply of chemical to allow the spray bottle dispenser to be recharged at least one time. The chemical can be in the form of a gas, liquid, semi-solid or solid. Specifically, the chemical liquid can be a one phase mixture, a two phase mixture, a dispersion or any other chemical reagent having liquid characteristics. The chemical semi-solid can be in the form of a slurry, paste, solid dispersed in a liquid that still exhibits some liquid type characteristics, and the solid can be in the form of powder, granules, tablet or other solid material form.

The chemical is preferably a concentrated chemical that is readily diluted with a solvent, in particular plain water. Preferably, the chemical can be immediately diluted, however, a chemical substance that can go into solution over a 24 hour or longer period of time can potentially be suitable for some applications.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention involve associating at least one quantity of chemical with the spray bottle dispenser itself. Specifically, the chemical is stored in some manner, and connected directly internally or externally to the spray bottle dispenser. However, the present invention is broader in scope to include packaging the chemical and spray bottle dispenser together (i.e., connected indirectly) to be marketed at the point-of-sale. In this embodiment of the invention, a consumer would purchase the package containing a supply of c chemical and the spray bottle dispenser, separate at home the spray bottle dispenser that has been filled by the bottler from the package and store the chemical portion of the package separate from the spray bottle dispenser in the household. The user would then retrieve the stored chemical upon consuming the initial contents of the spray bottle dispenser for purposes of recharging the spray bottle dispenser.

The preferred embodiments of the invention store the at least one quantity of chemical directly or indirectly inside or outside the spray bottle dispenser. In the case of an indirect connection to the spray bottle dispenser, a mechanical fastener such as a plastic strip connects an external chemical reservoir to the spray bottle dispenser. In the case of a direct connection, the chemical reservoir is directly connected internally or externally to the spray bottle dispenser. The most preferred embodiments store the at least one quantity of chemical inside the spray bottle dispenser, particularly the bottle portion, to fully contain any inadvertent spills or leakage of chemical through the life of the spray bottle dispenser. These most preferred embodiments provide substantial advantages for handling, recharging and protecting household items from contact with chemical, and most importantly to prevent accidental ingestion by children. This particular point is especially important due to the much greater potency of chemical concentrate versus diluted chemical reagents currently being sold by bottlers at point-of-sale. o o The most preferred embodiments also utilize conventional spray bottle dispenser components including plastic bottles, plastic sprayheads, and plastic downtubes. In order to promote products incorporating the present invention, it is particularly important to utilize the standard components that are readily available and relatively very inexpensive due to the large quantities sold and consumed. Thus, an add-on chemical reservoir for storing the chemical is highly desirable.

The most preferred add-on type chemical reservoir is an insert received within the bottle portion of the spray bottle dispenser. This type of insert can be manufactured extremely cheaply in high volume while providing all the performance characteristics necessary for a safe and reliable product. Specifically, the insert can be made with one or more chambers or cells containing chemical that can be accessed in various ways. For example, the reservoir can be sealed with membranes that can be punctured with an instrument, in particular the tip of the downtube. Alternatively, the walls of the chemical reservoir can be designed or configured so as to be readily burst upon application of external pressure to the chemical reservoir. Adding lines of weaknesses, thinning of walls and other means for locally weakening a portion of the chemical reservoir can be implemented for use in the present invention.

Alternatively, one or more of the components of the conventional spray bottle dispenser (e.g., bottle portion, sprayhead portion, downtube) can be modified to provide the chemical ; > reservoir. For example, the walls or bottom of the bottle portion can be modified, by molding a chemical reservoir in one or more sides of bottom of the bottle portion, the sprayhead portion can be provided with a chemical reservoir, and/or the downtube can be provided with an add-on chemical reservoir or the walls of the downtube can be molded to provide a chemical reservoir. However, all of these approaches will initially be substantially greater in cost due to the modification of conventional components not necessitated by the use of an insert according to the present invention.

The insert according to the present invention can take on many different forms and configurations. A first preferred embodiment of the insert is defined by a cylinder having one or more chambers or cells disposed therein. The interior of the cylinder can be provided with one or more bisecting walls to define the chambers along the length thereof. A plastic cylinder having one or more bisecting walls can be easily extruded in plastic. The top and bottom of the one or more chambers of the insert are sealed by upper and lower sealing membranes. The membranes can be films, foils, composites of films and foils, or any other suitable composite that is both chemically resistant and subject to being punctured readily by an instrument, in particular, the tip of the downtube, or can be made to burst.

The upper and lower sealing membranes can be connected to the insert by bonding, adhesive bonding, thermal bonding, sonic welding, or suitable methods for forming a liquid tight seal (e.g., hermetic seal).

This embodiment of the insert can be marketed inside a filled spray bottle dispenser at point-of-sale. The downtube extends through an open chamber of this insert down into the lower portion of the bottle portion to access premixed chemical reagent added by the bottler during manufacture. After consumption of the chemical reagent, a user unscrews the sprayhead and lifts the downtube from the bottle portion. The insert is rotated so that one chemical reservoir is now positioned where the open chamber was previously positioned (i.e., now registered for being punctured by the downtube). The user then forces the tip of the downtube through the upper sealing membrane, down through the chamber, and then punctures the lower sealing membrane. Water can be added through the open chamber of the insert before or after the step of accessing the chemical reservoir by puncturing with the downtube. This configuration allows the chemical to be always stored within the confines of the spray bottle dispenser, and minimizes the steps needed for recharging the spray bottle dispenser.

The consumer will experience little inconvenience in removing the sprayhead and downtube from the bottle portion, rotating the insert, puncturing the chemical reservoir, adding water through the open chamber of the insert, and reassembling the sprayhead portion to the o o bottle portion. Further, the chemical concentrate stored within the insert is extremely safe for handling and preventing accidental consumption by children (i.e., a child would have to successfully unscrew the sprayhead portion from the bottle portion, fully remove the downtube from the bottle portion, and successfully puncture the insert). Further, even in the event of puncture of the insert by a child, the access opening through the upper sealing membrane would be sufficiently small to substantially limit spilling and containing most chemical from being easily ingested by a child. Thus, the present invention provides substantial safeguards over current methods of selling large quantities of chemical concentrate at the point-of-sale, and subsequently having the consumer handle and mix the chemical concentrate in his or her home.

This particular insert can have one, two, three, four or more separate chambers or cells. For example, in the case of four cells, one cell would be an open cell through which the downtube is initially placed by the bottler during assembly when the spray bottle dispenser is provided with an initial charge of diluted chemical. Thus, in this example, there remains three cells that can be utilized as three separate chemical reservoirs. This four cell configuration 4v would allow the user to initially consume the premixed diluted chemical reagents of the spray bottle dispenser, and then recharge the spray bottle dispenser three more times prior to consuming all the chemical contained in the spray bottle dispenser. If the consumer then disposed of the spray bottle dispenser at that point, this would provide a three time improvement over the current practice of consumers utilizing a spray bottle dispenser one time prior to disposal. Thus, the consumption of spray bottle dispensers could be reduced three-fold (i.e., one-fourth the waste) if fully implemented.

However, this invention can even provide for an even greater improvement over current practices by consumers. Specifically, this insert can also be sold at the point-of-sale as a separate item that could be added to conventional point-of-sale type spray bottle dispensers having no inserts after the initial consumption of the contents, or for use with spray bottle dispensers having inserts according to the present invention after the complete chemical consumption of the inserts initially sold with the units.

This new system would greatly decrease the shipping weight and costs associated therewith, decrease retail shelf space for marketing the product, and most importantly greatly decrease the consumption and waste of plastic material. Specifically, the volume of plastic needed to make the four chamber insert described above would be a small fraction compared with the weight of plastic of four conventional spray bottle dispensers based on equal amounts of useable diluted chemical reagent. Further, the insert when the chemical is completely consumed has little utility value versus the utility value of an emptied conventional spray bottle dispenser that can be reutilized numerous times. Further, conventional spray bottle dispensers are substantially much greater in cost to produce relative to the insert according to the present n o invention, and would conserve significant labor and other direct and indirect costs associated with the production of conventional spray bottle dispenser components versus the insert according to the present invention. Further, the insert according to the present invention can readily be recycled, and could potentially be refilled if an adequate system were developed to reprocess such inserts, however, more than likely the inserts would be disposed of by consumers based on convenience factors.

A second embodiment of an insert according to the present invention involves forming a strip of chemical reservoirs that can be disposed within the bottle portion of the spray bottle dispenser. The strip of chemical reservoirs can be made at high speed, and would most likely be made in a continuous strip and cut to length when completed for insulation in each spray bottle dispenser. The strip type insert can be manufactured by a high speed molding technique such as vacuum forming the chemical reservoirs from a plastic strip, filling the chemical reservoirs with chemical, and sealing the chemical reservoirs. This completed strip is then cut to length based on the number of reservoirs to be added to the spray bottle dispenser, and is preferably attached by adhesive or other technique to the inside surface of the bottle portion. The chemical reservoirs made of the plastic strip are made in such a manner so that the chemical reservoirs can be punctured by an instrument, in particular, the tip of the downtube, or can be made to burst by adding external pressure to the chemical reservoir. A user can burst one or more (i.e., one, two, three, etc.) of the chemical reservoirs to specifically tailor the r o concentration of the diluted chemical reagent. Thus, the concept according to the present invention allows the consumer some latitude in selecting concentration levels currently unavailable with conventional spray bottle dispensers.

In a third embodiment, a plurality of separate cylindrical chemical reservoirs can be added to the inside of the bottom portion. The cylinder chemical reservoirs are provided with an upper sealing membrane that can be punctured by an instrument, in particular the tip of the downtube. The cylinder reservoirs can be separate units or connected together by a strip, or by some other manner. The cylindrical chemical reservoirs are preferably located at the bottom wall of the bottom portion to allow easy access by the tip of the downtube during a puncturing operation.

In a fourth embodiment, cylindrical chemical reservoirs bridge the side walls of the bottle portion. The cylinder reservoirs are made so they can be burst by simply pressing together the walls at the location of the particular cylinder reservoir.

In a fifth embodiment, separate donut-shaped chemical reservoirs are added to a conventional downtube. The donut-shaped reservoirs can be made so as to be punctured or burst for chemical access. Alternatively, one or more small holes through the inner surface of the donut-shaped reservoirs can be provided and sealed by the downtube itself (adhesive can also ■■ ■ be provided to insure adequate sealing). In this type of arrangement, the chemical inside the donut-shaped reservoir can be accessed by simply pulling the donut-shaped chemical reservoir off the downtube exposing the opening through the inner wall of the donut-shaped reservoir. The donut-shaped reservoir can be removed by unscrewing the sprayhead portion from the bottle portion, lifting the downtube until the lowermost donut-shaped reservoir is located at or near the opening of the bottle portion, holding the donut-shaped reservoir by the fingertips of one hand at the opening to the bottle portion, and then lifting with the other hand the downtube so as to detach the donut-shaped reservoir from the downtube, and then allowing the donut-shaped reservoir to drop into the bottle. Water is added before or after to dilute the concentrate to form the diluted chemical reagent.

In a sixth embodiment, an insert is provided with a plurality of reservoirs in a stepped and stacked array. The top reservoir is thinner and deeper compared with a bottom reservoir that is wider and shallower. One or more reservoirs having dimensions in between that of the top and bottom reservoirs can be provided therebetween. This stepped and stacked arrangement allows easy access to any of the chemical reservoirs by an instrument, in particular the tip of the downtube for puncturing a membrane sealing each reservoir.

In a seventh embodiment, a plurality of reservoirs are provided in an insert and a stacked arrangement. Each reservoir is sealed at the top and bottom with a sealing membrane. A person using a spray bottle dispenser containing this insert initially punctures the upper and lower sealing membranes of the upper reservoir during a first recharging operation, punctures the upper and lower sealing membranes of the middle reservoir to access chemical in the middle reservoir during a second recharging operation, and does the same to the third chemical reservoir in the third recharging operation.

Another mode of the present invention is centered on utilizing liquid chemical concentrate as the preferred source of chemcial concentrate. A preferred embodiment of this mode involves a rechargeable spray bottle dispenser having a liquid chemical concentrate reservoir to store one or multiple fills or refills of liquid chemcial concentrate. In a most preferred embodiment, the liquid chemical concentrate reservoir is located inside the spray bottle to safely and securely store the liquid chemical concentrate therein. Further, in the most preferred embodiment the size and configuration of the liquid chemical reservoir is selected for a predetermined concentration of liquid chemical concentrate so that the spray bottle dispenser can be refilled at least one time, preferably one to ten times, and potentially up to 100 times. In addition, in the most preferred embodiment, the spray bottle is provided with another access opening (e.g., second neck with cap closure) to allow dilutent such as water to be added to the spray bottle for recharging the spray bottle dispenser without removing the sprayhead from the spray bottle. This configuration allows a user to consume the water in the spray bottle (i.e., one charge), and then replenish the same by simply again adding water to the spray bottle dispenser without any o • o regard to the addition of liquid chemical concentrate, since there is sufficient liquid chemical concentrate contained in the liquid chemical concentrate reservoir to supply one or more charges of water in the spray bottle.

The most preferred spray bottle embodiment of this mode can also be utilized so that the liquid chemical concentrate reservoir only contains enough liquid chemical concentrate for one charge of water into the spray bottle. This chemical product embodiment would potentially allow the chemical product to be shipped and marketed at a point-of-sale with no water supplied in the spray bottle to significantly decrease the shipping weight of the spray dispenser chemical product. The consumer would later charge the spray bottle with water, and then consume the liquid chemical concentrate when using up the one charge of water. Alternatively, the liquid chemical concentrate reservoir can contain additional liquid chemical concentrate to allow more than one charge of water to the spray bottle. Again, however, the spray dispenser chemical product can be shipped initially without water in the spray bottle, and then allowing one fill and one or more refills of the spray bottle dispenser.

The liquid chemical reservoir and the dilutent reservoir can be provided in a variety of different manners. The reservoirs can be separate containers attached or not attached together, reservoirs connected together, reservoir inside a reservoir, or potentially any other type of arrangement. The use of a separate liquid chemical reservoir inside a conventional container n such as a conventional spray bottle is particularly desirable, since the molds for the conventional liquid containers would not need to be modified or adapted for use in the present invention. Instead, one focus of the present invention is towards developing an insertable liquid chemical concentrate reservoir that can be accomodated within a conventional container such as a spray bottle. Further, again it is highly desirable in the case of a spray dispenser to utilize conventional sprayheads again to avoid the cost of new development and manufacturing of modified sprayheads. The adapter according to the present invention allows for the use of a separate liquid chemical reservoir with a conventional sprayhead and located inside of a conventional spray bottle.

The adapter arrangement according to the present invention utilizes a downtube extending into the spray bottle and a downtube extending into the liquid chemical reservoir. The adapter includes a mixing chamber for allowing the liquid chemical concentrate and water to be mixed therein prior to reaching the conventional sprayhead. Further, the adapter according to the present invention has a unique configuration to minimize the amount of space consumed inside the liquid storing spray bottle, located in the normal air space (i.e., neck or upper portion) of the spray bottle and configured to be easily molded and cheaply made in very high volume with minimal assembly involved. This unique arrangement should minimize the difficulties required to modify existing production lines or bottlers who institute the present invention in high volume production.

Claims (61)

-20-

1. A spray dispensing apparatus, comprising: 335647 a spray bottle for containing fluid, said spray bottle having a neck portion; a pump type spray head connected to said neck portion, said spray head including a down tube extending into said spray bottle for drawing fluid from said spray bottle into said spray head; and an insert disposed within said spray bottle, said insert including a passageway for accommodating said down tube so as to extend through said insert, said insert including at least one reservoir for containing fluid, said reservoir having a frangible upper portion and a frangible lower portion to allow said reservoir to be accessed by puncturing said frangible portions with said down tube or other puncturing device to release fluid contained in said insert into said spray bottle.

2. An apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said insert is a tube-shaped container having an upper flange for suspending said insert within said neck portion of said spray bottle.

3. An apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said insert is provided with multiple chambers for containing separate charges of fluids.

4. An apparatus according to Claim 1,2, or 3, wherein said insert is a tube-shaped container having one or more inner walls for segmenting a space inside said insert into two or more chambers for providing a through passageway for said down tube and at least one reservoir.

5. An apparatus according to Claim 1,2, 3, or 4, wherein said insert is defined by a molded plastic tube-shaped container having a frangible plastic film sealing an upper end of said plastic tube-shaped container. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 o NOV 2000 RECEIVED 335647

6. An apparatus according to Claim 1,2,3,4 or 5, including fluid contents, wherein the fluid contained in said insert is a chemical concentrate.

7. An apparatus according to Claim 1,2,3,4,5, or 6, wherein said spray bottle includes another neck portion having a resealable closure for allowing first fluid to be added to said spray bottle while said spray head is connected to said neck portion of said spray bottle.

8. A spray dispensing apparatus, comprising: a spray bottle for containing a first fluid; a manually operated spray head connected to said spray bottle, said spray head including a pump; a reservoir for containing a second fluid, said reservoir disposed within said spray bottle; a first fluid pickup tube disposed within said spray bottle and configured for withdrawing the first fluid from said spray bottle; a second fluid pickup tube disposed within said reservoir and configured for withdrawing the second fluid from said reservoir; a fluid metering and mixing device disposed within said spray bottle, said fluid metering and mixing device fluidly connecting said first fluid pickup tube and said second fluid pickup tube to said spray head, said fluid metering and mixing device including a mixing chamber, a first fluid inlet passageway for conveying the first fluid from said first fluid pickup tube into said mixing chamber, a second fluid inlet passageway for conveying the second fluid from said second intellectual property office of n.z. 1 o NOV 2000 RECEIVED 335647 fluid pickup tube into said mixing chamber, and a fluid outlet passageway for conveying mixed fluid from said mixing chamber into said spray head, said first fluid inlet passageway provided with a fluid checking valve configured for allowing flow of the first fluid into said mixing chamber when suction is applied to said mixing chamber by operation of said spray head while preventing back flow into said first fluid pickup tube during non-operation of said spray head, and said second fluid inlet passageway is provided with a fluid metering and checking valve including a metering chamber containing a metering ball configured for delivering a predetermined volume of the second fluid into said mixing chamber when suction is applied to said mixing chamber by operation of said spray head while preventing back flow into said second fluid pickup tube during non-operation of said spray head; a first air passageway for venting said spray bottle; and a second air passageway for venting said reservoir.

9. An apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein said first fluid inlet passageway includes a passageway portion for receiving an upper end of said first fluid pickup tube, and said second fluid inlet passageway includes a passageway portion for receiving an upper end of said second fluid pickup tube.

10. An apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein said passageway portion of said first fluid inlet passageway and said passageway portion of said second fluid inlet passageway are dimensioned to interference fit with said upper ends of said first and second fluid pickup tubes.

11. An apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein said fluid metering and checking valve includes a lower funnel-shaped passageway portion cooperating with said metering ball for defining a first one-way valve for allowing the second fluid to be conveyed into said metering chamber while preventing reverse flow back into said second fluid pickup tube, said fluid 33564 7 metering and checking valve including an upper funnel-shaped passageway portion cooperating with said metering ball for defining a second one-way valve having a reverse orientation relative to said first one-way valve, said second one-way valve positioned a predetermined distance from said first one-way valve defining said metering chamber having a fixed volume therebetween, said second one-way valve allowing the predetermined volume of the second fluid to be metered into said mixing chamber before stopping the flow of the second fluid into said metering chamber.

12. An apparatus according to Claim 11, including a fixed length passageway portion located between said upper and lower funnel-shaped passageway portions defining said fixed volume metering chamber, said fixed length passageway portion having a width greater than a width of said metering ball to allow the metering ball to freely move back-and-forth between said lower and upper funnel-shaped passageway portions during operation.

13. An apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein said reservoir is connected to said fluid metering and mixing device.

14. An apparatus according to Claim 13, wherein said reservoir is directly connected to said fluid metering and mixing device.

15. An apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein said reservoir is suspended inside said spray bottle by said fluid metering and mixing device.

16. An apparatus according to Claim 15, wherein said fluid metering and mixing device is provided with a tubular extension for suspending said reservoir.

17. An apparatus according to Claim 16, wherein said reservoir is defined by a test tube-shaped container.

18. An apparatus according to Claim 17, wherein said tubular extension of said fluid intellectual property office of n.z. 1 o NOV 2000 RECEIVED 24- 335 64 7 metering and mixing device fits inside an inner rim of said test tube-shaped container.

19. An apparatus according to Claim 18, wherein said tubular extension of said fluid metering and mixing device interference fits inside said inner rim of said test tube-shaped container.

20. An apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein said fluid outlet passageway of said fluid metering and mixing device is defined by an outer tubular extension for connecting with said spray head.

21. An apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein said fluid metering and mixing device comprises an upper housing connected to a lower housing defining a mixing chamber therebetween.

22. An apparatus according to Claim 21, wherein said upper housing is defined by a cylindrical body portion having an upper flange portion and a lower disk portion, said lower housing is defined by a cylindrical body portion having an upper flange portion and a lower disk portion, said upper housing nesting inside said lower housing portion.

23. An apparatus according to Claim 22, wherein said lower housing is provided with an inner recess defining said mixing chamber.

24. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said upper housing is provided with an inner tubular extension defining a portion of said second fluid inlet passageway when inserted inside a portion of said second fluid inlet passageway provided in said lower housing.

25. An apparatus according to Claim 24, wherein a lower end of said inner tubular extension defines an upper funnel-shaped passageway portion of said fluid metering and checking valve. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 RECEIVED -25- 33564 7

26. An apparatus according to Claim 24, wherein said inner tubular extension is supported by a plurality of spaced apart supports defining one or more ports therebetween leading into said fluid outlet passageway.

27. An apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein said fluid checking valve of said first fluid inlet passageway is defined by a funnel-shaped passageway portion cooperating with said metering ball.

28. A trigger pump spray dispensing apparatus, comprising: a spray bottle defining a first fluid reservoir for containing a first fluid, said spray bottle including a threaded neck portion; a second fluid reservoir for containing a second fluid, said second fluid reservoir disposed within said spray bottle; a fluid mixing device disposed within said spray bottle for mixing together the first and second fluids to form a mixed fluid; a first fluid pickup tube connected to said mixing device and extending into said spray bottle for withdrawing the first fluid from said first fluid reservoir into said mixing device; a second fluid pickup tube connected to said mixing device and extending into said second fluid reservoir for withdrawing the second fluid from said second fluid reservoir into said mixing device; a manually operated trigger pump type spray head threadedly connected to said spray bottle for receiving mixed fluid from said fluid mixing device and then dispensing the mixed fluid; intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 received S3 5 6 a connecting tube for connecting said fluid mixing device located inside spray bottle to said spray head located outside said bottle; a first passageway for venting said first reservoir; and a second passageway for venting said second reservoir.

29. An apparatus according to Claim 28, wherein at least a portion of said fluid mixing device is disposed within said neck portion of said spray bottle.

30. An apparatus according to Claim 29, wherein said mixing device is entirely located within said neck portion of said spray bottle.

31. An apparatus according to Claim 29, wherein said mixing device is suspended from said neck portion of said spray bottle.

32. An apparatus according to Claim 30, wherein said mixing device is suspended from said neck portion of said spray bottle.

33. An apparatus according to Claim 31, wherein said mixing device is suspended from a rim of said neck portion of said spray bottle.

34. An apparatus according to Claim 29, wherein said second reservoir is suspended from said mixing device.

35. An apparatus according to Claim 34, wherein said reservoir is defined by a test tube-shaped container connected to an extension of said mixing device.

36. An apparatus according to Claim 31, wherein said second reservoir is suspended from said mixing device. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 received 33564 -27-

37. An apparatus according to Claim 29, including a fluid metering device for metering at least one of the first and second fluids to said fluid mixing device.

38. An apparatus according to Claim 36, wherein said fluid mixing device and said fluid metering device are combined in a single unit defining a fluid metering and mixing device.

39. An apparatus according to Claim 37, wherein said fluid metering and mixing device is configured for metering and mixing the first and second fluids in a predetermined ratio.

40. An apparatus according to Claim 37, wherein said fluid metering and mixing device is capable of metering and mixing the first and second fluids in a ratio greater than 12 to 1.

41. An apparatus according to Claim 37, wherein said fluid metering and mixing device includes a mixing chamber, a first fluid inlet passageway for conveying the first fluid from said first fluid pickup tube into said mixing chamber, a second fluid inlet passageway for conveying the second fluid from said second fluid pickup tube into said mixing chamber, and a fluid outlet passageway for conveying mixed fluid from said mixing chamber through said connecting tube into said spray head, said first fluid inlet passageway provided with a fluid checking valve, said second fluid inlet passageway provided with a fluid metering and checking valve defined by a metering chamber containing a metering ball.

42. An apparatus according to Claim 40, wherein said first fluid inlet passageway provided with a fluid checking valve configured for allowing flow of the first fluid into said mixing chamber when suction is applied to said mixing chamber by operation of said spray head while preventing back flow into said first fluid pickup tube during non-operation of said spray head, and said second fluid inlet passageway is provided with a fluid metering and checking valve including a metering chamber containing a metering ball configured for delivering a predetermined volume of the second fluid into said mixing chambepvhcn suction n rr intellectual prcptrfl office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 received 03 5 6 7 to said mixing chamber by operation of said spray head while preventing back flow into said second fluid pickup tube during non-operation of said spray head.

43. An apparatus according to Claim 41, wherein said fluid metering and checking valve includes a lower funnel-shaped passageway portion cooperating with said metering ball for defining a first one-way valve for allowing the second fluid to be conveyed into said metering chamber while preventing reverse flow back into said second fluid pickup tube, said fluid metering and checking valve including an upper funnel-shaped passageway portion cooperating with said metering ball for defining a second one-way valve having a reverse orientation relative to said first one-way valve, said second one-way valve positioned a predetermined distance from said first one-way valve defining a fixed volume metering chamber therebetween, said second one-way valve allowing the predetermined volume of the second fluid to be metered into said mixing chamber before stopping the flow of the second fluid into said metering chamber.

44. An apparatus according to Claim 28, wherein said connecting tube is a tubular extension and integral portion of said fluid metering device.

45. A multiple fluid spray pump dispensing apparatus, comprising: a spray bottle having a threaded neck; a manually actuated pump-type spray head connected to said spray bottle; a first fluid reservoir for storing a first fluid, said first fluid reservoir disposed inside said spray bottle; a second fluid reservoir for storing a second fluid, said second fluid reservoir disposed inside said spray bottle; intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 received 335647 a plug-like fluid mixing device for mixing together first fluid and second fluid for generating mixed fluid, said fluid mixing device being disposed within said neck of said spray bottle, said fluid mixing device connected to said spray head for transferring mixed fluid from said fluid mixing device to said spray head; a first downtube configured for withdrawing first fluid from said first reservoir, said first downtube connected to said fluid mixing device for transferring first fluid from said first reservoir to said fluid mixing device; and a second downtube configured for withdrawing second fluid from said second reservoir, said second downtube connected to said fluid mixing device for transferring second fluid from said second reservoir to said fluid mixing device.

46. An apparatus according to Claim 45, wherein said fluid mixing device is a fluid metering and mixing device for metering at least one of the first fluid and second fluid and for mixing together first and second fluids to generate the mixed fluid for dispensing.

47. An apparatus according to Claim 46, wherein said fluid metering and mixing device is configured for mixing together first fluid and second fluid at a predetermined ratio.

48. An apparatus according to Claim 46, wherein said fluid metering and mixing device includes at least one metering chamber connected to a mixing chamber.

49. An apparatus according to Claim 45, wherein said first fluid reservoir is defined by at least a portion of an interior volume of said spray bottle and said second reservoir is connected to said fluid mixing device.

50. An apparatus according to Claim 49, wherein said second reservoir is suspended inside said spray bottle from said fluid mixing device. intellectual property office of n.z. 1 0 NOV 2000 RECEIVED 335647 -30-

51. An apparatus according to Claim 50, wherein said second reservoir is a test tube-like container connected at an upper end to said fluid mixing device, and said first down tube positioned adjacent and parallel relative to said test tube-like container.

52. An apparatus according to Claim 45, wherein said fluid mixing device is configured so that a portion of said fluid mixing device fits through an open end of said neck portion of said spray bottle.

53. An apparatus according to Claim 45, wherein said fluid mixing device is configured so that fluid mixing device can be installed inside said spray bottle, and then subsequently removed for replacement with another fluid mixing device.

54. An apparatus according to Claim 45, including first fluid contents and second fluid contents.

55. An apparatus according to Claim 54, wherein said first fluid contents is a diluent and said second fluid contents is a chemical concentrate.

56. An apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said spray bottle includes a resealable opening for addition of the first fluid to said first reservoir without disturbing a connection between said spray bottle and spray head.

57. An apparatus according to Claim 56, wherein said resealable opening is defined by another threaded neck of said spray bottle provided with a threaded cap for opening and sealing an opening through said another threaded neck into said first reservoir.

58. A multiple fluid spray dispensing apparatus, comprising: a spray bottle having an outer wall enclosing and defining a first fluid reservoir for a first fluid; ' intellectual property office of n.z. 1 o NOV 2000 RECEIVED 1535647 -31 - a manually operated trigger-type spray head connected to said spray bottle; and an adapter including a body portion with a radial outwardly extending upper flange portion, said adapter including a second fluid reservoir suspended inside said first fluid reservoir of said spray bottle by said body portion of said adapter, said adapter including a first downtube configured for withdrawing fluid from said first fluid reservoir and a second downtube configured for withdrawing fluid from said second fluid reservoir, said adapter including a mixing chamber and at least one metering valve for metering at least one of the first fluid and the second fluid into said metering chamber.

59. An apparatus according to Claim 58, wherein said body portion of said adapter includes a plug-like extension and said second fluid reservoir is a test tube-like container connected to said plug-like extension.

60. An apparatus according to Claim 58, wherein said metering valve includes a metering chamber containing a metering ball, said metering chamber includes a one-way valve at one end and an oppositely oriented one-way valve at an opposite end of said metering chamber allowing a predetermined volume fluid to be injected into said mixing chamber of said adapter during a spray head pump cycle.

61. An apparatus according to Claim 1, 8,28,45 or 58, and substantially as herein described with reference to any embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings. By the authorised agents A. J PARK Bar /Jelct^sy intellectual property office of n.z. 1 o NOV 2000 received