US20070235472A1

US20070235472A1 - Spray Bottle Bladder

Info

Publication number: US20070235472A1
Application number: US11/278,776
Authority: US
Inventors: C. McFarland
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-05
Filing date: 2006-04-05
Publication date: 2007-10-11

Abstract

A novel spray bottle system at least includes: a spray bottle container including at least one air portal adapted to equalize air pressure on the inside and outside walls of the spray bottle container; a refillable liquid content bladder adapted to be secured to the neck of the spray bottle container via a bladder seal, and adapted to be placed inside of the spray bottle container, the liquid content bladder further adapted to carry liquid content to be sprayed by the spray bottle system; a liquid suction tube adapted to transport liquid content from the content bladder, the suction tube at least including a plurality of tube holes along the length of the suction tube adapted to suction content liquid from the content bladder from different positions along the suction tube; and a spray head adapted to be coupled to the suction tube and engaged with the bladder seal, and adapted to pump and spray content liquid from the content bladder.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to spray bottles and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spray bottles for spraying household and industrial liquid products are convenient for applying liquid products to desired surface areas. Unfortunately, prior art spray bottles have two major drawbacks. First, it is often difficult, if not impossible to expel all the liquid product, leaving a considerable amount in the bottle. This leads to a waste of product, a waste of money, and a waste of scarce environmental resources. Second, prior art spray bottles only efficiently spray in a narrow range of tilt angles, especially when the liquid contents are low, since the suction tube can only be placed in one location. Prior art refillable spray bottles do not filly solve the aforementioned problems of restricted angle spraying, and not being able to fully discharge all the spray bottle contents.
What is needed but lacking in the prior art is a spray bottle system that allows nearly all of a spray bottles contents to be fully discharged during spraying, and which allows operation of the spray bottle over a very wide range of spray angles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide a novel spray bottle system that at least includes: a spray bottle container including at least one air portal adapted to equalize air pressure on the inside and outside walls of the spray bottle container; a refillable liquid content bladder adapted to be secured to the neck of the spray bottle container via a bladder seal, and adapted to be placed inside of the spray bottle container, the liquid content bladder further adapted to carry liquid content to be sprayed by the spray bottle system; a liquid suction tube adapted to transport liquid content from the content bladder, the suction tube at least including a plurality of tube holes along the length of the suction tube adapted to suction content liquid from the content bladder from different positions along the suction tube; and a spray head adapted to be coupled to the suction tube and engaged with the bladder seal, and adapted to pump and spray content liquid from the content bladder.
Reference throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language does not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present invention should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.
Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the invention.
These features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order for the advantages of the invention to be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the present-inventive spray bottle system; and
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the present-inventive spray bottle system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
A first embodiment of the present-inventive spray bottle system 100 is shown in the exploded view of FIG. 1. The spray bottle system 100 is capable of discharging substantially all of the liquid contents, is refillable, and can operate over all spray angles of typical interest.
A molded spray bottle container 102 provides housing and protection for a refillable liquid content bladder 114. In the preferred embodiment, the spray bottle container 102 has threads 106 located on its neck. The liquid content bladder 114 contains a seal 118 used to seal the bladder 114 with the bottle neck 106. The seal 118 contains threads 122 for mating with the threaded collar 138 of a spray head 134.
A liquid suction tube 126 is connected to the spray head 134 and also displaced within the bladder 114. When the system is fully sealed pumping a trigger 142 expels the bladder liquid in spray form through a spray nozzle 146.
As more liquid is displaced, the bladder 114 contracts around the suction tube 126 until almost all the liquid contents have been expelled. To eliminate the inherent vacuum that would form between the bladder and the inside wall of the spray bottle, several air portals 110 are formed or drilled through the wall of the spray bottle. The purpose of the air portals is to equalize the air pressure on both sides of the spray bottle wall, and thus eliminate an internal vacuum.
To allow the spray bottle system to operate at a myriad of tilt angles, the suction tube 126 contains several tube holes 130 along its length. This allows the bladder liquid to enter the suction tube at various locations, and not be limited to the tube end. The tube holes 130 are believe to facilitate capillary action to help remove all of the liquid from the bladder, regardless of the bottle tilt angle.
In the preferred embodiment, the bladder 114 contains a refilling port 154, which can be exposed to the outside through a refilling port opening 152. As a matter of design choice, the refilling port and the refilling port opening can be affixed, although this need not be the case. The refilling port 154 can also be as simple as a one way valve. In such a case, a rigid or semi-rigid refilling tube can be inserted into the bladder via the refilling port. The refilling tube can be connected to a refill bulb or refill bladder, which when squeezed, forces new liquid content into the liquid content bladder 114.
The bladder 114 need not be attached to the spray bottle container in the manner described above. In fact, it may be sealed to the bottle neck during manufacturing. Also, other mechanisms beside the specific seal (118) embodiment can be used.
The preferred embodiment of the present-inventive spray bottle system is illustrated in FIG. 2. The system 200 is the same as the system 100, except that a simple bladder seal 218 replaces the seal 118 and threads 122. In this simpler version, the bladder seal 218 fits on the top of the bottle neck 106 and is mated directly to the spray head 134 by screwing the spray head onto the bottle neck to provide a vacuum seal. The bladder seal can be of any suitable material, but is preferably non-rigid, such as rubber, flexible plastic, and the like to provide a suitable seal.
It is understood that the above-described preferred embodiments are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
It is expected that there could be numerous variations of the design of this invention.
Finally, it is envisioned that the components of the device may be constructed of a variety of materials.
Thus, while the present invention has been fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use may be made, without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. A spray bottle system comprising:

a spray bottle container comprising at least one air portal adapted to equalize air pressure on the inside and outside walls of the spray bottle container;

a refillable liquid content bladder adapted to be secured to the neck of said spray bottle container via a bladder seal, and adapted to be placed inside of said spray bottle container, said liquid content bladder further adapted to carry liquid content to be sprayed by said spray bottle system;

a liquid suction tube adapted to transport liquid content from said content bladder, said suction tube comprising a plurality of tube holes along the length of said suction tube adapted to suction content liquid from said content bladder from different positions along said suction tube; and

a spray head adapted to be coupled to said suction tube and engaged with said bladder seal, and adapted to pump and spray content liquid from said content bladder.

2. The spray bottle system of claim 1, wherein said content bladder further comprises a refilling port adapted to allow said content bladder to be refilled with liquid content.

3. The spray bottle system of claim 2, wherein said refilling port is a one-way valve.

4. The spray bottle system of claim 2, wherein said spray bottle container further comprises a refilling port opening adapted to expose said refilling port external to said spray bottle container to facilitate refilling operations without disassembly of said spray bottle system.

5. The spray bottle system of claim 1, wherein said spray bottle neck contains spray bottle neck threads, and said bladder seal is adapted to be sealably threaded onto said spray bottle neck.

6. The spray bottle system of claim 1, wherein said bladder seal is molded onto said spray bottle neck.

7. A spray bottle system consisting essentially of:

a spray bottle container consisting essentially of at least one air portal adapted to equalize air pressure on the inside and outside walls of the spray bottle container;

a liquid suction tube adapted to transport liquid content from said content bladder, said suction tube consisting essentially of a plurality of tube holes along the length of said suction tube adapted to suction content liquid from said content bladder from different positions along said suction tube; and

8. The spray bottle system of claim 7, wherein said content bladder further consists essentially of a refilling port adapted to allow said content bladder to be refilled with liquid content.

9. The spray bottle system of claim 8, wherein said refilling port is a one-way valve.

10. The spray bottle system of claim 8, wherein said spray bottle container her consists essentially of a refilling port opening adapted to expose said refilling port external to said spray bottle container to facilitate refilling operations without disassembly of said spray bottle system.

11. The spray bottle system of claim 7, wherein said spray bottle neck contains spray bottle neck threads, and said bladder seal is adapted to be sealably threaded onto said spray bottle neck.

12. The spray bottle system of claim 7, wherein said bladder seal is molded onto said spray bottle neck.

13. A spray bottle system consisting of:

a spray bottle container consisting of at least one air portal adapted to equalize air pressure on the inside and outside walls of the spray bottle container;

a liquid suction tube adapted to transport liquid content from said content bladder, said suction tube consisting of a plurality of tube holes along the length of said suction tube adapted to suction content liquid from said content bladder from different positions along said suction tube; and

14. The spray bottle system of claim 13, wherein said content bladder further consists of a refilling port adapted to allow said content bladder to be refilled with liquid content.

15. The spray bottle system of claim 14, wherein said refilling port is a one-way valve.

16. The spray bottle system of claim 14, wherein said spray bottle container further consists of a refilling port opening adapted to expose said refilling port external to said spray bottle container to facilitate refilling operations without disassembly of said spray bottle system.

17. The spray bottle system of claim 13, wherein said spray bottle neck contains spray bottle neck threads, and said bladder seal is adapted to be sealably threaded onto said spray bottle neck.

18. The spray bottle system of claim 13, wherein said bladder seal is molded onto said spray bottle neck.