US2591969A - Liquid soap dispenser - Google Patents

Description

April 8, 1952 M, SAWCHUK 2,591,969

LIQUID SOAP DISPENSER Filed Jan. 15, 1951 Patented Apr. 8, 1952 'UNITED' STATES LIQUID SOAP DISPENSER Michael Sawchuk, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as-

signor to Dustbane Mfg. Company Limited, Ottawa, Gntario, Canada Application January 15, 1951, Serial No. 205,988

(Cl. S-166.5)

2 Claims. 1 This invention relates to liquid soap dispensers. There have been a number of plungerk type liquid soap dispensers wherein the actuation of the plunger causes the soap to eject through an opening, nozzle, or the like. However, l have `found that in structures of the prior art these dispensers are complicated employing a larger number of parts than necessary such as needle valves and ball valves and in some cases special elements to cause foaming of the soap where it is desired to eject soap in a foaming condition.

Diiiiculty also has been found with some of these structures which tend to develop leaks, which structures in many cases employ gaskets and the like to avoid these difficulties.

These general disadvantages are avoided by the present invention which provides a liquid soap dispenser of particularly simplified form employing few parts which can be varied in size and clearance to provide for the efiicient ejection of soap either in a foaming condition or as a liquid. Furthermore, the soap electing elements are formed in such a way and arranged in the casing as to form a seal to prevent unwarranted discharge of soap from the dispenser .and without the necessity of employing gaskets or special means of this kind for the purpose.

According to the present invention, I provide a casing having a receiving chamber, a transferring chamber and a discharge chamber, the receiving chamber being connectable with a liquid soap supply, an orificedpartition between the transfer chamber and the discharge chamber and a casing having a bore therein, the inner part of which'forms part of the discharge chamber, a plunger reciprocable in the bore having a piston end, the stem projecting from the piston end of the plunger and designed to traverse the orifice in said partition, said stem being designed slightly to clear the orifice to form a restricted passage 1,

between the transfer chamber and discharge chamber. The stem is .designed to carry a piston von'its end normally housed within the transfer chamber, the piston being of a diameter to clear the Walls of .said transfer chamber to a predetermined degree, the piston being normally retained Vwithin the transfer chamber by spring means and which simultaneously retains the plunger clear of the discharge chamber, the end of the piston in the normal position abutting the partition and closing communication between the transfer chamber and the dischargechamber to prevent passageof soap to the latteni The discharge chamber is provided with a soap discharge passage opening on the face of the casing and vcommunicating with said `discharge chamber so that the plunger will act to discharge soap p 2,591,969 ATENT- OFFICE i Preferably, the piston is formed with a tapered substantially frustro-concal end, which acts to close communication between the discharge chamber and the transfer chamber when fully depressed in the soap discharging operation. Preferably also, the casing is formed from a single tubular fitting or unit bored orl otherwise formed to provide co-axially aligned receiving, transfer and discharge chambers, which fitting may be connected in a simple screw-threaded connection with a liquid soap supply conduit or the like and which requires nospecial valves, gaskets or the like and wherein the size of the piston in relation to the transfer chamber may be varied to provide for discharge of soap in a foaming condition or substantially as a liquid.

The invention will be more fully understood by a study of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section taken through thesoap dispenser of the present invention with the plunger in the normal released position; and

Figure 2 is a similar .view to Figure 1 but showingr the plunger in depressed position.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the soap dispenser as a whole, which is generally made up of a casing or barrel B designed to receive the plunger C. The casing is provided with an enlarged bore I0 which' forms part ofthe soap discharge chamber, and in which the cylindrical body II ofplunger C is .designed to reciprocate. The body or barrel B is divided intermediate its length by a partition'I2 which is oriflced as at i3 (exaggerated in the drawing) slightly to clear the reduced stem I4 of the plunger body i I which stem normally passes through the orifice I3 and extends into a soap transferring chamber I 5 which is co-axial with the soap receiving chamber I6 of larger diameter than the soap transferring chamber I5. vThe stem I of the plunger C is designed to mount the piston I1, preferably by screw threading, which plunger is preferably recessed as at I8 to form a seat for the coil spring I9 which extends between the piston valve I'I and a suitable stationary element to place the plunger C under compression and maintain the plunger in its normal released position as shown in Figure 1.

The dispenser is supplied with soap through the VVpipe 20 which may connect with"v an .individual soap supply container or through pipe lines to a container which may feed a series Aof dispensers.

The piston I1 is designed to clear the walls of the transferring chamber I5 but to a slight degree where soap in a foamed condition is to be dispensed. The soap is gravity fed to the receiving chamber I6 and when the plunger C is depressed as shown in Figure 2, soap from the receiving chamber I6 passes forward into the transferring chamber I5 and at least in a partially foamed condition by reason of the slight clearance between the outer surface of the piston plunger I'I and the interior walls of chamber I5.

The depression of the plunger in a dispenser of this kind is a quick reciprocating action, i. e., a pressure of the plunger and a relatively instantaneous return thereof due to the coil spring. Consequently, it will be evident that a small supply of liquid soap from the receiving chamber I6 to the transferring chamber I5 will result. Moreover, on the return reciprocation of the plunger, not only will a partial foaming action result by reason of the restricted passage between piston Il and interior walls of the chamber I5, but a further foaming of the soap will result for the reason that air drawn in through the dispensing passage 25 which communicates with the soap discharge chamber I3 will be intermingled with the soap in the transfer chamber I5 due to the pressure of the plunger I1 and the fact that its passage through to the discharge chamber is through discharge orifice I3, which is very restricted, i. e., it clears the stern I4 to but a small degree. As a result, therefore, soap in a foaming condition will be transferred to the soap discharge chamber I and will be ejected through the discharge opening 25 on the next depression `of the plunger C.

It will be understood that as the plunger C is depressed to the position shown in Figure 2, the soap in the discharge chamber will be discharged or ejected through the small discharge passage 25 since the conical end 26 of the plunger C serves to close the opening I3 between the transferring chamber I5 and the discharge chamber I0, `as the plunger reaches its innermost position and the conical end 2B leaves free communication between the closed discharge chamber I0 and the small discharge opening 25.

While the conical end 26 of plunger C serves to close opening I3 upon depression of the plunger, alternatively, it will be noted, when the plunger is returned to the normal position, shown in Figure I, the inner end of the piston plunger Il is caused to abut the surface of the partition I2 disposed towards the transferring chamber I5 so that the piston plunger under influence -of the spring I9 completely shuts off the opening I3 from the transfer chamber I5. Thus in the simple plunger C made up of the body I I and piston II, communication between the transfer chamber I5 and discharge chamber I0 is controlled automatically since the conical surface 26 closes this opening in the discharge operation whereas the inner face of the piston plunger I'I closes it after discharge and prevents leakage of any kind from chamber I5 to chamber'I.

Where soap in a more liquid condition is required to be discharged, it is a simple matter to reduce the diameter of the piston plunger I1 and increase the space between its periphery and the interior of chamber I5 so that as the plunger C is depressed and released a more even unrestricted iiow of the liquid to and from the transfer chamber is permitted and the liquid is not subjected to as much pressure.

Lio

ferred to the chamber I0 at any one time and the small diameter of the discharge opening 25, soap that may remain in the discharge chamber IIJ will not tend to leak from the discharge opening 25. Moreover since an efficient seating contact is readily provided between the smooth end of the piston I1 and the surface of the partition I2 which it abuts, it will be apparent that the dispenser will not tend inadvertently to leak. Furthermore, by reason of this simple construction and bearing contact between the piston plunger and casing for sealing off the opening between transfer and discharge chambers. it is not necessary to provide gaskets or the like in the whole structure apart from the usual packing gland or the like 2l.

Having regard to the foregoing description, it will be manifest that the dispenser of the present invention is confined to a minimum of substantially simple parts co-related in a very simple arrangement to provide for efficient control and discharge of liquid soap. It will be obvious also that maintenance and any repair that might become necessary over a period of time is a particularly simple problem.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A liquid soap dispenser comprising: a casing having a receiving chamber, a transfer chamber and a discharge chamber, said receiving chamber being connectable with a liquid soap supply, an oriced partition between said transfer chamber and said discharge chamber, said casing having a bore therein, the inner part of which forms part of said discharge chamber, a

plunger reciprocable in said bore and having a piston end for operation within said discharge chamber, a stem projecting from the piston end of said plunger and designed to traverse the orifice in said partition, said stem being designed slightly to clear the periphery of said orifice to form a restricted passage for passage of. soap between the transfer chamber and said discharge chamber, a piston carried on the end of said stem and normally housed within said transfer chamber, said piston being of a diameter to clear the walls of said transfer chamber, spring means within the casing normally maintaining said piston within the transfer chamber and retaining said plunger clear of said discharge chamber, the end of said piston in normal position abutting said partition and closing communication between said transfer chamber and discharge chamber, said casing having a soap discharge passage opening on the face of said casing and communicating with said discharge chamber, said plunger acting to discharge Soap from the discharge chamber through said discharge passageway upon depression of the plunger, said piston acting to transfer soap from the receiving chamber to the transfer chamber upon depression of the plunger and to transfer soap from the transfer chamber to the discharge chamber upon th release of said plunger.

2. A liquid soap dispenser as claimed in claim 1 in which the piston end of the plunger is tapered to maintain communication between the discharge chamber and the discharge passage and to close communication between the discharge chamber and the transfer chamber when said plunger is fully depressed in the soap discharging operation.

MICHAEL SAWCHUK.

No references cited.

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