US3128916A - Spray with refill aerosols - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1964 B. T. E. PICOT SPRAY WITH REFILL AERosoLs 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July s. 1961 April 14, 1964 B. T. E. PlcoT 3,128,916

SPRAY WITH REFILL AEROSOLS Filed July 3. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent() 3,128,916 SPRAY WITH REFILL AERGSOLS Bernard Thomas Emile Picot, Paris, France, assigner to Parfums Christian Dior Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,520 Claims priority, application France May 10, 1961 1 Claim. (Cl. Z22- 183) The present invention has for its object a spray, for example a handbag spray of the type equipped with an aerosol, or similar thereto, which can be reloaded by means of interchangeable cartridge or refills.

Sprays of this type placed on the market heretofore have generally comprised a presentation casing in which is housed the removable cartridge or reiill consisting of a small pressurized reservoir containing the liquid to be sprayed, said reservoir being iitted at its top with a valve and a spray-head. In such devices, the sole function of the outer casingv is to provide protection and eye-appeal, and it is possible to operate the cartridge fitted with its spray-head independently.

Such sprays present a number of drawbacks, however. In the iirst place, the non-encased glass refill is dangerous to handle; indeed, in the event of a knock or a fall, it could explode and cause projections of glass splinters. This hazard is further accrued by the fact that the user may be tempted to use the refill alone without its presentation casing 'andthe protection afforded by the latter, due to the fact that, as stated precedingly, the reiill can be used independently of the spray body. In the second place, the valve on the refill may operate accidentally in the course of handling or transport.

The present invention has for its objects spray which overcomes these drawbacks.

The spray according to the invention is notably remarkable in that the cartridge or refill comprises a pressurized reservoir for the liquid to be sprayed, which is iitted at its top with a valve and a spray-head, and an outer casing which completely encloses the assembly and is provided with liquid-distributing oriiices, the control member for operating the valve on said cartridge being located on the body of the spray itself.

According to a further characteristic of the invention, the spray-head is integrally united with said casing, while the aforementioned reservoir is slidingly accommodated therein.

The advantages of the spray according to the invention are immediately clearly apparent.

The casing with which the cartridge is equipped protects the reservoir against knock. Even in the event of the reservoir fracturing as the result of a particularly violent knock, the casing will prevent any projections of glass, since the orifice which it embodies for passage of the control member acts as a discharge vent for the compressed gas.

The invention also has for its objects, by way of a novel industrial product, a cartridge or relill usable in the aforementioned spray and remarkable in that it comprises a pressurized reservoir for the liquid to be sprayed which is fitted at its top with a valve and a spray-head, the complete assembly being enclosed in an outer casing provided with one or more orifices to provide the necessary means of access for some suitable member to control said valve.

Such a cartridge cannot be used on its own, and this is a particularly advantageous feature in the case of luxury products such as perfume. In addition, the cartridge is in no danger of leaking during transport, handling or storage, since it can be operated only by the control member provided on the body of the spray.

According to a further characteristic of the invention, the aforementioned orifice or orifices are provided with a seal constituting a guarantee at the same time, and this 3,128,916 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 seal is crimped, glued or fixed in any convenient manner outside or inside the aforementioned casing and may alternatively consist of a tearable part of the casing, said seal being broken by said control member as the cartridge is positioned inside the spray body. A cartridge provided with such a guarantee cannot be used unless the seal has been broken. In this way the user can ascertain whether or not the cartridge has been used before.

Yet yfurther characteristics will become apparent from the description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of example only and not of limitation, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional View of an embodiment of the spray according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an identical View, showing the spray in operation with the cap removed.

In the example shown, the spray comprises a body 1 to the top of which is fitted, for instance by crimping, a ring 2 which is provided, about midway along, with an annular ridge 3. Said ridge rests upon the upper edge of the body 1 and serves as an abutment for a cap or similar device which engages over the upper portions 5 of said ring 2.

Over its lower portion inserted into the body 1, the ring 2 may embody a small inwardly projecting ridge 6 which is preferably annular or forms sectors or annular projections to assist in guiding a cartridge or reiill 7 slidingly Vinto thebodyrl, Manifestly, the ridges 6 may be integral with the body 1 or the casing 13. The relill 7,'the upper portion of which projects beyond the body 1, consists of a reservoir 8 containing the liquid to be sprayed and a layer of gas under pressure, and said reiill is equipped at its top with a valve 9 of any type well known per se the tube 10 of which pentrates into a spray-head 11 provided with a discharge passageway 12.

The assembly consisting of the reservoir 8, the valve 9 and the spray-head 11 is enclosed in a casing 13 which may be made of metal, rigid synthetic material, or some other suitable material.

In the embodiment illustrated, the spray-head 11 is integrally united with the casing 13, and an orifice is provided in said casing 13 at the point where said discharge passageway 12 debouches and is fitted with a spraying nozzle 14, the tank 8 being slidable longitudinally in the casing 13.

At its bottom, the casing 13 is provided with an orifice 15, While the bottom end of the body 1 is fitted with a peg 16 or other protruding member which passes through said orice and abuts against the bottom of the reservoir 8, or alternatively against a washer or similar member (not shown) inserted between the bottom of reservoir 8 and the casing 13.

Naturally, the length of the peg 16 will be at least equal to the degree of play of which the reservoir 8 is capable in the casing 13, augmented by the thickness of the bottom of casing 13 and where applicable, the depth to which the bottom of the reservoir 8 is dished.

The device described hereinabove functions very simply, in the following manner:

After the cap 4 has been removed, the user presses on the head of the cartridge projecting beyond the spray body 1 and slides the refill intosaid body 1, thereby causing the peg 16 to thrust against the bottom of reservoir 8 (see FIGURE 2). The tube 10 of valve 9, which is integrally united with the spray-head 11, thrusts into the reservoir 8 (held stationary by the peg 16) and thereby causes opening of the valve 9.

When the user relaxes pressure on the cartridge head, the spring associated to the valve 9 thrusts away the sprayhead 11 and, with it, the casing 13 which slides longitudinally in the body 1, thereby causing the cartridge to revert to its initial position.

When the cartridge 7 is spent, the user can very easily remove it from the body of the spray by sliding it upwards, and then replace it by a fresh cartridge. This refill may advantageously be provided with a seal obturating the orifice 15. Such a Seal may conveniently consist of a strip or capsule glued, crimped or fixed in any suitable manner to the outside or inside of the casing 13; alternatively, it may consist of a tearable portion of the casing 13. The seal Will be automatically broken or punched through when the cartridge 7 is introduced in to the body 1. This feature incorporated in the cartridge is a very valuable one from the users standpoint, since it enables the integrity of the rell to be ascertained before use.

It is manifest, that, without departing from the scope of the invention, many modifications may be made to the spray described hereinbefore. The body of the spray and the relill itself may naturally be shaped in any convenient manner and not necessarily like that illustrated by way of example. Similarly, the peg 16 may be replaced by one or more protruding members of any convenient shape, in which case the casing 13 will embody orifices of matching shape.

Nor is it necessary for the displacement of the reiill 7 in relation to the body 1 to be a straight longitudinal motion, as described above. Indeed, without departing from the invention to any great extent, it would be easy to imagine a spray in which the displacement of the refill 7 relative to the body 1 takes place as a spiral motion. To achieve this, the body 1 and the casing 13 could be provided with spiral grooves and ridges respectively, longitudinal displacement of the cartridge 7 being then obtained by rotating the latter relative to the body 1.

It is to be clearly understood that the invention is by no means limited to the specific embodiment described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which iS given by way of example only.

What I claim is:

An atomizer for sprayinga liquid, comprising a refill cartridge comprising a container for a liquid and a gas under pressure above said liquid, provided at its top with a valve and a spray-head, and casing consisting of a cylndrical wall with an upper end face and a bottom end face, provided near the upper end face with an orice for the passage of said liquid, and in the bottom end face with an opening, said spray-head being fixed in said casing md said container being displaceable within said casing, and operation of said valve being controlled by displacement of the container relative to said casing, the container being resiliently applied against the bottom end face of said casing by means of the valve, and a body of general cylindrical form with a bottom end face, for receiving said refill cartridge, provided with a peg on the inside of said bottom end face, the dimensions of the peg corresponding to the dimensions of the opening in the bottom end face of said casing of said refill cartridge, so as to penetrate into said casing through said orifice in its bottom end face, on depressing said casing in said body, and then iirst to contact the bottom of said container and after pushing said container in order to operate said valve.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,607,627 Gregg et al Aug. 19, 1952 2,940,641 Norrish et al. June 14, 1960 2,966,283 Darvie Dec. 27, 1960

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