US3198400A

US3198400A - Dispensing container assembly

Info

Publication number: US3198400A
Application number: US259612A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul E Roehrich
Original assignee: RICHFORD CORP
Current assignee: RICHFORD CORP
Priority date: 1963-02-19
Filing date: 1963-02-19
Publication date: 1965-08-03
Anticipated expiration: 1982-08-03

Description

Aug. 3, 1965 P. E. ROEHRICH 3,198,400

DISPENSING CONTAINER ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v y 2 6 9 3///\ a, y w. x 3 A P n- IP M 2 fl J a y A? 2 3 a m a; a 2 9 2 BY P404 a, MM M m United States Patent 3,198,400 DISPENSING CONTAINER ASSEMBLY Paul E. Roehrich, Oceanside, N.Y., assignor to Richford Corporation, Oceanside, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 259,612 1 Claim. (Cl. 222--182) This invention relates to an improved dispensing container assembly and more particularly to an improved pump type of liquid spray dispenser.

Certain liquid products, particularly cosmetic liquids, are merchandised in containers having pump type of atomizers. or spray dispensers. The dispenser is provided with a spray head at the top of the container which is reciprocated in a vertical direction to dispense the liquid cosmetics in spray or atomized form. Spray dispensers of this type are very satisfactory from the standpoint of applying or dispensing the cosmetic preparation. However, they have the well recognized difficulty or disadvantage that they leak during shipment or when the container is inverted or placed in a horizontal position.

Many attempts have heretofore been made to provide a satisfactory spray dispensing assembly which would be substantially leak prook.. However, the devices and expedients heretofore provided to prevent or 'minimize leaking have been complicated or cumbersome or have not satisfactorily accomplished their intended function.

It is a particular object of the present invention to overcome the difiiculty and disadvantages heretofore encountered and to provide an improved dispensing container assembly of the above type having a spray pump type of dispenser which is operated in the usual manner to dispense the liquid in spray or atomized form, but which may be assembled in a sealed or closed fashion during shipment to efiectively prevent leakage.

Among other objects of the invention is the provision of an improved spray pump type of dispensing assembly which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture;

which will effectively prevent leakage during shipment or when the container is inverted; and which. is simple to apply to the container and to use.

My invention contemplates the provision of a removable plastic sheath for tightly encasing the spray head and having 9. depending skirt having sealing engagement with the fitting for mounting the spray pump when the spray head is in lowered position. In addition, my invention contemplates the provision of an improved cap, having threaded engagement with the container, and which has sealing engagement therewith when the cap is fully applied. Also, when the cap is fully applied it retains the spray head in lowered position with the skirt on the sheath in sealing engagement with the mounting or fitting.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded view in perspective showing a container having a spray pump dispensing device applied thereto and also illustrating my improved sheath, cap and seal for preventing leakage;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged detailed view of the upper portion of the container and spray assembly showing the sheath applied to the spray head and the cap in the process of being applied to the container;

FIGURE 3 is a similar enlarged detailed view showing the cap fully applied to the container and having sealing engagement therewith, and also serving to retain the spray head in lowered position; and

FIGURES 4 and 5 are sectional elevational views of one form of spray pump assembly which may be used with my invention showing the spray head in elevated and lowered positions respectfully.

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As previously indicated, my invention is useful in connection with containers for liquids having spray pump type of dispensors applied thereto. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one type of container that may be employed in the form of a tapered or truncated conical glass bottle 10 having an externally threaded neck 12 with a dispensing aperture extending therethr-ough. The bottle may be used for holding and dispensing any desired type of liquid as for instance Eau de Cologne, toilet water, skin freshener or the like. The neck portion of the bottle is formed in two sections, the lower section 14- being of larger diameter, having an external thread formed therearound and terminating at its lower end in a shoulder 15. The upper portion is of reduced diameter as shown at 16 and is likewise preferably provided with an external thread.

Applied to the upper portion of the container is a spray pump type of dispensing assembly 18. Spray pump assemblies of this type are well-known, and the specific form of the spray pump may vary. Pumps of this type are generally provided with a spray head projecting above the container which may be reciprocated to cause the liquid to be dispensed in spray or atomized form through a spray nozzle formed in the head. In .the illustrated embodiment the spray pump assembly comprises a fitting 19 applied to the neck portion of the container so as to close the dispensing aperture. The illustrated fitting 19. comprises an internally threaded cap which is applied to the reduced upper portion 16 of the neck. The fitting may be made of any suitable material, such as plastic or metal. A plastic washer or seal 20 may be provided inside the fitting so that the fitting will have sealing engagement with the top of the container.

The fitting has a central aperture 21 as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 and extending through the aperture 21 is the upper portion of a cylinder made of sheet metal or the like. The upper portion of the cylinder is tightly fitted in the aperture and is suitably secured in position as by having the upper end of the cylinder staked or flaired outwardly on the top of the fitting as shown at 23. The cylinder 22 extends downwardly inside of the upper portion of the container and tapers inwardly to a reduced valve portion 24 which accommodates the ball valve 25 so that it can move upwardly and downwardly therein. Below the valve portion 24 thetube tapers inwardly to a tubular valve seat 23' of smaller diameter against which the ball valve' 25 normally rests so as to close the connection between the cylinder and the space beneath the cylinder. If the ball valve 25 is shifted upwardly in the valve portion 24, the valve is opened and clearance is provided between the ball and the valve portion 24 to permit liquid to flow therebetween.

The reduced valve seat portion 24 has applied thereto a supply tube 26 which extends downwardly inside the container to the lower portion thereto. Thus, when ball valve 25 is opened, liquid from inside the container may be drawn upwardly through the supply tube 26 past the ball valve and into the cylinder.

In order to create a pumping action to draw the liquid upwardly through the supply tube into the cylinder, I provide a piston 28 whose lower end has sliding engagement with the interior of the cylinder. The piston is tubular in form and has a stem portion extending upwardly through the aperture in the fitting 19 as shown.

In order to retain the piston and cylinder in an assembled relationship, I provide a retaining washer 29 which is suitably secured, as by brazing, to the flaired portion 23 on the upper surface of the fitting. The retaining washer forms a sliding fit with the stem of the piston. The stem of the piston is preferably provided with a retaining ring 30 secured therearound a short distance from the lower 3 end of the piston which engages the retaining washer 29 so as to limit the upward movement of the piston in the cylinder.

An. air vent 31 is provided in the cylinder wall a short distance above the lower end of the piston when it is shifted to its elevated position. Extending between the lower end of the piston and a slotted washer 32 is a helical spring 33 which normally urges the piston to its elevated position.

When the piston is shifted downwardly the ball valve 25 is urged into closed position with the result that the contents of the cylinder are forced upwardly through the tubular piston to dispense the liquid. When the piston is shifted upwardly, the ball valve 25 is caused to shift upwardly and the liquid is drawn through the supply tube past the valve into the cylinder. The vent 31 permits the air between the lower end of the piston and the upper portion of the cylinder to escape therethrough. Similarly when the piston is shifted downwardly air can enter through the vent 31. 1,.

Spray head 34 is attached to the upper end of the tubular piston rod by friction fit, brazing, soldering, or the like. The spray head has a passageway 35 extending upwardly from the upper end of the piston rod and it communicates with a transverse passage formed in the transversely disposed plug 36. The outer end of the plug 36 terminates in a spray nozzle 37 communicating with the transverse passage 35.

A ball check valve 38 is provided in the upper end of the tubular piston rod 28 and it seats against a valve seat 39 formed beneath the ball in the tubular piston rod. Thus, on the upward stroke of the piston ball valve 38 closes against seat 39 andball valve 25 opens. On the down stroke, the ball valve 25 closes and ball valve 33 opens. Because of this, on each up stroke of the piston liquid is drawn into the cylinder 22. On each down stroke liquid is dispensed from the cylinder in spray form through spray nozzle 37.

The device may be operated by simply pressing down-- wardly by the thumb or finger on the top of the spray head until it is shifted to its lowered position. When the pressure is released the spring returns the spray head to its elevated position. v

The particular spray head construction illustrated and described above is representative of one type of assembly to which my invention is applicable. It should be understood that my invention is applicable to other types of spray pump dispensing assemblies in which the liquid is dispensed in spray form by simply reciprocating the spray head.

In order to prevent the assembly from leaking during shipment or when the container is inverted or placed on its side, I provide the improved sheath and cap arrangement in FIGURES 1 and 2 and 3. Thus I provided a sheath 40 made of a suitable plastic material such as a polyolefin or a vinyl polymer or copolymer or cellulose acetate. The sheath tightly embraces the spray head and serves to seal the spray nozzle. The sheath has a depending skirt portion which preferably extends downwardly below the head so as to have sealing engagement with the upper surface of fitting 19 when the head is shifted to its lowermost position. The sheath also has a head portion 41 which projects upwardly from the surface of the skirt portion so as to engage the interior of the closure cap for the container so that the closure cap can thereby shift the spray head to its lowered position.

The cap is illustrated at 42 and is internally threaded so as to be engaged with the threaded portion 14 at the neck of the bottle. I also preferably provided a seal 43 which rests on the shoulder 15 and is engaged by the lower edge of the cap when the cap is fully applied thereby providing sealing engagement between the cap and the container.

As shown, the cap is provided with an interior recess large enough to accommodate the head and sheath 4!). The recess is of such a height that when the cap is fully applied the sheath and head are shifted to lowered position with the skirt in sealing engagement with the fitting 19. In addition, sealing engagement is provided between the cap and the container by means of sealing washer 43. The head 41 and the upper surface of the skirt portion of the sheath 40 impart a degree of flexibility to the sheath thereby providing for a reasonable tolerance in the dimensions of the parts.

In using my improved dispensing container assembly, the container is filled with the desired liquid such as cosmetic liquid and thespray pump assembly 18 is applied thereto as shown. Thereafter, the sheath 40 is applied over the spray head and washer 43 is applied around the neck of the container on the shoulder 15. The cap 42 is tightly secured in place to cause the sheath to have sealing engagement with the shoulder beneath the neckof the bottle through sealing washer 43.

When thus closed and sealed the container may be inverted, placed on its side and shipped and handled without leakage. To use the device it is only necessary to remove the cap and sheathand to reciprocate the spray head. If at any time it is desired to carry the container in a handbag or luggage, the sheath and cap may be applied thereto in the same manner.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an improved dispensing container assembly of the type utilizing a spray pump dispensing device which is of relatively simple construction; which effectively prevents leakage; and which may be readily applied to and used with a dispensing assembly.

I claim:

A leak proof dispensing spray container for liquids comprising, a container for liquids having an externally threaded neck portion with an opening extending therethrough; a spray pump assembly comprising a fitting mounted on said neck portion and closing said opening, a spray gun mounted on said fitting and extending through the opening in the neck portion with a spray head having a spray nozzle extending upwardly from said fitting and reciprocable between elevated and lowered positions to dispense a liquid from the container through the spray nozzle; said spray nozzle being flush with said spray head; a removable sheath tightly encasing the spray head and sealing the nozzle outlet against leakage and having a depending skirt having sealing engagement with the spray pump fitting when the spray head is in lowered position; and a closure cap for the container formed with an interior recess having internally threaded engagement with the threads on the neck portion; a sealing ring means for said cap which is applied to hold said spray head in lowered position in sealing engagement with the container with the closure cap and sheath being fully applied to the neck portion to seal said container from leakage, said internal recess being of. a size to accommodate the spray head with the sheath applied thereto and being of a height to retain the spray head and sheath in lowered position when the cap is fully applied with the depending skirt in sealing engagement with the spray pump fitting.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,362,077 12/20 Bobrick et a1 22232l' X 2,119,884- 6/38 Lohse 22232l X 2,586,687 2/52 Mellon 222-321 2,961,128 11/60 Cochran 222182 3,044,413 7/62 Corsette 222-321 X LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner.