US3217946A

US3217946A - Mixing cartridge for sealant compound

Info

Publication number: US3217946A
Application number: US190525A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph J Cook
Original assignee: Semco Sales and Service Inc
Current assignee: Semco Sales and Service Inc
Priority date: 1962-04-20
Filing date: 1962-04-20
Publication date: 1965-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-16

Description

Nov. 16, 1965 R. J. COOK 3,217,946

MIXING CARTRIDGE FOR SEALANT COMPOUND Original Filed July 20, 1959 2 5/ uvl/an/rae.

a4a/1 J Comb xzzu United States Patent 3,217,946 MIXING CARTRlDGE FOR SEALANT COMPOUND Ralph J. Cook, Inglewood, Calit, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Semco Sales dz Service, Inc, a corporation of California Continuation of application Ser. No. 828,118, July 20, 1959. This application Apr. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 190,525 8 Claims. (Cl. 222-686) This invention relates to a container for a plurality of separate ingredients that must not be mixed until the time of use, the container being in the form of a cartridge for dispensing the mixed ingredients by extrusion.

This is a continuation of copending application Serial No. 828,118, now abandoned, filed July 20, 1959, by Ralph J. Cook for Mixing Cartridge for Sealant Compound.

While the invention is widely applicable for its purpose, it has been initially embodied as a cartridge for a sealant which is compounded at the time of use by mixing a base material with a catalyst or accelerator. Such a sealant is commercially available under the tradename Thiokol. This initial application of the invention has been selected for the purpose of the present disclosure and will provide adequate guidance for those skilled in the art who may have occasion to apply the same principles to other specific purposes.

The ingredients of the sealant of the character to which the invention pertains are commonly mixed at the point of use, for example, by an apparatus such as disclosed in the Trumbull et al. Patent No. 2,859,017. Once the ingredients are mixed, the sealant must be applied promptly before it hardens or cures to a degree that would make it unusable. The apparatus disclosed in the Trumbull et al. patent is adapted for filling cartridges, each of which comprises a cylindrical plastic shell with a dispensing nozzle at one end and a movable piston-like wall member at the other end. The cartridge filled with the newly mixed sealant is commonly placed in some type of applicator or dispensing gun for the actual dispensing operation. For example, the dispensing gun may be of the air-powered type disclosed in the Detrie et al. Patent No. 2,838,210.

A problem arises in those situations where a mixing apparatus such as an apparatus of the Trumbull patent is not available or where it is not feasible to use such a mixing apparatus. For example, it would be intolerably wasteful to mix a quantity of sealant sufi'lcient to fill several cartridges if the need to be met within the permissible time period requires no more than a single cartridge.

The invention meets this problem by a multiple-purpose cartridge. The cartridge initially serves as a dual compartment container for storing the two ingredients separately. Subsequently, the cartridge serves as a manually operable means for mixing the two ingredients. Finally, the cartridge serves as means to dispense the mixture by extrusion.

To carry out this concept, the multiple-function cartridge is of the general construction mentioned above comprising a cylindrical shell with a dispensing outlet at one end and a piston-like wall member at the other end to force the mixture to extrude through the outlet. In accord with the teaching of the invention, the cylindrical shell is divided into two separate ingredient-containing compartments by a transverse partition which may be readily deformed to permit the ingredients to intermix. The invention further provides a dasher inside the cartridge shell and means operable through the dispensing outlet to reciprocate the dasher for intermixing the two ingredients. When the two ingredients are thoroughly intermixed, the means for reciprocating the dasher is withdrawn through the dispensing outlet and a dispensing ICC nozzle is mounted in the dispensing outlet. The cartridge is then ready for use in a dispensing gun.

An important feature of the invention is the manner in which the transverse partition is provided. The invention is characterized by the concept of using a partition in the form of a deformable membrane such as a piece of metal foil and of using the dasher as means to support the membrane until the time arrives for the mixing operation. This concept requires that the metal foil membrane be effectively secured to the dasher during the storage period but to be readily releasable therefrom to permit intermixing of the two ingredients. It will thus be apparent that the membrane eflectively engages and cooperates with the shell wall to form therewith partition means and to define separate compartments of the container, and upon appropriate container manipulation, to deform to accommodate destruction of the partition and subsequent mixing of the contents of the separate compartments. When viewed in this manner, the effective partition is not only the membrane, but the adjacent cooperating portions of the shell wall and the partition is weak and frangible in that the partition is destroyed and admixture accommodated.

This last requirement is met by cupping the metal foil around the dasher with a cylindrical marginal portion of the foil gripped between the periphery of the dasher and the surrounding shell of the cartridge. The required gripping pressure is provided by making the shell flexible and by tightly encircling the flexible shell with constricting means to press the shell radially inward in the region of the dasher. Such a constricting means may comprise simply adhesive tape wrapped around the cartridge shell.

To get the metal foil partition out of the way in preparation for a mixing operation, the constricting means is removed to release the gripping pressure and the dasher is retracted out of engagement with the metal foil. The flexible cartridge shell is then squeezed manually in the region of the unsupported metal foil to crumple the metal foil to destroy its effectiveness as a barrier between the two ingredients. The dasher is then used to force the crumped metal foil to a position out of the way against the removable end wall of the cartridge. Thereafter, the dasher may be reciprocated and simultaneously rotated for thorough intermixture of the two ingredients.

As will be made apparent, other features of the invention relates to the construction of the dasher, the construction of the movable end wall of the cartridge, and the manner in which the two ends of the cartridge are sealed to retain the ingredients without leakage until the time arrives for the mixing operation.

The features and advantages of the invention may be understood from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, which is to be regarded as merely illustrative:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the presently preferred embodiment of the cartridge with the two separate ingredients stored therein, parts being broken away to show concealed structure;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the dasher;

FIGURE 3 is a similar perspective view of the dasher with the metal foil partition cupped thereon;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross-section showing the construction of the cartridge shell in the region of the dispensing opening;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the piston-like end wall of the cartridge;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of the cartridge after the mixing operation is completed and after the dispensing nozzle is added, a portion of the structure being broken away to show the crumpled metal foil backed against the movable wall of the cartridge; and

v FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of an alternate form of dasher that may be employed.

The drawing shows the presently preferred embodiment of the invention in the form of a disposable cartridge for use in an air-powered dispensing gun. The principal parts of the dual compartment cartridge include: a thinwalled cylindrical shell 10 which is preferably made of a suitable plastic material such as polyethylene, the cylindrical shell being open at one end and being formed at the other end with a neck 12 which defines a dispensing outlet 14; an end wall member 15 slidingly mounted in 'the open end of the shell 10; a dasher 16 (FIGURE 2); an operating rod 18 for releasable attachment to the 'dasher, the operating rod having a handle or knob 20 on its outer end; and a partition 22 in the form of a thin deformable membrane that is best shown in FIGURE 3. In the selected embodiment of the invention, the open end of the shell 10 is formed with a rim bead 24, as best shown in FIGURE 6. The neck 12 of the shell may be .formed with a similar rim bead 25 and with an inner circumferential head or rib 26, best shown in FIGURE 4. The inner bead 26 is dimensioned to embrace the operating rod 18 in a fluid-tight manner and is equivalent in function to an O-ring.

In this particular embodiment of the invention, the dispensing outlet 14 is formed with an internal screw thread 28 (FIGURE 4) by means of which a suitable screw-threaded nozzle member may be mounted in the dispensing outlet for the final dispensing operation. FIG- URE 6 shows such a dispensing nozzle 30 mounted in the dispensing outlet 14, the nozzle being made of the same plastic material as the shell.

The end wall member 15 functions in the manner of a plunger or piston in the dispensing operation, the airoperated dispensing gun being adapted to drive the end Wall member towards the dispensing outlet to cause the mixed ingredients to be dispensed by extrusion. In the present embodiment of the invention, the end wall member 15 is a cup-shaped member of the configuration shown in FIGURE 5.

The cup-shaped end wall member 15 may be made of any suitable material such as polyethylene and may be formed with a cylindrical portion 32 and a dished portion 34, the cylindrical portion being dimensioned for sliding fit in the shell 1% and the dished portion being inwardly convex in the direction of the dispensing outlet. A feature of the invention is that the cup-shaped member 15 is formed with a flared thin sharp circumferential lip 35. The lip 35 has an unrestrained diameter greater than the inside diameter of the shell 10 and, therefore, yieldingly presses radially outward to scrape the inner surface of the shell when the cup-shaped member is advanced relative to the shell.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, the dasher 16 has a central hub portion 36, a cylindrical peripheral portion 38 and a number of integral blade portions 40 forming a series of openings 42. The dasher 16 is adapted for releasable connection with the operating rod 18 in any suitable manner. In the construction shown, the hub portion 3:6 of the dasher is formed with an internal screw thread 44 and the operating rod 18 is formed with a complementary screw thread 45 (FIGURE 6) for releasable engagement therewith.

The cylindrical peripheral portion 38 of the dasher 16 is dimensioned for scraping contact with the inner cylindrical wall of the shell 10. The leading side of the dasher 16 is of concave configuration to conform to the convex inner face of the cup-shaped member 15. Thus the dasher '16 is shaped to make intimate contact with the cup-shaped member 15 so that the blade portions 40 may scrape the surface of the cup-shaped member when the dasher is rotated while in contact with the cup-shaped member. For this purpose, the leading edge surfaces 46 of the blade portions 46 may be of the same curvature as the adjacent convex portion of the cup-shaped member 15.

The operating rod 18 may comprise a tubular member of suitable plastic material such as polyethylene with the handle or knob 20 in the form of an integral flange at the outer end of the tubular member. The inner end of the tubular operating rod may be closed by a suitable plug indicated at 48 in FIGURE 1. Obviously, the operating rod 18 may be in the form of a solid rod, if desired.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, the deformable membrane that comprises the partition 22 is in the form of a circular sheet of foil such as aluminum foil. The metal foil is cupped over the leading face of the dasher 16. That is to say, the metal foil spans the leading face of the dasher and is formed with a cylindrical peripheral flange or marginal portion 50 that snugly embraces the cylindrical peripheral portion 38 of the dasher 16. Thus, the dasher 16 serves initially as means in engagement with the partition membrane 22 to support the membrane and to cooperate with the surrounding shell 19 for gripping the peripheral flange 56 of the membrane in a fluid-tight manner.

As heretofore indicated, it is contemplated that suitable means will be provided to immobilize the partitionequipped dasher 16 at an intermediate position to divide the interior of the shell 10 into two compartments for separately storing the two ingredients. Such an immobilizing means may comprise means embracing the flexible shell 10 and constricting the shell to clamp the peripheral flange 50 of the partition membrane against the peripheral surface of the dasher. Any suitable encircling means may be employed for this purpose. In the present embodiment of the invention, a piece of suitable adhesive tape 52 is wound around the shell 10 with sufficient tightness to firmly clamp the dasher 16 is position with the peripheral flange 50 of the partition membrane 22 gripped in a fluid-tight manner.

If the described cartridge is to be stored for any substantial period of time or is to be shipped, it i usually advisable to seal the open end of the shell 10 since the cup-shaped member 15 may permit slight leakage. For this purpose, a thin-walled plastic sealing cap 54 may be fitted over the end of the cartridge. The sealing cap 54 is preferably of a well-known type available in commerce which is applied in Wet state and shrinks drastically while drying. The shrink-fit of the sealing ca around the rim bead 24 of the shell makes a fluid-tight construction.

The manner in which the described cartridge serves its purpose may be readily understood from the foregoing description. FIGURE 1 shows the cartridge with one ingredient 55 on one side of the partition 22 and a second ingredient 56 on the other side of the partition. One of these ingredients is a base material for the quicksetting sealant and the other ingredient is a catalyst or accelerator. The constricting tape 52 immobilizes the dasher 16 so effectively that the cartridge may be readily shipped in the form shown in FIGURE 1 since more than ordinary force is required against the operating rod 18 to cause displacement of the dasher 16.

When the time arrives for using the sealing, the plastic sealing cap 54 is removed and discarded and the encircling tape 52 is removed to free the dasher 16. The operator then withdraws the operating rod 18 to pull the dasher away from the metal foil partition 22. Since the dasher has the openings 4-2 formed by the blade portions 40, it may be readily withdrawn through the ingredient 55 but since the metal foil forms a continuous partition across the interior of the shell, the presence of the ingredient 55 prevents it from following the dasher. The axially outward movement of the operating rod 18 tends to form a void in the ingredient 55 with the consequence that external air pressure on the cup-shaped member 15 forces the cup-shaped member 15 to shift inward. The whole body of the ingredient 55 and the partition 22 shift with the cup-shaped member.

With the dasher withdrawn from supporting engagement with the metal foil forming the partition membrane 22, the operator merely squeezes the shell in the region of the unsupported metal foil to cause slight crumpling of the metal foil. Since the metal foil has no appreciable resilience, it remains crumpled when the squeezing. pressure is terminated to permit the shell 10 to return to its normal cylindrical configuration. This partial crumpling of the metal foil forms an opening for communication between the two chambers in which the two ingredients are stored.

The operator then forces the operating rod 18 all of the way in. The moving dasher encounters the crumpled metal foil, carries the metal foil to the end of the shell and crumples the metal foil against the cup-shaped member in the manner indicated in FIGURE 6.

With the metal foil out of the way, the operator reciprocates the operating rod 18 to reciprocate the dasher 16 over the full length of the interior of the shell 10. Preferably the operator rotates the handle at the same time to cause rotation of the dasher simultaneously with the reciprocation of the dasher. Each inward movement of the operating rod 18 displaces a corresponding amount of the contents of the shell 10 with consequent corresponding outward shift of the cup-shaped member 15 and each outward movement of the operating rod causes corresponding inward shift of the cup-shaped member. No appreciable leakage occurs around the cup-shaped member, however, because the flared lip 35 acts as a seal with effective scraping action.

When the two ingredients are thoroughly mixed, the operator rams the dasher 16 to the position shown in FIGURE 6 against the crumpled metal foil at the cupshaped end wall member 15, and then disengages and withdraws the operating rod 18. The operator may readily disengage the operating rod 18 from the dasher 16 by simply squeezing the shell 10 in the region of the dasher to immobilize the dasher and by then rotating the handle 20 to unscrew the operating rod from the dasher. The complete withdrawal of the operating rod tends to form a void but the cup-shaped end wall member 15 shifts inward correspondingly, as heretofore explained.

With the operating rod 18 withdrawn, the operator screws the dispensing nozzle 30 into the dispensing outlet 14 and the cartridge is then ready to be placed in the air-powered dispensing gun. The air-powered dispensing gun drives the cup-shaped end wall member 15 inward and eventually forces the end wall member and the accompanying dasher 16 to the outlet end of the shell. The sharp-edged circumferential lip 35 of the cup-shaped end wall member forms an effective seal and scrapes the inner circumferential surface of the shell 10 in the course of the extrusion movement of the end wall.

FIGURE 7 shows a dasher 16a that may be substituted for the dasher 16. The two dashers are of generally similar construction as indicated by the use of corresponding numerals to indicate corresponding parts. The dasher 16a differs from the dasher 16 essentially in the fact that the blade portions 40a are canted or pitched. The pitched configuration of the blade portions 40a tends to cause the contents of the cartridge to be rotated if the dasher is reciprocated without rotation. Preferably the dasher is rotated or oscillated in alternate directions during its reciprocation so that the pitch of the blade portions 40a accentuates the rotating effect on the ingredients by rotation of the dasher in one of its two rotary directions.

My description in specific detail of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention will suggest various changes, substitutions and other departures from my disclosure within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a dispensing cartridge for use with dispensing equipment, the combination of:

an elongated cylindrical shell of readily deformable material,

a dispensing port at one end of the shell,

removable means to seal the dispensing port prior to use of the cartridge,

readily deformable end wall means to close the end of the shell opposite the dispensing port,

said end wall means having a base portion of the general configuration of a hollow cylinder and an adjacent,

convex portion integrally formed with the cylindrical base portion and providing closure of said last mentioned end of the shell, said cylindrical base portion being sized for close abutting juxtaposition with the inner surface of the shell,

the convex side of said convex portion of the end wall means facing towards said dispensing port and seal means comprising an annular skirt extending towards said dispensing port and integrally formed with one of said portions and on the outer surface thereof and defining with one of said portions an annular V-shape cavity with the open side of the cavity facing towards the dispensing port, said skirt effectuating liquid-tight seal with the inner surface of the shell.

2. A dispensing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said skirt is outwardly tapered to form a relatively sharp point as seen in cross-section and is normally biased outwardly for intimate engagement with the inner surface of the shell.

3. A dispensing cartridge according to claim 1, wherein said skirt is formed at the point of juncture between the cylindrical base portion and the convex portion.

4. In a sealant dispensing cartridge,

a generally elongated shell of readily deformable material,

said shell being constricted at the forward end thereof to define a dispensing port,

removable means to seal the dispensing port prior to use of the sealant in the cartridge,

end wall means slidingly mounted in the shell and initially located at the rear end of the shell to close the rear end of the shell,

said end wall means having a rearward continuous annular base portion arranged in registry with the inner surface of the shell and in close abutting juxtaposition thereto,

said end wall means having a forward closure portion spanning the cylindrical shell and closing same, said end wall means being movable longitudinally of the shell to urge sealant from the dispensing port, and seal means comprising an annular skirt directed towards the dispensing port and integrally formed on the end wall means and defining therewith an annular cavity adjacent the inner surface of said shell, said cavity having its open side towards the dispensing port and being fillable with the sealant upon motion of the end wall means towards the dispensing port to create pressure on the sealant, said skirt being arranged to pressure-engage the inner surface of the shell and effectuate a liquid-tight seal therewith upon a build-up of liquid pressure within the shell.

5. In a dispensing cartridge for use with dispensing equipment wherein the cartridge has an elongated cylindrical shell of readily deformable material with a releasably sealed dispensing port at the forward end of the shell, the combination therewith of a hollow generally cup-shaped plastic plunger slidingly mounted in the rear end of the shell for movement longitudinally of the shell, said plunger initially closing the rear end of the shell and having rearward cylindrical portion and a forward concavo-convex end wall with the convex side of the end wall directed forward towards said dispensing port,

said plunger having a circumferential shoulder directed forward towards said dispensing port and in sliding contact with the inner surface of said shell, said shoulder being formed by surfaces converging at less than a 90 angle and forming with the adjacent portion of the plunger a generally V-shaped annular groove that is open forwardly towards the dispensing port.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 1 in which said end wall means and said seal means comprise a single plastic body.

7. A combination as set forth in claim 4 in which said end wall means and said seal means comprise a single plastic body.

plastic plunger is a one-piece molded body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Martin.

Durand.

Hosler 222327 X Coolidge 222136 Archer 222136 Krueger et a1. 222327 Pyles 222327 Sundholm 222326 Trumbull 222327 M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner. 8. A combination as set forth in claim 5 in which said 1 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiners.

Claims

1. IN A DISPENSING CARTRIDGE FOR USE WITH DISPENSING EQUIPMENT, THE COMBINATION OF: AN ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL SHELL OF READILY DEFORMABLE MATERIAL, A DISPENSING PORT AT ONE END OF THE SHELL, REMOVABLE MEANS TO SEAL THE DISPENSING PORT PRIOR TO USE OF THE CARTRIDGE, READILY DEFORMABLE END WALL MEANS TO CLOSE THE END OF THE SHELL OPPOSITE THE DISPENSING PORT, SAID END WALL MEANS HAVING A BASE PORTION OF THE GENERAL CONFIGURATION OF A HOLLOW CYLINDER AND AN ADJACENT, CONVEX PORTION INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH THE CYLINDRICAL BASE PORTION AND PROVIDING CLOSURE OF SAID LAST MENTIONED END OF THE SHELL, SAID CYLINDRICAL BASE PORTION BEING SIZED FOR CLOSE ABUTTING JUXTAPOSITION WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SHELL, THE CONVEX SIDE OF SAID CONVEX PORTION OF THE END WALL MEANS FACING TOWARDS SAID DISPENSING PORT AND SEAL MEANS COMPRISING AN ANNULAR SKIRT EXTENDING TOWARDS SAID DISPENSING PORT AND INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH ONE OF SAID PORTIONS AND ON THE OUTER SURFACE THEREOF AND DEFINING WITH ONE OF SAID PORTIONS AND ANNULAR V-SHAPE CAVITY WITH THE OPEN SIDE OF THE CAVITY FACING TOWARDS THE DISPENSING PORT, SAID SKIRT EFFECTUATING LIQUID-TIGHT SEAL WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF THE SHELL.