Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
  • B67D—DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B67D7/00—Apparatus or devices for transferring liquids from bulk storage containers or reservoirs into vehicles or into portable containers, e.g. for retail sale purposes
  • B67D7/02—Apparatus or devices for transferring liquids from bulk storage containers or reservoirs into vehicles or into portable containers, e.g. for retail sale purposes for transferring liquids other than fuel or lubricants
  • B67D7/0238—Apparatus or devices for transferring liquids from bulk storage containers or reservoirs into vehicles or into portable containers, e.g. for retail sale purposes for transferring liquids other than fuel or lubricants utilising compressed air or other gas acting directly or indirectly on liquids in storage containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D83/00—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents
  • B65D83/14—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for delivery of liquid or semi-liquid contents by internal gaseous pressure, i.e. aerosol containers comprising propellant for a product delivered by a propellant
  • B65D83/75—Aerosol containers not provided for in groups B65D83/16 - B65D83/74

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a dispenser, especially a hand-held spray can in which a piston is advanced to eject a spray upon manual actuation of a valve.
• Hand-held spray dispensers are conventional in which a piston is housed within a container below a product to be dispensed. By advancing the piston toward a valved end of the container, the product is forced through the valve.
• the present invention constitutes an alternative to aerosol spray dispensers which use pressurized gas as a propellant, the gas being mixed with the product.
• Gases currently in use contain hydrocarbons which have increasingly come under attack as a serious contributor to air pollution. For example, hydrocarbons released in the atmosphere can react with nitrogen oxide and sunlight to form smog.
• Patent 3,815,787 a dispenser is disclosed wherein a piston is mounted within a helical groove formed on an inside surface of a cylindrical container. By rotating the container relative to a top discharge portion of the dispenser, the piston is caused to ascend within the container to discharge product located thereabove.
• the helical groove faces the contents chamber, it is necessary to confine the liquid within a bag, or else the liquid would escape along the helical groove.
• the need for bags may increase the manufacturing costs and presents the risk that the bag can become ruptured as the result of being pinched between the piston and either the helical groove or vertical guide slots which receive radial tabs of the piston.
• the need for a separate actuator rod and turning knob may increase the cost and complicate the assembly of the apparatus.
• the spring effectively stores energy, it does not transmit the energy to the piston as uniformly across the area of the piston as would be desired, thereby resulting in a less-than-optimum spray pattern.
• U.S. Patent No. 1,762,943 discloses a dispenser for viscous material, such as toothpaste.
• the dispenser includes a piston shell disposed within a cylinder.
• An outer shell is connected to the.piston shell for common rotation and longitudinal movement therewith. It is necessary to cut off the bottom of the cylinder as the inner and outer shells travel toward the discharge valve. Such an operation is inconvenient and creates cuttings that must be disposed of.
• Patents No. 2,728,097 and No. 2,738,905 dispensers are disclosed which involve the need for a threaded rod and which present the problem of leakage of product past a dispensing piston.
• the present invention involves a non-aerosol dispenser which comprises an inner cylindrical wall- defining a contents chamber.
• a discharge valve is disposed at one longitudinal end of the chamber.
• a piston is disposed within the chamber in longitudinally spaced relationship from the discharge valve.
• the piston includes a cutting edge directed toward the cylindrical wall.
• An outer cylindrical wall is disposed around the inner wall. The outer wall is rotatable relative to the inner wall and cooperates with the piston, whereby rotation of the outer wall causes the piston to approach the discharge valve while forcing the cutting edge to cut through the inner wall, characterized in that the outer wall cooperates with the piston such that the piston travels longitudinally relative to the outer wall as the piston approaches the discharge valve.
• the inner wall includes a helical groove which receives guide members of the piston.
• the piston is prevented from rotating, by means of longitudinal grooves formed in the inner wall.
• the piston comprises an ejector member and an energizer member spaced below it to define a space between the ejector and energizer members.
• the space is filled with compressible gas, such as air, which acts like a spring to store energy.
• the compressible gas may be confined in the space by means of seals on the ejector and energizer members, or the gas may be contained in an enclosure, such as a flexible bellows, which extends between the ejector and energizer members.
• FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through a dispenser according to the present invention
• FIGURE 2 is a perspective exploded view of the dispenser depicted in FIG. 1;
• FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through an energizer member of a piston assembly according to the invention.
• FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the energizer member depicted in -FIG. 3;
• FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side view of the energizer member
• FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the dispenser depicted in FIG. 1;
• FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a modified piston assembly according to the invention.
• FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of the piston assembly depicted in FIG. 7.
• a dispenser (200) includes a first housing body (212) having a cylindrical wall (224) and an upper end wall (226) .
• a first housing body (212) having a cylindrical wall (224) and an upper end wall (226) .
• Formed in an outer surface (228) of the cylindrical wall (224) are a pair of longitudinal grooves (230) which extend partially through the cylindrical wall . from the outside to leave knock-out wall portions (232) (see FIG. 15) .
• An inside surface (234) of the cylindrical wall remains smooth and continuous.
• An annular flange (236) projects radially outwardly from a lower end of the outer surface (228) .
• a cylindrical wall (240) of a second housing body (218) rests on the flange (236.) . That cylindrical wall (240) receives the cylindrical wall (224) in telescoping fashion, whereby the cylindrical walls (224, 240) constitute inner and outer cylindrical walls, respectively.
• the cylindrical wall (224) includes longitudinally extending, circumferentially spaced slots (241) at its lower end to enable the outer wall (240) to be inserted over.the inner wall (224).
• the outer wall (240) includes inner and outer surfaces (242, 244) .
• the inner surface (242) includes a helical groove (243) which faces radially inwardly. That groove (243) serves to guide a piston assembly (220) , as will be explained.
• the helical groove (243) is situated radially outwardly of the longitudinal grooves (230) , whereby the helical groove (243) constitutes an outer groove and the longitudinal grooves (230) constitute inner grooves.
• An upper end of the outer wall (240) is received within an annular channel defined between the inner wall (224) and an outer cylindrical skirt (247) which is joined to the inner wall (224) by an outwardly extending portion (248) of the end wall (226) .
• the piston assembly (220) comprises an ejector member 250, and an energizer member (252) located below the ejector member (250) .
• the ejector member (250) includes a downwardly extending annular skirt portion (258) which carries an 0-ring (251) .
• the energizer member (252) includes a seal carrier comprising a disk portion (266) and an annular skirt (268) extending upwardly therefrom. Disposed within the skirt (268) is an elastic sealing member (264) which bears sealingly against the inner surface (234) of the inner wall (224) .
• the seal carrier (266, 268) is preferably formed of a stiff plastic material, whereas the elastic sealing member (264) is preferably formed of rubber or a suitably resilient plastic. Alternatively, the seal carrier and the sealing member could be integrally molded of a suitably elastic material.
• a sealed space (265) Formed between the sealing member (264) and the ejector member (250) is a sealed space (265) capable of retaining pressurized air. Pressurization of that space (265) can be achieved by the insertion of a needle through the sealing member (264) after the components of the dispenser have been assembled. Holes (267 and 269) formed in the disks (245) and (266) , respectively, accommodate the insertion of the needle. Pressurized air would be introduced through the needle and into the space (266) to pressurize the space to a suitable pressure, e.g., 40 psi. When the needle is pulled back out of the sealing member, the latter is self-sealing to seal the puncture made by the needle. As will be subsequently explained, the air in the space (265) functions as an air spring to store and transmit the energy.
• a pair of cutting elements (288, 289) Carried by the disk (266) are a pair of cutting elements (288, 289) having cutting edges (291) facing longitudinally forwardly toward lower edges of the knock-out wall portions (232) of the inner wall (224) .
• the cutting elements (288, 289) which could be formed of metal or a suitably hard plastic, are initially positioned to lie within diametrically opposed ones of the slots (241) . As a result, rotation of the energizer member (252) relative to the inner wall (224) is prevented.
• the air constitutes a gas spring which transmits forces to the ejector member (250) more uniformly than the spring 54 of the earlier described embodiment and thus achieves a more uniform spray through the valve (214) .
• the pressurized air within the space (265) also forces the skirt (258) of the ejector member radially outwardly against the surface (234) to aid in the sealing action.
• Such sealing action may be sufficient to enable the 0-ring (251) to be omitted.
• the upper end wall (226) and the ejector member (250) are of similar inverted cup-shape, to ensure that all of the contents of the container have been dispensed when the energizer member (250) finally engages the end wall (226) .
• the user rotates the outer wall (240) to raise the piston assembly and pressurize the contents of the chamber (211) as well as the air in space (265) .
• the energizer member (252) travels longitudinally without rotation as the piston assembly rises. It may be possible to eliminate the longitudinal grooves (230) (i.e., it may be unnecessary to form knock-out wall portions in the inner wall (244)) due to the ability of the energizer member (252) to travel longitudinally without such grooves.
• the longitudinal movement of the piston assembly (220) is induced by the helical groove (243) which acts on the guides (280, 281) . That longitudinal movement of the piston assembly is made possible by the cutting action of the cutting elements (288, 289) .
• the contents will be expelled under their own pressure as well as under the pressure of stored air energy within the space (265) , whereafter the piston assembly will be further raised to repressurize the contents and the air space (265) .
• the portion of the surface (234) which engages the contents can be made smooth and continuous , i.e., free of grooves, whereby leakage of the contents and/or rupturing of a bag which contains the contents can be prevented. It will be appreciated that the piston assembly could be raised and lowered by any suitable manually actuable mechanism.
• seal carrier (266) It would be possible to make the seal carrier (266) longer than shown, in order to provide an additional pair of guide members (280, 281) located below he shown pair. That would serve to stabilize the seal carrier.
• the piston would include guide members slidably disposed in those grooves.
• the energizing member (252) would be rotated along with the outer cylinder and would cut through a helical knock-out portion of the inner cylinder formed by the helical groove.
• a single cutting edge (288) would be provided which would be oriented to face in the direction of rotation. As the piston is rotated, it would travel longitudinally relative to the outer cylinder, as permitted by the longitudinal grooves.
• FIGS. 7 and 8 A modified embodiment of the piston assembly is depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8. That modified piston assembly (220A) prevents the air situated between the ejector member (250A) and the energizer member (252A) from escaping past the energizer and/or ejector members or migrating through the housing wall(s) of the dispenser, as might occur over a period of time in connection with certain plastic materials from which the housing walls could be formed. Such migration of air would eventually destroy the air spring properties of the piston assembly.
• the air is retained between the ejector member (250A) and the energizer member (252A) by means of a flexible enclosure (300) .
• the enclosure is preferably in the form of a bellows formed of a suitable plastic or rubber material which is connected in an air-tight manner at its upper nd to a cylindrical projection (302) of the ejector member (250A) and at its lower end to a cylindrical projection (304) of the energizer member (252A) .
• the energizer member (252A) is of a more - simplified structure as compared with that of the earlier disclosed embodiment, because the confining of air within the bellows (300) makes it unnecessary for the energizer member to form a seal with the surface (234) of the cylindrical wall (224) .
• the energizer member (252A) includes a passage (306) for enabling an inner chamber (308) defined by the bellows to be filled with air by means of a syringe, for example.
• the syringe could be inserted through a self-sealing rubber plug (310) disposed at the lower end of the passage.
• the ejector member (250A) includes a sealing portion (312) which forms a seal against the surface (234) as the piston is raised to pressurize the contents of the dispenser. Since the compressible air of the piston assembly is contained within the bellows (300) , the air will not contact the wall of the dispenser and thus will not be able to migrate therethrough or escape past the energizer and/or ejector members. Hence, the piston assembly (220A) is useful with all dispensers, regardless of the materials from which the cylinder wall is formed.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Containers And Packaging Bodies Having A Special Means To Remove Contents (AREA)
• Reciprocating Pumps (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=27411971

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (12)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 1990
  • 1990-11-19 JP JP91500572A patent/JPH05507048A/ja active Pending
  • 1990-11-19 CZ CS905707A patent/CZ570790A3/cs unknown
  • 1990-11-19 AU AU67500/90A patent/AU6750090A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1990-11-19 IE IE416990A patent/IE904169A1/en unknown
  • 1990-11-19 PL PL28783890A patent/PL287838A1/xx unknown
  • 1990-11-19 EP EP19900917157 patent/EP0502026A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1990-11-19 IL IL96393A patent/IL96393A0/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1990-11-19 CA CA002068985A patent/CA2068985A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1990-11-19 WO PCT/US1990/006650 patent/WO1991007347A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1990-11-19 CN CN90109400A patent/CN1052288A/zh active Pending
  • 1990-11-20 GR GR900100816A patent/GR900100816A/el unknown
• 1992
  • 1992-05-19 FI FI922272A patent/FI922272A0/fi not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (6)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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