WO2008007895A2

WO2008007895A2 - Pump dispenser having telescopic vessel

Info

Publication number: WO2008007895A2
Application number: PCT/KR2007/003350
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jong Hun Lee
Original assignee: Yechan Co., Ltd
Priority date: 2006-07-14
Filing date: 2007-07-11
Publication date: 2008-01-17
Also published as: KR100782330B1; KR20060087497A; WO2008007895A3

Abstract

A pump dispenser includes a cylindrical housing (10) having a through hole (11 ) in a lower central portion thereof and a plurality of vent holes (12) in lower peripheral portions thereof, a cylindrical vessel (20) telescopically inserted into the housing (10) and having a movable bottom plate (21), a pumping mechanism (30) disposed between the housing (10) and the vessel (20), and a nozzle cap (40) assembled with the vessel via a vessel cap (22), which is engaged with the top end of the vessel. The nozzle cap (40) includes a guide duct (41 ) and a dispensing nozzle (43) communicating with the interior of the vessel (20) through a dispensing hole 42 of the uide duct 41.

Description

PUMP DISPENSER HAVING TELESCOPIC VESSEL

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a pump dispenser attached to a vessel to dispense liquid, gel or viscous contents from the vessel, examples of the contents including various kitchen cleaners, body cleaners such as shampoo and rinse, cosmetics and so on. More particularly, the pump dispenser of the present invention includes a vessel, which is telescopically disposed in a housing and has a movable bottom plate disposed in an inner lower portion thereof, a dispensing nozzle disposed in the top end of the vessel, and a pumping mechanism, which is disposed between the housing and the vessel and has a bellows capable of increasing/decreasing the inner volume through expansion/contraction and a pair of floating valves acting as check valves, opening/ closing under pressure conditions applied in opposite directions. Accordingly, when the vessel is pressed in, the contraction of the bellows can raise the pressure between the pumping mechanism and the movable bottom plate in order to push the movable bottom plate upward, thereby dispensing the contents from the vessel. When the pressing force applied to the vessel is released, the pressure between the pumping mechanism and the movable bottom plate drops below atmospheric pressure so that air automatically flows into the space between the pumping mechanism and the movable bottom plate. As a result, the bellows and the vessel return to their original positions, so that the next pumping operation can be performed. Pumping pressure acting on the underside of the vessel pushes up the movable bottom plate to dispense the contents without contacting the pumping mechanism, thereby preventing the pumping mechanism from malfunctioning. The present invention makes it possible to exclude high assembly precision of components and hermetic treatment, which would otherwise be required for leakage prevention, thereby simplifying a manufacturing process, in which the pump mechanism having a simpler structure can decrease the number of components and the failure rate and the simplified manufacturing process can reduce manufacturing costs but enhance productivity. Background Art

[2] As is well known in the art, various structures of pump dispensers are attached to a vessel in order to dispense liquid, gel or viscous contents from the vessel, examples of the contents including various kitchen cleaners, body cleaners such as shampoo and rinse, cosmetics and so on. Such a dispenser has a hollow tubular structure with a piston generally attached to the bottom end thereof. A piston shaft is assembled to a cylinder so as to be driven up and down by a spring. A nozzle head is connected to the top end of a support, into which the piston shaft is fitted, to guide the contents when they are dispensed out.

[3] FlG. 8 shows a conventional pump dispenser designed to simultaneously hold and assemble two cylinders and two vessels with a cylinder-holding cap and a vessel support cap. The pump dispenser has dual dispensing holes in a pumping button to dispense two types of contents through the dispensing holes through a single pumping operation.

[4] However, this kind of conventional pump dispenser has the following problems.

[5] The pump mechanism of the pump dispenser requires a large number of components, such as cylinders 2, pistons 3, piston shafts 4, a pumping button 5, coil springs 6, O- rings 7 and diaphragm valves 8. This as a result complicates the structure of the pumping mechanism, prolongs the manufacturing process and increases the failure rate, thereby raising manufacturing costs while degrading productivity.

[6] Furthermore, before the contents are dispensed through the nozzle of the pumping button 5, they flow through the interior of the pumping mechanism, such as the diaphragm valve 8, the cylinder 2 and the piston shaft 4, and thus directly contact the pumping mechanism. Particularly, the contents contacting the diaphragm valve 8 deteriorate the main function of the valve, such as a hermetic sealing function, thereby causing the pumping mechanism to malfunction. In order to prevent the contents from escaping from a designated passage, it is necessary to ensure high assembly precision of operating components and high hermetic treatment by, for example, the application of a plurality of sealing members, thereby prolonging the manufacturing process, raising the manufacturing costs, and degrading the competitiveness of products.

[7] Moreover, since the pumping mechanism disposed in an upper portion of the dispenser is relatively heavy, the center of gravity of the dispenser is raised, thereby making it difficult to stably maintain the dispenser in an upright orientation. Accordingly, it becomes inconvenient to use the dispenser. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[8] The present invention has been made to solve the foregoing problems with the prior art, and therefore an aspect of certain embodiments of the present invention is to provide a pump dispenser having a telescopic vessel, in which pumping pressure acting on the underside of the vessel pushes up a movable bottom plate to easily dispense highly viscous contents, such as sauce (e.g., thick soy-paste mixed with red pepper powder and soybean paste), toothpaste and jam, without contacting a pumping mechanism, thereby preventing the pumping mechanism from malfunctioning, and high assembly precision of components and hermetic treatment, which would otherwise be required for leakage prevention, can be obviated, thus simplifying the manufacturing process, so that the pumping mechanism having a simpler structure can have a decreased number of components and failure rate, and the simplified manufacturing process can reduce manufacturing costs but enhance productivity. Technical Solution

[9] According to an aspect of the present invention for realizing the foregoing object, there is provided a pump dispenser including a cylindrical housing having a through hole in a lower central portion thereof and a plurality of vent holes in lower peripheral portions thereof; a cylindrical vessel telescopically inserted into the housing to contain contents therein, and having a movable bottom plate, the movable bottom plate being movable up and down and hermetically disposed in an inner lower portion of the housing; a pumping mechanism disposed between the housing and the vessel, and integrally fixed to a bottom end of the vessel; and a nozzle cap assembled with the vessel via a vessel cap, which is engaged with the top end of the vessel, the nozzle cap including a guide duct and a dispensing nozzle communicating with the interior of the vessel through a dispensing hole of the guide duct. Advantageous Effects

[10] According to the present invention as set forth above, pumping pressure acting on the underside of the vessel pushes up the movable bottom plate to easily dispense high viscosity contents, such as sauce (e.g., thick soy-paste mixed with red pepper powder and soybean paste), toothpaste and jam, without contacting the pumping mechanism, thereby preventing the pumping mechanism from malfunctioning. It is also possible to omit high assembly precision of components and hermetic treatment, which would otherwise be required for leakage prevention, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process, so that the pumping mechanism having a simpler structure can decrease the number of components and failure rate and the simplified manufacturing process can reduce manufacturing costs but enhance productivity. Brief Description of the Drawings

[11] FlG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pump dispenser according to the present invention;

[12] FlG. 2 is a partial cutaway view illustrating the interior of the pump dispenser according to the present invention;

[13] FlG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the pump dispenser according to the present invention, in a position before it is actuated;

[14] FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views illustrating the pump dispenser according to the present invention, in a position in which it is operated to dispense contents;

[15] FlG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of the pump dispenser according to the present invention;

[16] FlG. 7 is a partial cutaway view illustrating the interior of the pump dispenser shown in FTG. 6; and

[17] FlG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional pump dispenser.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[18] The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown.

[19] In the accompanying drawings, FlG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pump dispenser according to the present invention, FlG. 2 is a partial cutaway view illustrating the interior of the pump dispenser according to the present invention, FlG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the pump dispenser according to the present invention in a position before it is actuated, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views illustrating the pump dispenser according to the present invention, in a position in which it is operated to dispense contents.

[20] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the pump dispenser according to the present invention will be described as follows.

[21] The pump dispenser includes a cylindrical housing 10, a cylindrical vessel 20 tele- scopically inserted into the housing 10 to contain contents therein, a pumping mechanism 30 disposed between the housing 10 and the vessel 20, and a nozzle cap 40 assembled with the vessel 20. The cylindrical housing 10 has a through hole 11 in a lower central portion thereof and a plurality of vent holes 12 in lower peripheral portions thereof. The cylindrical vessel 20 has a movable bottom plate 21, which is hermetically disposed in an inner lower portion so that contents can be stored inside the vessel 20. The movable bottom plate 21 can be moved up and down. The pumping mechanism 30 includes an upper valve seat 31, which is integrally fixed to the bottom end of the vessel 20 and has a plurality of upper valve holes 32 formed therein, and an upper valve 33 floatably disposed in the upper valve seat 31. The pumping mechanism 30 also includes a lower valve seat 34, which is integrally fixed to the bottom face of the housing 10 and has a plurality of lower valve holes 35 formed therein, and a lower valve 36 floatably disposed in the lower valve seat 34. A bellows 37, capable of expanding and contracting, is hermetically engaged with the bottom end of the upper valve seat 31 and the top end of the lower valve seat 34. The nozzle cap 40 is assembled with the vessel 20 via a vessel cap 22, which is engaged with the top end of the vessel 20. The nozzle cap 40 includes a guide duct 41 and a dispensing nozzle 43 communicating with the interior of the vessel 20 through a dispensing hole 42 of the guide duct 41.

[22] More specifically, the vessel having the movable bottom plate disposed in the inner lower portion thereof is telescopically disposed in the housing, and the dispensing nozzle is disposed in the top end of the vessel. The pumping mechanism, which is disposed between the housing and the vessel, includes the bellows, capable of increasing/decreasing its inner volume through expansion/contraction, and a pair of the floating valves acting as a check valve, opening/closing under pressure conditions applied in opposite directions. Accordingly, when the vessel is pressed in, the contraction of the bellows can raise the pressure between the pumping mechanism and the movable bottom plate in order to push the movable bottom plate upward, thereby dispensing the contents from the vessel.

[23] When the pressing force applied to the vessel is released, the pressure between the pumping mechanism and the movable bottom plate drops below atmospheric pressure so that air can automatically flow into the space between the pumping mechanism and the movable bottom plate. As a result, the bellows and the vessel return to their original positions, from which the next pumping operation can be performed.

[24] The operation of the pump dispenser of the present invention, constructed as above, will be described in detail below.

[25] FlG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the pump dispenser in a position before it is actuated. Referring to FlG. 3, the vessel 20 is protruded to the highest position under the elastic force of the bellows 37, with the upper and lower valves 33 and 36 closing the upper and lower valve holes 32 and 35.

[26] In this position, the top of the nozzle cap 40 is pressed in so that the vessel 20 is inserted into the housing 10, as shown in FlG. 4, in order to dispense the contents. Then, the inner volume of the bellows 37 is reduced to raise the inner pressure thereof, which causes expansion.

[27] Accordingly, the upper valve 33, which is configured to allow the outward flow of internal pressure but block the inward flow of external pressure, opens the upper valve holes 32. On the other hand, the lower valve 36, which is configured to allow the inward flow of external pressure but block the outward flow of internal pressure, closes the lower valve holes 35.

[28] As the lower valve holes 35 are closed, the inner pressure rising inside the bellows 37 is discharged to the underside of the movable bottom plate 21 through the upper valve holes 32. Then, the inner pressure pushes up the movable bottom plate 21 so that the contents are dispensed out through the guide duct 41, the dispensing hole 42 and the dispensing nozzle 43 of the nozzle cap 40.

[29] The pumping operation as mentioned above is very suitable to dispense highly viscous contents such as sauce, toothpaste and jam, which are not easy to dispense from conventional pump dispensers.

[30] As the dispensing of the contents is completed and thus the pressure onto the nozzle cap 40 is released, the bellows 37 returns from the contracted position to the original position under the elastic force thereof, increasing the inner volume. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the bellows 37 drops below atmospheric pressure so that the bellows 37 can suck in air.

[31] Hence, as shown in FlG. 5, the upper valve 33 closes the upper valve holes 32 to block the inward flow of external pressure but the lower valve 36 opens the lower valve holes 35 to allow the inward flow of external pressure so that the external pressure passes through the vent holes 12 formed in the lower peripheral portions of the housing 10. Accordingly, air flows into the bellows 37, making the pressure inside the bellows 37 equal with atmospheric pressure, so that the bellows 37 can quickly return to the original position thereof and a subsequent pressing operation for driving the movable bottom plate 21 can be prepared.

[32] FIGS. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views illustrating another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[33] A unitary structure of a vessel diaphragm 50 and a nozzle diaphragm 51 is provided inside the vessel 20 and the guide duct 41 of the nozzle cap 40. The vessel diaphragm 50 divides the interior of the vessel 20 into two isolated compartments to contain two respective types of contents, and the nozzle diaphragm 51 bisects the interior of guide duct 41 of the nozzle cap 40 in the same fashion. Movable bottom plates 21' are disposed respectively in the isolated compartments of the vessel 20 so that they move independently from each other.

[34] The vessel diaphragm 50 and the nozzle diaphragm 51 mentioned above make it possible to contain different types of contents inside the vessel 20 and to simultaneously dispense the two types of contents using the divided movable bottom plates 21'. Other than these characteristics, the operation and effects of the pump dispenser of this embodiment are the same as those of the pump dispenser as mentioned above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

[35] While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments and the accompanying drawings, it is not to be limited thereto but will be defined by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can substitute, change or modify the embodiments in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Industrial Applicability

[36] According to the present invention as set forth above, pumping pressure acting on the underside of the vessel pushes up the movable bottom plate to easily dispense high viscosity contents, such as sauce (e.g., thick soy-paste mixed with red pepper powder and soybean paste), toothpaste and jam, without contacting the pumping mechanism, thereby preventing the pumping mechanism from malfunctioning. It is also possible to omit high assembly precision of components and hermetic treatment, which would otherwise be required for leakage prevention, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process, so that the pumping mechanism having a simpler structure can decrease the number of components and failure rate and the simplified manufacturing process can reduce manufacturing costs but enhance productivity.

Claims

[ 1 ] A pump dispenser comprising : a cylindrical housing having a through hole in a lower central portion thereof and a plurality of vent holes in lower peripheral portions thereof; a cylindrical vessel telescopically inserted into the housing to contain contents therein, and having a movable bottom plate, the movable bottom plate being movable up and down and being hermetically disposed in an inner lower portion of the housing; a pumping mechanism disposed between the housing and the vessel, and integrally fixed to a bottom end of the vessel; and a nozzle cap assembled with the vessel via a vessel cap, which is engaged with a top end of the vessel, the nozzle cap including a guide duct and a dispensing nozzle communicating with an interior of the vessel through a dispensing hole of the guide duct.

[2] The pump dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the pumping mechanism comprises: an upper valve seat having a plurality of upper valve holes formed therein, an upper valve floatably disposed in the upper valve seat; a lower valve seat integrally fixed to the bottom face of the housing, and having a plurality of lower valve holes formed therein; a lower valve floatably disposed in the lower valve seat; and a bellows capable of expanding and contracting, and hermetically engaged with the bottom end of the upper valve seat and a top end of the lower valve seat.

[3] The pump dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising: a single structure of a vessel diaphragm and a nozzle diaphragm, wherein the vessel diaphragm divides the interior of the vessel into two isolated compartments, and the nozzle diaphragm divides an interior of the guide duct of the nozzle cap into two isolated compartments.

[4] The pump dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the movable bottom plate comprises a pair of movable bottom plates disposed in the respective isolated compartments of the vessel to move independently from each other.