KR20020087075A - Method of using a dispensing head for a squeeze dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

The pressurized ejector of the present invention has passages 13 and 12 for guiding the flow of air and liquid into the mixing chamber 15, where the liquid is divided into small droplets and discharged with fine spray through the orifice 16. On the other hand, this discharger includes a slide valve 10, which discharges the fine spray in the vertical position and the flow in the inverted position.

Description

Method of using a dispensing head for a squeeze dispenser}

Although press-type sprayers have been in use for many years, these sprayers have been replaced by compressed can discharge systems over time. The pressurized container ejectors that are used as replacements for compression cans are described in US Pat. Nos. 5,183,186 and 5,318,205. These patents describe presses for pressurized vessels where the air passages and the passages for the product (ie flowable material) meet in an inclined mixture chamber. In the apparatus of the present invention, the inclined portion of the mixed chamber guides the air flow inclined to the liquid flow so that turbulence is generated in the liquid in the mixed chamber. This turbulence splits the liquid and mixes the liquid and air directly. As a result, fine spray is pushed out of the orifice.

A disadvantage of this invention is that the use of a relatively expensive ball valve at the liquid outlet is required and the liquid leaks out of the ejector since the air path is completely open to the liquid flow when the container is inverted. Moreover, the outlet orifice and the aeration path in this device allow the air to be in continuous contact with the liquid to be discharged. This causes the liquid material to dry, which leads to adverse consequences of blocking the outlet orifice and preventing proper spraying.

Another patent associated with the press container is US Pat. No. 5,273,191. The patent also describes a pressurized container using an inclined mixture chamber that mixes air and liquid. This patent discloses a variety of valve devices including a valve gasket for controlling the flow of liquid to the mixing chamber and for controlling the flow of air to the mixing chamber and the compression vessel. The patent also discloses a biased valve element which opens and closes the passage for liquid in accordance with the pressure of the passage for liquid.

A discharge head for an ejector with a valve device in the form of a push-pull is described in US patent application Ser. In this invention, the compression vessel has a liquid flow path and an air flow path. When the vessel is compressed, the liquid is conveyed through the liquid flow path and the compressed air is conveyed through the air flow path. These two flows meet in a mixing chamber located adjacent to the outlet orifice. Air and liquid are mixed to form a fine spray. A disadvantage of this invention is that a pull knob is located opposite the outlet orifice. Moreover, this invention allows air to be in continuous contact with the liquid to be sprayed.

The present invention relates to a discharge head for a dispenser which is compressed by pressing the side of the container. In particular, the present invention relates to a discharge head with a valve in the form of a push-pull, in which air and liquid are mixed to make a fine spray and close the discharged liquid from the atmosphere when the sprayer is not used.

1 is a cross-sectional view of the push-pull spray head showing the valve in a fully open position,

2 is a cross sectional view of the push-pull spray head showing the valve in a fully closed position;

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

4A and 4B and 4C are views of another ball check valve, FIG. 4A is a front view, FIG. 4B is a side view, and FIG. 4C is a plan view;

5 is a cross-sectional view of the spray housing holding means,

6 is a cross sectional view of the push-pull spray head illustrating a method of discharging a continuous product.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a spray discharge device for use with an uncompressed receiver, such as a pressurized container, using a pull-pull valve with a pull handle located on the same side as the outlet orifice.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve for preventing the ingress of air into the inner passage of the discharger.

According to the present invention, the spray ejector is provided with a dip tube that can extend into a container, such as a pressurized container, containing a certain amount of liquid. The top of the dip tube is typically connected to a ball-check valve assembly with a ball disposed on top of a narrow diameter conduit. The passage for air of the spray ejector may connect the interior of the vessel with the mixed chamber of the ejector. A separate product passage is from the top of the ball-check valve to the mixing chamber and is directed towards the spray orifice of the mixing chamber. The passage for air is an annular passage disposed concentrically around a portion of the passage for the product guided to the mixing chamber.

When the vessel is squeezed, the resulting pressure forces the air to rise to the mixing chamber and the liquid to rise above the dip tube. The liquid is directed towards the mixing chamber by opening the ball-check valve. At the same time, air is forced through the annular air passage. Airflow collects and impinges on the center of the liquid stream as it is deflected by the inclined walls of the mixing chamber. This causes atomization of the liquid and fine sprays are fired through the orifices.

When the pressure in the vessel is relieved, the ball falls back into a narrow diameter conduit to trap the product in the dip tube. Thus, the product will be held in the dip tube at a high height above the liquid level of the container, and prepare for the next compression cycle. This eliminates the delay time that normally occurs before spraying.

The product passage is formed in a valve that is received in the main body of the spray ejector. The valve may preferably be formed as a push-pull valve which opens and closes passages for air and products. In the closed position of the valve, the product and air passages are very close to the inside of the pressurized container, preventing air from entering the inside of the pressurized container. Therefore, the closing of the passage reduces the drying of the liquid product in the pressurized container.

Another advantage of the push-pull valve of the present invention is that it can be operated by a handle located on the same side as the outlet orifice. The consumer is particularly familiar with valves operated by methods from ejectors such as liquid dish detergent bottles.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the present invention can be used for discharge products as a normal flow or discharge products as a spray liquid. This is particularly desirable when using products such as cooking oil, and the user can discharge a large amount of oil by spraying a fine spray to cover the pan, or by using a flow.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved snap on connection for securing the spray housing to the neck of the container. According to this object, the spray housing has a flexible skirt which extends into an annular groove on the container. The annular groove exerts a radial force on the flexible skirt, providing additional fastening force to the snap-on connection.

Preferably, this allows the skirt wall to be made of a thinner material, but still provides sufficient fastening force. Since the skirt wall can be made of thin material, the neck can be made with greater tolerances and the spray housing can still be mounted on the neck without requiring excessive force to push the ejector housing past the neck. Large tolerances allow containers to be made at many production plants around the world. In addition, since the skirt portion is combined in an annular groove, the combination of the container / spray dispenser is more resistant than the conventional one.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the spray delivery system of the present invention includes a compressible container 1 (partially shown) containing a quantity of liquid or other flowable material. The compressible container can be made of any suitable elastic plastic material known in the art.

The spray ejector housing or spray base 17 can be mounted on top of the neck 5 of the vessel 1 in any manner known to those skilled in the art. The sprayer housing 17 comprises a dip tube 3 whose bottom open end is sized to be positioned near the bottom of the vessel when the sprayer is mounted on the vessel.

The upper end of the immersion pipe 3 receives the narrow conduit 6 of the ball check valve 7. The narrow conduit 6 is in communication with the immersion tube 3 for the fluid to pass through. The inner diameter of the narrow conduit 6 is smaller than the diameter of the ball 8 of the ball check valve 7 so that the ball 8 is usually located on top of the narrow conduit 6. When the ball 8 is in this position, the ball check valve 7 is closed so that the upper end of the immersion pipe 3 is also closed. The inner diameter of the remaining portion of the ball check valve 7 is larger than the diameter of the ball 8. Here, the ball 8 is freely moved upward with respect to the movement of the fluid in the immersion pipe to open the ball check valve 7.

The upper part of the ball check valve 7 receives a coaxially arranged feed tube 9 which allows passage of fluid from the narrow conduit 6 towards the valve 10. The supply pipe 9 has an inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the ball 8 in order to restrict the movement of the ball 8 in the upward direction. The end of the feed tube 9 comprises a series of circumferentially spaced radial slots 100. The slot 100 directs free flow of fluid through the ball check valve 7 to the supply line 9 as the ball 8 moves up with respect to the ascending movement of the fluid. Thus, the feed tube 9 is located at a distance slightly above the ball 8 so that the ball 8 is freely moved upward to open the ball check valve 7.

4A and 4B show another structure of the ball check valve. In this structure, the inner diameter of the supply pipe 9 'is substantially the same as the rest of the ball check valve 7'. Bar 29 is formed across the top of the feed tube 9 '. The ball 8 'is thus freely moved up to open the ball check valve 7' but this movement is limited. Since the diameter of the feed tube is larger than the diameter of the ball 8, the product can flow freely through the ball.

Returning to FIG. 1, the feed tube 9 is an extension of the valve wall 11 of the housing 17 for simplicity of the structure. The supply pipe 9 of the valve wall 11 may be in communication with the product passage 12 in the valve 10 when the valve 10 is in the open position. The valve wall 11 also includes an air orifice 13 in communication with the annular air passage 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the annular air passage 14 is arranged so that the annular air passage 14 is arranged concentrically around a portion of the product passage 12 for guiding the air swirl passage 15 in the horizontal direction of the shaft. It is limited to the space between the body and the spray nozzle 21. The valve 10 is slidably received in a cavity between the valve walls 11, 18 of the spray ejector housing 17.

The valve 10 consists of two parts, the spray nozzle 21 and the slide housing 22. The spray nozzle 21 is preferably fixed using a snap connection of the slide housing 22. The spray nozzle 21 includes a pull handle 26 gripped by the user to push and pull the slide valve 10 in the opening direction O and the closing direction C.

The inclined portions 19, 20 of the spray nozzle 21 form a cavity in between which is considered to be the mixing chamber 15. These inclined portions 19 and 20 can form a cone. Part of the passage 12 for the product guides the mixing chamber 15 generally in the horizontal direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the annular air passage 14 is arranged concentrically around a portion of the product passage 12 leading to the horizontal mixing chamber 15. The inclined portions 19 and 20 terminate before they meet to form the spray orifice 16 of the mixed chamber 15.

The neck portion 5 of the vessel 1 has an annular projection 41 and has a spray ejector housing for securing the housing 17 to the vessel 1 when the housing is compressed in the neck portion of the vessel 1. Interact with the annular rim of (17). The housing may close the container by a plug seal 30 or gasket device 31 as is known to those skilled in the art.

On the other hand, the cap may be mounted to the container in the manner shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the spray housing 17 has a first annular rim 32 with a first fastening edge 37. The container 33 has a neck 34. The neck has a second annular rim 35 with a second fastening edge 36. The first fastening edge 37 interacts with the second fastening edge 36 to secure the spray housing to the container. At the connection between the neck 5 and the container 1 there is an annular groove 38. The skirt 39 of the spray housing extends into this groove. Between the housing and the rim of the neck portion is a gasket 40 for forming a substantially watertight seal. Alternatively, plug seals can be used to form waterproof seals. In order to mount the spray housing on the container, the spray housing 17 is pressed over the neck of the container. The skirt portion 39 is flexibly bent such that the first annular rim 32 passes through the second annular rim 35. After the first annular rim passes through the second annular rim, the elasticity of the skirt portion causes the second annular rim to return to the neck portion. The first and second fastening edges are then positioned together to prevent the cap from being removed. In addition, the flexible skirt 39 extends into the groove 33, and the shape of the groove 33 supports the edges of the skirt in place to provide more support.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, the slide housing 22 is received in the cavity between the valve walls 11, 18 of the housing 17. The slide housing 22 is slidable along the longitudinal axis between a fully open position (see FIG. 1) and a fully closed position (see FIG. 2). In the fully closed position, the passage 12 for the product is not aligned with the supply pipe 9 and the passage 14 for the air is not aligned with the air orifice 13. As shown in FIG. 2, in the fully closed position, the slide housing 22 completely closes the supply pipe 9 and the air orifice 13.

The slide housing 22 is slid and removed in the valve walls 11 and 18 of the housing 17. The rim 23 on the housing 17 limits the inward and outward movement of the slide housing. The slide housing 22 includes a stem portion 24. The stem portion 24 is integrally cast with the slide housing 22 via a radial rib 25 that defines a passageway so that air flows between the slide housing and the radial rib 25. As shown in FIG. 3, the radial ribs 25 are preferably positioned at an angle of 45 ° for elastic fit. The product passage 12 passes through the stem portion 24.

The end wall 27 of the housing 17 is adapted to receive the stem portion 24. In the closed position, the side wall 27 and the plug seal 50 completely close the passage 12 for the product.

The operation of the spray discharge device of the present invention used with the compression vessel will now be described by describing the paths of fluid and air. Spray ejection devices are available in one of two ways. In a first method, the container is placed in a vertical position to discharge the fine spray of product. In a second method, the container is positioned in an inverted position to continuously discharge the product. These two methods will now be described, which is disclosed as a method of spraying a fine spray of product. When compressing the vessel 1, the pressure in the vessel raises the propelling fluid 2 above the immersion tube 3. The fluid is pushed through the narrow conduit 6 and pushes the ball 8 over the top of the conduit 6 to open the ball check valve 7. The fluid then freely flows into the feed duct 9 toward the product passage 12. The fluid flow from the passage 12 is injected into the horizontal mixing chamber 15 toward the spray orifice 16. It can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 that the product passage 12 is in communication with the mixing chamber 15 at a position opposite the spray orifice in a straight line.

When compressing the vessel, the increase in pressure also forces air over the fluid level of the vessel via the air orifice 13 and into the annular passage 14. It can be seen that the distance that must be moved by the air to reach the mixing chamber 15 is less than the distance that must be moved by the liquid so that the liquid does not reach the mixing chamber before the air. Here, it is assured that the fluid is mixed with air before exiting the orifice 16.

The annular air passage 14 guides the mixing chamber in the horizontal direction and communicates with the mixing chamber 15 at a position opposite to the inclined portions or conical portions 19 and 20 of the mixing chamber in a straight line. The inclined portions 19 and 20 guide the annular air flow from the passage 14 at an oblique angle to the horizontal horizontal flow of the liquid from the passage 12. Thus, the annular flow of air collects and impinges on the central flow of the liquid at points close to the spray orifice 16. The liquid undergoes significant turbulence that causes it to break up and mix directly with air. Fine spraying results in small droplets being pushed out of the orifice 16 which exhibits a circular and symmetrical spray pattern exhibiting a symmetrical particle size distribution.

When the pressure is released onto the vessel, the device returns to its original shape when outside air is sucked into the vessel through the orifice 16. Intake of air through the orifice 16 cleans the orifice and the mixing chamber 15 after each compression cycle to prevent clogging of the orifice. This self-cleaning property of the present invention is particularly desirable in the case of viscous products in which blockage is most common.

The discharge of pressure also causes the liquid to lower the supply conduit 9, which drops the ball 8, closing the top of the narrow conduit 6. The clogging of the conduit 6 by the balls 8 will trap the liquid in the supply pipe 3. Thus, during the next compression cycle the product will be placed at a very high level in the dip tube, which will take less time before the spray is released. In this way the present invention does not require a compression vessel and achieves near instantaneous spraying.

In order to discharge the product continuously, the container is placed in the inverted position shown in FIG. When compressing the vessel 1, the pressure in the vessel increases to propel the fluid 2 through the air orifice 13 into the annular passage 14. Fluid 2 passes through the mixture chamber 15 and exits through the spray orifice 16. Accordingly, the flow is pushed out of the orifice 16 to spray a relatively large amount of fluid 2 compared to the amount sprayed when the ejector is used to discharge the fine spray. 6 shows an ejector with a rotatable valve, but the method may also use any suitable ejector, such as the valve ejector in push-pull form described above.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, but various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims, and the specification and drawings are to be regarded as rather in a limiting sense. It will be considered an example.

Claims (12)

Compressing the ejector for discharging spray while in a vertical position; and Compressing the ejector for discharging the flow while in the inverted position; a method of using a spray container ejector adapted to have an upright position and an upright position when operated. 2. The outlet of claim 1 wherein the outlet includes an outlet valve for closing the outlet orifice, the valve being slidable along a longitudinal axis from the closed position to the open position, further comprising pulling the valve to open the outlet orifice. How to use the spray container discharger made. 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of pushing a valve to close the outlet orifice. The method of claim 1, wherein the discharger comprises a rotatable outlet valve for closing the outlet orifice and further comprising rotating the valve to open the outlet orifice. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising rotating a valve to close the outlet orifice. Preparing a spray bottle ejector configured to discharge the fine spray when positioned in the vertical position and to discharge the flow when in the inverted position; and Positioning the ejector in an inverted position; And, Compressing the ejector in an inverted position such that the flow is discharged. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: positioning the ejector in a vertical position; And pressing the ejector in a vertical position such that the fine spray is discharged. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the spray container discharger comprises an outlet valve for closing the outlet orifice, and further comprising actuating a valve to open the outlet orifice. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising operating a valve to shut off the outlet orifice. The method of claim 8, wherein the method of actuating the valve is accomplished by rotating the valve. The method of claim 8, wherein the method of operating the valve is accomplished by pulling the valve. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the method of actuating the valve is accomplished by pushing the valve.