US3066838A - Valve operating lever for pressurized dispensers - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 4, 1962 L. F. HANSEN 3,066,833

VALVE OPERATING LEVER FOR PRESSURIZED DISPENSERS Filed Oct. 28, 1960 JCIE5 (070 fie/INK HA/VSA United States Patent Ofifice 3,fifi,ii38 Patented Dec. 4, 1962 3,966,838 VALVE OPERAHNG LEVER FUR PRESURIZED DESPENEERS Lloyd Frank Hansen, New City, N.Y., assignor to American Cyanamid (Zompany, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maine Filed Oct. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 65,720 2 (Ilaims. (Cl. 222394) This invention relates to a valve operating lever for a pressurized dispenser of the type frequently called an aerosol bomb. The present operating lever is particularly useful for a dispensing valve which is to be held open for a prolonged period.

In the dispensing of liquids, such as vitamin preparations, or shaving creams from pressure dispensers, the eifort required to hold a valve open for a long period has been troublesome to certain operators. Particularly in the dispensing of liquid vitamins for small children, the user is usually a woman whose finger may tire in holding open a valve for dispensing the proper dose for a child, particularly if several doses are to be dispensed in a short time. Such dispensers usually have a spout from which the liquid contents issue as a liquid stream or foam.

It has been found necessary to use a comparatively stiff operating spring for the valve in order that the valve remain liquid-tight and not leak under the pres sure of the contents, and yet be of a type which is economically competitive.

Efiorts have been made to provide a dispensing mech anism to give a mechanical advantage to the operator. But, in general, such devices have used two or more parts. It is desirable that the device be simple to use, be inexpensive to produce, be convenient, and be foolproof. Additionally, it is advantageous if such a lever has additional uses around the household, as for example, being usable as a bottle opener.

It has now been found that a single lever properly curved solves all of these problems, and such lever can be manufactured economically. The description of certain modifications of the present lever are better understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 shows the lever on a pressurized dispenser in operation dispensing the liquid.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the lever alone.

'FlGURE 3 is a side view of the lever in position on the pressurized container.

FIGURE 4 shows a modification of metal in which the finger rest portion of the lever has an integral bottle opener, and is also bent in the form of a lever support hook.

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the lever of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a view of a lever of plastic, which has a supporting hook at the finger rest end to provide for the lever being hooked over and supported by the rim on the dispenser can.

The present lever may be constructed of plastic or metal. When constructed of a molded plastic, as shown in FIGURE 1, the operating lever 11 is of a single piece and consists of a spout receiving portion 12, which has therein a spout receiving aperture 13. When the pressurized container lid is resting on its base in the vertical position, the valve assembly closes the top of the pressurized container and has a valve usually pointing vertically upwards and centrally located. Over this valve is the valve cap 16, which is the portion seen by the user. The valve cap has a pressure plate 17, which is depressed by the user to open the valve and release the contents. For liquid dispensing and for some foams,

the valve cap has a spout 18 through which the contents of the dispenser are released.

With the container in the vertical position, resting on its base, the spout receiving portion of the operating lever is generally vertical. At what would then be the upper end of the spout receiving portion is a bend 19. Preferably, this bend is over so that the next portion of the lever, which is the bow portion, extends first downwardly towards the pressure plate 17, and then upwardly to a finger rest portion 21. At the belly of the bow is a protuberance 22 which rests on'the pressure plate 17.

When of plastic, the belly of the bow, including the protuberance, is preferably thicker than the remainder of the operating lever as it is in this portion that the greatest bending stresses occur. It is essential that the spout receiving portion extend up high enough so that the bend connecting the bow portion with the spout receiving portion is above the valve cap so that the valve cap does not interfere with the operation of the lever, in any position during discharge. The protuberance on the belly of the bow, in addition to furnishing some reinforcement, also extends downward far enough to rest on the pressure plate so that the bow extending towards the finger rest portion does not bind on any other portion of the valve cap during operation. The length of the bow is such that the finger rest portion is in a position to be conveniently contacted by the finger of the user when the forefinger of the user, the thumb, and other three fingers of the user, are used to grip the can. Conveniently, the portions are such that the lever arm from the spout receiving aperture to the protuberance contacting the pressure plate is about onethird of the total distance from the spout receiving aperture to the finger rest portion, giving a mechanical advantage of about 3 to 1.

As an optional embodiment of the present invention is the shape shown in FIGURE 4, in which the finger rest portion of the how has a bottle opener 23 formed integral therewith so that the side of the operating lever can be used as a bottle opener of the conventional hooked type in which the point of the hook is caught under a crowntype cap, and the lever arm used to pry the edge of the cap using the end of the finger rest portion as a fulcrum to remove the cap.

Additionally, the finger rest portion, as shown in PEG- URE 4, has a support hook at which extends around and back towards the spout receiving portion, so that the support hook may be rested over a rim of the can as shown in FIGURE 6, which thus permits the operating lever to be stored conveniently adjacent to the dispenser and thus avoid loss. In such a storage position, there is no risk of accidental operation of the dispenser.

When used as a potential bottle opener, it is desirable that the operating lever he formed of metal. Where the strength of the bottle opener hook is not required, the operating lever, or at least the main portion thereof, is conveniently of a plastic which may be readily molded and which may be decorated with ornamentation appealing to users.

The dispenser itself may be of any of the conventional types using either a halogenated allcane or a pressurized inert gas, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, as a propellant. Whereas, the operating lever may be used with any valve cap having a spout, its use is particularly convenient with preparations such as liquid vitamins, in which the liquid as discharged from the spout is received in a spoon 25, or other suitable receiver. When dispensed into a measuring spoon, it is essential that the dispenser be such that the contents can be discharged by the user with one hand, while the measuring spoon is being used to receive and measure the contents being released. Ob-

Q3 viously, for such a type of use, it is not practical for the user to use two hands to operate the valve plate and release the contents, as sometimes has been the custom with spray-type bombs in which accurate control of direction in the release of contents has not been a problem.

Having described certain embodiments of the invention and their use thereof, as my invention, I claim:

1. An operating lever for a pressurized container for dispensing a liquid, which container has a valve assembly closing a dispenser can, and a valve cap fitting over said valve assembly, which valve cap has a spout thereon, and which valve cap has a pressure plate, which on the application of pressure, depresses a valve portion of said valve assembly, thereby dispensing the liquid in said container, comprising: a one-piece lever having a spout receiving portion having a spout receiving aperture therein adapted to receive and pivot on said spout in a plane approximately perpendicular to the center line of the spout; and adjacent said spout receiving portion a bend of over 109, extending into a bow portion, a protuberance on the belly of the bow in position to contact the pressure plate of the valve cap when the spout receiving portion is placed over the base of the spout on the valve cap, and a finger rest portion at the end of the bow opposed to said bend, said bend and said bow being angular enough that the inner part of said bend clears the adjacent valve cap in all operating relationships.

2. The operating lever of claim 1, in which a hook portion extends beyond and curls under said finger rest portion, in such position that the operating lever may be hooked over and suspended from the rim of the dispensing can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,046,879 Leppke July 7, 1936 2,550,272 Rubenstein et al. June 26, 1951 2,685,989 Samuels Aug. 10, 954 2,868,421 Schott Ian. 13, 1959

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