WO2000053527A1

WO2000053527A1 - Aerosol valve dip tube with spring weight

Info

Publication number: WO2000053527A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/005904
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yutaka Takeguchi; Tamotsu Honma
Original assignee: Precision Valve Corp
Current assignee: Precision Valve Corp
Priority date: 1999-03-10
Filing date: 2000-03-08
Publication date: 2000-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2001-09-10
Also published as: JP4243379B2; JP2000255655A; AU3728500A; AR022901A1

Abstract

A spring weight member (5) mounted adjacent the lower end of a deformable aerosol valve dip tube (4). The spring weight has a plurality of windings (5a), certain of which are press fit to the dip tube (4). The windings press fit to the dip tube may be of smaller diameter and may be in coarse condition. The remaining spring weight windings may be of larger diameter and in close contact or in coarse condition to work with high viscosity products. The smaller diameter windings (5a) may be on opposite ends of the larger diameter windings (5b). The spring weight windings may have a gap formed as part of the spring for inserting the dip tube, with only some of the windings surrounding the dip tube.

Description

AEROSOL VALVE DIP TUBE WITH SPRING WEIGHT

Field Of The Invention The present inventionirelates to aerosol valves, and more particularly to dip tubes that extend from such valves into containers containing products to be dispensed up through the dip tube and the aerosol valve when the valve is actuated.

Background Of The Invention Dip tubes act in a fully satisfactory manner to dispense products when the aerosol container is in a generally upright position. In this circumstance, the product is positioned in the bottom end of the container and the open end of the dip tube is immersed in the product. When the aerosol container is used in a sideways state or in an inverted state, however, the free open end of the dip tube may not be immersed in the product and the pressurized gas in the container accordingly may be disadvantageously dispensed without product from the container when the aerosol valve is actuated. The end result can be incomplete discharge of product from the container.

To overcome the above difficulty, a conventional solution in the past has been to attach a weight member on or within the lower open end of the dip tube with the tube also being bendable so that, when the aerosol container is used in a sideways or inverted position, the weight member will bias the open dip tube end to immerse it in the product to be dispensed and thus pass the product in the container through the aerosol valve . Typically, such weight members on the lower end of the dip tube have included configurations such as a spherical member of glass, stainless steel, etc. with an aperture therein, an engagement part molded into a predetermined shape, or a tubular metal member perhaps with a slit which is crimped around the dip tube. In the case of the spherical member, it is likely to be expensive and requiring inefficient manual press-fit assembly of the tube into the aperture. Further, a glass spherical member, being of low specific gravity, is not adapted to move easily in relation to high viscosity aerosol products in the container when the container position is shifted. Where different weights are required for different applications, the size of the spherical member also should be changed. In the case of an engagement weight part molded into a predetermined shape, it can be automatically assembled to the dip tube, but if the weight of the part is to be changed, a new mold is needed. In the case of the tubular slit member, it requires cutting and bending a plate or some other means of forming the tube with a slitting operation, and adding weight requires a longer tube or other size change.

Some examples of the above and other prior art designs- may be found for example within the following: U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,770; U.S. Pat. No. 3,088,680; U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,656; U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,655; U.K. Pat. Specification 1234693; U.K. Patent Application GB 2234555A; and U.K. Patent Application GB 2136057.

Summary Of The Invention The present invention is intended to overcome the deficiencies of the above-noted prior art to obtain an inexpensive and easy to assemble dip tube weight, that is also adaptable to high viscosity products and easily adaptable to changing the weight thereof during manufacture. In a first embodiment, the weight comprises a wound spring weight member having certain windings of smaller diameter to be press fit onto the lower end of the dip tube and other windings of larger diameter that surround and are spaced from the sides of the dip tube. The adjacent smaller diameter windings may be in coarse condition; i.e., spaced from each other, and the adjacent windings of larger diameter either may be in such coarse condition or in close contact with each other. Further, the windings that are to be press fit onto the end of the tube may be positioned at only one end of the spring weight, or may be positioned at both ends of the spring weight with the windings of larger diameter therebetween. In alternative embodiments, a gap is present in the spring weight member with certain of the windings of larger diameter surrounding and partly in contact with the dip tube while certain other windings which may be of smaller diameter do not surround but are biased against the side of the dip tube to maintain the spring weight in press fit fashion on the lower end of the dip tube. Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, drawings and claims .

^• .

5 Brief Description Of The Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates an aerosol container partly in section and in a sideways state, showing an aerosol valve, container product to be dispensed, dip tube, and spring weight of the present invention on the lower end of the dip tube immersed in 0 the product;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of a first embodiment of the spring weight of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of 5 a modified form of the spring weight of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view , partly in section, of an alternative form of the spring weight of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of 0 Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a further alternative form of the spring weight of the present invention.

Detailed Description Of Embodiments 5 Referring to Fig. 1, aerosol container 1 has a conventional aerosol valve ste -actuator 2, and aerosol valve housing 3 at the normally top portion of the container if it were in an upright position. Dip tube 4 of soft elastic flexible material has its normally upper end connected to the aerosol valve housing 3. Spring weight member 5 of the present invention is shown mounted on an outer periphery of

"_^ - i the normally lower open end of dip tube 4. Product to be

5 dispensed from the aerosol container 1 is illustrated, with spring weight member 5 biasing the open end of dip tube 4 to be immersed in product 6 even though aerosol container 1 is shown in a sideways state in Fig. 1. Upon actuation of the aerosol valve, product 6 under the influence of propellant in 0 the container passes up dip tube 4 and is dispensed from the container.

Referring to Fig. 2, spring weight member 5 is shown in greater detail, with parts or windings 5a, 5a being formed of a similar diameter wire to be press fit onto dip tube 4. Non- 5 press fit parts or windings 5b are formed of a larger diameter wire so as to surround but not contact dip tube 4. It will be noted that windings 5a, 5a are in a coarse condition, i.e. the individual windings are spaced apart, whereas individual windings 5b are in a close contact condition. The combination 0 of press fit windings 5a, 5a and non-press fit windings 5b in the present invention makes it easier to mount the spring weight on the dip tube 4. Non-press fit windings 5b with larger interior diameter and close contact windings also permit more weight for the same length of winding in the 5 present invention.

When the spring weight of the present invention is used in a highly viscous product 6, non-press fit windings 5b may advantageously be formed in a coarse, i.e., non-close contact, condition to facilitate smoother and easier movement of the weight member in the viscous product.

When spring weight member 5 is attached onto dip tube 4, i ---is*- it may also be pressed if desired to bite into dip tube 4 by

5 about .01 to .1mm.

In Fig. 2 as described above, press fit parts or windings

5a, 5a are arranged at opposite ends of spring weight 5 for a very stable holding of spring weight 5 on dip tube 4.

Referring to Fig. 3, a modified form of Fig. 2, the press fit 0 part 15a of small diameter windings is only at one end of spring weight member 15, with non-press fit windings 15b comprising the remainder of spring weight 15.

The overall weight of spring weight member 5 or 15 is established according to the specific gravity of the product 5 6 in aerosol container 1, so as to move appropriately in the product when the container is shifted into a sideways or inverted state for dispensing product by actuation of the aerosol valve. In general the weight of member 5 or 15 may be from approximately 1.5 grams to 3.5 grams . The spring weight 0 member may be formed of stainless steel. Solely as an example of the dimensions of the Fig. 3 embodiment, the inside--- diameter of press fit part 15a may be 4.25mm; the inside diameter of the non-press fit part 15b may be 5.00mm; the wire may have a diameter of .9mm; the length of the spring member 5 15 may be 20mm; and the weight of the member 15 may be 1.5 grams .

It should be understood that spring weight member 5 or 15 can be changed on manufacture by changing the diameter of the wire and/or the inside diameter of the non-press fit portion of the winding, to add or subtract weight. The spring weight member can be cheaply and easily produced, for viscous and

^•-y--. j non-viscous products, and in varying weights, as opposed to 5 the previously mentioned prior art.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate an alternative form of the present invention, wherein smaller diameter windings 25a, 25a are formed eccentrically at ends of the coil spring weight member 25 with larger diameter windings 25b therebetween. A 0 gap 25c for inserting dip tube 4 is formed between the smaller diameter parts or windings 25a, 25a and the larger diameter windings 25b. Gap 25c is smaller than the outside of dip tube 4 to create the proper press fit.

Fig. 6 illustrates a still further alternative form of 5 the present invention. Spring weight member 35 has a gap 35c formed intermediate its length for inserting dip tube 4. A coil end 35a is pushed outward and the tube 4 is inserted into the gap 35c so that dip tube 4 is held in press fit relation between coil central windings 35b and coil end windings 35a. 0 It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the act that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention without department from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. 5

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A weight member mounted on a dip tube for an aerosol product, said dip tube being deformable and having an upper end for communicating with an aerosol valve mechanism to be mounted in an aerosol container and having a lower end for opening toward the bottom of said aerosol container, the weight member being mounted on the dip tube adjacent the lower end of the dip tube, the weight member being formed of a spring having a plurality of windings with certain of said windings being press fit to the dip tube.

2. The invention of claim (1), wherein the spring weight windings press fit to the dip tube are of smaller diameter and in coarse condition, and the remaining spring weight windings are of larger diameter and in close contact condition.

3. The invention of claim (1), wherein the spring weight comprises windings of larger diameter and in close contact condition which are not press fit to the dip tube, and windings of smaller diameter and in coarse condition which are press fit to the dip tube on both ends of the larger diameter windings .

4. The invention of claim (1), wherein the spring weight comprises windings of smaller diameter and in coarse condition press fit to the dip tube, and windings of larger diameter and in coarse condition not press fit to the dip tube.

^■~ i 5. The invention of claim (1), wherein the spring weight windings have a gap formed as a part of the spring for inserting the dip tube, only some of the windings surround the dip tube, and said dip tube being held by press fit by certain of the windings .

0 6. The invention of claim (5), wherein certain of the windings are of smaller diameter and other of the windings are of larger diameter.