AU666183B2 - Flap valve assembly for trigger sprayer - Google Patents

Description

OPI DATE 13/09/93 AOJP DATE 25/11/93 APPLN. ID 37953/93 PCT NUMBER PCT/US93/02068 IlIII 1111111 IIII111I IllI AU9337953 INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPER/ TION TREATY (PCT) (51) International Patent Classification 5 (11) International Publication Number: WO 93/16955 B67D 5/40 Al (43) International Publication Date: 2 September 1993 (02.09.93) (21) International Application Number: (22) International Filing Date: 23 Priority data: 07/840,759 24 Febru 07/840,761 24 Febru Parent Applications or Grants (63) Related by Continuation

US

Filed on 24

US

Filed on 24 PCT/US93/02068 February 1993 (23.02.93) ary 1992 (24.02.92) ary 1992 (24.02.92) 07/840,784 (CON) February 1992 (24.02.92) 07/840,759 (CON) February 1992 (24.02.92) (72) Inventors; and Inventors/Applicants (for US onll) MAAS, Wilhelmus, J., J. [NL/NL]; Keizerstraat 45, NL-5711 TT Someren HURKMANS, Petrus, L. W. (NL/NL; Zomerbloemstraat NL.5712 BV Someren (NL).

(74)Agent: VIGIL, Thomas, Vigil Hanrath, 836 South Northwest Highway, Barrington, IL 60010 (US).

(81) Designated States: AT, AU, BG. BR, CA, CH, DE, DK.

ES, FI, GB, HU. JP, KR. LU, NL, NO, NZ. PL, PT, RO, RU, SE, UA, US, European patent (AT, BE, CH.

DE, DK, ES, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT).

Published With international search report.

With amended claims and statement.

66618 (71) Applicant (for all designated States except US): AFA PRO- DUCTS, INC. [US/US]; I Pine Street, Forest City, NC 28043 (US).

(54)Title: FLAP VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR TRIGGER SPRAYER (57) Abstract The trigger operated pumping mechanism (49) for eo 4 42 4 a fluid dispensing device (10) 41o comprises: a body (14) having a hollow cylinder (48) a4 therein for receiving a piston the hollow cylinder (48) extending to a fixed back so ,b wall (326) in the body 3s the cylinder (48) having a i fluid inlet valve (330) and a fluid outlet valve (336) asso- sis ciated with the back wall 1 (326); the valves (330 and ,4 4a 336) being pressure controlled; the inlet and outlet valves (330 and 336) are first s5o 7 and second plastic flap valves (330 and 336) which 4 412 4L are each positioned opposite 415 a 3 an opening (332 and 334) in or adjacent to the back wall (326) of the cylinder (48) and by making the remaining space between the back wall (326) and the movable wall (328) at the end of the ejection stroke of the piston (42) as small as possible, thereby to facilitate the creation of high vacuum and high pressure during intake and ejection strokes of the piston (42) and to facilitate priming with a minimum of strokes.

03 Rec'd PCT/PTO 1 9 AUG 1993 FLAP VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR TRIGGER SPRAYER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention.

The present invention relates to a trigger operated dispensing device for mounting to the top neck of a storage container. Although such devices, known as trigger sprayers, can be reused, often times they are disposed of.

The trigger sprayer includes a body, and a pumping mechanism comprising a trigger movably mounted to the body, a piston releasably coupled to the trigger and a cylinder in the body for receiving the piston for pumping fluid and defining a pumping chamber. The cylinder extends to a fixed back wall in the body, whereby the space between the back wall and the inner end of the movable piston defines a variable volume pumping chamber. The cylinder has a fluid inlet valve and a fluid outlet valve associated with the back wall; The volume of the pumping chamber at the end of an ejection stroke of the piston is made as small as possible by making the inlet and outlet valves as first and second plastic flap valves.

2. Description of The Prior Art.

Examples of previously proposed trigger sprayers having flap type valves and some being non piston type trigger sprayers which do not appear to have metal parts are disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Patent No. Patentee 4,819,835 Tasaki 4,618,077 Corsette 4,241,852 Pauls et al.

4,235,353 Capra et al.

4,225,061 Blake et al.

4,201,317 Aleff 4,155,487 Blake 3,973,700 Schmidt et al.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a pumping mechanism for a trigger operated fluid dispensing device, e.g. trigger sprayer, for pumping fluid from a storage container into a discharge end of the dispensing device. The pumping mechanism -substitute sheet-

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';''93/02068 2 03 Re 'd PCT/PTO 19 AUG 1993 includes a chamber within the body of the trigger sprayer, a piston and two flap valves associated with an internal back wall of the chamber. The flap valves are normally closed and pressure controlled to ensure a quick filling and emptying of the collection chamber.

During the fluid intake stroke, a vacuum inside the collection chamber opens an inlet flap valve and sucks fluid from the container via an inlet opening into the collection chamber. During the fluid ejection stroke the pressure inside the collection chamber closes the fluid inlet flap valve and forces open a fluid outlet flap valve associated with the integral back wall to force tie fluid through an outlet opening and a discharge passageway into the atmosphere.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a trigger sprayer constructed according to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the trigger sprayer shown in FIG. 1 and shows a locking ring prior to its detachment from a cylindrical. base of the sprayer body.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the trigger sprayer in its at rest position where a spring between a trigger and the sprayer body biases the trigger and a piston rod coupled thereto to the most outward position.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the trigger sprayer similar to the view shown in FIG. 3 but showing the trigger fully depressed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a perspective view of an all synthetic/plastic trigger sprayer 10 coupled to a bottle 12.

An exploded perspective view of the parts of the trigger sprayer 10 is shown in more detail in FIG. 2.

The trigger sprayer 10 includes a body 14, a nose bushing 16 at a discharge end 18 of the body 14, a nozzle tamper proof pull away piece 20, a top portion 22 and a hand gripping -substitute sheetr I, 'U.w PC, 93/02068 93 Rec'd PCT/F-T 1 9 AUG 1993 formation 24 extending rearwardly from the top portion 22 of the body 14 and then downwardly to a cylindrical base 26 of the body 14. The base 26 is held by a locking ring 28 to a neck of the bottle 12.

A trigger 32 having a front side 31 is pivotally inounted to the body 14 by having two cylindrical pins 34, molded on the top end of two opposed side walls 36 of the trigger 32, inserted into two corresponding holes 38 in the body 14 of the trigger sprayer As shown in FIG. 2, a plastic spring assembly 40 is placed between the body 14 and the trigger 32 to urge the trigger 32 always back into its home position. Coupled to the trigger 32 is a piston 42 having an outer piston rod 44 which connects with the trigger 32 and an inner cylindrical end 46 which is received in a cylindrical opening 48 in the body 14 for the purpose of varying the volume in a pumping chamber defined in the opening 48.

The trigger 32, the spring assembly 40, the piston 42 and the cylindrical opening 48 form and define primary components of a pumping mechanism 49.

A valve intake stem 50 is received into the bottom of the cylindrical base 26 and has a dip tube 52 releasably fixed thereto and depending therefrom for insertion into the bottle 12.

A safe and child resistant sprayer/bottle connection is provided and includes locking tabs 53 with lug receiving openings 54 formed in the cylindrical side wall of the cylindrical base 26 and locking lugs on the bottle neck 30 and locked in place by the locking ring 28.

When the molded sprayer body is removed from a mold, the locking ring 28, connected to the cylindrical base 26 of the body 14 by six links, points, fillets or '.ebs 57 which are necessary for molding the locking ring 28 together with ts9 body 14, is broken away from the cylindrical base 26 by breaking the fillets 57 and moved upwardly on the base 26.

During assembly of the narts of the trigger sprayer 10, the locking ring 28 is movea downwardly over the cylindrical base 26.

-substitute sheet- 4 03 Rec'd PCT/FTO 1 9 AUG 1993 A nozzle assembly 58 is provided and includes a rotatable nozzle cap 60 having a forwardly extending cylindrical extension 62. The nozzle cap 60 is mounted on the nose bushing 16 extending from a cylindrical portion 64 of the body 14 and includes an annular band 66 for holding the nozzle cap Three different positions of the nozzle cap 60, a STOP position, a SPRAY position, and a STREAM position are provided.

When the nozzle assembly 58 is mounted to the body 14, a mounting block 67 of the piece 20 is snap fittingly received through an opening 68 in the top portion 22. At the same time, fork arms 69 of the piece 20 extend through notches 70 in the top portion 22 and/or notches 71 in the top wall of the cap between one of two flexible locking legs or prongs 72 and the cylindrical portion 64 for securing the nozzle cap 60 in its STOP position, thereby ensuring a tamper proof and child resistant locking of the trigger sprayer nozzle assembly 58 to the body 14.

The nozzle assembly 58 is mounted on the discharge end 18 of trigger sprayer 10, as described above. The top portion 22 of the body 14 extends rearwardly to a rear end 73 of the hand gripping formation 24 and then slants forwardly and downwardly from the rear end 73 to the cylindrical base 26.

The six contact fillets or webs 57 are uniformly distributed around the lower end of the cylindrical base 2C and are initially integral with the locking ring 28. During the molding process, the contact fillets or webs 57 are broken and the locking ring 28 is moved upwardly relative to the cylindrical base 26. Later, when the locking ring 28 is moved downwardly on the base 26, an annular groove 74 within the locking ring 28 snap-fittingly mates with an annular rib 75 on the base 26. The upper position of the locking ring 28 is the pre-application-to-a-bottle position and the locking ring 28 is held in this position by frictional engagement of the inner wall of the locking ring 28 with the rib segments 76 provided on the outer cylindrical wall of the cylindrical base 26. The upper, partially annular rib segments 76 on the outer cylindrical wall of the cylindrical base 26 locate and to some extent limit upward movement of the locking ring 28.

-substitute sheet- Y 03 Re j Tr-/ 9Aui 195 As shown in FIG. 3, molded within tha cylindrical base 26 to a top wall 314 of the cylindrical base 26 is a small diameter seal ring 316. The seal ring 316 is designed to seal against the inner diameter of the bottle neck 30. The seal ring 316 has a bevelled end 318 at its lower side to facilitate insertion of the bottle neck 30 into the base 26 and around the seal ring 316.

Within the inner area of seal ring 316 is an opening 320, having a shape according to the shape of the intake stem which is generally oval in cross-section. The intake stem is press-fitted into the opening 320 until ridges 322 on the intake stem 50 snap into mating mounting grooves on the inner surface of the wall of the opening 320. In this way, an air tight seal is provided. The diptube 52 is releasably fixed in the cei.cer of the intake stem 50. The length of the diptube 52 depends on the size of the bottle 12. However, it is recommended that the diptube 52 should extend to the bottom of the bottle 12 but shouldn't touch it.

The cylindrical opening 48 is located inside the body 14 of the trigger sprayer 10. The piston cylindrical end 46 fits tightly into the cylindrical opening 48 to create a pumping chamber 324 having a variable volume between a fixed back wall 326 of the cylindrical opening 48 and a rearwardly facing wall 328 of the piston cylindrical end 46. The fixed wall 326 of the pumping chamber 324 has an inlet flap valve 330 situated in the lower part thereof and an opening 332 in the upper part thereof. An orifice 334 through a wall of the intake stem is located to mate or register with the inlet flap valve 330 and to establish an inlet passageway. The inlet passageway is provided by the hollow diptube 52, the intake stem 50 and the orifice 334.

The opening 332 is located to mate or register with an outlet flap valve 336 on the top side of intake stem 50. Inlet flap valve 330 and outlet flap valve 336 control the fluid flow into and out of pumping chamber 324.

The trigger 32 is pivotally mounted on the body 14 of the trigger sprayer 10 by inserting the two laterally extending pins 34 on the upper part of the trigger 32 into the two -substitute sheet- PCTI 93/02068 603 19 AUG 1993 corresponding holes 38 in the body 14.

As shown in FIG. 4, the plastic spring assembly 40 has a flat tapered end 410 press-fitted into a recess 412 in the body 14 located underneath an inner end of the cylindrical portion 64 of the body 14. Another end 414 of the plastic spring assembly 40 is placed in a trough-like space 416 in the back side of the trigger 32 against a back wall 415. The plastic spring assembly 40 is bent and remains under stress to urge the trigger 32 always back into its home position.

FIG. 4 shows the trigger sprayer 10 with the trigger 32 pressed in by the operator. The pressure in the pumping chamber 324 opens outlet flap valve 336 so that the fluid can leave pumping chamber 324. At the same time, the plastic spring assembly 40 is bent and stressed even more, but it is not stretched above its Hook limit, and the operator needs a maximum force to keep the trigger 32 pressed in.

After the operator stops pressing trigger 32, the plastic spring assembly 40 urges the trigger 32 together with piston 42 back into their home positior;. While the piston 42 moves back, a vacuum arises inside the pumping chamber 324. This vacuum opens inlet flap valve 330 and sucks in fluid from the bottle 12.

When the fluid is sucked out of the bottle 12, and because the bottle 12 and the trigger sprayer 10 connection is air tight, a vacuum arises within the bottle 12. To avoid a vacuum within the bottle 12, a venting system is provided. The venting system includes a vent hole 344 in the top wall 314 of the cylindrical base 26. This part of the top wall 314 defines a wall area between the lower side of the cylindrical opening 48 inside body 14 of trigger sprayer 10 and a cylindrical cavity 346 within cylindrical base 26. When the trigger 32 is fully pressed in, vent hole 344 is opened and a fluid connection between the inside of the bottle 12 and the atmosphere is established so that air is able to get into the bottle 12. When the trigger 32 is not pressed in, e.g. when it is in its home position, the vent hole 344 is covered by the cylindrical end 46 of the piston 42 to close the vent hole 344 thereby preventing fluid from coming out of the bottle 12.

-substitute sheeti J I S PCT/PTO 19 AL L)i3 7 The pumping chamber 324 is designed so that, the "dead volume", i.e. the minimum volume of the pumping chamber 324, is very small, 1/20 to 1/4 the full volume of pumping chamber 324.

With a small dead volume, only a very little amount of the fluid or air is left in the pumping chamber 324, after the trigger 32 is fully pressed in. This construction minimizes the size of compressible air space inside the pumping chamber 324 and allows the trigger sprayer 10 to build higher compression against the flap valve 330 during the priming of the trigger sprayer 10. This minimized "dead volume" provides for quicker priming of the trigger sprayer 10 and higher vacuum and high compression during the intake and ejection strokes.

Another effect of the small "dead volume" is that the pumping chamber 324 is filled up with fluid very quickly therefore reducing the number of initial strokes required to prime the trigger sprayer An outer end 510 of the piston rod 44 has a transversely located cylinder 512. The cylinder 512 is located transversely to the longitudinal axis of the piston rod 44 between legs 513 and has an axially extending V in cross section slot 514 in the middle thereof for receiving a pivot edge 516 at the vertex of a V in-cross-section outer end of a hook member 517 extending between the sides 36 of the trigger 32. The hook member 517 is part of a bearing formation 518 which is provided on the backside of trigger 32 between the sides 36 and which has an opening 519 through which the outer end 510 is received. The cylinder 512 engages in the bearing formation 518 of the trigger 32 and the sides of the V shaped slot 514 act as (or form) stops to limit the rotational freedom of the connected parts.

The arc subtended by or the angle at the vertex of the "V" of the V snaped slot 514 is substantially greater than the arc subtended by or the angle at the vertex of the of the V incross-section outer end of the hook member 517 to permit the Vshaped fulcrum end portion to rotate on the V-shaped pivot seat during movement of the trigger from its home position to its fully squeezed in position.

The bearing formation 518, in combination with the V -substitute sheetshaped slot 514, establish a movable trigger 32 piston 42 connection with limited, but sufficient, rotational freedom.

This enables the piston 42 to be moved within the pumping chamber 324 while being pivotally connected to trigger 32 in a simple and efficient manner.

The bearing formation 518 includes two rounded bearing seating surfaces 520 adjacent the inner side of each side 36 of the trigger 32 and between one side 36 of the trigger 32 and the hook member 517 at the top of the opening 519 and between one side 36 and a slot 521 on the bottom of the opening 519.

The cylindrical ends of the cylinder 512 seat and rotate on these bearing surfaces 520.

-substitute sheet-

Claims (7)

1. 2. (Amended) The pumping mechanism of claim 1 wherein said piston, said cylinder and the length of movement of said piston in said cylinder are constructed and arranged so that the volume of said pumping chamber at the end of an ejection stroke is between one twentieth to one fourth of the volume of the pumping chamber at the beginning of the ejection stroke.
2. 3. (Amended) The pumping mechanism of claim i, wherein said back wall has a relief in front of said outlet flap valve and said piston includes an extension attached to an upper part of said movable wall which mates with and is received in said relief at the end of each ejection stroke. -substitute sheet- 1 (J L 0 0 b 03 Rec'd It J 'J 1993 1~':"1993
3. 4. (Same) The pumping mechanism of claim 1, wherein said fluid inlet valve and said fluid outlet valve are one way valves. (Same) The pumping mechanism of claim 1, wherein said fluid inlet valve and said fluid outlet valve are positioned adjacent said back wall of said pumping chamber in close proximity to each other.
4. 6. (Same) The pumping mechanism of claim 1, wherein said body has a lower body opening, an intake stem is received in said lower body opening and has a fluid inlet passageway therein, said inlet valve being integral with, and is a flap in, said back wall of said cylinder, said flap having a reduced thickness linear area form forming a hinge, said intake stem has an orifice extending therethrough for mating with said inlet passageway; and said inlet valve flap normally closes off said orifice to prevent fluid from entering said pumping chamber from the container in an at rest position of said pumping mechanism.
5. 7. (Same) The pumping mechanism of claim 1, wherein said body has a lower body opening, an intake stem is received in said lower body opening and has a flap extending upwardly therefrom, said back wall has a fluid outlet opening therethrough opposite said flap on said intake stem, said flap forming said outlet valve which normally closes said outlet opening for preventing air from entering said pumping chamber.
6. 8. (Same) The pumping mechanism of claim i, further comprising a venting orifice in a wall of said cylinder.
7. 9. (Same) The pumping mechanism of claim 8, wherein said venting orifice is closed by said piston during the at rest home position of said piston and said venting orifice is opened when said piston is moved into said cylinder. -substitute sheet-