Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1078796
This invention relates to liquid spraying devices and more
particularly to an improved spraying device of the type which
produces spray mist similar to that produced by the common
aerosol bomb and which requires no container pressuring gas
nor other foreign propellantO
Heretofore, various liquid spraying devices have been
devised which are hand operated, and which can spray in mist
form the many liquids commonly used today such as hair sprays,
perfumes, toilet waters, deodorants and insecticidesO Typical
of such devices is one which operates to pump a small quantity
of liquid to be sprayed from a container to a small chamber
wherein the liquid is pressurized by the force of a spring
which is stressed during "cocking" stroke preparatory to spraying
the liquid from the deviceO
In devices of this type, a spray head rotatably mounted on
the container functions to set the device in "cocked" position,
and on being manually rotated relative to the container, causes
a liquid pressurizing piston to move within the chamber in a
direction to compress the spring, thereby pressurizing the
liquid drawn into the chamberO The pressurized liquid is
usually conducted through a flexible tube to a discharge valve
and nozzle assembly. Since, however, the flexible tube extends
axially through the coil spring and is adapted to be deformed
sinuously upon compression of the spring, there is a tendency
for the curved portion of the tube to be caught in the spring,
hindering further compression of the spring and, in the worst
case, leading to severance of the tube. Another disadvantage
resulting from the use of such a flexible tube is the difficulty
experienced during assembly of the spraying device in slipping
the tube of soft material onto a nipple or other coupling for
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the discharge Yal~e Ox the pressuxizing piston
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention
to provide a new and lmproved liquid spraying device.
Another object of the present invention is to
provide a liquid spray~ing device which is easily held in the
hand and which may ~e operated by finger actuation of a push
button.
It is a furthe:r object of the present inYention to
provide a liquid sprayi.ng device of the above character which
employs a hollo~ stem of rigid material to communicate a liquid
pressuriz;ng chamber with a discharge valve, thereby avoiding
the problem o$ the s.tem bei.ng caugh.t i.n a compression spring
thereby hindering compression of the s:pring.
The foregoing objects are attained in accordance
with. the invention ~hi:ch, in a broad aspect, resides in a
liquid spray~ng device comprising container means including a
receptacle adapted to hold a quantity of liquid and having an
openi.ng for filli:ng the: receptacle wi.th the liquid, coYer
means removably mounted on the receptacle to close the opening
and including an up~ardly extending cylindrical guide, spray
head means rotatably mounted on the cover means, slide means
movably mounte~d ~ith~n the cylindri~cal guide and operably
connected to the s:pray head means whereby rotation of the
spxay head means reIative to the cover means in a fixed
direction m~ves the s.lide means upwardly, liquid pres.surizing
pump means including a cy~l~.ndex and a piston defining a liquid
pressurizing chambex, the cylinder being operably connected
in fixed reIatiQn to one o$ the cover means and slide means
and the piston being opexably connected in fixed relation to
the other of the means, a spri.ng mounted in the spray head
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means fox bias~i.ng the slide means in a di.rection to decrease
the volume of the liquid pressurizing chamber to thereby
pressurize liquid the~rein, an inlet conduit adapted to conduct
the liquid in the receptacle to the chamber, an inlet check
valve in the conduit, a discharge valve in the spray head
means for controll;ng discharge of pressuri.zed liquid from the
chamber in the form of a spray, a hollow s.tem made of rigid
material and adapted to conduct pressurized li.quid from the
chamber to the discharge valve and air inlet ~alve means in
said receptacle ~rranged to i`ntroduce ai~ into the receptacle
to prevent occurxence of a negative pressure therein.
These and other objects will be apparent from the
following description of the ;`nvention when taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a vertically sectioned view illustrating
one embod;ment of a liqui.d spraying device constructed in
accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but illustrat-
ing the device in "cocked" position;
Figure 3 is a horizontal sectïon taken on the line
III-III of Figure l;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a cover unit and
a cap ring to be mounted over the unit;
Figure 5 is a pers-pective view of a slide member and
a rotary cylindr;cal member to be received in the slide member;
and
Figure 6 is a vertical section of a modified liquid
spraying device also constructed in accordance with the
present invention.
Referr;ng in more detail to the accompanying drawings,
Figures 1 to 5 illustrate one embodiment of a liquid spraying
device
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10 of the present invention which is dimensioned to be conveniently
held in the handO
Briefly, the spray device 10 comprises a cylindrical
container 11 for storing a quantity of liquid to be sprayed, a
cover unit 12 removably mounted on the container, and a spray
head 13 rotatably mounted on the cover unit 120 When the head
13 is rotated to the "cocked" position of Figo 2, the device
operates to pump a small quantity of the liquid from the container
to a small chamber 14 wherein the liquid is pressurized by the
force of a spring which is stressed during the cocking stroke.
The head 13 also includes a discharge nozzle communicating with
the chamber 14 via a discharge valve which is operated by pushing
a button at the top of the head to release the spray as required
until the pressurized quantity of liquid is exhaustedO The
device may be "cocked" again to ready the same for further
spraying, as will be explained hereinafterO
As best seen in Figso 1 and 2, the container 11 comprises
a cylindrical receptacle 20 closed at the bottom by a wall 22
and having an open upper end with internal threads 24 formed
thereinO
The cover unit 12 includes an imperforate wall 26 having
an upwardly extending skirt 28 which is externally threaded (see
also Fig. 4) to screw into the threads 18 of the receptable 15
to thereby close the upper end of the container against escape
of liquid therefromO The skirt 28 is grooved below the threaded
portion to provide a seat for an 0-ring seal 29. The cover
unit 12 also includes a cylinder 30 extending downwardly from
the wall 26, which is closed at its lower end by a wall 32
spaced above the wall 22 of the receptacle 200 A female coupling
34 is formed on the cylinder 30, which depends from the wall 32
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to receive the upper end of an inlet tube 36 with a press fit
thereinO The lower open end of the inlet tube 36 is disposed
closely adjacent the bottom wall 220
A check valve 40 is mounted in the cylinder 30 at its
bottom and, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises a valve
member 42 and a pressure ring 44 for holding the valve member
in place on the bottom surface of the cylinderO The valve
member 42 has an annular opening 46 formed therein, the annular
form of which is not complete, a break being provided so that
the inner circular portion is elastically connected to the
remaining portion of the valve member to provide for valve actionO
The function of the check valve 40 is to permit flow of the
liquid only in one direction, i.eO~ from the container 11
through the inlet tube 36 and a hole 50 of the wall 32 to the
liquid pressurizing chamber 14 which is formed in the cylinder
30 axially between the check valve 40 and a piston ring 52.
The piston ring 52 is usually formed of rubber, plastic
material or leather and is slidably mounted in the cylinder 30
for reciprocating movement thereinO The piston ring has an
20 inwardly directed annular flange 54 which is received in an
annular groove 56 of a piston 57 e.xtending downwardly from a
slide member 58 for vertical movement therewithO It should be
noted that the piston ring may be formed integral with the lower
end of the pistonO
A hollow stem 60 is provided extending centrally axially
within the piston 57 and the slide member 58 and which has a
liquid-tight fit in a hole 62 of the piston ring 52. Preferably,
the hollow stem is formed of a material that is sufficiently
rigid not to cause the stem to bend when subjected to a
considerable force acting axially thereonO The function of the
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hollow stem is not only to serve as a guide for the vertically
moving piston ring 52, but also to communicate the liquid
pressurizing chamber 14 with the discharge valve 17~
The cover unit 12 also includes a cylindrical guide 64
extending upwardly from the skirt 28 and having an upper end with
external threads 66 formed therein (see Figo 4) D A cap ring 68
is screwed on the threads 66 of the cylindrical guide for the
purpose to be described belowO
The spray head 13 is adapted to telescope onto the cylindrical
guide 64 exteriorly thereof to insure that its rotational
movement relative to the guide is free sliding and non-bl!dingO
The head has a skirt 70 which slips over and slides on the side
wall of the cylindrical guideO The lower edge of the skirt 70
is grooved as at 72 to receive a flange 74 which is provided
around the cylindrical guide 64 above the threads 66O Thus, the
spray head is prevented from vertical movement relative to the
cylindrical guide once they are assembled to the position of
Figo lo
The spray head 13 also includes a top wall 78 having a
20 coupling member 80 which extends downwardly from the wall and
formed internally with a plurality of equally angularly spaced,
axial grooves (not shown). The axial grooves are adapted to
receive corresponding protuberances 82 (see Fig. 5) with a
friction fit therein, which are externally formed at the upper
periphery of a rotary cylindrical member 84O Thus, when the
spray head 13 is rotated, the rotary cylindrical member rotates
in the same direction accordinglyO The cover unit 12 and the
rotary cylindrical member 84 may be preferably moulded integrallyO
The rotary cylindrical member 84 includes a radially
extending flange 86 which has a skirt 88 extending upwardly from
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the flange~ The skirt 88 is adapted to abut the underside of
the top wall of the cap ring 68~ when the rotary cylindrical
member is mounted within the cylindrical guide, so as not to
cause a compression coil spring 87 to move the cylindrical member
84 upwardly for the sake of safetyO
As best seen in Figso 3 and 5~ the rotary cylindrical
member 84 also has a plurality of equally angularly spaced,
axial protuberances 89 formed exteriorly thereof below the
flange 860 ~he protuberance~ 89 are slidably received in
corresponding grooves 90 internally formed in the slide member
58, th,ereby preventing the cylindrical member 84 and the slide
membe~ 58 against rotation relative to each otherO
The slide member 58 includes a wall 93 from which the piston
57 extends downwardly to carry the piston ring 52 at its lower
end~ The wall 93 serves as a seat for the coil spring 87, the
upper end of the spring being slipped onto an inner cylindrical
member 98 formed integrally wi-th the rotary cylindrical member
840
As seen in Figs D 3, 4 and 5~ the cylindrical guide 64 has
a pair of diametrically opposite, axial grooves 100 formed
internally thereof, each of which is adapted to receive a ball
102 to cooperate with a substantially sinuous groove 104 formed
in the outer periphery of the slide member 58 to thereby convert
the rotational motion of the spray head into the vertical upward
movement of the slide member. The sinuous groove 104 comprises
a pair of diametrially opposite, axial sections 106 which are
connected by two sections 108 each intersecting one axial section
at its upper end and the other at its lower end, as is best
seen in Figo 5D When the spray head 13 is rotated relative to
the container 11 in a clockwise direction as viewed from above
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in Figo 1~ the rotational motion of the head is transmitted
through the rotary cylindrical member 84 to the slide member 58q
causing it to move upward against the acti.on of the compression
spring 87.
The spray head 13 is suitably shaped at its top to receive
a commercial discharge valve assembly of the type commonly used
in aerosol spray bomsO As best seen in Figo 1 and 2, the valve
assembly 120 is a known type of push button discharge valve and
comprises a casing 122 having a bore 124 and which is mounted
in a cylindrical boss 126 extending upwardly from the top wall
78 of the spray head 130 The casing 122 has formed thereon a
female coupling 128 which extends downwardly from the bottom wall
thereof to have a press fit on the upper end of the hollow stem
60 so that it is not pulled out from the coupling. The hollow
stem 60 has a passage 130 communicating at its upper end ~ith
the bore 124 in the casing 122 through a hole 132 formed in the
bottom wall thereofO A cover member 134 is tightly fitted in
the cylindrical boss 126 to hold the casing 122 in place on the
bottom wall of the spray head 13 with a gasket 136 interposed
between the ca;~ing and the cover memberO The ga~ket 136 has
a hole 138 centrally formed therein which receives a hollow
-:: valve stem 140 with a liquid-tight fit thereinO The discharge
valve also includes a valve body 142 formed integral with the
hollow valve stem 140 and which is shaped to receive the upper
end of a spring 1440 The spring 144 serves to hold the vertically
movable valve body 142 at its upper shoulder against the underside
of the inboard part of the gasket 136. The hollow valve stem
140 also has a side port 146 extending through its side wall,
the port being normally closed by the inner face of the hole
138 in the gasket 1360 When the valve stem is pushed downwardly
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1078796
to the open posi`t~on, the gas~k~t ~s~ peeled and dished downwardly, bringing the
side port 146 into communication w~tfi the bore 124 in the casing 122.
A trigger push button 15a, which comprises a solid piece of plastic,
is provided with a vertical hole 152 to receive the upper end of the valve
stem 140 with a press fit therein and thereby support the button spaced above
the cover member 134. The button 150 has a horizontal bore 154 intersecting
the bore 152. A conventional discharge nozzle 156 is formed at the orifice
connected to the bore 154 of the button.
An air inlet valve 158 is provided on the horizontal portion of
the cover unit 12, which extends downwardly into the receptacle 20 and is
adapted to introduce air thereinto to thereby prevent occurrence of a nega-
tive pressure within the receptacle.
Preferably the above described structure of the spray device 10 is
made substantially entirely o suitable plastic material, but the hollow stem
60 is formed ofjrigid material such as metal or hard plastic.
To operate the spray device 10, the container 11 may be grasped
in one hand and simultaneously the spray head 13 is rotated relative to the
container by the other hand in a clockwise direction as viewed from above in
Fig. 1. As the spray head is rotated from the position shown in Fig. 1 to
that shown in Fig. 2, the rotary cylindrical member 84 and accordingly the
slide member 58 rotate in the same direction, resulting in an upward movement
of the slide member within the cylindrical guide 64. This will compress the
coil spring 87 and simultaneously expand the volume of the chamber 14, thus
creating a negative pressure in the chamber. This pressure acts to open the
check valve 4Q so that the liquid under atmospheric pressure in the receptacle
20 is forced upwardly through the ~nlet tube 36, hole 50 and check valYe 40
~nto the chamber 14. ~hen the slide member 58 is moved to the position of
Fig 2, the axial grooves 106 o the slide member 64 are brought into registry
~ith the
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axial grooves 100 of the cylindrical guide 64, so that the force
of the fully compressed spring 87 acts downwardly on the ~lide
member 58~ thereby tending to move the same downwardlyO The
spring force thus presurizes the liquid which is trapped in
the chamber 14 between the closed check valve 40 and the piston
ring 520
With the spray device 10 now "cocked"~ depression of the
push botton 150 moves the hollow valve stem 140 downwardly~
thereby opening the discharge valve to release pressurized
liquid from the liquid pressurizing chamber 14 through the hollow
stem 60, hole 132 and bore 124 of the valve casing 122, a passage
170 of the valve stem 140 and nozzle 1560 The pressure exerted
on the liquid in the chamber 14 by the spring 87 is sufficient
to generate a high quality, very fine mist spray comparable to
that produced by conventional aerosol bomsO During spraying,
the slide member 58 is progressively move downwardly by the
action of the spring 87 until the wall 93 of the slide member
abuts the wall 26 of the cover unit 12, as illustrated in Figo lo
In Fig. 6, there is illustrated a modified spray device
10 of the present invention which is different from that shown
in Figso 1 to 5 in that the cylinder 30~ defining the liquid
pressurizing chamber 14' therein is vertically movably in
response to rotation of the spray head 13l while the piston ring
52' is fixed with respect to the cover unit 12lo
As shownS the sprayer 10' comprises a container 11' made
up of a receptacle 20', open at its upper end, and a cover unit
12l removably mounted over the open upper end of the receptacle
to serve as a cover for the container~ The cover unit 12~
includes a cylindrical guide 64l extending upwardly from a wall
26~ and having a cap ring 68' mounted on its upper endO The
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cover unit 12' also includes a piston 571 extending centrally
upwardly from the wall 261 ~ which is grooved at its upper
periphery to fixedly receive a piston ring 52 ~ o The piston
57' is provided with a vertical hole 201 to receive the upper
end of an inlet tube 36 J with a press fit therein. A valve
seat 202 is formed in an end bore 204 of the piston 57 ~ ~ and a
check ball 206 is loosely disposed on the seatO The piston
also has a passage 208 extending axially therethrough and com-
municating the end bore 204 with the inlet tube 36 t 0
A slide member 58 ~ is mounted within the cylindrical guide
64 ~ ~ and includes an outer cylinder 921 having a sinuous groove
104 ' formed therein which comprises two axial sections and two
intersecting sections, similar to those shown in Fig. 5~ The
outer cylinder 921 is connected at its lower end by a wall 93~
to the lower end of an inner cylinder 30' which is closed at its
upper end by a wall 32 ~ ~ The inner cylinder 30' is adapted to
telescope onto the piston 57 having the piston ring 521 provided
thereon, and carries a packing member 212 at ita topO The packing
member 212 has a central hole 214 for slidably receiving a hollow
stem 60' in liquid-tight mannerO The upper end of the hollow
stem 60 ~ is tightly fitted on a male coupling 216 of a discharge
valve assembly (not shown in Figo 6)~ . As in the embodiment shown
in Figs~ 1 to 5~ the hollow stem 60~ is formed of a material
that is sufficient rigid not to cause the stem to bend when
subjected to a considerable force acting axially thereon.
A rotary cylindrical member 84' is internally mounted on
the spray head 13' for rotation therewith and has a plurality
of axial protuberances 89 ~ for cooperating with corresponding
grooves 90' internally formed in the outer cylinder 92 ~ ~ The
rotary cylindrical member 84 ~ serves as a seat for the upper end
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of a compression coil spr~ng 8~, t~e lower end of w~ch is received in the
slide member 58'~
An air inlet valve 158' is provided on the horizontal portion of
the cover unit 12' for preventîng occurrence of a negative pressure within
the receptacle.
To fill the container 11' with liquid, the receptacle 20' is un-
screwed from the cover unit 12', the requîred amount of liquid being poured
into the open end of the receptacle. To load the liquid pressurizing chamber
14', the spray head 13` is rotated relatîve to the container 11' in a fixed
direction against the pressure of the spring 87'. Rotation of the spray
head moves the slide member 58' upwardly, thereby expanding the volume of
the chamber 14' and thus sucking liquid up via the inlet tube 36', passage
208 and past the check ball 206 into the chamber. When the spray head is
released, the check ball 206 seats and the liquid in the chamber 14' is
pressurized by the force of the fully compressed spring 87l. The spray
device 10' is now ready for dispensing liquid.
From the foregoing description, it will now be apparent that the
present invention provides an improved liquid sprayer which offers many ad-
vantages over the prior art devices. For example, the sprayer is completely
safe whether or not in the cocked position, and requires no external power
source to produce the spray mist. Sînce the container is not pressurized
but rather serves as a convenient reservoir for the liquid to be sprayed,
it is not subject to the explosion hazards of the common aerosol spray bombs.
Further, since no pressurizing gas or other foreign propellant is required,
the liquid is not subject to contamination in the container. Moreover, the
device is reliable due to its simplïfîed construction and operation and is
capable of producing an extremely high quality spray.
In addition, it should be noted that since the hollow stem which
communicates the liquid pressurizîng chanber with the
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discharge valve is formed of a rigid material such as metal
or hard plastic, there is little likelihood that the stem is
caught in the spring, hindering compression of the spring or
resulting in severance of the stem, as is frequently the case
with a flexible tube. Further, it is understood that due to
the rigidness of the hollow stem it is an ea~y matter to connect
the stem to a coupling for the discharge valve and the liquid
pressurizing chamberO
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
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