Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
LIQUID DISPENSER
The present invention relates to a ~iquid
dispenser. More specifically the present invention
relates to a combination of a dispenser for discharging
a liquid, and a holster for holding the dispenser. The
dispenser has a valve which is automatically closed
when the dispenser is held in the holster and is opened
ready for discharging a liquid when the dispenser is
free of the holster.
There is a requirement in the forest indus-
tries for applying herbicide to reforested areas to
encourage the growth of timber crop. The application
of herbicide, however, is considered environmentally
unacceptable because the chemicals used for herbicide
treatments present high environmental problems. Many
herbicides contain dioxins and others produce dioxins
while biodegrading after application. These chemicals
can lead to contamination not only of the user but also
of the environment in which the herbicides are applied.
Forest safety committees have decided that
crews should not handle these herbicide chemicals until
safe e~uipment is available that avoids operator con-
tamination, and permits controlled application to the
trees. In the past the type of equipment used for
herbicide application has been designed primarily for
other purposes such as fire extinguishers, agriculture
sprayers, paint marking guns, squeezable bottles with
various attac~ments, etc. None of them have proved
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acceptable primarily because of the problem of leakage
from these applicators and the lack of control in
applying the liquid to the timber crop.
It is a requirement of the present invention
to provide a dispenser for discharging a liquid which
can be held in one hand so that an operator can accur-
ately control the quantity of liquid dispensed, the
dispenser can be fitted in a holster attached to an
operator with the nozzle pointing downwards so that no
liquid leaks down the sides of the dispenser. In as
much as herbicide chemicals are hazardous, liquids
should not be carried in a back pack with tubes or con-
necting pipes in view of possible leakage. Furthermore
in tne application of a herbicide it is preferred that
the liquid be applied in a jet or solid stream to mini-
mize contamination by vaporization and evaporation.
Whereas the dispenser of the present inven-
tion has primarily been designed for use as a herbicide
applicator using chemicals which may be hazardous to
the health, it is also possible to use the dispenser
with expensive chemical liquids such as fungicides and
hormonal treatment compositions. Such liquids are
applied in commercial market gardening for flowers,
vegetables and fruits as well as the forest industries.
The dispenser has a valve which closes when the unit is
held in the holster thus wastage of the liquid is
avoided. The dispenser of this invention does not meter
a particular flow of liquid, so quantity of liquid
applied is controlled by the operator. The type of
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discharge ~rom ~he dispenser is a jet or solid stream
for a herbicide, however for other liquids a different
nozzle may be installed which produces a liquid spray.
The present invention provides in combina-
tion, a dispenser for discharging a liquid, and a
holster for holding the dispenser. The holster can be
attached to an operators clothing such as by a belt
loop or the like and holds the dispenser with the
nozzle at the bottom. The dispenser can easily be
handled in one hand and has an operating lever which
closes a valve to prevent liquid being dispensed from
the nozzle of the dispenser, the operating lever always
closing the valve when the dispenser is in the holster
but having a spring release to automatically open the
valve when the dispenser is free of the holster. The
operator can always close the valve by pressing the
operating lever. A squeeze bottle, forming the liquid
container, allows an operator to meter a certain quan-
tity of the liquid where required when the valve is
open.
The present invention provides in combina-
tion, a dispenser for discharging a liquid, and a
holster for holding the dispenser, the dispenser com-
prising a squeezable liquid container having connection
means to a valved no~zle portion, the valved nozzle
portion having a valve to open and close a liquid
passage to at least one nozzle, the valve having pivot-
ed operating arm extending up along side the container,
a spring means adapted to pivot the arm from adjacent
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the container, provided a closed position for the
valve, to a position away from the container, providing
an open position for the valve, and the holster adapted
to hold the dispenser with the noz~le at the bottom
thereof, the valved nozzle portion covered, and the
operating arm adjacent the container with the valve in
the closed positionr the holster having attachment
means for attachment to an operator.
In further embodiments of the invention, the
dispenser is a squeezable plastic bottle having a
threaded connection to the valved nozzle portion. The
valved nozzle portion feeds to two jet nozzles adapted
to produce two solid streams of liquid. The attachment
means on the holster is preferably a belt loop which
can be connected to an operator in the fieldO
In yet a further embodiment a seal means is
provided on the valved nozzle portion of the dispenser
to seal with the holster when the dispenser is in the
holster adapted to prevent any liquid in the holster
escaping if the hoster is tipped up. In yet a further
embodiment the valve comprises a cylindrical member
slidingly fitted in a cylindrical hole in the valved
nozzle portion, the spring means comprising a coil
spring located in the cylindrical hole pushing against
the cylindrical member to open the valve, and the
pivoted operating arm being connected to the cylindri-
cal member by a pin and key hole arrangement to ensure
pivoting of the operating arm moves the cylindrical
member.
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In drawings which illustr~te embodiments of
the invention,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dispenser
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of a holster for
holding the dispenser shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side elevation showing the dis-
penser of Figure 1 held in the holder of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a partial sectional elevation
showing the valved nozzle portion of a dispenser
according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows
a dispenser 10 having a squeezable liquid container 11,
preferably a plastic bottle, fitted into a valved
nozzle portion 12 having a nozzle 13 at the base there-
of and a pivoted operating arm 14 at the side. The
operating arm 14 is shown positioned away from the side
of the container 11 so the valve is open. This valve
position allows the container 11 to be squeezed, and
liquid is discharged from the nozzle 13.
The holster 16 shown in Figure 2 is prefer-
ably formed of a one piece molded plastic to hold the
dispenser 10 so that the nozzle 13 of the dispenser 10
is at the bottom. The dispenser 10 is a snug fit in the
holster 16 so that it does not fall out if the holster
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is tipped. A belt loop 17 is shown for attaching the
holster 16 to the belt of an operator. In practice it
is preferred that the holster 16 ~e positioned at the
side or behind the operator rather than at the front.
However each operator may determine the preferred loca-
tion for positioning the holster on a belt. Figure 3
shows a combination of the dispenser 10 fitted in the
holster 16. When the dispenser 10 is inserted into the
holster 16 the pivoted operating arm 14 is pushed on-
wards to a position beside the container 11 which
closes the valve so no liquid can be discharged from
the nozzle 13.
Details of the valved nozzle portion 12 are
illustrated in Figure 4. The valve system disclosed
here is in common use in pneumatic and hydraulic equip-
ment. A top guide sleeve 20 guides and positions the
squeezable container 11 so the threaded portion 21 of
the container 11 screws into the threaded hole 22 in
the valved nozzle portion 12 and has a seal ring 23 at
the base thereof to prevent leakage from the container
11. The container 11 has a circular rib 24 about the
clyindrical surface which slides into the guide sleeve
20 of the valved nozzle portion 12 forming a snug fit
and preventing movement between the container 11 and
the sleeve 20. A screen washer 25 is located beneath
the threaded portion 21 of the container 11 to prevent
solid particles in the container 11 entering the valve
nozzle 13~ A first liquid passage 26 feeds from one
side beneath the screen washer 25 to the valve mechan-
ism 28 which includes a cylindrical member 29 to slide
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backwards and forwards in a cylindrical hole 30. The
cylindrical member 29 has a reduced diameter area 31 to
provide a passage for liquid to pass from the first
liquid passage 26 to a second liquid passage 32 feeding
to the nozzle 13. The second liquid passage 32 is
located in the approximate center of the valved nozzle
portion 12 whereas the first liquid passage 26 is
eccentricically located. Thus in order for the liquid
to pass to the nozzle it is necessary for the reduced
diameter area 31 to span across these two passages 26,
32. A coiled spring 33 is positioned at the end of the
cylindrical hole 30 and retained by a cup 34 at the end
of the cylindrical member 29, the spring 33 pushes
against the cylindrical member 29. Two o-ring seals 35
and a spacer 36 are provided to prevent liquid passing
between the first liquid passage 2~ and the second
liquid passage 32 when the valve is closed, and from
escaping through the cylindrical hole 30. The valved
nozzle portion 12 is formed of three pieces, all pre-
ferably molded plastic, shoulders 37 on the two outside
pieces hold the o-ring seals 35 and spacer 36 in place.
The pivoted operating arm 14 is connected to
the cylindrical member 29 of the valve mechanism 28 by
means of a tapered head extension pin 40 on the end of
member 29 fitted in key hole slot 41 in the arm 14. The
clearance between the pin 40 and the slot 41 is suffi-
cient for the pivoted operating arm 14 to pivot, but
still move the cylindrical member 29 in the cylindrical
hole 30 when the arm 14 pivots. The pivoted operating
arm 14 has a bent portion 42 at the end which rests in
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a slot 43 of the valved nozzle portion 12. A stop
member 44 is provided in the stop 43 above the slot 41
in the arm 14 to provide a stop when the arm 14 is in
the open position. A bent portion 45 on the arm 14 acts
as a pivot point resting on the valved nozzle portion
12. The spring 33 pushes the cylindrical member 29 so
that the arm 14 is pivoted outwards with its handle as
far away from the container 11 as permitted. In this
position the reduced diameter area 31 connects the two
liquid passages 26 and 32 and when the squeezable
liquid container 11 is squeezed, liquid flows to the
nozzle 13. When the pivoted operating arm 14 is pushed
in towards the container 11, the cylindrical member 29
slides in the cylindrical hole 30, the spring 33 is
compressed and the reduced diameter area 31 is moved so
that the two liquid passages are not connected, and the
o-ring seal 35 prevents liquid passing through to the
nozzle 13. The operating arm 14 is retained in this
closed position when the dispenser 10 is held in the
holster 16.
The second liquid passage 32 extends to an
open space 50 where a nozzle 13 is attached by means of
a knurled flange nut 51. The nozzle 13 shown in the
figure has two apertures or jet nozzles 52 which permit
two solid streams of liquid to be ejected. It will be
apparent to those skilled in the art that this nozzle
13 can be replaced by one with a single jet or alterna-
tively one with a spray arrangement if required.
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A large o-ring seal 54 is provided on the
lower portion of the valved nozzle portion 12 to mate
with an inside cylindrical surface of the holster 16,
thus when the dispenser is inserted in the holster t6,
the o-ring seal 54 aids in holding the dispenser 10 in
the holster 16 so that it does not fall out should it
tip up if an operator falls or slips, and also prevents
any liquid that may have drained from the second liquid
passage 32 into the well of the holster 16 from spil-
ling. The second liquid passage 32 is preferably as
small as possible without permitting clogging to occur
so that a minimum amount of liquid drains from these
passages 32 when the valve ~8 is closed.
The holster 16 is preferably made of a dur-
able lightweight plastic, molded in one piece. As pre-
viously stated the container is a squeezable plastic
bottle for preference and the valved nozzle portion 12
is also made of a suitable lightweight material suffi-
ciently durable to stand up in field operations. In
use, an operator holds the dispenser by the squeezable
liquid container 11 with the nozzle 13 pointing in a
downward direction, thus any liquid which drips from
the nozzle falls on the ground. The operator must
ensure the pivoted operating arm 14 is in the open
position and the container 10 may then be squee~ed to
apply two solid streams of liquid to an appropriate
location. The operator can control the flow of this
liquid by merely varying the pressure on the container
11. Operators generally use only one hand for this
operation, after discharging from the container 1t, the
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operating arm 14 is closed to close the valve by
squeezing it in to the container 11. The dispenser 10
is slid into the holster 16 with the nozzle 13 pointing
in the downward direction. Thus liquid from the con-
tainer does not get on the hands of the operator pro-
vided the nozzle 13 is always kept at the bottom of the
dispenser 10. The operating arm closes the valve when
the dispenser 10 is placed in the holster 16, and
remains closed whilst in the holster 16.
Various changes may be made to the embodiment
shown herein without departing from the scope of the
present invention which is limited only by the follow-
ing claims.
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