Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DISPENSING CAP FOR USE WITH PRESSURIZED CONTAINERS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pressurized containers of the aerosol
type have been traditionally equipped with an
actuating button or capr which button or cap
defines a product duct through which the.product
passes to the discharge orifice situated within the
button or cap. To discharge product from the
container, the user grasps the container and with
one finger of the grasping hand depresses the
button or a portion of the cap to release the
contents of the container.
While achieving substantial commercial
success, finger actuated buttons or caps have the
disadvantage of inducing finger fatigue for some
users. Moreover, with the prior systems of --
actuationl the aiming of the discharged product to
the desired surface area sufers somewhat due to
the relatively awkward gripping and finger
placement. A more natural grasping and actuation
of the container is achieved through the use of a
trigger mechanism.
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Heretofore, aerosol containers actuated
through a trigger mechanism have had the
disadvantayes of not optimizing the ease of valve
actuation; of having a portion of the actuating
mechanism extend beyond the perimeter of the
container, with the attendant problems during
shipment or storage of preactuation due to
-- inadvertent contact with the trigger; and aesthetic
unappeal to consumers. Examples of prior trigger
actuated aerosol containers are disclosed in United
States Patent Nos. 3,189,232, 3,580,432 and
3,987,9~2.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
This dispensing cap of this invention is
compact and aestheticall~ pleasing. Broadly, the
actuator cap of this invention comprises a housing
member having a base portion for fitment onto the
valved closure portion of an aerosol or pressurized
container, an actuator member having a valve-
connecting and discharge portion with a product flow
path therebetween, said actuator being hlngedly
mounted to the housing, pre~erably proximate to
the radial plane distal to the discharge side of
the actuator, and a trigger member attached to the
actuating member proximate and substantially
perpendicular to the discharge orifice. A further
feature of a more specific aspect of the cap of
this invention, is the achievement of the ease of
actuation through utilization of a multiple
lever mechanism7
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According to this invention, there is provided a
multi~levered trigger-actuated dispensing cap adapted for
use wi~h a pressuriæed container having a valved closure,
said cap comprising a) a slotted housing having a front
and side walls and a base adapted to be mounted on the
perimeter of the valve closure, b) an actuator disposed
within the slotted housing having a valve-connecting
portion and a laterally directed discharge por~ion
defining a product duct, which actuator is adapted to
sealingly connect at the terminus of the valve-connecting
portion with the valved closure and at the terminus of the
discharge portion in a discharge orifice, said actuator
further having a hinged portion connecting the actuator
and housing to provide a lever, and, c) a manually-
operated trigger member engaging the discharge portion of
the actuator, havin~ its gripping area disposed outside of
the housing but within the perimeter of the container that
the dispensing cap is adapted to fit, said trigger member
being hinged a greater distance from the gripping area of
the trigger member than the distance from the trigger hinge
to the place of engaging the trigger to the actuator,
thereby providing a second lever.
The invention will be further explained by means
of a preferred embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying
drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic view o~ the dispensing cap
of this invention with the trigger member dismounted but
aligned for mounting onto the cap.
Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the dispensing cap
of this invention with the ~rigger member in mounted
position.
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Fig. 3 is an axial sectional view of the cap of
this invention mounted on the bead formed by the mounting
cup and the structure defining the container opening;
showing also in dotted form the trigger in depressed or
valve open position.
Fig. 4 is a top view of the dispensing cap with
a partial section of the aligning grooves and positioning
recess for inserting and afixing the trigger member to
its final position.
Fig. 5 is a front elevation view of the
dispensing cap.
Fig. 6 is an axial sectional view of the cap of
this invention mounted as in Fig. 3, but wherein the
trigger member is molded integral to the actuating member.
Referring to Figs~ 1~3, the dispensing
cap of this invention is generally designated as
10. The cap comprises a housing, generally
designated as 12, having hollow side walls 14 and
- 5 16 defining a slot 18, a vertical wall 20 and front
walls 22 and 24, which further define 510t 18.
Side walls 14 and 16 of the housing 12 have at
their lower end a circular flange 26 which is
adapted, in conventional manner, to snap-fit over
the conventional bead formed by joining the
mounting cup 28, shown in schematic in Fig. 3, of a
pressurized container 30, (shown in partial
schematic in Figs. 2 & 3) with the container.
Extending outwardly from vertical wall 20 are the
rear panels, generally designated as 21.
~ An actuator member, generally designated
as 32, is disposed within the slot 18 of the
- housing 12~ The actuator member 32, has a
horizontal portion 34 and a vertical portion 36.
Through the vertical portion 36 of the actuator
member 32 is a duct 38, which is continued in the
- ' horizontal portion 34 as duct 40O At one end of
the vertical portion 36 of the actuator member 32
:: is a valve stem receiving socket 42 which defines a
recess to receive the valve stem 44 of a
conventional valved pressurized container.
- Te`rminating one end of the horizontal portion 34 of
the actuator member 32 is a post 46 adapted to
. receive an insert 48 having a discharge orifice 50
The post 46 and insert 48 may be of any
type known in the aerosol spray container field,
preferably a discharge system employing a series of
ducts leading to the discharge orifice commonly
referred to as a "swirl chamberl'~
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Extending from the joinder oE the horizontal
portion 34 and ~he vertical portion 36 of the actuator
member 32 is hinge arm 52, which arm 52 terminates in a
hinge 54~
Preferably, the housing 12 and actuator member 32
are molded of plastic and in one-piece, the hinge 54 being
molded integral to the housing 12.
When actuating an aerosol valve of the vertical
acting type (known to those skilled in the art), it is
desirable that the travel path prescribed by the movement
of the actuator member during opening of the valve be as
near as possible to that of the valve stem, namely,
vertical. ~o achieve this valve opening direction for the
actuator movement, the hinging of the actuator and housing
is set at an elevation coincident with the top of the
valve stem, and more preferably at the midpoint of the
travel distance of the valve stem during actuation.
The trigger member, generally designated as 56,
and shown best in Fig. 1, has a yoke portion, generally
designated as 58, having a top plate 60 and side walls 62
and 64. On both side walls 62 and 64 are lugs 66. The
trigger member has a finger receiving portion 68, atop of
which is a grooved plate 70. The yoke portion 58 defines
an opening 72, which is dimensioned such that the yoke
portion 58 slides over the horizontal portion 34 of the
actuator member 32 through opening 72.
The grooved plate 70 is an additional feature of
this invention useful to provide a catch channel for any
dripping of product after the valve has been closed.
Product dripping onto the plate 70 passes along the groove
and within ~he confines of the dispensing cap rather than
drip onto the outside of tne container or the user's hand.
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In mounting the trigger member 58 onto
the actuator member 32, the lugs 66 are passed
along yrooves 74 on the inner surface of the hollow
side walls 14 and 16, which grooves 74 are
preferably flared slightly outwardly toward the
discharge end of the actuator 32. The grooves 74
terminate in recesses 76 deeper than the inner
terminal ends of the grooves 74, such that when the
trigger member 58 is advanced to its ultimate
position beyond the grooves 74, the lugs 6& snap
into the recesses 76 and hold the trigger member 58
permanently in position.
As shown in Fig. 2 the front end of the
yoke pDrtion 58 terminates at the front walls 22 of
the housing 12.
~he lugs 66 act as a fulcrum for the
trigger member, thereby effecting a second lever
action when the trigger member 56 is movéd toward
the container.
Maximum lever action for the trigger
member is effected by positioning the trigger
hinge, as close as molding and assembly will
permit, to the resisting pressure of the valve of
the pressu~ized container and away from the contact
; 25 between the trig~er ~nd actuator members~
In operation, moving the trigger toward
the container will depress the actuator member and
in turn the valve stem, thereby opening the valve
of the container. The product is then discharged
3~ through ducts 38,40 to the "swirl chamber" at the
discharge end of the hori~ontal portion 34 of the
actuator member 32 and ultimately through the
discharge orifice 50.
