Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
3L~ 7~7;~3
NON-AEROSOL PRESSVRIZED PL~STIC DISPENS~R
WI~H ANTI-FOULING MEANS
Back~round of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of
containers for dispensing fluids under pressure. More
particularly, the invention relates to a plastic
container for dispensing fluids under pressure which is
adapted to employ an expanda~le bag to generate the
expulsion pressure within the container, and the method
for manufacturing such a container.
2. Background of the Invention
Containers for dispensing fluids under pressure
have traditionally fit into two categories: (1)
pressurized containers, such as the common aerosol
container, in which constant pressure is exerted on the
fluid to be expelled both during use and non-use; and
(2) pump-type containers in which the user creates the
expulsion pressure during use by manual actuation of a
pump apparatus. Commercially suitable pump-type
containers have been constructed from a variety of
materials, including metals, glass, ceramics and
plastics, among others. Since the expulsion pressure is
only developed during times of actual use in these
containers, complete gas impermeability has not been a
design requirement.
In contrast, commercially available pressurized
containers have almost exclusively been constructed of
metal. By and large, gas propellants within the
container have provided the requisite pressure for
expelling the fluid contents of the container upon
actuation of a valve mechanism. Gas impermeabllity has
therefor been a prime requirement for such containers,
and since techniques for
~7i~
': ~' ',, , ' ~ ' ' :
~. .
' , ~ ' ' ' ' " . ' '
-
- ,
.
~277;2~3
forming ga~ imperme~ble ~sal~ ln metal containerq have long
been ~uccessful, metal container~ have prevailed.
Metal di~pensing containers do po~ess
4 di~advantage~ however, not the lea~t o~ which are high
material coqt~ and manu~acturing co~plexity. Further, ~uch
6 metal containers generally amploy mounting cup~ in which the
7 valve as~embly i~ mounted and which must be crimped to the
~ top portion of the contalner. Con~equently, efforts have
g been made to produce pre~urized di~pen~ing containers made
from other materials, e~pecially plastic~. To date, however,
11 these ef~ort~ have not reQulted in an entirely sati~ractory
12 alternative to the pressurized ~etal container.
13 For example, U.S. Patent No. 3,140,80Z disclo~e~ a
14 pre~3urized di~penslng container ~hich include~ a collap~ible
bag and a separate compartment into which an expandable
16 fluid, such a~ nFreon" i~ placed. The bag is ~Pated securely
17 in a container which may be con~tructed of pla~tic, and
lB attached to the ~ide wall of the container by an adhesive or
19 by heat Realings. (Col. 3, lines 4-7). The lower sur~ace of
the bag i~ ad~acent to a "cradle" which ~orms one wall o~ the
21 Freon-containing compartment. Holes are ~ormed in the cradle
22 so that the expanding ga~ can exert pres~ure on the exterior
23 surface o~ the bag and cause its content~ to be expelled when
24 the valve of the oonta~ner i~ actuated. Thi~ arrangement
represent~ an attempt to separate the ~luid content~ to be
26 expelled from the container rrom the pre~ure-producing ga~
27 propellant and thu~ reduce the number o~ seallng locatlon~
28 where the ga~ can escape.
29 The seals bet~een the bag and the interior wall o~
the contalner and the lower portion of the container thus
-2-
: .:
1 become critical in as~uring that the ga~ propellant does not
2 escape into the at~osphere.
3 U.S. Patent Noq. 3,698,595 and 3,791,557 are
4 representative of an alternative appro~ch to the ~olutlon of
the gas permeabili~y problems which have heretofore been
endemic to pre~surized pla~tic di~penQing containers. Both
7 Or these patent~ di~clo~e pres~urized di~psnsing oontainers
8 in which the pre~ure i~ developed on the fluid to be
g expelled by the contraction of an ela~tic bladder in which
the fluid is contained. The former patent states that one of
ll the advantageQ of a bladder-type container ~uch as the one
12 di~clo~ed therein is that the container as~embly can be made
13 of plastic. ~Col~ 1~ lines 34-38). Bladder-type containers
14 thu~ ~olve the gas permeability problem by elimlnating gas a~
a propellant altogether. Quite obviously, the ~tructural
16 integrity and contra~ting characteri~tic~ of the bladder
17 material are llmiting ~actor on the Yuitablity of thi~ type
18 of container for commerc~al u~e.
19 Laqtly, British Patent Publication ~o. 2,101~225
disclose~ a plaqtic di~pen~ing container which, like the
21 common metal aero~ol container, u~e~ a ga~ propellant mixed
22 in with the fluid to be expelled to create the requisite
23 explu~ion pressure. In thiA oase, an attempt i~ made to
24 ~olve the gas permeability problem by a ~ariety of sealing
arrang2ment~ between the valve as~embly portion o~ the
26 contalner and the ves~el portion. A metal valve cup 18 u~ed
27 in the preferred e~bodiment and sealing i~ accompli~hed by
2~ cri~ping the metal over the pla~tic rim or nbeadn Of the
29 ve~el port~on of the oontainer.
;293
~u~ r~ v~n~
The present inventlon is an improved pla~tic
pressurized di~p~nsing container in which the n~ed ror the
cumbersome ba~ and bladder arrangements and the relatively
complex and co~tly sealing arrangementq ~hown in the prior
6 art is eliminated. Moreover, the pre3ent container i~ made
7 entirely of plastio aside fro~ the valve components and
8 pos~es~es a minimal number of oompollent parts, thus
g ~implifying manuracturs. The reduced cost and simplicity o~
the container o~ the invention make~3 it much more suitable
11 for large-scale commerc~al use than both ~etal and plastic
12 containers ~n the prior art.
13 The plastic container of the invention includes two
14 essential component part~, an upper portion which hou~e the
valve mechanism nece~sary for di~pen3~ng of the ~luid
16 product, and a lower portion which when cealed to the top
1~ mean3 forms the chamber ~n which the fluid to be di~pen3ed is
18 retained. The dispen3ing valYe is hou~ed in the upper
19 portion o~ the container in a reeeptable formed pre~erably by
in~ection molding, thus el~minatlng the need to ~eat the
21 valve aqsembly within a mounting eup and crimp the rup to the
22 top of the container ~n manuracture.
23 Internal pres~ure for expelling the content~ of the
24 container upon actuatlon of the valve i~ provided by an
expandable bag located ~ith~ the chamber in whioh the ~luid
2~ to be expelled i3 retained. The bag contain~ compo~ltions
27 which when reaoted together 8enerate a ga~, thereby ~nflatlng
28 the bag and causing the bag to exert pre~sure upon the
~9 content~ to be expelled rro~ the oontainer. Suoh an
expandable bag i~ di~clo3ed in U.S. Patent No. 4,376,500.
--4--
', . ;~
..
'
3L2'77;~9~
To prevent the expan~lon of the bag from blocking
relea e Or any p~rtion of the ~luid content~ within the
chamber, a tube quch a~ that disclosed in the aforementioned
4 U.S. Patent No. 4,376,500 may be included within the chamber
to provide a clear pa~age ~or expulsion of the la~t remain-
6 ing fluid within the container a~ th~e bag reache~ it~ ~ully
7 expanded condition. Alternatively, a rib may be integrally
B formed along the portion of the container forming the ~de
g wall o~ the fluid-containing chamber to accompli~h the same
purpoqe-
11 In a ~imilar Yein, a valve ~kirt or clo~ure i~
12 provided within the top meanq of the eontainer around the
13 periphery of the valve mechani~m ln order to prevent any
14 portion of the expanding baB ~rom ob~tructing the e~cape of
fluid through the valve. The valve, which ~ay be o~ a male
16 or female type i~ mounted within a receptacle molded in the
17 top end of the upper portion o~ the con~ainer. The valve
18 mean~ i~ retained in plaee by mean~ of a ~pring member
19 mounted within the clo~ure and urging the valve against the
receptacle wall.
21 ln order to permit the mo~k ef~icient utilization
22 of ~pace and s~mpli~y manufacture, each of the ~tructural
23 components of the container are 3haped such that they will
24 ne3t together in cup rashion. In the a~em~ly proces~ ror
2~ the preferred embodiment, a cup-like bottom mean~ from a
26 ne~ted ~tack i~ fed onto the as~embly line and oonveyed to a
27 ~tation where the rluid to be di~pen~ed i~ poured $nto lt and
28 th~n conveyed to a ~urther statlon where ~he expandable bag
25 i9 dropped into th~e op~n mouth Or that bottom mean~. The
30 lower portlon o~ tlle container lnto ~hlch the expandable ba~
--5--
is inserted is formed with an unobstructed or generally full
opening. In this manner, the expandable bag may be inserted
withou-t any sideways crushing necessary to facilitate
insertion into conventional aerosol containers having narrow
openings.
At the next two stations, the top means of the
container is first seated onto the open mouth of the bottom
means and then welded to the bottom means by a suitable
plastic welding process, such as ultrasonic welding, spin
welding or friction welding. Once the top means is sealed to
the bottom means assembly is complete. The sealing require-
ments for such a container are such that the generated seal
must be capable of sustaining fluid pressure of at least
twenty-five pounds per square inch without any substantial
amount of fluid leakage.
Accordingly, it is an object of an aspect of the
present invention to provide a plastic container for dis-
pensing fluids under pressure which includes two essential
component parts to be assembled in manufacture.
~t is an object of an aspect of the invention to
provide a plastic container for dispensing fluids under pres-
sure which is adapted to utilize an expandable bag to generate
the expulslon pressure within the container.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to
provide a plastic dispensing container utilizing an expandable
bag expulsion system which includes novel structural features
to prevent the fluid to be expelled from being trapped within
,'
. . .
: ' , ~ ' , ' : '
9~
the container by the expanding bag.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to
provide a plastic dispensing container which is formed
from nestable component parts.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to
provide a simple/ low cost method for assembling a
plastic container for dispensing fluids under pressure.
Various aspects of the invention are as follows:
A container including a pressure generating
expandable bag for dispensing fluid contained in the
container which comprises:
a one-piece lower portion formed of a pressure
-resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic
material, said lower portion having a bottom closed end,
and side walls extending upwardly from said closed end
and terminating to form a substantially fully open end;
expandable bag means including pressure generating
means therein for dispensing fluid from said container,
said expandable bag being adapted to be inserted into
the open end of said lower portion of said container
without any substantial crushing thereof;
a one-piece upper portion formed of a pressure
resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic material,
said upper portion having a top end, side walls
extending downwardly from said top end and terminating
to form a substantially fully open end sized for mating
with said open end of said lower portion and a
dispensing valve receiving means integrally molded in
said top end and including guarding means extending
downwardly from said top end for preventing the
expandable bag from blocking the release of fluid from
said container;
sealing means for joining said lower portion and
said upper portion to form a single fluid-impermeable
.
. .` ~ ' ' .
. -
~:
:, , . - : ,' '
- , -
-,, : . '
'
7 a :~L,2~7;~93
chamber with said guarding means extending into said
chamber;
dispensiny valve means for releasing fluid from
said chamber disposed in said dispensing valve
receiving means and protected from interference with
said expandable bag by said guarding means; and
closure means for retaining said valve means in
said dispensing valve receiving means and for providing
communication with the fluid to be dispensed, said
closure means including cap means having a cylindrical
ridge for centering said dispensing valve means and
being secured to a lower edge of said guard means, said
guard means having openings therein to permit the fluid
to pass from said chamber to said valve means, said
guard means preventing the expandable bag from blocking
sald openlngs.
A top dispensing member for use with fluid
dispensing containers having an expandable bag means
therein for exerting pressure on fluid in the container
to be dispensed which comprises:
unitary one-piece molded member formed of a
pressure resistant fluid-impermeable synthetic plastic
material having a top end, side walls extending
downwardly from said top end and terminating to form a
substantially fully open end sized for mating with an
open end of a lower portion of the container and a
dispensing valve receiving receptacle means formed in
said top end and including depending guard means
extending do~nwardly from said top end into said
container for preventing the expandable bag from
blocking the release of fluid from said container;
dispensing valve means for releasing fluid from the
container, disposed in said receptacle;
closure means for retaining said valve means in
said receptacle means and including cap means having a
cylindrical ridge for centering said dispensing valve
~ ~;j r
' ' ' ' ~ ' ~
' :
'.
%~
means and being secured to a lower edge of said guard
means, said guard means having openings therein to
permit the fluid to pass from the container to said
valve means, at least one of said guarding means and
said closure means including a surface which said
expandable bag means engages upon expansion to restrain
the expandable bag means from substantially interfering
with said valve means and the dispensing of fluid
therefrom; and
resilient means disposed between said closure
means and said valve means for urging said valve means
into a sealing relation with said receptacle means.
Still further objects may become apparent to
those skilled in the art by reference to the
accompanying drawings and detailed description set forth
below.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The present invention is illustrated by way of
example and not limitation in the figures of the
accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals
indicate similar parts, and in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the
preferred embodiment of a plastic dispensing container
in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of
the plastic dispensin~ container of FIG. 1 taken along
line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the fluid to be dispensed
and the expandable bag in place within the interior of
the container;
FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the plastic
b
B
- . . ..
-~
~;277;2~3
dispensing container of FIG. l;
FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the
plastic dispensing container of FIG. 1 taken along line 4-4
of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed view in perspective
of the valve assembly and surrounding structure of the
container of the invention;
FIG. 6 illustrates an e.xploded view of the
structural components of the plastic dispensing container
of FIG. 1, and the expandable bag used therewith;
~3 7~c
7~:9~3
FIG. 7 illu~trateq a detailed view in cro~s-~ection
Or the interface between the two ba.qic COmpOnentQ of the
container Or the invention, ln thi~ ca~e the top and bottom
means o~ the container of FIG. l;
FIG. 8 ~llustrateq an exploded view o~ the
structural components of the valve assembly and clo~ure mean~
enclo~ing the valve as~e~bly;
e FIG. 9 illustrate~ an exploded ~iew o~ an
g alternative embodlment of the valve a~embly closure means;
FIG. 9a illu~trates an exploded view of a further
11 alternative embodiment of the valve a~Qembly clo~ure mean~;
12 FIG. 10 show~ a cross--~ectional view of a nested
13 stack of top means Or the pla~tic diqpenQing container o~ the
14 invention ~hown ln FIG. l;
FIG. 11 ~how~ a cro~ ectional ~iew o~ a neQted
16 ~tack of bottom mean~ of the plastic di~pen~ing container Or
17 the invention Qhown in FIG l;
18 FIG. 12 show~ a cro~ ectional view of a nested
19 ~tack o~ ba~e cup mean~ o~ the pla~tic diQpenslng container
2~ ~ the invention shown in FI~
~l FIG. 13 illu~trate~ the a~embly ~equence ~or the
22 pre~erred embodiment of the pla~tic di~pen ing container of
23 the invention; and
24 FIG. 14 illu~trates a cro~ ectional view o~ an
a}ternative container embodiment utilizing the top meanQ Or
26 the pla~tic dl~pen3ing ~ontain~r.
27 De~cription of the Pre~erred Embodi~ent
28 Referring now to the drawing3, the preferred
29 embodiment of the pla~tic dispen~ing container of the
invention is ~hol~ in FIGS. 1-4, 6 and 9-11, and i3
. --8--
.
-.'
'' '' , ' ' ' '."' " -
., ;
.'
~2~7~3
designated generally by reference numeral 10. FIGS. 1-4 ~how
varlou~ Yie~s of container 10 in itq Pully-aY~embled
oondition while FIG. 6 ~hows an exploded view of the
4 structural components of container 10. Container 10 lncludes
t~o basic ~tructural component~, top mean~ 12 and bottom
6 means 14. Top means 12 generally take~ the form o~ a tapered
~ cap, having a ~ide open lower portion 16 and a narrower upper
8 portion 18. Lower portion 16 tapers outwardly to for~ the
g wide~t dimen3ion of the top mean~ 12, and terminateC in a
depending flange 20 who~e purpo~e will be hereinarter
ll de~cribed.
12 Upper portion 18 of top mean~ 12 include3 a wide
13 transverse groove, or rece~s, 22 having a ~ub~tantially flat
14 bottom wall 24. Bottom wall 24 includes a cylindrical
housing 26 in the center thereo~ having an aperture 2
l~ therein.
17 Cylindrical hou~ing 26, which ~orm~ a receptable
18 for the valve a~embly, iY integrally molded with the bottom
19 wall 24 o~ the top 12 and extends upward there~rom. The
interior of cylindrical housing 26 l~ sized to receiYe a
21 conventional ~alve a~embly which may be either of the male
22 or ~emale type. Extend~ng downward from and integrally
23 molded with bottom ~all 24 is a cylindrical guard 27
24 encirel~ng the valve a~sembly and which lnclude~, a3
de-qcribed in greater detall below, a holding means for
26 retaining the valve a~embly within the receptable 26.
27 Mounted ~ithin hou~ing 26 is a ~pring-loaded
28 aero~ol spray ~alve as3embly 30, lncluding valve ~tem 32,
29 which as mentloned may be either male or female. Any
9uitable 9pray head (not 9hown) ~ay be moun~ed on valve stem
:: _g_
,: : :
~77293
1 32 to impart flo~ characteristics which are appropriate for
2 the flu~d being dlspensed and the end use to which the ~luid
3 19 being put. The width dimen~ion Or rece~ 22 i~ choqen ~o
4 that the finger of any uqer of the container may easily gain
acce~q to the valve meanQ 30. Rece~ 22 provide~ protection
6 ~or Yalve means 30 ~hen the container i~ not in actual use,
7 and al~o lnsure~ that the ~luid being expelled from the
8 container will not travel in a direction which the user does
g not intend.
The manner in which valve aqqembly 30 ~q retained
11 within the oylindrical receptable ~5 and guard 27 i~ best
12 depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9. Valve a~embly 30 1~ poQitioned
13 within cylindrlcal hou~ing 26 with the stem 32 aligned to
1~ extend through aperture 28 and the ~eal 29 which abut~
again~t the in~ide of the top wall of receptable 26. Valve
16 9tem 32 ~ncludeq a hole 32a, ~o that when the valve ~tem is
17 depre~qed by a user, the hole will be dispo~ed below seal 29,
18 allowing fluid to enter the hole to be di~pensed. Valve
19 a~embly 30 i~ urged into an abutting ~ealing relation with
receptcle 26 by means of a compre~ion spring 31 which
21 engages the bottom o~ valve a~3embly body 30b. Locking o~
22 the valve a~embly 30 within the receptable 26 1~
23 aocomplished by mean~ of a oap 33 ~hich i~ ~a~tened to the
24 guard or 3kirt 27 and which holds compres~ion ~pring 31
25 against Yalve a~embly 30. Cap 33 include~ a oylindrioal
26 rldge 33a ~hlch serve~ to centsr spring 31. In order to
27 allow ~luid materlal to be di~pen~ed to enter the valve
28 a~sembly, apertures 62 are provided in guard 27.
29Cap 33 may be bonded to the depending ~kirt 27 by
30means o~ ~pin or sonic weldlng a~ slill be de3cribed belowO
-10-
`~
-
~,
~2~7Z93
An alternative mounting of cap 33 to skirt 27 iq depicted in
FIG. 9. Ears 33c are positioned about the periphery of cap
33 and include groove~ 33d which engage and mate with the rib
27a extending about the periphery of ~kirt 27. An
alternative frictional mounting of the cap i~ depicted in
FIG. 9a. A plurality Or frictional gripping members 33e are
po~itioned on the upwardly extending wall 33f of cap 33.
8 Gripping member~ 33e, which are preferably metal, engage and
g bite into the outer surface of ~kir-t 27 and thus hold spring
31 againqt valve asYembly 30. Cap 33 and wall 33f thereof
ll may further be provided with hole~ 33g to allow for material
12 flow from the container into the val~e as~embly. ~
13 Alternatively, in~tead oP forming guard 27
14 integrally with top means 12, guard 27 could be formed
lS integrally with cap 33 and ~uitable mounting means could be
16 provided on the top means 12, such aQ tho~e already di~cus~ed
17 or variation3 thereof.
lB Utilization of the valve a~embly and it~ mounting
l~ within the integrally molded receptacle 26 eliminate~ thç
need ~or the valve mounting cup~ u~ed in the prior art.
21 Further, the a~sembly described herein eliminateq the step of
22 crimping the mounting cup to the container which ha~
23 heretofore created numerouQ problemc as~ociated with leakage
24 particularly when the container ha~ been dropped.
Bottom mean~ 14 compri~e~ a generally cup-shaped
2S ve~3el which i~ tapered from a relatlYely ~ide open end 38 to
27 a narrower clo~ed end 40. In the pre~erred embodiment,
28 clo~ed end 40 l~ rounded to ~eat ~lthin a ba~e cup mean~ 42
29 ~hich will ~e here~nafter de~cribed. However, it ~hould be
under~tood that clo~ed end 40 may in the alternative have a
. ~ '
~LZ77~9~
flat bottom wall or other configuration that will enable
bottom means 14 to ~tand upright ~ithout ~upport.
3 A~ is best ~een in FIGS. 2 and 7, bottom mean~ 14
4 ~ncludes near itq open end 38 a laterally extending ~houlder
44 which Qurround~ the outer periphery of bottom mean~ 14.
6 ~th reference particularly to FIG. 7, which illu~trate3 the
~ lnterface between top means 12 and bottom mean~ 14 prior to
8 welding, qhoulder 44 is located at a distance below the rim
9 46 of the open end of bottom means 14 which i~ approximately
equal to the di~tance which flange 20 of top mean~ 12 extend~
ll below rim 48 of top means 12. Located at the edge of rim 46
12 f bottom mean~ 14 ls a bead 50. In the proces~ of welding
13 the top and bottom mean~ of contalner 10 together, bead 50 l~
14 partially melted to form a weld between rim 48 of top means
~5 12 and rim 46 of bottom mean~ 14. When weldlng is complete,
16 the lower end of flange 20 rests upon the upper surface of
17 ~houlder 44. The width dimen ion of ~houlder 44 i3 chosen to
18 match the width of ~lange 20 90 that a Qmooth ~unction i~
l9 formed when the top and bottom mean~ are welded together.
Effective ~olning of the top and bottom portion~ o~
21 contain~r 10 ~ay be obtained by ~pin welding in which the top
22 portion 12 i~ rotated ~hile bearing again~t the bottom
23 portion 14. In thi~ manner, an effective ~eal may be
24 achieved qu~ckly having a ten3ile ~trength virtually equal to
that of the pla~tic ~aterial. ~lternatively, ~onic or
26 ultra~onic ~elding may be employed. In any ca~e, exce~ive
~7 ~la~hlng 9hould be trim~ed. In a container o~ the type
28 de3~ribed utlli~ing an expandable bag, the sealing of the
29 component parts ~hould be ~ufficient to with~tand an lnternal
~luld pre3~ure of at lea~t 25 pounds per square inch. Such
--17--
~ . .
qy~tems have been found to exert pressures in the range of 25
to 90 pounds per square inch.
The ~ealing o~ top mean~ 12 to bottom ~eans 14 thus
forms within the container a ~luid impermeable chamber 53.
Fluid 54 i~ ~hown located within chamber 53 in FIG. 2, a~
well as an expandable bag 56 such as that de~cribed in detail
in the aforementioned V.S. Patent No. 4,376t500.
8 In brief, the expandable bag of the above-mentioned
g patent includes a ~irct group of compartments which are
relea3ably sealed to the internal ~ide wall of the bag and
11 which contain a sub~tance such a~ citric a~id in powdered
12 form or ln aqueou~ solution. Locatéd within the bag external
13 to the fir3t group Or compartments ~ a ~econd sub~tance,
14 such as Yodium bicarbonate, which ~hen reacted in the
~olution with the citric acid component will generate carbon
16 dioxide gas. The solvent medium, water ~or example, for the
17 aforesaid reaction i~ contained in a ~eparate rupturable
18 compartment in~ide the bag. A time release capsule of the
19 citric acid component i~ located in the bag adjacent to the
second comp~nent~ Quch that it can be di~olved in the
~1 solvent medium when deQired to lnitially activate the ga~
22 generating system, l.e., at the point of Pinal assembly o~
23 the bag into the di~pen~ing container 10. As the bag expands
24 lnitially9 the flr3t group o~ compartment3 i~ 3ucce~sively
un~ealed ~rom the ~ide wall thereo~, thereby discharging
26 their eontent~ into the ~olvent containing the second
27 eo~ponent and ~a~ ntaining generation of the ga3 until the bag
28 reache~ its ~ully expanded condition.
29 A~ bag 'j 6 expand-~ ~ithin chamber 5 3 o~ container
10, a greater and greater portlon of the volume occupied by
-13-
2~3
fluid 54, and any air initially entrapped wi~hin chamber 53,
2 ~ill be di~placed until the force exerted by the expanding
3 gasee within bag 56 reacheA equilibrium with the reactionary
4 force exerted by the fluid 54 and entrapped air ~lthin the
chamber 53. Initial actuation Or the valve mechani~m 30 will
6 permit the entrapped air ~ith~n chamber 53 to escape an~
7 allow the bag 56 to expand further to occupy the Yolume
B evacuated by the entrapped air. Succeeding actuations o~ the
g valv~ mechani~m 30 will permit fluid 54 to be expelled from
chamber 53 under the preq~ure exerted by the expanding bag 56
11 until bag 56 di3places the entire volume o~ chamber 53
12 occupied by fluid 54 and all of the fluid hae been expelled.
13 The expan~ion of bag 56 within ehamber 53 create~
14 the po3sibility that the bag will expand to the limit~ of the
upper portion of chamber 53 be~ore expanding to the lower
16 limit~ o~ chamber 53, thereby trapping ~luid in that lo~er
17 portion. In order to prevent thi~ ~rom happening, the
18 preferred embodiment of container 10 include~ along the
19 interior ~ide wall o~ bottom portion 14 a longitudinal rib
58. Rib 58 will prevent bag 56 ~rom expanding completely to
21 the ~ide walls o~ bottom portion 14, thereby creating an
22 eccape pasqage ~or any ~luid in the lower portion o~ chamber
23 53. The function of rib 58 may al~o be ~erved by a tube
24 placed within the bottom portlon 14 of the container 10
during manufacture. Such a tube i~ ~hown and de~cribed in
26 the above-mentioned U.S. Patent No. 4,376,500.
27 In a ~lmilar vein, cylindrical guard 27 ~hieh i~
2~ integrally forme~ ~ith top mean~ 12 rurther ~erve~ to preYent
29 the expanding bag 56 ~rom obstructing the valve a~embly ~0.
30 Cyl~ ndrical guard 27 include a plurality o~ groove3 62
--14--
.
t.
.
~LX77;~93
therein to provide pa~age for fluid 54 to r~ach the valve
2 a~embly 30.
3 A~ mentioned earlier, the bottom mean~ 14 Or the
4 preferred embodiment of oontainer 10 ha4 a rounded lower
portion 40 which ~eat~ within a ba~e cup mean~ 42 a~ shown in
6 ~IG. 2. Ba e cup means 42 includeq a bevelled inter~or wall
7 64 which i~ formed to ~nugly ~it again~t the tapered ~ide
8 ~alls of bottom mean 14. The lower portion of ba~e cup
g mean~ 42 form~ an annular inwardly ~lop~ng ~eat 66 which
~upport~ the rounded bottom port1on 40 of bottom mean~ 14.
ll Bevelled ~all 64 and annular ~eat 66 cooperate to pOQition
12 bottom cup mean~ 14 in an upright po~ition.
13 All of the structural components of container 10
14 hereinbefore de~cribed (~ith the exception o~ certain
internal part~ of valve a~embly 30 and the spring 31) are
16 formed o~ any one Or a number of ~ynthetic pla~tic~ which are
17 both fluid impermeable and strong enough to with~tand the
18 pre~qure developed ~ithin the container. Among the pla~tic~
l9 from which the eontainer of the invention may be formed are
polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride and the
21 polyacronitriles. The ~tructural component~ o~ the container
22 may be made by any one Or a number of proceQs@s for forming
23 pla~tic part~, such as blow molding, extrusion or injection
24 ~oldin~.
A~ sho~n ln FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, top mean~ 12,
26 bottom mean~ 1~ and ba~e cup means 42 of She preferred
27 embodiment o~ container 10 are each shaped ~o as to be ~tored
28 ln nested stack~. The ne~table ~hape3 oP top mean~ 12,
29 bottom mean8 14 and ba3e cup mean~ 42 permit ~torage of those
co~ponents prior to ~anufacture in relatively ~mall area~,
-15-
.
93
thus efficiently utilizing the ~pace availab:Le ~or Qtorage
and lowering warehousing costq. The ne table shape~ al~o
promote ea~ier ~eeding of the eomponent~ on the as3embly line
4 ~uring manufacture.
S The manufacturing aYsembly ~equence ~or the
~ preferred embodiment of the container of the invention i~
7 illu~trated from le~t to right in FIG. 13. Botto~ cup meanq
8 42 i9 fir~t fed from a nested stack onto a moving belt or
g other conveying device, and then dellvered to Station (1).
l~ At Station (1), a bottom means 14 is ~ed from a ne~ted ~tack
ll and seated ~n base cup mean~ 42. The requltin~ suba~embly
~ then delivered to Station (2), where bottom mean~ 14 is
l~ filled wi~h fluid which i to be di~pen ed. After being
14 filled with ~luid, the ~ubas~embly i~ conveyed to Station
(3)~ where an expandable bag 56 is in3erted from a magazine
16 into bottom means 14. Since the bottom mean~ 14 ha3 a wide
17 opening extending for its entire ~nner dlameter, in~ertion o~
18 the expandable bag 56 is accomplished w$thout requirlng
l9 oru~hing. Next, the ubas~embly is conveyed to Station (4~,
where top mean~ 12 i~ ~ed rrom a magazine containing a ne~ted
21 stack of that component onto the open end of bottom means 14.
22 At the next Station, Station (5~, top mean~ 12 is welded to
23 botto~ means 14 by one of a number of uitable plastic
24 ~elding techn~que~, 3uch a~ ultrasonic weld~ng~ friction
25 weldlng or spin ~elding~ The completed eolltainer 10 i~ then
26 conveyed to a pa~king 3tation and then prepared ~or ~hipment.
Appropriate modif~cation~, ~hich ~11 be obvious to
2~ tho~e ~killed in the art, may be made to the a~e~bly
29 ~equence lllu~trated in FIG. 13 to accommodate containers of
di~ferent ~hape~. For exa~ple, as prevlou~ly ~entloned,
-16-
.
~ .
~ . ~
':
~'77~3
bottom means 14 may have a flat bottom wall enabling it
to stand upright without base cup means 42, thereby
eliminating base cup means 42 from the assembly
sequence. Alternatively, bottom msans 14 or top means
12 may have non-nestable shapes which would require them
to be placed or fed onto the assPmbly line by a
different method than that shown in FIG. 13.
The cap or top means 12 of the container 10
herein may readily be adapted for use in association
with a refill pouch of the type disclosed in applicant~s
Canadian Patent No. 1,195,298, issued October 15, 1985
and entitled "A Dispensing System And A Refill Pouch".
With particular re~erence to FIG. 14, the top means 92
of container 90 is generally of the same construction as
that previously described except that a different manner
of sealing the two basic components of the container
together is provided. The lower portion of top means 92
of container 90 includes an extended depending flange 96
which is provided with screw threads on its interior
wall. Mating screw threads are provided on the exterior
surface of the upper portion of bottom means 94. An
o-ring seal may be utilized in association with the
threads, to secure an appropriate seal.
The bottom means 94 again includes the
expandable bag 95, depicted in FIG. 14 in a partially
expanded state, including pressure generating means 9
and rupturable compartment 100 for initiating gas
generation. A tube 101 may be provided so that material
to be dispensed at the bottom of bottom means 94 is not
"pinched off" by the expandable bag 95~ As explained in
greater detail in aforementioned Canadian Patent No.
1,195,298, the material to be dispensed is housed within
an outer pouch 97, as is also the expandable bag 95.
Outer pouch 97 preferably conforms to the shape of
bottom means 94 and top means 92, as shown. The top of
outer pouch 97 is open to allow fluid material to be
17
P;
`
`
:
: . '' ` : , ,
'
.
~.2~293
dispensed to be in communication with the valve
assembly. Such an opening may be made by removal of a
tear strip as explained in aforemantioned Canadian
Patent No. 1,195,298 or by an appropriate puncturing of
the outer pouch 97. Once all of the material has been
dispensed, container 90 may be opened by removal of the
top means 92 and a new refill inserted as described in
aforementioned Canadian Patent No. 1,195,298.
This invention has been described in terms of
specific embodiments set forth in detail, but it should
be understood that these are by way of illustration only
and that the invention is not nacessarily limited
thereto. Modifications and variations will be apparent
from this disclosure and may be resorted to without
departing from the spirit o~ this invention, as those
skilled in the art will readily understand.
Accordingly, such variations and modifications of the
disclosed invention are considered to be within the
purview and scope of this invention and the following
claims.
18
~A
-
-
. .
-
. .
.- -
.
