Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FOAM DISP~NSING HFAD
SPECIFICATI~N
The pr~s~nt inventlon relate~ to a dispensing head
for discharging a foam producing substance from a pressuriæed
container and applying it on a ~urface~
There is already known a dispensing head and method
for applying foamy produc~ on a skin surface9 which dispensing
head is comprising an actuator member and an elastically
squeezable collecting bowl member having a central axis. In
use, when the actuator member is operated, product is delivered
from the container into the collecting bowl member. Squeezing
of the bowl axially against th~ skin,causes product to escape
from the bowl and deposit directly on the skin. After that,
it is desired to spread the product evenly on the skin, which
1~ requires ~he moving of the bowl sideways, generally in normal
direction to its axis. While this prior dispensing head has
been satisfactory in general, during the spreading procedure,
the bowl member can be inadvertently squeezed in the direction
normal to its axis, whereby causing undesirable product
escaping from the bowl.
There is a need for an improved dispensing head
which overcomes the aforementioned problem.
An object of the present invention is to provide a
simple construction dispensing head for applying foamy product
on a skin from a pressurized container having an outlet valve.
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The dispensin~ head comprises a mounking member, a valve
actuator member, and a squeezable collec~or me~ber. Th~ mounting
member has a skirt of which lower end i9 adapted to securely
engage the container, a finger tab hinged to the skirt, and a
ring which i9 rising above the finger tab and engages the upper
end of the collector member. The ring has some radial rigidity,
while axially is connected to the skirt by collapsible holder
means. Thereby, an axial depression ~f the upper end of the
collector member causes the holder means to collapse and the
collector member to squeeze, ~nd a radial pressing of the upper
end of the collector member fails to squeeze the collector
member.
Other ob~ects and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the accompanying drawings and description.
In the drawings.
Figure 1 is an axial sectional view of the upper
portion of a pressurized container having a di~pensing head
embodied in the present invention;
Fi~ure 2 is a schematic view showing the dispensing
head o~ Figure 1 pressed against a surface; and
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 as
indicated in Figure 2.
Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a dispensing
head 1 in accordance with the present invention, which is
designed for utiliza~ion with a conventional pressurized
container 10. Container 10 is a cylindrical container having a
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circular closure wall 11 to whi~h a valve carrying cap 12 is
at~ached by curling outward and downward its rim 13. The cap 12
carries a conventional reciprocable valve assembly 14 having a
preloaded compression closing spring (not shown) which bears
upward against a tubular outlet stem 15. The product from the
container 10 is discharged through the outlet stem 15 when it is
pressed downward.
The dispensing head 1 comprises a mounting member 40,
a valve act~ator member 60, and a collector member 20. The
mounting member 40 is an integral molding of a resilient plastic~
The valve actuator member 60 is also a molded plastic part. The
collector member 20 is made of resilient synthetic foam. All the
three members are preferably circular in plan form.
The mounting member 40 has a cylindrical skirt 41 of
which lower end 42 is adapted to be secured to the rim 13 of
cont~iner 10 in positions surrounding the valve assembly 14.
The skirt 41 defines a gap 43 (shown in Fig~ 3). The mounting
member 40 also has a ring 47 which is connected to the lower end
42 of skirt 41 by resilient holder means 4~. The mounting
member 40 further has a finger tab 45 attached to the inner side
of skirt 41 by a hinge 44 ~shown in Fig. 3), and a cylindrical
limiting wall 49 rigidly connected to the lower end 42 of skirt
I~l, The limiting wall 49 defines a gap 50 as shown in Fi~lre 3.
The ~inger tab 45 is extending across the axis defined by stem 15
and through gaps 43 and 50. The finger tab 45 has a hole 46
aligned with the axis defined by stem lS.
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Both the ring ~7 and ~he holder means 4~ have some
radial rigidity, while the later have substantial axial
flexibility. Thereby, axial depression of rin~ ~7 would collapse
the holder means 4~.
In this embodiment, flexible holder means ~ are three
helical holAers, which can be simply molded integral with the
lower end 42 of skirt 41. Presumably other means migth be
utilized to enable the ring 47 to be resiliently depressible.
Referring to Figure 1, the collector member 20 has a
tubular side wall 21 and a horizontal bottom wall 22 joined to
the lower end of slde wall 21. The bottom wall 22 has a
centrally located hole 23 there~hrough. The side wall 21 has a
rounded top end 24 which is interrupted by a plurality of vent
notches 25. The lower end of collector member 20 is restricted
to provide a finger access to ~he finger tab 45 of mounting
member ~0. The sid~ wall 21 also has a deep circular groove 26
cut from its bottom end. Groove 26 defines an end surface 27
in the vicinity of top end 24. The ring member ~7 of mounting
member 40 is received in groove 26 and engaged with the end
surface 27.
The val~e actuator member 60 has a head portion 61, a
flange portion 62, and a shank portion 63. A discharge orifice
65 is directed radially outwardly from the center of the head
portion 61. The shank portion 63 has a cylindrical outer
surfa~ce which engages both the centrally located hole 23 of
collector member Z0 and the hole 46 of finger tab 45 of mounting
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member 40. The shank por~ion 63 also has lockin~ means 6~ which
during assembly of dispensing head 1, can be forced through the
hole 46 to engage the underside of finger tab 45. After that,
the actuator member 60 is not being manuall~ disengageable from
the hole 46. The shank portlon 63 further has a s~em engaging
socket 66 and a bore 67 which communicates between the socket 66
and the discharge orifice 65.
The collector member 20 is attached to the finger tab
45 of mounting member 40 by its bottom wall 22. As the bottom
wall 22 is compressed be~ween the flange 62 of actuator member
60 and the finger tab 45 of mounting member 40, sealing is
provided between the flange 62 and the bottom ~Jall 22. Thereby
product can not escape through the hole 23 when the collector
member 20 is squeeæed~
In use, depression of finger tab 45 in a direction
parallel to the axis defined by stem 15 and toward container 10,
operates the actuator member 60 to discharge product from the
container 10 into the collector member 20.
Figure 2 illustrates the dispensing head 1 with the
collector member 20 is axially squeezed agalnst a surface 70, as
indicated by the arrow~ In this m~nner, the ring 47 is pressed
down against the helical hold~rs 4~ allowing product to escape
from the collector member 20. The limiting wall ~9 is rising
above both the finger tab 45 and the actuator member 60 to
pro~ide a stop for th~ surface 70, whereby eliminating the
inadvertent operation of actuator member 60.
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It may be seen, that the ring 1~7 is supporting the
top end 24 of collector member 20 at all time~ Thereby the
dispensing head l can be pressed sideways, in directions normal
to the arrow, without squeeæing the collector member 20.
Although the collector member 20 is squeezable w~th
lesser resistance ~han the preload of the compres~sion closing
spring of valve assembly l~, the upper end of the skirt 4l is
supporting the lower end of side wall 21 to take off the load
from the finger tab 45.
After removing the pressure from the dispensing head
1, it reassumes its initial size and form, as shown in Figure l.
As ~ent notches 25 are provided, air can flow into ~he collector
member 20 when it is being separated from the surface 70,
thereby the top end 2~ of collector me~ber 20 would -not stick
to the surface 70.
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