Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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MOLDED BOTTLE WITH TRIGGER BULB PUMP
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to plastic spray pump and
dispensing pump bottles and, more particularly, to plastic bottles
S having an integrally molded trigger bulb pump.
EACKG20UND OF T'=E INVENTION
A window cleaner spray bottl a is an example of the kind of
spray bottles which the preser_t invention addresses. Hard surface
sprayers, hair and cosmetic sprayers and pesticide sprayers are
additional examples of applications addressed by this invention.
Conventional spray bottles such as these, however, comprise
numerous parts and are relatively expensive to manufacture and
assemble. In fact, the spray mechanisms of these bottles often cost
more than the product contained within the bottle. Also, the spray
bottles are usually relatively complicated, so that many small
parts must be handled and assembled during manufacture. For
example, many spray mechanisms include piston-style pumps, trigger
handles, siphon tubes, and nozzles permitting variable spray
configurations. Moreover, because some probability of failure
during operation exists for each part, there are almost certainly
a higher than necessary number of faulty bottles.
Another problem associated with conventional spray bottles is
that some of the product is wasted. For example, a conventional
i
window cleaner spray bottle contains a tube iz the center of the
bottle for drawing liquid up into the spray mechanism. The tube
stops short of the bottom of the bottle so that the bottom does not
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block liquid from the tube. Thus, when the bottle is almost empty,
any liquid below the tube will remain in the bottle. Also, more
than the desired amount of product may be sprayed upon each
application, thereby resulting in waste, because neither the vclume
of the product to be delivered nor the duration of the spray can be
easily controlled.
An additional _mportant consideration is the spray bottle's
ease of use. Many people, especially the elderly and people with
arthritic hands, may have difficulty manipulating conventional
IO trigger sprayers. A significant force is reauired to depress the
trigger of some spray bottles. Thus, it is desirable to provide a
spray bottle with a trigger that may either be finger-driven or
palm-driven and which achieves the maximum available pound per
square inch (PSI) for spraying the liquid. It would also be
desirable if the trigger included a finger grip configuration .to
improve user comfort, as well as make the trigger easier to hold
and squeeze.
Another consideration with respect to ease of use involves
large capacity sprayers. Large capacity sprayers, such as those
currently used in the garden industry, require two hands. The
large bottle or container must be carried in one hand, while the
sprayer is held in the other. A large capacity spray bottle that '
can be held in one hand and be either finger-driven or palm-driven
Y
would be significantly less cumbersome and more efficient to use.
With the increasing emphasis that is being placed on
environmental issues, the ability to refill the spray bottle with
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more product rather than dispose cf the empty bottle is extremely
' important. However, because many users may prefer to purchase a
new bottle instead, spray bottles should be made of a recyclable
material.
U.S. Patent No. 5,303,851 (Libit et al.) disclcses a spray or
dispensing bottle with an integrally molded pump to overcome some
of the disadvantages associated with conventional spray bottles.
The molded bottle with trigger bulb pump of the present invention
offers improvements to the bottle shown in the Libit et aI. patent.
SUMMARY OF TH= INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a molded bottle for
spraying or dispensing liquids. The bottle includes a principal
liquid chamber and a siphon tube which extends alongside the
chamber and receives liquid therefrom. The siphon tube is also
IS pinch molded so that a valve seat is formed therein. A separate
trigger bulb is connected to the top of the siphon tube for
receiving and holding the lic_ruid which is drawn uD into the tube
when the trigger bulb is decompressed. After the trigger bulb is
fully primed with liquid any pressure subsequently applied to the
trigger bulb will cause the liquid to be sprayed out of the bottle
through a one-way exit valve located above the trigger bulb chamber
which keeps air from entering the trigger bulb during its
decompression.
The molded bottle with trigger bulb is both economically
appealing and environmentally acceptable. Aside from being
recyclable and refillable, the spray mottle comprises few parts,
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requires a minimal amount of assembly and reduces the probability
a
of failure. Moreover, the user can easily select and control the
volume and duration of the dispensed product, thereby resulting in
less waste. The molded bottle is also easy to use because the
trigger bulb can be either finger-driven or palm-driven, thus
achieving maximum pound per sauare inch (PSI) for spraying the
liquid. The design of the bottle and trigger bulb additionally
facilitates the elastic recovery and insures rapid refill.
ERIEF DESCRIPTION OF Tai=' DRAWINGS
IO FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the spray bottle with a
finger-driven trigger bulb pump;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the bottle of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an front elevation view of the bottle;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the bottle;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bottle taken along 5-5
of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a partial side elevation view of a second embodiment
of the spray bottle with a palm-driven trigger bulb pump; and
FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of a third embodiment of the
invention, including a large capacity spray bottle with a palm-
driven trigger bulb pump.
DETAILED DESCRIDTION OF 'T't=F' INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a spray bottle 20, as
shown in FIG. 1. The spray bottle 20 is preferably blow-molded,
although it may be made by any suitable process. T_t is preferred
that the bottle be made of a plastic which is fairly easy to
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squeeze, but with a plastic memory sufficient to cause the bottle
r
to return to its original shape when it is released after it has
been saueezed. Suitable plastics include all densities of
polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and
polyvinylchloride (PVC), as well as other plastic compounds.
As shown _n FIGS. 1-5, the bottle 20 has a principal liquid or
fluid containi.~.g chamber 22 which may be filled and refilled via a
conventional Teck opening 24. Chamber 22 further includes a narrow
neck portion 21 having a series of ridges or depressions 23 formed
on one surface therein for gripping. A shoulder 25 protrudes from
neck 21 above ridges 23 to further improve the grip for the bottle.
The bottle has a siphon tube 26 integrally formed with, but outside
of, chamber 22 as the bottle is blow molded. At 27, the bottom of
the tube 26 is in open communication with the interior of the
chamber 22. '='herefore, as the level of the liquid or fluid rises
with the filling of the chamber 22, that same liquid or fluid also
rises in the tube 26.
A separate trigger bulb pump 28 having an outer wall 60,
preferably convex, and an opposing inner wall 62 is integrally
molded to, but separate from, the siphon tube 26 and is in liquid
flow communication therewith only at the top of the tube at 29. A
' web 34 desirably separates and spaces the trigger bulb 28 from the
siphon tube 26.
The integral siphon tube 26 is pinch molded in a manner that
creates a valve seat 36 within the siphon tube 26. A check valve
38 is placed at a position above the valve seat 36 and adjacent to
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the opening 29 between the trigger bulb 28 and the siphon tube 26,
as shown in FIG. 5. The check valve 38 may be any suitable device,
such as a duck bill valve, a flapper or a ball bearing and be of a
compatible material and greater density -than the materials being
dispersed. Also, if a ball bearing is utilized as the check valve
38, the siphon tube 26 should have two protrusions 40 extending
inward to prevent the ball bearing from rising up too far and
failing to function. Alternatively, a sleeve gasket (not shown)
may be utilized to serve the same purpose, as well as to create a
seal between a cap 42 and the inner diameter of the siphon tube 26.
The purpose of the check valve is to stop back pressure, i.e., to
prevent back-flow into the siphon tube 26.
A suitable cap 42 may be screwed or press-fit onto the spray
bottle 20. The cap preferably includes a stalactite member 44
which extends down into the integral siphon tube 26. The siphon
tube 26 may include two or more protrusions 46 that extend inward
and hold the stalactite 44 and cap 42 securely in place.
The cap 42 for the spray bottle 20 preferably includes a
second check valve 48. The check valve 48 may be any suitable
device, such as a sliding piston, a duck bill valve or a ball
bearing. This check valve prevents air from entering the spray
bottle. However, even if a small amount of air is allowed in '
through check valve 48 in cap 42, the trigger bulb 28 will remain
primed, as described hereafter.
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On top of the cap 42, here is a suitable conventional nozzle
50 through which the fluid escapes as it is sprayed from the
bottle. This nozzle 50 may have any geometry which is most
convenient for the intended use. were, the nozzle is shown as .a
tube molded into the cap 42. However, the nozzle could also take
other forms , such as a pedestal which proj ects above the cap or
simply a pinhole on the cap, depending on the liquid to be
dispensed and the application intended.
To use the spray bottle of the present invention, liquid is
poured into neck opening 24. As the spray bottle 20 is filled, the
liquid level rises within principal chamber 22 and siphon tube 26.
Once the bottle is filled with liquid (Fig. 5), one finger,
multiple fingers, or a hand applies a pressure 30 against empty
trigger bulb 28 and forces any air in the bulb through check valve
48 and out nozzle 50. Pressure 30 reduces the volume of the
trigger bulb 28. When the pressure 30 is released, the memory of
the plastic causes the bulb 28 to return to its original shape,
thereby creating a vacuum inside the bulb because air cannot return
from the atmosphere through check valve 48. The vacuum in trigger
bulb 28 causes the liquid within siphon tube 26 be drawn up and to
cascade into the trigger bulb through opening 29. Once this is
done, the trigger bulb is primed to dispense liquid with the next
squeeze of the trigger bulb, and it will remain primed so long as
there is liquid in the chamber 22.
The next time that a pressure 30 is applied to the now fully-
primed trigger bulb 28, check valve 38 prevents a back-flow of
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fluid from the bulb 28 to the principal chamber 22 through tube 26.
Rather, the fluid is forced from bulb 28 into the cap 42 through
the check valve 48 and out the nozzle 50. As the fluid leaves the
bottle, atmospheric air may flow t hrough an air vent in the cap and
into the chamber 22 in order to replace the fluid displaced as it
is sprayed from the bottle.
The volume of the spray product to be delivered depends upon
the size of the trigger bulb 28. Preferably, the trigger bulb will
hold one or more ounces of liauid. In a preferred embodiment, the
trigger bulb holds approximately one ounce of liquid and about one-
third of an ounce is delivered with each squeeze of the bulb.
The user is also able to select and control the volume and
duration of the sprayed or dispensed liquid through the hand
compression force applied to the trigger bulb and the duration of
applying the force. In other words, a small, short squeeze
produces a small amount of sprayed or dispensed liquid and a hard,
long squeeze produces a large amount of sprayed or dispensed
liquid.
The trigger bulb 28 and bottle 20 is ergonomically designed
with a finger grip configuration 32 so that the maximum pound per
square inch (PSI) for spraying the liquid is generated by the human
hand. The finger grips not only improve comfort, but also make the '
trigger easier to hold and squeeze. Moreover, the trigger bulb
preferably contains a parting seam 33 down its center, as shown in
FIG. 3, which enhances the elasticity of the plastic. The web 34
prevents the opening 29 between the trigger bulb and siphon tube
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from getting pinched when bulb 28 is squeezed, and thus blocking
fluid flow. Moreover, the web produces a trigger bulb spring-back
action following compression, thereby increasing the elastic
recovery rate and the refill rate of the trigger bulb. Thus, the
finger grip configuration 32, ergonomically designed construction
of the trigger bulb 28, the parting seam 33 and the web 34 all
combine to facilitate the rapid elastic recovery of the trigger
bulb and to insure a rapid refill rate with an adequate vacuum.
The spray bottle 52 shown in FIG. 6 is a second embodiment of
the present invention. The reference numerals designate
corresponding parts in FIGS. 1-5. The embodiment of FIG. 6 has a
smooth convex trigger bulb 54 so that it can be squeezed by the
palm of the hand rather than the fingers. A finger grip
configuration 56 is provided on the bottle opposite trigger bulb
54. When the bulb is squeezed by the palm, it collapses, with the
results described above in connection with pressure .30. This
embodiment with palm-driven trigger bulb 54 provides a mechanical
advantage because it enables a person with less physical strength
or arthritis in the fingers to easily use the spray bottle.
The large capacity spray bottle 58 shown in FIG. 7 is another
alternative embodiment of the invention. The reference numerals
designate corresponding parts in FIGS. 1-6. T_n the embodiment of
FIG. 7, an opening 60 is provided to divide the neck 24 into a
finger-grip portion 62 and a 'dandle portion 64.
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The user inserts his or her fingers through opening 60 and
rests them on finger grip portion 62, while squeezing the smooth
trigger bulb 54 with the palm of his or her hand. The results of
squeezing trigger bulb 54 with pressure 30 are the same as
described above. This embodimer_t has the advantage of only
requiring the use cf one hand to simultaneously hold the large
bottle and spray the liquid. The handle portion 64 also serves as
a convenient means for carrying the large-capacity spray bottle
when it is not in use.
While the present invention is described above in connection
with preferred or illustrative emi~odiments, these embodiments are
not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the invention.
Rather, the invention is intended to cover all alternatives,
modifications, and equivalents included within its spirit and
scope, as defined by the appended claims.
