Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COLLAPSIBLE DISPENSING SYSTEM
TECHNICAL FIELD
The technical field of this invention relates to devices for the dispensing of
non-solid,
viscous materials.
BACKGROUND ART
Cartridges for storing and dispensing viscous materials such as resins,
sealing
compositions, dental compositions, or insulation compositions are known in the
art. Such
cartridges generally comprise an outer casing containing at one end, an end
piece which
attaches to an application nozzle and at the other end, a rear thrust wall
designed to slide
toward the end piece and force the viscous material out of the nozzle. This
sliding of the rear
thrust wall is brought about by a piston which is generally an integral part
of a manual
operating device, usually in the form of a gun equipped with a rack or
friction advance
mechanism.
Some viscous products consist of several viscous components which must be
mixed, in
given proportions, only at the time of application. It is known in the art to
store the viscous
components in multiple containers inside cartridges in such a way that the
advancing rear
thrust wall will force the components through a single mixing nozzle whereby
the components
become mixed at the time of application.
U.S. Patent No. 5,339,992 to Barthomeuf et al discloses a cartridge comprising
an
outer casing and an inner casing. Each casing holds a viscous component of a
final product.
The cartridge has a front end piece for receiving an application nozzle and a
rear thrust wall
which drives the components forward and through the nozzle when it is
advanced.
The closest prior art known to the inventor are U. S. Pat Nos. 5,161,715,
5,184,757,
and 5,242,082 to Giannuzzi. These patents disclose a double-barreled gun
designed to inject a
two-component epoxy composition. The gun contains two parallel barrels, each
containing a
foil pack containing viscous components of the final epoxy composition. The
gun contains
two front end pieces which are adapted to send the components into a mixing
nozzle. The
gun contains two pistons for urging the foil packs forward. As the foil packs
are urged
forward, cutting elements in the forward end of each barrel slit the foil
packs and allow for the
discharge of the stored components.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,085 to Cannon et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,829 to Wilcox et
al, and
U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,928 to Miiller et al are similar to each other in that
each ofthese
references discloses a double-barreled cartridge capable of receiving two
parallel containers
containing viscous materials which should be mixed only at the time of
application. Each
container empties into a front end piece which passes the viscous components
to a mixing
nozzle. Each container has a rear thrust wall which may be forced forward to
expel the
contents of the container into the front end piece.
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Thus, cartridges and guns for these cartridges for use with viscous components
which
must be kept separate from each other are well known in the art. One problem
which exists is
the incompatibility of the cartridge of one manufacturer with the gun of
another manufacturer
or even the gun of the same manufacturer with a different size cartridge.
Thus, a multiplicity
of guns and cartridges are on the market, only a few of which are compatible.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The inventor recognized this problem and solved it by providing a cartridge
which fits
common caulking guns and which holds a container made up of a plurality of
material
chambers which hold viscous ingredients which should be kept separate until
the time of
application. The cartridge and containers are designed for a single use, and
are constructed of
recyclable materials. The chambers may have a variety of ratios of the several
components.
The cartridge contains a tubular casing, a forward end cap having an orifice
capable of
snugly holding a piece capable of coupling with a conventional mixing nozzle,
and a rear
thrust wall capable of being urged forward by the piston of a conventional
caulking gun.
The container is made up of multiple collapsible chambers containing closed
rear ends,
closed side edges, at least one edge being in common for at least a portion of
the length of a
side, and a forward end in which the forward edges of the chambers are sealed
to a forward
end piece. The collapsible chambers may be sealed bags made of sturdy plastic
or expandable
and compressible chambers having accordion configurations. Each forward end
piece has a
body portion, a shoulder portion, and a neck portion. When in position in the
cartridge, the
multiple body portions of the end piece will form a circle which will abut
with the cartridge,
the shoulder portions will abut with the end cap, and the neck portion will
snugly fit through
an orifice in the end cap to engage a mixing nozzle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a system having a cartridge containing an
expanded
accordion container.
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a system having a cartridge containing a
collapsed
accordion container.
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an expanded accordion container.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an expanded bag container.
Fig. 5 is an end view of a two-part forward end piece in the closed position.
Fig. 6 is an end view of a two-part forward end piece in the open position.
Fig. 7 is an end view of a four-part forward end piece in the closed position.
Fig. 8 is an end view of a four-part forward end piece in the open position.
Fig. 9 is an elevational perspective view of a two-part forward end piece in
the open
position.
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Fig. 10 is another elevational perspective view of a two-part forward end
piece in the
open position.
Fig. 11 is still another elevational perspective view of a two-part forward
end piece in
the open position.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the above
drawings.
Like numbers refer to like parts throughout the description.
The collapsible dispensing system 2 of this invention is useful for the
dispensing of
viscous materials which should be kept separate until the time of application.
Examples of
such materials are epoxy resins which contain a resin and a catalyst, sealing
compositions, and
insulation compositions.
The system 2 is made up of a container 4 for the viscous materials and a
cartridge 6 for
the container 4.
The container 4 comprises at least two chambers 8 and a forward end piece 10.
Each
chamber 8 will be filled with a viscous material which should be kept separate
from the other
material during storage. Each chamber 8 contains a closed rear end 12; closed
side edges 14,
at least one of the closed side edge 14 being common with at least one other
chamber 8 for at
least a portion of its length; and a forward edge 16. The forward edge 16 of
each chamber 8
is attached to a separate or unified forward end piece 10.
The forward end piece 10 of the container 4 is a hollow body which forms a
passageway 18 between the inside of the chamber 8 and a mixing nozzle (not
shown). Mixing
nozzles are well known in the art, and do not constitute a part of the present
invention. The
forward end piece 10 comprises a body portion 20, a shoulder portion 22, and a
neck portion
24. The body portion 20 has an arcuate peripheral edge 26 and a straight
central edge 28.
The shoulder portion 22 connects the body portion 20 and the neck portion 24
and forms the
front end of the chamber 8. The shoulder portion 22 is bounded by an arcuate
peripheral edge
30 which abuts with the arcuate peripheral edge 26 of the body portion 20, a
straight central
edge 32, and an arcuate central edge 34. The neck portion 24 is an elongated
piece having an
arcuate peripheral edge 36 which abuts with the arcuate central edge 34 of the
shoulder
portion 22 and a straight central edge 38. While in storage, the neck portion
24 is closed by a
friction-fit or threaded closure (not shown). The neck portion 24 will attach
to a conventional
mixing nozzle by a friction fit or by threads 40. While the several portions
have been
described separately, it is preferable that the forward end piece 10 be
manufactured as a single
unit.
The body portion 20, shoulder portion 22, and neck portion 24 are shaped such
that
when a plurality of forward end pieces 10 are fitted together, the arcuate
peripheral edges 26
30 36 form circles and the straight central edges 28 32 38 fit snugly
together. Thus, if the
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container 4 is made up of two chambers 8, and therefore has two forward end
pieces 10, each
body portion 20 will take the form of a semi-circle when viewed endwise. When
placed into
the cartridge 6, each straight central edge 28 32 38 fits flat against the
straight central edge 28
32 38 of the other and the outer configuration forms a circle. If the
container 4 is made up of
three chambers 8, and therefore has three forward end pieces 10, each body
portion 20 will
take the form of a third of a circle ( 120°) when viewed endwise. When
placed into the
cartridge 6, each straight edge 28 32 38 will fit snugly with the others.
The containers 4 must be air-tight, collapsible, and made of material which
economically justifies disposal and recycling of the system 2 following use.
One form of chamber 8 is made of sturdy flexible material, such as plastic or
rubber,
and is in the form of a closed bag 42. The chamber 8 has a closed rearward end
12; at least
one closed side edge 14, at least one closed side edge 14 being in common with
at least one
other chamber 8 for at least a portion of its length; and the forward edge 16
of the chamber 8
is connected to the forward end piece 10. The chambers 8 may be manufactured
using
conventional means for making plastic bags, but including the additional step
of joining at least
two such chambers 8 together with a heat seal or chemical bonding agents. The
chambers 8
may be joined throughout their entire length or for some other desired shorter
distance. Heat
seals are preferred, but conventional chemical bonding agents are acceptable
for the purpose
of creating closures between the chambers 8. The end pieces 10 are preferably
made of one-
piece molded plastic.
Another form of chamber 8 according to this invention is made up of sturdy,
shape-
retaining, but flexible material, such as plastic or rubber and has an
accordion configuration
44. The chamber 8 has a closed rearward end 12, a body 46 having
circumferential peaks 48
and valleys 50, at least one side edge 14 in common with, or slightly
separated from, at least
one other chamber 8, and the forward edge 16 of the chamber 8 is connected to
the forward
end piece 10. The chambers 8 may be manufactured using conventional means for
making
collapsible plastic or rubber bottles, but including the additional step of
joining at least two
such chambers 8 together with a heat seal or chemical bonding agents. The
chambers 8 may
be joined throughout their entire length or for some other desired shorter
distance. As the end
piece 10 is required to be firm and unyielding and the body of the chamber
must be flexible, it
is not recommended that the body of the chamber 8 and the end piece 10 be
manufactured of
the same material. As above, the end piece 10 is preferably manufactured of
one piece molded
plastic.
Chambers 8 having the same or different volumes may be supplied in a single
container
4. Thus, when 1:1 ratios of materials are desired for a two-chamber container
4, each
chamber 8 is of the same length and has the same cross-sectional area. Where
ratios other
than l: l are desired, such as 2:1, 5:1, or 10:1 for two-chambered containers,
the length of the
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chambers 8 remains the same, an~i the cross-sectional areas are adjusted to
provide the desired
volumes. The same principle app lies for three or more chambers 8. This
enables the user to
select a single container 4 for prace.<3ures requiring one ratio of materials
and another single
container 4 for another procedure requiring a different ratio of materials.
Thus, unlike the
prior art containers, a single cartridge 6 and a single gun (not shown) will
be suitable for all
containers 4 regardless of the ratio of materials required by the procedure.
If only a portion of
the material is used, the neck portion 24 of the forward end piece 10 may be
closed with a
threaded or friction-fit closure (not shown), thus preventing the materials
from being exposed
to air.
The system 2 is designed for one-time use. Therefore the cartridge 6, forward
end cap
52 and rear thrust wall 54 are made of recyclable materials. The tubular
cartridge 6 may be
made of metal, cardboard, or sturdy shape-holding plastic. The forward end cap
52 is
preferably made of flexible rubber or plastic so as to achieve easy
application to, and removal
from the cartridge 6. The forward end cap 52 contains a centrally located
circular orifice 56
which provides for a snug fit with the neck 24 of the forward end pieces 10 of
the container
4. The rear thrust wall 54, which preferably contains a forward extension 58,
is preferably
made of metal or plastic. The size of the rear thrust wall 54 allows easy
sliding within the
tubular cartridge 6.
The chambers 8 may be filled with the viscous materials by forcing the viscous
material
under pressure into the proper chambers through the forward end pieces 10.
In use, the container 4 comprising a plurality of filled chambers 8 is placed
into the
cartridge 6 and the assembled system 2 is placed into a conventional caulking
gun. The rear
thrust wall 54 is impelled forwardly, causing the viscous materials in each of
the chambers 8 to
be expelled through the necks 24 of the front end pieces 10 to be mixed in the
mixing nozzles.
The materials will be expelled in direct ratio to the volumes of the chambers
8. Thus, the
required, pre-selected ratios are available to the user.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
A system for dispensing viscous materials which should not be mixed until the
time of
application is made up of a cartridge and a container which fits into the
cartridge. The
cartridge fits into conventional caulking guns, thus eliminating the need for
multiple, unique
guns. The cartridge is simple in nature, containing a rear thrust wall which
slides forward
when impelled by the piston of a gun, and a forward end wall containing a
central orifice. The
container is made up of a plurality of collapsible chambers for holding the
viscous materials.
The chambers may be in the form of sealed collapsible bags or may have an
accordion
configuration. The chambers may be of any predetermined volume ratio. As the
rear thrust
wall is impelled forwardly, the chambers holding the separate viscous
materials collapse and
the viscous materials are forced through forward end pieces. The forward end
pieces are
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formed such that when fitted together, they fit together snugly and form a
circle as their outer
configuration. The forward end pieces contain necks which carry the still-
separated viscous
materials to a mixing nozzle for mixing and application to the desired site.
