Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a sprayer capable of being effectively
operated during pumping in both upright and inverted positions without leakage through
the container vent passage which is sealed closed in the inverted position by the
provision of a slider valve.
Such sprayers of this general class are known, as disclosed in U.S. patent
5,467,901 in which a ball check valve is movable along a secondary passage
communicating with a primary inlet passage to a pump chamber. In downward and
inverted positions, the ball valve is seated against a second valve seat at a vent
passage so as to open the secondary passage. In the upright position the ball valve is
seated against a valve seat at the secondary passage to open the vent passage.
The secondary inlet passage and the opposed ball valve seats are, however,
formed integrally with the pump housing thereby requiring special molding of a part or
parts of the sprayer assembly which only increases the cost of production and
assembly of the sprayer. Besides, often times a ball check valve does not seat quickly
enough or tightly enough against its ball seat unless its travel distance to an open
position away from its valve seat is limited, or unless the ball check valve is spring
biased closed.
Dispensers are also known as having a slide valve which in an upright position
during the dispensing operation closes an auxiliary inlet port in the primary inlet
passage leading to the pump chamber. In an inverted position of the dispenser, the
slider valve uncovers that inlet port, located near the upper end of the container,
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thereby admitting product into the primary inlet passage to effect dispensing while
inverted.
Rather than a ball valve, Australian patent 208597 provides a sleeve valve whichaxially shifts under the force of gravity when the dispenser is inverted to uncover an
auxiliary inlet port in the dip tube to facilitate dispensing of liquid stored under pressure.
U.S. patent 2,792,974 discloses a liquid pump dispenser having a central inlet
pipe as well as separate dip tubes for upright and inverted use. The dip tubes are
mounted on a sleeve which shifts axially under gravity on a central pipe to uncover
alternate inlet ports. In the upright mode, the sleeve seats on a frusto-conical bottom
portion of the central pipe.
U.S. patent 4,019,661 discloses a slide valve for a dispenser as generally
described above.
The known slider valves, however, function only to cover and uncover an
auxiliary inlet port in upright and inverted attitudes of the dispenser. Thus, for those
dispensers having a container vent passage provided to avoid paneling and hydraulic
lock during pumping, the product will leak through the open vent passage during the
dispensing operation while the dispenser is in an attitude other than substantially
upright.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a manually actuated
liquid pump sprayer capable of being operated in both upright and inverted positions,
without leakage, by the provision of a slider valve which shifts under gravity in an
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inverted position of the sprayer to close the vent passage to thereby avoid leakage of
product through the vent path. The shifting slider valve controlling the opening and
closing of the vent is, according to one embodiment, a single slider valve which likewise
opens and closes an auxiliary inlet. According to another embodiment, separate slider
5 valves are provided for controlling the auxiliary inlet and the vent.
The container vent passage, which includes a vent port, lies in the path of the
shifting slider valve so as to be opened and closed thereby in inverted and upright
positions of the sprayer.
The vent port may be located in a tube retainer of the pump body which
10 suspends the dip tube extending into the container, or the vent port may be located in a
gasket seal provided between the pump body and the container neck. In both these
versions a single slider valve is provided which closes the inlet port in the upright
position, the valve having a flange covering the vent port in the inverted position. The
valve may otherwise have inner and outer sleeves which respectively close the inlet
15 port and the vent port in the upright and inverted positions.
Otherwise first and second slider valves may be provided, the first closing the
inlet port of the auxiliary liquid inlet passage which leads to the primary inlet passage, in
an upright spring position, and opening that port in an inverted position to permit spray
irrespecbve of the attitude of the sprayer. The second slider or shuttle valve may be
20 located within the pump body for closing a vent port in an inverted position of the
sprayer to avoid leakage along a vent passage and through that port when spraying in
a position other than substantially upright.
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The second slider valve is guided within a vent passage of a pump body without
rotation about its central axis to assure vent port closing effectively and quickly during
each inverted spray. The vent passage has opposing flat walls, and the second slider
valve is complementarily shaped. The vent passage having such guide is an existing
structure requiring no modification and retooling of the improved pump sprayer
according to the invention.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more
apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIFF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a side elevational view, mostly in section, of one embodiment of a
trigger sprayer incorporating the invention;
Figure 2 is a view of part of the Fig. 1 trigger sprayer, in vertical section, shown
in its inverted position with the siider valve closing the vent port;
Figure 3 is a side elevational view, mostly in section, of another embodiment of a
trigger sprayer incorporating another embodiment to the invention;
Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a similar trigger sprayer incorporating yet
another embodiment according to the invention;
Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and
Figure 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of the trigger sprayer in its inverted position
with the vent port closed.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Turning now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and
corresponding parts throughout the several views, one embodiment of the invention is
shown in Fig.1 assembled to a trigger actuated sprayer generally designated 10 having
5 a pump body 11 with a closure 12 for mounting the sprayer to the neck of a container
13 of liquid to be sprayed. A tube retainer 14 is fixed to the pump body as at 15, its
flange 16 overlying edge 17 of the container neck. A gasket seal (not shown) may
underlie flange 16.
The pump body has a pump cylinder 18 in which a pump piston 19 is
10 reciprocated in sliding sealing engagement to therewith define a variable volume pump
chamber 21. The piston may be mounted at the upper end of an elongated stem 22
having a flange 23, a piston return spring 24 extending between this flange 23 and an
opposing upper portion of the pump body for resiliently biasing the piston out of its
cylinder.
A trigger actuator 25 is pivotally mounted to the pump body in some normal
manner, and has a forked arm 26 engaging in the underside of flange 23.
The pump body has a discharge passage 27 extending from the pump chamber
through which product is discharged from a discharge orifice (not shown) located in
nozzle cap 28. An inlet passage 29 is formed in stem 22 and is valved as at 31 for
20 valving product into the pump chamber during each suction stroke of the dispenser.
Valve 31 may be in the form of a spider valve having connected legs formed integrally
with the piston, although a flap valve or a ball check valve or the like could otherwise be
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provided without departing from the invention.
The stem has a depending container vent valve 32 which may be in the form of a
downwardly diverging conical lip seal sometimes referred to as a chevron seal in sliding
sealing engagement with the wall of a cup member 33 of the tube retainer. Formed on
5 the inner wall of the cup member is one or more longitudinal vent grooves 34, or
equivalent longitudinal vent ribs, and the bottom wall of the cup member has one or
more vent ports 35 formed therein.
The tube retainer has a retainer sleeve 36 suspending a dip tube 37 which
extends into the container and normally curls against a bottom wall of the liquid
10 container, as known in this art. A primary fluid path is established through the dip tube,
longitudinally through the tube retainer and along passage 29 into the pump chamber.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an auxiliary liquid
inlet passage is established as by the provision of an inlet port 38 which may be located
in sleeve 36 at the upper end of the container interior. A slider valve 39, in the form of a
15 simple sleeve surrounding sleeve 36, and having a transversely extending flange 41 at
one end, is capable of sliding between bottom wall 42 of the tube retainer and a stop 43
formed on sleeve 36, which stop may be in the form of an external flange.
In operation, slider valve 39, in the upright position of the sprayer of Fig. 1, bears
against stop 43 and covers secondary inlet port 38 such that, during pumping upon
20 trigger actuation, product is expelled from the pump chamber through the discharge
passage. During each pressure stroke vent chevron valve 32 is juxtaposed to vent
groove 34 to thereby establish an open vent path from the atmosphere into the interior
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of the container via vent port 35. Thus, the product expelled from the container during
pumping is replaced by air to avoid a sub-atmospheric pressure condition within the
container thereby avoiding container paneling and hydraulic lock of the piston. At the
end of each suction stroke, vent valve 32 returns essentially to the position shown in
5 Fig. 1 whereupon its reseals with the inner wall of cup member 33 of the tube retainer,
to seal the vent passage closed such as during conditions of shipping and storage to
avoid leakage of product through the vent.
In an inverted attitude of the sprayer such as that shown in Fig. 2, valve 39 shifts
under gravity into bearing engagement with wall 42 thereby uncovering inlet port 38.
10 Since the inlet port is located in the vicinity of the upper end of the interior of the
container, product is drawn into the primary inlet passage through port 38 during each
suction stroke of the piston permitting pumping without ingesting air into the pump
chamber as would be the case if the free end (not shown) of the dip tube were no
longer immersed in the liquid within the container in the Fig. 2 position.
IS Also, in the Fig. 2 inverted position, vent port 35 is covered by the slider valve to
prevent leakage of product through the vent passage during pumping while the trigger
is actuated with the sprayer fully or partially inverted.
When the trigger is again uprighted as in Fig. 1, the slider valve simply slides
back under the force of gravity into bearing engagement with flange 43 to reclose inlet
20 port 38 and to reopen vent port 35.
A trigger sprayer generally designated 44 in Fig. 3 incorporates another
embodiment of the invention incorporated therein. The trigger sprayer details are
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disclosed in U.S. patents 4,747,523 and 5,507,418, commoniy owned herewith, the
entirety of the disclosures of which being specifically incorporated herein by reference.
Trigger sprayer 44 has a pump body 45 mounted on a container 46 by the
provision of a container closure 47, with an intervening gasket seal 48.
A tube retainer 49 is fixed to the pump body, and suspends a tube adaptor 51
which in turns suspends a dip tube 52 extending into the interior of container 46 as in a
manner and for the purpose known in this art.
Tube retainer 49 has an external flange 53 which supports the gasket seal at a
central opening 54 thereof which, unlike that disclosed in the 5,507,418 patent, is
circular and seals tightly against the surrounding portion of the tube retainer.A trigger actuator 55 is hingedly mounted to the pump body in some known
manner, and functions to reciprocate pump piston 56 within its cylinder bore 57 for the
dispensing of liquid from the pump chamber through the discharge passage and outthrough the discharge oriflce located in the nozzle cap. The pump cylinder has a vent
port 58 formed in its wall which establishes a vent passage into the interior of the
container via another vent port 59 which, according to the invention, is located in the
gasket seal. The vent passage is opened to the atmosphere during pumping as a vent
seal 61 on the piston is deformed during each pressure stroke as it is juxtaposed to one
or more longitudinal vent ribs 62 located on the inner wall of the cylinder bore, as
described in more detail in the 4,747,523 patent.
In accordance with the second embodiment of the invention, an auxiliary liquid
inlet passage is established by the provision of an inlet port 63 which may be located in
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tube adaptor 51 at the frusto-conical section 64 thereof and in the vicinity of the upper
end of the interior of the container.
Slider valve 65 has an inner sleeve 66 with a frusto-conical section which
matches that of section 64, and an outer sleeve 67. The outer sleeve is of a diameter
5 as to be in alignment with vent port 59, and spaced away therefrom as in the open vent
condition of Fig. 3.
In operation, slider valve 65 covers inlet port 63 while the sprayer is being
operated in its Fig. 3 upright position. Liquid is ejected from the sprayer during each
squeeze Qf the trigger, and is ingested into the pump chamber during each piston
10 suction stroke as liquid flows through the inlet passage established by the dip tube,
tube adaptor and tube retainer. And, since the dip tube is stationary, slider valve 65
remains spaced away from vent port 59 such that during each pressure stroke the vent
passage is opened to establish venting of the interior of the container from the
atmosphere through the open vent passage.
While pumping during an inverted attitude of the trigger sprayer, slider valve
shifts under gravity until its outer sleeve 67 bears against the underside of the gasket
seal. Since vent port 59 is in alignment with the outer sleeve, the vent passage is
thereby closed, and inlet port 63 is correspondingly opened. Thus, during pumping,
liquid is ingested into the pump chamber via the auxiliary inlet passage through open
20 inlet port 63 which is located in the vicinity of the upper end of the interior of the
container. At the same time any leakage of product through the vent passage is
prevented by the outer sleeve of the slider valve which now blocks port 59.
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Fig. 4 discloses a trigger sprayer which is essentially the same as that shown in
Fig. 3, except that Fig. 4 incorporates yet a further embodiment of the present
invention. Like parts shown in Fig. 4 will therefore be designated with the samereference numerals as those in Fig. 3.
Unlike that of Fig. 3, gasket seal 68 of the Fig. 4 embodiment has a central
opening 69 of rectangular shape, similarly as that disclosed in U.S. patent 5,507,418.
Thus, when opening 69 surrounds the circular portion of the lower end of tube retainer
15, four ports (not shown) are formed at the four corners of the rectangular central
opening.
Pump cylinder 71 has vent port 58 formed in its wall as part of a vent passage 72
extending through a hollow section 73 of the pump body (see also Fig. 5) and
communicating with the interior of the container via the port established in the gasket
seal at the four corners as aforedescribed. The vent passage is open to the
atmosphere during pumping as vent seal 61 on the piston is deformed during each
pressure stroke as is juxtaposed through one or more longitudinal ribs 62 (or
longitudinal grooves) located on the inner wall of the cylinder bore, as described in
more detailed in the U.S. 4,545,523 patent.
As in the Fig. 3 embodiment, an auxiliary liquid passage is established by the
provision of inlet port 62 located in tube adaptor 51 at frusto-conical section 64 thereof
and in the vicinity of the upper end of the interior of the container.
In accordance with the invention incorporated into the trigger assembly of Fig. 4,
a first slider valve 74 is provided in the form of a sleeve having frusto-conical section
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which matches that of section 64 and which surrounds tube adaptor 51 for sliding
movement therealong between the Fig.4 and Fig. 6 positions. In the upright position of
Fig. 4, the lower portion of slider valve 74 tightly engages frusto-conical section 64 to
cover inlet port 63 such that product during each suction stroke inlets to the pump
5 chamber via the dip tube and through the tube adaptor which together comprise a
primary liquld inlet passage.
A second slider valve 75 is provided within the pump body of the Fig. 4 trigger
sprayer. Specifically, slider or shuttle valve 75 is mounted for sliding movement within
vent passage 72 which is delimited by hollow section 73 of the pump body (see also
Fig. 5). Upper end 76 of valve 75 is concave and is sloped to match that of cylinder 71.
And end 77 (Fig. 6) of outer flange 78 of tube retainer 49 is located in the path of valve
75 and functions as a limit stop for maintaining the valve in its Fig. 4 position.
As shown in Fig. 5, valve 75 has opposing flat sides confronting opposing flat
side walls 79 of section 73 to avoid any rotation of valve 75 about its central axis during
15 its sliding movement. And, the valve may have a longitudinal cutout 81 at one end to
maintain uninterrupted air flow through the open vent passage into the container in the
Fig. 4 position.
While pumping during an inverted attitude of the trigger sprayer, second slider
valve 75 shifts under gravity until its concaved and sloped end 76 bears against the
20 confronting convexed and matching slope surface of the pump cylinder to thereby close
vent port 58. Since the vent port is in alignment with the solid portion of valve 75, the
vent passage is thereby closed as shown in Fig. 6, while inlet port 63 is opened as
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valve 74 shifts to its vent port open condition of Fig. 6 under gravity.
From the foregoing it can be seen that a simple and efficient yet highly effective
valve arrangement to facilitate upright and inverted spray has been devised by the
provision of a single slider valve or a pair of independent slider valves. In the single
5 slider valve embodiments, the valve simultaneously closes an auxiliary inlet port and
opens a vent port during spraying while the dispenser is upright, and simultaneously
closes the vent port and opens the auxiliary inlet port while spraying in an inverted
attitude of the sprayer. The vent and inlet ports are located in the path of the single
slider valve, and molding modifications of the sprayer are limited and minimum number
10 of parts are required when carrying out the invention.
As for the independent slider valves, one is provided for closing and opening an
inlet port respectively during upright and inverted spray, and the other is provided for
opening and closing the vent port respectively during upright and inverted spray. Since
the pump body need not be modified to accommodate second slider valve 75, and
15 since the gasket seal is the same as in the prior art, the cost of adapting the known
trigger sprayer of Fig. 4 is minimal. In addition to the slider valves, the only additional
part required is a tube adaptor.
Obviously, many other modifications and variations of the present invention are
made possible in the light of the above teaching. It is therefore to be understood that
20 within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than
as specifically described.
