U.S. patent application number 11/276670 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-02 for pump pushbutton, with an operating portion movable relative to a portion having a dispensing nozzle or insert and elements for its retention on the pump.
This patent application is currently assigned to MICROSPRAY DELTA S.p.A. Invention is credited to Andrea MARELLI, Victor Ribera Turro.
Application Number | 20070175926 11/276670 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37533482 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070175926 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MARELLI; Andrea ; et
al. |
August 2, 2007 |
PUMP PUSHBUTTON, WITH AN OPERATING PORTION MOVABLE RELATIVE TO A
PORTION HAVING A DISPENSING NOZZLE OR INSERT AND ELEMENTS FOR ITS
RETENTION ON THE PUMP
Abstract
A pushbutton for a pump or valve for dispensing fluid substances
contained in a container on which the pump is mounted. The main
portion of the pushbutton has a substance dispensing nozzle and
elements for securely retaining said main portion on the pump or on
a body rigid therewith. The pushbutton also has an upper or movable
portion with a seat for sealedly housing the free end of the pump
stem. The two pushbutton portions can translate one relative to the
other and are connected together by tubular appendices which are
inserted into and sealedly translatable one within the cavity of
the other and are connected to said stem seat and to said nozzle
respectively.
Inventors: |
MARELLI; Andrea; (Basiglio,
IT) ; Ribera Turro; Victor; (Barcelona, ES) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OBLON, SPIVAK, MCCLELLAND, MAIER & NEUSTADT, P.C.
1940 DUKE STREET
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314
US
|
Assignee: |
MICROSPRAY DELTA S.p.A
Milan
IT
|
Family ID: |
37533482 |
Appl. No.: |
11/276670 |
Filed: |
March 9, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/330 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B 11/3015
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/330 |
International
Class: |
B65D 88/54 20060101
B65D088/54 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 30, 2006 |
IT |
MI2006A 000151 |
Claims
1. An operating pushbutton for a pump or valve for dispensing fluid
substances contained in containers comprising: two separate
pushbutton portions connected together and translatable axially one
relative to the other, namely a movable free end portion operable
by a finger of one hand and, respectively, a main pushbutton
portion provided with elements for its retention on the pump or on
a rigid body fixed to the pump; a seat provided in said pushbutton
end portion to sealedly house the free end of the stem of said
pump; a nozzle for discharging the fluid substance to the outside
of the pushbutton, said nozzle being provided within the pushbutton
main portion, in which there is also provided an aperture into
which at least the pump stem can extend; two tubular appendices
projecting one towards the other, one from said end portion and the
other from said main portion of the pushbutton, the axes of said
appendices being parallel to the axis of said seat for the stem
end; conduits provided in the two pushbutton portions, to connect
said seat for the stem to the cavity of that tubular appendix
projecting from the pushbutton end portion and, respectively, to
connect said nozzle to the cavity of that tubular appendix of the
pushbutton main portion; one of said two tubular appendices being
inserted into and sealedly translatable within the cavity of the
other tubular appendix to hence directly connect said nozzle to
said seat for the pump stem.
2. A pushbutton as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retention
elements consist of a plurality of appendices or a continuous
tubular wall projecting from said pushbutton main portion on the
opposite side to that from which the tubular appendix forming part
of the pushbutton main portion projects, said appendices or tubular
wall having dimensions such as to fit over the ring cap by which
the pump is fixed on to the mouth of a container, and being
provided with inwardly projecting teeth or ribs to secure the
pushbutton to the ring cap.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a pushbutton for operating
a pump or valve for dispensing a fluid substance contained in a
container.
[0003] 2. Discussion of the Background Art
[0004] To controlledly dispense fluid substances (in particular
liquid or creamy substances contained in a container under or not
under pressure), it is known to use valves or pumps mounted on the
mouth of such containers: these pumps have an outwardly projecting
hollow stem, on the free end of which there is mounted an operating
pushbutton with a nozzle, insert or hole through which the fluid
substance originating from the pump can be dispensed through said
nozzle following axial translation of the pushbutton, when the
pushbutton is pressed with a finger of one hand.
[0005] In pushbuttons of known type the dispensing nozzle moves
together with the pushbutton, to undergo a longitudinal translation
in one direction or the other when the pushbutton is pressed or
released: as a result, the fluid substance dispensed through the
nozzle does not occupy a fixed position relative to the pump, but
moves within space following the movement of the pushbutton: in
many cases this represents a drawback, for example when the fluid
substance is to be dispensed onto a well defined fixed point (which
can be important if the substance is coloured or oily, or consist
of a pharmaceutical substance which has to be applied to a well
defined limited point).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The main object of the present invention is therefore to
provide a pushbutton mountable on the movable stem of a pump or the
like and having a dispensing nozzle which maintains its position at
rest and fixed relative to the pump, whatever the position assumed
by the stem of the pump during its rest or operation.
[0007] Another object is to provide a pushbutton of the aforestated
type which is of economical production and reliable operation.
[0008] These and other objects are attained by a pushbutton
characterised by comprising: [0009] two separate pushbutton
portions connected together and translatable axially one relative
to the other, namely a movable free end portion operable by a
finger of one hand and, respectively, a main pushbutton portion
provided with elements for its retention on the pump or on a rigid
body fixed to the pump; [0010] a seat provided in said pushbutton
end portion, to sealedly house the free end of the stem of said
pump; [0011] a nozzle for discharging the fluid substance to the
outside of the pushbutton, said nozzle being provided within the
pushbutton main portion in which there is also provided an aperture
into which at least the pump stem can extend; [0012] two tubular
appendices projecting one towards the other, one from said end
portion and the other from said main portion of the pushbutton, the
axes of said appendices being parallel to the axis of said seat for
the stem end; [0013] conduits provided in the two pushbutton
portions, to connect said seat for the stem to the cavity of that
tubular appendix projecting from the pushbutton end portion and,
respectively, to connect said nozzle to the cavity of that tubular
appendix of the pushbutton main portion; [0014] one of said two
tubular appendices being inserted into and sealedly translatable
within the cavity of the other tubular appendix to hence directly
connect said nozzle to said seat for the pump stem.
[0015] Preferably, said retention elements consist of a plurality
of appendices or a continuous tubular wall projecting from said
pushbutton main portion on the opposite side to that from which the
tubular appendix forming part of the pushbutton main portion
projects, said appendices or tubular wall having dimensions such as
to fit over the ring cap by which the pump is fixed on to the mouth
of a container, and being provided with inwardly projecting teeth
or ribs to secure the pushbutton to the ring cap.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The structure and operation of the pump will be more
apparent from the ensuing description of one embodiment thereof
given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the
accompanying drawing, in which FIGS. 1 and 2 are sectional views of
the pump in its rest position and, respectively, in its operating
position for dispensing fluid substance.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0017] From the drawing it can be seen that a pump 2 is fixed by
means of a ring cap 3 onto the mouth of a container 1 (containing a
fluid substance, not shown, to be dispensed): both the pump and the
ring cap are of any known type. A hollow stem 4, also of known type
for operating the pump, projects from the pump upper end (with
respect to the drawing).
[0018] The pushbutton of the present invention is shown in
schematised section in FIG. 1 (pump at rest) and in FIG. 2 (pump
operated to dispense fluid substance represented as a dashed-line
cone on the right of FIG. 2).
[0019] The pushbutton comprises two separate pushbutton portions,
namely a main portion indicated by 5 and a movable free end portion
indicated by 6.
[0020] The pushbutton main portion 5 presents a central aperture
(not shown in the drawing) through which both the stem 4 and the
top of the pump 2 extend, the pump being securely fixed sealedly on
the mouth of the container 1 by the ring cap 3. From the bottom
(with respect to the drawing) of the pushbutton portion 5 there
downwardly extends a continuous tubular wall 7 (which can also
consist of a plurality of flexible appendices) bounding a space
into which the ring cap 3 is inserted and securely retained therein
by a rib 8 or a plurality of teeth having the same purpose and
snap-engaging below the lower edge of the ring cap, to hence lock
the pushbutton main portion 5 in a fixed position.
[0021] From the top of the pushbutton main portion 5 there upwardly
projects a cylindrical tubular appendix 9, the cavity 10 of which
extends as far as a nozzle 11 provided on one side of the portion
5; as can be seen from the drawing, the axis of the appendix 9 is
parallel to the axis of the stem 4. From the lower end of the
pushbutton end portion 6, two hollow tubular appendices 12 and 13
extend downwards (i.e. towards the end portion 5) with their axes
parallel to each other and to the axis of the stem 4 and of the
appendix 9.
[0022] At the free end of the cavity of the appendix 12 there is
provided a seat into which the free end of the stem 4 can be
sealedly inserted by pressing; the cavities of the tubular
appendices 12 and 13 are connected together via conduits 15 which
are closed at one end by a seal plug 16.
[0023] The cavity of the appendix 13 has, at least in proximity to
its free end, a diameter such as to enable at least an end portion
of the appendix 9 to penetrate into and sealedly slide axially
within it, as will be clear on comparing FIG. 1 with FIG. 2.
[0024] It will now be assumed that the pushbutton and pump are in
the rest condition shown in FIG. 1, in which fluid substance cannot
flow from the container to the outside. On pressing the free upper
end of the pushbutton portion 6 with a finger of one hand, the stem
4 translates axially downwards (to hence operate the pump) and the
upper end of the tubular appendix 9 penetrates into the widened
portion of the cavity of the appendix 13. In this manner, as is
easily apparent, the pressurized fluid substance emerging from the
stem 4 passes through the conduits 15 and the cavities 14 and 10 of
the tubular appendices 13 and 9, and leaves via the nozzle 11.
[0025] A very important characteristic of the described pushbutton
is that the nozzle 11 remains at rest on the container, i.e. it
maintains a constant stable position on the pushbutton main
portion, whether the pump is in its rest or operating
condition.
* * * * *