U.S. patent application number 11/827038 was filed with the patent office on 2009-01-15 for airtight sealing of nozzle.
Invention is credited to Tracy Benetti.
Application Number | 20090014481 11/827038 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40252251 |
Filed Date | 2009-01-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090014481 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Benetti; Tracy |
January 15, 2009 |
Airtight sealing of nozzle
Abstract
Devices and methods for reliably and reusably creating an
airtight seal on a tapered nozzle attached to a container of
air-curable material. The device is a unitary expandable tube with
an open end and a closed end filled with putty-like material. In
one embodiment the device is placed over the nozzle, the device and
nozzle are pushed together until the open end of the device flares
around the outside diameter of the nozzle, and the nozzle tip
displaces some the putty-like material thereby expanding the closed
end of the tube to accommodate the displaced material.
Inventors: |
Benetti; Tracy; (Martinez,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ADAMS LAW OFFICE
2140 SHATTUCK AVE. SUITE 207
BERKELEY
CA
94704
US
|
Family ID: |
40252251 |
Appl. No.: |
11/827038 |
Filed: |
July 10, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/563 ;
222/562 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 35/44 20130101;
B05C 17/00516 20130101; B65D 53/06 20130101; B05C 17/0052
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/563 ;
222/562 |
International
Class: |
B65D 51/18 20060101
B65D051/18; B65D 51/00 20060101 B65D051/00 |
Claims
1. A sealing device for creating an airtight seal on a tapered
nozzle with a first end containing an orifice, a second end
connected with a container of air curable material, and an outer
diameter located between said first end and said second end,
comprising: an expandable unitary body with an open end defining an
opening, a closed end defining a cavity, an inner surface and an
outer surface, said inner surface of said unitary body being smooth
and capable of flaring to frictionally engage with said outer
diameter of said nozzle, said outer surface of the unitary body
having texture, said opening in the open end being no larger than
said outer diameter of the nozzle, and a pliable, non-air-curable
material in said cavity of said closed end.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein said expandable unitary body is
made from a material selected from the group consisting of rubber,
silicone, flexible plastic, vinyl, and ethylene propylene diene
monomer rubber.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein said pliable, non-air-curable
material is made from a material selected from the group consisting
of oil-based wax, bee's wax, putty, and plasticized
metallocene-catalyzed propylene copolymers.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein said texture is at least one
raised grip.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein said texture is at least one
indentation.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein said texture is at least one
bump.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein said outer surface contains a
central width, and tapers from said central width toward said
closed end, and tapers from said central width toward said open
end.
8. The device of claim 7 wherein said taper from said central width
toward said open end includes a concavity.
9. A sealing device for creating an airtight seal on a tapered
nozzle with a first end containing an orifice, a second end, and an
outer diameter located between said first end and said second end,
comprising: an expandable unitary body with an open end defining an
opening, a closed end defining a cavity, an inner surface and an
outer surface, wherein said expandable unitary body is made form a
material selected from the group consisting of rubber, silicone,
flexible plastic, vinyl, and ethylene propylene diene monomer
rubber, said inner surface of said unitary body being smooth and
capable of flaring to frictionally engage with said outer diameter
of said nozzle, said outer surface of the unitary body having
texture, wherein said texture is selected from the group consisting
of at least one raised grip, at least one indentation, and at least
one bump, said outer surface containing a central width that tapers
toward said closed end, and tapers from said central width toward
said open end through a concavity, said opening in said open end
being no larger than said outer diameter, and a pliable,
non-air-curable material in said cavity at the closed end, wherein
said pliable material is selected from the group consisting of
oil-based wax, bee's wax, putty, and plasticized
metallocene-catalyzed propylene copolymers.
10. A method of creating an airtight seal on a tapered nozzle with
a first end with an orifice, and a second end connected with a
container of air-curable material susceptible to hardening upon
exposure to air, and an outer diameter located between said first
end and said second end, by using an expandable unitary body
wherein said unitary body has a closed end defining a cavity filled
with a pliable, non-air-curable material, an open end defining an
opening that is no larger than said outer diameter of said nozzle,
and an inner surface that is smooth, comprising: (a) inserting said
nozzle into said opening of said unitary body sufficiently far so
that said outer diameter of said nozzle is in continuous connection
with said opening of said unitary body, (b) further inserting said
nozzle into said opening until said opening flares around said
outer diameter, and (c) further inserting said nozzle into said
opening until said first nozzle end containing said orifice
connects with and displaces some of said pliable material, forming
a plug of pliable material in said orifice, and expanding said
closed end of said unitary body due to the pressure from said
displaced pliable material.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising: (d) inserting said
nozzle into said unitary body sufficiently far so that said cavity
of said unitary body is touching said first end of said nozzle.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising: (e) inserting said
nozzle into said unitary body sufficiently far so that said cavity
of said unitary body in not touching said first end of said
nozzle.
13. The method of claim 10 further comprising: (f) removing said
unitary body from said nozzle; (g) dispensing said plug by applying
pressure to said container; (h) dispensing said air-curable
material as needed by applying pressure to said container; (i)
repeating steps (a), (b), (c), (f), (g) and (h) as often as
necessary.
14. The method of claim 10 further comprising: (i) squeezing said
closed end to displace any air remaining inside said body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates generally to devices and methods for
creating an airtight seal on an opened container with a dispensing
nozzle filled with a material, such as caulk or glue, that is
susceptible to hardening upon exposure to air.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] There exists an on-going need for a device that will
reliably create an airtight seal on caulking tubes, containers of
glue, or other containers using a nozzle to dispense materials
susceptible to hardening upon contact with air. In addition, there
is a need for a sealing device assist in keeping the work area
clean by preventing leakage of the air-curable material during rest
times. It is important that the device be cost-effective and
reusable so that the operator may repeatedly use, for example, a
caulking tube. If the device is not reusable then the cost of
repeatedly replacing the sealing device will be greater than the
cost of replacing the caulking tube, or other air-curable
material.
[0005] There are many, many patents that teach various versions of
sticking an object into the nozzle orifice, and thereby attempting
to create an airtight seal. Other sealing devices are various
versions of caps that cover the nozzle and orifice. The quantity of
these patents indicates the difficulty in reliably creating a
cost-effective airtight seal.
[0006] The sealing devices in the prior art tend to be of rigid
construction. Problems arise with rigid devices because both the
nozzle and the orifice may have varying diameters. The rigid
construction means that the sealing device must specifically sized
to accommodate the individual nozzle. Similarly, jamming a hard
object into the nozzle orifice tends to distort the orifice, making
subsequent attempts to create an airtight seal difficult or
impossible, and also causes distortion of the bead when dispensing
the air-curable material. Rigid devices are also susceptible to
breaking.
[0007] In addition, existing sealing devices are often bulky in
relation to the nozzle, and may be easily displaced. Even if the
air-curable material does not harden during the time the sealing
device is displaced, the air-curable material may leak all over the
work area. This generates additional work for the operator, who
must clean up the area where the leak occurred.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Caulk, glue, and other air-curable substances are commonly
dispensed from a container through an attached, tapered nozzle.
Frequently, there remains caulk or other air-curable substance left
in a container after initial use. The sealing device is inserted
over the nozzle to prevent air from reaching the air-curable
substance and thereby hardening the substance. The sealing device
will also prevent leakage of caulking material, or other material,
during rest times at work.
[0009] In one embodiment, the sealing device is a tight-fitting,
flexible, expandable unitary body with an open end and a closed
end. The closed end is filled with a moldable, putty-like material
that is not air-curable. The diameter of the open end of the
sealing device is smaller than a the widest outer diameter of the
tapered nozzle attached to the container of air-curable substance.
Because the sealing device is flexible it will stretch and flare to
accommodate the outer diameter of the nozzle, and it will not
distort either the orifice or the nozzle itself.
[0010] In addition, the flexible, unitary body prevents breakage of
the device. There are no projections or parts that can break off,
and the flexibility means that the device will not break if dropped
or hit.
[0011] In one method of using the device the operator places the
sealing device over the nozzle containing an orifice, and pushes
the sealing device and nozzle together until the open end of the
sealing device is flared and completely filled with the nozzle. In
most cases, the sealing device is pushed over the nozzle until the
nozzle tip is touching the cavity formed by the inside of the
closed end of the sealing device.
[0012] In doing this, the nozzle will press into the moldable
material and will displace some of the moldable material. Some of
the moldable material will enter the nozzle orifice and create a
plug at the orifice. The rest of the moldable material will exert
pressure on the expandable unitary body, causing it to expand to
accommodate the nozzle and displaced moldable material. Because of
the expandable nature of the unitary body, the moldable material is
unlikely to exit from the open end of the unitary body. This also
displaces all, or essentially all, of the air in the sealing
device. Thus, within the sealing device, the nozzle is entirely
surrounded by the moldable material.
[0013] The sealing device has a low profile relative to the nozzle.
This, along with the tight fit and flaring of the open end of the
device, makes it virtually impossible to accidentally knock off the
device. The flexible, expandable nature of the sealing device
accompanied by the moldable material results in a sealing device
that may be used over and over, on varying nozzle sizes. In
addition, the sealing device may be re-filled with moldable
material, if necessary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective side-view of one embodiment of the
invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective side-view of one embodiment of the
invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a cut-away side-view of one embodiment of the
invention.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a sectional and cut-away side-view of one
embodiment of the invention in use.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a method of using an embodiment of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sealing device 10 has a
flexible, unitary body 11 generally in the shape of a tube with an
open end 12 and a closed end 14. The body has an inner surface 16
and an outer surface 18. Inner surface 16 is smooth yet capable of
frictionally engaging with a nozzle 30.
[0020] Unitary body 11 may be made from any variety of materials
that are flexible, expandable and sufficiently strong to withstand
repeated use. Non-limiting examples of such strong and expandable
materials are rubber, silicone, flexible plastic, vinyl, ethylene
propylene diene monomer rubber, or any other material that is
durable, flexible and capable of expanding.
[0021] Outer surface 18 may have any variety of grips, indentions
or texture 20 to facilitate grasping the sealing device and
applying pressure to place the device on, or remove the device
from, nozzle 30. In one embodiment, outer surface 18 has at least
one grip 20 in the shape of a raised band, and may have as many
raised grips 20 as desired. In another embodiment, at least one, or
a multitude of small bumps covers outer surface 18.
[0022] In one embodiment, the sealing device has a central width
22. Unitary body 11 tapers from central width 22 toward closed end
14, and similarly tapers from central width 22 toward open end 12.
In one embodiment, there is a concave dip, or concavity between
central width 22 and open end 12, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This
dip helps the device cling to the nozzle.
[0023] The placement of central width 22 may be varied, as desired.
It need not be in the exact middle of open end 12 and closed end
14, and may be placed anywhere between open end 12 and closed end
14.
[0024] The sealing device is operated by inserting the device over
a tapered nozzle 30 containing an orifice 32. Nozzle 30 has a first
end 34 and a second end 36 connected to container 40 containing
air-curable material 42. Nozzle 30 tapers from second end 36 to
first end 34, resulting in first end 34 being narrower than second
end 36. Thus, the outer circumference 34a of first end 34 is
smaller than the outer circumference 36a of second end 36.
[0025] Open end 12 of sealing device 10 defines an opening 13.
Opening 13 may be any size that is larger than outer circumference
34a and smaller than outer circumference 36a of the nozzle 30.
Outer circumference 31 is a circumference located between outer
circumference 34a and outer circumference 36a.
[0026] Opening 13 and inner surface 16 are smooth, with no
projections or extrusions. This allows opening 13 and inner surface
16 to fit snugly around outer circumference 31 of nozzle 30. This
snug contact between nozzle 30 and inner surface 16 assists in
creating and maintaining an airtight seal.
[0027] Closed end 14 defines cavity 17 at the closed end of the
sealing device 10. Cavity 17 is filled with moldable material 24.
Moldable material 24 may be any material known in the art that is
pliable and is not susceptible to hardening upon contact with air.
Non-limiting examples of such moldable materials are oil-based
waxes, bee's wax, putty, plasticized metallocene-catalyzed
propylene copolymers, or any other substance that remains pliable
and moldable upon exposure to air.
[0028] To apply air-curable material 42, the operator cuts off the
tip of first end 34 of nozzle 30 creating orifice 32, and exerts
pressure on container 40 to expel air-curable material 42. When a
quantity of air-curable material 42 remains in container 40 after
the initial use the operator may use the sealing device to create
an airtight seal.
[0029] The operator grasps the sealing device and places it over
first end 34 of nozzle 30. The operator moves the sealing device
and nozzle together, until the full diameter of opening 13 is in
continuous contact with the full diameter of outer diameter 31 at a
location between first end 34 and second end 36.
[0030] The operator continues moving the sealing device and nozzle
30 together. Because second end 36 is wider than first end 34, as
sealing device 10 and nozzle 30 are moved together, opening 13 will
flare around outer circumference 31. This flaring will cause open
end 12 to grip nozzle 30, preventing sealing device 10 from being
dislodged. The flexible nature of the sealing device allows open
end 12 and opening 13 to expand around outer diameter 31 and to
accommodate a variety of nozzle sizes. The flexibility of the
sealing device will compensate for minor imperfections in the outer
diameter 31 of nozzle 30. In addition, the flexible nature of
sealing device 10 will not cause deformities in either nozzle 30 or
orifice 13.
[0031] The sealing device contains moldable material 24 in cavity
17. As the operator inserts nozzle 30 into sealing device 10,
orifice 32 will come in contact with moldable material 24, and will
displace air and possibly some of moldable material 24. In one
embodiment, first end 34 containing orifice 32 will penetrate
moldable material 24, causing a small plug 25 of moldable material
42 to enter orifice 32. This small plug 25 creates a barrier,
preventing additional air from reaching air-curable material
42.
[0032] The operator pushes the sealing device onto the nozzle as
far as desired. In one embodiment, the operator will push the
sealing device onto the nozzle until narrow end 34 rests against
cavity 17. In another embodiment the nozzle does not rest against
cavity 17. This action will displace all, or essentially all, of
the air that was inside the sealing device. If desired by the
operator, the operator may squeeze closed end 14 to dispel any air
remaining inside sealing device 10.
[0033] At the same time, none or almost none of moldable material
24 will escape once the continuous connection between opening 13
and outer diameter 31 is established.
[0034] Increasing amounts of moldable material 24 are displaced as
the operator continues to move the sealing device 10 and nozzle 30
together. In this situation, the expandable nature of sealing
device 10 allows closed end 14 to expand to accommodate the
displaced moldable material 24 and any remaining air, as shown in
FIG. 4.
[0035] At this point the container with air-curable material is
sealed and can be put away, for either a long period of time, or
for a short period of time. By way of non-limiting example, a
worker may use a caulking gun to caulk a seam. The caulking gun
exerts pressure on the caulk tube to expel the air-curable
material, in this case, the caulk. Typically, the operator will
pause and put the caulk gun down after making a caulk bead to wipe
the bead. Because of the pressure exerted by the caulking gun,
caulk will drip from nozzle 30 during this time. The sealing device
10 may be quickly and easily placed over nozzle 30 to prevent
leakage of air-curable material 42 during this time. Similarly,
sealing device 10 may be used to prevent leaks during a rest break,
a lunch break of any other time that the caulking gun, or other
dispenser of air-curable material, is not being used. Thus, even if
air-curable material 42 will not harden during a short break,
sealing device 10 may be used to keep the work area clean and free
from leaks and spills.
[0036] The next time the operator needs to use air-curable material
42 the operator simply grasps sealing device 10 and removes it from
nozzle 30. The small plug 25 of moldable material 24 may remain
inside orifice 32. The operator dispenses a small amount of
air-curable material, generally by applying pressure to container
40, and this expels plug 25. The operator can then apply
air-curable material 42, as desired.
[0037] After applying air-curable material 42, the sealing device
10 may be reused, by re-inserting nozzle 30 into sealing device 10,
as described above. Sealing device 10 may be reused as many times
as needed. Because a small amount of moldable material 24 may be
lost when plug 25 is expelled, each use of sealing device 10 may
result in a decrease in the amount of moldable material 24. After
multiple uses the operator may re-fill cavity 17 with additional
moldable material 24, as needed.
[0038] Sealing device 10 is flexible and relatively soft in
relation to nozzle 30. Similarly moldable material 42 is softer
than nozzle 30. Thus, nozzle 30 and orifice 32 will not be deformed
by inserting sealing device 10 onto nozzle 30. Orifice 32 will
retain the shape it had when the operator first removed tip 34.
Because the sealing device does not deform orifice 32 or nozzle 34
the bead will not be deformed by use of the sealing device. Thus,
the bead laid down upon subsequent uses will be identical to the
original bead.
[0039] Various changes and modification to the invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and
modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present invention. The embodiments disclosed herein
are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not
restrictive, and the scope of the invention is as stated in the
claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes that
come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are
intended to be embraced therein.
* * * * *