Dispensing Device Container

Abstract

A pressurized dispenser having separate product and propellant containers comprising an inner container for the propellant fitted into the mouth opening of an outer product container. Passages are formed in the region of the mouth to vent from the product container air displaced by the placement of the propellant container within the product container. These vent passages are closed when the containers are completely assembled.

Description

The present invention relates to the junction between the product container and the propellant container of an aerosol dispenser of the isolation type in which, in its best form, a pressurized, gaseous or gasifiable liquid propellant is held in a vessel that is mounted within but is otherwise separate from the container for the fluent product to be dispensed, and in which the propellant and the product are isolated from one another until mixed at or near the discharge port, in the course of discharge.

In such dispensers, a valve located in the head structure normally prevents outflow of the pressurized propellant but, on being opened, permits flow of propellant in gaseous (vapor) form to the discharge port. By the action of an ejector (sometimes called a venturi) near the discharge port, to which separate flow lines from the product container and the propellant are respectively connected, the outflow of the propellant when the valve is opened reduces the pressure in the product flow line and a simultaneous outflow of the product is brought about. By suitably directing the stream of propellant with respect to the stream of fluent product, atomization of the product commonly is effected and a stray discharge is produced. Such a device is described in some detail in the copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 521,885, filed Jan. 20, 1966 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,469. Therein is described a dispenser unit comprising a propellant chamber, a valve unit having separate product and propellant passages, and a valve operating button having an ejector and discharge orifice for effecting a spray of product. This unit is fitted within an outer product container. A product flow line extends from the discharge orifice in the button through the propellant chamber and terminates in a product eduction tube which extends below the propellant chamber for immersion in the product. After assembly and propellant charging of the cartridge, it is slipped into an appropriate mouth opening in the product-filled outer container. The mouth opening is designed to accept and to secure the cartridge in a nested position thereby closing the mouth of the product container to provide a unitized package for dispensing the contained product.

Isolation of the product from the propellant avoids problems of incompatibility of product and propellant and permits aerosol dispensing of product previously considered impractical. Furthermore, the separate product container of the present invention may be manufactured in unlimited shapes from nonrigid materials such as plastics, since the product container is not pressurized.

Since the product within the outer container is fluent, a close fitting seal must be provided between the product container mouth opening and the exterior surface of the cartridge to prevent product leakage. The insertion of the cartridge into the product container displaces air or gas within the product container by virtue of the piston effect of the descending propellant cartridge. The necessarily close fit between the cartridge and the container mouth aperture prevents the escape of this displaced air and results in a pressure rise within the product container. This pressure rise may distort a flexible product container or may force the product to ascend the open product flow line and cause the product to leak from the discharge orifice of the valve actuating dispenser button.

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a means for venting displaced air from the product container of a pressurized dispenser of the isolation type.

More particularly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide the cartridge receiving aperture of the product container of an isolation type of pressurized dispenser with vent passages which allow the escape of air as the cartridge is inserted, which passages are sealed when the cartridge is finally seated.

In the drawing:

The single FIGURE is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispensing device of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the FIGURE shows an assembled dispenser with a propellant cartridge secured in the mouth of an outer product container 10. The propellant cartridge includes a propellant chamber 20 which is supplied with a pressurized preferably gasifiable liquid propellant 25 which usually is a fluorinated-chlorinated hydrocarbon of the type sold under the names Genetron and Freon. The propellant chamber 20 is closed by a conventional valve mounting cup 26 which is secured by crimping to the chamber 20 by a conventional rolled seam 24. A valve mounting pedestal 27 is formed in the central portion of the valve mounting cup 26. A propellant valve assembly 30 is secured to the valve mounting pedestal 27 by conventional crimping techniques. The propellant valve assembly 30 comprises a valve housing 35 with an inner valve body 37 which is biased upwardly by virtue of the elasticity of a plastic tube 29 which serves as a portion of the product flow line. A resilient annular valve member 33 surrounds the valve stem 31 which is integral with the valve body 37. The resilient member 33 closes a valve orifice 36 which communicates a passage 38 in the interior of the valve stem 31 with the propellant vapor phase in the interior of the propellant chamber 20. A valve actuating dispenser button 40 is secured to the upper end of valve stem 31 with a passage 44 in communication with the propellant passage 38 of the valve stem. Parallel to the propellant passage 38 of the valve stem 31 is a product passage 39 which extends through the valve body 37 to communicate with a product flow line 29. The product flow line 29 passes through the propellant chamber 20 and exits through a seal 23 in the bottom of the chamber 20. A flexible dip tube 9 is affixed to the chamber 20 in communication with the product flow line 29. The upper end of the product passage 39 communicates with a passage 43 in the valve actuating dispenser button. An ejector passage 41 within the button communicates with both the propellant passage 44 and the product passage 43 and extends to a discharge orifice 42 on the exterior of the button.

In operation, manual downward force on the valve actuating button 40 causes depression of the valve body 37 against the spring effect of the cube 29. Such motion causes the resilient sealing member 33 of the valve to peel back to expose the propellant orifice 36 to the propellant pressure available in the propellant chamber 20. Propellant vapor then rushes through the orifice 36 and up the propellant passage 38 of the valve stem 31 to the propellant passage 44 of the actuator button. The propellant vapor thus released traverses the ejector passage 41 of the button to exit from the discharge orifice 42 with an appropriate velocity. The velocity of the moving stream of propellant gas across the terminal end of the product passage 43 of the button 40 causes a reduction in pressure throughout the product flow line which causes product 7 to be sucked through the product flow line 29 from the product container 10. The product thus educted from the container is dispensed from the discharge orifice 42 as a spray. At the conclusion of a spray cycle, the pressure within the product container 10 is restored to that of the atmosphere by virtue of the unrestricted communication of the product flow line 29 with the atmosphere through the ejector passage 41.

In the embodiment illustrated in the FIGURE, the mouth 8 of the product container 10 is provided with an annular shoulder 11 which is adapted to receive a rolled bead 21 formed in the wall of the propellant cartridge 20. When the cartridge 20 is inserted in the mouth 8, shoulder 11 and bead 21 cooperate to support the cartridge within the mouth. Adequate frictional retention and lateral support of the propellant cartridge 20 in product container is assured by an interference wall 13 in the container mouth which is sized to be an interference fit with the cylindrical wall 22 of the propellant cartridge. In order to vent displaced air, venting channels formed by grooves 12 are provided on the interior surface of the mouth of the product container 10. These grooves extend from the interior of the product container 10 to a point above the annular shoulder 11. A second annular shoulder 15 is provided near the entrance of the mouth to receive the edge of the rolled seam 24 of the mounting cup 26. This second shoulder further supports the cartridge 20.

As the propellant cartridge is inserted into the mouth of the product container, a quantity of air equal to the included volume of the propellant cartridge is necessarily displaced. To prevent a buildup of pressure within the product container, grooves 12 serve to vent the displaced air through the interference wall 13 and through the clearance between product container wall 45 and cylindrical wall 22 and to the atmosphere. When the propellant cartridge is lowered to a position near its final seat with bead 21 in contact with shoulder 11, and engaging in an interference fit with wall 45, the bead 21 serves to block the passages provided by grooves 12. Thus, the last fraction of an inch of travel of bead 21 past wall 45 occurs with the grooves 12 sealed from the atmosphere. No significant pressure buildup is experienced since the distance of travel under sealed conditions is so small. By providing bead 21 at a position near the upper extremity of the propellant chamber wall, nearly all of the displaced air is vented through grooves 12 before sealing is effected. When the cartridge 20 is seated, bead 21 is positioned so as to seal grooves 12 to prevent product leakage. Additionally, the edge of rolled seam 24 is seated on the second annular shoulder 15 to provide a further seal against leakage.

It will be apparent that many modifications and variations may be made within the scope and spirit of our invention and, accordingly we do not wish to be limited otherwise than as indicated by the terms of the appended claims.

Claims

We claim:

1. In a pressurized dispenser comprising the combination of an inner pressurized propellant container and an outer plastic product container having a mouth aperture adapted to receive and retain the inner container by means of a region of interference fit of substantial axial length, said inner container having for a considerable axial length substantially the same peripheral dimension as the outer container mouth aperture, the improvement which comprises having at least one channel establishing a venting passage extending from the interior of the outer container past the region of interference fit, said channel comprising a groove generally parallel to the inner container axis and being formed in one of the contacting surfaces in the region of interference fit.

2. The improvement of claim 1, and wherein the inner container has an external circumferential bead of slightly larger diameter than the contacting surface of the mouth of the outer container, such that when the inner container is fully inserted the bead acts to sealingly block the exit of said channel in the contacting surfaces.

3. An aerosol spray dispenser comprising:

a. A pressurized aerosol cartridge including a hollow body containing a medium under pressure and an enlarged top on the body, a tube through said hollow body for passing a commodity from a receptacle in which said cartridge is mounted, and a valve for releasing said medium from the body over an upper end of said tube to draw the commodity therewith from the receptacle through the tube;

b. A hollow receptacle for receiving the commodity to be dispensed by said cartridge, said receptacle including an open top, a sealed bottom and flexible sidewalls;

c. A neck extending from said sidewalls around said open top of the receptacle for receiving said cartridge as it is introduced into the receptacle, said neck including a topmost portion for loosely receiving the lower end and central portions of said hollow body and for tightly receiving and holding said enlarged top portion as said cartridge is inserted downwardly into said receptacle, and a lower portion adjacent said topmost portion for tightly receiving, guiding, and supporting said hollow body in said receptacle; and

d. An air passageway in said lower neck portion for passing air from the receptacle to atmosphere as said cartridge is introduced into said receptacle to thereby prevent the buildup of undesired pressures in said receptacle, and for closing when said cartridge is seated in said receptacle.