U.S. patent number 3,584,789 [Application Number 04/802,042] was granted by the patent office on 1971-06-15 for self-purging nozzle and valve apparatus.
Invention is credited to John S. Traynor.
United States Patent |
3,584,789 |
Traynor |
June 15, 1971 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
SELF-PURGING NOZZLE AND VALVE APPARATUS
Abstract
A nozzle and valve apparatus for aerosol dispensers and the like
having means for preventing clogging or contamination of dispensed
materials or residues thereof trapped between a hermetic seal and
the exit orifice. Means are coupled to the actuator for providing a
mechanical purging of the exit orifice after each utilization
thereof. The mechanical purging and sealing means is retracted from
the nozzle orifice upon actuation of the nozzle and valve apparatus
so as not to interfere with the operation thereof.
Inventors: |
Traynor; John S. (Palo Alto,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
25182684 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/802,042 |
Filed: |
February 25, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
239/117; 222/149;
239/459; D9/448; 222/501; 239/573 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
83/20 (20130101); B65D 83/207 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
83/16 (20060101); B05b 015/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;239/106,107,114,115,116,117,456,459,573 ;222/149 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: King; Lloyd L.
Assistant Examiner: Mar; Michael Y.
Claims
What I claim is:
1. A nozzle for a container containing a pressurized fluid
comprising:
a body member having an entrance opening, an exit opening and an
internal chamber communicating said entrance opening and said exit
opening, said entrance opening being adapted to receive the exhaust
stem of the container such that the stem is telescopically movable
between a first position and a second position;
closure means disposed within said chamber and movable between a
closed position and an open position, said closure means sealingly
engaging said body member to close said exit opening when in said
closed position;
resilient means normally biasing said closure means into said
closed position; and
camming means disposed within said chamber and operatively engaging
said closure means and the exhaust stem to move said closure means
from said closed position to said open position in response to
movement of the stem from said first position to said second
position.
2. A nozzle as recited in claim 1 wherein said closure means
further includes a purging means for purging said entrance opening
when said closure means is in said closed position.
3. A nozzle for a container containing a pressurized fluid
comprising:
a nozzle body member forming an elongated chamber having a first
end portion and a second end portion, said body member having an
entrance opening located between said first and second end portions
and an exit opening in said first end portion, said entrance
opening communicating the container with said chamber,
closure means disposed within said chamber and movable between a
closed position and an open position, said closure means having a
first sealing means for closing said exit opening when said closure
means is in said closed position and a second sealing means for
sealingly engaging said body member between said entrance opening
and said second end portion when in said closed position so that
said chamber is pressurized, said closure means being shaped such
that the fluid pressure in said chamber exerts a force on said
closure means tending to move said closure means into said open
position;
resilient means biasing said closure means into said closed
position when the pressure in said chamber is less than a
predetermined pressure; and
means for moving said closure means from said closed position into
said open position for discharging pressurized fluid from said
chamber through said exit opening.
4. A nozzle as recited in claim 3 wherein said closure means
includes a purging means for purging said exit opening when said
closure means is in said closed position.
5. A nozzle as recited in claim 3 wherein said body member further
includes a stem portion terminating in a flanged portion which
defines said entrance opening and provides a means for attachment
of said body member to the container.
6. A nozzle as recited in claim 3 wherein said means for moving
said closure means includes a lever means pivotally connected to
said body member and said closure means.
7. A nozzle for a container containing a pressurized fluid
comprising:
an elongated body member forming a chamber having a first opening
at one end and a second opening at the other end, said body member
having a third opening for receiving said pressurized fluid from
said container;
an elongated closure member having a fourth opening at one end and
a fifth opening at the other end for telescopically receiving said
one end of said body member, said closure member being
telescopically movable relative to said body member between an open
position and a closed position, said closure member sealingly
engaging said one end of said body member when in said closed
position to close said first and fourth openings; and
actuator means coupled to said closure member and said body member
and forming a resilient closure for said second opening, said
actuator means being biased into a first position by the
pressurized fluid in said chamber acting against said resilient
closure and being operative to move said closure member into said
closed position, said actuator means being movable into a second
position to move said closure member into said open position
whereby said first opening communicates said chamber with said
fourth opening to discharge said pressurized fluid
therethrough.
8. A nozzle as recited in claim 7 wherein said body member includes
a purging means for purging said fourth opening when said closure
member is in said closed position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to material dispensing
apparatus and more particularly, to a novel nozzle and valve
apparatus for preventing clogging or contamination of dispensed
materials or residues trapped between a hermetic seal and the exit
orifice of the nozzle.
Prior art aerosol valve apparatus generally do not provide for the
hermetical sealing of all of the contained contents after the
aerosol valve is closed. After each operation of the valve, a
significant quantity of ejected material is usually trapped outside
of the pressurized container in the passages between the valve seat
and the nozzle opening. This stagnant and unsealed material
frequently causes many undesirable problems and at times even makes
the aerosol unit unusable before the contents of the container have
been fully dispensed.
Trapped paint and similar products, for example, often solidify or
gum and cause total clogging or erratic operation. As an attempt to
prevent such problems from occurring in the nozzle apparatus,
operation instructions typically suggest that after each use of the
aerosol unit the container be inverted and actuated until only
propellant gas escapes. This practice is time consuming, wasteful,
and not always effective. Furthermore, a higher than otherwise
necessary percentage of propellant to product is required. The
quantity of excess propellant which thus must be provided often
materially affects the cost of the aerosol unit, since the aerosol
propellant is typically one of the most expensive components of the
unit.
In food product application, the quantity of product which is
trapped in the nozzle after use is typically exposed to air and
environmental foreign matter such as dust and bacteria. This can
lead to spoilage and cause contamination of the remaining
pressurized product upon subsequent operation of the valve. This is
a particularly undesirable problem since most currently used
aerosol nozzles are not easily cleanable by the consumer.
Evaporation and absorption of other gases or air carried particles
by the exposed product can also cause disagreeable odors to evolve
from the trapped product.
In applications of aerosol systems to expensive perfumes or similar
products, the loss of trapped highly volatile components through
evaporation between applications can likewise amount to a
significant percentage of the total product and cause an
appreciable monetary loss to the consumer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the present invention provides a valve and nozzle
apparatus having a mechanical purging means for automatically
purging and providing a secondary seat at the external orifice of
an aerosol liquid or particular material dispensing apparatus or
the like. After each actuation of the aerosol valve substantially
all of the ejectable material at the dispensing orifice is
mechanically purged and sealed so as to prevent exposure of
material trapped in the nozzle apparatus until it is fully ejected
from the nozzle. The mechanical purging and sealing means is
physically coupled to the valve actuator so as to be retracted from
the nozzle orifice upon the opening of the aerosol valve. The
purging means thus does not interfere with the normal functioning
of the aerosol dispensing system.
In alternate embodiments, the apparatus of the present invention is
also utilized as the primary valving means for a material
dispensing container means. These embodiments likewise include
means for automatically purging the effluent orifice after each
dispensation in order to prevent clogging and/or contamination in
the nozzle portion thereof.
It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to
provide a novel aerosol valve and nozzle apparatus which prevents
contamination of the exit path between the normal hermetic sealing
means of an aerosol container and the actual effluent orifice of
the nozzle structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an aerosol
nozzle apparatus having means for mechanically purging ejectable
material at the nozzle orifice after each use so as to prevent
clogging and/or contamination of materials trapped therein.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
simple aerosol spray nozzle apparatus for utilization with standard
aerosol packages which include means for purging ejectable material
and sealing the nozzle orifice to prevent the contamination or
congelation of any materials trapped in the nozzle apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel
valve and nozzle apparatus having means for automatically purging
substantially all of the ejectable material the exit orifice and
sealing the same after each use.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art after having read the
following disclosure of the preferred embodiments which are
illustrated in the drawing.
IN THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 illustrates an aerosol valve and spray nozzle in accordance
with the prior art.
FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a self-purging spray
nozzle in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a self-purging spray
nozzle in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates still another self-purging nozzle apparatus in
accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5 illustrates a self-closing nozzle apparatus for pressurized
containers in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with the prior art structure illustrated in FIG. 1,
an aerosol valve means 10 is shown affixed to a mounting cup 12.
The valve 10 is attached to the end of a dip-tube 14 and includes a
spring-loaded valve stem 16 having an annular shoulder 18 which
sealingly engages an annular resilient member 20 disposed adjacent
the opening in the top of the mounting cup 12. The valve stem 16
includes one or more apertures 22 which extend through the wall
thereof into a central passage 24.
With a fluid under pressure within the container to which the
mounting cup 12 is attached, the fluid can be caused to pass out of
the passage 24 by either displacing the valve stem 16 downwardly so
that the hole 22 can provide a flow path between the dip-tube 14
and the passage 24, or, by applying lateral pressure to the valve
stem 16 until it is canted sufficiently to cause one side of the
shoulder 18 to become disengaged with the resilient seal 20 and
allow the pressurized fluid to reach the passage 24 through the
opening 22.
In order to provide a suitable spray for external direction of the
aerosol material, a nozzle or spray head 26 is provided. The head
26 includes a cylindrical opening 28 which is frictionally forced
over the end of the valve stem 16 and includes a shoulder 30 for
limiting the extent of the penetration of the stem thereinto. A
spray orifice 32 of a suitable configuration is provided for
directing the effluent material in a predetermined direction and
spray pattern. Pressure applied to the top of the head 26 causes
the valve stem 16 to be either depressed downwardly or canted in
such a manner that the pressurized material in the container is
allowed to escape through the holes 22 into the spray head.
It should be apparent from the nature of the flow path between the
sealing means 20 and the exit orifice 32 that following each
liberation of fluid or other material from the container an
appreciable amount thereof will be trapped between the sealing
point 20 and the orifice 32. This material can readily clog the
passage 24 or the nozzle orifice 32, or contaminate materials
subsequently released therethrough if the trapped material is
exposed to the ambient atmosphere through the passage 32. In order
to remove some of this material and reduce to some extent clogging
in the cavities of the head 26, manufacturers often suggest that
the container be inverted and actuated until only the propellant
gas is observed passing out of the orifice 32. This is, of course,
wasteful of propellant and does not remove all of the trapped
material, especially where the material is very adhesive in
nature.
Referring now to FIG. 2 of the drawing, there is shown a preferred
embodiment of a self-purging spray head 34 suitable for application
over the end of a prior art valve stem 36 in a manner similar to
that described above. The head 34 is similar to the prior art type
of spray head in that it includes a spray orifice 38 and a stem-end
engaging shoulder 40. However, in addition, the device includes a
piston 42 having a face 44 which may include a projection 46 for
mating with and extending substantially through the spray orifice
38. The piston 42 is slidably received within the upper portion of
the interior of the cap 34 and is normally biased into mating
engagement with the aperture 38 by a spring means 48.
The piston 42 also includes a projection 50 which engages the
slanted upper surface of a suitable camming means 52. The camming
means 52 is shown as an insert, the lower side of which rides on
the end of the stem 36, and which is urged into engagement
therewith by the spring 48 as the projection 50 engages the flanged
camming surface 54. The camming means 52 may take any suitable form
which does not block the flow passage between the spray orifice 38
and the end of the stem 36 which will cause the piston 42 to be
cammed rightwardly in response to downward pressure applied to the
top of the cap 34. The force of the spring 48 must be sufficient to
overcome the friction between the cap 34 and the stem 36 so as to
cause the cap 34 to be raised up from the end of the stem 36 to
allow the piston 42 to purge the nozzle orifice 38 and form a
secondary seal with the piston face 44.
It will thus be apparent that in accordance with this embodiment of
the invention not only is the exit orifice 38 purged upon release
of the actuating pressure applied to the top of head 34, but the
portion of the flowpath between orifice 38 and the primary seal is
also purged sealed at 44 to avoid clogging therein due to exposure
to the air or other drying agents or contaminants. It should also
be apparent that for some applications this structure can likewise
be utilized as a primary valve means by simply providing retainer
means at the base of the cap 34 for preventing the pressurized
material in the tube 36 from causing the cap 34 to be ejected from
the end thereof.
Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing, there is shown another
embodiment of the invention which is suitable for use either with
right-side-up aerosol application apparatus which includes a
dip-tube reaching to the bottom of the container or may be used for
the upside-down type of dispensing container which does not require
a dip-tube. This embodiment is likewise useful in right-side-up
dispensing of buoyant gaseous products or in conjunction with
conventional piston-type, bag-in-can type, and other dispensing
systems which operate upright without the need of a dip-tube. For
purposes of illustration, the type of application which requires no
dip-tube will be described.
In this particular embodiment, the valve and nozzle apparatus 52 is
utilized as a primary valving and dispensing means although it need
not necessarily be so. For example, this embodiment could be
insertable onto a valve stem of an aerosol container as is the
spray head illustrated in FIG. 2. In this particular embodiment,
however, the valve body 52 includes a cylindrical neck or stem
portion 54 which terminates at the lower end in an annular flange
56. In order to seat the valve means 52 to the mounting cup 58, the
annular lip portion 60 of the cup 58 is crimped around the flange
56, thereby rigidly securing the valve body 52 to the mounting cup
58 in alignment with the passageway 62 thereof. In some
applications, structure 58 may be an integral part of the container
rather than a separate element attached thereto.
The valve body 52 has an outlet orifice 66 which may be of any
suitable diameter or configuration which will cause the desired
spray or other dispensing characteristic. A piston 68 is mounted
within a chamber 69 in the upper portion of the valve body 52 and
may include a purging tip 70 which mates with the opening 66 when
the valve is in the closed position as illustrated. The piston 68
also includes a conical sealing surface 72 which seats upon a
similarly shaped surface portion 74 of the valve body 52
surrounding the opening 66. The piston 68 is normally biased
leftwardly by a spring means 76 which reacts against the opposite
end 78 of the upper portion of body 52.
In accordance with one method of manufacture, the rear portion 78
of the valve body 52 is post-formed after inserting the piston 68
and spring 76. In this manner, the spring 76 is preloaded
simultaneously with the postforming of the rear portion 78 of the
valve body. The piston 68 sealingly engages the walls of the
chamber 69 at 82 to prevent pressure loss around the outside of the
piston 68. Additionally, conical surface 71 of piston 68 sealingly
seats against a similarly shaped surface 73 of the valve body 52 by
action of biasing spring 76 in the nondispensing condition.
An axial projection 84 of the piston 68 extends through the opening
86 in the rear portion 78 of the valve body 52 and is engaged by
means of a pin-in-slot arrangement by one end of an actuating lever
88 which is pivoted about the body 52 at point 90. A downward force
applied to the lever 88 at 92 will cause the piston 68 to be
displaced rightwardly, thus breaking the seal at 72 and retracting
the purging tip 70, when incorporated, from the orifice 66. The
pressurized fluid in the container is thereby allowed to pass
through the passage 62 and by the ribs 94 of the piston 68 to the
opening 66 where it is dispensed. The ribs 94 are in one form
orthogonally disposed and serve to guide the piston end so as to
insure proper alignment of the sealing surface 72 of piston 68 with
surface 74 of the valve body 52, and when tip 70 is incorporated,
to insure proper alignment of the tip 70 with the opening 66. It
will be noted that annular clearances 96 and 98 are provided at
either end of the ribs 94 so as to allow the dispensable material
to surround the piston 68 and flow more or less evenly to the
orifice 66.
The pressure acting on piston 68 tends to open the valving means.
Hence, for safety and lightweight and economical construction, this
configuration of the invention can be designed by proper selection
of the leftwardly facing projected area of piston 68 which is
exposed to the internal pressure of the container relative to the
selected closing force of spring 76 and operating friction of the
valving system, to automatically actuate the valve to relieve
excessive internal pressure which may be inadvertently caused by
exposure of the container to heat or other abnormal conditions.
Turning now to FIG. 4 of the drawing, there is shown another
embodiment of the invention which is adapted to accommodate viscus
liquids or foam-type products. The actuating mechanism of this
embodiment is quite similar to that illustrated in FIG. 3 in that
it includes a valve body 100 having a spring-loaded piston member
102 which is actuable by a lever 104 for dispensing a selected
amount of pressurized product. In accordance with this particular
design, the product is ejected downwardly through an exit orifice
106 at the end of an extended nozzle means 108. The aperture 106 is
opened by applying downward pressure to lever 104 to cause the
piston 102 to be retracted rightwardly, thus withdrawing the tip
110 of the piston projection 112 which extends into the orifice
106.
With the piston in the retracted position, pressurized material
within the container to which mounting cup 114 is attached can
escape through dip-tube 116 and up into the nozzle 108 around
piston projection 112 and then exit out the orifice 106. When the
pressure is released from lever 104, the spring 118 causes the
piston to be returned to its leftward position, so that the tip 110
enters the opening 106 so that substantially no leakage is allowed
with the piston in its closed position which would enable material
remaining within the extension 108 to become contaminated or
congealed. Spring 118 is restrained at its rightward end by a
punched concave disc 117 which snaps into groove 119 in valve body
100. Piston 102 forms a slidable seal with valve body 100 at
surface 130 to prevent escape of pressurized products. In some
instances it may be desirable to provide a shoulder 120 on the
piston 112 for mating with the edge 122 of the opening 106.
As in the case of the previously described embodiments, this
dispensing nozzle and valve structure can be utilized as a primary
valving means in which case it would be hermetically sealed to the
mounting cup 114, or can be used as a slip-on dispensing head which
is insertable over the stem of an aerosol container having separate
valving means such as stem 28 of FIG. l. Where this embodiment is
used as a primary valving structure, a good primary seal can be
achieved between the surface 124 of the piston 102 and the surface
126 of the containing cylinder portion of the body member 100. A
hermetic seal may be provided between shoulder 120 of piston 112
and edge 122 of the valve body extension 108. Guide ribs similar to
members 94 in the embodiment of FIG. 3 also may be provided for the
previously discussed purposes. In applications where the length of
the extension 108 so warrants, a stiffening rib or support member
128 may be integrally provided with the body 100 for providing
support to the extension 108.
In FIG. 5 of the drawing, still another embodiment of the invention
is disclosed wherein the pressure of the propellant utilized to
force the material out of the valve means when opened, is also
utilized, in place of a mechanical spring or the like, to bias the
valve into a closed position after it has been actuated. In this
embodiment, the stationary valve body 130, stem 132, stiffening rib
134, and mounting flange are integrally formed, and the cylindrical
valve housing 136 is slidably received over the reduced portion 138
of the body 130 and forms a sliding seal therebetween. An actuator
140 is connected to the valve housing 136 by an integral rigid
cylindrical extension 142 thereof with rodlike projections 162
therefrom which slidably pass through passages 164 in the
stationary valve body 130 and anchor in the face of the cylindrical
valve housing 136. A bellowslike portion 144 of the actuator 140 is
sealably secured to the end of the body 130 at 146.
The other end of the body portion 130 terminates in a conically
shaped surface 158 which forms a seat for sealingly engaging with
the similarly shaped surface 160 of the slidable valve housing 136.
In the preferred embodiment, said end of the body portion 130
terminates in a small projection 148 which, with the valve in its
closed position, extends through the dispensing orifice 150. Said
projection 148 may be eliminated in other embodiments of the
invention. By applying thumb pressure to the actuator 140, the
valve housing 136 is caused to move leftwardly with relation to the
stationary valve body 130, so as to separate the purging projection
148 from the dispensing aperture 150 and to disengage sealing
surfaces 158 and 160. Thus, fluid within the container to which the
mounting cup 152 is secured will be forced up the dip-tube 154 and
through the passages 166 formed between cylindrical extension 142
and valve body 130 and the passages 164 between connecting rods 162
and valve body 130, between disengaged surfaces 158 and 160 and out
of the dispensing orifice 150. Guide ribs may be provided to
constrain cylindrical extension 142 to axial movement without
interferring with product passage.
Passages 166, 168, 156 and 170 communicate the pressure within the
container through dip-tube 154 to leftward-facing surfaces 141 and
172 of actuator 140 and surface 174 of cylindrical extension
142.
When the actuating pressure is released from the actuator 140,
internal pressure within the container acting upon the internal
walls of the actuator 140 of it to be driven rightwardly, pulling
the member 136 rightwardly to reseat the projection 148 within the
aperture 150, thus purging the fluid passage. A good hermetic seal
is formed at 158 as the end of member 138 seats against the inner
wall 160 of the housing 136. Since the internal surface areas 141,
172 and 174 of the actuator 140 upon which the internal pressure
operates is greater than the rightwardly projected areas of
actuator 114 upon which the internal pressure operates, the valve
is automatically closed and the nozzle area 150 is purged when the
external force is released on the rear of the actuator 140.
Although a few of the many variations of the present invention have
been disclosed above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled
in the art that these embodiments are only representative of the
various alterations and modifications which could be made to the
invention. It is therefore to be understood that the described
embodiments are for illustrative purposes only, and are in no way
limiting. Furthermore, I intend that the appended claims be
interpreted as covering all modifications which fall within the
true spirit and scope of my invention.
* * * * *