U.S. patent number 3,593,887 [Application Number 04/844,840] was granted by the patent office on 1971-07-20 for valve for dispensing a plurality of products packaged under pressure.
This patent grant is currently assigned to L'Oreal. Invention is credited to Bruno P. Morane.
United States Patent |
3,593,887 |
Morane |
July 20, 1971 |
VALVE FOR DISPENSING A PLURALITY OF PRODUCTS PACKAGED UNDER
PRESSURE
Abstract
Valve for dispensing at least one of a plurality of fluids and
movable between a closed position, an intermediate position
releasing only one of said fluids which serves to cleanse the
valve, and an open position in which it releases only the other of
said fluids. Alternatively, the valve may release both fluids when
open.
Inventors: |
Morane; Bruno P. (Paris,
FR) |
Assignee: |
L'Oreal (Paris,
FR)
|
Family
ID: |
9036830 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/844,840 |
Filed: |
July 25, 1969 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 3, 1969 [FR] |
|
|
6,922,462 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/136;
222/402.17 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
83/34 (20130101); B65D 83/682 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
83/14 (20060101); B67d 005/52 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/136,148,402.18,402.17 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tollberg; Stanley H.
Claims
What I claim is:
1. Valve for simultaneously dispensing a plurality of fluids
maintained under pressure, said valve comprising in
combination:
a cup defining a central chamber and adapted to be secured beneath
the cap of an outer container, said chamber being formed with at
least one upper port for communication with a first container and a
lower port for communication with a second container;
stationary sealing means closing the top of said chamber;
a spout extending through said sealing means into said chamber and
slidable therein between an upper "closed" position, an
intermediate "cleaning" position and a lower "open" position, said
spout having a central longitudinal channel blocked near its
midpoint, at least one upper port above the point at which it is
blocked and a lower port below that point,
resilient means biasing said spout toward its closed position;
a slidable sealing member encircling said spout within said chamber
and slidable relative to said cup between an upper position closing
the upper port in said cup and a lower position clear of the upper
port in said cup, and
abutment means on said spout positioned to hold said slidable
sealing means in its upper position when said spout is in its
closed position and move said slidable sealing means into its lower
position when said spout is moved to its open position,
said spout being movable in said slidable sealing member so that
the lower port in said spout is clear of said slidable sealing
member when said spout is in its intermediate cleaning position,
but blocked by said sealing member when said spout is in its open
position, thereby providing an open passage leading from the lower
port in said cup through both ports in said spout to the outer end
of said spout when said spout is in its cleaning position, and an
open passageway leading from the peripheral port in said cup
through the upper port in said spout when said valve is in its open
position.
2. In combination, a valve as claimed in claim 1, an outer jacket
closed by said valve, said outer jacket being in communication with
the lower port in said cup, and holding a pressurizing fluid, and
an inner container holding a fluid to be dispensed and connected to
each upper port in said cup.
3. A valve as claimed in claim 1 in which an open passage maintains
constant communication between those portions of said chamber on
opposite sides of said sliding sealing member, so that fluid from
the lower port in said cup is dispensed whenever said spout is in
its open position.
4. A valve as claimed in claim 1 in which said stationary sealing
means is a resilient disc having a domed central portion encircling
said spout, whereby excessive pressure beneath said sealing member
will force the walls of said dome away from said spout to provide a
channel therebetween for the relief of said pressure.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to an improvement on the valve for
simultaneously dispensing a plurality of fluids which is described
in my prior application, Ser. No. 839,842 filed July 8, 1969. That
application describes a valve characterized by the fact that it
comprises a cylindrical cup provided with radial notches at the top
of its peripheral wall, one for each of the products which is to be
dispensed. The notches are connected through suitable passageways
to spigots at the bottom of the cup, which spigots are connected to
the containers holding each of the products to be dispensed. This
cup is also provided with a coaxial central chamber and encircles a
sealing member which is axially slidable within said chamber and is
biassed upwardly by a spring which rests on the bottom of said
chamber. This sealing member is shaped like a cylindrical crown and
is provided at its top with a circular seat. The valve also
comprises a central cylindrical spout which is open at its top and
closed at its bottom and carries at its midpoint a circular
shoulder adapted to cooperate with the seat at the top of the
sliding sealing member. The lower part of this spout is radially
pierced by at least one hole and, it is pierced at a level
immediately above the circular shoulder, by another hole. Finally,
the valve comprises an annular sealing member encircling the spout
and bearing on the top of the cup of the sliding sealing member,
and of the annular shoulder on the spout.
When such a valve is used to dispense products which are capable of
progressively stopping up the passageways in the spout, it is
particularly useful to be able to clean the inside of the valve,
for example, each time the products have been dispensed. This
cleaning operation may be easily carried out by means of a brief
spurt of propellant gas, which takes place before or after each
dispensing operation. Such valves may be called "self-cleaning
valves." It is the object of the present invention to provide an
improvement in the valve described in the application of July 8,
1969 and which differs therefrom in two particulars. In the first
place, the spring which biases the sliding sealing member upward
bears against a disc fixed to the lower part of the spout instead
of against the sliding sealing member itself. This disc may be
brought into contact with the sliding sealing member. Secondly, the
passage inside the cylindrical spout is open at its bottom and
closed at the level of the cylindrical shoulder which projects
radially outward from said spout. This shoulder is positioned
inside the sliding sealing member and biased upwardly against the
annular sealing member by the said spring, and is adapted to
cooperate with a portion of the sliding sealing member so as to
cause movement thereof.
In an improved embodiment of the invention the cylindrical seat in
the sliding joint is circular, as is the cylindrical shoulder
carried by the spout of the valve, and the outer diameter on the
shoulder on the spout is slightly less than the inner diameter of
the seat and the sliding sealing member. The surface of the
shoulder on the spout which is opposite the annular sealing member
is provided with at least one groove which extends from the
periphery of the shoulder to the spout itself.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide as a new
article of manufacture a pressurized dispensing container
essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises at least
one valve of the above type.
When the valve according to the invention is in closed position,
the hole in the upper part of the spout is positioned between the
upper and the lower surfaces of the annular sealing member, and the
hole in the lower part of the spout is positioned inside the seat
in the sliding sealing member. When the valve according to the
invention is in its open position, the spout has been depressed
into the inside of the cylindrical cup of the valve by the user. As
the spout is depressed, the hole in the upper part of the spout
enters the zone between the annular sealing member and the sliding
sealing member. The depression of the spout is resisted by the
spring, which bears against a disc at the lower end of the spout.
When depression of the spout is first begun, the circular shoulder
on the spout moves within the seat inside the sliding sealing
member without coming into contact with any other part of said
sealing member and the hole in the lower part of the spout remains
inside the seat in the sliding sealing member. In this position,
the propellant gas contained in the pressurized container which
cooperates with the valve according to the invention may pass
through the seat in the sliding joint so as to escape to the
outside. When the spout is further depressed the hole in the lower
part thereof passes beyond the seat and the sliding sealing member.
This stops the escape of propellant gas. Still further depression
of the spout brings the circular shoulder thereon into contact with
a portion of the sliding sealing member so that subsequent
depression of the spout carries with it the sliding sealing member
and opens the distribution ports of the passageways associated with
the spigots of the valve.
It should be noted that, when the valve according to the invention
is in its closed position, there is practically no distribution
chamber in which the products to be simultaneously dispensed remain
mixed together. This important characteristic is particularly
valuable when the two products to be dispensed are capable of
reacting chemically with each other. Such a valve may be used to
assure the simultaneous distribution of several products which must
be stored separately, each product being then enclosed within a
container connected to one of the spigots at the bottom of the
cylindrical cup of the valve. In order that the valve according to
the invention may act as a self-cleaning valve, it is essential
that the central chamber in the cylindrical cup of the valve be in
communication with a region containing a gas under pressure. This
gas under pressure may be the pressurizing gas associated with at
least one of the products to be distributed. It may also be a gas
under pressure which is independent of the pressurizing gases
associated with each of the products to be distributed. The valve
according to the invention may of course function as a
self-cleaning valve when only a single product is to be
dispensed.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the circular sealing
member is attached to the cup of the valve by a cap which forms the
top of the outer container or jacket on which said valve is
mounted. The connecting spigots attached to the bottom of the valve
cup, and the passageways which connect the radial slots in the top
of the cup are parallel to the axis of the cup. The annular sealing
member and the sliding member may be made of any suitable plastic
material, whether natural or synthetic. The cup of the valve and
the cylindrical spout may be made of metal or of molded plastic
material.
As has been hereinbefore indicated, the valve according to the
invention has a position in which the inside of the jacket on which
the valve is mounted is connected to the outside even though the
containers holding the products to be simultaneously dispensed are
not connected to permit distribution. This position may permit the
introduction of a propellant gas into the outer container or jacket
holding the inner containers. In particular, when the inner
containers are made of a flexible material they made be connected
to the valve according to the invention and then located inside the
outer container or jacket to which the valve is attached. In that
case, the last step of the manufacturing operation is the
introduction of pressurizing gas into the container.
It is important to note that, for a constant speed of depression of
the spout during each dispensing operation, the quantity of
propellant gas which escapes to the exterior is essentially a
function, for a given valve, of the distance between the hole in
the lower part of the spout and the circular shoulder at the
central part of this spout. The greater this distance, the larger
the quantity of propellant gas released during each dispensing
operation. In other words, the extent of the self-cleaning by the
valve may be regulated by adjusting this distance.
In a first embodiment of the valve according to the invention, the
lower part of the spout is provided with a groove on its outer
lateral surface and the surface of the circular shoulder of said
spout which is opposite to the circular sealing member also
comprises a groove which communicates with the groove on the lower
part of the spout. This creates a passageway through which the
propellant gas inside the container to which the valve is attached
may penetrate into the chamber within the sliding sealing member,
even if the hole in the lower part of the spout is not inside this
chamber. It follows that, in the open position of the valve, the
propellant gas may penetrate into the chamber in the sliding joint
and escape at the same time as the products to be distributed
simultaneously. As a consequence the valve is capable of delivering
additional gas, a characteristic which is very valuable,
particularly when the products to be dispensed are highly
viscous.
In a second embodiment of the device according to the invention,
the circular sealing member comprises in its central part a dished
portion, the bottom of which is pierced by an opening through which
the upper part of the valve spout passes in a fluidtight manner.
This particular shape of the circular sealing member makes it
possible for this sealing member to serve as a safety device. If
excessive pressure is applied inside a dished member made of
elastic material, the edges of the dished member tend to spread
apart so as to permit the fluid under excessive pressure which
provoked the deformation to escape to the outside. Since the
surface of the circular sealing member which is opposite the
sliding sealing member is in contact with the propellant gas under
pressure inside the container associated with the valve, the
circular sealing member may act as a safety device, avoiding any
possible explosion as a result of excessive pressure within the
container.
In order that the invention may be better understood, two
embodiments thereof will now be described, purely by way of
example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the valve according to the
invention, in axial section, in its closed position;
FIG. 2 shows the valve of FIG. 1 in axial section in its
self-cleaning position;
FIG. 3 shows the valve of FIG. 1, in axial section, in its open
position; and
FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the valve according to the
invention, in axial section, and in its closed position.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, it will be seen that reference numeral 1
indicates the valve cup. This is generally cylindrical in shape and
defines a central chamber 2. Two diametrically opposed spigots 3
and 4 are attached to its bottom.
Two grooves 5 and 6 are provided at the top of the sidewall of the
cup, and are substantially rectangular in section. These grooves 5
and 6 are in alignment with the spouts 3 and 4 respectively.
Passageways 7 and 8 in the wall of the cup are in alignment with
the spigots 3 and 4 respectively and connect these spigots to the
slots 5 and 6. The top of the cup is provided with an external
shoulder 9. The bottom of the cup is pierced by an axial hole
1a.
A sliding sealing member 30 is positioned inside the central
chamber 2. This sealing member comprises a lateral cylindrical wall
30a and a bottom 30b. There is a central hole in the bottom of the
sealing member which is encircled by a rim 31. The sliding sealing
member 30 defines an inner cylindrical seat 32.
A spout 33 is mounted in the center of the sliding sealing member
30. The spout 33 is generally cylindrical in shape and comprises a
central passageway blocked at its midpoint at the level of the
external annular shoulder 15. The outer diameter of the shoulder 15
is slightly less than the inner diameter of the seat 32. The inner
diameter of the rim 31 is substantially equal to the external
diameter of the lower part of the spout 33. At the bottom of spout
33 is a disc 34, the outer diameter of which is slightly less than
the diameter of the cylindrical surface 30a of the sliding sealing
member. A spring 12 is positioned between the disc 34 and the
bottom of the central chamber 2. At a point above the circular
shoulder 15 the spout 33 is pierced by two diametrically opposite
holes 16, and two diametrically opposed holes 35 are provided in
its lower part between the disc 34 and the circular shoulder
15.
A circular sealing member 36 is positioned at the top of the valve.
This sealing member has an external diameter equal to the external
diameter of the shoulder 9 and an inner diameter equal to the outer
diameter of the upper part of spout 33. In its closed position,
shown in FIG. 1, this sealing member rests on the upper surfaces of
the cup 1, of the sliding sealing member 30, and the circular
shoulder 15. When the circular sealing member 36 is in position on
the cup 1, the slots 5 and 6 in the top of the wall of this cup
become holes. The circular sealing member 36 is fastened to the top
of the cup 1 by a metallic cap 19 which crimps the circular sealing
member 36 to the shoulder 9 of the cup 1. It is obvious that the
cap 19 is provided with a central opening 20 within which the spout
33 is free to slide.
The cap 19 is adapted to be crimped to the top of an outer
container or jacket, which outer container may hold the flexible
containers inside which the products to be dispensed are stored, as
well as the pressurizing fluid for placing the products stored in
the flexible containers under pressure. Freon may be used as a
pressurizing fluid. The upper parts of the flexible containers
holding the products to be dispensed are in the form of tubes 21
and 22 which are adapted to be attached to the spigots 3 and 4
respectively.
Once the cap 19 has been attached to the top of the outer
container, said outer container encloses the flexible inner
containers holding the products to be dispensed, which are
connected to the dispensing valve. The Freon is then introduced
into the outer container by any suitable means, and in particular
either by a special valve, or directly through the valve according
to the invention, placed in the position shown in FIG. 2. In this
latter case, the Freon is introduced into the axial passageway in
the spout 33, and passes through the hole 16, which is then
positioned between the circular sealing member 36 and the sliding
sealing member 30, through the seat 32 in the central part of the
sliding sealing member 30 to the outside of the shoulder 15, and
then penetrates through the hole 35 in the lower part of the spout
33, after which it passes through the central chamber 2 and the
hole 1a to fill the outer container. When the desired quantity of
Freon has been introduced into the outer container, the connection
between the container for the Freon and the spout 33 is broken, and
the spout is forced upward by the spring 12 so as to restore the
valve to its closed position, as shown in FIG. 1.
In the closed position shown in FIG. 1 the sliding sealing member
30 blocks the slots 5 and 6 which prevents the dispensing of the
products which are to be simultaneously distributed. The
pressurizing gas, which is inside the outer container, exerts
pressure against the inside of the seat 32, since this seat is in
communication with the inside of the container through the hole 30,
the central opening 2, and the hole 1a. The central part of the
circular sealing member 36 is formed into a dome 36a inside the
hole 20 in the cap 19. The central part of the dome 36a is
traversed by the upper part of the spout 33. In the closed position
shown on FIG. 1, when the disc 34 bears against the sliding sealing
member 30, which itself bears against the circular sealing member
36, the opening 16 is at a level such that it is between the two
surfaces of the bottom of the dome 36a. The dome 36a forms a seal
about the upper part of the spout 33, so that the gas which is
contained in the seat 32 cannot escape to the outside. If excessive
pressure occurs inside the outer container, this excessive pressure
acts on the inside of the dome 36a, and because of the elasticity
of the material of which it is made, deforms said dome so as to
permit the escape of gas along the upper part of the spout 33.
The presence of the dome 36a in the central part of the circular
sealing member 36 thus makes it possible for the valve according to
the invention to serve as a safety valve preventing excessive
pressure inside the outer container.
When the user desires to open the valve according to the invention,
he presses axially downward on the spout 33. The spring 12 is then
compressed and permits the spout 33 to be forced downwardly into
the cup 1 of the valve. During the first part of its downward
movement, as shown in FIG. 2, the hole 16 has been brought into
communication with the seat 32, but the hole 35 is still inside the
seat 32. It follows that there is a connection between the inside
of the outer container and its outside, which permits pressurizing
gas to flow through the hole 35, the seat 32, over the outside of
shoulder 15 and through the hole 16. This flow of gas under
pressure cleans the seat 32 which may contain particles of the
product to be dispensed which were left from a previous operation
of the valve. The valve according to the invention is thus of the
self-cleaning type.
When the user continues to press down on the spout 33, the spring
12 is more tightly compressed and the circular shoulder 15 comes
into alignment with the rim 31 of the sliding sealing member 30.
From this time on the pressurizing gas inside the outer container
can no longer pass out of the container, since the hole 35 is
inside the rim 31. When the spout 33 is further depressed, the
sliding sealing member 30 is compelled to move therewith. This
opens the distribution ports 5 and 6 and permits the simultaneous
dispensing of the products to be distributed through the hole 16
and the central passageway in the upper part of the spout 33.
FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. In this
embodiment the lower part of the spout 33 is provided with a
longitudinal peripheral groove 37. The surface of the circular
shoulder 15 which comes into contact with the rim 31 is provided
with a radial groove 38 which communicates with groove 37.
The valve according to the invention is shown in closed position in
FIG. 4. The position of its various components is analogous of
those of the corresponding components of the valve in FIG. 2.
Movement to its intermediate position results in self-cleaning of
the seat 32 in a manner identical to that which has been described
in connection with the valve of FIG. 1, this intermediate position
being shown, for the first embodiment, on FIG. 2. When the valve is
in its open position, all the components are in the position shown,
for the first embodiment, in FIG. 3. However, in the case of the
present embodiment the grooves 37 and 38 permit the passage of the
pressurizing gas from the inside of the outer container to the
outside thereof when the valve is in its open position. It follows
that this valve provides additional gas during dispensing. The
current of pressurizing gas which then passes through the seat 32
greatly facilitates the simultaneous flow of the two products which
are supplied through the slots 5 and 6 and which must be delivered
through the hole 16 and the central passageway in the spout 33.
It will of course be appreciated that the embodiments which have
been described have been given purely by way of example, and may be
modified as to detail without thereby departing from the basic
principles of the invention as defined by the following claims.
* * * * *