U.S. patent number 3,905,517 [Application Number 05/237,107] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-16 for device for holding and discharging liquid and paste-like substances under pressure.
This patent grant is currently assigned to International Presspack Company. Invention is credited to Richard Friedrich, Frank A. E. Rindelaub.
United States Patent |
3,905,517 |
Friedrich , et al. |
September 16, 1975 |
Device for holding and discharging liquid and paste-like substances
under pressure
Abstract
A device for holding and discharging liquid and pastelike
substances is disclosed. The device has a rigid outer container and
a flexible inner container. The upper edge of the inner container
is fastened to the outer container. The inner container is intended
for holding the substance to be discharged, a discharge valve being
in communication with the inner container. A propellant is
introduced into the space between the containers for exerting
pressure on the inner container. For assuring complete removal of
the substance held in the inner container, and complete collapsing
of the inner container, the peripheral wall of the latter is
provided with longitudinal deformations in the form of recesses or
depressions.
Inventors: |
Friedrich; Richard
(Welschingen, Hegau, DT), Rindelaub; Frank A. E.
(Schaffhausen, CH) |
Assignee: |
International Presspack Company
(CH)
|
Family
ID: |
3859249 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/237,107 |
Filed: |
March 22, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/95;
222/386.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05C
17/015 (20130101); B05C 17/00583 (20130101); B65D
83/62 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B05C
17/005 (20060101); B05C 17/015 (20060101); B65D
83/14 (20060101); B65D 035/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;222/386.5,389,93,95,105,402.1,94 ;239/328,304 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Reeves; Robert B.
Assistant Examiner: Marmor; Charles A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Robinson; Arnold Lucas; William D.
Carten; Francis N.
Claims
What we claim is:
1. In a device for storing and discharging fluid and paste-like
substances comprising a rigid outer container and a generally
cylindrical, flexible metal inner container having inner and outer
surfaces and positioned within said outer container to define a
space therebetween, pressure means in said space, and discharge
valve means communicating with said metal inner container, said
device being operative upon actuation of said discharge valve means
to discharge contents of said metal inner container under the
action of said pressure means thereon, said pressure means
collapsing said metal inner container as the contents thereof are
discharged, the improvement comprising: longitudinal weakening
deformations of arcuate cross-section formed in said metal inner
container to cause said pressure means, upon actuation of said
discharge valve means, to fold said metal inner container inward by
said action of said pressure means on the outer surfaces of said
longitudinal weakening deformations in preference to the remainder
of said outer surface of said metal inner container.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said longitudinal
weakening deformations are formed by recesses.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which four longitudinal
weakening deformations are provided, offset at 90.degree. relative
to one another.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said metal inner
container comprises a base and an upper edge, and in which said
longitudinal weakening deformations end slightly above said base
and slightly below said upper edge of said metal inner
container.
5. A device as claimed in claim 4, in which said upper edge of said
metal inner container is connected to said outer container at the
upper edge thereof.
6. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which said metal inner
container is made of aluminum.
Description
The invention relates to a device for holding and dispensing liquid
and paste-like substances under pressure, comprising a rigid outer
container and a flexible, preferably aluminum, inner container
whose upper edge is fastened to the outer container, and having a
discharge valve disposed in the top of the outer container and
protruding into the inner container and a sealable opening in the
base of the outer container for the introduction of a
propellant.
In these devices, also known as twin-chamber aerosol containers,
the resilient inner container contains the useful goods while the
annular space between the inner and the outer containers is filled
with the propellant, i.e. with pressurised gas. The useful goods
can be, for example, cosmetics, a perfume spray, an insecticide,
lacquer or even a paste-like foodstuff such as liver-sausage or
honey. For discharging these goods, the discharge valve, which may
be fitted with a spray nozzle, is opened, for example, by pressing
or tilting. The pressure exerted by the propellant on the inner
container takes effect and forces the useful goods out of the inner
container through the discharge valve. There is a risk here that
the inner container may become constricted at its end facing the
discharge valve which would prevent the useful goods below the
constriction from reaching the discharge valve. Thus, the inner
container would not be completely emptied. Another danger is that
the inner container might become constricted and fold along
irregular bending or buckling lines at which points it may crack.
The resulting contact between the useful goods and the propellant
may render the goods useless. In addition to the loss of propellant
which may occur, the device would be rendered unserviceable as a
result of this mixing.
A previously proposed method of avoiding these difficulties is the
use of distance bars which extend from top to bottom in the inner
container and end above its base. These distance bars prevent the
inner container from becoming completely constricted. However,
there is the risk that, if the base of the inner container folds
upwards, it may be pierced by the distance bar. This too
immediately renders the entire device useless and the goods still
contained in it are lost.
To prevent the inner container from being pierced, frame-like
spreading rings have also been inserted into the inner container.
These spreading rings cannot pierce the inner container. However,
they do not prevent the inner container from becoming completely
constricted at every point so that a pocket filled with the useful
goods can still arise below the constriction. The goods contained
in this pocket cannot pass the constriction and remain in the inner
container. Such goods are lost. The useful life of the device is
reduced accordingly.
The invention sets out to provide a device such that the inner
container does not become constricted to form a pocket which cannot
be emptied or cracked along sharp bending or buckling lines, and
does not become pierced by a distance bar, but is such that it can
discharge its entire content of useful goods down to substantially
the last drop through the discharge valve without there being any
risk of the inner container folding sharply and as a result
cracking.
According to the present invention, longitudinal deformations are
provided equally distributed round the peripheral wall of the inner
container.
When discharging its content the inner container contracts inwardly
along those deformations uniformly over its entire length. The
possibility of a constriction occuring at any point and leading to
the formation of a pocket below this constriction is substantially
eliminated. The entire content of the inner container can be freely
discharged.
In preferred embodiments the deformation are formed by recesses. In
a horizontal or transverse cross section these recesses preferably
have the form of hollow depressions which look like gently sloping
valleys.
The inner container does not apply the same resistence against the
external pressure of the propellant on the surface of these
depressions as it does on the surface between these depressions,
where as before it is circular shaped. This means that the inner
container is preformed and weakened in advance on the surface of
its depressions so that the pressure of the propellant affects this
part first of all. The inner container is compressed uniformly over
the surface area of these depressions which is large compared to
the surface area of a buckling line. The possibility of a buckle or
fold along a sharp edge which could lead to cracking is minimized.
It is just as unlikely that the inner container will become
constricted at any plane. The large surface of the depressions is
sufficient for the pressure of the propellant to act on. It is no
longer possible, when the discharge valve is suddenly opened, for
the resulting alteration in pressure to affect only a limited
surface of the inner container and compress or constrict it
there.
It has proved practical and sufficient to provide four depressions
disposed at 90.degree. from one another about the inner container
wall.
The depressions can end a short distance above the base and below
the upper edge of the inner container.
The invention is now further described, by way of example, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a dispenser according to the
invention; and
FIG. 2 is a cross section along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
The dispenser shown in FIG. 1 has a rigid outer container 12 with a
base 14 and a filling valve 16 disposed in an opening in the base
for the introduction of the propellant. Inside the rigid outer
container 12 is a flexible inner container 18. The upper edge of
the inner container 18 is flanged round the upper edge of the outer
container 12 and is held there by an outer container cap 20. A
discharge valve 22 is located in this outer container cap 20. Four
longitudinal depressions 24 are constructed in the wall of the
inner container 18. FIG. 1 shows that these depressions begin
slightly above the base 26 of the inner container 18 and end
shortly below the upper edge of the inner and outer containers. As
can be seen particularly clearly in the transverse cross-section
shown in FIG. 2, the depressions 24 look like gently sloping
valleys.
The annular cavity between the outer container 12 and the inner
container 18 and the space between the base 26 of the inner
container 18 and the base 14 of the outer container 12 is filled
with propellant through the filling valve 16. The flexible inner
container 18 is, therefore, under the pressure of this propellant.
Its interior is filled with the useful goods. When the discharge
valve 22 is actuated, the pressure of the propellant acts firstly
on the surfaces of the depressions 24 as can be guessed from the
section shown in FIG. 2. While the goods are being discharged
through the discharge valve 22 the inner container gradually folds
inwards on the surface of its four depressions 24. Finally, it
assumes the approximate shape of a star. This star has the same
section throughout the entire length of the inner container so that
the contents too have left the inner container uniformly and
smoothly.
The advantages of the present invention, as well as certain changes
and modifications to the disclosed embodiment thereof, will be
readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It is the applicant's
intention to cover all those changes and modifications which could
be made to the embodiment of the invention herein chosen for the
purposes of the disclosure without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention.
* * * * *