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.

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.

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.