Dispenser Valve Structure

Abstract

A dispenser valve structure for use with containers dispensing liquids under pressure, in which the nozzle is provided with spaced guide ribs which form guideways therebetween for guiding the material to be discharged in a substantially straight stream and avoid spattering. This invention is an improvement of the type of valve structure shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,300,105.

Description

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In dispenser valve structures of the type shown in my patent and in others, the whipped cream and/or other material discharged through the nozzle would spatter in all directions, which was very objectionable. The present invention is to provide the interior of the nozzle with spaced guide ribs which form guideways through which the discharged material is guided and, hence, the material is discharged in a substantially straight stream and avoids spattering. A more effective control of the discharged stream is thus provided in that it can be properly and correctly aimed and directed, instead of spattering as it formerly did.

It is known that whipping cream, shaving cream, or any product which is to be whipped or to be discharged in a foam is in a liquid state in the aerosol can; that the cream actually whips as it is being dispensed from the valve due to the action of the gas and the opening of the valve. As the cream was dispensed it would spatter and would not be discharged in a substantially straight stream and this was very objectionable. The present invention eliminates the spattering and it is accomplished in a very inexpensive manner, namely, in forming the nozzle with guide ribs which guide the whipped cream out of the nozzle in a straight stream. The guide ribs can be molded in the plastic nozzle at substantially no additional cost per piece part. Thus, an improved function and result can be achieved without additional cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view showing the valve structure in upright and normally closed position and showing the nozzle forming this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the valve structure and nozzle in its maximum tilted position.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

The numeral 10 designates a conventional can or container for aerosol products. The container 12 is provided at its upper end with a rolled-over edge 14. A closure 16 for the can or container has a peripheral edge 18 rolled about the rolled-over edge 14 for securement thereto. A resilient gasket 20 of rubber or the like is secured between the rolled-over edges 14 and 18 to provide a tight seal therebetween to prevent leakage. This is conventional in the art.

The closure 16 has a central opening 22 encompassed by an upstanding annular rim 24. Secured to the closure 16 is a plug or body, generally indicated at 26, which is formed of resilient material, such as rubber or the like, having a central passage or bore 28 of uniform diameter throughout the length of the plug. The plug 26 extends through the opening 22 of the closure 16 and is enlarged at the lower end thereof to provide a flange or enlargement 32 which rests against the inside of the closure 16. The bottom surface 34 of the enlargement or flange 32 forms the valve seat, as will be subsequently described. The tubular portion of the plug is provided with an annular shoulder or bead or boss 35, the bottom or lower edge 36 of which seats against the top of the annular rim 24 to securely lock the plug 26 to the container. The upper portion of the shoulder or boss 35 inclines or tapers upwardly and inwardly as at 37 where it merges into the tubular body portion of the plug. The taper of the upper portion 37 of the shoulder is approximately 45.degree..

The valve stem unit, which is generally indicated at 38, includes a stem, a spearhead at the upper end thereof and a valve at the lower end. The valve stem unit has an elongated circular stem 40 provided with a generally spear-shaped head 42. The spear-shaped head has tapered sides 44 with lower horizontal extending portions 46 which form the engaging portions of the head for engaging the shoulder of the nozzle, to be described. The point end 48 of the head is slightly rounded or blunted. The head has flat parallel spaced sides 50 and the distance between the sides 50 is less than the diameter of the stem 40.

The lower or inner end of the stem 40 has an integrally formed annular disk 54 which forms the valve. Said disk has a flat outer annular portion 56 and a slightly raised inner annular tapering portion 58.

The stem is provided with a plurality of spaced vertically extending ribs 60, the upper ends of which taper into the stem body and terminate in a spaced relation to the horizontal portions 46 of the spearhead. The lower ends of the ribs 60 extend into the tapered portion 58. The ribs 60, while they are out of engagement with the internal or inside wall of the plug 26, serve to center the valve stem unit 38.

When the valve 54 is seated, as shown in FIG. 1, the tapered annular portion 58 engages the lowermost edge 61 of the plug 26 adjacent the bore 28 and closes, and in effect seals the entrance to the bore of the plug, thereby preventing the passage of any of the aerosol material from the container into the bore of the plug 26.

The stem 40 is provided with a vertical slot 62 which extends into the spearhead to permit a slight compression of the spearhead 42 when the stem is initially inserted through the plug 26 from the bottom or inner side of the plug, more particularly, a slight compression of the spearhead 42 as it passes the shoulder of the nozzle, to be described. The valve stem unit 38 which comprises the stem, spearhead and valve is integrally molded of a high impact polystyrene material.

A tubular nozzle, generally indicated at 64, formed of a rigid plastic material encompasses and envelops a portion of plug 26, including the shoulder or bead or boss 35 of the plug. The nozzle 64 is provided with an inside annular or circumferential bead or boss 66 which reduces the bore of the nozzle for the length of the bead or boss 66. The bead or boss is further provided with an inwardly extending annular shoulder 68 which is adapted to engage the lower edge 46 of the spearhead 42 for securing the nozzle in a locked position relative to said spearhead and stem. The lower end of the nozzle 64 has an enlarged skirt portion 70 having a greater inside diameter than that of the inside of the body of the nozzle which tapers inwardly as at 72 to merge with the body of the nozzle. The angle of the taper 72 is complementary to the taper of the shoulder portion 37 of the plug 26 with which it engages when the nozzle is in upright position, as shown in FIG. 1, with the valve seated in closed position. The lower edge 74 of the skirt portion 70 of the nozzle extends slightly short of the lower edge or bottom 36 of the shoulder 35 of the plug. The inside bore of the nozzle below the head or boss 66 is provided with an inclined or tapering portion 76 which engages the complementary shaped upper portion 78 of the plug. The top of the plug engages the shoulder 77.

The upper end of the nozzle 64 curves inwardly and is provided with a plurality of radially spaced slots 80 of V-shaped configuration which divides the upper end of the nozzle into a plurality of finger-like tips or tip sections, all being identified by the numeral 82. Four of such tip sections 82 are shown, although it will be understood that fewer or more tip sections may be formed in the upper end of the nozzle.

The invention here is in the formation and provision of the vertically extending guide ribs 84 formed in the inside of the upper portion of the nozzle 64. The upper portion of the nozzle extends upwardly of the top 83 of the boss 66 and said upper portion has the spaced vertical guide ribs 84. Two spaced vertical ribs 84 extend between each of the four tip sections 82 and said ribs extend upwardly from the top 83 into the tip sections 82 of the nozzle but terminate below the top 86 of the inwardly curved tips of the nozzle. The pairs of vertical guide ribs 84 define four guideways, all identified by the numeral 88. The vertical guide ribs 84 are spaced from adjacent guide ribs to define narrow vertical areas, identified by the numeral 90, which lead directly to the slots 80 and extend upwardly of the bottom of said slots.

It will be seen that the circumference of the lower portion of the nozzle is greater than the circumference of the upper portion, thus defining a shoulder surface 92.

The lower edge 74 of the skirt portion 70 of the nozzle 64 engages the top of the closure 16 when the nozzle is tilted to the angular position shown in FIG. 2, such as when the nozzle is operated. The extent or limit to which the nozzle 64, plug 26 and stem unit 38 may be tilted is shown in FIG. 2. The angular displacement from the vertical or the nozzle 64, as shown in FIG. 2, is approximately 18.degree., however, a greater controlled inclination may be obtained by shortening the skirt portion 70 of the nozzle, or a lesser controlled inclination may be obtained by lenghtening the skirt edge 74. With the angular inclination limited and controlled, as shown, the aerosol material will pass through the opening, indicated by the numeral 82, through the bore of the plug and out through the nozzle, that is, through the opposite flat sides 50 of the spearhead. As the nozzle 64 is tilted, as shown in FIG. 2, the flat portion 56 of the valve 54 of the stem presses into the flat portion 34 of the plug 26 along a portion thereof. In the normal position, as shown in FIG. 1, the flange 32 of the plug is not compressed.

As may be understood, irrespective of the tilting direction of the nozzle, the angle of tilt or inclination limits and controls the amount of material that may pass through the plug and nozzle. Obviously, by tilting the nozzle less than that shown, a lesser amount of material is discharged. The maximum amount of material to be discharged is controlled at all times, and the amount to be discharged can be preset when the valve is manufactured by determining the length of the skirt 70 and its spaced relation to the top of the closure member 16. At no time can the nozzle be tilted at a greater angle than that permitted by the length of the skirt in engagement with the closure 16.

The spaced guide ribs 84 which form the guideways 88 serve a very important function in that the discharged material, whether it be whipped cream or any like material, passes upwardly of the guideways 88 between each pair of ribs 84 and passes out from the tips in a substantially straight stream, in contrast to the previous objectionable manner in which the material would not come out in a straight stream but would be discharged laterally and would spatter. The guide ribs 84 therefore guide the material out of the nozzle in a substantially straight stream so that most of the material passes straight outwardly of the tips, rather than between the spaced slots 80 which would cause spattering. With this invention very little, if any, material is discharged outwardly between the slots 80 and spattering is substantially eliminated or considerably reduced. If any of the material should pass upwardly in the areas 90 adjacent the lower end of the slots 80, it would roll out of the nozzle through the slots 80 and as it rolls out it is substantially straight so that it does not spatter.

In initially assembling the structure, the plug 26 is secured to the closure 16. The stem unit 38 is then inserted into the plug through the bottom or underside of the plug and simultaneously the nozzle 64 is positioned over the top of the plug 26. The lower end of the spearhead 42 adjacent the engaging surfaces 46 is normally larger than the inside diameter of the nozzle defined by shoulder 68, and hence the spearhead 42 would have difficulty passing the shoulder were it not for the beveled undersurface of the shoulder 68, the inclined side surfaces 44 of the spearhead, and the slot 62 in the spearhead. Due to the slot 62, the spearhead is compressed sufficiently as it moves upwardly past the shoulder 68 so that the widest part of the spearhead is urged inwardly to allow the spearhead to move upwardly past the shoulder 66. After the spearhead passes above the shoulder 68, the spearhead 42 assumes its normal position and the lower engaging ends 46 of the spearhead extend beyond the inner circumference of the shoulder 68 to automatically lock the nozzle 64 to the stem unit 38 against removal.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a container for dispensing liquids under pressure, said container including a closure having an opening therethrough, a resilient tubular plug extending through said opening and having a flange engaging the inner surface of said closure and an annular outwardly extending shoulder above said flange with the underside of said shoulder engaging the container closure to secure said plug to said closure, said plug being provided with a valve seat on its inner side, said plug having a tubular portion, a rigid valve stem of lesser diameter than the internal diameter of said tubular plug, said valve stem being provided at its inner end with a valve head adapted to engage said seat and being provided at its other end with an outer head having engaging surfaces extending laterally of said stem, a separate nozzle positioned on said tubular plug, said nozzle having an inner shoulder adapted to be engaged by said engaging surfaces of said valve stem, said nozzle formed to provide a plurality of spaced finger-like tips at the outer end thereof, each of said tips having a pair of spaced vertically extending guide members integrally formed on the inside thereof with each said pair of guide members forming a guideway to direct the stream of the material being discharged through said guideway in a substantially straight stream outwardly of said finger-like tips of said nozzle in a direction substantially parallel with the vertical axis of the nozzle to reduce spattering, said guide members each having a uniform width along its length and providing a guideway between each said pair of guide members, said guideway being of uniform width along the length of the guideway.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1 in which the nozzle is integrally molded of a plastic material.

3. A structure as defined in claim 1 in which the tips are curved inwardly, said guide members being ribs which extend into the interior of said nozzle, with the top of said guide ribs terminating below the top of said finger-like tips.

4. A structure as defined in claim 1 in which a slot is provided between each of the finger-like tips, with the guide members extending outwardly of the bottom of the slot and also extending inwardly of said slot into the interior of said nozzle.

5. A structure as defined in claim 4 in which the guide members are ribs and in which the nozzle and ribs are integrally molded of a plastic material and in which the adjacent ribs form a spaced area between each slot, said last mentioned area being of less width than the width of each guideway.