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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
This invention relates to a squeeze bottle dispenser, and more particularly
relates to a squeeze bottle dispenser having a minimum number of parts,
yet which produces an extremely well atomized spray.
The art of squeeze bottle dispensers is extremely well developed. However,
these dispensers have become increasingly complex as ways have been sought
to improve the ability of the dispensers to dispense well atmoized sprays
of liquid, and yet to automatically seal at the end of a dispensing cycle
and remain sealed between dispensing cycles.
A typical example of a squeeze bottle dispenser which is an attempt to
achieve these objects is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,883 to Davis, Jr.,
in which a resiliently collapsible container has a dispensing head thereon
through which a dip tube with a check valve therein runs to a dispensing
orifice, and which has valving means for permitting one-way flow of air
from within the container upwardly to and over the mouth of the dip tube
to mix with liquid from the container and flow through the dispensing
orifice. An air return passage with a valve therein allows air to flow
back with the container after a dispensing cycle. When the bottle is
squeezed, the air in the space above the liquid contained therein is
compressed, and when sufficient pressure is built up, the liquid flows
past the check valve and up the dip tube and the air flow control valve
opens and compressed air flows past the valve to the mouth of the dip tube
and atomizes the liquid flowing through the dip tube as it passes out
through the dispensing orifice.
Thus, the device requires not only a valve member at the foot of the dip
tube, as well as a valve member in the air flow path between the interior
of the container and the mouth of the dip tube, but also requires a valve
in the return air flow passage.
Since this typical squeeze bottle structure requires a large number of
parts, including three valves, it is not only relatively expensive to make
and sell, but it is not very reliable in operation.
Simplification of such a structure can of course be achieved, but usually
at the expense of omitting the function of one or more of the valve
members or of parts helping to atomize the liquid.
An example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,474,936 to McDonell, in which the
structure has been somewhat simplified, but which still requires three
valves, one for the dispensing aperture, one for the return air flow
aperture, and one for the foot of the dip tube to completely seal the
container between dispensing cycles. When one of the valves is omitted, as
in FIG. 9, the interior of the container is always in communication with
the atmosphere. Moreover, in the McDonnell dispenser, these valves are
spring-loaded valve members, thus requiring additional parts.
On the other hand, the art has recognized the desirability of several
features to improve dispensing. For example, the desirability of causing a
flow of air to sweep across an aperture through which liquid is flowing to
improve atomization of the liquid, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No.
3,189,282 to Corsette. However, in this patent, the passages for the flow
of the liquid and the air are unvalved so that no build up of pressure can
occur prior to the start of flow of air or liquid, and separate cover
means must be manually positioned to seal the squeeze bottle after each
cycle of use.
It would be a distinct advance in the art if there could be provided a
squeeze bottle dispenser which has a simplified structure, yet in which
the sealing effect and pressure build up effect of the valve means
normally provided in the flow paths for the air and the liquid is
retained, and which also takes advantage of the improved atomization
caused by the sweeping of the air across the aperture through which the
liquid is flowing.
OBJECTS AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a squeeze
bottle dispenser which is made of a minimum number of parts, and yet which
is completely sealed when not dispensing and which produces extremely good
atomization.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a squeeze bottle
dispenser in which the flow passages for both the liquid to be dispensed
and the compressed air for atomizing said liquid are automatically closed
by a single valve means at the conclusion of the operation of the device.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a
squeeze bottle dispenser in which the compressed air is first brought up
to a predetermined pressure which will produce good atomization and only
then is caused to sweep across the apertures through which the liquid to
be dispensed is flowing for improving the atomization.
These objects are achieved, according to the present invention, by a
squeeze bottle type dispenser comprising a resiliently collapsible
container for the liquid to be dispensed, a cover means on said container,
said cover means having a flexible resilient central portion flexible
outwardly of the cover means away from the container, a dispensing valve
member on said cover having a dispensing orifice therein, and an interior
surface facing into said container, a dispensing valve body fixed in
position within said container adjacent said cover and having an exterior
surface complementary in shape to that of the interior surface of said
dispensing valve member and with which the interior surface of said valve
member tightly engages when the parts of the dispenser are in the
non-dispensing positions, the interior of said valve body being hollow and
said valve body having product dispensing apertures opening from said
hollow interior through said exterior surface thereof and being normally
covered by said valve member when the parts of the dispenser are in the
non-dispensing positions, said dispenser having an air return flow path
therethrough and valve means therein opening said air return flow path
when the pressure on the outside of the container is greater than the
pressure on the inside of the container, and liquid delivery means within
said container and connected to said valve body for delivering liquid to
said hollow interior of said valve body when the container is collapsed.
The exterior surface of said dispensing valve body and said dispensing
valve member are preferably outwardly conical and said dispensing orifice
in said dispensing valve member is at the apex of said dispensing valve
member. The product dispensing apertures are preferably substantially
transverse to the exterior surface of said dispensing valve member. The
liquid delivery means can be either a dip tube or a collapsible bag.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent
from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken
together with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a broken sectional elevation view of a first embodiment of a
squeeze bottle dispenser according to the present invention with the parts
in the rest or nondispensing position;
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the dispensing portions of the
squeeze bottle of FIG. 1 showing the parts in positions for dispensing the
liquid;
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the squeeze bottle of FIG. 1 showing
the parts in positions after conclusion of the dispensing of the liquid
and during return air flow; and
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the
squeeze bottle dispenser according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the first embodiment of the present invention is
constituted by a resiliently collapsible container 10 made of a material
which can be easily squeezed to collapse it, yet which is sufficiently
resilient to return to its original shape upon release of any pressure
thereon. The container can be made of a plastic material, such as
polyethylene or vinyl. In the present embodiment, the material of the
container must be inert to a liquid L contained therein and which is to be
dispensed.
The container 10 has a neck 11 having threads 12 thereon for attachment of
a cover 13 thereto. The threads may be replaced by some other securing
means, or the neck can be smooth and the cover bonded to the neck.
The cover 13 has a cylindrical portion 14 with an enlarged rim portion 15
on the outer end thereof, i.e. the end remote from the container 10. A
flexible central portion 16 has the periphery 17 thereof integral with the
enlarged rim portion 15, but is sufficiently thin and resilient so that
when a force is exerted on the center of the flexible central portion 16,
it will flex conically outwardly away from the container with the
periphery 17 acting somewhat like a hinge.
At the center of the flexible central portion is a convexly conical
dispensing valve member 18 having a dispensing orifice 19 in the center
thereof. In a portion of the flexible central portion 16 between the
periphery and the center thereof is an air return passage 20.
Held between the cover 13 and the top of the neck 11 of the container 10 is
a diaphragm member 21 having an upstanding flange 22 around the periphery
thereof, which serves to mount a dispensing valve body 25 in the form of a
hollow stem 23 at a fixed position at the center of the neck 11. To the
lower end of the hollow stem 23 is attached a liquid delivery means in the
form of a dip tube 24 which extends into the container 10 to near the
bottom thereof. The opposite end of the hollow stem 23 from the dip tube
24 is shaped into a conical shape which closes the end of the hollow
interior 23a of the stem, and a plurality of product valve apertures 26
open transversely through the exterior conical surface 25a of the
dispensing valve body 25. In a practical embodiment of the squeeze bottle
dispenser according to the present invention, there can be from two to
four such apertures equidistantly spaced circumferentially around the
conical surface of the dispensing valve body 25. The exterior surface 25a
of the dispensing valve body 25 is complementary in shape to the interior
surface 18a of the dispensing valve member 18 at the center of the
flexible central portion 16 of the cover 13, and the top of the conical
shape projects through the dispensing orifice 19. The diaphragm member 21
further has an air flow aperture 27 therein between the hollow stem 23 and
the outer periphery thereof.
Between the upstanding flange 22 and the under surface of the cover 13 is
an air return valve member 28 in the shape of an annular flexible
resilient member. The outer peripheral edge of the air return valve member
28 is held tightly between the upstanding flange 22 and the underside of
the cover, and the inner periphery thereof is located between the air
return passage 20 in the flexible central portion 16 and the dispensing
valve member 18 so that the valve member covers the air return passage 20.
It will be seen that the dimension of the upstanding flange 22 in the
direction transverse to the plane of the diaphragm member 21 is sufficient
to define between the diaphragm member 21 and the flexible central portion
16 of the cover 13 an air chamber 29.
The cover 13 is made of material similar to that of the container, and when
the flexible central portion 16 flexes upwardly around the periphery 17
when pressure is exerted on it from below, the enlarged rim portion 15 is
sufficiently rigid so that the rim portion 15 will remain fixed and hold
the annular flexible valve 28 at the peripheral edge thereof tightly
against the upstanding flange 22. The diaphragm member 21 is substantially
rigid, and can be made of the same material as the container and the
cover.
In operation, when the parts are at rest, as shown in FIG. 1, it will be
seen that the inner surface 18a of the dispensing valve member 18 rests
tightly against the exterior surface 25a of the dispensing valve body 25,
thus closing and sealing the product valve apertures 26, and also sealing
off the air chamber 29 from the dispensing orifice 19, and hence from the
atmosphere surrounding the dispenser. The annular flexible valve 28, on
the other hand, is urged against the under side of the flexible central
portion 16 due to its own resilience, thus closing the air return passage
20 and sealing the air chamber 29 from the atmosphere around the
container.
With the parts in these positions, when pressure is exerted on the
container 10 to collapse it, for example by squeezing it between the
fingers, the air in the space above the liquid L to be dispensed is
compressed, and compressed air is caused to flow through the air flow
aperture 27 and to increase the pressure in the air chamber 29. The
resiliency of the central portion 16 is such that, when adequate pressure
has built up to produce the desired degree of atomization, the increased
pressure flexes the flexible central portion 16 conically upwardly around
the periphery 17, while the diaphragm member 21 remains substantially
fixed. Thus, the dispensing valve member 18 moves away from the dispensing
valve body 25 to leave a gap which functions as an air flow passage 31
between the dispensing valve member 18 and the dispensing valve body 25
through which air flows rapidly.
The same increased pressure in the air chamber 29, on the other hand, urges
the annular flexible valve member 28 more tightly against the under side
of the flexible central portion 16, thus keeping the air return passage 20
closed.
The increased pressure within the resiliently collapsible container 10 is
also exerted on the upper surface of the body of the liquid L to be
dispensed, forcing this liquid up the dip tube 24 and through the hollow
stem 23 to the apertures 26. The liquid under pressure is forced to flow
through the apertures 26 substantially transversely to the exterior
surface 25a of the dispensing valve body 25. The flow of liquid is
immediately swept away by the compressed air flowing along the surface
25a, thus atomizing the liquid extremely well. The atomized liquid is then
carried out through the dispensing orifice 19 and is dispensed from the
dispenser.
When the pressure on the resiliently collapsible container is released or
the compressed air which has been produced by the initial compression is
used up, the pressure of the air within the air chamber 29 and the
interior of the container 10 decays and eventually returns to atmospheric
pressure, and then as the pressure on the under side of the flexible
central portion 16 falls below the pressure necessary for good atomizing,
this again flexes resiliently downwardly so as to bring the under surface
18a of the dispensing valve member 18 into tight contact with the exterior
surface 25a of the dispensing valve body 25, thus closing off the air flow
passage 31 and apertures 26. As the container 10 continues to expand to
its normal condition, a vacuum is created within the container, and air
pressure is exerted on the annular flexible valve member 28 through the
air return passage 20, thus flexing the annular flexible valve member 28
away from the under surface of the flexible surface portion 16, as shown
in FIG. 3. Thus, air is caused to flow into the air chamber 29 and through
the air flow aperture 27 into the interior of the container 10 until the
pressure within the container reaches atmospheric. At this point, the
annular flexible valve member 28 will, due to its own resilience, again be
resiliently pressed against the under side of the flexible central portion
16, again sealing the air return passage 20, and the parts will again be
in the positions shown in FIG. 1, ready for another dispensing cycle.
In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the dip tube 24 is replaced with a
non-resiliently collapsible bag 32 which is secured to the hollow stem 23,
and which in the initial condition substantially fills about half the
container 10. The operation of the dispenser of FIG. 4 is identical with
that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, except that each time the container
10 is pressed, liquid is forced from the bag, and when the pressure is
released, the bag, instead of expanding again, remains collapsed, while
air is caused to flow into the space within the container which surrounds
the bag.
There are several advantages of using a bag. It makes the dispenser
spillproof, and it makes it possible to operate the dispenser regardless
of the position in which it is held, e.g. upside down. Moreover, the bag
can be used to dispense liquids which are incompatible with the materials
of the dispenser or which deteriorate when contacted by air during
storage.
It will thus be seen that the device of the present invention consists only
of five parts, the container, the cover, the dispensing valve body and its
mounting structure, the annular flexible valve member, and either the dip
tube or the collapsible bag. Nevertheless, the interior of the container
is normally completely sealed from the atmosphere by the engagement of the
dispensing valve member 18 with the dispensing valve body 25 and the
action of valve member 28 covering air return passage 20 when the parts
are at rest. A single valve means thus seals both the air flow passage
through the air flow aperture 27, the air chamber 29, the air flow passage
31 and the dispensing orifice 19, as well as the liquid flow passage
through the hollow stem 23, the apertures 26, the air flow passage 31 and
the dispensing orifice 19. The same valve means causes buildup of pressure
within the container, opening only when a pressure sufficient to produce
good atomizing has been built up. Only a second annular flexible valve is
needed to control the flow through the air return passage 20.
Nevertheless, the desirable effect of the air sweeping across the aperture
through which the liquid is flowing to improve atomization is achieved by
the dispensing valve means.
Because of the extremely simple structure and small number of parts, all of
which can be easily molded in a conventional injection molding machine,
the dispenser can be made very inexpensively, yet it is reliable in
operation.
Spitting at the start of dispensing is avoided. When pressure is initially
exerted on the collapsible container, the pressure will first build up
without separating the dispensing valve member 18 from the dispensing
valve body 25, and only after pressure has built to a predetermined
desirable level will the valve open and the air flow passage 31 and
apertures 26 open. Although air flow passage 31 and apertures 26
physically open at the same time, due to the inertia of the liquid, air
will actually be flowing across apertures 26 at the time liquid flows in a
significant amount. This operation takes place whether the container is
squeezed rapidly or slowly. Thus, atomizing becomes independent of the way
in which the operator squeezes the container.
Moreover, the dispenser is substantially self-cleaning. When the pressure
on the container 10 is released, the liquid will substantially immediately
stop flowing through the hollow stem 23 and apertures 26, yet there will
still be sufficient compressed air flowing through the air flow passage 31
to carry away residual liquid. Moreover, there is no flow control or
atomizing structure downstream of the valve in which solution can collect
and the liquid evaporate and leave solute as residue. Further, since the
top of the conical portion extends through the orifice 19, it will
physically clear it at each operation of the device. The force for opening
the valve is sufficient to break away any adhesive force tending to hold
the parts of the valve together, since the large pressure area on the
under side of the flexible portion is much larger than the contacting
parts of the valve.
It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from
the foregoing description, and it is apparent that various changes may be
made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its
material advantages, the forms hereinbefore described and illustrated in
the drawings being merely preferred embodiments thereof.
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