Dispensing – Collapsible wall-type container – Nonmetallic
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-09
2002-11-12
Yuen, Henry C. (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Collapsible wall-type container
Nonmetallic
C222S095000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06478190
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to (i) a cartridge, which receives therein fluid material such as adhesive, calking agent for constructional purposes, mayonnaise, ketchup or the like and is fitted in a fluid dispensing apparatus, i.e., a fluid dispensing gun for a practical use, (ii) an assembly including such a cartridge and (iii) a method for manufacturing such a cartridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
With respect to such a kind of cartridge for a fluid dispensing apparatus, there has conventionally been known a can-like container made of paper (hereinafter referred to as the “paper can”)
1
as shown in FIG.
10
. The paper can
1
has a cartridge body
2
having a tubular shape, a nozzle provided at the front end of the cartridge body
2
and a bottom
4
provided at the rear end of the cartridge body
2
so as to be slidable along the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge body
2
.
FIG. 11
shows a fluid dispensing apparatus
5
in which the paper can
1
is to be placed. The fluid dispensing apparatus
5
is composed of a grip
7
, a support member
10
, an end plate
8
and a piston
9
. The support member
10
has a semi-cylindrical shape and extends forward from the upper end of the grip
7
to support the cartridge, i.e., the paper can
1
. The end plate
8
has a horseshoe shape and is provided at the front end of the support member
10
. The end plate
8
can come into contact with the discharging end side of the paper can
1
. The piston
9
pushes the bottom
4
of the paper can
1
to move it. When the paper can
1
is fitted in the fluid dispensing apparatus
5
and a trigger lever is pulled, a piston disk
6
provided in the fluid dispensing apparatus
5
pushes the bottom
4
. As a result, fluid material such as adhesive or the like with which the paper can
1
is filled, is squeezed from the nozzle
3
.
The cartridge body
2
of the paper can
1
has a high rigidity. The paper can
1
in which fluid material received in it has been used up is subjected to disposal as waste without collapsing it. This may lead to an enormous waste amount of paper cans
1
, causing social problems of waste disposal. In order to solve such problems, there has conventionally been proposed a cartridge for a fluid dispensing apparatus as shown in
FIG. 12
, having a sausage-shape, which can be squeezed by the piston disk
6
to decrease the volume of the cartridge. The cartridge
13
for a fluid dispensing apparatus is formed of a plastic film into a film shell
13
a
having a tubular shape. The front and rear ends of the film shell
13
a
are closed by means of fasteners
13
b,
13
b
such as relatively heavy metallic wires. The cartridge
13
with the front end portion near the fastener
13
b
cut is fitted in the fluid dispensing apparatus
5
in practical use and the piston disk squeezes the rear end of the cartridge
13
. When such a sausage-shaped cartridge
13
for a fluid dispensing apparatus is used, a fluid dispensing apparatus having a nozzle is applied as the fluid dispensing apparatus
5
.
There is known a cartridge assembly for a fluid dispensing apparatus as shown in
FIG. 13
, in which the volume of a cartridge can be decreased through a squeezing operation (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H7-1711,461). The cartridge assembly is composed of a cartridge
19
and an outer tube
18
. The cartridge
19
is provided with a film shell
15
having a tubular shape and molded portions
16
,
17
provided at the opposite ends of the film shell
15
, respectively. Formation of the molded portions
16
,
17
is carried out by an injection molding method. The outer tube
18
has a tubular shape and can receive the cartridge
19
in it. In such a cartridge
19
, the film shell
15
is formed into a tubular shape, and then, the molded portions
16
,
17
are provided at the opposite ends of the film shell
15
by carrying out an insert injection forming method or joining pre-formed parts to the opposite ends of the film shell
15
. The molded portion
16
at the front end of the film shell
15
has a discharging opening
16
a
from which fluid material can be discharged. A nozzle (not shown) may be screwed to the discharging opening
16
a.
The cartridge assembly
14
is fitted in a fluid dispensing apparatus when used. The piston disk pushes the molded portion
17
locating at the rear end of the film shell
15
so that the molded portion
17
slides in the outer tube
18
. As a result, the cartridge
19
is squeezed. The outer tube
18
can be used repeatedly.
However, in the conventional sausage-shaped cartridge
13
as shown in
FIG. 12
for a fluid dispensing apparatus, the cartridge
13
does not have a sufficient strength and deep wrinkles occur at both the front and rear ends of the film shell
13
a
when fluid material is squeezed from the cartridge
13
, which has been fitted in the fluid dispensing apparatus. A relatively large amount of fluid material is left between the deep wrinkles, thus causing a problem. The excessively deep wrinkles may cause clogging of the nozzle of the fluid dispensing apparatus.
In the conventional cartridge assembly as shown in
FIG. 13
for a fluid dispensing apparatus, the molded portions
16
,
17
has a sufficient strength, but the film shell
15
does not have a sufficient strength and deep wrinkles occur on the film shell
15
as shown in
FIG. 14. A
relatively large amount of fluid material is left in a gap P between the deep wrinkles, thus causing a problem. The molded portions
16
,
17
forms the opposite ends of the cartridge
19
. Consequently, even when the film shell
15
is collapsed, the volume of each of the molded portions
16
,
17
remains unchanged, leading to limitation of the total volume of the collapsed cartridge
19
. In addition, two steps, i.e., the formation step for the film shell
15
and the molding step for the molded portions
16
,
17
are required, leading to complicated manufacture of the cartridge assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a cartridge for a fluid dispensing apparatus, which can be formed only of a film without carrying out a molding method and prevent any deep wrinkles from occurring when squeezed by means of the fluid dispensing apparatus, a cartridge assembly including such a cartridge and a method for manufacturing such a cartridge.
In order to attain the aforementioned object, in a cartridge of the present invention for a fluid dispensing apparatus, a film bottom member folded into a V-shape is provided at the rear end of a film shell having a tubular shape. More specifically, the cartridge of the present invention comprises: a film shell having a tubular shape; and a film bottom member provided at a rear end of said film shell in a longitudinal direction thereof, said film bottom member being capable of being folded into a V-shape along a folding line or of being unfolded so as to expand at a central portion of said folding line in a transverse direction of said film shell, by filling said cartridge with fluid material.
According to the present invention described above, it is possible to manufacture the cartridge for a fluid dispensing apparatus only with the use of a film without carrying out a molding method. As a result, a lamination structure may be applied to the cartridge and incorporation of a film having for example an excellent barrier property into the lamination structure makes it possible to apply the cartridge to storage of foods to be received. The film bottom member, which forms the rear end of the cartridge for a fluid dispensing apparatus, can be folded into a V-shape or unfolded so as to expand at the central portion of the folding line in the transverse direction of the film shell, thus increasing the strength of the bottom. This makes it possible to prevent deep wrinkles from occurring on the bottom of the cartridge for a fluid dispensing apparatus. In addition, the strength of the rear end portion of the cartridge can also be increa
Ichikawa Tooru
Kuge Raizo
Cartagena Melvin A.
Hosokawa Yoko Co., Ltd.
Yuen Henry C.
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