Dispensing – With discharge assistant – Fluid pressure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-12
2001-02-13
Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
With discharge assistant
Fluid pressure
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186372
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a device enabling a fluid dispenser to operate both the rightway up and upside-down, the dispenser generally comprising a tank of fluid and a dispenser member such as a pump or a valve. Naturally, the device is applicable only to dispensers making use of an air intake, i.e. dispensers where the dispensed fluid is replaced by air penetrating into the tank. For this purpose, the dispenser generally has a dip tube mounted on the inlet of the dispenser member and extending towards the bottom of the tank.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a conventional dispenser, it is not possible to operate the dispenser in the upside-down position since the free end of the dip tube is no longer immersed in the fluid but is in the air that is present in the tank. Consequently, after the dispenser has been actuated one, two or three times, no more fluid is dispensed.
The present invention thus relates to a device enabling such a conventional dispenser to operate even when in the upside-down position.
Such devices enabling operation to take place in the upside-down position are known in the prior art, and in particular from document FR-2 627 708 which describes a device for mounting between the dip tube and the inlet of the pump or valve, said device having two inlets, each provided with a respective ball check valve. The balls are metal balls and they are urged by gravity against their respective valve seats. In the rightway-up position, the ball in one of the two check valves rests in sealed manner against its valve seat, thereby preventing air from entering into the dispenser. Conversely, when the dispenser is in the upside-down position the ball of the other check valve rests against its corresponding valve seat and also prevents air from penetrating into the dispenser. Consequently, that device makes use of two check valves operating under the control of gravity to close in selective manner an inlet which communicates with the tank. It should nevertheless be observed that the design of such a device is made relatively complicated by the fact that each ball must be housed in a defined space in which it is held captive. Such a design requires at least three parts to be implemented and assembly thereof is very complicated.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks of the above-mentioned prior art by defining another device in which the number of component parts is kept to a minimum and which is very simple to assemble.
To do this, the present invention provides a device enabling a fluid dispenser to operate equally well in the upside-down position and in the rightway-up position, the dispenser comprising a fluid tank and a dispenser member such as a pump or a valve, the dispenser member having an inlet and a dip tube extending into the tank, said device being disposed between the inlet of the dispenser member and the dip tube, said device comprising a chamber in communication with said inlet of the dispenser member, said chamber comprising a top inlet and a bottom inlet selectively closable respectively by a top check valve and by a bottom check valve as a function of the upside-down position or the rightway-up position of the dispenser, the top check valve having a moving valve element adapted to close the top inlet of the chamber in the rightway-up position, wherein the bottom check valve has a moving valve element that floats, being of density smaller than that of the fluid and being adapted to close the bottom inlet of the chamber in the upside-down position when the chamber is full of the fluid. Unlike the above-described prior art device, the bottom check valve does not operate under gravity to close the bottom inlet to the chamber, but operates by buoyancy because its density is lower than that of the fluid to be dispensed. It is thus possible for this valve element to be constituted by a ball of plastics material.
The valve element of the top check valve is of a density that is greater than that of the fluid. Advantageously, the top valve element is constituted by a weight that is driven by gravity even when immersed so as to press against a top valve seat when in the rightway-up position. Preferably, the mass consists in a cylindrical metal sleeve having a bottom end adapted to come into sealed contact with the top valve seat in the rightway-up position. In which case, the device can be constituted by a body and by an inner bushing engaged in said body, the dip tube being mounted on the body, and the inner bushing being fixed to the inlet of the dispenser member, the body forming the bottom inlet and the bushing forming the top inlet, the chamber being formed between the body and the bushing. Advantageously, the top inlet into the inner bushing is defined by at least one flow opening whose edges form the top valve seat against which the bottom end of the cylindrical metal sleeve comes into sealing contact in the rightway-up position.
According to another characteristic, the inner bushing defines an outlet channel of the chamber in communication with the inlet of the dispenser member, said outlet channel of the chamber having a mouth shaped in such a manner as to prevent said channel being closed by the floating bottom valve element. Also, the bottom valve seat is defined by the body in the form of a frustoconical surface that flares upwards in the rightway-up position, whereas the above-described prior art device uses at least three component parts, it is possible to make the device of the invention using only two parts because the top moving valve element is limited in its displacement by the dispenser member.
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patent: 4277001 (1981-07-01), Nozawa
patent: 4775079 (1988-10-01), Grothoff
patent: 4887744 (1989-12-01), Williams
patent: 4966313 (1990-10-01), Lina
patent: 5115980 (1992-05-01), Skorka
patent: 5222636 (1993-06-01), Meuresch
patent: 5341967 (1994-08-01), Silvenis
patent: 5346104 (1994-09-01), Jeong
patent: 5979712 (1999-11-01), Montaner et al.
patent: 90 02 370 U1 (1990-06-01), None
patent: 0 234 969 A1 (1987-09-01), None
patent: 0 721 803 A2 (1996-07-01), None
Abergel Aline
Brunet Michel
Garcia Firmin
Deal David
Rocky, Millnamow & Katz, Ltd.
Shaver Kevin
Valois S.A.
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