Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Including supply holder for material – Fluid pressure discharge means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-08
2001-07-10
Douglas, Lisa Ann (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Including supply holder for material
Fluid pressure discharge means
C239S463000, C239S546000, C222S402100, C137S843000, C137S537000, C137S541000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257503
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Dispenser heads are known in which the dispenser orifice is permanently open.
Such dispenser heads are not suitable for dispensing a substance that is liable to form a solid residue on drying out.
Proposals have therefore been made for dispenser heads in which the dispenser orifice is closed except during periods of use, so as to prevent the substance from drying out inside it.
In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,474 discloses a dispenser head having a nozzle that is capable of being displaced relative to the body of the dispenser head. The body has a pin arranged to engage in the dispenser orifice during periods of non-use.
Such a dispenser head is relatively complex to make.
In addition, for reasons of mechanical strength, the diameter of the pin must not be made too small, so the dispenser orifice needs to have a diameter that is relatively large, thereby preventing the substance being dispensed at a low flow rate.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel spray head for fixing on a control rod of a valve or a pump, which is of relatively simple structure, and which makes it possible to avoid the substance contained inside it drying out between periods of use.
The spray head of the invention comprises a body and a shutter disposed in a housing of said body, the housing being suitable for communicating, in use, with a source of substance under pressure, the shutter being arranged at rest to take up a closed position in which it rests via a frustoconical head portion against a frustoconical bearing surface of said body, and being suitable for moving off said bearing surface under the effect of the pressure of the substance contained in said housing while dispensing the substance, thereby forming an annular dispenser orifice enabling the substance to be dispensed in the form of a hollow conical spray, at least in the vicinity of the head, the shutter moving away from said bearing surface against a resilient return action tending to urge it back into the closed position when the pressure of the substance diminishes.
The spray head of the invention is relatively simple to manufacture and the dispenser orifice is closed automatically at the end of the substance being dispensed, without the user needing to take any specific action on the dispenser head, unlike the dispenser head described in above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,474.
The width of the annular dispenser orifice while the substance is being dispensed is advantageously less than 0.1 mm.
The annular dispenser orifice thus opposes a relatively large amount of head loss to the flow of substance, thereby making it possible to dispense the substance at a low rate.
In addition, the resulting spray is conical and hollow, diverging away from the spray head.
Such a spray can be advantageous for dispensing certain substances compared with conventional sprays as obtained by means of a central dispenser orifice of circular section.
In a particular embodiment, the above-specified return action is obtained at least in part by elastic deformation of the frustoconical head portion of the shutter which can be made of an elastomer material, at least in its peripheral portion.
In another particular embodiment, the above-specified return action is obtained at least in part by deforming an resilient segment connecting the frustoconical head portion of the shutter to a portion that serves to fix the shutter to the body of the spray head.
In a particular embodiment, the shutter comprises a covering made of elastomer material and a central core made of a rigid plastics material.
Advantageously, the core serves to fix the covering to the body of the spray head by clamping the covering in a setback of the housing in which the shutter is placed.
Preferably, the covering has portions in relief corresponding with complementary portions in relief of the body for fixing the shutter.
In another particular embodiment, the frustoconical portion is made of a rigid plastics material.
Advantageously, the frustoconical portion is secured to a rod that has a segment of elastomer material.
Preferably, the rod also has a segment of rigid plastics material and it is advantageously fixed to the body of the spray head via said segment of rigid plastics material.
The invention also provides a receptacle fitted with such a spray head, in particular an aerosol can.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2913000 (1959-11-01), Roberts
patent: 3250474 (1966-05-01), McKernan
patent: 3874563 (1975-04-01), Schwartzman
patent: 4872596 (1989-10-01), Corsette
patent: 5085353 (1992-02-01), Inui et al.
patent: 5273191 (1993-12-01), Meshberg
patent: 5857595 (1999-01-01), Nilson
patent: 2 076 126 (1981-11-01), None
patent: 2 190 465 (1987-11-01), None
Douglas Lisa Ann
L'Oreal
Oliff & Berridge PLC.
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