Dispensing – Plural sources – compartment – containers and/or spaced jacket – With discharge assistant for each source
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-13
2003-11-04
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Plural sources, compartment, containers and/or spaced jacket
With discharge assistant for each source
C222S321100, C222S380000, C222S494000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640999
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a dose dispensing pump, and in particular to a finger operated dose dispensing pump, which can serve to dispense metered amounts of two or more liquids, gels, slurries and/or pastes, simultaneously, or nearly simultaneously.
There is often a need to dispense metered amounts of two or more materials such as liquids, gels, slurries and/or pastes, simultaneously, or nearly simultaneously. This need often arises because the two or more materials which need to be dispensed, must be kept physically separated until about the actual time of dispensing. It is sometimes the case that if the two or more materials, which can be liquids, gels, slurries and/or pastes, were allowed to mix prior to dispensing, that they would chemically or physically interact so as to become inert or ineffective for the intended purpose. However, if the two or more materials are dispensed simultaneously, or nearly simultaneously, and caused to physically mix during dispensing or shortly thereafter, that they will then interact for an intended purpose.
Finally, it is also often necessary for the two or more materials to be dispensed in metered amounts, for example, in specific weight ratios to each other because this may be needed in order to achieve the desired physical or chemical interaction between the two materials.
As noted above, it is often also necessary that said two or more materials be mixed upon dispensing, or that they be dispensed in close physical proximity to each other so that they can be mixed together shortly after being dispensed. For example, it may be necessary for a particular glue and its “curing” agent to be stored in separate physical containers, and yet to be mixed together in metered amounts upon dispensing. It may also be necessary for two or more materials in a tooth cleansing composition to be stored in separate physical containers, and then to be mixed together upon dispensing and use. Also in cosmetic fields, such as hair coloring, an oxidative hair coloring dye must often be kept physically separate from its “developer”, which can contain a peroxide, and yet these two materials may also be required to be dispensed in metered amounts, simultaneously, or nearly simultaneously with mixing or with mixing shortly after the dispensing. If these dispensing conditions are not meant the oxidative hair dye and its developer may lose their potency or may not function properly.
The present invention relates to dose dispensing pumps which can supply metered, simultaneous or near simultaneous dispensing of two or more liquids, gels, slurries and/or pastes, wherein such dispensing can occur from separate exit ports or nozzles, or from the same exit port or nozzle. In the former case the two or more materials can be mixed shortly after they have been dispensed. In the latter case, the two or more materials can be mixed at the same time that they are being dispensed. The present invention provides efficient dose dispensing pumps which are economical and which have few parts, and which can dispense two or more liquids, gels, slurries and/or pastes. The dose dispensing pumps of the present invention can keep said two or more liquids, gels, slurries and/or pastes physically separate until the time of dispensing.
Patents and publications which relate to the present field of invention are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,824 discloses a dosing pump for liquids which has a cylindrical chamber for receiving the liquid to be dispensed, a piston located in the chamber slidable between a rest and a dispensing position. A valve near the inlet of the cylindrical chamber closes the chamber to block incoming liquid flow when the pump is moved to the dispensing position and opens for drawing liquid into the chamber as the piston returns to the rest position. A valve near the outlet of the pump allows liquid flow to the outlet during the dispensing stroke and blocks the outlet during the return stroke. The pump is formed of one or more compatible plastic materials which are recyclable and compatible so that the entire pump may be recycled as a unit without disassembly and sorting of parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,057 discloses an apparatus for an improved manually actuated pump for dispensing a liquid within a container comprising a pump body having an internal pump cylinder secured to the container. A piston is slidably disposed within the internal pump cylinder of the pump body with a pump stem having a stem end extending external the pump body. The stem end supports an actuator having a nozzle communicating with an internal stem passage of the pump stem for discharging the liquid from the container through the nozzle. A lock comprises a projection extending radially outward from the pump stem and an overhang extending radially inwardly relative to the internal pump cylinder of the pump body for preventing movement of the actuator in either an extended position or a retracted position upon rotation of the pump stem.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,268 discloses an improved fluid spray pump for spraying a fluid from a fluid container through a terminal orifice comprising a housing having an internal cylinder with a first and a second end. A collar with an internal collar aperture is mounted adjacent the first end of the housing internal cylinder. A pump barrel is slidably received in the internal collar aperture and includes a barrel internal bore communicating with a terminal orifice in the pump barrel. A piston comprising a piston stem is received in the barrel internal bore of the piston barrel and with a piston head received within the housing internal cylinder. Channels are provided along the piston stem for communicating the housing internal cylinder with the terminal orifice. An annular seal is slidably mounted relative to the piston and the pump barrel for sealing the channel means when the annular seal abuts a shoulder formed between the piston head and the piston stem. The annular seal enables fluid flow through the channel means to the terminal orifice when the annular seal is displaced from the piston shoulder by movement of the pump barrel toward the second end of the housing internal cylinder.
EP 0 953 381 A2 discloses a fluid pump dispenser which has a pump body including a pump cylinder defining a pump chamber with a valve controlled product inlet passage leading to the chamber. A manually reciprocable pump plunger having a hollow stem defining a discharge passage leading from the chamber is slidably mounted in the body. A pump piston is mounted on the inner end of the stem for relative sliding movement. A plunger return spring biases the plunger into a raised position. The piston is limited for relative sliding movement between discharge open and closed positions, the piston having an annular projection defining a discharge valve seated in an annular groove of a plug element fixedly mounted to the stem at its inner end. A lost-motion effect is created between the piston and the stem which closes the discharge valve during the pressure stroke and opens the discharge during the intake stroke. The plunger element is capable of being locked in up and down positions, an outer surface of the plug element sealing the inlet passage closed in the plunger lock-down position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a dosing pump for dispensing liquids, gels, slurries and/or pastes, and adapted to be connected to two or more containers for said two or more liquids, gels, slurries and/or pastes. The dosing pump may comprise an operating button, and two or more liquid, gel, slurry or paste dispensing assemblies. Each such assembly may comprise an actuator which is in mechanical contact with said operating button, so that each actuator, on each dispensing assembly, is simultaneously or nearly simultaneously actuated by movement of said operating button. Each liquid, gel, slurry and/or paste dispensing assembly further comprises:
a) a dispensing element;
b) a cylindrical chamber in flow communication with the dispensing element;
c) a piston or
Buechner Patrick
Honig Milton L.
Mancene Gene
Unilever Home & Personal Care USA , division of Conopco, Inc.
LandOfFree
Dose dispensing pump for dispensing two or more materials does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Dose dispensing pump for dispensing two or more materials, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Dose dispensing pump for dispensing two or more materials will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3153394