Dispensing – With discharge assistant – Fluid pressure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-06
2001-02-27
Kashnikow, Andres (Department: 3752)
Dispensing
With discharge assistant
Fluid pressure
C239S337000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to a sprayer and, more particularly, to an improved refillable mist sprayer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mist sprayers generally known as “user pressurized dispensers” are used for spraying liquids in atomized form, i.e., in a mist form. Such sprayers are designed to store and spray liquids that stay in the liquid form over a wide range of temperatures, i.e., not changing its form from liquid to solid, such as water, perfume, deodorants, oil, and vinegar. However, these sprayers are not well adapted for use with liquids that are sensitive to temperature changes. That is, sprayers presently know as “user pressurized dispensers” are not well adapted for use with melted butter for example, because these sprayers are not well insulated. Consequently, after a short period of time the melted butter would cool and solidify. Obviously, the solidified butter cannot be sprayed out of the sprayer. As such, the unused butter within the sprayer has to be either reheated or cleaned out of the sprayer.
However, with today's health conscious public, a sprayer that is well adapted to spraying even melted butter over a long period of time would be advantageous for low fat cooking. That is, by precisely controlling the amount of butter being applied during cooking or over their food, people can enjoy the taste of butter without consuming a lot of fat. For example, by evenly spraying melted butter over a bag of popcorn, people can enjoy the rich taste of butter without using a lot of butter.
Yet another shortfall with today's mist sprayers is their construction. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,442, issued to Olofsson, discloses common features in these sprayers. That is, a container with a head provided with a manually operable valve mechanism and a nozzle in communication with the valve mechanism and arranged upon opening of the valve mechanism, to discharge the liquid contained in the container under excess pressure in the form of a spray. A cap is also provided for enclosing the head of the container, and when the cap is forced down, the air inside the cap is pressed and pressure increases, which opens a passage and allows the excess pressure to propagate down into the container. Upon elimination of such excess pressure, the passage again closes. One of the draw backs with the above construction is that as the air propagates into the container, a vacuum is formed inside the cap, and as the cap is withdrawn the vacuum resists the pulling force on the cap. Therefore, cumbersome pumping forces have to be applied to the cap to pump air into the container.
Thus, there still is a need for a mist sprayer that insulates the liquid stored in the sprayer, and makes it easier for a user to pump air into the container.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a reusable mist sprayer that can substantially maintain initial temperature of the liquid that has been poured into the sprayer container. Yet another objective is to make the sprayer user friendly by making it easier to pump atmospheric air into the container.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, these and other objectives are accomplished by providing a container having an interior well and an exterior case with a substantially vacuum sealed gap therebetween with an opening; a cap with an interior surface; a plug extending from the interior surface of the cap; a plunger movably coupled to the interior surface of the cap, the plunger having a hole aligned with the plug and a hollow opening at the opposing end of the hole, wherein the hole provides a path for atmospheric air to enter the interior space of the plunger; a removable dispenser mechanism having a protruding end adapted to receive the hollow opening of the plunger, and a flange adapted to removably seal the opening of the container; wherein the plug engages with the hole of the plunger as the cap is being pressed relative to the container, and the plug disengages with the hole as the cap is being pulled relative to the container; a one-way valve associated with the protruding end, wherein the one-way valve only opens to allow the air within the interior space of the plunger to enter the container as the plunger is being pressed relative to the container; a throat movably coupled through the protruding end of the dispenser mechanism between a first and second positions, the throat having a port to allow a combination of air and liquid within the container to flow through the port, wherein the port is closed in the first position and the port is open in the second position; a bias member coupled to the throat, wherein the bias member is predisposed to place the throat in the first position; and a nozzle coupled to the throat, wherein upon application of downward force on the nozzle the throat moves into the second position to allow the combination of air and liquid within the container to flow through the port and flow through the nozzle.
With today's health conscious society, there are numerous applications for the exemplary sprayer. For example, the sprayer may be used for spraying melted butter for low fat cooking. That is, by precisely controlling the amount of butter being applied during cooking or over their food, people can enjoy the taste of butter without consuming a lot of fat. By evenly spraying melted butter over a container of popcorn, people can enjoy the rich taste of butter while using a minimal amount of butter. Moreover, the melted butter inside the container remains melted for a longer period of time. This way, a user can spray the melted butter for longer period of times. Yet another application for the sprayer is to spray a mist of cold water on hot summer days. For example, a golfer can put cold water into the sprayer and the sprayer will keep the cold water cool for a longer period of time so that a user can have a refreshing cool mist spray later in the day.
The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3998361 (1976-12-01), Arena
patent: 4077442 (1978-03-01), Olofsson
patent: 4341330 (1982-07-01), Mascia et al.
patent: 4399919 (1983-08-01), Posnansky et al.
patent: 4492320 (1985-01-01), Tada
patent: 4850517 (1989-07-01), Ter Stege
patent: 5131569 (1992-07-01), Hodgson
patent: 5209379 (1993-05-01), Dahlin
patent: 5265775 (1993-11-01), Sinclair
patent: 5267674 (1993-12-01), von Schuckmann
patent: 5323935 (1994-06-01), Gosslin
patent: 5337929 (1994-08-01), van der Heijden
patent: 5429279 (1995-07-01), van der Heijden
patent: 5749502 (1998-05-01), Hinds
Darrow Christopher
Douglas Lisa Ann
Kashnikow Andres
Oh Sung
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
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