Dispensing – With lock or fastening seal – Inhibiting actuation of discharge assistant
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-22
2001-02-13
Derakshani, Philippe (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
With lock or fastening seal
Inhibiting actuation of discharge assistant
C222S321900
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186365
ABSTRACT:
The '264 patent issued to Gross is for a “Toggle-Action Dispensing Closure With Slide Lock”. This particular device comprises a cap having a locking member slidably mounted within an actuator that can prevent pivoting of the actuator. When in a locked position, the locking member is slid partially out of the actuator until it comes into contact with a lip of the cap of the dispenser. When the actuator is pressed down, the locking member hits against the lip of the cap and prevents the actuator from pivoting. To unlock the actuator, the user slides the locking member into the actuator so the end of the locking member is free from the lip of the cap allowing the actuator to rotate.
The '251 patent for a “Pressurized Liquid Dispenser With Members For Locking It In Its Lowered Position” issued to Albini et al. shows a pressurized dispenser that has a dispenser head with a skirt portion having a tooth that can be engaged with a rib locking the dispenser head in a fully depressed position and preventing further use of the dispenser. The user can manually release the tooth from its engaged position with the rib by pressing on a tongue portion of the dispenser head which releases the tooth and allows the dispenser head to move to a raised position wherein it can then be depressed in a pumping action.
A drawback common to all the solutions developed in the prior art is once the locking mechanism has been unlocked, the dispenser may be readily used. In other words, the dispensers are not child-resistant unless the locks are manually placed in their locked positions once again. Also, the locks or locking elements will not automatically reset themselves into a locked position after every use. In view of the state of the prior art, there exists a need for an improvement of the existing lockable dispensers given the limitations of the existing art.
It is possible to make a pump sprayer child-resistant by requiring that a two-step action be performed in order to operate the sprayer, such as pushing in while simultaneously depressing an actuator or the like. This dual-action renders the sprayer child-resistant given that children under a certain age generally cannot readily perform both functions simultaneously that are necessary to operate the pump sprayer.
The provision of spring-biased arms on the pump sprayer allows for the lever to be automatically returned to a locked position after every use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a child-resistant pump action sprayer wherein a lock is attached to the plunger head so as to render the same easily operable by an adult yet difficult for a child to operate while permitting the sprayer to automatically reset itself into the locked position when not in use.
According to the first embodiment of the invention, the pump sprayer has a lock slidably mounted on the plunger head for immobilizing depression of the plunger. The lock has a body with a rear portion, a cap portion, a pair of biasing means with flanges and a stop projection. The biasing means engage a portion of the pump sprayer and provide a restoring force that enables the locking mechanism to reset itself into a locked position. The body of the lock is capable of being moved within the plunger head by the user of the pump sprayer. When in an unlocked position, a lower edge of the rear portion is disengaged from an upper edge of the sleeve. When the plunger head is in an upright position, the rear portion of the lock body is biased away from the plunger head to a position where the lower edge of the rear portion engages the upper edge of the sleeve of the pump sprayer and prevents plunger depression. The biasing means of the lock automatically forces the lock into a locked position on the plunger head thus rendering the pump sprayer self-resetting and child-resistant.
The second embodiment of the invention comprises a lock that is also slidably mounted on the plunger head for immobilizing depression of the plunger. The lock has a body with a rear portion, a cap portion, a stop projection, and a pair of resilient arms with flanges and ribs. Each rib engages one of a plurality of grooves on an inner sleeve of the plunger head and helps retain the locking mechanism in a specific position, either locked or unlocked. The body of the lock is capable of being moved within the plunger head by the user of the pump sprayer. When the lock is positioned with the stop projection directly adjacent the inner sleeve, a lower edge of the rear portion is disengaged from an upper edge of the sleeve placing the sprayer in an unlocked position. When the lock is positioned with the stop projection located a distance from the inner sleeve, the rear portion of the lock body is positioned away from the plunger head and the lower edge of the rear portion engages the upper edge of the sleeve of the pump sprayer, thus preventing the plunger head from moving. The ribs on the resilient arms and corresponding grooves on the inner sleeve allow the lock to be manually placed in a locked position or in an unlocked position. When in the locked position, the pump sprayer can be easily shipped without the threat of the plunger head being depressed.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3169672 (1965-02-01), Soffer et al.
patent: 3797705 (1974-03-01), Cooprider
patent: 3907174 (1975-09-01), Steiman
patent: 4566611 (1986-01-01), Sukopp
patent: 4752020 (1988-06-01), Grueter et al.
patent: 5228849 (1993-07-01), Frigiere
patent: 5284264 (1994-02-01), Gross
patent: 5366118 (1994-11-01), Ciammitti et al.
patent: 5492251 (1996-02-01), Albini et al.
patent: 5518147 (1996-05-01), Peterson et al.
Calmar Inc.
Derakshani Philippe
Dykema Gossett PLLC
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