Shroud cover for trigger sprayer

Details Shroud cover for trigger sprayer Shroud cover for trigger sprayer

2001-01-05

2001-09-11

Shaver, Kevin (Department: 3754)

Dispensing

With discharge assistant

With material supply container and discharge assistant with...

C222S182000, C222S207000, C239S333000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06286728

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a shroud cover for a trigger actuated pump sprayer, and more particularly to a shroud of one-piece molded thermoplastic material forming an articulated clamshell-like element.
Many of the known trigger actuated pump sprayers have a pump body of a molded thermoplastic material which includes a pump cylinder for the reception of a reciprocable pump piston which together therewith defines a variable volume pump chamber. The pump body includes an inlet passage leading to the pump chamber and a discharge barrel defining a discharge passage leading from the pump chamber and terminating in a nozzle on which a nozzle cap is mounted having a discharge orifice. A trigger lever is pivotally mounted to the pump body for actuating the pump piston upon a squeezing of the trigger, and a container closure cap is coupled to the pump body for mounting it to a container of liquid to be dispensed. One type of trigger sprayer has an open-fronted shroud which is provided for covering the pump body, the shroud being snap-fitted to the pump body in a known manner.
The shroud cover may be provided with a rear saddle, i.e., a rearwardly extending horizontal wall defining a shelf which rests upon the upper side of the operator's hand between the thumb and forefinger for supporting the trigger sprayer and the liquid filled container to which is it mounted. Examples of such ergonomic sprayers are found in design patents 409,487, 409,917 and 409,918, commonly owned herewith.
Such an open-fronted shroud having a rear ergonomic feature is becoming more difficult to mold as a unitary one-piece member. Adding to the complexity of molding the shroud as a one-piece construction is the provision of additional side ergonomic features such as that disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 09/660,476, filed Sep. 12, 2000, entitled Ergonomic Trigger Sprayer Having Side Saddle Supports, commonly owned herewith.
Moreover, there are demands for contrasting two-tone colors for such open fronted shrouds having at least a rear ergonomic feature. Or it is desirable for the lower portion of the shroud to be of a softer and more compliant thermoplastic elastomer compared to the remaining upper portion of the shroud, to thereby provide a “soft feel” or “soft touch” for the operator during use. A further desirable feature for the shroud design is side striping or the like on the upper portion of the shroud for customer appeal purposes.
Heretofore the approach taken in providing ergonomic shroud covers having one or more of the advantages or features aforedescribed, was to mold the shroud as two units, upper and lower, and thereafter snap-fitting the units together. This approach, however, is labor and capital intensive requiring not only additional molding steps but added sub-assembly procedures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems noted above by the provision of a unitary, articulated shroud cover for a trigger actuated sprayer which is of a thermoplastic material or materials of ergonomic design having a rear saddle section for supporting the trigger sprayer on the top of the operator's hand when the sprayer is mounted in use on the container of product to be dispensed. The articulated one-piece shroud comprises clamshell-like sections interconnected by a living integral hinge located at the terminal end of the rear saddle. The shroud may be injection molded using a thermoplastic of a given color and a given hardness. Otherwise, the thermoplastic material of the lower or base section of the shroud may be softer and more compliant elastomer compared to the thermoplastic material of the upper or crown section of the shroud, the sections being co-injection molded using known techniques.
Moreover, the thermoplastic materials used in the co-injection process may be of different and contrasting colors so as to effect a two tone shroud cover for market appeal.
Still further the crown section of the shroud may be provided with side slits such that during the co-injection molding process portions of elastomer material of the base section extend therefrom and underlie the slits so as to be visible therethrough from an exterior side of the crown section. The articulated shells or sections forming the shroud may be latched together during the assembly process along the confronting edges thereof.
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.


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