Dispensing – Collapsible wall-type container – With casing or support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-22
2002-08-27
Yuen, Henry C. (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Collapsible wall-type container
With casing or support
C222S082000, C222S327000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06439431
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to the field of fluid dispense systems. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a single-stroke dispense system for a collapsible dispense container which both provides the fluid to be dispensed and seals the dispense system during dispensement.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The art has seen a variety of dispense systems for delivering a fluid from a storage container to a work surface. Such dispense systems are employed to dispense many types of fluids of varying viscosities. Dispense systems for delivering fluids such as anaerobic adhesives and sealants from a storage container to a work surface may be adversely affected by the curing of the adhesive or sealant while still within the delivery system. As anaerobic adhesives and sealants cure, or harden, in the absence of air, their presence within a fluid delivery system over a period of time can result in their curing within a delivery line between the storage container of the fluid and the dispense port of the delivery system. The problems associated with premature or undesired curing within a delivery system is exacerbated by the use of components, such as valves or conduit, having metallic fluid-contacting components, which require regular maintenance or cleaning. It is well-known in the art to therefore provide delivery systems for anaerobic adhesives and sealants with valve surfaces fabricated from a non-stick surface such as TEFLON® or DELRIN®. It is also well-known in the art to provide fluid conduit, or tubes, formed from plastics such as TEFLON®, polyethylene, or nylon, which are non-reactive with anaerobic fluids and which are permeable to oxygen so as to supply oxygen to the anaerobic fluid. Employing these materials in an anaerobic fluid delivery system thereby thwarts or delays the fluid from fouling the delivery lines.
Some fluid delivery systems entail reciprocating components having finely designed clearances therebetween for providing mechanical pumping action to move the fluid from a storage container to a dispense nozzle. Small amounts of fluid may become entrapped in these small clearances during the course of normal operation. Such intimate contact between the anaerobic fluid and the dispense system components can, upon the curing of the fluid within the dispense system, disrupt the smooth motion between the components and require time consuming repairs or costly replacement of the reciprocating components. Furthermore, from a dispense operation standpoint, the reciprocating action of these dispense systems produces intermittent dispensement of the fluid at the dispense nozzle. The intermittent dispensement, even when minimized by a short stroke or high frequency piston, provides a non-uniform bead of dispensed material. In many applications, it is desirable to provide as uniform bead of adhesive or sealant at the interface between mating surfaces as possible. It is therefore desirable to provide a single-stroke dispense system for dispensing all of the anaerobic fluid contained within a storage container so as to provide a uniform dispensed bead of fluid and to minimize the exposure of the fluid to any intimate spaces within the dispense system.
The unintended presence of anaerobic fluids within a delivery system is exacerbated by the opening of the fluid storage container prior to placing the container in communication with the dispense system. The problem may also be exacerbated when the storage container is punctured open when initially closing the container within the dispense system. These pre-opened containers increase the likelihood of unintentional fluid spillage or travel within the dispense system, and require increased operator attention and maintenance to limit the risk of the fluid curing within intimate spaces.
It is also common for dispense systems to employ sealing means such as an elastomeric gasket between a storage vessel container body and a storage vessel closure cap. Elastomeric gaskets are susceptible, however, to being contaminated by the material flowing therepast which can result in gasket failure. Gasket deterioration or failure may result in time-consuming and costly maintenance or repair operations. When the gasket is seated within a groove or channel, retrieval of the gasket and cleansing of the channel can be especially time-consuming and difficult. In view of these risks, it is desirable to provide a dispense system for an anaerobic fluid which minimizes or eliminates the need for elastomeric gasket components which may experience long-term exposure to the fluid. It is also desirable to provide a storage container for an aerobic fluid that may be loaded into a dispense system in a sealed condition and that will remain sealed until dispensement is to begin. Furthermore, once dispensement begins, it is desirable for the storage container for the anaerobic fluid to also provide a single-use gasketing means which seals the dispense system throughout dispensement of the fluid from the container.
Certain dispensers of the prior art have utilized a collapsible, rupturable container or bag of fluid within a manually operated dispenser similar to a single stroke air pump. The container, having about 300 milliliters of adhesive or silicone, is placed in a cylindrical housing having a dispense port at one end and a slidable piston which compresses the container about the dispense port. The pressure applied to the container causes the container material to rupture at the dispense port so that continued sliding of the manual piston towards the dispense port expresses the fluid therethrough. Such a manually-operated dispenser is ill-suited to industrial applications due to the small amounts of fluid contained in each container and the recurring need to swap out successive containers in a clean and efficient manner. Furthermore, because the dispense force of the manually-operated piston may be relaxed during intermittent dispensement of the fluid, the fluid is able to back-travel towards the container and leak between the container and the dispenser cavity adjacent the dispense port. Subsequently, removing the container from the cavity of these dispensers is complicated by the entrapped fluid which must be cleared away prior to insertion of subsequent containers or, depending on the fluid, prior to its curing.
For industrial applications, dispense systems of the prior art utilize pressure vessels for storing relatively large quantities of the fluid and for dispensing the fluid pressurizing the pressure vessel. These pressure vessels are typically sealed by mechanical securement means which an operator must properly position and secure so as to maintain the integrity of the pressure vessel when pressurized. The mechanical securement means may include a cap to be threaded over the open end of the pressure vessel or may include, for example, a plurality of threaded clamps which must be individually tightened to abuttingly secure the cap to the pressure vessel. Such mechanical securement means require high manual effort by the operator to ensure that each clamp or threaded fastener is properly torqued so as to sufficiently seal the pressure vessel. An additional drawback to these securement devices is that each may still be unfastened even though the pressure vessel is still pressurized. It would therefore be desirable to provide a sealing system for a pressure vessel that does not require high operator involvement to operate and that provides a fail-safe feature in that the sealing system will prevent pressurized vessel from being opened.
It is therefore desirable to provide a dispense system for a collapsible rupturable container of fluid suitable in industrial settings to dispense large quantities of stored fluid and which provides a clean and efficient swapping out of successive containers of fluid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a single stroke fluid dispense system, including a dispense member having a dispense end defining a dispense end opening and a container well communicating with the
Breault John P.
Cosgrove Martin C.
Bauman Steven C.
Loctite Corporation
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