Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Including supply holder for material – Fluid pressure discharge means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-22
2001-06-26
Scherbel, David A. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Including supply holder for material
Fluid pressure discharge means
C239S327000, C239S372000, C239S288500, C222S211000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250568
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a hand operable atomizer and more particularly to a squeeze bottle aspirator having a spraying device that is highly efficient at atomizing and dispensing material from the squeeze bottle.
There is a need for a spraying device that generates consistent dispensing performance through the evacuation of substantially all the material in a container.
A common solution in the market today is to manufacture aspirators of two piece construction. They generally have a dispensing closure that incorporates a dip tube which allows fluid to be conveyed from the lower extremities of the bottle when the bottle is squeezed. The dispensing closure has an exit orifice molded therein. The dip tube is attached to the dispensing closure in a cylindrical attachment port on the side facing the interior of the bottle. The cylindrical port has a plurality of thin ribs spaced radially and extending axially along its inside diameter. When the dip tube is inserted into the cylindrical port, the ribs in conjunction with the outside diameter of the dip tube create gaps or channels between the inner diameter of the cylindrical port and the outside diameter of the dip tube. These channels allow air to be forced into the fluid stream as the bottle is squeezed. The air is entrained into the fluid flow causing extreme turbulence of the fluid as it mixes and issues the exit orifice of the closure.
Drawbacks to this solution are that since the turbulence generates very fine atomized fluid only, the performance of these systems is limited to short bursts of atomized fluid and the dispensing performance degrades very quickly due to the high air flow volume.
A common mechanism used in the art to mix air and fluid is spin mechanics. Some of the devices currently in the art that employ spin mechanics are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,157,789 and 4,253,609 issued to Laauwe. While the devices disclosed in these patents are directed to different types of spraying devices, various improvements are desirable to optimize the spray operation and the spray quality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sprayer that can accurately control the optimal air flow and liquid volume while also providing consistent dispensing performance.
The present invention may also be used with squeeze bottles currently known in the art, rendering the sprayer economical as well as easy to use.
According to the present invention, the spraying device is comprised of a protective closure having a lid that can be opened when the squeeze bottle aspirator is in use. The closure is connected to a container and supports a tube retainer that has an orifice cup fitted therewith. The tube retainer has a product outlet port in a central post through which fluid is expelled from within the container and a plurality of air inlet ports are located adjacent the product outlet port. These air inlet ports are provided to allow air to be forced out of the container when squeezed and they allow air to be introduced or sucked into the container when the manually applied squeeze pressure is released. The orifice cup has an annular mixing chamber wherein the air and the fluid from within the container are mixed before being expelled out of the orifice cup through a discharge orifice. A dip tube is connected to the tube retainer and is used to draw up fluid from the bottom of the container. The present invention also has a means for preventing relative rotation between the closure and the tube retainer that is comprised of a plurality of lugs located on the tube retainer that matingly fit within corresponding slots on the closure. Also provided is a single locking lug for orienting the orifice cup relative to the tube retainer. This assures the direction of the discharged fluid mixture to be opposite and away from the hinged end of the closure lid.
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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Dykema Gossett PLLC
Kim Christopher S.
Saint-Gobain Calmar Inc.
Scherbel David A.
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