Pressure dispenser

April 16, 1963

L. B. DRELL

PRESSURE DISPENSER

Filed Dec. 19, 1960

3,085,752

<img file="US3085752A_D0001.tif" />

United States Patent Office _Palented J-?’⁵;”²

3,085,752

PRESSURE DISPENSER

Leonard B. Drell, Glencoe, Hl., assignor to De Mert &amp; Dougherty, a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 19, 1960, Ser. No. 76,661

Claims. (CI. 239—308)

This invention relates to dispensers for liquid mediums and pulverulent solids. More particularly, it is concerned wtih the entrainment of materials in a flowing gas stream and discharge thereof in a directed stream. Still more particularly it deals with an assemblage of apparatus wherein gas under pressure is maintained separate from and out of contact with the material which the gas is adapted to dispense until the moment of discharge.

The .apparatus of this invention basically consists of a container for propellant gas under pressure and a separate holder enclosing the material to be dispensed. A flexible retaining member holds the propellant container and the holder for material to be dispensed in a cooperative side-by-side arrangement whereby the gas is discharged from the container of gas under pressure adjacent the outlet of a tubular member which communicates' with a point adjacent the bottom of the holder.

Due to the relative positioning of the gas discharge outlet with relation to the outlet of the tubular member communicating with the interior of the holder, propellant blowing by the end of the tubular member creates a vacuum at the tube outlet whereby the material in the holder is raised to the tip of the outlet tube and dispensed in a directed stream.

In this cooperative arrangement, the discharged gas becomes the entrainer and carrier for materials to be dispensed. A separate holder for material to be dispensed and an independent source of propellant provides flexibility and economy in the dispensing operation. This type of dispenser is useful for spraying of a wide variety of products but is particularly advantageous for uses which involve a multiplicity of different spray jobs of comparatively small magnitude and involving the entire gamut of products which may be suitable for spraying. The same propellant container may be used with, for example, a liquid, such as paint, varnish, polish, insecticides, deodorants, lubricants or water for dampening clothes to be ironed; or a powder such as talcum, foot powder, powdered insecticide, etc. Other products suitable for spraying will readily come to mind to those familiar with this art.

It is known in the art that various liquids and solids could be dispensed if the gaseous mediums were mixed with the materials to be dispensed or sprayed. Insecticides, paints, foods and the like are commonly sold in the form of so-called “bombs” which are containers for the material to be dispensed having sufficient strength to hold the propellant gas under the required pressure. In these containers, the propellant is mixed with and/or absorbed in the fluid composition to be dispensed.

Where the products are mixed and allowed to stand in storage, it is necessary that the gaseous medium and the material to be dispensed be compatible, i.e., that the gaseous medium does not deleteriously affect the flavor if the material is a food, does not cause coagulation of liquid if the material is a lacquer, etc. In each instance the compatible combination has been sold as a single container item and it has been necessary to purchase a different pressurized package for each different job. Most of such products are used to only a partial extent of their capacity, and then are stored for future use.

With the dispenser of this invention, containers holding material to be sprayed may be easily interchanged, or a single container may be filled with a different spray material after cleaning. Whenever the propellant container becomes exhausted, it may be replaced with another similar container. With the combination of containers arranged in accordance with this invention, con5 tainers for a single propellant and the holder for materails to be dispensed may be changed with the holder being cleaned before filling the holder with new material or a group of similar holders each filled with a different, for example, colored lacquer, may be interchanged 10 quickly as needed. On the other hand, when the propellant in the propellant container becomes exhausted, the propellant container may be replaced with another similar item.

Materials generally recognized to be useful as pro15 pellants in the pressurized dispenser field are useful for the purposes of this invention. Inasmuch as the contact between the propellant and the material to be dispensed is an almost instantaneous one, the problem of compatibility of propellant and material to be dispensed is ²⁰ a negligible factor and a wide variety of propellants not heretofore having utility also can be used. Typical useful propellants are the gaseous hydrocarbons, such as propane, butane, isobutane, and the like, and the saturated fluorinated or chlorinated or chlorfluorinated hydro²5 carbons such as 1,1-difluorethane, l-monochlor-l,l-difluorethane, monofluortrichlormethane, monochlordifluormethane, dichlordifluormethane, l,2-dichlor-l,l,2,2-tetrafluorethane, and the like.

While mixtures of the various propellants may be ³⁰ used, the components of the mixture must vaporize at approximately the same temperature. If the mixtures have divergent boiling points, each component will exert its own pressure until such time as the higher boiling propellant is exhausted. For this reason, it is preferred to use individual propellants, and particularly to use dichlordifluormethane (Freon 12) which exerts a vapor pressure of about 70 p.s.i. at a temperature of about 70° F.

The propellant container is held in proper cooperative arrangement with the holder of material to be dispensed by a retainer member which comprises a support adapted to fit snugly around all or most of the peripheral surface of a propellant container and is provided with a ₄₅ portion adapted to support and to position a standard size bottle or other suitable material holder in predetermined relationship to the propellant container so that the discharge pipe or tube projecting through the closure means for the standard size bottle cooperates with the 50 discharge nozzle of the propellant container. This retainer member is preferably constructed of heavy gauge wire but may be formed of metal tubing or other suitable material of construction.

The lateral position of the holder is controlled by the ₅₅ support portion of the retaining member which forms a receiving pocket for said holder. Preferably the pocket is formed between an arcuate section of a support portion of the wire retaining member which project laterally from the propellant container a distance slightly less than 60 the diameter of the holder from said container. Thus, when the holder is positioned in the retaining member, the resilience of the wire causes the holder to be pressed against the peripheral surface of the propellant container or to a position parallel thereto. This pressure is exerted 65 diametrically of the container. This pressuring feature is important because it insures accurate positioning of the holder relative to the gas release nozzle of the propellant container.

The top of the holder for material to be dispensed is closed by suitable means such as a screw cap. The cap carries a dispensing unit comprising a bracket having a vertically disposed Venturi tube and a small horizontally

3,085,752 extending gas discharge nozzle. The gas discharge nozzle of the holder terminates in closely spaced relationship to the upper end of the Venturi tube. This relationship is maintained constant by a flat strengthener web which is preferably integral with the bracket and supports both the transversely positioned gas discharge nozzle and the upper end of the Venturi tube to prevent either of them from moving and altering their positions.

The orifice of the tube through which the material to be dispensed flows and the orifice of the gas discharge nozzle may be varied in size depending upon the interrelated factors of vapor pressure of the propellant, greater flow of gas through the gas orifice, rate of flow through the tube orifice of material to be dispensed, the viscosity of the material if the material is a liquid, or the density of the material if the material is a solid and, finally, the distance the material to be dispensed must be lifted to reach the outer lip of the tube, etc.

When using a propellant such as dichlorodifluoro methane (Freon 12), a gas orifice in the range between 0.018 and 0.022 inch may be used in conjunction with a Venturi tube orifice having an opening in the range between 0.035 and 0.048 inch for spraying so-called brush enamels diluted with only 10% of thinner when the holder has a depth no greater than that of the propellant container.

Orifice sizes outside the ranges shown previously may be used with other materials, for example, with pulverulent solids. Due to the nature of powders, it is often necessary to “fluidize” these materials by passage of gas through them to cause the solids to flow to and upwards through the outlet pipe. When such “fluidizing” is necessary, a small amount of gas is supplied to the bottom of the holder for solid material through a bleed or bypass line. Such a line diverts a portion of the gas being delivered from the propellant container so that it passes through the holder and assists in moving the solids to the outlet of the Venturi tube where the main body of gas issuing from the horizontally disposed gas discharge nozzle entrains the solids and moves them in a directed stream. The amount of gas passing through the holder generally does not exceed 10% of the total amount of gas being delivered from the propellant container and it is preferably limited to about 5 %.

A tubular member made from any suitable material, for example, rubber or polyethylene, connects the rear end of the gas discharge nozzle with the outer end of the outlet from the propellant container. The length of the flexible tube is preferably such that when the assembly is completed the spacing of the holder from the propellant container causes a slight axially directed pressure to be exerted against the ends of the flexible tube, i.e., the length of the flexible tube causes it to be under longitudinally directed compressing force to counteract the pressure of the gas which tends to break the tube loose from the nipples fitting internally of the ends of this tube and by which the tube is secured for passage of gas. If the flexible tube is not designed to withstand the pressure of the gas system, a slight expansion will break the seal between the flexible tube and one of the discharge nozzles, with the result that the tube will be blown off one of its connections. The endwise pressure against the ends of the flexible tube helps to prevent either end of the tube from being blown off the nipple of the nozzle to which it is secured.

Material to be dispensed moves upward through a tubular member which generally is sectionalized into a Venturi tube section and a so-called dip tube section, although the tube may be of unitary construction. The dip tube section has its upper end secured to the lower end of the Venturi tube. The dip tube extends into the container and terminates adjacent the bottom of said holder. The gas discharged from the propellant container passes adjacent the upper end of the Venturi tube to create a suction that lifts the material to be dispensed from the container through the Venturi tube and sprays it outwardly in the form of small droplets.

The dispensing unit is inexpensive because the material holder and the propellant container are both items of standard manufacture. The retaining member may be used indefinitely. The screw cap with the bracket, the dip tube and the tubular member attached thereto, may also be used with other holders of the same size, or with the same holder if it is either refilled or cleaned and filled with other materials to be dispensed. Preferably the gas release mechanism of the propellant container is removable to facilitate replacement of the propellant containers when the propellant is completely consumed.

The removability of the gas discharge mechanism also facilitates interchangeability of the holders for the materials to be dispensed, because the screw cap of the holder may be turned to remove it when the end of the tubular member with the gas discharge mechanism attached to it is removed from the propellant container. Otherwise it would be necessary to detach the flexible tube from one of the discharge nozzles before the screw cap could be removed from the container. If it is desired to save the unused portion of a material of which a portion has been dispensed, the container may be closed by a conventional screw cap of the proper size.

The complete structure is more fully described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the assembly shown in FIGURE 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross section view of the cap for the holder in which the material to be dispensed is contained, with the discharge mechanism for dispensing the material from the container.

Referring to the drawings, a conventional propellant container 1 is provided with a gas release mechanism or button 2 having a gas discharge nozzle 3. The gas release mechanism has a plunger 2' engageable with a dispensing valve (not shown) in the propellant container to cause pressurized propellant material to flow from the container through the gas release nozzle 3. A suitable gas release valve is fully disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,806,739. It will be understood that the specific construction of the propellant container is not part of the present invention. A removable gas release mechanism is desirable because of the advantage it affords in connection with the interchangeability of the container and the replacement of used propellant containers but most of the advantages of the invention can be utilized with a structure in which the gas release mechanism is not removable from the propellant container.

A tubular member 4 has one end fitted over the gas release nozzle 3, as indicated at 5. Tube 4 is preferably of suitable flexible material, such as polyethylene, saran, synthetic elastomers, for example, butadiene rubber or may be made of natural rubber or any other similar resilient material that is chemically inert to the propellant material. The flexible tube is preferably sealed to the gas release nozzle 3, but may be removably secured to said nozzle. The tubular member must be removably secured at one of its ends if the spray head is not removable from the propellant container.

A wire retaining member 7 may be made of a single length of wire bent into the desired shape, but preferably is formed of two parts 8 and 9 which are welded together. Part 8 includes a substantially circular loop 10 that fits around the peripheral surface of the propellant container 1. The wire at the ends of the loop is bent to extend downwardly to provide two vertical sections 11, and bent additionally to provide two horizontal sections 12, and two more vertical sections 13 that are

3,085,752 spaced laterally from the propellant container. The vertical sections 11 are juxtaposed against the peripheral surface of the propellant container and add stability to the structure of the wire retaining member. The horizontal sections 12 provide a vertical stop and a bot- 5 tom support for a holder 14 adapted to hold the material to be dispensed.

Part 9 of the wire retaining member 7 is bent to provide an arcuate section 15, two vertical sections 16, and two angularly extending sections 17 that are welded ₁₀to the downturned vertical sections 13. The angularly extending sections 17 are bent upwardly, so that the lowermost portions 18 of the retaining member have smooth rounded surfaces that are flush with the bottom of the propellant container when the retaining member 15 is positioned to secure a material holder 14 in assembled relationship with the propellant container. The vertical sections 16 are preferably positioned slightly inwardly toward the propellant container and the resilience of the wire causes a diametrically disposed pressure against 20 the holder 14, tending to push it toward the propellant container and hold the dispensing unit at a substantially fixed position relative to the gas outlet from the propellant container.

The arcuate curvature of section 15 fits snugly against 25 the peripheral surface of a material holder 14 of standard size. When a holder 14 is to be assembled with a propellant container 1, the bottom of the material holder is pushed between the propellant container and the vertical sections 16 of the wire retaining member, 3g thereby forcing the arcuate section 15 slightly outward. The material holder 14 is then pressed downwardly until it is seated on the horizontal sections 12 and the lowermost portions 18 of the wire retaining member are in engagement with the supporting surface on which the 35 propellant container is positioned. The resilience of part 9 of the wire retaining member insures a snug fit of the arcuate section 15 against the material holder 14, and also insures the proper spatial relationship between the upper edge of material holder 14 and the discharge 40 nozzle 3.

A screw cap 19 adapted to close the top of the material holder 14 has a dispensing unit mounted thereon. Although other types of closure members can be used for the holder 14, it is preferred to use a screw cap 45 because of the greater degree of accuracy that can be attained in spacing the nozzle of the screw cap in predetermined relationship to the release nozzle 3. The cap 19 is provided with an annular sealing gasket 20 and a vent 21. . ⁵θ

The dispensing unit comprises a bracket 22 that is rigidly mounted on screw cap 19 by a projection 23 that projects through an aperture 24 and by the projection 25 of a Venturi tube 26 that projects through an aperture 27 spaced from aperture 24. The projection 23 and the 55 Venturi tube 26 are preferably both integral with the dispensing unit. The lower end of projection 23 is peened over the adjacent edge of the cap, as indicated at 28. A dip tube 29 is secured to the lower end of the Venturi tube 26 and extends downwardly therefrom into the 60 holder 14. The lower end of the dip tube is positioned adjacent the bottom of the holder.

The shape of the bracket 22 is not critical since its only function is to support the discharge nozzle and the Venturi tube in a specific, predetermined relationship. In the 65 drawings, bracket 22 is shown as being L-shaped, with a horizontally disposed leg 31 flush against the top of the cap 19 and a vertical leg 32 projecting upwardly at right angles to the horizontal leg.

Venturi tube 26 projects upwardly above the horizontal 70 leg 31 and has a restricted throat 33 adjacent its upper end. The horizontally disposed discharge nozzle 30 extends laterally in opposite directions from the vertical leg 32 and has an orifice 34 extending throughout its length. The outer end of orifice 34 terminates in close ⁷⁵ proximity to the upper end of the Venturi tube. In addition to effecting the movement of the material to be sprayed to the top of Venturi tube 26 the spatial relationship of the adjacent ends of the Venturi tube and orifice 34 is important to the proper functioning of the dispenser because it is one of the factors that determines the proportions of the propellant to the spray material that may be used. A web 35 that is integral with the dispensing unit structure extends between the upper portion of the Venturi tube, the portion of the nozzle 30 adjacent the upper portion of the Venturi tube, and the adjacent surfaces of the bracket. Web 35 prevents alteration of the spatial relationship between the Venturi tube and the discharge nozzle 30.

The operation of the dispensing assembly is simple. The dip tube and the flexible tube, together with the gas release mechanism of the propellant container are handled as a unit. When the container holds the material to be sprayed, the screw cap is threaded on the open top of the container. The plunger of the gas release mechanism is then inserted into the valve opening of the propel-: lant container. When the plunger is pressed downwardly the propellant flows through the discharge nozzle of the plunger, the flexible tube connecting the plunger and the discharge nozzle and past the outlet of Venturi tube 26. As the propellant flows out of the discharge nozzle it creates a suction to draw the material through the Venturi tube. The material to be dispensed is entrained in the propellant and is discharged in the from of a spray of droplets if the material is a liquid.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of the invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of construction may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.