Liquid dispenser

April 23, 1968 d, f. corsette 3,379,136

LIQUID DISPENSER

Filed Aug. 26, 1966

<img file="US3379136A_D0001.tif" />

BY

<img file="US3379136A_D0002.tif" />

ATTORNEYS

United States Patent Office

3,379,138

Patented Apr. 23, 1968

3,379,136 LIQUID DISPENSER Douglas F. Corsette, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Diamond International Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware ⁵

Filed Aug. 26,1966, Ser. No. 575,338

Claims. (CI. 103—203)

This invention relates to an adapter device for use with a conventional liquid dispensing pump to convert same to use in an inverted position, and to the pump as 10 thus converted.

In connection with the dispensing of various preparations, it has become customary to employ plastic dispensing pumps which are generally carried by the container closure, with the pump cylinder depending into the container and with the spring projected pump plunger projecting outwardly through the upper end of the cylinder to receive intermittent finger pressure through which the plunger is reciprocated. Generally, the pump cylinder is considerably shorter in length than the container into ²⁰which it extends. Therefore, the axially downwardly or inwardly-directed intake port for the pump, at the lower end of the cylinder, is placed in communication with the lower end of the container by means of a conventional dip tube. Also, the pump cylinder is normally provided ²⁵with an air breather opening within the container, but generally close to the upper end of the cylinder to be located above the liquid level within the container.

While various conventional pump structures have their reciprocating plunger and valves so arranged as to be ³⁰capable of operation in inverted position, the disposition of the pump intake port well below the upper extremity of the container is such that the pump can withdraw a portion only of the liquid contents of the container, even if the conventional dip tube is omitted. Moreover, in such ^3oa conventional pump structure, the disposition and arrangement of the air vent for admitting atmospheric air to the interior of the container to take the place of discharged liquid is such as to permit leakage or seepage in the event any attempt is made to operate the pump in a ⁴⁰wholly-inverted condition.

With these factors in mind, the present invention contemplates the provision of an adapter device for application to a conventional pump structure in place of the conventional tube, and which cooperates with the pump to ⁴³provide a liquid intake or inlet passage from the upper end portion of the container to the pump intake port. Further, it is contemplated to provide such a device or attachment defining an air breather passage establishing communication between the vent opening of the cylinder ⁵⁰and the interior of the container, a check valve preferably being associated with such passage in order to admit atmospheric air through said opening and passage into the container, while preventing the outward flow of liquid . _ through said passage to the pump cylinder. ³³

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a generally-vertical cross-sectional view through the upper end portion of a conventional liquid container to which is applied a pump structure equipped with an adapter device in accordance with the invention. ⁶⁰

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 2—2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of a container or bottle equipped with the modified pump of the invention, the container and pump being in an inverted operative position.

Referring in detail to the accompanying drawing, there is illustrated in FIGURE 1 a generally-conventional liquid dispensing pump including a pump cylinder 19, having a radial supporting flange 11 adjacent its upper end by 70 which it is supported on the upper end of the neck 12 of a container here exemplified by a conventional glass bottle of which the upper portion only is shown in FIGURE 1.

A centrally-apertured container cap 15 is threaded onto the bottle neck to compress the flange 11 thereagainst and to secure the pump cylinder firmly in place with respect to the bottle. In accordance with usual practice, the pump cylinder and flange 10 and 11 may be integrally formed or molded of a plastic material having sufficient resiliency that the flange 11 may function also as a gasket between the container cap and the end of the bottle neck 12. An upward extension of the cylinder, in the form of an internally-threaded collar 16, extends upwardly through the centrally-apertured cap 15 and is provided with a radially projecting beading 17 overlying the cap and gripping the top thereof between the beading 17 and flange 11, all in accordance with conventional practice.

As thus arranged, it will be apparent that, except for the collar 16, the cylinder is wholly supported within and depends into the bottle, and is provided with an intake port 18 opening downwardly axially through its otherwise closed inner or lower end. In the form of a pump here illustrated, the lower end of the cylinder terminates in a portion of considerably decreased diameter 20 suitable for coupling in conventional manner to an intake duct or dip tube which normally will extend to the lower end of the container to place the intake port 18 in communication with the lower portion of the container interior so that the pump may withdraw substantially the entire contents of the container 13. It will be understood that such an intake duct or dip tube is omitted from the pump structure here illustrated, it being intended that the liquid shall be directed to the inlet port 18 by the adapter device hereafter described.

Disposed for reciprocation within the cylinder 10 is a generally-conventional spring-projected plunger 21, including a piston (not shown) within the cylinder 10 for cooperation in usual manner with the cylinder. The upper end of the plunger projects outwardly through annular piston stop and plunger guide ring 22 and beyond the pump cylinder collar 16, and terminates in a finger piece 23 against the upwardly-directed face of which finger pressure may be applied and removed intermittently to alternately depress the plunger and to permit its return by spring action, all as will be understood by persons of usual knowledge in the art.

For the purposes of the present illustration, it will be understood that the pump discharge passage extends from the pump chamber through the plunger 21 to and through a discharge spout 24 which, in the present embodiment, is carried by the plunger. However, it will be understood that it is immaterial to the invention whether the pump discharge passage and spouts be formed in and on the plunger or whether the discharge passage from the pump cylinder opens outwardly through an extended portion of the cylinder above the cap 15 as disclosed, for instance, in the patent to Stott 2,513,973.

The interior structure of the pump, within cylinder 10, and the arrangement of the pump valves, is material only to the extent that such interior pump sturcture and valves must be arranged to operate in the inverted position of the pump. Since various pumps capable of operation while inverted are well known, the interior construction of the pump and its valves is not herein illustrated; although same may be substantially as disclosed in my prior Patents Nos. 3,228,347 and 3,237,571, or as disclosed in the Stott patent above mentioned, in all of which the pumps are operable in either upright or inverted positions.

As is conventional in pumps of the type which are adapted for use in upright position, the cylinder 10 of the pump herein illustrated is provided near its upper extremity with a vent or breather opening 25 through its

3,379,136 cylindrical wall adapted to establish communication between the interior of the container and the atmosphere exterior of the container, such communication being upwardly between the guide ring 22 and the plunger rod, through the upwardly opening end of the cylinder.

For the purpose of sealing such upwardly-opening cylinder, when the pump is not in use, the pump plunger 21 is provided with an externally-threaded plug 26 adapted for sealing reception within the collar in response to depression of the plunger and rotating same about its cylindrical axis to tightly interconnect the threaded portions 26 and 16.

In order to adapt such a conventional pump for use in an inverted position, there is provided a casing or sleeve attachment, generally designated 20, which defines a substantially cylindrical upwardly-opening socket conforming substantially in cross-sectional shape to the exterior configuration of the pump cylinder 10, but proportioned for snug fluid-tight reception of the cylinder 10, the latter being received within the open upper end of the casing or attachment 30. The attachment may be frictionally or otherwise suitably retained on the cylinder. The upper end of the sleeve socket is sealed around the pump cylinder, as by means of an annular sealing ring 29 integral with the sleeve and/or by sealing engagement between the upper end of the sleeve 30 and the cylinder flange 11.

For delivering liquid from the inverted container to the inlet port 18 of the pump, the casing 30 is formed to define a passage or channel 31 communicating with the upper end portion of the container interior through an inlet opening 32 in the wall of the casing. Inversion of the container will, of course, position this opening 32 near the bottom of any liquid within the container. It will be noted that the lower end of the casing 30 is closed by a bottom 33 and that the sleeve is of somewhat greater axial length within the container than the pump cylinder; or, in other words, the casing extends to a greater depth below the container cap than does the cylinder. Thus, the upper end edge of the upper end of the sleeve engages the flange 11 and serves as a means for arresting the axial movement of the sleeve onto the cylinder in a position such that the bottom 33 of the casing is disposed in spaced relation below the lower end 19 of the cylinder to provide a horizontal or radial section 31α of the passage 31 through which said passage 31 communicates with the axially-directed pump intake port 18. In the specific arrangement herein illustrated, the passage or groove 31 is open on its radially inner side, which side is closed and sealed by the cooperating cylindrical outer surface of the cylinder 10. Thus, it will be apparent that, when the container is inverted and the pump plunger is reciprocated by appropriate finger pressure, the liquid received adjacent the cap of the container will be drawn into the opening 32 and led through the ₅₅ positioned for communication with the breather port of a pump cylinder and opening to the exterior of the cylinder adjacent the closed lower end thereof.

2. An adapter sleeve as defined in claim 1, further including a check valve disposed for operation in said

The axial spacing of the groove 35 from the upper end of the adapter casing 30 is equal to the predetermined spacing of the breather opening 25 below the cylinder flange 11, so that the groove and opening 35 and 25 will be accurately positioned for intercommunication by pressing the casing axially onto the cylinder 10 until the upper end of the casing abuts the flange 11.

Thus, in the inverted position of the pump, as liquid is withdrawn from the container by the pump action, tending to create a partial vacuum within the container, air from the atmosphere will be permitted to enter the encircling groove 35 and passage 34 through the breather opening 25 in the cylinder wall and to unseat the valve 37 to enter the container through the port 40 at a pressure in excess of that prevailing within the container so as to prevent backflow of liquid into the passage 35. Since, at this time, the port 40 will be disposed above or higher than the liquid inlet opening 32, the air bubbles released through port 40 will float to the surface of the liquid in paths remote from the liquid port 32, and will not be drawn into port 32. If, when the bottle is inverted, the pressure within the container equals or exceeds atmospheric pressure, the ball valve 37 will remain seated to prevent entry of the liquid into the passage 35.

Since the inwardly-opening channels or grooves 31, 34 and 35 will all be closed by the exterior surface of the pump cylinder, it will be apparent that the liquid supply passage 31 to the pump intake port and the air passages 34 and 35 will be maintained out of communication with each other. Because of the axial location of the liquid inlet opening 32, and upward termination of the passage 31, at levels below that of the encircling groove 35, it will be apparent that separation is maintained between the passage 31 and opening 32 on the one hand, and the breather passage sections 34 and 35 on the other hand, in all positions of angular orientation of the casing 30 about the axis of cylinder 10, to insure against the unintentional escape of liquid from the container, when inverted, through its air passages.