US2651544A - Spraying appliance - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 8, 1953 s. cUADRAs 2,651,544

SPRAYING APPLIANCE Filed May 29,` 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Attorney.

Inventor:

Sept. 8, 1953 s. CUADRAS 2,651,544

SPRAYING APPLIANCE Filed May 29, 1950 I 2 vSheets-Sheet 2 Inventor:

Patented Sept. 8, 1953 SPRAYING APPLIANCE Salvador Cuadras, Saint-Leu-la-Foret, France,

assignor to Holbrein S. A., Geneva, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Application May 29, 1950, Serial No.v164,941 In France June 9, 1949 13 claims. 1

The present invention relates to liquid spraying or atomizing devices, and particularly to a device of the described character which may be conveniently attached to the mouth opening of a container.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid spraying or atomizing device for attachment to the mouth opening of a container which includes a duct in part defining an intermediate chamber, preferably lled with an absorbent material, and manually actuatable means for placing the duct in communication with the associated container, andwherein the device is constructed and arranged sc.,that a first lactuation of the manually actuable means, with the container in an inverted or overturned condition, causes filling of the intermediate chamber with liquid from the container, and .a subsequent actuation of the manually actuatable means produces a stream of air effective to discharge the liquid from the intermediate chamber into the atmosphere in the form of an .atomized spray and without regard to the position of the container during such subsequent actuation.

A further object is to provide a spraying or atomizing device having the foregoing characteristics and wherein leakage of liquid from the associated container is positively prevented until the manually actuatable means is actuated so that the container `and atomizing device may be stored, for example, in luggage, in an inverted position without the risk of damaging surrounding articles of wearing apparel by reason of leakage from the container.

In accordance with the present invention, the

above objects are achieved by providing a spraying or atomizing device which comprises a body member attachable in the manner of a cap or plug to a container and constituting a cylinder, a piston member sealingly slidable in this cylinder and subjected to the action of a spring, an axial duct rigid. with the piston and slidable in a bore formed at the base of the plug, ya part of said duct forming an intermediate chamber in which fluid from the container may be stored, said chamber being supplied from the container through a valve member which is normally sealed when said piston is subjected to the action of its spring in idle condition, .and an airvent or port providing communication from said duct to the space enclosed by said cylinder and piston, The axial duct is formed near its inner end with a lateral supply aperture in its wall which is normally sealed by the adjacent wall of the bore but is adapted to be put into communication with the interior of the container upon depression of the piston and the duct is sealed by a valve member which normally seals the inner end of said bore, said valve member being preferably in the form of a valve head provided with a seal ring and defined by the head of a screw-plug rotatable to adjust the effective passage area of said supply aperture. The abovementioned air-port is preferably formed in the sidewall of the duct in a restricted portion thereof adjacent to its mouth opening.

The objects, features and advantages of the invention will become fully apparent from a study of the ensuing description relating to some exemplary embodiments of the invention given by way of example andnot of limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings in for instance in a, portable perfume atomizer; and

Fig. 5 is an axial sectional view of still another vembodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, the improved spraying device may be provided in the general form of a cylindrical assembly adapted for attachment, in the manner of a plug or cap, to the mouth of a container such as a bottle or flask l for example by screwing an internally-threaded central base portion 3 of the assembly over the threaded neck 2 of the bottle with a lseal ring 4 interposed between the neck 2 and the base portion 3. The end wall 5 of 4the base part 3 is formed with a boss 5 provided with an axial bore 'l tted with -a seal ring 3 and adapted to receive therein an axially slidable tube to be described later. Crimped in the bottom periphery of the base portion 3 there is a generally cylin'dric concentrical shell 9 which provides an external cylinder in which an actuating member -or piston is slidable.

In the present instance this actuating piston is provided in the form of a press-formed cupmember l0 formed at its open base with spaced slots Il having enlarged ends so as to dene resilient teeth I2 between the adjacent slots. Over the vertical extent of these slots the outer surinto the duct I9.

face of the piston I0 is provided with .an annular coating of a moulded plastic material I3 such as synthetic rubber or the like anchored in the slots and providing a suitable backing or contact surface against the inner surface of the cylindrical shell 9. The end wall of the piston is substantially at and is subjected to the upwardly directed yieldable force exerted by a coil spring I4 which is seated against the bottom wall of the cylinder or shell 9. The end wall of the piston I0 is shown formed with an annular seating surface for a label or indicating element I5 and further with a central reentrant depression I6 which provides the discharge opening'of the spray device. Secured in this discharge opening I6 s a duct I1 which is formed in its side wall near its outer or discharge end with a port I8 providing communication at all times between the inside of the duct II and the space or enclosure deined between the cylinder 9 and the piston IIJ. The duct I1, which is comparatively restricted in cross-section, is extended by a section I9 of substantially wider diameter slidable in the previously-mentioned bore 'I in the base or plug portion 3 of the assembly. The lower end of the n duct section I9 is internally threaded and receives a screw 2l) which thus seals the duct. The screw 20 is formed with a head 2| fitted With a seal ring 22 and provides av valve head normally sealing the bore 1, being seated against the lower surface of the end wall 5 of the base or plug portion 3 under the action of the spring I4 which acts upwardly against the top of the piston. The larger-diameter section I9 of the duct denes an intermediate chamber and is formed with a supply aperture 23 in its side wall near its lower end; the aperture 23 being normally sealed by the seal ring 8 of the bore 1 when the piston I0 is in its uppermost, idle, position with the valve 2I in scaling engagement with the wall 5, and the useful area of the aperture 23 may be adjusted by screwing the screw-plug 20 more or less deeply The wider section I9 of the duct which forms an'internal storage or intermediate chamber is preferably lled with a body of absorbent material 24 such as cotton-wool, a wick, or the like.

The device operates as follows:

With the container I full of liquid and so long as the piston I9 is not actuated or manually depressed into the cylinder 9, the valve-head 2l is applied against its seat and the container is and remains perfectly sealed. When it is desired to spray liquid, the flask is grasped in one hand, with two lingers resting on the top of the piston I0 to either side of the discharge outlet I6. The flask is then turned upside, while pressing down on the piston to cause the latter to telescope into the cylinder or shell 9. This causes the air contained in the cylinder-and-piston enclosures to escape through the port I8 and duct I'I out through the outlet I 6. At the same time the valve 2I is unseated and the aperture 23 clears the inner or entrance end of the bore, providing a communication from the interior of the container to the duct I9. Liquid flows through the aperture and wets the absorbent filling 24 in the duct I9. When the piston is released, the valve head 2I returns to its seated position and the aperture 23 is again closed by the seal ring 8, but this time the wick or lling 24 is impregnated with liquid. As the piston rises again in response to the force exerted by the spring I4 air again enters the enclosure between the piston I9 andthe cylindrical shell 9. With the bottle now held in any desired position, if the piston is once more depressed, the air is compressed by the downward or telescoping motion of the piston I9 and escapes through the small diameter port i8, inducing within the duct I'I-I9 a suction which draws out and discharges in an atomized spray part of the liquid impregnating the wick or absorbent filling 24. If the second actuation of the piston is elected with the bottle upside down, the wick again becomes impregnated and the spraying operation can be continued as long as there is any liquid remaining in the bottle. However, if the bottle is in its normal upright position when the piston I0 is depressed for the second time, liquid from the container cannot re-enter the duct to again wet the wick and only the amount of liquid that impregnated the wick can be sprayed before the container is again inverted to replenish the supply of liquid in the wick or filling 24.

It will thus be seen that the large-diameter section I9 of the duct acts as an intermediate or storage chamber which may be supplied with liquid to be sprayed by depressing the piston while holding the bottle upside down, but which even then remains practically isolated from the container throughout the greater part of the pistons travel. With a proper relative dimensioning between the size of the intermediate chamber IS and that of the cylinder 9, a metering device may be obtained, the supply of liquid in the intermediate chamber becoming exhausted at the end of any predetermined number of actuations of the piston. It should be noted that the rate of intake of air is always suicient to enable normal and free outilow of the liquid from the container into and through the duct II-I9 when the valve head 2l is unseated and the aperture 23 is opened. On the other hand, the suction induced in the duct by the escape of air from the cylinder through the port IS is not applied within the container by reason of the lling 24 within the chamber or duct portion I9., but only within the comparatively restricted capacity of the duct Il itself in which its action is accordingly extremely efficient. This ensures that the spraying operation is very satisfactory.

Moreover, and this is an essential advantage of the invention, the container is hermetically sealed automatically and in a perfectly positive and safe manner when not in use, without requiring any additional manipulation to achieve this purpose as do conventional sprayers. Thus, in the form of embodiment described above, this sealing function is performed. by the valve head 2l which, upon release. of the piston I D, is imme- Idiately applied against its seating by the piston spring I4.

In the above-described embodiment of the invention, discharge in the form of spray of the liquid impregnating the absorbent lling 24 in the intermediate chamber I 9 was accomplished, as stated, by the suction induced adjacent to the outlet of the duct by the expulsion of air. It is also within the scope of the invention to produce the spraying discharge by a stream of air delivered into the base of the duct. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 2, wherein the parts corresponding to those of Fig. l are identified by the same reference numerals with the letter "a appended thereto. As shown, the duct part I9a is formed with an air-port 25 at a point thereof somewhat above the part of the duct inserted into the bore la; however, the upper port I8 may still be retained herein to serve as an auxiliary with its diameter being substantially restricted relatively to that of the main port 25. The supply aperture, which in Fig. 2 has been shown, merely by way of example, in the form of a duct 26 formed through the screw 26a and which may have the area of its inlet adjusted by rotation of the screw, must inA this case be provided with a check-valve shown simply as a ball 21 seated in a recess 28 surrounding the outlet of said duct 26. The check-valve is necessary in the arrangement of Fig. 2 because of the necessity to prevent passage of air from the lower aperture through the lower rather than the upper end of the duct.

As in the first embodiment, the duct |9a is supplied with liquid when the flask is overturned and the piston lila is depressed, the ball 21 then being unseated by gravity. After the wick 24a has become saturated with lifjuid, this liquid can then be sprayed by a few rapid strokes of pressure imparted to the piston Illa. Each time the piston goes down, compressed air from the enclosure dened by the piston Illa and the cylinder 9a enters the duct |9a through the aperture 25 and liquid is discharged both by the pressure of this air and by the suction created towards the outlet of the duct by the air passing through the auxiliary port |8a. The latter port may in som cases be omitted.

As shown in Fig. 3, a similar device may be applied to the bottom rather than to the top of a container, such as, for example, a vinegar or an oil cruet. In this embodiment, a part 29, made of a moulded plastic for example and comprising both the body of the plug for attachment to the container and the cylinder, is screwed to the bottom outlet of a container with a seal 3| interposed between the4 container outlet and the part 29. The piston herein is provided by a leather cup member 32 secured to the top of a part 33 forming a stand or base, the member 32 being clamped against the part 33 by the flange 34 of a tube 35 which provides the axial duct and is secured to the base 33 by a threaded connection 36. The ilange 34 is formed with holes 31 and the base 33 is formed with ducts 38 extending angularly from the holes 31 and opening into the end of an axial duct 39 of restricted diameter which connects the duct with a discharge outlet 40 for the sprayed liquid. It will be seen that the ducts 39 and 35 are functionally equivalent to the ducts l1 and I9, respectively, of Fig. l. The duct 35 which is rigid with the stand-and-piston assembly 33-32 defines an intermediate or storage chamber and contains absorbent lling 4|. The duct 35 is axially slidable in a bore 42 in the bottom of the plug 29, and is sealed at its end remote from the base 39 by a screw 43 provided with a conical head which forms the valve member for sealing the bore 42. A port 44 is provided in the wall of the duct 35 adjacent the screw 43 and is normally sealed but provides communication between the container and the interior of duct 35 when the piston 32 is moved into the cylindrical body 29. A spring 45 normally maintains the container in raised condition relatively to the base and accordingly retains the valve 43 in its seated condition.

When the stand is raised relatively to the container 36, the piston 32 is forced into the cylinder 29 and the hole 44 is uncovered within the con,- tainer, thus enabling liquid to enter and impregnate the wick 4|. Ay subsequent movement of the piston 32 into the cylinder 29 expels air from the cylinder through the ducts 38 and 6 causes liquid to be sprayedl downwardly from: the outlet 40 at the center of the stand,V the liquid impregnating the wick 4| being drawn through the duct 39 by suction induced by the air owing through the ducts 38.

Fig. 4 illustrates a form of the invention as embodied in a travellingk atomizer or perfume sprayer or the like. The body of the atomizer or container is adapted to receive at its top a sprayer plug 41 which according to the invention has a cylindrical outer wall forming an extension of the side walls of the cylindrical container. In the construction shown, the container body is in two parts, the plug` 41 being retained in position by a flange extending radially fromV the top of a entral part 48 which is screwed into a boss 46a formed centrally'on the top wall of a cylindrical outer container part 46. The central part 48 has a long tube 49 reaching down to a level near the bottom of the container. A hollow piston member 56 is slidable in the plug 41 and urged upwards by a spring 5| and terminates in an` enlarged top or head 52 which may be pro`- vided with any desired ornamental pattern and is formed with a laterally-projecting outlet 53 instead of the axial outlet of the previouslydescribed embodiments. A duct 54 formed in the body of the piston head 52 provides for the ow of air between the space defined by the plug 41 and piston 50 and the outlet 53. A radially extending spray tube 55 extends into the outlet 53 and branches-off from a central tube 56 which is slidable in the tube 49 and is provided at its bottom end with a valve 51 normally sealing the end of the tube 49. Extending through the piston head 52 at the side of the latter diametrically opposed to the outlet tube 55 there is a hole 58 provided with a screw plug 59 removal of which allows insertion of a pricker probe into said cutlet tube in the event the latter should become clogged. The duct 56 which provides the intermediate or supply chamber for the spraying liquid contains a wick or absorbent lling 66 and is provided near its bottom end with a supply aperture 6| normally covered up by the tube 49.

In each of the above described embodiments, the spraying outlet or orice is formed in the movable part of the air pumping or compressing assembly. However, if desired, the spraying outlet may be provided in the relatively stationary part of the air pumping assembly, as shown in Fig. 5.- In the embodiment of Fig.' 5, a plug or body 62 is formed with a threaded y,cylindrical recess for receiving the threaded neck of a container 63. The body 62 is formed with a central bore 64 extending axially therethrough and slidably receiving a stem 65 which has a valve head 66 on its lower end for seating against the bottom of the body 62 within the cylindrical recess of the latter. The body 62 has a bellows 61 extending thereabove, and a cylinder 68 is slidable on the bellows 61 andhas the stem 65 secured thereto so that, as the cylinder 68 is worked up and down on the bellows, the stem 65 and valve 61, the air inside the bellows is compressed and the valve head 66 is moved away from itsseated' position.

The body 62is formed with a discharge passage or duct 69 opening radially outward and comastucia,

municating with an intermediate supply chamber. 10 `which opens into the bore 64 and is filled with a wick or absorbent filling 1l. A recess orcavity l2 is formed in thesurface of the stem S5 in registry with the intermediate supplychamber l and is dimensioned to selectively place the latter in communication with either the interior Yoi the bellows B1 or the interior of the kcontainer 63, as the stem 65 is displaced by depression of the cylinder 68. That is, when the cylinder 68 is in its raised (illustrated) position, the cavity 12 places the chamber l0 in communication with the interior of the' bellows 6l` so that initial depression of the cylinder 68, compressing the air in the bellows, causes the compressed air to flow through the chamber for discharging the liquid stored in the absorbent filling 'H through the duct 69 in the form of an atomized spray. When the cylinder 68 is fully depressed, the cavity 12 ceases to be in communication with the interior of the bellows El and opens into the interior of the container and the chamber 'it so that the contents of the container 63 can then ow into the intermediate supply chamber l0 when the container is inverted or overturned.

Finally, the bellows 61 is formed with an inturned ange or lip 13 along its upper edge, and the top wall of the cylinder B8 has openings 'i4 therein in positions normally covered by the flange 13. When the cylinder is Vdepressed lto an extent interrupting the communication between the interior of the bellows E1 and the cavity 12, the distortion of the bellows turns the flange 13 away from the top wall of the cylinder 58 to open the openings 14 for communicating the interior of the bellows with the atmosphere so that the cylinder 68 may be further depressed.

While illustrative embodiments of the invention have been described in detail and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understoodthat the present invention is not limited to these precise embodiments andv that various changes and modiiications may be made therein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Spraying attachment of the type described adaptable to a container opening, said attachment comprising a deformable enclosure including a fixed and a depressible part spring-urged to expanded condition, a duct rigid with said depressible part and extending at one end toward said container, means dening a valve seat on said iixed part of the enclosure, valve means carried by said duct for engaging said valve seat and sealing said duct from communication with the interior of said container in the expanded condition of the enclosure, and being removed from said seat to provide communication from the container to said one end of the duct in the contracted condition of the enclosure, absorbent means in said duct to receive an amount of the containers contents introduced into the duct by a first contraction of the enclosure when the spraying attachment is disposed with said one end of the duct uppermost so that said duct provides an intermediate capacity for the storage of the thereby received amount of the containers contents, and air-passage means between the enclosure and the duct whereby a renewed contraction of the enclosure causes a discharge of air from the enclosure through the duct effective to discharge in the form of spray said amount stored in the intermediate capacity.

2. Spray device as in claim 1 including a part for plugging the container opening and having:v

a bore formed therethrough in which said duct issldable, a supply aperture in the side of the duct adjacent said one end thereof, said aperture being normally sealed by said plugging part but communicating with the interior of the container on depression of said depressible part, and wherein said valve seat means is formed by the face oi said plugging part directed toward the interior of the container, and said valve means includes a head at said one end of the duct normally sealingly applied against said face oi the plugging part.

3. Spray device as in claim 2 wherein said valve head is the head of a screw having its stem screwed into said one end of the duct and adjustable axially in the latter to close said side aperture by a selected amount and thereby alter the useful area of said side-aperture.

4. Spray device as in claim 1 wherein said xed part of the deformable enclosure consists of a cylinder member rigid with a part for plugging the container opening and having a bore therethrough in which said duct is slidable, and said depressible part includes a piston member slidable in the top of the cylinder and spring-urged to its expanded position.

5. Spray device as in claim 4 wherein said piston member is in the form of an inverted cup member formed with resiliency-increasing slots extending from the free end of the cup over a predetermined vertical extent, and a resilient annular coating surrounding the piston over said extent, said coating being a moulded plastic anchored in said slots, providing a sliding seal surface engaging the inner wall of the cylinder member.

6. Spray device as in claim 1 wherein said duct includes a restricted portion at the opposite end thereof terminating in a discharge orifice and said air-passage means comprise a port in the side wall of the duct in said restricted portion of the duct downstream of said absorbent means, whereby the discharge of air through said port when the enclosure is contracted acts by suction to draw out the amount of substance stored in the capacity.

7. Spray device as in claim 1 wherein said airpassage means comprise a port in the side wall of the duct adjacent to said one end of the duct, whereby the discharge of air through said port acts by pressure to force out the amount of substance stored in the absorbent means, and ball check-valve means sealing said aperture against the entry of such air in the direction from said duct.

8. Spray device as in claim 1 wherein the attachment is adapted to be attached to the bottom outlet of a container, said depressible part being rigid with the top of a stand for the assembly, so that said enclosure is contracted when the stand is raised relatively to the container.

9. Spray device as in claim 1 wherein the attachment is applied to a portable scentespray, said duct terminating in a lateral nozzle above said depressible part and forming a spray discharge outlet.

10. Spray device as in claim 9 wherein said xed part includes a plug for closing the container opening and having an extension in the form of a tube reaching down to a level near the bottom Yof the container, and the duct rigid with said depressible part is a tube slidable in said tubular extension and provided with a valve head at its bottom engageable with the lower end of said tubular extension to selectively open and close communication therethrough.

11. Spray device as in claim 1 wherein said depressible part includes movable cylinder member having said discharge duct rigid with it and extending axially thereof, and said intermediate capacity is in the form of a flat cylindrical chamber at the top of said duct, with a discharge outlet from said chamber.

12. Spray device as in claim 1 wherein said fixed part includes a piston member for plugging the container opening and said depressible part includes a movable cylinder slidable over said fixed piston member, and wherein the intermediate capacity is in the form of a horizontal chamber in the top face of said fixed piston plugging member and the spray outlet is in the form of a duct in said plugging member leading from said chamber to a point below said cylinder member.

13. Spray device as in claim 1, wherein said xed part includes a piston member which has References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,791,142 Mutschel et al. Feb. 3, 1931 2,069,352 Brookshire et al Feb. 2, 1937 2,275,666 Wilson Mar. 10, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 308,255 Great Britain Dec. 19, 1928 313,532 Great Britain May 1, 1930

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