Cup-shaped fluidic circuit, nozzle assembly and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10155232-B2
Application number	US-201715819384-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2017
Priority date	Apr 19, 2011
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

A conformal, cup-shaped fluidic nozzle engineered to generate an oscillating spray is configured as a (e.g., 100, 400, 600 or 700 ). Preferably, the fluidic circuit's oscillation inducing geometry 710 is molded directly into the cup's interior wall surfaces and the one-piece fluidic cup may then fitted into an actuator (e.g., 340 ). The fluidic cup (e.g., 100, 400, 600 or 700 ) conforms to the actuator stem used in typical aerosol sprayers and trigger sprayers and so replaces the prior art “swirl cup” 70 that goes over the actuator stem (e.g., 320 ), With the fluidic cup (e.g., 100, 400, 600 or 700 ) and method of the present invention, vendors of liquid products and fluids sold in commercial aerosol sprayers 20 and trigger sprayers 800 can now provide very specifically tailored or customized sprays.

First claim

We claim:

1. A conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit configured for easy and economical incorporation into a trigger spray nozzle assembly or aerosol spray head actuator body including distally projecting sealing post and a lumen for dispensing or spraying a pressurized liquid product or fluid from a transportable container to generate an exhaust flow in the form of an oscillating spray of fluid droplets, comprising;
(a) a cup-shaped fluidic circuit member having a peripheral wall extending proximally and having a distal radial wall comprising an inner face with features defined therein and an open proximal end configured to receive an actuator's sealing post;
(b) said cup-shaped member's peripheral wall and distal radial wall having inner surfaces comprising a fluid channel including a chamber when said

cup-shaped member is fitted to body's sealing post;
(c) said chamber being configured to define a fluidic circuit oscillator inlet in fluid communication with an interaction region so when said cup-shaped member is fitted to body's sealing post and pressurized fluid is introduced via said actuator body, the pressurized fluid may enter said fluid channel's chamber and interaction region and generate at least one oscillating flow vortex within said fluid channel's interaction region;
(d) wherein said cup shaped member's distal wall includes a discharge orifice in fluid communication with said chamber's interaction region.

2. The conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit of claim 1 , wherein said chamber is configured so that when said cup-shaped member is fitted to the body's sealing post and pressurized fluid is introduced via said actuator body, said chamber's fluidic oscillator inlet is in fluid communication with a first power nozzle and second power nozzle, wherein said first power nozzle is configured to accelerate the movement of passing pressurized fluid flowing through said first nozzle to form a first jet of fluid flowing into said chamber's interaction region, and said second power nozzle is configured to accelerate the movement of passing pressurized fluid flowing through said second nozzle to form a second jet of fluid flowing into said chamber's interaction region, and wherein said first and second jets impinge upon one another at a selected inter-jet impingement angle and generate oscillating flow vortices within said fluid channel's interaction region.

3. The conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit of claim 2 , wherein said chamber is configured so that when said cup-shaped member is fitted to the body's sealing post and pressurized fluid is introduced via said actuator body, said chamber's interaction region is in fluid communication with said discharge orifice defined in said fluidic circuit's distal wall, and said oscillating flow vortices exhaust from said discharge orifice as an oscillating spray of substantially uniform fluid droplets in a selected spray pattern having a selected spray width and a selected spray thickness.

4. The conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit of claim 2 , wherein said first and second power nozzles comprise venturi-shaped or tapered channels or grooves in said distal wall's inner face.

5. The conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit of claim 4 , wherein said first and second power nozzles terminate in a rectangular or box-shaped interaction region defined in said distal wall's inner face.

6. The conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit of claim 4 , wherein said first and second power nozzles terminate in a cylindrical interaction region defined in said distal wall's inner face.

7. The conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit of claim 4 , wherein said selected inter-jet impingement angle is 180 degrees and said chamber is configured so that when said cup-shaped member is fitted to the body's sealing post and pressurized fluid is introduced via said actuator body, said oscillating flow vortices are generated within said fluid channel's interaction region by opposing jets.

8. The conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit of claim 1 , wherein said cup-shaped fluidic circuit member is configured with a hand operated pump in a trigger sprayer configuration.

9. The conformal, unitary, one-piece fluidic circuit of claim 1 , wherein said cup-shaped fluidic circuit member is configured with propellant pressurized aerosol container with a valve actuator.

10. A method for assembling a transportable or disposable package for spraying or dispensing a liquid product, material or fluid from a nozzle assembly or spray head actuator, comprising:
(a) fabricating a conformal fluidic circuit configured for easy and economical incorporation into a nozzle assembly or aerosol spray head actuator body including distally projecting sealing post and a lumen for dispensing or spraying a pressurized liquid product or fluid from a transportable container to generate an exhaust flow in the form of an oscillating spray of fluid droplets, said conformal fluidic circuit including a cup-shaped fluidic circuit member having a peripheral wall extending proximally and having a distal radial wall comprising an inner face with features defined therein and an open proximal end configured to receive an actuator's sealing post; said cup-shaped member's peripheral wall and distal radial wall having inner surfaces comprising a fluid channel including a chamber with a fluidic circuit oscillator inlet in fluid communication with an interaction region; said

cup shaped member's peripheral wall having an exterior surface carrying a transversely projecting locking flange.

11. The assembly method of claim 10 , further comprising:
(b) providing an actuator with a body having a distally projecting sealing post and a snap-fit groove configured to resiliently receive and retain said cup shaped member's transversely projecting locking flange;
(c) inserting said sealing post into said cup-shaped member's open distal end and engaging said transversely projecting locking flange into said actuator body's snap fit groove to define said fluid channel with said chamber and said fluidic circuit oscillator inlet in fluid communication with the interaction region, so that when pressurized fluid is introduced into said fluid channel, the pressurized fluid may enter said chamber and interaction region and generate at least one oscillating flow vortex within said fluid channel's interaction region.

12. The assembly method of claim 10 , wherein fabricating step (a) comprises molding said conformal fluidic circuit from a plastic material to provide a conformal, unitary, one-piece cup-shaped fluidic circuit member having the distal radial wall inner face features molded therein and wherein said cup-shaped member's inner surfaces comprise an oscillation-inducing geometry which is molded directly into the cup's interior wall segments.

13. The assembly method of claim 10 , further comprising:
(b) providing an actuator configured with a hand operated pump in a trigger sprayer configuration with a body having a distally projecting sealing post and a snap-fit groove configured to resiliently receive and retain said cup shaped member's transversely projecting locking flange;
(c) inserting said sealing post into said cup-shaped member's open distal end and engaging said transversely projecting locking flange into said actuator body's snap fit groove to define said fluid channel with said chamber and said fluidic circuit oscillator inlet in fluid communication with the interaction region, so that when pressurized fluid is introduced into said fluid channel, the pressurized fluid may enter said chamber and interaction region and generate at leas

Assignees

• Dlhbowles Inc

Inventors

• Hartranft Evan
• Gopalan Shridhar
• Russell Gregory

Classifications

• F15C1/22

  Oscillators · CPC title

• B65D83/28

  Nozzles, nozzle fittings or accessories specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• B65D83/753

  characterised by details or accessories associated with outlets · CPC title

• B05B1/08 Primary

  of pulsating nature, e.g. delivering liquid in successive separate quantities · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title