Liquid dosing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10239671-B2
Application number	US-201313864299-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2013
Priority date	Apr 17, 2012
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus and means of repeatedly dispensing controlled doses of liquid comprising a resiliently squeezable container for containing a liquid detergent composition; a cap operably connected to said container, the cap comprising a nozzle for expelling the liquid out of the container; a dosing chamber operably connected to the cap, wherein the dosing chamber comprises a base having a discharge opening therein, sidewalls extending upwardly along the perimeter of said base and at least one inlet opening located proximal the sidewalls; at least one timer aperture located proximal to the discharge opening; a plunger, provided in the dosing chamber and moveable relative to the chamber so as to advance upon squeezing of the container, up to a blocking position; a valve retaining means located below the base; a valve provided in the valve retaining mean wherein the valve is movable from an open position, allowing liquid flow through the discharge opening, and a closed position, where the valve blocks the discharge opening; wherein the liquid is a shear thinning liquid and the shear thinning liquid has a viscosity of greater than 150 mPa·s measured at 10s −1 at 20° C.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dosing apparatus for dispensing a dose of liquid in a longitudinal direction, said dosing apparatus comprising:
(i) a resiliently squeezable container;
(ii) a cap operably connected to said resiliently squeezable container, said cap comprising a nozzle for expelling the liquid out of the container;
(iii) a dosing chamber operably connected to said cap, wherein said dosing chamber comprises a base having a discharge opening therein said discharge opening having a discharge opening centerline and, sidewalls extending upwardly along the perimeter of said base and at least one inlet opening located proximal said sidewalls;
(iv) at least one timer aperture located proximal to said discharge opening and an entry tube, said at least one inlet opening being longitudinally aligned with said entry tube, wherein said at least one timer aperture is located in said base of said dosing chamber and wherein said at least one timer aperture has an aperture centerline parallel to said discharge opening centerline;
(v) a plunger, provided in said dosing chamber and moveable relative to said dosing chamber so as to advance upon squeezing of said resiliently squeezable container, up to a blocking position;
(vi) a valve retaining means located below said base;
(vii) a valve provided in said valve retaining means wherein said valve is movable from an open position, allowing a liquid contained in said resiliently squeezable container to flow through said discharge opening, and a closed position, where the valve blocks said discharge opening; and
(viii) said at least one timer aperture and said at least one inlet opening being in independent fluid communication with said liquid.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a liquid therein, wherein said liquid is a shear thinning liquid and said shear thinning liquid has a viscosity of greater than about 150 mPa·s measured at 10 s −1 at 20° C.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the shear thinning liquid has a viscosity of from about 1 mPa·s to about 350 mPa·s measured at 1000 s −1 at 20° C.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the flow rate of the liquid through the nozzle is greater than about 20 g/s.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said base defines a first area and a second area, said first area being demarcated by said sidewalls and said second area defining the discharge opening, and wherein said second area is located below said first area.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sidewalls comprise a castellation formed by vertically extending tabs at an apex thereof, and wherein said inlet openings are defined by the open space between said tabs.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the valve retaining means is one part with said dosing chamber and is formed by at least three hook-shaped protrusions extending downwardly from said base and opposite to said sidewalls.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said valve is spherical and is capable of blocking said discharge opening by at least partly entering said dosing chamber such that upon squeezing of the resilient container the valve is forced against the discharge opening and concurrently impacts at least part of a surface of the plunger to release said plunger.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cap further comprises a first skirt capable of at least partly covering said inlet openings upon rotation of said cap relative to said dosing chamber.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the pressure inside the container does not exceed about 150 kPa.

11. A method of dosing with an apparatus of claim 1 to deliver drip-free and constant dose of liquid, said method comprising the steps of; (i) orienting said apparatus top down, (ii) squeezing said container to begin dosage until liquid flow stops, (iii) releasing the force from said container to permit said valve to open, release said liquid from said dosage chamber via said discharge opening and allow said plunger to return to its starting position.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein step (iii) is followed by squeezing again to begin a second dose without inverting said container.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said entry tube can displace parallel to the longitudinal direction to provide dose quantities.

14. A dosing apparatus for dispensing a dose of liquid in a longitudinal direction, said dosing apparatus comprising:
(i) a resiliently squeezable container;
(ii) a cap operably connected to said resiliently squeezable container, said cap comprising a nozzle for expelling the liquid out of the container;
(iii) a dosing chamber operably connected to said cap, wherein said dosing chamber comprises a base having a discharge opening therein, sidewalls extending upwardly along the perimeter of said base and at least one inlet opening located proximal said sidewalls;
(iv) at least one timer aperture located proximal to said discharge opening and an entry tube, said at least one inlet opening being longitudinally aligned with said entry tube;
(v) a plunger, provided in said dosing chamber and moveable relative to said dosing chamber so as to advance upon squeezing of said resiliently squeezable container, up to a blocking position;
(vi) a valve retaining means located below said base;
(vii) a valve provided in said valve retaining means wherein said valve is movable from an open position, allowing a liquid contained in said resiliently squeezable container to flow through said discharge opening, and a closed position, where the valve blocks said discharge opening; and
(viii) said at least one timer aperture and said at least one inlet opening being in independent fluid communication with said liquid,

wherein the ratio of the total surface of the inlet openings and the timer apertures is from about 2 to about 25.

15. A dosing apparatus for dispensing a dose of liquid in a longitudinal direction, said dosing apparatus comprising:
(i) a resiliently squeezable container;
(ii) a cap operably connected to said resiliently squeezable container, said cap comprising a nozzle for expelling the liquid out of the container;
(iii) a dosing chamber operably connected to said cap, wherein said dosing chamber comprises a base having a discharge opening therein, sidewalls extending upwardly along the perimeter of said base and at least one inlet opening located proximal said sidewalls;
(iv) at least one timer aperture located proximal to said discharge opening and an entry tube, said at least one inlet opening being longitudinally aligned with said entry tube;
(v) a plunger, provided in said dosing chamber and moveable relative to said dosing chamber so as to advance upon squeezing of said resiliently squeezable container, up to a blocking position;
(vi) a valve retaining means located below said base;
(vii) a valve provided in said valve retaining means wherein said valve is movable from an open position, allowing a liquid contained in said resiliently squeezable container to flow through said discharge opening, and a closed position, where the valve blocks said discharge opening; and
(viii) said at least one timer aperture and said at least one inlet opening being in independent fluid communication with said liquid,

wherein said nozzle comprises an orifice at an apex of said nozzle, and the ratio of the total surface of the inlet openings and said orifice is from about 4 to about 1:4.

16. A dosing apparatus for dispensing a dose of liquid in a longitudinal direction, said dosing apparatus compris

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Schoubben Jimmy
• Beck Wolfram
• Hoefte Paulus Antonius Augustinus

Classifications

• G01F11/04 Primary

  of the free-piston type · CPC title

• G01F13/006

  measuring volume in function of time · CPC title

• B65D47/30 Primary

  with plug valves {, i.e. valves that open and close a passageway by turning a cylindrical or conical plug without axial passageways} · CPC title

• G01F11/263

  with valves · CPC title

• G01F11/265

  of the ball type · CPC title