Single action dispensing device with sliding sleeve having a plug

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10370178-B2
Application number	US-201715780691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2017
Priority date	Feb 9, 2016
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A dispensing device for attaching to a container having a valve stem includes: (a) a hollow tube having a flow channel defined by a wall extending between entrance and exit ends with a connector on the entrance end for connecting to the valve stem; (b) a sleeve extending slidably over a portion of the hollow tube, the sleeve extending over, and having an opening proximate to, the hollow tube's exit end; (c) a sealing gasket around the outside of the hollow tube and between the hollow tube and the sleeve that prevents fluid communication past the gasket between the hollow tube and sleeve; (d) a trigger mount rigidly attached to the hollow tube or container; (e) a trigger hingedly connected at a first location to the trigger mount and operatively engaged with the sleeve at a second location; and (f) an elastic element between the trigger and the hollow tube and/or container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article comprising a dispensing device ( 10 ) for attaching to a container ( 100 ) that has a valve stem ( 110 ), the dispensing device comprising:
(a) a hollow tube ( 20 ) having opposing entrance ( 22 ) and exit ( 24 ) ends, a wall ( 25 ) extending between the entrance and exit ends that defines a flow channel ( 27 ) through the hollow tube and that separates inside the hollow tube from outside the hollow tube with the inside being within the wall of the hollow tube, and a connector ( 26 ) on the entrance end for attaching to the valve stem of the container;
(b) a sleeve ( 30 ) extending over a portion of the outside of the hollow tube and capable of sliding over the hollow tube, the sleeve extending over the exit end of the hollow tube and having a lower end ( 32 ) and an opposing dispensing end ( 34 ), with the dispensing end proximate to the exit end of the hollow tube;
(c) a sealing gasket ( 40 ) around the outside of the hollow tube between wall ( 25 ) of the hollow tube and the sleeve that prevents fluid communication outside of the hollow tube between the sleeve and the hollow tube across the sealing gasket, the sealing gasket is located between the exit and entrance ends of the hollow tube;
(d) a trigger mount ( 50 ) that is part of or that rigidly attaches to the hollow tube;
(e) a trigger ( 60 ) hingedly connects to the trigger mount in a first location ( 62 ) with a sleeve portion ( 64 ) of the trigger extending towards the sleeve from the first location and a trigger extension portion ( 66 ) extending on the opposing side of the first location from the sleeve portion, where the sleeve portion operatively engages with the sleeve at a second location ( 68 ) in a manner that causes the sleeve portion to slide the sleeve towards the exit end of the hollow tube when the trigger extension portion is displaced relative to the trigger mount in a direction away from the exit end of the hollow tube when the sleeve is in the closed position;
(f) an elastic element ( 70 ) that provides a restorative force to the trigger to replace the sleeve in the closed position when the trigger extension portion is displaced away from the exit end of the hollow tube thereby placing the sleeve into the open position; and

wherein the dispensing end of the sleeve has a protrusion ( 36 ) extending into the sleeve and aligned and of sufficient size so as to seal the exit end of the hollow tube when the sleeve is in a closed position and that is offset from the hollow tube so as to unseal the exit end of the hollow tube when in an open position, the dispensing end of the sleeve further having one or more than one opening ( 38 ) that allows fluid to flow from the hollow tube flow channel through the exit end and out from the sleeve's dispensing end when the sleeve is in the open position.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the elastic element is selected from a group consisting of metal and plastic springs.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein the hollow tube and sleeve are independently made of a polymer selected from a group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene and polytetrafluoroethylene.

4. The dispensing device of claim 1 , wherein the trigger comprises stopping features ( 600 ) that limits the range of motion of the trigger relative to the trigger mount.

5. The article of claim 1 , wherein the hollow tube is a first color at the exit end and a second color proximate to the exit end and wherein the sleeve has an opening ( 39 ) extending through it so that the hollow tube extending within the sleeve is visible through opening ( 39 ), where the opening ( 39 ) is located on the sleeve such that when the sleeve is in a closed position the first color of the hollow tube is apparent through the window and when the sleeve is in an open position the second color of the hollow tube is apparent through the window.

6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the hollow tube comprises at least two pieces, one of which is a removable tip that defines the exit end of the hollow tube and extends for less than half of the length of the hollow tube.

7. The article of claim 1 , wherein the dispensing device is attached to the valve stem of a container so that the contents of the container can flow through the valve stem and into the flow channel of the hollow tube.

8. The article of claim 1 , wherein the dispensing device is free of a position indicator.

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Schroer Daniel R
• Black Marc S
• Schuette Chad V
• Siler Christopher J

Classifications

• B65D83/46

  Tilt valves (non-reclosable valves B65D83/50) · CPC title

• B65D83/345

  Anti-clogging means for outlets · CPC title

• B65D83/303 Primary

  using extension tubes located in or at the nozzle outlets · CPC title

• B65D83/207

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B65D83/201

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic