Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6325256
-
Patent Number
6,325,256
-
Date Filed
Friday, January 12, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, December 4, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Shaver; Kevin
- Willatt; Stephanie L.
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 222 342
- 222 148
- 222 345
- 222 575
- 222 149
- 222 151
- 222 563
- 222 40213
- 222 40215
- 222 546
- 239 104
- 239 106
- 239 114
- 239 115
- 239 116
- 239 117
- 239 123
-
International Classifications
- B67D108
- B65D8314
- B65D8318
-
Abstract
An aerosol container for dispensing adhesives under pressure is retrofitted with an adapter means for preventing clogging of the discharge valve with old adhesive after use. The adapter means comprises an interior sleeve inserted within an exterior dispensing tip where the assembly is retrofitted into the discharge valve of the aerosol container. A trigger mechanism attached to the top of the aerosol container engages the aerosol can discharge valve to facilitate bias engagement of the discharge valve of the aerosol container.
Description
This invention pertains to aerosol adhesive containers and more particularly to an adapter means in combination with the aerosol container to enable multiple subsequent use of the aerosol adhesive container and overcome adhesive clogging in the container aerosol discharge valve.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fluid adhesives are marketed in aerosol containers pressurized with propellant self contained within the container. In use, adhesive under pressure emerges from the discharge valve directed toward the substrate to be adhered. By the nature of adhesive materials, ordinarily sticky and often viscous, the discharge valve frequently becomes plugged and otherwise difficult to use due to dried old adhesive material collecting and hardening inside and around discharge valve after use. Considerable effort must be exerted to dislodge the blocking adhesive, while sometimes the aerosol container must be discarded if the plugging becomes extensive. In essence, adhesive blocking in the container discharge valve after each use is a nuisance to the consumer and structural changes are necessary to prevent or overcome the blocking.
It now has been found that conventional aerosol container valves can be retrofitted with throw away plastic adapters which avoid adhesive plugging after each use of the adhesive container. The adapters are inserted into the discharge valve or nozzle of the aerosol container prior to use. The adapter means is maintained in place or may be removed after the adhesive is used to assure that the discharge nozzle is maintained open and unplugged and to prevent subsequent plugging and hardening of the adhesive in the container discharge valve. If the plastic adapter means of this invention becomes plugged after one or more uses, the adapter can be discarded and replaced with a new adapter means to once again maintain the container nozzle free of plugging adhesive. Meanwhile, the original container valve remains free of plugging by hardened adhesives. The plastic adapters are cheap and easy to manufacture, simple to use by merely inserting into the container discharge valve, and can be packaged with the aerosol container for easy access. In a preferred aspect of the invention, a plastic ring can be attached to the top of the aerosol container for holding adapters which can be expediently removed from the ring to replace the previous adapter means as needed. In preferred aspects of the invention, a hand activated trigger mechanism is attached to the aerosol container where the trigger mechanism contains a central opening to accommodate the container discharge valve and the adapting means of this invention. The trigger mechanism provides biased pressure on the discharge valve to facilitate dispensing of the adhesive from the aerosol container through the container discharge valve. These and other advantages of the invention will become more apparent by referring to the drawings and the detailed description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the invention pertains to an adapter means in combination with an aerosol container for discharging adhesives where the adapter means can be connected to an existing aerosol adhesive container having a discharge valve or nozzle. The adapter means comprises an interior sleeve insert in combination with an exterior dispensing tip for fitting within and engaging the existing discharge valve to prevent clogging of the discharge valve with adhesive after use. In a preferred aspect of the invention, a trigger mechanism is attached to, or otherwise locked onto the top of the aerosol container, where the trigger mechanism contains a central opening for accommodating the discharge valve protruding through the central opening along with the insert sleeve and exterior dispensing tip. The trigger mechanism is operative to bias the discharge valve along with the interior sleeve and exterior dispensing tip to activate discharging adhesive from the aerosol container in use.
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a front elevation view of an aerosol adhesive container with a trigger mechanism for activating the discharge valve for dispensing adhesive from the container and showing the adapter means of this invention above the trigger mechanism;
FIG. 2
is a front elevation view similar to
FIG. 1
but with the trigger handle rotated upwardly while disposed within a hollow cap for the adhesive container;
FIG. 3
is an enlarged partial front elevation view of the upper adhesive container with the trigger mechanism removed;
FIG. 4
is an enlarged front elevation view of the trigger mechanism removed from the adhesive container in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 5
is a front elevation view of the dispensing tip of the adapter means in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 6
is a front elevation of the internal sleeve insert of the adapter means in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 7
is an enlarged elevation sectional view of the dispensing tip taken along lines
7
—
7
in
FIG. 5
;
FIG. 8
is an enlarged elevation sectional view of the internal sleeve insert taken along lines
8
—
8
in
FIG. 6
;
FIG. 9
is an enlarged elevation sectional view taken along lines
9
—
9
in
FIG. 10
of the adapter means shown supported by a plastic ring in the manner shown in
FIG. 3
; and
FIG. 10
is a bottom plan view of the bottom of the plastic ring shown in FIG.
9
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference character indicate like parts, shown generally is an aerosol container
10
for dispensing adhesives under pressure for application to substrates to be adhered together. The container
10
has a trigger mechanism
12
secured to the top end of the can
10
for providing bias engagement with the discharge mechanism of the container
10
and to facilitate discharge of the adhesive. The trigger mechanism
12
includes a central opening
11
for receiving the upwardly extending discharge valve
18
which in turn receives the adapter means of this invention. The adapter means comprises a dispensing tip
22
and a depending sleeve insert
20
adapted to be retrofitted into the discharge valve
18
of the aerosol can
10
. The trigger mechanism
12
includes a hinge
13
connected to trigger handle
14
adapted to rotate the handle
14
upwardly and reversely to enable the entire handle mechanism
12
to fit within a hollow removable top
16
attached to the top of aerosol container
10
when not in use, as shown in FIG.
2
. The reversely rotated handle
14
becomes vertically aligned within the outermost circular periphery of the exterior of the container to provide full containment of the rotated mechanism within the cap
16
attached to the container
10
. The trigger mechanism
12
has a forward clip point
15
for tightly engaging a top circular peripheral lip ring
17
surrounding the discharge valve
18
and located radially inward and at the uppermost top of the aerosol container
10
.
In accordance with this invention, the container
10
can be retrofitted with an adapter means comprising the tubular internal sleeve insert
20
shown in FIG.
6
and the external tubular dispensing tip
22
shown in
FIG. 5
, where the sleeve insert
20
slip fits within the dispensing tip
22
in use as shown in FIG.
1
. The discharge valve
18
is a spring biased cylindrical hollow tube extending upwardly and operative to expel adhesive from the container under pressure by applying a biased force to the side of the upwardly extending tube. The sleeve insert
20
has a lower extended hollow narrow tube
24
adapted to be inserted within the discharge valve
18
of a conventional aerosol container
10
. The sleeve insert
20
has an upper enlarged hollow neck
26
for fitting within and engaging the midsection
28
of the dispensing tip
22
, while the lower tube
24
end is inserted within the discharge valve
18
of the container
10
. In use, the interior sleeve insert
20
can be slip fitted within the dispensing tip
22
, which together can be inserted by the tube end
24
into the discharge nozzle
18
of the aerosol container
10
. Alternatively, the sleeve insert
20
and dispensing tip
28
combination can be inserted into the valve
18
after the trigger mechanism
12
is already attached to the aerosol container
10
with the container discharge valve
18
extending upwardly through opening
11
provided in the trigger mechanism
12
.
In
FIG. 3
, the top end of an aerosol container
10
is shown with the discharge valve
18
of the aerosol container
10
along with plastic holder ring
19
supporting upright the sleeve insert
20
and dispensing tip
22
prior to retrofitting into the existing container discharge valve
18
. Similar to
FIG. 3
, shown in
FIG. 9
is a vertical section view along lines
9
—
9
in
FIG. 10
of the upper ring holder
19
shown in FIG.
3
and supporting the discharge tip
22
and the sleeve insert
20
prior to use by attachment to the existing discharge valve
18
of the aerosol container
10
.
FIG. 10
is a full bottom view of the plastic ring holder
19
shown in
FIG. 9
where the ring holder
19
contains four, but can contain up to six, radially orientated circumferentially spaced circular openings with openings disposed on either side of the ring holder
19
. The openings
32
on the left side accommodate and provide support for two or three dispensing tips
22
, while the openings
34
on the right side accommodate and provide support for two or three sleeve inserts
20
prior to use in a manner shown in FIG.
3
. The plastic ring holder
19
comprises a discontinuous circular ring having an internal central opening
36
adapted to accommodate the trigger mechanism
12
and discharge valve
18
protruding through the central opening
36
. The discontinuous circular ring
19
contains a space or discontinuity defined by an arcuate opening
40
in the circumference of the ring to accommodate the trigger handle
14
in use. The arcuate opening
40
is diametrically opposite to a notched opening
38
in the circular ring
19
to accommodate the forward clip point
15
of the trigger mechanism
12
engaging the uppermost round lip
17
of the aerosol container
10
. The plastic ring holder
19
conveniently supports replacement dispersing tips
22
and sleeve inserts
20
during shipping and subsequent uses.
The aerosol container
10
is a sealed aerosol can pressurized with liquefied or compressed gas to discharge the contents of the aerosol can under pressure. In this invention, the contents of the aerosol container is fluid adhesive and typically somewhat viscous adhesive. The adhesive is discharged under pressure by applying bias pressure on the small cylindrical tubular valve
18
thereby activating pressurized discharge of the adhesive through the discharge valve
18
. Ordinarily the discharge valve
18
is spring biased and contains a depending stem for activating flow of the adhesive through the tubular valve
18
under pressure. The hand trigger mechanism facilitates the application of bias force to the discharge valve
18
.
In accordance with this invention, the aerosol adhesive container
10
ordinarily will be purchased by the consumer as a self contained unit, as shown in
FIG. 2
, but also may contain a plastic ring
19
attached to the top of the container for supporting extra dispensing tips
22
and sleeve inserts
20
. A sleeve insert
20
and a dispensing tip
22
can be removed from the plastic ring
19
, assembled together and inserted through the trigger mechanism
12
to engage the upwardly extending discharge valve
18
. The aerosol container
10
can be oriented for use while adhesive is discharged through the dispensing tip
22
. After the adhesive application is completed, the aerosol container
10
can be stored upright after use with the sleeve insert
20
and dispensing tip
22
remaining in place within the discharge valve
18
on the container
10
. Alternatively, the insert
20
and discharge tip
22
can be removed after use. If the insert sleeve
20
and discharge tip
22
assembly becomes plugged with hardened adhesive after use, the first sleeve insert and discharge tip assemble can be removed and replaced with a second sleeve insert and discharge tip assembly.
The scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the detailed description and the illustrative drawings contained herein but only by the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. In combination with an aerosol pressurized can of adhesive having a top peripheral lip surrounding an upwardly extending tubular discharge valve for discharging adhesive from the aerosol can under pressure, comprising:a removable adapter means combination of an interior tubular sleeve insert and a removable exterior tubular dispensing tip where the sleeve insert is inserted into the discharge valve and the dispensing tip is slip fitted over the sleeve insert, where the adapter means combination prevents adhesive from clogging in the discharge valve after use of the aerosol can of adhesive, and the adapter means combination is removable from the discharge valve for replacement by a second adapter means combination.
- 2. The aerosol can of adhesive in combination with the adapter means combination in claim 1 having a hand activated trigger mechanism engaging the discharge valve of the aerosol can and attached to the top peripheral lip surrounding the discharge valve of the aerosol can, the trigger mechanism having a central opening surrounding the upwardly extending aerosol discharge valve protruding through the central opening, the trigger mechanism having a rearward handle operative to provide a bias force against the discharge valve to activate the discharge of adhesive from the aerosol can and a forward clip secured to the top peripheral lip of the aerosol can.
- 3. The aerosol can of adhesive combination in claim 2 where the trigger mechanism includes a handle having a hinged connection to enable the handle to rotate upwardly and reversely toward the forward clip to become vertically aligned within the outermost peripheral profile of the aerosol can.
- 4. The aerosol can of adhesive combination in claim 3 where a removable hollow top cap is fitted over and encloses the vertically aligned trigger mechanism with the handle rotated upwardly to provide a self contained aerosol container.
- 5. The aerosol can of adhesive combination in claim 1 having a removal plastic ring engaging the uppermost circular lip surrounding the discharge valve, where the plastic ring handle has supporting means for supporting upright a second set of adapter means consisting of a second sleeve insert and a second dispensing tip.
- 6. The aerosol can of adhesive combination of claim 5 where the plastic ring contains a third set of adapter means.
US Referenced Citations (6)