Patent Grant
7011236
The present invention relates to an assembly for securing and sealing a dispenser, such as a pump, a valve, or other dispensing means to a flanged container. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved assembly for securing a dispenser including a decorative collar to a container without the necessity of complex mechanical operations, and which includes an aesthetically pleasing decorative collar.
It is often desirable to secure a dispenser, such as a pump, a valve, or other dispensing means to a container for storing a liquid product. A typical container may be made of glass and have a neck with an opening for dispensing the product. A flange having an inwardly directed ledge is often provided to facilitate attachment of a cap or dispensing device to the container.
Various methods are known for securing a dispenser onto a flanged container. One such method is to provide the dispenser with a metal mounting ferrule. To attach the dispenser to the container, the bottom of the skirt of the mounting ferrule is deformed, or crimped, beneath the container flange to retain the dispenser in place. Such a crimping operation, however, requires specialized machinery made specifically for the crimping operation. Moreover, since each dispenser must be positioned accurately, and then crimped, the process of crimping the mounting ferrules is relatively time consuming. Furthermore, set-up of the crimping process requires precise adjustment of the crimping head in order to fully crimp the mounting ferrule onto the container. If the flange of the container varies even slightly from the dimensions defined during set-up, the crimping process may easily fail. If the flange is too small, a tight crimp may not occur, which can result in leakage. If the flange is too large or if the height of the bottle varies from what is expected, the forces necessary for crimping may crush the flange, thereby causing the container to break. Such breaking of the container requires the assembly line to be stopped so the broken container can be removed and the assembly line machinery cleaned, and results in loss of the package, including the fragrance, which is often particularly costly.
Another method for securing a dispenser onto a flanged container, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,562,219 and 5,799,810 to de Pous et al., utilizes a hard plastic collar having an annular recess which receives the flange. An annular retaining rib snap-locks under the flange when installed. Such designs, however, typically require the use of hard plastics, which are not effective for providing a liquid seal and therefore require a gasket. As such, leakage problems often result. Moreover, as is the case with crimping, variances in flange dimensions can easily cause failure. If the flange is too small, the retaining rib snap locks may not pull the collar into sealing engagement with the container, which can result in leakage. If the flange is too large, the retaining rib snap-locks may not fit properly underneath the flange, which too can result in leakage and retention failure of the dispenser.
The disadvantages of the above discussed methods and assemblies are substantially obviated by the assembly and method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,553 to Van Brocklin and U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,942 to Van Brocklin et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. The assembly disclosed therein comprises a mounting cup having a generally cylindrical skirt around its periphery and a sealing collar. The sealing collar includes a sleeve having a diameter sized to receive the sidewall of the flange, and sized to be encased by the mounting cup. The end portion of the sleeve, which comprises a plurality of spaced tabs, is in the path of movement of the mounting cup and is deformed radially inwardly beneath the flange ledge thereby to secure the collar to the flange.
However, it is not always desirable to use the flange as the means for securing and sealing the dispenser to the container. Rather, there are times when it is desirable to use the opening in the neck as the mechanism for sealing and securing the dispenser to the container.
Various methods are known for securing a dispenser onto a container using the inner diameter of the container's opening rather than a flange. One such method is to provide a portion of the dispenser assembly with a slightly larger outer diameter than a corresponding inner diameter of a portion of the container opening, such that when the dispenser assembly is pressed into the container opening, a frictional fit is created which both secures and seals the dispenser assembly therein much like a cork in a wine bottle. Such a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,039 to Bougamont. Another known method is to provide an outwardly extending radial protrusion around a portion of the dispenser assembly, which protrusion snaps into a corresponding radial channel provided in the inner diameter of the container opening. Such a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,324 to Peronnet et al.
While these methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,039 to Bougamont and U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,324 to Peronnet et al. may provide adequate sealing and securing functions, and may even provide an aesthetically pleasing package when used with containers not having flanged necks, they suffer from the disadvantage of not providing an aesthetically pleasing package when used with some bottles which do have flanged necks.
What is desired, therefore, is an assembly which secures and seals a dispenser, such as a pump or valve, to a container, which attaches and seals to the inner diameter of the opening of the container, which is adapted to be used with containers having flanged necks, which is aesthetically pleasing even when used with containers having flanged necks, and which incorporates a decorative collar to hide the flanged neck of the container.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly which secures and seals a dispenser, such as a pump or valve, to a container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which attaches and seals to the inner diameter of the opening of the container.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which is adapted to be used with containers having flanged necks.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which is aesthetically pleasing even when used with containers having flanged necks.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly having the above characteristics and which incorporates a decorative collar to hide the flanged neck of the container.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by provision of an assembly for securing and sealing a dispenser to a container having a flange surrounding an opening therein. The assembly includes a dispenser sub-assembly having an outer body with an outer surface adapted to engage an inner surface of the opening in the container when the dispenser sub-assembly is inserted in the opening in the container so as to secure and seal the dispenser sub-assembly within the opening in the container. A retaining collet having an outer surface having an outer diameter, and having a downwardly extending skirt having a bottom portion thereof extending radially outwardly is positioned to surround the flange in the container. The assembly also includes a decorative collar having a sleeve about its periphery, the sleeve having an inner surface having a diameter sized to encase the skirt of the retaining collet. The decorative collar is slideable through a path of movement over the retaining collet to an assembled position, and the sleeve of the decorative collar deforms the bottom portion of the skirt of the retaining collet radially inwardly to a position under the flange of the container as the decorative collar is slid to the assembled position, the sleeve of the decorative collar maintaining the decorative collar in the assembled position on the retaining collet.
In some embodiments, the outer surface of the outer body has a portion with a diameter greater than a portion of the inner surface of the opening in the container so as to secure and seal the dispenser sub-assembly within the opening in the container by frictional engagement between the outer surface of the outer body with the inner surface of the opening. In other embodiments, one of the outer surface of the outer body or the inner surface of the opening in the container has protruding therefrom an annular projection, the other of the outer surface of the outer body or the inner surface of the opening in the container has formed therein an annular channel, and the dispenser sub-assembly is secured and sealed within the opening in the container by snap-fit engagement of the annular projection and the annular channel. In certain of these embodiments, the annular projection projects outwardly from the outer surface of the outer body and the annular channel is formed in the inner surface of the opening in the container.
In some embodiments, the dispenser sub-assembly includes a flange extending outwardly from a top portion thereof in order to prevent the dispenser sub-assembly from being inserted into the opening in the container beyond a desired extent. In some embodiments, the outer body includes at least one tapered portion for facilitating insertion of the dispenser sub-assembly into the opening in the container. In some embodiments, the outer body and/or the retaining collet are formed from resilient deformable molded polymeric materials. In some embodiments, the decorative collar is formed from a substantially rigid material.
In some embodiments, a plurality of annular retaining rings are formed on the inner surface of the sleeve of the decorative collar. In these embodiments, the plurality of annular retaining rings are positioned to engage the outer surface of the retaining collet when the decorative collar is in the assembled position, and are dimensioned such that the plurality of annular retaining rings cause the outer surface of the retaining collet to deform around the plurality of annular retaining rings when the decorative collar is in the assembled position to enhance the maintenance of the decorative collar in the assembled position on the retaining collet.
In another respect, the present invention is directed to a method for securing and sealing a dispenser to a container having a flange surrounding an opening therein. A dispenser sub-assembly comprising an outer body having an outer surface adapted to engage an inner surface of the opening in the container when the dispenser sub-assembly is inserted in the opening in the container, is secured and sealed within the opening in the container. A retaining collet having an outer surface having an outer diameter, and having a downwardly extending skirt having a bottom portion thereof extending radially outwardly, is disposed on the flange of the container, and a decorative collar having a sleeve about its periphery, the sleeve having an inner surface having a diameter sized to encase the skirt of the retaining collet, is disposed in a pre-assembled position on the retaining collet. The decorative collar is slid through a path of movement over the retaining collet to an assembled position and the bottom portion of the skirt of the retaining collet is deformed radially inwardly to a position under the flange of the container as the decorative collar is slid to the assembled position, the sleeve of the decorative collar maintaining the decorative collar in the assembled position on the retaining collet.
In some embodiments, the outer surface of the outer body has a portion with a diameter greater than a portion of the inner surface of the opening in the container, and the securing and sealing step comprises the step of frictionally engaging the outer surface of the outer body within the inner surface of the opening so as to secure and seal the dispenser sub-assembly within the opening in the container. In other embodiments, one of the outer surface of the outer body or the inner surface of the opening in the container has protruding therefrom an annular projection, the other of the outer surface of the outer body or the inner surface of the opening in the container has formed therein an annular channel, and the securing and sealing step comprises the step of snap-fitting the annular projection within the annular channel so as to secure and seal the dispenser sub-assembly within the opening in the container.
Some embodiments further include the step of preventing the dispenser sub-assembly from being inserted into the opening in the container beyond a desired extent by providing the dispenser sub-assembly with a flange extending outwardly from a top portion thereof. Some embodiments further include the step of facilitating insertion of the dispenser sub-assembly into the opening in the container by providing the outer body with at least one tapered portion.
In some embodiments, a plurality of annular retaining rings are formed on the inner surface of the sleeve of the decorative collar, the plurality of annular retaining rings positioned to engage the outer surface of the retaining collet when the decorative collar is in the assembled position, and dimensioned such that the plurality of annular retaining rings cause the outer surface of the retaining collet to deform around the plurality of annular retaining rings when the decorative collar is in the assembled position to enhance the maintenance of the decorative collar in the assembled position on the retaining collet.
In some embodiments, the securing and sealing a dispenser sub-assembly step, the disposing a retaining collet step and the disposing a decorative collar step are performed simultaneously. In other embodiments, the securing and sealing a dispenser sub-assembly step, the disposing a retaining collet step and the disposing a decorative collar step are performed sequentially.
The invention and its particular features and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring first to
The assembly 10 of the present invention includes a spray pump sub-assembly 26 secured and sealed in place within opening 16 of container 12. The spray pump sub-assembly 26 includes an outer pump body 28 which, unlike the pump bodies of spray pump sub-assemblies of conventional assemblies used with containers having flanged openings, is particularly adapted to secure and seal assembly 10 within opening 16 of container 12. In the embodiment shown in
Outer pump body 28 may be provided with one or more tapered portions 34, 36 in order to facilitate insertion of outer pump body 28 into opening 16 of container 12. Outer pump body 28 may also be provided with an outwardly projecting flange 38 at the top end thereof which abuts top surface 20 of container 12 in order to prevent outer pump body 28 from being inserted too far into opening 16 of container 12 and possibly to aid in sealing.
In most other respects, pump sub-assembly 26 is generally configured as is typical of those known in the art. The mode of operation of the assembly is similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,006 to Van Brocklin et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference, and will not be explained in detail, since such will be immediately obvious to one skilled in the art. The pump is actuated by manual depression of an actuator 40, and liquid to be dispensed is drawn in through an opening 42 is a lower end of pump sub-assembly 26.
As may be seen by examining
Retaining collet 46 comprises a deformable material, and preferably a resilient deformable material such as polyethylene, including linear low density polyethylene, rubber elastomers or vinyl. Retaining collet 46 includes an upper wall 48 which may have various steps, channels, flanges or the like to accommodate the various elements of pump subassembly 26 and bottle neck 14. Retaining collet 46 also includes a skirt 50 extending downwardly from upper wall 48. Skirt 50 has an inner diameter sized to receive the sidewall 22 of the flange 18, and preferably, the inner diameter of skirt 50 is slightly larger than the diameter of the flange sidewall 22 to provide free-fitting application of retaining collet 46 onto the flange 18 to facilitate assembly. Skirt 50 is preferably generally cylindrical and symmetric with respect to an axis thereof. Retaining collet 46 includes a central opening 52 for receiving portions of pump sub-assembly 26.
Referring in particular to
It should be understood that unlike the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,773,553, 6,253,942, 5,562,219 and 5,799,810, retaining collet 46 is not necessary to provide sealing or securing functions other than to retain decorative collar 44 in place. Similarly, decorative collar 44 is just that—purely decorative. Pump sub-assembly 26 is secured and sealed to container 12 substantially solely by its cooperation with container opening 16.
Skirt 50 may be continuous or may include a plurality of slots, cuts, indentations or slits defining a plurality or discrete tabs, fingers, legs, claws, or the like, with or without webs. It has been found that one benefit of providing a continuous skirt 50 is that the thickness of the skirt 50 can be reduced, thereby decreasing the amount of material required for manufacturing the retaining collet 46 and thus the overall cost of the system 10 in general. A decreased thickness of skirt 50 also allows for the use of standard collars typically used with crimped assemblies. Thus, custom made decorative collars are not required, which also reduces manufacturing costs.
Decorative collar 44 is formed from a material which is substantially rigid, such as metal, hard plastic, wood or glass, and includes a sleeve 60 which has a shape symmetric with respect to the axis thereof. More specifically, decorative collar 44 has a generally cylindrical shape, but may also have a frustoconical shape symmetric with respect to its longitudinal axis. The inner diameter of sleeve 60 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of skirt 50. If desired, the inner diameter of sleeve 60 may be slightly less than the outer diameter of skirt 50 so that skirt 50 is slightly compressed between the flange sidewall 22 and the inner surface 62 of the decorative collar 44.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown in
Referring specifically now to
In the embodiment shown in
Referring specifically now to
Referring now again to
An annular ring or cup 94 is then moved downwardly in the direction of arrow 96 until decorative collar 44 reaches the position shown in
As the decorative collar 44 is forced further downwardly by the ring or cup 94, the sleeve 60 urges the protruding member 56 and the camming surface 58 thereof radially inwardly and thus deforms the bottom portion 54 to a position under the ledge 24 of the flange 18, as shown in
The method of assembly has been described with the annular ring or cup 94 moving with respect to a stationary container 12. It should be understood that it is the relative movement which produces the assembly of the various components, and it is also possible to move the container 12 and the various components upwardly with respect to an annular ring or cup 94.
As can be appreciated, the method of assembly is particularly simple and does not require complicated machinery. There are only two required steps: (1) pressing the pump sub-assembly 26 into the opening 16 in container 12, and (2) reciprocating the annular ring or cup 94 which contacts the decorative collar 44. Moreover, these steps could easily be combined into one single mechanical process. If necessary, the components could be assembled by a hand press.
The present invention, therefore, provides an assembly which secures and seals a dispenser, such as a pump or valve, to a container, which attaches and seals to the inner diameter of the opening of the container, which is adapted to be used with containers having flanged necks, which is aesthetically pleasing even when used with containers having flanged necks, and which incorporates a decorative collar to hide the flanged neck of the container.
Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3129854 | Boehm et al. | Apr 1964 | A |
| 4773553 | Van Brocklin | Sep 1988 | A |
| 4984702 | Pierpont | Jan 1991 | A |
| 5348174 | Velicka | Sep 1994 | A |
| 5562219 | Pous et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5709324 | Peronnet | Jan 1998 | A |
| 5799810 | Pous et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5941428 | Behar et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
| 6206246 | Bougamont et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6253941 | VanBrocklin et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6349856 | Chastel | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 20020113093 | De Laforcade | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| 20020185503 | Beranger et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20040195269 A1 | Oct 2004 | US |
