Patent Grant
8292121
The present invention relates to a valve, generally a two-way valve and a fitment for engaging the valve with a flexible product dispensing bag and particularly to a valve body formed in conjunction with the fitment to facilitate both the sealing of the bag to the fitment as well as filling the bag with a product to be dispensed therefrom and subsequently dispensing the product from the bag.
Collapsible and highly flexible product bags or pouches have become common in different industries for containing a variety of food, beverage, personal care or household care or other similar products. Such product bags can be used alone to allow a user to manually squeeze and dispense a product from the bag or the product bags may be utilized in combination with a pressurized can and product, for example an aerosol. Such product bags and valves contained in and used with aerosol cans are generally referred to in the aerosol dispensing industry as bag-on-valve technology. These product bags, valves and cans may be designed to receive and dispense a desired product in either a liquid or semi-liquid form which have a consistency so as to be able to be expelled from the valve or outlet when desired by the user.
It is known to utilize a product dispenser, such as a can, which has the collapsible product bag inserted therein, usually in a rolled up manner, and from which a filling/dispensing valve communicating with the inside of the product bag is affixed in a mounting cup portion of the valve and the mounting cup is attached to the can. During a final manufacturing phase, a product bag, having the valve secured thereto by a fitment, is generally in a rolled up configuration and the valve body is connected to a mounting cup. The rolled up product bag is inserted into or through the top of a product dispensing can and the mounting cup is secured to a rim of the can or container.
In a filling process, a desired product is inserted into the product bag via the two-way valve by appropriate filling means. When the bag is filled by the filling mechanism, the product bag expands inside the can. At some point in the manufacturing process, the can is further provided with a pressurized gas in order to assist in squeezing the bag to expel the contents thereof as known in the art. These filling procedures place a significant stress on the bag and particularly on the bag at the point where the bag seam joins or is sealed or welded with the valve fitment. An issue with the numerous known bag products on the market is that the stresses, described above, can lead to leakage around the seal or weld of the product bag and the fitment of the valve body.
The creation of this seal or weld between the bag and the valve fitment has been addressed in the past by a diamond or wedge shaped, angled fitment as disclosed in Davies et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,037. This wedge shaped valve connector is defined by four distinct planar sides where each planar side is welded to a respective portion of the inside of the product bag. Additionally, this connector is spaced from the valve body by an elongate axially directed extender. Such an extender can lead to particular problems in aligning the fitment with the appropriate seam or seal section of the bag. Besides this, the solid wedge shape of such fitments provides a planar surface which often does not seal properly with the edges of the bag because of manufacturing issues, for example overheating of the planar surfaces.
The problem associated with such planar sides and sharp angles of such a connector or fitment is that of heating the flexible product bag material in order to obtain an adequate seal across the whole surface area of each planar side. Providing such heat over the whole planar surface is slow and takes a certain dwell time to sufficiently heat the entire surface. Furthermore, the longer the heating platen or sealing device is in contact with or dwells on the gab and fitment, the more risk there is of overheating. Such overheating can lead to the bag tearing free from the connector and hence leakage occurring at the seal or weld between the product bag and the fitment.
It has been previously known in the art to use horizontally extending ribs to engage with the sides of the bag, for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,383 to Georg Menshen GmbH & Co. KG, of Germany. However, the particular design of these connectors has generally been for refill type applications for liquid soaps and detergents and has not been intended for higher pressure aerosol dispensing situations.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the above noted issues of the known devices and produce a fitment which facilitates the sealing of the valve fitment to the product dispensing bag.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a unique horizontal rib structure which strengthens the sealing interaction between the product dispensing bag and the valve fitment.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a two-way valve in cooperation with such a ribbed fitment which enables the below discussed product to be used in conjunction with a pressurized aerosol filling manufacture.
Another object of the present invention is to form a valve body having a fitment construction which facilitates the molding and fabrication of the fitment itself by known fabrication processes.
A further object of the invention is to provide a fitment on the valve body which permits a substantial increase in the speed of sealing as well as the reliability of the seal between the bag and the fitment itself.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a vertical flashing at the corners of the fitment which extend continuously from the valve body down into the product dispensing bag to ensure that the product bag is fully engaged with the fitment and ease the sealing transition from the product bag welded or sealed to the fitment to the bag being engaged with itself along the edges of the product bag.
Attached integral with the base 9 of the body portion 3 is a fitment 13 defined by opposing curved walls 15. Each curved wall 15 is provided with a series of vertically spaced apart curved ribs 17 extending substantially horizontally, i.e., perpendicularly relative to the longitudinal axis A, along the curved walls 15. As will be discussed in further detail below, such ribs 17 facilitate the welding of the flexible bag or pouch to the fitment 13 by focusing the energy necessary to weld a bag or pouch 33 to the fitment at the ribs 17. The lower most free end of the fitment 13 may terminate in a tail piece 28 which is an extension of a fitment stem 21 and extends down into a product dispensing bag or pouch when the flexible bag is sealed or welded to the fitment 13.
The ribs 17 are spaced apart along the curved fitment walls 15 which are curved around the cylindrical fitment stem 21. The walls 15 are radially bent or curved in their center portion 23 so as to conform and pass over the cylindrical fitment stem 21. The walls 15 then extend in a substantially planar manner from the longitudinal axis A to form an extended edge or corner 25 of the wall 15 mating with a corresponding extended edge or corner 25 of the opposing wall 15. At the mating corners 25 of the opposing walls 13, the fitment 13 further includes a vertical flashing 27 integrally connected with the mating curved walls 15 and the ends of the curved ribs 17.
Better seen in
The flashing 27 is generally quite thin, in the range of 0.001 to 0.10 of an inch, and more preferably in the range of 0.008 to 0.012 of an inch and may be relatively flexible with regards to the rigid valve body and fitment 1 which are generally formed out of plastic, polyethylene or other such polymer material. The flashing 27 is important in order to help seal the flexible bag or pouch adjacent the extreme corners 25 of the fitment 13. As shown in
Turning to
In order to facilitate the filling and dispensing of product through the valve and fitment 1, a number of other adjacent product bores 6′ besides the central product bore 6 may also be provided through the fitment 13. Such additional bores 6′ provide for more volumetric flow into and out of the bag 33 so that products such as gels, for example shaving gels, may be adequately dispensed. The bores 6′ may be separated from the main bore 6 but, in general, are integral and communicate directly therewith, i.e., the bores 6′ are merely a part or portion of the main bore 6 extending between the cavity 11 of the spring cup 3 and the interior of the bag or pouch 33.
To increase the volume of the flow path, the bores 6′ are positioned where the extending walls 15 of the fitment 13 being extending away from the fitment stem 21 and correspondingly reaching towards one another so as to form the corners 25 of the fitment 13. An inlet 43 of the additional bores 6′ is located at the base of the narrowing walls 15 on either side of the fitment stem 21. Observing
In the case of the spring cup 3 and fitment 1 for an aerosol valve as described herein, the additional bores 6′ are important because they provide a larger flow volume through the relatively small fitment 13 into the spring cup 3. In the aerosol and pressurized can and valve industry, it is standardized that the entrance to the can is one (1) inch in diameter. The spring cup 3 and fitment 1 thus must generally be smaller than one (1) inch in diameter to fit through the opening into the can. Also, because a bag or pouch 33 is attached to the fitment 1 and wrapped around the fitment prior to insertion, the pouch 33 must also be wrapped smaller than one (1) inch so as to facilitate entry into the can as well. The largest width of the fitment 13 between the outside edges of the flashing 27 must therefore be smaller than one (1) inch, and as seen in
One solution is the additional bores 6′ having a longitudinal axis B which is offset from that of the main axis A of the bore 6. Alternatively, because the bore 6 and additional bores 6′ are generally integral with one another, such an integrated bore can be described as a non-cylindrical bore with a varying radius about the main axis A. In any event, such a non-cylindrical bore 6, 6′ increases the available volume for flow of product into the interior 11 of the spring cup 3.
In addition, as seen in
It is another important aspect of the present invention that the ribs 17 are provided with a gentle bend or curve extending around a portion of the fitment stem 21 so as to more completely engage a product dispensing bag or pouch 33 which is sealed thereto. In other words, without any sharp corners along the length of the curved wall 23, the bag 33 is more likely to adhere and be welded directly to the entire length of the ribs 17 along the walls 15 so as to create a more secure lateral seal and hence a multitude of lateral seals along the longitudinal length of the fitment 13. Where the fitment walls 15 engages the bag or pouch 33, the side edges of the bag 33 are welded directly to the ribs 17 to form a plurality of adjacent seals between the fitment 13 and the bag 33. The ribs 17 focus the energy, e.g., heat, ultrasonic, etc., necessary to attach or weld the bag 33 to the fitment 13 along a portion of the entire curved wall. Thus, the entire curved wall does not need to be heated or welded and this focused energy along only the ribs 17 increases the speed at which the bag or pouch 33 can be attached to the fitment 13. With a plurality of such spaced apart ribs 17 formed in such a manner along the longitudinal axis of the device, an adequate seal is therefore also provided. Depending upon the effect desired, the bag 33 may also be attached to the portions of the fitment wall 15 extending between the spaced apart ribs 17.
Attached integral with the base 59 of the body portion 53 is a fitment 63 defined by opposing substantially teardrop-shaped curved walls 65. Each curved wall 65 is provided with a series of vertically spaced apart curved ribs 67 extending substantially horizontally, i.e., perpendicularly relative to the longitudinal axis A, along the tear-drop shaped curved walls 65. A tear-drop shaped wall 65 is understood to be a wall with a reversing radius of curvature. In other words, where the center portion 73 of the curved wall 65 is defined by a radius of curvature Ri extending from the longitudinal axis A internal and within the spring cup and fitment 51, this center portion 73 transitions in a reverse curve to an extended portion 74 of the wall 65 which is defined by a radius of curvature Ro externally located with respect to the valve body and fitment 51. As will be discussed in further detail below, such ribs 67 facilitate the welding of the flexible bag or pouch 33 to the fitment 63. The lowermost free end of the fitment 63 may terminate in a tail piece 69 which, of course, extends down into a product dispensing bag or pouch 33 when the bag is sealed or welded to the fitment 63.
The ribs 67 are spaced apart along the curved fitment walls 65 which are substantially teardrop-shaped and formed around the cylindrical fitment stem 71 and the transition to the extended wall portion 74. The walls 65 are radially bent or curved in their center portion 73 so as to conform and pass over the cylindrical fitment stem 21. The fitment walls 65 then transition to the reverse curvature and extend from both sides of their curved center portion 73 at an increasingly radial distance from the longitudinal axis A to form the extended wall portion 74 ending at an edge or corner 75 of the wall 65 mating with the corresponding extended edge or corner 75 of the opposing wall 15. Although not shown here, similar to the first embodiment, at the mating corners 75 of the opposing walls 65, the fitment 51 may further include a vertical flashing integrally connected with the mating curved walls 65 and the ends of the curved ribs 67.
As shown in
Turning to
In order to facilitate the filling and dispensing of product through the valve body and fitment 51, a number of other adjacent product bores 56′ besides the central product bore 56 may also be provided through the fitment 63. Such additional bores 56′ provide for more volumetric flow into and out of the bag 83 so that products such as gels, for example shaving gels, may be adequately dispensed. The location of such additional bores 56′ is problematic in that there must be sufficient sidewall thickness around the bores 56, 56′ so as to ensure that especially during sealing and welding of the bag or pouch 83 to the fitment, that such bores 56, 56′ are not compromised.
To overcome such issues, where the filament walls 65 of the fitment 63 begin extending away from the fitment stem 71 and correspondingly reaching towards one another so as to form the corners 75 of the fitment 63, an inlet 93 of the additional bores 56′ is located at the base of the narrowing walls 65 on either side of the fitment stem 71 as observed
In addition, at a base of the fitment 63 where the fitment walls 65 transition to the tail piece 69, a slight step or boss 97 may be provided to ensure that the dip tube D engage with the nipple 78 does not block the inlets 93 to the passages 56′. In other words, the dip tube D, having a first end and an inner diameter substantially similar to the outer diameter of the nipple 78, which is slide over the tail piece 69, the first end of the dip tube D will abut against the boss 97 and cannot be further axially engaged along the tail piece 69 and hence blockage of the additional bore 56′ is avoided.
It is an important aspect of the present invention that the ribs 67 are provided with a gentle bend or curve extending around a portion of the fitment stem 71 so as to more completely engage a product dispensing bag or pouch 83 which is sealed thereto. In other words, without any sharp corners along the length of the curved wall 65, the bag 83 is more likely to adhere and be welded directly to the entire length of the ribs 67 along the walls 65 so as to create a more secure lateral seal and hence a multitude of lateral seals along the longitudinal length of the fitment 63. Where the fitment walls 65 engages the bag or pouch 83, the side edges of the bag 83 are welded directly to the ribs 67 to form a plurality of adjacent seals between the fitment and the bag. Depending upon the effect desired, the bag 83 may also be attached to the portions of the fitment wall 65 extending between the spaced apart ribs 67.
Another important aspect of the present invention is that the ribs 67 taper to an endpoint prior to the edges or corners 75 of the fitment walls 65. This permits the edges of the bag 83 to engage and be welded against the portion of the fitment walls 65 along the entire length of the corners 75 so that a complete and effective seal is maintained as the edges of the front and back panels 85, 87 of the bag 83 traverse from their attachment with the fitment walls 65 to their attachment with one another.
One of the issues which can occur with bag-on-valve type fittings is that a stress point can develop at the lower corners 75 of the fitment where the bag or pouch 33 is sealed to the fitment, As can be appreciated, and referring for the moment back to
Where heat is used to secure or weld the bag to the fitment and to the ribs 67 as discussed above, an adequate seal may be formed, however the heat may cause some weakening of the material from which the bag or pouch 33 is fabricated. The pressure and product may exert enough force, especially in the case of an impact, such as the entire product container being dropped on the floor, so that the bag 33 fails at or around this lower corner 75. A rib, for instance as seen in
Similarly, turning to
Finally observing
Since certain changes may be made in the above described and improved valve body and fitment 1, 51 without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all of the subject matter of the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted merely as examples illustrating the inventive concept herein and shall not be construed as limiting the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/949,965 filed Jul. 16, 2007.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2008/070173 | 7/16/2008 | WO | 00 | 12/31/2009 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2009/012306 | 1/22/2009 | WO | A |
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