Certain liquids, for example liquid medication, are needed in small predetermined volumes, and therefore it is desirable to have a dispensing device for dispensing predetermined volumes of liquid. In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,232 I disclosed such a device.
The amount of a certain medication needed by a first patient may, however, be different from the amount of the same medication needed by a second patient. For example, the amount of Tylenol that should be administered to a child depends upon the child's weight, with a ratio of 10 milligrams per 2.2 pounds of weight (one kilogram). A forty-four pound child should therefore receive a dosage of 200 milligrams and a fifty-five pound child should receive 250 milligrams. As a child grows, the dosage of this medication that he or she should receive, therefore, grows proportionate to his or her weight change. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a dispensing valve for which the volume of liquid being dispensed can be incrementally increased or decreased across a range of volumes to accommodate such needs.
An adjustable dose dispenser having a plurality of different sized metering chambers with a stem rotatable to select the chamber to be discharged was disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,351. In that device, each of the metering chambers had a flexible wall. Since this device required a separate metering chamber for each volume to be dispensed, the number of selected volumes available for one valve was limited to three or four.
As an alternative to selecting one of a plurality of chambers for varying the volume of fluid to be dispensed, a device can have a single chamber where the volume dispense from the chamber is adjustable. This can be accomplished by providing a piston for dispensing the liquid from the chamber where the length of the piston stroke is adjustable, as disclosed in my previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,187. The piston operated dispensing device of U can dispense a wide range of volumes of liquid, but the device as described in my above mentioned patent has certain problems.
One problem is that the volume of liquid being dispensed is adjusted by rotating the stem of the dispensing valve and the valve stem is connected a threaded stop member which rotates with the stem to vary the stroke of the piston. To operate properly, however, the piston is sealed against the cylindrical wall of the metering chamber and the seal around the perimeter of the piston creates resistance, inhibiting the manual rotation of the dispensing stem.
Another problem relates to the structure of a piston moveable within a cylindrical wall. To prevent the twisting of the piston within the wall of the valve housing, the threads or the steps that limit the stroke of the piston should provide should provide at least two limiting stop members, with the stop members spaced evenly around the circumference of the housing. Where two such stop members are positioned in diametrically opposed positions in the housing, only 180 degrees of rotation of the stem is available to vary the length of the stroke of the piston. As a result, the variability of the adjusting quality of the valves is diminished.
Another problem is that the device includes a spring for urging the piston in a direction that maximizes the volume of the metering chamber and the other end of the spring is fitted against a surface of the housing of the valve such that on rotation of the stem either the piston rotates with respect to the spring or the spring rotates with respect to the housing. In either case the movement of the plastic of the housing or of the piston against the spring causes particles of plastic to sheer off and enter the liquid being dispensed. The continuing use of the dispenser causes those particles to obstruct the small passages that extend through the stem of the dispenser and thereby inhibit its operation.
There is therefore, a need for an improved piston operated dispensing apparatus in which the volume. of liquid being dispensed may be more easily adjusted and which will not cause small particles of plastic to be released into the liquid.
Briefly, the present invention is embodied in a dispensing valve for use in a dispensing device consisting of a container filled with a pressurized liquid. In the preferred embodiment, portions of the valve extend above the upper surface of the container. The valve includes a stem the upper end of which is rotatable about its longitudinal axis and is axially moveable with respect to the enclosure and the body of the valve. The direction of the discharge nozzle is rotatable to any one of a predetermined number of discharge positions and the stem may be depressed to discharge a quantity of liquid or gel only when the discharge nozzle is at one of the predetermined discharge positions. The dosage of liquid to be dispensed for each of the discharge positions is printed on the upper portion of the valve near the associated position.
The valve has a generally tubular housing having an open lower end into which a piston is axially moveable. Within the housing is a cavity the outer walls of which are formed by the housing and the lower wall is defined by the upper surface of the piston such that the cavity is constricted as the piston moves upward within the housing.
The stem which extends axially through the upper end of the housing has an axial passage with a discharge opening at the upper end thereof and a second port extending through a wall in the stem. The stem is axially moveable between an extended position wherein the port in the wall of the stem is sealed against portions of the tubular housing, and a depressed position in which the port in the wall of the stem is in communication with the cavity such that liquid therein can be released to the ambient. A spring urges the stem to the extended position.
The valve further includes a float within the cavity which is locked for rotation with the stem, but is axially moveable within the cavity independent of the stem. The float provides means for limiting the movement of the piston within the cavity. In the preferred embodiment, the float has two poles angularly spaced from each other but not necessarily at diametrically opposite positions from each other, such that when the piston moves upward through the cavity, the poles of the float engage a surface on the housing at the upper end of the cavity.
Surrounding the aperture for receiving the stem in the upper end of the cavity, the housing has a plurality of invaginations arranged in pairs with the depth of each of the pairs being different from the depth of any other pair and the members of each pair of invaginations angularly spaced about the axis of the valve for receiving the poles of the float. Rotation of the stem of the valve to one of the preselected activation positions causes a corresponding rotation of the float within the cavity and the rotation of the poles to engage the invaginations corresponding to the markings on the exterior of the housing near the selected activation position.
Where the valve has an even number of discrete discharge selections, with each selection corresponding to a different volume of liquid being discharged through the valve, the poles on the float cannot be diametrically opposed to each other. If the poles were diametrically opposed to each other, the two members of each of the pairs of invaginations in the housing would also have to be diametrically opposed to each other and the valve would discharge exactly the same amount of liquid for any two diametrically opposed angular settings of the discharge valve. The consequence of such a configuration would be that the valve could be adjusted only through 180 degrees, rather than through 360 degrees, thereby limiting the number of volume selections to which the stem can be rotated.
Where the valve is configured to be adjustable to an odd number of settings, the invaginations in the upper surface of the housing may be positioned diametrically opposed to each, however, a means for keying the angular orientation of the float with respect to the stem must be provided, and we have found that the keying can be simplified by providing a pair of longitudinal ribs on the float which engage complementary pairs of longitudinal slots in the stem with the ribs on the float oriented adjacent to the poles. To insure that the parts can be assembled in only one orientation, it is preferable that the poles therefore not be diametrically apart from one another. It should be appreciated, however, that the measuring systems currently in use divide the units of volume into eighths or tenths, and therefore, it is desirable to provide a dispensing device in which the volume of liquid being dispensed is in units of one-eight or one-tenth of the maximum dispensable volume. Eighths or tenths are both even numbered numbering systems.
One feature of the present invention is that the refill port for admitting liquid into the cavity extends through a wall in the housing, rather than through a hole in the piston as was the case with prior art piston operated valves. Prior art valves having refill ports that extend through the piston relied upon a seal between the outer circumference of the piston and the inner wall of the housing to prevent leakage of liquid from the surrounding container into the cavity during discharge. Such leakage alters the accuracy of the dosage being dispensed and in the case of a sever leakage, holding the stem in the depressed condition for a lengthy period of time can result in the discharge of the entire contents of the container.
The valve of the present invention includes a diaphragm extending across the lower open end of the tubular housing that seals against the lower surface of the piston to provide a leakproof seal so as to prevent liquid from seeping around the outer edges of the piston and into the cavity.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the piston is urged downward within the housing by a coil spring which extends around the circumference of the float so as not to cause resistance to the rotation of the float. As a result, an operator may easily rotate the stem and float to a chosen selected volume without causing damage to the parts or incurring undue resistance.
A better understanding of the present invention will be had after reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:
Referring to
The piston 26 has a noncircular central opening 31 that fits around a complementarily shaped noncircular portion of the stem 16 such that the piston 26 is axially moveable with respect to both the housing 20 and the stem 16, but will rotate within the housing 20 upon rotation of the stem 16. Around the circumference of the upper surface of the piston 26 is one or more projections 32, 33 which extend axially along the inner surface 28 of the housing 20 and engage portions of the lower surface 24 of the sleeve 22. By rotating the piston 26 the positioning of the projections 32, 33 is changed with respect to the lower surface 24 of the sleeve 22, thereby varying the length of the stroke of the piston 26.
A first coil spring 34 urges the stem 16 outward of the container 12 and a second coil spring 35 urges the piston 26 away from the lower end 24 the sleeve 22 and towards a stop 36 at the lower end of the cylindrical housing 20. Rotation of the stem 16, therefore, causes rotation of the piston 26 and thereby adjusts the length of the stroke of the piston 26 within the cavity 30.
The discharge stem 16 has a first axial passage 38 extending from the upper end thereof to a port 40 in the side wall thereof which, when the stem 16 is depressed, provides communication between the interior of the cavity 30 and the ambient. The stem 16 also has a second axial passage 42 extending through the lower end thereof and opening through a second port 44 for providing communication between the cavity 30 and the interior of the pressurized container 12 when the stem is not depressed.
When the stem 16 is not depressed, as shown in
A problem with this embodiment can occur if the pressurized liquid in the container leaks around the sides of the piston 26 and enters the cavity 30. This is likely to occur if the piston twists or becomes cocked within the tubular inner surface 28 of the housing 20. To prevent the twisting of the piston 28 within the housing 20, the lower surface 24 of the sleeve 22 is configured into two spirals or sets of steps, with each of the spirals or set of steps extending around only 180 degrees of the circumference of the housing. The piston 26 also has two upwardly extending parallel projections 32 that are 180 degrees apart such that one projection 32 engages one of the spirals or set of steps on the surface 24 and the second projection 24 engages the second spiral or set of steps on the surface 24. As a result, the volume of the liquid being dispensed by the valve assembly 18 is varied during the rotation of the stem 16 through only 180 degrees because the second 180 degrees of rotation is identical to the first 180 degrees.
In the embodiment depicted rotation of the stem 16 causes rotation of the piston 26. The second coil spring 35 extends between the nonrotatable second sleeve 22 and the rotatable piston 26 causing the metal parts of the spring 35 to scrape loose particles from either the sleeve 22 or the piston 26. Also, the piston 26 is sealed around its perimeter to prevent leakage and the seals cause resistance to rotation of the stem 16. The operator is therefore required to exert substantial force to rotate the stem, and the stem 16 must be adequately engineered to endure the torque applied thereto.
Referring to
The container 52 has an opening 59 at the upper end, and outward of the opening 59 is a shoulder 60 which extends to a cylindrical wall 61 at the lower end of which is a bottom 62. Fitted within the opening 59 of the container 52 is a flexible bag 63 filled with a liquid 64 to be dispensed. A propellant 65, which may be a compressible gas such as carbon dioxide or a volatile hydrocarbon liquid, surrounds the bag 63 and creates pressure within the interior of the container 52 for exhausting the liquid 64 through the valve assembly 56. The parts, including the container 52, the bag 63, and the valve 56, are held in assembled relationship by a ferrule 66 that is crimped around a radial flange 67 on the valve 56, a bead around the opening 59 of the container 52, the upper end of the bag 63, and an O-ring 68 which, when the ferrule is crimped, forms a seal.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The flange 108 extends across the upper end of the tubular lower portion 110; the tubular lower portion 110 having a cylindrical outer wall 120. Below the cylindrical outer wall 120 are a plurality of longitudinal indentations 122 leaving a plurality of parallel ridges 124 between the indentations 122 with the outer surface of the ridges 124 defined by the cylindrical outer wall 120. Below the indentations 122 and ridges 124 is a downwardly facing annular shoulder 126 and below the downwardly facing annular shoulder 126 is a lower tubular portion 128 having a pair of longitudinal slots 130, 132 therein. As best shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Extending radially through the axis 174 of the lower third of the float 154 is a transverse slot 176 which divides the radially flange 166 in half, leaving each of the two poles 168, 170 approximately centered on each of the two halves of the divided flange 166. As best shown in
The length of the float 154 is such that when the piston 144 is at its lowest position within the cavity 145, the upper end 156 of the float 154 will fit within the lower tubular portion 128 of the stem 102. The ribs 162, 164 on the float 154 will slideably fit within the longitudinal slots 130, 132 of the stem 102 such that the float 154 is locked for rotation with the stem 102 but is axially moveable within the cavity 145 independent of the movement of the stem 102.
Referring to
As previously described, the invaginations 100(1) to 100(8) in the surface of the housing 69 are arranged in pairs where the members of each of the pairs are not diametrically apart from one another, but at an angle with respect thereto of 157.50 degrees in one direction and 202.50 degrees in the opposite direction, which corresponds to the angular orientations of the poles 168, 170 of the float 154.
As shown in
The float 154 is longitudinally moveable upward in the housing 69 until the poles 168, 170 engage the ends of the invaginations 100(1)-100(8) with which they are aligned. Referring more specifically to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Another advantage of the valve assembly of the present invention is that by virtue of positioning the poles 168, 170 so as not to be at 180 degrees from one another, the actuator 53 can be rotated to notches 57 that are angular spaced by 180 degrees from one another and discharge different volumes of liquid. The dispenser 50 is depicted as having eight different notches 57, with each notch dispensing a different dosage of liquid 64. The dispenser 50 could easily be made with ten notches 57 so if the volume of liquid being dispensed could be divided into increments of tenths or in such other fractions as may be desirable.
While the present invention has been described with respect to a single embodiment, it will be appreciated that many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore the intent of the dependent claims to cover all such variations and modifications, which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
The applicants claim priority from their previously file copending provisional application filed Oct. 26, 2002 and assigned Ser. No. 60/421,550. The present application relates to devices for dispensing a predetermined volume of liquid, as for example, for medication, and in particular to an adjustable device in which one can incrementally increase the volume of liquid being dispensed by rotating the stem to discharge positions corresponding to such incremental changes.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4892232 | Martin | Jan 1990 | A |
5085351 | Martin | Feb 1992 | A |
5105995 | Martin | Apr 1992 | A |
5183187 | Martin | Feb 1993 | A |
5199616 | Martin | Apr 1993 | A |
5310092 | Targell | May 1994 | A |
5484088 | Martin | Jan 1996 | A |
5915598 | Yazawa et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
6695175 | Martin et al. | Feb 2004 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20040084483 A1 | May 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60421550 | Oct 2002 | US |