The present invention relates to pump lids for use with containers and, in particular, it concerns improvements to such lids.
Issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,945 and pending U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/0274734, both to the present inventor, describe different embodiments of a container lid that include a pumping configuration such that rotational movement of one component of the pump lid is translated into linear movement of either the piston element or the cylinder element of the pump lid. The intention of such a pump lid is that ambient air may be pumped into the container, thereby creating a pressurized state within the container. Alternatively, air may be pumped out of the interior volume of the container, thereby creating of state of at least partial vacuum within the container.
The present invention comes to provide certain improvement to these lids which reduce the overall size of the pump lid and simplify manufacture and assembly of the pump lid.
There is therefore a need for an improved pump lid for use on a container.
The present invention is an improved pump lid for use on a container.
According to a the teachings of the present invention there is provided a container for the pressurized discharge of a fluid contained therein, the container comprising: (a) a container body; (b) a pump lid deployed on the container body for pressurizing an interior volume of the container, the pump lid having: (i) a rotatable pump cylinder configuration; and (ii) a pump piston mechanically associated with the rotatable pump cylinder configuration such that at least a portion of the piston is deployed within the pump cylinder, thereby defining between them a variable pump volume, the pump piston configured with a substantially cylindrical piston wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface such that at least a portion of the interior surface is configured for releasable attachment to the container and at least a portion of the exterior surface interacts with the rotatable pump cylinder configuration; wherein the association is such that rotation of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration generates linear motion of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration; (c) a release control arrangement; and (d) an outlet nozzle.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, there is also provided a bather deployed within the interior volume of the container so as to separate pressurized air from the fluid contained in the container.
There is also provided according to the teachings of the present invention, a method for discharging pressurized fluid from a container, the method comprising: (a) providing a container body; (b) providing a pump lid deployed on the container body for pressurizing an interior volume of the container, the pump lid having: (i) a rotatable pump cylinder configuration; and (ii) a pump piston mechanically associated with the rotatable pump cylinder configuration such that at least a portion of the piston is deployed within the pump cylinder, thereby defining between them a variable pump volume, the pump piston configured with a substantially cylindrical piston wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface such that at least a portion of the interior surface is configured for releasable attachment to the container and at least a portion of the exterior surface interacts with the rotatable pump cylinder configuration; wherein the association is such that rotation of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration generates linear motion of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration; (c) actuating the pump lid so as to pressurize an interior volume of the container; and (d) activating a release control arrangement so as to discharge the fluid through an outlet nozzle.
There is also provided according to the teachings of the present invention, a pump lid assembly for use with a container, the lid assembly comprising: (a) a rotatable pump cylinder configuration; (b) a pump piston mechanically associated with the rotatable pump cylinder configuration such that at least a portion of the piston is deployed within the pump cylinder, thereby defining between them a variable pump volume, the pump piston configured with a substantially cylindrical piston wall having an interior surface and an exterior surface such that at least a portion of the interior surface is configured for releasable attachment to the container and at least a portion of the exterior surface interacts with the rotatable pump cylinder configuration; wherein the association is such that rotation of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration generates linear motion of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration; and (c) a one-way valve arrangement comprising at least one valve component having a through slit through which air is forced by the linear motion.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the exterior surface of the cylindrical piston wall includes at least one pin element extending laterally therefrom.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the rotatable pump cylinder configuration includes a substantially cylindrical cylinder wall that defines a pump cylinder region in which the pump piston is deployed, the substantially cylindrical cylinder wall configured with a wave shaped groove into which the pin element extends.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the rotatable pump cylinder configuration includes at least two components that when assembled define between them the wave shaped groove.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the two components, when assembled, define between them the wave shaped groove and are configured such that a first component includes a top wall and a side wall of the wave shaped groove and a second component includes a bottom wall of the wave shaped groove.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the exterior surface of the cylindrical piston wall includes a resilient lip that extends around a periphery of the cylindrical wall and provides an air-tight seal between the rotatable pump cylinder configuration and the pump piston element during an expansion stroke, and when under pressure of a compression stroke, allows air to pass between the rotatable pump cylinder configuration and the pump piston element.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the rotation of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration generates linear motion of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration so as to create a state of at least partial vacuum within the container.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the rotation of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration generates linear motion of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration so as to create a pressurized state within the container.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the at least one valve component is configured as at least two valve components, each of the at least two valve components having a slit wherein upon deployment, the slits are aligned so as to intersect one another at an angle.
According to a further teaching of the present invention, the slits are aligned so as to intersect one another at right angles.
The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention is an improved pump lid for use on a container.
The principles and operation of an improved pump lid according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description.
By way of introduction, as mentioned above, the present invention comes to improve the inventor's prior version of a pump lid as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,945 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/0274734, both of which are incorporated by reference as if they were fully set forth herein. These improvements include a shorter profile, an increase in piston diameter, thereby increasing suction and the compression capacity of the pump and ease of manufacture.
The shortened profile is accomplished by configuring the container attachment arrangement in a hollow region of the interior of the piston. That is to say, the pump lid of the present invention is deployed on a container such that when the lid is attached to the container at least a portion of the piston circumscribes the part of the container. In the previous versions of the pump lid, the pump arrangement extends above the seat portion that is configured for attachment to the container. The increase in piston diameter is the result of having the piston circumscribe the container.
Manufacture of the pump lid of the present invention is simplified in several ways, including configuring the rotatable cylinder in two pieces such that the wave shaped groove is realized by the joining together of the two pieces, as will be discussed below in detail. Further, the valves may be configured with lip valves (also known as sticker valves), as illustrated in
It will be appreciated that similar to the previous versions of a pump lid, rotational movement of one component of the pump lid is translated into linear movement of another element of the pump lid. Further, the pump lid of the present invention may be configured to pump air out of the interior volume of the container, thereby creating of state of at least partial vacuum within the container. Alternatively, ambient air may be pumped into the container, thereby creating a pressurized state within the container.
Referring now to the drawings,
The exterior surface 16 of the cylindrical wall 12 includes at least one pump actuation pin element 20 extending laterally therefrom. The interior surface 54 of the cylinder wall 52 is configured with a wave-shaped groove 60 that extends over an arc of 360° around the interior surface 54.
The rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50 is deployed over the pump piston element 10 with pump actuation pin element 20 extending into wave-shaped groove 60.
Relative linear displacement between the pump piston element 10 and the rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50, so as to perform the pumping operation, is achieved by rotating the pump cylinder configuration 50 about the pump piston element 10. The interaction of the wave-shaped groove 60 with the pump actuation pin element 20 translates the rotational movement of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50 into linear movement of the rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50.
The embodiment illustrated in
Preferably, the individual components of the pump lid 2 are produced from plastics by, for non-limiting example, injection molding. For ease of manufacture, the rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50 is fabricated from two separately molded sections, a cylinder top section 50a and a cylinder bottom section 50b that when assembled define between them the wave shaped groove 60. As is clearly illustrated in
In operation, as the rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50 is rotated it is also linearly displaced. As the rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50 is displaced away from the pump piston element 10 the variable pump volume 100 increases and air is drawn out of the container through a one-way valve arrangement 22 configured in the pump piston element 10. As the rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50 is displaced toward the pump piston element 10 the variable pump volume 100 decreases and air is forced out of the variable pump volume 100 through one-way valve arrangement 90 configured in the top of rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50. It will be appreciated that O-ring 30 provides an air-tight seal between the rotatable pump cylinder configuration 50 and the pump piston element 10.
It will be understood that substantially any suitable one-way valve arrangement known in the art may be used. By non-limiting example, one-way valve arrangement 90 may be configured with a lip valve (also known as a sticker valve) 120 covering the opening (see
Alternatively, as illustrated in
Also illustrated are two childproof arrangements. The child-proof arrangement of
An alternative child-proof arrangement is illustrated in
In operation, flexible pressure indicator region 202 is configured to flex in response to the pressure state within the container on which the pump lid is deployed. When a vacuum state exists within the container, the flexible pressure indicator region 202 is drawn inward, as illustrated here, and the pattern of the grid-lines 204 is visibly deformed. Similarly, when a pressurized state exists within the container, the flexible pressure indicator region 202 is pushed outwardly and, here again, the pattern of the grid-lines 204 is visibly deformed.
As in other embodiments of the pump lid of the present invention, when rotatable pump cylinder configuration 450 is rotated about the pump piston element 410 rotatable pump cylinder configuration 450 is longitudinally displaced outwardly, as seen in
Upon further rotation of rotatable pump cylinder configuration 450 about the pump piston element 410 rotatable pump cylinder configuration 450 is longitudinally displaced inwardly, as seen in
As seen in
As illustrated in
It will be appreciated that one-way valve arrangement 402/404 may be constructed as an integrally formed single unit. Alternatively, as illustrated here, as two separate valve components, 402 and 404, which may be held in place by a retainer element, for a total of three pieces.
Further, valve components 402 and 404 may be fabricated from substantially any suitable material such as, but not limited to, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, silicon, soft resilient plastics and the like.
It will be appreciated that valve components 402 and 404 may be fabricated from substantially any suitable flexible material such as, but not limited to, silicone, Teflon®, natural or synthetic rubbers, and various types of suitable plastics.
The container 500 of
In operation, as pump lid 400 is actuated, air pressure builds up in region 520 within the interior volume of container 500 and consequently pressurizes fluid 510. When the release control arrangement 504 is activated, fluid 510 enters outlet tube 506 and is released through outlet nozzle 502. Such release of fluid 510 may be as, but not limited to, a spray, continuous flow, mist or foam.
The container 600 of
In operation, as pump lid 400 is actuated, air pressure builds up in region 620 within the interior volume of container 600 and consequently applies pressure to barrier 622 so as to pressurize fluid 610. When the release control arrangement 604 is activated, fluid 610 is released through outlet nozzle 602. Such release of fluid 610 may be as, but not limited to, a spray, continuous flow, mist or foam.
It should be noted that release of the pressurized fluid in both containers 500 and 600 need not be immediately after pressurization and that the fluid may remain in the container in a pressurized state for an extended period of time.
It will be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as examples and that many other embodiments are possible within the spirit and the scope of the present invention.
This patent application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/342,092 filed 23 Dec. 2008 and still pending.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20100155412 A1 | Jun 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12342092 | Dec 2008 | US |
Child | 12512052 | US |