(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
The invention relates generally to spray devices for containers, and more particularly to structures combined with spray devices that render the spray devices safer by restricting use of the spray devices to those who are responsible to handle the contents of the containers.
Most conventional spray devices for household cleaning and other fluids include pumps that are manually actuated by triggers to draw fluid from a container and dispense the fluid out of a nozzle. The pump mechanism is typically covered by a stationary shroud. A “spray bottle” combines a spray device with a typically small plastic container of liquid to permit a user to spray the liquid for various purposes. The research of some of the Applicants has shown that over 267,000 children aged five years or younger were treated in U.S. emergency departments for injuries related to household cleaning products between 1990 and 2006. Spray bottles were the most common source of exposure, accounting for about 40 percent of all injuries related to household cleaning products.
Many spray devices include a nozzle that controls the stream configuration and/or prevents spraying of the contents of the container by rotation of the nozzle cap relative to the rest of the spray device. However, such conventional nozzles are not effective if the user does not turn the nozzle back to the “closed” or “off” position after each use. Furthermore, these nozzles are relatively easy for young children to manipulate to the “open” position. Therefore, such conventional spray bottles for household cleaning products cannot be designated as truly “child-resistant”. Indeed, in a recent pilot study in which some of the Applicants conducted home observations with 25 families with young children, a total of 36 percent of all cleaning product containers in the homes were identified as spray bottles (238 spray bottles in 25 homes). Of those spray bottles, a total of 75 percent had nozzles which were found to pose a potential hazard to young children in the household because they were not stored in the “closed” or “off” position.
Trigger systems, including spray devices, are the largest dispensing system type by volume in North America, and are commonly used for window cleaning, household cleaning, lawn and garden products (including insecticides and herbicides), air fresheners and automotive cleaning products. The household and industrial chemical dispensing system market includes two billion trigger system units sold each year. Many conventional spray devices incorporate safety features. For example, ContinentalAFA Dispensing Company, Guala Dispensing S.p.A. and Saint Gobain Calmar manufacture safety features on spray devices. However, no spray devices currently on the market are sufficiently child-resistant, because most or all of them require the user to return them to the “safe” condition after use. Because of the tendency to forget to do so, many “safety” spray devices become insufficiently safe.
In recent years, consumers have become more health conscious and manufacturers have attempted to be perceived by consumers as safe and responsible with green-friendly packaging, biodegradable products, and products that are better for the environment and the consumer's family. In addition, federal regulations are making child-resistant closures mandatory for certain pharmaceutical and household cleaning packaging. However, no spray device has achieved child-resistance beyond the type that must be returned deliberately to a “safe” condition by the user.
The need exists, therefore, for a spray device that restricts spraying of the contents of the container to those who are capable of determining whether the contents should be dispensed.
The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by a spray device that includes a two stage trigger lock incorporated into the device. The two stages of the lock must be engaged in the proper sequence in order for the spray device to function. An improved spray device has a trigger that is manually actuated to drive a pump that pumps a fluid from a container and dispenses the fluid from a nozzle connected to the pump. The spray device has a shroud extending over at least a portion of the trigger. The improvement includes a rib extending inwardly from the shroud, and preferably ribs extending inwardly from opposing sides of the shroud. A lever is pivotably mounted to the spray device and configured to traverse a path that intersects the ribs to move the shroud from a trigger lock position to a trigger release position. In the trigger lock position, the trigger cannot be pulled and fluid in the container cannot be dispensed. In the trigger release position, the trigger can be pulled. Thus, the lever must be displaced to move the shroud to the trigger release position before the trigger can be pulled. Thus, this sequence is important in the operation of the spray device.
The improvement also includes at least one trigger tab extending from the trigger, and at least one cleat extending from the shroud in a path of the trigger tab when the shroud is in the trigger lock position. There are preferably two opposing trigger tabs extending laterally outwardly from the trigger, and there are preferably two opposing cleats extending inwardly from the shroud. The cleats are configured to be out of the trigger tab's path when the shroud is in the trigger release position to permit the trigger to be pulled, such as by displacing the shroud to which the cleats are attached. A spring is mounted in contact with the shroud for biasing the shroud toward the trigger lock position. This bias causes the spray device to default to the trigger lock position automatically when the spray device is released by a user. The spring that biases the shroud preferably comprises a leaf spring that extends downwardly from the shroud.
It is preferred that the lever is mounted to a pivot that defines a lever portion that extends out from the shroud on a first side of the pivot and a release arm portion that intersects the ribs on a second side of the pivot. In the preferred embodiment, the lever portion has a tip that extends out from beneath the shroud in the rear. A torsion spring preferably biases the lever to the rest position.
This design restricts the ability of young children to trigger spray bottles in at least two ways. First, young children lack the developmental capability to perform the correct operational sequence of pressing down the lever first and then squeezing the trigger. Second, the size and strength of a child's hand are not sufficient to activate the mechanism. The trigger lock is designed to facilitate easy use for an adult so that there is little to no temptation to defeat the lock or otherwise avoid having to use it every time the spray device is used. The two stage trigger lock automatically returns the spray device to the “locked” state after each use without any act being performed by the user. This avoids any requirement of the user to consciously apply a locking feature.
In summary, the spray device requires much more time for young children to deactivate its locking features, yet allows adults comfortable and convenient use with little additional effort. Importantly, the locking features automatically engage upon release by the user, thereby avoiding the common failure of users to reactivate the safety features. The spray device has been designed to meet all standards for child-resistant packaging.
In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific term so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word connected or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection, but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art.
The spray device 10 is shown in
As best viewed in
The spray device 10 has a pump that is actuated by a trigger 18 to draw fluid upwardly out of the bottle 8 and dispense it in a forward direction through a nozzle 22. For the sake of convenience and clarity, orientation terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear,” “upward”, “downward”, “laterally,” and “longitudinally” are used herein to describe the orientation and direction of various components of the invention, all with respect to the geometry and orientation of the spray device 10 as it appears in
With reference to
A shroud 24 preferably extends on both sides of the spray device 10 from just above the collar 12 to the top of the spray device 10 as shown in
As shown in
Turning to
Each arm of the release arm portion 30R extends from the pivot 32 along the lateral sidewall of the shroud 24, and traverses a path during pivoting of the lever 30 that includes the front ends of the ribs 36. The ribs 36 extend laterally inwardly from the shroud 24 a few millimeters, and the arms of the release arm portion 30R impact the front ends of the ribs 36 near an extreme end of the lever's pivot path. The shroud 24 is cut away from the ribs 36 in
As noted above, the lever 30 can be pivoted downwardly from the resting position shown in
The downward movement of the lever 30 is shown in sequence in
Until the point shown in
When the release arm portion 30R is displaced downwardly beyond the point shown in
The greater force applied to the lever 30 that is necessary to move the shroud 24 from the trigger lock position (
When the shroud 24 is in the trigger release position shown in
As shown in
By displacing the shroud 24 rearwardly to the trigger release position (
A notable advantage of the invention is that the lever 30 can be held in the trigger release position by simply grasping the spray device in a conventional manner around the neck of the bottle 8 and the collar 12. In this configuration, the trigger 18 can be squeezed and released repeatedly in a normal manner by an average adult while the palm of the hand holds the lever 30 in the position shown in
Because the shroud 24 slides longitudinally and the force applied to the cleats 50a and 50b by the trigger tabs 48a and 48b is transverse, and almost perpendicular, to this direction, a force applied by the trigger tabs to the cleats when the shroud 24 is in the trigger lock position will not tend to displace the shroud 24 rearwardly substantially toward the trigger release position. Thus a locked trigger cannot generally be pulled with enough force to displace the shroud 24 rearwardly. The angle between the paths of travel of the cleats and trigger tabs can be modified from that shown to make any such displacement of the shroud 24 impossible.
It will become apparent to the person having ordinary skill that if it is undesirable for the shroud 24 to be displaced, it is contemplated that any suitable structure can be extended along the inner side of a stationary shroud with cleats extending inwardly therefrom in the path of outwardly extending trigger tabs. For example, a contemplated longitudinally displaceable plastic panel can extend from the path of the release arm 30R to the paths of the trigger tabs 48a and 48b. This panel has ribs extending inwardly into the path of the release arm 30R so that sufficient pivoting of the lever 30 displaces the panel rearwardly from its trigger lock position. The rearward displacement moves corresponding cleats extending inwardly from the panel out of the paths of the trigger tabs, thereby achieving the trigger release position. Therefore, the term “shroud”, while primarily referring to the shroud 24 shown in the illustrations, also includes such structural equivalents to the shroud 24 that accomplish the same purpose.
The invention can be used with any sprayed fluid, and there is no limit by the invention of the types of objects the fluid can be dispensed onto. While the lever 30 is held in the position shown in
When it is desired to cease spraying with the trigger 18, one need merely release the grip on the lever 30, collar 12 and bottle 6. Upon release of the lever 30, the spring 38 forces the lever upwardly (in the reverse order shown in
It is important to note that the lever 30 is biased toward its rest position shown in
This detailed description in connection with the drawings is intended principally as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the designs, functions, means, and methods of implementing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention and that various modifications may be adopted without departing from the invention or scope of the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S application Ser. 13/287,430 filed Nov. 2, 2011, now U.S Pat. No. 8,757,447, issuing on Jun. 24, 2014, and which is Incorporated herein by reference.
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Entry |
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US Consumer Product Safety Commission website; http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/pppaguid/packtypeindex.html Child Resistant and Senior-Friendly Packages—2006; 5 pages. |
US Consumer Product Safety Commission website; Pump Dispenser, Trigger; IXB(1); Continental AFA Dispensing Company; 2 pages; 0176 CR; http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/pppaguid/continentalafa.pdf. |
US Consumer Product Safety Commission website; Pump Dispenser, Trigger; IXB; Guala Dispensing S.p. A.; 2 pages; Ts1; http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/pppaguid/gualadispensing.pdf. |
US Consumer Product Safety Commission website; Pump Dispenser, Trigger; IXB; Guala Dispensing S.p. A.; 3 pages; Ts3; http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/pppaguid/gualadispensingts3.pdf. |
US Consumer Product Safety Commission website; Pump Dispenser, Trigger; IXB(1); Saint Gobain Calmar; 2 pages; Mixor HP; http://www.cpsc.govlbusinfo/pppaguid/saintgobaincalmarmixor.pdf. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20140291415 A1 | Oct 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13287430 | Nov 2011 | US |
Child | 14303774 | US |