US2657834A - Hand actuated dispenser pump - Google Patents

Description

"D" F. BACHELLER HAND ACTUATED DISPENSER PUMP Filed oct. v12, 1948 No'v. 3, 1953 Patented Nov. 3, 1953 HAND ACTUATED DISPENSER PUMP D Flavius Bacheller, Glendale, Calif., assigner to Pump-It Incorporated, a corporation of California Application October 12, 1948, Serial No. 54,084 7 Claims. (ol. 222-321) The application refers to dispenser pumps and particularly hand-actuated pumps which are found to be especially suitable for pumping thick liquids from containers in the nature of bottles. The device has had considerable acceptance in the dispensing of tomato catsup of the customary heavy consistency from conventional catsup bottles.

In the handling of material of the nature of tomato catsup in order that it may be successfully dispensed from the original bottles in which it is sold the dispensing device must be one not only capable of handling a heavy liquid of this type but also one which Will not readily become clogged after remaining unused for a period of time. The device must be further one which will operate freely under all circumstances without sticking.

Tomato catsup when packed in narrow-necked bottles has a tendency to cake at the neck of the bottle to such an extent that if the dispenser is to operate successfully the thick liquid should be drawn from the lower level of the bottle. It is also highly advantageous to have the structure one in which the use of metal is dispensed With as much as possible so as to avoid any deteriorating eiect of seasonings or other ingredients of oatsup upon the dispenser parts. A number of dispensing pumps have been attempted for handling liquid of this general variety, but these have not been without a number of objections. Although operating successfully at certain times, the prior pumps have experienced a tendency to stick or to lose the necessary vacuum in operation under certain conditions suiiicient to render .l

them too undependable for general acceptance.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved dispenser pump which is particularly smoothk and easy in operation and wherein binding and sticking of the moving parts of the pump has been reduced to a minimum.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved dispenser pump which is ,certain in its operation under all circumstances,

wherein the moving parts, while permitting unrestricted freedom of movement, nevertheless maintain a sufficiently smooth contact so that a proper amount of vacuum is always present to operate the pump and wherein there is eliminated any tendency to score the walls of the` pump interior even though they may be made of relatively soft material.

A further object of the invention is to provide -a new and improved manually operated dispenser pump for containersin the nature of tall bottles wherein an inlet tilted to the bottom corner of the bottle is readily maintained in proper alignment with a spout through which the contents of the bottle are dispensed.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to provide a manually actuated dispenser pump for narrow-necked bottles, parts of which are maintained at a substantial minimum number and so designed that the fabrication and assembly is productive of a device relatively inexpensive in construction without there being experienced any impairment in the einciency of operation of the device though interrupted by relatively long periods of disuso.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a Vertical sectional vieW of the dispenser pump shown in a position ready for operation in a bottle.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 isa fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing the washer portion of the piston in the position assumed during a downward stroke. y

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinally sectional view showing the position of a washer on the piston during an upward stroke.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a washer used in the pump.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional vew of a modified type of structure :for the pump cylinder. f

This application is an improvement on my application Serial No. 754,091, led June 12, 1947, now Patent No. 2,547,109, dated April 3, 19.51.

The production and sale of hand-actuated dispensers suitable for use in dispensing foods Vin the nature of tomato catsuprequires ythat the device be one of such simple construction and operation that it can be produced at a relatively low cost. -Moreoven because of the limited area of the neck of the'average bottle the dimensions 'of the pump need be restricted suiiiciently to operate inthe neck of the container without impairment of any smoothness or elliciency of oper- Vfit into recesses 34 ation, The dispenser pump must not only be successful as a means of dispensing all of the contents of the container down to the last ounce, but must also include structure which serves to properly mount the dispenser on the bottle, and, at the same time, seal the contents within the bottle without disturbing operation of the dispenser. K

In the embodiment chosen to illustrate the invention, there is pictured a conventional style vessel or container I herein taking the form of the average bottle used for packing tomato catsup. The bottle customarily has a relatively narrow neck II, a body portion I2 relatively highv i proportion to the diameter and a bottom I3. The neck ordinarily is provided with ridges upon which a cap may be pressed, although on some' occasions, threads are substituted for annular ridges.

The dispenser herein taking the form of a manually-actuatedv pump includes a pump' cyl- Inder I5, an inlet tube I6, a pump piston I1 and a spout I8. A cap I9 having therein a rubberlike ring is used for mounting the pump on the topkof the bottle and for sealing the contents in the bottle whenever the pump is in' place.

The inlettube in the embodiment illustrated is bent at so that an off-set end 26 is adapted to reach into the corner of the bottle or other containerl formed at the junction of the bottom I3` with the side wall I2.

The pump cylinder includes an ,upper barrel portion 21 and a lower barrel portion 28'. The inlet spout is normally fixed in its position in the lower barrel portion 28. Als'o in the lower barrel portion is an inlet passage 29 communicating with a pump chamber 98. At the bottom of the pump chamber Suis a valve retainer 3i which has a iix'ed position in the bottom of the chamber and which is designed to hold in operative position a gravity-responsive check valveelement 32. When the valve retainer is irnxposition there is provided a limited movement for the valve element between` a valve closing position and a valve opening position. A

To further satisfy one of the purposes of the invention the valve retainer is formed with projections 33 extendingtherefrom and adapted to l formed at the'junction of the upperk barrel portion and the lower barrel portion. The design is such that the barrel in its entirety may be cast from s ome one of the common commercial plastics. During the casting the recesses 34 may be formed and a wall 35 of the chamber given a somewhat tapered form tapering inwardly from the outer end of the chamber toward the inner end. I

The pump piston I1 is preferably tubular in form and comprises an outer` part 40 and an inner part 4I. An examination of Figures 3 and 4 will reveal that the outer part 48 has an annular recess 42 at the inner endwof fixed breadth and depth and that the part 4I has a recess 43 at the upper end on the outer circumference also of fixed depth and breadth. The relationship of the recesses in the parts is such that the parts t telescopingly together as illustrated in Figues 1, 3 and 4 and in fitted position provide an open annular recess 44 of fixed breadth and depth. In the open annular recess 44 there is positioned a pump washer 45 of specialsize and form. As best illustrated in 'Figure 6, the pump washer may have an upper nat face 48' and a lower parallel nat face 41. An outer surface or wall 48 of the washer is pitched substantially at an angle so that a relatively sharp or feather edge 49 may be formed at the junction of the wall 48 with the fiat face 46.

It can be noted that, by reference to Figures 3 and 4, the thickness of the washer is substantially less than the breadth of the open annular recess 44. Moreover the diameter of an aperture 58 in' the washer is appreciably greater than the diameter of the bottom of the open annular recess 44. Also the diameter of a line tracing the circumference of the sharp edge 49 is greater thanv the internal diameter of the chamber 35 at all positions throughout the range of operation of the piston. As previously noted the wall 35' of the chamber' 30 is tapered, said taper being shown in exaggerated form in Figures 3 and 4. The taper, however, necessitates making certain that the diameter of the sharp edges is sufficient to Contact the wall of the chamber in every position of piston operation. Because of the taper the feather' edge on the washer is particularly well adapted to insure free movement of the piston at the lowermost position of piston operation where the wall 35 is most closely contracted as well as to insure a complete contact where the wall of the chamber is greatest in diameter, namely, at the upper end of the piston stroke.

To insure a perfect contact at all times the washer 45 is free to fioatin a lateral direction so that the feather edge is' in complete contact with the wall 35 at all times. The feather edge permits constriction of the edge alone at the bottom of the stroke without undue sticking or any undue increase in friction.

It is also significant to note that because the breadth of the washer between the flat facu 46 and 41 is less than the breadth of the open annular recess 44, the washer is free to shift longitudinally in the recess. The different positions of the washerV with respect to the recess are illustrated in Figures 3V and 4. In both positions there will be a suiiicient seal between the respective face of the washer and the corresponding wall of the open recess 44. These factors contribute materially to the freedom of movement of the pump piston in the chamber. A shoulder 5I ori the exterior of the upper part 40 of the piston is adapted to limit movement of the piston in an outward direction.

For mounting the pump cylinder and piston upon the bottle the cylinder is provided with a projection 55 adapted to iit into a suitable recess in a resilient cap washer 58. The washer in turn may be provided with ridges 51 adapted to accommodate the washer to corresponding depressions on the neck of the bottle. An outwardly flared portion 58 on the cap washer permits it to be readily applied over the necks of bottles of varying sizes. Outside of the cap washer is a hollow cap 59 which nts smoothly around the upper' portion of the cap washer but around the lower portion provides a space 5I) within which the cap washer 'may expand when the neck of the bottle is larger than usual. An air intake 6I is provided in the upper wall of the cylinder so as to eliminate any tendency of a vacuum to form as the pump cylinder moves in and out.

n the upper face of the cap 5I is an aperture 65 in which is sealed an annular ring 88. This ring may also have a sealed junction with the flange 55- on the top of the cylinder. The ring has a smooth inner surface 61 providing l. smooth sliding fit for the upper part of the piston.

At the top of the piston there is provided n repiston Il' and the valve retainer 3l. As has been previously noted, the valve retainer is constructed with projections 33 interiitting with recesses 34 at the bottom of the pump cylinder. By operation of these devices the valve retainer is nonyrotatably associated with the pump cylinder. A

spring "i is coiled to such a size that the lower end has a snug irictional engagement with the valve retainer.

Under ordinary circumstances the piston is not only free to reciprocate endwise but also is entirely free to rotate with respect to the pump cylinder. Under such circumstances the spout I8 would be continually getting out of alignment with the off -set end of the inlet tube. Such being the case the oit-set end would not dip into the corner of the bottle during pumping at a near empty condition of the bottle. The spring connection therefore between the spout and piston combination and the assembly comprising the inlet tube and the pump cylinder is adapted to maintain such an eiective alignment,

To connect the spring to the piston the piston part M is provided with a gently tapered recess le at the bottom slightly smaller in interior diameter than the exterior diameter of the spring. The upper end of the spring can therefore be forced into the recess and because the spring can be forced rotatably against the frictional effect the direction of the spout permits proper alignment with respect to the projection 33. Then when the piston, the spring, and the valve retainer are assembled with the pump cylinder the spout will be in alignment with the oit-set end 2&5 of the inlet spout. If there should be some slight misalignment the alignment can be restored by holding the inlet tube and then by forcing the inlet spout rotatably a distance sumcient to reestablish the alignment.

n slightly modified type of structure for the pump chamber is illustrated in Figure 7. there shown there is provided a pump cylinder wherein a barrel Sil is provided with a fitting 8| at the bottom to which is attached the inlet tube lf3. The iitting is provided with a recess 82 terminating in a recess 33 of smaller bore which is connected by means of a passage 84 to the inlet tube. The bottom of the recess 83 provides a valve set fora ball check 85.

In this form a coiled spring l5 is normally of an outside diameter less than the inside diameter of the upper end of the recess 82 but of greater diameter than the lower end ofthe recess. The spring l5 can therefor be forced into the recess and lower coils l5" reduced slightly in diameter to provide a friction ilt betweenthe spring and the tting 8l. It is contemplated that a similar relationship may be employed at the upper end of the spring instead of the relationship shown in Figure l at the top.

To prevent the ball check from falling out of position a lcwerrnost coil 36 of the spring is bent over the location of the ball.

In this form of the device the spring l5 is frictionally engaged in a recess not only at the top section oi said bore within 'let and an annular recess -but also at the bottom. The frictionalfengagement of the spring with the pump cylinder at the bottom and with the plunger or piston at the top connects these two parts together substantially non-rotatably so that the spout i t may be maintained in alignment with the off-set portion 26 of the inlet tube. Inasrnuch as the connection between the spring and the pump parts is not rigid the pump parts may be forcibly rotated one with respect to the other until the spout and the inlet tube are in proper alignment, should they become misaligned at any time.

It will be clear from the foregoing description that there has been provided a compact inexpensive manually operated pump which can be readily applied to and removed from containers such as narrow-necked bottles. The parts are so designed moreover that virtually all ofV the parts can becast from some one of the accepted commercial types of plastic by conventional molding methods. Once the proper relationship is established all parts will operate effectively and consistently without the necessity of holding extremely close tolerances.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in what I have conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of my invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as'to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

The invention having been herein described, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' l.. A pump comprising a pump cylinder having a bore tapered inwardly from the outer toward the inner end, an inlet to bore having a valve therein, and a piston reciprocably mounted in said inwardly tapered bore comprising a tube having an outlet at the outer end thereof a valve adjacent the outlet, saidpntcn having an annular recess in the outer surface oi iixed breadth and depth comprising a bottoni wall and side walls, and an annular pump washer in said annular recess oi resilient material having 'an internal diameter greater than the diameter rof all portions of the bottom wall of the recess,

a breadth less than the breadth of the recess at all portions of the side walls a relatively sharp annular edge greater in external diameter than the internal diameter of the largest the range of piston operation, the external surfaces of washer having a progressively varying ci contact with the bore throughout the inw tapered portion during reciproca-tion of the piston.

2. A pump cylinder having' a bore tapered inwardly from the outer toward the inner end, an inlet to said bore having a valve therein and a piston reciprocably mounted in said bore, said piston comprising a tube having an outlet at the outer end thereof, a valve adjacent the outin the outer surface of the tube of xed breadth and depth having parallel walls and a cylindrical bottom, and an annular flat faced floating pump washer of resilient material in said annular recess, said pump washer having an interior cylindrical concentric wall having a diameter greater than the diameter at the bottom of the recess, a breadth between the flat faces less than the breadth of the recess and an oblique outer face pitched to form a relatively sharp edge adjacent one dat face, the diameter of said sharp edge being greater than asuma 7 the internal diameter of the largest section of said bore within the range of piston operation.

3. A pump comprising a pump cylinder having a bore tapered inwardly from the outer toward the inner end, an inlet to said bore having a valve therein and a piston reciprocably mounted in said bore, said piston comprising a tube having one part including an outlet at the outer end thereof and a valve adjacent the outlet and another part at the end of the piston remote from the outlet, one of said parts having a recess in the outer wall and the other of said parts having a recess in the inner wall shorter in length than said recess in the outer wall, said parts having a telescoped engagement providing an open annular exterior recess of fixed breadth and depth, and an annular floating pump washer in said annular recess of resilient material having an inner diameter greater than the diameter at the bottom of less than the breadth of the open recess and a relatively sharp annular edge at the outermost perimeter of the washer greater in diameter than the internal diameter of the largest sectionv of said bore within the range of piston operation.

4. A hand actuated dispenser pump comprising a support adapted to engage the open end of a liquid container, a pump cylinder engaging said support having a bore tapered inwardly from the outer toward the inner end, an inlet to said bore having a gravity responsive check valve therein and a piston reciprccably mounted in said bore comprising a tube, a delivery spout on the tube having a discharge passage therein communicating with the bore and a gravity responsive valve between the tube and the delivery spout, said tube having an annular recess adjacent the inner end of i'lxed breadth and depth, and an annular floating pump Washer in said annular recess of resilient material having paralllel flat faces on the inner and outer sides, an internal diameter greater than the diameter of the tube at the bottom of the recess, a thickness between said faces less than the breadth of the recess and an oblique outer face on the portion only of said washer located outside the recess pitched to form a relatively sharp edge at the nat face at one side only greater in external diameter than the internal diameter of the largest section of said bore within the range of piston operation.

5. A dispenser pump for open ended containers comprising a pump cylinder, an ofi-set intake tube in communication with the cylinder and extending endwise therefrom, a piston freely rotatable with respect to and reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a transversely disposed spout on the piston, means for mounting said cylinder on the open end of the container, a retainer at the bottom of the pump cylinder comprising at least one pair of interiitting elements respectively on the retainer and the cylinder, a coiled spring frictionally engaged at one end with said retain- I er, said spring having at the other end a fricthe open recess, a breadth tional grip on the piston forming thereby a connection between the piston and the pump cylinder whereby the spout and the intake tube are maintained in alignment.

6. A hand actuated dispenser pump for open ended containers comprising a pump cylinder, an oset intake tube in communication with the cylinder and extending endwise therefrom for reaching a bottom corner of the container, a piston freely rotatable with respect to and reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a transversely disposed spout on the piston and means for mounting said cylinder on the open end o1 the container, said cylinder having a bottom piece iitted thereto, a valve retainer adjacent the bottom piece having a check valve element therein, at least one pair of interiitting slots and projections between the bottom piece and the retainer, and a coiled spring frictionally engaging the retainer and the piston forming thereby a rotation resistant connection between the piston and the pump cylinder whereby the spout and the offset intake tube are maintained in alignment.

'7. A hand actuated dispenser pump for open ended containers comprising a pump cylinder, an intake tube in communication with the cylinder and extending endwise therefrom, said tube having an offset intake end for reaching a bottom corner of the container, a piston freely rotatable with respect to and reciprocably mounted in the cylinder, a transversely extending spout fixed on the piston having a gravity responsive check valve therein and sealing means for mounting said cylinder on the open end of the container, a valve retainer at the bottom of the pump cylinder having a gravity responsive check valve element therein, interfitting slots and projections between the retainerand the cylinder, a coiled spring in frictional engagement at one end with said retainer and a tapered recess in the piston providing a Irlctional grip on the other end of the spring forming thereby a resilient connection between the piston and the pump cylinder whereby the spout and the offset end of the intake tube are maintained in mutual alignment.

"D" FLAV IUS BACHELLER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,489,172 Symons Apr. 1, 1924 2,038,778 Williams Apr. 28, 1936 2,136,263 Holmes Ncv. 8, 1938 2,208,620 Baisch July 23, 1940 2,362,080 Martin Nov. 7, 1944 2,435,527 Arpin Feb. 3, 1948 2,444,119 Thorn June 29, i948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 276,192 Great Britain Aug. 25, 1927

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