US2908446A - Spray tube - Google Patents

Description

A. F. STROUSE Oct. 13, 1959 SPRAY TIJBE Filed May 18, 1956 INVENTORY 11 49 Zrouse ATTORNEYS United States Patent SPRAY TUBE Arthur F. Strouse, No'rristown, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Strouse, Inc.', Norristown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 18, 1956, Serial 'No. 585,740

1 Claim. (Cl. 239-573) The present invention relates to a spray tube or stem, and more particularly to such a device which is adapted for use in connection with pressurized dispensing containers of all types. Such containers are now commonly used in spraying or dispensing aerosols and various chemicals and compounds.

The pressurized containers with which the invention is associated are commonly provided 'With an ejection orifice through which the contents of the can are expelled upon opening of a spring biased valve. My invention comprises a spray stem or tube formed of rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible materials including metals and plastics. The tube is insertable into the ejection orifice of the container and due to the bore of the tube being less than the diameter of the orifice the ejected materials are atomized eliminating dripping and condensation. The length of the tube or stem, these terms being used herein interchangeably, should be sufiicient to be substantially of the length to give the desired distance of travel of the ejected material beyond the regular orifice. The stem may be bent to direct the spray in a desired direction so as to direct the flow of ejected material to a desired place.

Another feature of the invention is that the ends of the tube inserted into the orifice is chamfered to permit the easy insertion of the tube and to prevent the tube from sealing against the internal walls of the orifice carrying member.

The pressurized container is provided with a valve cap or button that is depressed by finger pressure to open the valve. The ejection orifice above mentioned extends laterally through the side wall of the cap or button. The cap or button is formed of a plastic material such as for example polyethylene Which has a certain amount of give or resilience so that when the tube is inserted it will be gripped and firmly held, yet be easily removable.

The tube or stem is provided as an adjunct to the container and the user, to adapt the structure for spray action, need only insert the tube in the orifice in the button. Should the stem or tube become clogged it is easily cleaned by blowing through it is a reverse direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure of the class described above which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple to use, and completely effective in action.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification when considered in the light of the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the invention shown attached to a pressurized container.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the invention shown removed from the pressurized container.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical crosssection taken along the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a transverse cross-section taken along the line 44 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally a pressurized container of the type normally holding compounds sprayed therefrom under pressure of aerosol gas or the like.

The container 10 has a tubular valve stem 11 projecting upwardly from the top12 thereof and is adapted upon downward pressure to actuate a valve (not shown) mounted withinthe pressure container 10 and dispense fluid upwardlythrough' the bore 13 in the stem 11. A cylindrical cap 14 is provided with a bore 15 extending inzwardly from one end thereof which is adapted to engage over the tubular stem 11, as is shown in Figure 3.

A bore 16 extends inwardly of the cap 14 in communication and axially aligned with the bore 15. The bore 16 is somewhat smaller than the bore 15 providing a shoulder 17 at their juncture. The shoulder 17 is adapted to engage the upper terminal end 18 of the tubular stem 11 to permit the cap 14, when moving downwardly on the stem 11, to engage the top 18 of the stem 11 so as to depress the stem 11 to actuate the aforementioned valve. The cap 14 is provided with a transversely extending bore 19 which communicates with the bore 16 and extends completely through the cap 14. The bore 19 in the conventional use of the pressure can 10 provides an ejection orifice through which the material flowing through the bore 13 is dispensed to the atmosphere.

A tubular stem 20 is provided with a relatively elongated central portion and an outer end portion 21 offset at an angle to the central portion. The inner end of the stem 20 is chamfered at an angle of approximately 45 as at 22. A bore 23 extends completely through the tubular stem 20 from the chamfered end 22 to the offset end 21 providing a passage therethrough for fluid.

The chamfered end 22 of the stem 20 is inserted through the bore 19 of the cap 14 so that the inner end of the stem 20 engages the wall of the bore 16 opposite to the bore 19. By chamfering the end 22, the bore 23 is maintained out of sealing contact with the walls of the bore 16 so that fluid can flow readily from the bore 16 through the bore 23.

The use of the stem 20 with the cap 14 in no way detracts from the use of the cap 14 in its conventional fashion so that the stem 20 can be used in such instances and under such conditions as would make it desirable, such as spraying material from the pressure container 10 into otherwise inaccessible places.

The present invention is of extreme importance and of special significance in respect to the dispensing of products from pressurized containers, particularly the kind which are now sold which usually contain from about four to six ounces. It should be understood of course that the invention is adaptable to pressurized containers ranging from 10 cc. to 6 pounds in capacity and that the bore 23 will be increased in diameter for the larger containers. It is of prime importance in the use of these containers to keep them so far as possible in an upright position or in a position where the gas is always behind the product or is blocked ofi from escape by itself as otherwise the gas escapes and leaves a quantity of the product still in the can, which obviously is wasteful. With my invention the contents can be dispensed in any desired direction while keeping the can in such position that the gas stays behind the product and does not escape and leave the product behind in the can.

In some applications of the invention, the discharge end of the stem 20 is tapered slightly to facilitate its use. A modification of thechamfered end 22 can be utilized when desirable by drilling radially extending bores adjacent the inner end of the stem 20 which communicates with the bore 23.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

g A dispenser comprising a pressurized container, a combined dispensing valve control and hollow discharge stem extending into said container, a valve operating cap mounted on said container and said discharge stem, a spray stem for said operating cap comprising an elongated tubular body portion, a chamfered inner end formed on one end of said body portion, and an angularly ofiset tubular end portion formed on the other end 01E said body portion, said cap having a vertically extending central bore projecting inwardly thereof from the lower end thereof and having an ejection orifice extending through a side Wall thereof in communication with said bore with said stem extending through said ejection orifice and the terminal end of said chamfered end portion engaging the side wall of said bore at a point diametrically opposed to said orifice.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lindsey Jan. 9, 1951 2,693,184 Lockhart Nov. 2, 1954 2,715,481 McGhie Aug. 16, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 776,666 France Nov. 8, 1934

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