US3379381A - Atomizer pump - Google Patents

Description

April 23, 1968 R. DECAUX 3,379,381

ATOMIZER PUMP Filed Jan. e, 1966 A 2 sheets-sheen 1 hnl ATTOR N EY5 April 23, 1968 R. DECAUX ATOMIZER PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheer 1 Filed Jan.

i( c( bulbi/21ml? @1und1 www ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,379,381 ATOMIZER PUMP Raymond Decaux, Verchery Soucicu-en-Jarrest, Rhone, France Filed Jan. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 519,061

Claims priority, application France, Jan. 7, 1965,

45,473, Patent 1,430,243; July 15, 1965, 46,222,

Patent 88,512

5 Claims. (Cl. Z39- 333) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE Atomizing mechanism primarily for scent sprays, comprising a body, means mounting said body on the neck of a container, an axial `bore in said body, a valve in the base of said bore for communication with the interior of said container, a piston slidable in said bore, said piston comprising a push rod having an upper skirt, a tubular sleeve tted in said upper skirt and a lower skirt on said tubular sleeve, the external diameter of said tubular sleeve being less than the diameter of said bore to leave an annular space between said sleeve and said bore, an output valve providing communication between the interior of said sleeve and the base of said bore and an opening in the wall of said sleeve communicating between the interior of said sleeve and said annular space, an atomizing nozzle on the outside of said body, feed channels in said body communicating between said nozzle and said bore and disposed to be uncovered by said lower skirt of the piston on downward movement of the latter, and spring means urging said piston upwardly.

The present invention relates to improvements to atomizers of the kind which are normally used for perfume or to vaporize beauty products or drugs or dressings.

Atomizers of good quality tas presently known include generally .a moving cap which is pressed in an alternating movement in order to expel the vaporized liquid through a nozzle situated in this cap. This kind of apparatus presents three major disadvantages, that is to say The cap is not tixed against rotation in relation to the container so that it can turn, as can, in consequence, the vaporized jet;

The jet is subject to the same alternating movement as the cap;

In the case of an apparatus said to be spill-proof, the sealing is only assured at the level of the body of the apparatus, that is to say that all the liquid contained in the cap system remains free to run away, for example in a bag, when the atomizer is `being carried. Y

The present invention has the main purpose of avoiding these disadvantages by designing an atomizer with a pump which is effectively sealed, and of which the jet occupies a fixed position in relation to the bottle or the body of the container holding the liquid to be vaporized.

Besides this, it is designed for endowing the jet with particularly interesting characteristics of atomization and of uniformity. Finally the assembly according to the invention is very simple and may be manufactured at low cost.

According to the invention atomizing mechanism primarily for scent sprays of the kind comprising a pump which draws in and expels and which is operated by a cap or the like on which one can press with the finger, has a body adapted to be secured on the neck of a container and has an axial bore with an intake valve at its base in communication with the interior of the container, a piston being slidable in the said bore, the piston having a push Fice rod mounted on an upper skirt in which is tted a tubular sleeve smaller in diameter than the said bore and having a lower skirt, an output valve being interposed between the interior of the lower skirt and the interior of the tubular sleeve, a spring ybeing provided for the return stroke of the piston after it has been moved by pressure applied to the push rod, the interior of the tubular sleeve communicating with the lower part of the said bore by way of the output valve and also with Ian annular intermediate space surrounding the sleeve by way of an aperture in the wall of the sleeve, the lower skirt being adapted on its downward stroke to uncover lfeed channels in said body, said feed channels leading to a fixed atomizing nozzle on the side of the said body.

According to a preferred design of the invention, there is provided on the side wall of the principal bore, immediately below :the lower edge of the skirt when the piston is at rest, a side port of which the height, measured parallel to the axis of the mechanism, will be closely equal to the distance which the skirt must slide touncover the apertures feeding the nozzle. The pump is thus lassured of a very smooth action from the beginning of the movement of the piston.

Finally, in all cases, it is to be noticed that the re-entry of air in the container is made through .the atomizing jet itself, at the end of the depression of the piston. Therefore, there will be a re-intake which eliminates yany droplet of liquid which might have tended to trickle to the outside.

It may be understood that a mechanism according to the invention ensures sealing in close proximity to the nozzle, which reduces practically -to zero the quantity of liquid which is liable to leak towards the exterior when the atomizer is inverted during transport-ation. It is to be noticed, finally, that this sealing is ensured by the pis-ton itself, without having recourse to special sealing devices: there results from this ya great simplicity of construction, and low cost in production.

One particular construction of an atomizer according to the invention, together with modilications, will now be described by way of examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is ra sectional view of an atomizer according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a sect-ion -along the line II-II of FIG- URE l, but drawn to a larger scale,

FIGURE 3 is a section along the line IIL-III of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but illustrating a modification,

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the atomizer in use, and

-FIGURE 6 is a section along the line VI-VI of FIG- URE 4.

Referring to the drawings, the atomizer includes a xed body 1, which is attached by any known method onto the neck of a ask or reservoir 2. The assembly may be carried out for example, as shown, by means of a threaded cap 3 which is screwed onto the ask.

The body 1 includes throughout its height an axial bore 4, of which the lower extremity ends at a non-return valve 5, communicating with the upper end of an intake tube 6 which extends downwardly in the conventional rnanner into the liquid 7 to be vaporized. The valve 5 may comprise a ball which falls onto its seating by gravity. Without going beyond the sco-pe of the invention, this valve 5 could obviously be replaced by any other known system, and in particular by providing above the ball a special return spring.

Inside the bore 4, a coil compression spring 8 is mounted so as to bear on a base shoulder 9.

The upper end of the spring 8 is fitted within the skirt 10 of a piston A the upper end of which is engaged by a cap 11 for displacing the piston A against the action of the spring 8, for example, 'by pressing the cap with the finger. This piston A includes a central tubular sleeve 12, of which the exterior diameter is less than the diameter of the bore 4, and which attaches the lower skirt 10 to a push rod 13 fixed to the cap 11. The lower skirt 10 does not make a tight fit within the body 1, permitting a minior flow of uid suicient to prevent a hydraulic block. This push rod 13 ends in a skirt 14 sealing around its circumference which encloses the upper part of the tubular sleeve 12. This skirt 14 may be identical with the skirt 10, and both are preferably made of plastic or of any other material sufficiently elastic to give them a radial pressure against the internal wall of the bore 4.

The bottom of the sleeve 12 communicates with the interior space of the skirt 10, by means of a ball valve 15, which constitutes the output valve of the pump thus created. As in the case of the intake valve 5, the valve 15 may be of any known type, and in particular may possibly include a special return spring.

The side wall of the body 1 of the atomizer is pierced by one or several fine radial perforations 16, which open into a vaporizing nozzle B which is shown in detail in FIGURES 2 and 3. These perforations 16 open into the interior of the bore 4 at a level such that they are uncovered by the sealing skirt 10 when the piston A has already been displaced towards the base a certain distance, so as to meet the spring 8.

The nozzle B is preferably made -up of a at circular face 17, machined on the side of the body 1, and surrounded by a cylindrical groove 18, which allows it to be capped by a capsule 19 which is pressed on.

Following one method of manufacture preferred by the invention, the bottom of this capsule 19 is perforated in its centre 'by a jet 20 which opens towards the interior by a conical chamfer. This jet 20 faces a circular hollow 21 provided in the centre of the flat face 17. The perforations 16 open on the fiat face 17 at two points diametrically opposed on each side of the hollow 21. The communication between this latter and each perforation 16 is assured by means of a channel 22 :formed by engraving on the face 17. The two channels 22 are symmetrical with regard to the centre of the hollow 21. and each one of them is made following a curved prole which permits it to open substantially tangentially into the said hollow 21.

In addition, there is pierced in the body 1 an opening 23 which puts the bore 4 in communication with the interior face of the container 2. This opening 23 breaks into the side of the bore 4 at a level such that it will be blocked by the skirt 10 when the atomizer is in the state of rest (FIGURE l), and is uncovered by this same skirt 10 when the cap 11 is depressed to the maximum.

Finally, a lateral perforation 26 puts the interior of the sleeve 12 in communication with the intermediate annular space which surrounds it in the bore 4. This perforation 26 opens below skirt 14.

To limit the stroke of the piston A towards the top under the pressure of the return spring 8, there `is provided at the top of the body 1 a flange 24 below which au internal annular nib 25 formed in the cap 11 engages. 'Evidently, the flange 24 and the nib 25 may be replaced by an other known means of check or stop, for example, by a transverse pin, or similar device.

The working is as follows:

When the cap 11 is pressed downwards, in the direction of the arrow 28, the liquid held in the bore 4 between the two valves 5 and 15 is compressed by the depression of the skirt 10. This compression holds the valve 5 on its seating at the same time as it lifts the ball valve 15 and part of the liquid is transferred to the upper chamber shown inside the tubular sleeve 12.

When the piston A follows its downward movement, the, skirt 10 uncovers the perforations 16 and the liquid is expelled from the tubular sleeve 12, passing successively through the aperture 26 and the surrounding intermediated annular space to arrive finally at the atomizing nozzle B. At this moment, the `liquid having passed through the perforations 16, goes through the channels 22, the tangential direction of which gives it a swirling movement in the hollow 21.,'I`he liquid is therefore atomized and nely divided on passing through` the jet 20, while the swirling movement which has been given to it ensures that the spray 27 'has a good homogeneous distribution during 4all the movement of depression of the piston A.

When the piston A arrives at the end of its travel, the skirt 10 likewise uncovers the aperture 23 which thus communicates directly with the perforations 16 `and allows the surrounding air to penetrate to the interior of the container 2, to compensate for the volume of the liquid atomized. This entry of air is made by intake through the nozzle B, which eliminates all trace of weeping which there might be a tendency to produce.

When pressure on the cap 11 ceases, it returns toits initial position under the influence of the return spring 8.

It will be understood that such an atomizer according to the invention presents the advantage that there is a nozzle B fixed to the container 2, that is to say that it remains motionless relatively to the container, as does the spray 27, while the cap 11 `is operated. In addition, sealing being ensured by the skirt 10 lwhich blocks the perforations 16 immediately in front of the nozzle B, the atomizer may be carried, for example in a ladys bag, without risk of inadvertent leakage of the liquid. Finally, this mechanism lends itself to the design of novelties such as, for example, atomizers having the form of a fountain-pen, or other similar articles.

AIt may be seen moreover that the body 1, and in consequence the spray 27, may be positioned at will in relation to the container 2 before the cap 3 is fixed, which is of special advantage when the form of the said container 2 is not round, particularly if it is attened.

Experience has shown that, in certain cases, the excellent sealing of the skirt 10 of the piston A within its bore 4 led to difficulties in using the mechanism to start atomization. In fact, when the cap 11 is pressed, the valve 5 closes so well that a given volume of liquid is trapped above it. Pressure on the cap 11 tends to comprcss this liquid which can escape only when the skirt 10 has slid downwards suiciently to uncover the feed-perforations 16 of the nozzle B. This preliminary sliding being in practice of the order of several millimeters, the initial depression of the cap 11 is made difficult if the skirt10 has a complete seal within its bore 4. The modification shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 allows this disadvantage to be remedied.

In FIGURES 4 and 5, the body 1 includes a lateral port 30 formed through the wall of the bore 4 within which the skirt 10 of the piston A slides. The upper edge of this port 30 is level with the lower edge of the skirt 10 when the assembly is in the rest position (FIGURE 4). The height 31 (FIG. 5) of the port 30, measured in an axialy direction, is closely equal to the distance 32 (FIG. 4) which separates the upper edge of the skirt 10 and the perforatious 16 provided to feed the nozzle B, at the level where they open into the bore 4. In the example shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, it has been supposed that the perforations 16 were inclined downwards, for example in order to reduce the height of the atomizer. It is perfectly obvious that the port 30 could be calculated in the same way if the perforations 16 were arranged horizontally as illustrated in FIGURE 1.

The working is as follows:

When the cap 11 begins to be depressed in the direction indicated by the arrow 28 (FIGURE 4) the skirt 10 slides, making a seal, within theibore 4, keeping the perforations 16 blocked. This lowering of the piston A causes a decrease in the volume available for the liquid above the ball-valve S, so that part of the perfume is forced out of the bore 4 through the port 30, and falls back into the container 2, as shown by the arrow 33.

When the skirt has been depressed enough for its upper edge to uncover the perforations 16, the port 30 is simultaneously blocked. Continued pressure on cap 11 therefore causes atomization of the perfume through the nozzle B, which throws out a spray 27 in the way previously described.

As soon as the cap 11 is released, the piston A rises again under the return action of the spring 8. This piston starts by taking in liquid through the valve 5 Which lifts, and this intake continues until the skirt 10 uncovers the port 30 in the course of its rise. Meanwhile, a new charge of perfume has been transferred above the valve 5. It will also be seen that the port 30 may be arranged so as to open above the upper edge of the skirt 10 when this latter is fully depressed (FIGURE 5 which puts the perforations 16 directly in communication with the interior of the ask 2 and allows the air-entry opening 23 shown in FIGURE l to be omitted. In all cases, the entry of air is made through the nozzle B.

Finally, in order to yfacilitate the mounting of the mechanism on the threaded neck of the flask 2, there is provided on the body 1 a radial lug 34 which is intended to fit a correspondingly profiled recess or seating provided in the open top of the cap 3 (FIGURE 6). This latter is thus fixed angularly to the body 1 which may be used to screw it on or off.

It must in addition be understood that the preceding description is given only by way of example and that it in no way limits the scope of the invention which will not be exceeded by replacing details described by any equivalents.

In particular, the scope of the invention will not be exceeded by modifying the shape and/ or the exterior appearance of the cap 11, or by furnishing it with any type of exterior decoration.

I claim:

1. Atomizing mechanism primarly for scent sprays, comprising a body, means mounting said body on the neck of a container, an axial bore in said body, a valve in the base of said bore for communication with the interior of said container, a piston slidable in said bore, said piston comprising a push rod having an upper skirt, a tubular sleeve fitted in said upper skirt and a lower skirt on said tubular sleeve, the external diameter of said tubular sleeve being less than the diameter of said bore to leave an annular space between said sleeve and said bore, an output valve providing communication between the interior of said sleeve and the base of said bore and an opening in the wall of said sleeve communicating between the interior of said sleeve and said annular space, an atomizing nozzle on the outside of said body, feed channels in said body communicating between said nozzle and said bore and disposed to be uncovered by said lower skirt of the piston on downward movement of the latter, and spring means urging said piston upwardly.

2. Atomizing mechanism as defined in claim 1, comprising a lateral opening in said body and communicating between said bore and the interior of said container and disposed to be uncovered by the lower skirt of said piston when the latter is displaced downwardly, the inner ends of said feed channels of the nozzle and also said lateral opening being disposed between the upper and lower- Skirts when said piston is in its downward position.

3. Atomizing mechanism as dened in claim 2, in which the height of the said lateral opening measured parallel with the axis of the mechanism is substantially equal to the distance through which the lower skirt must slide in the downward direction to uncover the feed channels of the nozzle.

4. Atomizing mechanism as defined in claim 1, in which said lower skirt of the piston completely seals said feed channels of the nozzle in close proximity to the latter when the atomizer is at rest with said double skirt in its upper position.

5. Atomizing mechanism as defined in claim 1, comprising a screwed cap retaining said body on the neck of the container a radial projection on said body and a recess in said cap, said radial projection engaging in said recess.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,161,329 12/1964 Fedit et al. 222-321 EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

Images