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US 12,330,175 B2Granted
Paint dispensing method and apparatus
AssigneeSwumc LLC
InventorJames J. Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid dispensing apparatus may be used to dispense a fluid from a container that is under pressure and that has a pierceable membrane. The fluid dispensing apparatus may include a valve body having a bore, an adaptor having a bore and a piercing member, and a nozzle having a bore. The fluid dispensing apparatus may be operable to pierce the pierceable membrane to communicate the fluid within the container with the adaptor bore and with the valve body bore. The nozzle may be operable to permit the fluid to flow under the pressure out of the container, through the adaptor bore, through the valve body bore and through the nozzle bore to ambient.
Claims35
An apparatus, comprising:
- a container cap comprising a membrane that seals a combination that comprises a propellant combined with a fluid within an interior space of a housing, the propellant combined with the fluid within the interior space is at an elevated pressure relative to an ambient pressure outside of the housing;
- a reusable dispensing apparatus that comprises a piercing member that pierces the membrane when the reusable dispensing apparatus is installed on the housing to establish fluid communication between the interior space and the reusable dispensing apparatus, the container cap being installed on the housing to enclose the interior space containing the combination of the propellant and the fluid under pressure, and wherein the interior space enclosed by the container cap is devoid of a valve that controls emission of the fluid from the interior space;
- and
- a threaded fastener comprising threading that engages a compatible fastener provided to the reusable dispensing apparatus to releasably couple the reusable dispensing apparatus to the container cap and establish a seal that interferes with an escape of the propellant between the container cap and the reusable dispensing apparatus after the membrane has been pierced.
1 more element
A method of producing a fluid container, the method comprising:
- introducing a fluid into an interior space defined at least in part by a housing of the fluid container through an aperture defined by a rim of the housing;
- positioning a container cap adjacent to the aperture;
- placing a containment device adjacent to the aperture to form an enclosure in which a pressure above atmospheric pressure can be maintained;
- while the aperture is arranged within the enclosure, introducing a quantity of a propellant into the interior space through the aperture to establish a pressure within the interior space suitable to propel the fluid from the interior space;
- and
- installing the container cap on the housing within the enclosure after said introducing the propellant to close the aperture and seal the interior space for containing a combination comprising the fluid and the propellant.
3 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a housing forming an interior space and comprising a rim defining an aperture leading into the interior space;
- a combination comprising a propellant combined with a fluid contained within the interior space at an elevated pressure relative to an ambient pressure of the external to the housing;
- a container cap closing the aperture leading into the interior space, the container cap comprising:
- a membrane that seals the propellant combined with the fluid at the elevated pressure within the interior space, wherein the membrane is pierced by a portion of a reusable dispensing apparatus when the reusable dispensing apparatus is installed on the housing to establish fluid communication between the interior space and the reusable dispensing apparatus, and an annular channel extending about a periphery of the container cap receiving the rim of the housing, wherein the rim of the housing is deformed from a state in which the rim was initially received in the annular channel to establish a friction fit between annular channel and the rim to form the seal that interferes with an escape of the propellant between the container cap and the housing and maintains the elevated pressure within the interior space;
- and
- a threaded fastener comprising threading that engages a compatible fastener provided to the reusable dispensing apparatus to releasably couple the reusable dispensing apparatus to the container cap, and compress a gasket provided to the reusable dispensing apparatus against the container cap to interfere with an escape of the propellant between the container cap and the reusable dispensing apparatus.
3 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a fluid dispensing apparatus configured to be releasably coupled to a fluid container that lacks an internal valve and stores a combination of a fluid and a propellant, the fluid dispensing apparatus comprising:
- a valve to be supported externally of the fluid container and adjusted to control expulsion of the fluid from the fluid container;
- a nozzle in fluid communication with the valve, said nozzle being manually adjustable to open the valve and direct fluid expelled from the fluid container that passes through the valve toward a target surface;
- a piercing member that defines an interior passage and is positioned to puncture a membrane enclosing the fluid container to establish fluid communication between the fluid container and the valve;
- a gasket arranged adjacent to the piercing member to be compressed between a portion of the fluid dispensing apparatus and a portion of the fluid container to interfere with the escape of propellant between the fluid dispensing apparatus and the fluid container after the membrane is punctured;
- and
- a releasable fastener that engages a compatible connector provided to the fluid container to couple the fluid dispensing apparatus to the fluid container and cause the piercing member to puncture the membrane substantially simultaneously with compression of the gasket.
4 more elements
A container cap for sealing an interior space of a container storing a combination of a fluid and a propellant, the container cap comprising:
- a base;
- a cylindrical connection element projecting upwardly from the base, the connection element comprising threading provided along a surface that is parallel with a longitudinal axis of the connection element;
- a membrane enclosing a distal region of the connection element;
- and
- a laminate coating applied to at least a portion of the surfaces forming an underside of the container cap.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.