Fluid dispenser method and apparatus

A fluid dispenser including:

• a housing;
• a trigger;
• a pump actuated by motion of said trigger;
• and,
• means for pivotably engaging the trigger to the housing without piercing the trigger or housing and without flexing said housing in a direction normal to the direction in which fluid is dispensed, said means comprising:
• a spiral-shaped member on one of said housing and said trigger, and
• a peg means on the other of said housing and said trigger for pivotably engaging said spiral-shaped member whereby the dispenser may be assembled by moving said peg and said spiral-shaped member relative to one another to locate said peg in the interior space of said spiral-shaped member.

In a fluid dispenser having a housing with lateral walls, a trigger, a pump actuated by motion of the trigger, the trigger depending from between the lateral walls of the housing, a method for pivotably engaging the trigger to the housing without piercing the lateral walls of the housing or laterally spreading the walls of the housing comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a sprial-shaped member on one of the trigger and housing;
• (b) providing a laterally extending peg on the other of the trigger and housing;
• (c) positioning the peg within the spiral of the spiral-shaped member;
• and
• (d) inhibiting relative motion of the peg away from the center of the shortest radius of the spiral-shaped member to thereby prevent the member from disengaging the peg.

In a dispensing apparatus having a variable volume pump chamber for discharging fluid from the apparatus, a valve member for a pump chamber inlet check valve, said valve member being flexible and adapted to engage a valve seat in a sealing relationship, said flexible member including:

• a relatively stiff central portion adapted to engage the valve seat in a sealing relationship therewith;
• a relatively flexible intermediate portion having at least one aperture therein;
• and,
• a radially outwardly extending peripheral sealing edge for slidably contacting the interior wall of the pump chamber.

In a dispensing apparatus having a variable volume pump chamber for discharging fluid through an outlet conduit, an outlet check valve and an apertured nozzle cap, the improvement wherein the terminal end of the outlet conduit forms the valve seat for the outlet check valve, wherein the valve member of the outlet check valve includes:

• a relatively rigid central portion for sealably engaging and disengaging the valve seat responsive to pressure in said outlet conduit;
• a relatively flexible intermediate portion having at least one aperture therein;
• and,
• an O-ring peripheral portion sealably engaging the radially inner surface of a nozzle cap in a sliding relationship thereto;
• and, wherein said nozzle cap which is selectively positionable to variably limit the excursion of said valve member from the valve seat.

In a fluid dispenser having a housing, a fluid container and a pump with a trigger operated piston, a method of assembling and venting the fluid dispenser comprising the steps of:

• providing a spiral-shaped member on one of the trigger and housing;
• providing a peg on the other of the trigger and housing;
• providing an inlet conduit attached to the piston and communicating between the container and the pump, said inlet conduit defining a venting passage for the container blocked by mating surfaces on the conduit and container;
• pivotably mounting the trigger by engaging the peg within the spiral of the spiral-shaped member;
• engaging the trigger with the piston;
• and
• actuating the trigger to move the piston to thereby unblock the venting passage.