US 4,162,746 AGranted

Liquid dispenser locking means

AssigneeDiamond International Corporation

InventorsWalter F. Anderson, Ronald A. Meyer

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Abstract

A liquid dispenser has relatively rotatable closure, sleeve and plunger members, the latter two being locked against reciprocation of the plunger member by a misalignment between ribs and grooves therebetween. One of the grooves has a pair of upstanding pegs on opposite sides so as to not only avoid inadvertent alignment when the ribs and grooves are in a misaligned position, but to also permit the plunger and sleeve members to rotate together as the rib abuts against one or the other of the pegs when in a misaligned position. A spacer element surrounding the plunger rod maintains the inlet valve in a closed position despite a slight separation between the plunger and sleeve members when rotated to the misaligned position. Also, the closure member is adapted to be removed only with difficulty from the container on which it is affixed.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A liquid dispenser, comprising, a container closure member, a locking member mounted on said closure member for rotation about a central axis thereof, a plunger member disposed for reciprocating movement between a lowered position and a spring-biased raised position, said plunger member being rotatable about said central axis and extending through axial openings in said closure and said locking members, said locking member including an annular abutment surrounding said plunger member and extending radially thereof, said plunger member including at least one radially extending rib having a first radial extent and an end surface engageable with said annular abutment for maintaining said plunger member in said raised position, said annular abutment having at least one groove for the reception of said rib upon relative rotation of said locking member and said plunger member thereby permitting said plunger member to be reciprocated to said lowered position, said abutment having a pair of pegs adjacent opposite sides of said groove and another peg spaced from said groove, said pegs extending toward said plunger member with at least portions thereof lying at radial distances from said axis less than said first radial extent of said rib whereby, when said plunger member is locked in said raised position, said plunger member and said locking member are rotatable together in one direction and another as said rib respectively abuts one of said pair of pegs and said another peg, said pair of pegs preventing inadvertent alignment between said rib and said groove so that said plunger member remains in said locked position until said rib is forced past one of said pair of pegs into alignment with said groove upon relative rotation of said plunger member and said locking member.

A liquid dispenser, comprising, a container closure member, a sleeve member rotatable relative to said closure member about a central axis, a plunger member rotatable about said axis relative to both said sleeve member and to said closure member, said plunger member having a plunger rod extending through axial openings in said closure and said sleeve members, said sleeve member having a transverse wall surrounding said rod and having at least one groove on said wall for the reception of at least one rib provided on said rod, a pair of pegs on said wall extending toward said plunger member on opposite sides of said groove and lying in the path of rotational movement of said one rib, said plunger and sleeve members being relatively rotatable into positions of alignment and misalignment between said rib and said groove while said plunger member is in a raised position, said position of alignment permitting said plunger member to be axially reciprocated and said position of misalignment causing said plunger member to be locked in its raised position as an end surface of said rib abuts against said wall, rotation between said positions causing said plunger member to be elevated from its raised position an extent equal to that of said pegs as said end surface is forced past one of said pegs, said rib abutting against said pegs in said position of misalignment whereby said plunger and sleeve members are caused to rotate together while said plunger member is locked, and said pegs prevent inadvertent realignment between said rib and said groove while in said position of misalignment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.