Fluid container with dosage assembly
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorStten Vesborg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid container (1) with a dosage assembly (3) for delivering a metered amount of fluid through an outlet opening (32) when the container is turned 180.degree.. The dosage assembly (3) includes a plunger (20) which is movable between positions which respectively open and block the outlet opening. A timer chamber (15) which includes an aperture (16) communicates with a passageway between the outlet opening (32) and the container through a feed opening 18. Metered amounts of fluid are dosed through the assembly by gravity movement of the plunger which controls fluid discharge.
Claims20
A dosage-metering assembly for a fluid container, which has a neck with an opening through which fluid is dispensed when the container is inverted, comprising:
- a stopper member which is mounted on the neck of the container in alignment with a central axis of the neck opening for the dispensing of fluid and which has an outlet portion concentric with the central axis provided with an outlet passage therethrough for the outflow of fluid from the container, and a dosage-metering portion formed with an annular wall concentric with the central axis and extending in the neck of the container;
- a plunger disposed concentrically with the central axis and with said annular wall of said stopper member and being slidably movable under gravity along the central axis from a start position to an end position when the container is inverted, said plunger having a timer flange which extends radially to said annular wall and is in slidable sealing engagement therewith so as to sweep through a predetermined volume defined from the start position to the end position of said plunger, said predetermined volume swept by said timer flange of said plunger constituting a timer chamber which communicates by fluid flow into said outlet passage of said stopper member;
- a feed opening positioned near the start position of said plunger communicating into said timer chamber through which fluid in the container feeds into said timer chamber and into said outlet passage of said stopper member when the container is inverted, said feed opening being cut off by said timer flange of said plunger moving past said feed opening a predetermined time after the container is inverted, said timer flange thereby cutting off further flow of fluid from said feed opening into said timer chamber after said predetermined time from the start position, and said timer chamber thereby being emptied of fluid when the plunger reaches the end position in order to allow quick return of the plunger to the start position when the container is returned to its upright position.
A dosage-metering assembly for a fluid container, which has a neck with an opening through which fluid is dispensed when the container is inverted, comprising:
- a stopper member which is mounted on the neck of the container in alignment with a central axis of the neck opening for the dispensing of fluid, said member including an outlet passage therethrough for the outflow of fluid from the container, and a lower cylindrical part which is concentric with the central axis and extends into the neck of the container, said cylindrical part including an inwardly disposed conical part;
- an upper cup-shaped part which encloses a timer chamber, said upper part being disposed in suprajacent relation and connected to said conical part, said upper part having a lower wall and a cylindrical wall depending from said lower wall and terminating in a downwardly oriented open end, said lower wall including a central timer aperture, said cup-shaped part defining a feed opening at a terminal end of said cylindrical wall;
- and
- a plunger which is slidably movable under gravity along the central axis from a start position which is offset axially from said upper part to an end position within said upper part when the container is inverted, said plunger including a radial outwardly facing flange which is disposed in slidable contact with said cylindrical part and spaced therefrom to define an inlet opening, said flange being movable from said start position in which said inlet opening communicates with said timer chamber via said feed opening and with said outlet passageway, and said end position in which said flange obstructs fluid flow through said feed opening and outlet passageway;
- so that when the container is titled fluid flows through said timer aperture and outlet passageway to dispense fluid from the container, said plunger evacuating said timer chamber by sliding therein to said end position, said plunger thereafter returning to said start position when the container is returned to its upright position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.