GB2083569A

GB2083569A - Manually Operated Pump

Info

Publication number: GB2083569A
Application number: GB8124203A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Aerosol Inventions and Development SA AIDSA
Current assignee: Aerosol Inventions and Development SA AIDSA
Priority date: 1980-08-12
Filing date: 1981-08-07
Publication date: 1982-03-24
Also published as: ZA815358B; FR2488659A1; AU7385581A

Abstract

A pump for dispensing liquids, for example for an ironing spray or a pharmaceutical spray, has a multidirectional delivery by arranging that the barrel 2 of the pump is rotatable in relation to a base 1 (to which it is sealed) to bring a delivery path 25 selectively into engagement with either or any of two or more delivery passages 28, 29. A handle 31 facilitates this. The pump can have main and auxiliary pistons 3 and 12, the latter only having a short travel and moving with the main piston only at the start of its stroke to open and close the delivery path. A gasket 22 against which it seats in the rest position may also form the abutment for a return spring 21. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Manually Operated Pump This invention relates to a small manually operated pump such as can be mounted on a container and used for dispensing medicaments, household products and cosmetic materials.

It is known to be able to direct the outlet of the pump in various directions without turning the container, for example by providing a pivoting outlet nozzle, outside the pump itself, or a multioutlet nozzle with provision for switching the delivery from one outlet to another.

The aim of the invention is to provide a small manually operated pump which allows delivery in different directions but which is simpler, more compact and more economical than those known hitherto.

According to the invention there is proposed a manually operated piston pump with a multidirectional delivery comprising a main piston sliding in a barrel under manually applied force against the action of a return spring, the barrel being rotatably mounted in, and sealed to, a base by which the pump can be mounted on a container, the base having two separate angularly spaced delivery passages leading in different directions and the pump barrel having a delivery path capable of being brought into alignment with either of the delivery passages at will, by rotation of the barrel relative to the base.

Preferably an auxiliary piston slides with restricted travel in an auxiliary cylinder and is coupled frictionally or with snap engagement to the main piston to move only a short distance at the start of the delivery stroke of the main piston, acting thereby to uncover the delivery path, and then at the start of the return stroke of the main piston the auxiliary piston likewise moves with it a short distance to close the delivery path, the remainder of the return stroke of the main piston forming an intake stroke.

Preferably the return spring acts between the main piston and a sealing gasket which itself engages a shoulder at the base end of the barrel and at the same time forms an abutment for the auxiliary piston in the rest position of the latter.

The above-mentioned shoulder can have a notch in it, forming part of the delivery path.

Preferably the stem of the main piston has inside it a longitudinal groove forming a passage to provide communication between the inside of that cylinder and the stem of the auxiliary piston, which is also hollow and leads from an intake passage.

The stems of the main and auxiliary piston may have co-operating snap-engagement which serves to achieve the necessary movement of the pistons together only at the beginnings of the strokes of the main piston.

One of the delivery passages preferably leads to a spraying nozzle and there can be a projecting manually operable selector handle to rotate the body of the main cylinder to give the required delivery, i.e. to this nozzle or elsewhere.

The pump according to the invention may be used to provide a spray for use in ironing, or for pharmaceutical use, and the different deliveries can be arranged to give different qualities of spray, e.g. fine or coarse droplets.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a pump constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section through it, showing it in its rest position; Figure 3 is a view the same as Figure 2, but with the main piston at the bottom of its delivery stroke; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figures 2 and 3 but with the main piston rising on its suction stroke and furthermore with the delivery selector handle turned through the 1800 to deliver in a different direction; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view from above, to a smaller scale, showing the travel of the selector handle.

The pump illustrated comprises a base 1 for mounting on a container and having on it an upstanding cylindrical main pump barrel 2 which is in snap engagement with the base but is capable of being rotated with respect to the base about a vertical axis. A main piston 3, with a reduced upper end forming a hollow stem 14, slides vertically in the barrel 2 and carries an actuating button or plunger 4.

Projecting downwards from the base 1 are two spigots 5 and 6, of which the spigot 6 is on the axis of the barrel 1 and carries a dip tube 7 forming an intake passage for the pump, while the spigot 5 is off centre and is engaged by a delivery tube 8. The spigot 6 is integral not with the base but with the barrel 2, being jointed to it by a tapered portion 9 which forms a seating for a balltype non-return inlet valve 10. Also joined to the tapered portion 9 is a cylindrical upward extension forming an auxiliary pump cylinder in which there slides an auxiliary piston 12. This piston 12 has a stem 13 which slides in the stem 14 of the main piston 3. Within that stem 14 are two vertically spaced pairs of annular ribs 15 and 16, and the outside of the stem 13 carries an external annular rib 17 which is capable of easy snap engagement with one or the other of these pairs at will.Inside the stem 14 are two longitudinally extending grooves 18 and 19 forming communicating passages between the main pump chamber in the barrel 2 below the piston 3 and the auxiliary chamber below the piston 12.

A helical coil return spring 21 urges the main piston 3 upwards towards the top of its travel, the abutment for the spring being formed by a rubber gasket 22 which rests on an annular seating 23 in the base of the cylinder. This gasket also forms a seating against which the auxiliary piston 12 engages and seals in its rest position. A radial notch 24 (there could be more than one) in the seating 23 provides communication between the space between the two pistons (when the piston 12 is away from its rest position) and an axially extending delivery passage 25 formed in the lower end of the barrel 2. This lower end has an annular rim 26 which is ribbed at 27 to make sealing engagement with the base 1 whilst allowing relative rotation.

Two separate vertical delivery passages 28 and 29 are formed in the base 1 at diametrically opposite positions. The passage 28 leads to an outlet nozzle 30 projecting downwards and outwards from the base 1 and terminating in spray atomising insert 30a. The other delivery passage 29 leads to the spigot 5 and thence to the delivery tube 8. This tube may lead elsewhere for another purpose, or it may lead back into the container on which the pump is mounted.

A selector handle 31 projects radially from the barrel 1 of the pump and can be grasped manually to turn the barrel through 1800 about its axis. For convenience the handle 31 is shown in Figures 1 to 4 displaced 900 from its true position.

The upper end of the barrel 2 is turned in at 33 to limit the upward travel of the piston 3 under the action of the spring 21. The pump can be mounted directly on the body 32 of a container, with the spigots 5 and 6 projecting into it, and external grooves 34 and 35 in the spigot 6 form vents to allow atmospheric air to enter the container to replace the liquid pumped out.

In addition to the ribbing at 27, further ribs 36 on the outside of the tapered portion 9 of the barrel 2 help to retain the barrel firmly in the base whilst allowing relative rotation. This double retention helps to reduce the risk of any distortion of the barrel and base.

The pump operates as follows: In its rest position, shown in Figure 2, the rib 17 on the stem 13 of the auxiliary piston 12 engages between the upper pair of internal ribs 16 in the stem 14 of the main piston and the spring 22, acting on the main piston 3 and, through these ribs, on the auxiliary piston as well, urges that auxiliary piston into sealing engagement with the gasket 22. Also, the ball 10 is on its seating, and so the pump is fluid-tight.

The user can first turn the selector handle, if he wishes, to bring the barrel 2 of the pump to a position in which its delivery passage 25 is aligned with the passage 28 or the passage 29, whichever he chooses. It will be noted that, in this operation, the nozzle 30 and base 1 are undisturbed.

We shall assume the pump has already been primed by several strokes and is full of liquid. If the user now depresses the button 4, the main piston 3 and the auxiliary piston 12 initially move downwards together, the auxiliary piston leaving the gasket 22 and allowing liquid from between the pistons (displaced by virtue of the difference in their areas) to be dispensed through the passages 24, 25 and either 28 or 29.

The stroke of the auxiliary piston is only very short, as it almost immediately comes up against a shoulder 38 in the auxiliary cylinder 11. It then remains in this position as the main piston 3 continues downwards, disengaging the ribs 16 from the single rib 17 on the stem 13. The main piston 3 performs its delivery stroke, continuing to dispense liquid, and then towards the end of the stroke (Figure 3) the rib 17 snaps between the lower pair of ribs 15.

When the user releases his downward force on the button 4 the spring 22 urges the pistons upwards, almost immediately causing the auxiliary piston 12 to re-engage the gasket 22 and cut off the notch 24. On continued upward movement of the main piston 3, the rib 17 snaps out of the lower pair of ribs 15. Liquid is drawn up from the dip tube 7 past the ball 10 (Figure 4). As the main piston approaches the upper end of its stroke the ribs 17 snap once again between the upper pair of ribs 16, restoring the starting conditions.

It will thus be seen that the pistons move together only at the start of the delivery stroke and the start of the suction stroke. The engagement between them could be pure friction rather than by snap-engaging ribs.

Claims

1. A manually operated piston pump with a multi-directional delivery comprising a main piston sliding in a barrel under manually applied force against the action of a return spring, the barrel being rotatably mounted in, and sealed to, a base by which the pump can be mounted on a container, the base having two separate angularly spaced delivery passages leading in difference directions and the pump barrel having a delivery path capable of being brought into alignment with either of the delivery passages at will, by rotation of the barrel relative to the base.

2. A pump according to Claim 1 in which an auxiliary piston slides with restricted travel in an auxiliary cylinder and is coupled frictionally or with snap engagement to the main piston to move only a short distance at the start of the delivery stroke of the main piston, acting thereby to uncover the delivery path, and then at the start of the return stroke of the main piston the auxiliary piston likewise moves with it a short distance to close the delivery path, the remainder of the return stroke of the main piston forming an intake stroke.

3. A pump according to Claim 2 in which the auxiliary piston, in its rest position, seats against a sealing gasket to cut off the delivery path, and this gasket also forms an abutment for the return spring.

4. A pump according to Claim 3 in which the gasket engages an annular seating at one end of the barrel and a radial notch in this seating forms part of the delivery path.

5. A pump according to any one of Claims 2 to 4 in which the said snap engagement is between formations on the inside of a hollow stem on the main piston and the outside of a stem on the auxiliary piston, projecting into the hollow stem of the main piston.

6. A pump according to Claim 5 in which the stem on the auxiliary piston is also hollow and leads from an intake passage, and there is a groove in the inside of the stem on the main piston to provide communication between the intake passage and the interior of the barrel.

7. A pump according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 including a manually engageable handle projecting from the barrel to effect rotation of the barrel relative to the base.

8. A manually operated piston pump with a multi-directional delivery, substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.