Abstract:
An exemplary reusable mist sprayer according to the present invention includes a container with an opening which has double walls that is vacuum sealed between the walls to provide insulation from the atmosphere. The exemplary sprayer also includes a plunger to pump atmospheric air into the container. The plunger respectively has a hole and hollow opening at the opposing ends, the hole provides a path for atmospheric air to enter the interior space of the plunger. Enclosing the opening of the container is a removable dispenser mechanism having a protruding end adapted to receive the hollow opening of the plunger, and a flange adapted to removably seal the opening of the container. A one-way valve is associated with the protruding end, which only opens to allow the air within the interior space of the plunger to enter the container as the plunger is being pressed relative to the protruding end. A plug is associated with the hole such that the plug engages with the hole as the plunger is being pressed relative to the protruding end, and the plug disengages with the hole as the plunger is being pulled relative to the protruding end. As such, air within the plunger is trapped to be injected into the container through the one-way valve when the plunger is pressed relative to the protruding end, but when the plunger is pulled relative to the protruding end the hole is open to relieve the vacuum within the interior space of the plunger to make it easier for a user to pull the plunger.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     This invention relates generally to a sprayer and, more particularly, to an improved refillable mist sprayer. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Mist sprayers generally known as “user pressurized dispensers” are used for spraying liquids in atomized form, i.e., in a mist form. Such sprayers are designed to store and spray liquids that stay in the liquid form over a wide range of temperatures, i.e., not changing its form from liquid to solid, such as water, perfume, deodorants, oil, and vinegar. However, these sprayers are not well adapted for use with liquids that are sensitive to temperature changes. That is, sprayers presently know as “user pressurized dispensers” are not well adapted for use with melted butter for example, because these sprayers are not well insulated. Consequently, after a short period of time the melted butter would cool and solidify. Obviously, the solidified butter cannot be sprayed out of the sprayer. As such, the unused butter within the sprayer has to be either reheated or cleaned out of the sprayer. 
     However, with today&#39;s health conscious public, a sprayer that is well adapted to spraying even melted butter over a long period of time would be advantageous for low fat cooking. That is, by precisely controlling the amount of butter being applied during cooking or over their food, people can enjoy the taste of butter without consuming a lot of fat. For example, by evenly spraying melted butter over a bag of popcorn, people can enjoy the rich taste of butter without using a lot of butter. 
     Yet another shortfall with today&#39;s mist sprayers is their construction. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,442, issued to Olofsson, discloses common features in these sprayers. That is, a container with a head provided with a manually operable valve mechanism and a nozzle in communication with the valve mechanism and arranged upon opening of the valve mechanism, to discharge the liquid contained in the container under excess pressure in the form of a spray. A cap is also provided for enclosing the head of the container, and when the cap is forced down, the air inside the cap is pressed and pressure increases, which opens a passage and allows the excess pressure to propagate down into the container. Upon elimination of such excess pressure, the passage again closes. One of the draw backs with the above construction is that as the air propagates into the container, a vacuum is formed inside the cap, and as the cap is withdrawn the vacuum resists the pulling force on the cap. Therefore, cumbersome pumping forces have to be applied to the cap to pump air into the container. 
     Thus, there still is a need for a mist sprayer that insulates the liquid stored in the sprayer, and makes it easier for a user to pump air into the container. 
     OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a reusable mist sprayer that can substantially maintain initial temperature of the liquid that has been poured into the sprayer container. Yet another objective is to make the sprayer user friendly by making it easier to pump atmospheric air into the container. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, these and other objectives are accomplished by providing a container having an interior well and an exterior case with a substantially vacuum sealed gap therebetween with an opening; a cap with an interior surface; a plug extending from the interior surface of the cap; a plunger movably coupled to the interior surface of the cap, the plunger having a hole aligned with the plug and a hollow opening at the opposing end of the hole, wherein the hole provides a path for atmospheric air to enter the interior space of the plunger; a removable dispenser mechanism having a protruding end adapted to receive the hollow opening of the plunger, and a flange adapted to removably seal the opening of the container; wherein the plug engages with the hole of the plunger as the cap is being pressed relative to the container, and the plug disengages with the hole as the cap is being pulled relative to the container; a one-way valve associated with the protruding end, wherein the one-way valve only opens to allow the air within the interior space of the plunger to enter the container as the plunger is being pressed relative to the container; a throat movably coupled through the protruding end of the dispenser mechanism between a first and second positions, the throat having a port to allow a combination of air and liquid within the container to flow through the port, wherein the port is closed in the first position and the port is open in the second position; a bias member coupled to the throat, wherein the bias member is predisposed to place the throat in the first position; and a nozzle coupled to the throat, wherein upon application of downward force on the nozzle the throat moves into the second position to allow the combination of air and liquid within the container to flow through the port and flow through the nozzle. 
     With today&#39;s health conscious society, there are numerous applications for the exemplary sprayer. For example, the sprayer may be used for spraying melted butter for low fat cooking. That is, by precisely controlling the amount of butter being applied during cooking or over their food, people can enjoy the taste of butter without consuming a lot of fat. By evenly spraying melted butter over a container of popcorn, people can enjoy the rich taste of butter while using a minimal amount of butter. Moreover, the melted butter inside the container remains melted for a longer period of time. This way, a user can spray the melted butter for longer period of times. Yet another application for the sprayer is to spray a mist of cold water on hot summer days. For example, a golfer can put cold water into the sprayer and the sprayer will keep the cold water cool for a longer period of time so that a user can have a refreshing cool mist spray later in the day. 
     The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 1 a  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary sprayer with a cap being pulled; 
     FIG. 1 b  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a circular area  1   b  in FIG. 1 a , showing an exemplary air path for outside air to enter the interior of a cap; 
     FIG. 2 a  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary sprayer with a cap being pressed; 
     FIG. 2 b  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a circular area  2   b  in FIG. 2 a , showing an exemplary air path being closed to trap air inside a cap as the cap is being pressed; 
     FIG. 2 c  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a circular area  2   c  in FIG. 2 a , showing a valve being opened to allow the air inside a cap to propagate down into the container; 
     FIG. 3 a  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary sprayer with a valve closed to trap the air within a container; 
     FIG. 3 b  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a circular area  3   b  in FIG. 3 a , showing a valve in a closed position; 
     FIG. 4 a  is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary sprayer with a nozzle in a pressed position releasing a mist of liquid; 
     FIG. 4 b  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a circular area  4   b  in FIG. 4 a , showing a valve in an open position as the nozzle is pressed; and 
     FIG. 4 c  is a cross-sectional view along A—A in FIG. 4 b , showing exemplary inlet paths for liquid and air. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Disclosed herein is a detailed description of a best presently known modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention. The section titles and overall organization of the present detailed description are for the purpose of convenience only and are not intended to limit the present invention. 
     As illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 1 a  and  1   b , an exemplary sprayer  10  is shown with its respective elements in a first position, as discussed below. The sprayer  10  includes a cap  12  which is associated with a container  100  so that the cap  12  may be pressed and depressed relative to the container  100 . The cap  12  preferably has an interior shell  14  enclosed by an exterior shell  16 . Protruding from the interior shell  14  is a bore  18  having an interior side  20  and exterior side  22 , with a notch  24  within the interior side  20  of the bore  18 . Preferably, as most clearly shown in FIG. 1 b , an air path  26  is formed to allow air to freely flow between the exterior side  22  and the interior side  20  of the bore  18 , as indicated by way of example in the dotted-arrow line . Preferably, the air path  26  is formed by at least one opening, such as a circular opening  27 , on the interior shell  14 , with a circumference of the opening extending past the interior and exterior sides  20 ,  22 , respectively. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 a , a gap  36  may be formed between the interior and exterior shells  14 ,  16 , respectively, near the upper region of the cap  12  so that air may freely flow between a second opening  26 ′ on the interior shell  14 , if the second opening is provided. 
     Within the interior side  20  is a plug  28  on the surface of the interior shell  14 . Preferably, the bore  18  is releasably coupled to a plunger  30  via an elongated recess  32  which engages with the notch  24  of the bore  18  to provide relative axial movement between the plunger  30  and bore  18 . Still further, the plunger  30  has an opening  34  axially aligned with the plug  28 . The opening  34  allows the atmospheric air to freely enter the plunger space  38  within the plunger  30 . As such, FIGS. 1 a  and  1   b  illustrate the exemplary sprayer  10  in the first position, which show the cap  12  being pulled causing the opening  34  to be open to allow the atmospheric air to freely enter the plunger space  38 . 
     Alternatively, a hole may be provided through each of the side walls of the bore  18  and plunger  30 , such that the holes on the bore and plunger are aligned in the first position. As such, when the sprayer is in the first position, atmospheric air may enter the plunger space  38  through the aligned holes. However, when the plunger moves relative to the bore, the holes become misaligned and atmospheric air is block from entering the plunger space  38 . 
     With regard to the container  100 , the container  100  preferably includes an inner well  102 , and enclosing the well  102  is an exterior case  104  with a sealed gap  106  therebetween. At the bottom of the container  100  is a base  107  to couple the interior well  102  and exterior case  104  together. At the top of the container  100  is the inner well  102  forming a tapered threaded opening  108 , which is coupled to the top end of the exterior case  104  by a collar  110 . Preferably, the collar  110  and base  107  form an air tight seal between the well  102  and case  104  around the top and bottom of the container  100 , respectively. Preferably, the sealed gap  106  is substantially vacuumed to minimize heat or thermal energy from being transferred between the inner well  102  and exterior case  104 . This way, hot or cold liquids within the inner well  102  will substantially maintain its initial temperature. Additionally, with the vacuum gap between the inner well  102  and case  104 , the exterior surface of the case  104  is substantially insulated from the hot or cold liquid contained within the inner well  102 , so that the sprayer can be comfortably handled. Moreover, even if cold liquids were held by the sprayer, there is less likely chance of condensation forming on the surface of the case  104  because the difference in temperature between the case  104  and atmosphere is minimized. 
     Enclosing the tapered threaded opening  108  is a dispenser mechanism  200  which includes a nozzle  206 , a feeder tube  208 , and a plunger channel  210  defined by an outer wall  202  and inner wall  204 . The outer wall  202  terminates to form a flange  203  extending outwardly to flush against the tapered threaded opening  108 . To secure the dispenser mechanism  200  to the interior well  102  is a screw top  205  fastened to the threaded opening  108 , forming an air tight seal so that atmospheric air cannot enter the container space  214  between the outer wall  202  and inner well  102 . The inner wall  204  is configured to be receptive to the plunger  30  so that the plunger  30  may slide up and down along the plunger channel  210 . Preferably, a seal is formed between the inner wall  204  and the interior surfaces of the plunger  30  so that the air within the plunger  30  does not leak through the seal. In this embodiment, the outer and inner walls,  202 ,  204 , respectively, run substantially parallel to one another so that a lip  31  of the plunger  30  slides along the both walls,  202 ,  204 . Alternatively, the inner wall  204  may be in a slight inclined angle so that the lip  31  does not slide along the inner wall  204 . This way, air does not get trapped at the bottom of the plunger channel to resist the plunger  30  from being pushed in, and a vacuum is not created to resist the plunger  30  from being pulled out. 
     As shown most clearly in FIG. 1 b , with the above exemplary construction, as the cap  12  is pulled out relative to the container  100 , the plug  28  disengages with the opening  34 , which allows air outside of the exterior side  22  to freely flow into the interior side  20 , then into the plunger space  38  within the plunger  30 , via the air path  26  and the opening  34 . The air entering the plunger space  38  relieves the vacuum that was created after the previous down stroke of the plunger  30 . This way, no vacuum exists in the plunger space  38  to resist the plunger  30  from being pulled out. Accordingly, with the above exemplary sprayer  10  construction, a user can hold the cap to smoothly pump the plunger to inject air into the container space. 
     FIGS. 2 a-   2   c  show the exemplary sprayer  10  in a second position as the cap is being pressed relative to the container  200 . Here, as the cap  12  is being pressed, the notch  24  moves axially along the elongated recess  32  of the plunger, causing the plug  28  to engage with the opening  34  to seal the opening  34 , as most clearly shown in FIG. 2 b . As such, the air inside the plunger space  38  is trapped and the pressure increases as the volume inside the plunger space  38  decreases. The increased pressure opens a one-way valve  212  to allow the air inside the space  38  to enter the container space  214 , as shown by way of example by the dotted line in FIG. 2 c . The one-way valve  212  only allows the air to enter the container space, but does not allow the air inside the container space to flow through the valve, as most clearly shown in FIG. 3 b . More details about the internal workings of the dispenser  200  are discussed below. 
     As illustrated by way of example in FIG. 4 b , the inner wall  204  forms a protruding end  216  with a throat opening  218  and an inlet opening  220 . The dispenser mechanism further includes a throat  215  with a closed end  217  and an open end  219 . The throat extends from the container space  214  to the plunger space  38  through the throat opening  218 , with the open end  219  protruding to the plunger space  38 , and the closed end  217  protruding to the container space. The throat also has a port opening  221 , where a combination of liquid and air may enter therethrough, as further explained below. The throat  215  is axially moveable within the throat opening  218 , and is predisposed to be in the first position, as illustrated in FIG. 2 c . Also, around the exterior surface of the throat is preferably a nipple  226  to stop the throat from being further inserted into the nozzle. Still further, downward axial movement of the throat relative to the throat opening is limited by the nipple  226 , as shown most clearly in FIG. 4 b . Preferably, the throat  215  has a rounded shape, along with the valve  212  that surrounds the throat. Furthermore, the sprayer  10  preferably has a substantially rounded shape, including the plunger, cup, housing, and protruding end. 
     With regard to the nozzle  206 , it has a cavity opening  222  to receive the open end  219  of the throat but the penetration is limited by the nipple  226 . The nozzle preferably has a first air path opening  224  on the top thereof, so that the air inside the plunger space  38  has a direct path to the inlet opening  220 . Alternatively, a second air path  227  may be formed between the interior surfaces of the plunger and the nozzle, as shown most clearly in FIG. 2 c . As such, as the cap  12  is being pressed, the pressure inside the plunger space  38  increases causing the one-way valve  212  to open, and allows the air to flow through the inlet opening  220 . However, the one-way valve only allows the air to enter the container space  214 , i.e., as the cap  12  is being pulled out, the valve closes to trap the air inside the container space, as shown most clearly shown in FIG. 3 b . Accordingly, a user may pump the cap  12  repeatedly until a desired pressure is achieved within the container space. 
     As illustrated by way of example in FIGS. 4 a - 4   c , once the desired pressure is achieved within the container space, a user may press the nozzle to spray a fine mist of the liquid inside the container space. More specifically, enclosing the closed end  217  of the throat  215  is a cup  228  with its lip  230  sealing around a gasket  212 ′ (note that the gasket  212 ′ is an inner extension of the valve  212 ), as most clearly shown in FIGS. 2 c  and  3   b . Coupled to the base of the cup  228  is a biased member  232  with sufficient resistance to form an air tight seal between the lip  230  and the gasket  212 ′, in the first position. Furthermore, enclosing the cup  228  and the biased member  232  is a housing  234  with its lip  236  sealing around the gasket  212 ′. A path is formed between the exterior side surfaces of the cup  228  and the interior side surfaces of the housing  234  to allow a combination of air and liquid to travel therethrough. As shown most clearly in FIG. 4 c , at the bottom of the housing  234  is an opening  240  adapted to receive the feeder tube  208 , and a plurality of smaller openings  242  to allow the air in the container space to flow through into the interior space of the housing  234 . The feeder tube  208  has a sufficient length to reach the bottom of the container to the opening  240 . Preferably, the biased member  232  is a coil member, such as a spring. 
     As the nozzle is pressed, the above exemplary dispenser  200  is in the second position, as shown most clearly in FIG. 4 b . That is, in the second position, the downward force of the nozzle causes the nipple  226  to engage with the throat opening  218 . As such, the downward axial movement of the throat overcomes the resistance of the biased member  232  and causes the cup  228  to also move down, thereby disengaging the lip  230  from the gasket  212 ′. As shown most clearly in FIG. 4 b , the disengagement leaves an opening for the combination of the liquid and air to flow through the port opening  221  of the throat, then through the open end of the throat, and then finally to the nozzle, as indicated by way of example by the dotted-arrow line. When the nozzle is no longer pressed, the bias member  232  pushes on the cup to reseal the path between the lip  236  and the gasket  212 ′ to prevent the combination of liquid and air from exiting the container space. 
     To use the exemplary sprayer  10 , a user preferably fills the container space with the desired liquid up to about the bottom of the dispenser mechanism, i.e., the base where the outer and inner walls,  202  and  204  respectively, meet. This allows the rest of the container space to be filled with air, so that additional atmospheric air can be pumped into the container space. Then, the dispenser mechanism  200  is inserted into the container space and locked in by the screw top  205 . Thereafter, the plunger  30 , which is movably coupled to the cap, may be inserted into the plunger channel  210 , and pumped up and down to inject atmospheric air into the container space, so that the pressure inside the container space is greater than the atmospheric pressure outside the container space. When the nozzle is pressed, the pressure inside the container pushes the liquid through the feeder tube  208  and into the housing  234 . Also, air inside the container flows through the plurality of smaller openings  242  and into the housing  234 , as shown most clearly in FIG. 4 b . The combination of liquid and air inside the housing are then pushed through the gap between the gasket  212 ′ and the lip  31 , next through the port opening  221  of the throat, then through the open end of the throat, and then finally flowing through the nozzle as a fine mist spray of the liquid. 
     With regard to the material, the sprayer  10  may be made of variety of plastic materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), and polyurethane, to just a name a few, or other materials that are know to one ordinarily skilled in the art. More preferably, the one-way valve  212  (or gasket  212 ′) may be made of silicon. Still further, the exterior shell  16  of the cap  12  and the exterior case  104  are preferably made of stainless steel. Alternatively, the inner well  102  may be made of 18 gage stainless steel, and the exterior case  104  may be made of 8 gage stainless steel, which may be vacuum sealed together. Yet another alternative is to have both the inner well  102  and exterior case  104  made of transparent material so that a user can see how much of the liquid is left in the container space. 
     With today&#39;s health conscious society, there are numerous applications for the exemplary sprayer. For example, the sprayer may be used for spraying melted butter for low fat cooking. That is, by precisely controlling the amount of butter being applied during cooking or over their food, people can enjoy the taste of butter without consuming a lot of fat. For example, by evenly spraying melted butter over a container of popcorn, people can enjoy the rich taste of butter with a minimal amount of butter. Moreover, the melted butter inside the inner well  102  will substantially maintain its initial temperature because the vacuum gap substantially prevents the thermal energy from conducting through the inner well  102  and exterior case  104 . In other words, with the present invention, the melted butter remains melted for a longer period of time, and does not solidify thus restricting the butter from being sprayed. This way, a user can precisely control the amount of melted butter being applied to their food, so that the user can enjoy the taste of butter with less fat and calories. Yet another application for the sprayer is to spray a mist of cold water on hot summer days. For example, a golfer can put cold water, along with ice, in the sprayer and the sprayer will keep the cold water cool for a longer period of time so that a user can have a refreshing cool mist spray later in the day. 
     Other spraying applications include: salad dressing, such as oils or vinegar, furniture polish, laundry detergent, perfume, and window cleaner, just to name a few. In essence, the present invention may be used for many applications where a mist of the liquid is preferred, or where it is desirable to substantially maintain the initial temperature of the liquid. Furthermore, the plunger is easily pumped because there is no vacuum to resist the pumping action. When all of the desired liquid is sprayed out of the sprayer, the container space may be refilled with the same liquid or different liquid for an another use. 
     In closing, it is noted that specific illustrative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed hereinabove. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments described in detail hereinabove. With respect to the claims, it is applicant&#39;s intention that the claims not be interpreted in accordance with the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112 unless the term “means” is used followed by a functional statement.