Double ended aerosol dispenser for liquid products

An aerosol can having two terminal portions each with its own valve and product delivery head of various configurations is disclosed. The can may feature either one or two products for delivery, and can employ one or two volumes of propellant. The material to be delivered can be stored directly in the can or in one or two pouches, or in a combination mode of within the can directly and in one pouch, as may be desired. The same material can also be distributed in two different manners, such as fine mist or strong stream, the mode of delivery being spray head dependent.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
 This invention relates to aerosol cans, having two spray heads, one head at
 each end of the can to deliver a fluid product.
 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 Aerosol delivered paints, among other products, have been available in the
 marketplace for many years. One of the earliest known aerosol dispensers
 was that patented by Goodhue et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,331,117 issued Oct. 5,
 1943. Many advances have been made since the 1950s when aerosols were
 first commercially introduced. Typical of the more recent apparatuses for
 the delivery by aerosol is one as invented by lib: Paul O'Neill and
 disclosed in his patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,420 issued Apr. 16, 1996.
 While the spray can, --another term commonly associated with aerosol cans,
 -- of that patent is reusable, other patented spray cans are not. That is,
 after a one time distribution of the contents, the can is discarded.
 This O'Neill patent and the plethora of others that pertain to spray paint
 cans, and other spray deliveries for fluids pertain to either new modes
 via delivery of propellant, new modes of storage of the vehicle, and/or
 new modes of the storage of the concentrate or fluid to be delivered by
 the vehicle (propellant).
 The operating principle for an aerosol can is the presence of a liquefied
 or compressed gas such as butane or nitrogen, which may be partly
 liquefied by the internal pressure of the can exerts pressure on the
 product within the can. The nozzle when actuated, acts as a pressure
 release and product exits the nozzle. A layer of free gas is either above
 the liquid or gaseous product to be delivered, or along side and then
 introduced above the product to put pressure on the product to be
 delivered. When the valve is actuated, the pressure is relieved and the
 product comes up a dip tube connected to the valve to exit as a spray.
 Shaving cream cans which house a viscous liquid soap, work slightly
 differently. The differences need not be discussed here, since they are
 discussed supra.
 A wide variety of products is available in the market place packaged in an
 aerosol delivery can. Thus mention can be made of whipped dairy cream and
 shaving cream, caulking compositions, aftershave and cologne, paint, air
 fresheners, body deodorants, cleaning compositions and many, many more.
 Double delivery systems are not unknown in the world of technology. Thus a
 search of the prior art revealed the following fluid delivery systems that
 were double ended:
 Chamberlain U.S. Pat. No. 2,080,602, issued May 18, 1937 discloses a desk
 top vessel that can be oriented either horizontally or vertically for
 fluid delivery though a pair of spouts.
 Mahar U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,998 discloses a liquefied gas cylinder with a
 pair of valves, one to dispense liquefied gas in a liquefied state, and
 one to dispense it in a gaseous state.
 Another patent that provides a double closure is that of Beres et al U.S.
 Pat. No. 3,283,785 issued Nov. 8, 1966. In this structure the two valve
 structures are different. Here one valve was a slide type valve and the
 other an abutting valve.
 A more recent patent is, that of the Silvenis structure, U.S. Pat. No.
 4,618,076 dated Oct. 21, 1986 for a dispensing bottle such as is utilized
 for household liquid cleaning agents. One valve is a valve to spray the
 contents, the other is an opening to permit pouring contents onto a rag or
 other surface. The Habora & Hail U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,581 issued Aug. 6,
 1996 operates in like manner with different structure.
 An ophthalmic solution dispenser having dual valves one for entry and one
 for egress is claimed in Allegretti, U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,206 issued Mar.
 26, 1991. This is used for the introduction of a second ingredient into a
 chamber to be mixed with the contents of the chamber and then dispensed.
 Even a double ended ketchup dispenser has been invented. See Ehrbar U.S.
 Pat. No. 5,421,488 issued Jun. 6, 1995.
 Thus it is seen that in various industries there is indeed a need for a
 dual ended dispenser. However to date no double ended aerosol can is known
 to exist, yet the need for same is evident.
 It is an object therefore of this invention, to provide an aerosol
 dispenser that is double ended; that is, has a spray head on both opposite
 ends of the can.
 It is another object to provide an aerosol dispenser that has two
 dispensing tips each of which has a different spray pattern to deliver the
 same or different product.
 It is still another object to provide an aerosol can that can deliver two
 different but related products from the same dispenser each through its
 own dispenser tip.
 It is a yet further object to provide a dual ended aerosol dispenser which
 utilizes a single source of propellant.
 Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part
 appear hereinafter.
 The invention accordingly comprises the device possessing the features
 properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the
 following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which
 will be indicated in the appended claims.
 For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention
 reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken in
 conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 A double ended aerosol spray can of various configurations is disclosed.
 The can may feature either one or two products for delivery, and can
 employ one or two volumes of propellant. The material to be delivered can
 be stored directly in the can or in a pouch(es) as may be desired or in a
 combination thereof. The same material can be divided into two portions
 and also the material can be distributed in two different manners, such as
 fine mist or strong stream, the mode of delivery being spray head
 dependent.
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 While known in the art, it will be beneficial for the reader to understand
 the general operating principles of a conventional one product single
 ended aerosol can. Thus in FIG. 1, such a PRIOR ART unit is depicted.
 A spray can, 10 is normally made of either tin-plate or aluminum. It
 includes a cylindrical body portion and an upper terminal section which is
 convex and attached around the periphery of the cylinder. It has a convex
 bottom closure section as well. The attachment of the two terminal
 sections is well documented in the art and need not be elaborated upon in
 detail.
 At the top, there is a simple plastic valve to control the spray disposed
 within the upper terminal section. From the bottom of this valve, a
 flexible dip tube extends downwardly toward the bottom of the can, when a
 mist or spray is desired. For a stream delivery like product, the dip tube
 may be eliminated. The can is filled with the product 11, to be sprayed
 and the propellant, a gas such as butane or CO2, or a new non-CFC
 propellant 12, is added. The gas is partly liquefied by the pressure in
 the can, but there may be a layer of free gas above the liquid. As the can
 is emptied more of the liquefied gas vaporizes to fill the space.
 The valve 13 is normally held shut by the pressure in the can, and by the
 coil spring, 15 directly below the valve stem, 14. When the push button
 spray head 16 is pressed, it forces the valve stem down in its housing,
 uncovering a small hole, not seen which leads up through the stem to the
 nozzle in the button. This allows the product to be forced up the dip tube
 17, by the gas pressure in the can to exit out the orifice 18 of the spray
 head 16. The nozzle may be shaped to give a spray or a continuous stream
 as is known.
 If it is desired to produce a fine mist, a propellant is employed which
 mixes with the product. The two leave the nozzle together and the
 propellant evaporates as soon as it reaches the air, thereby breaking the
 product into tiny droplets. The same technique when used with a more
 viscous liquid and a wider nozzle results in a foam. For a continuous
 stream of liquid, a non-mixing propellant is used, and the dip tube
 reaches into the product.
 A different arrangement is used for cans containing very viscous
 substances. The product may be enclosed in a plastic bag attached to the
 underside of the valve and the propellant fills the space between the bag
 and the can. This stops the product from sticking to the sides of the can
 and allowing the propellant to escape up the dip tube. Cans of this type
 can be used upside down, whereas an ordinary can must be kept right side
 up such that the end of the dip tube remains in the product to be
 delivered.
 Aerosol cans are filled on the production line by inserting the product,
 putting the lid (upper terminal portion) and valve on the can and forcing
 the propellant in backwards through the valve. The bag-type can, however,
 must be filled with propellant through a small extra valve in the base.
 All of this general information and more is well known to the
 practitioners in the aerosol industry.
 FIGS. 2 and 3 are elevational views of the exterior of a double ended spray
 can 20, according to this invention. In FIG. 2, the can 20 features two
 mist or spray patterned heads 26A and 26B. The difference being the
 configuration of the openings 28A and 28B in the spray heads 26. In FIG.
 3, however, the aerosol dispenser features a spray nozzle 29, at its upper
 end and a spray head 28A at its lower end. The mode of using each of these
 is well known in the art.
 The discussion now turns to the interior of the aerosol cans as first seen
 in FIG. 4. Here the first embodiment 19 includes a can 20 whose main body
 21 has been cut away while the sealed termini 22 at the opposite ends have
 been left uncut. For ease of understanding and to avoid clutter, the
 details of the valve including the coil spring, and the connection of the
 dip tube to the valve, have been purposely eliminated from this and the
 following views since such aspects of the invention are deemed
 conventional.
 Spray head 26A is seen to have a circular opening 28A disposed through a
 conventional valve 33 to a first dip tube 37A. As can be seen tube 37A
 terminates within the confines of the fluid product 81. Propellant layer
 80A, which is any conventional propellant gas applies pressure upon the
 product 81 such that the product can be delivered in the usual manner. The
 circular orifice 28A will give rise to a fine mist delivery of the product
 81.
 Spray head 26B has an elongated orifice 28B and is adapted for a more fan
 like spray with larger droplets. This spray head 26B is connected via its
 own valve 33 to a dip tube 37B, which dip tube also terminates within the
 confines of product 81. The volume of propellant designated as 80B also
 applies pressure to the same volume of product 81 but for the benefit of
 its own respective spray head 26B.
 It is seen therefore, that embodiment 19 will deliver the same product in
 two different spray patterns.
 In FIG. 5, a variant of the structure of FIG. 4 is seen. Here the physical
 portions are the same, the differences being in the contents of the can
 40. Thus embodiment 39 has a can whose main body 41 is seen in partial
 cutaway, in a manner similar to that shown and discussed relative to FIG.
 4. Here the respective spray heads 46A, 46B, whose apertures are turned in
 a direction away from the viewer such as to be unseen, are each connected
 via their own respective valve 33 to a dip tube 47A and 47B respectively.
 Dip tube 47A terminates in a first portion of product 81A, while the lower
 dip tube terminates within a second portion of product 81B. A single
 portion of propellant 80 is disposed between the portions of product 81A
 and 81B.
 While it would appear to the uninformed that two different products 81A and
 81B could perhaps be separated from each other by the presence of this
 single propellant gas layer 80, and as such an embodiment of that nature
 is contemplated by the invention, it is readily believed that the ability
 to maintain segregation between products as each of 81A and 81B gets used
 up in a myriad of different proportions, would be quite difficult.
 In the second physical embodiment of this invention, 59, as seen in FIG. 6,
 the can 60's main body 61 is shown in the same cutaway fashion with the
 two termini 62 shown not in cutaway. Here the two spray heads 66A, 66B
 each have the same opening 68. This opening can be circular or fan like or
 any other configuration known to the art. Both spray heads 66A, 66B can
 have the same or different apertures 68 as suits the fancy of the
 operator.
 Each spray head 66A, 66B is connected to its respective dip tube 67A, 67B.
 Dip tube 67A is disposed with a body of fluid 81A, while tube 67B is
 within a body of a different fluid 81B. Note the different hatching
 employed to emphasize the distinction. Propellant 80A bears down and
 applies pressure to product 81A, while propellant 80B applies pressure to
 product 81B. These two propellants may be the same or different as may be
 desired. The products are seen to be distinguished here also by different
 hatching. Of course, the same product can also be employed on both sides
 of the can with the same or different spray heads.
 A barrier-separator 70 usually made of metal, is disposed across the
 diameter of the main body, usually but necessarily at about the midpoint
 in the elevation to isolate the product storage area into two distinct
 chambers. That way the contents of each side can be kept at about the same
 volume. An optional pressure dome 69 may also be disposed on opposite
 sides of the separator as is conventionally found in the construction of
 single spray head aerosol cans.
 While the product volumes and the propellant volumes are shown in FIG. 6 to
 be about equal, there is no criticality to same, and more or less of
 product and/or propellant of the "A" side of the embodiment, versus the
 "B" side of the embodiment is fully contemplated.
 The discussion now moves to FIG. 7, wherein the third embodiment 89, of
 this invention is seen. Here the can 90 has a main body 91, and two
 termini portions 92, all of conventional construction. A valve 33 is
 conventionally disposed at both ends of the can. Disposed in the lower
 valve is a spray head 96B not unlike head 66B previously discussed. It has
 an orifice 98B which is similar to other "B" orifices previously discussed
 in that they will project a droplet spray. At one end, however, the upper
 end in the drawing of FIG. 7, a straight spray nozzle 96C, of the type
 used for shaving cream or other foam delivered products is disposed within
 its valve 33. Whereas spray head 96B has a conventional dip tube 97B
 attached thereto and which terminates within the product 81C, the spray
 nozzle 96C extends slightly beyond the valve 33 and has a short dip tube,
 97C of a length of about 1/2 inch to 1 inch attached thereto and which
 terminates, not within the product, but within the propellant. Therefore
 when the product exits, it will mix with the propellant and be delivered
 in a foamaceous state, i.e., with propellant entrained therein. The use of
 straight through delivery spray nozzle without an elongated dip tube with
 the head pointing downwardly for foam type products is well understood in
 the art of single headed aerosol cans.
 The reader's attention is now turned to the fourth embodiment, which is
 shown in FIG. 8. Here embodiment 109 includes a can 110 having a main body
 111 and two termini 112. These terminal portions 112, as well as the other
 termini are often referred to in the trade as "plugs" and are usually made
 of annealed aluminum, and are provided either with or without a special
 coating on the inside surface to resist attack by the product to be
 delivered.
 Each terminal portion includes a spray head disposed therethrough in
 conventional fashion and connected fluidly to a valve 33. Connected to one
 valve 33 is a laminated pouch 181A and to the other valve a laminated
 pouch 181B. The pouches are designated separately to indicate the fact
 that the product found therein may be the same or different from the
 companion pouch. Each such pouch includes an entry port 119, which is
 tubular, but relatively short, and which connects to the valve, to permit
 flow from the pouch to the respective spray head, 116. Propellant 80D, of
 any conventional nature is disposed throughout the can 60 and applies a
 force to each pouch 181A, 181B. Pouches which are devoid of product are
 available in the marketplace of Intercontinental Packaging Corporation of
 Tuckahoe, N.Y., and other vendors. These pouches are suitable for carrying
 products intended for delivery in the format of sprays, liquids, gels and
 thick creams.
 Product-propellant ratios for any all embodiments of this invention can be
 readily determined by those skilled in the art.
 It is seen that I developed a new product that permits the user the
 opportunity for delivering the same product in two distinct modes from the
 same can by utilizing different spray heads at each end or terminal
 portion of the can. My invention also permits the delivery of different
 complimentary products from the same can, one product from each end. These
 two products can be the same product in different formats; or different
 products as may be desired. Each product can be delivered in the same or
 in a different format from its companion in the same can, dependent upon
 choice of spray head. The material [product(s)] to be delivered may be
 stored directly within the can, in a pouch(es) within the can, and in a
 combination of directly within the can and in a pouch within the can. Thus
 the material can be in one or two portions.
 Thus there may be times when a person is painting, cleaning or lubricating
 an article, when he or she needs broad coverage of the article with a
 color, and a few minutes later, needs a confined narrow stream of a the
 same product as for a handle for the product.
 The term "different configuration" as used herein reference to spray heads,
 is intended to cover both the combination of atomizer head and nozzle, as
 well as two different shapes of spray such as one being a fan, and one a
 circle, or one being a liquid jet as is employed for hornet spray, as the
 user dares not venture close to such an insect. Indeed, for paints, one
 head could put forth a relatively wide stripe, while the other head puts
 forth a fine line to touch up any uncovered areas from the stripe head.
 Any and all of such permutations are intended to be within the scope of
 the term "different configurations".
 Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus without departing
 from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all
 matter contained in the above description, shall be interpreted as
 illustrative and not in a limiting sense.