Abstract:
A nozzle that includes a connecting section, a main hollow elongated and conical body, a bell shaped section and an injection bottom is described. The design of the connecting section allows it to be connected to injections machines or to a sealant containing cartridges. The injection button is non-permanently connected to the bell shaped section and it has a circular central protrusion, a series of radially oriented channels ending in circularly positioned openings, which facilitates the direction of the expelled sealant. Alternatively, the button may also include lateral grooves at the walls of the central circular protrusion. The particular design of the injection button allows an efficient and highly accuracy distribution of the sealant on the surfaces and selected parts of machines and artifacts wherein the sealant is applied.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is the national stage of International Application NO. PCT/ES2012/000275, filed Oct. 31, 2012, and claims priority of European Patent Application No. 11380089.0 filed Oct. 31, 2011, both of which applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to devices for applying sealants such as silicones and the like in multiples artifacts or machines such as automobiles, trains, ships and aircrafts, therefore, it is useful in diverse industries such as aviation, automotive, naval, railway, and robotics or similar industries. More particularly, the invention is directed to a nozzle, comprising a bell or hood lower section that is coupled in a non-permanent manner to an injection button with a particular design, which is highly useful in applying silicone and similar sealants on said artefacts and machines. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The manufacturing of machines and other related artefacts or accessories in several industries, such as aviation, automobile, naval, railway, robotics and the like requires processes wherein it is necessary the application of silicones and similar or related sealants to said machines or artefacts, particularly during its manufacture processes. Sealants application requires the use of nozzles in order to apply said sealants to the machines or artefacts from a sealant-container, such as cartridges or injection machines. Thus, the sealant may be applied with a nozzle manually and directly from cartridges filled with sealant, or by an extrusion or manual gun, as those currently available in the market and known in the art. Some of the nozzles known in the art are made of metal and are intended to be reusable; particularly those meant to be used in injections machines, thus they must be cleaned up with solvent or products specifically prepared for such cleaning purpose. Such solvents or cleaning products are hazardous, abrasive and highly irritant to the skin. Furthermore, the design of said nozzles does not allow their use with both manual cartridges and automatic processes using injection machines, nor they have a precision dispersion of the sealant as required in, for instance, sealing operations involving injecting sealants in the chamfers in which rest the heads of rivets and screws or in the walls of orifices, wherein highly precise sealant application is needed and required. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The above drawbacks and needs are overcome by a nozzle for applying sealants with a bell or hood lower section and an injection button as described herein, which provides several advantageous and novel characteristics for its intended function inherent to its innovative organization and construction, which will be described in detail further below, and which represents a considerable improvement with respect to what is currently known in the market in its field of application. 
         [0005]    One of the main the objective of the invention is to provide a nozzle that once it is connected to a cartridge or injection machine, facilitates the injection of silicone or other sealants in multiple industrial applications. Another objective of the invention is to provide a nozzle having an outlet shaped as a bell or hood in order to facilitate the encapsulation of rivets or screws, particularly applicable in the aeronautical industry, having the innovative characteristic that it also has an injection button coupled to the end section of said bell or hood, said button having a special design with a number of channels and orifices for carrying out sealing operations with greater accuracy, allowing to guide the injection of the sealant around the rivets and nuts. In yet another objective of the invention is to provide a nozzle having a button section that by its particular design substantially improving the encapsulation and providing an optimum sealing of rivets and nuts, and that allows the user to apply sealant operations both manually and by automated sealant injection machines. In still another objective of the instant invention is to provide a nozzle having a bell or hood lower section for sealing rivets and nuts, which may be used in the aviation industry and the automotive, naval, railway and robotics industries. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of the embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are used herein in a manner of example only, and wherein: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a diagrammatic representation in perspective view of an example of one preferred embodiment of the nozzle for applying sealants, according to the instant invention, said representation illustrating general outer configuration, and its main parts or elements. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  shows a cross sectional view along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle according to the invention already shown  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  shows a diagrammatic illustration of the plan view of one preferred embodiment the injection button incorporated in the nozzle according to the instant invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  shows a diagrammatic representation of an enlarged view of section  11  on  FIG. 2 , wherein the detail of the configuration of the coupling or matching between the bell-shaped tip or lower section of the nozzle and the injection button is illustrated. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  shows a diagrammatic representation in perspective view of an example of another embodiment of the nozzle for applying sealants, according to the instant invention, said representation illustrating general outer configuration, and its main parts or elements and comprising a button comprising lateral outlets or openings. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  shows a cross sectional view along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle according to the invention already shown  FIG. 5 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  shows a diagrammatic illustration of the plan view of a second preferred embodiment of the injection button incorporated in the nozzle according to the instant invention, already illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , wherein such button comprises lateral outlets or openings. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  shows a diagrammatic representation of an enlarged view of section  31  on  FIG. 6 , wherein the details of the configuration of the coupling or matching between the bell-shaped tip or lower section of the nozzle and the injection button of the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5  are illustrated. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and is not limited to the particular limitations presented herein as principles of the invention. This description is directed to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention by describing embodiments, adaptations, variations and alternatives of the invention. Potential variations of the limitations herein described are within the scope of the invention. Particularly, the size and shapes of the invention&#39;s elements illustrated in the discussion may be varied and still provide embodiments having different sizes or geometric shapes, that are within the scope of the instant invention. 
         [0016]    The instant invention is directed to a nozzle for applying silicones and similar sealants, said nozzle comprising a bell or hood shaped tip and an injection button, which provides several advantageous and novel characteristics for its intended function inherent to its innovative organization and construction, which will be described in detail further below, and which represents a considerable improvement with respect to what is currently known in the market in its field of application. 
         [0017]    A first embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1  wherein the nozzle embodiment  10  is illustrated.  FIG. 2  illustrates a diagrammatically representation of a cross sectional view of nozzle  10 . The nozzle  10  comprises a main elongated hollow body  12  having a truncated cone shape. Said elongated body  12  comprises a first end  14  and a second end  15 . First end  14  has a wider diameter that second end  15 . 
         [0018]    Physically connected to first end  14 , nozzle  10  comprises connecting hollow round section  16 , which comprises a threaded exterior surface  17 , which allows nozzle  10  to be connected to a silicone or similar sealant cartridge or injection machine. Said threaded section thus allows the coupling of nozzle  10  to most cartridges or machines present in the market, adding versatility in the manner that nozzle  10  is used. Connecting section  16  also comprises protruding ring  18 , which is surrounding the end of said connecting section  16  that is in direct physical contact with said first end  14  of the main elongated body  12 . Protruding ring  18  stops against the cartridge or gun to which nozzle  10  is coupled, as it is the union between the nozzle  10  and the cartridge thus providing or establishing a precision adjustment of nozzle  10  to the sealant container cartridge or injection machine. 
         [0019]    At the second end  15 , nozzle  10  comprises a bell or hood shaped section  19 , physically connected to the second end  15  of said main elongated body  12 . As illustrated in cross section, along a longitudinal axis or line of the nozzle  10  in  FIG. 2 , at its peripheral end, bell shaped section  19  has an annular flanged section  21 . 
         [0020]    Bell shaped section  19  is sized to encapsulate rivets or nuts in order to cover them completely with the sealing material and provides a connection element discussed below in detail. Main elongated body  12 , round connecting section  16  and bell shaped section  19  may constitute a single unit, physically connected. 
         [0021]    Connected to the peripheral annular flanged section  21  of the bell-shaped section  19 , nozzle  10  also comprises injection button  22 , which is diagrammatically illustrated in  FIG. 3 . It comprises a circular main body  23  and a peripheral groove section  26  around the end of said circular main body  23 . On its front surface, injection button  22  comprises hollow central circular protrusion  27 , which is projected from said main body  23 , and multiple series of radially oriented channels  28  ending in orifices  29  which are distributed around said central circular protrusion  27 . 
         [0022]    As illustrated diagrammatically in  FIG. 4 , which illustrates section  11 , the annular flanged section  21  of the bell shaped section  19  cooperatively match with the peripheral groove  26  of injection button  22 , allowing a strong and firm non-permanent connection or coupling of button  22  to the bell shaped section  19 . Once coupled to the bell-shaped section  19 , the button  22  covers the exit or mouth of bell shaped section  19 . 
         [0000]    The whole structure of nozzle  10  is preferably made of plastic, preferably of polypropylene. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 5 to 8  diagrammatically illustrate a second preferred embodiment  30  according to the invention. Embodiment  30  is similar to embodiment  10  since both embodiments comprise a main elongated hollow body  12  having a truncated cone shape; a hollow round and threaded section  16  and a bell or hood shaped section  19  wherein said main parts have the same elements already described previously and wherein the said sections are connected as previously described as illustrated particularly as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . However, second embodiment  30  comprises injection button  32  in place of injection button  22 . As described previously regarding injection button  22  injection button  32  as illustrated diagrammatically in  FIGS. 5 ,  6   7  and  8  and particularly in  FIG. 7 , comprises a circular main body  23  having a peripheral groove section  26  around the end of said circular main body  23 . On its front surface, injection button  32  comprises hollow central circular protrusion  27 , which is projected from said main body  23  and also comprises multiple series of radially oriented channels  28  ending in orifices  29  which are distributed around said central circular protrusion  27 . Contrary to injection button  22 , nonetheless and as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , injection button  32  comprises a series of lateral grooves or openings  34 , located around the lateral sides of said central circular protrusion  27 . 
         [0024]    As in the case of embodiment  10 , and has illustrated diagrammatically in  FIG. 8 , which shows the detailed view of section  31  in embodiment  32 , the annular flanged section  21  of the bell shaped section  19  cooperatively match with the peripheral groove  26  of injection button  32 , allowing a strong and firm non-permanent connection or coupling of button  32  to the bell shaped section  19 . Once coupled to the bell-shaped section  19 , the button  32  covers the exit or mouth of bell shaped section  19 . 
         [0025]    In operational terms, the nozzle according to the instant invention may be coupled or connected to most cartridges or machines containing sealant which are present in the market or commercially available by threading connecting hollow round section  16  to the sealant containing cartridge or injection machine. The protruding ring  18  acts as a stopper in the insertion or threading of the cartridge and reinforces the area of greatest pressure, which is the union between the nozzle and the cartridge, allowing the achievement of precision adjustment. The sealant then may enter to the interior of the main hollow elongated conical body  12  via threaded hollow section  16 , which is the sealant inlet point of the nozzle herein described. From the central section of the main hollow elongated body  12 , the sealant is expelled out of the nozzle via the bell or hood shaped section  19 , which acts as the sealant outlet point. The shape of bell shaped section  19  being meant for encapsulating rivets or nuts in order to cover them completely in the sealing material. Once the sealant is expelled from the bell shaped section  19 , it most moves out through injection bottom  22 , which is fitted or coupled in a strong but non-permanent manner to the bell shaped section  19 . Due to said non-permanent coupling, button  22  may be fitted to or remove from bell shaped section  19  at the user&#39;s will. The particular design of this button, with channels  28  and orifices  29 , allows executing different precision sealing operations. Specifically, it allows directing the flow of sealing material in two different ways: (1) towards the chamfers in which the rivet heads are adjusted, by means of the series of radially positioned channels  28 , that lead to through orifices  29  located at annular area  27  of the central part of the button or alternatively, and (2) when using injection button  32 , towards the walls of the orifice in which the screws are inserted, by means of lateral outlets  34  provided in an alternative embodiment of the button  32 , which has a hollow central part  27 . In this manner, the plugging of the orifice in which the screw is inserted is prevented, which is important in order to allow its subsequent riveting. 
         [0026]    The sealant applying operations are performed after drilling orifices in the various claddings or parts to be joined, by a riveting that will consequently be fast, clean and uniform, since the appropriate doses of sealant have been applied at the specific points described, as enabled by this system. 
         [0027]    The application of the sealant with the nozzle according to the instant invention may be performed either manually, by cartridges filled with silicone or other sealing materials, or by an extrusion or manual gun, as those currently available in the market. The used of the nozzle according to the invention in applying sealants provides a perfect seal from air and oxidising liquids, which is very important for the pressurisation and lifetime of aircrafts, ships, trains or automobiles. 
         [0028]    Finally, it is worth mentioning that once the aforementioned sealing operations are performed, simply cutting the anterior part of the nozzle with a bell shape, a traditional truncated-cone shaped nozzle is obtained that may be used to apply sealing cords, filler sealant or safety cords that ensure that there is no liquid between two parts joined by rivets and leaving fully sealed the fuel tanks or other elements made from parts joined by rivets. Therefore, the nozzle according to the instant invention disclosed herein provides a device that simplifies the sealing work in both the aesthetic appearance and speed of execution, thus, reducing the sealant application time. As a consequence, the herein disclose nozzle reduce the sealant application time, thus saving time and labour, provides a more economical sealing process and increases the quality of the resulting sealant application simultaneously. 
         [0029]    While the invention has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the forgoing description. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.