Abstract:
Liquid products such as automotive fuel system cleaners, differential gear case oil, and brake line antifreeze can be delivered to hard-to-reach inlets on the automobile or reservoir by storing the liquid in a pressurized cannister of small enough size to permit it to be hand-held and by then inserting the remote end of a flexible hose leading from the actuator head of the cannister into the inlet itself. When the actuator head is thereupon depressed, the propellant forces the liquid out of the cannister and into the inlet via the hose while the cannister remains essentially upright and held at a convenient distance from the inlet being serviced. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, a total release lever may be flipped up at the time of discharge to depress the actuator head and to maintain it in its fully depressed condition until the contents have been completely released from the cannister. The release lever is arranged in a toggle-like setting so as to be self-retaining in the fully actuated position once flipped up, thereby providing hands-free continued depression of the actuator head.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a way of delivering selected quantities of liquid products such as, for example, automotive fuel treatment, gear oil for an automotive differential, or automotive brake line antifreeze, to difficult-to-reach inlet openings of receiving chambers for the products. In addition, the invention relates to improvements in a total release mechanism associated with the actuating head of a pressurized cannister for such products for releaseably locking the actuating head in a fully depressed condition to release its contents without requiring the user to maintain the actuator head manually depressed.  
         BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY  
         [0002]    Many types of liquids used in connection with various operating units of an automobile are stored in bulk form, and automotive service centers are typically provided with suitable pump equipment that allows technicians to replenish the appropriate liquid levels using such equipment. However, smaller shops and individual consumers do not have access to such industrial-grade equipment and must, therefore, rely upon smaller cans or bottles of the liquid that can then be emptied into the chamber or reservoir that needs filling. This can present a significant challenge, however, because many such inlets are difficult to reach and are obstructed by various structures and apparatus that make it virtually impossible to turn the can or bottle upside down and pour out its contents into the reservoir. In such circumstances, it is easy for the user to accidently spill some of the liquid onto environmental structures or his own body, which can have serious consequences depending upon the nature of the product. Moreover, with known canned products the user is typically faced with the hassle of unscrewing stubborn caps and puncturing or removing tough seals before the product can be dispensed. While in some instances the containers are designed to be squeezed to discharge the product without inverting the container, this still presents many opportunities for unsightly and unhealthy messes.  
           [0003]    The present invention in large measure eliminates the foregoing problems in the prior art by providing a convenient, easy-to-use delivery system for automotive liquid products and the like. Instead of packaging measured quantities of such liquids in containers that are emptied by upending the containers and pouring out the contents, the present invention contemplates storing a measured quantity of such liquid in a pressurized cannister having a length of flexible hose connected to the depressible actuating head of the cannister. In order to reach the obstructed or difficult-to-reach receiving inlet for the liquid, the hose is flexed, turned, and manipulated to whatever extent may be necessary to enable the user to insert the remote end of the hose into the inlet. Holding the cannister at a convenient location and at a distance from the inlet, the user then merely depresses the actuator head without upending the cannister and relies upon the pressurized propellant within the cannister to deliver the contents through the hose and into the reservoir.  
           [0004]    In one particularly preferred form of the invention, the cannister is provided with a convenient total release mechanism in the form of a toggle lever that permits the actuator head to be releasably locked down in its fully depressed position without manual retention. The toggle lever is so designed that as the user flips up the lever, its remote end engages the actuator head and cams it down into its fully depressed position, holding it in that condition for a total and complete exhaustion of the contents of the cannister. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    [0005]FIG. 1 is a top, front isometric view of one embodiment of a delivery system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and useful in carrying out the invention method, the phantom lines in FIG. 1 denoting the outline of a cover cap associated with the cannister of the system;  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 2 is a top front isometric view similar to FIG. 1 of the delivery system but showing the cover cap removed and the hose unwound from its storage position of FIG. 1;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical cross-sectional view through the cannister and distribution assembly attached thereto revealing details of construction;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the remote end of the delivery hose showing a fitting or nozzle attached thereto suitable for screwing onto an inlet that has an externally threaded, mating fitting;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the remote end of the hose showing the use of a second type of nozzle fitting of the type that might be forced into a tubular, resilient receiving inlet;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the remote end of the delivery hose illustrating another type of nozzle fitting wherein the fitting might be utilized to plug up the inlet while at the same time allowing the discharge of liquid products into the associated reservoir;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the delivery system in which the distribution assembly for the cannister is provided with total release mechanism to provide a hands-free retention or locking of the actuator head in its depressed position;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 8 is a fragmentary, vertical cross-sectional view thereof, the release lever being illustrated in its standby position; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the assembly similar to FIG. 8 but showing the release lever flipped up into its actuated position in which it retains the actuator head fully depressed in a hands-free manner. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    The present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms. While the drawings illustrate and the specification describes certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that such disclosure is by way of example only. There is no intent to limit the principles of the present invention to the particular disclosed embodiments.  
         [0015]    Referring initially to FIGS.  1 - 6 , the delivery system  10  therein illustrated comprises a pressurized cannister  12  containing a liquid product to be delivered, and a distribution assembly  14  fitted onto the upper end of cannister  12 . In one preferred form, distribution assembly  14  may take the form of the hose and valve assembly disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,739 and, accordingly, said &#39;739 patent is hereby incorporated by reference into the present specification.  
         [0016]    Distribution assembly  14  includes a base  16  constructed of synthetic resinous material and having an outwardly and downwardly flaring skirt  18  provided with a lowermost, annular lip  20  that snaps over a mating bead  22  on cannister  12 . Base  16  further includes an upstanding, hollow boss  24  at the upper end of skirt  18  that essentially surrounds and is symmetrical with respect to an upstanding, depressible discharge tube  26  associated with cannister  12 . As well known by those skilled in the art, axial depression of tube  26  results in release of pressurized contents within cannister  12 .  
         [0017]    Boss  24  is provided with an upright guide channel  28  that is open at its top and bottom and receives the upstanding discharge tube  26 . Within guide channel  28 , an actuator head  30  constructed from synthetic resinous material is confined for vertical shifting movement between alternate raised and lowered positions as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Head  30  has an internal chamber  32  sized and located to fit over and snugly receive discharge tube  26  such that head  30  is operably secured to discharge tube  26  for actuating the latter. Discharge tube  26  is spring-loaded in a known manner to yieldably extend tube  26  from cannister  12  to thereby yieldably bias actuator head  30  to its fully raised position. Chamber  32  communicates with the interior of discharge tube  26  for receiving contents therefrom when head  30  is depressed, and an internal passage  34  leading through a generally horizontally disposed spout  36  directs the contents toward a point of delivery.  
         [0018]    A length of flexible hose  38  is fitted onto the spout  36  and is snugly retained in place by a circumscribing collar  40  around spout  36 . A section of coil spring  42  may be housed within hose  38  adjacent its point of attachment to spout  36  to prevent crimping of hose  38  when the same is tightly wrapped around base  16  during storage beneath a cover cap  44  as illustrated in FIG. 1.  
         [0019]    The remote, discharge end of hose  38  may be configured in a variety of ways for facilitating delivery of liquid contents of cannister  12  to a selected reservoir. In one embodiment, the remote end of hose  38  may be devoid of any fitting or nozzle at all. In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1,2, and  4 , hose  38  maybe provided with a fitting  46  having a rotatable, internally threaded collar  48  adapted to be threadably secured to an externally threaded fitting or nipple (not shown). Such externally threaded nipple has an inlet defined therein leading to the particular reservoir into which liquid is to be delivered. In another embodiment, a fitting  50  for the remote end of hose  38  has a tip  52  adapted to be forced into and received by an inlet defined by a tubular flexible member such as another hose or the like. In FIG. 6, the hose  38  is provided with a fitting  54  having a truncated cone-like plug  56  designed to be received within an enlarged inlet which becomes sealed off by the tapered plug  56  when fitting  54  is inserted into such inlet. A tubular tip  58  of fitting  54  allows liquid to flow from tube  38  into the inlet of the selected reservoir.  
         [0020]    Whereas the delivery system  10  of FIGS.  1 - 6  utilizes an actuator head  30  that must be held down manually throughout the delivery process, the delivery system  200  of FIGS.  7 - 9  provides for hands-free retention of the actuator head in its depressed position until the contents of the cannister are depleted or the user otherwise wishes to terminate delivery. The distribution assembly  202  of system  200  includes a base  204  constructed of synthetic resinous material and having a skirt  206  configured similarly to the skirt  18  of distribution assembly  14 . Skirt  206  has a lower annular lip  208  that snaps down around an annular bead  210  on a cannister  212  to secure distribution assembly  202  to cannister  212 .  
         [0021]    Base  204  further includes an upstanding, hollow boss  214  at the upper end of skirt  206  that overlies and encompasses the upright discharge tube  216  of cannister  212 . As well known, discharge tube  216  is spring-biased to an extended position as shown in FIG. 8, but when depressed as shown in FIG. 9 is operable to open known internal valving to allow the escape of the contents from cannister  212 . Boss  214  is formed to present an upright guide channel  218  that is open at its top and bottom and receives the upstanding discharge tube  216 . An actuator head  220  constructed of synthetic resinous material is confined within channel  218  for vertical reciprocation between a raised position in FIG. 8 and a lowered or depressed position in FIG. 9. An internal chamber  222  in the bottom of actuator head  220  snugly receives the upper end of discharge tube  216  so as to operably connect actuator head  220  to tube  216 . Consequently, discharge tube  216  yiedably biases head  220  toward its raised position, but when head  220  is depressed, the effect is to correspondingly depress tube  216  and open the internal valving of cannister  212  to release its contents.  
         [0022]    Actuator head  220  has an internal passage  224  that communicates chamber  222  and discharge tube  216  with a horizontally extending spout  226  to which a length of flexible hose  228  is attached. An integral collar  230  of actuator head  220  circumscribes nozzle  226  in radially space relation thereto to assist in securing hose  228  to spout  226 . A generally U-shaped clearance slot  232  in the front side of boss  214  provides operating clearance for collar  230  and spout  226  during operation of head  220 .  
         [0023]    A coil spring  234  within hose  228  and secured to the outermost end of spout  226  helps prevent kinking of hose  228  when it is coiled around base  204  and stored beneath a cover cap (not shown) in the manner illustrated with respect to distribution assembly  14  in FIG. 1. The distal or remote end of hose  228  (not shown) may be devoid of any fitting or nozzle, or hose  228  may be provided with fittings such as, but not limited to, those illustrated in FIGS.  4 - 6 .  
         [0024]    Distribution assembly  202  further includes a total release device in the nature of a toggle lever  236  that is operably associated with actuator head  220 . Toggle lever  236  is generally T-shaped when viewed in top plan and has a pair of pintles  238  (FIGS. 8 and 9—only one pintle being shown) that project outwardly in opposite directions from the body of lever  236  for reception within suitable holes or openings within the side margins of channel  218  for establishing a fulcrum connection between lever  236  and boss  214 . Lever  236  is thus pivotal about the fulcrum connection defined by pintles  238  between a horizontal, standby position as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, and an upstanding, actuated position as illustrated in FIG. 9. Preferably, lever  236  is constructed from a suitable synthetic resinous material.  
         [0025]    The fulcrum connection established by pintles  238  is located intermediate the opposite ends of lever  236  such that a pair of legs  240  and  242  are defined on opposite sides of the fulcrum connection. One leg  240  is substantially shorter than the other leg  242  and has an outer end  244  adapted to bear against the top surface of actuator head  220  when lever  236  is flipped from its standby position to its actuated position. The outer end  244  of leg  240  thus moves downwardly about the axis of pintles  238  as lever  236  is operated and progressively depresses actuator head  220  from its raised position of FIG. 8 to its depressed position of FIG. 9. It will be recognized that outer end  244  of leg  240  is initially spaced laterally from the fulcrum connection defined by pintles  238  but comes progressively into position directly beneath and in line with pintles  238  when actuator head  220  is fully depressed as shown in FIG. 9, the point of contact between end  244  and the top surface of actuator head  220  correspondingly moving inwardly and under pintles  238 . Thus, when leg  240  has fully depressed actuator head  220  as shown in FIG. 9, the point of contact between end  244  and actuator head  220  is directly beneath and in vertical alignment with pintles  238  such that toggle lever  236  is effectively locked in its actuated, upstanding position. The spring-loading of discharge tube  216  pushes upwardly against actuator head  220  and leg  240  of toggle lever  236  at this time to effectively retain lever  236  in this upright condition. An adjacent abutment surface  246  in channel  218  is disposed in the path of travel of leg  240  so as to prevent lever  236  from going over center.  
         [0026]    The other leg  242  of toggle lever  236  is used for gaining a mechanical advantage on the shorter leg  240  and is designed to be easily gripped by the user and operated. To this end, leg  242  is generally J-shaped, projecting outwardly from the fulcrum connection area defined by pintles  238  and curving downwardly adjacent its outermost end at a distance radially outward from boss  214  when lever  236  is in its standby position of FIG. 8. A horizontally extending clearance recess or notch  248  in the top surface of boss  214  functions as a receiving socket for leg  242  when lever  236  is in its standby position so as to maintain leg  242  flush with or slightly below the top surface of boss  214  as illustrated.  
       Operation  
       [0027]    Use of the invention should be apparent from the foregoing description. Therefore, such use will only be briefly described hereinafter.  
         [0028]    The broadest aspects of the invention are common to both major embodiments of the invention, i.e., the delivery system  10  and the delivery system  200 . In either system, the liquid to be delivered to the hard-to-reach reservoir inlet is first packaged in a suitable cannister with a suitable propellant such that a known, measured quantity of the liquid is contained within the cannister. The cannister is then brought into generally close proximity to the reservoir and the flexible hose is twisted, turned and manipulated to whatever extent may be necessary to permit the user to insert the remote end of the hose into, or to connect the fitting of the hose with, the inlet of the reservoir. Thereupon, the user merely depresses the actuator on the cannister and allows the propellant within the cannister to deliver the product into the reservoir, all without turning the cannister upside down and attempting to pour out its contents. The actuator may be depressed for a relatively short duration or until such time as the contents of the cannister are fully discharged, depending upon the circumstances at hand.  
         [0029]    In the case of an automotive fuel system cleaner or the like, it is contemplated that the end of the hose will be devoid of any fitting or nozzle. While holding the cannister in one hand, the user merely inserts the free end of the hose down into the neck of the gasoline tank and then depresses the actuator head to cause the propellant to deliver the cleaner into the filler neck. Preferably, the delivery system  200  having the total release feature is utilized for this particular type of product so that the user can quickly and easily deliver the entire measured quantity of cleaner into the gas tank.  
         [0030]    If a delivery system such as the delivery system  200  is utilized, it will be appreciated that, rather than the user depressing actuator head  220  with his thumb or finger, he merely grips the down turned leg  242  of lever  236  and flips it upwardly into its actuated position of FIG. 9. During this quick flipping action, the outer end  244  of the leg  240  of lever  236  bears down against the top of actuator head  220  and cams the head down into the depressed position of FIG. 9. Once in the depressed position, the actuator head  220  exerts an upward return force against lever  236 , but such force is directly underneath and in line with the pintles  238  that define the fulcrum connection of lever  236  with boss  214 . Consequently, such upward return force merely has the effect of retaining lever  236  trapped in its upstanding, actuated position, which in turn maintains actuator head  220  fully depressed. Consequently, the contents of cannister  212 , in this case the fuel system cleaner, become fully discharged, and the user knows that a certain measured quantity of the cleaner has been added to the fuel tank.  
         [0031]    Of course, if for any reason the user wishes to stop discharge of the product prematurely, he merely grips the outer end of lever  236  and snaps it back down to its standby position of FIG. 8, which releases actuator head  220  and allows it to return to its raised position, terminating product discharge.  
         [0032]    It will be appreciated that the principles of the present invention are applicable to many different types of liquid products. Although the present invention has been described using automotive-related liquid products such as fuel cleaner, differential gear case oil and brake line antifreeze, such usage is for purposes of example only and should not be considered in a limiting sense with respect to the scope of the invention. Many other types of non-automotive liquid products can be dispensed and delivered to hard-to-reach places using the principles of the present invention.  
         [0033]    The inventor(s) hereby state(s) his/their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of his/their invention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the following claims.