Abstract:
A valve assembly is disclosed for use in an aerosol spray can capable of spraying viscous materials or materials with large particulates without clogging or packing like traditional aerosol spray cans designed for spraying texture materials. The valve opening is located at the bottom of the container rather than at the top, thus allowing highly-viscous materials, such as a fire suppressant material, or materials having large particulates, such as stucco, to be sprayed from an aerosol spray can without clogging of the valves. The valve assembly can spray materials that more closely resemble the original surface texture found on textured and stucco-covered walls and ceilings of buildings and structures.

Description:
[0001]    This invention is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/656,247, which was a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/312,133.  
     
    
     
       FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates to a valve assembly for use in an aerosol spray can capable of spraying viscous materials or materials with large particulates without clogging or packing like traditional aerosol spray cans designed for spraying texture materials.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The practice of dispensing heavy and particulate materials through traditional aerosol spray can valve assemblies in the aerosol industry has presented problems in which the heavy and particulate materials to be dispersed clog up the valve assemblies. These heavy and particulate materials may include exterior stucco, heavy sand finishes, drywall and acoustic ceiling patching materials, fire suppressant materials, adhesive and bonding materials, and even culinary sauces.  
           [0004]    A traditional aerosol spray can may be filled with these heavy and particulate materials for spraying. However, because of the placement of the valve assembly in traditional aerosol spray cans, these heavy and particulate materials will clog up the valve assemblies and render the aerosol spray cans inoperative. Constant operation of these aerosol spray cans in spraying heavy and particulate materials is not possible due to the inconsistent ability of these traditional valve assemblies to dispense these materials without clogging.  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,975, issued to Stern et al., discloses an aerosol spray texturing device that is comprised of a container, a nozzle, a valve assembly, and an outlet. The valve assembly in the &#39;975 patent is located in the upper section of the container near the nozzle. Although the nozzle tube of the device in the &#39;975 patent may be configured to spray texture materials, the device in the &#39;975 patent still has the problem of clogging or packing of the valve assembly by the particulates contained in the texture material for spraying, especially if the particulates are large, like those found in stucco or other heavy and particulate materials mentioned above.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,011, issued to the present Applicant, discloses a spray apparatus for spraying a texture material through a nozzle. Similarly in this apparatus, there too exists a problem of spraying texture materials having large particulates, such as stucco, because the particulates also clog up the valve opening within the spray apparatus.  
           [0007]    Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide an apparatus that may be used to readily apply heavy and particulate materials in aerosol form, such as exterior stucco, heavy sand finishes, drywall and acoustic ceiling patching materials, fire suppressant materials, adhesive and bonding materials, and culinary sauces. Furthermore, the heavy and particulate materials to be applied should be contained in a hand-held applicator so that the materials may be conveniently stored, as well as dispensed in a simple and convenient manner without clogging or packing the valve assembly of the applicator.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    An object of the present invention is to provide a valve assembly for use in an aerosol spray can capable of spraying viscous materials or materials with large particulates without clogging or packing like traditional aerosol spray cans designed for spraying texture materials.  
           [0009]    Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and economical means for matching surface texture of a repaired or patched surface area on a drywall panel, acoustic ceiling, or stucco-covered surface.  
           [0010]    Another object of the present invention is to improve the appearance of patched or repaired areas on a textured surface by employing a spray-on hardenable texture material that covers the repaired or patched area and visually assumes the surface texture of the surrounding patched or repaired surface.  
           [0011]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held dispensing unit containing a pressurized texture surface material for spray-on and direct application of the material in a liquid or semi-liquid form onto a repaired or patched area so that the surrounding patched or repaired surface will be visually and mechanically matched.  
           [0012]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a valve assembly for use in an aerosol spray can capable of spraying highly-viscous materials, such as fire suppressant materials, adhesive and bonding materials, and culinary sauces, without clogging or packing like traditional aerosol spray cans when spraying these materials.  
           [0013]    The valve assembly comprises a dip tube disposed inside a container. A rod is disposed inside the dip tube so that it may move lengthwise within the dip tube. A sealing member is coupled to the bottom end of the rod, so as to form a tight-seal with the bottom opening of the dip tube when the rod is in an up position, and it exposes the bottom opening of the dip tube to the heavy and particulate material inside the container when the rod is in a down position. A bushing is also coupled to the top opening of the dip tube. Finally, an actuator is coupled to the top end of the rod and the bushing, allowing the user to depress on the actuator, thus lowering the rod to its down position and exposing the bottom opening of the dip tube to the material within the container, and allowing the heavy and particulate material to move up the dip tube and out of the container.  
           [0014]    Another embodiment of the valve assembly comprises a dip tube disposed inside the container. An interior tube is disposed inside the dip tube so that it may move lengthwise within the dip tube. There is at least one orifice at the bottom end of the interior tube. A top O-ring is coupled to the interior tube adjacent the at least one orifice to prevent any bypass of the heavy and particulate material into the dip tube, and a bottom O-ring is coupled to the bottom end of the interior tube to seal off the valve assembly when not actuated. The top opening of the dip tube is coupled to a bushing. Finally, an actuator is coupled to the top end of the interior tube, allowing the user to depress on the actuator, thus lowering the interior tube to its down position and exposing the at least one orifice on the interior tube to the material inside the container and allowing the heavy and particulate material to flow up the interior tube and out of the container.  
           [0015]    The invention prevents clogging or packing of the valve assembly because the valve opening is at the bottom of the container, as opposed to being at the top, as in traditional aerosol spray cans. The placement of the value opening at the bottom of the container greatly reduces the clogging or packing of the valve by texture materials having large particulates. This improvement allows the efficient and low-cost spraying of more highly-textured materials, because there is no longer the problem of clogging or packing of the valve opening by the particulates suspended within the texture material.  
           [0016]    Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings that illustrate, by way of example, various features and embodiments of the invention.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a valve assembly in a closed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly in a closed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate perspective views of a portion of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly in an opened position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a valve assembly in an opened position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]    [0028]FIGS. 1 and 3 are perspective views of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. A dip tube  1  is coupled to a bushing  4 , which may also be coupled to a cup  5 . An actuator  6  is also coupled to the bushing  4 .  
         [0029]    In FIGS. 2 and 4, an aperture on the actuator  6  forms a nozzle opening  7 , in which a dispersing apparatus, such as a nozzle cap or a dispensing tube, may be attached or screwed. A rod  2  is disposed inside the dip tube  1  in a way that allows the rod  2  to move within the dip tube  1  along its length. The actuator  6  is coupled to the top end of the rod  2 , so that when the actuator  6  is depressed, the rod  2  moves downward within the dip tube  1 . A sealing member  3  is coupled to the bottom end of the rod  2 , so that when the rod  2  is in an up position, i.e., the actuator  6  is not depressed, the sealing member  3  forms a tight-seal with the bottom opening of the dip tube  1 . However, when the rod  2  is in a down position, i.e., the actuator  6  is depressed, the sealing member  3  exposes the bottom opening of the dip tube  1  to the heavy and particulate material inside the container, and the aerosol within the container will force the texture material through the bottom opening of the dip tube  1 , up through the dip tube  1 , and out of the container through the nozzle opening  7 . The heavy and particulate material may be a variety of sprayable materials, including viscous materials or materials having large particulates, like that of stucco.  
         [0030]    The cup  5  acts as a guide to limit how far down the actuator  6  may be depressed, and in turn how far down the rod  2  may travel within the dip tube  1 . If the actuator  6  is depressed too far, the bottom end of the rod  2  may come in contact with the bottom surface of the container, which may result in damage to the container. The cup  5  is also adapted to fit securely over the top portion of an aerosol spray can and may also provide a surface for attaching the valve assembly to the aerosol spray can.  
         [0031]    The placement of the valve opening at the bottom of the container, as opposed to near the top of the container, as described in the prior references, drastically reduces the clogging and packing of the valve opening as experienced by traditional aerosol spray cans when spraying texture materials containing large particulates, such as stucco. Further descriptions of an example of a heavy and particulate material is disclosed in an accompanying patent application (attorney docket no. 81168-248262) entitled, “Hardenable Texture Material in Aerosol Form,” incorporated herein by reference. In addition to being capable of spraying stucco-like materials, the valve assembly is also particularly useful in spraying other types of materials having large particulates or high viscosities, including fire suppressant materials. These materials having large particulates or high viscosities may be dispensed directly from the valve system of an aerosol dispensing container. The aerosol dispensing container is preferably a size that allows it to be hand held and may be operated with one hand.  
         [0032]    Ideally, the actuator  6  is made out of an elastic material, such as rubber, so as to allow the retention of the rod  2  in the up position when the actuator  6  is not depressed. The actuator  6  may also be made of a non-elastic material, but there may be a resilient member, such as a spring, coupled to the bushing  4  and engaging the actuator  6  so as to spring-load the actuator  6 . The sealing member  3  should be made of a material, such as rubber, that will allow the sealing member  3  to form a tight-seal with the bottom opening of the dip tube  1  so as to prevent any entry of the texture material and the aerosol carrier into the dip tube  1  when the rod  2  is in the up position, i.e., when the actuator  6  is not being depressed.  
         [0033]    FIGS.  5  to  9  show another embodiment of the present invention. A dip tube  1  is coupled to a bushing  4 , which may also be coupled to a cup  5 . A spring member  9  may be coupled to the bushing  4  to spring-load the actuator  6  engaging the spring member  9  on the bushing  4 .  
         [0034]    An interior tube  10  with a top end and a bottom end is disposed inside the dip tube  1  in a way that allows the interior tube  10  to move within the dip tube  1  along its length. The actuator  6  is coupled to the top end of the interior tube  10 , so that when the actuator  6  is depressed, the interior tube  10  moves downward within the dip tube  1 . There is at least one orifice  13  at the bottom end of the interior tube  10  so as to allow the heavy and particulate material from inside the container to flow up through the interior tube  10  and out of the nozzle opening. A top O-ring  11  is coupled to the interior tube  10  adjacent to and just above the at least one orifice  13  so as to form a seal to prevent any bypass of the heavy and particulate material from the container into the dip tube  1  when the interior tube  10  is in a down position. A bottom O-ring  12  is coupled to the bottom end of the interior tube  10  so as to seal off and close the valve assembly when the interior tube  10  is in an up position.  
         [0035]    As described above, the cup  5  may act as a guide so as to limit how far down the actuator  6  may be depressed, as well as provide a surface for attaching the valve assembly to the container.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate perspective views of a portion of a valve assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As may be seen in FIG. 7B, when orifice  13  is aligned with orifice  14 , an opening is created.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 10 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention. There is at least one exterior orifice  14  on the dip tube  1  that is adapted to be in flow alignment with the at least one orifice  13  of the interior tube  10 . Therefore, when the actuator  6  is depressed and the interior tube  10  is lowered to its open position, the at least one orifice  13  of the interior tube  10  aligns with the at least one orifice  14  on the dip tube  1  so that the material inside the container  17  may flow through the exterior orifice  14  and into the at least one orifice  13  of the interior tube  10  and up through the interior tube  10  and out of the container through the nozzle opening  7 . Similarly, there is a top O-ring  11  and a bottom O-ring  12 , as described above, for sealing off the dip tube  1  to prevent any bypass of the heavy and particulate material from the container and for closing the valve assembly.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 11 shows yet another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a resilient member  16 , shown here as a spring, is located at the bottom of the container  17 . One end of the resilient member  16  is adjacent to the bottom of the container. The resilient member  16  may be attached to, or may abut, the bottom of the container  17 . The second end of the resilient member  16  may be attached to, or may abut, the inner tube  10 . This resilient member  16  will serve to spring-load the actuator and will prevent the inner tube  10  from remaining in its lowered position beyond the time required by the user. The resilient member  16  may also serve as a type of anchor or stabilizer for the inner tube  10  and dip tube  1 . This will help to prevent any movement of the inner tube  10  and dip tube  1  that may cause a leakage where the inner tube  10  and the dip tube  1  meet the top of the container  17 . While FIG. 11 shows the resilient member  16  being used with the embodiment of the present invention that has a inner tube  10  and a dip tube  1 , it should be understood that the spring could be used with any embodiment of the present invention to center the tube extending into the container, to provide support to the tube in the container, and to push the tube back towards the top of the can and spring-load the actuator.  
         [0039]    The resilient member  16  depicted in FIG. 11 as a coil or spring. However, it should be understood by one skilled in the art that this resilient member may be made from a rubber cylinder, a metal coil or any other means as are known in the art.  
         [0040]    While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.  
         [0041]    The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.