Abstract:
A miniature dispenser for dispensing fluid materials such as liquids or powders. The dispenser has a body which contains a piston and a material reservoir which is separable from the body and contains the fluid material. The material reservoir includes the passages, valves, and nozzles through which the material being dispensed flows and also includes an integral collapsible material container. A user may assemble the body to different material reservoirs and each material reservoir may be tailored to the properties of the material it contains. The dispenser is small enough to be worn as part of a bracelet or to be dipped to a pocket, belt, backpack, or purse.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/128,311 Yapaola, et al, Wristband-mounted dispenser for liquids and powders with cm improved dispensing mechanism, discloses a wrist-mounted dispenser with an improved dispensing mechanism. U.S. Ser. No. 12/128,311 is a continuation-in-part of PCT patent application PCT/US06/35681, filed on Sep. 14, 2006, whose inventors are the same as those of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/128,311. U.S. Ser. No. 12/128,311 was published as US patent application publication US 2009/0014475 A1. 
         [0002]    Three pending U.S. provisional patent applications, each having the same inventors as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/128,311, disclose improved versions of the dispenser disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 12/128,311: 
         [0003]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/245,508, Yapaola, et al. Replaceable material chamber for dispenser for liquids or powders, filed Sep. 24, 2009; 
         [0004]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/303,110, Yapaola, et al., Clip-on dispenser for liquids or powders, filed Feb. 10, 2010; and 
         [0005]    U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/379,658, Yapaola, et al., A replaceable material reservoir with an integral collapsible material container for a dispenser for liquids and powders, filed Sep.  2 ,  2010 . 
         [0000]    The present patent application claims priority from all three of the above provisional patent applications and incorporates all three of the above provisional patent applications, U.S. Ser. No. 12/128,311 and US published application 2009/0014475 by reference for all permissible purposes. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0006]    Not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING 
       [0007]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0009]    The invention relates to dispensers for fluid materials such as liquids or powders and in particular to dispensers of such materials which are small enough to be incorporated into a bracelet and worn on the arm or to be clipped to an article of clothing or an accessory such as a backpack or purse. 
         [0010]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0011]    US published application 2009/0014475 disclosed a material dispenser which is small enough to be worn on a wristband, is easy to use, provides measured amounts of the material, has a refillable reservoir, and may be worn with ordinary white-or pink-collar work clothes. The present patent application discloses a material dispenser which is generally similar to the one disclosed in 2009/0014475 but has improvements which solve problems including: 
         [0012]    permitting the dispenser to be clipped to a user&#39;s garments or accessories; 
         [0013]    simplifying the manner in which the dispenser is refilled; 
         [0014]    adapting the valves and the passages in the dispenser to the physical properties of the particular material being dispensed; 
         [0015]    ensuring that valves and passages do not wear out before all of the material in a reservoir has been dispensed; 
         [0016]    simplifying the manner in which a reservoir is replaced; 
         [0017]    simplifying the container used to store the material in the reservoir; and 
         [0018]    simplifying the manner in which the container is filled. 
         [0000]    It is thus an object of the material dispenser disclosed herein to provide solutions to 
         [0019]    the foregoing problems. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    In one aspect, an object of the invention is attained by a dispenser for a fluid material which has a dispenser body and a reservoir for the material The dispenser body and the reservoir are separable, may be sold separately, and are assembled by the user. The dispenser body includes a tube which has an open end and a piston which is movable in the tube. There is an air-tight seal between the tube and the piston. The reservoir includes a tube receiving portion which receives the open end of the tube when the reservoir is joined to the dispenser body. When the two are joined, there is an air-tight seal between the dispenser body and the tube receiving portion. The dispenser body further includes a material container which contains the material being dispensed and which collapses under ambient air pressure as the material is removed. There is a passage between the tube receiving portion and the material container. The passage includes a first one-way valve that opens when the pressure in the passage is less than ambient air pressure and a second one-way valve that opens when the pressure in the passage is less than ambient air pressure. As a consequence of the above arrangement of the piston, the passage, and the valves, the material is removed from the material container and expelled from the dispenser in response to the movement of the piston in the tube. 
         [0021]    A single dispenser body can be employed with many different reservoirs. Advantages of the fact that the passage and the valves are completely contained in the reservoir are that they can be specifically tailored for the material contained in the reservoir and need only last until the material is consumed. 
         [0022]    In another aspect, the reservoir&#39;s collapsible fluid container is integral to the reservoir. The collapsible fluid container comprises an interior surface of the reservoir and an elastic barrier that is sealed to the interior surface. The elastic barrier retains a crushed state until it is filled with the fluid. The elastic barrier further has a shape which conforms to the shape of the interior of the reservoir. Consequently, when the collapsible fluid container is filled, it expands from the crushed state to till the reservoir&#39;s interior space without internal pressure that is in excess of the ambient air pressure. 
     
    
     
         [0023]    Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the arts to which the invention pertains upon perusal of the following Detailed Description and drawing, wherein: 
         BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a view of the material dispenser which shows the dispenser&#39;s material reservoir and body and the manner in which they are assembled to form the complete material dispenser; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a detail of the material reservoir which shows the integral collapsible material container employed in the material reservoir; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a set of cross sections of the material dispenser which show the shape of the collapsible material container; and 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a detailed longitudinal cross section along the center line of the assembled 
           [0028]    material dispenser. 
       
    
    
       [0029]    Reference numbers in the drawing have three or more digits: the two right-hand digits are reference numbers in the drawing indicated by the remaining digits. Thus, an item with the reference number  203  first appears as item  203  in  FIG. 2 . 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     The Material Dispenser: FIGS.  1  and  4   
       [0030]      FIG. 1  is a view of the material dispenser disclosed herein. Material dispenser  101  is a clip-on material dispenser and may be worn on a person&#39;s belt, waistband, or pocket or may be attached to an accessory such as a purse or backpack. The improvements which are disclosed in the present patent application are embodied in clip-on dispenser  101 . Clip-on dispenser  101  has two major components; body assembly  103  and replaceable material chamber  111 . Body assembly  103  contains a piston which moves in a cylinder. The piston is moved by a piston actuator  104 . Clip  105  is used to the dispenser onto a belt, a pocket, a back pack, or the like. Replaceable material chamber  111  includes a material container which contains the material (fluid or powder) being dispensed and a nozzle  115  through which the fluid or powder is expelled when the user pushes piston actuator  104  in the direction of nozzle  115 . Operation of the piston actuator  104  to expel the fluid or powder is explained in detail below. 
         [0031]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view which shows how the two parts making up dispenser  101  are assembled or disassembled by a user of the dispenser. The figure shows how body assembly  103  and reservoir  111  can be assembled by sliding the reservoir into the body assembly using guide  117 . A clip shown at  107  releasably retains the reservoir in body assembly  103 . Semicylindrical cavity  113  in the reservoir receives the cylinder for the body assembly&#39;s piston; when the reservoir and the body assembly are assembled, the structure shown at  114  provides an airtight joint between portion  115  of the reservoir and the piston&#39;s cylinder. As will be seen in more detail later, the parts of dispenser  101  which are most likely to wear out or become clogged are all components of replaceable material chamber  111  and are thus replaced each time replaceable material chamber  111  is replaced. A further advantage of this architecture is that the same body assembly  103  may be used with replaceable material chambers  111  which are specially engineered for different kinds of fluids or powders. 
         [0032]    The replaceable material chambers may be provided as part of a kit which includes body assembly  103  and a number of replaceable material chambers  111  with the same or different materials to be dispensed. The replaceable material chambers may also be provided separately, and in some instances, body assembly  103  may be provided at no or nominal cost to encourage use or purchase of the replaceable material chambers. For example, where an epidemic disease is spread from hand to hand, public health authorities may distribute body assembly  103 , replaceable material chambers full of a disinfectant, and/or the kits in order to reduce the spread of the disease. 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  is a vertical section  401  along the center line of a preferred embodiment of assembled dispenser  101 . Items shown in detail here are one-way spit valve  403 , piston  417 , cylinder  413 , spring  419 , diaphragm  415 , structure  114 , which mates with cylinder  413 , passage  411 , which connects the material container and cylinder  413 , and ball valve  405  in passage  411 . When the user has assembled dispenser  101 , diaphragm  415  provides an air-tight seal not only between piston  417  and cylinder  412 , but also between cylinder  413  and structure  114 . 
         [0034]    Dispenser  101  works as follows: Spring  419  normally keeps actuator  104  in the position shown in  FIG. 4 ; the user primes the dispenser by moving actuator  104  towards nozzle  115 ; piston  417  moves forward in cylinder  413  and compresses the air in cylinder  413  and passage  411 . Leakage around piston  417  is prevented by diaphragm  415 . The pressure of the compressed air forces spit valve  403  open and ball valve  405  closed and the air exits. When the user releases actuator  104 , spring  419  moves it back in cylinder  413 , lowering the air pressure in cylinder  413  and passage  411 . In response to the lowered air pressure, one-way spit, valve  403  closes, ball valve  405  opens, and the material being dispensed flows from material container  421  through passage  411  into cylinder  413 . One-way spit valve  403  opens only in one direction because of backing piece  412 , which prevents spit valve  403  from opening when the pressure in cylinder  413  is lower than atmospheric pressure. When the user next moves actuator  104  towards nozzle  115 , the pressure produced by the moving piston in cylinder  413  forces spit valve  403  open and ball valve  405  closed and the material being dispensed is expelled through spit valve  403 . On the next backstroke of the piston, the air pressure in cylinder  413  is again lowered, valve  403  closes, valve  405  opens, and the material being dispensed again flows through passage  411  into cylinder  413 . The amount of material dispensed on each forward stroke of the piston is the amount in cylinder  413 . 
       Improvements Shown in FIG.  4  Include the Following 
       [0035]    spit valve  403  is now located directly at the end of cylinder  413 , which simplifies the design of passage  411  and permits the piston to act directly In line with the material exit. This eliminates a convoluted exit path that would make performance and metering less accurate. 
         [0036]    diaphragm  415  is now attached to piston  417  around the edges of the piston, which keeps diaphragm  415  from collapsing when piston  417  moves. 
         [0037]    ball valve  405 , which is made of a synthetic material, requires less space than the one-way valves of the prior embodiments but is equally unaffected by the orientation of the dispenser. 
         [0038]    Clip  105  permits dispenser  101  to be clipped to an object such as a belt. 
         [0000]    Of course, dispenser  101  could also be attached to a wristband, as disclosed in 2009/0014475. 
       The Integral Collapsible Materials Container: FIGS.  2  and  3   
       [0039]    In the previous versions of the dispenser, the collapsible material container is simply a flexible, air tight bag of the material which is inserted into the reservoir. An example of such a bag is gel bag  617  shown in  FIG. 6  of US 2009/0014475. When used in the material dispenser of US 2009/0014475, a bag like gel bag  617  has a number of problems: 
         [0040]    The empty bag does not collapse on its own; consequently, before the empty bag can be filled, the air must be withdrawn from it, which complicates the filling process. 
         [0041]    The gel bag does not conform closely to the interior shape of the reservoir. The lack of conformity results in two further problems:
       The gel bag does not completely fill the available volume of the interior of the reservoir, which reduces the amount of material that can be stored in the reservoir.   If the first problem is overcome by using an elastic gel bag which changes shape as it expands against the interior surface of the reservoir, the result is that the material in the elastic bag has substantial internal pressure, making it more difficult to prevent leakage from the collapsible material container or premature material ejection.
 
The problems with the shape of the gel bag increase if, as in dispenser  101 , cavity  113  for the body assembly&#39;s cylinder occupies a large portion of the volume of the center of the reservoir, dividing the interior of the reservoir into two relatively large volumes connected by a small volume. While causing difficulties for the material container, such a design is otherwise advantageous, since it substantially reduces the total thickness of the assembled dispenser.
       
 
         [0044]    Close conformity of the collapsible material container to the interior shape of the reservoir is attained as shown in  FIG. 2 . The figure shows an exploded view  201  and a longitudinal section  210  of reservoir  111 . The reservoir, shown before portion  115  has been added to it, has a bottom plastic cover  202  and a top plastic cover  205 . The collapsible container is formed by bottom plastic cover  202  and expandable elastic, barrier  203 . There is an air-tight seal  213  between expandable elastic barrier  203  and bottom plastic cover  202  except at ingress  211 , which contains a one-way ball valve  405 . Elastic barrier  203  has a shape such that when the reservoir is filled with the material to be dispensed, expandable elastic barrier conforms to the shape of the inside of top plastic cover  205 , Top plastic cover  205  admits air, and consequently, as the material is pumped out of the reservoir and expelled from the dispenser, elastic barrier  203  collapses under atmospheric pressure. Elastic barrier  203  does not regain its shape after it has been crushed; consequently, it can be crushed after it has been manufactured and it will remain crushed until tilled with the material to be dispensed. This behavior of elastic barrier  203  makes it unnecessary to pump air out of the collapsible container formed by barrier  203  and bottom plastic cover  202  before filling the collapsible container with the material to he dispensed. 
         [0045]    Details of a preferred embodiment of elastic barrier  203  are shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 , and  4 . As best seen in  FIG. 4 , elastic barrier as molded includes egress  211  and the material necessary for seal  213 . Seal  213  is formed by clamping the edges of elastic barrier  203  between bottom plastic cover  202  and top plastic cover  205 . A system of pegs in the top plastic container cover and sockets in the bottom plastic cover hold the two tightly together with the edges of expandable elastic barrier clamped between them, as shown at  209 .  FIG. 3  shows a top view of the fully assembled material dispenser  101  and three cross sections: one,  301 , along the center line of the assembled device, i.e., along the center line of body  103 , one,  303 , along one of the high portions of the reservoir, and a transverse cross section  305 . Between the three, the relationship between the shape of elastic barrier  203  and the reservoir&#39;s cavity Is clear. Cross section  301  also shows the one-way valve at ingress  211  of the collapsible container and the relationship between the collapsible container, the piston, the cylinder, the spit valve, and the nozzle. For further details, see  FIG. 4  and its discussion above. 
         [0046]    Further Details of a Presently Preferred Embodiment of the Integral Materials Container 
         [0047]    In a preferred embodiment, two materials are being considered for elastic barrier  203 : silicon and a molded polyurethane. The silicon has a better range for the properties we desire for barrier  203 , but the urethane might be more cost-effective in high-volume. The desired properties are strength with elasticity, and being reliable in a thin (about 0.010″) wall thickness. The material of the elastic barrier should be resistant to reacting with the contained fluid. The elastic barrier should have a good shelf life after the reservoir has been filled with the material to be dispensed. Silicon and urethane are good families for such properties. For our initial models, we will use a silicon. 
         [0048]    Sealing the Elastic Barrier To The Bottom Cover 
         [0049]    It is important to keep the internal pressure of the fluid in the collapsible container low. One reason for this is the seal of the barrier&#39;s perimeter. The seal is being made by pinching the elastic barrier&#39;s perimeter between bottom cover  202  and top cover  205  (the pinching is best shown in sections  301 ,  303 , and  305 ). To add tightness and hold this sandwich in place, I use ultrasonic welding to weld a pin into a hole at eight positions, as seen at  209 . Fastening the top and bottom plastic covers in this way will be reinforced by maintaining a stiffness in the top cover and a curvature (seen at  305 ) to the bottom cover, which will all assist in maintaining pressure around the barrier perimeter. With low internal pressure of the fluid, the above seal should be sufficient. 
         [0050]    Filling the Collapsible Container Made Using the Elastic Barrier 
         [0051]    Filling the container is intended at this point to be done at the factory. Key to maintaining the low internal pressure is the shape of elastic barrier  203 . It must be shaped such that there is a minimal amount of backpressure built up when the reservoir is full. The elastic barrier will be contoured to the internal cavity, but because of the thin wall, the elastic barrier will arrive to this assembly stage flattened and will expand only when filled with the substance to be dispensed. The reservoir is assembled with the elastic barrier as described above. The reservoir with the elastic barrier is turned upward so that ingress  211  is facing upward. The reservoir is filled with low positive pressure and the assistance of gravity. The barrier expands to fill the reservoir, and little air is trapped inside the elastic barrier. After the appropriate amount of the substance has been placed in the reservoir, ball  405  is placed in egress  211  and structure  404  of assembly  115  is mated with egress  211 . Egress  411  and ball valve  405  thereby become part of passage  411 . There will be a paper seal over the hole in assembly  115  which receives the cylinder. The seal will be removed by the user when combining the reservoir with the body assembly. 
         [0052]    Dispensing Material After the Reservoir has been Combined with the Body Assembly 
         [0053]    Invariably, some air will get trapped in the bag and channels when the reservoir is combined with the body assembly. This is a good thing because it keeps the reservoir from leaking while it is being combined with the body assembly. The initial strokes of the piston will pump air as well as fluid, so there will be an initial “priming of the pump” action required. As the fluid is dispensed, the elastic barrier will collapse under the ambient air pressure. 
       Conclusion 
       [0054]    The foregoing Detailed Description has disclosed to those skilled in the relevant technologies how to make and use the dispenser which Is disclosed herein and has further disclosed the best mode presently known to the inventors of making and using the dispenser. Details of dispensers like those disclosed in the Detailed Description will depend on the purpose of the dispenser, the kind of fluid it is dispensing, and the materials available to build the dispenser. In particular, it is to be understood the term “fluid” used herein includes not only liquids and powders, but any substance which behaves like a fluid For all of the foregoing reasons, the Detailed Description is to be regarded as being in all respects exemplary and not restrictive, and the breadth of the invention disclosed herein is to be determined not from the Detailed Description, but rather from the claims as interpreted with the full breadth permitted by the patent laws.