Abstract:
An aerosol valve actuator with a top portion rotatable on a bottom portion. The entire top portion in one rotatable position is depressible vertically to actuate the valve. A click post and clicking rib provide a single click in each direction of rotation. Flanges on top and bottom portions interact to stop rotation as soon as each click occurs. Plastic springs interact with spring biasing members only when the top portion is in actuating position, and assure return of the actuator top portion to full upward position for rotation after actuation of even a short-stemmed valve. Downwardly extending flexible connecting flanges connect the actuator top and bottom portions. The top portion has a lower periphery with a plurality of upwardly extending indentations to overlie lateral ribs in the lower portion in actuation position. The top and bottom portions have interfitting cylinders to stabilize the top portion and maintain verticality.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/712,353 filed on Feb. 25, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,984,827 issued on Jul. 26, 2011, which is a divisional of Ser. No. 11/649,625, filed Jan. 4, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,699,190 issued on Apr. 20, 2010, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to plastic aerosol dispensers of the type often referred to as spray dome dispensers or actuators. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a dispenser having a top portion mounted on and rotatable with respect to a bottom portion between a first operative position for aerosol valve actuation and a second inoperative position in which the aerosol valve cannot be actuated. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Prior art locking aerosol dispensers have existed for years and have had many different structural designs of interrelating parts. Some of these designs are overly complex to mold, while others require more force than desirable for the user to operate between the inoperative and operative positions. 
     Still other designs in the unlocked position may not, following valve actuation, adequately return the top portion of the actuator upwardly to its rotatable position when used with aerosol valves having shorter stem heights due to normal variations in stem heights, etc. Such designs when used with shorter stem heights may also result in rattling between the top and bottom actuator portions to imply a flimsiness to the consumer. 
     Additional designs are not sufficiently robust and are vulnerable to damage to their parts and operation due to excessive top loads from misuse, handling, shipping, etc. 
     Locking actuators also often incorporate clicking mechanisms of various forms to advise the consumer regarding whether the actuator has been rotated to its locked or unlocked position. Such mechanisms, however, are often overly complex and may provide multiple clicks with multiple clicking mechanisms when rotating between such positions, so that the consumer may be confused as to the status and operation of the actuator. Such mechanisms may also involve a considerable angular rotation of the actuator parts, which may further confuse the consumer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is intended to provide an aerosol valve actuator having a top and a bottom portion, the top portion being rotatable with respect to the bottom portion between a first position for actuating the aerosol valve and a second position where the aerosol valve cannot be actuated. The aerosol valve is actuated by depressing the entire top portion as a unit in a vertical direction with respect to the bottom portion. A click post and a flexible clicking rib provide a single click in each direction of rotation of the top portion, so as to indicate the actuator rotational position in a non-confusing manner to consumers who might otherwise be confused by multiple clicks in each direction of rotation. The clicking post has a configuration and alignment to cause the clicking rib to pass on opposite sides of the clicking post for opposite directions of rotation and to provide a pronounced clicking sound. 
     Further, stop flanges on the bottom portion of the actuator, and support flanges for connecting flanges on the top portion of the actuator, interact to stop rotation of the top portion of the actuator in each of its rotational directions as soon as the single click in that direction has occurred. This also helps to avoid consumer confusion, and assures alignment of the top and bottom portions for dispensing. 
     Additionally, the lower portion of the actuator has a plurality of plastic spring members that interact with a plurality of spring-biasing members extending from the upper portion of the actuator only when the top portion has been rotated to its first position. In that position, the spring-biasing members overlie, contact and slightly depress the plastic spring members in a non-actuating manner to prevent rattling between the top and bottom portions of the actuator, and to assure even in the presence of an aerosol valve with short stem height that the actuator top portion will be returned to its full upward position following product dispensing so that the top portion can then be rotated to the non-dispensing position. 
     The top portion of the actuator has a plurality of downwardly extending flexible connecting flanges to snap under structure of the bottom portion of the actuator. These connecting flanges are attached to the upper portion of the actuator by a plurality of supporting flanges, a supporting flange of each connecting flange serving as an aforementioned stop member assisting in terminating the rotation of the top portion. The top portion of the actuator also has a lower periphery with a plurality of upwardly extending indentations therein that overlie a plurality of lateral ribs in the lower actuator portion only when the top actuator portion is in its actuating position prior to dispensing. Depression of the top actuator portion then locates the indentations down onto the ribs to align the top and bottom actuator portions for dispensing. The top and bottom portions of the actuator also have interfitting cylinders to stabilize the top portion and maintain verticality. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, drawings and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the locking aerosol dispenser of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the disconnected top and bottom portions of the dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate various aspects of the disconnected top and bottom portions of the dispenser of  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 3A  being an overhead view of the top of the bottom portion and  FIG. 3B  being an underneath view of the bottom of the top portion; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the assembled dispenser of  FIG. 1 , taken front to back along a vertical plane passing through the vertical central axis of the dispenser and showing the actuator in the unlocked actuating position; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the assembled dispenser of  FIG. 1 , taken along lines  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3A  and with the top and bottom portions of the dispenser assembled to each other and with the actuator in the unlocked actuating position; 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the assembled dispenser of  FIG. 1  when the dispenser is in the unlocked actuating position; 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the assembled dispenser of  FIG. 1  when the dispenser is in the locked non-actuating position; and 
         FIG. 8  is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the clicking mechanism of the dispenser of  FIG. 1 , taken along lines  8 - 8  of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , aerosol dispenser  10  of the present invention is illustrated as assembled and in its unlocked actuating position. Actuator  10  has top portion  11  which is mounted on and rotatable with respect to bottom portion  12 . Bottom portion  12  is mountable on top of an aerosol product container with an upstanding aerosol valve stem (not shown). Actuator top portion  11  has a front opening  13  which aligns with product nozzle  14  when the dispenser  10  is in its unlocked actuating position. The entire top portion  11  may be vertically depressed as a unit with respect to the bottom portion  12  to actuate the aerosol vertical valve stem and valve in the unlocked actuating position of dispenser  10 . When the top portion  11  is rotated with respect to bottom portion  12  a small rotational distance away from the actuating position, top portion  11  can no longer be vertically depressed, and the aerosol valve stem and valve thus can no longer be actuated. 
       FIGS. 2 ,  3 A and  3 B show the actuator  10  of  FIG. 1  with its top portion  11  and bottom portion  12  disconnected.  FIG. 3B  represents the top portion  11  having been disconnected without rotation from the bottom portion  12  and merely inverted. Front opening  13  of  FIG. 3B  and nozzle  14  of  FIG. 3A  accordingly continue to face in the same direction. Top actuator portion  11  has about its lower periphery a plurality of spaced curved indentations  20  which define peripheral segments  21  therebetween (see  FIGS. 2 and 3B ). Bottom actuator portion  12  (see  FIG. 3A ) in turn has a plurality of ribs  25  adjacent to, spaced about and extending inwardly from its bottom periphery  26 . Merely as an example,  FIGS. 3A and 3B  show six such curved indentations  20 , six such peripheral segments  21  and six such ribs  25 . When dispensing actuator  10  is assembled and is in its actuating position, top portion  11  can be vertically depressed by the consumer&#39;s finger on its top, whereby curved indentations  20  move downwardly over and bottom on the ribs  25 , and peripheral segments  21  lie between ribs  25 . The curved portions of indentations  20  guide the ribs  25  and indentations  20  into full alignment with each other to establish the dispensing position, and the plurality of each stabilizes the top portion  11  and bottom portion  12  in the fully depressed position. In that position, the aerosol valve stem has been actuated to dispense product. When assembled dispensing actuator  10  is in its non-actuating position, peripheral segments  21  sit on top of ribs  25  and top portion  11  cannot be vertically depressed to actuate the aerosol valve. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3A , bottom actuator portion  12  has internal partial ring member  30  and upstanding curvilinear face plate  31  from which nozzle  14  opens forwardly from. Integral to the opposite circumferential ends of face plate  31  are vertically and radially inwardly extending wing flanges  35  and  36  (also see  FIG. 5 ) which are identical to each other. Wing flanges  35  and  36  serve as stops to the rotation of actuator top portion  11  about actuator bottom portion  12  in a manner described below. Also integrally mounted upon face plate  31  and rearwardly extending therefrom is roughly horizontal flexible product channel  40 , from the opposite end of which depends vertical product channel  41  having a conventional socket  42  at its base for insertion of the aerosol valve stem when lower actuator portion  12  is mounted on the aerosol container. Upwardly extending but closed off from vertical product channel  41  is cylinder  45 , which when actuated downwardly by upper actuator portion  11  in the actuating position will flex horizontal and vertical product channels  40  and  41  downward to actuate the aerosol valve and dispense product out through nozzle  14 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3A , extending from opposite sides and rearwardly of vertical product channel  41  are flexible plastic spring members  48 ,  49  and  50 . The function of these spring members is described further below and is to assure that upper actuator portion  11  returns to its full upper portion when the actuating user ceases to depress the upper portion  11  for dispensing, even in the presence of a short aerosol valve stem. 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3A , internal partial ring member  30  of actuator lower portion  12  has an upstanding clicking post  54  opposite nozzle  14 . Clicking post  54  interacts in a particular manner with a clicking rib in actuator upper portion  11 , as described below. Alternatively, the clicking post may be in the upper portion and the clicking rib may be in the lower portion. Clicking post  54  may be a parallelogram of the shape shown in  FIGS. 3A and 8 , and may have a thickened base  56  as shown in  FIG. 2  to lend rigidity to the clicking post. Clicking post  54  may have other shapes, including, for example, an ellipse. Referring to  FIGS. 3A and 4 , partial ring member  30  also has skirt  32  extending downwardly from its outer periphery, and ribs  25  referenced above extend between said skirt  32  and adjacent the bottom periphery  26  of the outer skirt  32   a  of lower actuator portion  12 . The skirt  32  of the internal partial ring member  30  and the outer skirt  32   a  define an annular gap  32   b . The bottom of skirt  32  has small flanges  33  projecting inwardly therefrom, which flanges serve to lock under the outer edge of the aerosol valve mounting cup (not shown) mounted on the aerosol product container. In this manner, the actuator lower member  12  is mounted to the aerosol container. 
     Having above described the structural details of actuator lower portion  12 ,  FIGS. 3B ,  4 ,  6  and  7  are now referenced regarding the internal structure of actuator upper portion  11 . Extending downwardly from the top wall of actuator upper portion  11  are two diametrically opposite curvilinear connecting flanges  55  and  56  having flexible lower extremities for connecting actuator upper portion  11  to actuator lower portion  12 . Connection flange  55  at its lower extremity has outwardly and upwardly directed rib  57 , and connection flange  56  at its lower extremity has outwardly and upwardly directed rib  58 . Ribs  57  and  58  snap under the inner edge  30   a  of ring member  30  when upper actuator portion  11  of the actuator is connected to lower actuator portion  12  to thereby lock the two actuator portions together. Downwardly extending connection flange  55  is also attached at its upper portion to the inner side wall of actuator portion  11  by supporting flanges  63 ,  64  and  65 , and downwardly extending connection flange  56  is also attached at its upper portion to the inner side wall of actuator portion  11  by supporting flanges  60 ,  61  and  62 . 
     Supporting flanges  63  and  60  also serve as stop members. Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  3 B,  5 ,  6  and  7 , when upper actuation portion  11  is rotated counterclockwise from the locked to the unlocked position with respect to lower portion  12 , supporting flange/stop member  63  abuts against wing flange  36  of actuator bottom portion  12  to stop further counterclockwise rotation. When upper actuator portion  11  is rotated clockwise from the unlocked to the locked position with respect to lower portion  12 , supporting flange/stop member  60  abuts against wing flange  35  of actuator bottom portion  12  to stop further clockwise rotation. 
     Peripheral segments  21  of top portion  11  may also have a plurality of slight inwardly extending spaced flanges  27  that snap over a plurality of slight outwardly extending flanges  28  of lower portion  12  when the top and bottom portions  11  and  12  are assembled, thereby assisting in providing a robust assembly. 
     Turning now to the single click function and structure of the present invention,  FIG. 3B  shows a flexible clicking rib  70  attached to and depending from the top wall of actuator portion  11 . Clicking rib  70  interacts with flexible clicking post  54  (see  FIGS. 2 ,  3 A,  4  and  8 ) by creating a single pronounced clicking positional-indicating noise each time the rotation of actuator top portion  11  in either direction moves clicking rib  70  past clicking post  54 .  FIG. 8  illustrates clicking rib  70  in solid line for the unlocked position of the actuator, and clicking rib  70  in dotted line for the locked position of the actuator. The bottom of clicking rib  70  extends below the top of clicking post  54  and clicking rib  70  rotationally aligns with clicking post  54  (see  FIGS. 4 and 8 ). For the direction of rotation shown by the arrow in  FIG. 8 , clicking rib  70  will first encounter surface  54   a  of clicking post  54 , bend and slide along surfaces  54   a  and  54   b , and straighten to the dotted line position to create at the same time the positional click indication. When the direction of rotation is opposite that shown to the arrow of  FIG. 8 , clicking rib  70  (shown in dotted line) will first encounter surface  54   c  of clicking post  54 , flex and slide along surfaces  54   c  and  54   d  of post  54 , and straighten to the solid line position to create at the same time the positional click indication. In this above-described manner, it can be seen that a single clicking rib  70  and a single clicking post  54  serve to create a single click for each locking and unlocking of the actuator. The solid line and dotted line positions of clicking rib  70  in  FIG. 8  are the unlocked and locked positions wherein the rib  70  is directly adjacent clicking post  54  when the above-described distinct and separate stops ( 63 ,  36  and  60 ,  35 ) have been encountered, and the angle of rotation of actuator upper portion  11  is therefore quite small between the unlocked and locked positions. 
     Turning now to remaining internal structure of actuator top portion  11 , reference is made to cylinder  80  in  FIGS. 3B and 4  centered on the actuator vertical axis and depending from the top wall of portion  11 . Internal to cylinder  80  is depending pin  81  from said top wall, centered within cylinder  80  by four spokes  82 . Upstanding cylinder  45  within lower actuator portion  12  (see  FIG. 3A ) extends up into and fits within cylinder  80  in top portion  11  (see  FIG. 4 ) to assist in alignment and maintaining verticality of the upper and lower actuator portions  11  and  12  in assembly, rotation and dispensing operations. 
     Further referring to  FIGS. 3B and 4 , top actuator portion  11  has downwardly depending from its top wall a plurality of actuator spring biasing members  87 ,  88  and  89 , each in the form of a cross-like member. Spring-biasing member  87  is comprised of intersecting radial rib  91  and curvilinear rib  94 ; spring-biasing member  88  is comprised of intersecting radial rib  90  and curvilinear rib  93 ; and spring-biasing member  89  is comprised of intersecting radial rib  92  and curvilinear rib  95 . The intersecting radial and curvilinear ribs forming each of spring biasing members  87 ,  88  and  89 , serve to provide structural stability to each spring biasing member. When the actuator top portion  11  is rotated to the actuating position against the afore-described stop defining that position, radial rib  90  and a portion of curvilinear rib  93  sit on top of plastic spring  50  and slightly bias spring  50  downwardly (see  FIGS. 6 and 4 , and  2  and  3 B); radial rib  91  and a portion of curvilinear rib  94  sit on top of plastic spring  48  and slightly bias spring  48  downwardly; and, radial rib  92  and a portion of curvilinear  95  sit on top of plastic spring  49  and slightly bias spring  49  downwardly. Spring-biasing members  87 ,  88  and  89  are dimensioned in a downward direction with respect to plastic springs  48 ,  50  and  49  such that the plastic springs will be slightly depressed as described above over the whole range of aerosol valve stem heights. In this manner, the top portion  11  and bottom portion  12  of the actuator will not rattle against each other when actuation is not occurring, because of the assured contact between the plastic springs and the spring biasing members. 
     The spring-biasing members  87 ,  88  and  89 , and the plastic springs  48 ,  50  and  49 , also have a further distinct advantage. When the actuator top portion  11  in the actuating position is depressed as a unit vertically downward by the user, the aerosol valve stem is pressed downward to actuate the aerosol valve and dispense product in known fashion. When the user stops pressing upper portion  11  downward, the conventional metal spring in the aerosol valve itself will urge actuator portion  11  back upward, by urging the aerosol valve stem upwardly to in turn urge vertical product channel  41 , cylinder  45  and thus actuator upward portion  11  upwardly. However, if the aerosol valve stem is a short stem extending into socket  42  of the actuator, the valve stem in the absence of the plastic springs  48 ,  50  and  49  may not push top actuator portion  11  back upwardly far enough to where actuator portion  11  is free to rotate from its unlocked position back to its locked position. In the presence of the plastic springs  48 ,  50  and  49 , however, because they have been slightly depressed by spring-biasing elements  87 ,  88  and  89 , the plastic springs will urge the spring biasing elements  87 ,  88  and  89  (and thus actuator portion  11 ) further upwardly so that portion  11  is free to rotate from the unlocked position back to the locked position of the actuator, even with a short aerosol valve stem height. 
     When actuator top portion  11  is in its locked position, spring-biasing elements  87 ,  88  and  89  will no longer sit upon and slightly depress springs  48 ,  50  and  49 . This position is shown from underneath in  FIG. 7 . In the normal upright position of the actuator ( FIG. 1 ), curvilinear ribs  94 ,  93  and  95  are each curved at their opposite ends upwardly toward the top of actuator portion  11  from which they depend, so that as the actuator top portion  11  is rotated (clockwise in  FIG. 7 ) from its locked to its unlocked position ( FIG. 6 ), the curved ends of the curvilinear ribs will begin to contact the tops of plastic springs  48 ,  50  and  49  and will cam the cross-like center of spring-biasing elements  87 ,  88  and  89  into contact with plastic springs  48 ,  50  and  49  to slightly depress said springs when the rotation to the unlocked actuating position is completed. The sides of plastic springs  48 ,  50  and  49  may be beveled to assist this camming. 
     It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive. It should also be understood that positional terms as used in the specification are used and intended in relation to the positioning shown in the drawings, and are not otherwise intended to be restrictive.