Abstract:
A system for dispensing texture material in an orange peel pattern has an aerosol dispenser and a contained material. The aerosol dispenser is a container assembly, a valve assembly, and an outlet assembly. The contained material is texture material and propellant material. The texture material comprises water as a solvent/carrer, latex binder, fillers, and drier accelerant. The outlet assembly alters the cross-sectional of the outlet opening to correspond to a desired orange peel texture pattern. The valve assembly allows the propellant material to force at least a portion of the texture material out of the outlet opening in a spray pattern corresponding to the desired orange peel texture pattern. The drier accelerant promotes drying of the dispensed texture material.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application (Attorney&#39;s Ref. No. P218085) is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/452,254 filed Aug. 5, 2014, currently pending. 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/452,254 is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/562,033 filed Jul. 30, 2012, now abandoned. 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/562,033 is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/080,671 filed Apr. 4, 2008, now abandoned. 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/080,671 claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/922,117 filed Apr. 5, 2007. 
     The contents of all related applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to texture material compositions, systems, and methods and, more particularly, texture material compositions adapted to be dispensed using an aerosol dispensing system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The surfaces of drywall materials defining wall and ceiling surfaces are commonly coated with texture materials. Texture materials are coatings that are deposited in discrete drops that dry to form a bumpy, irregular texture on the destination surface. Texture materials are commonly applied using a hopper gun connected to a source of pressurized air. However, when only a small area is to be coated or an existing textured surface is repaired, texture materials are typically applied using an aerosol dispensing system. 
     An aerosol dispensing system for dispensing texture material typically comprises a container assembly, a valve assembly, and an outlet assembly. The container assembly contains the texture material and a propellant material. The propellant material pressurizes the texture material within the container assembly. The valve assembly is mounted to the container assembly in a normally closed configuration but can be placed in an open configuration to define a dispensing path along which the pressurized texture material is forced out of the container assembly by the propellant material. Displacement of the outlet assembly places the valve assembly in the open configuration. The outlet assembly defines a portion of the outlet path and is configured such that the texture material is applied to the destination surface in an applied texture pattern. 
     The propellant used by aerosol dispensing systems for texture materials may simply be a compressed inert gas such as air or nitrogen. More typically, the propellant used by aerosol dispensing systems is a bi-phase propellant material, including mixtures of volatile hydrocarbons such as propane, n-butane, isobutane, dimethyl ether (DME), and methylethyl ether. 
     At room temperature, bi-phase propellant materials typically exist in both liquid and vapor states within the container assembly. Prior to use, the vapor portion of the bi-phase propellant material is pressurized to an equilibrium pressure. When the valve assembly is placed in its open configuration, the vapor portion of the bi-phase propellant material forces the texture material out of the container assembly along the dispensing path. 
     When the valve assembly returns to its closed position, part of the liquid portion of the bi-phase propellant material changes to the vapor state because of the drop in pressure within the container assembly. The vapor portion of the propellant material returns the pressure within the container assembly to the equilibrium value in preparation for the next time texture material is to be dispensed from the aerosol dispensing system. 
     The texture material dispensed by an aerosol dispensing system may employ a solvent base, a water base, or a base containing a combination of water and water soluble solvents. A solvent based texture material dries quickly but can be malodorous and may require the use of complementary solvent cleaners for clean up. A water based texture material is typically not malodorous and can be cleaned using water but can take significantly longer to dry. A water/solvent based texture material can be cleaned using water, is typically not unacceptably malodorous, and has a dry time somewhere between solvent based and water based texture materials. 
     The need exists for formulations of water/solvent based texture materials that may be used to form an orange peel texture pattern. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention may be embodied as a system for dispensing texture material in an orange peel pattern comprising an aerosol dispenser and a contained material. The aerosol dispenser comprises a container assembly formed at least in part of tin-plated steel, a valve assembly that controls flow of pressurized fluid out of the container assembly, and an outlet assembly that alters a cross-sectional area of an outlet opening through which pressurized fluid flowing out of the container assembly through the valve assembly passes. The contained material comprises texture material and propellant material. The texture material a solvent carrier, latex binder, fillers, and drier accelerant. The contained material is disposed within the container assembly. The outlet assembly is operated to alter the cross-sectional of the outlet opening such that the cross-sectional area of the outlet opening corresponds to a desired orange peel texture pattern. The valve assembly is operated to allow the propellant material to force at least a portion of the texture material out of the outlet opening in a spray pattern corresponding to the desired orange peel texture pattern. The drier accelerant promotes drying of the dispensed texture material in the desired orange peel texture pattern. 
     The present invention may also be embodied as a method of dispensing texture material in an orange peel pattern comprising the following steps. An aerosol dispenser is provided. The aerosol dispenser comprises a container assembly formed at least in part of tin-plated steel, a valve assembly that controls flow of pressurized fluid out of the container assembly, and an outlet assembly that alters a cross-sectional area of an outlet opening through which pressurized fluid flowing out of the container assembly through the valve assembly passes. A contained material is formed by combining texture material and propellant material. The texture material comprises a solvent/carrier, latex binder, fillers, and drier accelerant. The contained material is arranged within the container assembly. The outlet assembly is operated to alter the cross-sectional of the outlet opening such that the cross-sectional area of the outlet opening corresponds to a desired orange peel texture pattern. Operating the valve assembly to allow the propellant material to force at least a portion of the texture material out of the outlet opening in a spray pattern corresponding to the desired orange peel texture pattern such that the drier accelerant promotes drying of the dispensed texture material in the desired orange peel texture pattern. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a section view of a first example aerosol dispensing system for texture material of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 2A-2B  are side elevation views depicting the process of using the aerosol dispensing system of  FIG. 1  to apply texture material to a destination wall surface. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1  of the drawing, depicted therein is an aerosol dispensing system  20  constructed in accordance with, and embodying, the principles of the present invention. The aerosol dispensing system  20  comprises a container assembly  22 , a valve assembly  24 , and an outlet assembly  26 . The container assembly  22  and valve assembly  24  define a main chamber  28 . 
     The main chamber  28  contains a liquid material  30  and a vapor material  32 . The liquid material  30  comprises propellant material in liquid form and an orange peel texture material concentrate. The vapor material  32  comprises propellant material in vapor form. The combination of the liquid material  30  and the vapor material  32  in the container assembly  22  will be referred to as the contained material  34 . 
     When the valve assembly  24  is in a closed configuration, the flow of fluid out of the main chamber  28  is substantially prevented. However, the vapor material  32  pressurizes the liquid material  30  within the main chamber  28  such that, when the valve assembly  24  is in an open configuration, the vapor material  32  forces the liquid material  30  out of the main chamber  28 . 
     As perhaps best shown in  FIG. 1 , the example container assembly  22  comprises a main member  40 , a bottom cap  42 , and an end cap  44  formed of tin-plated steel. The tin-plated steel used to form the main member  40 , bottom cap  42 , and end cap  44  comprises a thin sheet of steel coated on one side by an even thinner layer (approximately 0.5 microns) of tin. 
     The main member  40  is a rectangular sheet that is rolled into a cylinder and welded along a seam  50  to define first and second end openings  52  and  54 . The bottom cap  42  is a shaped tin-plated steel member that is crimped onto the cylindrical main member  40  to seal the first end opening  52 . The end cap  44  is also a shaped tin-plated steel member defining a mounting opening  56 ; the end cap  44  is crimped onto the main member  40  such that fluid may not flow through the second opening  54  between the end cap  44  and the main member  40 . The main member  40 , bottom cap  42 , and end cap  44  define an interior metal surface  58  of the container assembly  22 . 
     With the bottom cap  42  covering the first opening  52 , the end cap  44  covering the second opening  54 , and the valve assembly  24  supported by the end cap  44 , the aerosol dispensing system  20  defines the main chamber  28 . 
     Alternatively, the container assembly  22  may be made of aluminum, in which case the bottom cap portion and the end cap portion may be integrally formed with the main member portion. 
     The example texture material concentrate is generally formulated as follows. 
     EXAMPLE OF ORANGE PEEL TEXTURE MATERIAL CONCENTRATE 
     
       
         
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                   
                   
                 FIRST 
                 SECOND 
               
               
                   
                 FIRST 
                 PREFERRED 
                 PREFERRED 
               
               
                 COMPONENT 
                 EXAMPLE 
                 RANGE 
                 RANGE 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                 solvent/carrier (water) 
                 29.28%  
                  24-34% 
                 19-39%  
               
               
                 resin/binder (latex) 
                 5.13% 
                 4.1-6.1% 
                 2-10% 
               
               
                 fillers (cellulosic 
                 53.09%  
                  48-58% 
                 43-63%  
               
               
                 thickener, clay, talc, 
               
               
                 calcium carbonate) 
               
               
                 additives (biocide, 
                 0.53% 
                 0.2-1.0% 
                  0-3% 
               
               
                 dispersant, defoamer) 
               
               
                 drier accelerant 
                 6.79% 
                 4.8-8.8% 
                 2-12% 
               
               
                 (isopropyl alcohol) 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     The texture material concentrate described in the table set forth above is combined in the container assembly  22  with the propellant material to obtain the contained material  34 . The preferred amount of propellant material used to form the example dispensing system  20  is approximately 12.6% of the texture material concentrate by weight and is preferably within a first preferred range of substantially between 10% and 15% and is in any event preferably within a second preferred range of substantially between 5% and 20%. The propellant material is typically dimethyl ether (DME). 
     The solvent/carrier of the example formulation set forth in the table above is water. The resin/binder is or may be a conventional latex binder. The fillers may comprise any conventional pigments, extenders, and thickeners. If used, the additives forming part of the formulation described in the table set forth above typically comprise conventional biocides, dispersants, and defoamers. 
     The drier accelerant may be any water soluble solvent such as such as tetrahydrofuran, acetone, methanol, iso-propanol, ethanol, N-propanol, propylene glycol monomethylether, propylene glycol n-propyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diacetone alchohol, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, N-methyl pyrrolidone, dipropylene glycol methyl ether, diethanolamine, diethylene glycol monethyl ether, diethylene glycol, methyl ethyl ketone, and methyl acetate. 
     In the context of the example container assembly  22  comprising tin-plated steel components, the texture material concentrate may be formulated to have anti-corrosion properties. In this case, the texture material concentrate may further comprise first and second anti-corrosion materials are included to promote passive corrosion behavior of the metal interior surface  58  of the container assembly  22  in contact with the texture material concentrate. Passive corrosion behavior occurs when the interaction between a metal structure and the environment forms a thin protective film on the surface of the metal structure. Passive corrosion produces essentially no corrosion of the metal structure and thus is very desirable. 
     In the example texture material concentrate, the first anti-corrosion material is an aninonic, phosphate ester. The example first anti-corrosion material is Elfugin, a proprietary product sold by Clariant Paper Chemicals as an antistatic for application to paper products. In the general example described above, approximately 1.00% (±5%) of the first anti-corrosion material is preferably used. The second anti-corrosion material of the example texture material concentrate is sodium nitrite. In the general example described above, approximately 0.100% (±5%) or 0.250% (±5%) of the first anti-corrosion material is preferably used, depending upon the nature of the remaining components of the texture material concentrate and propellant. 
     Generally speaking, the first anti-corrosion material should be within a first preferred range of substantially between 0.5% and 2% and in any event should be within a second preferred range of substantially between 0.1 and 5.0%. The second anti-corrosion material should be within a first preferred range of substantially between 0.05% and 1.0% and in any event should be within a second preferred range of substantially between 0.025% and 2.0%. The amount of water set forth in the foregoing table should be reduced by the amount of the first and second anti-corrosion materials used. 
     If the anti-corrosion materials are used, the texture material concentrate is preferably formulated and combined with propellant material as follows. The first and second anti-corrosion materials are initially dissolved in the water. The remaining materials are then mixed with the water solution to obtain the texture material concentrate. 
     If the container assembly is formed of tin-plated steel, the bottom cap  42  is crimped onto the main member  40  to form a container subassembly  22   a . The valve assembly  24  is combined with the end cap  44  to form a cap subassembly  22   b . The texture material concentrate is placed within the container subassembly  22   a . The cap subassembly  22   b  is crimped onto the container subassembly  22   a  to form the container assembly  22 . The propellant material is then introduced into the container assembly  22  through the valve assembly  24 . The outlet assembly  26  is then engaged with the valve assembly to form the aerosol dispensing system  20 . 
     With the foregoing general understanding of the present invention, the details of several example formulations of the texture material concentrate and the construction and use of the example aerosol dispensing system  20  will now be described in further detail with reference to  FIG. 1 . 
     The example valve assembly  24  comprises a valve housing  60 , a valve seat  62 , a valve member  64 , and a valve spring  66 . The end cap  44  supports the valve housing  60  and the valve seat  62  adjacent to the mounting opening  56 . The valve housing  60  supports the valve spring  66  such that the valve spring  66  biases the valve member  64  against the valve seat  62  in a normally closed position. An intake tube  68  extends from the valve housing  60  to the end of the main member  40  closed by the bottom cap  42 . 
     The outlet assembly  26  comprises an actuator member  70 , a resilient member  72 , and a clamp member  74 . The actuator member defines a stem portion  76  and a plurality of finger portions  78 . The stem portion  76  extends through the mounting opening  56  and engages the valve member  64 . The actuator member  70  supports the resilient member  72  such that the resilient member  72  is held within the finger portions  78 . The clamp member  74  engages the actuator member  70  such that displacement of the clamp member  74  relative to the actuator member  70  bends the finger portions  78  towards each other to deform the resilient member  72 . 
     A dispensing path  80  extends between an inlet opening  82  defined by the intake tube  68  and an outlet opening  84  defined by the resilient member  72 . Fluid is prevented from flowing along the dispensing path  80  when the valve assembly  24  is in the closed configuration as defined above. Fluid may flow along the dispensing path  80  when the valve assembly  24  is in the open configuration. The spray pattern of liquid flowing out of the main chamber  28  through the outlet opening  84  may be varied by deforming the resilient member  72  as described above. 
     More specifically, the valve spring  66  normally biases the valve member  64  against the valve seat  62  to close the dispensing path  80 . When the actuator member  70  is displaced towards the container assembly  22 , the valve member  64  is displaced away from the valve seat  62  against the force of the valve spring  66  to place the valve assembly  24  in its open configuration. In this open configuration, the example dispensing path  80  extends through a first passageway  90  defined by the intake tube  68 , a valve chamber  92  defined by the valve housing  60 , a gap  94  between valve member  64  and the valve seat  62 , a second passageway  96  defined by the actuator member  70 , and a third passageway  98  defined by the resilient member  72 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 2A-2B  of the drawing, depicted therein is an example of use of the example dispensing system  20  described above. The example dispensing system  20  is used to apply texture material to a wall member  120  defining a target surface portion  122 . In the case of a repair to the wall member  120 , existing spray texture material  124  typically surrounds the target surface portion  122 . 
     Initially, the dispensing system  20  is arranged such that the outlet opening  84  faces the target surface portion  122 . The actuator member  70  is then displaced to place the valve assembly  24  in its open configuration. The pressurized propellant material causes a portion of the contained material  34  to be dispensed from the container assembly  22  through the dispensing path  80 . 
     Because of the formulation of the contained material  34  and the geometry of the resilient member  72 , the contained material exits the container assembly  22  in a spray  130  comprising discrete droplets  132 . The droplets  132  are deposited onto the target surface  122  to form a texture coating  134  in an applied texture pattern. The texture coating  134  is initially wet but dries when exposed to air. 
     By appropriately selecting the cross-sectional area of the outlet opening  84 , the applied texture pattern of the texture coating  134  can be formed such that the applied texture pattern substantially matches the existing pattern of the existing texture material  124 . 
     In the example dispensing system  20  described above, the outlet opening  84  is varied using the collar  74  to deform the fingers  78  and thus the resilient member  72 . Alternatively, the outlet opening of the dispensing system  20  may be varied using any of the structures described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,633, and the teachings of that patent are incorporated herein by reference. 
     The scope of the present invention should be determined by the claims appended hereto and not the foregoing detailed description of the invention.