Patent Publication Number: US-6659311-B2

Title: Swivel pump dispenser for dispensing liquid from a selected one of plurality of liquid compartments

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a liquid pump dispenser capable of dispensing liquid from a selected one of a plurality of liquid compartments of a single compartmented container or of separate container sections. 
     Various household and commercial cleaning products are used for a variety of purposes in a room of the home or office requiring a number of separate containers each of which must be dispensed separately. For example, a carpet spot removal is a special product and a wall and floor cleaner is yet another product while a glass cleaner is yet another. All these products must be stored in their on own containers with their own dispensers, causing clutter and frustration. A multi-compartmented container of these different products can be utilized with a single swivel pump dispenser which selects one product at a time upon rotation of the dispenser about its axis. Such reduces the need for separate containers of various household and commercial cleaners with their own dispensers, thereby saving storage space and providing for convenient multi-product dispensing. One such apparatus is known and disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,431. A single pump assembly is detachably mounted on a multi-compartmented container and rotates relative thereto to select the liquid to be pumped. An inlet tube of the pump assembly connects to one of several openings of a base plate of the pump assembly, from which a dip tube extends into each compartment, upon dispenser rotation for selecting the product to be dispensed. 
     One major drawback of such a dispenser is that no provision is made for venting the compartments, so as to replenish each compartment with air upon removal of product during dispensing, to avoid container collapse and hydraulic lock of the pump. Besides, the pump dispenser is coupled to a base plate of the container closure by the provision of spring-biased rivet fasteners permitting the lower end of an inlet tube to be aligned with an opening in the base plate from which a dip tube extends upon dispenser rotation. To effect rotation, the pump body must be lifted against the bias of the spring and rotated. The upper end of each dip tube has annular recesses in which are seated O rings. As the pump is rotated the end of the product inlet tube rides on the top surface of the base plate and then registers with one of the openings therein by snapping into the openings under the urging of the spring. Despite the O ring seals, such an arrangement will leak each time the inlet tube hops from one opening to the next. Besides, there is a tendency to wear the end of the inlet tube and/or the area surrounding the opening with which it is aligned each time the dispenser is rotated to select one of the separately compartmented liquids. This wearing can eventually produce leakage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pump dispenser assembly which is capable of dispensing one of several selected liquids from a multi-compartmented container or from adjoining multi-sectioned separate containers, in a manner which improves upon the drawbacks of the prior art. According to the invention, each of the compartments from which a product is selectively dispensed is positively vented upon pump actuation such that atmospheric air replenishes the dispensed liquid from the compartment to thereby avoid container collapse and hydraulic lock of the pump. Moreover, a base wall of the dispenser assembly has a seal with liquid and vent openings which upon dispenser rotation communicate with a selected pair of liquid and vent openings in the base plate of a cap mounted to the container, from which dip tubes extend into separate container compartments. The seal may be provided on a swivel member, and indexing may be provided as acting between the swivel member and the cap for determining a selected container compartment. The indexing may be in the form of a detent on one of the parts received in a groove located in the other part. 
    
    
     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an expanded perspective view of the pump dispenser assembly according to the invention shown with adjoining interconnected containers; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of components according to the invention shown in extended view; 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the various parts of the present assembly assembled together; 
     FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line  4 — 4  of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view to the bottle neck of a single container having several compartments; 
     FIG. 6 is an expanded view in perspective of the swivel and cap of the present assembly with the swivel rotated to selectively dispense from one selected compartment; 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with the swivel rotated to selectively dispense from another selected compartment; and 
     FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the swivel rotated to selectively dispense liquid from still a further selected liquid compartment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, a swivel pump dispenser assembly according to the invention as shown in FIGS. 1,  2  and  3  includes a known trigger operated pump dispenser of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,377, commonly owned herewith, the entirety of which is herein incorporated specifically by reference. The dispenser includes a pump piston  10  operating in a cylinder  11  against the bias of a piston return spring  12  so as to form together with the cylinder a variable volume pump chamber  13 . An inlet pipe  14  supported on a disc  15  which may be press-fitted into pump housing  16  supports the inlet pipe which defines an inlet passage  17  valved as at  18  for delivering liquid product into the pump chamber on each return stroke of the piston on relaxation of trigger lever  19 . Also supported by disc  15  is a vent pipe  21  which defines a vent passage  22  in communication with a vent port  23  formed in the piston cylinder outboard of chamber  13  and being exposed to atmosphere during each pumping stroke as described in more detail in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,377 patent. 
     The pump housing has coupled thereto a container closure  24  which would normally be mounted to a single container of a single product. Instead, closure  24  may be thread coupled to a swivel element  25  having sleeves  26 ,  27  respectively telescoped with pipes  14 ,  21  upon coupling, forming air and liquid seals respectively. Base wall  28  of the swivel has a liquid opening  29  formed therein as well as a vent opening  31 . Adhered, molded onto, or otherwise secured to the outer face of wall  28  is an elastomeric disc seal  32  having openings  33 ,  34  therein respectively in alignment with openings  29 ,  31 . 
     A cap  35  having a base wall  36  has an upwardly extended castellated sleeve  37  formed by cutouts  38  for a purpose to be described hereinafter. An interrupted annular inwardly extending rib  39  is formed at the upper end of sleeve  37  for the reception in annular groove  41  formed in the outer wall of swivel element  25 . Base wall  36  of cap  35  has formed therein pairs of openings  42 ,  43 ;  44 ,  45 ;  46 ,  47 . Openings  42 ,  44 ,  46  are liquid openings, and openings  43 ,  45 ,  47  are vent openings of the pairs. (See FIGS. 4 and 6 to  8 ). 
     Short sleeves  48 ,  49 ,  51  surround the respective pairs of liquid and vent openings and extend through like sized openings  52 ,  53 ,  54  in upper walls  55 ,  56 ,  57  of container sections  58 ,  59 ,  61  (FIG. 1) each containing a separate liquid product (not shown) to be dispensed with the three sections being coupled together in some typical manner forming no part of the invention. Otherwise, sleeves  48 ,  49 ,  51  extend through corresponding openings in a single top wall of a single container  62  (see FIG. 5) formed internally in some manner with separation walls defining compartments  63 ,  64 ,  65 . 
     Within sleeves  48 ,  49 ,  51  are respectively smaller diameter and shorter tube retention sleeves  66 ,  67 ,  68  (FIG. 4) respectively supporting dip tubes  76 ,  77 ,  78  each extending into the liquid in the respective containers  58 ,  59 ,  61  or in compartments  63 ,  64 ,  65  of single container  62 . 
     An internally threaded container closure  71  has an upstanding sleeve  70  through which castellated sleeve  37  extends upon assembly as swivel element  25  is coupled to sleeve  37  and the swivel element is coupled to the pump housing via closure  24 . The castellated sleeve  37  thus slightly expands to permit easy reception of swivel element  25  during assembly. The upstanding sleeve of the internally threaded container closure ( 71 ) keeps the rib ( 39 ) in the annular groove ( 41 ) when the closure is placed over the cap ( 35 ). 
     Disc seal  32  has through openings, a liquid opening  33  and a vent opening  34  extending therethrough. Also, a passageway  70  formed in the disc seal either as a groove or as a through opening of irregular configuration as shown, communicates with opening  33 . Similarly, a passageway  73 , of much shorter length and formed as either a groove in the disc seal or as a through opening, is associated with vent opening  34 . As will be described in more detail hereinafter, passageway  72  interconnects one of the liquid openings  42 ,  44 ,  46  with liquid opening  33  and with liquid opening  29  of liquid inlet pipe  26  upon rotation of the pump dispenser and its swivel element selectively from FIG. 6 to FIG. 7 to FIG. 8 to FIG.  6 . 
     Indexing is provided for determining the particular liquid to be dispensed upon dispenser rotation. Such indexing may be in the form of one or more vertical grooves  74  (keyways) provided in the inner surface of sleeve  37  for the reception of a detent  75  (key) on the outer wall of swivel element  25 . Each groove  74  is associated with one of the liquid openings  42 ,  44 ,  46 . 
     In operation, with the dispenser rotatably oriented relative to cap  35  such that openings  33 ,  34  of disc seal  32  are out of communication directly or indirectly with any of the openings  42  to  47  in cap  35 , the openings  42  to  47  are covered by elastomeric disc seal  32  to thereby prevent leakage of product through the vent openings in conditions of non-use, such as during shipping and storage, and in the event the dispenser package is dropped, or tipped or falls on its side. The operator must then choose which of the three liquids stored in containers  58 ,  59 ,  61  (or compartments  63 ,  64 ,  65  of a single container if that be the case) is selected for dispensing. The operator simply rotates the dispenser about the axis of its closure  24  such that discharge nozzle cap  20  extends into the direction of one of the containers  58 ,  59 ,  61  (or one of the sections  63 ,  64 ,  65 ) chosen. The indexing which acts between swivel element  25  and cap  35  confirms the correct orientation of the dispenser relative to the selected container of liquid to be dispensed. Thus at the aforedescribed orientation, for example, with discharge nozzle cap  20  extending into the direction of container  58  (comparable to container section  63 ), detent  75  will extend into groove  74  located in the inner wall of sleeve  37  in the vicinity of openings  46 ,  47 . At that orientation, shown in FIG. 7, passageway  72  overlies opening  46  from which a dip tube  76  extends as supported by sleeve  68  depending from base wall  36  of cap  35  into the liquid stored in container  58 . And, passageway  73  overlies vent opening  47  which communicates with the interior of container  58  (comparably container  53  section). The operator then actuates the pump by pulling on trigger  19  such that during each compression stroke (assuming the pump chamber  12  is primed with liquid) product is discharged through the discharge orifice (not shown) in nozzle cap  20 . At each piston compression stroke, vent port  23  in the pump housing is open to atmosphere, as explained in more detail in the U.S. Pat No. 6,095,377, such that the interior of container  58  is vented to atmosphere via pipe  21 , vent sleeve  27 , vent opening  31 , vent opening  34 , passageway  73 , and vent opening  47  all as in the direction of the downwardly directed arrows shown in FIG.  3 . And, while in the FIG. 7 orientation, during each piston suction (return) stroke, liquid product stored in container  58  (comparable to container section  63 ) is suctioned into pump chamber  12  via dip tube  76 , opening  46 , passageway  72 , opening  33 , opening  29 , sleeve  26 , and inlet pipe  14 , in the direction of the upwardly directed arrows seen in FIG.  3 . 
     Assuming the dispenser is oriented such that its forward end lies in the direction of container  59  (comparable to container section  64 ), as shown in FIG. 6, passageway  72  overlies liquid opening  42 , and passageway  73  overlies vent opening  43 . During each return stroke of the pump piston upon trigger actuation by the operator, liquid stored in container  59  is suctioned from container  59  via dip tube  77 , opening  42 , passageway  72 , opening  73 , sleeve  26 , and inlet pipe  14  into the pump chamber, similarly as described with reference to container  58 . And, the venting during each ensuing piston compression stroke follows a similar path through  21 ,  27  and  31  but, compared to that of FIG. 7, continues through vent opening  34 , passageway  37 , vent opening  43  and into container  59 . 
     Upon orientation of the dispenser such that its discharge nozzle faces in the direction of container  61  (comparable to container section  65 ), shown in FIG. 8, passageway  72  overlies liquid opening  44 , and passageway  73  overlies vent opening  45 . Liquid is drawn up from container  61  via dip tube  78  during each piston suction stroke, and through  45 ,  72 ,  33 ,  26  and  14 . Venting during each piston compression stroke into container  61  is via  23 ,  21 ,  27 ,  31 ,  34 ,  73  and  45 . 
     From the foregoing it can be seen that a simple and economical yet highly effective single pump dispenser package has been devised for selectively dispensing liquids from a multi-compartmented vessel or from adjoining containers in a manner which facilitates positive venting of each container compartment or each container directly to the atmosphere during the pumping of product therefrom. Moreover, in a non-use condition the vents from the containers are sealed closed by an elastomeric seal preventing any leakage during shipping and storage and, in the event the dispensing package is dropped or falls on its side. 
     Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are made possible in the light of the above teachings. For example, swivel element  25  could be eliminated as a separate element and made unitary with disc  15 , without departing from the invention. Also, passageways  72  and  73  in the elastomeric disc can be provided as either through openings as shown or as grooves of irregular configuration. And, pump dispensers having positive container venting of a type other than that disclosed herein, can be utilized as a selective swivel dispenser within the purview of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.