Patent Description:
Pressurized containers are commonly used to store and dispense volatile materials, such as air fresheners, deodorants, insecticides, germicides, decongestants, perfumes, and the like. The volatile materials are typically stored in a pressurized and liquefied state within the container. The product is forced from the container through an aerosol valve by a hydrocarbon or non-hydrocarbon propellant. A release valve with an outwardly extending valve stem may be provided to facilitate the release of the volatile material at a top portion of the container, whereby activation of the valve via the valve stem causes volatile material to flow from the container through the valve stem and into the outside atmosphere. The release valve may typically be activated by tilting, depressing, or otherwise displacing the valve stem. A typical valve assembly includes a valve stem, a valve body, and a valve spring. The valve stem extends through a pedestal, wherein a distal end extends upwardly away from the pedestal and a proximal end is disposed within the valve body.

Pressurized containers frequently include an overcap assembly that covers a top end of the container. For example, dispensing systems that include overcap assemblies are disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

Typical overcap assemblies are releasably attached to the container by way of an outwardly protruding ridge, which circumscribes the interior lower edge of the trigger overcap assembly and interacts with a bead or seam that circumscribes a top portion of the container. When the trigger overcap assembly is placed onto the top portion of the container, downward pressure is applied to the trigger overcap assembly, which causes the ridge to ride over an outer edge of the seam and lock under a ledge defined by a lower surface of the seam.

Typical overcap assemblies include a mechanism for engaging the valve stem of the container. Some actuator mechanisms may include linkages that apply downward pressure to depress the valve stem and open the valve within the container. Other actuating mechanisms may instead apply radial pressure where the container has a tilt-activated valve stem. In any case, these actuating mechanisms provide a relatively convenient and easy to use interface for end users.

Conventional actuating mechanisms include either an actuating button or an actuating trigger. Traditional actuating triggers may include a discharge orifice along a portion of the trigger, or at a separate location along a housing of the trigger overcap assembly. Regardless of the positioning of the discharge orifice, after actuation by a user, the volatile material typically travels through a fluid passageway. Portions defining the passageway typically engage the valve stem of an associated container. Thus, when dispensement is desired, a user may actuate the trigger, which in turn depresses the valve stem and opens the valve within the associated container, thereby releasing the contents of the container through the fluid passageway and out of the discharge orifice.

In other containers, the valve stem is tilted or displaced in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis to radially actuate the valve stem. When the valve assembly is opened, a pressure differential between the container interior and the atmosphere forces the contents of the container out through an orifice of the valve stem.

Numerous problems arise with prior art trigger actuation systems utilized in combination with containers. In particular, many prior art trigger actuation systems require complex manufacturing processes requiring overly burdensome alignment and engagement steps. Further, prior art trigger actuation systems have historically required a number of moving parts or linkages to actuate the valve stem after actuation by a user. These and other disadvantage of the prior art are overcome by the trigger assembly described hereinafter.

According to one aspect, a trigger overcap assembly includes a housing having a body, a cap secured to an upper end of the housing, and a trigger at least partially disposed within the body. The trigger defines a manifold comprising a fluid passageway, and a pivot rod of the trigger is pivotally coupled with the cap.

<FIG> depicts a product dispensing system <NUM> including a trigger overcap assembly <NUM> and a container <NUM>. The trigger overcap assembly <NUM> includes a cap <NUM>, a housing <NUM>, a trigger <NUM>, and a nozzle insert <NUM>. The trigger <NUM> is at least partially disposed within the housing <NUM> and facilitates the product being dispensed from the dispensing system <NUM>. In use, the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> is adapted to release a product from the container <NUM> upon the occurrence of a particular condition, such as the manual activation of the trigger <NUM> by a user of the dispensing system <NUM>. The product discharged may be a formulation, carrier, or substance for use in the cleaning of surfaces or objects in a household, commercial, or industrial environment. The product is discharged through an outlet orifice <NUM> of the nozzle insert <NUM>.

In other embodiments, the product comprises a fragrance or insecticide disposed within a carrier liquid, a deodorizing liquid, or the like. The product may also comprise other actives, such as sanitizers, air fresheners, cleaners, odor eliminators, mold or mildew inhibitors, insect repellents, and/or the like, and/or that have aromatherapeutic properties. The product alternatively comprises any solid, liquid, or gas known to those skilled in the art that may be dispensed from a container. It is contemplated that the container <NUM> may contain any type of pressurized or non-pressurized product, such as compressed gas that may be liquefied, non-liquefied, or dissolved, including carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, neon, oxygen, xenon, nitrous oxide, or nitrogen. The container <NUM> may alternatively contain any type of hydrocarbon gas, including acetylene, methane, propane, butane, isobutene, halogenated hydrocarbons, ethers, mixtures of butane and propane, otherwise known as liquid petroleum gas or LPG, and/or mixtures thereof. The product dispensing system <NUM> is therefore adapted to dispense any number of different products.

The container <NUM> and/or trigger overcap assembly <NUM> may each be independently made of any appropriate material, including multiple layers of the same or different material, such as a polymer, a plastic, metal such as aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or tin plated steel, glass, a cellulosic material, a laminated material, a recycled material, and/or combinations thereof. The trigger overcap assembly <NUM> may be formed from a wide variety of well-known polymeric materials, including, for example, polyethylene (PE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), crystalline PET, amorphous PET, polyethylene glycol terephthalate, polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), poly(styrene:acrylonitrile) (SAN), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene naphthalene (PEN), polyethylene furanoate (PEF), PET homopolymers, PEN copolymers, PET/PEN resin blends, PEN homopolymers, overmolded thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), fluropolymers, polysulphones, polyimides, cellulose acetate, and/or combinations thereof. It is further envisioned that the container <NUM> may include an interior and/or exterior lining or coating to further strengthen the container <NUM> structurally, as well as make the container <NUM> resilient to harsh chemicals. The lining(s) and/or coating(s) may be made of any one of the preceding polymeric materials or may further be made of ethylenevinyl alcohol (EVOH). The container <NUM> may be opaque, translucent, or transparent.

As best illustrated in <FIG>, the container <NUM> includes a lower end <NUM> and a substantially cylindrical body <NUM>, which terminates at a groove <NUM> disposed at an upper end <NUM> of the container <NUM>. The overcap assembly <NUM> may be attached to the container <NUM> via the groove <NUM>, as discussed below. A rim <NUM> is disposed adjacent and above the groove <NUM>, and joins a platform <NUM> that partially defines the upper end <NUM> of the container <NUM>. The platform <NUM> is generally annular. It is contemplated that the container <NUM> of the present disclosure may be a conventional aerosol container, which includes features that are externally or internally crimped to portions of the body <NUM> and/or the rim <NUM>. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, a mounting cup or crown <NUM> may be externally crimped to the container <NUM> at the rim <NUM>.

Still referring to <FIG>, the crown <NUM> of the container <NUM> is centrally interrupted by a pedestal <NUM>. The pedestal <NUM> extends upwardly from the platform <NUM> of the crown <NUM>. A valve pedestal <NUM> extends from a central portion of the pedestal <NUM>, and includes a conventional valve assembly (not shown in detail) having a valve stem <NUM>, which is connected to a valve body (not shown) and a valve spring (not shown) disposed within the container <NUM>. The valve stem <NUM> extends upwardly through the valve pedestal <NUM>, wherein a distal end <NUM> of the valve stem <NUM> extends upwardly away from the valve pedestal <NUM> and is adapted to interact with a fluid inlet of the trigger <NUM> of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>. A longitudinal axis A extends through the valve stem <NUM>. It is also contemplated that other types of containers <NUM> or bottles may be used with the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> disclosed herein.

As best shown in <FIG>, prior to use, the trigger <NUM> is placed in fluid communication with the distal end <NUM> of the valve stem <NUM>. A user may manually or automatically actuate the trigger <NUM> to open the valve assembly, which causes a pressure differential between an interior <NUM> of the container <NUM> and the atmosphere to force the contents of the container <NUM> out through an orifice <NUM> of the valve stem <NUM>, through the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>, and into the atmosphere. The nozzle insert <NUM> is shown removed from the cross-sectional views included herein for purposes of clarity.

Now turning to <FIG>, the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> is described with greater particularity. The housing <NUM> of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> is defined as having a front portion <NUM> and a rear portion <NUM>. The housing <NUM> includes a waisted body <NUM> that extends upward and inward toward the longitudinal axis A from a lower sidewall <NUM>. As previously noted, the longitudinal axis A is defined through the valve stem <NUM> of the container <NUM>. The lower sidewall <NUM> is generally cylindrical in the present embodiment; however, the lower sidewall <NUM> may also be tapered. The lower sidewall <NUM> also defines a lower edge <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. A plane P is defined by the lower edge <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the lower edge <NUM> of the lower sidewall <NUM> is generally circular and defines a lower opening <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The lower sidewall <NUM> may optionally include a lip.

Referring again to <FIG>, the body <NUM> tapers or bows inwardly, toward the axis A from the lower sidewall <NUM> toward a waist <NUM>. From the waist <NUM>, the body <NUM> extends upward, away from plane P, and outward, away from axis A, toward an upper opening <NUM> (see <FIG>) defined by an upper edge <NUM> of the body <NUM>. The upper opening <NUM> is covered by the cap <NUM> when the cap <NUM> is affixed to the body <NUM>. Referring specifically to <FIG>, the upper edge <NUM> slopes downward, toward plane P, moving from the front portion <NUM> of the housing <NUM> toward the rear portion <NUM> thereof. The upper edge <NUM> is slightly curved, and the cap <NUM> follows the curvature thereof such that a seam <NUM> circumscribes the intersection between the cap <NUM> and the upper edge <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The upper opening <NUM> is adapted to receive the cap <NUM>, as will be described in more detail hereinafter below. The housing <NUM> further includes a trigger opening <NUM> disposed at least partially above the waist <NUM> along the front portion <NUM> of the housing <NUM>, which allows for the placement of the trigger <NUM> therethrough.

Turning to <FIG> and <FIG>, the lower opening <NUM> of the housing <NUM> is shown positioned adjacent the lower edge <NUM> for receiving portions of the container <NUM>. As best seen in <FIG>, the housing <NUM> includes a plurality of inwardly protruding guiding ribs <NUM> disposed along an inner surface <NUM> of the body <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The guiding ribs <NUM> are radially spaced from one another and extend from the lower edge <NUM> in an inward and upward manner from an intersection of the lower sidewall <NUM> with the body <NUM> along the inner surface <NUM> to a medial wall <NUM> that is disposed within the housing <NUM>. The medial wall <NUM> extends circumferentially about the inner surface <NUM> of the body <NUM>. A valve stem opening <NUM> is provided in a central portion of the medial wall <NUM> through which an inlet <NUM> of a first or vertical conduit <NUM> of the trigger <NUM> extends to join the valve stem <NUM>, resulting in a fluid connection between the trigger <NUM> and the container <NUM>. As further shown in <FIG>, a lower surface <NUM> of each of the guiding ribs <NUM> is depicted, wherein such lower surfaces <NUM> are fashioned to engage with the rim <NUM> of the container <NUM> when the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> is coupled thereto.

Referring to <FIG>, a plurality of equidistantly spaced securement protrusions <NUM> are disposed circumferentially about an interior surface <NUM> of the lower sidewall <NUM> and are adapted to secure the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> to the container <NUM> and/or to allow for variances of different container sizes for use with the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>. In a preferred embodiment, the protrusions <NUM> limit rotation of the housing <NUM> with respect to the container <NUM> because the protrusions <NUM> have a light interface with the groove <NUM> adjacent the rim <NUM> of the container <NUM>. The protrusions <NUM> may also relieve pressure on the lower sidewall <NUM> of the housing <NUM> in the event that a container having a larger diameter, i.e., a diameter that is substantially similar to that of the housing, is inserted into the housing <NUM> of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>.

As best seen in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, upon placement of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> onto the container <NUM>, the securement protrusions <NUM> are fittingly retained within the groove <NUM> in a snap-fit type manner. Any number and size of protrusions <NUM> may be included that circumscribe the interior surface <NUM> of the lower sidewall <NUM> to assist in attaching the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> to the container <NUM>. Alternatively, other methods may be utilized to secure the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> to the container <NUM> as are known in the art. Additional stabilizing ribs (not shown) and/or additional securement protrusions may also provide additional structural integrity and/or alignment assistance to the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> for allowing for secure retention of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>. Such alignment assistance helps to ensure that the trigger <NUM> is positioned correctly onto the valve stem <NUM>.

Still referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the vertical conduit <NUM> is shown extending upward, to an intersection <NUM> with a second or horizontal conduit <NUM>. The horizontal conduit <NUM> extends from the intersection <NUM> toward a spray chamber <NUM> that receives the nozzle insert <NUM> (not shown in cross-sectional views for clarity). The vertical conduit <NUM>, the horizontal conduit <NUM>, and the spray chamber <NUM> generally define a fluid passageway <NUM>. When a user actuates the trigger <NUM> for dispensement, fluid travels through the valve stem <NUM>, into the vertical conduit <NUM>, and into the spray chamber <NUM>, where the pressurized fluid exits the assembly <NUM> into the surrounding atmosphere. In some embodiments, a cross section of the passageway within the vertical conduit <NUM> is greater than a cross section of the passageway within the horizontal conduit <NUM>, which may necessarily result in a higher fluid pressure in the horizontal conduit <NUM> than the vertical conduit <NUM> during dispensement of the fluid. As a result, pressure of the fluid at different points along the fluid passageway <NUM> can be adjusted based on varying cross-sectional areas of different portions of the fluid passageway <NUM>, as would be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art. The vertical conduit <NUM>, the horizontal conduit <NUM>, and the spray chamber <NUM> define a manifold <NUM>.

The medial wall <NUM> is also depicted as being interrupted by the valve stem opening <NUM> and a rear opening <NUM>. The rear opening <NUM> is disposed adjacent a pivot casing <NUM>, which is a part of the housing <NUM>. The pivot casing <NUM> includes opposing casing sidewalls <NUM>, a casing front wall <NUM>, and the rear portion <NUM> of the body <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The pivot casing <NUM> partially surrounds a pivot rod <NUM> of the trigger <NUM>, and retains the cap <NUM> in place. The casing front wall <NUM> also defines a casing aperture <NUM> through which an engaging step <NUM> of the cap <NUM> extends to retain the cap <NUM> in place once the cap <NUM> has been coupled with the housing <NUM>. The pivot rod <NUM> of the trigger <NUM> is pivotally coupled with a pivot leg <NUM> depending downward from the cap <NUM>. A trigger bar <NUM> is also shown in the cross-sectional view of <FIG> and <FIG>, which operates to provide stability by statically connecting a first trigger arm <NUM> with a second trigger arm <NUM> (see <FIG>).

Referring now to <FIG>, the pivot casing <NUM> is shown in greater detail. As illustrated, the pivot casing <NUM> includes the casing front wall <NUM> that defines the casing aperture <NUM> through which the engaging step <NUM> of the cap <NUM> can extend to retain the cap <NUM> in place. The walls <NUM>, <NUM> of the pivot casing <NUM> provide structural integrity to the pivot casing <NUM> and provide the necessary support to keep the cap <NUM> fixedly secured to the housing <NUM> after the cap <NUM> has been assembled thereto. Because the trigger <NUM> is pivotally coupled with the cap <NUM>, when the trigger <NUM> is actuated by a user, an upward force is applied to the cap <NUM>. However, the cap <NUM> remains in place, in part, by the engaging step <NUM> being fixed within the casing aperture <NUM>, i.e., the engaging step <NUM> is held in place within the casing aperture <NUM> by a lower ledge <NUM> of the casing front wall <NUM>. In some embodiments, the pivot casing <NUM> may comprise alternative forms.

With reference to <FIG>, the body <NUM> along the front portion <NUM> of the housing <NUM> is interrupted by the trigger opening <NUM>. The trigger opening <NUM> of the body <NUM> is defined by rounded corners and generally straight sides, however, the trigger opening <NUM> may have any configuration that allows the trigger <NUM> to move freely within the trigger opening <NUM> between actuated and non-actuated states. The trigger opening <NUM> may have other shapes or truncated shapes, such as an oval, a square, a triangle, a rectangle, a circle, or any other shape. A portion of the cap <NUM> disposed at an upper end of the trigger opening <NUM> operates as a stop to prevent upward vertical translation or rotation of the trigger <NUM>, as will be described in further detail hereinafter below. The shape of the trigger opening <NUM> may be different depending on the desired function of the housing <NUM>.

Now referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the trigger <NUM> and the cap <NUM> are shown pivotally coupled together without the other components of the trigger assembly <NUM>. The trigger <NUM> is defined by a trigger pad <NUM> that is generally concave or inwardly bowed. The first and second trigger arms <NUM>, <NUM> extend from an underside <NUM> of the trigger pad <NUM> toward the pivot rod <NUM>. The pivot rod <NUM> is received within a pivot notch <NUM> of the pivot leg <NUM> of the cap <NUM>, as will be discussed in greater detail below. The pivot rod <NUM> is provided between the first and second trigger arms <NUM>, <NUM>, which provides structural support to the trigger <NUM>. A center arm <NUM> also extends from the underside <NUM> of the trigger pad <NUM> inwardly toward the longitudinal axis A, and terminates at an end of the spray chamber <NUM>. Additional arms or structure may be provided along the underside <NUM> of the trigger pad <NUM> to provide additional structural support, to aid with alignment of the trigger pad <NUM>, or for some other reason.

Referring to <FIG>, the engaging step <NUM> is shown, which extends outward from the pivot leg <NUM> that depends from the cap <NUM>. The engaging step <NUM> extends from the pivot leg <NUM>, inwardly, toward the longitudinal axis A. The engaging step <NUM> is formed to fit within the pivot casing aperture <NUM>, as described above and shown in <FIG>. The engaging step <NUM> may be formed to be snugly received within the casing aperture <NUM>. Referring again to <FIG>, rod cut-outs <NUM> are formed within the casing sidewalls <NUM>, the rod cut-outs <NUM> being formed to allow the pivot rod <NUM> and portions of the pivot arms <NUM>, <NUM> adjacent the pivot rod <NUM> to be able to move freely within and/or adjacent the pivot casing <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the cap <NUM> is shown in greater detail. A plurality of engagement cylinders <NUM> extend downward from an underside <NUM> of the cap <NUM>. The engagement cylinders <NUM> are formed to engage with protrusions or rods <NUM> that extend upward from the housing <NUM> and are received within the engagement cylinders <NUM>. The rods <NUM> are shown, for example, in <FIG>. The rods <NUM> may have any type of cross section, however, in some embodiments the rods <NUM> have a plus-sign cross-section, as presently depicted. The rods <NUM> may have rounded or tapered upper portions to allow for better fitting engagement with the engagement cylinders <NUM> depending from the cap <NUM>.

Turning again to <FIG>, the pivot leg <NUM> is shown in greater detail. As shown, the engaging step <NUM> extends outward from the pivot leg <NUM>, and the pivot notch <NUM> is formed within a lower end <NUM> of the pivot leg <NUM>. The pivot notch <NUM> is formed to fittingly receive the pivot rod <NUM>, in such a way that when the pivot notch <NUM> is pressed against the pivot rod <NUM>, the pivot rod <NUM> snaps into place within the pivot notch <NUM>. A plurality of structural support ribs <NUM> are also shown, which are included for the purpose of providing additional structural integrity to the underside <NUM> of the cap <NUM>. The support ribs <NUM> may be formed in a criss-cross pattern along the underside <NUM> of the cap <NUM>.

As further shown in <FIG>, two flanges <NUM> extend downward from the underside <NUM> of the cap <NUM>, which are formed to interact with portions of the trigger <NUM>. The flanges <NUM> include grooves <NUM> that retain knubs or protrusions <NUM> (see <FIG> where only arm <NUM> is shown) along the arms <NUM>, <NUM> of the trigger. The grooves <NUM> extend along a portion of the flanges <NUM>, but may extend along an entire width of the flanges <NUM>. The protrusions <NUM> form a secondary retention mechanism, which assists in holding the trigger <NUM> in place during assembly and/or transport of the assembly <NUM>. The trigger <NUM> is held within the cap <NUM> during assembly so that both the cap and the trigger <NUM> may be seated onto the housing <NUM> at the same time.

Now referring to <FIG>, the trigger <NUM> is shown in greater detail. The trigger <NUM> includes the trigger arms <NUM>, <NUM> that extend from the trigger pad <NUM> toward the pivot rod <NUM>. The trigger bar <NUM> also extends between the pivot arms <NUM>, <NUM> and provides structural support therebetween. The manifold <NUM> is also shown, which includes the horizontal conduit <NUM> and the vertical conduit <NUM>. In <FIG> the vertical conduit <NUM> is shown coupled with the valve stem <NUM>. Referring now to <FIG>, a cross-sectional view of the trigger <NUM> is shown taken through lines <NUM>-<NUM> of <FIG>. As shown, one of the protrusions <NUM> is provided along interior sides <NUM> of the trigger arms <NUM>, <NUM>. As discussed above, the protrusions <NUM> may be included to assist in retaining the trigger <NUM> in place during assembly <NUM> of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, the pivot rod <NUM>, the trigger bar <NUM>, and the manifold <NUM> are shown in greater detail. As discussed above, a diameter of the passageway within the vertical conduit <NUM> is larger than a diameter of the passageway within the horizontal conduit <NUM> of the manifold <NUM>, which can result in a pressure differential that increases pressure within the horizontal conduit <NUM> and/or the spray chamber <NUM> that is formed to receive the nozzle insert <NUM> (not shown in cross-section). The concave nature of the trigger pad <NUM> is also shown in <FIG>. <FIG> generally depict plan and elevation views of the trigger <NUM> separated from the other components of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>.

Now referring to <FIG>, operation of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> will be described in greater detail. As an initial matter, after a first use of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>, the protrusions <NUM> provided along the interior sides <NUM> of the trigger arms <NUM>, <NUM> disengage from the grooves <NUM> provided within the flanges <NUM> that depend from the underside <NUM> of the cap <NUM>. The disengagement of the protrusions <NUM> from the grooves <NUM> allows the trigger <NUM> to be free to move without interacting with the flanges <NUM>. Further, after a first use of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>, the vertical conduit <NUM> of the manifold <NUM> becomes fully seated on the valve stem <NUM> of the aerosol container <NUM>. The trigger <NUM> is then free to pivot within the pivot notch <NUM> of the cap <NUM>.

The trigger overcap assembly <NUM> is shown in a non-actuated configuration in <FIG> and an actuated configuration in <FIG>. To place the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> into an operable condition, the trigger <NUM> is coupled with the cap <NUM> and the combination of the trigger <NUM> and cap <NUM> is slid through the upper opening <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The pivot leg <NUM> that depends downwardly from the underside <NUM> of the cap <NUM> slides into the pivot casing <NUM>, the engaging step <NUM> snaps into the casing aperture <NUM>, and the engaging step <NUM> engages with the casing front wall <NUM> to retain the cap <NUM> in position on the housing <NUM>. Further, the plurality of engagement rods <NUM> may form a friction fit with the corresponding plurality of engagement cylinders <NUM>. Before or after the cap <NUM> and trigger <NUM> have been secured to the housing <NUM>, the nozzle insert <NUM> is slid into the spray chamber <NUM>. After the four main components have been coupled together, i.e., the housing <NUM>, the trigger <NUM>, the cap <NUM>, and the nozzle insert <NUM>, the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> is ready for use.

In use, the product or fluid is sprayed from the dispensing system <NUM> by exerting a force on the trigger <NUM>. Referring to <FIG>, which shows the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> during actuation, the vertical conduit <NUM> is forced downward, and presses down on the valve stem <NUM> to cause the valve assembly to allow product or fluid to enter into the manifold <NUM>. In a preferred embodiment, the valve stem <NUM> translates between about <NUM> and about <NUM>, or between about <NUM> and about <NUM> from the non-actuation position to the actuation position. Upon removal of force from the trigger <NUM>, the manifold <NUM> returns to the non-actuation position, as shown in <FIG>. The trigger <NUM> is moved to the non-actuation position by the force of the valve stem <NUM> moving upwardly by the valve spring to close the valve assembly within the container <NUM>.

It should also be noted that the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> depicted in <FIG> in the actuation state is shown in a fully actuated state. However, depending on the tolerance or specific characteristics of the container and/or valve stem and accompanying valve assembly, it is possible that spraying may be effected either fully or partially by pressing the actuator downward somewhere between the two positions shown in <FIG> (non-actuated) and <FIG> (fully actuated). However, for purposes of explaining the functionality and interaction of the trigger <NUM> with the housing <NUM>, the term "actuation state" as it relates to the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> shown in <FIG> refers to what is, in fact, a fully actuated state of the trigger overcap assembly <NUM>.

With reference still to <FIG>, when a user exerts a force on the trigger pad <NUM> to translate the trigger <NUM> from its non-actuation state, the outlet orifice <NUM> of the trigger <NUM> is moved from a first position to a second position. As shown in <FIG>, when the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> is in the non-actuation state, portions of the trigger <NUM> are in contact or engaged with surfaces defining the trigger opening <NUM> of the body <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. Further, the pivot rod <NUM> of the trigger <NUM> is disposed within the pivot notch <NUM> of the pivot leg <NUM> depending from the underside <NUM> of the cap <NUM>. The trigger <NUM> remains in the non-actuation state due to the force of the valve spring (not shown) until a user presses inwardly and/or downwardly on the trigger pad <NUM> of the trigger <NUM> to translate the trigger <NUM> from the non-actuation state to the actuation state. Referring now to <FIG>, the trigger <NUM> is shown translated vertically downward to the actuation state. The trigger <NUM> remains in the actuation state until a user releases the trigger pad <NUM> of the trigger <NUM> to allow translation of the trigger <NUM> from the actuation state (<FIG>) back to the non-actuation state (<FIG>).

It is contemplated that the trigger overcap assembly <NUM> disclosed herein may be mated with a container that has a non-vertical valve assembly or with a valve stem that requires angular motion for actuation. Further, while the teachings of the present overcap assemblies are particularly beneficial to containers having smaller footprints, the present embodiments could be utilized with any size container.

Any of the embodiments described herein may be modified to include any of the structures or methodologies disclosed in connection with different embodiments. Further, the present disclosure is not limited to aerosol containers of the type specifically shown. Still further, the overcaps of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be modified to work with any type of aerosol or non-aerosol container.

Claim 1:
A trigger overcap assembly (<NUM>), comprising:
a housing (<NUM>) having a body (<NUM>);
a cap (<NUM>) secured to an upper end of the housing (<NUM>); and
a trigger (<NUM>) at least partially disposed within the body (<NUM>),
wherein the trigger (<NUM>) defines a manifold (<NUM>) comprising a fluid passageway (<NUM>), and
characterised in that a pivot rod (<NUM>) of the trigger (<NUM>) is pivotally coupled with the cap (<NUM>).