Powder delivery device
First Claim
1. A powder delivery device, comprising:
- a powdered material reservoir defining an internal volume adapted to receive and store a quantity of powdered material, said reservoir including an elongate body, said body having a reservoir longitudinal axis, a closed outer end and an open inner end; and
a substantially pistol-shaped housing, said housing including a handle portion, a barrel portion and a connecting portion between said handle portion and said barrel portion;
said handle portion defining a hollow cavity, a first inlet selectively connecting said hollow cavity to the surrounding atmosphere and a first outlet connecting said hollow cavity to said connecting portion, wherein at least part of said handle portion is formed of a resilient material such that said hollow cavity may be selectively collapsed by an inwardly directed force applied by a user'"'"'s hand grasping said handle portion so as to expel a content of said cavity through said first outlet, and wherein after collapse, said resilient material part is selectively restored to its non-collapsed configuration upon the release of said inwardly applied force by the resilience of said resilient material in combination with a content input into said cavity selectively received through said first inlet;
said barrel portion defining an open ended, elongate, hollow shaft centered on a barrel longitudinal axis, said shaft opening to the atmosphere at said open end thereof and opening into said connecting portion at the other end thereof; and
said connecting portion defining a receptacle adapted to securely, sealingly and removably receive said open end of said reservoir and to hold said reservoir with its reservoir longitudinal axis disposed at a rearwardly extending upward angle relative to said barrel longitudinal axis of said barrel portion opposite to said handle portion;
including internal conduit means joining said first outlet of said handle portion to a second inlet located in said receptacle; and
including an elongate, hollow element extending through a second outlet located in said receptacle so as to open at one end into an end of a passageway in said connecting portion that opens at its other end into said shaft of said barrel portion, and also extending outwardly from said second outlet at substantially the same angle to said barrel longitudinal axis as said reservoir longitudinal axis when said reservoir is mounted in said receptacle to an open end, said outwardly extending portion of said elongate, hollow member further defining a plurality of opposed openings located at spaced intervals along its length;
whereby, when said internal volume of said reservoir contains a quantity of powdered material and said reservoir is mounted in said receptacle, a collapse of said hollow cavity causes a content of said hollow cavity to be forced into said internal volume of said reservoir in the form of a pulse so as to aerosolize a portion said powdered material stored in said reservoir and to cause at least some of said aerosolized powdered material to be discharged from said open end of said barrel portion via said open end and said openings in said elongate, hollow member, said internal passageway of said connecting portion and said shaft of said barrel portion.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pistol-shaped powder delivery device consolidates propellant pulse creation, powder storage, powder aerosolization and aerolsolized powdered delivery in a single device while providing dose, pattern and coverage control of the output spray. The single-hand-held, single-hand-operated device includes a housing having a handle portion that is selectively collapsed to generate a propellant pulse that is conveyed into and through powder stored in a reservoir mounted at an upward angle to the horizontal in a receptacle provided in the housing. Powder in the reservoir is caused to be aerosolized by the propellant pulse whereupon aerosolized powder exits the reservoir through an open end of, and elongate slots provided in the sidewall of, an elongate hollow member extending from an outlet in the receptacle through the stored powdered material into a head space in the reservoir. The outlet is connected a barrel portion for output of the aerosolized powder spray.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A powder delivery device, comprising:
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a powdered material reservoir defining an internal volume adapted to receive and store a quantity of powdered material, said reservoir including an elongate body, said body having a reservoir longitudinal axis, a closed outer end and an open inner end; and
a substantially pistol-shaped housing, said housing including a handle portion, a barrel portion and a connecting portion between said handle portion and said barrel portion;
said handle portion defining a hollow cavity, a first inlet selectively connecting said hollow cavity to the surrounding atmosphere and a first outlet connecting said hollow cavity to said connecting portion, wherein at least part of said handle portion is formed of a resilient material such that said hollow cavity may be selectively collapsed by an inwardly directed force applied by a user'"'"'s hand grasping said handle portion so as to expel a content of said cavity through said first outlet, and wherein after collapse, said resilient material part is selectively restored to its non-collapsed configuration upon the release of said inwardly applied force by the resilience of said resilient material in combination with a content input into said cavity selectively received through said first inlet;
said barrel portion defining an open ended, elongate, hollow shaft centered on a barrel longitudinal axis, said shaft opening to the atmosphere at said open end thereof and opening into said connecting portion at the other end thereof; and
said connecting portion defining a receptacle adapted to securely, sealingly and removably receive said open end of said reservoir and to hold said reservoir with its reservoir longitudinal axis disposed at a rearwardly extending upward angle relative to said barrel longitudinal axis of said barrel portion opposite to said handle portion;
including internal conduit means joining said first outlet of said handle portion to a second inlet located in said receptacle; and
including an elongate, hollow element extending through a second outlet located in said receptacle so as to open at one end into an end of a passageway in said connecting portion that opens at its other end into said shaft of said barrel portion, and also extending outwardly from said second outlet at substantially the same angle to said barrel longitudinal axis as said reservoir longitudinal axis when said reservoir is mounted in said receptacle to an open end, said outwardly extending portion of said elongate, hollow member further defining a plurality of opposed openings located at spaced intervals along its length;
whereby, when said internal volume of said reservoir contains a quantity of powdered material and said reservoir is mounted in said receptacle, a collapse of said hollow cavity causes a content of said hollow cavity to be forced into said internal volume of said reservoir in the form of a pulse so as to aerosolize a portion said powdered material stored in said reservoir and to cause at least some of said aerosolized powdered material to be discharged from said open end of said barrel portion via said open end and said openings in said elongate, hollow member, said internal passageway of said connecting portion and said shaft of said barrel portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19)
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16. A powder delivery device, comprising:
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a powdered material reservoir defining an internal volume adapted to receive and store a quantity of powdered material, said reservoir including an elongate body, said body having a reservoir longitudinal axis, a closed outer end and an open inner end; and
a substantially pistol-shaped housing, said housing including a handle portion, a barrel portion and a connecting portion between said handle portion and said barrel portion;
said handle portion including a generally elliptical, hollow bulb formed of a resilient material mounted in a support structure;
said bulb comprising in aligned relation along a bulb longitudinal axis a first end portion and a second end portion connected by a hollow, thin-walled portion;
said first end portion having a first length, a first peripheral cross-section perpendicular to said first length and defining an open ended first passageway centered on said bulb longitudinal axis;
said second end portion having a second length longer than said first length, a second peripheral cross-section of similar maximum diameter to said first peripheral cross-section, and defining a second passageway centered along said bulb longitudinal axis containing a one-way valve so oriented as to allow passage through said second passageway only in an axial direction toward said first passageway in said first end portion; and
said thin-walled portion defining a symmetrical cavity centered on said bulb longitudinal axis having a substantially truncated elliptical cross-section measured in a plane containing said bulb longitudinal axis, and said support structure comprising a rear wall-connecting said connecting portion to a pocket at an outer end of said rear wall adapted to receive and hold said second end portion of said bulb with said second passageway in said second end portion aligned with an opening formed at the base of said pocket, and walls extending from a side of said connecting portion substantially opposite said receptacle adapted to receive an hold at least a front part of said first portion of said bulb such that said first passageway therein is in communication with said internal conduit means in said connecting portion;
whereby said thin-walled portion of said bulb defines front, left and right sides of said handle portion such that said symmetrical cavity of said bulb can be collapsed by a user'"'"'s hand grasping said handle portion of said device forcing a content of said symmetrical cavity of said bulb into said reservoir through said connecting portion, and whereby after collapse, said bulb is selectively restored to its non-collapsed configuration upon the release of said force by the resilience of said resilient material in combination with a content input into said thin-walled portion selectively received through said second passageway;
said barrel portion defining an open ended, elongate, hollow shaft centered on a barrel longitudinal axis, said shaft opening to the atmosphere at said open end thereof and opening into said connecting portion at the other end thereof; and
said connecting portion defining a receptacle adapted to securely, sealingly and removably receive said open end of said reservoir and to hold said reservoir longitudinal axis at a rearwardly extending upward angle relative to said barrel longitudinal axis substantially opposite to said handle portion;
including internal conduit means joining said first outlet of said handle portion to a second inlet located in said receptacle; and
including an elongate, hollow element extending through a second outlet in said receptacle so as to open at one end into an end of a passageway in said connecting portion that opens at its other end into said shaft of said barrel portion, and also extending outwardly from said second outlet at substantially the same angle to said barrel longitudinal axis as said reservoir longitudinal axis when said reservoir is mounted in said receptacle to an open end, said outwardly extending portion of said elongate, hollow member further defining a plurality of opposed longitudinal slots at spaced intervals along its length;
whereby, when said internal volume of said reservoir contains a quantity of powdered material and said reservoir is mounted in said receptacle, a collapse of said bulb causes a content of said bulb to be forced into said internal volume of said reservoir in the form of a pulse so as to aerosolize a portion said powdered material stored in said reservoir and to cause at least some of said aerosolized powdered material to be discharged from said open end of said barrel portion via said open end and said longitudinal slots in said elongate, hollow member, said internal passageway of said connecting portion and said shaft of said barrel portion. - View Dependent Claims (20, 22)
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17. A powder delivery device, comprising:
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a powdered material reservoir defining an internal volume adapted to receive and store a quantity of powdered material, said reservoir including an elongate body, said body having a reservoir longitudinal axis, a closed outer end and an open inner end; and
a substantially pistol-shaped housing, said housing including a handle portion, a barrel portion and a connecting portion between said handle portion and said barrel portion;
said handle portion including a generally elliptical, hollow bulb formed of a resilient material mounted in a support structure;
said bulb comprising in aligned relation along a bulb longitudinal axis a first end portion and a second end portion connected by a hollow, thin-walled portion;
said first end portion having a first length, a first peripheral cross-section perpendicular to said first length and defining an open ended first passageway centered on said bulb longitudinal axis;
said second end portion having a second length longer than said first length, a second peripheral cross-section of similar maximum diameter to said first peripheral cross-section, and defining a second passageway centered along said bulb longitudinal axis containing a one-way valve so oriented as to allow passage through said second passageway only in an axial direction toward said first passageway in said first end portion; and
said thin-walled portion defining a symmetrical cavity centered on said bulb longitudinal axis having a substantially truncated elliptical cross-section measured in a plane containing said bulb longitudinal axis, and said support structure comprising a rear wall connecting said connecting portion to a pocket at an outer end of said rear wall adapted to receive and hold said second end portion of said bulb with said second passageway in said second end portion aligned with an opening formed at the base of said pocket, and walls extending from a side of said connecting portion opposite said receptacle adapted to receive an hold at least a front part of said first portion of said bulb such that said first passageway therein is in communication with said internal conduit means in said connecting portion;
whereby said thin-walled portion of said bulb defines front, left and right sides of said handle portion such that said symmetrical cavity of said bulb can be collapsed by a user'"'"'s hand grasping said handle portion of said device forcing a content of said symmetrical cavity of said bulb into said reservoir through said connecting portion, and whereby after collapse, said bulb is selectively restored to its non-collapsed configuration upon the release of said force by the resilience of said resilient material in combination with a content input into said thin-walled portion selectively received through said second passageway;
said barrel portion defining an open ended, elongate, hollow shaft centered on a barrel longitudinal axis, said shaft opening to the atmosphere at said open end thereof and opening into said connecting portion at the other end thereof; and
said connecting portion including;
(i) a receptacle adapted to securely, sealingly and removably receive said open end of said reservoir and to hold said reservoir with its reservoir longitudinal axis disposed at a rearwardly extending upward angle relative to said barrel longitudinal axis of said barrel portion opposite to said handle portion, said receptacle including;
(a) an outer cavity having a sidewall including a lower edge, an annular base extending radially inwardly from said lower edge of said sidewall, and an inner wall portion extending axially outwardly from an inner edge of said annular base substantially parallel to, but a distance shorter than the smallest axial dimension of, said sidewall such that an axially outwardly facing open groove is located adjacent to said base in said connecting portion of said housing, said sidewall of said cavity defines a substantially circular cross-sectional area, and said outer cavity is adapted to receive said open end of said reservoir in said groove and to support said reservoir in said connecting portion of said housing such that said reservoir longitudinal axis is disposed at about 45°
to said barrel longitudinal axis, and(b) an inner cavity extending axially inwardly from an inner periphery of said base of said outer cavity, said inner cavity having a radially inwardly curved sidewall connecting said inner periphery of said base to a substantially flat bottom portion, wherein said second inlet enters said receptacle through said bottom portion of said inner cavity and said second outlet exits said inner cavity through said curved sidewall at a position located substantially vertically upwardly relative to said second inlet opposite said handle portion of said housing;
(ii) internal conduit means joining said first outlet of said handle portion to a second inlet located in said receptacle; and
(iii) an elongate, hollow element extending through a second outlet in said receptacle so as to open at one end into an end of a passageway in said connecting portion that opens at its other end into said shaft of said barrel portion, and also extending outwardly from said second outlet at substantially the same angle to said barrel longitudinal axis as said reservoir longitudinal axis when said reservoir is mounted in said receptacle to an open end, said outwardly extending portion of said elongate, hollow member further defining a plurality of opposed longitudinal slots at spaced intervals along its length;
whereby, when said internal volume of said reservoir contains a quantity of powdered material and said reservoir is mounted in said receptacle, a collapse of said bulb causes a content of said bulb to be forced into said internal volume of said reservoir in the form of a pulse so as to aerosolize a portion said powdered material stored in said reservoir and to cause at least some of said aerosolized powdered material to be discharged from said open end of said barrel portion via said open end and said longitudinal slots in said elongate, hollow member, said internal passageway of said connecting portion and said shaft of said barrel portion. - View Dependent Claims (21, 23)
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Specification