Dispenser
First Claim
1. A dispenser for semi-solid material in stick form, having a tubular barrel for housing the material and a drive mechanism for moving material axially of the barrel for dispensing at an open end thereof, the drive mechanism comprising an actuator adapted to be rotated by hand and an elevator which is driven axially of the barrel to move material therealong on rotation of the actuator;
- wherein the elevator comprises a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material for moving the same along the barrel in either direction, and a radially inner part separate from the outer part and adapted to be drivingly engaged by the actuator;
the inner part of the elevator is received within the outer part of the elevator and engages therewith over an interface extending around the axis of the barrel;
first engaging means are provided at the interface for preventing relative rotation of the inner and outer parts of the elevator after assembly, and second engaging means for snap-securing said inner and outer parts together by relative axial movement of said inner and outer parts without relative rotary orientation.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A dispenser for semi-solid material such as deodorant comprises a tubular barrel, a radial flange of which holds captive a knurled drive wheel for rotation abotu the axis of the barrel. An elevator is mounted on a spindle connected to the drive wheel and is adapted to move deodorant up and down the barrel on rotation of the wheel. To facilitate bottom-filling of the dispenser the elevator is formed from a radially inner part and a radially outer part. The radially outer part is positioned in the barrel before filling, and the radially inner part, preassembled on the spindle, is then clipped into the radially outer part while the deodorant is still in liquid form.
39 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A dispenser for semi-solid material in stick form, having a tubular barrel for housing the material and a drive mechanism for moving material axially of the barrel for dispensing at an open end thereof, the drive mechanism comprising an actuator adapted to be rotated by hand and an elevator which is driven axially of the barrel to move material therealong on rotation of the actuator;
- wherein the elevator comprises a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material for moving the same along the barrel in either direction, and a radially inner part separate from the outer part and adapted to be drivingly engaged by the actuator;
the inner part of the elevator is received within the outer part of the elevator and engages therewith over an interface extending around the axis of the barrel;
first engaging means are provided at the interface for preventing relative rotation of the inner and outer parts of the elevator after assembly, and second engaging means for snap-securing said inner and outer parts together by relative axial movement of said inner and outer parts without relative rotary orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14)
- wherein the elevator comprises a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material for moving the same along the barrel in either direction, and a radially inner part separate from the outer part and adapted to be drivingly engaged by the actuator;
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13. A dispenser for semi-solid material in stick form, having a tubular barrel for housing the material and a drive mechanism for moving material axially of the barrel for dispensing at an open end thereof, the drive mechanism comprising an actuator adapted to be rotated by hand and an elevator which is driven axially of the barrel to move material therealong on rotation of the actuator;
- wherein the elevator comprises a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material for moving the same along the barrel in either direction, and a radially inner part separate from the outer part and adapted to be drivingly engaged by the actuator;
the inner part of the elevator is received within the outer part of the elevator and engages therewith over an interface extending around the axis of the barrel;
first engaging means are provided at the interface for preventing relative rotation of the inner and outer parts of the elevator after assembly, second engaging means are provided for preventing relative axial movement in each direction of the inner and outer parts of the elevator after assembly; and
thereby the inner and outer parts of the elevator can be assembled together by relative axial movement without relative rotary orientation;
the interface comprising a substantially frusto-conical surface, and the first engaging means comprising a plurality of mutually engaging splines.
- wherein the elevator comprises a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material for moving the same along the barrel in either direction, and a radially inner part separate from the outer part and adapted to be drivingly engaged by the actuator;
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15. A dispenser for semi-solid material in stick form having a tubular barrel for housing the material and a drive mechanism for moving material axially of the barrel for dispensing at an open end thereof, the drive mechanism comprising an actuator adapted to be rotated by hand and an elevator which is driven axially of the barrel to move material therealong on rotation of the actuator;
- the elevator comprises a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material for moving the same along the barrel in either direction, and a radially inner part separate from the outer part and adapted to be drivingly engaged by the actuator, means for snap-securing said inner and outer parts together by relative axial movement of the said inner and outer parts without relative rotary orientation, and said snap-securing means further holding the inner and outer parts of the elevator against relative movement after assembly thereof;
the actuator is adapted to be inserted into the barrel and to be held captive therein for rotation at one end of the tubular barrel by means of an inwardly directed radial flange on the barrel; and
the outer part of the elevator is formed with a latch for engagement with the radial flange on the barrel thereby to hold the said outer part in the barrel prior to insertion of the actuator into the barrel.
- the elevator comprises a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material for moving the same along the barrel in either direction, and a radially inner part separate from the outer part and adapted to be drivingly engaged by the actuator, means for snap-securing said inner and outer parts together by relative axial movement of the said inner and outer parts without relative rotary orientation, and said snap-securing means further holding the inner and outer parts of the elevator against relative movement after assembly thereof;
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16. A dispenser for semi-solid material in stick form which comprises a tubular barrel for housing the material and having a filling end and a drive mechanism for moving the material axially of the barrel for dispensing at an open end opposite the said filling end, the drive mechanism comprising an actuator having snap-fit means engageable with the barrel for holding the actuator rotatably captive on the barrel, an elevator for the material, the elevator being disposed within the barrel and comprising a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material and a radially inner part drivingly engaged by the actuator for movement along the barrel on rotation of the actuator, said elevator parts having respective engaging means for engagement together by assembly of the actuator and the inner elevator part engaged therewith to the barrel to subsequently hold the elevator parts against relative movement for dispensing, the engaging means of the elevator parts each comprising:
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(a) a plurality of splines disposed in frustoconical, circumferentially spaced relation so as to be convergent towards the dispensing end of the barrel; and (b) a latching arrangement; the pluralities of splines of the two elevator parts being interdigitated so as mutual engagement on a generally frustoconical interface to prevent relative rotation of the elevator parts after assembly, and the latching arrangements being interengaged so as to prevent relative axial movement in each direction of the elevator parts after assembly and thereby to hold the splines in engagement, the arrangement of the elevator parts including the engaging means thereof enabling the elevator parts to be assembled together by relative axial movement, without prior relative angular orientation.
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17. A dispenser for semi-solid material in stick form which comprises a tubular barrel for housing the material, and a drive mechanism for moving the material axially of the barrel for dispensing at an open end thereof, the barrel having a filling aperture defined by a radially inwardly directed flange at its end opposite said dispensing end, the drive mechanism comprising an actuator having snap-fit means engageable with the radial flange of the barrel for holding the actuator rotatably captive on the barrel for dispensing, and an elevator for the material, the elevator being disposed within the barrel and comprising a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material and a radially inner part drivingly engaged by the actuator for movement along the barrel on rotation of the actuator, the said elevator parts having respective engaging means, for snap-securing said inner and outer parts together by relative axial movement of said inner and outer parts without relative rotary orientation, and the outer elevator part further being formed with a latch which on such assembly is engageable with the radial flange of the barrel to temporarily restrain the outer elevator part against movement along the barrel until such time as the engaging means of the elevator parts have come into engagement.
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18. A dispenser for semi-solid material in stick form, which comprises a tubular barrel for housing the material, and a drive mechanism for moving the material axially of the barrel for dispensing at an open end thereof, the barrel having a filling aperture defined by a radially inwardly directed flange at its end opposite said dispensing end, the drive mechanism comprising an actuator having a snap-fit means engageable with the radial flange of the barrel for holding the actuator rotatably captive on the barrel for dispensing, and an elevator for the material, the elevator being disposed within the barrel and comprising a radially outer part adapted to engage and hold the material, and a radially inner part drivingly engaged by the actuator for movement along the barrel on rotation of the actuator, the said elevator parts having respective engaging means which are engageable together by assembly of the actuator and the inner elevator part engaged therewith to the barrel to subsequently hold the elevator parts against relative movement for dispensing, and the outer elevator part further being formed with a latch which on such assembly is engageable with the radial flange of the barrel to temporarily restrain the outer elevator part against movement along the barrel until such time as the engaging means of the elevator parts have come into engagement, the engaging means of the elevator parts each comprising:
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(a) a plurality of splines disposed in frustoconical, circumferentially spaced relation so as to be convergent towards the dispensing end of the barrel; and (b) a latching arrangement; the pluralities of splines of the two elevator parts being interdigitated so as by mutual engagement on a generally frustoconical interface to prevent relative rotation of the elevator parts after assembly, and the latching arrangement being interengaged so as to prevent relative axial movement of the elevator parts after assembly and thereby hold the splines in engagement, the arrangement of the elevator parts including the engaging means thereof enabling the elevator parts to be assembled together by relative axial movement, and without prior relative angular orientation.
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Specification