Container closure provided with air pump mechanism

• US 4,848,599 A
• Filed: 01/22/1988
• Issued: 07/18/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Japan Crown Cork Company Limited (Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Japan Crown Cork Company Limited (Toyo Seikan Group Holdings, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fukushi, Seiji, Kinoshita, Fumio, Okamura, Tsurusaburo, Kano, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOLAND, KENNETH W
• Application Number:
  US07/146,754
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 222/401, 222/402, 222/384, 222/464, 222/566, 222/180, 222/182, 222/400.8, 222/400.7, 222/400.5, 222/382, 222/52, 222/470, 222/471, 222/173, 4/623, 4/619
• US Class Current: 222/402
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 5/1211 using pressure on soap, e.g. with piston A47K5/1201 takes precedence; by squeezing A47K5/122
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/061 characterised by the means producing the gas or vapour pressure

Abstract

A closure to be applied to a container for holding a liquid such as shampoo. The closure comprises a closure body, a discharge liquid tube extending through the closure body and a reciprocating air pump mechanism built in the closure body. The air pump mechanism includes a cylinder whose discharge side communicates with the inside of the container and whose intake side communicates externally of the container, a piston, and a spring for elastically biasing the piston toward the intake side. The piston has a rod whose free end portion extends outwardly of the closure body.

Claims

1. A container closure comprising

a closure body adapted to be mounted on the mouthneck portion of a container for holding a liquid,

a liquid discharging tube extending from its suction end located within the container to its discharge end located out of the container via the closure body, and

a reciprocating air pump mechanism built in the closure body, said air pump mechanism including a piston having a cylinder whose discharge side communicates with the inside of the container and whose intake side communicates externally of the container, a rod whose free end portion extends upwardly externally of the closure body, and spring means for biasing the piston elastically toward the intake side, said free end portion the rod being provided with a press member which is manually depressible to move said rod and piston,

said press member being spaced downwardly from and positioned opposite to the discharge end of the liquid discharging tube, said closure being so dimensioned as to receive a user'"'"'s hand oriented palm-upward between the discharge end of the liquid discharging tube and the press member so that, when the piston is moved toward the discharge side by pressing the free end portion of the rod against the elastic biasing action of the spring means, air is forcibly fed into the container from the air pump mechanism and the liquid in the container is discharged through the liquid discharge tube onto a user'"'"'s hand which has its palm facing upwardly toward the discharge end of the tube and its back pressing against the press member.

2. The container closure of claim 1 wherein in the main body of the piston in the air pump mechanism, valve means is provided which is adapted to be opened only when the piston is moved toward the intake side and permit communication of the intake side and the discharge side of the cylinder with each other.

3. The container closure of claim 1 mounted on a container, said container having a vertical axis which is substantially axially aligned with the press member and the piston rod.