Actuator for aerosol containers

• US 5,287,998 A
• Filed: 12/08/1992
• Issued: 02/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fox Valley Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fox Valley Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Smrt, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAUFMAN, JOSEPH A
• Application Number:
  US07/987,583
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 222/402.1, 222/402.13, 222/402.15, 222/402.22, 222/507, 222/608, 239/150, 239/273, 239/337
• US Class Current: 222/402.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/208 Pull cord operated actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/227 the marking material being supplied in aerosol containers

Abstract

An actuator for use with an aerosol container, the actuator having a passage therethrough which terminates in an orifice, the passage being configured such that the contents of the aerosol container may be communicated through the passage and discharged from the actuator at the orifice, comprising an actuator body, and one or more pairs of wings secured to the body, each wing having a bottom edge located proximate to the orifice and peripheral edges which are adjacent to and intersect the bottom edge, wherein at least a portion of the peripheral edge of at least one of the wings, from a point wherein said edge intersects the bottom edge of its respective wing, angles away from the body. There is further provided a base adapted for accepting such an aerosol container actuator.

Claims

1. An actuator for use with an aerosol container, the actuator having a passage therethrough which terminates in an orifice, the passage being configured such that the contents of the aerosol container are communicated through the passage and discharged from the actuator at the orifice, comprising;

an actuator body, and;

at least one pair of wings, each wing having a bottom edge located proximate to the orifice and a peripheral edge which is adjacent to and intersects the bottom edge,

wherein at least a portion of one of the peripheral edges, from a point wherein said peripheral edge intersects the bottom edge of its respective wing, angles linearly away from the body, the angle formed by the linear angled portion of a peripheral edge with respect to the bottom edge of its respective wing being less than 90 degrees.

2. The actuator of claim 1, comprising two pairs of wings wherein for each pair of wings, at least a portion of the peripheral edge of one of the wings, from the point wherein the peripheral edge intersects with the bottom edge of the wing, angles away from the body.

3. The actuator of claim 2, wherein the spraying orifice is rectangular in shape and the planes within which each pair of the wings lies are substantially parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the orifice.

4. The actuator of claim 3 wherein each pair of wings is tangentially secured to the body and said pairs of wings are substantially parallel with respect to each other.

5. The actuator of claim 1, wherein said angle ranges from about 15 to 75 degrees.

6. The actuator of claim 2, wherein said angle is about 45 degrees.

7. A base adapted for accepting an aerosol container actuator and residing on a movable marking device, the base having a bottom wall and an opening therein through which the contents of an aerosol container are discharged, said base comprising at least one inclined planar surface located on one side of the opening, which surface diverges upwardly with respect to the bottom wall and outwardly with respect to the opening, the upwardly extending inclined surface terminating at an inclined side wall which has an angle of inclination with respect to the bottom wall which is greater than the angle of the inclined surface.

8. The base according to claim 7, further comprising at least two such inclined planar surfaces, said inclined planar surfaces being located on opposite sides of the opening.

9. The base of claim 8 further comprising a pair of aligning blocks located on the bottom wall of the base on opposite sides of the opening, the blocks being arranged to define anterior and posterior sections of the base, one of the inclined surfaces being located in the posterior section of the base, the second of the inclined surfaces being located in the anterior section of the base.

10. The base according to claim 9, further comprising a second pair of inclined surfaces which diverge upwardly with respect to the bottom wall and outwardly with respect to the opening, each of the second inclined surfaces having an angle which is substantially equal to the other with respect to the bottom wall as well as to the first inclined surfaces, the second pair of inclined surfaces terminating at inclined side walls which have angles of inclination with respect to the bottom wall which are greater than the angle of the inclined surfaces, one of the second pair of inclined surfaces being located in the posterior section of the base and opposite a first inclined surface, the second of the second pair of inclined surfaces being located in the anterior section of the base and opposite a first inclined surface.

11. The base of claim 10, further comprising a handle and maneuvering the marking device, wherein the base is located on the handle.

12. A system for applying a mark onto a surface comprising an aerosol container which discharges marking material, the container having an actuator thereon, and a movable marking device,

the device comprising a base having a bottom wall and an opening therein through which the marking material in the aerosol container is discharged, said base comprising a first pair of inclined planar surfaces located on opposite sides of the opening, which surfaces diverge upwardly with respect to the bottom wall and outwardly with respect to the opening, the upwardly extending inclined surfaces having substantially equal angles with respect to the bottom edge, and

a pair of aligning blocks located on the bottom wall of the base on opposite sides of the opening, the blocks being arranged to define anterior and posterior sections of the base, one of the first pair of inclined surfaces being located in the posterior section of the base, the second of the first pair of inclined surfaces being located in the anterior section of the base,

the actuator having a passage therethrough which terminates in an orifice, the passage being configured such that the marking material in the aerosol container is communicated through the passage and discharged from the actuator at the orifice, the actuator comprising an actuator body and two pairs of wings tangentially secured to the body such that each pair of wings lies within planes which are substantially parallel with respect to each other, each wing having a bottom edge located proximate to the orifice and peripheral edges which are adjacent to and intersect the bottom edge,

wherein at least a portion of the peripheral edges, from a point wherein each of said peripheral edges intersects the bottom edge of its respective wing, angles linearly away from the body, the linear angled portion of the peripheral edge and the bottom edge of each wing defining an angle, each angle being less than 90 degrees and substantially equivalent to the other as well as to the first inclined surfaces of the base, the portion of the peripheral edge of each wing which angles away from the body at least partially contacting a corresponding first inclined surface of the base when the actuator is positioned onto the base.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a second pair of inclined surfaces diverging outwardly and upwardly from the opening, each of the second inclined surfaces extending in a plane which is generally perpendicular to the direction of movement of the marking device, each of the second inclined surfaces having an angle which is substantially equivalent to the other with respect to the bottom wall and to the first inclined surfaces, each of the second inclined surfaces extending in a plane which is substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the marking device, one of the second pair of inclined surfaces being located in the posterior section of the base and opposite a first inclined surface, the second of the second pair of inclined surfaces being located in the anterior section of the base and opposite a first inclined surface.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein at least a portion of the peripheral edges, from the point wherein each of said peripheral edges intersect with the bottom edge of its respective wing, angles away from the body, the angle-of the peripheral edge being substantially equivalent to each other.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising a pair of inclined side walls, wherein each of the first inclined surfaces terminate at a separate inclined side wall, the side walls having angles of inclination with respect to the bottom wall which are greater than the angle of the inclined surfaces.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a second pair of inclined side walls, said second side walls intersecting with the first pair of side walls such that an enclosure about the bottom wall of the base is formed.

17. The actuator of claim 12, wherein said angle defined by the linear angled portion of the peripheral edge and the bottom edge of each wing ranges from about 15 to about 75 degrees.

18. The actuator of claim 13, wherein said angle defined by the linear angled portion of the peripheral edge and the bottom edge of each wing ranges from about 15 to about 75 degrees.

19. The actuator of claim 14, wherein said angle defined by the linear angled portion of the peripheral edge and the bottom edge of each wing is about 45 degrees.

20. A system for applying a mark onto a surface comprising

an aerosol container which discharged marking material, the container having an actuator thereon, and

a movable marking device, the device comprising a base which accepts the aerosol container actuator,

the base comprising a bottom wall and an opening therein through which the marking material in the aerosol container is discharged and at least one inclined planar surface located on one side of the opening, which surface diverges upwardly with respect to the bottom wall and outwardly with respect to the opening, the upwardly extending inclined surface terminating at an inclined side wall which has an angle of inclination with respect to the bottom wall which is greater than the angle of the inclined surface,

the actuator comprising a passage therethrough which terminates in an orifice, the passage being configured such that the contents of the aerosol container are communicated through the passage and discharged from the actuator at the orifice, an actuator body, and at least one pair of wings, each wing having a bottom edge located proximate to the orifice and a peripheral edge which is adjacent to and intersects the bottom edge, wherein at least a portion of one of the peripheral edges, from a point wherein said peripheral edge intersects the bottom edge of its respective wing, angles linearly away from the body, the angle formed by the linear angled portion of a peripheral edge with respect to the bottom edge of its respective wing being less than 90 degrees.

21. The actuator of claim 20, wherein said angle ranges from about 15 to 75 degrees.