Dispensing pump for container

• US 8,297,475 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pibed Limited
• Original Assignee: Pibed Limited
• Inventors: Limbert, Dean Philip, Matthews, Shaun Kerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shearer, Daniel R
• Application Number:
  US12/357,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20090120966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 222/153.07, 222/190, 222/321.8, 222/321.9, 239/333
• US Class Current: 222/190
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/1001 Piston pumps B05B11/1087, B05B11/1088, B05B11/109 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/106 in a retracted position, e.g. in an end-of-dispensing-stroke position
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/1077 characterised by a particular shape or material B05B11/1076 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 11/1087 Combination of liquid and air pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0037 including sieves, porous members or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0043 including a plurality of individual elements, e.g. needles, baffles, rotatable blades

Abstract

A pump for dispensing foam that includes a pump head having a mixing chamber and a porous member. The pump head includes a tube and diaphragm. The pump includes a cap having a body defining a cavity that receives the tube. The cap is connected to the diaphragm to define an air chamber communicating with the mixing chamber. The pump includes a spring system received in the tube and cavity. The tube, cavity, and spring system define a liquid chamber that communicates with the mixing chamber. The spring system includes a spring positioned to be compressed such that liquid is urged from the liquid chamber to the mixing chamber and the diaphragm is configured to be compressed such that air is drawn from the air chamber to the mixing chamber. The liquid and air commingle into a mixture that is pushed through the porous member to form a foam. A container having a mechanism that delivers liquid from a container to a mouth and that moves between an extended position and a depressed position to deliver the contents of the container to the mouth and a removable securing cap that retains the mechanism in the depressed position.

Claims

1. A pump assembly configured to be secured to a container comprising:

a pump body that forms a liquid pump body that defines a pump body cavity that extends through the liquid pump body to an inlet passage that communicates with an interior of the container;

an inlet valve mounted to the liquid pump body that opens in response to pressure in the container that is greater than pressure in the pump body cavity and that closes to prevent communication between the interior of the container and the pump body cavity in response to pressure in the pump body cavity that is greater than pressure in the container;

a pump head including a nozzle section at an upper end of the pump head and a head tube extending from the nozzle section, the nozzle section defines a mouth, the pump head defines a pump head cavity that extends from the mouth through the head tube, and an outer surface of the head tube is sized and configured to closely fit within the pump body cavity so that the head tube slidingly moves within and along the pump body cavity;

a porous member is positioned within the pump head cavity;

a spring support sized to at least partially extend into the pump head cavity, the spring support;

formed to prevent passage of liquid around the spring support into the pump head tube cavity,

defining a spring support passage that communicates with the pump head cavity and the pump body cavity,

extending through the pump head cavity from the location at which the spring support prevents passage of liquid around the spring support into the head tube cavity, and

being separated in the pump head cavity from the pump head tube to define an air passage between the pump head tube and the spring support;

an outlet valve mounted to the spring support to permit communication through the spring support between the pump head cavity and the pump body cavity in response to pressure in the pump body cavity and that closes to prevent communication between the pump head cavity and the pump body cavity when not opened by pressure in the pump body cavity;

a pump spring positioned at least partially within the pump body cavity that urges the pump head tube and spring support away from the inlet passage;

a flexible diaphragm secured to the pump head at a location separated from the pump body, extending around the pump head and extending from the location at which it is secured to the pump head to the pump body, the diaphragm, the pump body and the pump head defining an air chamber and movement of the pump head tube toward the inlet passage deforms the diaphragm and thereby reduces the volume of the air chamber; and

the pump head defining one or more air passageways that communicate between the air chamber and the air passage between the pump head tube and the spring support.

2. The pump of claim 1, wherein said outlet valve is retained by the spring support.

3. The pump of claim 1, wherein the spring abuts the spring support and the spring support abuts the pump head tube whereby the spring urges the spring support and through the spring support the pump head tube away from the inlet passage.

4. A pump that mounts to a bottle, makes a foam of the liquid in the bottle and dispenses the foam, the pump comprising:

a pump body that forms a liquid pump body that defines a pump body cavity that extends through the liquid pump body to an inlet passage that communicates with an interior of the bottle;

an inlet valve mounted to the liquid pump body that opens in response to pressure in the bottle that is greater than pressure in the pump body cavity and that closes to prevent communication between the interior of the bottle and the pump body cavity in response to pressure in the pump body cavity that is greater than pressure in the bottle;

a pump head including a nozzle section at an upper end of the pump head and a head tube extending from the nozzle section, the nozzle section defines a mouth, the pump head defines a pump head cavity that extends from the mouth through the head tube, and an outer surface of the head tube is sized and configured to closely fit within the pump body cavity so that the head tube slidingly moves within and along the pump body cavity;

a porous member is positioned within the pump head cavity;

a spring support sized to at least partially extend into the pump head cavity, the spring support;

formed to prevent passage of liquid around the spring support into the pump head tube cavity,

defining a spring support passage that communicates with the pump head cavity and the pump body cavity,

the spring support extends through the pump head cavity from the location at which the spring support prevents passage of liquid around the spring support into the head tube cavity, and

at least a portion of the spring support in the pump head cavity is separated from the pump head tube to define an air passage between the pump head tube and the spring support that communicates with the pump head cavity;

an outlet valve mounted to the spring support to permit communication between the pump head cavity and the pump body cavity in response to pressure in the pump body cavity and that closes to prevent communication between the pump head cavity and the pump body cavity when not opened by pressure in the pump body cavity;

a pump spring positioned at least partially within the pump body cavity that urges the pump head tube and spring support away from the inlet passage;

a flexible diaphragm secured to the pump head at a location separated from the pump body, extending around the pump head and extending from the location at which it is secured to the pump head to the pump body, the diaphragm, the pump body and the pump head defining an air chamber and movement of the pump head tube toward the inlet passage deforms the diaphragm and thereby reduces the volume of the air chamber;

the pump head defining one or more air passageways that communicate with the air chamber and the air passage defined by the pump head tube and the spring support

whereby liquid passes through the spring support passage and air passes through the air passage to mix at a location between the spring support and the porous member.

5. The pump of claim 4, wherein said outlet valve is retained by the spring support.

6. The pump of claim 4, wherein the spring abuts the spring support and the spring support abuts the pump head tube whereby the spring urges the spring support and through the spring support the pump head tube away from the inlet passage.

7. The pump of claim 4, wherein the spring abuts the inlet valve to urge the inlet valve closed to prevent communication between the pump body cavity and the interior of the bottle.

8. The pump of claim 4, wherein the pump head includes a striker that is positioned between the diaphragm and the nozzle section, the striker and the pump body configured such that the striker is received by the pump body when the pump head tube is substantially within the pump body cavity.

9. The pump of claim 8, wherein the striker and the pump body are configured to enclose the diaphragm when the pump head tube is substantially within the pump body cavity.

10. The pump of claim 8, wherein the pump body defines an air passage that communicates with the air chamber and the interior of the container, the air passage located to be overlain by the diaphragm when the pump head tube substantially within the pump body cavity.

11. A foamed soap dispenser, comprising:

a container carrying liquid soap;

a pump assembly connected to said container, said pump assembly including a pump head portion, a spring portion and a cap portion;

said pump head portion including a tube and a diaphragm and said cap portion being configured to receive said tube and to be connected to said diaphragm to define an air chamber, said spring portion including a spring and a support member that is at least partially received within said tube, said spring portion defining a liquid chamber that receives liquid from said container, said liquid chamber and air chamber being in communication with a mixing chamber in said pump head portion proximate a porous member, said support member and said tube define an air passageway that extends from said mixing chamber to an air inlet defined by the tube that communicates with said air chamber and said air passageway wherein when said pump head portion is moved to a depressed position, said support member is configured to compress said spring such that liquid flows from said liquid chamber to said mixing chamber and said diaphragm is collapsed such that air flows from said air chamber to said mixing chamber whereby said air and liquid commingle in said mixing chamber and the air liquid mixture passes through said porous member and is dispensed from said pump head as a foam.

12. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein said cap portion includes an air hole that extends between said air chamber and said container such that when liquid is drawn from said container into said pump assembly, air flows from said air chamber into said container.

13. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein said pump head portion includes a disc that is configured to be received within said cap portion and cover said diaphragm within said cap portion when said pump head portion is fully depressed and said diaphragm is collapsed within said cap portion.

14. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein said cap portion includes an air hole that extends between said air chamber and said container, said diaphragm covering said air hole when said diaphragm is collapsed.

15. The dispenser of claim 11, further including a securing cap, said securing cap releasably engaging said pump head portion to maintain said pump head portion in said depressed position.

16. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein said support member includes a liquid passageway that extends from said liquid chamber to said mixing chamber.

17. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein said spring portion includes an outlet valve that is mounted in said support member to block, and allow, the passage of liquid from said liquid chamber to said liquid passageway and an inlet valve mounted in said cap portion to block, and allow, the passage of liquid from said container into said liquid chamber, wherein when said spring is compressed, liquid flows from said liquid chamber past said outlet valve into said liquid passageway and when said spring is decompressed, liquid flows past said inlet valve into said liquid chamber from container.