Temperature indicating foam gun nozzles and hoses

• US 9,630,767 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ICP Construction, Inc. (Innovative Chemical Products Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: ICP Adhesives & Sealants, Inc (ICP Group SA)
• Inventors: Gantenbein, Stefan, Fishback, Thomas, Caffoe, Douglas, Jonas, Sara, McQuaid, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Carey, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/273,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20140339320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 606 16, 239416, 239337, 239304, 239525, 239 75
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 12/004 comprising sensors for monitoring the delivery, e.g. by displaying the sensed value or generating an alarm B05B12/08 takes precedence; registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus in general G07C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0018 with devices for making foam
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0408 with arrangements for mixing two or more liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/2467 a liquid being fed by a pressure generated in the container, which is not produced by a carrying fluid
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/2472 comprising several containers
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/7438 Mixing guns, i.e. hand-held mixing units having dispensing means B29B7/761, B29B7/7678 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/801 Valves
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/207 Actuators comprising a manually operated valve and being attachable to the aerosol container, e.g. downstream a valve fitted to the container; Actuators associated to container valves with valve seats located outside the aerosol container portable spraying apparatus comprising pressurised supply containers B05B7/2402, B05B9/0805; manually actuated controlling means for spraying apparatus B05B12/002; actuators connected to the aerosol container by a flexible tube B65D83/756
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/28 Nozzles, nozzle fittings or accessories specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/682 the products being first separated, but finally mixed, e.g. in a dispensing head mixing in general B01F
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/16 of organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/165 of organic liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/02 for measuring temperature of moving fluids or granular materials capable of flow

Abstract

The invention described herein generally pertains to in-situ applications of liquid chemicals mixed and dispensed as a spray or a foam and more specifically, to in-situ application of polyurethane foam or froth and the measurement of the temperature of the chemicals used therewith employing temperature-indicating one-component or two-component foam gun nozzles and/or at least one temperature-indicating hose which employs at least one thermochromic material disposed within the foam gun nozzle and/or hoses.

Claims

1. A spray foam dispensing apparatus comprising:

a container within which pressurized chemicals reside used to synthesize a polyurethane foam or a polyurethane froth, said container further comprising at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant; and

a dispensing conduit selected from the group consisting of

a plastic dispensing straw and a metallic nozzle of which at least a portion is plastic,

wherein when the dispensing conduit is the plastic dispensing straw, the dispensing straw contains at least one thermochromic material in the plastic dispensing straw or at least one thermochromic material affixed or printed onto the plastic dispensing straw or at least one thermochromic material label is affixed to the plastic dispensing straw, and

wherein when the dispensing conduit is the metallic nozzle of which at least a portion is plastic, the plastic portion of the metallic nozzle contains at least one thermochromic material in the plastic portion or at least one thermochromic material affixed or printed onto the plastic portion or at least one thermochromic label is affixed to the plastic portion,

and further wherein the at least one thermochromic material in either the plastic dispensing straw or the plastic portion of the metallic nozzle changes color by determining the temperature of either a high volume flow of pressurized chemicals or a high volume flow of a synthesized froth foam or both egressing through the plastic dispensing straw or the plastic portion of the dispensing conduit to illustrate to an end-user of the foam dispensing apparatus if the pressurized chemicals and the at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant used to prepare the polyurethane foam or the polyurethane froth are at a minimum temperature for proper chemical cure and wherein the at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant changes to a gaseous state component during travel through either the plastic dispensing straw or the plastic portion of the dispensing conduit and egress therefrom into the environment with turbulent flow between the pressurized chemicals and at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant.

2. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dispensing apparatus is a two-component spray gun comprising:

a housing having a pair of inlet openings positioned in a canted orientation on top of said housing for insertion of an “

A” and

a “

B”

flexible plastic hose from respective “

A” and

“

B”

cylinders containing at least one chemical therein;

said housing having a metering valve disposed within said housing;

said housing having a removable plastic spray nozzle affixed to a front of said housing, said plastic spray nozzle comprising at least one thermochromic material disposed within or affixed thereupon said plastic nozzle.

3. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dispensing apparatus is a one-component spray canister containing multiple chemicals and said at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant comprising:

a canister having a single outlet valve; and

wherein

the plastic dispensing straw is affixed to the outlet valve, the plastic dispensing straw comprising at least one thermochromic material disposed within or affixed thereupon plastic dispensing straw.

4. The dispensing apparatus of claim 1 wherein said dispensing apparatus is a one-component spray canister containing multiple chemicals comprising:

a canister having a single outlet valve;

a housing having one inlet for said canister affixed on top of said housing;

said housing having a metering valve disposed within said housing;

said housing having an elongated metallic spray nozzle affixed to a front of said housing, said metallic spray nozzle comprising at least one thermochromic material either disposed within a plastic insert positioned along a length of the metallic spray nozzle or disposed within a plastic tip of the metallic spray nozzle.

5. The spray gun of claim 1 wherein

said at least one thermochromic material is a liquid crystal or a leuco dye.

6. The spray gun of claim 1 wherein

said at least one thermochromic material is at least two thermochromic materials disposed within or thereupon said nozzle, each of said at least two thermochromic materials effecting a color change at a different temperature.

7. The spray gun of claim 6 wherein

said at least one thermochromic material is at least three thermochromic materials disposed within or thereupon said nozzle, each of said at least three thermochromic materials effecting a color change at a different temperature.

8. The spray gun of claim 2 wherein

at least one of said “

A” and

“

B”

plastic hoses affixed to said housing of said spray gun comprise at least one thermochromic material disposed within or affixed thereupon said at least one plastic hoses.

9. The spray gun of claim 8 wherein

said at least one thermochromic material is a liquid crystal or a leuco dye.

10. The spray gun of claim 8 wherein

said thermochromic material is affixed upon at least one of said plastic hoses by a label containing said at least one thermochromic material.

11. The spray gun of claim 8 wherein

said at least one thermochromic material is at least two thermochromic materials disposed within or thereupon said at least one plastic hose, each of said at least two thermochromic materials effecting a color change at a different temperature.

12. The spray gun of claim 6 wherein

said at least one thermochromic material is at least three thermochromic materials disposed within or thereupon said at least one plastic hose, each of said at least three thermochromic materials effecting a color change at a different temperature.

13. The spray gun of claim 1 wherein

said propellant is selected from the group consisting of HFC-245fa, HBA-2 (SOLSTICE™

LBA), FEA-1100, AFA-L1, AFA-L2, miscible blends and azeotropes thereof; and

further wherein

the propellant has a boiling point between approximately 10-40°

C.

14. A process to determine if pressurized chemicals and propellant used to make a polyurethane foam or a polyurethane froth are at or above an acceptable use temperature range, the process comprising:

using a dispensing apparatus having a dispensing nozzle having at least a plastic portion, comprising at least one thermochromic material contained therein or affixed thereupon,

wherein the at least one thermochromic material in the plastic portion of the dispensing nozzle changes color during the step of using by determining the temperature of either a high volume flow of the pressurized chemicals or a high volume flow of the synthesized froth or both egressing through the plastic portion of the dispensing nozzle to illustrate to an end-user of the dispensing apparatus if the pressurized chemicals and the propellant used to prepare the polyurethane foam or the polyurethane froth are at a minimum temperature for proper chemical cure and wherein the propellant changes to a gaseous state component during travel through the plastic portion of the dispensing nozzle and egress therefrom into the environment with turbulent flow between the pressurized chemicals and propellant.

15. The process of claim 14 which further comprises:

using at least one “

A”

or “

B”

side hose comprising at least one thermochromic material contained therein or affixed thereupon.

16. The process of claim 14 wherein

said nozzle is a removable plastic nozzle;

and

said at least one thermochromic material is a liquid crystal or a leuco dye.

17. The process of claim 14 wherein

said nozzle is a plastic straw nozzle;

and

said at least one thermochromic material is a liquid crystal or a leuco dye.

18. The process of claim 14 wherein

said nozzle is an elongated metallic spray nozzle affixed to a front of said housing, said metallic spray nozzle comprising at least one thermochromic material either disposed within a plastic insert positioned along a length of the metallic spray nozzle or disposed within a plastic tip of the metallic spray nozzle.

19. A method of using a thermochromic dye to determine a temperature of dispensing chemicals through a spray gun, comprising:

actuating dispensing through a nozzle from a pressurized container within which pressurized chemicals reside used to synthesize a polyurethane foam or a polyurethane froth, said container further comprising at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant; and

monitoring dispensing temperature through a dispensing conduit, the conduit comprising at least a portion of metal and at least a portion of plastic, the dispensing conduit comprising at least one thermochromic material which is disposed within or printed onto the plastic portion of the conduit,

wherein the at least one thermochromic material in the plastic portion of the dispensing conduit changes color by determining the temperature of either a high volume flow of pressurized chemicals or a high volume flow of a synthesized froth foam or both egressing through the plastic portion of the dispensing conduit to illustrate to an end-user of the spray gun if the pressurized chemicals and the at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant used to prepare the polyurethane foam or the polyurethane froth are at a minimum temperature for proper chemical cure and wherein the at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant changes to a gaseous state component during travel through the dispensing conduit and egress therefrom into the environment with turbulent flow between the pressurized chemicals, at least one pressurizing dispensing propellant and the synthesized polyurethane froth.

20. The process of claim 19 wherein said step of actuating dispensing through a nozzle from a pressurized container is selected from the group consisting of

a two-component foam system and a one-component foam system;

and further wherein

said nozzle is selected from the group consisting of a removable plastic tip, a plastic straw, and an elongated metallic spray nozzle affixed to a front of a housing,

said nozzles comprising at least one thermochromic material either disposed within the removable plastic tip, the plastic straw, or the plastic insert positioned along a length of the metallic spray nozzle or disposed within a plastic tip of the metallic spray nozzle or affixed thereupon the metallic spray nozzle.