CA2108647A1

CA2108647A1 - Low cost trigger sprayer

Info

Publication number: CA2108647A1
Application number: CA 2108647
Authority: CA
Inventors: Donald D. Foster; Philip L. Nelson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Contico International Inc
Priority date: 1992-10-21
Filing date: 1993-10-18
Publication date: 1994-04-22
Also published as: US5385302A; EP0764471A2; EP0742050A3; DE69327735T2; EP0734783A2; US5593093A; EP0598237A2; US5509608A; US5513800A; DE69318256D1; DE69318256T2; US5884845A; US5566885A; EP0598237A3; EP0598237B1; US5615835A; EP0820816A2; US5551636A; EP0742050A2; US5509608B1

Abstract

Abstract A low cost trigger sprayer has a housing with a first liquid passage containing a spinner assembly. An elastomeric pump element is positioned generally horizon-tally such that pulling the trigger retracts the element and releasing the trigger allows the element to extend.
The sprayer includes a low cost spinner assembly and low cost valving to control the flow of liquid within the sprayer. In one aspect of the invention, the housing has front and rear sections with the rear section having a saddle portion and being hinged to the front section for pivotal movement from an open position for molding the housing to a closed position for operating the sprayer.
In another aspect of the invention, the container has a rear portion which extends upwardly past the neck and defining a saddle recess, with the housing connected to the neck of the container and positioned forwardly of the upwardly extending container portion. The sprayer may include an elastomeric spring for biasing the pump ele-ment in the extended position.

Description

5~

PATENT

LOW COST TRIGGER SPRAYER

Backaround of the Invention This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Serial Number 07/603,281 filed October 25, 1990 entitled ~Spinner Assembly For A Sprayer~.
This inventlon 18 directed to the field of trigger aisFcnsers, also known as trigger sprayers. The inven-t~on is particularly directed to such a sprayer having uniaue features that reduce the cost of the sprayer.
Generally, a tr$gger dlspenser of the type in-10 volved here is a relatively low cost pump device whlch is held in the hand and which has a trigger operable by squeezlng or pulling the fingers of the hand to pump llauld from a contalner and through a nozzle at the front of the dlspenser.
Such trlgger dlspensers may have a variety of features that have become common and well-known in the industry. For example, the dispenser may be a dedicated sprayer that produces a defined spray pattern for the liquid as it is dispensed from the nozzle. It is also 20 known to provlde ad~u~table spray patterns such that with 2 1 ~

a single dispenser the user may select any one of several stream patterns from a stream to a fine mist. Some known trigger dispensers also include a way to seal the dispen-ser to prevent liquid from lleakingfrom the nozzle ori-5 fice during shipment or non-use. A variety of sealing arrangements are known. It is also well-known to provide trigger dispensers with a means to produce foaming of the liquid as it is dispensed from the nozzle orifice. Such trigger dispensers are generally referred to in the in-lO dustry as n foamers n, Various types of foamers are well-known.
While trigger sprayers of the type to which the present invention is directed are of relatively low cost, the various aspects of the present invention serve to 15 further reduce costs, while at the same time providing versatility in design and reliable service. To put this into perspective, millions of trigger sprayers are sold each year for use in dispensing a wide variety of pro-ducts. Because of the large volumes, a savings of only a 20 few cents, or even one cent, is significant.
So the ob~ective of the present invention is to provide a trigger sprayer with cost-saving features rela-tlve to those presently ln the marketplace while main-taining acceptable performance criterla.
25 _mmarY of the Inventlon One aspect of the invention relates to the struc-turs and composition of the pump element as used in com-bination wlth other trigger sprayer components ln a spe-clflc manner. In accordance with this aspect of the 30 invention a trigger sprayer assembly is provlded which has a houslng with a flrst liquid passage extending gen-erally horlzontally and with a valve seat at the rear end of the passage. A spinner assembly is located withln the liquid passage, the spinner assembly having a valve por-35 tion, a spinner head, and a spring portion between thevalve portion and spinner head. The spinner head normal-~ f r ~

ly biases the valve portion against the valve seat toclose the passage to the flow of liquld, the valve por-tion and valve seat comprising the primary valve of the assembly. A nozzle assembly is secured to the housing at 5 the front of the flrst passage and has an orlfice for dispensing the liquid. ~ trigger is secured to the hous-ing such that pulling and releasing the trigger operates the sprayer assembly.
The sprayer assembly has a horizontally disposed 10 pump element secured to the housing and where the pump element is elastomeric with a chamber therein. Pulling the trigger retracts the elastomeric element and releas-ing the trigger allows it to extend, the elastomeric element being resllient and configured to normally main-lS tain its extended condition but retractable upon applica-tion of force against its resilience. The housing fur-ther has a socket for receiving the upper end of a dip tube, and an opening for the passage of liquid from the dip tube into the pump element chamber.
Further in accordance with this aspect of the invention, there is provided an elastomeric valve member which seals against the opening under positive pressure within the pump element chamber but which unseals under negative pressure. The housing has a second liquid pas-25 sage for the flow of liquid from the chamber to the first liquid passage upon retraction of the elastomeric pump element.
Hence, in accordance with thls aspect of the invention, pulling the trigger retracts the elastomeric 30 pump element creating positive pressure within the cham-ber to seal the opening and force liquid within the cham-ber through the second liquid passage then to the first liquid passage and then through the orifice. Releasing the trigger allows the elastomeric pump element to extend 35 by its resilience creating negative pressure in the cham-ber to unseal the opening and draw liquid from the dip tube and into the chamber and allowing the primary valve to close. The generally horizontally oriented elasto-meric pump element in combination with the generally horizontally extending first liquid passage containing 5 the spinner assem~ly, together with the other housing and valving features, provide a trigger sprayer with fewer parts, less expensive parts, and one which is less costly to make, while maintaining the performance characteris-tics desirable in such a sprayer.
The elastomeric valve member may be either a bulb or bellows, and preferably there is also provided means for venting the container without leakage. The housing of the sprayer assembly also is provided with a connector for connecting the housing to the nec~ of a container, 15 where the connector may be either a threaded closure or of the bayonet type. In the case of the bayonet type, the entire housing, including the connector portion, preferably is integrally formed.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention 20 to provide significant cost savings, the housing of the trlgger ~prayer assembly has front and rear sectlons with the rear sectlon havlng a saddle portlon for ergonomlcal-ly recelving the web of the hand between the thumb and first flnger upon operatlon of the assembly. The rear 25 section of the housing is hinged to the front section for plvotal movement from an open posltion for molding the houslng, to a closed position for operation of the trig-ger sprayer as&embly. Means are provlded for locking the rear section of the housing in the closed position. The 30 entire houslng, including the rear section and hinge, are integrally formed.
Where the connector portion for connecting the hous$ng to a container is a closure member formed sepa-rately from the housing and rotatable relative thereto, 35 the closure member may serve to lock the rear portion of the housing in the closed position with the closure mem-~. 6~7 ber secured to the housing. Where the connector portion is integrally formed with the housing, it has means for engaging the rear section of the housing to lock it in the closed position.
In another aspect of the invention, the trigger sprayer assembly and container to which it is connected combine to provide significant cost savings as well as flexibility in overall design. The container has a rear portion which extends upwardly from the top of the con-10 tainer past its neck. The housing of the trigger sprayer assembly is connected to the neck of the bottle with the housing being positioned forwardly of the upwardly ex-tending bottle portion. The upwardly extending bottle portion defines a ~addle recess for ergonomically receiv-15 ing the web of the hand between the thumb and first fin-ger upon operation of the trigger sprayer assembly. So in this aspect of the invention, the trigger sprayer assembly provides all the operating mechanism for pumping the llquid from the container and dispensing it through 20 the nozzle orifice, while the container provides the saddle recess for the web of the hand between the thumb and the first finger and thereby combines with the trig-ger sprayer assembly to provide a structure for holding and operating the assembly. The trigger sprayer and 25 bottle also combine to provide great versatility in over-all design by changing the bottle configuration without changlng the trigger sprayer assembly conflguratlon.
Hence, the same baslc sprayer assembly conflguration may be used with a wide variety of bottle designs to provide 30 a wide variety of overall design appearances.
In a preferred form of this aspect of the inven-tion, the housing has a rear surface and the upwardly extending rear portion of the container has a front sur-face, these two surfaces being ln faclng relatlonship and 35 substantlally congruent. Also preferably, the connector portion of the a88emb1y 18 integrally formed wlth the r~

housing~ and engagement of the connector portion with the neck of the container is of the bayonet type.
In another aspect of the invention, cost saving is achieved through the design and configuration of the 5 check valve. The housing has a socket for receiving the upper end of the dip tube, and further has an opening for the passage of liquid from the dip tube into the pump element chamber. A check valve blocks the passage of llquid through the opening under positive pressure within 10 the chamber but allows the flow of liquid through the opening under negative pressure. A cavity extends bet-ween the dip tube socket and the primary valve of the assembly. An elastomeric plug is located within the cavlty and has an elastomeric valve member formed inte-15 grally therewith at one end thereof with the valve membernormally seated within a valve seat. The valve member and valve seat define the check valve. The plug and the wall of the cavity define a second passage for the flow of liquid from the pump element chamber to the primary 20 valve. The plug has a portion which seals the cavity and blockg the direct flow of liquid from the check valve to the second liquid passage. The integrally-formed elas-tomeric plug and valve member provide cost savings throu~h fe~er parts, ease in manufacture and assembly, 25 and lnexpensive material.
Also in accordance with this aspect of the inven-tion, the check valve may be of an alternate configura-tlon comprising a separately-formed valve seat member within the cavity and defining a vertically-oriented 30 valve seat. Further included is a ball valve normally seated within the valve seat such that the ball valve and valve seat define the check valve. Both the valve seat member and ball may be made of inexpensive plastic mater-ial, and are easily assembled in the housing.
In another aspect of the invention the spinner assembly comprises an elongated element integral with the ~ t ~ 7 housing and extending through a first liquid passage formed in the housing. The elongated element has a swirl cham~er at the front end thereof adJacent the nozzle orifice. ValYe means control the flow of liquid upon 5 actuation of the trigger to pump liquid from the contain-er and dispense it from the nozzle orifice.
The pump element may be elastomeric with the housing having a second liquid passage for the flow of liquid from the elastomeric pump element to the first 10 liquid passage and a third liquid passage for the flow of liquid from the container to the elastomeric pump ele-ment. A first valve element is formed integrally with the elastomeric pump element to control the flow of 11-quid through the second passage, and a second valve ele-15 ment is formed integrally with the elastomeric pump ele-ment to control the flow of liquid through the third passage. The first valve element opens and the second valve element closes in response to contraction of the elastomeric pump element to pump liquid from the elas-20 tomeric pump element, through the second and flrst pas-sages, and to the nozzle orifice. The first valve ele-ment clcses and the second valve element opens in re-sponse to extension of the elastomeric pump element to draw llquid from the container, through the third pas-25 sage, and to the pump element. In a more specific formof the invention, the first and second valve elements comprise resllient flaps formed integrally at the rear of the elastomeric pump element, the flaps overlying open-ings in the second and third passages. The elastomeric 30 pump element may be a bulb. The housing may have a vent opening communicating the interior of the container with atmosphere, and the elastomeric pump element may have a sealing portion which seals the vent opening with the pump element in the extended position, but which unseals 35 the vent opening wi~h the pump element in the retracted position to vent the container.

L ~

The pre~ent invention also is directed to improve-ments in the spinner assembly itself. In one aspect the spinner assembly compriqes an elongated body portion having a swirl chamber at a front end thereof, and a 5 flexible elastomeric valve portion at the rear thereofO
The spinner assembly is adapted to be housed within a liquid diæcharge cavity of a trigger sprayer housing with the valve portion overlying an opening in the cavity and defining a primary valve to the trigger sprayer. The 10 valve portion may comprise a flexible disc, and the rear of the elongated body portion may be formed in an axial hub with the disc attached at its center to the hub. The entire ~pinner assembly may be of integral molded cvn-struction.
The spinner assembly may further comprise a second flexible valve portion formed at the rear of the spinner assembly and adapted to overlie another opening in the houslng to define a check valve for the sprayer, the maln body portion and valve portions being integrally molded.
In another aspect the spinner assembly may com-prise a spinner head having a swirl chamber at the front end thereof, a valve portion adapted to seat against a val~e seat in the housing of the trigger sprayer, and a spring portion for biaslng the valve portion against the 25 valve seat. The spinner head has means for locking the spinner head within a liquid discharge cavity of the trigger sprayer housing to prevent longitudinal movement of the spinner head relative to the housing. In this way the position of the spinner head relative to the nozzle 30 orifice is fixed so that precise spray characteristics are maintained.
A more detailed description of the various em-bodiments and aspects of the invention is set out below.

Descri~tion of the Drawin~s Figure 1 is a view in section depicting an em-bodiment of a trigger sprayer of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a view in section depicting a modifi-5 cation of the pump element of the trigger sprayer of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a view in section depicting another embodiment of the trigger sprayer of the present inven-tion.
Figure 4 is a sectional view showing an alternate pump element for the trigger sprayer of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a view in section showing an alternate embodiment of a trigger sprayer according to the present invention.
Figure 6 is a view in section showing another alternate embodiment of the trigger sprayer of this in-vent~on.
Figure 7 is a view in section showing an alternate embodiment of the trigger sprayer of Figure 5.
Figure 8 i8 a view in section showing an alternate embodiment of the trigger sprayer of Figure 6.
Figure 9 is a view in section showing an alternate embodiment of the pump element of the trigger sprayer of Figure 8.
Figure 10 i8 a view in section showing another embodiment of the trigger sprayer of the present inven-tion.
Figure 11 is a view in section showing another embodiment of the trigger sprayer of the present inven-30 tlon.
Flgure 12 i8 a view in section showing another embodiment of the trigger sprayer of the present inven-tlon.
Figure 13 ls a vlew ln section illustrating a 35 further modification of the embodiment of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a view in section showing another embod~ment of the trlgger sprayer of the present inven-tion.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodlmen*s With reference to Figure 1 of the drawing, there is shown a trigger sprayer assembly 10 of a first embodi-ment of the invention. The assembly includes a houslng 12, a trigger 14 mounted to the housing for actuation relative to the housing, a pump element 16, a plunger 18 10 between the trigger and pump element, a vent assembly 20, a spinner assembly 22, a nozzle assembly 24 at the front of the housing, and a connector 26 for connecting the trigger sprayer assembly to a container 28.
The housing 12 has a generally horizontal barrel 15 portion having a generally horizontal cavity 34 therein with a valve seat 36 at the rear end thereof. The nozzle assembly 24 is mounted in the front end of the cavity and has a barrel portion 40 extending within the cavity. The nozzle assembly has a front wall 42 with an orifice 44 20 through which liquid in the container is dispensed upon operation of the trigger sprayer assembly. The nozzle assembly also has a door 46 hinged at 48 by means of a llving hinge. The door has a knob 50 which seats wlthin the orifice 44 when the door is closed (pivoted down-25 wardly) to prevent liquid from leaking from the orifice.The door has suitable latching means 52 for holding the door closed. The door also has a tab 54 which seats within an opening 56 in the top of the housing when the door is pivoted to its stored position (see Figure 3) to 30 ln effect hold the door open. This last descrlbed fea-ture is optional because the door will stay in the poæi-tion shown in Figure 1 if it is not latched in the closed position 80 that during operation of the trigger sprayer assembly the door does not interfere with the dispensing 35 of the liquid. The nozzle assembly further has a tab 60 ~a~47 which engages in the opening 56 to lock the nozzle to the housing in the position shown in Figure 1.
The spinner assembly 22 is located within the first liquid pa~sage 34 and includes a spinner head por-5 tion 70, a valve portion 72, and a spring portion 74between the spinner head and valve portion for bias~ng the valve portion against the valve seat 36. The valve portlon 72 and valve seat 36 define a primary valve 75.
The spinner head 70 has an annular ring 76 that fits 10 within a complementary annular groove in the wall of the nozzle assembly to lock the spinner head within the tubu-lar portion of the nozzle assembly to prevent relative longitudinal movement therebetween. This assures that the splnner face 80 of the spinner head always remalns at 15 a fixed distance relative to the orifice 44 to assure a constant spray pattern. The spinner face is of the con-ventional type having a spinner recess for generatlng in combination with the orifice the de~ired spray charac-teristics.
The trigger 14 is mounted to the housing for actuatlon relative to the housing by the fingers of the hand. In this embodiment, the trigger is pivotally mounted at its upper end to the forward portion of the housing and has a rounded socket for receiving the for-25 ward rounded end of the plunger 18. The rear end of the plunger has a socket 92. The pump element 16 is elasto-meric and has a forward pro~ecting portion 94 having an annular ring 96 that seats within a complementary annular recess within the ~oc~et 92 for securing the pump element 30 to the plunger. The pump element also has a bulb portion 100 defining a pump chamber 102 therein. The bulb por-tion is generally circular about its longitudinal axis and has a rear annular flange 104 engaged within a com-plementary annular groove within the housing for securing 35 the elastomeric pump element to the housing.

2 ~ 7 The housing has a socket portion 110 into whlch the upper end of a dip tube 112 extends, the dlp tube directing liquid from the container 28 into the trigger sprayer assembly upon operation of the asse~bly. At the 5 upper end of the socket 110 is a cavity portion 114 with-in the housing. The housing also has a passage 120 ex-tending from the cavlty to a check valve 122. The check valve 122 compris~s a valve seat at the end of the cavity 120, and a valve member 124 which, in this embodiment of 10 the lnvention, is an elastomeric flap element formed integrally with the elastomeric pump element 16. When the pump element is contracted or collapsed creating positive pressure within the chamber 102, the valve ele-ment 124 seals the passage 120 against the flow of liquid 15 into the chamber, but when the elastomeric pump element extends, creating negative pressure within the chamber 102, the valve element 124 unseals the passage 120 al-lowing the flow of liquid from the container into the chamber by way of the dip tube.
The housing also includes an opening 130 from the cham~er to the cavity portion 114. A plug 140 is housed within the socket portion 110 and cavity 114, the plug having a lower tubular portion 142 within the socket 110 with the upper end of the dip tube received within the 25 lower tubular portion 142. The plug also has an inter-mediate tubular portion 144 and an upper tubular portion 146. At the base of the intermediate tubular portion 144 i8 a wall 150 ~ust above the passage 120 to block the flow of liquid from the dip tube directly to the primary 30 valve 75. The intsrmediate portion 144 has an annular shoulder 156 that seats within a complementary annular groove in the wall of the housing to lock the plug within the cavity, the intermediate portion 144 being in sealing engagement with the wall of the cavity to prevent the 35 dlrect flow of liquid from the dip tube to the primary valve. The upper portlon 146 of the plug engages a de-2 1 ~ 7 pending neck portion 160 of the housing to secure theupper end of the plug. The upper end portion 146 is spaced from the wall of the cavity 114 to define wlth the openlng 130 a second llquld passage 162 for the flow of 5 liquid from the chamber 102 to the primary valve 75.
The housing also lncludes a portion extending beneath the pump element and defining a cylindrical cham-ber 170 with a vent slot 172 extendlng longltudinally in the wall of the vent chamber at the bottom thereof. A
10 vent plston 174 reclprocates within the cylindrical cham-ber 170 in seallng engagewent therewlth. The vent as-sembly 20 also has a vent arm 176 formed integrally with the plunger and extending from the main portion of the plunger to the vent piston 174 such that reclprocating 15 movement of the plunger also produces reclprocatlng move-ment of the plston. With the trigger 14 in the released posltlon shown ln Figure 1, the vent piston 174 seals the forward end of the vent cylinder so that liquid from the container cannot escape through the slot 172 and out the 20 forward end of the vent cyllnder. Wlth the trlgger 14 pulled, the vent piston moves to a rear posltlon (to the rlght as viewed ln Flgure 1) to vent the slot 172 to atmosphere so that alr ls allowed to flow through the forward end of the vent cylinder and the vent slot lnto 25 the contalner to prevent collapslng of the contalner during operation of the trigger sprayer assembly.
The housing also includes a connector portion 26 which in this embodlment of the invention is formed in-tegrally with the houslng and whlch connects the housing 30 to the neck lB0 of the container 28. The connector 26 of the houslng and the neck 180 of the container have com-plementary bayonet coupling elements 182, 184 for secur-ing the housing to the container so that the trigger sprayer housing may be snapped onto the neck of the con-35 tainer without requiring rotation of the trigger sprayerassembly relative to the container. A suitable gasket ~8~

190 is located between the upper end of the neck and the base of the connector to prevent leakage.
Further in accordance with thi~ embodiment of the invention, the trigger sprayer assembly and container 5 comhine to provide the means for holding and operating the assembly to dispense the liquid from the container, and further to provide versatility in overall design uslng a fixed trigger sprayer assembly configuration.
Thus, the housing has a rear surface 200. The container lO 28 has a rear section 202 which extends upwardly past the neck port$on and which has a front wall 204 which faces the wall 200. In this embodiment, the walls 200, 204 are generally vertical, are in close proximity, and are con-gruent. The rear section 202 has an upper wall 206 gen-15 erally aligned with the top of the housing, a rear wall208, and lower walls 210, 212 which form between them a saddle recess 214 for ergonomically receiving the web of the hand between the thumb and first finger for operating the trigger sprayer assembly. The rear section of the 20 container may be formed integrally with the neck portion.
Therefore, it can be seen that with this embodi ment of the invention, the trigger sprayer assembly pro-vides the mechanism for pumping the llquid from the con-ta~ner and dispensing it through the orifice 44, while 25 the container, and particularly the rear section 202 of the container, provides the saddle recess for operating the trigger sprayer assembly. Also, the overall design appearance ls dictated by the combined design character-istics of the trigger sprayer assembly and the rear sec-30 tion 202 of the container. In this way, the overalldeslgn appearance may be changed simply by altering the configuration of the rear section 202 without altering the configuration of the trigger sprayer assembly. Exam-ples of other design configurations are shown in Figures 35 3, 5, and 7. These are shown only by way of example as a great many overall designs may be achieved.

Figure 2 illustrates a modification of the em-bodiment shown in Figure 1 where the pump element 16 has a bellows portion 230 rather than the bulb portion 100 as shown in Figure 1. The forward end of the bellows por-5 tion 230 is secured in an annular groove 232 in the rearend of the plunger 18 which also has a recess 234 wlth a rearwardly extending sleeve 236. The rear end of the bellows is secured to the housing 12 within a shoulder 240. The housing has a rod 242 which extends forwardly 10 lnto telescoping engagement with the sleeve 236 to give structural stability to the pump element.
A sleeve-like elastomeric valve member 250 sur-rounds the base of the rod as shown, and has an integral-ly-formed flap portion 252 which overlies an opening at 15 the end of a passage 254 through which liquld flows from the dip tube 112 into the chamber 256 within the bellows.
The flap portion 252 and opening define a check valve similar to the check valve 122 in Figure 1. An opening 260 extends between the chamber 256 and the passage 162.
Except for these differences, the structure and operation of the embodiment of Figure 2 is the same as that of Figure 1.
Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the trigger sprayer assembly of the present invention which is simi-25 lar to that of Figure 1 but with certain modifications.
With this embodiment, the shape of the upwardly extending rear section 202 of the bottle is different from that of Figure 1, but its functlon is the same. Also, the shape of the cavity 270 is different from that of cavity 114 in 30 Figure 1. The cavity 270 is narrower and extends from the top of the dip tube 112 to the primary valve 75. An elastomeric plug 272 is located between a passage 274, which leads from the upper end of the dip tube to the check valve 122, and an opening 276 which leads from the 35 chamber 102 to the cavity 270. The plug 272 blocks the direct flow of liquid through the cavity from the top of , x ~ ~ 7 the dip tube to the primary valve. The housing 12 has a vertical socket 280 to receive the upper end of the dip tube.
Otherwise, the structure and operation of the 5 embodiment of Figure 3 is the same as the embodiment of Figure 1.
Figure 4 illustrates a modification of the em-bodiment of Figure 3 where the elastomeric pump element 16 i8 a bellows 290 similar to the bellows 230 of Flgure 10 2.
Figure 5 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention which shows an alternate form of pump element, and an alternate form of check valve. Other-wise, the trigger sprayer assembly of this embodiment is 15 essentially the same as those of Figures 1-4. In this embodiment the pump element 16 has a piston portion 300 formed integrally with the plunger 18. The housing 12 has a forwardly-extending portion 302 whlch defines a cylindrical chamber 304. The piston 300 reciprocates 20 withln the chamber 304 upon operation of the trigger.
The piston 300 is biased to the extended position shown in Figure 5 by a coil spring 306 mounted between a rear-wardly-extending tubular portion 308 of the pump element and a forwardly-extending tubular portion 310 of the 25 housing.
The upper end of the dip tube 112 is received in a vertical socket 312 in the housing. A cavity 316 extends from the top of the dip tube to the top of the housing and defines a valve seat at the upper end of the dip 30 tube. An opening 320 communicates the cavity 316 with the pump element chamber.
An elastomeric plug 322 is located in the cavity and extends from the top of the housing to the valve seat. The upper end of the plug is flared at 324 which 35 cooperates an annular shoulder 326 of the housing to lock the plug within the cavity. The top of the plug is flush with the top of the housing.
At the lower end of the plug is a disc-shaped valve member 330 which is flexibly connected to the main 5 portion of the plug by a web 332. The entire plug, in-cluding the web 332 and valve portion 330, is integrally formed. The valve portion 330 and valve seat deflne a check valve. The wall of the cavity 316 and the upper portion of the plug 322 define a second passage 336 which 10 communicates with ~he chamber of the pump element through an opening 338.
In operation, pulling the trigger causes the piston 300 to move rearwardly to pump liquid from the chamber, through the opening 338 and passage 336, and the 15 primary valve, to the nozzle. The positive pressure in the chamber holds the check valve member 330 closed.
Releasing the trigger allows the piston 300 to move for-wardly under the spring bias, thereby reducing the pres-sure in the chamber and causing the check valve 330 to 20 open so that liquid flows from the dip tube into the chamber by way of the passage 320. The middle portion of the plug 332 blocks the direct flow of liquid through the cavity 316 from the check valve to the prlmary valve.
Therefore, in addition to the features previously 25 mentioned, the embodiment of Figure 5 utilizes a rela-tively low ~^ost check valve arrangement which is inexpen-sive to make and assemble.
Figure 6 shows another embodiment of the invention which has the same pump element and check valve arrange-30 ment as shown in Figure 5, but which uses a differentstructure for providing a saddle recess for the hand during operation of the trigger sprayer assembly. In accordance with the embodiment of Figure 6, the trigger sprayer housing 12 has a front section 350 and a rear 35 section 352 which is hinged to the front section by a living hinge 354, which in this embodiment i8 at the top of the housing. The housing, including the hinge 354 and rear section 352, is integrally formed with the rear section 352 molded in the position shown in dashed lines, and then assembled for operation with the rear section as 5 shown in solid lines. As shown, the rear section 352 has a sloping wall 360, a rear hump 362, an inwardly-extend-ing wall 364, and a tail wall 366. A saddle recess 368 i8 formed between the walls 364 and 366 for ergonomically receiving the web of the hand between the thumb and first 10 finger during operation of the sprayer.
In this embodiment the sprayer hou-~ing is con-nected to the neck of a bottle by a thread~d closure 370.
The upper end of the closure has an inwardly-extending shoulder 372 which snaps over an outwardly-extending 15 shoulder 374 of the housing. The closure has an upper notch 376 which receives the lower end of the rear sec-tion 352 to lock the rear section 352 in the closed posi-tion shown by solid lines. During assembly, the rear sectlon 352 is pivoted about the hinge 354 to the closed 20 position, and then the closure member 370 is snapped onto the housing to lock the rear section in the closed posi-tion as shown. Although one cross-section configurat~on of the rear section is shown, it is to be understood that there are many possible configurations that may be used.
25 The trigger sprayer assembly of Figure 6 is easy to mold and assemble which saves costs, and yet provides the desired ergonomics and aesthetics.
Figure 7 shows an embodiment similar to Figure 5 but wlth an alternate check valve assembly. As shown in 30 Figure 7, a cavlty 380 extends from the top of the dip tube to the primary valve 75. The lower end of the cav-ity has a wide section that receives a check valve as-sembly 382. The check valve assembly includes a plastic check valve frame 384 having a vertical valve seat 386 35 and a side opening 388 which communicates with an opening 390 to the pump element chamber. A ball valve 392, which may be of plastic, seats within the valve seat by its own weight. The frame 386 has a integrally-formed plug por-tion 394 which blocks the direct flow of fluid through the cavlty 380 from the check valve to the primary valve.
5 The operation of the sprayer embodiment of Figure 7 is the same as that of Figure 5 except for the difference in configuration of the check valves.
Figure 8 shows a trigger sprayer embodiment of the present invention which is similar to that of Figure 6 10 except that the pump element 16 is an elastomeric bulb as shown in Figures 1 and 3 with an integrally-formed elas-tomeric check valve member 122. It also uses a plug 272 as shown in Figure 3. With the embodiment of Figure 8, the rear end of the bulb has an outwardly-extending an-15 nular flange 400 which seats against an annular surface401 of the housing and is held in place by a snap ring 402.
It is to be understood that while the embodiment shown in Figure 6 has a threaded closure which holds the 20 rear section 352 in the closed position, the connector portion may also be of the bayonet type integrally formed with the housing as shown in Figure 8. In such case the rear section 352 is locked in the closed position by snapping the lower end 404 of the rear section past the 25 upper end 406 of the connector until it lodges in a notch 408, similar to the notch 376, at the top of the connec-tor.
Figure 9 shows an alternate form of the embodiment of Figure 8 where the plunger 18 and pump element 16 are 30 lntegrally formed.
Figure 10 illustrates still another embodiment of the invention which in many respects is similar to those previously described but with certain modifications. In this embodiment the plunger 18 has a deep recess 410 35 which receives a tubular pro~ection 412 of an elastomeric bulb pump element 414. The pump element also has a for-2 ~ 7 wardly-extending æleeve 416 surrounding the tubular pro-~ection 412 and which is secured within a shallower re-cess 418 in the plunger. The sleeve 416 has an annular shoulder 420 whlch seats wi~hin a complementary annular 5 groove in the plunger to secure the pump element to the plunger. The housing has a forwardly-extending rod 422 which slides within the tubular portion 412 of the elas-tomeric bulb in telescoping relation. The rod gives structural stability to the pump element as it extends 10 and retracts during operation of the sprayer. The rod 422 is structurally supported with reinforcing ribs 424.
The elastomeric bulb 414 has an elastomeric valve element 426, somewhat similar to the valve element 124 (Figure 1), which seals an opening 428 from a cavity 430 15 at the top of the dip tube. The valve element 426 de-flnes a check valve. Another opening 432 communicates the pump element chamber with the cavity 430 to provide a second liguid passage for the flow of liquid from the chamber to the primary valve. An elastomeric plug 434 20 blocks the direct flow of liguid in the cavity 430 from the dip tube to the primary valve.
This embodiment of the invention also has a rear section 450 of the housing which is pivotally connected to the front section 451 by a living hinge 452. However, 25 in this embodiment the rear section i8 hinged at the bottom of the housing, rather than at the top as with the embodiments of Figures 6 and 8. In Figure 10 the connec-tor portion for connecting the housing to the neck of the bottle i8 integrally formed with the housing and is of 30 the bayonet type, the rear section 450 of the housing being hinged at the lower end of the connector portion.
The housing i8 molded with the rear section 450 in the position shown by dashed lines, and then during assembly the rear sect{on is pivoted to the solid line closed 35 position.

The configuration of the rear section 450 is an example of the many configura~ions that may be used. It has a top wall 454, back wall 456, bottom wall 458, and tail wall 460. A saddle recesQ 462 is formed between the 5 walls 458 and 460 for ergonomically receiving the web of the hand between the thumb and first finger for operation of the sprayer. The top wall 454 has a portion 464 that extends past the edges of the rear section side walls to overlie the top of the housing front section 451 as shown 10 at 468.
Figure 11 $11ustrates another embodiment of the invention. The housing 480 has a front section 482 and a rear section 484. The housing has an integrally-formed bayonet connector 486 for connecting the houslng to a 15 container. The rear section 484 i~ pivotally attached at the bottom to the bayonet connector 486 by a living hinge 488 similar to the embodiment of Figure 10. The upper end of the rear section 484 has a plug portion 490 formed integrally therewith and whlch has outwardly-extending 20 shoulders 492.
The housing 480 has a vertical cavity 494 which receives the upper end of the dip tube. A fluid passage 496 extends from the upper end of the dip tube to a check valve 498. The check valve comprises a valve seat 500 25 formed in the housing at the upper end of the passage 496, and a ball valve 502 which is inserted through an openlng 504 ln the houslng above the check valve 498.
The rear sectlon 484 of the houslng is secured in the closed posltlon as shown ln Flgure 11 by snapplng the 30 plug portlon 490 lnto the top of the openlng 504, the openlng havlng complementary recesses to receive the shoulders 492 in snap engagement.
Hence, during assembly, the housing is molded with the rear section ln a horizontal position like the hous-35 lng of Flgure 10. After the ball valve 502 is lnsertedthrough the top opening of the housing, the rear sectlon is pivoted to the closed positlon and ~he plug portion 490 snapped into the opening to enclose the ball valve.
In this embodiment the pump element comprises a piston 510 which reciprocates within a cylinder portion 5 512 formed by the housing. Rather than a metal coil spring as shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7, in this embodi-ment an elastomeric spring 514 biases the piston in the extended position shown in F1gure 11. The elastomeric spring 514 ~s of integral construction and has a base 516 10 wh$ch forms an annular sleeve 518. The sleeve fits with-in an annular groove 520 in the housing. The annular groove defines a central cylindrical portion 522 of the housing which fits within the sleeve. The elastomeric spring has a radial portion 524 seated within a comple-15 mentary groove in the housing, and a curved forwardly-pro~ecting portion 526 extending therefrom with the for-ward end lodged within a groove 528 formed in the rear face of the piston. The resilient elastomeric arm por-tion 526 of the spring element biases the piston in the 20 extended position. The elastomeric spring element repre-sents a cost savings in a trigger sprayer utilizing a reciprocating piston pump element.
A liquid passage 530 extends from the pump chamber to passages 532 formed in the housing at the rear of the 25 cavity 34 which houses a spinner assembly 534. The spin-ner assembly is of integral molded construction with the main portion 536 of the assembly extending nearly the full length of the cavity and being relatively rigid.
The front face 538 of the spinner assembly is formed in a 30 conventlonal manner with tangential grooves and a spinner recess or swirl chamber for imparting a spinning motion to the liquid before exiting through the nozzle orifice to produce a spray pattern. The main portion has suit-able slots 540, 542 to allow the flow of liquid through 35 the cavity toward the orifice.

~86~7 At the rear of the spinner portlon 536 there are radial fins 544 which fit in close proximity to the wall of the cavity to center the rear of the spinner portion 536. An axial hub 546 extends to the rear and has a 5 flexible diaphragm disc 548 molded integrally with the hub. With the spinner assembly mounted ln the cavity 34, the diaphragm disc overlies the openings 532. The length of the spinner assembly 534 relative to the cavity 34 is such that a preload is applied to the diaphragm disc to 10 give lt a dish-shaped configuration as shown in Figure 11 after the spinner assembly is mounted ln the cavity. The spinner assembly either may be molded with the diaphragm disc flat, or in a dish-shaped configuration.
To assemble the spinner assembly, the spinner 15 assembly 534 is inserted into the cavity 34 from the front of the housing, and then the nozzle assembly 24 is attached to the housing to capture the spinner assembly withln the cavity.
In operation, when the trigger ~s pulled the 20 liquid pressure causes the diaphragm disc 548 to flex so that liquid may flow from the chamber, through the pas-sage 530, openlngs 532, and past the diaphragm disc and lnto the cavlty 34. Upon releaslng the trlgger there is a reduction of pressure in the passage 530 and openings 25 532 such that the diaphragm disc seals the openings 532 to prevent the passage of liquid therethrough. Instead, llquld ls drawn from the container, through the dip tube and check valve 498, pa~sage 530, and lnto the pump cham-ber.
Figure 12 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. Like the embodiment of Figure 11, the housing 560 has a front section 562 and a rear section 564 pivot-ally connected to the bayonet connector portion 566 of the housing by a living hinge 568. The upper end of the 35 rear section 564 has a plug portion 570 similar to the plug portlon 490 of the embodiment of Figure 11. The plug portion 570 snaps into the top of a vert1cal cavity 572 formed in the housing. The cavity has an upper por-tion 574, a middle portion 576, and a lower portion 578.
Between the lower portion 578 and middle portion 576 is 5 an enlarged recess area 580.
In thiæ described embodlment, the container 582 has a passage 584 which leads from the bottom of the container to the top of the neck 586. The passage is located within integrally-formed walls 588, 590 of the 10 container. A gasket 592 i8 located between the top of tha neck and the sprayer housing and has an opening 594 in alignment with the top of the passage 584. The gasket also has an opening 596 located outwardly of the wall 590 so that the opening 596 does not communicate with the 15 passage 594 with liquid in the container.
The lower portion 578 of the cavity 572 is in alignment with the opening 594 in the gasket and the passage 584. The housing has a vent opening 600 in alignment with the opening 596 in the gasket.
The pump element is an elastomeric bulb 602 simi-lar to that of Figure 9. The rear of the bulb has an annular shoulder 604 which is held in sealing engagement against the hou~ing by a ring 606. The ring has an open-lng 608 ln allgnment with the vent opening 600 in the 25 housing. The bulb 602 has a bead 610 which seals the top of the opening 608 when the bulb ls ln the extended posi-tion shown in Figure 12.
At the rear of the bulb 602 is a lower integrally-formed resillent flap 612 which overlies the opening at 30 the top of the lower portion 578 of the cavity 572. The elastomeric bulb 602 also has an upper integrally-formed flap portion 614 which overlies the opening at the top of the middle portion 576 of the cavity 572. The lower flap 612 functions as a check valve, and the upper flap 614 35 functions as a primar,v valve.

In th$s embodiment of the invention the spinner assembly 620 is formed integrally with the housing. The housing has an elongated portion 622 which extends the length of the cavity 34. The front face 624 of the por-5 tion 622 is formed with tangential grooves and a spinnerrecess, as is conventional, for imparting a spinning motion to the liquid prior to exiting through the nozzle orifice to produce a spray pattern. The housing has openings 526 for the passage of liquid from the cavity 10 572 into the cavity 34. Hence, in this embodiment the primary valve is not associated with the spinner assem-bly, making lt possible for the spinner assembly to be formed integrally with the housing.
In operation, when the trigger is pulled to re-15 tract or collapse the bulb 602, the liquid pressure cau-ses the valve 612 to close and the valve 614 to open so that liguid is pumped from the bulb chamber, through the middle and upper portions of the cavity 572, and through the openings 526 into the cavity 34 for dlspensing the 20 liquid. When the trigger is released, the bulb extends ~uch that the reduced liquid pressure opens the valve 612 and closes the valve 614 to draw liquid from the contain-er passage 584, through the opening 594 in the gasket, through the lower portion 578 of the cavity 572, and the 25 check valve 612 into the bulb chamber. Also, when the trigger is pulled the bead portion 610 of the bulb be-comes unsealed from the opening 608 so that air is al-lowed to pass through the openings 608, 600, 596 to vent the container. When the trigger is released and the bulb 30 is extended as shown in Figure 12, the bead 610 seals the opening 608 so that liquid cannot leak from the contain-er.
Figure 13 shows a modification of the embodiment of Figure 12 where the front section 562 of the housing 35 560 is closed at the top of the cavity 572, although as with the embodiment of Figure 12, the rear section 564 is 21~8~7 pivotally secured at the bottom to the integrally-formed bayonet connector 486 by the living hinge 488. The spin-ner assembly 620 is the same as in Figur0 12. The spray-er of Figure 13 has a bulb-type pump element 630 similar 5 to the bulb 602 of Figure 12, but formed in two pieces with a plunger 18 and vent assembly 20 similar to the embodiments of Figures 1 and 3. The valve arrangement is similar to Figure 12 incorporating an elastomeric bulb having integrally-formed valve elements 612, 614.
Figure 14 illustrates another embodiment of the invention where the housing 640 has front and rear sec-tions 642, 644 similar to the embodiment of Figure 12, and has a pump element 646 and vent assembly 648 similar to Figure 6.
The housing has a vertical cavity 650, the lower portion 652 of the cavity receiving the upper end of the dip tube. The middle portion 654 extends from the upper end of the dip tube to the upper portion 656. The hous-ing also has a liquid passage 660 extending from the pump 20 chamber to the upper portion 656 of the cav~ty 650.
The spinner assembly 662 has a main elongated body portion 664 extending nearly the full length of the cav-ity 34 with a spinner face 666 at the front end as is conventional. The rear of the body portion 664 has radi-25 al fins 668 to center the rear of the spinner assemblywithin the cavity. The rear of the spinner assembly also is formed with a first flexible flap portion 670 which overlles the top of the middle portion 654 of the ver-tical cavity 650 to deflne a check valve, and a second 30 flexible flap portion 672 which overlies an opening 674 formed in the housing and which communicates the upper portion 656 of the cavity 650 with the cavity 34. The entire spinner assembly 662, including the flaps 670, 672, is integrally molded.
In assembly, the spinner assembly 662 is inserted into the cavity 34 from the front of the housing, and h ~ 6 ~ 7 then the nozzle assembly 24 is secured ~o the front of the housing to trap the spinner assembly within the cav-ity.
In operation, when the trigger is pulled, the high 5 liquid pressure causes the check valve 670 to close and the primary valve 672 to open to pump liquid from the pump chamber, through the liquid passage 660, past the primary valve 672, and into the cavlty 34 for dispensing the liquid. When the trigger is released, the low liquid 10 pressure causes the primary valve 672 to close, and the check valve 670 to open to draw liquid from the contain-er, through the cavity 650, check valve 670, and the passage 660, into the pump chamber. In this embodiment of the invention, both the check valve and primary valve 15 are associated with the spinner assembly.
With all of these embodiments, the entire housing is integrally molded of a suitable plastic material such as polypropylene. Other components of the sprayer as-sembly, particularly those that perform a sealing func-20 tion, are molded of a suitable plastic material such aspolyethylene. One such material is HYTREL which is a product of Dup~nt Co.
While each embodiment has been described with certain combined features of the invention, it is to be 25 understood that various features of each embodiment may be combined wlth features of the other embodiments as well.
While the present invention has been described by reference to specific embodiments, it should be under-30 stood that modlfications and variations of the inventionmay be constructed without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the following claims.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is:
1.
A trigger sprayer assembly for dispensing liquid from a container, said assembly comprising:
a housing having a first liquid passage extending generally horizontally with a valve seat at the rear end of said passage:
a spinner assembly within said first liquid passage, said spinner assembly having a valve portion, a spinner head, and a spring portion between said valve portion and spinner head, said spring portion normally biasing said valve portion against said valve seat to close said passage to the flow of liquid there-through, said valve portion and valve seat comprising a primary valve;
a nozzle assembly secured to said hous-ing at the front end of said first passage, said nozzle assembly having an orifice in front of said spinner head through which liquid is dispensed;
a trigger secured to said housing for actuation thereof relative to said housing;
an elastomeric pump element positioned generally horizontally and having a chamber therein said element secured at its rearward end to said housing, the forward end of said elastomeric pump element being reci-procable in response to actuation of said trigger, where-by pulling said trigger retracts said element and releas-ing said trigger allows said element to extend, said elastomeric element being resilient and configured to normally maintain its extended condition but retractable upon application of force against said resilience;
said housing further having a socket for receiving the upper end of a dip tube, and further having an opening for the passage of liquid from said dip tube into said chamber;

an elastomeric valve member which seals against said opening under positive pressure within said chamber but which unseals under negative pressure within said chamber; and said housing further having a second liquid passage for the flow of liquid from said chamber to said first liquid passage upon retraction of said elastomeric pump element;
whereby pulling the trigger retracts said elastomeric pump element increasing the pressure within said chamber to seal said opening and force liquid within said chamber through said second liquid passage then to said first liquid passage and then through said orifice, and release of said trigger allows said elas-tomeric pump element to extend decreasing the pressure in said chamber to unseal said opening and draw liquid from said dip tube and into said chamber and further allowing said primary valve to close.
2.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 1 wherein said elastomeric pump element is a bulb.
3.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 1 wherein said elastomeric pump element is a bellows.
4.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 2 wherein said elastomeric valve member comprises a flap integrally formed with said elastomeric pump element and which over-lies said opening.
5.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 2 or 3 further comprising a plunger portion between said trigger and said elastomeric pump element, said plunger portion and elastomeric element being formed separately.

6.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 2 or 3 further comprising a plunger portion between said trigger and said elastomeric pump element, said plunger portion and elastomeric element being integrally formed.
7.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 1 wherein said housing further comprises a cylindrical chamber having a vent slot in a wall thereof, a vent piston reci-procably mounted within said housing chamber, said piston being reciprocable in response to actuation of said trig-ger, said piston sealing said vent slot to atmosphere with said trigger in the release position and opening said vent slot to atmosphere with the trigger pulled.
8.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 6 further comprising an arm extending between said plunger portion and said vent piston for reciprocating said piston in response to actuation of said trigger.
9.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 1 wherein said housing has a connector portion for connecting the housing to the neck of a container, said connector por-tion being of a bayonet type, the entire housing, includ-ing the connector portion, being integrally formed.
10.
A trigger sprayer assembly for dispensing liquid from a container, said assembly comprising:
a housing having a liquid passage there-in;
a nozzle at the front end of said pass-age, said nozzle having an orifice through which liquid is dispensed:
a trigger secured to said housing for actuation thereof relative to said housing;

a pump element secured to said housing and which is operable in response to actuation of said trigger for pumping liquid from a container and through said liquid passage and said orifice;
a connector portion secured to the housing for connecting the housing to a container;
said housing having front and rear sections with the rear section having a saddle portion for ergonomically receiving the web of the hand between the thumb and first finger upon operation of the assem-bly, the rear section of the housing being hinged to the front section of the housing for pivotal movement from an open position for molding the housing to a closed posi-tion for operation of the trigger sprayer assembly; and means for locking the rear section of the housing in the closed position;
the entire housing, including the rear section and hinge, being integrally formed.
11.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 10 wherein said rear section is hinged at the top.
12.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 10 wherein said rear section is hinged at the bottom.
13.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 10 wherein said connector portion comprises a closure member formed separately from said housing and rotatable relative thereto, said closure member serving to lock the rear section of the housing in the closed position with the closure member secured to the housing.
14.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 10 wherein the connector portion is integrally formed with said housing and has means for engaging the rear section of the housing to lock it in the closed position.

15.
In combination, a trigger sprayer assembly and container for dispensing liquid from the container, said combination comprising:
a trigger sprayer assembly having a housing with a liquid passage therein;
a nozzle at the front end of said pass-age, said nozzle having an orifice through which liquid is dispensed;
a trigger secured to said housing for actuation thereof relative to said housing;
a pump element secured to said housing and which is operable in response to actuation of said trigger for pumping liquid from a container and through said liquid passage and said orifice;
a container having a neck for connection of the trigger sprayer assembly thereto;
a connector portion secured to the housing for connecting the housing to the neck of the container;
said container having a rear portion which extends upwardly from the top of the container past the neck, said housing being connected to the neck of the container, said housing being positioned forwardly of the upwardly extending container portion with said sprayer assembly connected to said container;
the upwardly extending container portion defining a saddle recess for ergonomically receiving the web of the hand between the thumb and first finger upon operation of the trigger sprayer assembly.
16.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 15 wherein said housing has a rear surface, and said upwardly ex-tending rear portion of said container has a front sur-face, the rear surface of said housing and the front surface of said upwardly extending container portion being in facing relationship with the sprayer assembly mounted to the container.
17.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 16 wherein said facing surfaces are substantially congruent.
18.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 15 wherein said connector portion is integrally formed with the housing, and the engagement of the connector portion with the neck of the container is of the bayonet type.
19.
A trigger sprayer assembly for dispensing liquid from a container, said assembly comprising:
a housing having a first liquid passage with a primary valve at the rear end of said passage;
a nozzle at the front end of said pass-age, said nozzle having an orifice through which liquid is dispensed;
a trigger mounted to said housing for actuation relative thereto;
a pump element secured to said housing and operable in response to actuation of said trigger to pump liquid from a container and dispense it through said orifice;
said housing further having a socket for receiving the upper end of a dip tube, the housing fur-ther having an opening for the passage of liquid from said dip tube into said pump element;
a check valve which blocks the passage of liquid through said opening under increased pressure within said pump element but which allows the passage of liquid through said opening under decreased pressure within said pump element;
said housing further having a cavity therein extending between said dip tube socket and said primary valve; and an elastomeric plug within said cavity, said plug having an elastomeric valve member formed in-tegrally therewith at one end thereof, said valve member normally seated with a valve seat, said valve member and valve seat defining said check valve, said plug and the wall of said cavity defining a second passage for the flow of liquid from said pump element to said primary valve, said plug having a portion sealing said cavity and blocking the direct flow of liquid from said check valve to said second liquid passage.
20.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 19 wherein said cavity extends to the top of the housing, and said plug is inserted in said cavity from the top of the hous-ing.
21.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 20 further comprising means for locking said plug within said cavity with said elastomeric valve member positioned against said check valve seat.
22.
A trigger sprayer assembly for dispensing liquid from a container, said assembly comprising:
a housing having a liquid passage with a primary valve at the rear end of said passage;
a nozzle at the front end of said pass-age, said nozzle having an orifice through which liquid is dispensed;
a trigger mounted to said housing for actuation relative thereto;
a pump element secured to said housing and operable in response to actuation of said trigger to pump liquid from a container and dispense it through said orifice;
said housing further having a socket for receiving the upper end of a dip tube, the housing fur-ther having an opening for the passage of liquid from said dip tube into said pump element;
a check valve which blocks the passage of liquid through said opening under increased pressure within said pump element but which allows the passage of liquid through said opening under decreased pressure within said pump element;
said housing having a cavity at the upper end of said dip tube socket;
a separately-formed valve seat member within said cavity defining a vertically-oriented valve seat;
a ball valve normally seated within said valve seat, said ball valve and valve seat defining said check valve;
whereby decreased pressure in the pump element opens the ball valve and allows the flow of li-quid through the check valve, through the opening, and into the pump element.
23.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 22 further comprising means blocking the direct flow of liquid from the check valve to the primary valve.
24.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 23 wherein said cavity extends from said dip tube socket to the primary valve, and wherein said means for blocking the direct flow of liquid comprises a plug within said cavity between said check valve and primary valve.
25.
A spinner assembly for a trigger sprayer, said spinner assembly comprising an elongated body portion having a swirl chamber at a front end thereof, and a flexible elastomeric valve portion at the rear end there-of, said spinner assembly adapted to be housed within a liquid discharge cavity of a trigger sprayer housing with said valve portion overlying an opening to the cavity and defining a primary valve to the trigger sprayer.
26.
The spinner assembly of Claim 25 wherein said valve portion at the rear of said elongated body further comprises a flexible disc.
27.
The spinner assembly of Claim 26 wherein the rear of said elongated body portion is formed in an axial hub, said disc being attached at its center to said hub.
28.
The spinner assembly of Claim 26 wherein said assembly is of integral molded construction.
29.
The spinner assembly of Claim 25 further compris-ing a second valve portion formed at the rear of said spinner assembly and adapted to overlie another opening in the housing to define a check valve for the sprayer, said main body portion and valve portions being integral-ly molded.
30.
A spinner assembly for a trigger sprayer, said spinner assembly comprising a spinner head having a swirl chamber at the front end thereof, a valve portion adapted to seat against a valve seat in the housing of a trigger sprayer, and a spring portion for biasing the valve por-tion against the valve seat, said spinner head having means for locking the spinner head within a liquid dis-charge cavity of the trigger sprayer housing to prevent longitudinal movement of the spinner head relative to the housing.
31.
The spinner assembly of Claim 30 wherein the entire spinner assembly, including the spinner head, valve portion, and spring portion, is integrally molded.

32.
A trigger sprayer assembly for dispensing liquid from a container, said assembly comprising:
a housing having a first liquid passage therein;
a nozzle at the front end of said pass-age, said nozzle having an orifice through which liquid is dispensed;
a trigger secured to said housing for actuation thereof relative to said housing;
a pump element secured to said housing and which is operable in response to actuation of said trigger for pumping liquid from a container and through said liquid passage and said orifice;
a connector portion secured to the housing for connecting the housing to a container;
said housing having an elongated element formed integrally with the housing and extending through said liquid passage, said elongated element having a swirl chamber at the front end thereof adjacent the noz-zle orifice; and valve means for controlling the flow of liquid upon actuation of the trigger to pump liquid from the container and dispense it from the nozzle orifice.
33.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 32 wherein said pump element further comprises an elastomeric pump element which retracts and extends in response to actua-tion of the trigger, said elastomeric element being resi-lient and configured to normally maintain its extended condition but retractable upon application of a force against said resilience, said housing having a second liquid passage for the flow of liquid from the elasto-meric pump element to the first liquid passage, and a third liquid passage for the flow of liquid from the container to the elastomeric pump element, a first valve element formed integrally with said elastomeric pump element to control the flow of liquid through the second passage, and a second valve element formed integrally with the elastomeric pump element to control the flow of liquid through the third passage, the first valve element opening and the second valve element closing in response to contraction of the elastomeric pump element to pump liquid from the elastomeric pump element, through the second passage and first passage, to the nozzle orifice, said first valve element closing and said second valve element opening in response to extension of the elasto-meric pump element to draw liquid from the container, through the third passage, and to the pump element.

34.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 33 wherein the first and second valve elements further comprise resilient flaps formed integrally at the rear of the elastomeric pump element, said flaps overlying openings in the second and third passages.
35.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 33 wherein said elastomeric pump element is a bulb.
36.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 35 wherein said housing has a vent opening communicating the inter-ior of the container with atmosphere, said elastomeric pump element having a sealing portion which seals the vent opening with the pump element in the extended posi-tion, but which unseals the vent opening with the pump element in the retracted position to vent the container.
37.
A trigger sprayer assembly for dispensing liquid from a container, said assembly comprising:
a housing having a first liquid passage therein;

a nozzle at the front end of said pass-age, said nozzle having an orifice through which liquid is dispensed;
a trigger secured to said housing for actuation thereof relative to said housing;
an elastomeric pump element secured to said housing and which is operable in response to actua-tion of said trigger for pumping liquid from a container and through said first liquid passage and said orifice, said elastomeric pump element being resilient and con-figured to normally maintain its extended condition but retractable upon application of force against said resi-lience; and valve means integrally formed with said elastomeric pump element for controlling the flow of liquid from the container to the first liquid passage upon actuation of the trigger.
38.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 37 wherein said housing has a second liquid passage for the flow of liquid from the elastomeric pump element to the first liquid passage and a third liquid passage for the flow of liquid from the container to the elastomeric pump ele-ment, said valve means controlling the flow of liquid in said second and third passages.
39.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 38 wherein said valve means further comprises first and second valve elements within said second and third passages.
40.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 39 wherein said valve elements are resilient flaps which overlie openings in the second and third passages.
41.
A trigger sprayer assembly for dispensing liquid from a container, said assembly comprising:

a housing having a liquid passage there-in:
a nozzle at the front of the passage and having an orifice through which liquid is dispensed;
a trigger secured to said housing for actuation thereof relative to said housing;
a pump element secured to said housing and which is operable in response to actuation of said trigger for pumping liquid from a container and through said liquid passage and said orifice;
said housing having a portion defining a cylindrical pump chamber, said pump element further com-prising a piston reciprocable within said cylindrical pump chamber in response to actuation of said trigger;
and an elastomeric spring element secured to said housing for biasing the piston in the extended posi-tion.
42.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 41 wherein said elastomeric spring element is positioned within said cylindrical pump chamber.
43.
The trigger sprayer assembly of Claim 42 wherein said elastomeric spring element has a base portion se-cured to the housing, and a resilient arm portion that extends forwardly therefrom and engages the piston, said resilient arm portion flexing upon actuation of said trigger.