US3107827A - Pressure spray containers - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 22, 1963 H. BURMEISTER PRESSURE SPRAY CONTAINERS Filed Feb. 8, 1962 .INVENTOR. HENRY BURMEISTER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,107,827 PRESSURE SIRAY CGNTAINERS Henry Burmeister, 2535 12th St, Long island City, NY. Filed Feb. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 171,989 1 Ciairn. (Ci. 222-394) This invention relates to pressure spray cans or containers of the kind wherein an insecticide, a deodorizer or the like is contained under pressure to be released as a spray or mist upon depression of a button to open the valve at the top of the can.

Such valves are normally so biased that they remain closed except during the time that the button is held in depressed position. As a consequence the finger which holds the button down during a more or less prolonged spraying operation becomes very tired, and in many cases some of the discharged or exiting mist condenses on the said finger, which is undesirable when the can contains aninsecticide. Moreover, in using an insecticide spray t is advisable that the person doing the spraying avoid inhaling the discharged spray so that a thorough spraying of, for example, an entire room is difficult because of the need for the person to make a quick exit from the room.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide in combination with the button-operated valve thereof means for maintaining the button in depressed position instead of requiring the operators finger to do so.

A further object of the invention is the provision of the above-mentioned means in the form of a unitary insert which is simple in construction and inexpensive in cost of manufacture and which may readily be mounted in any standard type of spray can.

The above as well as additional and more specific ob ects will be clarified in the following description wherein reference numerals refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended primarily for the purpose of illustratron and that it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the details shown or described except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing, FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a standard type of pressure spray can, with parts broken away and partly in section, and showing the insert of the present invention mounted in position thereon.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the insert per se, showing the button-depressing pivoted yoke in the vertical position thereof shown in broken lines in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows the two elements of the insert separated from each other.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the per se.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral designates a standard type of pressure spray can which has -a depression or well :11 in the top thereof, whose interior wall 12 has formed near the bottom thereof a circumferential groove 13. The well bottom is shown at 25.

Such cans are provided with a vertically slidable button 14, axi-ally positioned in the top of the can, and provided with means, not shown, normally maintaining the spray outlet 15 closed by normally maintaining the button in the elevated position shown in full lines in FIG. 1.

Since such structures regarding the valve "and its biasing means are well known and in common use, and since they play no part in the present invention, no details thereof are herein discussed.

The button 1.4 is shown having its top surface sloping upward in the direction of the outlet 15, but the slope thereof is somewhat exaggerated in the drawing. Furassembled insert ther, this top surface, indicated at 145, is shown provided with transverse serrations.

The insert of the present invention consists of two members or elements 17 and '18, both of which are preferably made of spring wire, or at least of material which possesses a degree of resilienoy. The element 17 is substantially U-shaped and includes the two mutually parallel the element has the form of three sides of a rectangle, as shown. Outwardly extending deformations 21 are formed in the arms opposite each other spaced from the ends of the arms. arms 19 and the connecting portion or base 20. Thus The member or element 18 constitutes a bail, which consists of the two arms 22 and the connecting portion 23. At their extremities opposite the portion 23 the arms 22 having outwardly extending pivot pins or lugs formed by deforming the said extremities of the arms outwardly in opposite directions.

Prior to mounting the insert 17, 18 on the can, the two elements thereof are assembled into the unitary insert shown in FIG. 5, in a manner which is obvious, with the lugs 24 registering under the deformations 21 and the yoke arms 22 extending upward through the concave sides of the said deformations or loops. Then the insert is mounted on the can in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by pressing the eiement 17 downward in the well '11 until it registers within the groove 13. Owing to the resiliency of the material of the element 17, when the element is registered in the groove the legs or arms 19 spread to releasably look the element in the groove. In this locked position, as shown in FIG. 2, the member 17 is urged against the groove wall at four spaced points, ie the two extremities of the arms 19 and the two bends ,where the arms 19 join the cross-member '28. Likewise, the resiliency of the material of the bail 18 results in the clamping of the arms 22 thereof in pivoting position about the lugs 24 thereon since the arms 22 are thus confined by the deformations 21, and the lugs by the well floor 25. With the two-point contact between the extremities of the arms 19 and the groove wall, not only retention of the member 17 in the groove is provided, but rotation of the member in the groove is strongly resisted. Hence, when the member is properly positioned as shown in FIG. 2, the bail is always in proper position to be swung upward so that its cross-member 23 slides upward on the sloping surface '16 of the depressed button.

With the insert thus mounted on the can in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, that is, with the cross-arm or portion 23 of the yoke 18 positioned on the side of the button 14 opposite the outlet 15, the device is ready for use.

In use, the button 14 is initially depressed to, for example, the position thereof shown in broken lines in FIG. 1, and then the yoke .18 is swung to the left to engage the top surface of the button to maintain the button in depressed position and thus maintain the valve, not shown, in open position to provide a continuous discharge of the spray until the yoke is swung out of engagement with the but-ton. The serrations 16 in the top surface of the button serve to keep the yoke from slipping oif the button. The device will operate without having the top surface of the button either sloping or serrated, but both of these features add to the facility and efiiciency of operations.

In cases where it is desirable to spray thoroughly an entire room, whether with an insecticide or any other substance, the button may be held in depressed position in the manner set forth immediately after setting the can at rest in the room and then closing the door, to permit the entire contents of the can to be discharged into the room. Without the benefit of the present invention such a thorough spraying would be impractical if not impossible, since it is dangerous for a person to remain in the room during such a thorough spraying, especially in the case of an insecticide.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to the disclosure in the drawing, such is not to be construed as a limitation upon the invention which is best defined in the accompanying claim.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters iatent is as follows:

In combination with a pressure spray container having a well in the top thereof, the well having a floor and a circumferential groove in the inner wall thereof positioned above the floor, a normally upwardly urged button in the top of the container axially positioned with respect to the well and adapted to be manually depressed to actuate the spray, the button having a spray outlet on one side thereof, the top surface of the button sloping to a maximum height on said side thereof and having transverse serrations therein, a two-part attachment for maintaining the button in depressed position consisting of a resilient U-shaped member including two substantially parallel arms of equal length and a cross-member connecting the arms at one end of the member, the arms being normally flexed to spread into substantial mutual parallelity, the member being inserted into the groove while pressing said arms toward each other whence upon release thereof the extremities of the arms spread into frictional contact with two spaced points in the wall of the groove, said arms having opposed arcuate deformations therein, a bail including two opposed arms and a cross-member joining the arms at one end a spaced two-point frictional contact of the extremities of the arms of the U-shaped member restrain the member against rotation in the groove, the bail having a length approximately equal to the vertical distance bet-ween the U- shaped member and the midpoint of the top surface of the depressed button whereby the bail may be swung upward to engage the cross-member thereof with the top surface of the depressed button.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,868,821 Fuller July 26, 1932 2,508,308 Turak May 16, 1950 2,564,733 Sipkin Aug. 21, 1951 2,757,964 Both etal Aug. 7, 1956 2,913,154 Kulfer Nov. 17, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 585,909 Canada Oct. 27, 1959

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