Atomizer sprayhead construction

Claim 2

A sprayhead for pressurized packages reciprocable as a unit and comprising a body, said body having first means unitary therewith to effect actuating connection between said body and an aerosol valve assembly mounted upon the pressurized package, a discharge orifice and first passage means in the body for leading pressurized product through the body from said first means to said discharge orifice when the sprayhead is actuated, an internal reservoir within said body arranged to contain nonpressurized product, capillary dimension passage means in said body leading from said reservoir to the atmosphere opening at a location forwardly of said discharge orifice and reservoir venting means on said sprayhead, actuation of said sprayhead causing a jet of pressurized product to pass over the open capillary dimension passage means drawing the nonpressurized product therefrom and thereby from the vented reservoir to provide a nebulized mixture of said pressurized and nonpressurized products.

Claim 3

The sprayhead construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said body is formed as a pair of telescopically engageable members, one being a cap and the other being a cup, the cap frictionally engaging over the cup in a substantially permanent assembly to define said body.

Claim 4

The sprayhead construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said venting means comprises an opening in the body of diameter sufficient to enable filling of the reservoir, a plug removably received in said body and said plug having a passageway adapted to communicate between the interior of said body and the exterior hereof.

Claim 5

The sprayhead construction as claimed in claim 3 in which the plug is constructed and arranged for selective rotation to close off said passageway from the exterior of the body.

Claim 6

The sprayhead construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said capillary dimension passage means opens to the atmosphere by way of a narrower diameter mouth.

Claim 7

The sprayhead construction as claimed in claim 1 in which said first passage means comprises an elongate substantially horizontal conduit terminating in said discharge orifice and being disposed upwardly inclined relative to the capillary dimension passage means at the atmosphere opening thereof.

Claim 8

A depressable sprayhead reciprocable as a unit and for a pressurized dispensing package of the type which includes a hollow stem unitary therewith and mountable to the dispensing valve assembly and a discharge orifice communicating with the interior of said stem, said sprayhead having an internal reservoir adapted to receive and store a quantity of nonpressurized liquid, open-ended narrow bore conduit means communicating between the reservoir and a mouth located downstream of the discharge orifice of said sprayhead, with the axes of the mouth and discharge orifice intersecting at an acute angle and venting means for said reservoir whereby passage of expanding pressurized product over the mouth of the said narrow bore conduit means will draw the nonpressurized liquid from the reservoir into the expanding stream of pressurized product in an intermixed, nebulized condition therewith.

Claim 9

A depressable sprayhead reciprocable as a unit and for a pressurized dispensing package of the type which includes a hollow stem unitary therewith and mountable to the dispensing valve assembly and a discharge orifice communicating with the interior of said stem, said sprayhead having an internal reservoir adapted to receive and store a quantity of nonpressurized liquid, open-ended narrow bore conduit means communicating between the reservoir and a mouth located downstream of the discharge orifice of said sprayhead, with the axes of the mouth and discharge orifice intersecting at an acute angle and venting means for said reservoir whereby passage of expanding pressurized product over the mouth of the said narrow bore conduit means will draw the nonpressurized liquid from the reservoir into the expanding stream of pressurized product in an intermixed, nebulized condition therewith.

Claim 10

The construction as claimed in claim 10 in which the said sprayhead is formed of a cap member and a cup member telescopically engageable within said cap member to define the internal reservoir, said cap member having an outer skirt and outward extending protrusion means formed thereon closely adjacent the lower portion thereof defining stop means for retaining the sprayhead on the package, but said sprayhead nevertheless being reciprocable as a unit.

Claim 11

In a valve assembly for an aerosol dispenser package of the type which is characterized by a sealing gasket having an aperture, a valve member beneath the gasket having the upper end surface thereof defining an annular rim, a spring normally urging said valve member upwardly to seal said rim against the underside of the gasket about the aperture in the latter, a hollow stem extending through the aperture in the gasket in peripherally sealed engagement therewith and operatively engaged with said valve member, the stem having a metering opening at the lower end thereof arranged to be selectively exposed to the interior of the package on unseating of the rim, and a sprayhead having a discharge orifice and passageway means communicating between the discharge orifice and the hollow stem and being reciprocable as a unit, the improvement comprising, said sprayhead having an internal reservoir defined therein independent of said passageway means and hollow stem and capable of receiving and storing nonpressurized liquid therewithin, selectively operable venting means between said reservoir and the exterior of the sprayhead, a narrow diameter capillary bore formed in said sprayhead and terminating at one end in a discharge mouth located forwardly and closely adjacent to the discharge orifice, said bore having its other end disposed within the reservoir, depression of said sprayhead as a unit unseating the rim to permit pressurized product therepast, through the metering opening into the hollow stem, through the passageway means to the discharge orifice from whence said pressurized product is jetted over the discharge mouth simultaneously to draw nonpressurized liquid from the reservoir through the narrow bore and from the discharge mouth into the jetted stream of pressurized product to form an intimate nebulized mix of pressurized and nonpressurized products.

Claim 12

In a valve assembly for an aerosol dispenser package of the type which is characterized by a sealing gasket having an aperture, a valve member beneath the gasket having the upper end surface thereof defining an annular rim, a spring normally urging said valve member upwardly to seal said rim against the underside of the gasket about the aperture in the latter, a hollow stem extending through the aperture in the gasket in peripherally sealed engagement therewith and operatively engaged with said valve member, the stem having a metering opening at the lower end thereof arranged to be selectively exposed to the interior of the package on unseating of the rim, and a sprayhead having a discharge orifice and passageway means communicating between the discharge orifice and the hollow stem and being reciprocable as a unit, the improvement comprising, said sprayhead having an internal reservoir defined therein independent of said passageway means and hollow stem and capable of receiving and storing nonpressurized liquid therewithin, selectively operable venting means between said reservoir and the exterior of the sprayhead, a narrow diameter capillary bore formed in said sprayhead and terminating at one end in a discharge mouth located forwardly and closely adjacent to the discharge orifice, said bore having its other end disposed within the reservoir, depression of said sprayhead as a unit unseating the rim to permit pressurized product therepast, through the metering opening into the hollow stem, through the passageway means to the discharge orifice from whence said pressurized product is jetted over the discharge mouth simultaneously to draw nonpressurized liquid from the reservoir through the narrow bore and from the discharge mouth into the jetted stream of pressurized product to form an intimate nebulized mix of pressurized and nonpressurized products.

Claim 13

The structure as claimed in claim 15 in which the diameter of the discharge mouth is less than the diameter of the bore.

Claim 14

The structure as claimed in claim 9 in which the axes of the discharge orifice and the discharge mouth intersect at an acute angle.

Claim 15

The structure as claimed in claim 9 in which the planes of the discharge orifice and discharge mouth intersect at an angle between 90 and 180*.

Claim 16

In a pressurized package dispensing system of the type which includes an internal valve assembly mounted within a valve cover in turn mounted upon a canister containing pressurized product, the valve cover having an upstanding boss and a surrounding well formation, and a sprayhead mounted for vertical movement within said well operable to actuate said valve assembly from the exterior thereof; said sPrayhead comprising, a body, means in the body defining an internal reservoir for receiving and storing nonpressurized liquid, a discharge orifice formed in said body opening to the atmosphere, first conduit means formed in said body for leading pressurized product from the canister past the valve assembly through the body to said discharge orifice for discharge thereof in a jetlike stream, capillary tube means within said body and having one end thereof extending into said reservoir and a reduced diameter delivery orifice at the opposite end thereof, said delivery orifice located immediately adjacent to and downstream from said discharge orifice, actuation of said sprayhead causing the jetlike stream of pressurized product to pass over the delivery orifice drawing nonpressurized liquid from the capillary tube means and reservoir for entrainment within said stream in a nebulized condition, and means venting means comprising a plug member carrying a depending stem and a passageway extending through the stem and body to terminate to one side portion thereof, said sprayhead body having an opening formed therein communicating to said internal reservoir and said plug being rotatably engageable upon said body with the stem engaged through said opening.

Claim 17

In a pressurized package dispensing system of the type which includes an internal valve assembly mounted within a valve cover in turn mounted upon a canister containing pressurized product, the valve cover having an upstanding boss and a surrounding well formation, and a sprayhead mounted for vertical movement within said well operable to actuate said valve assembly from the exterior thereof; said sPrayhead comprising, a body, means in the body defining an internal reservoir for receiving and storing nonpressurized liquid, a discharge orifice formed in said body opening to the atmosphere, first conduit means formed in said body for leading pressurized product from the canister past the valve assembly through the body to said discharge orifice for discharge thereof in a jetlike stream, capillary tube means within said body and having one end thereof extending into said reservoir and a reduced diameter delivery orifice at the opposite end thereof, said delivery orifice located immediately adjacent to and downstream from said discharge orifice, actuation of said sprayhead causing the jetlike stream of pressurized product to pass over the delivery orifice drawing nonpressurized liquid from the capillary tube means and reservoir for entrainment within said stream in a nebulized condition, and means venting means comprising a plug member carrying a depending stem and a passageway extending through the stem and body to terminate to one side portion thereof, said sprayhead body having an opening formed therein communicating to said internal reservoir and said plug being rotatably engageable upon said body with the stem engaged through said opening.