US3913614A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Pressure relief structure for aerosol containers
Assignee: Fike Corp
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Filing: 1973-10-09
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Granted: 1975-10-21
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Expires: 1993-10-09
Abstract
Abstract A safe, wholly self-contained, low cost pressure relief device fabricated from yieldable synthetic resin materials for use in pressurized aerosol cans or the like for relieving gas pressure inside the can before the can rupture point is reached that is operable to effectively preclude the possibility of dangerous explosive projectiles being created during actuation thereof. This objective is accomplished by provision of an outer cup-like vented housing adapted to extend through a wall of the aerosol can, with a shiftable, pressure responsive sealing disk contained within the housing serving to normally seal the can. In response to a rise in can pressure above what would otherwise be a potentially dangerous level, the disk shifts under pressure within the housing to a position communicating the interior of the can with vent openings provided in the housing, thereby achieving a safe, nonviolent venting of the can. In a preferred form, a compressible neoprene O-ring is positioned on the bottom wall of the housing in disposition to be engaged and thereby compressed by the disk when the latter is shifted to a pressure relief location thereof. As the pressure inside the can decreases, the compressed O-ring slowly forces the disk back toward its initial position until it finally reseals the interior of the can, but is operable to again open the can to the atmosphere when the pressure builds up to a level to shift the sealing disk back to a pressure relief position.
Inventors
- 👤 Frank T Speck
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 16:44
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D83/00; B65D83/14; B65D83/70; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T137/00; Y10T137/7722; Y10T137/7837; Y10T137/7904; Y10T137/7922; Y10T137/7929; Y10T137/7937; Y10T137/7938
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
236 words
Pressure relief structure for use with enclosures having pressurized materials therein, comprising: a tubular housing formed of yieldable material with one end thereof adapted to sealingly engage said enclosure about an aperture in a wall of the latter, with the interior of said housing communicating with the interior of said enclosure; shiftable sealing means formed of yieldable material and disposed in a normal sealing position within said housing with the leading face of said sealing means facing the interior of said enclosure, said housing having a vent opening therein located at a position remote from the leading face of said sealing means; means releasably retaining said sealing means in said normal sealing position and operable upon a rise of pressure within said enclosure to a predetermined magnitude to permit shifting of the sealing means away from the enclosure to a venting position wherein the interior of the enclosure is depressurized by virtue of communication between the latter and the atmosphere through said vent opening; and means carried within said housing for return movement of said sealing means back toward said enclosure when the latter has been sufficiently depressurized, the internal wall surface of said housing, and the periphery of the leading face of said sealing means, being cooperatively configured to interengage during said return movement to effect a resealing of said enclosure by virtue of the mutual sealing deflection of the yieldable housing and sealing means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
236 words
Pressure relief structure for use with enclosures having pressurized materials therein, comprising: a tubular housing formed of yieldable material with one end thereof adapted to sealingly engage said enclosure about an aperture in a wall of the latter, with the interior of said housing communicating with the interior of said enclosure; shiftable sealing means formed of yieldable material and disposed in a normal sealing position within said housing with the leading face of said sealing means facing the interior of said enclosure, said housing having a vent opening therein located at a position remote from the leading face of said sealing means; means releasably retaining said sealing means in said normal sealing position and operable upon a rise of pressure within said enclosure to a predetermined magnitude to permit shifting of the sealing means away from the enclosure to a venting position wherein the interior of the enclosure is depressurized by virtue of communication between the latter and the atmosphere through said vent opening; and means carried within said housing for return movement of said sealing means back toward said enclosure when the latter has been sufficiently depressurized, the internal wall surface of said housing, and the periphery of the leading face of said sealing means, being cooperatively configured to interengage during said return movement to effect a resealing of said enclosure by virtue of the mutual sealing deflection of the yieldable housing and sealing means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
Pressure relief structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the end of said housing remote from said enclosure is closed, said vent opening being provided through the sidewall of said housing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
68 words
Pressure relief structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said sealing means is a cup-shaped member with the open end thereof facing the interior of said enclosure, and said retaining means comprises a circumscribing flange extending about the internal wall of said housing and integral therewith, the exterior surface of the sidewall of said cup-shaped member having a complementary circumscribing recessed area adapted to sealingly receive said flange.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
73 words
Pressure relief structure set forth in claim 3, wherein said return movement means comprises an elastomeric member positioned within said housing proximal to the closed end of said cup-shaped member and at a position to be compressed when the latter is moved away from said enclosure during depressurization of the same, said elastomeric member also being operable to urge said cup-shaped member back toward said enclosure when the latter has been sufficiently depressurized.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
Pressure relief structure as set forth in claim 4, wherein said elastomeric member comprises an O-ring.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
Pressure relief structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing and shiftable means are formed of yieldable polypropylene.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
Pressure relief structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein said housing and sealing means are both formed of yieldable nylon.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
Pressure relief structure as set forth in the claim 1, wherein said vent opening is provided in a sidewall of said housing, the internal surface of said sidewall between said vent opening and said sealing means when the latter is in normal sealing disposition thereof being configured to present a tapered, generally frustoconical surface.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-10-20 | 1979-04-21 | 1979-10-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-10-20 | 1983-04-21 | 1983-10-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-10-20 | 1987-04-21 | 1987-10-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |