US4641765A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Expandable pressurized barrier container
Assignee: Dispensing Containers Corp
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Filing: 1985-09-05
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Granted: 1987-02-10
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Expires: 2005-09-05
Abstract
Abstract A pressurized thin walled expandable can from which a fluent pressurized product is dispensed is made from an expandable can wall and a barrier, which may be a fully evertable bag having uniform thickness and flexibility and shaped to fit within the can wall. The open end of the bag is mounted to the can wall by apparatus which maintain a seal as the can wall expands and returns to its unexpanded condition. As product to be dispensed is introduced into the product chamber, the flexible bag is extended down into the lower end of the can. As the product is later expelled through a discharge opening, the flexible bag, which may be plastic, is fully everted into the upper end of the can to expel all the product. The can is thin walled, so that when pressurized, the can diameter expands by at least one one-thousandth (1/1000) of its unexpanded value. In one embodiment, the bag is mounted by a ring inside the can. The ring includes a portion which expands to maintain the seal with the expanding can side wall. In another embodiment the ring is rigid, but of slightly larger diameter than the can. This ring stretches the can, so as to maintain the sealing contact with the can as the can expands. In other embodiments, the bag may be mounted by a stretchable adhesive and, if the bag is slightly elastic, it may be mounted by an adhesive or by a melt seal process such as heat sealing.
Inventors
- 👤 George B. Diamond
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 10:26
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65D; B65D83/00; B65D83/14; B65D83/60; B65D83/62; B05; B05B; B05B11/00; B05B11/01; B05B11/02; B05B11/026; B05B11/027
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
337 words
A pressurizable container for containing a fluent product under pressure and for dispensing the product through a discharge opening, said container comprising: a can wall surrounding and defining a can chamber and having an upper end with the discharge opening defined therein and an opposite lower end; the can wall being resilient and expanding slightly when the can chamber is pressurized and returning to an unexpanded condition as the pressure in the can chamber is reduced to zero; the can wall having a dimension across the can chamber which increases by at least approximately one one-thousandth (1/1000) of its value in the unexpanded condition as the pressure in the can chamber goes from the unexpanded condition to a pressure of 100 psi; a flexible barrier having an edge mounted to the can wall in the can chamber, the barrier dividing the can chamber into a product chamber comprising a part of the can chamber between the barrier and the upper end of the can wall for containing a fluent product to be stored and dispensed and a propellant chamber comprising a part of the can chamber between the barrier and the upper end of the can wall for containing a propellant adapted to provide pressure upon the barrier to urge the barrier into the product chamber for expelling the product through the discharge opening; the barrier comprising material that is impervious both to the product and propellant; and means for mounting the edge of the flexible barrier to the can wall in a manner that seals the barrier to the can wall for preventing the product and propellant from leaking past the edge of the barrier as the can wall expands and returns to the unexpanded condition; the flexible barrier being extendible toward the lower end when the product chamber is initially filled with fluent product and being gradually extensible toward the upper end through pressure generated by propellant in the propellant chamber to expel the fluent product out of the can chamber through the discharge opening.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
337 words
A pressurizable container for containing a fluent product under pressure and for dispensing the product through a discharge opening, said container comprising: a can wall surrounding and defining a can chamber and having an upper end with the discharge opening defined therein and an opposite lower end; the can wall being resilient and expanding slightly when the can chamber is pressurized and returning to an unexpanded condition as the pressure in the can chamber is reduced to zero; the can wall having a dimension across the can chamber which increases by at least approximately one one-thousandth (1/1000) of its value in the unexpanded condition as the pressure in the can chamber goes from the unexpanded condition to a pressure of 100 psi; a flexible barrier having an edge mounted to the can wall in the can chamber, the barrier dividing the can chamber into a product chamber comprising a part of the can chamber between the barrier and the upper end of the can wall for containing a fluent product to be stored and dispensed and a propellant chamber comprising a part of the can chamber between the barrier and the upper end of the can wall for containing a propellant adapted to provide pressure upon the barrier to urge the barrier into the product chamber for expelling the product through the discharge opening; the barrier comprising material that is impervious both to the product and propellant; and means for mounting the edge of the flexible barrier to the can wall in a manner that seals the barrier to the can wall for preventing the product and propellant from leaking past the edge of the barrier as the can wall expands and returns to the unexpanded condition; the flexible barrier being extendible toward the lower end when the product chamber is initially filled with fluent product and being gradually extensible toward the upper end through pressure generated by propellant in the propellant chamber to expel the fluent product out of the can chamber through the discharge opening.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
The container of claim 1 in which the barrier has a size and shape and is mounted to the can wall so that the barrier substantially fills the upper end of the can wall and meets the top cover when fully expanded toward the upper end for expelling substantially all of the product from the product chamber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The container of claim 2 in which the barrier is a cup-shaped bag which everts as it extends toward the upper end.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The container of claim 3 in which the cup-shaped bag is of substantially uniform thickness and flexibility.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
The container of claim 3 in which the bag comprises a material selected from the group of plastic sheet material, metallized plastic sheet material, and metallic film.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
83 words
The container of claim 2 in which the can wall further comprises a top cover portion at its upper end, the top cover portion and the upper end of the can wall defining an upper end surface, the barrier having a size and shape and being mounted to the can wall so that it is at most slightly larger than the upper end surface for preventing pinching off of some of the product when the barrier is fully extended toward the upper end.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The container of claim 1 in which the can wall has a smooth continuous inner surface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The container of claim 1 in which the mounting means comprises an adhesive, at least one of the adhesive and the barrier being expansible and contractable for maintaining a seal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
The container of claim 1 in which the mounting means comprises a melt seal of a part of the barrier to the can wall, the barrier being sufficiently expansible and contractable to maintain a seal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
88 words
The container of claim 1 in which the can wall is cylindrical and the mounting means comprises a ring mounted inside the edge of the barrier and holding the barrier in a sealed manner against the can wall, at least one of the ring and the can wall being sufficiently resilient to deform resiliently upon mounting the ring in the can wall to create a seal and also to resiliently press the ring against the can wall to continue to maintain the seal as the can wall expands.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
110 words
The container of claim 10 in which the ring has a periphery facing toward the can wall; the ring having expansible-contractable means at the periphery thereof for engagement with the can wall, and the ring being of a size with respect to the diameter of the can that the expansible-contractible means are deflected and contracted upon mounting of the ring and the barrier in the can chamber while the can chamber is unpressurized and the expansible-contractable means being adapted for expanding to maintain the seal between the periphery of the ring and the can wall upon the can chamber being pressurized and the diameter of the can wall increasing slightly.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The container of claim 11, wherein the expansible-contractable means comprises an annular, deflectable flange on the periphery of the ring.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
29 words
The container of claim 12, wherein there are a plurality of the flanges on the periphery of the ring arranged above each other along the height of the ring.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The container of claim 11, wherein the expansible-contractable means comprise a compressible, resilient element supported at the periphery of the ring for expanding into continuous sealing engagement with the can wall.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
The container of claim 14, wherein the ring includes an annular groove at the periphery thereof and the compressible, resilient element comprises an additional ring around the first-mentioned ring and supported in the groove in the first-mentioned ring.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
103 words
The container of claim 10, wherein the ring has a diameter which is slightly greater than the diameter of the wall when the ring is in the can wall and the can chamber is not pressurized, for slightly deflecting the can wall without permanently deforming it; the diameter of the ring with respect to the diameter of the can wall being selected such that when the can chamber is pressurized and the can wall thereby increases in diameter, the ring diameter still remains greater than the diameter of the can wall, for thereby maintaining the seal between the ring and the can wall.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-02-09 | 1990-08-11 | 1991-02-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-02-09 | 1994-08-11 | 1995-02-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-02-09 | 1998-08-11 | 1999-02-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |