Actuator assembly for a pressurized plastic vessel

Abstract

An oversized actuator and actuator assembly for a plastic vessel (or container) configured to hold a product under pressure, such as, for example, a lotion, cream, spray, ointment, gel or foam. The oversized actuator and actuator assembly are configured to be attached to what is considered to be a common, standard-sized valve cup (typically about 1.0 to 1.5 inches across) fastened to a common or standard-sized neck portion for a plastic vessel. Therefore, the actuator and actuator assembly of the present invention does not require that the shoulder of the plastic vessel to which they are attached have specialized geometry molded into the shoulder or body portions of the plastic vessel in order to hold the actuator or actuator assembly in place on the plastic vessel.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to actuators, actuator assemblies and pressurized plastic vessels (or plastic containers) for holding and dispensing formulations under pressure. In particular, the present invention relates to oversized actuators and actuator assemblies for top- and bottom-dispensing pressurized plastic vessels, where the cross-sectional area of the actuator and / or actuator assembly is greater than the cross-sectional area of the valve cup on the neck portion of the plastic vessel.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Pressurized metal cans that hold and dispense products under pressure, such as bug spray, paint or deodorant, are well known and widely used across many different industries. Increasingly, pressurized plastic vessels (e.g., bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate, a.k.a. “PET bottles”), rather than pressurized metal cans, are being used to hold and dispense all types of products, including without limitation, aerosols...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0026]Molding all of the components of the actuator body from a unitary piece of molded plastic material, instead of producing each component from separate pieces serves important objectives of minimizing the number of secondary operations that must be carried out after the oversize actuator and oversized actuator assembly are made, and reduces the overall time and cost associated with producing a final product for market. In the one-piece actuator version, when the actuator body is removed from the mold, one only needs to rotate the actuating surface into place atop the sidewall before attaching the actuating body to the valve cup on the pressurized plastic vessel. In the two-piece actuator assembly version, one only needs to attach the actuator body to the adaptor to complete the actuator assembly, and then attach the actuator assembly to the valve cup on the pressurized plastic vessel. If the actuator and actuator assembly required joining together three, four, five or more separately-manufactured pieces of material, a corresponding number of additional secondary operations would have to be added to the manufacturing process in order to join all of those pieces of material together, thereby increasing the cost, time and machinery needed to produce the final product.

[0027]In addition, because the actuating surface is constructed from a unitary piece of molded plastic material instead of a multiplicity of abutting parts, and because the actuating surface is relatively large compared to prior art actuating surfaces for pressurized plastic bottles, the actuating surface in the present invention is relatively easy to wipe clean and keep sanitary during normal use by a consumer.

Problems solved by technology

However, whereas the bodies of metal cans are easily adapted to accept and hold large or oversized actuators while resisting internal pressure, the bodies of pressurized plastic vessels under internal pressure do not have the structural strength and rigidity required to hold and maintain the special geometries necessary for securely attaching, holding, detaching and re-attaching large and oversized actuators.

For certain products, such as hair sprays, lotions and sunscreens, or other relatively slippery, foamy or oily substances, these relatively small actuators can be uncomfortable, inconvenient, hard to use and / or hard to keep clean.

If the actuator also acts a closure for the plastic vessel, the relatively small actuator makes it difficult, if not impossible, to stand the plastic vessel on a substantially flat surface with the actuating and dispensing end of the plastic vessel in a downward orientation.

Addressing the aforementioned problems by increasing the cross-sectional area of the neck portion of the plastic vessel or increasing the cross-sectional area of the valve cup attached to the neck portion would be cost prohibitive due to the fact that most plastic bottles are blow-molded from blanks having neck portions that are selected from one of a limited number of standard (and smaller) sizes.

However, plastic vessels with very large neck portions, as well as very large valve cups for standard or large plastic vessel neck portions are rare and relatively expensive to purchase or manufacture in large quantities.

Images