Rotating Dispenser Head Locking and Venting Closure Connector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manually operated, vertically reciprocating liquid pump dispensers that also pump air to create foam are complex and have many components, making them difficult to manufacture economically, as they require additional parts for venting and locking features to prevent leakage and unintended pumping.
Innovation Solution
A simplified dispenser design that integrates both liquid and air pumps with a closure connector that provides venting and locking features, using a plastic construction with metal or plastic ball valves and a coil spring, reducing the number of components and assembly complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate venting and locking components are added to prevent leakage and unintended pumping, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the venting feature and locking feature into a single integrated closure connector assembly. The closure connector includes a vent passage for allowing air to enter the bottle interior while preventing liquid leakage, and a locking mechanism with lock posts and lock recesses that secures the pump housing to the bottle neck. This merging of multiple functions into one component reduces the overall number of parts and simplifies assembly while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure connector serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the venting feature by allowing air passage while blocking liquid leakage through its specific structural design, and it provides the locking feature through integrated lock posts and lock recesses. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate components for each function, thereby reducing device complexity while improving reliability.
2Reliability
If multiple separate components are used for venting and locking features, then reliability is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The venting feature and locking feature are merged into a single closure connector that is molded as one integral piece. The closure connector includes both the vent passage structure and the locking mechanism (lock posts, lock recesses, and retaining ring) as unified components, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps for venting and locking features. This significantly simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces assembly complexity while maintaining the reliability benefits of having both features.
3Reliability
If a rotatable locking mechanism is added to prevent unintended pumping, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable locking mechanism is merged with the closure connector and pump housing structures. The lock posts are formed as integral parts of the closure connector, and the lock recesses are formed as integral parts of the pump housing. The retaining ring connects these elements to create a unified locking system that prevents unintended pumping through simple rotational engagement, rather than requiring a separate, complex locking device.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively reduces component parts and assembly complexity while maintaining functionality, allowing for efficient production and operation of a dispenser that pumps liquid, air, mixes them to create foam, and prevents leakage and unintended pumping.
Implementation Method 1
The upward movement of the plunger moves the piston upwardly in the pump chamber, which creates a vacuum in the pump chamber that draws liquid through the dip tube and into the pump chamber
Implementation Method 2
A spring is positioned in the pump chamber. The spring biases the plunger upwardly to a charge position of the plunger relative to the pump housing
Implementation Method 3
The downward movement of the plunger moves the piston downwardly in the pump chamber. The downward piston movement forces the liquid in the pump chamber through the liquid discharge passage of the plunger and out of the dispenser through the dispensing head
Implementation Method 4
The check valve controls the flow of liquid through the dip tube and into the pump chamber, and prevents the reverse flow of liquid
Implementation Method 5
The venting feature includes a vent opening that communicates the exterior environment of the dispenser with the interior of the bottle when the pump plunger is reciprocated in the pump housing. Air from the exterior environment of the dispenser is allowed to pass through the vent opening and enter the bottle interior
Implementation Method 6
The locking feature would lock the plunger in its upward charge position relative to the pump housing or its downward discharge position relative to the pump housing
Data Source
AI summary
A manually operated, vertically reciprocating liquid pump dispenser is removably connectable to a bottle containing liquid and simultaneously pumps liquid from the bottle and air from the exterior environment of the dispenser and mixes the liquid with the air to produce a foam that is dispensed from the dispenser. The dispenser includes a closure connector that provides a mechanism for venting the interior of the bottle to the exterior environment of the dispenser while avoiding leakage of the liquid from the bottle, and also incorporates a mechanism for locking the dispenser to prevent unintended pumping of liquid from the bottle.