Trigger Sprayer Filling Conduit and Translucent Window
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trigger sprayer devices are not ergonomically designed for comfort and transport, often leading to spills during refilling, and lack a clear liquid level indicator, which can result in overfilling and improper chemical use.
Innovation Solution
A fluid delivery device with a concave bottle design and a clip system that allows for comfortable wear, featuring a translucent filling conduit for monitoring fluid levels and a resealable lid for safe refilling, along with a clip that can be easily attached to clothing for convenient transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sprayer is detached from the bottle for refilling, then the bottle can be refilled, but liquid spills and mess are unavoidable
Solution Approach 1:
The filling conduit is separated from the spray nozzle assembly, with the fill cap providing independent access to the bottle interior through the pump body. This segmentation allows refilling without detaching the entire sprayer mechanism, preventing spills while maintaining operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling conduit acts as an intermediary pathway between the fill cap and the bottle interior. It provides a controlled route for liquid insertion that prevents direct exposure and spilling, mediating the refilling process to eliminate mess while maintaining ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If the dip tube is removed to facilitate refilling, then refilling is easier, but the dip tube contacts the user or objects causing mess
Solution Approach 1:
The filling operation is segmented from the dip tube assembly. The fill cap provides access through the pump body, separating the refilling function from the dip tube that contacts the liquid in the bottle. This prevents user contact with liquid while maintaining ease of refilling.
Solution Approach 2:
The filling conduit serves as an intermediary that allows refilling without direct manipulation of the dip tube. Liquid is introduced through the conduit rather than by removing the dip tube, preventing user contact with liquid while facilitating easy refilling.
3Reliability
If the fill conduit is permanently sealed after closing, then sealing is reliable, but refilling cannot be performed again
Solution Approach 1:
The fill cap and fill conduit system transitions from a static permanently sealed design to a dynamic reusable design. The fill cap can be repeatedly opened and closed, allowing multiple refilling operations while maintaining reliable sealing each time, thus providing both reliability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of permanently sealing the conduit after one use, the design allows recovery of the sealing function through the reusable fill cap. The cap can be removed, used for refilling, and resealed, enabling multiple refilling cycles while maintaining reliable sealing performance.
4Device complexity
If no liquid level viewing is provided, then the device is simpler, but overfilling cannot be avoided
Solution Approach 1:
The pump body incorporates a translucent or transparent section that allows visual monitoring of the liquid level in the bottle. This optical property change enables users to see through the pump body to monitor liquid levels, preventing overfilling without adding significant structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump body material parameter is changed from opaque to translucent/transparent in the viewing section. This parameter change enables liquid level visibility while maintaining the overall simplicity of the device structure, providing measurement precision without excessive complexity.
5Ease of operation
If the sprayer is designed for portability with a clip, then transport convenience is improved, but ergonomic comfort may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bottle features an asymmetric ergonomic contour with a concave portion on one side, designed to fit comfortably against the user's body when worn with a clip. This asymmetric design provides ergonomic comfort while maintaining portability and transport convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottle incorporates a concave curved portion in its contour, creating an ergonomic shape that conforms to the user's body when clipped. This curvature provides comfort during wear while maintaining the portability function of the clip, resolving the contradiction between convenience and comfort.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid delivery device (8, 108) having a trigger actuated sprayer assembly (10, 110) for dispensing a liquid with features such as a bottle (60, 160) with a concavity (63, 163), a clip (50, 150) around the bottle neck (67, 167), a sprayer assembly (10, 110) with a bottle filling conduit (26, 126) and a translucent neck window (41, 141) on the sprayer assembly (10, 110) for viewing the bottle filling conduit (26, 126). The fluid delivery system (8, 108) includes a bottle (60, 160) with a concavity (63, 163) in the side wall (62, 162) attached to a body (11, 111). A pump in the body (11, 111) receives fluid from the bottle (60, 160) via a fluid inlet conduit (20, 120) and discharges the fluid from a fluid discharge conduit (21, 121). Also provided is a kit including a fluid delivery device (108) with a bottle (160), and one or more fluid refill containers (140), wherein the bottle (160) and the container(s) (1408) include matching indicia (139A, 139B) of the fluid such that the bottle (160) is only filled from a container (140) with the fluid indicated by the matching indicia (139A, 139B).