Trigger Sprayer Venting Membrane in Protective Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional trigger sprayers face challenges in venting the interior of the connected liquid container while maintaining a fluid-tight seal, leading to increased manufacturing costs due to complex constructions requiring movable parts.
Innovation Solution
A passive venting system with a gas permeable, liquid impermeable membrane positioned in a recessed cavity of the sprayer housing, allowing air to vent into the container without moving parts, thus maintaining the fluid-tight seal and preventing liquid leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fluid-tight gasket seal is used between the trigger sprayer and container, then liquid leakage is prevented, but venting of the container interior becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a main body and a separate vented cap assembly. The cap contains the vent hole and membrane, while the main body houses the pump mechanism. This segmentation allows the venting function to be integrated into a separate component that can be assembled with the gasket seal, resolving the contradiction between maintaining liquid-tight sealing and enabling air venting.
Solution Approach 2:
A gas-permeable, liquid-impermeable membrane is introduced as an intermediary element. This membrane is positioned over the vent hole in the cap, allowing air to pass through while blocking liquid. The membrane mediates between the need for a fluid-tight gasket seal and the requirement for container interior venting, enabling both functions to coexist without increasing system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If prior art venting systems with movable parts are used, then venting function is achieved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The venting system operates passively without requiring movable parts or active control mechanisms. The membrane automatically responds to pressure differential: when container pressure exceeds atmospheric pressure, air pushes the membrane against the vent hole to seal it; when pressure equalizes or reverses, the membrane returns to its original position allowing venting. This self-regulating mechanism eliminates the need for complex venting systems with moving parts, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining effective venting function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical venting systems (with moving parts like valves or pistons) with a passive membrane-based system. The membrane's elasticity and gas permeability properties substitute for mechanical actuation mechanisms, achieving the same venting function with simpler, less expensive components that have fewer moving parts and lower manufacturing costs.
3Ease of manufacture
If a passive membrane venting system is used, then manufacturing costs are reduced, but the membrane may be dislodged during manufacturing and shipping
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is nested within a recessed cavity in the vented cap, which is itself nested within the overall housing structure. This nested arrangement protects the membrane from external forces during manufacturing and shipping. The cap acts as a protective shell that shields the membrane, preventing dislodgement while maintaining the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the passive membrane venting system.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed cavity structure provides beforehand protection for the membrane against potential dislodging forces. By pre-positioning the membrane in a protected, recessed location rather than a exposed position, the design anticipates and mitigates the risk of membrane displacement during handling, manufacturing, and shipping processes, ensuring reliable operation without increasing complexity.
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 solution enables efficient venting of the container interior while keeping manufacturing costs low by eliminating the need for movable parts, ensuring a fluid-tight seal and preventing liquid leakage, thus providing an economically viable and effective venting mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
a vent hole covered by a gas permeable, liquid impermeable membrane
Data Source
AI summary
A trigger sprayer is provided with a passive venting system of simplified and inexpensive construction. A gas permeable, liquid impermeable membrane is positioned over a vent opening in the trigger sprayer housing and prevents the leakage of liquid from a container attached to the trigger sprayer, while allowing the venting of air from the exterior of the trigger sprayer to the container interior. The membrane is secured to a vent opening surface of the sprayer housing that is surrounded by a vent side wall that protects the vent membrane.