Dispensing pushbutton cap, particularly for aerosol containers
United States Patent Giufiredi Apr. 22, I975 1 DISPENSING PUSHBUTTON CAP, 3.2[1680 10/1965 Crowcll ct al. 222/4021 PARTICULARLY FOR AEROSOL 3.347.423 lO/l967 Rahn ZZZ/401B X 3.570.723 3/l97l Kotuby 2221402113 CONTAINERS 3.64ZJ79 2/[972 Micallcff ZZZ/40213 X [75] Inventor: Giancarlo Giuffredi, Milan Ital 3.738.537 6/[973 Gach 222/4021] X 3768.707 10/1973 Nigro .7 222/545 x [73] Ass1gnee: Coster Tecnologle Spectah S.p.A.,  
  Milan. Italy 2 Prmmr LrammerRobert B. Reeves Filed! g- 1973 Assisi-rum Examiner-Frederick R. Handren [2]] Appl. No.: 386,702  
  [57] ABSTRACT {30] Foreign Apphcauon Prlorny Dam A dispensing cap for aerosol containers is disclosed. 3058/73 The dispensing cap has a casing for accomodating a movable pushbutton for the operation of the container [52] US. Cl. 222/402J3 valve the casing is fined with means f snap Coupling [5 1] Int. Cl B68d 83/14 to the container and the pushbuuon is movabk within [58] new of Search 222/401] 4021* an aperture in the casing and provided with means co- 222/537 acting with casing countermeans to restrict the axial movement of the pushbutton in both directions and to [56] Reierences cued prevent any rotation thereof.  
  UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.062411 11/1962 M1115 222/402&#39;13 x l 25 Drawmg figures PATENTEDAPRZEIQIS $878,976  
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 saw 12 DF 13 PATENTEUAPRZZIQTS SHEU 13 0F 13 DISPENSING PUSHBUTTON CAP. PARTICULARLY FOR AEROSOL CONTAINERS This invention relates to a dispensing cap intended to be releasingly coupled to an aerosol container and provided with a movable pushbutton. by means of which the container valve can be operated upon for opening the valve and thereby dispensing the aerosol.  
  Several caps are known as provided with a pushbutton and intended to be coupled to aerosol containers. However. such k&#39;nown caps are generally complicated and not always capable of meeting a user&#39;s requirements because of the pushbuttons being substantially guided throughout the contour and length thereof in conduits. with resulting and possible high friction. and jammings where a misalignment should occur between the pushbutton and valve as due to unavoidable manufacturing inaccuracies.  
  It is the object of the present invention to provide a dispensing pushbutton cap. free of the drawbacks in the conventional approaches and essentially characterized by comprising a body member. wherein the pushbutton is slidably accomodated along apertures of a limited extension. and provided with means which. by coacting with eountermeans in the cap body. will limit the axial movement of the pushbutton and prevent it from rotat- According to a first embodiment of the invention. a cap has a body member provided with a collar inside thereofand at its free end provided with at least one detent or stop rib for connection to the container. as well as an aperture into which a pair of opposing pushbutton extensions penetrate. of which extensions one is provided with a detent for preventing the pushbutton from coming out of the cap body; the aperture at the extensions is shaped as an arc of circle. while being straight at the two opposite parallel sides. so as to inhibit any rotation of the pushbutton which cannot pass through said aperture as these straight sides intersect the pushbutton contour. This embodiment is particularly convenient for application of a safety seal intended to avoid any unauthorized use of a container contents. To this end. the pushbutton at that portion above the aperture would only need to be provided with a tearable tab as cantilevered projecting from the pushbutton and limiting the downward movement of the pushbutton.  
  According to another embodiment of the invention. the body member of the dispensing cap is again provided with an inner collar for release connection with a container. the collar connecting to an outer skirt of the body member through a step provided with arcuate openings, through which two arcuate opposing extensions are inserted. each of which fitted with a detent for releasingly engage the countour of said openings. while the pushbutton is confined in its movement in the other direction by its lower contour contacting against said step.  
  According to still another embodiment, the pushbutton is shaped other than circular and. while its upward movement is confined by the provision of lugs provided with a detent or stop rib. its downward movemnt is restricted by the pushbutton countour interferring with that of the inner collar in the body member of the cap releasingly coupled with the container.  
  In still another embodiment, the downward movement of the pushbutton is confined by fins on the outwardly projecting collar.  
  According to a still further embodiment of the invention. substantially equivalent to the first mentioned em bodiment. the cap may have a cantilever projection which is fixed rather than removable and is effective to restrict the downward movement and rotation about the axis of the pushbutton which passes through an aperture in the body member of the cap having a shape corresponding to that of the pushbutton.  
  The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description as given by mere way of not limiting example for some embodiments thereof. reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:  
  FIGS. I. 2. 3 and 4 are a sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 2. a plan view. a view taken in the direction of arrow III of FIG. I. and a partly sectional view taken along line IVIV of FIG. 2. respectively;  
  FIGS. 5. 6, 7, 8 and 9 show another embodiment of a dispensing cap according to the invention. and namely a sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 6, a plan view. a view in the direction of arrow VII of FIG. 5. a half sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 9, and a bottom view. respectively;  
  FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 5. showing a modified embodiment for the approach shown in FIGS. 5 to 9;  
  FIGS. I I to 15 show a still further embodiment of the invention and namely. a sectional view taken along line XI-Xl of FIG. 12, a plan view. a view in the direction of arrow XIII of FIG. 11, a half sectional view according to line XIV-XIV of FIG. 15. and a bottom view. respectively:  
  FIGS. I6 to 20 show a further embodiment of the invention and namely. a sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI of FIG. I7. a plan view. a view taken in the direction of arrow XVIII of FIG. 16. a half sectional view taken along line XIXXIX. and a bottom view. respectively; and  
  FIGS. 2| to 25 show a further embodiment of the invention and namely. a sectional view taken along line XXI-XXI of FIG. 22. a plan view. a view in the direction of arrow XXIII of FIG. 21. a half sectional view taken along line XXIV-XXIV of FIG. 25. and a bottom view. respectively.  
  Referring to FIGS. I-4. wherein a first embodiment of the invention is shown. reference numeral I designates as a whole the cap body member or casing having an outer skirt 2 and an inner collar 3. Said collar and skirt are of a circular shape. and while the skirt is designed to form an extension for the cylindrical portion of the aerosol container 4, said inner collar 3 has one end thereof provided with a stop rib 5. preferably of interrupted design. so as to avoid the use of undercut pins. resiliently engaging&#39;below the cup 6, conventionally closing the inlet of container 4 and carrying an ordinary valve unit 7, the hollow stem 8 of which is shown. The skirt 2 and collar 3 are interconnected. except for two areas where opposing arcuate openings 9 and II] are provided. the extensions of the openings being different from each other and at which said collar 3 is provided with cantilever fins II and I2 interposed in the movement path of the pushbutton. designated as a whole at I3 and passing through an aperture I4 in a wall I5 of cap I, said wall defining at the bottom a depression ISA of cap I between two symmetrical side ridges I6 of the cap.  
  Pushbutton 13 is of a trapezoidal cross-section with two unequal sides l7 and 18. extending as an arc of circle and connected by two straight sides 19 and 20. Aperture I4 is of a substantially corresponding shape.  
  At the bottom of said two curvilinear sides I7 and IS. the pushbutton l3 has detents 21 and 22 which. by snapping below the two corresponding sides of aperture 14. will prevent pushbutton 13 from unintention ally coming out of said aperture. The pushbutton is forcibly caused to pass through aperture 14 by taking advantage of the resiliency of the material (molded plastic material) comprising it. as well as the deformability ofthe wall l of cap I also made of molded plastic material.  
  Pushbutton 13 has an inner hollow extension 23. into which the hollow stem 8 of valve 7 penetrates. The hollow of said extension communicates through pushbutton passages 24 with the dispensing aperture 25 of the nozzle 26 forcibly fitted in an annular seat 27 of pushbutton l3.  
  Dispensing occurs by simply pressing the pushbutton. as conventional.  
  Due to the shape of aperture l4 and pushbutton 13. the latter cannot rotate about a vertical axis. Additionally. prior to assembly connection to container 4. pushbutton cannot move out of cap 1 since ridges 21 and 22 will prevent the pushbutton from being removed in one direction. while the abutment of the two curved sides 17 and 18 of the pushbutton against fins 1] and 12 will prevent any movement in the opposite direction.  
  It should be noted that the outer edges of fins I1 and I2 are flush or within the arcuate sides of aperture I4. so that cap I can be molded by using molds of a simple construction without any pins or undercut parts.  
  In the embodiment of FIGS. 59. wherein for designating parts like or corresponding to those of the above embodiment the same reference numerals are used. but followed by letter A. it will be seen that pushbutton I3A is of a trapezoidal shape having two straight sides and two unequal sides extending as an arc of circle. Pushbutton 13A is guided in a correspondingly shaped aperture MA. This pushbutton differs from the pushbutton of the first embodiment in that the detents 21A and 22A are provided at the lower end of two extensions 30 and 31 forming the continuation of the circle are extending walls 17A and 18A of the pushbutton. Moreover, the inner collar 3A is unprovided with fins I] and I2 at the openings 9A and WA. In this case. the downward movement of pushbutton 13A within aperture 14A is restricted in that. as clearly shown in FIG. 9, the two straight sides I9A and 20A of the pushbutton are interferring with the inner collar 3A at the level of openings 9A and 10A. It should be also noted that. by having a larger radius of curvature than the inner collar 3A. said extensions 30 and 31 can move outside of said collar. stop taking place prior to connection to container 4A. when the lower face of straight sides 19A and 20A contact the bottom edge of the openings 9A and 10 of the inner collar 3A.  
  The modified embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is substantially identical to the embodiment as shown in FIGS. 5-9, the only difference being a greater length of pushbutton 138. In the case. this pushbutton may be provided with a cantilever extension 41 which can be removed prior to use because of being connected to the remaining pushbutton through a weakening portion.  
  The embodiment shown in FIGS. 45 has a pushbutton 13C of a circular cross-section. However. this pushbutton is fitted with two extensions and 51 developing as an arc of circle. of which extension 51 is provided with a detent 52 coacting with the correspondingly shaped side 53 of an aperture or hole 54 in cap 1C. Said aperture 54 has two parallel straight sides 55 and S6 and two sides 53 and 57 extending as an arc of circle and of a larger diameter than that of extensions 50 and 51, but such however to enable detent 52 to releasingly or snap engage below side 53. As shown in FIG. 15, the two straight sides 55 and 56 intersect the edge of pushbutton 13C, which is also laterally provided with a cantilever projection 41C comprising a removable tear tab acting to avoid any unauthorized use of the contents of container 4C.  
  The provision of detent 52 snap or releasingly engaging below the side 53 of aperture 54 prevents the pushbutton 54 from exiting in one direction. while the provision of extensions 50 and 51 inhibits the rotation of the pushbutton by abutting against the straight walls 55 and 56, and because of the latter intersecting the pushbutton edge. an axial movement of the pushbutton is avoided in the opposite direction to said one direction. Pushbutton 13C is coupled to cap 1C by forcing extension 51 in aperture 54, taking advantage of the plastic material resiliency. until the projection 52 snaps below said side 53.  
  Of course. the removable tab 41C is provided at a level such as to avoid lowering of pushbutton ISC to the location where the contents of container 4C is dispensed.  
  According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 16-20. a cap ID is provided with an aperture or hole 60 having a circular contour as well as said pushbutton 13D. the latter being unprovided with extensions and having a portion of its lower edge provided with a stop projection 52D similar to projection 52. At the top of pushbutton l3D a fixed fin M is provided which. by abutting against the sidewalls 62 of depression ISD pr-events pushbutton 13D from rotating and exiting in one direction when the cap and pushbutton assembly is disconnected from the container 4D, while any exiting thereof in the opposite direction is avoided by projection 52D.  
  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. ZI-ZS, the circularly shaped pushbutton UP is arranged between the two sides 16F of cap IF separated from each other at two diametrically opposite locations F and HF. The  
 inner collar 3F is connected to the outer skirt 2F andhas an intermediate step where two arcuate openings 72F and 73F are formed (FIG. 21).  
  Two arcuate extensions 76 extend through said openings 72F and 73F with an end detent at the lower end of pushbutton I3F. Such detents engage below aperture 79 (along which pushbutton 13F is movable), thus acting against exiting in one direction. while step 75 prevents the pushbutton from exiting in the opposite direction by interferring with the lower edge thereof.  
  As extensions 76 are arranged in openings 72F and 73F, the angular extension of which is restricted. a rd tation of pushbutton about its own axis will be prevented.  
  Although only some embodiments of the invention have been described. those skilled in the art will now readily devise many changes and modifications. all of aperture. at least one of said extensions having a detent for engaging said casing adjacent said aperture to restrict movement of said pushbutton in one direction, said aperture being shaped to enable said extensions to project therein but to restrict movement of said pushbutton in a direction opposite said one direction. the sides of said extensions coacting with the periphery of said aperture to prevent rotation of said pushbuttonl