US2660132A - Dispensing tip for gas-pressure containers - Google Patents

Description

H. PYENSON DISPENSING TIP FOR GAS-PRESSURE CONTAINERS Filed March 19, 1951 INVENTOR. HARRY PYENSON BY f 14w Patented Nov. 24, 1953 DISPENSING TIP FOR GAS-PRESSURE CONTAINERS Harry Pyenson, University City, Mo., assignor to Development Research, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a

corporation of Missouri Application March 19, 1951, Serial No. 216,310 6 Claims. (01. 107-14) This invention relates to pressure containers for fluid foods and the like, adapted to dispense their contents in flufied form by the expansion of gas, and relates more specifically to dispensing tips for such containers.

Dispensing pressure-containers, such as are widely used for cream in fiuffed condition, are ordinarily provided with a discharge spout in tubular form whose tip end is simply crossslotted. The purpose of such cross-slotting is to give tothe dispensed fiuifed cream a decorative appearance by discharging it in a flow having a generally'cruciform cross-section, in the manner of a confectioners tip. However, the cream expands rapidly as it passes through such a slotted tip, and fails to present a smoothly-molded decorative appearance. On the contrary, there is' generally much splattering of the contents, particularly if the dispensing pressures are high.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing tip for such containers for dispensing fiuffed cream and the like, whereby splattering of the contents will be substantially eliminated.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a decorators tip for dispensing substances, such as fiuffed cream, in ornamental form.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a tip for dispensing such substances in a form so smoothly surfaced as to resist the loss of gas from the surface of the dispensed substance and delay shrinkage of the dispensed fluffed product. I

With the above and other objects in View, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dispensing container of a type adapted to utilize the present invention and illustrating the utilization thereof Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1 through the valve and tip of such container;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the dispensing tip of such container taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken along line 4--4 of Figure 2.

Referring now by reference characters to the drawing which represents a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in Figures 1 and 2 a container body a is shown together with a top portion b sealed thereon. Through a central opening c in said top portion 1) extends a tubular sealing member d having a valve seat portion e within the container it. Through said sealing member d extends a tubular stem valve member held erect and urged to closed position by a coiled spring g.

Figure 2 shows in enlarged section the construction of the tubular stem valve member and particularly its thick-walled tubular portion II and its tip portion I2. Said thick-walled tubular portion II is defined by an outer cylindrical wall I3, and the central bore I4 of said valve member I. At the juncture of said thick: walled tubular portion I I and said tip portion I2 an annular face I5 extends outward from the said bore I4, the width of said annular face I5 being at least equal to the radius of said bore I4 Upward and outward of said amiular face 25, the tip portion I2 is formed as if taperingly counterbored to the annular face I5, that is, the tip portion I2 slopes upward and outward from said annular face I5 to the outer cylindrical surface I3. However, said tip portion I2 is cut and v-slotted to the depth of said annular face I5, so as to form a plurality of tooth-like members I6 arising therefrom, each of which has four surfaces: the outer surface I3, an inwardly pre-, sented face I! which slopes from the periphery of the annular face I5 upward and outward to the outer surface I3, and a pair of side faces It. The said V-slots which form said side faces I8 slope as follows: viewed in vertical plane, from the extreme end of the tip portion I2 inward to apexes in the same plane with said annular face I 5; and viewed in horizontal plane, outward from the periphery of said annular face I5 to apexes at the, outer wall I3. Referring to Figure 3, the effect of such V-slots in horizontal plane is to add points around the periphery of the annular face I5 changing it to a star-like form.

Figure 4 illustrates in effect a working? cross-section of the dispensing tip. Assuming its use on a cream container, it is apparent that cream released through the bore I4 will be permitted a substantial degree of unimpeded expansion when it passes the annular face I5. Thereafter, while in expanded or fluifed form, it will be forced by the cream emerging behind it to pass along the faces of the tooth-like members It. Considering the formation of a ribbon-like mass of star-shaped cross-section, it is apparent that the emerging surfaces corresponding to the points of the star will have passed along the tapering side faces I8.

The principles which bring about the success ful operation of the present invention can be explained in part as follows: substances under gas pressure which dissolve or suspend particles of gas, are rapidly expanded by them on release to atmospheric pressure. Assuming that the content of a gas-pressure dispensing container is whipping cream, charged with nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide gas, under pressures ranging from forty to two hundred and fifty pounds per square inch, the release of pressure which takes place when the dispensed cream reaches the dispensing tip causes the volume of the dispensed cream to be suddenly increased several times. The increase in volume, or overrun, will vary somewhat with the fat content of the cream, the temperature, the gas pressure employed, and the solubility of the gas used. Overruns of between two hundred and five hundred percent are common, but greater overruns are possible.

In making the present invention, it was-discovered that by providing an annular enlargement in the dispensing tip sufficient to permit the overrun to be achieved before the cream is molded to decorative form, overcomes the violent splattering which takes place on dispensing through a simple cross-slotted tube. A decorative star-shaped emerging ribbon is formed of already expanded cream by gently extruding such expanded cream across the side faces !8 (converging in plan view as shown in Figures 3 and 4) of the tooth-like members I5. Thus, two important objects are achieved: splattering is minimized and the dispensed cream emerges with smooth projecting surfaces. The function of the side faces is in smoothing the expanded cream will now be analyzed. A comparison of masses of fiuffed cream, in rosebud form, dispensed through the tip described in this invention and similar masses of cream dispensed through a conventional slotted tip, shows that the present invention results in greatly increased surface smoothness, characterized by a film sealing over bubbles of cream; as contrasted with a rough, pock-marked mass dispensed by the conventional tip, characterized by broken gas bubbles and presenting a greater, highly irregular surface to the atmosphere. According to tests, the dispensed mass presenting a smooth surface to the atmosphere will remain in fluffed condition without appreciable shrinkage substantially longer than if dispensed by heretofore known tips.

While in the foregoing description I have defined a thick-walled dispensing tube. as one whose wall thickness is greater than the radius of its bore, in actual practice I prefer one wherein the wall thickness is at least equal to the diameter of the bore, so that the tooth-like members l6 have adequate thickness at their bases adjacent the annular face !5. Satisfactory results have been obtained utilizing an annular face l whose width is equal to the radius of the bore I4, as this will permit-an immediate expansion to fully four times the volume. For cream which is dispensed at pressures greater than one hundred pounds per square inch (as from highpressure refillable containers) further increase in the width of the annular face, up to the point of its equalling the diameter of the bore of the tube, may be found advantageous. This will permit an immediate expansion of the volume nine times. Because the problem of splattering is more pronounced at such high pressures, the present invention is of particular value in its application to such high-pressure containers.

While I have referred principally to the dispensing of fiuffed cream, the present invention is applicable to other substances, whether edible or not, to be disposed under gas pressure in expanded form.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the dispensing tip for gas-pressure containers may be made and substituted for these herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of the present invention.

Having thus described my invention what I now claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A spout for dispensing gas-charged substances in expanded form, comprising a tubular discharge neck having a wall thicker than the radius of its bore, an annular discharge end face extending radially outward from said bore a width at least equal to the radius of the bore and providing space for the radial expansion of such gas-charged substance, and a confectioners tip havin teeth spaced from each other and positioned along the outer margin of said annular face whereby the dispensed substance is molded to a desired decorative-form after its expansion is substantially complete.

2. A spout for dispensing gas-charged substances in expanded form, comprising a tubular discharge neck having a wall thicker than the radius of its bore, an annular discharge end face extending radially outward from said bore a width at least equal to the radius of the bore and providing space for the radial expansion of such gas-charged substance, and a confectioners tip having teeth spaced from each other and positioned along the outer margin of said annular face, the side surfaces of adjacent teeth sloping convergingly toward the outer tube wall in such manner as to smooth the surface of the expanded substance and minimize the escape of gas therefrom.

3. A spout for dispensing gas-charged substances in expanded form comprising a tubular discharge neck having a wall thicker than the radius of its bore, an annular discharge end faceextendin radially outward from said bore a width at least equal to the radius of the-bore, and a confectioners tip havin teeth spaced from each other and positioned along the outer marsin of said annular face, the side surfaces of adjacent teeth sloping convergingly toward the outer tube wall.

4. For use with a valved container in which a substance is mixed with gas under pressure, a discharge spout for dispensing such substance in gas-expanded form, comprising a cylindrical tube adapted to conduct such substance from the container valve to the atmosphere, the tube having a substantially star-shaped end face lying in a plane normal to the bore of the tube, the said end face comprisin an annular face portion and a plurality of circumferentially spaced star point face portions extending outward therefrom and having their apices at the outer wall of the tube, and a plurality of teeth forming a confectioners tip integral with the tube and extending from between the star point face portions axially outward from said plane.

5. For use with a valved container in which a substance is mixed with gas under pressure, a discharge spout for dispensing such substance in gas-expanded form, comprising a cylindrical tube adapted to conduct such substance from the container valve to the atmosphere, the tube having a substantially star-shaped end face comprising an annular face portion, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced star point face portions extending outward therefrom and having their apices at the outer wall of the tube, and a plurality of teeth forming a confectioners tip integral with the tube and extending from between the star point face portions axially outward from said plane, each tooth having an inner surface commencing at the outer margin of the annular face and sloping radially and axially outward therefrom to a tip portion, each tooth further having side faces commencing at the margins of said star point face portions and sloping axially outward convergingly toward the tip portion.

6. For use with a valved container in which a substance is mixed with gas under pressure, a discharge spout for dispensing such substance in gas-expanded form, comprising a cylindrical tube adapted to conduct such substance from the container valve to the atmosphere, the tube having a substantially star-shaped end face comprising an annular face portion, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced star point face portions extending outward therefrom and having their apices at the outer wall of the tube, and a plurality of teeth forming a confectioners tip integral with the tube and extendin from between the star point face portions axially outward from said plane, each tooth having a base portion whose inner margin is defined by the portion of the perimeter of the end face between two adjacent star points thereof and whose outer margin is defined by the portion of the outer tube surface between said points, each tooth further having side tooth surfaces sloping from the star point portions of the face convergingly to said tip, and an inner tooth surface sloping from an outer margin of the annular face axially and radially outward to said tip.

HARRY PYENSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 573,432 Megson Dec. 15, 1896 1,397,510 Grassi Nov. 22, 1921 2,487,434 Geiss Nov. 8, 1949 2,530,583 Nurkiewicz Nov. 21, 1950 2,612,293 Michel Sept. 30, 1952 2,613,016 Jarrett Oct. 7, 1952

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