Patents Assigned to Calmar Inc.
  • Patent number: 5738282
    Abstract: A manually actuated pump sprayer of the type having a discharge nozzle cap in engagement with a probe, spin mechanics formed between the cap and the probe. A generally cylindrical fluid flow dampening chamber, formed at the end of the probe in communication with the spin chamber or being integrated with the spin chamber, has a non-smooth sidewall defined by at least one projection extending toward the axis of the probe for reducing spin energy of the fluid spinning in the dampening chamber and/or in the spin chamber about the axis to effect a solid spray cone of fluid exiting the orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: R. Pat Grogan
  • Patent number: 5738252
    Abstract: A manually actuated liquid pump sprayer is capable of use in both upright and inverted positions without leakage through the vent port by the provision of an auxiliary inlet passage including an inlet port in the path of a slider valve, and a vent port likewise in the path of a slider valve. The vent port is open while the inlet port is closed while the slider valve in the upright attitude of the sprayer, while the converse is effected by the slider valve when operating the sprayer in an inverted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph K. Dodd, John P. McKernan
  • Patent number: 5720419
    Abstract: A pre-compression pump sprayer has a spring biased discharge poppet valve element with a seal in engagement with the wall of the piston stem, a seal interruption to establish a discharge valve open position, and an upstream directed throttle valve presenting a two-stage pressure build-up discharge valve establishing a predetermined pressure threshold which when exceeded by fluid pressure generated in the pump chamber during pumping immediately opens the throttle valve and abruptly releases the fluid pressure at the valve open position. The valve has an elongated probe extending into the pump chamber of an extent as to shift the poppet valve open upon engaging the inlet check valve upon a full downstroke of the piston for evacuating air from the pump chamber out through the discharge orifice to effect pump priming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: Tanny Li
  • Patent number: 5711457
    Abstract: A trigger actuated sprayer for dispensing disparate liquids separately stored in separate liquid compartments includes a pair of axially aligned, interconnected pistons of relatively larger and smaller diameter reciprocable in unison within relatively larger and smaller diameter cylinders for therewith defining larger and smaller variable volume pump chambers, the smaller diameter piston valving one fluid from its chamber to be combined with the other of the fluids in the other chamber during each compression stroke of the pistons. The combined liquids are dispensed from the chamber upon trigger actuation during each compression stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Linn Wanbaugh, Phillip J. DiMaggio
  • Patent number: 5706983
    Abstract: A trigger actuated pump sprayer has a nozzle cover for sealing the discharge orifice closed against leakage by the provision of a cup-shaped element on the cover which telescopes about a nosepiece in which the orifice is formed and fluid tightly engages a seal ring extending laterally outwardly of the nosepiece in the closed position of the cover. The cover is locked in its closed position and is rendered child-resistant by the provision of at least one resilient lock pin extending through an opening in the sprayer housing requiring an inward depression of the lock pin with one hand and a flipping open of the cover with the other hand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Adonis K. Spathias
  • Patent number: 5704521
    Abstract: A low cost trigger sprayer comprises a pump body, a hand support flange extending laterally from the body for engaging an operator's hand when operating the sprayer, and a container closure cap on the body, the pump body comprising a pump cylinder, an upstanding dip tube support sleeve, and a laterally extending tubular outlet, the pump cylinder, support sleeve, tubular outlet, closure cap and hand support flange being of a one-piece molded plastic construction, and a separate cover overlying at least top and rearward ends of the pump body and extending to the hand support flange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: R. Pat Grogan, Ronald Wadsworth
  • Patent number: 5702058
    Abstract: A foamer nozzle assembly has a foaming barrel defining a turbulence chamber for creating foam upon actuation of the trigger of a trigger sprayer as the conical spray impacts against the smooth inner surface of the barrel as so to emerge as loosely compacted, large foam bubbles having a relatively wide foam spread. A foaming grid in the form of an offset rectangular mesh screen is mounted on a hinged panel for movement between operative and inoperative positions. In the former the grid lies coaxial with the discharge orifice and provides a supplemental foam generator for breaking up the foam bubbles into finer and more concentrated foam having a relatively smaller foam spread. The grid comprises first and second sets of ribs lying in first and second parallel planes, the ribs of the first set being contiguous to the ribs of the second set, and the ribs being mutually spaced apart to define uniformly sized openings therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Linn Wanbaugh
  • Patent number: 5685445
    Abstract: An anti-backoff, removable closure for connecting a manually actuated liquid dispenser to a container includes a closure cap having internal threads for mating engagement with similar threads on the outside of the container neck finish, both the cap and the neck finish having mutually engageable ratchet teeth mechanically retaining the closure to the container. The teeth inside the cap each have a trailing face lying in a plane sloping in a loosening direction of the cap relative to the central axis of the cap for producing a camming action between the cap teeth and the neck finish teeth, tending to cam the cap off the container in response to closure unthreading rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas B. Dobbs
  • Patent number: 5678765
    Abstract: A manually actuated liquid sprayer has a ported element selectively movable between a retracted position and an extended position at which the element lies in the path of the spray plume for mitigating the spray. The element has a cylinder with a smooth inner wall defining a turbulence chamber coaxial with the discharge orifice of the nozzle cap to which the element is mounted. A transversely extending perforate wall is located in the cylinder, and has an open port of a size greater than that of the discharge orifice and being coaxial therewith. The element is movable relative to the nozzle cap between the retracted position at which the liquid spray passes through the open port without influence from any portion thereof, and the extended position at which the liquid spray impacts against the smooth inner wall to mix with air in the chamber and passes through the perforate wall to create foam ejected from the element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Adonis Spathias
  • Patent number: 5657909
    Abstract: A manually actuated pump sprayer has an unvalved vent port connected by a vent tube to a float buoyed on the liquid level within the container. A dip tube forming a liquid passage extends from a valve controlled inlet which leads into the pump chamber. A terminal end of the liquid passage defined by the dip tube is connected to the float for communicating that end with the liquid in the container, and a terminal end of the air passage defined by the vent tube is connected to the float for communicating the air passage terminal end with the head space in the container. The pressure within the head space is always maintained at atmospheric, and the sprayer is capable of being operated in any position without leakage. The tubes may formed as an integrally extruded double tube with air pockets formed along the length of the double tube to define the float. And, buoyant material forming the air passage may define the float.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: Jacques J. Barriac
  • Patent number: 5657907
    Abstract: A trigger pump sprayer has an external cover plate mounted on and parallel to an end wall of the pump body containing the discharge orifice for transverse sliding movement between an orifice covered position at which a first portion of the cover plate overlies the orifice and an orifice uncovered position at which a second portion of the cover having a through opening lies coaxial with the orifice. Guide tracks on said end wall supporting said plate for sliding movement are sloped toward the end wall for camming an inner surface of the first portion of the plate toward the confronting outer surface of the end wall for fluid tightly sealing the orifice closed against leakage in the covered position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Adonis Spathias
  • Patent number: 5647539
    Abstract: A foamer nozzle assembly combines a turbulence chamber with a foam enhancer comprising a plurality of spaced ribs defining uniform openings, the ribs having flat surfaces lying perpendicular to the inner wall of the chamber for further generating foam as the foam bubbles impact against such flat surfaces to further mix with the air in the turbulence chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 15, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Adonis Spathias
  • Patent number: 5626264
    Abstract: A precompression pump sprayer is primed by the provision of a priming ramp for deflecting the lower end of a poppet valve member at the end of the plunger downstroke for cocking the valve member so as to disrupt its sealing action with the discharge valve seat to thereby permit air to be released from the pump chamber through the discharge orifice and to the atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Robert L. Florez, Adonis Spathias
  • Patent number: 5611490
    Abstract: A foamer nozzle assembly has dual screens of intersecting strands in spaced sets of strands, the strands of one set being offset relative to the strands of the other set for establishing two turbulence zones as the flow direction of spray particles is deflected when passing through the first screen and as the flow direction of the spray particles is further deflected when passing through the second screen. The screens are located in a cylinder of the assembly which may or may not define a turbulence cylinder depending on the spacing of the screens from the discharge orifice. The screens may be spaced apart a given distance to establish a turbulence zone therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Jacques J. Barriac, Adonis Spathias
  • Patent number: 5593094
    Abstract: A pump sprayer has a hinged nozzle cap assembly for shifting the spray mechanics away from a spinner probe to adjust a fine mist spray from a full divergent spray cone to a less divergent spray cone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Jacques J. Barriac, R. Pat Grogan
  • Patent number: 5590837
    Abstract: A sprayer has a nozzle assembly which includes first and second fluid flow paths, the latter partially negating the spin velocity produced from the first path to effect a spray having a narrower spray cone. The second fluid flow path is established by a through opening located in a spinner probe, which opening is blocked and unblocked upon relative rotation of a surrounding nozzle cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: R. Pat Grogan
  • Patent number: 5560520
    Abstract: A precompression pump sprayer has a sliding discharge valve/secondary piston member in sliding telescoping engagement with an inlet conduit extending into a secondary portion of the pump cylinder forming therewith an annular chamber housing the piston return spring, the annular chamber having a vent/drain port opening directly into the container, and the member being cup-shaped and having openings sized to facilitate discharge valve opening and closing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1996
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: R. Pat Grogen
  • Patent number: D377602
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald Wadsworth
  • Patent number: D381581
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald Wadsworth
  • Patent number: D392887
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: Ronald Wadsworth