Patents by Inventor Douglas B. Dobbs

Douglas B. Dobbs has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9598225
    Abstract: A child-resistant feature or lock for a sprayer including a collar and a sleeve wherein the sleeve may be rotated from a locked position to an unlocked position to allow actuation of an actuator and pump for distribution of a product from a container to which the child-resistant feature is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: WestRock MWV, LLC
    Inventors: Bipin Raman Patil, Douglas B. Dobbs
  • Publication number: 20150284177
    Abstract: A child-resistant feature or lock for a sprayer including a collar and a sleeve wherein the sleeve may be rotated from a locked position to an unlocked position to allow actuation of an actuator and pump for distribution of a product from a container to which the child-resistant feature is mounted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Inventors: Bipin Raman Patil, Douglas B. Dobbs
  • Patent number: 7870977
    Abstract: A dispenser for use with a liquid product including beads which are rupturable to release additives when rubbed between the hands of a user. The dispenser includes a discharge head reciprocable between pressure and return strokes, and a valve assembly for respectively allowing and preventing liquid product from being discharged during the pressure and return strokes. The valve assembly includes ribs for guiding movement of a check valve disposable in respective valve open and closed positions in which the check valve is disposed out of and in contact with a valve seat. The valve assembly includes primary fluid passages for permitting passage of the liquid and beads into a pump cylinder, and secondary fluid passages for permitting displacement of the beads during translation of the check valve between the valve open to the valve closed positions for thereby preventing accumulation of beads between the check valve and its valve seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Meadwestvaco Calmar, Inc.
    Inventors: Daria Pietrowski, Douglas B. Dobbs
  • Patent number: 7654419
    Abstract: A manual pump dispenser includes a plunger head reciprocable between pressure and return strokes, and a pump body having an inlet valve for inletting of liquid product during each of the return strokes. A discharge valve assembly is fitted to a spout for permitting selective outletting of liquid product through the spout during each of the pressure strokes. The spout includes a bore having a predetermined diameter, with a unitary valve disposed substantially within the bore. The unitary valve is made of a material for permitting predetermined axial, or axial and radial expansion thereof under pressure from liquid product during each of the pressure strokes for thereby allowing liquid product to be discharged through a slitted opening in the unitary valve, and enabling rapid contraction thereof against a valve seat to prevent liquid product from being discharged through the slitted opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: MeadWestvaco Calmar, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Kevin O'Neill, Steven G. Phan
  • Patent number: 6953297
    Abstract: An applicator is adapted to be mounted on a hollow piston stem of a manually reciprocable pump dispenser for applying a cleaning liquid to a fibrous article such as fabric, rug or carpet or the like from a container of liquid to which the dispenser is mounted. The applicator has a domed outer convex rigid wall with at least one discharge port in communication with the discharge passage of the piston stem, and an outer surface of the domed wall is textured for rubbing the cleaning liquid into the fibers article during a cleaning operation. An overcap is connected to a side wall of the applicator by a hinge permitting the overcap to cover the outer surface of the domed wall when not in use. And, a container closure may be provided in telescoping relationship to the applicator which is rotatable about its central axis between lock and unlock positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Saint-Gobain Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Lluis Costa
  • Patent number: 6793156
    Abstract: A manually actuated sprayer has an orifice cup with a reverse taper mounted within a cylindrical bore of the discharge passage for positively retaining the orifice cup in place without dislodgement during spray actuation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Saint-Gobain Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Joseph Nazari
  • Patent number: 6729500
    Abstract: A fluid pump dispenser includes a spring biased pump piston having a generally hollow stem and reciprocable between pressure and return strokes within a pump cylinder therewith defining a variable volume pump chamber for dispensing fluid through a discharge opening at an outer end of the stem. The stem defines a valve controlled discharge passage leading from the pump chamber to the discharge opening. A driver nut may be mounted adjacent the pump piston and include at least one flange engaged with at least one respective spiral turn on a spindle disposed within the pump chamber to thereby rotate the spindle during reciprocation of the pump piston. A dip tube may be disposable within a container and affixed to the spindle for rotation with the spindle. A figurine may be mounted onto the dip tube for complementary rotation with the dip tube and the spindle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Saint-Gobain Calmar, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Kevin O'Neill
  • Patent number: 6702157
    Abstract: A manually actuated pump dispenser assembly has a positioning leg on an eccentric flange thereof to facilitate the offset mounting of the assembly to an offset opening in the neck of a container of liquid to which the pump assembly is to be mounted. And, an arcuate skirt associated with the leg positively interferes with an improper mounting of the pump assembly in place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Saint-Gobain Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas B. Dobbs
  • Publication number: 20030160113
    Abstract: A manually actuated sprayer has an orifice cup with a reverse taper mounted within a cylindrical bore of the discharge passage for positively retaining the orifice cup in place without dislodgement during spray actuation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2002
    Publication date: August 28, 2003
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Joseph Nazari
  • Patent number: 6186364
    Abstract: A manually actuated pump dispenser has a control ring mounted on the pump body for rotation about its central axis and engaging the pump plunger for controlling the number of plunger strokes and thereby the dosage of the dispenser for each cycle of revolution of the control ring, the plunger being releasably locked with the control ring against plunger reciprocation at the commencement and at the end of each cycle of revolution of the control ring to thereby render the same child-resistant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas B. Dobbs
  • Patent number: 5785208
    Abstract: A precompression pump sprayer has a variable volume suck-back chamber in communication with the discharge orifice for inwardly suctioning any residual liquid away from the orifice and the spin mechanics to avoid clogging as a result of dried accumulated product. In one embodiment a cover on the plunger head is spring loaded and therewith defines the suck-back chamber. In another embodiment the plunger head is spring loaded on the piston stem, such that in both embodiments a top end wall of the suck-back chamber is shiftable relative to the piston stem independently of piston reciprocation. The biasing spring has a spring force permitting a shifting of the end wall to reduce the volume of the suck-back chamber at a peak pressure reached in the pump chamber beyond the threshold pressure required to open the discharge valve, at which time the spring is compressed. The restoring force of the spring causes the top end wall to shift to expand the volume of the suck-back chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, R. Pat Grogan
  • Patent number: 5779108
    Abstract: A trigger actuated pump dispenser includes a housing mounted on a container of gas/vapor producing liquid product capable of generating a superatmospheric pressure in the container, the housing including a piston/cylinder unit and a container air vent which includes a vent chamber and a vent port establishing communication between the vent chamber and the interior of the container. The air vent has a pressure vent outboard of the vent seal connected to the piston for releasing pressure from the container via the vent port and the vent chamber upon outboard movement of the piston to such outboard location in response to the superatmospheric pressure in the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Jacques J. Barriac, Douglas B. Dobbs
  • 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: 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: 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: D455960
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Saint-Gobain Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Daria Pietrowski, Robert Radi
  • Patent number: D488380
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Saint-Gobain Calmar Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas B. Dobbs, Daria Pietrowski
  • Patent number: D733286
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: MeadWestvaco Corporation
    Inventors: Bipin R. Patil, Douglas B. Dobbs