Dispenser

• Main Authors: Matt Lyndon, Stephen Donlon, Mark Tinkler, Nick Fitton
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.06.2024
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SPRAYING APPARATUS; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING

A dispenser 100 for dispensing viscous and non-viscous materials (e.g. via spray nozzle 9), comprising: a frame 5; a material storage (e.g. flexible cartridge 10, figs 6-9) positioned within the frame; a driving mechanism (7; fig. 9) configured to move a piston (11; figs. 7, 9) for dispensing the material; and a force limiter 61 configured to limit and/or regulate the force applied by the driving mechanism on the piston. The force limiter 61 works by at least partly releasing the force generated by the driving mechanism or by blocking the further generation of force acting on the piston, when reaching or exceeding a threshold force value acting on the piston. The force limiter may include a lock and release mechanism 30, e.g. with a sprung frame including an energy storage or energy buffer spring 13, or with a force reducer spring (64; figs 7,9). Or it may include a cap-like or ball-shaped braking unit (58; figs. 2-3) generating a reverse force/deformation perpendicular to the driving force. Or it may be that the threshold force causes axial movement which releases engagement between support sleeve(s) (67, 68; fig. 5-6) and/or the frame.