US2579718A - Measured volume liquid dropper - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 25, J. MEASURED VOLUME LIQUID DROPPER Filed Oct. 3, 1945 Arm/Pym Patented Dec. 25, 1951 OFFICE MEASURED VOLUME LIQUID DROPPER Irving J .Wolman, Philadelphia, Pa. Application October 3, 1945, Serial No. 620,033

3 Claims. (Cl. 222207) The invention relates to liquid dispensing devices whereby measured volumes of a liquid may be successively discharged in equal amounts from a readily refillable container or reservoir for the liquid, for example, to a device of the general nature of the well-known medicine dropper.

The invention has for an object to provide a simple device to replace, for the purpose hereinbefore noted, graduated pipettes and mechanically operated devices such as are extensively used in laboratories and in the pharmaceutical field, as in serology and therapeutics generally, for example, in titrations, to dispense drops into the nose and for the application of patent or other medications, etc., and useful generally where resilient bulbs with droppers and also pipettes have heretofore been applicable.

A further object of the invention is to afford a relatively large capacity reservoir for retaining the desired liquid and which reservoir by simple manipulation of a compressible portion of the device maybe readily filled through aspiration of the desired liquid; also, to afford associated means whereby, upon repeated compres- -sions manually, substantially equal, successive and predetermined small volumes of the liquid may be delivered.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary resilient chamber manipulable independently of the said reservoir and of small capacity relatively thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this nature which may be readily constructed, be rugged and preferably of one piece to avoid leakage; also, which shall not be objectionable in appearance.

In carrying out the invention, a reservoir for liquid is provided as a bulb of large capacity relatively to the individual discharges to be had therefrom, such bulb being in the nature of a normally distended bellows element of more or less resilient material as rubber. The said bulb is provided with a relatively stiff outlet spout at one end which is suitable also for filling of the bulb with the liquid subsequently to be discharged in small quantities through said outlet spout in the manner hereinafter set forth.

The walls of said bulb may be constituted in whole or in part of relatively heavy or semi-rigid resilient material, or of lighter and more readily compressible resilient material in which case integral and rigid guard portions are associated therewith to prevent unintentional compression of the bulb except at an additional or auxiliary portion or portions thereof of greater resiliency,

or of more ready compressibility, and designed to effect the individual discharges. Preferably, there is associatedwith the more rigid and bulb portion proper one or more auxiliary bulb chambers which communicate with the said reservoir chamber and are of predetermined capacity. These auxiliary chambers are constituted of material more readily compressible than the bulb proper in that they are of lesser stiffness but also resilientso as to return to normal distended form upon removal of the compression force after effecting ejection of a small predetermined or measured volume of the liquid from the reservoir chamber. Such volume is designed to correspond to the capacity of an auxiliary chamber, successive ejections being of equal volume from manipulation of a given auxiliary chamber, and the ejections being possible until the supply of liquid in the reservoir is wholly depleted. In some of the embodiments of the invention, provision is made to limit mechanically the degree of compression of an auxiliary chamber.

To fill the reservoir initially, the spout of the device is inserted into the desired liquid, the bulb or reservoir portion is compressed in the manner of a bellows to expel the air fromits interior, and the liquid may then be introduced by releasing the compression on the bulb wall, thus inducing a sucking action as the bellows or bulb expands to fill the reservoir but not, necessarily, an auxiliary bulb chamber or chambers. By then manually applying pressure to such auxiliary bulbto compress the same, liquid will be ejected through the main bulb outlet of a volume corresponding to the capacity of the particular auxiliary bulb, each successive compression delivering a like volume when such auxiliary bulb is fully compressed.

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of one embodiment of the novel liquid dispensing device; and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of the device.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a further modification, Fig. 4 being a front elevation and Fig. 5 a plan view thereof.

Fig. 6 is a part front elevation and part vertical section of another modification; and Fig. 7 is a plan thereof.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation showing the outlet element as not integral with the remaining portions of the dispensing device.

determined and equal amounts. This is effected by means of manually exerted pressure upon the uppermost or top portion l2 of the bulb which constitutes an additional or auxiliary chamber. the degree to which this top portion may be compressed being limited through contact of the operators finger or fingers with a pair of stop elements or guards i3 diametrically disposed over opposite sides of the body portion of the said bulb. Thus, it is not possible to eject at one time more liquid than corresponds to the capacity of the auxiliary chamber portion ailorded by the said compressible restricted part of the bulb, it being understood that in the filling of the reservoir such auxiliary chamber portion will, generally, not receive the liquid. Filling of the bulb or reservoir ii! is accomplished by compressing the bulb The spout portion, also, need not be integral with the remainder of the device and may be separable from its bulb, as indicated in Fig. 8, wherein the spout is indicated in the nature of a glass tube with constricted outlet orifice 26. At its end opposite the outlet, it is suitably retained within a collar or bottle cap 21 having extending longitudinally therefrom a more or less rigid, though compressible-,bulbor reservoir portion 28. The latter has at its top an. auxiliary rounded bulb 29 of greatly reduced capacity with respect to the capacity of the reservoir 28 and also. is much more readily compressible than the portion 28, but the complete compression of the auxiliary bulb '29 will cause discharge through the orifice .26 of liquid corresponding in volume chamber in exerting pressure, for example, upon the guard pieces l3 and inserting the spout i1 into the liquid which is to be subsequentl 'dispensed'in measured'equal volumes, as aforesaid. Upon release of the pressure, liquid. will be drawn into the reservoir, as is well understood.

Instead of providing the auxiliary and compressiblechamber at the top, a bulb M, Fig. 3, may be caused to project beyond the guard pieces 5 at one or more sides as the chamber [6 indicated. In such case, this portion is to be compressed toward the guard pieces for ejecting the successive volumes of liquid, the top and opposite side being substantially'fiush with edges of 'said guard pieces.

A iurther modification in the construction of the device is indicated in Figs. 4 and 5 in that there is provided, preferably between the guards I! of the bulb l8, additional and auxiliary chamhers l9 of a capacity difierent from that of the auxiliary chamber 26 at the top offthe bulb and different also from each other. The auxiliary chambers iii are to this end made more resilient than the bulb portion proper so as to be more readily-compressible, thereby obviating any tendency to compress also the bodyportion proper and thus; cause discharge consecutively of unequal amounts of the liquid.

than an auxiliary flat, top portion 23 that the latter may be compressed without affecting to any appreciable extent the bulb proper.

to that of the said auxiliary bulb when distended.

I claim:

l". A liquid dispenser for delivering successively predetermined and equal volumes of a liquid, comprising a reservoir chamber having a resilient well adapted to be compressed manually and an outlet spoutextendin irom the chamber adapted to receive and to. discharge liquid respectively into and from 'said chamber, the latter coma municating' with an additional chamber of considerably less capacity and'having a resilient wall more readily compressible than the wall ofv the said reservoir chamber and adapted for successive compressions'manually, and diametrically opposed guard pieces combined with the wall 01" 7 said reservoir chamber adapted for limiting the extent of compression manually of the wall oflthe additional chamber-through contact of an operatorshand with said guard pieces.

2; A liquid dispenser according to claim 1,

7 other and from that of the additional chamber.

IRVING J. WOLMAN.

REFEREII-CES CITED The following references are of record inathe file of this patent:

cur-ran STAT-ES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date 1,155,584 La Grange .Oct. 5, 1915 1,181,065. Kallenbaugh June 13, 1916 1,267,616 Abramovi-tz May 28-, 1918 1,286,133 Snyder Nov. 26,1918 1,716,034 Delp June 4,1929

. 1,920,335 Wood .L Aug-Ll, 1-933 2,156,112 Dykema. Apr..25, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS l i-umber Country Date 27,608 Great Britain Aug. 3, I905

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