US2764454A - Aerosol apparatus for decorative coating and process for making said apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 25, 1956 A. L. EDELSTEIN 2,764,454 AEROSOL APPARATUS FOR DECORATIVE COATING AND PROCESS FOR MAKING SAID APPARATUS Filed Dec. 29, 1953 7% 1 15 16 C 7, ml 12 l llflgm i!- I! \\\\\Q 1: 22 \i INVENTOYR fllfier g l. [dds/aw @1447 M ,a by

I ATTORNEYS AERosoL APPARATUS non nEcoRATtvE 'COAT- ING .AND PROCESS non MAKING SAID AP- PARATUS AlbertL. Edelstein, New York, N. Y.

Application December 29, 1953, Serial No.400,950

13 Claims. (Cl. 299-95) The present invention relates (1)' to an aerosolcon- *tainer unit for dispensing a surface coating spray for decorative purposes, and more particularly to a unit of this type for applying a coating to the surface of a Christmastree or to other surfaces to simulate a snow Covering or a plastic flocking by means of a stencil'for giving various designs, and (2) ,to a method of producing such a unit.

Heretofore, in loading aerosol spray containers of the type described, the mixture of solids in loose subdivided or granular form is charged into the container intherequired proportions, andthe propellent in the form of a compressed liquified gas, or in the .form of aliquid at sub-zero temperature, is introduced or poured intothe container. The sudden evaporation of the liquid propellent as it comes into contact with the container creates pressure surges causing the loose subdivided solids to blow out of the container and into the. atmosphere.

One object or feature of the present invention is .to

provide an aerosol unit for dispensing a surface coating spray containing solids in suspension or solution, the unit being constructed to facilitate loading of thecontainer and capping the same without blowing out the solids therefrom into the atmosphere and to assure the charging of the container with the right amount of the solids and the proper proportions of the ingredients thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide .a method of producing an aerosol container unit of the. general type described, which prevents the blowing of solids from the container into thesatmosphere during loading and which assures the charging of said container with the right amount of solids and the right proportion of ingredients thereof.

*In carrying out certain objects and features of the present invention, the solids are charged into the aerosol container in the condition of a" preformed self-contained cartridge holding the ingredients in the right amounts and proportions and designed todisintegrate by the solvent action of the propellent and/ or liquids miscible therewith,

- to allow their ready dispersion or solution therein. Hereinafter, by propellent is intended not only the main gas propellent having a low boiling point, such as Freon-12 (dichlorodifluoromethane) but also other liquids miscible and blended therewith to reduce the propelling vapor pressure of the liquid in the container and perhaps to increase the salient action of the liquid.

The cartridge is preferably in the form of a capsule or case for receiving solids in subdivided or granular form to be enclosed in the capsule. Itis desired that'at least a part of the capsule, case or cartridge-is made of a material easily soluble in the propellent employed in=the container. The cap of the capsule or case'has at one or both ends, for example, a material soluble in the propellent, or the whole capsule or case may be of such. soluble material. Under the action ofthe propellent, the case or capsule, or the soluble parts thereof dissolves, thereby permitting the propellent to reach the:solids carried bythe "solids in the cartridge.

case anddissolve ordisperse them,- so that they can' -be discharged from the container as part of -a spray.

"Various other objects, features and-advantages of the invention :are apparent lfromthe following particular description and from inspection of the accompanying drawing, in which:

"Fig. 1 is a section of anaerosolcontainer"spray unit embodyingthe present invention; and

Fig. -2 is a sectionof acartridge adaptedto be charged intothe container 'of an areosol unit-and-embodyingthe present invention.

Referring to the drawings," there *isshown a container 10,-which, per se, forms no part of the present invention and-which may be of any well'known construction. In the form illustrated, the container 10 comprises a body '11 in the form of a cylindrical can'having an opening 12-at the top, to'which is crirnped or otherwise attached, a valve cap 13 containing a'va'l've 14 adapted to be opened' by a valve stem 15 in the form of a resiliently-pressed thumb piece having a discharge opening 16.

'Depending from the inlet of the valve 14 is a flexible standpipe 17 forming-a unit with the valve cup 13 and extending in flexed condition-to oneside of therounded bottom of the'conta'iner body ll. Upon application of tilting-pressure-on'the'thumbpiece 15 towards the outlet 'valve'-opening16, the contents of the containerare'discharged from said opening in the form of a spray.

"The drawing shows for the' purpose of illustration one -form'of valve head 13 for the container 10, but it must be understood that this v'alve head -may be of any other "type, manipulatable many other manner.

The "container'ltl holds a propellent 20 suitable for aerosol devices. Common forms ofpropellentsyknown as Freons, consist essentially offluorinated hydrocarbon -derivatives ofthe short chain and small ring aliphatic series of organic compounds and especially of the methane and-ethane series. In the specificform illustrated, this propellent 20 consists essentially "of 'dichlorodifluoromethane 'CClzFz (Freon 12) 'Since the vaporpressure of Freon 12 is high (70-lbs. persquare inch gauge'at 70 F.'), requiring the use of containers of comparable strength, this Freon 12 is usually blended with othertpropellents having lower'vapor pressure and miscible with the main propellent to permit the use'o'flighter containers. This blending propellent -may, for example, be :trichloromonofluoromethane-CClsF '(Freon 11) or methylene chloride having lower vapor pressure and serving also as'a solvent forthe Also the propellent may, as far as certain aspects of the-inventionare concernedybe of any' suitable type,'it must conform with certain requirements forthe purpose of the present invention. 'It'must be. a solvent for those, parts of the cartridge, holding the solids together in the form of a self-contained 'unit against disintegration. If, for example, the cartridge'has a case, at least part of which'is designed todissolve awaytunder the solvent action of the propellent, then this'propellent must obviously. be..a solvent for this part of the case, and must also serve asna solvent or at least must be able to disperse the solids into finely divided sprayable 'form.

.As a feature of the present invention, theactive solid 2 having a closure or cap 26 in the form of a disc closing -its:open;end. ZThecapsuletubefzs-and cap-'26 are'rnade Patented Sept. 25, 1956 terial soluble in the propellent20, only parts of the case may be made of soluble material. For example, the case tube 25 maybe of insoluble material, such as polyethylene, cellophane, orcellulose'acetate, ,whilethe cap orclosure 26 may be of soluble material, such'as polystyrene. If desired, the tube 25 may be made of insoluble material and may be open at both endsand closed at these ends with caps or discs of soluble polystyrene. In many instances, the tube 25 may be made of' glass, or tin, or. paper, or fiber, or tin foil, or aluminum, or aluminum foil, or of any othergsuitablematerial for the purpose. If desired, the tube 25 may be made with perforations which are filled with materials that are soluble in the propellant or in another solvent;

The solids 24 in the capsule or case 23 consist of a mix- I ture in finely divided or granular form and comprise as one ingredient a substance serving as the bulking material and as another ingredient, a flocking agent, the combination of these ingredients, when sprayed, forming a fluffy, white, snow-like coating. More especially, the bulking material is one of the higher members of the series of fatty acids, which are white, waxy solids at ordinary temperatures. A suitable active solid material for the purpose. consists essentially of stearic acid, which in commercial form may contain palmitic acid. This solid material is easily soluble in propellents of chlorinatedtype,

such as thepropellents contemplated in accordance with the present invention and described above.

The resinous material is desirably a polymer of poly 'vinyl acetate, which is colorless and transparent and which willdissolve in the propellent contemplated in accordance with the present invention. This particular resinous material is desirable because of its high solubility in the propellent, permitting thereby the production of an aerosol container unit having a larger proportion of dissolved solids than is permissible with other types of resins. Another. resin which is suitable but which does not allow for such a high proportion of dissolved solids is an acrylic resin, such as Lucite, consisting essentially of a copolymer of n-butyl and iso-butyl methacrylate in approximate proportions 50-50.

The solid composition may be white, if a white decorative surface in imitation of snow is desired, or may contain coloring matter in caseatinted or colored surface coating is required.

An example of a highly desirable formulation for the solids 24 in the cartridge 22 consists essentially of stearic acid (including palmitic acid, if any) by weight and /a polymer of polyvinyl acetate (Gelva V-15-R), and an example of a suitable propellent for such solids consists essentially of a 30-7O blend of methylene chlo ride (technical grade) and Freon 12. With this exemplified makeup of the container unit, the cartridge case 23 and/or cap 26 may be of polystyrene, which will dissolve readily in the propellent. In such a make-up, the solids 24 (bulking material and the resin) constitute 9% of the combined solids and propellent, but because of the high solubility of the polymer of polyvinyl acetate in the propellent, these solids may be increased to 14 or 15%.

- Another example of a highly desirable formulation for the solids 24 in the cartridge 22consists essentially of stearic acid (including palmitic acid, if any) by weight and /3 methacrylate resin polymer (Lucite 46"). With an acrylic resin polymer, the use of methylene chloride as one of the propellent ingredients is not so suitable because of the insolubility of this resin in'methylene chloride. For that reason, the propellent used with this solid composition is a 50-50 blend of Freon12 and Freon 11. The percentage of solids in the container unit could be about 9%.

In preparing the capsule 22, the two ingredients of the solid composition 24 may either be poured into the cases 23 separately in the right proportions, or the two solid ingredients may be premixed inthe right proportions and the mixture then poured into the cases. The cases 23 are then closed with the caps 26, one on either end, and the junctures therebetween sealed with a suitable sealing material, such as toluol.

Loading of the containers 10 may be effected either with pressurized equipment at room temperature to maintain the propellent in liquid form as it is poured into the container, or with the propellent at sub-Zero temperature, so that the propellent may be handled as a liquid. In either case, the cartridge 22 containing the required amount of solids and the required proportions of ingredients (bulking material and resin) is dropped into the container 10 through its top opening 12, and the propellent 20 poured therein. Under these conditions the cartridge will not disintegrate and its contents will not blow out into the atmosphere, as the propellent is poured into the container. The valve'cup' 13 with attached valve 14 and standpipe 17 is then crimped and sealed onto the container body 11 over its top open ing 12.

Instead of a single, long cartridge containing the necessary solids, two shorter cartridges may be employed for each container unit, especially where a large percentage of solids is required. One cartridge, for example, may contain the essential coating solids and the other cartridges may contain the resin, or both cartridges may contain the mixture of these solid ingredients. Each of these smaller cartridges would preferably have a case and a cover, one or both of these being soluble in the propellent.

The elongated shape of the cartridge 22 illustrated, is particularly suitable to permit the loading of said cartridge in the container body 11 through the restricted opening 12 at the top. In certain loading operations, however, the container is loaded through the bottom, while the bottom is removed. In that case, the cartridge may be of wider dimension relative to its lengths and, for example, may be cup-shaped.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to a specific embodiment, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an aerosol container spray unit of the portable hand type, the combination including a container, a solid in said container comprising a mixture of different ingr edients held together originally as a self-contained cartridge unit when charged into said container, and a liquid propellent in said container having the property of disintegrating said cartridge unit and separating said solids into finely divided sprayable form. t

2. In an aerosol container unit of the portable hand type for spraying surface coating compositions, the combination comprising a container, a solid in said container comprising a mixture of a fatty acid of the higher series and a resin held together originally as a self-contained unit when charged into said container, and a liquid propellent of low boiling point in said container having the property of disintegrating said cartridge unit and dissolving said solid.

3 In an aerosol container spray unit of the portable hand type, the combination including a container, a cartridge unit in said container comprising a case and a solid therein consisting of a mixture of difierent ingredients, and a liquid propellent of low boiling point in said container having the property of dissolving at least a part of said case and of dividing and separating said solids into finely divided sprayable form.

4. In an aerosol container spray unit, the combination as described in claim 3, wherein said case is made entirely of material soluble in said propellent.

5. In an aerosol container spray unit, the combination as described in claim 3, wherein said case consists of a body made of material insoluble in said propellent and a closure therefor made of a material soluble in said propellent.

6. In an aerosol container spray unit of the portable hand type, the combination including a container, a cartridge unit in said container comprising a case having at least a part thereof made of polystyrene and a solid in said case consisting of a mixture of different ingredients, and a liquid propellent in said container consisting essentially of one of the Freons having the property of dissolving polystyrene and of dividing and separating said solids into finely divided sprayable form.

7. In an aerosol container spray unit of the portable hand type for producing a coating in simulation of snow, the combination including a container, a cartridge unit in said container comprising a case having at least a part thereof made of polystyrene and a solid in said case consisting essentially of stearic acid and a resin of the class consisting of polyvinyl acetate and acrylic resin, and a liquid propellent in said container consisting essentially of one of the Freons having the property of dissolving polystyrene and of dissolving said solids.

8. In an aerosol container spray unit of the portable hand type for producing a coating in simulation of snow, the combination including a container, a cartridge unit in said container comprising a case having at least a part thereof made of polystyrene and a solid in said case consisting essentially of stearic acid and polyvinyl acetate in approximate proportions of 2 to 1 by weight, and a liquid propellent in said container consisting of at least 50% dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon 12).

9. In an aerosol container spray unit for producing a coating in simulation of snow, the combination as described in claim 8, wherein said liquid propellent consists essentially of a blend of dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon 12) and methylene chloride in proportions of approximately 70 to 30.

10. In an aerosol container unit of the portable hand type for producing a coating in simulation of snow, the

combination including a container, a cartridge unit in said container comprising a case having at least a part thereof made of polystyrene and a solid in said case consisting essentially of stearic acid and methacrylate resin (Lucite) in approximate proportions of 2 to 1 by Weight, and a liquid propellent in said container consisting of at least 50% dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon 12).

11. In an aerosol container unit for producing a coating in simulation of snow, the combination as described in claim 8, wherein said liquid propellent consists essentially of a blend of dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon l2) and trichloromonofluoromethane (Freon 11) in proportions of approximately 50 to 50.

12. The method of producing an aerosol container unit of the hand portable type, comprising the steps of providing a container with an opening therein, providing a capsule that is disintegratable by the propellant employed to create pressure within said container, substantially filling said capsule with finely divided granular solids, sealing said capsule closed, placing said capsule in said container, pouring the propellent in liquid form into said container, sealing the opening in said container, said propellent reacting with said capsule to release said solids, aflixing a valve to said container to release pressure formed in said container by said propellent, said valve movable by outside pressure to release a mixture of the propellent and granular solids which have been freed from said capsule and are mixed with said propellent.

13. The method of producing an aerosol container unit of the hand portable type, comprising the steps of providing a container with an opening therein, providing a capsule, substantially filling said capsule with finely divided granular solids, sealing said capsule closed with a material disintegratable by a propellent, placing the capsule in said container, pouring the propellent in liquid form into said container, sealing the opening in said container, and aflixing a valve to said containerto release pressure formed inside said container by said propellent, said valve being movable by outside pressure to release the propellent and the granular solids which have been freed from said capsule.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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