The present invention relates generally to nozzles that are suitable for dispensing of viscous materials such as sealants or bonding materials from tubes cartridges, foil pack sausage type or other containers. More specifically the invention relates to nozzle tips from which sealants or similar viscous materials may be discharged and applied in a smooth and consistent manner to allow for easy application and a consistent, definitive end product. Sealants and similar viscous products (e.g. glazing compounds, bonding compounds, fillers, caulking compounds) are used to fill gaps, seal areas, bond materials together etc. in industrial, construction and interior settings. More specific examples include the use of silicone sealants to seal a joint or seam on insulated pipework cladding, or when caulking, or to seal around a window with silicone sealant to provide a waterproof bead. Also sealing around bathroom fittings.

In many cases the viscous fluids, such as silicone sealants, are provided in a container that can be mounted onto or into a delivery device such as a sealant gun. This is particularly common in industrial uses such as sealing of insulating material or cladding on pipework and equipment, but can also be seen in certain caulking products and dispensers. In other cases the container is itself the dispenser, particularly for smaller scale uses and home DIY type products. When a user wishes to apply the viscous fluid to a surface they actuate the dispenser. Taking the application of a silicone sealant to seal insulating material around a pipe, the user mounts a container of sealant on a sealant gun and presses the trigger of the gun to apply pressure to the sealant container such that sealant is discharged via a nozzle. The traditional frusto-conical nozzle allows the user to direct the sealant to the site of interest, however it does have some limitations. The head of the nozzle allows a user to see where application is occurring but it can be difficult to accurately track the area or line where the sealant or viscous fluids are being applied. Using the standard free hand method, it is very difficult to seal seams and joints accurately and in a straight line consistently. In addition, in many cases the seal and or other viscous material flows with no particular shape and settles as it is applied. This can lead to an non-uniform, messy looking finish.

It can be seen therefore that it would be advantageous to provide a nozzle of container that overcomes or mitigates some of the limitations associated with the prior art. According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a nozzle for dispensing viscous fluid such as bonding or sealant material onto a surface, comprising;

a body portion having a conduit therethrough, the conduit configured to provide a fluid flow path, said body portion having a base section extending from the lower distal edge thereof which, in use, contacts the surface; and

a dispensing head disposed at the distal end of the body portion,

wherein said dispensing head has an open-ended cavity bounded by at least one cavity wall and having surface contacting edges, the cavity being in fluid communication with the conduit of the body portion and wherein the at least one cavity wall of the dispensing head extends out further distally than the base section such that when viscous fluid is dispensed it will be shaped by the cavity wall as it is discharged.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a nozzle for dispensing viscous fluid such as bonding or sealant material onto a surface, comprising;

a body portion having a conduit therethrough, the conduit configured to provide a fluid flow path; and

a dispensing head disposed at the distal end of the body portion,

wherein said dispensing head has an open-ended cavity bounded by at least one cavity wall and having surface contacting edges, the cavity being in fluid communication with the conduit of the body portion. In use the surface contacting edges are placed in contact with a surface and an open-ended chamber is formed. This acts to contain the flow of the viscous fluid as it is discharged resulting in a uniform application to the surface of interest. More importantly the resulting viscous fluid takes the required shape as it is discharged.

Preferably the cross sectional area of the cavity is greater than the cross section area of at least the distal portion or end of the conduit. Advantageously, as many viscous materials will briefly expand or flow after discharge, using the concave cavity of the nozzle to create a concave cavity chamber with a greater cross section (or greater width or greater diameter) than the distal portion of the conduit acts to control the flow and the expansion of the viscous fluid as it is discharged. Again it also allows the resulting material to be shaped as it is discharged.

Optionally the cavity is 30%-50% wider than the distal portion or end of the conduit. Preferably the linear axis of the dispensing head extends from the body portion at an angle that is not perpendicular to the linear axis of said body portion.

Most preferably the linear axis of the dispensing head extends from the body portion at an angle of 135° to the linear axis of said body portion.

Optionally the surface contacting edges are substantially parallel.

Optionally the dispensing head is provided with flanges that extend outwards from the surface contacting edges.

Optionally the surface is flat or planar. Alternatively the surface may be angled e.g. the edge of a window or bath where the surface has walls at 90° angles to each other. Preferably the viscous fluid is a sealant such as a silicone, a glazing compound, a bonding compound, a filler or a caulking compound.

Optionally, a base section extends from the lower distal edge of the body portion. In use, the base section will contact the surface onto which the viscous fluid is being dispensed.

Preferably the at least one cavity wall of the dispensing head extends out further distally than the base section. As such the surface contacting edges extend out further distally than the base section.

Optionally the base section is planar or flat.

This is useful when applying viscous fluid to a flat or planar surface.

Optionally the planar base section comprises a guide flange on its lower surface.

Preferably the guide flange is an elongate linear guide flange.

Preferably the nozzle is provided with attachment means for attaching it to a viscous fluid dispensing device.

Optionally the viscous fluid dispensing device is a sealant gun.

Optionally the attachment means is one or more male or female members suitable for attaching to appropriate male or female members.

Optionally the attachment means allows for a push-fit.

Optionally the attachment means is a screw thread. Optionally the attachment means is adapted to allow only a single use of the nozzle. For example, the attachment means may be deformed during attachment or removal such that it cannot again be reattached. Optionally the nozzle is provided with an attachment sleeve at the proximal end of the body portion, having a conduit configured to provide a fluid flow path and be in fluid communication with the fluid flow path of the body portion when in use. The attachment sleeve may be either removably attached to the body or permanently attached to the body.

In use, elongate linear guide flange will abut against a part of the surface onto which the viscous fluid is being dispensed. This is particularly advantageous when applying sealant to the seam or join of an overlapping material as the linear guide flange can abut the overlapping seam that will then act as a guide to the user.

Alternatively, the base section is V shaped.

Optionally the internal angle of the V is 90°.

Alternatively base section has an inverted V shape. This is the inner surface of the base section has an angle greater than 180°.

The open end of the open-ended cavity has any appropriate cross section. Optionally it is semi-circular e.g. the wall of the cavity is semi-circular.

Advantageously this gives a smooth semi-circular finish to the applied material, providing a neat and aesthetically pleasing appearance, particularly on flat surfaces.

Optionally the body portion is cylindrical. Optionally the body portion has a generally frusto-conical shape, tapering as is moves towards the distal end.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a viscous fluid dispensing device comprising the nozzle of the first aspect described above.

Optionally the nozzle is removably attachable to the dispensing device. Optionally the nozzle is permanently attached to the dispensing device.

Optionally the nozzle is single use and attachable to the dispensing device for one use only. In order to provide a better understanding of the present invention, embodiments will be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the following figures in which;

Figure 1 is a diagram of a insulated pipe with cladding; and

Figures 2a, 2b, and 2c are pictures showing perspective views of three different sized nozzles according to the present invention, which are particularly suited for applying sealant to an overlapping seam; Figure 3 is a picture showing an alternative view of the nozzle shown in Figure 2b, showing the underside of the nozzle with guide flange;

Figures 4a and 4b are pictures of an alternative embodiment of a nozzle particularly suited for applying sealant to an external corner; Figures 5a and 5b are pictures of an alternative embodiment of a nozzle particularly suited for applying sealant to an internal corner; Figure 6 is a picture showing a perspective view of a nozzle according to the present invention and attachment sleeve;

Figure 7 is a picture showing a cutaway perspective view of a nozzle according to the present invention and attachment sleeve.

In many industries such as the oil, gas and petrochemical industries, pipes 1 are provided with insulation 2 and cladding 3 applied to pipework. As shown in figure 1 part of the insulating process the cladding 3 is wrapped around the insulation 2 and the overlapping seam 4 is then sealed.

A nozzle 5 according to the present invention is generally depicted in Figure 2a. Alternative sizes of the same nozzle 5' and 5" are also shown in Figures 2b and 2c and an alternative perspective view from the bottom is shown in figure 3. The nozzle 1 comprises a cylindrical body portion 6 which tapers at the distal end 7. The inside of the body portion 6 defines a channel or conduit 8 through which a sealant or other viscous fluid can flow.

The nozzle 5 has a dispensing head 9 disposed at the distal end of the body portion 6. The dispensing head 9 is angled away from the body portion 6 such that the linear axis of the dispensing head is not perpendicular to the linear axis of said body portion, Typically they are at an obtuse angle that may be approximately 135°. The dispensing head 9 has a curved upper wall 10. It would however be appreciated that the curved upper wall 1 1 could be made from a number of walls and the overall shape would change appropriately, for example two side walls and a roof wall could be used. The lower portion of the wall 10, or walls, have surface contacting edges 14 that, when the nozzle 5 is in use, contact the surface of the cladding 3 to define an open-ended cavity 11. Flanges 15 extend outwardly from surface contacting edges 14. The angle of the flanges 15 is designed to match to angle of the surface on which the nozzle 5 is to be used and the help to form a seal with the surface and prevent unwanted leakage of sealant in a sideways or lateral direction underneath the surface contacting edges 14.

As seen in figure 3, there is also a base section 12 that extends from the lower distal edge of the body portion. In use, the base section 12 comes into contact with the surface onto which the viscous fluid (here it is sealant) is being dispensed - in this embodiment with the cladding 3 in the vicinity of the seam 4 that is to be sealed. In this embodiment, the base section 12 is provided with an elongate guide flange 13 that protrudes from the lower surface thereof. In use, the guide flange 13 abuts the seam 4 that forms when the cladding 3 wraps around the pipe 1 . This allows a user to easily move the nozzle 1 along the seam 4 using the abutment of the guide flange 13 against the seam 4 as a guide. The open-ended cavity 1 1 is in fluid communication with the conduit 8 such that sealant or viscous fluid can flow out from the conduit 8 and into the cavity 1 1 of the dispensing head 9. In this embodiment, and as shown in figure 6, the nozzle 5 also comprises an attachment sleeve 16 at the proximal end of the body portion 6. The attachment sleeve 16 assists with connecting the nozzle 5 to a sealant container (not shown). The attachment sleeve is a frusto-conical shape and is configured to attach to the body portion 6 by a push-fit mechanism. There is a channel or conduit running through it, which aligns with the conduit 8 in the body, as best seen in Figure 7. A user simply positions the dispensing head 9 over the area where the sealant is required and dispenses. As the cross section of the open ended cavity 1 1 is greater than the cross section of the distal end of the conduit 8 this allows the sealant to expand slightly as it enters the cavity, and be shaped by the cavity wall 10 which bounds the sealant as it is discharged. For example, in this embodiment the distal end of the conduit has a width of 6mm and the width of the cavity is 9mm. The cavity is therefore large enough to allow for some expansion or spreading but still sufficiently constrains the discharged sealant to allow it to be shaped as it exits. This ensures that the sealant is applied in a neat continuous flow such that the discharged sealant is aligned and shaped by the dispensing head 9 as it is discharged. As a semi-circular rather than a rounded 'beading' as this is often preferred when sealing insulation 2 or cladding 3 the semi-circular cavity wall 10 is preferred, however it would be understood that the cavity could be provided with a flat or other shaped cavity 1 1 if alternative finishes are preferred.

The above embodiment describes a nozzle 1 that is well suited for applying sealant to relative flat or very slightly curved surfaces. An alternative embodiment of a nozzle 5' is shown in Figures 4a and 4b. This nozzle 5' is best suited to applying sealant, or other viscous material such as caulk, to an external corner. The nozzle 5' has the same features as the previous embodiment, however, the base section 12' is shaped as an inverted V - in this case the angle of the base section 12' within the cavity 11' area is 270° as this means that the lower surface of the base has a 90° angle which fits perfectly over an external edge of e.g. a wall. The upper wall 10' is also shaped to provide a cavity 1 1 ' profile which provides a neat corner type appearance. The cavity wall 10' is in fact formed by two upper walls 10'a and 10'b and two lower extension walls 10'c and 10'd. The lower portion of the two lower extension walls 10'c and 10'd have surface contacting edges 14'.

A further alternative embodiment of a nozzle 5" is shown in Figures 5a and 5b. This nozzle 5" is best suited to applying sealant, or other viscous material such as caulk, to an internal corner. The nozzle 5" has the same features as the previous embodiments, however, the base section 12' is shaped as a V - in this case the angle of the base section 12" within the cavity 11' area is 90° as this means that the lower surface of the base has a 270° angle which fits perfectly over an internal edge of e.g. a window being sealed against an inside wall. The upper wall 10" is also shaped to provide a cavity 1 1 " profile which provides a neat rounded bead as is often preferred. The cavity wall 10" is formed by a curved upper wall 10" the lower edges of which are surface contacting edges 14". Flanges 15" extend out from surface contacting edges 14" to prevent sealant from being pushed out under the surface contacting edges 14" during use. Effectively the aim is to direct, channel and shape the sealant (or other viscous material) as it is discharged. It will be appreciated that features from one embodiment may be appropriately incorporated into another embodiment unless technically unfeasible to do so.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).

It will be appreciated that various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.