Method and apparatus for delivering pressurized fluids from storage to a point of use

Abstract

Liquid products such as automotive fuel system cleaners, differential gear case oil, and brake line antifreeze can be delivered to hard-to-reach inlets on the automobile or reservoir by storing the liquid in a pressurized cannister of small enough size to permit it to be hand-held and by then inserting the remote end of a flexible hose leading from the actuator head of the cannister into the inlet itself. When the actuator head is thereupon depressed, the propellant forces the liquid out of the cannister and into the inlet via the hose while the cannister remains essentially upright and held at a convenient distance from the inlet being serviced. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, a total release lever may be flipped up at the time of discharge to depress the actuator head and to maintain it in its fully depressed condition until the contents have been completely released from the cannister. The release lever is arranged in a toggle-like setting so as to be self-retaining in the fully actuated position once flipped up, thereby providing hands-free continued depression of the actuator head.

1 . A method of delivering a liquid product into a difficult-to-reach inlet of a reservoir, said method comprising the steps of: 
 storing a quantity of the product in a pressurized cannister having a depressible discharge tube at the top of the cannister that allows product to be discharged from the cannister through said tube when the tube is depressed;    providing an actuator head on said tube and attaching a length of flexible hose to the actuator head in flow communication with the discharge tube;    bending the hose to the extent necessary to allow a remote end of the hose to reach the inlet of the chamber;    inserting the remote end of the hose into said inlet; and    while maintaining the cannister at a distance from the inlet and without inverting the cannister, depressing the actuator head while the remote end of the hose is disposed within the inlet to thereby deliver product from the cannister into the chamber under pressure.    
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , 
 and the additional step of releasably locking the actuator head in a depressed position while the product is being delivered.    
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 2 , 
 said locking step including the step of depressing the actuator head with a manually operated release device that is retained hands-free in a locked position.    
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , 
 said liquid product comprising automotive fuel treatment.    
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , 
 said liquid product comprising gear oil for an automotive differential.    
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , 
 said liquid product comprising automotive brake line antifreeze.    
     
     
         7 . A distribution assembly for a pressurized cannister having an upright discharge tube through which liquid contents of the cannister are discharged when the tube is axially depressed, said assembly comprising: 
 a base including a circumferential skirt for attaching the base to the cannister in covering relation to the discharge tube,    said base further including an upright, hollow boss projecting centrally upwardly from said skirt,    said boss having an upright guide channel open at the top and bottom and disposed to receive said discharge tube when the base is on the cannister;    an actuator head confined within said channel for vertical shifting movement between raised and depressed positions,    said actuator head being adapted for operable connection with said discharge tube for directing contents of the cannister toward a point of discharge when the actuator head is in said depressed position; and    a manually operated release device on said boss engageable with said actuator head for shifting the actuator head from its raised position to its depressed position upon manual shifting of the release device from a standby position to an actuated position, said release device, said boss and said actuator head being configured and arranged to retain the release device hands-free in said actuated position for discharging the contents of the cannister following manual shifting of the release device into the actuated position.    
     
     
         8 . A distribution assembly as claimed in  claim 7 , 
 said release device comprising a toggle lever having a fulcrum connection with said boss intermediate opposite ends of the lever to present a pair of legs of the lever projecting in opposite directions from the fulcrum connection,    one of said legs being disposed to bear against and depress the actuator head as the other leg of the lever is manually operated,    the point of contact between said one leg and the actuator head being laterally offset from the fulcrum connection when the lever is in its standby position and being directly below and in line with the fulcrum connection when the lever is in its actuated position.    
     
     
         9 . A distribution assembly as claimed in  claim 8 , 
 said channel including an abutment surface disposed in the path of travel of said one leg of the lever in position to prevent the lever from passing over center.    
     
     
         10 . A distribution assembly as claimed in  claim 8 , 
 said lever lying generally horizontally when in its standby position and standing generally upright when in its actuated position,    said boss presenting a notch disposed to receive the lever when the lever is in its standby position.    
     
     
         11 . A distribution assembly as claimed in  claim 10 , 
 said other leg of the lever including an arcuately downturned finger-grippable portion remote from said fulcrum connection.    
     
     
         12 . A distribution assembly as claimed in  claim 8 , 
 said one leg being substantially shorter than the other leg.    
     
     
         13 . A distribution assembly as claimed in  claim 7 , 
 further comprising a flexible hose coupled in flow communication with said actuator head for directing contents of the cannister to selected locations remote from the actuator head.