Refillable grout dispenser with guide

Abstract

The refillable grout dispenser with guide has a reversible dispensing tip that fits into either end of the tube. The dispenser is operated by standard caulking guns. A plunger disc is pushed through the tube by the caulking gun plunger, forcing the grout out the dispensing tip. The dispensing tip may be removed from one end of the tube, and may be re-installed on the other end of the tube so that the tube may be refilled with grout and used again. The tip has a guide pin extending from near its opening. The guide pin helps keep the dispensing tip raised above the surface the grout is being applied to, and also helps the user move the dispenser along the desired path. The outer surfaces of the dispensing tip may be flat to help the user grip the tip when removing or installing it.

1 . A refillable grout dispenser, comprising: 
 an elongate, cylindrical tube having a first end, a second end, the tube defining a chamber for containing a sealing compound;    a dispenser plunger disc disposed in the tube, the plunger disc being axially movable in the chamber so that the plunger disc is adapted for forcing the sealing compound through the chamber when the plunger disc is moved axially along the chamber;    a dispensing tip having a receiving end and a tapered nozzle extending from the receiving end to an open tip end, the dispensing tip having a passage extending axially therethrough from the receiving end to the tapered nozzle tip end, the receiving end being removably disposed within the chamber alternately at the first end and the second end of the tube; and    means for removably securing the receiving end of the dispensing tip within the chamber;    whereby the sealing compound is adapted for being pushed through the chamber and the dispensing tip, exiting through the open tip end of the nozzle for application to a surface, the dispensing tip being removable from the tube and alternately attached to the alternate end of the tube in order to refill the tube with additional sealing compound.    
   
   
       2 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a bore defined in said nozzle, the bore being substantially axially parallel to the passage in said nozzle and radially offset from the passage in said nozzle; and    a guide pin having a first end securely held in the bore and a second end extending from said nozzle for aligning said dispenser during use and adapted for raising the open tip end above the surface to which the grout is being applied.    
   
   
       3 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein the receiving end of said dispensing tip is externally threaded, said means for securing comprising a jam ring having an expandable, hollow, cylindrical body and a circular flange extending radially from one end of the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body being internally threaded, the outer diameter of the jam ring being slightly less than the interior diameter of said cylindrical tube, the cylindrical body being threadably insertable into one of the ends of said cylindrical tube with the jam ring flange abutting the end of said cylindrical tube so that the jam ring expands outward in order to form a compression fit against the end of said cylindrical tube, thereby removably securing said dispensing tip to said tube.  
   
   
       4 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 3 , further including a gasket secured around the outer diameter of said jam ring cylindrical body, the gasket sealing the compression fit between said jam ring and said cylindrical tube.  
   
   
       5 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 3 , wherein said nozzle comprises a plurality of flat, planar exterior surfaces for allowing a user to grip said nozzle when installing and removing said dispensing tip to and from said jam ring.  
   
   
       6 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 3 , wherein each of the ends of said cylindrical tube has a beveled edge.  
   
   
       7 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein said cylindrical tube has an L-shaped slot defined therein at each of the ends of the tube, the L-shaped slot having an axial leg beginning at an edge of the respective end of said cylindrical tube and extending axially along said tube and a transverse leg extending from, and transverse to, the axial leg, said means for securing comprising: 
 a circular flange extending radially outward from said dispensing tip nozzle adjacent to the receiving end, the outer diameter of the receiving end being slightly less than the interior diameter of said cylindrical tube; and    a locking pin extending radially outward from the receiving end of said dispensing tip, the receiving end of said dispensing tip being insertable into the respective end of said cylindrical tube with the locking pin engaging and sliding along the axial leg of the L-shaped slot until the circular flange abuts the respective end of said tube and the pin is in registry with the transverse leg of the L-shaped slot, said dispensing tip being rotated in order to turn the locking pin into the transverse leg, thereby securing said dispensing tip to said cylindrical tube with a compression fit between the receiving end and said cylindrical tube.    
   
   
       8 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 7 , further including a gasket secured around the receiving end of said dispensing tip for sealing the compression fit between the receiving end and said tube.  
   
   
       9 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 7 , wherein said nozzle comprises a plurality of flat, planar exterior surfaces for allowing a user to grip said nozzle when installing and removing said dispensing tip to and from said cylindrical tube.  
   
   
       10 . The refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 7 , wherein each of the ends of said cylindrical tube has a beveled edge.  
   
   
       11 . A method for refilling and reusing a refillable grout dispenser, comprising the steps of: 
 inserting a reusable and refillable dispenser into a caulking gun, the dispenser having a cylindrical tube and a dispensing tip removably attached to the tube;    dispensing sealing compound from the cylindrical tube through the dispensing tip;    removing the dispensing tip from a first end of the cylindrical tube;    refilling the cylindrical tube by adding new sealing compound into the tube chamber through a second end of the tube;    inserting the dispensing tip into the second end of the tube; and    replacing said dispenser into the caulking gun for re-use.    
   
   
       12 . The method for refilling and reusing a refillable grout dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein the step of removing the dispensing tip from a first end of said cylindrical tube further includes the steps of; 
 unscrewing said dispensing tip from a jam ring;    removing said dispensing tip and said jam ring from the first end of said cylindrical tube.    
   
   
       13 . The method for refilling and reusing a refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 12 , wherein the step of inserting said dispensing tip into a second end of the tube further includes the steps of: 
 inserting the jam ring into the second end of said cylindrical tube; and    screwing said dispensing tip into said jam ring.    
   
   
       14 . The method for refilling and reusing a refillable grout dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein the step of removing the dispensing tip from a first end of said cylindrical tube further includes the steps of: 
 rotating the dispensing tip about its axis so that a locking pin on said dispensing tip disengages from a transverse leg of an L-shaped slot defined in said cylindrical tube; and    pulling said dispensing tip from said cylindrical tube, said locking pin sliding along an axial leg of said L-shaped slot until said locking pin is disengaged from said L-shaped slot and said dispensing tip is removed from said cylindrical tube.    
   
   
       15 . The method for refilling and reusing a refillable grout dispenser according to  claim 14 , wherein the step of inserting said dispensing tip into a second end of the tube further includes the steps of 
 inserting and sliding the locking pin on said dispensing tip along an axial leg of an L-shaped slot in the second end of the cylindrical tube; and    rotating the dispensing tip so that the locking pin turns into and engages a transverse leg of said L-shaped slot defined in said cylindrical tube second end.