NEWS & EVENTS
Metered Dose Nasal Atomizer

Tamper-evident dispensers have become increasingly
important. It is very difficult and time consuming to attach an
atomizer to a tamper-evident dispenser since the valve
assembly must first be attached to the container and then the
cap and plunger must be separately attached to avoid
unintentionally loading the valve assembly during capping.
This two-step operation is expensive and has high product
rejection due to the problem of aligning the plunger with the
valve.

Thus, there is a need for an apparatus for automatically
capping a tamper-evident dispenser having an atomizer cap
which is operable in a single step while, at the same time,
avoids unintentionally loading the valve assembly during
capping.

The Tamper-Evident Atomizer Cap Assembly System is used
to automatically assemble tamper-evident atomizer caps to
their respective containers without loading the valve assembly
during the capping process.

Realizing the critical nature of the atomizer assembly, extreme
care had to be taken to avoid unintentionally loading the valve
assembly during the assembly process. To overcome the
potential for this to happen, we decided early on to avoid
handling the plunger portion of the atomizer cap assembly. We
directed our efforts towards using the "cap" portion of the
assembly (the portion that actually snaps onto the container
making the assembly tamper-evident if the cap portion were
ever removed.) Using the cap portion of the assembly negated
any potential for loading the valve assembly. Because of the
tolerance fit required to make the completed assembly
"tamper-evident", the pressure required to make a successful
assembly was critical. Too much pressure, and you destroyed
the components. Too little pressure, and the assembly could
not be made.

It is extremely difficult and time consuming to attach an
atomizer to a tamper-evident dispenser since the valve
assembly must first be attached to the container and then the
cap and plunger separately attached to avoid unintentionally
loading the valve assembly during capping. This two-step
operation is expensive and has high product rejection due to
the problem of aligning the plunger with the valve. The
Tamper-Evident Atomizer Cap Assembly System was
developed to automate this process, thereby reducing the
time, complexity, failure rate, and cost of non-automated
assembly methods. And since these components are
assembled is sterile atmospheres, it was difficult to maintain
sterility when human assembly methods were employed.

An application for U.S. Patent Protection was filed on January
29, 1998 with the United States Department of Commerce
Patent And Trademark Office, Assistant Secretary and
Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks.

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