# How the First Aerosol Spray Can Works

> A 1941 invention by Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan that created the modern aerosol spray can by using a liquefied gas to propel liquid contents.

- **Patent:** US 2331117
- **Original title:** Dispensing apparatus
- **Owner:** CLAUDE R WICKARD
- **Granted:** 1943
- **Status:** Public domain (expired)
- **Times cited:** 20
- **Field:** consumer_electronics, mechanical, materials

## What it does

The patent describes a pressurized container that uses a liquefied gas propellant to force a liquid product out through a nozzle. When the valve is opened, the difference in pressure between the inside of the can and the outside causes the liquid and propellant mixture to rush out. As the propellant evaporates, it breaks the liquid into a fine mist or aerosol. This mechanism allowed for the portable, self-contained spraying of insecticides, which was the original intended use during World War II.

## What it does NOT cover

- Does not cover non-pressurized pump-action spray bottles.
- Does not cover systems that use mechanical air pumps instead of liquefied gas propellants.
- Does not cover the chemical composition of the liquid being sprayed.

## The clever bit

The inventors realized that by using a propellant that is liquid under pressure but turns to gas upon release, they could maintain a constant pressure inside the can until the very last drop was used.

## Real-world examples

1. Hairspray cans
2. Aerosol whipped cream
3. Spray paint cans
4. Air freshener sprays
5. Insecticide spray cans

## Why it matters

This invention fundamentally changed how we apply everything from hairspray and deodorant to spray paint and cooking oil. It enabled the mass-market convenience of the aerosol industry, which became a staple of 20th-century consumer goods.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does How the First Aerosol Spray Can Works cover?

A 1941 invention by Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan that created the modern aerosol spray can by using a liquefied gas to propel liquid contents.

### Who owns patent US 2331117?

CLAUDE R WICKARD owns this patent, granted in 1943.

### When does this patent expire?

This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.

### What is patent US 2331117 cited by?

This patent has been cited by 20 later patents that build on its ideas.

### What problem does this patent solve?

This invention fundamentally changed how we apply everything from hairspray and deodorant to spray paint and cooking oil. It enabled the mass-market convenience of the aerosol industry, which became a staple of 20th-century consumer goods.

### What does this patent NOT cover?

Does not cover non-pressurized pump-action spray bottles.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2331117/aerosol-spray-can-goodhue

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US2331117

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._


## Related patents

Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus:

- [How a Spring-Loaded Pocket Dispenser Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2620061/pez-dispenser) — A 1949 mechanical design for a pocket-sized container that uses a spring to push items like pills or candies to the top for easy access.
- [How the Crown Cork Bottle Cap Changed Soda and Beer](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/468226/bottle-cap-crown-cork-painter) — William Painter's 1892 invention of the crown cork bottle cap, a simple metal disc with a crimped edge that provided an airtight, disposable seal for carbonated beverages.
- [How a Simple Felt-Tip Marker Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2713176/magic-marker-permanent-marker-rosenthal) — A 1953 design for a handheld marking tool that uses a porous tip to deliver ink from an internal reservoir.
- [How Piezoelectric Inkjet Printing Works](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3946398/drop-on-demand-inkjet) — A 1970 patent describing how to print images by using electrical pulses to bend a tiny crystal plate, squeezing individual ink drops out of a nozzle on demand.
- [Robert Goddard's Early Design for Liquid-Fueled Rocket Engines](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1102653/liquid-fuel-rocket-goddard) — A foundational 1914 patent by Robert Goddard detailing the basic mechanical structure of a rocket engine using liquid fuel.