U.S. patent application number 11/285711 was filed with the patent office on 2007-06-07 for adjustable spray nozzle.
Invention is credited to Babek Khamenian.
Application Number | 20070125879 11/285711 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38117753 |
Filed Date | 2007-06-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070125879 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Khamenian; Babek |
June 7, 2007 |
Adjustable spray nozzle
Abstract
An adjustable spray nozzle provides control over spray flow rate
and spray pattern. The adjustable nozzle fits common aerosol paint
cans and may replace a non-adjustable nozzle which is provided with
the aerosol paint can. The nozzle includes a nozzle body, a needle
valve for adjusting flow, and an adjustable orifice for adjusting
the spray pattern. The needle valve screws into the top of the
nozzle body and is aligned with a fluid passage extending
vertically through the nozzle body. The needle valve may be removed
to facilitate cleaning the nozzle, and the adjustable orifice snaps
into the nozzle body and may be rotated to select a vertical fan or
horizontal fan spray pattern.
Inventors: |
Khamenian; Babek; (Costa
Mesa, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
AVERILL & VARN
8244 PAINTER AVE.
WHITTIER
CA
90602
US
|
Family ID: |
38117753 |
Appl. No.: |
11/285711 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
239/337 ;
239/569; 239/583; 239/586 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B 15/652 20180201;
B05B 1/04 20130101; B65D 83/44 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
239/337 ;
239/569; 239/583; 239/586 |
International
Class: |
F23D 14/28 20060101
F23D014/28 |
Claims
1. An adjustable spray nozzle comprising: a nozzle body comprising:
a fluid passage; a coupling portion of the fluid passage, wherein
the coupling portion is adapted to receive fluid from a fluid
source; a valving portion of the fluid passage, wherein the valving
portion is aligned with the coupling portion; and an orifice in
fluid cooperation with the fluid passage, the orifice affecting a
spray of fluid from the nozzle body; and an adjuster adapted to
cooperate with the valving portion of the fluid passage to vary a
fluid flow through the fluid passage.
2. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1, wherein the coupling
portion is adapted to attach to an aerosol spray can stem.
3. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1, wherein the adjuster is
a needle valve.
4. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 3, wherein the needle valve
threadedly cooperates with the nozzle body to advance and to
retreat the needle valve with respect to the valving portion.
5. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 4, wherein the needle valve
includes a conical end which cooperates with the valving portion to
adjust the flow of fluid through the fluid passage.
6. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 5, wherein the needle valve
includes a valve groove above the conical end.
7. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 4, wherein the nozzle body
includes stops and the needle valve includes tabs, and wherein the
cooperation of the tabs and the stops provides an indication of a
full open position of the needle valve.
8. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1, wherein the valving
portion and the coupling portion are substantially coaxial.
9. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 8, wherein the adjuster is
removable to clean the fluid passage.
10. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1, further including an
orifice body, wherein the orifice resides in the orifice body, and
the orifice body is adjustable to adjust a plane of a spray
pattern.
11. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 10, wherein the orifice
body is adjustable to adjust a plane of a spray pattern between a
horizontal plane and a vertical plane.
12. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1, wherein the orifice is
a removable orifice having an orifice body.
13. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 12, wherein the orifice
body includes an orifice ring and the nozzle body includes a ring
groove, and wherein the orifice body is removably held in the
nozzle body by cooperation of the orifice ring and the ring
groove.
14. An adjustable aerosol can spray nozzle comprising: a nozzle
body comprising: a fluid passage; a coupling portion of the fluid
passage, wherein the coupling portion is adapted to attach to a
stem of an aerosol spray can; a valving portion of the fluid
passage, wherein the valving portion is vertically aligned with the
coupling portion; and an orifice in fluid cooperation with the
fluid passage, the orifice affecting a spray of fluid from the
nozzle body; and a needle valve adapted to cooperate with the
valving portion of the fluid passage to vary a fluid flow through
the fluid passage.
15. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 14, wherein the needle
valve threadedly cooperates with the nozzle body to advance to
retreat the needle valve with respect to the valving portion.
16. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 14, wherein the needle
valve is removable to clean the fluid passage.
17. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 14, wherein the nozzle
body includes at least one stop and the needle valve includes at
least one tab, and wherein the cooperation of the tab and the stop
provides an indication of a full open position of the needle
valve.
18. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 14, wherein the orifice
resides in an orifice body, and the orifice body is adjustable to
adjust a plane of a spray pattern.
19. An adjustable aerosol can spray nozzle comprising: a nozzle
body comprising: a fluid passage; a coupling portion of the fluid
passage, wherein the coupling portion is adapted to cooperate with
a stem of an aerosol spray can; a valving portion of the fluid
passage, wherein the valving portion is vertically aligned with the
coupling portion; and an orifice portion; a needle valve adapted to
cooperate with the valving portion of the fluid passage to vary a
fluid flow through the fluid passage; and an orifice body residing
in the orifice portion and including an orifice in fluid
communication with the fluid passage, wherein the orifice body is
adjustable to adjust a plane of a spray pattern.
20. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 18, wherein the orifice
body includes an orifice ring and the orifice portion includes a
ring groove, and wherein the orifice body is removably held in the
orifice portion by cooperation of the orifice ring and the ring
groove.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to spray nozzles and in
particular to an adjustable nozzle for aerosol spray cans.
[0002] Aerosol paint is commonly used for small painting tasks.
Various paint types and container sizes are used to meet a variety
of needs. The paint is generally contained in a pressurized can,
and a simple nozzle resides on a stem protruding from the top of
the can. The nozzles typically are removable to clean or replace if
necessary.
[0003] While aerosol paint cans provide ease of use, they are not
very versatile. In contrast, common air brushes allow adjustment of
a spray pattern, and thus allow for much more detailed or
controlled painting. Unfortunately, air brushes also have added
cost and require a separate compressed air source. As a result,
aerosol cans with nozzles are much more common than air brushes,
and adjustable nozzles have been developed for such aerosol cans to
overcome some of the deficiencies of non-adjustable nozzles.
[0004] Adjustable nozzles for use with common aerosol spray cans
are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,932 for "Valve Button With
Aspirator Passageway, " and U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,756 for
"Adjustable-Spray Mechanism." The adjustable nozzles described in
the '932 patent and the '756 patent include cylindrical adjusters
cooperating with valving portions of fluid passages, thereby
allowing adjustment of a fluid flow through the fluid passage. The
fluid passages are in fluid cooperation with the stem extending
from a spray car and include a vertical portion, and then a
horizontal portion including the valving portion. Unfortunately,
because the valving portion is not aligned with the vertical
portion, the valves are difficult to clean, and therefore clog
easily. The nozzles described in the '932 patent and the '756
patent further do not provide means to adjust a spray pattern from
the nozzles.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention addresses the above and other needs by
providing an adjustable spray nozzle which provides control over a
spray flow rate and a spray pattern. The adjustable nozzle fits
common aerosol paint cans and may replace a non-adjustable nozzle
which is provided with the aerosol paint can. The nozzle includes a
nozzle body, a needle valve for adjusting flow, and an adjustable
orifice for adjusting the spray pattern. The needle valve screws
into the top of a nozzle body and is aligned with a fluid passage
extending vertically through the nozzle body. The needle valve may
be removed to facilitate cleaning the nozzle, and the adjustable
orifice snaps into the nozzle body and may be rotated to select a
vertical fan or horizontal fan spray pattern.
[0006] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is
provided an adjustable aerosol can spray nozzle comprising a nozzle
body, a needle valve, and an orifice body. The nozzle body includes
a fluid passage having a coupling portion of the fluid passage, a
valving portion of the fluid passage and an orifice portion of the
fluid passage. The coupling portion is adapted to cooperate with a
stem of the aerosol spray can, and the valving portion is
vertically aligned with the coupling portion. The orifice body
resides in the orifice portion and includes an orifice in fluid
communication with the fluid passage. The orifice body is
adjustable to adjust a plane of a spray pattern. The needle valve
is adapted to cooperate with the valving portion of the fluid
passage to vary a fluid flow through the fluid passage.
[0007] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is
provided an adjustable aerosol can spray nozzle comprising a nozzle
body and a needle valve. The nozzle body comprises a fluid passage,
a coupling portion of the fluid passage, a valving portion of the
fluid passage, and an orifice in fluid cooperation with the fluid
passage and affecting a spray of fluid from the nozzle body. The
coupling portion is adapted to cooperate with a stem of the aerosol
spray can. The valving portion is vertically aligned with the
coupling portion and the needle valve is adapted to cooperate with
the valving portion of the fluid passage to vary a fluid flow
through the fluid passage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0008] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the
present invention will be more apparent from the following more
particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the
following drawings wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1A is a spray can and an adjustable nozzle according to
the present invention, the adjustable nozzle is detached from the
spray can.
[0010] FIG. 1B is the spray can with the adjustable nozzle attached
to the spray can.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a front view of the adjustable nozzle.
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the adjustable nozzle
taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.
[0013] FIG. 4 is a side view of an adjuster comprising a needle
valve according to the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 4A is a side view of an adjuster comprising a second
needle valve according to the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 5A is a front view of a first orifice body according to
the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 5B is a side view of the first orifice body according
to the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of the first orifice body
taken along line 6A-6A of FIG. 5A.
[0018] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the first orifice body
taken along line 6B-6B of FIG. 6A.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the adjustable nozzle
taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, with a second orifice body.
[0020] FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a top section of the
nozzle body taken along line 8A-8A of FIG. 7.
[0021] FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the adjuster taken
along line 8B-8B of FIG. 7.
[0022] FIG. 9 is a side view of the second orifice body according
to the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 10A is a spray pattern for the adjustable nozzle with a
mouth of the orifice body in a horizontal orientation.
[0024] FIG. 10B is a spray pattern for the adjustable nozzle with
the mouth of the orifice body in a vertical orientation.
[0025] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding
components throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] The following description is of the best mode presently
contemplated for carrying out the invention. This description is
not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the
purpose of describing one or more preferred embodiments of the
invention. The scope of the invention should be determined with
reference to the claims.
[0027] A spray can 12 and an adjustable nozzle 10 according to the
present invention is shown in FIG. 1A with the adjustable nozzle 10
detached from the spray can 12. A stem 14 extends vertically from
the spray can 12, which stem 14 provides a fluid flow to the
adjustable nozzle 10 when the stem 14 is depressed. The spray can
12 with the adjustable nozzle 10 attached to the spray can 12 is
shown in FIG. 1B. The adjustable nozzle 10 includes a nozzle body
16, an adjuster 18, and an orifice 20.
[0028] A front view of the adjustable nozzle 10 is shown in FIG. 2.
A cross-sectional view of the adjustable nozzle 10 taken along line
3-3 of FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 3. The adjustable nozzle 10 includes
a fluid passage 26 running vertically through the nozzle body 16
and then diagonally to the orifice 20. A coupling portion 22 of the
fluid passage 26 extends downward from the nozzle body 16. The
coupling portion 22 is adapted to mechanically cooperate with the
stem 14 to allow the stem 14 to be depressed by pressing downward
on the nozzle body 16, thereby causing fluid to be expelled through
the stem 14 into the fluid passage 26. Such stem 14 is common in
aerosol cans 12.
[0029] A valving portion 24 of the fluid passage 26 resides above
the coupling portion 22 and is in fluid communication with the
coupling portion 22. The adjuster 18 extends into the valving
portion 24, and cooperates with the valving portion to vary a fluid
flow through the fluid passage 26. The valving portion 24 is
substantially coaxial with the coupling portion 22, thereby
allowing easy cleaning of the fluid passage 26 when the adjuster 18
is removed from the nozzle body 16.
[0030] An orifice body 20a resides in an orifice portion 21 of the
fluid passage 26, and the orifice body 20a includes the orifice 20.
The orifice portion 21 is preferably inclined approximately 7.5
degrees from the horizontal, upwards away from the fluid passage
26.
[0031] A side view of a preferred adjuster 18 comprising a needle
valve is shown in FIG. 4. The adjuster 18 includes a knob 28,
adjuster threads 30, and a valving portion 24. The knob 28 allows
easy adjustment of the adjuster 18. The adjuster threads 30
threadedly cooperate with nozzle body 16 whereby the adjuster 18
may be advanced into the valving portion 24 or retreated from the
valving portion 24 by turning the knob 28. The adjuster threads 30
preferably comprise 1/4 by 28 threads. The adjuster tip 32
cooperates with the valving portion 24 to control a flow through
the nozzle 10, and is preferably conical defining an approximately
thirty (total) degree cone. The valving portion 24 preferably
approximately matches the shape of the tip 32. An adjuster groove
31 separates the valving portion 24 from the adjuster threads
30.
[0032] A second needle valve 18a is shown in FIG. 4A. The needle
valve 18a includes a seal 33 which cooperates with the valving
portion 24 to block a flow of fluid.
[0033] A front view of a first orifice body 20a according to the
present invention is shown in FIG. 5A, and a side view of the first
orifice body 20a is shown in FIG. 5B. The first orifice body 20a is
substantially cylindrical and is retained in the orifice passage 21
by a snap fit or a friction fit. The orifice body 20a includes a
mouth 34 on an exposed end of the orifice 20. The mouth 34 has a
height H when in a horizontal position, which height H is
preferably approximately 0.03 inches.
[0034] A cross-sectional view of the first orifice body 20a taken
along line 6A-6A of FIG. 5A is shown in FIG. 6A, and a
cross-sectional view of the first orifice body 20a taken along line
6B-6B of FIG. 6A is shown in FIG. 6B. The mouth 34 has a width W
when in a horizontal position, which width W is preferable
approximately 0.09 inches.
[0035] A second cross-sectional view of a second adjustable nozzle
1Ob taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, is shown in FIG. 7, including a
second nozzle body 16b, a second adjuster 18b, and a second orifice
body 20b. The nozzle body 16b includes stops 36 on the top thereof.
A second knob 28b includes tabs 38 on the bottom thereof. The
nozzle body 16b includes a ring groove 40 in the orifice portion
(see 21 in FIG. 3) which cooperates with an orifice ring 42 on the
orifice body 20b (see FIG. 9) to retain the orifice body 20b in the
nozzle body 16b.
[0036] A cross-sectional view of the nozzle body 16b taken along
line 8A-8A of FIG. 7 is shown in FIG. 8A, and a cross-sectional
view of the adjuster 28b taken along line 8B-8B of FIG. 7 is shown
in FIG. 8B. The stops 36 of the nozzle body 16b and the tabs 38 of
the knob 28b cooperate to provide an indication of a full open
position of the adjuster 16b.
[0037] A side view of a second orifice body 20b according to the
present invention is shown in FIG. 9. The orifice body 20b includes
the orifice ring 42 for cooperation with the orifice groove 40 (see
FIG. 7), and includes a ribbed outer ring 43 for easy adjustment of
the orifice body 20b.
[0038] A horizontal spray pattern 44a for the adjustable nozzle 10
with the mouth 34 of the orifice body 20a or 20b in a horizontal
orientation is shown in FIG.10A, and a vertical spray pattern 44b
for the adjustable nozzle 10 with the mouth 34 of the orifice body
20a or 20b in a vertical orientation is shown in FIG. 10B.
[0039] While the invention herein disclosed has been described by
means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous
modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled
in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set
forth in the claims.
* * * * *