Manually Operated Sprayer

Abstract

A hand operated sprayer adapted to be threaded on a bottle, or other liquid container. A trigger-like handle actuates a piston which pumps liquid from the container and discharges it through a nozzle, reversed flow being prevented by inlet and outlet checks in inlet and outlet passages respectively leading from the container to the cylinder and from the cylinder to the nozzle.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a manually operated sprayer and, more particularly, to a sprayer capable of being mounted on a bottle, or other liquid container, and having a trigger-like handle which is oscillated manually to reciprocate a piston for pumping liquid from the container to a discharge nozzle.

Still more particularly, the invention relates to a manually operated sprayer of the type which includes: a housing; connector means carried by the housing and engageable with a liquid container for connecting the housing to the container; a cylinder in the housing; an inlet passage in the housing between the connector means and the cylinder; discharge nozzle means carried by the housing; an outlet passage in the housing between the cylinder and the nozzle means; a piston reciprocable in the cylinder; inlet check means controlling flow through the inlet passage to the cylinder; outlet check means controlling flow from the cylinder through the outlet passage; and a manually operable, trigger-like handle pivotally mounted on the housing and connected to the piston.

A trigger operated sprayer of the foregoing general character is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,061,202, issued Oct. 30, 1962 to Tracy B. Tyler.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION

A general object of the invention is to provide a manually operated sprayer of the foregoing type which incorporates various improvements making it more effective and easier to manufacture.

More particularly, an object of the invention is to provide a sprayer wherein the inlet and outlet check means comprise a single assembly disposed in the cylinder between its inner end and the piston.

Another specific object is to provide a sprayer wherein the cylinder, the inlet passage and the outlet passage comprise a single one-piece assembly secured in place in the housing with the inlet passage in communication with the connector means and with the outlet passage in communication with the discharge nozzle.

An important object of the invention is to provide a vent passage in the housing between the connector means and the exterior of the housing, a closure for the vent passage, and means on the handle for maintaining the closure in engagement with the vent passage. A related object is to provide means engageable by the piston for simultaneously preventing leakage through the nozzle. With this construction, by taping, or otherwise securing, the handle in a retracted position, leakage during shipment, or the like, is prevented, which is an important feature.

The foregoing objects, advantages, features and results of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages, features and results which will be evident to those skilled in the hand operated sprayer art in the light of this disclosure, may be achieved with the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the manually operated sprayer of the invention; FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views respectively taken along the arrowed lines 2--2, 3--3 and 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 6--6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowed line 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are enlarged, fragmentary sectional views respectively taken as indicated by the arrowed lines 8--8 and 9--9 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the irregular arrowed line 10--10 of FIG. 9 of the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT OF INVENTION

The manually operated sprayer of the invention is designated generally by the numeral 20 and includes a housing 22 having a pistol-like grip 24. The housing 22 is molded in two halves 26, FIG. 2, secured together by ultrasonically welded studs 28, or otherwise.

A connector means 30 on the housing 22 is engageable with a liquid container, not shown, to connect the housing 22 to the container. In the particular construction illustrated, the connector means 30 is a molded screw cap 32 threadedly engageable with the neck of a bottle, or the like, not shown. The screw cap 32 is secured to the housing 22 in a manner to be described.

In the housing 22 is a molded one-piece assembly 34 comprising an inlet passage 36, a cylinder 38 and an outlet passage 40. The inlet passage 36 extends from the screw cap 32 to the cylinder 38, while the outlet passage 40 extends from the cylinder to a discharge nozzle or nozzle means 42. The inlet passage 36 is provided with an inlet end 44 to receive a dip tube 46 adapted to extend downwardly to the bottom of the liquid container on which the sprayer 20 is mounted.

The one-piece assembly 34 is provided adjacent the inlet end of the inlet passage 36 with a frusto-conical end 48 ultrasonically welded into a complementary opening 52 in the top of the screw cap 32. This secures the screw cap to the housing 22. The dip tube 46 is secured to a fitting 50 ultrasonically welded to the part 48 and the cap 32.

Considering the manner in which the one-piece assembly 34 is secured within the housing 22, the housing halves 26 are provided with integral molded pins 54 pressed into integral molded sockets 56 in the assembly 34. Two of these pins 54 and sockets 56 are shown in detail in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

The cylinder 38 has the general configuration of an inverted cup and reciprocable in the lower or outer end of the cylinder is a piston 58 having two laterally spaced, depending arms 60 interconnected by a saddle 62 at their lower ends. The piston 58 is biased toward the outer end of the cylinder 38 by a torsion spring 66 carried by aligned bosses 68 on the housing halves 26 around one of the rivets 28. One end of the spring 66 is seated against the saddle 62, while the other end is seated against a projection 70 on the housing 22.

A trigger-like handle 72 is pivotally mounted on the housing 22 and 74, the handle 72 being oscillated about the axis of the pivot 74 by the fingers of a hand holding the pistol-like grip 24. The handle 72 is provided with an integral molded finger 76 engageable with the opposite side of the saddle 62 from the spring 66. As will be apparent, alternately squeezing and releasing the handle 72 will result in reciprocatory movement of the piston 58 in the cylinder 38.

The one-piece molded assembly 34 also provides a vent passage 78 having a portion 80 which extends through the frusto-conical end 48 into communication with the interior of the screw cap 32. The vent passage 78 includes another portion 82 which extends to the exterior of the housing 22 adjacent the broken line position of the handle 72, which is the position nearest the grip 24. The vent passage 78 is adapted to be closed by a plug-like closure 84 inserted thereinto. The closure 84 is adapted to be retained in the vent passage 78 by the handle 72 when it is in its position nearest the grip 24. More particularly, the handle 72 is provided with an integral projection 86 adapted to be seated in a socket 88 in the outer end of the closure 84.

The handle 72 may be secured in its position closest to the grip 24, to retain the closure 84 in the vent passage 78, by taping, tying, or otherwise securing the handle to the grip. Thus, during handling, shipment, or the like, prior to use of the sprayer 20, leakage through the vent passage 78 is prevented, which is an important feature of the invention. At the same time, the piston 58 seats against an annulus 107 on the valve body 92 to be described, thus preventing leakage through the outlet passage 40.

Secured within the inner end of the cylinder 38, as by cementing, is an inlet and outlet check valve assembly 90 comprising a one-piece molded valve body 92. As best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the valve body 92 is provided therein with an inlet passage 94 which communicates at one end with the inlet passage 36 and at its other end with the cylinder 38 above the piston 58. Intermediate the ends of this inlet passage 94 is a seat 96 for an inlet check or check means comprising a ball valve 98. The seat 96 is inclined with respect to the horizontal and vertical in such a direction that it faces generally upwardly. Consequently, when the sprayer 20 is used in its normal, upright position, gravity tends to seat the ball valve 98 during the upward or discharge stroke of the piston 58.

On the upper side of the valve body 92 is an integral cylindrical extension 100 which is coaxial with the valve body. In the extension 100 is an external circumferential groove 102 containing an O-ring 104. Extending through the valve body 92 from the lower side thereof into communication with one side of the groove 102 is a bore 106 the axis of which is parallel to, but laterally offset from, the axis of the valve body 92 and the cylindrical extension 100. Thus, as best shown in FIG. 5, the bore 106 connects the cylinder 38 above the piston 58 to the groove 102 radially inwardly of the O-ring 104. As will be apparent, during the upward or discharge stroke of the piston 58, liquid escapes past the O-ring 104, the ball valve 98 being seated under such conditions. During the downward or intake stroke of the piston 58, the ball valve 98 is unseated, and the O-ring 104 is seated in its groove 102. Thus, the O-ring 104 acts as an outlet check or check valve.

Making the inlet and outlet checks or check means as parts of the single valve assembly 90 inserted into the cylinder 38 considerably simplifies manufacturing and assembly. The same is true of making the inlet passage 36, the cylinder 38, the outlet passage 40 and the vent passage 78 as parts of a single one-piece assembly.

Turning now to a consideration of the discharge nozzle 42q it includes an inner nozzle member 108 suitably secured in an enlarged outlet end of the outlet passage 40. The inner nozzle member 108 is generally cup shaped and the open end of the cup faces upstream. The nozzle member 108 terminates at its downstream end in an end wall 110. Threaded on the enlarged outlet end of the outlet passage 40 is an outer nozzle member 112 sealed relative to the inner nozzle member 108 by an O-ring 114 therebetween. The inner and outer nozzle members 108 and 112 provide therebetween an annular nozzle chamber 116 and the outer nozzle member terminates in an end wall 118 adjacent the end wall 110. By rotating the outer nozzle member 112 in one direction or the other, the spacing between the end walls 118 and 110 may be varied to vary the type of discharge, ranging from a fine spray to a jet, as will be described hereinafter.

Liquid pumped by the piston 58 enters the nozzle chamber 116 through diametrically opposed ports 120. The outer side of the end wall 110 of the inner nozzle 108 has a central recess 122 and diametrically opposite tangential grooves 124 connecting such central recess to the nozzle chamber 116 radially outwardly of the central recess. The end wall 118 of the outer nozzle member 112 is provided with a central discharge aperture 126 coaxial with the central recess 122.

Considering the operation of the discharge nozzle 42, FIG. 10 of the drawings shows the outer nozzle member 112 in a position to produce a jet of liquid through the discharge aperture 126. In other words, the end wall 118 is spaced sufficiently far from the end wall 110 that liquid entering the nozzle chamber 116 flows directly to the discharge point 126, and emanates therefrom as a jet.

If the outer nozzle member 112 is rotated to move the end wall 118 into engagement with the end wall 110 of the inner nozzle member 108, the liquid entering the nozzle chamber 116 can reach the discharge aperture 126 only by way of the tangential grooves or passages 124 and the central recess 122, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 9. Under such conditions, the discharge of the nozzle 42 is a very fine mist. Patterns in between such a mist and a jet can be achieved by utilizing intermediate spacings between the end wall 118 and the end wall 110.

Although an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been disclosed for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims appearing hereinafter.

Claims

We claim as our invention:

1. In a manually operated sprayer, the combination of:

a. a housing;

b. connector means carried by said housing and engageable with a liquid container for connecting said housing to the container;

c. a cylinder in said housing;

d. an inlet passage in said housing between said connector means and said cylinder;

e. discharge nozzle means;

f. an outlet passage in said housing between said cylinder and said nozzle means;

g. a piston reciprocable in said cylinder;

h. inlet check means controlling flow through said inlet passage to said cylinder;

i. outlet check means controlling flow from said cylinder through said outlet passage;

j. a manually operable handle pivotally mounted on said housing and connected to said piston; and

k. said inlet and outlet check means being disposed in said cylinder between an inner end of said cylinder and said piston.

2. A sprayer as defined in claim 1 wherein said inlet and outlet check means comprise a valve body having a cylindrical portion provided with an external circumferential groove, said body being provided with a bore the axis of which is parallel to and laterally offset from the axis of said cylindrical portion, one end of said bore communicating with said cylinder adjacent said piston and the other end of said bore communicating with said groove, and said outlet check means including an O-ring in said groove.

3. A sprayer according to claim 1 wherein said inlet and outlet check means comprise a valve body having a valve seat communicating with said inlet passage, said valve seat being inclined at an angle to the horizontal and vertical when the sprayer is upright, and said inlet check means comprising a ball engageable with said seat by the action of gravity.

4. In a manually operated sprayer, the combination of:

a. a housing;

b. connector means carried by said housing and engageable with a liquid container for connecting said housing to the container;

c. a cylinder in said housing;

d. an inlet passage in said housing between said connector means and said cylinder;

e. discharge nozzle means;

f. an outlet passage in said housing between said cylinder and said nozzle means;

g. a piston reciprocable in said cylinder;

h. inlet check means controlling flow through said inlet passage to said cylinder;

i. outlet check means controlling flow from said cylinder through said outlet passage;

j. a manually operable handle pivotally mounted on said housing and connected to said piston;

k. said cylinder, said inlet passage and said outlet passage comprising a one-piece assembly;

l. said inlet and outlet check means being carried by said one-piece assembly within said cylinder; and

m. means for securing said assembly in place in said housing.

5. In a manually operated sprayer, the combination of:

a. a housing;

b. connector means carried by said housing and engageable with a liquid container for connecting said housing to the container;

c. a cylinder in said housing;

d. an inlet passage in said housing between said connector means and said cylinder;

e. discharge nozzle means;

f. an outlet passage in said housing between said cylinder and said nozzle means;

g. a piston reciprocable in said cylinder;

h. inlet check means controlling flow through said inlet passage to said cylinder;

i. outlet check means controlling flow from said cylinder through said outlet passage;

j. a manually operable handle pivotally mounted on said housing and connected to said piston;

k. a vent passage in said housing between said connector means and the exterior of said housing;

l. a closure for said vent passage; and

m. means on said handle for maintaining said closure in engagement with said vent passage.