Spray nozzle

Abstract

Adjustable spray nozzles especially useful for spray guns dispensing cleaning solvents for the removal of spots and stains from fabrics are provided with rotatable heads indexed around a hollow shaft to control the spray issuing from the nozzle. The nozzle assembly is easily attachable to a spray gun and a setting ring, rotatable about the hollow shaft, is lockable in different angular positions so that the nozzle head may be quickly adjusted to the selected angular position of the setting ring to control the intensity of the spray jet.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the art of spray nozzles for atomizing liquids having two axially adjustable parts to control the intensity of the spray jet. Specifically, the spray nozzle has a hollow shaft or tube attached to a spray gun with a sleeve nozzle threaded thereon and rotatable within limits set by an adjustable setting ring to vary a gap between the nozzle discharge orifice and the end of the shaft to thereby control the intensity of the spray jet issuing from the orifice. The assembly is especially useful with solvents for removing spots and stains from fabrics.

2. Prior Art

Spray guns for spraying solvents on soiled areas of textiles to be cleaned have heretofore required adjustable hand levers and rotatable nozzle heads which are manually manipulated to gradually alter the intensity of the spray jet for obtaining a desired type of jet. This gradual variation or adjustment of the jet is time consuming and is not rapid enough to avoid possible damage to delicate fabrics in spot cleaning operations such as might occur when a high intensity jet is slowly decreased to a non-damaging jet stream. In addition, experimentation is needed to arrive at a jet of the proper intensity for the particular fabric being cleaned and a corresponding loss of cleaning solvent is experienced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides adjustable spray nozzles especially suitable for spraying cleaning solvent on textiles and fabrics to be cleaned wherein the intensity of the jet is quickly and accurately changed to suit the particular fabric being treated. The change from one level of spray intensity to the desired level is effected by rotation of a spray head to different preselected stop points.

The spray nozzles of this invention include a hollow shaft attachable to a spray gun and having a sleeve-like nozzle head rotatably threaded thereon. A stop ring fixed on the shaft has a setting ring rotatable therearound and locked in preselected angular positions relative to the stop ring. The nozzle head is then rotatable to the adjusted angular position of the setting ring and the pitch of the thread connecting the hollow shaft and nozzle head will vary the spacing of the end of the hollow shaft from the nozzle orifice, to thereby vary the intensity of the jet. The setting ring is axially shiftable on the hollow shaft to release it for rotation relative to the stop ring and thereby shift a cam finger to a new position for acting as a stop to limit the rotation of the spray head.

It is then an object of this invention to provide an adjustable nozzle for varying the intensity of a spray jet from one level to another level without time consuming gradual adjustments.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable spray nozzle for spray guns of the type used for spraying cleaning solvents into stained or spotted areas of fabrics which will quickly change the spray intensity to preselected levels so that the fabric being cleaned will not be damaged by the spray jet.

Another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable spray nozzle with a hollow shaft feeding liquid to be sprayed to a nozzle head threaded on the shaft and rotatable against a stop that is angularly adjustable to control the spray intensity.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rotatable and axially shiftable setting ring on a spray tube for selectively positioning a stop member to limit rotation of a spray head at preselected angular displacement positions to rapidly change the intensity of the spray jets from one level to the next desired level.

A further object of this invention is to provide an adjustable spray nozzle assembly easily attachable to spray guns with an axially shiftable and rotatable setting sleeve selectively positioning a stop member to limit rotation of a spray head at preselected angular positions for quickly changing the spray jet.

Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheets of drawings which, by way of a preferred example, illustrate one embodiment of the invention.

AS SHOWN ON THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a spray gun for spraying cleaning solvents into fabrics to be cleaned and having an adjustable spray nozzle according to this invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the adjustable spray nozzle of this invention; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross sectional view taken generally along the line III--III of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The spray gun 1 of FIG. 1 has a handle 2 carrying a finger operated switch button 3 controlling current flow from an electric conduit 4 to a motor driven piston pump (not shown) in a housing head 5 which suspends a removable supply container or jar 6 which can be filled with solvents to be discharged through the adjustable nozzle assembly 7 of this invention which is removably mounted on the front end of the housing head 5 by means of a cap screw 8. The motor driven pump in the head 5 may be a piston pump which will suck out the contents of the container 6 and propel the same through the outlet orifice of the adjustable nozzle assembly 7.

The nozzle assembly 7, as best shown in FIG. 2, includes a rigid hollow tube or shaft 11 anchored in the housing head by the cap screw 8 and projecting therefrom to feed the solvent from the container 6 through the longitudinal bore 12 thereof to radial outlet openings 13 at the closed outer end of the shaft. These openings discharge into spiral passages or channels 14.

The shaft 11 has an enlarged diameter band area 15 with external threads 16. A sleeve-like nozzle head 17 envelops the end of the shaft 11 and has internal threads 18 threaded on the external threads 17 of the shaft. An orifice 19 in the end of the head 17 overlies the end of the shaft and receives liquid from the spiral channels 14 to discharge a spray jet from the nozzle. A seal sleeve 20 between the shaft and nozzle head 17 has a conical groove 20a in the end face thereof which is effective to spread the seal under the pressure of the fluid in the channels 14 so that the fluid cannot leak out of the spray head 17.

A button member 21 is seated around the spray head 17 and locked thereon by a set screw 22 threaded therethrough and having the pointed end seated in a recess in the head 17.

An impact ring 23 disposed around the shaft 11 has an internal axial slot 24 receiving a key 25 to secure the ring 23 against rotation on the shaft. A finger 26 projects radially from the ring 23 as shown in FIG. 3 to provide a stop member as more fully hereinafter described.

The top end face of the impact ring 23 as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, has three circumferentially spaced holes or recesses 27 therein and a setting ring 28 rotatable and axially shiftable on the shaft 11 overlies the impact ring 23 and has one or more pins 29 depending therefrom for selective seating in the recesses 27.

An axially extended cam finger 30 on the setting ring 28 projects into a semiannular groove 31 in the top face of the button 21 and, as shown in FIG. 3, is abutted by the stop member portion 26 of the impact ring 23. As shown, the groove 30 extends about 90.degree. around the periphery of the button 21. It will be seen in FIG. 3 that this stop member 26 limits the rotation of the setting ring 28 to about one full rotation relative to the nonrotatable impact ring 23 because even when the cam finger 30 is lifted out of the semiannular groove 31, the stop member 26 will limit the rotation of the setting ring against the opposite edges of the finger 30, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The setting ring 28 is axially slidable on the shaft 11 to permit a release of the pin 29 from a recess and a rotation of the ring relative to the ring 23 and for this purpose, a spacing sleeve 32 overlies the ring 28 and is pressed thereagainst by a helical spring 33. The sleeve 32 is keyed to the shaft 11 by a key 34. The spring 33 is bottomed on the cap screw 8. Cooperating markings 35 and 35' are provided on the setting ring 28 and on the spacing sleeve 32 to indicate circumferential displacement of the setting ring and thus indicate the jet intensity setting for the nozzle.

In order to preselect and adjust the spray jet issuing from the orifice 19 of the nozzle head 17, the setting ring 28 and the spacing ring 32 are manually depressed against the bias of the spring 33 to lift a pin 29 out of its recess 27, whereupon the setting ring is rotated to positions determined by the markings which, for example, can be marked, "soft," "medium," or "hard," for indicating spray intensity and then releasing the setting ring so that the pin 29 will drop into the selected recess 27. Then, the button 21 is rotated to rotate the spray head 17 therewith to vary the distance between the end of the spray head and the end of the shaft, thereby varying the gap of the spiral passages 14 to the nozzle orifice 19. The groove 31, which extends about 90.degree. in the illustrated embodiment, will limit the permissible rotation of the button to the angular displacement permitted by the distance between an end of the groove and the position of the finger 31 in the groove determined by the setting ring.

From the foregoing descriptions it will thus be understood that this invention provides for the quick changing of the setting of a spray nozzle so that it will deliver a spray of the desired character without experimentation.

Claims

I claim as my invention:

1. An adjustable spray nozzle assembly which comprises a hollow shaft, a cap sleeve rotatably mounted on one end of the shaft for attaching the shaft to a spray gun, a spray nozzle sleeve threaded on the opposite end of a shaft having an outlet orifice receiving fluid from the hollow interior of the shaft, a stop member secured on said shaft overlying the nozzle sleeve, a setting ring rotatable and axially shiftable on said shaft, a spacing sleeve slidable on said shaft and keyed against rotation relative to the shaft between the cap sleeve and setting ring, a spring urging the spacing sleeve and setting ring against said stop member, said setting ring being retractable away from said stop member, means locking the setting ring to said stop member in selected angular positions, and means on the setting ring stopping rotation of the nozzle sleeve on the shaft to the selected angular position of the setting ring, whereby the setting ring is quickly shifted to its desired setting and the nozzle sleeve is rotatable on the shaft to said setting for varying the gap between the orifice and the shaft, thereby controlling the intensity of the jet issuing from the orifice.

2. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1 including a regulating button secured on the nozzle sleeve having a groove receiving a projection of the setting ring to determine the permissible angular displacement of the nozzle sleeve.

3. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1 wherein the means locking the setting ring and the stop ring are pin means extending from one of the members and recesses in the other member receiving the pin means.

4. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1 wherein the stop ring has a projecting stop member limiting permissible rotation of the nozzle sleeve to about one revolution.

5. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1 wherein the hollow shaft has a closed outer end and radial ports are provided in the closed end to discharge fluid to the nozzle sleeve.

6. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 1 including markings on the setting ring and on the spacing sleeve indicating the type of spray to be produced when the markings are aligned.

7. An adjustable spray nozzle for quickly varying the intensity of a spray jet issuing therefrom which comprises a hollow shaft attachable at one end to a spray gun or the like, closed at the opposite end, and having a radial port at the closed end, a nozzle head having an orifice portion overlying the closed end of the shaft and a sleeve portion threaded on the shaft to vary the gap between the closed end of the shaft and the orifice portion and thereby vary the intensity of a spray jet issuing from the orifice, a setting ring rotatable on the shaft limiting the rotation of the nozzle on the shaft to angular displacement controlled by the setting ring, and non-rotatable means on the shaft selectively engageable with the setting ring to lock the setting ring in predetermined angular positions on the shaft.

8. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 7 wherein the setting ring has a finger projecting axially therefrom, the nozzle head has a button secured therearound with an annular groove receiving the finger and the setting ring shifts the position of the finger in the groove to limit the rotation of the button and nozzle head on the shaft.

9. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 8 wherein said groove extends over an angle of about 90.degree..

10. The adjustable spray nozzle of claim 7 including a seal between the nozzle head and the hollow shaft.

11. The spray nozzle of claim 7 wherein the stop member is keyed against rotation but is axially shiftable on the hollow shaft.