A hand-held battery power sprayer is formed of a body having a spray nozzle, a trigger, and an internally threaded attachment collar having a passageway therethrough. The attachment collar removably receives a container. As battery powered pump is positioned within the body, the pump having an inlet and an outlet, the outlet being connected by a discharge tube to the spray nozzle and the inlet connected by a suction tube extending through the inlet collar passageway into the interior of a liquid-holding container when the container affixed to the attachment collar. A battery is contained within the body. A switch within the body is actuated by this trigger. Circuitry connects the battery, switch, and pump in series. A passive check valve member normally closes the passageway preventing fluid flow from the container into the body and is displaceable to permit air flow into the container.
For this reason, many liquids are sold in containers that have an attached hand operated sprayer. That is, having the type of sprayer that has a trigger or lever which, when manually activated, causes liquid to be atomized or dispensed in small droplets. These manually-activated sprayers require the user to sequentially squeeze a lever or a trigger. To maintain a uniform spray pattern, a user must operate the lever or trigger rapidly while at the same time moving the container if a large area is to be covered.
Many liquids are sold in bottles with a removable cap so that a sprayer can be attached to the container with the idea that the hand-held sprayer can be repeatedly used for different containers.
The typical hand-operated sprayer employed on the market today works satisfactorily if only a relatively small quantity is to be dispensed. However, if the user wishes to spray larger areas, the use of a hand-operated sprayer can become burdensome. For this reason, it has been suggested that hand-held sprayers can be supplied with electric power. A preferred method of supplying electric power is by use of a battery. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,502,766 that issued on Jan. 7, 2003, and entitled, "Liquid Sprayers" illustrates a hand-held sprayer that is attached to a container in an arrangement wherein the sprayer is powered by self-contained batteries. This patent is an example of the type of apparatus to which this application pertains.
For additional background information relating to hand-held sprayers reference may be had to the following previously-issued United States patents:
| | U.S. | | |
| Pat. No. | Inventor(s) | Title |
|
| 3,173,584 | Giavasis | Portable Motor Driven Dispensing |
| | | Devices |
| 3,993,250 | Shure | Apparatus For Spraying Liquid Materials |
| 4,222,525 | Hildebrandt | Arrangement For Spraying Liquid From |
| | | A Bottle |
| 5,150,841 | Silvenis, et al. | Liquid Spray Dispenser |
| 5,397,034 | Wunsch | Finely Atomizing Device For Fluids |
| 5,716,007 | Nottingham, et al. | Battery Operated Fluid Dispenser |
| 6,502,766 | Streutker, et al. | Liquid Sprayers |
|
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention herein is a hand-held power sprayer including a body having a spray nozzle, a trigger and an internally-threaded attachment collar that has a passageway therethrough. The attachment collar is adapted to threadably attach to a liquid container. A motor-powered pump is contained within the body and has a pump inlet and pump outlet. The pump outlet is connected by a discharge tube to the spray nozzle and the inlet is connected by a suction tube extending through the passageway in the threaded attachment and into the interior of a liquid-holding container when affixed to the attachment collar.
While the motor-powered pump can be powered by an electrical cord extending from the body a much preferred power source is a battery positioned within the sprayer body.
A switch is affixed to the body and arranged to be actuated between open and close positions. Circuitry within the body connects the battery, switch and pump motor in series so that when the switch is depressed, then pump motor is energized.
A unique feature of the invention herein is a passive check valve normally closing the attachment collar passageway for preventing inadvertent fluid flow (spillage) from a container that is attached to the body. The passive check valve normally closes the passageway but is displaceable to permit airflow from the body through the passageway into the container to equalize pressure within the container as liquid is discharged from it.
A better understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the claims, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a hand-held battery powered sprayer of this invention. The sprayer is shown affixed to the top of a liquid container shown in dotted outline.
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the opposite side view of the hand-held sprayer shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view taken along the line 3—3 FIG. 1 showing the hand-held sprayer without the container attached.
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view taken along the line 4—4 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional elevational view of the hand-held sprayer as taken along the line 5—5 of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 shows the details of the internal arrangement of the hand-held sprayer.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 6—6 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged horizontal cross-sectional view taken along the line 7—7 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the elements of the invention making up the attachment collar and the passive check valve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
It is understood that this invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts and components illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments. Further, the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for purposes of description and not of limitation.
Elements employed in illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention are identified by numbers indicated herein below:
|
| 10 | hand held sprayer |
| 12 | container |
| 14 | body |
| 16 | top |
| 18 | rearward surface |
| 20 | forward surface |
| 22 | trigger |
| 24 | bottom end |
| 26 | attachment collar |
| 30 | rearward projection portion |
| 32 | forward end |
| 34 | spray nozzle |
| 36 | suction tube |
| 38 | pump |
| 40 | discharge tube |
| 42 | inlet tube |
| 44 | outlet opening |
| 46 | circuitry |
| 48 | switch |
| 50 | battery |
| 52 | passive check valve system |
| 54 | retainer disc |
| 56 | upper ledges |
| 58 | lower ledges |
| 60 | central opening |
| 62 | central opening |
| 64 | tubular coupling member |
| 66 | flange |
| 68 | circumferential groove |
| 70 | keeper |
| 72 | internal threads |
| 74 | externally threaded neck of container 12 |
| 76 | gasket |
| 78 | top circumferential edge |
| 80 | top portion |
| 82 | small openings |
| 84 | radial grooves |
| 86 | circumferential groove |
| 88 | check valve member |
| 90 | central opening |
| 92 | circumferential sealing edge |
| 94 | interior planar surface |
| 98 | lower end portion |
|
Referring to the drawings and first to FIGS. 1,
2,
3 and
4, a typical external appearance of a hand-held battery powered sprayer that can be used for practicing the principles of this invention is illustrated. The hand-held sprayer is generally indicated by the numeral
10 and, in FIG. 1 is shown in solid outline and attached to a typical container
12 shown in dotted outline. The hand-held sprayer
10 includes a body
14 that may typically be formed of plastic. The body has a top
16. A rearward surface
18 is configured to fit the palm of the hand of a user. A forward surface
20 of the sprayer
10 includes a displaceable trigger
22. Trigger
22 is positioned opposite the rearward surface
18 and arranged for actuation by a finger or fingers of a user holding the sprayer.
A bottom end
24 of sprayer body
14 receives a rotatable attachment collar
26 by which a container can be affixed, such as container
12 as shown in FIG. 1.
The rearward surface
18 is configured with an upper rearwardly projecting portion
30 to resist the possibility of the sprayer body
14 falling downwardly through the hand of a user.
At a forward end
32 of body
14 is a spray nozzle
34.
FIG. 1 shows a suction tube
36 that extends from the hand-held sprayer body
14 into container
12 providing means for withdrawing liquid from the container when trigger
22 is depressed.
The internal arrangement of the sprayer of this invention is best illustrated in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 5. Positioned within sprayer body
14 is a powered pump
38 that has an inlet and an outlet. The pump outlet receives a discharge tube
40 that extends to sprayer nozzle
34. The pump inlet is connected to a suction tube
42. When pump
38 is energized, liquid is pumped from container
12 and flow by way of suction tube
36, inlet tube
42, pump
38, discharge tube
40 and is discharged through an outlet opening
44 in spray nozzle
34. Circuitry
46 connects pump
38 in series with a switch
48 and a battery
50. Trigger
22 actuates switch
48 so that when it is depressed energy is supplied from battery
50 to actuate the pump to thereby pump liquid from container
12 and discharge it out the pump nozzle
34.
Some means must be provided to prevent liquid carried by container
24 from being spilled if the container is inadvertently turned on its side. At the same time, means must be provided to permit air to be drawn into the interior of container
12 as liquid therein is pumped out. To accomplish these two purposes, an important feature of the invention herein is the provision of a passive check valve system generally indicated by the numeral
52 in FIGS. 5 and 8. The passive check valve system is described with reference to FIGS. 5,
6,
7 and
8. These Figures show details of the attachment collar
26 and the associated passive check valve system. Retained by the molded components that make up the sprayer body
14 as shown in FIG. 5, is a retainer disk
54. Upper and lower circumferential internal ledges
56 and
58 that are parts of body
14, surround and hold retainer disc
54 in place. The retainer disc has a central opening
60 (see FIG. 8) and in like manner attachment collar
26 has a matching central opening
62. These openings
60 and
62 received a tubular coupling member
64 that has an external integral flange
66 that fits against the interior bottom surface of attachment collar
26. Tubular coupling member
64 has a circumferential groove
68 spaced from flange
66. After tubular coupling member
64 is telescopically extended through opening
62 in attachment collar
26 and opening
60 in retainer disk
54 a keeper
70 is positioned around the collar and received in groove
68. Thus, the attachment collar
26 is secured to bottom end
24 of hand-held sprayer body
14 and in a manner that permits it to be manually rotated. The attachment collar
26 has internal threads
72 as seen in FIG. 5 by which it is threadably affixed to the externally threaded neck
74 of container
12.
A toroidal gasket
76 is received between the inner surface of attachment collar
26 and the top circumferential edge
78 of container
12.
Attachment collar
26 includes an integral horizontal flat top portion
80 (see FIG. 8) that has four small diameter openings
82 therein. Small openings
82 are spaced from each other and spaced away from central opening
62. These small openings
82 provide access for air to enter container
12 as liquid is withdrawn from within the container
12. Air flow radial grooves
84 (See FIG. 8) extend from each of the small openings
82 to the peripheral edge of attachment collar
26 to ensure the free flow of air through the openings.
As seen in FIGS. 5 and 8, tubular coupling member
64 has, on its external cylindrical surface, and immediately below and adjacent to flange
66, a circumferential groove
86. A passive check valve member
88 is formed of resilient and deflectable material, and as seen in FIG. 8, has a central opening
90 therein. Passive check valve member
88 is assembled onto and retained by tubular coupling member
64 by elastomeric expansion. Central opening
90 of check valve member
88 is received in circumferential groove
86.
Check valve member
88 has a circumferential edge
92 that sealably engages the interior planar surface of the attachment collar top portion
80. This interior planar surface is identified by the numeral
94 in FIG. 5. As long as the circumferential edge
92 of check valve member
88 is in engagement with interior planar surface
94 of attachment collar
26 leakage of fluid from within the container
12 is prevented. However, as liquid is withdrawn from container
12 by the operation of pump
38, air can be drawn into the container through openings
82 and radial grooves
84 by the slight deflection of the circumferential edge
92 of check valve member
88.
As seen in FIG. 5, inlet tube
42 is telescopically positioned on an upper end portion
96 (FIG. 8) of tubular coupling member
64 and in like manner, suction tube
36 is telescopically received on a lower end portion
98 (FIG. 8) of tubular coupling member
64.
It can thus be seen that the hand-held sprayer of this invention is compact and removably attachable to a container having an externally threaded neck portion. The sprayer includes a passive valve system that prevents spilling in the event the container is overturned while at the same time air is permitted to freely pass to equalize pressure within the container as liquid is withdrawn from it.
It is understood that the invention herein is not limited to the exact construction of the illustrated and described preferred embodiment of the invention, but is to be limited only by the scope of the attached claim or claims, including the full range of equivalency to which each element is entitled.
