Patent Application
20240131539
The present invention relates generally to hand-held sprayers and more particularly to hand-held sprayers having improved nozzles.
Hand-held sprayers have sprayer nozzles. The nozzles are typically made from hard materials. The most common materials are brass, nylon, thermoplastics, stainless steel, hardened stainless steel, tungsten carbide, and ceramic. These nozzles tend to clog and need to be cleaned periodically. In addition, the prior art hand-held sprayers typically have screens located upstream of the nozzle, to limit clogging of the nozzle.
Exemplary hand-held sprayers and nozzles for hand-held sprayers are disclosed herein. An exemplary hand-held sprayer includes a container, a pump, and a nozzle. The nozzle is made of a first material, wherein the first material has a hardness of between 20 Shore A and 50 Shore A. The nozzle has a tangential fluid inlet, a conical fluid swirling chamber and a spray orifice. An inner housing and a cap are also included.
Another exemplary hand-held sprayer includes a container, a pump and a nozzle. The nozzle comprises a rubber. The nozzle has a tangential fluid inlet, a conical fluid swirling chamber and a spray orifice. The hand-held sprayer also includes an inner housing and a cap.
Another exemplary hand-held sprayer includes a container, a pump and a nozzle. The nozzle has a tangential fluid inlet, a conical fluid swirling chamber and a spray orifice. The spray orifice is configured to expand under pressure to allow particulate to pass through the spray orifice and is configured to return to its original shape when the pressure subsides. The hand-held sprayer includes an inner housing and a cap.
An exemplary nozzle for a hand-held sprayer is made of a first material, wherein the first material has a hardness of between 20 Shore A and 50 Shore A. The nozzle has a tangential fluid inlet, a conical fluid swirling chamber and a spray orifice.
Another exemplary nozzle for a hand-held sprayer comprises a rubber. The nozzle has a tangential fluid inlet, a conical fluid swirling chamber and a spray orifice.
Another exemplary nozzle for a hand-held sprayer includes a tangential fluid inlet, a conical fluid swirling chamber and a spray orifice. The spray orifice is configured to expand under pressure to allow particulate to pass through the spray orifice and is configured to return to its original shape when the pressure subsides.
To further clarify various aspects of the present disclosure, a more particular description of inventive concepts will be made by reference to various aspects of the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, while the figures can be drawn to scale for some embodiments, the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
The following description refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific aspects of the present disclosure.
As described herein, when one or more components are described as being connected, joined, affixed, coupled, attached, or otherwise interconnected, such interconnection may be direct as between the components or may be indirect such as through the use of one or more intermediary components. Also as described herein, reference to a “member,” “component,” or “portion” shall not be limited to a single structural member, component, or element but can include an assembly of components, members, or elements. Also as described herein, the terms “substantially” and “about” are defined as at least close to (and includes) a given value or state (preferably within 10% of, more preferably within 1% of, and most preferably within 0.1% of).
Material described as “compressible” or “flexible” means material with a Shore A hardness of less than 55. The compressible or flexible material is resilient and removing pressure from the compressible or flexible material cause the compressible of flexible material to return to its uncompressed or unflexed shape.
Sprayer 100 is a battery powered sprayer. Wand 120 includes one or more batteries 310. Wand 120 also includes a motor 312 and a pump 314. Pump 314 may be any type of pump, such as, for example, the pumps shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,143,339, titled Sequentially Activated Multi-Diaphragm Foam Pumps, Refill Units and Dispenser Systems, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The exemplary pumps may be modified to pump liquid only, rather than liquid and air. Wand 120 includes an on button 122 and control circuitry 320.
Spray tip 130 includes a nozzle base 400. Nozzle base 400 includes a barbed connector 404 for connection to wand extension arm 124. Other types of connectors may be used, such as, for example, an adhesive connection, a friction fit connection, a shark-bite connection, a welded connection, or the like. Nozzle base 400 includes a threaded portion 402, and an annular groove 403. A sealing member 408, such as, for example, an o-ring is retained in the annular groove 403 and forms a seal between the nozzle base 400 and the nozzle cap 430. Nozzle base includes a bore 410 for receiving a fluid diverter 406.
Nozzle cap 430 has a threaded portion 432 for connecting to nozzle base 400. Nozzle cap 430 includes a bore having a threaded portion 432 and a smooth portion 411. Smooth portion 411 seals against sealing member 408 to prevent fluid from flowing past. Located at the end of nozzle cap 430 is a base 436 and cylindrical opening 438 therethrough.
A nozzle 420 is located in the base of nozzle cap 430. The nozzle 420 has a tangential inlet 520 (
Nozzle 420 is made of a resilient material that is compressible and flexible. When compressed or flexed, the resilient material returns to its original shape when the compression or bending force is removed. The material has a Shore A hardness of between 20 and 50. The nozzle material may include, for example, one or more of EPDM rubber, Silicone, natural gum rubber, butyl rubber. In contrast, hard plastic is not compressible or flexible as those terms are used herein. Cap 430 and nozzle base 400 are preferably made of molded plastic and are not considered compressible or flexible as the term is used herein.
A durometer harness scale is an international standard for measuring the hardness of rubber and plastic. A durometer rating indicates a material's resistance to surface penetration. Chart I below provides examples of where different types of material on the durometer hardness scale.
Nozzle 420 is flexible and may be compressed. Compressing nozzle 420 changes the fluid flow path through the tangential inlet 520. Compressing nozzle 420 may also change the size of swirling chamber 422. Changing the fluid flow path through the tangential inlet 520 and/or the size of the swirling chamber, adjusts the spray pattern out of the spray tip 130.
In some instances, as the nozzle 420 is compressed, the spray cone widens. In some instances, as the nozzle 420 is compressed, the droplet size gets smaller. In some embodiments, as the nozzle 420 is compressed, the spray distance is reduced but the spray pattern is increased at a given distance.
In addition, compressing the nozzle 420 and changing the flow path may reduce the cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the flow path through the nozzle 420. The reduced cross-sectional area causes the pressure of the fluid at the nozzle 420 to increase.
The threaded nozzle base 400 and threaded nozzle cap 430 are configured to allow for a range of pressures to be applied to the nozzle 420 to compress the nozzle 420. The pressure may range from 0 to 30 pound per square inch (PSI). In some instance, the pressure may range from 0 to 25 PSI. In some instance, the pressure may range from 0 to 20 PSI. In some instance, the pressure may range from 0 to 215 PSI. In some instance, the pressure may range from 0 to 10 PSI. In some instance, the pressure may range from 1 to 30 PSI. In some instance, the pressure may range from 1 to 20 PSI.
Nozzle 420 is flexible, resilient and will return to its original shape if it is stretched or compressed. Nozzle 420 includes a spray orifice 426. Spray orifice 426 is a round orifice. The spray pattern is a solid cone pattern. Spray orifice 426 may be a non-round orifice, such as, for example, a rectangular orifice, an oval orifice, s slit orifice, or the like. Because nozzle 420 is made of a flexible material with a Shore A hardness of less than 55, if particles get trapped in the spray orifice 426 or clogs the spray orifice 426, pressure will build up behind the particles and the spray orifice 426 will expand and allow the particles to flow out of the spray orifice 426. This feature can be used alone or in conjunction with the above-described feature that provides for compressing the nozzle 420 to change the fluid flow path, and thus the spray output.
In some instances, a more stubborn clog may require compressing nozzle 420 to increase the fluid pressure to cause the spray orifice 426 to expand or stretch and allow the particles or clog to flow out.
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As shown, side walls 902, 904, if extended would intersect to form an angle. The angle of intersection may be between 0 degrees (i.e. they don't intersect and are parallel) and about 120 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 120 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 100 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 90 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 80 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 70 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 60 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 40 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 30 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 20 degrees. The walls 902, 904 may have an angle of intersection of less than 10 degrees.
While various inventive aspects, concepts and features of the disclosures may be described and illustrated herein as embodied in combination in the exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts, and features may be used in many alternative embodiments, either individually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof. Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations and sub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the present application. Still further, while various alternative embodiments as to the various aspects, concepts, and features of the disclosures—such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods, devices, and components, alternatives as to form, fit, and function, and so on—may be described herein, such descriptions are not intended to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternative embodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilled in the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects, concepts, or features into additional embodiments and uses within the scope of the present application even if such embodiments are not expressly disclosed herein.
Additionally, even though some features, concepts, or aspects of the disclosures may be described herein as being a preferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended to suggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly so stated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges may be included to assist in understanding the present application, however, such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense and are intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expressly stated.
Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may be expressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of a disclosure, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, but rather there may be inventive aspects, concepts, and features that are fully described herein without being expressly identified as such or as part of a specific disclosure, the disclosures instead being set forth in the appended claims. Descriptions of exemplary methods or processes are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required in all cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construed as required or necessary unless expressly so stated. The words used in the claims have their full ordinary meanings and are not limited in any way by the description of the embodiments in the specification.
The present application claims the benefits of and priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 63/380,635 filed on Oct. 24, 2022, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63380635 | Oct 2022 | US |
