This application relates to a hose-end sprayer of the type set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,785, commonly owned herewith. This invention is an improvement over the venting feature disclosed in that patent, and the entirety of the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,785 is specifically incorporated herein by reference.
A hose-end sprayer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,776 which includes a venting feature as required to replenish aspirated product from the container with air to avoid container collapse and any malfunctioning of the system. The sprayer has a cylindrical control valve 20 positioned in a cylindrical transverse bore 22 for rotation between ON and OFF positions. Valve 20 includes a sealing portion 63 that forms an annular seal with bore 22 around the interface between chemical passage 32 and a first passage 56 formed in the valve. The sprayer head assembly includes a vent passage 52 defined by a small hole formed in head 14 of the assembly. The vent passage communicates with the interior of the container and with the interior of cylindrical bore 22. Sealing member 64 on the valve includes a vent channel 68 which, in the valve open position, is aligned with vent passage 52. Accordingly, channel 68 allows passage 52 to communicate with gaps that are formed between valve 20 and its bore 22 such that in the valve open position vent passage 52 communicates with atmosphere. In the closed position of the valve, a portion of sealing member 64 overlies vent port 52 to interrupt communication with its vent channel 68 to thereby close the vent in the valve closed position. When valve 20 is rotated into its closed position, carrier passage 46, chemical passage 32, and vent passage 52 are all closed by the valve.
The sprayer head assembly of the U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,776 patent thus includes a valve chamber in communication with chemical and carrier liquid passages, with the valve movably positioned within the valve chamber. The vent passage is in communication with the valve chamber so as to likewise communicate with the carrier passage, in the valve open positions, via the gap between valve 20 and its transverse bore 22.
The drawback with such a venting system for this type of sprayer is the tendency during the vent/valve open position for liquid from the carrier passage to enter the container through the gap between 20 and 22, through vent channel 68 and through vent passage 52. This unwanted liquid, i.e., water, dilutes the chemical product in the container during repeated usage of the sprayer thus reducing the effectiveness of the chemical.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to avoid the aforenoted drawbacks and disadvantages of prior art hose-end sprayers which provide for creating a suction force that draws chemical product into the stream of the carrier liquid in a valve open position, and which have the potential for leakage of carrier liquid into the container through the open vent. This objective is achieved by the provision of venting means in the hose end sprayer assembly which is external to the valve chamber in which the rotatable valve operates for aspirating chemical product into the stream of carrier liquid in a valve open position to effect a mixing of that product on discharge. By isolating the venting means from the valve chamber, any tendency for carrier liquid to enter the container through the open vent is substantially avoided, such that any undesirable dilution of chemical liquid while in its container before being aspirated, is substantially avoided.
In carrying out this objective, the rotary valve establishes a valve chamber with the transverse bore of the housing in which it is rotatable, and the venting means is external to that valve chamber. Any potential for water entry into the container through the open vent during use of the sprayer is, therefore, prevented. Product is drawn up through the product passage and product duct of the valve into the water carrier stream in the valve open position with the open vent port isolated from the valve chamber to thereby avoid passage of carrier liquid into the chemical product in the container through the open vent which is isolated from the power stream during sprayer operation.
A pair of spaced O-rings on the rotary valve functions to seal the valve in the transverse bore and to delimit the valve chamber with the bore. And, a seal pad or the like on the rotary valve is provided for covering and uncovering a vent port in the housing which extends into the cylindrical bore outside the valve chamber for controlling the vent during valve rotation.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Turning now to the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views,
Hose-end sprayer 20 according to the invention is shown in
Transverse bore 25 of the housing may be provided with an end wall 94 having a bleed port 95. And, as shown in
The rotary valve forms a valve chamber 98 with the transverse bore on insertion therewithin. That valve chamber is delimited by a pair of quad (seal) rings 99 and 100, the inner quad ring 99 being of slightly smaller diameter to accommodate the slightly smaller diameter of section 97 of the bore.
In accordance with the invention, the container venting system is located external to the valve chamber so as to be isolated therefrom, as clearly shown in
From the foregoing it can be seen that the improved venting system for a hose-end sprayer in accordance with the present invention avoids many of the noted disadvantages and drawbacks of prior art hose-end sprayers of this type in a simple and efficient yet highly effective manner. The venting system is isolated from and is external to the valve chamber in which the chemical liquid product is ingested or aspirated into the path of the carrier liquid to be diluted and discharged from the duct 34 of the valve. There is in accordance with this arrangement less likelihood for entry of carrier liquid into the chemical container through the open vent which is caused to open upon selective rotation of the rotary valve to the ON position of the sprayer. The vent is isolated from and external to the valve chamber delimited by O-rings 99, 100. Thus, vent port 101 is separated from the valve chamber by seal 99 such that as the carrier liquid aspirates chemical product through port 24 into duct 34, any tendency of water passing between valve 27 and its transverse bore 25 is confined to the space between O-rings 99 and 100. With the present arrangement, only chemical port 24 lies between the two O-rings. Water cannot enter the container through open port 24 through which chemical product is being drawn. And, water cannot enter the container through open vent port 101 which is sealingly isolated from the flow of water through duct 34. Thus, according to the invention, the chemical product in the container remains pure and undiluted throughout repeated use of the hose end sprayer.
The rotary valve has an elastomeric section on its outer periphery which includes a seal portion or a pad 103 positioned in a manner such that when the valve is selectively rotated to its OFF position of
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are made possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1071432 | Kelley | Aug 1913 | A |
2612403 | Burch | Sep 1952 | A |
2761734 | Farmer | Sep 1956 | A |
3034731 | Chapin | May 1962 | A |
3186643 | George et al. | Jun 1965 | A |
3201049 | Hayes | Aug 1965 | A |
3204875 | Langstroth | Sep 1965 | A |
3212716 | Mills et al. | Oct 1965 | A |
3255972 | Hultgren et al. | Jun 1966 | A |
3333601 | Lofgreen | Aug 1967 | A |
3610535 | Bradshaw | Oct 1971 | A |
3764074 | James | Oct 1973 | A |
3770205 | Procter et al. | Nov 1973 | A |
3940069 | Gunzel et al. | Feb 1976 | A |
3964689 | Horvath, Jr. et al. | Jun 1976 | A |
4033509 | Sheets | Jul 1977 | A |
4057940 | Wemmer | Nov 1977 | A |
4171070 | Colgate et al. | Oct 1979 | A |
4315601 | Brooker | Feb 1982 | A |
4349157 | Beiswenger et al. | Sep 1982 | A |
4369921 | Beiswenger et al. | Jan 1983 | A |
4475689 | Hauger et al. | Oct 1984 | A |
4508272 | Thompson | Apr 1985 | A |
4527740 | Gunzel, Jr. et al. | Jul 1985 | A |
4595127 | Stoody | Jun 1986 | A |
4600130 | Libit | Jul 1986 | A |
D284988 | Powell | Aug 1986 | S |
4736891 | Chow et al. | Apr 1988 | A |
4750674 | Chow et al. | Jun 1988 | A |
4767058 | LaRosa et al. | Aug 1988 | A |
4901923 | McRoskey et al. | Feb 1990 | A |
4923098 | Schoonover et al. | May 1990 | A |
5007588 | Chow et al. | Apr 1991 | A |
5039016 | Gunzel et al. | Aug 1991 | A |
5100059 | Englhard et al. | Mar 1992 | A |
5183206 | Gavin | Feb 1993 | A |
5213264 | Styne | May 1993 | A |
5213265 | Englhard et al. | May 1993 | A |
5320288 | Ketcham, Jr. | Jun 1994 | A |
5356076 | Bishop | Oct 1994 | A |
5372310 | Ketcham | Dec 1994 | A |
5375769 | Schultz | Dec 1994 | A |
5383603 | Englhard et al. | Jan 1995 | A |
5595345 | Chura et al. | Jan 1997 | A |
5626291 | Flinn et al. | May 1997 | A |
H001691 | Ono et al. | Nov 1997 | H |
5804082 | Lowery, Jr. | Sep 1998 | A |
5853114 | Giovanoli | Dec 1998 | A |
5881955 | Styne | Mar 1999 | A |
5944259 | Brown | Aug 1999 | A |
5954272 | Liao | Sep 1999 | A |
5954273 | Ruta et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
5957387 | Porta et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
6012650 | Hadar | Jan 2000 | A |
6053374 | Santagiuliana | Apr 2000 | A |
6068204 | Alexander | May 2000 | A |
6102308 | Steingass et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6230982 | Newton | May 2001 | B1 |
6240983 | Beldham et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6254015 | Abplanalp | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6267303 | Francis | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6283385 | Beaver et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6345773 | Shanklin et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6371385 | Schiller et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6378785 | Dodd | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6425534 | Ketcham et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6461361 | Epstein | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6471141 | Smith et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6578776 | Shanklin et al. | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6604546 | Gilmore | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6672520 | Shanklin et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
6708901 | Hubmann et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6749133 | Ketcham et al. | Jun 2004 | B1 |
6752297 | Ische | Jun 2004 | B1 |
6772966 | Foster et al. | Aug 2004 | B1 |
6913209 | Shanklin et al. | Jul 2005 | B1 |
6948451 | Bond et al. | Sep 2005 | B1 |
20050098656 | Dodd | Aug 2004 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20050098656 A1 | May 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60515416 | Oct 2003 | US |