This invention relates generally to a sprayer assembly adapted to be connected to a source of pressurized carrier liquid, and is adapted to be mounted to a container of chemical liquid to be siphoned into the stream of carrier liquid in a valve open position.
There are a variety of sprayer assemblies arranged to be mounted on a container of liquid chemical and coupled to the end of a hose for drawing an amount of the liquid chemical into the water path through a venturi effect or by the provision of an air gap. A rotatable valve, manually operable, is designed to turn the sprayer on as the carrier liquid inlet and the product inlet are connected, to turn the sprayer off by disconnecting the product inlet and carrier liquid inlet, and to provide for rinsing in which the carrier liquid passage is connected to discharge.
It is important to vent the container to atmosphere in the ON position of the sprayer while chemical liquid product is being drawn into the liquid carrier stream.
The vent control is on the rotary valve within valve chamber of the sprayer housing in accordance with U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,578,776 and 6,672,520 which, as pointed out in the aforenoted related application 60/515,416, allows for unwanted seepage of carrier liquid into the chemical container during the vent open position which is, of course, most undesirable. If such seepage is allowed to persist the liquid chemical will become so diluted that it could lose its effectiveness when spraying garden shrubs and the lawn with a selected chemical. The invention set forth in the aforenoted related application solves this problem by isolating the carrier liquid/chemical liquid connection from the vent and vent control, thereby avoiding the aforementioned dilution problem.
It would be desirable to provide another solution to venting of simple construction which is easy to use and assemble yet highly effective in providing for reliable vent control. And avoids any possibility of seepage of carrier liquid into the container in a vent open condition.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hose-end sprayer assembly having a rotary valve which connects a carrier liquid inlet passage with a liquid product inlet opening in an ON position of the sprayer and which simultaneously opens a vent located on the sprayer housing. An external vent control member is mounted on the housing and is engageable by the valve to open and close the vent respectively during the ON and OFF positions of the valve. The external vent control may comprise a rocker arm having a vent seal for movement into and out of a vent path, and a cam surface or the like for engagement by a projection on the valve during its rotary movement to effect rocking between vent ON and OFF positions.
Other objects and variations are made possible in accordance with 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, the sprayer assembly according to the invention is generally designated 10 in
The sprayer assembly includes a housing 13 similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,785, commonly owned herewith, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. The housing includes a conduit 14 having an anti-siphon assembly 15 at its free end which includes a closure 16 for mounting assembly 10 to the end of a garden hose (not shown) or the like. The housing further includes an end collar 17 engageable by an annular lip 18 on container closure 19 for supporting the sprayer assembly on neck 21 of a container (not otherwise shown).
The sprayer housing further includes a transverse bore 22 (
The sprayer housing as aforedescribed is essentially the same as that disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,785. And, rotary valve 11 is likewise essentially the same as disclosed therein. The rotary valve is shown assembled in place in
The rotary valve is manually rotatable between its ON and OFF positions. In the ON position, shown in
In accordance with the invention, container venting is provided such that a vent port 32 (
Between its ends the rocker arm may have a pair of outwardly extending, spaced mounting flanges 38 for mounting the arcuate rocker arm to the outside of the housing parallel to transverse cylindrical wall 39 thereof which forms the transverse bore 22 receiving the rotary valve. And, the housing may have a projection 41 with a barbed outer end which, in the assembled position of the vent control member of
In operation, with the valve rotated to its ON position of
The vent control according to the invention is fully external to the rotary valve and to the transverse bore of the housing in which the valve is received. The rocker arm is simply snapped in place to the outside of the sprayer housing during assembly permitting it to be pivoted about pin 45 as aforedescribed while being securely mounted in place without the likelihood of dislodgement during outdoor use of the sprayer assembly. The rotary valve, i.e., the underside of an overhang of the turning handle or the like, is arranged as to bear against outer edge 36 of the rocker arm as well as its cam surface at one end to effect vent opening and closing respectively during the ON and OFF positions of the valve on the selected rotary movements thereof. It is to be pointed that, within the scope of the invention, the rocker arm can likewise be arranged such that the cam surface is at the opposite end from that shown while achieving the same rocker arm movements. Also, it is within the purview of the invention that other known equivalents could be substituted for the rocker arm, as well as for the arm cam and the cam follower, so long as such a mechanism is operated by the valve on turning to open and close the vent during valve ON and valve OFF positions, and the vent control is fully external to the rotary valve and its transverse bore. For example, the rocker arm could be arranged for pivoting about an axis perpendicular to that of pin 45. Or, other known approaches within the scope of the invention could be practiced.
Obviously, many other 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.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050178854 A1 | Aug 2005 | US |