Patent Application
20150298146
The invention relates generally to spray devices, and, more particularly, to venting systems for liquid supply containers for spray devices.
Spray coating devices are used to apply a spray coating to a wide variety of target objects. Spray coating devices often include many reusable components, such as a container to hold a liquid coating material (e.g., paint) on a gravity feed spray device. Unfortunately, a considerable amount of time is spent cleaning these reusable components. In addition, the liquid coating material is often transferred from a mixing cup to the container coupled to the gravity feed spray device. Again, a considerable amount of time is spent transferring the liquid coating material.
In a first embodiment, a system including a container cover, including an inner cover including a first inner surface, an outer cover including a second inner surface, a buffer chamber between the first inner surface of the inner cover and the second inner surface of the outer cover, a liquid conduit, a first vent conduit coupled to the outer cover, wherein the first vent conduit protrudes away from the second inner surface of the outer cover into the buffer chamber toward the first inner surface of the inner cover, and a second vent conduit that protrudes away from the buffer chamber, wherein the liquid conduit and the second vent conduit are configured to fluidly couple to an interior volume of a liquid container, wherein the container cover is configured to block fluid flow through the container cover when coupled to a gravity feed spray device.
In a second embodiment, a spray coating system including a spray coating supply container including a volume, and a container cover coupled to the spray coating supply container, wherein the container cover is configured to block fluid flow through the container cover when coupled to a gravity feed spray device, the container cover including a vent system including an inner cover including a first inner surface, an outer cover including a second inner surface, a buffer chamber between the inner and outer covers, a first tube, wherein the first tube protrudes into the buffer chamber from the second inner surface of the outer cover toward the first inner surface of the inner cover, and a second tube that protrudes away from the buffer chamber, wherein the container cover includes at least one of the following or a combination thereof, the first and/or second tubes are tapered from a first axial end to a second axial end, or the second tube extends into the spray coating supply container a distance that is greater than 50% of a height of the spray coating supply container.
In a third embodiment, a spray coating system including a spray gun, and a container cover coupled to the spray gun, wherein the container cover is configured to block fluid flow through the container cover when coupled to a gravity feed spray device, the container cover including, a vent system including an inner cover including a first inner surface, an outer cover including a second inner surface, a buffer chamber between the inner and outer covers, a first tube, wherein the first tube protrudes into the buffer chamber from the second inner surface of the outer cover toward the first inner surface of the inner cover, and a second tube that protrudes away from the buffer chamber, wherein the first and second tubes each include a distal opening that facilitates liquid surface tension to decrease liquid flow, and wherein the first and second tubes each include an interior surface that facilitates liquid surface tension to decrease liquid flow.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. These described embodiments are only exemplary of the present invention. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these exemplary embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present invention, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Moreover, the use of “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” and variations of these terms is made for convenience, but does not require any particular orientation of the components.
As described in detail below, a unique capillary action venting system is provided to vent a container while blocking liquid leakage. In particular, embodiments of the capillary action venting system include a buffer chamber and one or more capillary tubes. For example, the venting system may include the buffer chamber and two capillary tubes that are offset from one another. The offset between the two capillary tubes provides an intermediate venting path for air, while also providing a volume to contain any liquid leaked from one of the capillary tubes. Each capillary tube is configured to resist liquid flow out of the container, thereby substantially containing the liquid within the container. For example, a distal opening of each capillary tube may resist liquid flow due to formation of a meniscus, i.e., surface tension. In some embodiments, the distal opening may be positioned proximate to a surface to further resist liquid flow due to surface tension. By further example, an interior of each capillary tube may resist liquid flow due to surface tension. Each capillary tube may have a hollow annular geometry, such as a cylindrical shape or a conical shape. A conical capillary tube provides additional resistance to liquid flow due to the reduced diameter of the opening at the smaller end.
Turning now to the drawings,
The spray coating system 10 of
The body 82 of the spray coating gun 12 includes a variety of controls and supply mechanisms for the spray tip assembly 80. As illustrated, the body 82 includes a liquid delivery assembly 100 having a liquid passage 102 extending from a liquid inlet coupling 104 to the liquid delivery tip assembly 84. The liquid delivery assembly 100 also includes a liquid valve assembly 106 to control liquid flow through the liquid passage 102 and to the liquid delivery tip assembly 84. The illustrated liquid valve assembly 106 has a needle valve 108 extending movably through the body 82 between the liquid delivery tip assembly 84 and a liquid valve adjuster 110. The liquid valve adjuster 110 is rotatably adjustable against a spring 112 disposed between a rear section 114 of the needle valve 108 and an internal portion 116 of the liquid valve adjuster 110. The needle valve 108 is also coupled to a trigger 118, such that the needle valve 108 may be moved inwardly away from the liquid delivery tip assembly 84 as the trigger 118 is rotated counter clockwise about a pivot joint 120. However, any suitable inwardly or outwardly openable valve assembly may be used within the scope of the present technique. The liquid valve assembly 106 also may include a variety of packing and seal assemblies, such as packing assembly 122, disposed between the needle valve 108 and the body 82.
An air supply assembly 124 is also disposed in the body 82 to facilitate atomization at the spray formation assembly 88. The illustrated air supply assembly 124 extends from an air inlet coupling 126 to the air atomization cap 90 via air passages 128 and 130. The air supply assembly 124 also includes a variety of seal assemblies, air valve assemblies, and air valve adjusters to maintain and regulate the air pressure and flow through the spray coating gun 12. For example, the illustrated air supply assembly 124 includes an air valve assembly 132 coupled to the trigger 118, such that rotation of the trigger 118 about the pivot joint 120 opens the air valve assembly 132 to allow air flow from the air passage 128 to the air passage 130. The air supply assembly 124 also includes an air valve adjustor 134 to regulate the air flow to the air atomization cap 90. As illustrated, the trigger 118 is coupled to both the liquid valve assembly 106 and the air valve assembly 132, such that liquid and air simultaneously flow to the spray tip assembly 80 as the trigger 118 is pulled toward a handle 136 of the body 82. Once engaged, the spray coating gun 12 produces an atomized spray with a desired spray pattern and droplet distribution.
In the illustrated embodiment of
The cover assembly 144 includes a liquid conduit 146 and a vent system 148. The vent system 148 includes a buffer chamber 150 disposed between an outer cover 152 and an inner cover 154. The liquid conduit 146 is coupled to the inner and outer covers 152 and 152, and extends through the buffer chamber 150 without any liquid openings in communication with the buffer chamber 150. The vent system 148 also includes a first vent conduit 156 coupled to the outer cover 152 and terminating within the buffer chamber 150, and a second vent conduit 158 coupled to the inner cover 154 and terminating outside of the buffer chamber 150 within the container 142. In other words, the first and second vent conduits 158 have openings in communication with one another through the buffer chamber 150.
In certain embodiments, all or some of the components of the container assembly 140 may be made of a disposable and/or recyclable material, such as a transparent or translucent plastic, a fibrous or cellulosic material, a non-metallic material, or some combination thereof. For example, the container assembly 140 may be made entirely or substantially (e.g., greater than 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 99 percent) from a disposable and/or recyclable material. Embodiments of a plastic container assembly 140 include a material composition consisting essentially or entirely of a polymer, e.g., polyethylene. Embodiments of a fibrous container assembly 140 include a material composition consisting essentially or entirely of natural fibers (e.g., vegetable fibers, wood fibers, animal fibers, or mineral fibers) or synthetic/man-made fibers (e.g., cellulose, mineral, or polymer). Examples of cellulose fibers include modal or bamboo. Examples of polymer fibers include nylon, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, polyolefins, aramids, polyethylene, elastomers, and polyurethane. In certain embodiments, the cover assembly 144 may be designed for a single use application, whereas the container 142 may be used to store a liquid (e.g., liquid paint mixture) between uses with different cover assemblies 144. In other embodiments, the container 142 and the cover assembly 144 may both be disposable and may be designed for a single use or multiple uses before being discarded.
As further illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the liquid conduit 146 may include a liquid passage 184 and a distal end portion 186 with one or more lips 188 that extend radially outward from the liquid conduit 146. In other words, the lips 188 protrude radially outward from the tapered exterior surface 172. The adapter 180 includes an inner passage 190 that is configured to receive the liquid conduit 146, as shown in
The vent alignment guide 182 is configured to align the first vent conduit 156, the second vent conduit 158, or a combination thereof, relative to the spray coating gun 12. To that end, in certain embodiments, the vent alignment guide 182 may include the first alignment guide 176 and the second alignment guide 178 configured to align with one another between the adapter 180 and the outer cover 152. In the illustrated embodiment, the first alignment guide 176 includes a ring 196 with inner retention fingers 197 and an alignment tab 198. For example, the inner retention fingers 197 may compressively fit the ring 196 about the adapter 180 by bending slightly as the ring 196 is inserted onto the adapter 180, thereby providing a radial inward retention force (e.g., spring force) onto the adapter 180. As further illustrated, the second alignment guide 178 includes an alignment recess 200 disposed in the outer cover 152. In some embodiments, the alignment tab 198 may be configured to fit within the alignment recess 200 when the adapter 180 is coupled to the liquid conduit 146, as shown in
During use, the adapter 180 couples the liquid conduit 146 to the spray coating gun 12, and the vent alignment guide 182 aligns the gravity feed container 142 with the gravity feed spray coating gun 12. That is, the vent alignment guide 182 orients the second vent conduit 158 in the container 142 at an upper position within the container 142 while coupled to the spray coating gun 12 (see
During use, the adapter assembly 170 is coupled to both the spray coating gun 12 and the container assembly 140. As previously mentioned, the alignment tab 198 may be positioned in the alignment recess 200 such that the liquid conduit 146, the first vent conduit 156, the second vent conduit 158, or a combination thereof, are aligned relative to the spray coating gun 12. In other words, the alignment tab 198 may be configured to fit within the alignment recess 200 while the spray gun adapter 180 is coupled to the liquid conduit 146. As illustrated, the alignment recess 200 is disposed intermediate the liquid conduit 146 and the second vent conduit 158, wherein the liquid conduit 146 is disposed intermediate the first and second vent conduits 156 and 158. For example, in certain embodiments, the liquid conduit 146, the first and second vent conduits 156 and 158, and the vent alignment guide 182 (e.g., first and second alignment guides 176 and 178 may be disposed in line with one another, such as in a common plane.
In the illustrated embodiment, the tapered outer vent conduit 232 extends into the buffer chamber 150 to a distal end 242 between the outer cover 152 and the inner cover 154. The distal end 242 of the outer vent conduit 232 may be in close proximity to the protruding portion 236 (e.g., liquid blocking screen) of the inner cover 154. In other words, the distal end 242 of the outer vent conduit 232 is located at a first distance 244 (i.e., length of conduit 232) from the outer cover 152 along a first axis 246 of the outer vent conduit 232. Additionally, the inner cover 154 is disposed at an offset distance 248 (i.e., total cover spacing) from the outer cover 152 along the first axis 246 of the outer vent conduit 232. In other words, the offset distance 248 is the total distance between the inner and outer covers 152 and 154, whereas the first distance represents the total length of the outer vent conduit 232 protruding from the outer cover 152 toward the inner cover 154. In some embodiments, the first distance 244 (i.e., length of conduit 232) may be at least greater than approximately 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% of the offset distance 248 (i.e., total cover spacing). For example, in one embodiment, the first distance 244 is at least greater than approximately 50% of the offset distance 248. For further example, in some embodiments, the first distance 244 may be at least greater than 75% of the offset distance 248. Still further, in other embodiments, the first distance 244 may be at least greater than approximately 95% of the offset distance 248. The distal end 242 of the outer vent conduit 232 in close proximity to the inner cover 154 may increase the liquid holding capacity of the buffer chamber 150 while still enabling venting through the vent system 148. Moreover, the close proximity of the distal end 242 of the outer vent conduit 232 to the protrusive portion (e.g., liquid blocking screen) may substantially resist liquid entry into the outer vent conduit 232 from the buffer chamber 150, e.g., during movement (e.g., shaking) of the gravity feed container assembly 140. For example, the close proximity of the distal end 242 to the protrusive portion may provide additional surface tension, which substantially holds the liquid.
In certain embodiments, as illustrated in
When the gravity feed container assembly 140 is positioned in a cover side up position, as shown in
In other words, the vent system 148 may operate to vent air into the container 142 while the liquid volume 252 is disposed in the buffer chamber 150. Specifically, air path 166 (i.e., vent path) may first enter a first outer opening 260 of vent conduit 232 external to the buffer chamber 150 and then enter the buffer chamber 150 via a first inner opening 262 of vent conduit 232. Once inside the buffer chamber 150, the air path 166 continues into a second inner opening 264 of vent conduit 234 internal to the buffer chamber 150. The air path 166 continues through vent conduit 234 and exits a second outer opening 266 external to the buffer chamber 150 but inside the container 142. In this way, the first inner opening 262 and the second inner opening 264 are in pneumatic communication with one another through the buffer chamber 150, while the liquid volume 252 is disposed in the buffer chamber 150. As illustrated, a level of the liquid volume 252 in the buffer chamber 150 remains below the first inner opening 262 of the outer vent conduit 232 and the second inner opening 264 of the inner vent conduit 234. In certain embodiments, the level of the liquid volume 252 may remain below the openings 262 and 264 in any position of the gravity feed container assembly 140, such that the air path 166 always remains open.
Although
During use, the aforementioned features of the container assembly 140 may allow the operator to shake the container 142, as may be desirable to mix components of the fluid volumes 160 and 252, without loss of liquid. For example, one advantageous feature of presently contemplated embodiments may include the close proximity of the distal end 242 (e.g., opening 262) of the tapered outer vent conduit 232 to the protruding portion 236 (e.g., liquid blocking screen). That is, in certain embodiments, the distance between the distal end 242 (e.g., opening 262) and the protruding portion 236 may be small enough to substantially restrict or block liquid flow into the outer vent conduit 232. For example, the surface tension may retain any liquid along the protruding portion 236, rather than allowing liquid flow into the outer vent conduit 232. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a gap distance between the distal end 242 and the protruding portion 236 may be less than or equal to approximately 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 millimeters. For example, in one embodiment, the gap distance between the distal end 242 and the protruding portion 236 may be less than approximately 3 millimeters.
Likewise, the tapered geometry of the outer vent conduit 232 (and the reduced diameter of the opening 262) at the distal end 242 may substantially block liquid flow into the outer vent conduit 232. For example, in some embodiments, the diameter of the first inner opening 262 may be less than or equal to approximately 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 millimeters. For further example, in one embodiment, the diameter of the first inner opening 262 may be less than approximately 3 millimeters. Thus, if a user shakes or otherwise moves the container assembly 140 causing liquid to splash or flow in the vicinity of the position 242, then the small diameter of the conduit 232 and the small gap relative to the protruding portion 236 may substantially restrict any liquid flow out through the outer vent conduit 232. In this manner, the container assembly 140 may substantially block liquid leakage out of the buffer zone 150 through the outer vent conduit 232. Again, the foregoing features may have the effect of containing the liquid volume 252 within buffer chamber 150 during use, even when shaking occurs.
The tapered geometry of the inner vent conduit 234 (and the reduced diameter of the opening 266) at the distal end 249 also may substantially block liquid flow into the inner vent conduit 234. For example, in some embodiments, the diameter of the second outer opening 266 may be less than or equal to approximately 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 millimeters. For further example, in one embodiment, the diameter of the second outer opening 266 may be less than approximately 3 millimeters. For example, if a user shakes or otherwise moves the container assembly 140 causing liquid to splash or flow in the vicinity of the position 249, then the small diameter of the conduit 234 may substantially restrict any liquid flow through the inner vent conduit 234 into the buffer chamber 150. In this manner, the container assembly 140 may substantially block liquid leakage through the inner vent conduit 234 into the buffer zone 150. The foregoing features may have the effect of containing the liquid volume 160 within the container 142 with the exception of the liquid volume 252 leaked into the buffer zone 150 during rotation (e.g., flipping over).
While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/692,329, entitled “LIQUID SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR A GRAVITY FEED SPRAY DEVICE”, filed Jan. 22, 2010, which is herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12692329 | Jan 2010 | US |
| Child | 14751813 | US |
