Patent Application
20210046492
This invention concerns guns for airless spraying of coatings such as paints and stains.
Airless spray guns are used to apply paint to surfaces such as walls and ceilings. A piston pump pulls the paint from a reservoir, such as a bucket, and outputs the paint through a hose under pressure. The pressure on the paint in the hose, downstream from the pump, can be 1,000-5,000 pounds per square inch. Paint under such pressure can atomize into a desired spray pattern when released through a small metal orifice for spaying the paint onto a surface. Such a process is referred to as airless painting because pressurized air is not used to atomize or otherwise propel the air. The paint is directed in the spray pattern by a gun which carries the small metal orifice as a nozzle. The gun is held by a hand of the operator to direct the spray pattern along the surface being painted.
A conventional airless spray gun has a trigger that is actuated by four fingers (index, middle, ring, and little fingers) while the thumb wraps around the opposite side of the gun as the four fingers. Such guns are typically large and can suffer from high weight and low maneuverability which can frustrate making precise painting maneuvers with the hand.
Various embodiments concern a gun for spraying paint supplied to the gun from a hose under pressure. The gun comprises a body containing a valve, the opening of the valve releasing paint from the body and the closing of the valve stopping the release of paint from the body. The gun further comprises a trigger actuatable to open and close the valve, a handle configured to be gripped by one hand for using the gun, and a guard having a top end and a bottom end, the top end attached to the body, the bottom end of the guard located below the trigger, the trigger located directly between the guard and the handle. The guard only allows the thump of the hand to wrap around one side of the handle and only two fingers of the hand to wrap around the other side of the handle above the bottom end of the guard to actuate the trigger, the other two fingers of the hand being below the bottom of the guard.
Various embodiments concern a method of handling a gun for spraying paint supplied to the gun from a hose under pressure. The method comprises gripping a gun with one hand, the gun comprising: a body comprising a valve, a trigger actuatable to open and close the valve, a handle, and a guard having a top end and a bottom end, the guard attached to the body at the top end of the guard, the bottom end of the guard located below the trigger, the trigger located directly between the guard and the handle. When gripping, the thump of the hand wraps around one side of the handle, the index and middle fingers of the hand wrap around the other side of the handle above the bottom end of the guard to contact the trigger, and the ring and little fingers of the hand are below the bottom of the guard. The method further comprises actuating the trigger with only the index and middle fingers pulling the trigger, the actuation of the trigger opening the valve to allow the release paint as a spray from the body.
The scope of this disclosure is not limited to this summary. Further inventive aspects are presented in the drawings and elsewhere in this specification and in the claims.
This disclosure makes use of multiple embodiments and examples to demonstrate various inventive aspects. The presentation of the featured embodiments and examples should be understood as demonstrating a number of open-ended combinable options and not restricted embodiments. Changes can be made in form and detail to the various embodiments and features without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This disclosure concerns a spray gun configured to be small, lightweight, and easily maneuverable while maintaining the functionality of a conventional, large spray gun. The systems of this disclosure can be used for spraying paints, stains, and other coatings. While paint will be used herein as an exemplar, it will be understood that this is merely one example and that other solutions (e.g., water, oil, solvents, etc.) can be sprayed instead of paint.
The guard 20 has a top end 25 and a bottom end 27. The top end 25 is attached to the body 12. The top end 25 is located behind the nozzle 14. The guard 20 connects to the body 12 and extends downward to connect to the bottom of the handle 16, above the retainer 26. The top end 25 is shown as attached to the body 12 by wrapping entirely around a portion of the body 12. The top end 25 could alternatively be attached to the body 12 by a weld or fastener. The bottom end 27 of the guard 20 is attached to the stem. More specifically in the embodiment shown, the bottom end 27 of the guard 20 is attached to the gun 10 below the handle 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom end 27 of the guard 20 is attached to the stem by a retainer 26. The guard 20 hooks into an aperture of the retainer 26 to hold the guard 20 in place along the full length of the trigger 18. The retainer 26 includes a ring portion which wraps entirely around the stem, such as by wrapping around either the handle 16 or the coupling 23. In some embodiments, the retainer 26 can contact the bottom side of the handle 16. In some embodiments, the retainer 26 can be sandwiched between the handle 16 and the connector 22.
In some alternative embodiments, the bottom end 27 of the guard 20 is attached to the stem (e.g., at the handle 16, at the connector 22, or between the handle 16 and the connector 22) directly and the retainer 26 is omitted. In such a case, the bottom end 27 of the guard 20 can wrap entirely around the stem, be welded to the stem, or be connected to the stem via a fastener. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom end 27 of the guard 20 is attached to the retainer 26. Specifically in the illustrated embodiment, the guard 20 hooks into the retainer 26.
The connector 22 detachably connects with the downstream end of hose 8. The connector 22 includes an optional swivel to allow rotation between the hose 8 and the gun 10. The connector 22 includes a fitting 21 to connect with a complementary fitting on the hose 8. The fitting 21 can be threaded or be of a quick disconnect-type, as examples. The connector 22 further includes a coupling 23 which extends into the handle 16 to connect the handle 16 to the connector 22.
The trigger 18 is located directly between the guard 20 and the handle 16. Specifically, the guard 20 is in front of the trigger 16 and the handle 16 is behind the trigger 18. A middle portion of the guard 20, between the top end 25 and the bottom end 27, extends along the trigger 18 in an up-down orientation but spaced from, and parallel with, the trigger 18. The top end 25 of the guard 20 is above the trigger 18, or at least above the concave or indented portion along the trigger 18. The bottom end 27 of the guard 20 is below the trigger 18.
In the illustrated embodiment, the connector 22 is located below the bottom end 27 of the guard 20 and the retainer 26. In some embodiments, such a connector 22 does not protrude below the retainer 26, handle 16, and/or the guard 20. For example, the bottom of the handle 16 can include a cavity which receives the downstream end of the hose 8.
After passing through the coupling 23 from the hose 8, the paint travels within the gun 10 through a passageway within the handle 16 and then into the body 12. The body 12 contains a valve which is actuated by the trigger 18. Specifically, the valve is closed in a nominal state to prevent release of paint from the nozzle 14 when the trigger 18 is not pulled. Pulling the trigger 18 opens the valve to release paint from the nozzle 14, typically in an atomized spray fan. The trigger 18 is attached to the body 12 by a hinge 19 which extends through the body 19. The trigger 18 pivots about the hinge 19 to move and actuate the valve within the body 12.
The body 12 includes a stop 24 on the back side of the body 12. As shown, the stop 24 projects backward from the body 12. The stop 24 is curved to match the shape of the top or upper portion of the hand between the thumb and the index finger. The stop 24 contacts this portion of the hand and prevents the hand from moving past the stop 24 to inhibit the gun 10 from slipping downward from the grip of the user.
The trigger 18 pivots about the body 12 to open and close the valve. The guard 20 extends along and in front of the trigger 18 to prevent unintentional actuation of the trigger 18. The trigger 18 extends almost the full length between the top end 25 and the bottom ends 27 of the guard 20. The length of the trigger 18 within this guard 20 space is longer than the handle 16.
The handle 16 has an outer surface which serves as a hand grip for the gun 10, particularly the palm. As shown, the handle 16 has texturing to improve the grip surface of the handle 16. The handle 16 further has an inner cavity which either serves as a fluid passageway for the paint or contains another component which serves as the conduit for the paint. In the illustrated embodiment, a metal tube serves as the exterior portion of the handle 16 and optionally the inner conduit which the paint contacts as the paint flows from the connector 22, through the handle 16, and to the body 12.
The length of the trigger 18, or at least the vertical length of the concave or indented portion of the trigger 18, only accommodates two fingers (e.g., the index and middle fingers) of the hand 28 to wrap around and actuate. Likewise, the length of the handle 16 (within the guard 20) is appropriate only for the thump to wrap around on one side (left of right) of the handle 16 while two fingers (e.g., index and middle fingers) wrap around the other side (the other of left or right) of the handle 16 as the palm engages the handle 16. As shown, the ring and small fingers are below the guard 20, substantially or entirely off the handle 16, and wrap around the connector 22 and do not wrap around the handle 16 to the trigger 18. The ring and small fingers are not accommodated on the handle 16 due to the limited length of the handle 16 and the space within the guard 20. The vertical space within the guard 20 may only allow two fingers (e.g., the index and middle fingers) of the hand 28 to be within the guard 20 space and thereby able to actuate the trigger 18. The ring and little fingers are not accommodated within the guard 20, on the trigger 18, and/or on the handle 16. In some embodiments, the guard 20, trigger 18, and handle 16 may be dimensioned even smaller to only allow the thump to wrap around on one side (left of right) while one finger (e.g., the index finger) wraps around the other side (the other of left or right) such that the index, ring, and small fingers are below the guard 20 and wrap around the connector 22 and do not wrap around the handle 16.
As previously mentioned, the gun 10 is used for painting and as such the user will frequently make sweeps, turns, and other motions with the gun 10 by the one hand 28 holding the gun 10. Many such motions are articulated by the wrist. Such motions may be made while the user's arm is contorted, particularly in confined spaces. The small profile of the gun 10 makes the gun 10 easier to maneuver and aim, particularly for wrist movements. The gun 10 is also lighter weight as compared to large conventional design which also contributes to reduced user fatigue. The reduced size of the gun 10 facilitates compact storage.
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As paint flows through the gun 10, the paint contacts the inner surface of the handle 14 that defines the passage 40 when flowing through the handle 14. The passage 40 includes a filter 43 through which paint can pass within the handle 16. As shown, the top end of the handle 16 is received within a hole in the body 12. A threaded interface can couple the handle 16 to the body 16. The handle 16 extends the full length between the body 12 and the retainer 26 of the guard 20.
The gun 110 includes a body 112, a nozzle 114, a handle 116, a stop 124, a trigger 118, a hinge 119, a guard 120 having a top end 125 and a bottom end 127, a retainer 126, and a valve 142. The handle 116 defines an interior passage 140 which extends the full length of the elongate tubular handle 116. The passage 140 transports paint through the handle 114 to the body 112. The passage 140 includes a filter 143 through which paint can pass within the handle 116.
The gun 110 can be identical to the gun 10 except that the gun 110 does not include connector 22 below the retainer 126 and/or the guard 120. Instead, a threaded end 136 of the fitting 134 of a hose 108 is received within a hole on the bottom side of the handle 114 having complementary threading. The hose include flexible tube 132 and fitting 134. The fitting 134 in this embodiment includes a hex nut portion that can contact the bottom of the retainer 126 and/or guard 120. The retainer 126 has a hole through which the threaded end 136 can pass into the handle 116. Thus, the gun 110 does not include any components below the retainer 126 and/or guard 120. The gun 110 is particularly compact due to the fitting 134 being inserted into the handle 116. When gripped, the ring and little fingers would wrap around the hose 108 while the palm, thump, index, and middle fingers would wrap around the handle 116.
The present disclosure is made using an embodiment to highlight various inventive aspects. Modifications can be made to the embodiment presented herein without departing from the scope of the invention. As such, the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed herein.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2019/028676 | 4/23/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62661883 | Apr 2018 | US |
