The present invention relates to the field of pressurised sprayers that are intended to contain pressurised fluids for subsequently expelling said fluids in vaporised form. More specifically, the present invention relates to pressurised sprayers for domestic use in which the fluid inside the tank of the sprayer can be pressurised both manually and automatically.
Pressurised sprayers can be classified into conventional sprayers, in which pressurised liquid is sprayed, and into foam sprayers, in which a mixture of pressurised liquid and gas is sprayed.
Conventional sprayers for domestic use are widely used for cleaning purposes, generally on outside surfaces, and in gardening for watering and fumigation tasks.
Equally, foam sprayers are widely used for cleaning surfaces with a high level of contaminants, by virtue of which said sprayers transform the cleaning agents contained in the liquid into an effective cleaning foam which can have an intensive effect and on the surface to be treated and produce deep cleaning results. In contrast to liquids, foam remains adhered to the surfaces to be treated, including on vertical surfaces, thus increasing the contact time between the active ingredient and the surface, and preventing excessive wetting of the regions to be cleaned. Additionally, given that the application of cleaning foam reduces the quantity of cleaning agent to be used, the cleaning foam is an economic alternative to cleaning by means of conventional spraying. Said foam sprayers are often used to clean cars and industrial machinery, as well as to clean and disinfect health facilities and large-scale catering establishments.
Pressurised sprayers that comprise a plunger for prior manual pressurisation are known from the prior art, i.e. sprayers in which the user must pressurise the tank manually before initiating the spraying process. In said sprayers, the tank loses pressure gradually during spraying, which in turn results in a variation in the outgoing flow rate during use of the sprayer. Once the user deems the pressure in the tank to be insufficient for continuing with spraying in an efficient manner, the user must stop the spraying process and proceed to manually repressurise the tank. This type of sprayer has the clear disadvantage that work must be stopped while still in progress in order for the tank to be pressurised, thus prolonging the duration of the spraying process and considerably reducing the efficiency of the process.
Furthermore, pressurised sprayers that comprise a compressed air inlet for pressurising the tank by means of an external system, for example a compressed air line or compressor, are also known in the prior art. This type of pressurised sprayer allows for continuous use thereof, provided that the flow rate of compressed air supplied is sufficient for counteracting the loss of pressure that originates inside the tank, since, when the liquid level drops, the volume occupied by the pressurised air increases, thus causing a drop in the pressure thereof. Nevertheless, said sprayers require additional elements, be it a compressed air line or an external compressor for compressed air, which are not generally accessible in many of the spaces in which the sprayers are used, for example public spaces such as gardens or public roads. This means that the user has to move the sprayer from the point of pressurisation to the point of use each time the pressure in the tank falls below acceptable levels. For this reason, the above-mentioned pressurised sprayers continue to exhibit practical drawbacks when used in the above-mentioned public spaces.
Additionally, American patents U.S. Pat. No. 8,985,482B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 10,532,370B2 disclose a pressurised sprayer which comprises an autonomous compressor module for pressurising the tank of the sprayer. Said patents disclose a sprayer in which the connection between the tank and the compressor module has a specific design. Said pressurised air connection having its own shape makes it difficult to use compressed air lines as well as other known compressor modules. This constitutes a clear disadvantage when replacing the compressor module and when establishing a direct connection to compressed air installations. Additionally, the tank disclosed in the above-mentioned American patents has a complex and highly irregular shape, which results in an uneven distribution of stresses inside the tank, and subjects some surfaces to high internal stresses. Furthermore, the hole of the tank for installing the compressed air inlet valve clearly weakens said region and produces a potential leakage point after repeated pressurisation steps.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of pressurised sprayers known in the prior art, the present invention discloses a pressurised sprayer which comprises a tank, the tank comprising a main body, a head region and a plunger for manually pressurising said tank, a compressed air inlet for automatically pressurising the tank with air from outside, a pressure relief valve, and a compressed flow outlet, the pressurised sprayer also comprising a removable, external compressor module that is independent of the tank, the compressor module for its part comprising an air compressor and a battery for supplying the air compressor with electricity, the compressor module being connected to said compressed air inlet, said compressor module being secured to the sprayer, wherein the compressed air inlet comprises a valve stem, said valve stem for its part being a non-return valve, and wherein the compressor module is connected to said valve stem via a hose having a connection head.
Valve stems are compressed air inlet valves that are widely used and standardised, as a result of which said connection allows for pressurisation of the tank via the compressed air inlet to be carried out using known and commercially available compressor modules. For its part, the connection between the compressor module and the valve stem via a hose allows for rapid replacement when the connections are changed.
Advantageously, the main body of the tank has a substantially cylindrical or prismatic external shape and the head region of the tank substantially has the external shape of a spherical cap.
Preferably, the present invention discloses a sprayer in which the compressed air inlet and the compressed flow outlet are arranged on a connection fitting.
Preferably, the present invention discloses a sprayer in which the main body of the tank has at least one face having a convex external shape without recesses for receiving the compressor module. Said face having a convex external shape is preferably a lateral face.
More preferably, the compressor module of the sprayer comprises at least one element for attachment to the tank. Said attachment element makes it possible to secure the compressor module to the outside of the tank in order to facilitate handling of the sprayer and to ensure the stability thereof. Additionally, the attachment element makes it possible for the connection hose between the compressor module and the tank to not be subjected to stress, thus prolonging the useful life of the device.
Even more preferably, the compressor module is secured to the main body of the tank by means of at least one collar, which acts as an attachment element. Said collar is even more preferably a resilient collar, the circumference of which, at rest, i.e. when no tension is applied, is less than the circumference of the tank. This type of resilient collar is particularly advantageous when it comes to arranging the compressor module on the tank in a fast and secure manner. Alternatively, said collar is a textile or plastics strap having a hook and loop fastener of a known type. Nevertheless, other types of attachment element, such as planar straps having buckles, planar straps having snap buttons or other attachment elements are equally valid.
Advantageously, the compressor module has a face having a concave shape that mates with a face of the main body of the tank having a convex external shape. In this way, the compressor module can be arranged such that it can be adapted to the contour of the tank and thus improve the stability between the two. More advantageously, the main body of the tank comprises at least one peripheral projection for securing the attachment element of the compressor module with respect to a longitudinal axis of the tank. Said at least one peripheral projection makes it difficult for the attachment element to slide along the tank in relation to said longitudinal axis thereof. Even more advantageously, the main body of the tank additionally comprises at least one positioning tab that dimensionally interferes with the compressor module, in order to secure the compressor module against rotation with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tank.
Even more advantageously, the compressor module of the sprayer comprises a recess that mates with said at least one positioning tab of the main body of the tank. In this way, a contact region between the compressor module and the tank of the sprayer is formed in an even more precise manner. Nevertheless, other embodiments in which the positioning tabs are arranged on the tank to the sides of the space reserved for the compressor module are equally valid.
Preferably, the tank having a plunger for manual pressurisation comprises, in the head region, at least one element from the group consisting of the pressure relief valve, the compressed flow outlet and the inlet for compressed air from outside. This simplifies the manufacturing process for the tank and also significantly reduces the concentration of localised stresses that would be present on the tank if there were holes on the lateral surface thereof. More preferably, the pressure relief valve is arranged in the head region of the tank so as to be independent of the compressed air inlet and compressed flow outlet. Said independence reduces the probability of a problem associated with the compressed air inlet and/or the compressed flow outlet affecting the pressure relief valve.
Even more preferably, the pressure relief valve can also be actuated manually, which allows the user of the sprayer to reduce the pressure in the tank in a controlled manner and without having to evacuate flow via the compressed flow outlet. This is advantageous in situations in which the tank continues to house a pressure that is higher than atmospheric pressure after the spraying task has been completed. As such, manual actuation of the pressure relief valve makes it possible to equalise the internal and external pressure of the tank in order to store the pressurised sprayer safely.
Additionally, the pressurised sprayer according to the present invention may advantageously comprise an independent base on which the tank rests in a substantially vertical position. Said base stabilises the pressurised sprayer and allows it to be arranged vertically and independently, without it having to be supported on other surfaces. Moreover, on account of the above-mentioned base, it is possible to use the sprayer when said sprayer is supported on its base, without the user having to carry it and without the tank having to come into contact with external elements of the sprayer, which could weaken said sprayer and cause it to leak.
More advantageously, the sprayer comprises a spray lance that is connected to the compressed flow outlet. Said spray lance allows the user to direct the sprayed flow in a precise manner onto surfaces that would otherwise be difficult to access. Additionally, the spray lance makes it possible to apply sprayed flow onto said surfaces while the user remains at a certain distance therefrom, thus preventing 35 splashes caused by the impact of the compressed flow on the surfaces from striking the user.
Even more advantageously, the sprayer additionally comprises an independent head portion having an internal shape that mates with the upper region of the tank, for receiving the spray lance and at least one identification element. Said identification element may for example be a card that indicates the product contained in the sprayer, such that the sprayer to be used can be identified if there is more than one.
Even more advantageously, the tank of the sprayer according to the present invention additionally comprises a flow suction tube in its interior, which extends along the tank and which is joined internally to the compressed flow outlet. Said suction tube advantageously has a longitudinal axis that is substantially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the tank as well as at least one suction point. Even more advantageously, said suction tube comprises two or more suction points distributed along its longitudinal axis. Providing said suction points makes it possible to exclusively carry out suction of a flow in the liquid state or to carry out suction of a mixed flow, i.e. in the liquid and gaseous state.
Particularly advantageously, the valve stem arranged in the compressed air inlet comprises a metal pivot that opens the valve when pressed. the valve automatically closing when the metal pivot is no longer pressed on account of the pressure inside the chamber, on account of a spring, or both. Additionally and preferably, the valve stem is a Presta, Schrader, Dunlop or Regina valve. Said valves, which are widely used in the field of pressurised tyres, allow the tank to be pressurised by means of generic compressor modules, such as those intended to inflate tyres. This constitutes a significant advantage over the prior art, since it allows the tank to be pressurised using devices that are widely available commercially.
In the present document, the terms “upper” and “lower” are to be understood in relation to a vertical arrangement of the sprayer, i.e. with the base of the sprayer resting on a support surface.
To aid understanding, explanatory yet non-limiting drawings are included that are representative of an embodiment of a pressurised sprayer according to the present invention.
In the figures, identical or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference signs.
In the present embodiment shown in
Additionally,
More specifically, the tank 2 is designed such that said inlet 33 and outlet 34 are arranged so as to maintain intactness and strength from a pressure resistance point of view. It should be noted that the head region of the tank, being substantially spherical, is better suited for receiving said compressed air inlet 33 and compressed flow outlet 34 than the lateral region of the tank, which is substantially cylindrical. As such, in the embodiment shown, the localised stresses due to the internal working pressure are much less pronounced than if the valves were installed on said main body of the tank, thus increasing the useful life of the device. Furthermore,
Although the invention has been described and represented based on a representative example, it should be understood that said exemplary embodiment in no way limits the present invention, and as such any of the variations that are included directly or by way of equivalence in the content of the appended claims should be considered included within the scope of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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U202130882 | Apr 2021 | ES | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/ES2022/070247 | 4/21/2022 | WO |