Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6286723
-
Patent Number
6,286,723
-
Date Filed
Monday, March 6, 200024 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, September 11, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 222 15313
- 222 3831
- 222 384
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A self-resetting child-resistant trigger sprayer having a lock slidingly mounted on the trigger lever for locking the trigger sprayer. The lock has a pair of extensions, a biasing member and a projection that all extend away from the main portion of the body of the lock. The extensions engage a portion of the trigger sprayer and the biasing member provide a restoring force that enables the trigger sprayer to be self-resetting. The projection is capable of being moved by the operator of the sprayer along the trigger lever. When in a raised position, the extensions disengage from a portion of the body of the sprayer placing the sprayer in an unlocked position. However, when the projection is released, the extensions engage a portion of the piston cylinder preventing the piston cylinder from moving and the biasing member automatically force the lock into a lower, locked position on the trigger lever thus rendering the sprayer self-resetting and child-resistant.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a manually operated fluid trigger sprayer and more particularly to a trigger sprayer having a locking means slidingly mounted on the trigger lever that automatically resets itself in a position that locks the trigger lever against actuation.
There is a need for manually operated pump sprayers to be rendered child-resistant so as to help prevent unauthorized dispensing of a product from the pump sprayer. A pump can be made child-resistant by including a locking mechanism on the pump that prevents the pumping operation. There is a need for child-resistant pump sprayers in various applications, such as when the pump sprayers contain poisonous insecticides or hazardous materials. Various mechanisms have been developed to lock sprayers and prevent user's from actuating them.
One common solution to making a sprayer child-resistant is to lock the discharge nozzle of the sprayer to prevent discharge of fluids. The locking of the discharge nozzle has been achieved through various means such as those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,346,821; 4,516,695; 5,050,779; 5,228,600 and 5,482,186. A drawback to the solutions developed in these patents is that once the nozzle has been unlocked, the sprayer may be used and the sprayer is no longer child-resistant. The sprayer is not child-resistant unless the nozzle is placed in the locked position once again.
Another solution developed to make sprayers child-resistant is to lock the trigger lever and thereby prevent it from actuating the pump cylinder in a sprayer. Currently in the art, a number of different mechanisms have been developed that lock the trigger lever, examples of which are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,927,834; 4,373,644; 4,441,633 and 4,946,074. As with the previous patents, when the sprayers in these patents are in the unlocked position, they are easily accessible regardless whether the user is a child or not. Thus, in the unlocked position, these sprayers in the art are not child-resistant until or unless they are placed in a locked position.
In neither situation previously identified, when the nozzle is locked or when the trigger lever is locked, is the locking mechanism of the sprayer self-resetting. Primarily in the art, manually operated sprayers must deliberately be placed into a locked or unlocked position, and the sprayer will remain in that specific position until it is placed in a different position. The sprayers will not automatically reset themselves into a locked position after every use.
The Knickerbocker patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,049, presents a child-resistant trigger sprayer that is also self-resetting. This particular device has a latch pivotally mounted on the trigger lever for preventing trigger actuation. The latch has an arm projecting forwardly of the trigger lever to facilitate pivotal movement of the latch against the bias of a spring for unlocking the trigger lever and permit pumping. The latch in this invention is automatically returned to its locking position at the end of each pumping operation. However, for this device, a special trigger lever must be manufactured. The locking mechanism cannot be used in conjunction with trigger levers already existing in the art.
There exists a need in the art for an improvement of the existing child-resistant trigger sprayers given the limitations of the existing art.
It is possible to make a sprayer child-resistant by requiring a two-step action be performed in order to operate the sprayer, such as lifting up on a tab while simultaneously pulling the trigger lever, as is shown in the present invention. This renders the sprayer child-resistant because children under a certain age generally cannot perform both functions simultaneously that are necessary to operate the trigger sprayer. The existence of spring-biased arms also allows for the trigger lever to be automatically returned to a locked position after every use. One embodiment of the present invention may also be used with trigger levers currently known in the art, making the locking mechanism economical as well as easy to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a child-resistant trigger actuated sprayer wherein a lock is attached to the trigger lever so as to render the trigger lever easily operable by an adult yet difficult for a child to operate and will automatically reset itself into the locked position when not in use.
One embodiment of the lock can be used with trigger levers common in the marketplace and both embodiments are economical, easy to mass produce and assemble yet highly effective.
According to the first embodiment of the invention, the locking means comprises a lock slidably mounted on a trigger lever that is currently standard in the industry, thus avoiding the added cost of trigger lever production. The lock has a body with a front portion, a rear portion, side portions, biasing means and a pair of extensions extending from the main portion of the body. Opposite the extensions is a projection or tab that extends away from the main portion of the body for movement by the operator of the sprayer.
The second embodiment of the invention comprises a lock that is also slidably mounted on a modified trigger lever provided with two slots through which the lock is slidably mounted. The lock is comprised of a body having a front portion, a rear portion and side portions. The lock also has extensions and arcuate resilient arms extending from the main portion of the body. A projection extends away from the main portion of the body, in the opposite direction as the extensions that allows for the manipulation of the lock.
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.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a partial side elevational view, partly broken-away, of a first embodiment of a self-resetting child-resistant trigger sprayer according to the invention with the trigger lever being shown in a locked position;
FIG. 2
is a view similar to the view of
FIG. 1
, with the trigger lever being shown in an unlocked position;
FIG. 3
is a perspective view of the lock illustrated in the
FIG. 1
embodiment;
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional view of the lock on the trigger lever of the first embodiment of a self-resetting child-resistant trigger sprayer taken along line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 5
is a partial side elevational view, partly broken-away, of a second embodiment of a self-resetting child-resistant trigger sprayer according to the invention with the trigger lever being shown in a locked position;
FIG. 6
is a view similar to
FIG. 5
, with the trigger lever being shown in an unlocked position;
FIG. 7
is a cross-sectional view of the lock on the trigger lever of a second embodiment of a self-resetting child-resistant trigger sprayer taken along line
7
—
7
of
FIG. 5
; and
FIG. 8
is an exploded top perspective view partly broken-away showing the lock and a portion of the trigger lever of a second embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to
FIG. 1
, the trigger sprayer
10
has a pump body
12
including a pump mechanism comprising a pump piston
18
and a pump cylinder
16
. The pump piston
18
reciprocates within pump cylinder
16
and therewith defines a variable volume pump chamber as well known in the art. The pump body
12
, which may be covered by a shroud
14
, is adapted to be mounted on a container (not shown), in a manner similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,049.
The trigger lever
22
is hingedly mounted to the pump body
12
with a hinge
24
at hinged end
30
of the trigger lever
22
and rotates about the hinge axis when operated by the user in a known manner. The trigger lever
22
is substantially U-shaped in cross-section (
FIG. 4
) and has a pair of spaced side walls
34
,
35
and a front wall
33
, the side walls extend from hinged end
30
to the opposing free end of the trigger lever
22
with a tup or extension
26
projecting rearwardly from each side wall
34
,
35
. The trigger lever
22
has a finger engaging front surface
86
.
Extensions
26
engage a confronting portion of a piston rim
36
of the pump piston
18
as in the normal manner to facilitate manual reciprocation of the piston during each pull of the trigger lever
22
to thereby expel liquid product from the pump chamber through the discharge orifice (not shown).
The lock
40
slidingly engages the trigger lever
22
and is capable of maintaining the trigger lever
22
in a locked position preventing operation of the sprayer
10
as shown in FIG.
1
. When the lock
40
is moved to a raised position, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the sprayer
10
is placed in an unlocked position.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, the lock
40
is comprised of a body
42
with a front portion, a rear portion and side portions and having a pair of parallel extensions
44
,
46
projecting rearwardly from the body
42
. The extensions terminate in inward projections
54
,
56
provided to abut the end of a confronting portion of the pump cylinder
16
when the lock
40
is placed in the inoperable position on the sprayer
10
as shown in FIG.
1
. Projections
54
,
56
clear the end of the confronting portion of the pump cylinder
16
when the sprayer
10
is placed in the operable position as shown in FIG.
2
.
The lock
40
also has a biasing means comprised of spring-biased arcuate resilient arms
48
,
50
that extend in an upward direction from the body
42
. Each of the arcuate resilient arms
48
,
50
has a corresponding free end
72
,
74
bearing against a shoulder
76
of the body
12
defined by a lower edge of the shroud
14
. Otherwise, pump body
12
could be provided with a shoulder
76
if no shroud such as shroud
14
is used.
Opposite the extensions
44
,
46
is a projection or a tab
52
that extends in a forward direction opposite the extensions
44
,
46
. The projection
52
is capable of being manually manipulated when the sprayer
10
is in operation and moves in an up-and-down motion if the container (not shown) is held in an upright position.
On the inside of the body
42
of the lock
40
, is a pair of retainer projections
78
that extend out from the inside of each side portion
80
,
82
of the body
42
opposite one another. Each retainer projection
78
is used to snap-lock the lock
40
onto the trigger lever
22
. The lock
40
is slid onto the trigger lever
22
until the finger engaging front surface
86
of the trigger lever
22
bears against the forward portion
84
of the lock
40
. Each retainer projection
78
then abuts against the rear sidewall edge
68
,
70
of each sidewall
34
,
35
of the trigger lever
22
preventing the trigger lever
22
from moving in a back-and-forth motion within the lock
40
itself. In the first embodiment, each retainer projection
78
abuts the tup or extension
26
thereby retaining the lock
40
in position on the trigger lever
22
so the extensions
44
,
46
remain in a position above the tup or extension
26
. When the lock
40
is in the locked position, as shown in
FIG. 1
, the biasing means may have some initial bias. If this is the case, then the retainer projections
78
may help to retain the lock
40
in a position wherein the biasing means is in a slightly biased position. By having a slight force acting in the biasing means could help prevent rattles and keep the lock
40
in a tight position.
All the aforedescribed elements of the lock
40
are integrally formed to provide a single, one-piece structure that is durable, flexible and strong.
In the locked position, as shown in
FIG. 1
, the projection
52
is pushed upwardly (arrow in FIG.
2
), raising the lock
40
, which moves the extensions
44
,
46
away, disengaging them from the end of the confronting portion of the pump cylinder
16
so the ends
54
,
56
no longer abut the end of the confronting portion of the pump cylinder
16
. As the lock
40
is slid upward, the resilient arms
48
,
50
are forced upward against the shoulder
76
of the body
12
causing the resilient arms
48
,
50
to bend into a flatter, more horizontal position than they are in when the sprayer
10
is in an inoperable position. The bending motion of the resilient arms
48
,
50
creates a restoring force in each resilient arms
48
,
50
causing the resilient arms
48
,
50
to work like a spring. The restoring force is maintained as long as an external force is applied to the projection
52
on the resilient arms
48
,
50
are flattened against the shoulder
76
of the body
12
. When the external force is released and no longer applied to the projection
52
, the restoring force causes the lock
40
to move to a lower position wherein the trigger lever
22
is in the inoperable state. This restoring force enables the trigger sprayer to be self-resetting.
To operate the sprayer of the first embodiment (FIGS.
1
-
4
), the operator of the sprayer
10
grasps the trigger lever
22
with the hand while the trigger lever
22
is in its forwardly extended position and the extensions
44
,
46
are in abutting engagement with the confronting portion of the pump cylinder
16
as shown in FIG.
1
. While the trigger lever
22
is grasped in this position, application of a slight upward force against projection
52
, by shifting the operator's hand in the direction of the arrow in
FIG. 2
, slides the lock
40
in an upward direction viewed in FIG.
2
. This upward shift of the lock
40
causes extensions
44
,
46
to slide upwardly and out of engagement with the confronting portion of the pump cylinder
16
against the bias of the resilient arms
48
,
50
and enables the trigger lever
22
to be actuated for pumping. The dual action of sliding the lock
40
upwardly while pulling the trigger lever
22
renders the sprayer
10
child-resistant.
When the lock
40
is slid upwardly, the resilient arms
48
,
50
are forced up against the shoulder
76
of the body
12
where they provide a constant downward restoring force against the lock
40
. A slight restoring force may be present in the resilient arms
48
,
50
even when the lock
40
is in the lower position as shown in
FIG. 1
, but is increased when the projection
52
is pushed upward freeing the extensions
44
,
46
from the confronting portion of the pump cylinder
16
. The restoring force provides a constant downward force on the lock
40
and tends to push the lock
40
back into a lower position on the trigger lever
22
. This restoring motion enables the sprayer
10
to be self-resetting.
Upon release of the projection
25
and the trigger lever
22
, the restoring force of the resilient arms
48
,
50
forces the lock
40
back to a lower position on the trigger lever
22
as shown in
FIG. 1
wherein the extensions
44
,
46
once again abut the confronting portion of the pump cylinder
16
and thereby place the sprayer
10
in a locked position.
A second embodiment of the locking means
140
is illustrated in
FIGS. 5-8
. The locking means has a lock
140
that is slidingly mounted onto the trigger lever
122
similarly as described with reference to the first embodiment as illustrated in
FIGS. 1-4
.
Referencing
FIG. 5
, as with the first embodiment, the trigger lever
122
is hingedly mounted to the body
112
so the trigger lever
122
will rotate about a hinge axis relative to the body
112
in this second embodiment of the present invention.
A lock
140
is slidably mounted on the trigger lever
122
so the lock
140
will move in an up-and-down motion relative to the trigger lever
122
. When the lock
140
is slid into an up position as shown in
FIG. 6
, the trigger lever
122
is placed in an unlocked position. If the lock
140
is moved into a lower position as shown in
FIG. 5
, the trigger lever
122
is placed in a locked position.
The lock
140
is comprised of a lock body
112
with extensions
144
,
146
extending out from the main portion of the body
142
. A biasing means comprised of spring biased arcuate resilient arms
148
,
150
project out from the body
142
and extend upwardly. A projection
152
extends away from the main portion of the body
142
, in a forward direction and allows for the lock
140
to be moved.
By sliding the lock
140
upwardly, the extensions
144
,
146
are moved away from the confronting portion of the piston rim
136
allowing the pump cylinder
116
to move freely. The trigger lever
122
is rendered locked when the extensions
144
,
146
rest against the confronting portion of the piston rim
136
preventing the pump cylinder
116
from moving. When in the locked position, the free end
172
,
174
of each resilient arm
148
,
150
rests against the shoulder
176
of the body
112
of the sprayer
110
.
In
FIG. 6
, the lock
140
is retained in position on the trigger lever
122
by the coordinating relationship between the front portion
184
of the lock
140
being placed adjacent or abutting a center support
158
of the trigger lever
122
and the retaining projection
178
overlapping the rear sidewall edge
168
,
170
of the trigger lever
122
. The overlapping of the retaining projections
178
prevents the lock
140
from slipping off the trigger lever
122
while the center support
158
keeps the lock
140
aligned with the trigger lever
122
so as to facilitate easy up-and-down movement of the lock
140
on the trigger lever
122
.
When the trigger lever
122
is rendered inoperable by the lock
140
, the extensions
144
,
146
rest against the confronting portion of the piston rim
136
preventing the pump cylinder
116
from moving. By sliding the lock
140
upwardly, the extensions
144
,
146
are moved away from the confronting portion of the piston rim
136
allowing the pump cylinder
116
to move freely.
When in the locked position, the free end
172
,
174
of each resilient arm
148
,
150
rests against a shoulder
176
which may be formed by a projection molded to the body
112
itself or by the shroud
114
overlying the body
112
.
The relationship between the lock
140
and the sidewalls
134
,
135
of the trigger lever
122
is illustrated in FIG.
7
. When the lock
140
is attached to the trigger lever
122
(shown in FIGS.
5
&
6
), the extensions
144
,
146
are placed between the sidewalls
134
,
135
of the trigger lever
122
with a center support
158
of the trigger lever
122
located between extension
144
and extension
146
. Located on each side of the lock body
142
are retainer projections
178
that are used to secure the lock
140
into a position on the trigger lever
122
. Each sidewall
134
,
135
of the trigger lever
122
is secured between the front portion
184
of the lock
140
and each retaining projection
178
locking the trigger lever
122
therebetween. Each retaining projection extends out past the rear sidewall edges
168
,
170
of each sidewall
134
,
135
thus preventing the lock
140
from sliding on the trigger lever sidewalls
134
,
135
.
In
FIG. 8
, the lock
140
is shown before assembly to the trigger lever
122
. To assemble the lock
140
onto the trigger lever
122
is an easy and convenient process wherein the lock
140
is slightly rotated so that the free ends
172
,
174
face forwardly. The free end
172
,
174
of each resilient arm
148
,
150
is placed through slots
160
,
162
in the trigger lever
122
first, with each resilient arm
148
,
150
following. When the free ends
172
,
174
have cleared the slots
160
,
162
on the opposite side of the trigger lever
122
from the insertion point, the lock
140
is then rotated back to an upright position with the free ends
172
,
174
coming to rest on the shoulder
176
as shown in
FIG. 5
as the lock
140
is snapped into place on the trigger lever
122
.
The lock
140
is snapped into position on the trigger lever
122
by pushing the remainder of the body
142
as close to the trigger lever
122
as possible until the retainer projection
178
on each side of the lock
140
is pushed past the rear sidewall edge
168
,
170
on each respective side. As each retainer projection clears the rear sidewall edge
168
,
170
, the front portion
184
of the lock
140
is positioned against the center support
158
of the
122
and each retainer projection
178
snugly secures the lock
140
into place.
While the placement of the lock
140
onto the trigger lever
122
is easy and convenient in this embodiment, the trigger lever
122
is specially designed to facilitate the acceptance of this particular lock
140
.
In operation, the operator of the sprayer
110
grips the trigger lever
122
with at least one finger on one hand. When the sprayer is not in use, the trigger lever
122
is in a forward position with the lock
140
and its projection
152
in a lower position on the trigger lever
122
while the extensions
144
,
146
of the lock
140
are pressing against the confronting portion of the piston rim
136
. To deactivate the lock
144
, the operator can slide the lock
140
upward by exerting an upward pressure on the projection
152
, while simultaneously pulling the trigger lever
122
toward the pump piston
118
. By sliding the projection
152
upward, the extensions
144
,
146
of the lock
140
are disengaged from the confronting portion piston rim
136
allowing the pair of extensions
144
,
146
to press against the piston rim
136
causing the pump cylinder
116
to move and activate the pumping action.
To return the sprayer
110
to an inoperable or locked position, the operator need only release the trigger lever
122
and release the projection
152
allowing it to return to a lower position on the trigger lever
122
. The lock
140
will automatically return to a lower position on the trigger lever
122
because the restoring force of the resilient arms
148
,
150
will push the lock
140
in a downward direction when an resistence to such motion is released. When the lock
140
is returned to a lower position on the trigger lever
122
, the extensions
144
,
146
return to a position abutting the confronting portion of the piston rim
136
essentially locking the sprayer
110
in an inoperable or locked position without any overt action by the operator. Due to the difficulty of performing a two-step function by a child of lifting the projection
152
while simultaneously pulling the trigger lever
122
, the sprayer is rendered child-resistant while being self-resetting at the same time.
If the lock
140
is moved in an upward direction along the trigger lever
122
, the resilient arms
148
,
150
are forced up against the shoulder
176
of the body
112
causing the resilient arms
148
,
150
to be manipulated or bent into a flatter, more horizontal position where a portion of the resilient arms
148
,
150
are parallel to the shoulder
176
of the body
112
. The flattening motion of the resilient arms
148
,
150
creates a restoring force in each projection
148
,
150
causing a spring action to occur. When the pair of resilient arms
148
,
150
are flattened against the shoulder
176
of the body
112
, they provide a constant downward restoring force that tries to push the lock
140
to a lower position on the trigger lever
122
. The legs
148
,
150
remain in this altered position until the lock
140
is released and automatically moved back down to a lower position on the trigger lever
122
.
By holding the projection
152
in the raised position, the resilient arms
148
,
150
remain bent and substantially flattened against the shoulder
176
of the body
112
while they are exerting a force to move the lock
140
back to a lower position wherein the trigger lever
122
is in the inoperable state.
The restoring force of the resilient arms
148
,
150
against the shoulder
176
enables the sprayer
110
to be self-resetting. When the projection
152
is no longer held in a raised position, the resilient arms
148
,
150
force the lock
140
to slidably move down the trigger lever
122
and reset itself back into a locked or inoperable position.
Some of the similarities between the two embodiments are that in both versions, the lock is slidingly attached to the trigger lever. Another similarity is that each embodiment has a pair of spring-biased legs that create a restoring force enabling the sprayer to be self-resetting. A two-step action is required to operate the sprayer in both embodiments providing for the sprayer to be child-resistant.
A few of the differences between the two embodiments are that the lock in the first embodiment is capable of being used with a conventional trigger lever thereby not requiring special trigger levers to be manufactured whereas in the second embodiment a trigger lever modified to include slots must be used in conjunction with the lock. In the first embodiment, the conventional tup of the sprayer is used to engage the piston rim, while in the second embodiment, the lock has a plurality of extensions located thereon that are used to engage the piston rim.
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications are possible. Some foreseeable alternative embodiments may include biasing means that could be located below the tup of the sprayer instead of above as in the first embodiment thereby allowing the lock to be moved in a downward direction instead of upwardly. The biasing means could be a tension means instead of a compression means which also would allow the lock to be slid in a downwardly direction along the trigger lever instead of an upwardly direction as currently described. Also, the tup of the trigger lever could be connected, such as by a snap-fit engagement or other known connecting means, to the pump piston thereby eliminating the need for a separate piston return spring. The biasing means of the lock would thus function as an external piston return spring. Such changes and modifications may be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A locking body for use with a self-resetting child-resistant trigger operated sprayer comprising:a one-piece structure including a front portion, a rear portion and a pair of side portions spaced from one another; said front portion including a projection extending forwardly of said body; said side portions being interconnected at said forward portion of said body and extending rearwardly from said forward portion in substantially parallel relationship to one another; said side portions including a pair of spaced resilient arms having upper ends adapted to abut against shoulders on a sprayer; said side portions having ends at said rear portion adapted to engage a pump body of a sprayer; said side portions having retainer projections extending laterally therefrom and being adapted to engage a trigger lever of a pump sprayer.
- 2. The locking body according to claim 1, wherein:said retainer projections extend inwardly toward one another from said side portions.
- 3. The locking body according to claim 1, wherein:said retainer projections extend outwardly from said side portions.
- 4. The locking body according to claim 1, wherein:said resilient arms are of arcuate configuration.
- 5. The locking body according to claim 1, wherein:said ends of said side portions extend inwardly toward one another.
- 6. A self-resetting child-resistant sprayer comprising:a pump body; a trigger lever pivotally mounted at an upper end thereof to said pump body, said trigger lever having a lower free end and a forward finger engaging surface extending between said ends; a locking means supported on said trigger lever for preventing trigger actuation in a first position of said locking means; said locking means having a portion thereof in abutting engagement with a confronting portion of said pump body in said first position; said locking means having biasing means and being slidingly mounted on said trigger lever; said locking means having a projection extending forwardly of said finger engaging surface to provide for manually sliding of said locking means against the bias of said biasing means from said first position to a second position in which said extension is out of engagement with said confronting portion of said pump body to permit trigger lever actuation, said biasing means automatically returning said locking means to said first position.
- 7. A self-resetting child-resistant sprayer comprising:a pump body; a trigger lever pivotally mounted at an upper end thereof to said pump body, said trigger lever having a forward finger engaging surface extending between said ends; said trigger lever having an opposing free end and rearwardly extending means intermediate said ends for actuating said sprayer upon manual operation of said trigger lever; a locking means supported on said trigger lever for preventing trigger actuation in a first position of said locking means; said locking means having a portion thereof in abutting engagement with a confronting portion of said pump body in said first position; said locking means being slidingly mounted on said trigger lever; said locking means having biasing means for urging said locking means toward said first position; said locking means having a projection extending forwardly of said finger engaging surface for manually sliding said locking means against the bias of said biasing means from said first position to a second position in which said extension is out of engagement with said confronting portion of said pump body to permit trigger actuation, said biasing means automatically returning said locking means to said first position.
- 8. The locking body according to claim 7, wherein:said locking means has retainer projections extending inwardly toward one another for retaining said locking means on said trigger lever.
- 9. The locking body according to claim 8, wherein:said biasing means are resilient arms of arcuate configuration.
- 10. The locking body according to claim 9, wherein:said biasing means is integral with said locking means.
- 11. The locking body according to claim 10, wherein:said locking means has a plurality of extensions, each extension having an end extending inwardly.
- 12. A self-resetting child-resistant sprayer comprising:a pump body; a trigger lever pivotally mounted at an upper end thereof to said pump body, said trigger lever having a forward finger engaging surface extending between said ends; a locking means supported on said trigger lever for preventing actuation of said sprayer in a first position of said locking means and for actuating said pump dispenser in a second position of said locking means; said locking means having an extension in abutting engagement with a confronting portion of said pump body in said first position and being slidingly mounted on said trigger lever; said trigger lever having at least one slot therein for slidingly receiving said locking means; said locking means having biasing means; said biasing means automatically returning said locking means to said first position; and said locking means having a projection extending forwardly beyond said finger engaging surface to provide for manually sliding of said locking means against the bias of said biasing means from said first position to a second position in which said extension is out of engagement with said confronting portion of said pump body to permit trigger actuation.
- 13. The locking body according to claim 12, wherein:said retainer projections extend outwardly from said side portions away from one another.
- 14. The locking body according to claim 13, wherein:said biasing means are resilient arms of arcuate configuration.
- 15. The locking body according to claim 14, wherein:said biasing means is integral with said locking means.
US Referenced Citations (18)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
9299838 |
Nov 1997 |
JP |