Self-resetting child-resistant trigger sprayer

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6286723
  • Patent Number
    6,286,723
  • Date Filed
    Monday, March 6, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 11, 2001
    23 years ago
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.
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Number Date Country
9299838 Nov 1997 JP