Patent ID: 9303416
Filing Date: 2016-04-05
CPC Classification: B05B,E04F

Claim Text:
1. A spray apparatus, comprising: a) a housing defined by a front wall, a back wall opposite the front wall, a bottom wall adjacent to the front wall and the back wall, a top wall opposite the bottom wall, and adjacent to the front wall and the back wall, a first side wall adjacent to the front wall, the back wall, the bottom wall, and the top wall, and a second side wall opposite the first side wall and adjacent to the front wall, the back wall, the bottom wall, and the top wall, wherein the front wall, back wall, bottom wall, top wall, and two side walls define a cavity of the housing, wherein the housing comprises a lower section bound by the bottom wall, an upper section bound by the top wall, and a middle section therebetween, wherein the front wall at the upper section defines an opening into the cavity, wherein the top wall defines an angle relative to the bottom wall, the angle ranging from approximately 15 degrees to approximately 20 degrees, wherein the housing comprises a fill hole positioned below the opening, wherein the fill hole is covered by a flexible cover having a center, the flexible cover comprising slits that allow the cover to adopt an open configuration when a poignant pressure is applied to the center of the cover, and to adopt a closed configuration when the poignant pressure is removed the center of the cover; b) a transfer wheel rotatably mounted to the first and second side walls, the transfer wheel comprising a cylindrical hub defining a hub axis, and a plurality of transfer flaps, wherein the hub axis is perpendicular to the first and second side walls, wherein the transfer flaps project radially outwardly from the cylindrical hub and are intermittently and angularly spaced apart about the hub axis; c) a propeller rotatably mounted to the first and second side walls and positioned above the transfer wheel, the propeller comprising a cylindrical spindle defining a spindle axis, and a plurality of fins, wherein the spindle axis is parallel to the hub axis, wherein the fins project radially outwardly from the cylindrical spindle and are intermittently and angularly spaced apart about the spindle axis, wherein each fin comprises a set of flexible arms, each arm having a free terminal end; d) a firing pin attached to the housing above the propeller, the firing pin comprising an elongated base member and a first and a second protuberance projecting from the elongated base member, the elongated base member having a length and defining a pin axis, each protuberance projecting a width away from the base member radially outwardly from the pin axis, each protuberance extending substantially the length of the elongated base member and spaced apart from each other, wherein the width of the first protuberance is greater than the width of the second protuberance, wherein the firing pin is adjustable to allow the first protuberance or the second protuberance to project towards the cylindrical spindle; and e) an actuator mounted to the housing, actuation of the actuator causing the propeller to rotate in a first direction about the spindle axis, wherein the firing pin, the propeller, and the transfer wheel are arranged relative to each other such that rotation of the propeller about the spindle axis causes one fin of the propeller to abut against one transfer flap, the abutment causing the transfer wheel to rotate in a second direction about the hub axis opposite the first direction, while a diametrically opposite fin abuts against the firing pin causing its set of flexible arms to bend in the second direction until further rotation causes the set of flexible arms to abruptly spring back in the first direction.