Patent ID: 6027045
Filing Date: 2000-02-22
Classification: B05B,F16K

Abstract:
A water spraying gun, comprising:a gun housing which includes a hollow handle portion that confines an elongate first fluid passage with a front end and a first longitudinal axis, and a hollow spout portion that is formed on said handle portion adjacent to said front end of said first fluid passage and that confines a second fluid passage with a second longitudinal axis generally perpendicular to said first longitudinal axis, said gun housing being formed with a fluid opening to communicate said first and second fluid passages, said handle portion being formed with an inward flange at juncture of said handle portion and said spout portion to define said fluid opening;a valve member movably disposed in said second fluid passage of said spout portion and provided with a valve ring, said valve member being movable between a closed position, in which said valve ring is seated on said flange to block fluid flow from said fluid opening to said second fluid passage, and an open position, in which said valve ring is spaced from said flange to permit fluid flow from said fluid opening to said second fluid passage;an operating lever disposed on top of said handle portion, and having a front end portion coupled to said valve member, a rear end portion, and an intermediate portion between said front and rear end portions, said intermediate portion being mounted pivotally to said handle portion, said operating lever being operable at said rear end portion to move said valve member between said closed position and said open position;a biasing spring disposed in said spout portion of said gun housing, said biasing spring normally biasing said valve member to said closed position; anda positioning unit which includes:a hollow seat secured on top of said handle portion and disposed between said handle portion and said rear end portion of said operating lever, said hollow seat being formed with a vertical slide channel which is generally transverse to said first longitudinal axis, and having a top side formed with a top opening for access into said slide channel;a retaining rod having a lower end pivoted to said seat below said slide channel, and an upper end;a downwardly opened elongated groove formed in said rear end portion of said operating lever, said elongated groove extending in a direction parallel to said first longitudinal axis; anda slide member having an upper end formed with a protrusion that engages slidably said elongated groove, said slide member extending slidably into said slide channel in said seat via said top opening and being moved in said slide channel when said operating lever is depressed, said slide member having a vertical guiding face which is formed with a V-shaped first guiding channel, a V-shaped second guiding channel above said first guiding channel, and a V-shaped third guiding channel above said second guiding channel, each of said first, second and third guiding channels having a left section which inclines upwardly and leftward and which has an upper end, and a right section which inclines upwardly and rightwardly and which has an upper end, said guiding face being further formed with a vertical right guiding groove on a right side of said first, second and third guiding channels and communicated with said upper ends of said right sections of said first, second and third guiding channels, and a vertical left guiding groove on a left side of said first, second and third guiding channels and communicated with said upper ends of said left sections of said first, second and third guiding channels, said upper end of said retaining rod extending toward said vertical guiding face and being normally retained in said first guiding channel when said valve member is in the closed position, operation of said operating lever while said upper end of said retaining rod is in said first guiding channel causing said upper end of said retaining rod to move into said right guiding groove so as to extend into a selected one of said second and third guiding channels to permit retention of said valve member at the open position with a predetermined fluid flow through said second fluid opening, operation of said operating lever while said upper end of said retaining rod is in one of said second and third guiding channels causing said upper end of said retaining rod to move back to said first guiding channel via said left guiding groove.