Abstract:
The present invention provides a sprayer that has on the sprayer itself capability for simultaneously controlling on/off function and flow selection. A forward button can be pressed by a forefinger to turn flow on, while a rearward rocker can be controlled by a thumb to select between aerated and non-aerated flow. The on/off control is biased to the off position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority based on U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/028,075 filed Feb. 12, 2008. The entire contents of that application are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention relates to sprayers useful in connection with faucets. More particularly it relates to sprayers having an on/off control and also a separate selector that can select between two different types of flow. 
         [0004]    Sprayers are often used in connection with devices such as kitchen faucets. Some of these devices are mounted as a pull-out sprayer on the faucet itself. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,575,424 and 6,738,996. 
         [0005]    Other sprayers, known as “side sprays”, are mounted separately from the faucet upper housing along a counter top, sink or the like, with a supply hose that ultimately links to the same mixing valve that supplies the faucet. The supply hose is usually a retractable and flexible hose that extends under the counter top. 
         [0006]    When pulled out from its rest seat such a side spray is typically activated by a lever or other activator at the spray head, to permit water to flow to the sprayer. This causes a diverter to simultaneously cut off flow through the faucet&#39;s outlet spout. Such a side sprayer is often used to emit a spray for closely rinsing utensils or dishes in a sink, or rinsing particular portions of a human in a bathtub or the like. Side sprays achieve this without requiring the visible aesthetics of the faucet housing to be disrupted. 
         [0007]    There have been a variety of attempts to provide varied flow options and controls activatable at spray heads themselves. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,145,114, 5,158,234, 5,383,604, 5,575,424, 5,690,312, 5,707,011, 5,797,011, 5,806,771, 5,937,905, 6,045,062, 6,145,757, 6,151,729, 6,296,011, 6,370,713, 6,691,933, 6,738,996, 6,935,375, 6,938,835, 7,000,854, 7,070,125, and 7,104,473. See also U.S. patent application publications 2005/0103895, 2005/0103896, 2005/0189438 and 2006/0016912. 
         [0008]    Some such spray heads only provide control at the spray head between two types of flow (but not also volume control as volume control is left to the main faucet valve). It can be awkward for a consumer to be controlling both volume and type of flow at distinctly separately places. Other such spray heads only control on/off at the spray head, and provide no flexibility in spray type. 
         [0009]    Still other such spray heads both provide on/off control and flow selection at the spray head. However, they do so in a non-intuitive manner, or require awkward hand manipulations to achieve such control, or default the flow to the on position (as they are intended to provide a pause function). 
         [0010]    Accordingly, there is a need for improved sprayers having both on/off control and flow selection at the spray head itself. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The present invention provides sprayers having a sprayer body having a handle portion and an outlet head, with a passage extending through the sprayer body from the handle portion through the outlet head. There is a flow selector valve positioned within the outlet head to direct flow between two exit pathways. There is also a first actuator positioned on an exterior portion of the outlet head to control the flow selector valve. The assembly also has an on/off valve positioned in the handle portion to control flow from the handle to the outlet head, and a second actuator positioned on an exterior frontal portion of the handle portion to control the on/off valve. 
         [0012]    In preferred forms the first actuator is positioned on an exterior rear portion of the outlet head, the second actuator is biased to a position that directs the on/off valve to a closed position, and the second actuator is linked to a spool valve. The spool valve forms a portion of the on/off valve, and has an o-ring mounted on its periphery (that seats against an internal valve seat in the handle). 
         [0013]    In other preferred forms the second actuator is a button and the first actuator is a rocker, the first and second actuators are located on opposed sides of the sprayer body, the first exit pathway extends to a set of nozzles providing a aerated flow pathway, and the second exit pathway extends to a non-aerated flow pathway. Other possible refinements include the sprayer body presenting an essentially L-shaped side view, and the sprayer being a side spray suitable to be linked to water flow permitted from a mixing valve of a faucet. 
         [0014]    Of course, this type of sprayer could also be used as a pull-out type spray for a faucet, or even could be used as a form of personal shower head or bath spray. 
         [0015]    The present invention thus provides a sprayer that can easily provide on/off control and spray selection using a single hand. Most preferably the design permits a thumb to control a rocker for selecting between spray types at the same time a forefinger can control the on/off function. The device is intuitive, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, reliable, and easy to maintain. 
         [0016]    These and still other advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings. What follows is merely a description of one preferred embodiment of the present invention. To assess the full scope of the invention the claims should be looked to as this preferred embodiment is not intended to be the only embodiment within the scope of the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a lower rear perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a frontal side perspective view thereof; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 , depicting the sprayer with the toggle rocker placed in the aerator selection position, and the on/off button in the “rest” closed position; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 3 , but with the toggle rocker placed in the non-aerated flow selection position; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 4 , but with the on/off button in the on position; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 3 , but with the on/off button in the on position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0023]    A sprayer  10  has a sprayer body  12 . A lower end of the body in the form of a handle  18  has formed thereon a hose connector  14 . This is suitable to link in the usual fashion to a water supply hose  21  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
         [0024]    The sprayer body  12  also has an outlet head  16 . Hence, this creates an essentially L-shaped appearance in side view with a long leg portion of the handle  18 , a bend  20  beginning the outlet head  16 , and a short leg  22  portion which is also part of the outlet head. 
         [0025]    On the rear side of the sprayer body  12 , there is positioned a first actuator in the form of a toggle rocker button  24 . The toggle rocker button  24  can be used to change the spray pattern that flows from the outlet head  16  between an aerated flow and a non-aerated flow. 
         [0026]    On the frontal side of the sprayer body  12 , near the neck of the sprayer body, is a second actuator in the form of an on/off control button  26 . The button  26  is biased radially outward/forwardly, such that while it may be depressed against spring pressure, it will spring back out/forwardly automatically when released. 
         [0027]    As will be appreciated from  FIG. 5  or  6 , when the button  26  is depressed rearwardly water can flow through the sprayer  10  and out of the outlet head  16 . The spray pattern emanating from the outlet head  16  can be toggled between a regular flow pattern and an aerated flow pattern using the toggle rocker button  24 . When the button  26  is released, then the outlet head  16  stops spraying water. 
         [0028]    Referring now more specifically to  FIGS. 3 ,  4 ,  5 , and  6  cross-sectional views of the interior of the sprayer  10  are shown. A central passage  28  extends from the hose connector  14  to the spray selection valve  30 , and ultimately via exit pathways out the front of the spray head. The central passage  28  is divided by the on/off valve  32  into an upstream side  34  and a downstream side  36 . 
         [0029]    The valve  32  is connected to the button  26 . It includes a spool  38  having an o-ring  40  attached and a cavity  42 . The cavity  42  engages a guiding post  44  to guide the spool  38 . A spring  46  is located around the post  44  and engages a surface of the spool  38  to bias the spool  38  down. 
         [0030]    In the closed position ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ), the o-ring  40  forms a seal with a valve seat  48 . This seal blocks the flow of water from the upstream side  34  to the downstream side  36  of the central passage  28 . 
         [0031]    When the button  26  is depressed, the seal is broken as the spool  38  is moved upward. This permits water to flow past the valve  32 . 
         [0032]    A spray selection valve  30  is in communication with the downstream side  36  of the central passage  28 . A variety of known selectors could be used at this point. See e.g. the selector assembly of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,707,011 and 6,045,062, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. 
         [0033]    By way of example, the spray selection valve  30  could include a sliding portion  50  that is connected to a toggle rocker  52  at a ball and socket joint  54 . The sliding portion  50  has a cavity  56  that engages a tab  58  and a straight portion  60  that is captured by side walls  62  and  64  and thus linearly restricting the movement of the sliding portion  50 . 
         [0034]    The toggle rocker  52  has an unconnected end  66  that is not connected to anything and a connected end  68  that connects to the ball and socket joint  54 . Between the unconnected end  66  and connected end  68  is a pivot joint  70 . The unconnected end  66  can be depressed to a point at which a recess  72  in the unconnected end  66  engages a stop  74  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 . When the unconnected end  66  is depressed, the connected end  68  is elevated such that the ball and socket joint  54  lifts the sliding portion  50  of the spray selection valve  30  to seal the walls  76  and direct any water entering the spray selection valve  30  down a first exit  78  to an aerator  80  to provide an aerated spray pattern out of outlet head  16 . 
         [0035]    The connected end  68  of the toggle rocker  52  may be depressed, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , to force the sliding portion  50  of the spray selection valve  30  down to seal walls  82 . By sealing the walls  82 , communication between the central passage  28  and the first exit  78  is blocked, but communication between the central passage  28  and a second exit  84  and the nozzles  86  is created (a portion of the second exit  84  is shown in phantom lines in  FIG. 5 ). When in operation, the nozzles  86  provide a regular spray pattern out of the outlet head  16 . 
         [0036]    Because the toggle rocker  52  is pivots between the two locations, when one of the unconnected end  66  and the connected end  68  is depressed, the other is moved in an upward position. By depressing the end in the upward position, the toggle rocker  52  will move the spray selection valve  30  to the other position. Thus the toggle rocker  52  controls the spray selection valve  30  to place the central passage  28  in selective communication with one of the first exit  78  and the second exit  84 , each of which feed to the outlet head  16  to provide a different spray pattern from the other. 
         [0037]    In operation a water supply hose  21  is connected to the hose connector  14  to supply a flow of water from a mixing valve of a nearby faucet or the like (not shown). Unless the button  26  is depressed, no flow will pass through the sprayer. When it is depressed flow will start. Depending on which exit passage is selected, the flow will either be aerated or non-aerated. 
         [0038]    Note in particular that adjustments in on/off and type of flow can be made simultaneously and conveniently with a single hand. A forefinger can depress the button  26  to start the spray, while a thumb can operate the toggle rocker  52  to change the spray pattern. The forces offset each other as they are in opposed directions, and the operation is highly intuitive. 
         [0039]    It should be appreciated that a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above. However, many modifications and variations to this preferred embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art, which will be within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the button  26  could be a cammed slider or other form of actuator. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the described embodiment. To ascertain the full scope of the invention, the following claims should be referenced. 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY  
       [0040]    The invention provides an improved sprayer having the capability to itself simultaneously control on/off and flow selection.