Abstract:
A water spray gun includes a body mounted with a socket and a stopper cap and a water outlet fitting to support a water control valve, a nozzle head affixed to the water outlet passage of the body, a lever for operation by the user to rotate the water control valve and to further control the flowrate of water entering the nozzle head, a buffer member mounted in the nozzle head to buffer water pressure, a spray cap capped on the nozzle head, and a spray pattern dial mounted in the nozzle head behind the spray cap and having an adjustment plate pivotally supported between a first spray pattern plate and a second spray pattern plate with a finger rod extending out of a sliding groove of the buffer member and a sliding slot of the nozzle head for operation by the user to change the spray pattern.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to water spray guns and more particularly, to a cost-effective simple structure of water spray gun, which comprises a body mounted with a socket and a stopper cap and a water outlet fitting to support a water control valve, a nozzle head affixed to the water outlet passage of the body, a lever pivoted to the body for operation by the user to rotate the water control valve and to further control the flowing of water, a nozzle head with a buffer member connected to the water outlet passage of the body and capped with a spray cap, and a spray pattern dial mounted in the nozzle head with a finger rod extending out of a sliding slot of the nozzle head for operation by the user to control the spray pattern. 
         [0002]    A conventional water spray gun  10  ((see  FIG. 1 ) has a screw rod  13  extending backwards from a control valve set inside the barrel  11  and mounted with a nut  12 , and a control lever  15  pivoted to the body  14  and having a top retaining member  151  fastened to the screw rod  13 . When in use, the user can hold the body  14  and the control lever  15  with the hand and then pull the control lever  15  to move the screw rod  13 , thereby controlling the internal control valve set. 
         [0003]    The aforesaid conventional water spray gun has numerous drawbacks as follows: (1) During operation, the user must hold the front side of the body  14  with the hand and then press the control lever  15  and keep the control lever  15  in the pressed position to let the water spray gun eject water spray. Frequently operating the control lever  15  with the hand causes the hand to ache or to feel uncomfortable. Therefore, this design of water spray gun is not suitable for wide area application. (2) The structure and installation of the control valve set in the body  14  are complicated, resulting in high material and labor costs, not cost effective. 
         [0004]    It is therefore desirable to provide a water spray gun that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. 
       SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention has been accomplished to provide a water spray gun, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. According to one aspect of the present invention, the water spray gun comprises a body mounted with a socket having an arched guide face and a water outlet opening to match with a water control valve, a nozzle head connected to the body, a lever pivoted to the body for rotating the water control valve to move a notch of a spherical valve block of the water control valve into water communication with the water outlet opening of the socket or out off the water outlet opening of the socket so as to further control the flowing of water to the nozzle head, and a buffer member mounted in the nozzle head to buffer water impact. When the water control valve is opened to let water pass, the user needs not to keep pressing the lever. 
         [0006]    According to another aspect of the present invention, a spray pattern dial is mounted in the nozzle head for controlling water spray pattern. The spray pattern dial comprises a first spray pattern plate, which has an upper water jet hole and a lower water jet hole, a second spray pattern plate, which has an upper water jet hole and a lower water jet hole, and an adjustment plate pivotally set in between the first spray pattern plate and the second spray pattern plate and having a finger rod extending out of a sliding slot of the nozzle head for biasing by the user to control the flowing direction of water through the upper water jet holes or the lower water jet holes and to further change the spray pattern of water passing out of the spray cap at the front side of the nozzle head. 
         [0007]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, the water spray gun is comprised of a body having mounted therein a socket, a stopper cap and a water outlet fitting to support a water control water between a water inlet passage and a water outlet passage, a lever pivoted to the body for moving the water control valve to close or open the water passage, a nozzle head connected to the water outlet passage of the body, a buffer member mounted in the nozzle head to buffer water impact, a spray cap capped on the nozzle head, and a spray pattern dial mounted in the nozzle head behind the spray cap with a finger rod of the adjustment plate thereof extending out of a sliding slot of the nozzle head for operation by the user to adjust the spray pattern. The whole structure of the water spray gun is simple, saving much material and labor costs. Therefore, the water spray gun is cost effective. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a water spray gun according to the prior art. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of a water spray gun according to the present invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an elevational assembly view of the water spray gun according to the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the water spray gun according to the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the socket for the water spray gun according to the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the water outlet fitting for the water spray gun according to the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a sectional elevation of the body for the water spray gun according to the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view of a part of the present invention, showing the positioning of the water control valve in the body. 
           [0016]      FIG. 9  is an elevational assembly view of the spray pattern dial for the water spray gun according to the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 10  is similar to  FIG. 9  but showing the adjustment plate adjusted. 
           [0018]      FIG. 11  is a schematic drawing showing one spray pattern of the water spray gun according to the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 12  is a schematic drawing showing another spray pattern of the water spray gun according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a water spray gun in accordance with the present invention (referring also to  3  and  4 ). The water spray gun comprises a body  20  (see  FIGS. 7 and 8 ), which has mounted therein a water control valve  21 , a socket  22  (see  FIG. 5 ), a stopper cap  23  and a water outlet fitting  24  (see  FIG. 6 ), a control lever  25 , a nozzle head  30 , a buffer member  40 , a spray pattern dial  50  (see  FIGS. 9 and 10 ), and a spray cap  60 . 
         [0021]    The body  20  has a water inlet passage  201 , a connection hole  2011  at one end of the water inlet passage  201 , a water outlet passage  202 , a valve chamber  203  in communication between the water inlet passage  201  and the water outlet passage  202 , and an access hole  2021  in communication with one end of the water outlet passage  202  remote from the valve chamber  203 . The water inlet passage  201 , the water outlet passage  202  and the valve chamber  203  are in communication with one another, showing a T-shaped profile. The valve chamber  203  has a pivot hole  2031  and a bearing hole  2032 . 
         [0022]    The water control valve  21  is mounted in the valve chamber  203 , having a spherical valve block  211  and a stem  212 . The spherical valve block  211  is formed integral with a middle part of the stem  212 , having a crescent shaped notch  2111 . The stem  212  has a cut plane  2121  on each of the two distal ends thereof. The stem  212  has its one end pivotally mounted in the pivot hole  2031  of the valve chamber  2031 , and its other end inserted through a center axial hole  221  of the socket  22  and a through hole  231  of the stopper cap  23 . Thereafter, the socket  22  and the stopper cap  23  are bonded to the inside wall of the valve chamber  203  and the periphery of the bearing hole  2032  by high frequency welding. 
         [0023]    The socket  22  has an arched guide face  222  fitting over the periphery of the spherical valve block  211 , a water outlet opening  223  cut from a part of the arched guide face  222  for communication with the crescent shaped notch  2111  of the spherical valve block  211  to form a water inlet passage. 
         [0024]    The water outlet fitting  24  is bonded to the inside of the water outlet passage  202  by high frequency welding, having a water guide hole  241  curved inwards at one end and closely attached to the spherical valve block  211  of the water control valve  21  for communication with the crescent shaped notch  2111  to guide in water and a stepped water hole  242  at the other end. 
         [0025]    The control lever  25  has two coupling holes  251  respectively disposed at two distal ends thereof and respectively coupled to the two ends of the step  212 , and two cut planes  2511  respectively formed in the coupling holes  251  and fitting the cut planes  2121  of the stem  212 . Therefore, the control lever  25  can be turned upwards or downwards to rotate the water control member  21 . 
         [0026]    The nozzle head  30  has a rear mounting portion  31  bonded to the periphery of the access hole  2021  of the water outlet passage  202  by high frequency welding, a water hole  311  in the rear mounting portion  21 , a front coupling portion  33 , a step  331  in the front coupling portion  33 , a sliding slot  34  cut through the coupling portion  33 , a tapered guide portion  32  connected between the rear mounting portion  21  and the front coupling portion  33 , and a plurality of teeth  321  spaced around the inside wall of the tapered guide portion  32 . 
         [0027]    The buffer member  40  has a rear mounting portion  41  bonded to the inside wall of the rear mounting portion  31  of the nozzle head  30  around the water hole  311 , a stop wall  411  formed in the rear mounting portion  41  and supported on the step  331  of the front coupling portion  33  and the teeth  321  of the tapered guide portion  32 , a water hole  412  cut through the stop wall  411 , a sliding groove  42  coupled to the sliding slot  34  of the nozzle head  30 , a front accommodation portion  43 , which accommodates the spray pattern dial  50 , and a step  431  disposed in the accommodation portion  43 . 
         [0028]    The spray pattern dial  50  is comprised of a first spray pattern plate  51 , an adjustment plate  52 , and a second spray pattern plate  53 . The first spray pattern plate  51  has a rear mounting portion  511  protruded from the front side and bonded to the step  431  inside the front accommodation portion  43  of the buffer member  40  by high frequency welding, a front face  512 , a flange  513  extending around the front face  512 , a sliding way  514  formed on the flange  513  corresponding to the sliding groove  42  of the buffer member  40 , a pivot rod  5121  protruded from the center of the front face  512 , and an upper water jet hole  5122  and a lower water jet hole  5123  cut through the front face  512  at two sides relative to the pivot rod  5121 . The upper water jet hole  5122 , lower water jet hole  5123  and the pivot rod  5121  of the first spray pattern plate  51  are arranged in a line. The second spray pattern plate  53  has a rear mounting portion  531  bonded to the flange  513  of the first spray pattern plate  51 , a front face  532 , a flange  533  extending around the front face  532 , a sliding way  534  formed in the flange  533  corresponding to the sliding way  514  of the first spray pattern plate  51 , a center pivot hole  5321  cut through the center of the front face  532  and coupled to the pivot rod  5121  of the first spray pattern plate  51 , an upper water jet hole  5322  and a lower water jet hole  5323  cut through the front face  532  corresponding to the upper water jet hole  5122  and lower water jet hole  5123  of the first spray pattern plate  51 , and a smoothly arched water accumulation groove  5324  disposed in communication with the upper water jet hole  5322 . The adjustment plate  52  is set in between the first spray pattern plate  51  and the second spray pattern plate  53 , having a flat circular base  521 , a finger rod  522  radially extending from the periphery of the flat circular base  521  out of the sliding ways  514  of the first spray pattern plate and the sliding way  534  of the second spray pattern plate  53  and the sliding groove  42  of the buffer member  40  and the sliding slot  34  of the nozzle head  30 , a pivot hole  5211  cut through the center of the flat circular base  521  and pivotally coupled to the pivot rod  5121  of the first spray pattern plate  51 , and an upper water jet hole  5222  and a lower water jet hole  5223  cut through the flat circular base  521 . However, the upper water jet hole  5222 , lower water jet hole  5223  and center pivot hole  5211  of the adjustment plate  52  are not arranged in a line. 
         [0029]    The spray cap  60  has a rear mounting portion  64  stopped against the flange  533  of the second spray pattern plate  53  and bonded to the periphery of the nozzle head  30  and by high frequency welding, a plurality of upper water jet holes  62  cut through the front and back walls and arranged in communication with the smoothly arched water accumulation groove  5324 , a plurality of vertical ribs  61  protruded from the front side and respectively disposed at two sides of each of the upper water jet holes  62 , and a lower water jet hole  63  in communication with the lower water jet hole  5323  of the second spray pattern plate  53  and the lower water jet hole  5123  of the first spray pattern plate  51 . 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , when biasing the control lever  25  upwards, the spherical valve block  211  of the water control valve  21  is rotated with the stem  212  through an angle to have the crescent shaped notch  2111  be aimed at the water outlet opening  223  of the socket  22 , water is allowed to flow through the connection hole  2011  of the water inlet passage  201  into the stepped water hole  242  of the water outlet fitting  24  via the water passage defined by the crescent shaped notch  2111  of the spherical valve block  211  of the water control valve  21  and the water outlet opening  223  of the socket  22 . When water entered the stepped water hole  242  of the water outlet fitting  24 , the step  431  of the buffer member  40  buffers the pressure of the flowing water, lowering the impact of water on the nozzle head  30 . When moving the finger rod  522  to turn the adjustment plate  52  about the pivot rod  5121  to the position where the upper water jet hole  5212  of the adjustment plate  52  in line with the upper water jet hole  5122  of the first spray pattern plate  51  and the upper water jet hole  5322  of the second spray pattern plate  53 , water will be accumulated in the water accumulation groove  5324  and then forced by water pressure to spray out of the upper water jet holes  62  of the spray cap  60  over a wide area. When moving the finger rod  522  to turn the adjustment plate  52  about the pivot rod  5121  to the position where the lower water jet hole  5213  of the adjustment plate  52  in line with the upper water jet hole  5122  of the first spray pattern plate  51  and the upper water jet hole  5322  of the second spray pattern plate  53 , water will be accumulated in the water accumulation groove  5324  and then forced by water pressure out of the lower water jet holes  63  of the spray cap  60 . 
         [0031]    A prototype of water spray gun has been constructed with the features of  FIGS. 2˜12 . The water spray gun functions smoothly to provide all the features discussed earlier. 
         [0032]    Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.