Abstract:
A misting apparatus that is more durable and leaks less than systems known in the art. The apparatus includes a durable, integral flow control assembly and handle, which are especially beneficial for portable misting systems. The apparatus further includes a pressure gauge for monitoring the pressure inside the tank.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to localized cooling systems. This invention relates particularly to a durable hand-held apparatus for cooling a localized area through the evaporative cooling process. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is a well known principle that introduction of humidity into a dry atmosphere lowers the ambient atmospheric temperature. Evaporative or “swamp” coolers served as effective refrigeration devices in desert climates for over fifty years. This principle has been applied in the development of devices to cool a more localized area by spraying a fine mist. Such devices are known in the art and an examination of these devices reveals that the water is pressurized by motor power, by attachment to a tank of pressurized gas, or by manual pumping. The motor-powered sprayers tend to be heavy, noisy, and cumbersome to use, and require fuel or an electrical cord connecting the sprayer to an electrical source. The air-pressurized sprayers require that the user has constant access to a source of pressurized air to recharge the container. These limitations severely inhibit the convenience and portability of the spraying apparatus. 
     Manually-pumped containers eliminate the requirement for a separate source of pressurization and enabled the development of portable misting systems. In essence, a hand-pump is directly attached to a small water tank, and the user manually reciprocates the pump handle to force air into the tank to pressurize it. The device is turned on by opening a flow valve, and a fine mist is emitted from a nozzle. However, in the prior art devices, the user could not tell if the container was sufficiently pressurized to emit a fine mist without testing it by opening the valve. A container that is insufficiently pressurized would release large drops of water slowly, often dripping big drops, rather than spraying a fine mist. Insufficient pressure therefore renders the apparatus useless for its purpose because the emission isn&#39;t a mist and, moreover, it is also messy. It would be desirable to know the amount of pressure inside the container before the valve is opened. Then, if the pressure is too low to create a mist, the container could be pressurized to a sufficient level before it is turned on, avoiding drips. 
     In previously disclosed portable devices, the flow of mist is controlled by a flow valve connected by a plastic tube to the outside of the tank at a water outlet. Usually the connections between the tank, flow valve and tube are friction fit. That is, the flow valve just squeezes into the end of the tube and the nozzle squeezes into the end of the flow control valve, all held in place by the friction. The distance between the flow valve and the water container makes it easy to snag the flow valve or nozzle and accidentally pull one off. This is especially a problem with portable misting devices. Further, when the nozzle is detached from the apparatus, the flow valve remains connected and will still release water if opened. Without a misting nozzle on the end, essentially a stream of water is released. This, again, is especially a problem with portable misting devices because the valve could be accidentally opened during transportation and cause the water to leak out. To increase the durability of a portable mister, it would be beneficial to provide a flow valve assembly that is more durable. 
     A similar problem plagues the known portable misting devices with the pump handle. The handle extends form the water container a sufficient distance to make the knob on the handle easy to grasp. Unfortunately, this extension makes it easy to snag the knob and accidentally pull out the handle, making the device bigger and unwieldy, and again making storage and transportation inconvenient and messy. 
     Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which utilizes the evaporative cooling principle in a device that is more durable and less messy than those of the prior art. It is another object of this invention to integrate the flow valve assembly and handle into the device. It is another object to provide a misting device that minimizes the risk of water leaking out as a fluid, instead of spraying out as a mist. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a misting apparatus that is more durable and leaks less than systems known in the art. The apparatus includes a durable, integral flow control assembly and handle, which are especially beneficial for portable misting systems. The apparatus further includes a pressure gauge for monitoring the pressure inside the tank. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         Fig. 2  is a rear perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the present invention along line  1 - 1 , illustrating the handle in the extended position. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the flow valve closed, taken along line  1 - 1 . 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the flow valve open, taken along line  1 - 1 . 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the upper portion of the preferred embodiment, illustrating the removable nozzle. 
         FIG. 13   a  is a perspective view of the flow assembly of the preferred embodiment, with the flow lever in the fully closed position. 
         FIG. 13   b  is a perspective view of the flow assembly of the preferred embodiment, with the flow lever in a partially open position. 
         FIG. 13   c  is a perspective view of the flow assembly of the preferred embodiment, with the flow lever in a fully open position. 
         FIG. 14   a  is a perspective view of the flow assembly of the second embodiment, with the flow lever in the fully closed position. 
         FIG. 14   b  is a perspective view of the flow assembly of the second embodiment, with the flow lever in a partially open position. 
         FIG. 14   c  is a perspective view of the flow assembly of the second embodiment, with the flow lever in a fully open position. 
         FIG. 15   a  is a perspective view of the pressure gauge integrated with the cap of the preferred embodiment. 
         FIG. 15   b  is a perspective view of the pressure gauge of the preferred embodiment 
         FIG. 15   c  is a rear view of a cross section of the pressure gauge of the preferred embodiment, showing the internal parts of the pressure gauge. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a misting apparatus, designated generally as  10 , used to evaporatively cool a localized area by emission of a fine mist spray. The misting apparatus  10  comprises generally a water tank  11  and a cap  15 , which further comprises a pump, a flow control assembly and optionally a pressure gauge  28 .  FIGS. 1-4 ,  10 - 13  show the preferred embodiment of the present invention.  FIGS. 5-8  and  14  show a second embodiment of the present invention having a different flow lever  31 .  FIG. 9  is equally applicable to both the preferred and second embodiments. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the water tank  11  holds the evaporative fluid, which is usually water but can be any fluid capable of making a mist. All acceptable fluids are referred to herein as water. The tank is preferably lightweight, and may be opaque or transparent. The water tank  11  is of a size that facilitates the portability of the present invention and preferably holds up to 24 oz. Different size tanks may be interchangeable with a given cap. In the preferred embodiment, the water tank  11  is designed so that the invention can be held in a user&#39;s hand, allowing the user to direct the mist spray to cool his vicinity. The cap  15  is removed to add water to the water tank  11  and reattached to close the tank. 
     The cap  15  connects to the water tank  11  at the water tank&#39;s mouth  13  in a watertight and substantially air-tight seal. To achieve the seal, the cap  15  is preferably threaded along its outer surface  16 , and the water tank  11  is complementarily threaded along its inner surface such that when the threads of the pieces are fully engaged, the exterior surfaces of the water tank  11  and cap  15  are integrated to achieve a substantially smooth surface. In the preferred embodiment, an o-ring  19  may be used at the interface of the water tank  11  and the cap  15  to facilitate sealing the water tank  11 . 
       FIGS. 9-11  illustrate the cap  15  in more detail. A pump, a flow control assembly, and optionally a pressure gauge  28  are attached to, and preferably integral with, the cap  15 . The pump can be any pump capable of attaching to the cap  15  and operating to pressurize the water tank  11 . In the preferred embodiment, the pump is a hand-powered piston pump that includes a barrel  21 , a plunger  22 , a one-way valve  33 , and a handle  24 . The pump operates as a standard piston pump, which is known in the art. Specifically, the water tank  11  is pressurized when the user depresses the handle  24  from an extended position shown in  FIG. 9  to a depressed position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 . This action pushes the plunger  22  into the barrel  21 , pulling ambient air into the water tank  11  through the one-way valve  33 . A reciprocating motion increases the pressure in the water tank  11 . In the preferred embodiment, the handle  24  is integral with the cap to form a substantially smooth surface with few protrusions such that is not likely to snag on things and accidentally get pulled out. Optionally, the pump handle  24  can function as a carrying handle for the misting apparatus  10 , and may further incorporate a locking mechanism to prevent the handle from being pulled out when used as such. 
     The mist is controlled by a flow control assembly comprising an inner tube  25  to conduct water from the tank  11  through a flow valve  23  to a nozzle  27 .  FIG. 10  shows the misting apparatus  10  in cross-section with the flow valve  23  closed, occluding the passage from the water tank  11  to the nozzle, indicated at A.  FIG. 11  shows the misting apparatus  10  in cross-section with the flow valve  23  open, indicated at B, creating a clear passage from the water tank  11 , out the nozzle  27 , and into the surrounding environment. In the preferred embodiment, the flow valve  23  is a stopcock, in which a through-aperture in the valve is aligned with the inner tube  25  and the nozzle  27  to allow pressurized water to flow, and the through-aperture in the valve is misaligned to reduce or stop water from flowing. Alternatively, the flow valve  23  may pinch the inner tube  25  to varying degrees to reduce or stop water from flowing. The water is expelled through an atomizing insert  26  within the nozzle  27  to form the mist. 
     The water flow is partially or fully occluded by the operation of a flow lever  31  that opens and closes the flow valve  23  and, thus, the water path. While the flow lever  31  may act as a toggle, between only a fully open position to only a fully closed position, preferably the flow lever  31  enables a variable flow of pressurized water to the nozzle. That is, a variable flow lever  31  partially inhibits the emission of evaporative mist when the flow lever  31  is between the open position and the closed position, and the emission is increasingly inhibited as the flow lever  31  is moved toward the closed position.  FIGS. 13   a  and  14   a  show the flow lever  31  in a fully closed position.  FIGS. 13   b  and  14   b  show the flow lever  31  in a partially open position.  FIGS. 13   c  and  14   c  show the flow lever  31  in a fully open position. The flow may be continuously variable or varied in discrete steps. 
     Preferably the misting apparatus includes a pressure gauge  28 . The pressure gauge  28  is operably connected to the water tank  11  so it can detect the pressure within the water tank  11  and is preferably integral with the cap  15 . The pressure gauge  28  can be any gauge capable of sensing the pressure in the water tank  11 , but is preferably an aneroid gauge such as the Bourdon gauge shown in  FIGS. 15   a - c . An air tube  41  is connected to the interior chamber of the water tank  11  and the neck  42  of the pressure gauge  28 . The pressure in the water tank passes through the air tube  41  and neck  42  to a receiver block  43 . A substantially flattened metal, preferably copper, tube  44 , shaped like a semicircle and having an open end and a closed end, is attached to the receiver block  43  at the open end. The open end attaches to a link  45 , forming a pivot around a pivot pin  46 . The link  45  attaches to a lever  47 , forming another pivot around a pivot pin  48 . The lever  47  is integral with a sector gear  49 . The sector gear  49  is in contact with a spur gear  51  which is attached to the needle axle  50 . The needle axle  50  passes through the face  60  of the pressure gauge  28  and attaches to an indicating needle (not shown). As the pressure in the water tank  11  increases, the change passes through the air tube  41  to the receiver block  43 , and into the metal tube  44 , causing the closed end of the metal tube  44  to move as the diameter of the semicircle increases. The movement causes the sector gear  48  to spin, which then causes the spur gear  51  to spin in the opposite direction, causing the needle to move, indicating to the user an increase in pressure. A decrease in pressure causes the parts to move in the opposite direction. 
     The pressure will change as the misting device is operated, and the user can read the pressure gauge  28  to determine when the inner water chamber is sufficiently pressurized. The readout on the pressure gauge  28  may display the pressure in any format useful to the user, such as a digital or analog display of the current pounds per square inch (PSI) of pressure, or a single indicator that activates when sufficient pressure is achieved. In the preferred embodiment, the readout displays an analog meter with a needle that rises through indicators, showing the pressure currently contained. For example, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the pressure gauge displays the pressure inside the water tank by way of a series of symbols, namely a plurality of shapes arranged by increasing size, corresponding to increasing pressure in the water tank. 
     While there has been illustrated and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that this invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.