Hand sprayer for liquids

Disclosed herein is a hand operated sprayer for liquids, in which the spraying unit is provided with a small bore which is factory sealed at the assembly by a special fitting properly located, to be eliminated by the pumping lever when first operated, said bore communicating with the inner space of the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a hand operated sprayer or atomizer for 
liquids of the type usually mounted on top of a container where an opening 
is provided, said sprayer being equipped with a hand operated pump which 
sucks the liquid from said container and sprays it through a nozzle. 
Quite a few types of sprayers are on the market; they have different 
degrees of efficiency in spraying the liquid sucked from the container and 
pumping it through the nozzle. Depending on the adjustment of the nozzle 
with the spraying cone, the dimensions of the atomized particles and the 
throw distance of the liquid can be varied. No matter what their shape, 
the working principle is the same for all such sprayers. They have quite a 
few deficiencies: lack of reliability, elevated cost because of the great 
number of components and therefore of the long assembly time, 
objectionable liquid leaking from the nozzle in case of transport of the 
containers, and a possibility of tampering with the container to unduly 
modify the quantity or quality of the contents. 
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
The scope of the present invention is to obviate these drawbacks, that is 
to produce a hand operated sprayer, which is equipped with a safety seal 
functioning as a plug during transport and which is as cheap to produce as 
possible, though assuring an excellent operation. 
The above mentioned goal has been reached, according to the present 
invention, by providing the sprayer with a small bore working as an air 
intake, and with a pumping lever which, when plunged by a finger at first 
operation, automatically tears off a safety seal associated with the small 
bore air intake, thus letting the air into the sprayer tank, and 
consequently the liquid out of the sprayer tank. 
According to an improvement of the invention, the spraying nozzle can work 
as a valve, and as a plug when a ring nut of the nozzle is screwed on its 
seat. 
According to a further improvement the valve casing, that is the housing 
where the valve ball is seated, is provided in a single piece. That 
feature has never been disclosed before. 
Another improvement of the invention consists in integrating the pumping 
lever together with the sprayer body, reducing also in this way the number 
of necessary components. 
A further improvement of the invention provides for the sprayer mounting to 
be screwed on the container with an indented joint, and shaped to make it 
impossible to remove the above mentioned mounting without breaking some 
teeth of said indented joint and consequently making the tampering or 
misusing evident. 
Another improvement of the invention provides for the suction filter of 
said sprayer to be made in a single piece and mounted outside the pipe. 
That further cuts down both assembly and manufacture times. 
The invention will now be better described with an embodiment which has 
been illustrated in the figures herewith attached which will by no means 
be considered as limitative.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
According to one of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure 
represented in the attached drawings, the sprayer consists of very few 
components, and precisely: 
a. sprayer body 1; 
b. lever 22 for hand pump operating; 
c. pump piston 26 with spring 27; 
d. diffuser 29, complete with ring nut 34 and "O" ring 42; 
e. valve casing 7 complete with ball. 
The sprayer body 1 is equipped at its lower end with mounting 2 to be 
connected with tank 3, whereas the extensions 4 of the mounting are 
equipped with teeth 5 (FIG. 5) which are elastically engaged with just as 
many teeth 6 provided in the container. In the event that the sprayer is 
screwed off from the tank a chipping of teeth 5 occurs, which in such a 
way acts as an indication of tampering. 
The valve casing 7 (FIG. 4) is positioned between the opening of container 
3 and the mounting upper section and is equipped with tang 8 fit for 
receiving pipe 9. The upper section of the valve casing houses tang 11, on 
which ball 12 is inserted (which works as an intake valve) and pressed 
elastically against undercut 13. The aforesaid ball 12 will consequently 
seat tightly on the conical surface 14. The tang 11, in turn, nests 
tightly within duct 15 of valve casing 1, being coupled with it; the same 
thing is true with respect to surface 16 (on the maximum outer diameter of 
the valve casing) and the cylinder surface adjacent to the bottom of 
mounting 2, and the conical outer surface 39 of the valve casing tightly 
engages edge 40 of the opening of container 3. 
The relief bore 17 communicates between the outside and the space included 
within container 3 through relief ring 18. The bore 19, drilled through 
mounting 2, is situated in front of relief bore 17 upon assembly, and is 
covered with fitting 20 upon assembly. Consequently, no air flow into the 
container 3, and no liquid flow therefrom, are possible. 
As soon as pumping lever 22 is operated, a projecting lip 21 will allow air 
in by breaking fitting 20 (which makes the container leakproof during 
transport). This dissociation takes place automatically at the first 
pumping stroke. 
Lever 22 (FIG. 9) is mounted with elastically deformable sides 45 on pins 
23 (projecting from the body) which have a fulcrum function by being 
inserted into holes 46 existing on the sides of the lever. The edge 24 of 
lever 22 has a stop function for the previously mentioned lever. The rib 
25 on the lever acts as a fulcrum for piston 26 which works within 
cylinder 41 mounted on the side of sprayer unit 1 and undergoes 
displacement by lever 22, getting back to rest position because of the 
force of spring 27 which is guided by pin 38 located on sprayer unit 1 so 
that the spring remains coaxial with cylinder 41. 
The piston 26 pumps the liquid through holes 37, then the liquid rises from 
duct 15 to duct 28 and passes through ducts 30 of FIG. 2 (provided on rib 
31 located around diffuser 29) and penetrates into spiral 44 (FIG. 3) 
situated in front of the diffuser 29, passing next through side holes 32 
and getting out through hole 33 of ring nut 34, nebulized or concentrated 
depending on the position of ring nut 34, adjusted by means of threading 
35. Tightness between the diffuser 29 and ring nut 34 is obtained by means 
of gasket 42 housed within groove 36 located in sprayer body 1 around 
diffuser 29. The tightness on the sprayer head is guaranteed by screwing 
the nozzle all the way down, to press edge 45 of diffuser 29 against the 
coneshaped surface 46 of sprayer unit 1. The diffuser 29 holds to sprayer 
unit 1, because the sprayer unit is equipped with one or more inner 
projecting-parts 43 abutting ribs 31 (see FIG. 2) on diffuser 29. 
The suction filter 10 (FIGS. 7 and 8) is preferably designed as a single 
piece, and is mounted on the outside of suction pipe 9. Instead of being 
equipped with a mesh filter, suction filter 10 is formed in a point-like 
structure (see FIG. 7) consisting of a set of small cylinders (10b) 
decreasing in diameter and connected to one another by means of 
crosspieces 10a (see FIG. 8). 
Assembly is easy: valve ball 12 is inserted into valve casing 7 (pressing 
it against undercut 13) which is inserted into sprayer unit 1. Then spring 
27 is inserted into pin 38 of cylinder 41; piston 26 is assembled, and 
then lever 22 is assembled, forcing it elastically on the two pins 23 of 
sprayer unit 1. Next, "O" ring gasket 42 is mounted into the groove 36 of 
sprayer body 1 surrounding diffuser 29 (forcing it slightly against 
undercut 43), and then ring nut 34 is screwed in place. Filter 10 is 
mounted on suction pipe 9 and this is mounted on tang 8 of valve casing 7, 
and all is ready to be screwed on container 3, previously filled with 
liquid. 
Of course the disclosure is not limited to the sample design described and 
illustrated, but includes all and any modifications of details, implying 
an equivalent functioning.