Abstract:
A spray container extension apparatus includes a housing structure for receiving a spray container, a trigger which can be hinged to the housing for causing a spray from a container in the housing, and an extension member preferably having an product tube sized properly for receiving and carrying spray from the container to a point of desired application, and a structural support member which rigidly supports the product tube to allow better control of spray through the extension member, and to maintain structural stability in horizontal and upwardly extending positions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to spray containers and, more particularly, to an apparatus for enhancing the use of such articles. 
         [0002]    Spray containers such as aerosol cans, spray bottles and the like are widely used for various liquid products such as oils, pesticides, cleaners, polish, paint and the like. Locations of use of such products are not always in locations which are easy to reach. When this happens, there is a tendency to either over apply the product in terms of quantity and/or the area to which the product is applied, or skip use of the product altogether. 
         [0003]    In the field of concrete molding, the molds or forms frequently must be lubricated before and/or after use. Typical lubrication comes in an aerosol powered spray can. The inner surfaces of the mold can be very difficult to reach, however, and therefore the lubrication can be either far over-done or skipped altogether. 
         [0004]    Similarly, pesticides can at times be needed in hard to reach locations. For example, bee nests can be located high in trees or at elevated locations of buildings or other structures. 
         [0005]    Numerous other uses of liquid products in pressurized containers exist, each with corresponding areas of use which are difficult to reach. 
         [0006]    One lubricant manufacturer packages cans of lubricant with a short tube which can be used to focus the spray of lubricant. This tube helps in specific types of applications but leaves many other needs unanswered. 
         [0007]    It is the primary object of the present invention to respond to these needs. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The foregoing object has been attained by the present invention, which relates to an apparatus for extending the spray from a spray container. The apparatus includes a housing structure for receiving a spray container, a trigger which can be hinged to the housing for causing a spray from a container in the housing, and an extension member preferably having an product tube sized properly for receiving and carrying spray from the container to a point of desired application, and a structural support member which rigidly supports the product tube to allow better control of spray through the extension member, and to maintain structural stability in horizontal and upwardly extending positions. 
         [0009]    The product tube also preferably has a threaded end and a valve adapter. The valve adaptor can be substituted for the normal valve on the spray container, and the threaded end connected into the adaptor to communicate the inner tube with the spray container as desired. 
         [0010]    The length of the product tube and support member can be adjustable to allow for different lengths. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0011]    A detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention follows, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a side view of an apparatus according to the invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged partially sectional view of the extension portion of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged partially sectional view of the valve adaptor portion of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a further view of a valve adaptor according to the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of one embodiment of a trigger member according to the invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates a further embodiment of the invention wherein the extension portion has an adjustable length; 
           [0018]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate a further embodiment of the invention wherein the product tube is external of the support member and held relative to the support member by a series of clips; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates an alternate embodiment wherein the nozzle has a swiveling end for controlling the direction of the stream to be sprayed. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0020]    The invention relates to a spray container extension apparatus which can be attached to spray containers, especially aerosol powered cans, to provide a spray extender for delivering the product at a distant location. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  shows one embodiment of a spray container extension apparatus  10  according to the invention. In this embodiment, apparatus  10  has a housing  12 , a trigger  14 , and an extension  16  which preferably includes a product carrying tube  18 , a spray nozzle  20  and an adaptor structure  22  for connecting to the valve stem  24  of a typical spray container such as an aerosol powered can  26 . These components, and their interaction and function, are discussed further below. 
         [0022]    Housing  12  serves a basic function of holding the spray container and supporting extension  16  and trigger  14  relative to the spray container. To this end, housing  12  preferably has a shape which is suitable for receiving the spray container. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the container is an aerosol powered spray can, and so housing  12  is generally cylindrical in shape. Housing  12  can be a full cylinder, to totally enclose the can if desired, or can be portions of a cylinder, preferably sufficient to structurally enclose and stabilize the spray can, but with portions open to allow identification of the can mounted within, and also to save materials. 
         [0023]    Trigger  14  in this embodiment is a structure which is pivotably mounted to housing  12  at a hinge  28  to allow squeezing of trigger  14  and pivot of trigger  14  relative to housing  12  by the fingers of a hand used to carry the device. It should be appreciated that trigger  14  can be positioned relative to housing  12  in numerous different ways, and that the structure shown in  FIG. 1  is merely one illustrative example. The key function of trigger  14  is to cause depression of the spray stem of the can when desired, and numerous different mechanical approaches can be taken to accomplish this, all within the broad scope of the present invention. One embodiment of trigger  14  is further illustrated and described below. 
         [0024]    Extension  16  according to the invention includes a support structure  17  and a product tube  18 . Support structure  17  can be a substantially rigid structure which will support its own weight and the weight of product tube  18 , carrying product, when positioned into horizontally and or upwardly extending positions. Support structure  17  can be made from numerous suitable materials, such as various plastics, metal and the like. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , support structure  17  is a simple tube which is mounted to housing  12  at one end, and which has a nozzle  20  at the other which is communicated with product tube  18  and which has a configuration which is well known to persons of skill in the art. The configuration of nozzle  20  is generally adapted to specific types and uses of product, and can be adjustable to different types of spray. 
         [0025]    At the point of connection of extension  16  to housing  12 , it should be appreciated that support structure  17  is preferably substantially rigidly mounted relative to housing  12 , while product tube  18  is preferably communicated with the valve stem of the can to carry product when desired. According to the invention, a valve adaptor  22  is preferably provided and substituted on the can for the original and conventional spray nozzle. As is well known to the person of skill in this art, the conventional spray nozzle can typically be removed from the can leaving just the valve stem of the can, and adaptor  22  according to the invention is positioned over the valve stem of the can. Valve adaptor is also fixed relative to housing  12  such that valve adaptor immobilizes the valve stem of the can relative to housing  12 . This is illustrated in  FIG. 3  as a simple frictional engagement between adaptor  22  and housing  12 , but could be further stabilized with a thread on collar or the like to hold valve adaptor in place. 
         [0026]    Valve adaptor preferably has a can-facing side  30  and a tube facing side  32 . Can facing side  30  is preferably profiled to receive the valve stem of a can, and preferably to leave room between side  30  and the can to allow some movement of the can relative to adaptor  22 . This allows the movement which will be caused by trigger  14  to release product from within the can into the product tube  18 . 
         [0027]    Tube facing side  32  preferably is adapted to connection with the support structure  17 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , support structure  17  is shown having a threaded end  34  which is adapted for connection into adaptor  22 , for example by engaging with threads  36  of adaptor  22 . A torquing surface  38  can also be provided on support structure  17  as shown in  FIG. 2  to facilitate tightening of support structure  17  into adaptor  22  as desired. 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  further illustrates the structure of adaptor  22  according to the invention. 
         [0029]    Turning to  FIG. 5 , an enlarged and more detailed illustration of trigger  14  is provided. As shown, trigger  14  can advantageously have a can engaging surface  40  which can have a rounded shape as shown. This shape is selected to substantially match the expected shape of the bottom portion of a can. Further, this surface  40  can advantageously be adjustable in its location, so that trigger  14  can be adapted to interact with cans of different height. Finger grip portions  42  can also be positioned along certain locations of trigger  14  as shown. 
         [0030]    The structure of housing  12  and trigger  14  as illustrated herein should be appreciated as being a simple and reliable structure for receiving and operating spray containers of various different sizes and shapes. Further, as set forth above, trigger  14  as shown in  FIG. 5  would be hingedly mounted to housing  12  as shown in  FIG. 1 . While this is one preferred embodiment of the invention, it should also be appreciated that housing  12  and trigger  14  can be mounted to each other and/or interact in numerous other ways. 
         [0031]      FIG. 6  shows a further view of an apparatus  10  according to the invention wherein extension  16  is itself adjustable in length. In this embodiment, support structure  17  can be a telescoping structure, for example having a tightening collar  44  as shown, and product tube  18  can have a flexible and/or coiled portion which can extend and retract along with support structure  17 . Various structures for making support structure  17  extendible are known to persons skilled in the art. 
         [0032]      FIG. 7  shows an alternative embodiment of support structure  17  which, in this embodiment, is a substantially rigid member that supports product tube  18  through a series of clips  46 . Clips  46  are further illustrated in  FIG. 8 , and are shown having a large radius portion  48  for engaging support structure  17 , and a small radius portion  50  for engaging product tube  18 . This support structure can be made of plastic or aluminum, or any other suitable material. Product tube  18  in this embodiment is more readily accessible than it is in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , and this can be desirable for applications where tube  18  must be changed and/or cleaned often. One example of such an application is when the material to be applied is paint. Of course, other applications could likewise make advantageous use of the embodiment of  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
         [0033]    Finally,  FIG. 9  illustrates a further alternative embodiment of the invention wherein extension  16  has a swivel connection  52  between support structure  17  and nozzle  20  so that nozzle  20  can be positioned at different angels with respect to structure  17  to help direct the spray as desired. Connection  52  can be any of numerous different structures which are known for use in providing a swivel motion to a support carrying a flexible tube. Such structures can have, for example, either structure which can be tightened or locked in a desired position, and/or a portion of extension  17  can be made from material which either structurally or materially holds a position to which it is manipulated. The exact structure of such a connection forms no part of the present invention, but incorporating such a structure into the apparatus of the present invention is considered to be one preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         [0034]    Apparatus  10  in use allows numerous types of spray products to be conveniently applied at extended or distant locations. This can be particularly useful in numerous applications, and presents a solution to the need as outlined above. 
         [0035]    It should be appreciated that while materials are identified for certain components of the present invention, each component can be made from a wide variety of suitable materials, with the important factors being sufficient structural strength, compatibility with the product being applied, manufacturing concerns and cost, among others. 
         [0036]    It should also be appreciated that the above detailed description is made to describe an exemplary embodiment of the invention, and that numerous modifications would become readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, well within the broad scope of the present invention.