Abstract:
A container for closing an inlet of one or more hoses including a sealant cap, a cylindrical component and a cover, with one or more hoses passing through the cap and sealed by gaskets between the cap and hoses and wherein the hoses pass through a stabilization bar. The cover is removable from the cylindrical component, and the cylindrical component is removable from the cap. A viewing window and inlet aperture are provided in a side of the cylindrical component.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention refers to a container which can be used as a closure for the inlet aperture of one or more hoses. 
         [0002]    In particular, for spray devices through which stains, lacquers or the like are applied to surfaces by means of a spray pistol, it is necessary, after use, to hermetically seal the hose through which the stains and lacquers are aspirated from a reservoir in operating condition through the pump in order to prevent the drying out and consequently, the hardening of the stain in the hose. The spray devices are often used in building sites and are not required overnight or during transport. The stain aspirated in the supply hose then hardens if these are not kept in motion by means of the pump in regular time intervals or if the stain comes into contact with air. 
         [0003]    It followed that the supply hose could be completely cleaned by the spray device user during a longer shutdown period. This leads, however, to additional time-consuming work, which is cumbersome. The stain or other coating material available in the supply hose therefore becomes unusable and is to be disposed of. 
         [0004]    Craftsmen using the spray devices had the idea to hermetically seal the point of entry of the hose by means of a receptacle in the form of a bag made of paper or synthetic material or another plastic pouch during the shutdown period of the spray device. Such a measure has, however, the substantial disadvantage that these prior art receptacles may tear based upon the thin-walled materials thereby not guaranteeing a reliable encapsulation of the inlet aperture of the hose. 
         [0005]    Furthermore, the stain available there runs back from the hose after shutdown of the pump so that the inside of the plastic building component is filled with stain. During the removal of the receptacle from the hose, the stain runs out and often contaminates the user and the environment so that time-consuming clean-up work is required. 
         [0006]    To operate the spray device, it is often necessary to provide a hose equipped as a return hose, which runs parallel in the area of the entry opening of the supply hose. The pump may be placed in two different operational positions, namely on the one hand, on the operational site of the stain requirement and on the other hand, in the blending mode so that the stain existing in the supply hose is led directly via a return hose and is led from there in the reservoir through which the pump and its supply hose are ventilated. The idling feature of the pump is sufficiently known and technically required in order to make possible a reliable operational method of the spray device. 
         [0007]    If, however, the receptacle or the pouch should surround two substantially parallel to one another hoses, in particular it is almost impossible in the transition area between both hoses, to seal off the latter so that the stain does not pass from the inside of the receptacle, whereby there is the danger that the stain from the inside of the receptacle during the shutdown time of the pump or during the time the pump is connected in closed loop circulation, escapes thereby contaminating the environment. 
         [0008]    During the shutdown of the spray device, the latter is often transported which leads to vibrations which could cause the receptacle to slide from the entry opening of the hose and consequently, emit stain which would contaminate the environment. The spray device is also brought to a site during transport in which stain may also escape. 
         [0009]    It is therefore the task of the invention to further develop a receptacle of this type, which guarantees that the end of one or more hoses intended as freely as an inlet aperture, is reliably sealed off to the outside, without stain escaping during the removal of receptacle, which would contaminate the environment. Rather, the receptacles should accept the stain and should not fall off from the hose—also during transport. At the same time, the receptacles should be equipped in such a way that this cleaning agent or solvent is suppliable for the stain, in order to be able to supply the latter during the idling operation of the pump by means of the supply and return hose of the spray device in order to prevent a hardening of the stain in both hoses. 
         [0010]    According to the invention, these tasks are solved by means of the features of the present invention. 
         [0011]    Additional advantageous developments of the invention result from the below-mentioned requirements. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    A container which is applicable in particular as a sealant for the inlet aperture of one or more hoses, wherein the container includes a sealant cap affixed to the one or more hoses and a fastening component attachable to the sealant cap, through which the inlet aperture of the hoses is sealable. 
         [0013]    In so doing, the sealant cap is locked strongly to the hose(s), a closing component may be fastened in a reliable manner whereby the inlet apertures of the hose are hermetically sealed towards the exterior. In so doing, stain running out of the hoses cannot escape from the container developed in this manner. 
         [0014]    It is especially advantageous if the sealant components are developed in two parts and comprised of one cylindrical component and one cover which is affixable on the sealant cap. The cover is therefore connected in a detachable manner with the cylindrical component so that both building components may be quickly and easily cleaned of stain residues. 
         [0015]    The assembly and disassembly of the fastening components follows in a simple manner, since the latter is simply to be screwed in or unscrewed via one external screw thread formed on this to an internal screw thread of the sealant cap. The closing cap is firmly connected with the respective hose by means of a welded joint and may remain in the corresponding position also during the operational condition of the spray device without the closing cap being soiled by the stain stored in the reservoir since the closing cap is mounted above the reservoir. 
         [0016]    Furthermore, it is advantageous if a viewing window is placed in the closing component or is made of a transparent material, for example a synthetic material, since in this way, the user may recognize the stain dripping from the hoses and may determine if it is necessary to add a solvent or cleaning material to the protective mechanism via an entrance opening in order to prevent a hardening in the hoses of the existing stain. Also the capacity level in the receptacles may be verified. 
         [0017]    The reliable locking of the sealant cap follows in such a way that the position and the diameter of the hose provides the position and the inner diameter of the through-holes, which are incorporated into the sealant cap, is adapted and in this way, also the distance between both parallel running hoses is sealed reliably to the outside. 
         [0018]    In the drawing, a design example pursuant to the invention is shown which will be subsequently explained as follows. In detail is shown           
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows a spray device with a pump, which draws stain from a reservoir through a supply hose and a return hose attached to the pump, which runs, for example, parallel to the supply hose, which is hermetically sealed by means of a receptacle during the shutdown period of the spray device in perspective view. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  shows the receptacle pursuant to  FIG. 1 , in top view. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  shows the receptacle pursuant to  FIG. 1 , in side view. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  shows the receptacle pursuant to  FIG. 3  with an inlet aperture. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    From  FIGS. 1 to 4 , a container  11  may be removed from which a supply hose  5  as well as a return hose  6  is securely affixed during the shutdown period of a spray device  1  through which by means of container  11  both inlet apertures of hoses  5  and  6  are hermetically sealed towards the outside in order to prevent the drying out and thereby the hardening of the stain stored in hoses  5 ,  6 . 
         [0024]    Spray device  1  is comprised of a frame  2 , through which a motor  3  and a pump  4  are supported. The pump  4  is powered through the motor  3 , the latter receives the electric energy for motor  3  via an electric line  3 ′. By means of a control lever  7  affixed to pump  4 , two operational positions for pump  4  may be manually adjusted. Pump  4  serves to aspirate stain, lacquer or the like from a reservoir  10  and to deliver the stain in a supply line  9  to which a spray pistol  8  is connected. By means of the spray pistol  8 , the stain is applied to a surface, for example a house wall. Alternatively a roller may be connected to the supply line  9  in place of the spray pistol ( 8 ). 
         [0025]    It is often necessary to ventilate pump  4  and supply line  5  so that control lever  7  and pump  4  are to be transported in the second operational position so that the stain aspirated by supply line  5  flows and is directly delivered by pump  4  into the return hose  6  so that the stain flows back to reservoir  10 . 
         [0026]    During the shutdown period of spray device  1 , both inlet apertures of supply hose  5  and return hose  6  should be closed by container  11  in order to prevent an escape of the stain stored in both hoses  5  and  6  and also the drying out of the stain in both hoses  5  and  6 . For this purpose, a sealant cap  12  is securely fastened to both hoses  5  and  6  on their respective exterior side, for example over a circumferential welded joint  23 . The sealant cap  12  is funnel-shaped so that both hoses  5  and  6  project from sealant cap  12 . 
         [0027]    In sealant cap  12 , two through-holes  18  are incorporated. In particular, this can be seen in  FIG. 2 . The position of the through-holes  18  is therefore adjusted to the position of both hoses  5  and  6 . Furthermore, the inner diameter of the respective through-holes  18  corresponds with the exterior diameters of the respective hoses  5  and  6  is closed off by sealant cap  12  in this manner. 
         [0028]    In order to achieve henceforth a hermetically sealed seal between both hoses  5  and  6  and sealant cap  12 , a gasket  19  is inserted into the respective through-hole  18  which is located in this way on the exterior circumference of the respective hoses  5  or  6  and on the interior outline of the respective through-holes  18 . 
         [0029]    On the through-holes  18  lying on the opposite side of sealant cap  12  in the latter an internal thread  16  is incorporated in order to achieve the encapsulation of both inlet apertures of hoses  5  and  6  by means of a sealing component  13 . The sealing component  13  is therefore designed in two parts and is comprised of a cylindrical component  14  and a cover  15 . On cylindrical component  14 , an external thread  17  is provided which can be screwed into the internal thread  16  of the sealant cap  12  so that cylindrical component  14  is affixed in a detachable manner to sealant cap  12 . 
         [0030]    In the design example of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cover  15  is screwed in one internal thread  16  incorporated in the inner outline of the cylindrical component  14 . For this purpose, on the exterior outline of cover  15 , the external thread  17  is provided. It is, however, possible to insert cover  15  like a plug in the free front side of the cylindrical component  14  or to attach cover  15  on the exterior outline of cylindrical component  14 . It is important that cover  15  is locked securely and airtight to cylindrical component  14 . 
         [0031]    The distance between the free end of hose  5  and the floor of cover  15  should lie between one and five centimeters and should be measured as precisely as possible in this manner so that the stain emanating from hoses  5  and  6  is included in a small space during the shutdown of spray device  1  and the latter is also completely filled whereby the additional emission of stain from both hoses  5  and  6  may be prevented. 
         [0032]    In order to verify the fill height and/or the consistency of the emitted stains in the sealant component  13 , a viewing window  22  is inserted in the exterior wall of cylindrical component  14 . It is, however, also possible to manufacture sealing component  13  completely or at least partially from a transparent material, for example from a transparent synthetic material. 
         [0033]    If the consistency of the stain shows that it is about to be dried, cleaning or solvent fluid may be sprayed in the inside of the sealing component  13  via an inlet aperture  21  set in sealing component  13 . This is to be taken from  FIG. 4 . Consequently, by means of pump  4 , the solvent fluid of the stain will be mixed in hoses  5  and  6 . 
         [0034]    In order to affix the sealant cap  12  securely to both hoses  5  and  6 , a stabilization bar  20  is placed in the inside of the sealant cap  12  which runs vertical to both hoses  5  and  6  and which is distanced from the head of the sealant cap  12 . In the stabilization bar  20 , two through-holes  18  are incorporated which correspond in their position and in their size with the position and the exterior diameter of both hoses  5  and  6 . In so doing, sealant cap  12  is held in two separate areas to both hoses  5  and  6 . If this fixation measure is not adequate, in addition to this the sealant cap  12  may be affixed via the welding joint  23  with both hoses  5  and  6 . 
         [0035]    Container  11  is preferably comprised of three components detachable from one another, namely the sealant cap  12 , the cylindrical component  14  and the cover  15 , so that both the assembly as well as the disassembly of cover  11  may be executed in such a way that, even in case of stain emanating from hoses  5  and  6 , there is no contamination of the environment or the user, since the latter may remove container  11  at least partially defined by hoses  5  and  6 . In addition, container  11  is made of a substance which is stable and takes on its color in its interior in a safe manner.