Abstract:
A multi-barreled sprayer for applying a diluted product such as a diluted cleaning solution to a surface for cleaning thereof and rinsing the diluted product from the surface by spraying a water-only rinse onto the surface from the sprayer. The sprayer can include a flow meter therein for providing a desired product dilution ratio. To provide different spray patterns for the water rinse or diluted product, the sprayer can include a shroud having shaped exit holes. The sprayer includes separate flow paths for the water-only rinse and the diluted product. The flow path for the diluted product includes a mixing chamber in which concentrated tablet product is diluted and mixed with water supplied by a garden hose, for instance. A rotatable valve allows selective application of water or diluted product. Additional embodiments include a trigger assembly that allows selective application of water for either of the water-rinse or diluted product application.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates generally to mixing and dispensing sprayers and more particularly to a sprayer for use in mixing a concentrated tablet product with water to create a desired water-product concentration, and spraying the thus diluted product onto a surface to be treated. The concentrated tablet product may be a hydrolyzer such as a surfactant, including soap for floor, bathroom and/or exterior siding cleaning, or it may be a wax or water softener treatment to be used for cleaning a vehicle/improving a vehicle&#39;s appearance. The sprayer may also be used to apply a water-only rinse to remove the diluted product from the surface.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Sprayers for mixing and dispensing liquids into a carrier fluid such as water are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,201,049; 3,381,899; 5,039,016; 5,100,059; 5,213,265; 5,383,603; 5,595,345; and 5,850,973. Such sprayer arrangements typically include an inlet for a hose such as a garden hose and an inlet for a siphon tube, wherein the inlet for the siphon tube is for moving a liquid soap from a container attached to a sprayer through use of a Venturi vacuum.  
         [0003]     The sprayer arrangements vary in complexity and typically spray a water/liquid product mixture or water-only through a common outlet of the sprayer. Further, in some known arrangements, the liquid product to be mixed with water is mixed in a chamber exposed to the atmosphere, resulting in fluctuations of the water-product ratio. Additional problems of such prior art sprayers are that they may not be capable of delivering a water/liquid product mixture or a water-only rinse over a suitable distance. Further, such sprayers require the attachment of a heavy liquid soap container in order to provide enough soap for a particular usage (e.g., washing a car), thus leading to user fatigue. There is a need in the art for a sprayer apparatus which can selectively apply a diluted product mixture and/or a water-only rinse that does not necessarily add to user fatigue.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The invention provides a portable multi-barreled sprayer for applying a diluted product to a surface to be treated. The sprayer may include a housing having a water supply inlet and a concentrated tablet insertion point/mixing chamber, first and second outlets, and a valve member. The water supply inlet is attached to a water supply such as a hose which supplies water to the sprayer. The concentrated tablet insertion point may be attached to a mixing chamber which supplies a concentrated tablet product which has been diluted in water to provide a diluted product. The mixing chamber is in fluid communication with the water supply inlet such that water is mixed with the concentrated tablet product to produce a diluted product by feeding water through the water supply inlet to the mixing chamber. The first outlet sprays the diluted product from the sprayer onto the surface to be treated. The second outlet sprays rinsing water from the sprayer to allow removal of diluted product from the surface to be treated. The valve member selectively feeds the diluted product to the first outlet or feeds a water rinse to the second outlet. The valve member may also completely isolate the water supply from both the first and second outlets.  
         [0005]     The sprayer can include a variety of optional features. For instance the sprayer can include dual dip tubes extending into a container wherein the concentrated tablet product dilutes in water. The diluted product can be removed from the container by feeding water through the mixing chamber via the first dip tube and siphoning the diluted table product from the container using a Venturi vacuum via the second dip tube, for instance.  
         [0006]     In other embodiments, water flows from the water supply inlet and is diverted directly into the mixing chamber thereby causing the concentrated tablet product to dilute, whereby the diluted product is then removed from the mixing chamber to the second outlet without assistance from a Venturi vacuum.  
         [0007]     In another embodiment, the sprayer has a tube that is parallel to the flow of water as an inlet to the mixing chamber. This provides water to the concentrated tablet product, and the diluted product is then sprayed from the second outlet through use of both a Venturi vacuum and pressurized water.  
         [0008]     The sprayer includes a valve member which can be a rotatable valve having a cylindrical body with first and second passages therethrough. The first passage is in fluid communication with the water supply inlet and the first outlet when the rotatable valve is in a first position, and when the rotatable valve is rotated from the first position to a second position the second passage is in fluid communication with the water supply inlet and the second outlet (at which position the first passage is not in fluid communication with the water supply inlet). The valve member can include a seal member, which sealingly engages the first and second passages when the valve member is in an off position.  
         [0009]     The first passage may be for delivery of the diluted product, and the second passage may provide a water-only rinse. The first passage includes an upstream portion and a downstream portion, wherein the mixing chamber is in fluid communication with the downstream portion. The downstream portion has a larger cross-section than the upstream portion so that, in certain embodiments, the diluted product is siphoned into the downstream portion via a Venturi effect from water flowing from the upstream portion to the downstream portion. The water may be supplied to the sprayer by a water hose and diluted product may be supplied to the sprayer from a container wherein the concentrated tablet product has been diluted.  
         [0010]     To attach the container, the housing can include a tubular projection such as a bayonet stub and a rotatable fitting mounted on a tubular projection such that the rotatable fitting is engageable with the container. In other embodiments, the container has female threads which mate with male threads on the sprayer. To attach a hose, a typical garden hose may be employed, such as one with male threads which mate with female threads on the sprayer.  
         [0011]     The sprayer may also include a flow meter for delivering a precise amount of water for mixing with the concentrated tablet product, thereby providing a substantially precise tablet/water mixture. The sprayer may also include a window in a side of the sprayer thereby enabling a user to view the concentrated tablet product within the sprayer.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the sprayer is in a partially exploded and cross-sectional view including a container attachable to the sprayer wherein the container contains the concentrated tablet product;  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment of the invention in a partially exploded and cross-sectional view including a wall that diverts water from the sprayer directly into the container wherein the container includes the concentrated tablet product;  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  shows an embodiment of the invention in a partially exploded and cross-sectional view wherein the container includes an inlet tube for directing water into the container so as to enable the dilution of the concentrated tablet product;  
         [0015]      FIG. 4   a  shows an embodiment of the invention in a partially exploded and cross-sectional view illustrating the function of the water control knob selector switch wherein water is allowed to flow from the water supply inlet to the first passage and water is blocked from flowing to the second passage;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4   b  shows an embodiment of the invention in a partially exploded and cross-sectional view illustrating the function of the water control knob selector switch wherein water is allowed to flow from the water supply inlet to the second passage and water is blocked from flowing to the first passage;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of an embodiment of the invention in a partially exploded and cross-sectional view showing a handle and trigger embodiment;  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  shows an illustration of an embodiment of the invention in a partially exploded and cross-sectional view not including the container as shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 7   a  is a side-view illustration of an embodiment of the invention including a hinged biased closure allowing insertion of a concentrated tablet product;  
         [0020]      FIG. 7   b  is an illustration of an embodiment of the invention showing a bottom view of a hinged biased closure for insertion of a concentrated tablet product;  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is an illustration of embodiments of the invention showing a built-in flow meter for adjusting a preferred concentration of the concentrated tablet product and a tablet viewing window; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 9  is an illustration of an embodiment of the invention, including a multi-dose concentrated tablet insertion apparatus. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]     According to the invention, an improved multi-barreled sprayer is provided having improved consistency and water product mixing ratios, range of delivery, and/or different spray patterns for a diluted concentrated tablet product mixture or a water-only rinse. The multi-barreled sprayer can incorporate a closed Venturi system, an orifice plate delivery mechanism, a dual chamber exit for delivery of water only from one exit hole and diluted product from another exit hole. The sprayer may include a three position valve for supplying a diluted product mixture in a first position, rinse water in a second position, and for preventing outflow of both diluted product and water in a third position.  
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of one embodiment according to the invention showing sprayer body  10  which includes water diverter knob  20 , first chamber  30 , second chamber  40 , container  50 , first dip tube  60 , second dip tube  70 , water inlet  80 , concentrated tablet product  51 , and an upstream portion of the first chamber  30   a  and a downstream portion of the first chamber  30   b.  The sprayer body  10  may be made of plastic, rubber, polyethylene, polypropylene, and/or metal or other substances known in the art. The concentrated tablet product may be a hydrolyzer such as a surfactant, soap, water softener, wax and/or other cleaning or appearance-improving material.  
         [0025]     Water diverter valve  20  functions to operate in at least one of three positions. A first position allows water to flow into the first chamber  30  from water supply inlet  80  to thereby mix with the concentrated tablet product. A second position of water diverter valve  20  opens the water supply inlet  80  to the second chamber  40 , as a water-only rinse out of sprayer body  10 . A third position of water diverter valve  20  shuts off water to both the first chamber  30  and the second chamber  40 . Water supply inlet  80  may be connected to an ordinary garden hose, by way of example. In other embodiments, water supply  80  may be a water container such as a bucket or water pump. In addition, the functions of the first and second chambers/passages  30  and  40  may be reversed. Further, the first and second chambers/passages may be either of lower and upper chambers, or may be side-to-side, or may be slanted obliquely (cross-wise) in relation to each other. That is, the first and second chambers  30  and  40  need only be physically separate within the cross-section of the sprayer body  10 .  
         [0026]     As noted above, second passage  40 , when diverter valve  20  is in a proper position, allows for a water-only rinse to exit the sprayer body  10 . First passage  30 , when diverter valve  20  is in the proper position, allows water to flow to container  50 . Container  50  may include dip tubes  60  and  70 . In one embodiment, dip tube  60  is a first dip tube which is lower in comparison to dip tube  70 , thereby allowing clean water to reach the bottom of container  50 . Second dip tube  70  is an outlet dip tube used to supply diluted product to the outlet of the lower passage  30 .  
         [0027]     In certain embodiments, lower passage  30  may include a narrow upstream portion  30   a  and a larger downstream portion  30   b.  Because the upstream portion  30   a  has a narrower cross-section than the downstream portion  30   b,  a Venturi effect is created above dip tube  70  allowing for siphoning of diluted concentrated tablet product to occur. When diverter valve  20  is in the proper position for water to flow through the first chamber  30 , water dilutes the concentrated tablet product  51  in the container  50 . Diluted product, such as a soap solution, is then sprayed out of the first passage  30  to be used for washing a car or the side of a house, for instance.  
         [0028]     When a user has completed the washing portion of their task at hand, the user simply changes the water diverter valve  20  to a position that allows for a rinse of the surface that was treated by the soap solution provided by the first passage  30 . In between washing and rinsing, the user has the option of completely turning off sprayer body  10  by simply moving diverter valve  20  to a proper position.  
         [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates an additional embodiment of the invention including a wall  90  which diverts water from first passage  30  into container  50 . Such features that are similar in nature as compared to  FIG. 1  will not be additionally described as such would be redundant.  FIG. 2  illustrates first passage  30  being obstructed by wall  90  which diverts water flow from inlet  80  through water knob diverter valve  20  to first dip tube  60 . Water is then forced through first dip tube  60  into container  50  where the water dilutes the concentrated tablet product to provide a preferred concentration of diluted product which is then forced up second dip tube  70  and out of the downstream portion  30   b  of sprayer body  10 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates an additional embodiment of the invention showing inlet tube  100  which runs parallel to the upstream portion of first passage  30  but does not completely obstruct first passage  30 . In this embodiment, only a portion of the water flow is diverted into container  50 . As a result, there is some Venturi effect which occurs over the second dip tube  70  as the downstream portion  30   b  of the first passage  30  is larger in cross-section than the upstream portion  30   a  of first passage  30 . That is, first passage  30  encounters a Venturi effect above second dip tube  70  by virtue of the flow of water above dip tube  70  in first passage  30  when running from upstream  30   a  to downstream portion  30   b  by virtue of downstream portion  30   b  having a larger cross-section than upstream portion  30   a.    
         [0031]     While downstream portion  30   b  is larger in cross-section than upstream portion  30   a  in certain embodiments, in other embodiments the two portions  30   a  and  30   b  may have comparable cross-sections. In addition, the cross-section of first and second passages  30 ,  40  need not be the same size, and either may be larger than the other.  
         [0032]      FIG. 4   a  illustrates an embodiment of the invention showing the water diverter valve  20  and its specific operation wherein through-hole  22  is in fluid communication with both water inlet  80  and first passage  30 . Water diverter valve  20  either obstructs or allows passage through and to both second passage  40  and first passage  30  by virtue of the user rotating selector knob  20 . Alignment holes  21  and  22  for passages  40  and  30 , respectively, are either aligned or not aligned for the flow of water to occur from water supply inlet  80  through water diverter knob  20  to either of passages  40  and  30 . Additionally, water diverter valve  20  may be moved to a position whereby holes  21  and  22  are both offset such that no water is allowed to pass diverter valve  20  into passages  40  or  30 . That is, the diverter valve  20  may cut off first and second passages  30  or  40  through rotation of holes  22  and  21 , such that the holes are out-of-alignment with both first and second passages  30  and  40 , respectively.  
         [0033]      FIG. 4   b  illustrates an embodiment of the invention showing the water diverter valve  20  and its specific operation wherein through-hole  21  is in fluid communication with both water inlet  80  and second passage  40 . The rotational arrow shown in  FIG. 4   b  indicates that valve  20  has been rotated by a user, aligning the through-hole  21  as described above.  
         [0034]      FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment of the invention showing a handle portion and a trigger portion. Sprayer body  10  is similar in some respects to the sprayer shown in  FIG. 1  and the description of similar features is not repeated to avoid redundancy. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the sprayer includes a handle portion including trigger portion  110 . Trigger portion  110  includes trigger  120 , rod  121 , diverter ball  122 , and spring  123 . The spring  123  biases diverter ball  122  so that, in a natural state, diverter ball  122  stops all flow of water from water supply inlet  80  downstream to diverter valve/knob  20 . When a user depresses trigger  120 , rod  121  moves in a rearward direction towards diverter ball  122 , engages diverter ball  122 , and compresses spring  123  thereby allowing water from water supply inlet  80  to flow to diverter valve/knob  20 . Diverter valve/knob selector switch  20  operates in similar fashion as that described in relation to  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  for providing passage of water to the first passage  30  and the second passage  40 . The first passage  30  provides a flow of diluted concentrated tablet product out of sprayer body  10 . The second passage  40  provides a rinse water flow out of sprayer body  10 . Diverter valve/knob  20  may also be positioned to an off position in additional embodiments.  
         [0035]     Additionally illustrated in  FIG. 5 , sprayer body  10  includes a tablet insertion point  130 . Tablet insertion point  130  is described in further detail in relation to  FIGS. 6, 7   a,  and  7   b.  When water diverter valve  20  is in the proper position, water flows into first passage  30  and flows through first screen  131  and therein encounters the concentrated tablet product  51  which is contained between first screen  131  and second screen  132 , above tablet insertion point  130 . A dilution of concentration tablet product in water is thereby provided to the downstream portion  30   b , which in this embodiment acts as a mixing chamber. The diluted product is then sprayed from sprayer body  10  onto a surface to be treated.  
         [0036]     As described above in relation to  FIG. 1 , once the surface to be treated has been treated with the diluted product resulting from a dilution of the concentrated tablet product  51  in water, the selector knob  20  may be moved to allow clean water to flow through second passage  40  to provide a rinse for the surface to be treated.  
         [0037]      FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment of the tablet insertion point  130  including male threaded portion  135  and cap  136 . As illustrated, cap  136  may be removed from tablet insertion point  130  allowing for a tablet to be inserted. Once concentrated tablet product  51  is inserted into tablet insertion point  130 , cap  136  may be threaded onto threads  135  and is thereby sealed with gasket  137 , providing a watertight closure.  
         [0038]      FIG. 7   a  is an illustration of a partially exploded and cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the invention including biased-hinged flapper valve  140  which works in conjunction with first and second screens,  131  and  132 , wherebetween a concentrated tablet product is inserted through the biased-hinged flapper valve  140 . Biased-hinged flapper valve  140  includes a hinged portion  143  (hinged portion  143  is depicted in  FIG. 7   b ) that allows for the tablet insertion portion to pivot such that a concentrated tablet product may be inserted into the first passage  30 . That is, the biased-hinged flapper valve  140  is capable of moving to at least one of two positions when no water pressure is applied within first passage  30 . With no water pressure applied to first passage  30 , the biased-hinged flapper valve  140  is capable of pivoting on its hinge such that a concentrated tablet product may be inserted. Once water pressure is introduced to first passage  30 , the biased-hinged flapper valve  140  is pressed completely in a sealed position against sprayer body  10  such that water flows from upstream portion  30   a  to downstream portion  30   b  and does not exit from the tablet insertion portion. The biased-hinged flapper valve  140 , as noted, includes first position  140   a  in which the valve  140  is sealingly set against sprayer body  10 . The valve  140  pivots to a second position  140   b,  thereby allowing insertion of a concentrated tablet product into first passage  30 .  
         [0039]      FIG. 7   b  is an illustration of valve  140  from a bottom view that includes hinged portion  143  and flexible membrane portion  141 . Flexible membrane portion  141  may be any form of plastic or rubber that provides a divot-like space or a particular position for concentrated tablet product  51  to rest once it has been inserted into passage  30 . The valve  140  operates as described in relation to  FIG. 7   a.    
         [0040]      FIG. 8  is an illustration of an embodiment of the invention including at least one of flow meter  150  and tablet viewing window  160 . Flow meter  150  is a visible flow meter by which a user may adjust a flow of water through first passage  30  to provide a specific and preferred concentration of the, concentrated tablet product  51  in water. As varying households have distinct ranges of supplied water pressure, water inlet  80  may have a range of water pressure anywhere from 40 to 60 psi, for example. Accordingly, built-in visible flow meter  150  provides the user with the ability to apply a preferred concentration of the concentrated tablet product  51  as it dilutes in water according to the precise flow of water which depends upon the water pressure supplied to water inlet  80 , for instance, as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0041]     Visible flow meter  150  includes flow meter ball  151  and sight gradation increment viewing symbols  152 . To use visible flow meter  150 , a user would simply hold the sprayer body  10  vertically while adjusting the water diverter valve  20  to derive the preferred flow to provide a substantially precise concentration of concentrated tablet product  51  as it dissolves at a particular rate in a particular flow of water. Tablet viewing window  160 , in another embodiment of the invention, may be translucent to enable a viewer to view how much of concentrated tablet product  51  remains within the insertion point for the concentrated tablet product.  
         [0042]      FIG. 9  is an illustration of another embodiment of the invention including multi-dose tablet dispenser-inserter  170 . Multi-dose tablet dispenser-inserter  170  includes biasing spring  171  and mechanical action arm  172 . When a user operates mechanical action arm  172 , a concentrated tablet product  51   a, b, c,  or  d  is inserted into passage  40  via flapper valve  140  (valve  140  is shown in  FIG. 9  in a closed position). Upon completion of the mechanical operation of mechanical arm  172 , flapper valve  140  is allowed to close, thereby allowing the water pressure to completely seal flapper valve  140  and preventing water from leaking into multi-dose tablet dispenser-inserter  170 . Multi-dose tablet dispenser-inserter  170  may attach to sprayer body  10  by a number of means including a tapered sleeve that fits circumferentially around sprayer body  10  such that the tapering portion of multi-dose tablet dispenser-inserter  170  comes to rest against sprayer body  10  when the body of multi-dose tablet dispenser-inserter  170  rests beneath flapper valve  140 . Other forms of attachability include connectivity known in the art including tabs, screws, and/or clips, as would be well-known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Spring  171  provides a biasing force against concentrated tablet products  51   a, b,  and  c,  respectively, such that as individual doses of concentrated tablet products  51   a, b,  and  c  are inserted through flapper valve  140 , concentrated tablet products  51   a, b,  and  c  move upwards in relation to the multi-dose tablet dispenser inserter  170  body.  
         [0043]     As described above, alternative embodiments of the concentrated table insertion point  130  include the cap  136  and the valve  140 . Additional embodiments include a hinged drawer with appropriate sealing/gasket material, a slot with a deformable membrane and/or a snap/compression closure.  
         [0044]     Additional embodiments of the invention include an orifice plate delivering mechanism on the output side of the sprayer body  10  thereby allowing for various sizes, mists, and pulses of water as they leave passages  30  and  40  of sprayer body  10 .  
         [0045]     The foregoing describes the principles, embodiments, and modes of operation of the present invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed. Thus, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. It should be appreciated that variations may be made in those embodiments by workers skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Additional embodiments may include various features taken from any of the various embodiments described herein in various combinations. Further additional embodiments may omit certain features as the ordinarily skilled artisan would understand how to combine various aspects of the present invention without, perhaps, including all aspects of the above-described embodiments.