Abstract:
In a spray gun for spraying paint and similar media, there is provided a gun housing and a reservoir tank removably attached to the gun housing for holding the medium to be sprayed. The reservoir tank is configured as a commercially available storage container, for example in the form of a paint can, and is directly attached via an adapter to a projection connected to the gun housing. Thus, commercially available storage containers, differing considerably in their dimensions, can be directly fitted onto the gun housing in a short time and by a reliable method. Viscosity settings and transferring of media to be processed from one container to another are therefore not necessary, and the medium can be matched to the particular working implement and application.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a spray gun for spraying paints and similar viscous media that can be propelled pneumatically or electrically, comprising a gun housing for accommodating the propulsion mechanism, the components of the spray gun that effect mixture and/or metering, a handle projecting from the gun housing and a reservoir tank removably attached to the gun housing for holding the medium to be processed, with the possibility of introducing the medium from the reservoir tank into the gun housing of the spray gun via a feed duct that, in a preferred embodiment, is provided with a riser pipe. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Spray guns of this type have been described in numerous different configurations and have also proven their effectiveness in practice. In order to enable a medium to be processed with these spray guns, it is necessary to remove the reservoir tank from the gun housing and to fill it accordingly. This procedure is time-consuming, and also the paint or other medium can easily be spilled. Furthermore, it is often essential to carry out extensive cleaning work when changing the medium to be processed, and this also takes time. However, the principal disadvantage of these spray guns is that the viscosity of the medium put into the reservoir tank has to be adapted to the particular design configurations of the spraying device by means of which the medium is to be sprayed. This requires expert knowledge and skill. Frequently, it is not possible to achieve an optimum working method with spray guns of prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The purpose of the present invention is therefore to create a spray gun of the aforementioned type that enables reservoir tanks of different configurations to be reliably attached to it straightforwardly and within a short period of time, these tanks being filled with a medium that is adapted to the spray gun to be used and/or the work to be undertaken, meaning that it is possible to process the material immediately after the reservoir tank has been attached to the gun housing. Accordingly, setup times should be practically eliminated and also it should not be necessary to undertake any cleaning work; instead, it should be possible simply to remove one reservoir tank after a working step and to seal it. 
   In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in a spray gun of the aforementioned type in that the reservoir tank is configured as a commercially available storage container, in particular in the form of a paint can, and that the storage container is attached directly to a projection by means of a one or multi-part adapter, the projection preferably being configured as a cover or plate that is connected to the gun housing and/or to the handle by a web. 
   It is advantageous in this case for the adapter to be configured as a hollow body in the form of a pot into which the storage container can be inserted in an oriented position. This can be achieved in that the adapter is provided with projecting support ribs in the area of the base and/or walls. In addition, it should be possible to screw the adapter into the projection by means of a male thread provided, in a preferred embodiment, on a mouthpiece. 
   Also, the hollow body should be configured as an approximately cylindrical vessel with a U-shaped cross section having enclosed walls, in order to be used as a reservoir tank to be attached to the spray gun if necessary. However, the walls of the hollow body can also have penetrations worked into them in order to allow the storage container to be inserted or removed easily. 
   According to one configuration variant, there is also provision for the hollow body of the adapter to have a contact shoulder formed by a construction in the area facing the spray gun in order to support the storage container and, in the area of the base, for the hollow body of the adapter to have an adjustment element, for example in the form of a setscrew or a compression spring, that acts on the adapter either directly or via intermediate elements so that spray cans of different heights can be inserted into the hollow body in a straightforward manner. 
   In order to adjust to the different heights of storage containers, however, the hollow body of the adapter can also have one or several inserts assigned to it that are configured with different heights and, in a preferred embodiment, can be interlocked together, these inserts being inserted in between the base of the hollow body and the base of the storage container and/or between the container and the projection. It is also possible, however, for the hollow body to be provided with a base in an adjustable arrangement that can be moved towards the projection, e.g. by means of a female thread or a ratchet profile. 
   Furthermore, it is advantageous for the hollow body of the adapter to be adapted to the shape and size of the storage container that is to be inserted into it. 
   The hollow body can also be surrounded by a jacket that is firmly attached to it, having a support surface running flush with the support surface of the handle in one plane. 
   In accordance with a different embodiment, the adapter can also be configured as a clamping belt attached directly to the plate-shaped projection or to an adapter that can be screwed onto the projection, in which case the clamping belt should act on the base of the reservoir tank by means of a pressure piece through which the clamping belt is passed and is secured at one end onto the plate or onto the adapter, e.g. on an eyelet, and can be tensioned at the other end by means of a clamping lever. 
   According to a further embodiment, provision is made for the adapter to be configured as a clamping ring and for this to be screwed onto the projection, and for the storage container to be clamped onto the projection or a seal inserted into the projection by means of clamping arms projecting radially inwards, acting in a preferred embodiment on a radially projecting collar of the storage container. 
   Furthermore, it is advantageous for the length of the riser pipe to be adapted to the height of the storage container, for example by means of projections or intermediate pieces, and for the cover of the storage container to be supported on the projection by a plate-shaped seal. 
   If a spray gun is configured in accordance with the present invention, it is possible for commercially available storage containers of widely different dimensions to be attached straightforwardly and in a very short time to the gun housing, resulting in a reliable and direct connection, in which case these containers can contain a medium that is ready for immediate processing. Preparatory measures such as adjusting the viscosity are consequently no longer required, rather the medium to be processed can be optimally adapted to the particular working implement and application during the manufacture of a paint. 
   Furthermore, it is beneficial that, if the spray gun configured in accordance with the present invention is used, there will be scarcely and need for transferring the medium to be processed from one container to another or any need for cleaning work. This is because the storage container can easily be removed from the gun housing following completion of a working procedure and, if necessary, sealed with the original cap or disposed of. This means there are hardly any setup times. By offering straightforward handling in this manner, the processing of media with different consistencies is facilitated to a considerable extent without requiring additional work. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The drawing shows a spray gun configured in accordance with the present invention, with variously configured adapters attached to it for holding reservoir tanks, some of which are attached in different manners. In the drawing, 
       FIG. 1  shows a view of the spray gun in a partial section with a storage container inserted into a screwed-in adapter as a reservoir tank, 
       FIG. 2  shows the spray gun in accordance with  FIG. 1  with a differently configured adapter, 
       FIGS. 3 to 8  show the spray gun in accordance with  FIG. 1  with differently configured adjustment elements for adapting different storage containers to the adapter, 
       FIG. 9  shows the spray gun in accordance with  FIG. 1  with a clamping belt as adapter, 
       FIG. 10  shows the spray gun in accordance with  FIG. 1  with an adapter that is also configured as a clamping belt, 
       FIG. 11  shows the spray gun in accordance with  FIG. 1  with an adapter configured as a clamping ring and 
       FIG. 12  shows the clamping ring in accordance with  FIG. 10  in a perspective view. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   The spray gun shown in  FIG. 1  and identified with  1  is used for spraying paints and similar viscous media and principally consists of a gun housing  2  for accommodating the components that are required for operating the spay gun  1 , a handle  3  projecting from the gun housing  2  and a reservoir tank  21  for holding the medium to be processed. An actuating lever  5  in a swiveling mounting is provided in order to trigger a spraying operation which, when it is moved, ejects the medium sucked out of the reservoir tank  21  mixed with air out of a nozzle  4  by means of compressed air supplied via a pressure line  7 . An adjusting nut  6  enables the intensity of the spray jet ejected from the nozzle  4  to be adjusted. The actuating lever  5  also enables different types of propulsion systems for the spray gun  1  to be operated, for example switching on an electrical swiveling armature pump or a blower. 
   The reservoir tank  21  arranged on the underside of the gun housing  2  at the level of the handle  3  in the illustrated embodiment can, however, also be arranged above and attached to the gun housing  2  so that the medium to be sprayed is supplied to the spray gun  1  by gravity. The tank  21  comprises a commercially available spray can  22  attached directly to the gun housing  2  of the spray gun by means of an adapter  31 . To make this possible, a projection  11  is formed onto the gun housing  2  that is configured as a U-shaped cover  12  and is connected to the gun housing  2  and the handle  3  by means of two webs  12  and  14 . A female thread  15  is worked into the projection  11  and the adapter  31  is provided with a mouthpiece  35  in the area of the can opening  24  into which a male thread  26  is worked. The nozzle  22  can therefore be securely attached to the projection  11  directly. 
   When the opened can  22  is screwed on after removal of a cover  23  that is only partially drawn, a riser pipe  9  projecting from the projection  11  is introduced into the can opening  24  by means of which the medium to be processed is sucked into a duct  8  by means of the air flowing into the gun housing  2 , this channel  8  emerging in the inside of the gun housing  2 . The paint can  22  filled with a medium prepared in an appropriate manner can therefore easily be attached to the projection  11 . A seal  30  inserted between the projection  11  and the paint can  22 , having an opening  30 ′ for the riser pipe  9 , thereby guarantees that the paint can  22  is connected to the spray gun  1  with a liquid-tight seal. 
   The adapter  31  is configured as a hollow body  32  with a U-shaped cross-section that is provided with a base  33  and walls  34  that blend into the mouthpiece  35 . In order to fix the paint can  22  in the hollow body  32 , a circumferential rib  37  is formed onto the base  35  and the walls  34  have individual or circumferential ribs  38  against which each paint can  22  makes contact. 
   In the sample embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the paint can  22  is inserted in an adapter  31 ′ with a shape and size that is adapted to the configuration of the paint can  22 . In this embodiment, support ribs  37 ′ for the paint can  22  to make contact with are formed into the base  33 ′ of the adapter  31 ′ and, in addition, several penetrations  39  are worked into the walls  34 ′. In this manner, its is easy to tell by the paint can  22  which particular material is being processed and, also, a paint can  22  can easily be inserted into the hollow body  32 ′ or removed from it. 
   In accordance with  FIGS. 3 and 4 , adjustment elements  41  or  41 ′ that act on the paint can  22  are provided in the adapter  31 ′ in order to enable differently sized paint cans  22  to be inserted. For this purpose, the adapter  31 ′ is equipped with a contact shoulder  40  formed by a construction in the area allocated to the projection  11 , and the paint can  22  can be pressed against this contact shoulder  40  by the adjustment elements  41  or  41 ′. 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , a setscrew  42  is provided as the adjustment element  41 , that can be screwed in to a thread  43  worked into the base  33 ′ and acts directly on the paint can  33 . In accordance with  FIG. 4 , a compression spring  44  as actuator  41 ′ presses against the paint can  22 ′ by means of a plate  45 , the paint can  22 ′ being supported against the base  33 ″ of the hollow body  32 ′. 
   In order to compensate for different heights of the paint can  22 , the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  possess several inserts  46 ,  47  and  48  that have differing heights and are inserted in between the base  33  of the hollow body  32  and the paint can  22  ( FIG. 5 ) or between the paint can  22  and the projection  11  ( FIG. 6 ). The hollow body  32  with a U-shaped cross section as adapter  31  means that even small-sized paint cans  22 ′ can be securely held against the projection  11 . 
   For the same purpose, the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8  have bases  53  or  53 ′ with adjustable height inserted in adapters  51  or  51 ′ that are also formed as hollow bodies  52  or  52 ′. In accordance with  FIG. 7 , a female thread  57  is worked into the wall  54  of the hollow body  52  and the base  53  with a U-shaped cross section is provided with a male thread  58  so that the height of the base  53  can be adjusted by screwing it to adjust to the height of the paint can  22 ′. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the base  53 ′ can be adjusted in height and adapted to the height of the can  22 ′ by means of a ratchet profile  59  worked into its outer jacket surface and a ratchet profile  57 ′ provided in the walls  54  of the hollow body  52 ′ that interacts with the ratchet profile  59 . 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the adapter  51  or the hollow body  52  screwed into the projection  11  is surrounded by a jacket  60  with a support surface running in the same plane as the support surface of the handle  3 . The spray gun  1  can therefore be put down securely. 
   The adapter  61  or  61 ′ provided for securing the paint can  22  is configured as a clamping belt  62  or  62 ′, as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , that is directly attached to the projection  11 ′ configured as a plate  12 ′ ( FIG. 9 ) or an adapter  67  into which the projection  11  is screwed ( FIG. 10 ). 
   One end of the clamping belt  62  or  62 ′ is held on the plate  12 ′ or the adapter  67 ′ by means of an eyelet  63  or  63 ′ and its other end can be clamped by means of a clamping lever  64  or  64 ′. The clamping belt  62  or  62 ′ acts on the base of the paint can  22  by means of a pressure piece  65  that has the clamping belt  62  or  62 ′ passed through it. 
   In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 9 , the clamping belt  62  is also passed through a penetration worked in the plate  12 ′ for guidance purposes. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 , the clamping element  67  is screwed into the insert  12  by means of a male thread  68  and is therefore held in it. 
   By means of the clamping belt  65  that can be adapted to the paint can  22 , this means it is also possible to press paint cans of different heights reliably onto the insert  11 . 
   The adapter  71  shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12  formed as a clamping ring  72  acts on the paint can  22  by means of clamping arms  73 . The clamping arms  73  in this case are spring-loaded in the radial direction and make contact with a collar  25  provided on the paint can  22 . This means it is also possible to attach paint cans with different diameters to the projection  11 , irrespective of their height, by pressing the cans against the seal  30  by means of the clamping arms  73 . 
   Adaptations to the riser pipe  9  for different paint cans are made using a projection  9 ′ that can be attached to the shortened riser pipe  9 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 to 5  and  7  to  11 .