Patent Publication Number: US-10329078-B1

Title: Spray gun

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to spray painting, and more particularly, to an improved spray gun for use with disposable spray paint cans. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Several designs for spray paint tools have been designed in the past. None of them, however, includes a handle for a disposable spray paint can with a pressurized air source that pushes the paint and helps define a preset spray pattern. 
     Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to a commercially available handle that affixes to the top of a spray paint can and uses a trigger to mechanically press the can&#39;s nozzle. However, it differs from the present invention because the present invention includes an improved mechanism to affix the spray can to the body and has an adjustable externally sourced air delivery means to allow the user to adjust the spray pattern. 
     Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention. 
     A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification and title are provided as well for the purposes of complying with 37 CFR 1.72 and are not intended to be used for interpreting or limiting the scope of the claims. 
     Without limiting the scope of the invention, a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the detailed description of the invention below. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is one of the main objects of the present invention to provide a more controllable spray pattern from a disposable spray paint can. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an improved means to connect the spray paint can to the handle. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a comfortable and easy way to apply paint from a conventional disposable spray paint can to a surface. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a device that is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain while retaining its effectiveness. 
     Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon. 
     These and other embodiments which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages and objectives obtained by its use, reference can be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof and the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illustrated and described various embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a spray gun. 
         FIG. 2  shows a perspective cross section view of the spray gun. 
         FIG. 3  shows a perspective cross section view of the spray gun. 
         FIG. 4  shows a partial perspective view of the spray gun. 
         FIG. 5  shows a partial perspective view of the spray gun. 
         FIG. 6  shows a partial perspective view of the spray gun with front and rear perspective views of a ring  54  and inset detail of the ring  54 . 
         FIG. 7  shows an elevation cross section view of the spray gun. 
         FIG. 8  shows a partial perspective view of a spray gun with front and rear perspective views of a ring and inset detail of the ring. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are described in detail herein specific embodiments of the invention. This description is an exemplary of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated and described. 
     For the purpose of this disclosure, like reference numerals in the figures shall refer to like features unless otherwise indicated or is obvious by context. 
     The subject device and method of use is sometimes referred to as the device, the invention, the spray gun, the gun, the sprayer, the painter, machine or other similar terms. These terms may be used interchangeably as context requires and from use the intent becomes apparent. The masculine can sometimes refer to the feminine and neuter and vice versa. The plural may include the singular and singular the plural as appropriate from a fair and reasonable interpretation in the situation. 
     Referring now to the drawings, where the present invention is generally referred to with numeral  10 , it can be observed that it basically includes, among other features: a handle  12 , a trigger  14 , a body  16 , an arm  18 , a control  20 , a plug  22 , tension nuts  23 , a control  24 , slots  25 , a can  26 , a button  28 , a nozzle  30 , levers  32 , a tube  34 , a tube  36 , a valve  38 , a tube  39 , a wedge  40 , a neck  42 , a clip  44 , a pivot  46 , a rod  48 , a rod  50 , a spring  52 , a ring  54 , nozzles  56 , a nipple  57 , an aperture  58 , an aperture  60 , a port  62 , a plug  64 , a plug  66 , a track  68 , a passage  70  and an inlet  72 . 
     The body  16  of the spray gun has on a lower end a handle  12  adapted to fit a human hand. The handle  12  is grasped by the operator of the device to support the spray gun and the attached can  26 . The position of the users hand on the handle  12  also permits an easy reach to pull the trigger  14  when the user desires to dispense the contents of the can  26 . 
     Pulling the trigger  14  causes several actions to occur inside the body  16 . Pulling the trigger  14  towards and into the handle  12  causes the arm  18 , which is integrally connected to the trigger  14 , to articulate about the pivot  46 . When the trigger  14  is pulled back it causes the rod  48  to be pressed into the valve  38 . Generally, the further the rod  48  is pressed into the valve  38 , the more open the valve  38  will be. Opening of the valve  38  happens a fraction of a second before the button  28  is activated so that the compressed gas begins to flow through the spray gun before the contents of the can  26  begin to dispense. 
     The valve  38  interconnects tube  34  with tube  36 . The valve  38  is normally biased in the closed position thereby isolating tube  34  from tube  36 . the tip of the arm  18  is propelled down, towards the button  28  on the can  26 . If the trigger  14  is pulled sufficiently, the arm  18  contacts and presses the button  28  to dispense the contents of the can  26 . 
     The control  20  is used to control the depth that the rod  50 . The rod  50  traverses the arm  18 . The bottom of the rod  50  cannot normally be pulled through the arm  18  and acts as a depth stop limiting how far the arm  18  can travel down effectively limiting how far the button  28  on the can is depressed at maximum trigger  14  pull. By this means a full squeeze of the trigger can be tuned to deliver partial or full dispensation rate of the liquid in the can  26 . 
     The rod  50  may be threaded so that when the control  20  is manipulated the depth stop on the bottom of the rod  50  can be raised and lowered, allowing full or restricted travel range of the arm  18 . The travel range of the arm  18  also affects the degree to which the valve  38  opens during a trigger pull event. 
     Inlet  72  is generally connected to a pressurized air supply. Typically the air supply is an air compressor, but could also be bottled, compressed gas. Opening the valve  38  allows this pressurized gas to flow through tube  34  and into tube  36  towards the dispensing end of the device, near the nozzle  30  on the button  28  of the can  26 . 
     A control  24  is provided near the compressed gas inlet  72  to control the volume of gas that can enter the tube  34  of the spray gun. The control  24  is adjustable by the user of the spray gun from completely stopping any air or other supplied pressurized gas from entering the gun to a restricted or an unrestricted flow. 
     To secure an aerosol can  26  onto the spray gun the levers  32  is pulled back towards the handle  12  against the spring  52  and the neck  42  of the can  26  is inserted into the clip  44 . Pulling the levers  32  compresses the spring  52  and retracts the wedge  40  making an opening to insert the neck  42  of the can  26  into the forward side of the body  16 . Once the neck  42  of the can  26  is inserted the levers  32  is released and spring  52  forces the wedge  40  against the neck  42 . The clip  44  holds the neck  42  on its forward edge. The combination of the clip  44  and the spring  52  powered wedge  40  holds the can  26  securely in the spray gun. 
     The spray gun can perform as bleeder style gun if the trigger  14  is depressed partially to open the valve  38  and before the arm  18  starts to depress the button  28  pressurized gas, flows into the gun through inlet  72 , through the then open valve  38 , through tube  36  and out through port  62  and nozzles  56 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a partial cross-section of the front end of the spray gun with the ring  54  exploded showing a front and a rear side of the ring  54 . The inset on the front view of the ring shows in more detail the configuration of the internal passage  70 . 
     During a normal dispensing operation of the paint gun pressurized air delivered though the inlet  72  begins to flow when the trigger  14  is depressed. The air flows though tube  34 , through valve  38 , through tube  36 , out of port  62  on the track  68 , into the aperture  60  on the ring  54  and is distributed through the passage  70  inside the ring  54  where the air exits through both of the nozzles  56 . 
     The two nozzles  56  are generally on opposite sides of the ring  54  and face partially forward away from the nozzle  30  and are angled in towards the opposing nozzle  56  to both propel the dispensed fluid forward, away from the gun and to compress the dispensed fluid into a fan pattern for more controlled application of the fluid. Prior to this design feature no aerosol spray can had the ability to be sprayed in a fan pattern with supplemental pressurized gas. 
     The ring  54  rides in track  68  so that the ring  54  rotates about the front of the spray gun. The ring  54  includes the nozzles  56  so the nozzles  56  turn as well. When the nozzles  56  are moved into a horizontal configuration (meaning at about three o&#39;clock and nine o&#39;clock) the resulting spray pattern is substantially a vertical fan. 
     Similarly, when the nozzles  56  are rotated about ninety degrees from horizontal to the vertical (meaning at about twelve o&#39;clock and six o&#39;clock) the resulting spray pattern is substantially horizontal. In this configuration plug  64  seals aperture  60  and the pressurized gas supplied flows through port  62  into aperture  58  and through passage  70  where the pressurized gas exits the device through the nozzles  56 . 
     Aperture  58  and aperture  60  are about a quarter turn apart when plug  66  is positioned by rotating the ring  54  so that aperture  58  is sealed by plug  66  then port  62  is aligned with aperture  60  to supply air through the passage  70  to the nozzles  56 . The nozzles are then oriented substantially horizontally. 
     When returning the ring  54  by rotating the track  68  so that the nozzles are again at six and twelve o&#39;clock the plug  64  is sealing aperture  60  and the aperture  58  is in communication with port  62 . Pressurized gas then again flows through tube  36 , exiting at port  62  and through aperture  58  into the passage  70  and finally exiting the nozzles  56 . 
     The ring  54  is readily movable between the horizontal and vertical positions. The plug being in the respective aperture also acts as an indexing feature to keep the ring  54  oriented in the configuration that the user selects without accidentally moving out of place during normal and ordinary use applying paint or other dispensed fluid. 
     The track  68  may include a slot  25  on either side of the front of the body  16  that is used to fix the track  68  in place in the selected configuration by use of a tension nut  23  threaded into the body  16 . The slots  25  allow a range of motion of the track  68  up and down relative to the nozzle  30 . This allows the user to adjust the center of the track  68  to be centered with the nozzle  30 . 
     By having pressurized air carry the dispensed fluid, more control is afforded the user. The air or other gas entering the handle of the spray gun at inlet  72  can help to carry the fluid dispensed from the can  26  while simultaneously affecting the spray patters into a vertical or horizontal pattern. The several controls allow the user precise control as to how much fluid is dispensed and how much pressurized air is delivered to assist in the spraying process. 
     As an alternative to the above described ring and plug combination, the tube  39  may plug into nipple  57  be movable enough to accommodate a ninety degree rotation of the ring  54  in the track  68 , as seen in detail in  FIG. 8 . 
     The paint or other fluid dispensed does not come into contact with the spray gun so cleaning is avoided. The pressurized gas tends to carry the fluid away from the balance of the spray gun so it stays clean. This can dramatically reduce the time needed to clean up after a painting or other project is completed. 
     If no pressurized air is available or is not otherwise utilized, the spray gun may still operate to spray paint. This would not provide the beneficial carrying of paint and directional control of the spray pattern aspects as are shown and described herein. 
     A version of the present invention can be fairly described as an aerosol can dispensing device comprised of a body and a handle. The handle is dimensioned to be grasped by an average human hand and includes an operable trigger, pressable by the fingers of that hand. A front dispensing end of the body selectively attaches to a neck of an aerosol can so that it is easy to install and remove aerosol cans as they are depleted. The can is clipped in and positions at least a button on the aerosol can inside the front end of the body, but not necessarily the whole can. A pressurized gas from an external source is connected to the handle and is selectively carried in a tube to a nozzle ring at the front end of the body. The tube includes a gas valve that selectively permits flow of the pressurized gas through the tube. The gas valve is biased in a closed position. An arm inside the body pivots on a pivot point when the trigger is depressed causing a rear end of the arm to open the gas valve and allow the pressurized gas to flow through the tube to the nozzle ring and simultaneously or a fraction of a second later causing a front end of the arm to depress the button on the aerosol can to dispense a fluid contained in the aerosol can. The nozzle ring has at least two forward facing nozzles on opposite sides of the nozzle ring where the pressurized gas exits the nozzle ring along with the fluid dispensed from the aerosol can. The nozzle ring is rotatable to orient the forward facing nozzles at a horizontal or a vertical position by rotating it against the front of the gun and yet retaining the connections with the pressurized air. In at least one embodiment of the device the pressurized gas is air, but could also be a dried air, nitrogen or other gas mixture compatible with the dispensed fluid. The fluid dispensed is any of a paint, a colorant, a lubricant or a protectant, essentially any fluid that can be dispensed from an aerosol can. 
     The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.