Patent Publication Number: US-2021170432-A1

Title: Powered Sprayer for Home Use

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to lawn and garden equipment and, more particularly, to a powered sprayer designed for home use. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In order to maintain a healthy lawn and/or garden at home, various chemicals such as fertilizer, pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides need to be applied to the lawn and/or garden at regular intervals. Most common lawn and garden chemicals can be purchased in liquid form and applied to the lawn and/or garden using a sprayer. The most common form of sprayers used for this purpose are hand-held sprayers and garden hose sprayers. 
     Conventional hand-held sprayers include a small hand-held tank that contains a lawn chemical. The tank includes an attached sprayer and can be pressured so that the chemicals can be sprayed on the lawn or garden. One problem with hand-held sprayers is that the tank has a small capacity so that the user must re-fill the tank frequently. Another problem is that the pressure in the tank does not remain constant while the chemical is being applied, so that the application of the chemicals can be uneven. 
     Garden hose sprayers typically comprise a sprayer with a chemical tank that attaches to the end of a garden hose. The concentrated chemical in the tank mixes with the water as the water flows through the sprayer. A drawback of garden hose sprayers is that the tank is typically small and holds only a small amount of concentrated chemical. Also, it can be difficult to control the amount of chemical that is applied. 
     Powered sprayers are also known but are more expensive than hand-held sprayers and require more knowledge and skill to use. For most homeowners, the additional costs and time learning to properly use a powered sprayer is not justified. Accordingly, powered sprayers are used primarily by professional landscapers. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure relates to a powered spray system designed for home use. The powered spray system comprises a chemical supply tank, a sprayer for applying a chemical in the chemical supply tank, and a coupling connecting a water source with the chemical supply tank and sprayer for mixing chemical contained in the chemical supply tank with a stream of water as the water is sprayed. The coupling comprises a first inlet configured to connect to a standard garden hose for connecting the coupling to the water source, an outlet configured to connect to a standard garden hose for connecting the coupling to the sprayer, and a second inlet configured to connect to the chemical supply tank. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary spray system according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a packaged version of the spray system according to another embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary main unit for the spray system shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary main unit for the spray system shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary spray system, which is indicated generally by the numeral  10 . The spray system  10  comprises a water source  20 , a chemical supply tank  30 , a sprayer  40 , and a coupling  50  that connects the water source  20 , chemical supply tank  30  and sprayer  40 . 
     Water source  20  may comprise, for example, a conventional household spigot. A standard garden hose  20  connects the water source  20  to a first inlet  52  of the coupling  50 . The spigot or other water source  20  may have a pressure regulator  24  attached thereto to regulate the pressure at the inlet  52  of the coupling  50 . One end of the garden hose  22  connects to the spigot  20  or regulator  24 . The opposite end connects to the inlet  52 , which is configured to connect to a standard garden hose. For example, the inlet  52  may be configured as a standard ⅝″ female garden hose fitting. 
     The chemical supply tank  30  contains a concentrated chemical that is to be sprayed on the lawn or garden. The chemical supply tank  30  connects to a second inlet  54  of the coupling  50  via a chemical feed line  32 . The second inlet  54  may be configured, for example, as a standard ¼ inch female National Pipe Tapered (NPT) fitting designed to pull tight to make a seal. A sealant compound or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) tape may be used to ensure a leak-free seal at the inlets  52 ,  54  and outlet  56 . When operational, a pump  34  and a pressure regulator  36  provide a continuous supply of concentrated chemical to the second inlet  54  via the chemical feed line  32 , which mixes with the water flowing through the coupling  50 . 
     A second standard garden hose  42  connects the outlet  56  of the coupling  56  to a sprayer  40 . One end of the hose  42  connects to the sprayer  40  while the opposite end connects to the outlet  56  of the coupling  50 . Outlet  56  is configured as a standard garden hose fitting, such as a ⅝″ female garden hose fitting. 
     Fluid passage  58  connects the first inlet  52  of the coupling  50  to the outlet  56  so that water flows from the water source  20  through the coupling  50  and onward to the sprayer  40 . The second inlet  54  of the coupling  50  connects to the fluid passage  58  via a fluid passage  55  so that concentrated chemical mixes with the stream of water as the stream passes through the coupling  50 . 
     In use, water flows through the coupling  50  from the water source  20  to the sprayer  40  when the sprayer  40  is actuated. As the water flows through the coupling  50 , concentrated chemical from the chemical supply tank  30  is fed to the second inlet  54  of the coupling  50  and mixes with the water flowing through the coupling  50 . Regulator  36  can be adjusted or set to control the amount of chemical that is mixed with the water flowing through the coupling  50 . Pressure regulator  24  connected to the water source  20  ensures that the water is supplied at a constant pressure. The pressure regulator  24  can be pre-set to deliver water at the desired pressure. In other embodiments, the pressure regulator  24  may be adjustable. In some embodiments, the pressure regulator  24  can be omitted. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the coupling  50  comprises a unitary member, i.e. single piece, made of plastic or metal. A plastic coupling  50  can be injection molded as a unitary member at very low cost. The unitary coupling  50  enables a homeowner to enjoy the benefits of a professional quality spray system  10  assembled with off-the-shelf components that can be purchased at low cost at any hardware store. 
       FIGS. 2-4  illustrate a packaged version of the spray system  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . For convenience, similar reference numbers are used throughout the Figures to indicate similar components. The spray system  10  comprises a main unit  60  that contains the chemical supply tank  30  and coupling  50  as previously described. A standard garden hose  22  connects the inlet  52  of the main unit  60  to the water source  20 . A second garden hose  42  connects the outlet  56  of the main unit  60  to the sprayer. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates one embodiment of the main unit  60 . The main unit  60  comprises a molded plastic housing  62  including an upper compartment that serves as the chemical supply tank  30  and a lower compartment  64 . The coupling  50  is disposed in the lower compartment  64  and is connected to the chemical supply tank  30  by an electric pump  34 . A rechargeable battery  38  supplies power to the pump  4 , which may be a variable pressure pump. The housing  62  may include a charge port  66  for charging the battery  38 . Alternatively, battery  38  could be a replaceable battery that can be removed and charged in a separate charger. Housing  62  may also include a pressure control  68  for setting or adjusting the output pressure of the pump  34 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an alternate embodiment of the main unit  60  where the unitary coupling  50  is replaced by a multi-piece coupling comprising a T-joint  70  and two separate fittings  72 ,  76  connected by lines  74 ,  78  respectively. Fitting  72  comprises a standard ⅝″ female garden hose fitting and connects to the T-joint  70  via line  74 . Fitting  72  provides an inlet  52  to the main unit  60 . Fitting  76  also comprises a standard ⅝″ female garden hose fitting and connects to T-joint  70  via line  78 . Fitting  76  provides an outlet  56  from the main unit  60 . 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the housing  60  may contain additional features to make the spray system  10  more useful or more appealing to the user. For example, the spray system  10  could include pressure gauges to display the pressure at inlet  52 , inlet  54 , or both. Housing  62  could also include a gauge to indicate the amount of chemical contained in the chemical supply tank  30 . Alternatively, the housing  62  could include a window allowing the user to see the level of liquid chemical in the chemical supply tank  30 . The housing  60  may also include a handle to carry the main unit  60  and/or wheels to roll the main unit.