Patent Abstract:
A sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer includes a spray head which is screwed onto the top of a bottle. The spray head includes a spring biased piston in a cylinder, a lever which is coupled to the piston via a flexible cable. A thumb support is provided to facilitate movement of the lever. A load bearing surface is provided to absorb force exerted by moving the lever. Anti-rotation structure is provided to locate the spray head relative to the bottle. A window in the spray head allows the contents of the cylinder to be viewed. According to some embodiments, the nozzle is located at one end of the spray head and the end of the accumulator to which the inlet and outlet are connected is located at an opposite end of the spray head.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims benefits from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/690,774, filed Jun. 15, 2005, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates broadly to non-aerosol sprayers. More particularly, this invention relates to a sustained duration mechanical sprayer. 
   2. State of the Art 
   Many household and industrial products are sold in containers that include a sprayer. These products include cleansers, insecticides, polishes, waxes, etc. There are several kinds of sprayers used with these products. Perhaps the most common is the manual push button or trigger operated pump which is seen most frequently on liquid cleansers. It has the advantage of being environmentally friendly (i.e. it does not require a propellant) but the disadvantage of delivering fluid in a series of pulses rather than in a continuous spray. Another well known sprayer is the aerosol can which is sealed and charged with a gas propellant. This sprayer has the advantage that it dispenses fluid in a continuous spray, but has several disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the can cannot be refilled. Another disadvantage is that depending on the gas used to charge the container, the propellant can be environmentally unfriendly. While environmentally friendly propellants do exist, generally, they do not charge as well as the unfriendly gases. Still another popular sprayer is the air pump sprayer seen most frequently with insecticides and liquid garden products. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,464 to Chow. The pump sprayer includes a hand operated air pump which is used to charge the container with compressed air. After it is charged, it operates much like an aerosol can except that the spray head is typically attached to the container by a hose and the container is supplied with a carrying handle. The design permits a gardener to charge the pump while it is on the ground, then carry it in one hand with the handle while the other hand operates the sprayer. The air pump sprayer is environmentally friendly but requires considerable effort to keep charged because air is not as efficient a propellant as environmentally unfriendly gases such as FREON or hydrocarbon gasses. Charging requires that the container be placed on the ground while the gardener pumps the air pump. 
   Still another type of sprayer is the spring biased sustained duration pump. An example of such a pump is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,211 to Shanklin et al. Like the air pump described above, these sprayers are typically used for garden products such as insecticides, herbicides, etc. The pump is mounted inside the fluid container and is coupled to a hand held sprayer by a hose (flexible tube). The container is provided with a handle and the pump is primed while holding the container on the ground or on a surface like a table top. The spring biased pump does not utilize air to propel liquid from the container through the nozzle. Rather, a spring biased piston is provided inside a cylinder and connected to a rod which extends through the spring, out of the cylinder and out of the container terminating with a handle. A one-way inlet valve is coupled to the cylinder and the tube from the spray head is coupled to the cylinder via a one-way outlet valve. When the handle is pulled, the piston is moved through the cylinder against the spring, drawing liquid from the container into the cylinder via the one-way inlet valve. When the handle is let go, the spring exerts force against the piston which pressurizes the liquid in the cylinder. The only outlet for the liquid is through the one-way outlet valve into the tube to the spray head which has a spray valve to control dispensing of the liquid. When the spray valve is opened by pushing a button on the hand held sprayer, liquid under pressure flows from the cylinder through the tube to the spray valve, through the spray valve and out a nozzle on the hand held sprayer. The duration of the spray depends on the volume of the cylinder, the force of the spring, and the size/shape of the nozzle. When the spring returns the piston to the starting position, the sustained continuous spray ceases and the pump must be primed again. The amount of liquid in the cylinder can be gauged by the length of the rod extending out of the container. 
   The spring biased sustained duration pump has many advantages. It is environmentally friendly. It is relatively easy to operate and it is potentially more efficient than the air pump sprayer. However, these sprayers also have some disadvantages. The fact that the container must be held down with one hand while the pump is primed with the other hand is a disadvantage. The fact that the pump cylinder occupies space inside the fluid container is another disadvantage. It is also a disadvantage that the piston rod extends out of the liquid container when the pump is primed. This projecting rod is awkward and can get in the way or get caught on something as the sprayer and container are carried about in use. 
   Some of the aforementioned disadvantages have been addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,956 to Havlovitz which proposes locating the spring biased piston and cylinder in the hand held sprayer. However, this does not cure the awkwardness of the piston rod extending into space where it can get in the way or get caught on something. Moreover, in order to accommodate the pump in the hand held sprayer, a rather complex spray valve arrangement is required. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer. 
   It is another object of the invention to provide a sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer which is not contained in a fluid container. 
   It is a further object of the invention to provide a sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer which can be primed without placing the container on a surface. 
   It is also an object of the invention to provide a sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer which does not have a piston rod which extends from the sprayer when it is primed. 
   It is an additional object of the invention to provide a sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer which has a simple spray valve arrangement. 
   In accord with these objects, which will be discussed in detail below, a sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer includes a spray head which is screwed onto the top of a bottle to form an integral unit (i.e. not a sprayer coupled to a container by a flexible tube). The spray head includes a spring biased piston in a cylinder (also referred to as an accumulator), a lever charging element which is coupled to the piston via a flexible cable, an inlet check valve between an inlet to the accumulator and the bottle, an outlet tube located on the same side of the piston as the inlet, a nozzle, an outlet valve located in the fluid path between the outlet and the nozzle, and a trigger mechanism which actuates the outlet valve. 
   According to some embodiments of the invention, the nozzle is located at one end of the spray head and the end of the accumulator to which the inlet and outlet are connected is located at an opposite end of the spray head. Thus, the piston must be moved towards the nozzle to prime the pump and the piston moves away from the nozzle during spraying. 
   The lever is mounted on the exterior of the spray head and is movable from the front (nozzle end) of the spray head to the rear end of the spray head to charge the pump. A series of pulleys are arranged to guide the flexible cable from the piston to the lever. In this arrangement (which is opposite to what is shown in the prior art), a tube must be provided to couple the outlet of the cylinder at the back of the spray head to the front where the nozzle is located. However, the benefit of this arrangement is that the valve and trigger arrangement can be made simpler. According to alternate embodiments, the accumulator is arranged with its inlet and outlet adjacent to the nozzle. In one embodiment, the outlet valve is integral with the accumulator. 
   According to the presently preferred embodiment, a load bearing surface supporting a vertical force component sustained when the accumulator is charged is located behind the coupling between the bottle and the spray head. The load bearing surface may be part of the bottle or part of the spray head or both. It may be provided with an anti-rotation detent or a bayonet lock. The load bearing surface relieves stress on the bottle neck and coupling when the lever is pulled back to charge the pump. 
   Optionally, a thumb support/grip is provided on the top of the spray head. The thumb support/grip allows the user to gain leverage when charging the pump by placing the thumb behind the rest/grip while pulling the charging lever with the fingers. 
   According to another preferred aspect of the invention, the accumulator is clear and a window is provided on at least one side of the spray head whereby the contents of the accumulator may be viewed. This allows a ready assessment of whether the pump needs to be charged. 
   According to the most recently preferred embodiment, the accumulator is arranged substantially perpendicular to the vertical axis of the bottle and the inlet and outlet are adjacent the nozzle. 
   Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the detailed description taken in conjunction with the provided figures. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a first embodiment of a sprayer according to the invention attached to a bottle according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a broken perspective view of the front of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a broken perspective view of the rear of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the sprayer of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a partially disassembled broken side elevation view of the left side of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a partially disassembled broken side elevation view of the right side of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 7  is a broken side elevation view of a second embodiment of a sprayer according to the invention 
       FIG. 8  is a side elevation view of a third embodiment of a sprayer according to the invention attached to a bottle according to the invention; 
       FIG. 9  is a broken perspective view of the rear of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 10  is a broken perspective view of the front of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 11  is an exploded view of the sprayer of  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 12  is a partially disassembled broken side elevation view of the left side of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 13  is a partially disassembled broken side elevation view of the right side of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 8 ; 
       FIG. 14  is a broken side elevation view of a fourth embodiment of a sprayer according to the invention; 
       FIG. 15  is a partially disassembled broken side elevation view of a fifth embodiment of a sprayer according to the invention; 
       FIG. 16  is a partially disassembled perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a sprayer according to the invention; 
       FIG. 17  is a side elevation view of a seventh embodiment of a sprayer according to the invention attached to a bottle according to the invention; 
       FIG. 18  is an exploded view of the sprayer of  FIG. 17 ; 
       FIG. 19  is a partially disassembled broken side elevation view of the right side of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 17 ; 
       FIG. 20  is a partially disassembled broken side elevation view of the left side of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 17 ; 
       FIG. 21  is a broken perspective view of the front of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 17 ; 
       FIG. 22  is a broken perspective view of the rear of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 17 ; 
       FIG. 23  is a broken rear elevation view of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 17 ; and 
       FIG. 24  is a broken front elevation view of the sprayer and bottle of  FIG. 17 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1-6  illustrate a first embodiment of a sprayer  10  and a bottle  12 . The sprayer  10  generally includes an ellipsoidal body having left and right half shells  14 ,  16 . Each half shell has an upper vane  14   a ,  16   a  and a lower wing  14   b ,  16   b . At least one of the half shells, e.g.  14  has a side window  14   c . The two vanes  14   a ,  16   a  join to define a groove  18  which extends from the front of the body to a point short of the rear as seen best in  FIG. 3 . The front of the body is provided with an adjustable nozzle  20  and the bottom of the body is provided with a trigger  22 , a bottle coupling  24 , and a load bearing surface  26 . A pull lever  28  is mounted above the wings  14   b ,  16   b . The lever  28  is a generally inverted U-shape having two legs  28   a ,  28   b  and a cross member  28   c . The cross member  28   c  defines an upwardly extending handle  28   d  and a downwardly extending rudder  28   e  ( FIG. 3 ) which engages and rides in the groove  18 . The ends of the legs  28   a ,  28   b  have lugs or bosses  28   f ,  28   g  ( FIG. 4 ) extending inward therefrom. These lugs or bosses engage holes  14   d ,  16   d  in the left and right half shells  14 ,  16  and define the pivot axis of the lever  28 . The pivot axis is preferably aligned close to or on the vertical axis of the bottle coupling  24 . 
   The bottle  12  has a lower tank area  30  and an upper neck  32  which is dimensioned to be grasped by an adult human hand. The neck  32  has a threaded coupling which is hidden under the coupling  24  of the sprayer  10 . Behind the coupling the bottle has a load bearing surface  34  which abuts the load bearing surface  26  on the sprayer  10 . As illustrated, the load bearing surface  34  is a plateau on a stem  35  which rises behind the coupling  24  to abut a planar surface  26  on the sprayer. The stem  35  and the load bearing surface  34  are preferably generally semi-circular and have a thickness sufficient to support a vertical load during backward movement of the lever  28 . It will be appreciated, however, that the load bearing surface of the sprayer could be at the bottom of a downward extension and the load bearing surface on the bottle could be a planar surface below it. Another feature of the bottle  12  is a finger rest  36  located below and between the trigger  22  and the coupling  24  of the sprayer. In use the user grasps the neck  32  with middle finger, ring finger and pinky while using the index finger to pull the trigger. The finger rest  36  prevents the user&#39;s middle finger from riding up the neck  32  into the path of the trigger  22 . 
   From the foregoing and the following, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the load bearing surface arrangements of the invention may be useful in other sprayers where the charging element exerts a force on the bottle with a vertical load component during charging. This clearly applies to most levers and may apply to other charging elements 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 4-6 , the inner workings of the sprayer  10  are shown in detail. The sprayer includes an accumulator  40  (a piston cylinder), a piston  42 , a piston retainer  44 , a biasing spring  46 , an accumulator cap  48 , and a pull cable  50 . These components are assembled by extending the pull cable  50  through the cap  48  and the spring  46  to the retainer  44 . One end of the cable  50  is attached to the retainer  44  which is coupled to the piston  42 . The piston  42  is inserted into the accumulator  40  with the retainer  44  and the cable  50  following it. The spring  46  is inserted into the accumulator  40  behind the retainer  44  and the accumulator is closed by the cap  48 . The free end of the cable  50  extends through the cap  48  and is attached to the pull lever  28 . At the end of the accumulator opposite the cap  48  is a fluid inlet/outlet  52  (seen best in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) to which a manifold  54  is attached. Two hoses  56 ,  58  are coupled to the manifold  54  as seen best in  FIG. 6 . Inlet hose  56  is also coupled to a ball check manifold  60  which includes a plastic ball  62  and a ball check fitting which operate in conjunction to form a one-way valve which is coupled to an intake tube (not shown) that extends down into the fluid in the bottle. Liquid hose  58  is coupled to the inlet of one cylinder  66   a  (liquid valve) of a double valve body  66 . Two additional hoses  68  and  70  are provided. Vent hose  68  couples the inlet of the second cylinder  66   b  (air valve) of the double valve body  66  and extends into the interior of the bottle via the manifold  60 . Liquid hose  70  couples the outlet of cylinder  66   a  to a nozzle adapter  72  which is coupled to the nozzle  20 . Each of the cylinders  66   a ,  66   b  of the double valve body is provided respectively with a spring  74   a ,  74   b , a flared piston  76   a ,  76   b , and a piston cap  78   a ,  78   b , the latter of which are engaged by the trigger  22 . In the resting state the springs  74   a ,  74   b  bias the pistons to a position where the flares on the pistons block fluid flow through the cylinders  66   a  and  66   b . When actuated by the trigger  22 , the flares of the pistons are moved into larger portions of the cylinders, thereby permitting fluid flow through the cylinders. 
   From the foregoing, those skilled in the art will appreciate how the sprayer works, namely as follows. The spray pump is charged by moving the pull handle  28  (about its pivot axis) from the front of the sprayer toward the rear. This causes the cable  50  to be pulled out of the accumulator  40  pulling the piston  42  against the spring  46  away from the fluid inlet/outlet  52 , and causing a vacuum within the accumulator  40  and the hoses  56  and  58 . Since the hose  56  is coupled to the one way valve assembly  60 ,  62 ,  64 , it causes the ball  62  to rise, opening the valve and allowing fluid to enter the hose  56  from the bottle into the accumulator  40 . The vacuum in hose  56  does nothing because the end of hose  56  is blocked by the flared piston in the valve cylinder  66   a . When the handle  28  is released or moved as far back as it can go (limited by the length of the cable  50  as well as the length of the groove  18 ) and released, the spring  46  will exert a force against the piston  42  in the accumulator  40  compressing the fluid therein as well as the fluid in the hose  56  which causes the ball  62  to drop, sealing off the fluid path into the bottle. Fluid from the accumulator  40  will be fed under pressure through the manifold  54  into the hose  58  but goes no further because of the piston blocking the cylinder  66   a . When the trigger  22  is squeezed, the piston in the cylinder  66   a  is moved, allowing fluid flow therethrough. Fluid under pressure in the accumulator moves through the hose  58  through the cylinder  66   a , through the hose  70 , into the nozzle adapter  72  and out through the nozzle  20 . As fluid is ejected from the accumulator, the spring urges the piston towards the manifold until all of the fluid is expelled from the accumulator and the spring and the pull handle move toward their original position. When the sprayer is spraying, the piston in cylinder  66   b  is moved allowing air to enter the bottle and replace the fluid which was previously drawn into the accumulator. 
   As seen best in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the accumulator  40  is clear and as seen best in  FIG. 4 , both the half shells  14  and  16  are provided with windows  14   c ,  16   c . The windows allow viewing of the contents of the accumulator. Also, it will be noted that in the illustrated embodiment, the load bearing surfaces  26 ,  34  are accompanied by anti-rotation flanges  34   a ,  34   b  on the bottle. It will be appreciated that the load bearing surfaces relieve strain on the coupling  24  when the handle  28  is pulled back and that the anti-rotation flanges align the load bearing surfaces as well as align the trigger  22  with the finger rest  36 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a second embodiment of a sprayer  110  is substantially the same as the sprayer  10  described above with similar reference numerals (increased by  100 ) referring to similar parts. According to this embodiment, a thumb support  119  is formed by extensions of the fin portions  114   a ,  116   a . The thumb support is located at the end of the groove  118 . When charging the sprayer, the user places his/her thumb behind the thumb support  116 , grabs the lever with their fingers, and pulls back on the lever using the thumb support for leverage. If the sprayer is charged this way, reduced stress is placed on the coupling  124 . 
     FIGS. 8-10  are similar to  FIGS. 1-3  with similar reference numerals (increased by  200 ) referring to similar parts. On the exterior, the sprayer  210  is similar to the sprayer  10  and the bottles  12  and  212  are identical. The only apparent difference in the appearance of the sprayers  10  and  210  is the size and shape of the fins  214   a ,  216   a  as compared to the fins  14   a ,  16   a  and also the shape of the lever  228  as compared to the lever  28 . 
     FIGS. 11-13  illustrate the similarities and the differences between the sprayer  210  and the sprayer  10  shown in  FIGS. 4-6 . Similar reference numerals (increased by  200 ) refer to similar parts. Where there has been a significant departure in the design, dissimilar reference numerals have been used. The sprayer  210  includes an accumulator  240  (a piston cylinder), a piston  242 , a piston retainer  245 , a pulley  247 , a biasing spring  246 , an accumulator cap  249 , and a pull cable  251 . The piston retainer  245  is different from the piston retainer  44  shown in  FIG. 4  in that it is adapted to carry the pulley  247 . As will be described in more detail in the next paragraph, the accumulator cap  249  and the pull cable  251  are different from the cap  48  and cable  50  shown in  FIG. 4 . 
   These components are assembled by extending one end of the pull cable  251  through the cap  249  and through the spring  246  around the pulley  247 , back through the spring  246  and fastening it to the cap  249 . The other end of the cable  251  extends through an opening in the cap  249  and is coupled to the lever  228 . The piston  242  is inserted into the accumulator  240  with the retainer  245 , pulley  247  and the cable  251  following it. The spring  246  is inserted into the accumulator  240  behind the retainer  245  and the accumulator is closed by the cap  249 . 
   As seen best in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , the end of the accumulator opposite the cap  249  is a fluid inlet/outlet  252  to which a manifold  254  is attached. Two hoses  256 ,  258  are coupled to the manifold  254 . Inlet hose  256  is also coupled to a ball check manifold  260  ( FIG. 11 ) which includes a plastic ball  262  and a ball check fitting  264  which operate in conjunction to form a one-way valve which is coupled to an intake tube (not shown) that extends down into the fluid in the bottle. Outlet hose  258  is coupled to the inlet of one cylinder  266   a  (liquid valve) of the double valve body  266 . Two additional hoses  268  and  270  are provided. Vent hose  268  couples the inlet of the second cylinder  266   b  (air valve) of the double valve body  266  and extends into the interior of the bottle via the manifold  260 . Liquid hose  270  couples the outlet of the first cylinder  266   a  (liquid valve) of the double valve body to a nozzle adapter  272  which is coupled to the nozzle  220 . As seen best in  FIG. 11 , each of the cylinders  266   a ,  266   b  of the double valve body is provided respectively with a spring  274 , a flared piston  276 , and a piston cap  278 , the latter of which are engaged by the trigger  222 . In the resting state the springs  274  bias the flared pistons to a position where the flares on the pistons block fluid flow through the cylinders  266   a ,  266   b . When actuated by the trigger  222 , the flares on the pistons are moved into larger portions of the cylinders, thereby permitting fluid flow through the cylinders. 
   From the foregoing, those skilled in the art will appreciate how the sprayer works, namely as follows. The spray pump is charged by moving the pull handle  228  from the front of the sprayer toward the rear, rotating it about its pivot axis. This causes the cable  251  to be pulled out of the accumulator  240  rotating over the pulley  247  pulling the piston  242  against the spring  246  away from the fluid inlet/outlet  252 , and causing a vacuum within the accumulator  240  and the hoses  256  and  258 . Since the hose  256  is coupled to the one way valve assembly  260 ,  262 ,  264 , it causes the ball  262  to rise, opening the valve and allowing fluid to enter the hose  256  from the bottle into the accumulator  240 . The vacuum in hose  256  does nothing because the end of hose  256  is blocked by the flared piston in the valve cylinder  266   a . When the handle  228  is released or moved as far back as it can go (limited by the length of the cable  250  as well as the length of the groove  218 ) and released, the spring  246  will exert force against the piston  242  in the accumulator  240  compressing the fluid therein as well as the fluid in the hose  256  which causes the ball  262  to drop, sealing off the fluid path into the bottle. Fluid from the accumulator  240  will be fed under pressure through the manifold  254  into the hose  258  but goes no further because of the piston blocking the cylinder  266   a . When the trigger  222  is squeezed, the piston in the cylinder  266   a  is moved, allowing fluid flow therethrough. Fluid under pressure in the accumulator moves through the hose  258  through the cylinder  266   a , through the hose  270 , into the nozzle adapter  272  and out through the nozzle  220 . As fluid is ejected from the accumulator, the spring urges the piston towards the manifold until all of the fluid is expelled from the accumulator and the spring and the pull handle assume their original position or until the trigger is released. 
   Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this embodiment provides a mechanical advantage by way of the pulley  247 . Thus, the force needed to charge the pump is lessened. 
     FIG. 14  illustrates a fourth embodiment of a sprayer  310  according to the invention which is similar to the first embodiment with similar reference numerals (increased by  300 ) referring to similar features. The main difference in this embodiment is that the load bearing surface  334  of the bottle  332  is a planar surface behind the coupling  324  and the planar surface  326  on the sprayer is at the bottom of a downward depending extension  327 . The extension  327  has a generally semi-circular cross section and a thickness sufficient to withstand the vertical component of force exerted on it when the lever  328  is pulled backward to charge the pump. 
     FIGS. 15 and 16  show fifth and sixth embodiments, respectively. These embodiments are, in many ways, similar to the first embodiment with similar reference numerals (increased by  400  and  500 , respectively) referring to similar features. The main difference in these embodiments is that the accumulator  440 ,  540  is arranged with its inlet and outlet adjacent to the nozzle  420 ,  520 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 15 , the sprayer  410  includes a nozzle  420 , a trigger  422 , a downward depending extension  427  terminating with a load bearing surface  426  and an interlock  429 . A charging lever  428  and a thumb support  419  are located on the top of the sprayer. An accumulator  440  is located inside the sprayer. The accumulator includes a piston  442  and a spring  446 . A flexible cable  450  is coupled at one end to the piston  442  and at the other end to the charging lever  428 . A plurality of pulleys  451 ,  453 ,  455  guide the cable  450  from the back of the accumulator to the front. An inlet and outlet manifold  454  is located between the accumulator  440  and the nozzle  420 . Inlet hose  456  couples the manifold  454  with inlet check valve  460 . An outlet valve  466   a  having a piston  467   a  is coupled between the manifold  454  and the nozzle  420 . An air relief valve  466   b  having a piston (not shown) is provided adjacent to the inlet check valve  460 . An upper arm  422   a  of the trigger  422  engages the piston  467   a  of the outlet valve  466   a  and a lower arm  422   b  of the trigger engages the piston of the air relief valve  466   b . The sprayer is operated in the same manner as the sprayers described above. The lever  428  is pulled back to charge the accumulator and the trigger  422  is pulled to dispense fluid through the nozzle  420 . Actuation of the trigger  422  causes the upper arm  422   a  to move downward thereby pulling the piston  467   a  downward and opening the outlet valve  466   a  allowing liquid to flow from the accumulator through the nozzle  420 . Simultaneously, the lower arm  422   b  moves backward engaging the piston of the air relief valve  466   b  allowing a volume of air equivalent to the volume of liquid in the accumulator to enter the bottle (not shown). 
     FIG. 16  shows a sprayer  510  which is similar to the sprayer  410  with similar reference numerals (increased by  100 ) referring to similar features. The difference between the sprayer  510  and the sprayer  410  is that the outlet valve  566   a  is coupled directly to the accumulator  540  and the inlet hose  556  enters the manifold  554  along side the valve  566   a  rather than behind it as shown in  FIG. 15 . 
     FIGS. 17 through 24  show a seventh embodiment of a sprayer  610  and bottle  612 . This embodiment is similar to the fifth and sixth embodiments and similar elements will be referred to with similar reference numerals (increased by  200  and  100  respectively). The sprayer  610  generally includes an ellipsoidal body having left and right half shells  614 ,  616 . Each half shell has an upper vane  614   a ,  616   a  and a lower wing  614   b ,  616   b . At least one of the half shells, e.g.  616  has a side window  616   c  as seen best in  FIGS. 21 and 22 . The two vanes  614   a ,  616   a  join to define a groove  618  which extends from the front of the body to a point short of the rear as seen best in  FIGS. 21 and 22 . The front of the body is provided with an adjustable nozzle  620  and the bottom of the body is provided with a trigger  622 , a bottle coupling  624 , and a load bearing surface  626 . A pull lever  628  is mounted above the wings  614   b ,  616   b . The lever  628  is a generally inverted U-shape having two legs  628   a ,  628   b  and a cross member  628   c . The cross member  628   c  defines an upwardly extending handle  628   d  and a downwardly extending rudder (not shown) which engages and rides in the groove  618 . The ends of the legs  628   a ,  628   b  have holes  628   f ,  628   g  ( FIG. 18 ) which are engaged by screws  629   a ,  629   b . These screws engage holes  614   d ,  616   d  in the left and right half shells  614 ,  616  and define the pivot axis of the lever  628 . The pivot axis is preferably aligned close to or on the vertical axis of the bottle coupling  624 . 
   As seen best in  FIG. 17 , the bottle  612  has a lower tank area  630  and an upper neck  632  which is dimensioned to be grasped by an adult human hand. The neck  632  has a threaded coupling which is hidden under the coupling  624  of the sprayer  610 . Behind the coupling the bottle has a load bearing surface  634  which abuts the load bearing surface  626  on the sprayer  610 . As illustrated, the load bearing surface  634  is a plateau on the neck  632  stepped down from the threaded coupling. As seen best in  FIGS. 17 ,  21 , and  22  the load bearing surface  634  is adjacent a vertical planar surface  633  which engages a similar surface  631  on the sprayer  610  which together form an anti-rotation structure. 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 18-20 , the inner workings of the sprayer  610  are shown in detail. The sprayer includes an accumulator  640  (a piston cylinder), a piston  642 , a piston retainer  644 , a biasing spring  646 , and a pull cable  650 . The half shells  614 ,  616 , when assembled, form a slotted retainer wall  648  which abuts the spring  646 . These components are assembled by extending the pull cable  650  through the slotted retainer wall  648  and the spring  646  to the retainer  644 . One end of the cable  650  is attached to the retainer  644  which is coupled to the piston  642 . The piston  642  is inserted into the accumulator  640  with the retainer  644  and the cable  650  following it. The spring  646  is inserted into the accumulator  640  behind the retainer  644  and the accumulator is closed by the slotted retainer wall  648 . The free end of the cable  650  extends through the slot in the wall  648  and is attached to the pull lever  628 . At the forward end of the accumulator  640  is a fluid inlet/outlet  652  to which a manifold  654  is attached via an elbow  656 . The manifold  654  is coupled to the bottle coupling  624  with a gasket  655 . An inlet tube  656  is coupled to the manifold  654  via a ball check valve assembly  660 ,  662 . 
   Two valves are provided: one in the fluid outlet  652  and the other in the manifold  654  which acts as an air inlet for the bottle  612 . The outlet valve includes a piston  676   a  and a piston adapter  678   a . The piston is mounted in a cylinder in the fluid outlet  652  and is coupled to the adapter  678   a  which is coupled to the trigger  622 . The air inlet valve includes a spring  674 , a piston  676   b , and an adapter  678   b . The spring and the piston are mounted in a cylinder in the manifold  654  and the piston is coupled to the adapter  678   b  which is coupled to the trigger  622 . The spring  674  biases the valves shut and the trigger forward. When the trigger is pulled backward, both valves open allowing fluid to escape from the accumulator  640  through the nozzle  620  and allowing air to enter the bottle  612 . A second check valve ball  665  is mounted in the manifold and operates when the sprayer and bottle are inverted while operating to prevent leakage through the vent. 
   There have been described and illustrated herein several embodiments of a sustained duration non-aerosol mechanical sprayer. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1