Abstract:
An improved liquid sprayer having a container ( 12 ) with a handle ( 14 ). A supply tube ( 16 ) extends into the container ( 12 ) and upward through a container cap ( 18 ) and a container cap attachment ( 20 ) and into a pump inlet ( 22 ) which is open to a pump ( 24 ). Adjacent to the front of pump ( 24 ) is a pump outlet ( 26 ) and a nozzle ( 27 ). Adjacent to the rear of pump ( 24 ) is a pump drive ( 32 ) which removably communicates with a pump drive socket ( 34 ) affixed to a conventional rechargeable drill ( 36 ). The drill sprayer ( 10 ) can be removably attached to the container ( 12 ) which then is refilled and reused. Alternately, the drill sprayer ( 10 ) can be permanently affixed to the container ( 12 ) and therefore disposable.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority on pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/098,061, filed on Mar. 15, 2002, entitled “Drill Sprayer”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    This invention relates to hand-held operated fluid dispensers, specifically to an improved fluid sprayer.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0003]    Hand-held motorized fluid dispensers are known and are shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,375 to Bippus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,841 to Silvenis et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,007 to Nottingham et al. In such prior dispensers, an electric motor is selectively connected to a battery source. When energized, the motor operates a pump mechanism by which fluid in a supply container associated with the dispenser is pumped through a discharge opening. Such prior dispensers have a number of disadvantages in that they are of low power, low torque, and have a short battery life. They therefore are of very limited output volume, spray velocity, distance of projection, and area of coverage. They have many elements and would be costly to manufacture and repair.  
           [0004]    Additionally, prior art dispensers are complex. This complexity would render them inoperable without their own motor housing, pump and housing, and a container specific to the dispenser. A continuous spray stream is often not obtainable with these known systems. They would not be disposable due to the high cost of manufacture and therefore would not be tamperproof or childproof. Lastly, they often involve the mixing of hazardous chemicals and thus present potential liability.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0005]    In accordance with the present invention, a sprayer which dispenses fluids from a container using a motor-driven pump.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the fluid sprayer described above, several other objects and advantages are:  
           [0007]    (a) to provide a sprayer which is permanently affixed to a container and disposable;  
           [0008]    (b) to provide a sprayer which eliminates the mixing of hazardous chemicals because it is disposable;  
           [0009]    (c) to provide a sprayer which is tamperproof and childproof;  
           [0010]    (d) to provide a sprayer of high power, torque, and battery life;  
           [0011]    (e) to provide a sprayer of high volume of spray and velocity of spray;  
           [0012]    (f) to provide a sprayer with maximum distance of projection and area coverage;  
           [0013]    (g) to provide a sprayer which sprays rapidly and efficiently, reducing time and labor;  
           [0014]    (h) to provide a sprayer which produces a continuous stream of spray without pulsing;  
           [0015]    (i) to provide a sprayer that is inexpensive to manufacture with a minimum of elements and of all plastic construction; and  
           [0016]    (j) to provide a sprayer that dispenses fluid using any motor-driven force such as a conventional rechargeable drill.  
           [0017]    Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the specification and drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1A is a side exploded plan view of a fluid sprayer having features of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1B is a side plan view of a fluid sprayer of FIG. 1A;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1C is an alternative side plan view of a fluid sprayer of FIG. 1A;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a front exploded plan view of a portion of the fluid sprayer of FIG. 1A;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a rear exploded plan view of a portion of the fluid sprayer of FIG. 1A;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of a sliding coupler having features of the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5A is a partially exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of a sliding coupler having features of the present invention; and  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5B is a partially exploded perspective view of a third embodiment of a sliding coupler having features of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION  
       [0026]    With reference now to the drawings, and in particular FIGS. 1A through 5B, a new fluid sprayer generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described.  
         [0027]    The fluid sprayer designated a numeral  10  includes a container  12  (only partly shown in FIG. 1A) having a handle  14 . The container  12  retains a fluid  15  (illustrated as circles in FIG. 1A). A supply tube  16  extends upward from container  12  through a container cap  18  and a container cap attachment  20 . In one embodiment, the connection of container cap  18  and container cap attachment  20  allows 360 degree relative rotation between the container  12  and a pump  24 . In one embodiment, the container cap  18  is permanently affixed to container  12 . Alternatively, the container cap  18  may be removable attached to container  12  to allow refilling and reuse.  
         [0028]    In one embodiment, atmospheric pressure equalization is provided by a vent diaphragm (not shown) in container cap  18  and is well known in current trigger sprayers. Supply tube  16  inserts into a pump inlet  22  which is open to pump  24 . As shown in FIGS. 1A through 3, pump  24  is of centrifugal design. Other well known pump types could be employed including gear, piston, vane, diaphragm, or peristaltic. Of simple construction, the pump  24  consists of a front half-shell  28  including a pump outlet  26  and a nozzle  27 ; and a back half-shell including pump inlet  22 , a pump seal  30 , and a pump drive shaft  32 . In the one embodiment, the front half-shell  28  and the back half-shell  29  are permanently bonded one to the other and the fluid sprayer  10  is of all plastic construction. The nozzle  27  directs a stream  33  (illustrated as an arrow in FIG. 1A) or spray of the fluid  15  at a target.  
         [0029]    As further illustrated in FIGS.  1 A- 1 C, the fluid sprayer  10  also includes a motor  36  (only partly shown in FIGS.  1 A- 1 C) having a motor output  37  that drives pump  24 . Motor  36  can be included within any conventional rechargeable drill that includes one or more batteries, a corded electric drill, or any other mechanism that provides motor output  37  in the form of a rotational force. In one embodiment, the motor output  37  includes a drill chuck.  
         [0030]    FIGS.  1 A- 1 C illustrate that the fluid sprayer  10  includes a sliding coupler  38  that provides the sole mechanical connection between the pump  24  and the motor  36 . In one embodiment, the sliding coupler  38  includes a first coupler component  40  and a second coupler component  42  that cooperate to detachably couple the pump drive shaft  32  to the motor output  37 . With this design, referring to FIGS. 1B and 1C, relative movement of pump  24  and motor  36  laterally causes the coupling (illustrated in FIG. 1C) and decoupling (illustrated in FIG. 1B) of the pump  24  and the motor  36 . Stated another way, the pump  24  is secured to motor  36  with the sliding coupler  38  that includes the first coupler component  40  and the second coupler component  42  that cooperate to provide the sole mechanical coupling between pump  24  and motor  36 .  
         [0031]    The first coupler component  40  can be fixedly secured to motor output  37  and second coupler component  42  can be fixedly secured to the pump drive shaft  32 . Alternatively, first coupler component  40  can be fixedly secured to the pump drive shaft  32  and second coupler component can be secured to the motor output  37 . As examples, the first coupler component  40  can be integrally formed into the pump drive shaft  32  and/or the second coupler component  42  can be integrally formed into the motor output  37 . In one embodiment, the second coupler component  42  includes an end that fits into and is retained by the drill chuck.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 4 illustrates a partially exploded perspective illustration of one embodiment of a sliding coupler  38  having features of the present invention. In this embodiment, the first coupler component  40  defines a projection and second coupler component defines a cavity that is sized and shaped to slidingly receive first coupler component  40 . When first coupler component  40  is positioned within second coupler component  42 , first coupler component  40  and second coupler component  42  cooperate to inhibit relative rotational movement between the coupler components  40 ,  42  during operation of the fluid sprayer  10 .  
         [0033]    The first coupler component  40  can be secured to pump drive shaft  32  or the motor output  37  and can be a projection having a cross-section that is substantially hexagon shaped. Additionally, the second coupler component  42  can be secured to motor output  37  or the pump drive shaft  32  and can have an outer circumference that has a substantially circular cross-section and an inner cavity that has a substantially hexagon shaped cross-section. The second coupler component  42  is sized and shaped so as to receive the first coupler component  40 , thereby inhibiting relative rotational movement between second coupler component  42  and first coupler component  40 . This in turn serves to inhibit relative rotational movement between pump  24  and motor  36 . The hexagon shape of the cross-section of first coupler component  40  and the hexagon shape of the cross-section of the inner cavity of second coupler component  42  allow for selective coupling and uncoupling of rotational energy from motor  36  to pump  24  by simply sliding one of the coupler components  40 ,  42  relative to the other coupler component  42 ,  40 .  
         [0034]    [0034]FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate alternative embodiments of sliding coupler  38 , wherein the cross-section of first coupler component  40  and the cross-section of the cavity of second coupler component can be of different shapes sufficient to prevent relative rotational movement between pump  24  and motor  36 . For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, first coupler component  40  can have a cross-section that is substantially triangle shaped and the inner cavity of second coupler component  42  can have a cross-section that is substantially triangle shaped. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, first coupler component  40  can have a cross-section that is substantially rectangle shaped and the inner cavity of second coupler component  42  can have a cross-section that is substantially rectangle shaped.  
         [0035]    The manner of using fluid sprayer  10  is to grasp container  12  by handle  14  with one hand, and to grasp motor  36  with the other hand. Motor  36  and pump  24  are then aligned to removably engage first coupler component  40  with second coupler component  42 . Upon energizing motor  36 , rotational energy is transmitted to pump  24  via sliding coupler  38  and a pressure differential of several bars is created. Low pressure is created at pump inlet  22  and suction draws fluid through supply tube  16  and into pump  24 . High pressure is created at pump outlet  26  and fluid is forcefully sprayed through nozzle  27 . Nozzle  27  is adjustable from a closed position, where no fluid can be sprayed through nozzle  27 , through a spray position and to a stream position.  
         [0036]    It should be noted that the design of the sliding coupler  38  allows the motor  36  to be quickly coupled and uncoupled from the pump  24  by simply moving the motor  36  laterally relative to the pump  24 .  
         [0037]    Alternative embodiments are possible with regard to fluid sprayer  10 , motor  36 , supply tube  16 , container  12 , and their positions relative to each other. One skilled in the art would see supply tube  16  could be of a length of several meters with fluid sprayer  10  affixed to one end and container  12  at the other. This embodiment gives the user great mobility and allows a large container  12  to be placed on the ground or any suitable surface negating lifting and carrying. Still alternatively, motor  36  could be attached removably to container  12  taking the function of handle  14 . Supply tube  16  in this embodiment would be of adequate length and structure to be of the spraying wand configuration found on current hand-pump pressurized sprayers.  
         [0038]    As to further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present fluid sprayer  10 , the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.  
         [0039]    With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the fluid sprayer  10 , to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed herein.  
         [0040]    Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the fluid sprayer  10 . Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the fluid sprayer  10  to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.