Abstract:
The present invention is a fluid spraying assembly wherein a plurality of differently configured spray guns can be constructed therefrom. The assembly includes fluid spray nozzles and air caps having different configurations and techniques for attaching to a resulting spray gun body. The assembly further includes intermediate components for operably connecting differently configured fluid spray nozzles and air caps to a spray gun body assembly that is substantially common for all resulting spray guns.

Description:
This application claims benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 60/085,586 filed May 15, 1998. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is related to a fluid spraying apparatus, and in particular, to such an apparatus that is capable of utilizing fluid spray nozzles and air caps from various manufacturers having potentially substantially different configurations and means for attaching such components to a spray gun body according to the present invention. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are numerous manufacturers of spray guns and associated components. In most cases, the spray guns and associated components for one manufacturer are not capable of being used with those of another manufacturer. Many industrial spray guns have at least the following three components: 
     (a) a spray gun body that is held by the operator or attached to a fixed or automatically movable support during spraying and to which a fluid and propellant source are attached; 
     (b) a fluid nozzle through which the fluid to be sprayed is ejected from the spray gun during spraying, and 
     (c) an air cap for providing the propellant to assist in directionally propelling and atomizing the fluid into a spray, and additionally controlling the width or extent of the resulting spray pattern. 
     Moreover, it is not uncommon for these latter two components (i.e. the fluid nozzle and the air cap) to be the most important components for providing a desired spray pattern. Further, in some cases a single manufacturer may have different mounting configurations for these components on various models of spray guns. Heretofore there has been no spray gun body that allows these latter two components to be interchangeable and attachable to a single spray gun body. Accordingly, a spray gun operator may be required to use and maintain a number of different spray guns depending upon the manufacturer and configuration of the fluid nozzle and air cap that is desired to be used for a particular spraying task. Thus, it would be advantageous to have a spray gun assembly that allows the attachment of different fluid nozzles and air caps. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a spray gun assembly for atomizing and applying coatings, such as paint, adhesive, a protective or a destructive coating to a surface. In particular, the spray gun assembly can be used to construct a plurality of differently configured spray guns, wherein the spray guns atomize a fluid. More particularly, the fluid may be atomized using a propellant such as air (&#34;air&#34; being used as an exemplary propellant herein). The spray gun assembly of the present invention has interchangeable components that allow usage of different types of spray gun air caps and fluid nozzles, which together form the operable device referred to herein as the &#34;spray nozzle.&#34; In particular, the present invention allows spray gun air caps and fluid nozzles of various configurations and/or from various manufacturers to be used with the spray gun assembly of the present invention. 
     In one aspect of the spray gun assembly of the present invention, it includes interchangeable carriers for thereby allowing any one of a plurality of fluid nozzles to be used even though the nozzles may have, e.g., different physical dimensions, different spray characteristics and/or different attachment characteristics (such as different diameters, and/or thread patterns). Accordingly, the present invention provides, for each of the fluid nozzles, a corresponding carrier for mating both to the remainder of the spray gun assembly of the present invention and to the fluid nozzle. Thus, fluid nozzles from different manufacturers and for different purposes may be used with the common spray gun assembly of the present invention for assembling a plurality of different spray guns. 
     Additionally, the present invention also includes interchangeable air cap attachment adapters, wherein for each of a plurality of different air caps, there is a corresponding such adapter that allows the spray gun assembly of the present invention to be assembled to obtain a spray gun utilizing the air cap. In particular, the air caps may be from different manufacturers and/or have different attachment characteristics, physical dimensions, and/or spray characteristics. Accordingly, the present invention allows the use of a variety of air cap and fluid nozzle combinations, each such combination having potentially different geometric configurations and different air (more generally, propellant) and fluid flow characteristics. 
     The spray gun assembly of the present invention is useful with either pressure feed or gravity feed spray gun configurations. Moreover, the present invention additionally is provided with a novel means for regulating air flow in the resulting spray guns. In particular, this means for regulating air flow utilizes, in one embodiment, 
     (a) precisely sized orifice holes included in the above-mentioned corresponding nozzle carriers so that the atomizing air flow can be appropriately controlled, and 
     (b) an orifice within an air passage that conducts air to be provided to the fan pattern shaping jets of differently configured air caps, for controlling and limiting air flow to the fan pattern shaping jets as one skilled in the art will understand. Thus, by utilizing this or an equivalent means for regulating air flow, the present invention can be used in constructing spray guns that compensate for different air pressures and different air flow volumes required by differently configured fluid nozzles and air caps, such as those from different manufacturers. 
     Other features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent in the detailed description and the accompanying drawings herein. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a spray gun 1 constructed from the present invention showing the general arrangement of the spray gun and its component parts; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of spray gun 1, wherein sectioning planes 3A and 3B are shown for illustrating internal components of the spray gun 1. In particular, the right angled section defined by a clockwise sweep from planes 3A to 3B cross sections all but the innermost components of the spray gun 1, and the right angled section defined by a counterclockwise sweep from 3A to 3B cross sections only an outer layer of components; 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the spray gun as cut-away in FIG. 2 to further illustrate the internal components of the spray gun 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear view of the spray gun showing the sectioning planes 5S and 6S for the cross-sectional views in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the spray gun 1 assembled from the spray gun assembly of the present invention showing, among other things, how an air cap adapter 16 and a fluid nozzle carrier 15 of the spray gun assembly connect an air cap 12 and a fluid nozzle 13, respectively, to the spray gun 1; 
     FIG. 6 is another cross-sectional side view of the present invention, wherein this view is provided for better illustrating air passage 8 and related structures; 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the spray gun 1, wherein the general shape and relationship of components comprising the spray gun 1 are shown. In particular, this figure shows how the spray gun assembly components can be assembled to construct a plurality of different spray guns, wherein with the exception of the fluid nozzle carrier 15 and the air cap adapter 16, the other components of the spray gun assembly are reusable in spray guns having a different fluid nozzle 13 and/or a different air cap 12; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a spray gun assembled using components of the present invention, wherein a partial cutaway is provided for thereby illustrating the internal parts of the spray gun 1; 
     FIG. 9 is a cutaway view looking at the left front aspect of spray gun 1 to further illustrate the internal elements of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 10 is a cutaway view looking at the right front aspect of spray gun 1 to further illustrate the internal elements of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In describing the present invention and a spray gun 1 configured therefrom, reference will be made to the labeled components of the accompanying figures. Note that the following terminology will be used herein: 
     (a) direction arrow U (FIG. 1) denotes the upward direction in relation to the spray gun 1; 
     (b) direction arrow D (FIG. 1) denotes the downward direction in relation to the spray gun 1; 
     (c) direction arrow F (FIG. 1) denotes the forward direction in relation to the spray gun 1; 
     (d) direction arrow R (FIG. 1) denotes the rearward direction in relation to the spray gun 1. 
     Referring to the exploded view of a spray gun 1 obtained from the present invention as shown in FIG. 7, and to the cross section of the spray gun 1 provided in FIG. 5, a novel spray gun body 1a provides support for other components of the spray gun 1. Note that the gun body 1a is one of the components of the spray gun assembly of the present invention. Air (or some other suitable compressed gas) under pressure enters the spray gun body 1a at the air inlet fitting 2 (also a component of the spray gun assembly) and travels upward through a drilled passage 3 to the back side (or inlet side) of an air valve 4 (also a component of the spray gun assembly). When the trigger 5 (also a component of the spray gun assembly) is pulled by a user, the air valve 4 opens thereby allowing air to flow through the air valve and into a continuation chamber 3b of the drilled passage 3 and subsequently into an upper part 3e of the gun body 1a as one skilled in the art will understand. 
     The approximately vertically drilled passage 3 (FIG. 5) opens at the upper end of 3e into two parallel, roughly horizontal drilled air feed passages 7 (FIG. 5) and 8 (FIG. 6) in the spray gun body 1a, wherein the passages extend toward the forward end 1b of the gun body 1a. Note that this forward end 1b commonly is referred to as the &#34;head&#34; of the spray gun 1 provided by the present invention. The horizontal air passage 7 supplies air for the fan shaping air jets 9 (FIG. 8) of an interchangeable spray nozzle assembly 11 (air passage 7 being a portion of an air passageway 40 shaded in FIG. 9), wherein this assembly 11 includes an air cap 12, and a fluid nozzle 13. The horizontal air passage 8 supplies air to the center atomizing air jet 10 of the spray nozzle assembly 11 (air passage 8 being a portion of an air passageway 50 shaded in FIG. 10). Note that air flow through the (fan shaping) air passage 7 can be varied by adjusting the fan control knob 14 (alternatively known as the &#34;side port control&#34;) which moves a needle valve 14a into the passage 7 for thereby restricting the air flow to the fan shaping air jets 9. Thus, by rotating the fan control knob 14 the needle valve 14a can be used to adjustably enhance or restrict the air flow through the passage 7. Accordingly the width of the resulting spray pattern generated by the spray gun 1 provided by the present invention, can be controlled and adjusted. Further, it is an aspect of the present invention that the fan control needle valve 14a includes a cylindrical stem 14b which can be permanently or removably joined to the rearward portion 14c of the needle valve 14a. The cylindrical stem 14b determines the maximum size of an annular air flow orifice within the drilled air passage 7 and surrounding the stem 14b, as is detailed further below. Accordingly, the stem 14b limits the air flow through the passage 7 to a predetermined maximum air flow rate for a given pressure. Thus, the needle valve 14a allows adjustment from the predetermined maximum, thereby controlling the spray pattern of spray nozzle 11 as noted above. Additionally, it is within the scope of the invention to limit the air flow through the passage 7 by other means that would be obvious to one skilled in the art, including for example replaceable orifice jets, adjustable needle valves, or mesh screens. 
     Further note that it is an aspect of the present invention that the fan control needle valve 14a is interchangeable within the spray gun body 1a and such interchangeability can be used to create differently calibrated or predetermined air pressure changes in the air passage 7. Moreover, since air passages 7 and 8 are both air outlets for upper part 3e, the valve 14a also provides air flow control through passage 8 that is inversely related to the air flow through passage 7. Thus, valve 14a provides a capability for balancing air flow between the spray nozzle assembly atomizing jet 10 and the fan shaping air jets 9. More precisely, by changing the diameter of the cylindrical stem 14b projecting into passage 7 the minimum amount of restriction to the air flow through passage 7 can be varied. Thus, the air pressure and air flow requirements for a number of spray nozzle assemblies 11 can be achieved in spray guns constructed from the present invention. Moreover, it is within the scope of the present invention to provide a needle valve or one or more other air flow orifice restriction components in each of the air passages 7 and 8. 
     Note that air flow from passage 8 to the spray nozzle atomizing jet 10 of the air cap 12 is also controlled by interchanging a first fluid nozzle carrier 15 for a different second such fluid nozzle carrier, wherein the air passages 15a (FIGS. 5 and 8) from the second carrier have different air flow capacities from that of the first carrier, as will be described in more detail below. Further note that the fluid nozzle carriers 15 are a novel feature of the present invention in that each such carrier functions as an intermediate component between (a) the components of the spray gun assembly that are reusable in substantially any spray gun 1 provided from the spray gun assembly of the present invention, and (b) one or more specific fluid nozzles 13 to which the carrier is designed to mate. That is, each such fluid nozzle carrier 15 connects a corresponding fluid nozzle to a spray gun body subassembly 30 (i.e., the assembled components identified by the encircled components of FIG. 7). Thus, a differently configured fluid nozzle 13 can be operatively attached to the same spray gun body subassembly 30 (also denoted as &#34;body assembly&#34; 30) by utilizing a second fluid nozzle carrier 15, wherein the second carrier 15 attaches to the body assembly 30 in the same manner as substantially every such carrier 15, but the second carrier 15 also includes the specific configuration necessary for operably attaching the differently configured fluid nozzle 13. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to not only provide variously configured spray guns 1, wherein various spray nozzle assemblies 11 (having different attachment characteristics, physical dimensions, and/or spray characteristics) can be attached, but also to provide the appropriate air flow characteristics required for each such spray nozzle assembly. Accordingly, as air exits the horizontal air feed passages 7 and 8, it is preferred that the air flow be evenly distributed to the air passages 13a in the fluid nozzle 13. Additionally, it is preferred that the air flow be evenly distributed to the air jets 9 in the air cap 12. Such even distributions of air flow are accomplished by the air cap adapter 16 (FIG. 7) and the fluid nozzle carrier 15 in conjunction with machined features noted below in the head 1b of the gun body 1a. The air cap adapter 16 has a cylindrical skirt 16b which extends rearwardly within the cylindrically formed, rearwardly tapering cavity 1c (FIG. 7) of the head 1b of the gun body 1a, thus separating this cavity into two co-axial chambers about the axis 34 (e.g., FIGS. 3 and 6) The outermost of these chambers (labeled 17 in FIGS. 5, 9 and 10) conveys air flow through a series of substantially evenly spaced holes 16a (about the axis 34) in the forward end of the air cap adapter 16, and subsequently the air flows into an annular chamber 18 formed between the rearward face of the air cap 12 and the forward face of air cap adapter 16, wherein the outer wall of the chamber 18 is formed by the air cap retaining ring 25 and the inner wall of the chamber is formed by the fluid nozzle 13. Accordingly, air flow from the passage 7 passes through the air cap adapter 16 and into the air cap 12 for subsequently exiting at the fan shaping jets 9. 
     Regarding the even distribution of air flow to the air passages 13a of the fluid nozzle 13, various styles of fluid nozzles 13 are capable of being adapted to the body assembly 30 by providing a different fluid nozzle carrier 15 for attachment thereto. Thus, the distribution of air flow to the air passages 13a of the fluid nozzle 13 (and ultimately to the center atomizing air jet 10) is provided by the innermost annular passage or chamber 19 (best shown in FIGS. 6 and 10) formed between the skirt 16a of the air cap adapter 16 and the fluid nozzle carrier 15. Accordingly, the passage 19 provides an even distribution of air flow to the calibrated openings 15a through the fluid nozzle carrier 15 which allow air to flow into the holes 13a (FIGS. 5, 6 and 10) in the fluid nozzle 13, as one skilled in the art will understand. Further, since the forwardly positioned ends of the holes 13a open into the center chamber 12a (FIG. 5) of the spray nozzle assembly 11, the air flow through these holes supplies a substantially uniform air pressure throughout the chamber 12a. Thus, air exiting through the annular center atomizing jet orifice 10 formed between the fluid nozzle tip 13b and the air cap 12 tends to be of a uniform speed and evenly distributed about the tip 13b. 
     During construction of a spray gun 1 according to the present invention, each such fluid nozzle carrier 15 is secured to the gun body 1a by threading the fluid inlet fitting 20 (FIGS. 5 and 7) into a threaded bore 15b of the fluid nozzle carrier 15. Additionally, a fluid needle packing nut 21 is provided so that when the fluid nozzle carrier 15 is fully inserted into the gun head cavity 1c, the packing nut 21 can be matingly threaded into the internally threaded end 15c (FIG. 5) of the fluid nozzle carrier 15, thereby further securing this carrier within the spray gun body 1a. 
     The spray gun body 1a also receives, in a known fashion, a fluid needle valve 22 (FIGS. 5 and 7), generally referred to as the &#34;fluid needle&#34; for those skilled in the art. This needle valve 22 is capable of being retracted along its longitudinal central axis (i.e., generally in direction R of FIG. 1) from its seat 23 (FIG. 5) within the fluid nozzle 13 when the trigger 5 is pulled by a user. Accordingly, when the trigger 5 is pulled, fluid (e.g. paint, adhesive or other similar fluids for coating a surface) is capable of being discharged from the nozzle tip 13b and thus exits this tip under pressure into the atomizing air stream of the air jet 10. 
     The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Further, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings, within the skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiment described hereinabove is further intended to explain the best mode presently known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention as such, or in other embodiments, and with the various modifications required by their particular application or uses of the invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.