Patent ID: 7497358

Claim:
A manually operated trigger sprayer comprising: a sprayer housing having a pump chamber in the sprayer housing, a liquid inlet opening on the sprayer housing, a liquid supply passage extending through the sprayer housing communicating the liquid inlet opening with the pump chamber, a liquid outlet opening on the sprayer housing, and a liquid discharge passage extending through the sprayer housing communicating the liquid outlet opening with the pump chamber; a pump piston having a center axis, the pump piston being mounted in the pump chamber for axial reciprocating movement along the center axis between charge and discharge positions of the pump piston relative to the pump chamber; a trigger mounted on the sprayer housing for movement of the trigger relative to the sprayer housing; a spring having a curved length with opposite proximal and distal ends, the spring proximal end being operatively connected to the pump piston for movement of the spring proximal end along the pump piston center axis with the reciprocating movement of the pump piston in the pump chamber, the spring having a curved intermediate portion that extends from the spring proximal end away from the pump piston center axis and curves back toward the pump piston center axis as the spring intermediate portion extends to the spring distal end; the spring being one of a pair of springs that each have a curved length with opposite proximal and distal ends; a piston rod having a length with opposite first and second ends, the piston rod first end engaging with the trigger and the piston rod second end engaging with the pump piston; and, the spring proximal ends being connected directly to the piston rod with the lengths of the springs extending from the piston rod.