Patent ID: 8490948

Claim:
An apparatus for flow control and shutoff, comprising: a body comprising a chamber, an inlet and an outlet, the inlet and the outlet in fluidic communication with the chamber; wherein the body is configured to fit into a nozzle that houses the apparatus for flow control and shutoff; wherein the outlet is configured to be in fluid communication with a nozzle head and the inlet is configured to be in fluid communication with a nozzle inlet when the apparatus is assembled into the nozzle; a flow regulator comprising a channel and the flow regulator rotatably fit in the chamber, such that the flow regulator is rotatable between a first rotational position and a second rotational position and that the channel is in fluidic communication with at least one of the inlet and the outlet; wherein the flow regulator further comprises at least one positioning ridge on an end section of the flow regulator; and a lever operably connected to the flow regulator such that the lever urges the flow regulator to rotate between a first rotational position and a second rotational position in the chamber when a user of the apparatus pushes the lever; wherein the lever comprises at least one extension portion operably connectable to the flow regulator; wherein at the first rotational position, the channel is not in fluidic communication with at least one of the inlet and the outlet, such that fluidic communication between the inlet and the outlet is blocked; wherein the flow regulator is operable to regulate a flow rate between the inlet and the outlet when the flow regulator is rotated between the first and the second rotational positions; and wherein the positioning ridge is configured to enable the lever to cause rotational motion of the flow regulator, and the positioning ridge has a contour matching a contour of one of the extension portions of the lever.