Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable to this application. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable to this application. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to grease guns and more specifically it relates to a grease gun applicator system for making it easier to use a battery powered grease gun by freeing up one hand while greasing. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field. 
     Grease guns have been in use for years. Typically, manual powered grease guns must be pumped with one hand and the hose must be directed with the other hand onto the area that is to be greased. Battery powered grease guns do not require pumping. Instead a trigger is pressed, while holding the grease gun with one hand, and the hose is directed with the other hand onto the area that is to be greased. 
     While trying to grease areas that are hard to reach or require difficult balancing, it is often difficult to properly apply grease using a grease gun. This difficulty arises because the user must use both his/her hands to operate the grease gun, which leaves no hands for stabilizing the individual. 
     While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for making it easier to use a battery powered grease gun by freeing up one hand while greasing. When climbing ladders or reaching hard to get to places, a grease gun is very difficult to use. Generally, a hose on a grease gun is not very long, forcing the user to get very close to area needed to be greased. Also, typical grease guns do not allow the user to comfortably reach a hard to get to area while balancing one self with one of their hands. 
     In these respects, the grease gun applicator system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of making it easier to use a battery powered grease gun by freeing up one hand while greasing. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of grease guns now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new grease gun applicator system construction wherein the same can be utilized for making it easier to use a battery powered grease gun by freeing up one hand while greasing. 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new grease gun applicator system that has many of the advantages of the grease guns mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new grease gun applicator system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art grease guns, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a powered grease gun, a dispensing hose extending from the powered grease gun, a dispensing nozzle attached to a distal end of the dispensing hose and a control switch attached to or adjacent to the dispensing nozzle to control the powered grease gun. A sling is preferably attached to the powered grease gun for allowing easy transportation of the powered grease gun. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a grease gun applicator system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices. 
     A second object is to provide a grease gun applicator system for making it easier to use a battery powered grease gun by freeing up one hand while greasing. 
     Another object is to provide a grease gun applicator system that may be utilized to input grease into difficult to reach grease fittings. 
     An additional object is to provide a grease gun applicator system that only requires one hand to fully operate. 
     A further object is to provide a grease gun applicator system that may be utilized with new or existing battery powered grease guns. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention. 
     To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an upper perspective view of the present invention in use by a user. 
         FIG. 2  is an upper perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an upper perspective view of the present invention with the hose secured within the holder member. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded upper perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an upper perspective view of the present invention illustrating an alternative sling. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the alternative sling. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram of the transmitter and receiver connection between the control switch and the powered grease gun. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Overview 
     Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1 through 8  illustrate a grease gun applicator system  10 , which comprises a powered grease gun  20 , a dispensing hose  32  extending from the powered grease gun  20 , a dispensing nozzle  34  attached to a distal end of the dispensing hose  32  and a control switch  70  attached to or adjacent to the dispensing nozzle  34  to control the powered grease gun  20 . 
     B. Powered Grease Gun 
       FIGS. 1 through 5  illustrate an exemplary powered grease gun  20 . The powered grease gun  20  may be comprised of any grease gun that is electrically powered by a power source  14  (e.g. battery, wall outlet). The exemplary powered grease gun  20  preferably has a housing  21 , a handle  22  extending from the housing  21  (typically a storage location for a battery), and a receiver unit  30  connected to the housing  21 . The receiver unit  30  receives a grease cartridge and provides the grease to the pump which is mechanically connected to the motor  26  within the powered grease gun  20 . The pump provides pressurized grease to the dispensing hose  32  that is fluidly connected to the pump. 
     The dispensing hose  32  is comprised of a desirable length and fluidly extends from the powered grease gun  20  for dispensing the pressurized grease. The dispensing hose  32  is preferably comprised of a flexible tubular structure capable of transporting the pressurized grease to a dispensing nozzle  34  attached to the distal end of the dispensing hose  32 . The dispensing nozzle  34  is formed to fit upon a grease fitting  12  (referred to commonly as a grease zerk). 
     A holder member  23  is preferably attached to the housing  21  of the powered grease gun  20  for catchably receiving the dispensing hose  32  when not in use as best illustrated in  FIG. 3  of the drawings. The holder member  23  is preferably comprised of a clip structure as illustrated in  FIG. 4  of the drawings. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 through 5  of the drawings, a locking member  40  is provided for surrounding a handle  22  of the powered grease gun  20  and engaging a main switch  24  (e.g. trigger) of the powered grease gun  20  thereby maintaining the main switch  24  in a closed state. The locking member  40  is preferably comprised of a plastic zip tie, however the locking member  40  may be comprised of other structures capable of retaining the main switch  24  in a closed state (e.g. tape). 
     C. Control Switch 
     The control switch  70  is attached to or adjacent to the dispensing nozzle  34  so that when the user is retaining the dispensing nozzle  34  upon a grease fitting  12  they may simultaneously close the control switch  70  as shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. The control switch  70  may be attached to or integrally formed within the dispensing nozzle  34  and/or dispensing hose  32 . The control switch  70  is preferably a rocker switch, however other types of switches may be utilized. 
     The control switch  70  may be electrically connected to the powered grease gun  20  via a control cable  72  that runs the length of the dispensing hose  32  ( FIG. 5 ) or the control switch  70  may include a transmitter  74  for transmitting a signal to a receiver  76  electrically connected to the powered grease gun  20 . 
     If the control switch  70  is in communication with the powered grease gun  20  via a radio signal, an override switch  28  is preferably electrically positioned between said motor  26  and said main switch  24  of the powered grease gun  20  as shown in  FIG. 7  of the drawings. The override switch  28  is opened and closed based upon the same state of the control switch  70  to allow for remote control of the operation of the powered grease gun  20  by the control switch  70 . If a control cable  72  is electrically connected between the control switch  70  and the powered grease gun  20 , the control switch  70  is thereby electrically connected between the main switch  24  and the motor  26  via the control cable  72 . 
     D. Sling 
     An elongated sling  50  is preferably attached to the powered grease gun  20  for supporting the powered grease gun  20  upon the shoulder of the user during use as shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. The elongated sling  50  is preferably adjustable in length to accommodate various sizes of users. 
     A pair of connecting members  60  are attached to the powered grease gun  20  and a pair of catch members  52  extend from distal ends of the sling  50  for removably attaching to the pair of connecting members  60  as best shown in  FIGS. 2 through 4  of the drawings. The pair of connecting members  60  are preferably threadably attached to threaded openings within the housing  21  of the powered grease gun  20  as best illustrated in  FIG. 4  of the drawings. 
     Alternative as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  of the drawings, the sling  50  includes a first strap  54  and a second strap  56  extending substantially transversely with respect to the sling  50 . The straps  54 ,  56  are sufficient in length to surround the handle  22  of the powered grease gun  20  and connect to themselves with fasteners as shown in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. The first strap  54  and the second strap  56  each preferably include hook and loop fasteners  58  at their respective distal portions for removably securing about a receiver unit  30  of the powered grease gun  20 . The straps  54 ,  56  are preferably substantially centered upon the sling  50  as further shown in  FIG. 6  of the drawings. 
     E. Operation of Invention 
     In use, the user straps the sling  50  over their shoulder to easily transport the powered grease gun  20  as shown in  FIG. 1  of the drawings. It can be appreciated that the powered grease gun  20  may also be simply laid upon the ground while the user reaches beneath an object for greasing. The user then positions the dispensing nozzle  34  in a fluidly connected manner to the grease fitting  12  on equipment or other object to be greased. With the same hand, the user then manipulates the control switch  70  to activate the motor  26  of the powered grease gun  20  which then dispenses the pressurized grease to the dispensing nozzle  34 . The user maintains the control switch  70  in the closed state until the desired amount of grease has been dispensed into the grease fitting  12 , after which the user opens the control switch  70  which terminates the motor  26  of the powered grease gun  20 . The user then removes the dispensing nozzle  34  and may continue to use the present invention with respect to additional grease fittings  12 . 
     What has been described and illustrated herein is a preferred embodiment of the invention along with some of its variations. The terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, which is intended to be defined by the following claims (and their equivalents) in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Any headings utilized within the description are for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.

Technology Category: f