AU2005100342A4 - Adaptor and Trigger - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: Chee Sheong Wong Chee Sheong Wong DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys 1 Nicholson Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia "Adaptor" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: -1- Q:\OPER\JPN\2005 JAN-JUN\APRIL\12583380 103 INNOV.DOC 13/4/05 P:OPER\JPN\ECSolioP\Adaptor_08042005.dm-3/4/5 1A-

ADAPTOR

Field of the Invention This invention relates to a nozzle adaptor and, more particularly but not exclusively, to a nozzle adaptor for adapting an existing water hose nozzle for triggered operation.

Background of the Invention Water restrictions currently effective in Melbourne, Australia require that handheld hoses are fitted with a trigger nozzle. There are penalties for people who use handheld hoses not fitted with a trigger nozzle. As many existing nozzles for hand-held nozzles are not fitted with a trigger, conventional use of these existing nozzles has become illegal.

Examples of the present invention seek to provide a nozzle apparatus which will enable people affected by the water restrictions to legally use their existing nozzles even though they are not produced with a trigger.

Even in places where water restrictions are not currently effective, it is known for water to be wasted through use of nozzles not fitted with triggers. The applicant has developed an adaptor which enables water to be conserved by adapting typical water hose nozzles for triggered operation.

Summary of the Invention In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a hand-held adaptor for coupling a nozzle to a hose, the adaptor having a trigger to allow for automatic shut-off of flow through the nozzle.

Preferably, the nozzle is a hand-held garden hose nozzle, and the adaptor is arranged for direct interconnection with an inlet of the nozzle so that, in use, the nozzle is P:\OPERJPN\ECSoIuionAdaptor 08425.dc-13/04/05 -2maintained in proximity to its normal operating position absent the adaptor relative to an operating hand of a user.

Preferably, the trigger is movable between an on condition which allows passage of water to the nozzle and an off condition which prevents passage of water to the nozzle, and the trigger automatically returns to the off condition when released.

Preferably, an inlet connecting portion of the adaptor has a male connector equivalent to a male connecting portion of the nozzle, and an outlet connecting portion of the adaptor has a female connector for mating with the male connecting portion of the nozzle.

Preferably, the trigger is actuated by way of a battery-operated mechanism, and/or the trigger is able to be set to dispense an automatically metered quantity of water.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention is described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hand-held adaptor in accordance with a first example; Figure 2 is a right-hand side view of the hand-held adaptor of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a right-hand side view of the hand-held adaptor of Figures 1 and 2, shown with three interchangeable nozzles; Figure 4 is a right-hand side view of the hand-held adaptor of Figures 1 to 3, shown coupled to a first of the interchangeable nozzles; P:\OPER\JPN\ECSoluon\Adaptor_0042005.dc3/04/05 -3- Figure 5 is a right-hand side view of the hand-held adaptor of Figures 1 to 4, shown coupled to a second of the interchangeable nozzles; Figure 6 is a right-hand side view of the hand-held adaptor of Figures 1 to 5, shown coupled to a third of the interchangeable nozzles; Figure 7 is a left-hand side view of a hand-held adaptor in accordance with a second example, shown with two interchangeable nozzles; and Figure 8 is a left-hand side view of a hand-held adaptor in accordance with a third example, shown with two interchangeable nozzles.

Detailed Description Figure 1 shows a hand-held adaptor 10 for coupling a nozzle to a hose, the adaptor having a trigger 12 to allow for automatic shut-off of flow through the nozzle. The hand-held adaptor 10 includes a body 14 having a grip portion 16 and a barrel portion 18.

An inlet connecting portion 20 is provided at an end of the grip portion 16 for coupling the hand-held adaptor 10 to a hose. The barrel portion 18 is provided at a forward end thereof with an outlet connecting portion 22 for coupling the hand-held adaptor 10 to a range of interchangeable nozzles.

As can be seen clearly in the side view of Figure 2, the trigger 12 extends downwardly from the barrel portion 18 behind the grip portion 16 such that the trigger 12 is able to be pressed toward the grip portion 16 in the direction of arrow 24 conveniently and easily with a single hand. In the figures, the trigger 12 is shown in an "off' position relative to the body 14 wherein passage of water to the outlet connecting portion 22 is prevented by way of a valve inside the adaptor 10 being closed. The trigger 12 is brought to an "on" position relative to the body 14 by squeezing it toward the grip portion 16 (in the direction of arrow 24), to allow passage of water to the outlet connecting portion 22 and thus to a nozzle connected to the outlet connecting portion 22. The trigger 12 is P:\OPER\JPN\ECSoltionAdapto_8042005.d-3/4/05 -4progressively movable between the "off' position and the "on" position so as to provide adjustable rate of flow of water through the hand-held adaptor The trigger 12 is biased to the "off' position such that the trigger 12 automatically returns to the "off' position when released, thereby providing automatic shut-off of flow to a nozzle connected to the adaptor 10. This automatic shut-off of flow through the adaptor is of benefit as, if the adaptor 10 is dropped or put down (for example to undertake a different activity requiring the user's hands), flow of water will be stopped, thereby conserving water.

Figure 3 shows the hand-held adaptor 10 of Figures 1 and 2 with three interchangeable nozzles 26, 28 and 30. Each of the interchangeable nozzles 26, 28, 30 is a hand-held garden hose nozzle originally intended to be coupled to a garden hose directly by way of a common snap-lock connector resembling the outlet connecting portion 22.

However, as neither of the three interchangeable nozzles 26, 28, 30 shown in Figure 3 is fitted with a trigger, they are not permitted to be used coupled directly to a hose in this way under water restrictions which require that all hand-held nozzles be fitted with triggers.

The present adaptor 10 is able to be used to provide such interchangeable nozzles with triggered operation. With reference to Figure 3, the inlet connecting portion 20 of the adaptor 10 is provided in the form of a male connector 32 which is equivalent to the male connectors 32a, 32b, 32c common to the existing interchangeable nozzles 26, 28, Accordingly, the hand-held adaptor 10 is able to be coupled to a hose using the same snaplock connector normally used for direct coupling to the interchangeable nozzles 26, 28, Use of the adaptor 10 is also enabled by way of the outlet connection portion 22 being in the form of a female connector 34 for mating with any one of the male connectors 32a, 32b, 32c.

Conveniently, as the adaptor 10 is compact and is arranged for direct interconnection with the male connectors 32a, 32b and 32c which serve as the inlets of the nozzles 26, 28 and 30 respectively, in use, the nozzle 26, 28 or 30 is maintained in proximity to its normal operating position absent the adaptor 10 relative to an operating hand of a user. This is beneficial as the user will still have the same or similar degree of P:\OPERPN\ECSoltion\Adaptrr08042005.do-13/04/05 control and manoeuvrability of the nozzle 26, 28 or 30 when it is used in conjunction with the adaptor 10 as when it was used absent the adaptor Figures 4 to 6 show the adaptor 10 of Figures 1 to 3 interconnected with each of the interchangeable nozzles 26, 28 and 30, in turn. To interconnect the nozzle 26, 28 or with the adaptor 10, the male connector 32a, 32b or 32c is simply inserted into the female connector 34 of the outlet connecting portion 22 until the male and female connectors are snapped together into locking engagement. To remove the nozzle 26, 28 or 30 from the adaptor 10, a ring 36 of the outlet connecting portion 22 is pulled back toward the barrel portion 18 which enables the nozzle 26, 28 or 30 to be removed.

Figure 7 shows a left-hand side view of a hand-held adaptor 10a in accordance with a second example. The hand-held adaptor 10a of the second example is similar to the hand-held adaptor 10 of the first example, and like features are labelled with like reference numerals. The main differences between the hand-held adaptor 10a of the second example and the hand-held adaptor 10 of the first example are that the adaptor 10a of the second example has a shorter barrel portion 18, as well as interchangeable inlet connecting portions 20a and 20b. By virtue of the shorter barrel portion 18, the overall size of the adaptor 10a in combination with any one of the interchangeable nozzles 28, 30 is kept to a minimum, making the adaptor 10a convenient to use and also saving materials required for its manufacture.

Advantageously, the inlet connecting portion 20 comprises a male connector for use in connecting the adaptor 10 Oa to a hose 38 via a standard snap-lock connector, and a threaded clamping ring 20b for connecting the adaptor 10a directly to the hose 38 in the same manner as is done on the inlet side of a conventional snap-lock connector having a similar threaded clamping ring arrangement. By virtue of a male threaded portion 40 at a base of the grip portion 16, the male connector 20a and the threaded clamping ring 20b are able to be interchanged, as needed, as each of the male connector 20a and the threaded clamping ring 20b is provided with a corresponding female threaded portion on an inside surface thereof. The threaded clamping ring 20b forms a sealing connection between the hose 38 and the adaptor 10a by way of the threaded clamping ring 20b clamping the wall of the hose 38 within clamping teeth 42, and the male connector 20a forms a sealing P:\OPERPN\ECSolution\AdaptorO0842oo5.doc-31o4o5 -6connection with the adaptor 10a by way of one O-ring 44 located on a shoulder 45 of the inlet connecting portion 20 (ie. between the body 14 and the male connector 20a) and a second O-ring 50 located on the male connector 20a itself in the usual way (ie. between the male connector 20a and the snap-lock connector fitted to the hose 38).

Although the Figures show only a limited number of interchangeable nozzles for coupling to the adaptors, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the adaptors are able to be coupled to a wide range of nozzles.

The female connector 34 of the outlet connecting portion 22 may be sized for connection with either a 12 mm male connector or an 18 mm male connector, the latter being used more commonly on farms, in rural areas, and by councils. Similarly, the inlet connecting portion 20 may also be sized so as to be compatible with either the standard diameter garden hose or a "big bore" hose.

Figure 8 shows a hand-held adaptor 10b in accordance with a third example. The hand-held adaptor 10b is similar to the adaptors 10, 10a of the first and second examples, and like features are labelled with like reference numerals. However, the hand-held adaptor 10b of the third example includes a trigger 12 which is actuated by way of a battery-operated mechanism. More particularly, the trigger 12 is operated by way of a soft-touch pad 46 which is pressed by a user's thumb or finger to open a valve of the adaptor 10b to allow passage of water to the nozzle 28, 30. The valve is motorised, being powered by a battery or batteries located in a battery compartment 48. Advantageously, operation of the trigger 12 by way of the soft-touch pad 46 may relieve the need for weak, elderly or arthritis sufferers to hold a conventional trigger in an open position throughout the complete duration of watering their garden. The valve remains open while the user maintains pressure on the soft-touch pad 46, and closes when pressure on the soft-touch pad 46 is removed, thus stopping the passage of water to the nozzle 28, In a variation, the soft-touch pad 46 may be programmed to become an on/off selector switch so that the valve remains open without the need for the user to maintain pressure on the soft-touch pad 46. In this variation, the adaptor 10b maintains an automatic shut-off of flow through the nozzle 28, 30 by way of a feature which P:\OPERUJPNECSolutioAdaptor_08042005.dc-13/04/05 -7automatically closes the valve if it is left open for a predetermined period of time, so as to limit wastage of water.

In another variation, the soft-touch pad 46 may be programmed to open the valve for a pre-programmed period. The required pre-programmed period can be selected by a multi-switch located inside the battery compartment 48. The multi-switch may alternatively be located elsewhere within the body 14. At the end of the pre-programmed period, when the valve is automatically closed, the soft-touch pad 46 may be pressed again to repeat the same period of water flow. This feature helps to give a more consistent watering quantity to eliminate insufficient watering or over-watering, thereby providing a feature which both saves water and facilitates plant health. This removes the need to use or carry around a watering can (or similar) to measure the quantity of water given to each plant.

The adaptor may be manufactured from a variety of materials such as, for example, plastic, brass, aluminium alloy or other suitable materials.

The above examples have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, in an alternative example, the trigger 12 may be provided in front of the grip portion 16. Also, in yet a further example, the hand-held adaptor 10 may be in the form of a straight barrel extending from the inlet connecting portion 20 to the outlet connecting portion 22, rather than in the "gun shape" of the examples shown in the Figures.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated step or integer or group of steps or integers but not the exclusion of any other step or integer or group of steps or integers.

Claims (4)

1. A hand-held adaptor for coupling a nozzle to a hose, the adaptor having a trigger to allow for automatic shut-off of flow through the nozzle.

2. A hand-held adaptor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle is a hand-held garden hose nozzle, and the adaptor is arranged for direct interconnection with an inlet of the nozzle so that, in use, the nozzle is maintained in proximity to its normal operating position absent the adaptor relative to an operating hand of a user.

3. A hand-held adaptor as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the trigger is movable between an on condition which allows passage of water to the nozzle and an off condition which prevents passage of water to the nozzle, and wherein the trigger automatically returns to the off condition when released.

4. A hand-held adaptor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an inlet connecting portion of the adaptor has a male connector equivalent to a male connecting portion of the nozzle, and an outlet connecting portion of the adaptor has a female connector for mating with the male connecting portion of the nozzle. A hand-held adaptor as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the trigger is actuated by way of a battery-operated mechanism, and/or wherein the trigger is able to be set to dispense an automatically metered quantity of water. DATED this 13th day of April, 2005 Chee Sheong Wong By his Patent Attorneys: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE