GB2518346A - Long Reach Sealant / Caulking Gun - Google Patents

Abstract

A long reach dispenser gun 10 comprising an elongate barrel chamber 11, a piston 12 movable longitudinally within the chamber and an actuator operable upon the piston. There is an adaptable or convertible drive face or plunger (55, 58 figures 6B & 6D) demountable upon the piston as a displacement head for a variety of reservoir types, such as a cartridge or foil pack. The gun may include a multiple barrel assembly with shared or respective nozzles. A nozzle may be moveable and remotely steerable. There may be an articulated or flexible barrel.

Description

Long Reach Sealant / Caulking Gun This invention relates to sealant, mastic, caulking, adhesive, or like product dispensers, such as those configured as hand-held so-called guns', with a demountable reservoir and content displacement actuator.

For ease of handling and loading and storage, a content reservoir format is a cardboard wall cartridge or a soft-wall foil pack. Many products are available in both cartridge and foil pack format. The Applicants envisage diverse bespoke gun and reservoir formats.

A drive plunger operated by a gun trigger passes through the cartridge progressively to displace its content. A relatively fragile foil pack requires a solid wall gun chamber for support against sagging and to withstand the compression loads from the content displacement plunger.

A common actuator is a trigger-action or squeeze lever at one end operable upon a longitudinal internal piston stem, such as through an incremental ratchet or latch drive coupling, releasable to allow withdrawal of the piston for reservoir replenishment or changeover. A thrust drive ratio is in-built to suit a gun and reservoir. By repeated actuator operation the gun can progressively lay down a continuous strip or bead of material.

Guns are generally configured for manual handling and manipulation; either single or two-handed operation, with one hand to support the barrel or frame while directing a discharge nozzle and the other hand to operate the trigger. Hand-eye co-ordination and delicacy of touch are required to hold a nozzle tip steadily upon, or marginally above a contact surface, while applying steady delivery pressure through repeated trigger, squeeze action to achieve a continuous even confined discharge spread over a nozzle movement path. Powered or power-assisted guns are known, but of greater weight, complexity and cost than a manual gun.

A relatively stiff-wall cartridge suits an open gun frame with minimal support between opposite ends. A low cost type is of minimal open-frame format, such as with a shallow base tray or shroud around a piston stem with twin opposed parallel longitudinal side bracing arms to a forward collar around a nozzle. The frame itself can flex readily and its integrally reliant upon the stiffness and rigidity of an inserted cartridge body, such as a cardboard wall. Another type uses a soft-wall foil pack located within a rigid solid wall cylindrical barrel tube.

Both gun types are dictate an operator working position close to the point of discharge. The actuator trigger end of the gun is held close to an operator, so can be comfortably supported and the nozzle also remained close to a work area for sealant application, so readily targeted.

Such formats are of low or modest capacity and the contents are commonly fully discharged for a task or discarded if only partially consumed, as they could deteriorate or harden once the cartridge seal has been compromised or broken.

The flowable consistency of the material is preserved up to and somewhat beyond the point of discharge, so a nozzle may be used as a local point-of-contact' spreader and flow regulator between nozzle end and a surface to which the material is being applied. The mastic is soft and malleable over a range of working temperatures and may self-skin or even harden upon exposure to air. Once applied, the mastic can set to a desired firmness or hardness consistency to preserve a robust sealing action. The stiffness or consistency of the mastic with a reservoir before discharge determines the loads required to displace it by a compression piston in the dispenser or gun and in turn the stresses to which the gun body, displacement mechanism and actuator trigger are subjected. Similarly, operator body and limbs, most immediately hand and arm muscles, ligaments and tendons are stressed by gun holding and discharge operation. The Applicants envisage a gun heater option to preserve reservoir content flow viscosity.

Conventional, compact or short' reach or sealant, mastic or caulking guns of the order of 12- 18 inches length configured to accommodate proprietary cartridges of complementary span are well known. A typical capacity by volume 600m1 or by weight is circa I Ooz 1283.5gm. A limitation of short reach guns is when material is required in restricted access locations remote from the operator, such as a corner edge transition between ceilings and walls.

Prior Art

Long or extended reach sealant, mastic or caulking guns have been attempted by others, for discharge quite remote from an operator and so less readily aimed or sighted for precise pointing and direction. The overall weight is higher, so less comfortably carried and supported for prolonged periods, with attendant fall-off' in placement. The centre of gravity and a significant proportion of the weight is also quite far forward outboard' or beyond the arm reach of an operator, so less readily counter-balanced by the hand and arm, even with a gun held close to upright, particularly for a trigger located at one end. Deployment to bring the gun upright and lowering requires care, so the gun does not become a working site hazard, not least to other personnel. Although in principle there is scope for larger reservoir capacity, commonly this is not realised, and over-sized cartridges or foil packs have not been available.

Examples are reflected in the following documents: US 6,454,136B1 extendable caulking gun, with caulk tube held outboard of inboard trigger assembly with adjustable reach intervening drive coupling; US 6,120,203 textured plaster or mastic applicator, with internal wire drive to piston; US 6,041,976 caulking gun with expandable drive from known drill chuck to threaded sleeve and pusher plate; underslung wheels at forward end for easier tool manipulation; US 4,932,565 caulking gun for cartridge, with elongated rearward extension to trigger handle and forward saddle guide; us 3,512,684 extended caulking gun with long rearward barrel for stiffness; configured as outboard carrier trough for cartridge; US 3,016040 shingles sealer with cartridge adjacent trigger carrying forward small diameter nose tube to spreader end; JR 11076895 caulking gun with (thread coupled) extension barrel and piston; CA 2298 244 outboard open-sided sealant cartridge carrier on support bar with internal drive connection rod to hand trigger; option of removable barrel sleeve for different cartridge diameters; The Applicant has devised a long reach format gun in 0B1111921.1 adaptable to use either cartridge or foil packs by interchange of internal components, unlike other earlier long reach guns, and now envisages various feature options as follows, not necessarily in order of importance: 1.

internal piston rod or plunger drive stem within confines of carrier body; i.e. not protruding (unduly) backward beyond trigger end when a cartridge loaded; -telescopic plunger(s); -internal ratchet drive; -recirculatory cable drive; 2.

(forward) support (body or nose) filling, to bear against surface near target discharge point; -swivel contact roller / ball nose; 3.

intermediate (body) support braced against user body or floor / wall; 4.

cranked / curved body profile; 5.

powered! power-assisted discharge; 6.

controlled pressurisation body cavity; 7.

body (temperature! humidity) conditioning' to optimise discharge flow; -body heater; 8.

bespoke body proportions; -long / thin / slender; -non-circular (e.g. polygonal or cruciform) extruded cross-sections; 9.

plastics and/or cardboard (disposable / recyclable) barrel body material 10.

convertible or dual mode plunger end for cartridge or foil compatibility; II.

sleeved stiffener barrel liners; 12.

stepped section fragmented plunger drive stem assembly; 13.

plunger stem support collars / spacers; 14.

splined plunger profile / circumference; 15.

electric or pneumatic power-assist plunger drive; 16.

annular sleeve configuration barrel storage; 17.

sequential cartridge portions stacked / queued in linear series or succession; allows, say, sectional overlaid application of complementary dispensed materials; 18.

disposable gun body, such as of combination card and plastics; 19.

disposable pre-filled gun or body, with a range of reservoir content; 20.

demountable actuator, such as trigger-driven plunger piston; 21.

deformable wall between opposed jaws or pinch rollers, say driven by a rotary handle or turnbuckle; (squeeze-action toothpaste tube) alternative dispenser format; 22.

barrel cluster; multiple independent or synchronised discharge; 23.

curved, say crank-ended, barrel for ease or access; 24.

multi-role dispenser! gun; 25.

stiff, flexible gun body, such as spiral wrap tube spring construction; 26.

support sling from gun body to wearer (shoulder) harness; 27.

depending, swing-leg, (ground) prop from gun body to support surface, such as nearby floor and/or wall; 28.

A-frame support with collapsible and adjustable leg splay, with individual telescopic leg struts; 29.

IS articulated segmented foldable barrel; 30.

multiple inter-nested barrel forms of different shapes + sizes, to achieve a compact overall cluster; 31.

multiple articulated, cranked or longitudinally curved barrels, in a mutually supportive! braced compact cluster; 32.

a motorised nozzle head on a swivel or gimbal mount, with a remote control on the handle, with a directional adjustment switch such as for a vehicle electric door mirror tilt in two planes; 33.

multiple nozzles supplied selectively by respective reservoir barrels or share a common reservoir barrel; such as to lay down multiple tracks of individually adjustable width + relative spacing; 34.

multiple barrel clusters fitted between common nozzle and handle end mounting fillings; with provision for individual barrel release or insertion; a sprung snap-action, twist-plunge bayonet capture connection could be operative at barrel ends; 35.

a capture and end seal self-rupture connector could be used to conjoin serial barrels and!or internal cartridge or foil pack content reservoirs; 36.

universal' plunger head, suitable for either cartridges or foil packs; to substitute for the present alternative two-part plastics cone and metal disc, respectively for foil or cartridges; e.g. split-circumference, finger-cone; 37.

different gun barrel and reservoir formats, such as long thin, to distribute content weight over gun span; your 600mm capacity; 38.

serial reservoir foil packs stacked along barrel; possibly with different content; 39.

multiple barrels juxtaposed, with shared or independent triggers for different content; 40.

different barrel cross-section, such as oval for easier hand grip, or cruciform for stiffness; 41.

(say, ratchet) internal piston drive which does not project from rear of barrel; 42.

barrel end guide, say with runners or rollers; 43.

remotely steerable nozzle from trigger end; 44.

curved barrel section; e.g. kinked end for better access; 45.

remote nozzle sighting and lighting, such as through laser beam pointer; 46.

disposable and/or (pre-filled) cardboard and/or recyclable plastics barrel, piston and trigger'; 47.

an alternative displacement actuator to a trigger; 48.

reservoir and/or barrel temperature and/or humidity conditioning; 49.

bendable or flexible (e.g. spiral wound stiff spring) barrel, to allow adjustment to suit work task; or segmented articulated barrel; 50.

nozzle span contribution to the overall gun reach'; if outright capacity is not an over-riding factor; 51.

in a conventional gun a short barrel extends right up to a short nozzle, so the capacity' is well forward, imposing more outboard bending load on a user; a longer barrel allows load re-distribution; 52.

some of the art uses long nozzles upon a short inboard barrel; a compromise can be struck between outright capacity and reach, with attendant outboard weight; 53.

that said, a long barrel can be filled partially; and the content location within the barrel made changeable; 54.

a rotary indexable or interchangeable multiple nozzle head could be mounted on a single, or multiple, barrel cluster for selective discharge rate and form; 55.

a smaller individual barrel diameter would keep the overall barrel cluster size within bounds; 56.

a modular barrel, in a series of interconnected elements, could allow an overall gun length to be adapted to circumstances; 57.

each barrel module could take a standard cartridge or foil pack; if fed serially through one another, the overall capacity could be adjusted in stages; 58.

a telescopic barrel could be feasible; with selective extension to suit task reach and capacity; say using serial cartridges or toil packs; 59.

a similar consideration applies to a telescopic nozzle; 60.

barrel and nozzle stem of comparable diameters, in the manner of a probe or wand; provide a more manageable, lighter weight yet longer reach, configuration; 61.

a continuous bendable barrel, rather like a pipe bending spring, reasonably stiff and self-supporting, but which can flex; 62.

exotic' barrel forms, such as helical, provide enhanced capacity through convoluted barrel tube length; with a more tightly coiled tube for a given reach; rather like a loose or tightly coiled spring; 63.

cartridge or foil pack (up to 34oz) content of bespoke profile andlor proportions; such as long / thin, tor greater weight distribution over gun body; 64.

multiple cartridges could be housed in a common body, say, with simultaneous discharge from multiple cartridges for complementary etfect; multiple cartridges could be stacked in tandem, such as for sequential collective capacity; 65.

interchangeable plunger displacement and discharge heads; such as demountable plastics cone for cardboard cartridges to substitute for slender metal disc for foil packs; 66.

adjustable individual nozzle; or co-operatively adjustable collective nozzles; remote nozzle adjustment; such as with applied pressure trom trigger handle or intermediate barrel position; The Applicants also envisage reservoir capacity expressed in different formats, shapes and proportions, such as length and breadth for a linear format. Uniform cross-sections are convenient, but not essential. Thus, say, tapered or waisted torms could be adopted. A cartridge or foil pack reservoir could have complementary form to a holder, so could share any taper and cross-section for a snug and secure mutual interfit. Whilst a continuous reservoir and discharge path facilitates unitormity ot output certain discontinuities could be accommodated, such as local pinch points to regulate internal flow rate and pressure.

The various aspects of accessibility, reach, weight, balance and capacity that arise are inter-related and may have to be offset against one another. Thus outright length may contribute to reach, but not necessarily capacity of the gun becomes too heavy and unwieldy, nor be feasible for say a cranked gun body.

Some earlier dispenser or gun proposals carry a standard repository or reservoir of sealant at an outboard' position, such as by mounting a conventional short or compact format gun or body upon an extension frame. They are usually configured for relatively stiff or self-supporting cartridges, so unsuitable for soft-walled foil packs, with no facility for conversion or adaptability to other sealant reservoir' formats. Interchangeability between cartridge and foil pack would be advantageous without have to change the drive head or at least with a readily executed drive head change in disposition.

Simple gun configurations bring or keep the reservoir close to an operator, but rely upon a long outward discharge path. Operationally, they are not entirely satisfactory, such as inflexibility in coping with variant sealant or caulking preparations and attendant packaging.

A common mastic displacement mechanism is a simple piston or plunger with a slender stem and enlarged head such as a disc. A hand or manual squeeze and release' trigger ratchet drive is used and operated repeatedly to advance the stem and a piston head carried with it incrementally along a barrel chamber and to displace reservoir content upon head engagement.

An open sided frame format holder, offers reduced weight, but unbraced risks bending and buckling under compression discharge loading. A continuous solid tube offers stiffness, but risks imposing undue weight unless, say, of thin-walled and/or lightweight material such as aluminium or certain engineering plastics. Long tubes can be extruded cost-effectively and cut-to-length. Some form of interchangeable adaptor or converter or a multi-role holder capable of addressing either a cardboard walled cartridge tube or a foil pack would be desirable.

Larger format, longer reach guns can prove unwieldy, so the Applicants envisage the option of a supplementary intermediate span support and bearing provision to cope with the weight whilst helping poise or balance mounting and precise, well-directed discharge. Thus a nozzle could track a surface to be addressed alongside a target deposition line.

Low level usage of a compact gun requires an operator to stoop or crouch, whereas high level usage requires arms extended, body leaned out, with risk of overbalance. A mixed-task site operation entails a demanding range of operator stance, with attendant operator susceptibility or vulnerability to neck, back and shoulders of bending and stretch strain and injury. Hence the rationale for a long or extended reach gun, although this in itself imposes stresses of a different kind; for which a harmonious balance of handle grip and barrel outlay is desirable to ameliorate. Some sighting, aiming, ranging and/or siting facility might be provided to promote accurate dispensing location.

A remotely position adjustable, directable or steerable discharge nozzle might also be contrived. An element of self-steerage upon surface contact, such as a damped-action, directional swivel head, with orientation according to contact pressure, might suffice.

Automated alignment by engaging a surface intersection or edge reference profile could be achieved.

Articulated barrel chambers are also envisaged, with an intermediate bend or kink to help positioning and nozzle access to otherwise awkward less accessible areas, such as wall and ceiling join edges and corners above suspended ceiling frames.

Internally of the chamber a recirculatory actuator drive such as a continuous cable, band or toothed belt, could be used to avoid a rearward projecting piston plunger stem. A recoil band or cable piston drive could couple to a telescopic piston plunger stem.

A stiff, thin-walled slender barrel could achieve greater longitudinally distributed content.

Internal or external stiffener ribs might be incorporated to bolster stiffness and rigidity. Such ribs could be integrated with the body by extrusion.

Multiple slender barrels could be clustered together for selective discharge by respective or shared triggers.

This allows extra capacity or a choice of material to be applied, individually, collectively, simultaneously together or sequentially. A rotary swivel nozzle head allows selected nozzle and barrel pairing and mutual alignment for discharge.

Compact sealant guns commonly use a hand grip ratchet trigger operative on an extended drive plunger outboard stem toward the user and which progressively retracts into the gun body upon content discharge from the opposite forward end. Open frame bodies are suitable for semi-rigid, self-supporting cartridges, but not for soft body wall and so malleable foil packs, for which a rigid body enclosure is required.

Prime gun considerations include: * (internal) capacity; * (outward) reach or span; * manoeuvrability or handling (generally from one inboard end) a There are practical limits on both factors, reflecting content weight, handling, manageability or manoeuvrability. Excessive gun length can become unwieldy. That said, up to a certain length, greater operative comfort is afforded.

Embodiments There now follows a description of some particular embodiments of the invention, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic and schematic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a part cut-away side view of a long reach sealant gun 10 with various optional features, which are further developed in FigureslA through 10; Figure 1A shows a diversity of cylinder barrel 11 cross-sectional shapes and sizes, including circular hAl, oval 11A2, square 11B1, rectangular 11B2, triangular 110, polygonal (e.g. hexagonal) liD, cruciform liE; respective piston cross-section (not shown) would be a complementary interfit; Figure lB shows a group or cluster of certain cylinder barrels of Figure 1A, with abutment and/or complementary interesting for a compact overall format; including a side-by-side array 43, interfifting polygons 42, stacked curvatures 41; Figure 10 shows grouped cylinder barrels 11 of Figure lB intercoupled at one end by a bridge 44 to share a common output discharge nozzle 45; this could allow blending of different cylinder content and/or sharing demand between cylinders; alternatively, a swivel head or rotary diverter valve plate could allow selective connection of cylinders; Figure ID shows grouped barrels II of Figure I B with respective juxtaposed individual nozzles 45; Figure I E shows shows a barrel end with a swivel head 46 for selective presentation of and communication with different profile discharge nozzles 47 from an array; Figure IF shows a spot light 49, such as a high intensity low voltage LED task light, with a tightly focussed pencil beam, mounted on a barrel end for local lighting; Figure 10 shows an adjustable throat orifice nozzle SI, such as with a rotary swivel head 52; Figure 1 H shows a splayed piston head 53 adaptable to different reservoirs, such as cartridges or foil packs; Figure 1J shows a pressurisable or pre-charged cylinder actuator 54, operable to preload a reservoir; such as by release of a gas charge through an internal admittance valve operable by a hand trigger lever; Figure 1K shows a ratchet pinch squeeze roller actuator 61, operable to squeeze a deformable wall reservoir tube 62; FIgure 1 L shows a handle bar grip actuator 64 operable to release a pressure pre-charge by end an end primer; Figure 1 M shows a powered actuator 65 configured as an electric motor with a demountable battery pack 66 at the end of a handle grip stem; Figure 1 N shows a flexible barrel 67 with a series of mutually articulated sections 68; Figure 1 P shows a telescopic barrel 69 of sliding interfitting sections 71 for longitudinal adjustment to accommodate different cartridges or foil pack reservoir lengths over a range of longitudinal reach; Figure IQ shows a longitudinal squeeze edge roll-up tube reservoir pack 72; Figures 1, 4 and 5 show a longitudinal section of a tubular barrel chamber fitted with end caps and internal piston comprising a 20mm diameter bar carried by the locator walls secured by a threaded connection with locknut to an 8mm drive bar extending to a trigger handle end; at the outboard end of the bar is mounted a push disc unit, such as of Figure 6; and threaded end collar closes the outboard barrel tube end.

Figure 2A shows a local enlarged sectional detail of an individual coupling joint of a segmented piston drive bar of Figure 2B; In Figure 2A an articulated hinge coupling joint 85 for an internal piston drive linkage between piston sections 82, of an articulated barrel 86, 87 of Figure 3; several joints 85 could be used in succession for a series of barrel sections 86, 87. Successive individual 20mm drive bar sections are coupled by an intermediate solid steel link 81, cross-drilled with holes to accommodate four aluminium rivet pin connectors 84 to the bar. A clearance 83 between bar and link allows a certain movement in two planes, such as horizontal and vertical; around plus or minus 2 deg for a 20 deg articulation angle using elongated mounting holes.

Figure 3 shows a side view, partially in section, of an articulated or bendable gun barrel; in this example with an intermediate span joint 85 to allow an outboard end to be re-orientated in relation to an inboard end near the handle and trigger; this for ease of access to a remote discharge nozzle end. More than one joint could be used for staged or segmented profile; the tube bodies could be or aluminium or (re-cycled) plastics tube. An 8mm diameter drive bar extends from an end trigger handle through a first barrel section to a bar support wall and connects with a 20mm bar through a coupling detailed in Figure 2A. An angled thread at a slanted cut tube end links with a successive tube section so that rotation through 180 deg locks the barrels at a mutual angle or restores them into linear alignment; as depicted by the alternative broken outlines.

Figures 4A and 4B show a disposable gun assembly. Figure 4A shows a side view of a pre-filled disposable gun barrel or chamber 74 pre-fitted with an end discharge nozzle, spaced annular rim seals 75 at the opposite end configured to receive a piston, handle and trigger assembly 76of Figure 4B. A cardboard barrel of some lOOmI capacity and lined with foil could be pre-filled with sealant for discharge and disposable as a whole. A threaded end fitting could accept an hand trigger mechanism, with say a recycled plastic handle and other parts. The trigger parts could be removable for re-use on another pre-filled disposable barrel tube.

Removable end foil caps preserve the content until required for use. The internal drive plunger cold also be of recycled plastic. Figure 4C shows a longitudinal section of a long reach sealant gun assembly which could have a range of longitudinal spans, of say 600mm, 1000mm, 1500mm and 2000mm; which represent convenient if not optimised compromises of capacity, reach and manoeuvrability. Bespoke length cartridges or foil packs could be contrived to fit such special barrels. A nominal 600mm span tube represents a compromise for less rigid tube wall, but longer formats could be engineered. A slender drive stem connects to a trigger actuator at one end and a stubby shank at the other end, located and guided in the barrel by an intermediate sleeve and carries an (splayed) end disc plunger for reservoir content displacement.

A slim, say, 30mm diameter gun barrel could be adopted; this compared with a standard 50mm diameter size. This would suit a cluster of barrels such as in Figures 1 B and 9A.

Figure 1 F shows a handle and trigger end of a gun filled with a laser light assembly to generate a steady precise beam for illumination of a remote work area adjacent a discharge nozzle; a standard laser pen could be used with a nylon mounting pod attachment.

Figures 5A and SB show respectively longitudinal sectional and end views of a gun with a remote steer discharge nozzle mounted upon a barrel assembly filled with end caps and internal piston with drive plunger and content displacement head. Internally, a 80mm piston drive rod is connected by thread and lock nut to a 20mm diameter piston bar supported in a carrier wall and filled with an end push unit for cartridge or foil pack engagement. A demountable end handle unit with trigger interacts with the 0.8mm drive rod. A nylon end collar has nylon struts secured to an intermediate collar for manual handling and manipulation.

A discharge nozzle is mounted on the end collar. Bearing stays are moulded on to a plate which is in turn moulded inside the collar. Ball bearings on a plate enable the moulded sleeve to turn for nozzle access at a different angle. A nylon sleeve moulded with four struts attached at each end to a nylon handgrip at the trigger end of the gun. By turning the hand grip clockwise or anticlockwise, the end collar is also turned and along with it the discharge nozzle.

The hand grip slides over the gun barrel tube for assembly and end collars are fitted at each end.

Figures 6A through 6D show piston disc head adaptation for cartridge or foil pack replaceable internal reservoir interaction. One option is separate demountable and interchangeable piston heads each dedicated to certain reservoir types. The adaptation includes an end face profile to interact with a particular reservoir end. Different disc heads could be stacked upon a common piston drive rod ready for use and re-ordered to present a desired disc at an operative end. An alternative would be a reversible double-sided piston head, with opposite sides adapted to respective different reservoirs. Another alternative, albeit more challenging to realise is a multiple-role piston head in which one side can address a diversity of reservoir types.

Figures 6A and 6B show a cartridge displacement 0.9mm depth moulded push disc member 55, with a central axial hub up-stand 57 with a protruding 1.8mm boss on one side with an internal 0.8mm thread to mount on a complementary threaded end of a piston stem with a lock nut (not shown) to hold the disc 55 captive and a 0.4mm annular circumferential rim up-stand or ridge 56 with an inset recess to locate a sealant cartridge or foil pack.

Figure 6C and 6D shows a foil pack push disc. Figure 6C shows a view from the foil pack contact side of the disc. A modest annular rim up-stand 59 surrounds a shallow central recess 57 to receive the end of a foil pack. A 1mm expansion joint enables the disc to reduce down from use with a foil pack to a smaller cartridge, so the push disc sits inside the back of the cartridge. Figure 6D shows a side view from the cartridge contact side of the disc. An alternative combination disc has two alternative opposite operative sides and is demounted, reversed or re-orientated, then re-mounted to present the appropriate driving contact side to a selected cartridge or foil pack.

Figures 7A and 7B shows an example nose end carrier or support filling 94 which could be demountable upon a barrel or discharge nozzle end with an entrained or captive 30mm diameter nylon rotary or spherical swivel ball 91, held captive between two opposed 1mm thickness spring steel loop brackets 92 secured to the barrel or end nozzle by a 2mm depth collar 93 to fit over or alongside a standard end collar. The collar 93 is a complementary shape to and snug fit over a barrel profile, such as the variant sections depicted in Figure IA. The ball 91 serves as a free-rolling or rotating, and self-lubricating, surface contact bearing over a support surface and self-centres or aligns at a corner edge, such as a wall-ceiling transition. A 30mm clearance between mounting collar and ball allows the barrel to be present clear of a support surface (not shown) upon which the ball runs. Such end nose support is particularly useful for a long reach gun where the weight is far outboard of an operator and the remote nozzle more challenging to position and control.

Figure 8 shows a demountable magnifier attachment 95 for an outboard end of a barrel or discharge nozzle; a lens 98 of focal length to allow remote enlargement from a distance of circa 3m could be adopted; a nylon end collar 97 is integrally moulded to a nylon bracket 96 for a magnifying lens. The view through the lens from a remote operator to a task at a discharge nozzle end is enlarged. This is particularly useful for a long reach gun barrel where the operator is even more remote from the task.

Figures 9A and SB show multiple barrel gun variants, with ether shared or respective individual discharge plungers and a common shared discharge nozzle or respective individual nozzles.

Figure 9A shows an external side view of a multiple barrel gun to allow independent or joint discharge; although similar barrels are shown grouped, different barrels could be used, with appropriate jointing clips. Thus a piston assembly could be mounted upon a selected individual barrel in turn.

Figure 9B shows a multiple barrel assembly 120, with respective individual drive plunger pistons 121 for each barrel. Example double and triple-throated (nylon) plastics C' clips hold adjacent barrels together at spaced intervals along the barrels. Grouped individual barrels could be of similar or different shape and/pr size, with respective internal pistons. A diversity of polygonal and/or curvilinear profile barrel cross-sections from hexagonal, oval triangular through circular, such as reflected in Figures 1A and 1 B, could be adopted for Figures 9A through 9C. Barrel groupings could be housed within a common outer shell.

Figure 9C shows a stacked barrel assembly 130 of serial end-on intercoupled individual barrel sections 132 with a common drive plunger piston 131. The sections 132 can be of similar or different span and removed, added or interchanged to determine the collective overall reach and capacity. A range of longitudinal spans from, say, 2000mm through 1500mm and 1000mm could be achieved. Internal intermediate rupturable dividing walls of complementary shape locate an internal piston.

Figures bA, lOB and IOC show an articulated extendable and bendable barrel 140 configured to facilitate access to awkward sites. Contiguous mutually articulated multiple individual barrel segments 142 share a common flexible piston plunger with hand trigger actuator 141.

Referring to the drawings, various sealant gun configurations, feature options and accessories are shown for a diversity of length or span. Some are advantageous for long guns, but relevance to shorter guns. Particular considerations are reach and capacity. A so-called long reach' is significantly longer than a conventional 600mm compact format cylinder of circular or round section.

Gun barrel longitudinal span for a given diameter has a direct and major bearing upon internal reservoir capacity, although to keep overall weight down not all of it may necessarily be used, in favour of reach and manoeuvrability. Smaller or rather shorter span cartridges or foil packs can be loaded into a longer barrel if reach rather than capacity is paramount; this also helps avoid over-capacity provision and risk of part-consumed reservoirs, whose residual content may become stale or less malleable once exposed to the air.

For internal location, stability and (lateral) bracing against piston displacement loads, the cartridge or foil pack cross-sectional shape and size conforms closely to the internal section of a gun barrel; that said, provided there is at least some local contact different shapes might interfit. The Applicants envisage a diversity of barrel cross-sectional shape and size. Similarly with an internal piston displacement head. A circular or oval round or curvilinear section cartridge might fit within a triangular or other polygonal section barrel, with local contact along the mid-line of the flat sides. With an extruded barrel internal longitudinal locating rib up-stands can be incorporated to locate cartridge walls.

A cartridge or foil pack can be compressed, crushed and crumpled by undue longitudinal displacement loads; to counter or alleviate which piston stroke is desirably aligned with pack axis and a clear open discharge path from the pack is preserved. The cartridge or foil pack reservoir itself can be located longitudinally within the barrel at a position to suit weight balance and ease of manoeuvrability considerations. The simplest location is at or towards a discharge nozzle output end for ease of direct connection to the nozzle. This puts the weight at the outboard end not so readily counterbalanced by an operator at the opposite handle end.

It also leaves unutilised dead-space' toward the inboard end closer to an operator; for a conventional ratchet drive. This region must be traversed by a piston plunger head, commonly driven by a trigger handle at the operator end. This in turn means wasted piston travel in retraction for unloading and feed forward for cartridge or foil pack end contact.

Aside from barrel length or span, overall diameter, whatever the shape, could be varied to suit capacity, outboard mass, balance and manoeuvrability considerations; thus a smaller slim' barrel diameter could preserve capacity and reach in an easier to handle format. A uniform barrel diameter is convenient for manufacture, such as by extrusion, and to complement a uniform diameter internal cartridge or foil pack reservoir. A modest taper form could be adopted to keep down the remote or outboard end mass whilst giving a slightly throttled flow feed path to allow a modest internal over-pressure build up with faster exit.

Figure 1 shows a long reach sealant gun 10 has an elongate cylindrical barrel 11 of indefinite length but typically from 0.5-1 Sm, indicated by broken lines. An internal plunger piston 12 has a piston stem 13 and piston head 19. An actuator module 19 determines displacement of the piston 12 by selective driving engagement with the piston stem 13.

A particular compact format actuator 19 of Figure I features a retractable recoil drive cable or band 37 with a ratchet drive 39 operable by a squeeze action trigger lever 22 upon a handle 21. The cable 37 is connected to a telescopic piston stem 13 and retracts or recoils to lie entirely within an external drum housing 27 at one end and to one side of the cylinder barrel 12. The length of the drive cable 37 reflects the barrel 12 span and piston 13 travel. A shorter cable run might be accommodated entirely within the barrel, such as a continuous loop between pulleys at opposite ends. An external drive assembly is demountable as a drum capsule 27 upon one end of the barrel through a screw mounting collar 25.

An intermediate capture collar or band 31 around they cylinder 11 is supported by a depending strut 32 and suspended from a neck sling or strap loop 33. The position of the collar 31 is adjustable longitudinally to optimise user comfort and support. It could thus be at or close to the centre of gravity or offset somewhat from that to create a slight weight bias to the front or rear. Separate collars (not shown) could be used respectively for the neck sling 33 or strut 32. A splayed leg A-frame 38 is filled toward the barrel 12 end. A supplementary or alternative nose ball runner support 70 is shown in Figures 7A and 7B. A spherical ball 71, such as of self-lubricating nylon plastics, is held captive in a spring loop 72, in turn attached to a collar 74 for mounting on a cylinder barrel end.

Figure 5A shows a sectional view of a gun with remote nozzle orientation control or steering facility from a handle and trigger end. An external cylindrical sleeve with internal rotary bearings serves as a handle grip which slides over and along the tube between opposite end fillings. A connection or drive coupling is effected between by rotating the collar the outboard end nozzle is turned axially relative to the inboard (i.e. close to the operator) end.

A remote control nozzle such as of Figure 5A and a cranked, bowed or articulated barrel of Figure 3 might usefully be combined for access around obstacles which might otherwise impede a straight barrel gun; thus a direct sight line between gun operator and target discharge point need not be along the gun barrel, but could be from the trigger to output or eye to output.

In a variant of Figures 5A and 5B, a nozzle or nozzle mounting itself could be a motorised, powered by internal batteries with a power cord command back to a trigger handle fitted with supplementary controls such as a motor vehicle power side mirror control; part of the barrel and/or handle could be used to house batteries; a compact gimbal mounted swivel head nozzle configuration could be adopted.

As reflected in Figures 1 C and 9B, multiple nozzles could share a common barrel, such as to lay down multiple, such as twin or triple, parallel or otherwise mutually juxtaposed tracks side by side; with multiple adjustable nozzles mutually juxtaposed at an output end of the gun and be supplied selectively by either respective or shared reservoirs within one or more barrels the lay-down deposition path of multiple sealant strips could be adjusted, such as in individual strip width and spacing between strips.

As reflected in Figures bA through 1OC, an articulated or curved barrel profile could be used for multiple juxtaposed barrels in a cluster or group. Similar or different shape or size barrels could be grouped together allowing compact inter-nested polygonal or curvilinear overall forms. Multiple barrel clusters could fit between common nozzle and handle end mounting fillings; with provision for individual barrel release or insertion; such as a sprung snap-action, twist-plunge bayonet capture connection operative at barrel ends. A capture and end seal self-rupture connector could be used to conjoin serial barrels and/or cartridge or toil pack content reservoirs. The feasibility of serial (cartridge or foil pack) reservoirs is contingent upon effective bridging seals between end wall abutments; for which purpose a bespoke end profile could be adopted, say with a displaceable or perforable membrane along with a male-female bridging inter couple piece.

As reflected in Figure 10, a disposable gun could integrate the barrel and cartridges or foil pack in a unitary assembly; with demountable or disposable discharge nozzle and demountable reusable end handle and trigger assembly; the materials, such as cardboard body and plastics end fittings could be recycled upon disposal, along with any residual content.

As reflected in Figure lB and 9B, the number grouping and relative disposition of multiple barrel chambers admits of considerable variation; thus, say, a cloverleaf section of circular barrels would represent a compact stacking array.

As reflected in Figure I M, a compact linear actuator such as an internally self-contained, powered or charged module could supercede the external depending hand lever ratchet drive to a rearwardly-projecting piston stem. An example would be a battery-powered linear motor.

An alternative would be a continuous recirculatory loop belt, band or cable, with a rotary electric motor drive to a pulley, spool or sprocket.

For alternative cartridge or foil pack dispositions within a barrel, an intermediate internal buffer wall could be filled somewhat away from the nozzle end as an fixed or adjustable abutment for the end of a cartridge or foil pack and a reaction plate against displacement forces applied by a piston plunger head at the opposite end; the wall could be a friction or latch detent fit with the inside of the barrel wall. A smaller diameter transfer conduit between the cartridges and discharge nozzle; cartridges or foil packs could be pre-filled or retro-fitted with such a transfer conduit, before insertion in a barrel, with the conduit cut-to-length to suit the internal disposition. A transfer conduit with spear profiled ends could penetrate an otherwise sealed end; indeed such as spear could pass through and between a series of reservoir packs end-to-end to allow serial discharge through one another from an outboard or handle end to an inboard or nozzle end; a sleeve or collar could be used to unite and mutually seal successive cartridges or foil packs to allow content discharge one through another by piston displacement at one end of a series.

Component List long reach sealant gun (lrsg) II barrel, cylinder, tube hAl circular section 11A2 oval section II BI square section 11 B2 rectangular section 11C triangular section liD polygonal (hexagonal) section liE cruciform section 12 piston 13 actuator 14 trigger nozzle 21 support 22 sight 23 light pointer 26 32 bracing / support strut 33 neck loop support strap

37 retractable coil

38 A-frame, splayed leg brace 39 ball feet 41 barrel cluster 42 inter-nested / interfitting polygonal barrel cluster 43 side-by-side stacked (slim / slender) barrel array 44 bridge connector (common) nozzle 47 different profile discharge nozzles 48 49 spot light 51 adjustable throat orifice 52 rotary swivel head 53 splayed piston head 54 pro-charged actuator piston head 56 inset rim up-stand 57 mounting boss 58 piston head 59 edge rim up-stand 61 squeeze / pinch roller actuator 62 deformable wall reservoir tube 64 handle bar grip actuator 65 electric powered actuator 66 battery pack 67 flexible barrel 68 articulate section 69 telescopic barrel 71 sliding intertifting sections 72 longitudinal edge roll-up reservoir tube 74 pre-filled disposable barrel end seal 76 trigger assembly 81 bridge 82 barrel segment 83 clearance 84 capture pin articulated coupling 86 barrel segment 87 barrel segment 91 spherical roller ball 92 spring retention legs 93 mounting collar swivel nose assembly 96 97 mounting collar 98 magnifying lens 101 steering control collar 102 steerable nozzle 103 control rod 104 locating collar multiple barrel assembly 112 barrel cluster 113 common nozzle 114 hand trigger lever actuator multiple barrel assembly 121 multiple individual piston plunger 122 individual barrel 123 shared common nozzle 124 multiple discrete individual nozzles stacked barrel assembly 131 single piston plunger 132 individual barrel section 140 flexible barrel 141 actuator 142 individual barrel segment