MXPA96006071A - Limited time use sprayer - Google Patents

Abstract

A limited time use sprayer (10) includes a tank (12) having a pump (16) for pressurizing the liquid contents of the pump (16). The sprayer (10) has a hose (30) extending from the tank (12) for receiving liquid directly from the pump (16), a spray control valve (32) and discharge nozzle (38) for directing the spray. One or more parts from the pump (16) inlet to the discharge nozzle (38) are adapted to fail after a certain period of time with reuse of the sprayer (10).

Description

SPRAYER FOR USE FOR A LIMITED TIME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Garden and industrial sprinklers are usually reusable in an integrated manner and have a pressure tank for the solution of liquid that is dispensed, which has a sealable filler opening, a pump and / or piston internally mounted to pressurize the interior of the tank and an outlet hose, a flow control valve associated with the hose and an extension rod having a discharge nozzle. The tank is usually filled with the desired chemical in a concentrated form and diluted by adding water to arrive at the desired spray solution. The chemical concentrate is purchased commercially from the desired source and may be contained in bottles or containers of 3.8, 18.9 liters (1 gallon, 5 gallons) or greater capacity. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION A main objective of the present invention is to provide a sprinkler for limited time use, which may be pre-filled and rendered useless and disposable after a certain limited period of use and / or time. Another objective is to provide a sprinkler of the above type which is sold and purchased as a complete package including an interconstrui a pump, an outlet hose, a spray control valve, a rod extension and a discharge nozzle.

An additional objective is to provide a • - • • • • sprayer of the above type that is safe, cost effective and relatively easy to manufacture and that has a tank in appearance similar to commercially available bottles or containers for concentrates of chemical products. Still another objective is to provide a sprinkler of the above type which only requires a simple stroke of a pump-cylinder-piston assembly as a means of supplying a spray cycle. "An even further objective is to provide a sprayer of the above type which has the advantage of not requiring a tank capable of withstanding pressure and consequently is intrinsically safe against excessive pressurization.Other objectives and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description, which is taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the sprayer of this invention, as sold commercially, Figure 2 is a rear elevational view thereof. is a front elevation view of the sprinkler ready for use Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the pump assembly.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the pump assembly shown in Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the pump during its adsorption or intake stroke, Fig. 7 is a front elevation list showing another spray tank mode.

In the drawing, the spray pack 10 as supplied to the consumer is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. In this condition, the tank 12 of a suitable plastic is not subjected to pressure but contains the dilute chemical solution that is It will spray and is also conveniently sealed to be a so-called "shipper". For this purpose, the pump handle 14 will be held in place, conveniently releasable for example by tape, shrink wrap or any convenient releasable fastener or fastener. The pump assembly 16 and specifically, the top cap 18 in the pump cylinder will be sealed and conveniently attached to the tank 12, through a filling opening but only after the tank 12 is filled. In this aspect, tank 12 can be formed by blow molding, from a suitable resin. The hose 30 and the spray control valve 32 can be attached in a conveniently sealable manner to the pump handle 14 and all are placed as illustrated and are likely to be fasten in place by tape, shrink wrap or other convenient fastening means. The shrink wrap label 34 extends circumferentially around the tank 12 within the circumferential recess 35, suitably holding the extension rod 35 and the discharge nozzle 38 within the longitudinal cavity 40. In this manner, the spray pack 10 illustrated in FIG. Figures 1 and 2, will be distributed in the market and sold as illustrated with a chemical content, preferably not under pressure, ready to spray in the same way as and together with bottles of this solution or chemical concentrate. Once the spray pack 10 is acquired, the consumer prepares it for spraying, by removing the holding assemblies by holding the pump handle 14, hose 30 and control valve 32 and then releasing the extension rod 36 and nozzle 38. pump assembly 16 is then activated. Now with reference to the pump assembly 16, it will be noted that the pump cylinder 44 is conveniently clamped and sealed through the opening 20 by the top cover 18. The lid 18 in turn is threadedly fastened and sealed through the opening 20 defined by the externally raised threaded neck 46 of the tank 12. The piston rod 50 having a through hole 51 extends downwardly from the handle 14 and is slidable within the bore 52 of the top cover 18. A preloaded spring 53 circles rod 50 and is directed against the cap 18 and piston 54. The lower end of the rod 50 mounts the piston 54 having the through hole 55 which engages the inner wall of the cylinder 44. The lower end of the cylinder 44 holds a cap 56 having an opening 58 covered by the umbrella valve 60. Pulling the handle upwards retracts the piston against the bypass of the spring 53 which opens the valve 60, directing the liquid to the cylinder through the openings 58 from the inside of the tank 12. The spring 53 will be compressed and when the handle 14 is released, the valve 60 closes the opening 58 and the piston 54 moves towards the sealed end of the cylinder or plugging the cylinder to pressurize the liquid in the cylinder. will force through the perforations 55 and 53 in the hose 30. Since the spring 53 is pre-charged, the pressure is maintained until essentially all the liquid in the cylinder 44 is discharged. because of its simplicity of structure and operation. In this manner, the valve 32 can simply be a type of valve IV, in which the hose 30 extends with the flexible arm adapted to pivot from an outer position in which the perforation of the hose 30 is opened for several intermediate positions internal, in which the hose is compressed to restrict the drilling opening and eventually to a position completely closed in which the perforation closes completely. Accordingly, this valve 32 may include a handle 74 through which the hose 30 extends. The rod 36 may be conveniently connected to the distal end of the handle as illustrated. The flexible arm 76 can be depressed from a fully extended position, in which the hose 30 is not pressed into a depressed position in which the hose 30 is compressed to decrease the size of the perforation of the hose, to restrict flow of the hose. liquid to a fully depressed position in which the perforation is closed. Other types of valves for flow control can obviously be deployed. As previously explained, the hose 30 also extends into and through the rod 36 and engages in any convenient manner, with the nozzle 38 selected to provide the desired discharge pattern. When desired or necessary, a cone 78 may be associated with the discharge nozzle 38. In order to ensure delivery of all the contents of the tank 12, an angle handle 80 is integrally formed in the tank 12 and thus is disposed and orientation, such that when the handle 80 is held, the tank 12 will tilt forward to place the base of the supply tube in the lowest position with respect to the remaining parts of the tank 12.

In order to keep the costs of the spray pack 10 to - "a minimum, all parts are formed of a suitable resin." The present invention also contemplates reinforcing the tank 12 to ensure its integrity as economically as possible.In this connection, the base is formed with an inverted dome 82 to avoid formation of The balloon and transverse member 84 (see Figure 7) is blow molded into the tank to prevent buckling of the sides of the tank.The buckling of the sides and the balloon formation of the base occur as a result of the weight of the liquid inside the tank. 12. It is contemplated that the sprayer of this invention only has limited use after the contents of the tank 12 have been emptied In this regard, in case the consumer tries to remove the lid 18, the lid 18 will be destroyed, broken or It will be rendered useless, so that it can not be reattached to the threaded neck 46. The customer will then require the purchase of a refill container with the chemical solution for spraying which will have another tap a 18. The pump cylinder will have to be removed in order to fill the tank 12 and will replace before applying the new cover 18. In order to further ensure only limited reuse of the sprayer 10, other options are contemplated by the present invention that can be incorporated individually or in combination. For example, the spring 53 may have a limited duration and fail after a predetermined number of reciprocations. A filter (not shown) can be conveniently incorporated anywhere from the pump inlet to the outlet of the nozzle, this filter will be plugged or embedded with particulate matter in the tank chemical solution 12; or the filter material will be reactive with some element or ingredient of the solution. Another approach would be to have a plug (not shown) or any component between the pump inlet of the nozzle outlet that will dissolve with time before contact with the chemical solution in tank 12. A mechanical counting mechanism (not shown) can be associated with any of the components of the sprayer, this is that it is exposed for repeated use which will allow the use and operation of a specified number of times before interlocking. A piston seal failure or valve seal is also contemplated, which will fail after a number of cycles; or the seal valve piston may be eroded or swollen by being chemically sensitive to the chemical solution in the tank 12, such that after some use, the part will swell, erode or fail to function. A further embodiment is to have the threads fail or wear after a number of uses such as the lid 18 or the threaded neck 46. Of course, the lid 18 may fail after a certain number of uses. The dew control valve 32 may be designed to break, close or open, or otherwise fail after a certain number of activations.

In this way, the various objectives and advantages noted above are obtained more effectively. Although a simple rather preferred embodiment described in detail here has been described, it will be understood that this invention is in no sense limited in this way and its scope will be determined by that of the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. CLAIMS l. A sprinkler for limited time use, comprising: a tank having an exterior and an interior for the liquid to be dispensed; an entrance to fill the tank with the liquid; an outlet for the liquid contained in the tank; pump assemblies to force the liquid through the outlet under pressure, the pump assemblies include a cylinder and moving piston in the cylinder, the cylinder is placed in the tank and has an outer end and an inner end, the tank has surfaces close to the outer end of the cylinder; a hose having a proximal end extending from the outlet of the tank and having a distal end; a control valve associated with the hose, to control the amount of discharge of the liquid being sprayed; a discharge nozzle coupled with the distal end of the hose for the selected discharge pattern of the liquid to be sprayed; and failure assemblies interposed between the inner end of the cylinder and the discharge nozzle to fail after a predetermined time and use to make the sprinkler useless, so that the sprinkler can not be reused. The invention according to claim 1, characterized in that the handle at an angle extends upwards and integrally from the tank and is constructed and arranged in such a way that when it is held, the tank will tilt to allow all the liquid in the tank to flow. tank is removed by dew. 3. The invention according to claim 1, characterized in that a longitudinal cavity is formed on the outside of the tank, an extension rod is coupled to the discharge nozzle and the rod is disposed in the cavity and fastened there before purchase and use by a client. 4. The invention according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank has a base, an inverted dome integrally molded into the base to reinforce the base and prevent its balloon formation. 5. The invention in accordance with the claim 1, characterized in that the exterior of the tank is slightly lowered with respect to its circumference to receive a label wrapped by shrinkage. 6. The invention according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank has side walls and a through hole is molded integrally in the tank, to join the side walls and prevent their buckling. The invention according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank inlet is defined by elevated tank surfaces defining an opening, the outer end of the cylinder is connected to the raised surfaces, a cover extends over the outer end of the tank. cylinder and tank inlet and connects both to the outer end of the cylinder and to the elevated surfaces of the tank. 8. The invention according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylinder of the pump assemblies has an inner surface, a plug at the lower end of the cylinder and a plurality of openings, an umbrella valve extends over and closes the openings and adapted to flex open the openings, the piston has a piston rod having an outer end extending outside the tank and a handle at the outer end of the piston rod, a preloaded spring disposed relative to the piston rod and directed against the piston and surfaces near the outer end of the cylinder, the piston engages the inner surfaces of the cylinder and adapts to retract by pulling the handle and compressing the spring and releasing under the force of the spring, a bore extending through the piston and piston rod towards the hose, when the piston is released, the umbrella valve closes the openings and space between the piston and the plug is pressed by the force of the spring to move the liquid through the perforations towards the hose under pressure and when the piston retracts, the umbrella valve is flexed to open the openings in the plug to direct liquid to the space between the piston and the plug. The invention according to claim 1, characterized in that the control valve includes a handle having a passage, the hose extends through the passage of the handle, a pivotal arm in the handle adapts to pivot away from the hose and towards the hose to press the hose and restrict the flow of liquid there. The invention according to claim 9, characterized in that an extension rod is connected to the handle and extends around the hose and engages with the discharge nozzle. 11. A sprinkler comprising: a tank having an exterior and an interior so that liquid is supplied therefrom; an entrance to fill the tank with the liquid; an outlet for the liquid contained in the tank; a hose having a proximal end extending from the outlet of the tank and having a distal end; a control valve associated with the hose to control the amount of discharge of the liquid being sprayed; a discharge nozzle coupled with the distal end of the hose for the selected discharge pattern of the liquid to be sprayed; pump assemblies to force the liquid out of the outlet under pressure, the pump assemblies include a moving piston cylinder in the cylinder, the cylinder is disposed in the tank and has an outer end, the tank has surfaces near the outer end of the cylinder; and wherein the cylinder of the pump assemblies has an inner surface, a plug at the inner end of the cylinder and has a plurality of openings, an umbrella valve extends over and closes the openings and adapts to flex by opening the openings, the piston has a piston rod that has an outer end extending outside the tank and a handle on the outer end of the piston rod, a preloaded spring disposed relative to the piston rod and directed against the piston and surfaces near the outer end of the cylinder, the piston engages the interior surfaces of the piston cylinder and adapted to retract when pulling the handle and compress the spring and release under the force of the spring, a bore that extends through the piston and piston rod towards the hose, when the piston is released the umbrella valve closes the openings and the space between the piston and plug is subjected to pressure by the force of the spring, to move the liquid through the perforations inside the hose under pressure and when the piston retracts, the umbrella valve is flexed to open the openings in the plug to direct liquid into the space between the piston and plug. 12. The invention according to claim 11, characterized in that an angled handle extends upwardly and integrally from the tank and thus constructed and arranged in such a manner that when held, the tank will tilt to allow all the liquid in the tank is removed by spraying. The invention according to claim 11, characterized in that a longitudinal cavity is formed on the outside of the tank, an extension rod engages with the Discharge nozzle and rod is disposed in the cavity and fastened there before purchase and use by a customer. 14. The invention according to claim 11, characterized in that the tank has a base, an inverted dome integrally molded in the base, to reinforce the base and prevent balloon formation. 15. The invention according to claim 11, characterized in that the exterior of the tank is slightly lowered with respect to its circumference to receive a shrink wrapped label. 16. The invention according to claim 11, characterized in that the tank has side walls and a through hole is integrally molded in the tank to join the side walls and prevent their buckling. 17. The invention in accordance with the claim 11, characterized in that the tank inlet is defined by elevated surfaces of the tank defining an opening, the outer end of the cylinder is connected with the raised surfaces, a cover extends over the outer end of the cylinder and the inlet of the tank and connects both to the outer end of the cylinder and to the elevated surfaces of the tank. 18. The invention in accordance with the claim 11, characterized in that the control valve includes a handle having a passage, the hose extends through the passage of the handle, a pivotal arm in the handle adapted to pivot away from the handle. the hose and towards the hose to press the hose and • "'restrict the flow of liquid therein 19. The invention in accordance with the claim 18, characterized in that an extension rod is connected to the handle and extends around the hose and engages with the discharge nozzle. 20. The invention in accordance with the claim 19, characterized in that an angled handle extends upwardly and integrally from the tank and is thus constructed and arranged in such a manner that when held, the tank will tilt to allow all the liquid in the tank to be removed by spraying; a longitudinal cavity is formed on the outside of the tank, an extension rod is coupled to the discharge nozzle and the rod is disposed in the cavity and fastened there before purchase and use by a customer; the tank has a base, a reverse dome integrally molded into the base to reinforce the base and prevent its balloon formation; the outside of the tank is slightly lowered with respect to its circumference, to receive a label wrapped by shrinkage; the tank has side walls and a through hole is molded integrally in the tank to join the side walls and prevent their buckling; the tank inlet is defined by elevated tank surfaces that define an opening, the outer end of the cylinder connects to the raised surfaces, a cover extends over the outer end of the cylinder and an inlet of the cylinder. tank and connects to both the outer end of the cylinder and the elevated tank surfaces.