TW201636112A - Spraying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a hand-held spraying apparatus comprising a housing (2), a liquid valve (3) for providing a controlled liquid flow through the spraying apparatus and a control button (4) for controlling the liquid valve (3), wherein the control button (4) comprises a lock mechanism (5) including a lock portion (6) being an integral part of the control button (4) and being pivotally mounted at the control button (4) for locking the control button (4) in a first pivot position in which the liquid valve (3) comprise an open state.

Description

Spray device

The present invention relates generally to the field of spray devices, and more particularly to a spray device having an improved locking mechanism.

Spraying devices are a well-known and well-known technique. Known spray devices include a housing having a valve assembly therein for passing a controlled flow of liquid through the spray device. In order to continuously flow the liquid through the spray device, it can be provided with a locking mechanism and interacts with a control button to maintain the liquid valve disposed in the valve assembly in an open state.

Known locking mechanisms typically include components such as buttons for operating the locking mechanism, a key, a return spring and a clamping element; therefore, the spray device is often expensive due to high assembly costs. Furthermore, conventional spray devices have to perform a number of operational steps (performing multiple finger movements) in order to activate/deactivate the locking mechanism and often appear to be ergonomic and unfriendly to the user.

The main object of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a spray device that is easy to assemble and ergonomically gripped, which is achieved by the features of the independent claim item; preferred embodiments are disclosed in various accessory requests. item. Embodiments of the invention may be freely combined with each other unless explicitly stated.

According to one aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a hand-held spray device comprising a housing; a liquid valve for providing controlled flow of liquid through the spray device; and a control button for Control the liquid valve. A part of the housing may be constructed as a grip; the control button may be a push button disposed on a front side of the grip; the control button may include a locking mechanism including a locking portion; the locking portion is an integral part of the control button and is pivotally disposed on the control button to lock the control button in a first pivoting position in which the liquid valve includes an open state . Therefore, by operating the locking portion, the locking mechanism can be shifted from the unlocked state to the locked state, and vice versa.

Advantageously, the cost of the product is reduced due to the reduced number of components contained within the spray device, and assembly manpower is reduced. In addition, since the locking portion is pivotally disposed on the control button, the holding of the locking mechanism is ergonomic.

According to some embodiments, the locking portion is attached to the top of the control button, so that the locking mechanism can be easily operated by the index finger; in addition, the grip for the left and right scorpions is also ergonomic.

According to some embodiments, the locking portion is coupled to the control button by a sheet hinge or by an in-mold assembly technique. Preferably, the pivotal joint between the locking portion and the control button can be The control button and the molding process of the locking portion are completed. Further preferably, the control button and the locking portion provided on the control button may be made of polypropylene (PP) having suitable material properties to form a sheet hinge. In an alternative embodiment, the locking portion is coupled to the control button by a hinge or swivel joint. Preferably, the hinge or swivel joint can be obtained by a combination of molding processes. Alternatively, the locking portion and the control button are separate components that are joined by a hinge or a rotary joint during the assembly process.

According to some embodiments, the locking portion is adapted to interact with a snap hook to maintain an open state of the liquid valve; the snap hook can extend at least partially into the recess of the locking portion; in other words, the locking mechanism is The inside of the locking portion, therefore, can improve the resistance of the locking mechanism against dust.

According to some embodiments, the snap hook is provided on a valve housing including the liquid valve and/or the hook is an integral part of the valve housing; preferably, the buckle hook is molded by molding The process is integrally formed in the valve housing. According to other embodiments, the snap hook may be a separate component that is secured to the valve housing, the snap hook may be adapted to protrude from the valve housing wall toward the locking portion; in other words, the snap hook may be oriented at The spray direction of the spray device.

According to some embodiments, the locking portion is pressed into a first pivoting position by a spring, the spring can interact with a region of the locking portion and can be preloaded to cause the spring force of the spring to press the locking portion into The first pivotal position; preferably, the spring may be The leaf spring, therefore, prevents unintended movement of the locking portion.

According to some embodiments, the spring is adapted to pivotally connect the locking portion into a low position such that the locking portion leans against the control button, the low position being related to the unlocked state of the locking mechanism, thereby avoiding unintentional dust from The gap between the lock portion and the control button is intruded.

According to some embodiments, a lock bar is disposed in the recess of the locking portion, the lock bar extends from the inner sidewall into the recess; the lock bar may be mesh-shaped, for example, may include a planar shape; the lock The rod may form a mating portion of the snap hook to effect the locking mechanism.

According to some embodiments, a snap hook is adapted to engage behind an edge of the lock bar to maintain a locked condition to maintain the open state of the liquid valve. The snap hook can include a snap portion including a slit; the edge can be shaped to oppose the edge of the lock bar to achieve a suitable combination of the snap hook and the lock bar.

According to some embodiments, the spring is a leaf spring adapted to interact with the lock bar to compress the locking portion into a low position; the leaf spring can rest against the upper end of the lock bar and can be administered Preloading so that the locking portion (including the locking bar) is pressed downward toward the control button; therefore, the locking mechanism is prevented from being subjected to unintended operation due to the distance between the locking bar and the insertion hook.

According to some embodiments, the leaf spring is disposed on a valve housing and/or an integral part of the valve housing; preferably, the leaf spring is integrally formed on the valve housing by molding, thus The locking mechanism reduces the number of parts and is inexpensive.

According to some embodiments, the spring is adapted to slide along the lock bar when the control button is activated; in particular, at least a portion of the spring can rest against the top of the lock bar and the spring portion can follow the top surface of the top Sliding, therefore, the locking portion is continuously pressed into a low pivoting position (pressing in or releasing) of the independent position of the control button.

According to some embodiments, a pair of snap hooks are provided, and one snap hook is located on either side of the leaf spring; in other words, at least two snap hooks are configured to have a distance from each other, and the leaf spring is The gap is disposed between the two snap hooks, thereby improving the fixing of the locked state and optimizing the spring force applied to the lock lever.

According to some embodiments, the housing of the spray device is provided with a stop for the locking portion that interacts with the upper side of the locking portion to limit pivotal movement of the locking portion, thereby avoiding the hinge of the sheet, Unexpected overextension of the spring and/or the snap hook.

According to some embodiments, the locking portion includes a concave grip for gripping and/or pivoting the locking portion; in other words, the locking portion is formed with an upper portion of the rod-type control knob, which includes Its own grip. The grip portion may be disposed on a front side with respect to the grip portion of the housing; thereby, when the control button is pressed to allow a liquid to circulate to the spray device, the lock portion may be slid upward by the index finger operating. Further, since the locking portion is formed as an integral part of the control button, the control button can also be operated by pressing the locking portion into the housing.

The term "substantially" or "probably" as used herein means having an error value of +/- 10%, preferably +/- 5%, and/or an error change that is not meaningful in the function. .

1‧‧‧Spray device

2‧‧‧Shell

3‧‧‧Liquid valve

3.1‧‧‧ valve housing

4‧‧‧Control button

5‧‧‧Locking mechanism

6‧‧‧Locking Department

6.1‧‧‧ pivot point

7‧‧‧Sheet hinge

8, 8'‧‧‧ inlay hook

8.1‧‧‧Cut buckle

8.2‧‧‧ incision

9‧‧‧ Spring

10‧‧‧Lock lever

10.1‧‧‧ edge

11‧‧‧ recessed hole

12‧‧‧Departure

The various embodiments of the present invention, including its particular features and advantages, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description and drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a side of an embodiment of a spray device showing a liquid valve closure 2 is a side view showing an embodiment of a spray device in which a liquid valve is opened; FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a spray device in which a liquid valve is closed; and FIG. 4 is a view showing a liquid valve open. A side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the spray device in an unlocked state; FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the spray valve with the liquid valve open in a locked state; and FIG. 6 is a view showing the valve in a closed state A side cross-sectional view of the assembly and the control button including the locking portion in an unlocked state; FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing the valve assembly in the open state and the control button including the locking portion in an unlocked state; Figure 8 shows a side cross-sectional view of the valve assembly in the open state and the control knob including the locking portion in a half-locked state; Figure 9 shows the valve assembly in the open state and the control including the locking portion. A side cross-sectional view of a button in a locked state; and a perspective view of a pair of insert comprises a spring fastening hook 10 of the valve housing of the display system of FIG.

The present invention will be more fully described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments herein; Similar components, components, items, or features.

Figure 1 shows a side view of a spraying device 1 which may be a hand-held device, such as a spray gun for supplying a liquid, in particular water, to a liquid-receiving object such as a flower or a plant. The spraying device 1 comprises a housing 2 having a grip for manually holding the spraying device 1. The spraying device 1 may further comprise a valve assembly having a valve assembly housing, the valve assembly housing comprising at least one liquid valve 3; The valve assembly housing is also referred to below as valve housing 3.1. Furthermore, the spraying device 1 may further comprise a starting device for passing a liquid stream through the liquid valve 3, in particular, the starting device may be provided by means of a control button 4 which is combined with the liquid valve 3 to A liquid flow can be/cannot be controlled or passed through the spray device 1.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control button 4 has a long shape and extends along the hand-held portion of the spray device 1, and the control button 4 can be pivotally disposed on the housing 2 of the spray device 1; more specifically, the control button 4 can It is disposed at the lower free end of the spray device housing 2, for example, by a point pin. The control button 4 is biased toward the external position by a preload applied by a spring so that the liquid flows through the liquid valve 3 and thus blocks the flow of liquid through the spray device 1. The spring can be an integral part of the liquid valve 3 or a spring that can interact directly with the control knob 4.

When the control knob 4 is pressed toward the grip of the spray device 1, the control knob 4 is pivoted at an angle to allow liquid to flow through the spray device 1, the flow rate (liquid volume) of the flow through the spray device 1 being dependent on the pivot angle And set.

In order to lock the control button 4 in at least one end position without the need to provide an additional force to the control button 4, the liquid can flow through the spray device 1, the spray device 1 further comprising a locking mechanism 5; the locking mechanism 5 is adapted to be controlled The button 4 is fixed at the pushed-in position without providing an additional force to the control button, whereby after the control button 4 is pressed into the grip portion of the housing 2, the locking portion 6 of the locking mechanism 5 can be operated. The locking mechanism 5 is activated to prevent the control button 4 from moving backward (pivoting back to the original position); and Fig. 2 shows the locked state of the control button 4.

Hereinafter, the lock mechanism 5 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. The locking portion 6 is formed as an integral part of the control button and is provided at an upper portion of the control button 4; more specifically, the control button 4 and the locking portion 6 are provided as a single member; therefore, when the control button 4 is pivoted, the locking portion 6 The housing 2 is also moved separately, at least the free end of the locking portion 6 is inserted into an opening provided in the housing 2 of the spray device 1. The locking portion 6 can be a locking button.

The locking portion 6 is pivotally disposed at the top of the control button 4. For example, the locking portion 6 is coupled to the control button 4 by a pivot point 6.1 located at the rear side of the control button adjacent to the valve assembly. In other words, the pivot point 6.1 is located at the rear side of the control button 4 relative to the front side for applying an external force to pivot the control button 4; the control button 4 and the locking portion 6 can be pivotally coupled by a sheet hinge; Alternatively, the locking portion 6 may be formed on the control button 4 using an in-mold assembly technique. Alternatively, the locking portion 6 can be coupled to the control knob 4 by a hinge or a rotary joint; the hinge or rotary joint can be obtained by, for example, a molding process.

In the unlocked state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the locking portion 6 is located at a first pivoting position; and the locking portion 6, particularly the lower side of the locking portion 6, rests on an upper side of the control knob 4, the locking portion 6 can be pressed into the lower position by a spring 9; the spring 9 is arranged inside the locking portion 6, in particular a recess 11 in the locking portion 6. The spring 9 may be a leaf spring that interacts with the lock lever 10; the lock lever 10 may be formed in a mesh shape extending inside the lock portion 6, for example, the lock lever 10 may be integrally formed at the lock portion 6. It is internally and can protrude into the recessed hole 11 from an inner side wall. The spring 9 can be positioned above the lock bar 10 and pre-applied to the load such that pressure is applied to the top of the lock bar 10 via the spring 9 to pivot the lock 6 toward the control knob 4 downward. When the control button 4 is pressed, the free ends of the springs 9 are respectively moved to slide along the top surface of the lock lever 10 to keep the lock portion 6 pressed downward.

Preferably, the spring 9 may be integrally formed or attached to the valve casing 3.1 containing the liquid valve 3; according to another embodiment, the spring 9 may be integrally formed or attached to the casing 2. The spring 9 may be integrally formed in the valve casing 3.1 or the casing 2 by a molding process, or the locking portion 6 may be a metal spring fixed to the valve casing 3.1 or the casing 2.

As also shown in Fig. 5, similar to the spring 9, at least one hook portion may extend into the recessed hole 11 of the locking portion 6, which may be interacting with the lock lever 10 to lock the control knob 4 in the push-in state. A snap hook 8 is provided whereby the spray device is continuously flushed without the need to apply additional force to the control button. The buckle hook 8 includes a fastening portion 8.1 at its free end to interact with the free end of the lock bar 10; the buckle hook 8 can be attached to the valve housing 3.1 or the housing 2; preferably, the buckle hook 8 is integrally formed in the valve casing 3.1 by a molding process; the inset hook 8 can be configured in the initial position of the control button 4 (without applying an additional force on the control button 4) so that the inset hook 8 is slightly located Locking lever 10 The inset hook 8 can form a stop to prevent the sheet hinge 7 and the spring 9 from unintended excessive extension, respectively.

In the pushed-in state of the control button 4, the locking portion 6 is also at least partially inserted into the housing 2, so that when the control button 4 is pressed, the lock lever 10 is relatively moved corresponding to the snap hook 8; in the pushed-in state The inset portion 8.1 of the latching hook 8 protrudes behind the edge 10.1 of the locking bar 10, so that when the locking portion 6 is pushed up, the latching portion 8.1 of the latching hook 8 can surround the edge 10.1 of the locking bar 10. When the locking portion 6 is pushed up, the elastic force of the spring 9 must be overcome; the shape of the locking portion 8.1 and the edge 10.1 of the locking bar 10 are selected such that the edge 10.1 is locked into the locking portion 8.1 to prevent the control button 4 from moving into its initial position. (as shown in Figure 3) causes the liquid valve to close. In this pushed-in state, a portion of the housing 2 may form a stop portion 12 to prevent the sheet hinge 7, the spring 9 and the snap hook 8 from being excessively extended, respectively.

Figures 6 to 9 show a more detailed locking mechanism, wherein Figure 6 shows the initial position of the control button 4 (the closed state of the liquid valve 3) on the control button 4 without applying additional force; The figure shows the push-in state of the control button 4 (the liquid valve 3 is opened); the figure 8 shows an intermediate position when the lock portion 6 is pushed upward; and the figure 9 shows the lock state.

As shown in Fig. 6, in the initial position, the edge 10.1 of the lock bar 10 protrudes beyond the snap hook 8; the spring 9 can press the lock portion 6 toward a low pivotal position such that the front edge (opposite to the pivot point) 6.1) Rely on the upper side of the control button 4.

In the pushed-in state of the control button 4, the snap hook 8 and its latching portion 8.1 protrude behind the edge 10.1 of the lock lever 10, so that the locking portion 6 can be pushed upward to push the edge 10.1 of the lock lever 10 into the snap hook 8 The snap portion 8.1 activates the locking mechanism 5.

As shown in Fig. 8, the inset portion 8.1 includes a slit 8.2, and the edge 10.1 of the lock bar 10 can be formed in cooperation with the slit 8.2. Therefore, in the locked state of the locking mechanism 5, between the lock bar and the inset hook 8 A suitable form of connection; the lock bar 10 is prevented from being pushed out by the spring 9 by the connection of the suitable form.

The locking state shown in Fig. 9 can be released in at least two different ways; first, the locking can be released by pressing the control button 4, because the control button 4 is coupled with the locking portion 6, so that the locking portion 6 can also be Pressing into the housing, the proper connection between the lock lever 10 and the snap hook 8 is released; the spring 9 can press the locking portion 6 into a low pivotal position by its elastic force, and thus, the lock lever 10 An offset is formed between the edge 10.1 and the snap portion 8.1 of the snap hook 8. When the control button 4 is released, the lock lever 10 can be moved under the hook hook 8 and the control button 4 can be pivoted into the initial position. Set (including liquid valve 3).

A second possible way of unlocking is to directly press the locking portion 6 down to release the locking mechanism.

Preferably, the pivotal movement of the locking portion 6 between the unlocked state and the locked state is limited to an angular range between 5° and 15°; preferably between 8° and 12°, in particular 9°, 10° or 11°; therefore, the material stress of the foil hinge 7 is reduced and the service life of the foil hinge 7 is increased.

Figure 10 shows an embodiment of a valve housing 3.1 comprising an integrally formed spring 9, according to the invention, a pair of snap hooks 8, 8' are integrally formed in the valve housing 3.1; alternatively, in the valve housing 3.1 It is also possible to connect the spring 9 and/or the snap hooks 8, 8' as separate components. The inset hooks 8, 8' are configured to have a distance from each other to form a gap between the two inset hooks 8, 8', in which a spring 9 is disposed; in other words, the spring 9 is configured in a pair of inlays Between the hooks 8, 8', the enveloping of the lock bar 10 and the spring force exerted by the spring 9 on the lock bar 10 are optimized.

It should be noted that the foregoing description and drawings are merely illustrative of the principles of the method and system of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention are not explicitly described or shown herein. Its configuration.

1‧‧‧Spray device

2‧‧‧Shell

4‧‧‧Control button

5‧‧‧Locking mechanism

6‧‧‧Locking Department

Claims (15)

A hand-held spray device comprising: a housing (2); a liquid valve (3) for providing a controlled flow of liquid through the spray device; and a control button (4) for controlling the liquid valve ( 3); wherein the liquid valve (4) comprises a locking mechanism (5), the locking mechanism comprises a locking portion (6) which is an integral part of the control button (4) and is pivoted The grounding is provided on the control button (4) to lock the control button (4) in a first pivotal position in which the liquid valve (3) includes an open state. The hand-held spray device of claim 1, wherein the locking portion (6) is attached to the top of the control button (4). The hand-held spray device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking portion (6) is connected to the control button by a sheet hinge (7) or by an in-mold assembly technique (4) )Combine. A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the locking portion (6) is adapted to interact with an inset hook (8) to maintain the liquid valve (3) The open state of ). A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the snap hook (8) is provided in a valve housing (3.1) and/or comprising the liquid valve (3) Or the inset hook (8) is an integral part of the valve housing (3.1). A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the locking portion (6) is compressed by a spring (9) into a first pivotal position . A hand-held spray device according to claim 6 wherein the spring (9) is adapted to pivotally lock the locking portion (6) into a low position such that the locking portion (6) rests against the control button ( 4) The low position is related to the unlocked state of the locking mechanism. A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a lock rod (10) is provided in a recessed hole (11) of the lock portion (6), the lock A rod (10) extends from the inner side wall into the recessed hole (11). A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 4 to 9 wherein the snap hook (8) is adapted to engage an edge (10.1) of the lock bar (10) to The locked state is maintained, thereby maintaining the open state of the liquid valve (3). A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the spring (9) is adapted to interact with the lock bar (10) to compress the lock portion (6) ) into a low position plate spring. The hand-held spray device according to claim 10, wherein the leaf spring is disposed on a valve casing (3.1) including the liquid valve (3) and/or a valve casing (3.1) The whole part. A hand-held spray device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the spring (9) is adapted to slide along the lock bar (10) when the control button (4) is activated. A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein there is a pair of inset hooks (8), and a snap hook (8) is located in the leaf spring (9) On either side of it. A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 6 to 13, wherein the housing (2) of the spray device has a stop for the locking portion (6) (12) The stop portion (12) interacts with an upper side of the locking portion (6) to limit the movement of the locking portion (6). A hand-held spray device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the locking portion (6) includes a concave grip for holding and/or pivoting the locking portion.