US2444015A

US2444015A - Plunger-supporting plug for sprayers

Info

Publication number: US2444015A
Application number: US703630A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jurl C Armstrong
Original assignee: UNIVERSAL METAL PRODUCTS COMPA
Current assignee: UNIVERSAL METAL PRODUCTS Co; UNIVERSAL METAL PRODUCTS COMPA
Priority date: 1946-10-16
Filing date: 1946-10-16
Publication date: 1948-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 1965-06-22

Description

June 22, 1948. c ARMSTRONG 2,444,015

PLUNGER-S UPPORTING PLUG FOR SPRAYERS f Filed Oct. 16, 19 46 INV ENT OR.

Patented June 22, 1948 PLUNGER-SUPPORTING PLUG FOR SPRAYERS Jurl 0. Armstrong, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to Universal Metal Products Company, Saranac, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 16, 1946, Serial No. 703,630

6 Claims.

This invention relates to insect sprayers and the like and more particularly to the plugs or plunger rod supports mounted in the rear ends of the tubular barrels of such sprayers.

Sprayers of the type to which this invention is applicable ordinarily have a tubular barrel attached at its front end to a small can or glass jar containing the powder or liquid to be sprayed out. Inside the barrel there is a plunger mounted on the inner end of a rod that projects from the rear end of the barrel where it carries a handle by which the plunger can be reciprocated to force jets of air out of a small opening in the front end of the barrel. To support the plunger rod concentrically with the barrel and to prevent the plunger from being pulled out of it, a plug is mounted in the rear end of the barrel and is provided with a central passage through which the rod slidably extends. In the past, most of these plugs have been wooden cylinders held in the barrels by screws or by portions of the barrels bent into depressions in the sides of the plugs. Some attempts have been made to use other materials and other types of rod supports, but generally they have not been very satisfactory. One difficulty has been the increased cost of such substitutes. Where metal supports have been provided it has been found that when a plunger rod is reciprocated in a barrel it slides against the support and causes the metal to vibrate and produce an undesirable and irritating squeak.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a plunger rod support which is made of metal which is easy and inexpensive'to make and to assemble with a sprayer barrel, which is strong and rigid, and which does not produce a squeak when the plunger rod is operated.

In accordance with this invention a piece of thin sheet metal is formed into a short cylindrical body of a size that will fit snugly in the tubular barrel of a sprayer. One end of the body preferably is turned in to form a strengthening radial flange. A portion of the body near its opposite end is bent radially inwardly to form a depression in its outer surface and a projection inside the body. This can be done conveniently by pressing inwardly an annular section of the body to form an annular groove which in turn produces an annular bead inside the body. A rigid disc, preferably made of relatively thick metal is disposed in the unflanged end of the bodi and clamped against the internal bead by means of the adjoining edge of the body which is bent inwardly over the edge of the disc. When the plug is inserted in the rear end of a sprayer barrel the end of the barrel isrol'led into the annular groove in the plug to lock the two members together. The outside diameter of the plug at its outer end preferably is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the barrel to limit the distance the plug can be inserted in the barrel. The center of the plug disc is provided with an opening in which a plunger rod slides but the stiffness of the disc keeps it from squeaking.

The preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a typical sprayer with parts of the barrel broken away; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section through the plug and rear end of the barrel; Fig.

3 is a view of the outer end of the plug alone;

and Fig. 4 is a side view of the two elements of the plug before they are assembled.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings a tubular sheet metal barrel l is disposed tangentially of a cylindrical metal can 2 provided with a removable screw cap 3 by which the can may be filled with an insecticide or the like. The front end of the barrel is soldered to the can and is provided with a small central air outlet 4. A small tube 6 extendin down into the can, has its upper end located directly in line with the lower portion of this outlet so that air blown across the tube will Withdraw the contents of the can as a mist in a well-known manner.

Disposed inside of the barrel is the usual leather piston or plunger 1 to the center of which is secured a rod 8 that extends back through the center of the barrel and out of its rear end. Mounted on the outer end of the rod is a hand-1e 9 so that the plunger can be reciprocated in the barrel to force jets of air out through the hole 4 in its front end. To slidably support the rod axially of the barrel and to limit the distance that it can be withdrawn a supporting member in the form of a hollow plug is rigidly mounted in the rear end of the barrel.

It is a feature of this invention that the plug can be made entirely of metal, preferably from only two parts, permanently joined together. Accordingly, the larger part or body I l, which forms the side Wall of the plug, is made from a single piece of light gauge sheet metal, such as tin plate, that has been formed into a short cylinder having a diameter that causes it to fit snugly in the sprayer barrel. One end of this cylinder maybe enlarged slightly (Fig. 4) so that it will strike against the rear end of the barrel to limit the distame the completed plug can be inserted in the barrel. As shown in Fig. 2, it is quite desirable to turn the opposite or inner end portion of this cylindrical body inwar ly in order to form a strengthening flange l2 that will insure that the body will remain Cylindrical during the succeeding operations. The width of this flange need not be great, and for best results should not be great enough to engage the plunger rod, A short distance from the outer end of the body; that is, at the inner end of the enlarged portion, an annular section is bent radially inwardly, such as by rolling, to form a groove I? that encircles the body.

The body of metal displaced inwardly by this groove forms a circular bead it inside the body shown in Fig. 4.

The other part or end wallof the plug consists of a disc l5, most suitably of metal, which is inserted in the outer end of the cylindrical body 1 l I in engagement with the internal bead it where it joins. the enlarged end of the body. The enlarged outer end of the body is rolled or crimped inwardlyover-the edgeof the disc, as at ll, to clamp it against the bead and thereby lock the two parts of the plug tightly together. The center of the disc is provided with a hole 58 through which plunger rod 8 slides. In order to avoid squeaking when the rod is moved back and forth through the disc, the disc should be stiff enough to prevent it from vibrating. disc preferably is made ofniaterial, such as l9. or 20 gauge iron,,much thicker than the wall of the plug body. The dis-c is strengthened further by making it convex.

The plug is inserted in therear end of. thesprayer barrel until the enlarged outer end of the plug behind groove I3 strikes against the barrel.

disc. However, if for any reasonit is desired-to wait until after the disc has-been mountedin the body-before forming groove l3, the-shoulder connecting the enlargedouter end of the body to the rest of it will support oneside of the disc while the outer endof the body is bent over. the edge of the opposite side. This shoulder becomes part of the internal bead when the circular groove is formed in the body.

A plunger rod support made in accordance. with this invention costs no more, or even costsless, than wooden, plugs used heretofore for the same purpose. This metal plug has the advantagethat it can be made conveniently in the same metal working shop; in which the rest of the sprayer is; manufactured. It-alsouis .a satisfactory subs-tie:

tute for wooden plugswhen wood. is scarce.

According. to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle. and construction of my invention and have illustrated and described-what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the. scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and de scribed. i

I claim:

l. Thecombination with a tubular barrelhavingan annular bead formed: in its rear end, a

plunger in the barrel, and a plunger rod connected Accordingly, the

to the plunger and extending out of the rear end of the barrel for reciprocating the plunger, of a plunger rod support comprising a cylindrical sheet metal body fitting snugly in the rear end of 6 said barrel, the inner end of said body having an inturned flange, an annular section of said body neari s nte lendbe e b n radial y i wa y form an annular groovereceiving said bead to hold said body in the barrel, and a metal disc disposed in the outer end of said body, the outer end of the body being bent inwardly over the edge of the} disc to holdit in place, and the center of the disc being provided with an opening through hi h s id od Slidellly eXtends.

mbjpa on with a tubular barrel havnuanlbead formed in its rear end, a plungergn thebarrel, and a plunger rod connected' tothe plunger and extending out of the rea'r end of the barrel for reciprocating the plunger, of a plunger rod support comprising a cylindricalsheet. metal bodyfitting snugly inthe a e d. o ta d b r e inne d o ai v body having an inturned flange, an annular sec: tion of saidbody near its .outerend being bent d allyi Wa d -tof rm an ann r ew-e r ceiving said, beadtohold saidbody in the barrel, and aconvex metal discdisposed in; the .outer; endoisaidbody, the outer end of thebody being bent inwardly ,over the edge ofthe disc to holdit pleee and t center f. t d sc. b ing oded; with an. o e ing th o h hi sgi fab r exte ds 'rhe c mb nati n ha ubula -barr l av i a nnulanb edi formed it r ar nda p un in th ba rel r d a unee i odli QCG to the plu er-and ext ndi g out. o h rear. endnof the barrel 9 ...reciprocating thei un e f f e p mseL -su o t om risin a cyl ndric l: h tm t ody fi i es uelyin; h anend. ofa eid, ee v he, nne n i ody-h v interned ang a nu a tion of said body near its outer. end being bent ad a l inwa ly t ormer n ular-steam r Q i e-Sa d; he d hol a d b drt b r i, a -a me aldi cot ma rially e ter hick-1 ness. than the wall, ofthgbodydiispbsed irrthe uter d: Dream-bode the te p he qdr ing en nwardl o er. he ee ie ies to ol i in: P ce dt e nter, t dis being rovided wi h n en hrou h- Which d, rod 1 .blvie te dsih qmbinatiqn it a ubu a i a re 1 th" ing an. annula-r befi .formedin itsrear, end,.-a plun er in the-,ba r Land PI n rI e etted to t eip neernd e t n n ou f. t e. e r .end, o the. bar el or r c prpc tins h p un er. o a ucgen ods ppqrt cmer- -s naa cyl ndrical- 'l fit/ met r ki l fi t n snu ly i in the ea en o sa d ba r l. tbeinner e dc ,seid'b r; aving enintirn dflanee an nnu a S ti n: O a isiib drineerflit ho ter end being bent ad nt n ardly, to, form an ann l r; e oere. recei i aid besdt .hold aid bod in e ba the maximum.di meter-s -wid bo y b tw ents outer nd an s idg c ebems r ater an the. ma mundiemeter oitherestb the bcdytp li it the. st nce he body. can. be -.ins.e ted..i. the, banetand a me l. d Q;.d p/Q Q. mem e e dbf said bod the ,0 tencnd Qtt bns rb ine.

. bentinwardly overt... dge oithesi sc, tecllamp.

it, against ai nest o tt el bQdy. amitba snt r,

in the barrel, and a plunger rod connected to the plunger and extending out of the rear end of the barrel for reciprocating the barrel, of a plunger rod support comprising a cylindrical sheet metal body fitting snugly in the rear end of said barrel and being bent radially inwardly near its outer end to form a depression in its outer surface for receiving said projection to hold said body in the barrel, and a rigid disc disposed in the outer end of said body, the outer end of the body being bent inwardly over the edge of the disc to clamp it in place, and the center of the disc being provided with an opening through which said rod slidably extends.

6. The combination with a tubular barrel having an internal annular bead formed in its rear end, a plunger in the barrel, and a plunger rod connected to the plunger and extending out of the rear end of the barrel for reciprocating the plunger, of a hollow metal plug mounted in the rear end of the barrel and provided with a passage through which said rod slidably extends, said plug consisting of a cylindrical sheet metal body fitting snugly in said barrel and having an inturned flange at its inner end, the outer end of said body projecting from the barrel a short distance, an annular section of the body just inside the barrel being bent radially inwardly to form an annular groove in the outer surface of the body and an annular bead on its inner surface, said barrel bead being seated in said groove to lock the barrel and plug body together, and a convex metal disc disposed in the outer end of said body and provided with a central opening through which said rod extends, the outer end of said body being bent inwardly over the edge of said disc to clamp it against said body bead, and said disc being rigid and relatively thick to avoid squeaking as the plunger rod slides through it.

JURL C. ARMSTRONG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 632,801 Brooks Sept. 12, 1899 715,982 Chapin Dec. 16, 1902