Battery-powered spray wand
A system, apparatus and method are provided for spraying liquid contained in a reservoir remote from said apparatus. The spray apparatus includes a housing in which a pump is positioned. The pump has an inlet and an outlet. An electric motor positioned within the housing drives the pump when a power supply located in the housing selectively provides power to the motor. A flexible intake hose connected to the inlet of the pump extends out of the housing to provide a path for liquid to flow from the remote reservoir to the pump. A discharge device in fluid communication with the outlet of the pump discharges liquid from the apparatus in a desired spray pattern. The housing also includes a hose compartment for storing a predetermined length of the intake hose when the apparatus is not in use so that the intake hose can be extracted from and inserted into the hose compartment. The spray apparatus may further include an extension for varying the distance between the discharge device and the housing. Additionally, a portion of the housing may pivot with respect to another portion of the housing.
The present invention relates to liquid sprayers, and more particularly to an improved battery-powered, hand-held spray wand used for convenient spraying of a desired liquid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONSprayers have long been used to spray liquids of various types, such as water, pesticides, herbicides and the like. Typically, conventional sprayers include at least a liquid container, a pump and a discharge device such as a spray nozzle. The pump is used to supply the pressure necessary to deliver the liquid from the liquid container to, for example, a hand-held wand assembly for application of the liquid. The significant shortcoming associated with these conventional devices is that considerable time and effort is often required to fill the liquid container prior to spraying. Additionally, the volume of the liquid container may be inadequate for the volume of liquid needed for larger spraying operations, thereby requiring refilling of the liquid container during the spraying operation.
Accordingly, a need exists for a portable sprayer that allows for more convenient spraying of a desired liquid that is not limited by the size and location of the liquid reservoir. Additionally, there is a need for a portable sprayer that does not require filling of a liquid reservoir in the apparatus prior to and during spraying.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTo overcome these and other disadvantages associated with known portable sprayers, a system, apparatus and method are provided for spraying liquid contained in a reservoir remote from said apparatus. The spray apparatus includes a housing in which a pump is positioned. The pump has an inlet and an outlet. An electric motor positioned within the housing drives the pump when a power supply located in the housing selectively provides power to the motor. A flexible intake hose connected to the inlet of the pump extends out of the housing to provide a path for liquid to flow from the remote reservoir to the pump. A discharge device in fluid communication with the outlet of the pump discharges liquid from the apparatus in a desired spray pattern.
The housing also includes a hose compartment for storing a predetermined length of the intake hose when the apparatus is not in use so that the intake hose can be extracted from and inserted into the hose compartment. The spray apparatus may further include an extension for varying the distance between the discharge device and the housing. Additionally, a portion of the housing may pivot with respect to another portion of the housing.
The foregoing specific objects and advantages of the invention are illustrative of those that can be achieved by the present invention and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the possible advantages which can be realized. Thus, these and other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the description herein or can be learned from practicing this invention, both as embodied herein or as modified in view of any variations which may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention resides in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying figures best illustrate the details of the preferred apparatus, system and method of the present invention. Like reference numbers and designations in these figures refer to like elements.
The power supply 2 can be one or more rechargeable batteries, one-time disposable batteries, or battery packs. The power supply 2 should be of sufficient voltage to adequately supply power to the internal electrical components of the spray apparatus 1, such as the motor 3. By way of example, the power supply 2 can be any voltage between 1 and 12 volts DC. However, the voltage of the power supply 2 is in no way limited to these sizes and may vary depending on the size and power requirements of the spray apparatus 1. The power supply 2 is able to provide power to the internal components of the spray apparatus 1 (e.g., motor 3) by depressing an on/off switch 5, which closes the circuit between the power supply and the electrical components of the spray apparatus 1. A more detailed description of the communication between the on/off switch 5 and the electrical power circuit will be addressed in the figures that follow.
Referring to
Preferably, at least a portion of the intake hose 12 is fixed to the recoil member 15 within the hose compartment 14. In this way, when the slotted end 17 of the recoil member 15 is rotated using a screw driver, finger or the like, the second portion of the intake hose 12 extending outside the spray apparatus 1 will wind around the recoil member 15 for storage within the hose compartment 14 when the apparatus is not in use. The hose compartment 14 has an opening 13 that allows the second portion of the intake hose 12 to be moved freely to and from the hose compartment 14. The recoil member 15 can be used for either inserting or extracting the intake hose 12 from the hose compartment 14. However, it is understood that the intake hose 12 can also be extracted by gently pulling the intake hose 12 from the hose compartment 12.
In addition, the recoil member 15 may be spring-loaded such that rotation in a first direction (e.g., to unwind the intake hose 12) compresses the spring and when the rotating force is released, the spring causes the recoil member 15 to rotate in the opposite direction to recoil or wind the intake hose 12.
In this embodiment, the first portion of the intake hose 12 in the hose compartment 14 preferably communicates with the second portion of the intake hose 12 passing through in the main body or housing of the spray apparatus 1 via a tube member or coupling 16 that passes between the main body of the apparatus 1 and the hose compartment 14. The tube member 16 can preferably be made from a material similar to that of the intake hose or from a more rigid material such as metal. The tube member 16 is at least partially hollow to allow liquid to pass freely through the intake hose 12 to the pump 9.
In
Upon depression of the switch 5 on the spray apparatus 1, power is supplied to the motor 3 to drive the pump 9 via the transmission 7. The pump 9 draws liquid from the reservoir 24 through the intake hose 12 and out through the outlet conduit 10 to the discharge device 11, resulting in the spray pattern 23 defined by the characteristics of the discharge device 11. The switch 5 is released or depressed again to disconnect power to the motor 3 when the spray operation is completed. After completion of the spray operation, the intake hose 12 is recoiled onto the recoil member 15 and stored in the hose compartment 14 on the spray apparatus 1.
Once a sufficient length of intake hose 12 is extracted from the spray apparatus or wand assembly 1, the free end of the intake hose 12 is preferably attached to or otherwise inserted into the liquid reservoir 24 in Step S2 such that the free end of the hose is below the surface of the liquid to be sprayed. The intake hose 12 can be attached to the liquid reservoir 24 using a conventional attachment mechanism known in the art such as a clip, tie, hose clasp or the like. The free end of the intake hose 12 may also pass through a cap or closure (not shown) on the liquid reservoir 24 and extend into and below the surface of liquid contained in the reservoir. As mentioned previously, the intake hose 12 can also be inserted directly into the liquid reservoir 24 as a freestanding hose.
Once the free end of the intake hose 12 is attached to or otherwise inserted within the reservoir 24, the switch 5 on the spray apparatus 1 is depressed in Step S3. The depression of the switch 5 will result in power being supplied from the batteries 2 to the motor 3, which drives the transmission 7 and pump 9 of the spray apparatus 1. The driven pump 9 draws liquid from the reservoir 24 through the intake hose 12.
In Step S4, pressurized liquid from the pump 9 passes through pump outlet conduit 10 and is discharged via the discharge device 11. The pattern of spray 23 from the discharge device 11 is determined by the characteristics of the discharge device, as well as by the rotation or movement of the discharge device 11 relative to the pump outlet conduit 10.
At the completion of the spray operation, the switch 5 is released or depressed again to disconnect power to the motor 3. In Step S5, the intake hose 12 is then preferably inserted or recoiled back into the hose compartment 14 by rotating the recoil member 15 to wind some or all of the intake hose 12 extending outside the spray apparatus or wand assembly 1 about the recoil member for storage in hose compartment 14 when the spray apparatus is not in use. Alternatively, the intake hose 12 can be manually inserted back into the hose compartment 14, such as is in the embodiment described above with respect to
Although illustrative embodiments have been described herein in detail, its should be noted and understood that the descriptions and drawings have been provided for purposes of illustration only and that other variations both in form and detail can be added thereupon without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The terms and expressions have been used as terms of description and not terms of limitation. There is no limitation to use the terms or expressions to exclude any equivalents of features shown and described or portions thereof.
Claims
1. An apparatus for spraying a liquid contained in a reservoir remote from the apparatus, comprising:
- a housing;
- a pump positioned in the housing the pump having an inlet and an outlet;
- an electric motor positioned within the housing for driving the pump;
- a power supply located in the housing for selectively providing power to the motor;
- a discharge device in fluid communication with the outlet of the pump for discharging liquid from the apparatus in a desired spray pattern; and
- a flexible intake hose connected to the inlet of the pump and extending out of the housing to provide a path for liquid to flow from the remote reservoir to the pump;
- wherein the housing includes a hose compartment for storing a predetermined length of the intake hose when the apparatus is not in use so that the intake hose can be extracted from and inserted into the hose compartment.
2. The spray apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a recoil member rotatably positioned within the hose compartment for recoiling the intake hose into the hose compartment.
3. The spray apparatus of claim 2, wherein a portion of the recoil member extends through the housing to facilitate rotation of the recoil member.
4. The spray apparatus of claim 3, wherein the portion of the recoil member extending through the housing includes means for rotating the recoil member.
5. The spray apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a spring cooperating with the recoil member to bias the recoil member in a first rotational direction.
6. The spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a first housing portion pivotally connected to a second housing portion.
7. The spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the discharge device is positioned on the first housing portion and the hose compartment is located in the second housing portion.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hose compartment is located distal to the discharge device.
9. The spray apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a switch to selectively control the supply of power to the motor.
10. The spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power supply comprises at least one battery.
11. The spray apparatus of claim 9, wherein the battery is rechargeable.
12. The spray apparatus or claim 9, wherein battery is a one-time use battery.
13. The spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the discharge device is a spray nozzle.
14. The spray apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an outlet conduit having a first end connected to the outlet of the pump and a second end in fluid communication with the discharge device to provide a path for liquid to flow from the pump to the discharge device.
15. The spray apparatus of claim 14, wherein the discharge device is mounted on the second end of the outlet conduit.
16. The spray apparatus of claim 15, wherein the discharge device is removably threaded onto the second end of the outlet conduit.
17. The spray apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an extension conduit having a proximal end connected to the first end of the outlet conduit and a distal end attached to the discharge device to vary the distance between the discharge device and the housing.
18. The spray apparatus of claim 17, wherein the discharge device removably threads onto the distal end of the extension conduit.
19. The spray apparatus of claim 17, wherein the extension conduit is straight.
20. The spray apparatus of claim 17, wherein the extension conduit is curved.
21. The spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intake hose extends from the housing proximal to the discharge device.
22. The spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intake hose extends from the housing distal to the discharge device.
23. The spray apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intake hose extends through a cap for sealing at least part of the remote liquid reservoir.
24. A system for spraying a liquid, comprising:
- a liquid reservoir, and
- a spray apparatus remote from the liquid reservoir, the spray apparatus including a housing, a pump positioned in the housing, the pump having an inlet and an outlet, an electric motor positioned within the housing for driving the pump, a power supply located in the housing for selectively providing power to the motor, a discharge device in fluid communication with the outlet of the pump for discharging liquid from the apparatus in a desired spray pattern, and a flexible intake hose connected to the inlet of the pump and extending out of the housing to provide a path for liquid to flow from the remote reservoir to the plump;
- wherein the housing includes a hose compartment for storing a predetermined length of the intake hose when the apparatus is not in use so that the intake hose can be extracted from and inserted into the hose compartment.
25. The system of claim 24, further comprising a recoil member rotatably positioned within the hose compartment for recoiling the intake hose into the hose compartment.
26. The system of claim 25, wherein a portion of the recoil member extends through the housing to facilitate rotation of the recoil member.
27. The system of claim 26, wherein the portion of the recoil member extending through the housing includes means for rotating the recoil member.
28. The system of claim 24, further comprising a spring cooperating with the recoil member to bias the recoil member in a first rotational direction.
29. The system of claim 24, wherein the housing comprises a first housing portion pivotally connected to a second housing portion.
30. The system of claim 24, wherein the discharge device is positioned on the first housing portion and the hose compartment is located in the second housing portion.
31. The system of claim 24, wherein the hose compartment is located distal to the discharge device.
32. The system of claim 24, further comprising a switch to selectively control the supply of power to the motor.
33. The system of claim 24, wherein the power supply comprises at least one battery.
34. The system of claim 33, wherein the battery is rechargeable.
35. The system of claim 33, wherein battery is a one-time use battery.
36. The system of claim 24, wherein the discharge device is a spray nozzle.
37. The system of claim 24, further comprising an outlet conduit having a first end connected to the outlet of the pump and a second end in fluid communication with the discharge device to provide a path for liquid to flow from the pump to the discharge device.
38. The system of claim 37, wherein the discharge device is mounted on the second end of the outlet conduit.
39. The system of claim 38, wherein the discharge device is removably threaded onto the second end of the outlet conduit.
40. The system of claim 37, further comprising an extension conduit having a proximal end connected to the first end of the outlet conduit and a distal end attached to the discharge device to vary the distance between the discharge device and the housing.
41. The system of claim 40, wherein the discharge device removably threads onto the distal end of the extension conduit.
42. The spray apparatus of claim 40, wherein the extension conduit is straight.
43. The system of claim 40, wherein the extension conduit is curved.
44. The system of claim 24, wherein the intake hose extends from the housing proximal to the discharge device.
45. The system or claim 24, wherein the intake hose extends from the housing distal to the discharge device.
46. The system of claim 24, further comprising a cap attached to the remote reservoir, wherein the intake hose extends through the cap and into the remote reservoir.
47. A method of spraying a liquid from a spray apparatus, comprising:
- extracting a length of flexible intake hose from a hose compartment in the apparatus;
- attaching an end of the intake hose to a liquid reservoir remote from the apparatus;
- energizing a motor within the apparatus via a power supply,
- pumping liquid from the remote liquid reservoir to the apparatus via the intake hose; and
- discharging the pumped liquid through a discharge device.
48. The method of claim 47, further comprising inserting the length of intake hose within the hose compartment to store the intake hose when the apparatus is not in use.
49. The method of claim 48, wherein the intake hose is inserted within the hose compartment using a recoil member rotatably mounted within the hose compartment.
50. The method of claim 49, wherein a spring biases the recoil member to rotate in a direction to cause the intake hose to wrap about the recoil member within the hose compartment.
51. The method of claim 47, further comprising changing the direction or spray by attaching the discharge device to an extension conduit that is curved with respect to a main body of the apparatus.
52. The method of claim 47, further comprising changing the direction of spray by pivoting one housing portion of the apparatus relative to a second housing portion of the apparatus.
53. The method of claim 47, wherein the intake hose is attached to the remote liquid reservoir by passing an end of the intake hose through a cap mounted on the reservoir and into the reservoir.
54. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote liquid reservoir is portable.
55. The apparatus or claim 54, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is adapted to be carried on a person.
56. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is adapted to be carried about the person's waist.
57. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain various amounts of liquid.
58. The apparatus of claim 56, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain about one gallon of liquid.
59. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is adapted to be carried about the person's back.
60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain various amounts of liquid.
61. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain about three to four gallons of liquid.
62. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is adapted to be carried by a person's hand.
63. The apparatus of claim 62, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain various amounts of liquid.
64. The apparatus of claim 62, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain about one gallon of liquid.
65. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir comprises a wheel assembly to facilitate movement of the reservoir.
66. The system of claim 24, wherein the remote liquid reservoir is portable.
67. The system of claim 66, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is adapted to be carried on a person.
68. The system of claim 67, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is adapted to be carried about the person's waist.
69. The system of claim 68, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain various amounts of liquid.
70. The system of claim 68, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain about one gallon of liquid.
71. The system of claim 67, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is adapted to be carried about the person's back.
72. The system of claim 71, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain various amounts of liquid.
73. The system of claim 71, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain about three to four gallons of liquid.
74. The system of claim 66, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is adapted to be carried by a person's hand.
75. The system of claim 74, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain various amounts of liquid.
76. The system of claim 74, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir is dimensioned to contain about one gallon of liquid.
77. The system of claim 66, wherein the portable remote liquid reservoir comprises a wheel assembly to facilitate movement of the reservoir.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 19, 2004
Publication Date: Jan 19, 2006
Inventors: William Hudson (Fox Point, WI), Michael Chimitt (Crown Point, IN), Da Chen (Taiwan)
Application Number: 10/894,111
International Classification: F04B 35/04 (20060101); F04B 17/00 (20060101);