Patents Assigned to Graco Minnesota Inc.
  • Patent number: 11035354
    Abstract: A peristaltic pump comprises a drive assembly, a hose pump, and a hose bracket. The drive assembly is rotatably disposed within a frame to move a roller along a pumping path with respect to the frame. The pump hose has rigid hose ends connected by a bendable hose section with limited flexibility tending to bias the pump hose towards a substantially unbent shape. The hose bracket has a rigid body with a first central opening sized to receive the rigid hose ends at first and second retention locations, such that the natural bias of the pump hose towards a substantially unbent shape retains the hose ends within the first and second retention locations, positioning the bendable hose section along the pumping path of the roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventor: William M. Blenkush
  • Patent number: 11035085
    Abstract: A method of mounting at least one spray gun assembly onto an arm of a line striper includes installing a first clamp onto the arm with the first clamp being connected to a first spray gun assembly and the first clamp having an opening. The first clamp is installed onto the arm by placing the arm within the opening of the first clamp without sliding the first clamp onto an end of the arm. The method also includes securing the arm of the line striper within the opening of the first clamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventor: Steven R. Kuczenski
  • Patent number: 11020767
    Abstract: A plural component dispensing system includes a dispensing device, first and second fluid component sources, a system controller, and an operator interface device. The first fluid component source is connected to the dispensing device to deliver the first fluid component to the dispensing device. The second fluid component source is connected to the dispensing device to deliver the second fluid component to the dispensing device. The system controller is connected to regulate operation of the first fluid component source and the second fluid component source to produce a target ratio of the first fluid component and the second fluid component at the dispensing device. The operator interface device is remote from and operatively connected to the system controller. The operator interface device is configured to output system state information received from the system controller and to receive operator input to control an operational state of the system controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas V. Vo, Jeffrey S. Armstrong, David Bordwell, Jonathan R. McMichael
  • Patent number: 11020761
    Abstract: A piston rod includes a piston end that is removably attached to the piston rod body. A sleeve extends around the piston rod body and interfaces with a seal disposed within a pump. A ring extends from the piston end defines at least a portion of a socket formed in the piston end for connecting the piston end and the piston rod body. The ring has a cylindrical ring exterior and the sleeve rests on the cylindrical ring exterior such that the shank, the ring, and the sleeve radially overlap each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Jeromy D. Horning, August F. Legatt
  • Patent number: 11022106
    Abstract: A drive system for a pump includes a housing defining an internal pressure chamber, a working fluid disposed within and charging the internal pressure chamber, and a reciprocating member disposed within the internal pressure chamber. A fluid displacement component has first and second surfaces. The first surface is configured to contact the working fluid and the second surface is configured to contact the process fluid. The area of the first surface is greater than the area of the second surface. A pull extends between and connects the reciprocating member and the fluid displacement component. The pull mechanically transfers a pulling force from the reciprocating member to the fluid displacement component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley H. Hines, Brian W. Koehn
  • Patent number: 11015726
    Abstract: A disclosure pertains to a reciprocating pump configured for pumping fillers or aggregates or cementitious material and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: John R Scopelite, Ralph C Angiuli, Charles J Wheeler
  • Patent number: 11015595
    Abstract: A piston for a single-stroke pump includes a pump rod, a seal ring extending about the pump rod and having a central bore, and a retaining device disposed on the pump rod and retaining the seal ring on the pump rod. In a forward stroke, the seal ring is in a first position whereby the seal ring sealingly engages the pump rod such that the seal ring and pump rod drive a fluid out of the pump chamber. When transitioning to a return stroke, the seal ring is maintained stationary relative to the pump cylinder until retaining device engages seal ring, such that seal ring is in a second position. With the seal ring in the second position, a flow path is opened between the seal ring and the pump rod, allowing fluid to flow into the pump chamber to prime the pump the next pump cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Xuishui Wu, Zaixing You, Ji Bao Wu
  • Patent number: 11015497
    Abstract: The lubricant level within a reservoir is difficult to monitor, leading to the reservoir being refilled more often than necessary to ensure that the reservoir always contains lubricant. A lubricant level sensing system is connected to and monitors various aspects of the pump assembly that draws lubricant from the reservoir. The pump assembly displaces a known volume of lubricant with each pump stroke. A lubricant-level estimator calculates an estimated lubricant level remaining in the reservoir based on a stroke-count value as sensed from the pump assembly and on a reference value stored in a memory. The estimated lubricant level provides the lubricant remaining and the rate of usage such that maintenance can be scheduled ahead of time to prevent the reservoir running dry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Brandon T. Gustafson, Suresha Saragur Nijaguna, Chad G. Igo
  • Patent number: 11007545
    Abstract: Various embodiments concern a handheld paint sprayer for spraying a paint. The sprayer can comprise a shell body comprising a door that, when opened, exposes an opening into an interior of the shell body, the door configured to close over the opening. The sprayer can further comprise a trigger connected to a handle, a motor in the interior, and a paint reservoir connected to the shell body. The sprayer can further comprise a nozzle in fluid communication with the reservoir and a pump located in the interior of the shell body. The pump is operated by the motor, the pump configured to pump the paint from the reservoir out of the nozzle as a spray. The pump is removable from the interior of the shell body through the opening when the door is opened but is not removable through the opening when the door is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Charles W. Dawson, Diane L. Olson, Pamela J. Muetzel
  • Patent number: 11002261
    Abstract: Modular mechanically driven diaphragm pump features are presented herein. Such a diaphragm pump can include a motor, a drive mechanism, and a coupling mounted on a wheeled frame. A diaphragm pump can be mounted to the coupling by forming mechanical static and dynamic connections to brace a housing of the diaphragm pump relative to a drive rod which is moved by the drive mechanism to operate the pump. These mechanical static and dynamic connections can be broken to dismount the pump for replacement or servicing. In some cases, a gas charge can be introduced on the non-working fluid side of the diaphragm to boost performance and/or a dampener can be integrated into the housing of the diaphragm pump and mounted/dismounted with the diaphragm pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley J. Hines, Brian W. Koehn, Christopher C. Hines, Adam K. Collins
  • Patent number: 11002271
    Abstract: A wear sleeve is removably mounted on a piston rod. The piston rod includes a piston cap, a piston rod body, and a piston head, with at least one of the piston cap and the piston head being removable from the piston rod body. The wear sleeve is disposed over the piston rod body and prevents the piston rod from contacting dynamic seals disposed within a pump. The wear sleeve is mechanically secured in a cylindrical recess on the piston rod between a cap shoulder of the piston cap and a head shoulder of the piston head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Jeromy D. Horning, Steve J. Wrobel
  • Patent number: 10995865
    Abstract: A disclosure pertains to a reciprocating pump configured for pumping fillers or aggregates or cementitious material and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Evan M Gutshall, Ralph C Angiuli, Kevin M Raines, John R Scopelite, Charles J Wheeler
  • Patent number: 10989306
    Abstract: A packing assembly includes a clip configured to hold a packing stack in a desired arrangement on a longitudinal axis. The clip includes upper arms and lower arms through which the packing stack and slide laterally into and out of the clip. The upper arms and lower arms prevent radial movement of the packing stack and can further prevent axial movement of the packing stack relative to the clip. The clip facilitates installation of the packing stack on a piston by shifting the assembled packing stack axially onto the piston and then pulling laterally off of the packing stack while leaving the packing stack on the piston rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Jeromy D. Horning, August F. Legatt
  • Patent number: 10982665
    Abstract: A valve for a reciprocating pump includes a housing, a first chamber, a second chamber, a first valve element, and a second valve element. The housing includes an inlet and an outlet. The first and second chambers are within the housing. The first chamber includes a first valve seat and is fluidly connected to the inlet. The second chamber includes a second valve seat and is fluidly connected to the outlet. The first valve element is disposed in the first chamber and includes a spring-loaded check valve element. The second valve element is disposed in the second chamber and includes a buoyant material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy S. Roman
  • Patent number: 10969805
    Abstract: A sprayer for spraying fluid includes a pump, a motor that drives the pump, a drive cycle indicator, a wireless module configured to send and receive information, and control circuitry. The drive cycle indicator outputs an indication of cycle status of the pump. The control circuitry is configured to receive the plurality of cycle status indications of the pump, determine a plurality of output values representing paint spray fluid output volume over a plurality of time windows based on the plurality of cycle status indications of the pump, store the plurality of output values in memory, and cause the wireless module to transmit one or more of the stored plurality of output values externally from the sprayer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher M. Lange, Nicholas A. Pagano, Benjamin R. Godding, Mark T. Weinberger, Michael J. Mansheim, Nicholas H. Reath, Andrew J. Kopel
  • Patent number: 10968903
    Abstract: A pump draws fluid from a reservoir and drives the fluid downstream to a spray tip where the fluid is applied to a surface. The pump includes a polymer pump body and a metallic piston configured to reciprocate relative to and within the polymer pump body. The metallic piston interfaces with an inner cylinder formed within the polymer pump body and pumps fluid through the polymer pump body to a spray nozzle downstream of the inner cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Diane L. Olson, Christopher C. Hines, Robert W. Kinne
  • Patent number: D918337
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel P. Ross, Samuel R. Stewart, Jacob R. Whiteoak, Jack A. Bosak
  • Patent number: D920471
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel P. Ross
  • Patent number: D920486
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Mark C. Richter, Mark E. Ulrich
  • Patent number: D922521
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel P. Ross, Samuel R. Stewart, Jacob R. Whiteoak, Jack A. Bosak