Apparatus for controlled application of a viscous fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11090679-B2
Application number	US-201615368479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2016
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Systems and methods for dispensing a viscous fluid using an apparatus that may include: a housing; an applicator coupling on the housing that can releasably couple an applicator that contains a viscous fluid; a gas supply coupling that receives a pressurized gas from a gas supply; a valve having a first open position in which the valve can be gradually and controllably opened to adjustably control the delivery of pressurized gas to the applicator coupling, and a second closed position where the pressurized gas delivered to the applicator coupling is vented; and a valve actuator configured to permit a user to gradually and controllably open the valve to controllably dispense the viscous fluid from the applicator, where ceasing to depress the valve actuator vents the applicator coupling and immediately discontinues the dispensing of viscous fluid from the applicator.

First claim

We claim:

1. A hand-held apparatus for application of a viscous fluid, comprising:
a housing;
an applicator coupling disposed on the housing and configured to releasably couple to an applicator that contains a viscous fluid, wherein the applicator for the viscous fluid includes a syringe barrel and a dispensing tip;
a gas supply coupling disposed on or within the housing, the gas supply coupling being configured to receive a pressurized gas from a gas supply;
a valve disposed between and in fluid communication with both the gas supply coupling and the applicator coupling, having a first open position in which a vent outlet is closed and the valve is configured so that the valve can be gradually and controllably opened to thereby adjustably control the delivery of the pressurized gas from a valve inlet to the applicator coupling, and a second closed position in which the valve inlet is closed and the vent outlet is open, such that when the valve is in the closed position the pressurized gas delivered to the applicator coupling is vented through the vent outlet; and
a depressable trigger member operatively coupled with the valve, the depressable trigger member being configured to permit a user to adjustably depress the depressable trigger member to gradually and controllably open the valve and thereby to use the pressurized gas delivered to the applicator via the applicator coupling to controllably dispense the viscous fluid from the applicator, wherein ceasing to depress the depressable trigger member causes the valve to move to the closed position in which the valve inlet is closed and the vent outlet is open such that pressurized gas delivered to the applicator coupling is vented through the vent outlet, to thereby immediately discontinue dispense of viscous fluid from the applicator.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the applicator for the viscous fluid includes a quantity of the viscous fluid within the applicator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve inlet, the vent outlet, and a valve outlet are in communication with the applicator coupling, and in the open position the valve inlet and valve outlet are open and the vent outlet is closed, and in the closed position the valve inlet is closed and the valve outlet and vent outlet are open.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an inline regulator disposed within the housing and configured to receive the pressurized gas from the gas supply coupling and to regulate a pressure of gas flowing from the inline regulator.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the inline regulator is configured to be manually adjusted by a user.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an adjustable trigger lock configured to lock the depressable trigger member in a position that retains the valve in a partially open configuration.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein depressing the depressable trigger member displaces a valve stem of the valve and thereby adjustably opens the valve.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the housing includes a slot therein in which the depressable trigger member is disposed, the depressable trigger member having a tapered end which, when the depressable trigger member is adjustably depressed, adjustably displaces the valve stem of the valve.

9. A system for dispensing a viscous fluid, comprising:
a portable source of pressurized gas; and
a hand-held actuation apparatus connected to the source of pressurized gas via a hose; where the actuation apparatus includes an applicator coupling configured to releasably retain an applicator that includes a syringe barrel that is loaded with a quantity of the viscous fluid and which includes a dispensing tip for the viscous fluid;
wherein the actuation apparatus includes:
a housing;
a gas supply coupling disposed on or within the housing, the gas supply coupling being configured to receive the pressurized gas from the source of pressurized gas via the hose;
a valve disposed between and in fluid communication with both the gas supply coupling and the applicator coupling, having a first open position in which a vent outlet is closed and the valve is configured so that the valve can be gradually and controllably opened to thereby adjustably control the delivery of the pressurized gas from a valve inlet to the applicator coupling, a second closed position in which the valve inlet is closed and the vent outlet is open, such that when the valve is closed the pressurized gas delivered to the applicator coupling is vented through the vent outlet; and
a trigger operatively coupled with the valve, the trigger being configured to permit a user to adjustably depress the trigger to gradually and controllably open the valve and thereby to use the pressurized gas delivered to the applicator via the applicator coupling to controllably dispense the viscous fluid from the applicator, wherein ceasing to depress the trigger causes the valve to move to the closed position in which the valve inlet is closed and the vent outlet is open such that pressurized gas delivered to the applicator coupling is vented through the vent outlet, to promptly discontinue dispense of viscous fluid from the applicator.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the valve inlet, the vent outlet and a valve outlet are in communication with the applicator coupling, and in the open position the valve inlet and valve outlet are open and the vent outlet is closed, and in the closed position the valve inlet is closed and the valve outlet and vent outlet are open.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the actuation apparatus further comprises an inline regulator disposed within the housing and configured to receive the pressurized gas from the gas supply coupling and to regulate a pressure of gas flowing from the inline regulator to the applicator.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the inline regulator is configured to be manually adjusted by a user.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the actuation apparatus further comprises an adjustable trigger lock configured to lock the trigger in a position that retains the valve in a partially open configuration.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the actuation apparatus further comprises an inline regulator disposed within the housing and configured to receive the pressurized gas from the gas supply coupling and to regulate a pressure of gas flowing from the inline regulator to the applicator.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein depressing the depressable trigger member displaces a valve stem of the valve and thereby adjustably opens the valve.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the housing includes a slot therein in which the depressable trigger member is disposed, the depressable trigger member having a tapered end which, when the depressable trigger member is adjustably depressed, adjustably displaces the valve stem of the valve.

17. A method of applying a viscous fluid to a workpiece, comprising:
coupling an applicator to an applicator coupling disposed on a housing of a hand-held dispensing apparatus, wherein the applicator includes a syringe barrel that is loaded with the viscous fluid and a dispensing tip for the viscous fluid;
coupling a pressurized gas supply to a gas supply coupling disposed on or within the housing, wherein the housing includes a valve disposed between and in fluid communication with both the gas supply coupling and the applicator coupling, the valve having a first open position in which a vent outlet is closed and the valve is configured so that the valve can be gradually and controllably opened to thereby adjustably control

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Schumann Robert James
• Heath Jonathan Christopher

Classifications

• B05C17/002 Primary

  with feed system for supplying material from an external source; Supply controls therefor (B05C17/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05C17/00573

  the reservoir or container being pneumatically or hydraulically pressurized (B05C17/0054, B05C17/015 take precedence) · CPC title