Handheld fluid sprayer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11707753-B2
Application number	US-202217945601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2022
Priority date	May 31, 2019
Publication date	Jul 25, 2023
Grant date	Jul 25, 2023

Abstract

A handheld fluid sprayer is configured to draw spray fluid from a reservoir mounted on the fluid sprayer and eject the spray fluid through a nozzle. The reservoir is removably mounted to the fluid sprayer. A priming pathway extends through the fluid sprayer and routes air out of the reservoir to prime the pump. The priming pathway extends from the reservoir and to a side of the pump opposite the reservoir.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A handheld sprayer for spraying a spray fluid, the sprayer comprising:
a housing;
a handle, the handle configured such that a user can support the full weight of the sprayer by grasping the handle;
a trigger;
a fluid supply, the fluid supply comprising a lid, a cup, and a liner, the liner configured to be disposed within the cup to hold the spray fluid, a lip of the liner pinched between the cup and the lid to form a fluid tight annular seal, the liner flexible such that the liner collapses as the spray fluid is withdrawn from within the liner, the cup including at least one window that permits the user to squeeze the liner through the cup to evacuate air from within the liner;
a spray tip having a nozzle configured to atomize the spray fluid into a spray fan, the spray tip being rotatable between a spray position and a de-clog position;
a priming valve in fluid communication with the fluid supply, the priming valve configured to be manually opened to release air from within the fluid supply as the liner is squeezed and to be closed to block flow through the priming valve, the priming valve located above and remote from each of the lid, the cup, and the liner of the fluid supply;
a secondary channel fluidly connecting the fluid supply and the priming valve to facilitate evacuation of air from the fluid supply as the liner is squeezed, wherein the secondary channel is in fluid communication with atmosphere when the priming valve is in an open state and the secondary channel is isolated from atmosphere when the priming valve is in a closed state;
a pump body at least partially located within the housing, the pump body containing a pump chamber, the pump body comprising a pump supply channel to facilitate flow of the spray fluid from the fluid supply to the pump chamber;
a piston at least partially located within the pump body and configured to reciprocate within the pump chamber to draw the spray fluid up through the pump supply channel from the fluid supply and drive the spray fluid through the nozzle for spraying;
an electric motor located within the housing; and
a drive located within the housing, the drive configured to receive rotational motion output by the electric motor and to reciprocate the piston to pump the spray fluid;
wherein depressing the trigger activates the electric motor to output rotational motion to cause spraying of the spray fluid from the nozzle, and releasing the trigger causes spraying to stop.

2. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the spray fluid is paint.

3. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the drive is connected to a rear end of the piston and pushes and pulls the rear end of the piston to cause the piston to reciprocate along a piston axis.

4. The handheld spray of claim 3 , wherein the piston axis is coaxial with a spray axis of the nozzle.

5. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the pump supply channel and the secondary channel do not intersect each other.

6. The handheld spray of claim 1 , further comprising a filter mounted on a neck of the pump body, the neck extending into the fluid supply to hold the filter within the fluid supply, the filter configured to filter the spray fluid as it is drawn into the pump body.

7. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the secondary channel is formed in the pump body and bypasses the piston.

8. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the cup is connected to the lid by interfaced threading.

9. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the priming valve comprises a valve shaft.

10. The handheld spray of claim 9 , wherein the valve shaft extends into the secondary channel and occupies a volume within the secondary channel when the priming valve is in the closed state, and the valve shaft is withdrawn from the secondary channel when the priming valve is in the open state.

11. The handheld spray of claim 10 , wherein the priming valve comprises a valve cap connected to the valve shaft, the valve cap remaining outside of the secondary channel when the priming valve is in the closed state.

12. The handheld spray of claim 9 , wherein the valve shaft includes a shaft seal disposed around a distal end of the valve shaft, the valve seal engaging walls defining the secondary channel to seal the secondary channel.

13. The handheld spray of claim 1 , further comprising a fluid inlet within the fluid supply, wherein both of the air being evacuated from the fluid supply through the priming valve via the secondary channel and the spray fluid being drawn up from the fluid supply to the pump chamber via the pump supply channel flows into the fluid inlet before branching to the secondary channel and the pump supply channel respectively.

14. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the lid comprises a collar, and both of the air being evacuated from the fluid supply through the priming valve via the secondary channel and the spray fluid being drawn up from the fluid supply to the pump chamber via the pump supply channel flow within the collar.

15. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the pump body includes a neck that extends downward into the fluid supply.

16. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the at least one window is a plurality of windows.

17. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the pump housing includes a neck that extends outside of the housing and further extends through an aperture in the lid.

18. The handheld spray of claim 1 , wherein the secondary channel is the only fluid pathway in the handheld sprayer from the fluid supply to the priming valve.

19. A handheld sprayer for spraying a spray fluid, the sprayer comprising:
a housing;
a handle, the handle configured such that a user can support the full weight of the sprayer by grasping the handle;
a trigger;
a fluid supply, the fluid supply comprising a lid, a cup, and a liner, the liner configured to be disposed within the cup to hold the spray fluid, a lip of the liner pinched between the cup and the lid to form a fluid tight annular seal, the liner flexible such that the liner collapses as the spray fluid is withdrawn from within the liner, the cup including at least one window that permits the user to squeeze the liner through the cup to evacuate air from within the liner;
a spray tip having a nozzle configured to atomize the spray fluid into a spray fan, the spray tip being rotatable between a spray position and a de-clog position;
a priming valve in fluid communication with the fluid supply, the priming valve comprising a valve shaft, the priming valve located above and remote from each of the lid, the cup, and the liner of the fluid supply;
a pump body at least partially located within the housing, the pump body containing a pump chamber;
a piston at least partially located within the pump body and configured to reciprocate within the pump chamber to draw the spray fluid up from the fluid supply and drive the spray fluid through the nozzle for spraying;
an electric motor located within the housing;
a drive located within the housing, the drive configured to receive rotational motion output by the electric motor and to linearly reciprocate the piston to pump the spray fluid;
wherein depressing the trigger activates the electric motor to output rotational motion to cause spraying of the spray fluid from the nozzle, and releasing the trigger causes spraying to stop;
wherein the pump body comprises a pump supply channel that facilitates flow of the spray fluid from the fluid supply to the pump chamber, the pump body further comprises a secondary chann

Assignees

• Graco Minnesota Inc

Inventors

• Kinne Robert W
• Olson Diane L
• Muetzel Pamela J
• Norman Kirsten N

Classifications

• B67C11/02

  without discharge valves · CPC title

• B05B9/0861 Primary

  the motor being electric · CPC title

• B05B7/2408 Primary

  characterised by the container or its attachment means to the spray apparatus · CPC title

• B01D29/085

  Funnel filters; Holders therefor · CPC title

• B05B15/40

  Filters located upstream of the spraying outlets · CPC title