Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WATER SPRAY GUN
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water spray gun, especially to a water
spray gun in which a locked state and an unlocked state are easily switched by
pressing an operating member and a switch part for control of outflow of water
and adjustment of the amount of the water outflow.
Description of Related Art
Referring to US Pat. No. 7434750, a liquid dispensing pistol for gardening
is revealed. The liquid dispensing pistol for gardening is made up of an
external
casing formed by a pipe and by a handle, a start lever for operation and a
button
elastically supported by the lever. The external casing is passed through by a
channel within which a valve is sliding housed which is biased by a spring and
is operable by the start lever turnable between a closing position and a
maximum opening position of the valve. A device is made up of the button for
the locking/unlocking of the lever in the maximum opening position.
Referring to EP Pat. No. 3116657 Bl, a water application device with arrest
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function may include a main body graspable along a handle portion thereof by
an operator and an operable member. The operable member may be pivotally
attached to the main body. One of the operable member or the main body may
include a locking member. The locking member may have a locked position and
.. an unlocked position defined by movement of the locking member relative to
a
locking head of the locking member, Compression of the operable member with
the locking member in the locked position may transition the operable member
alternately between a locked state and an unlocked state with each
compression.
However, the operating member in the above prior arts has one end pivotally
connected to a water-intake portion close to the main body. A locking assembly
is disposed on a connection between the operating member and the water-intake
portion for easily locking or unlocking the operating member. Thereby a
channel
in the water spray gun can be opened or closed by the operating member for
control of outflow of water. There is only a single function provided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a water
spray gun in which an operating member is not only controlled by one hand and
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locked at the desired position, but also used for multi-stage adjustment of
the
water outflow. Moreover, the operating member is ergonomically designed and
more labor-saving in use.
In order to achieve the above object, a water spray gun according to the
present invention includes a main body, an operating member, a switch part,
and
a positioning portion. Users can hold a handle portion of the main body and
press the operating member at the same time. A passage is-enclosed in the main
body and composed of a water-inlet portion and a water-outlet portion. A
control
assembly is disposed on a connection between the water-inlet portion and the
water-outlet portion for control of outflow of water so that the water is
sprayed
out from the water spray gun. The operating member includes a first end and a
second end pivotally connected to a connection end of the handle portion. The
switch part is disposed close to the second end of the operating member and is
engaged with the positioning portion of the control assembly. A locked
position
and an unlocked position of the switch part are defined by relative movement
of
the switch part to the positioning portion and engagement/disengagement
between the switch part and the positioning portion. The switch part is
switched
between the locked state and the unlocked state alternately along with the
pressing of the operating member while the operating member is at the locked
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position. When the switch part is at the unlocked position, the operating
member
is unlocked no matter being pressed or not. When the switch part is at the
locked
position, the switch part is in contact with the positioning portion and used
in
combination with the control assembly alternately to control outflow of water
.. and multi-stage adjustment of the amount of the water outflow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to
achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 is an explosive view of a main body and a switch part of an embodiment
according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a main body assembled with a switch part of an
embodiment according to the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a switch part of an embodiment according to
the
present invention;
Fig. 4 is another perspective view of a switch part of an embodiment according
to the present invention;
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Fig. 5 is a side view of an embodiment according to the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a partial enlarged view of a section of an embodiment according to
the
present invention;
Fig. 7 is a sectional view of an embodiment in which outflow of water is going
to be allowed;
Fig. 8 is a sectional view of an embodiment showing a locked state at the
first
stage outflow of water;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view of an embodiment showing a locked state at the
second
stage outflow of water;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view of an embodiment showing a locked state at the
third
stage outflow of water;
Fig. 11 is a sectional view of an embodiment showing operation for unlocking
to
stop outflow of water;
Fig. 12 is a sectional view of an embodiment in which water outflow is
stopped;
Fig. 13 is a sectional view of another embodiment with a switch part and a
positioning portion according to the present invention;
Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the embodiment in Fig. 13 in which water
outflow
is stopped.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The followings are embodiments of the present invention with detailed
description and reference to the related figures to confirm that the present
invention meets the requirements of the law. It should be understood that the
operable connection, conjunction, or coupling herein means directly or
indirectly connection, conjunction, or coupling. In a preferred embodiment,
the
direct/indirect connection, conjunction, or coupling makes a plurality of
elements with respective functions connect or couple to one another to be
operable.
In some embodiments described herein, an improved design of a water
spray gun is provided.
Referring to Fig. 1-6, a water spray gun includes a main body 1, an
operating member 3, a switch part 4 and a positioning portion 5. The main body
1 consists of a handle portion 11 and a tube portion 12 extending from the
handle portion 11. The handle portion 11 is a part of the main body 1 which
allows users to hold while the tube portion 12 is provided with a spray head
121.
A connection end 11 b is disposed on one end of the handle portion 11
connected
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to the tube portion 12. As shown in Fig.6, the main body 1 encloses a passage
which is formed by a water-inlet portion la located at the handle portion 11
and
a water-outlet portion 2a extending to the spray head 121. Referring to Fig. 1
and Fig. 2, a water-intake end 11 a arranged at the other end of the handle
portion
11 is a water-intake opening of the water-inlet portion 1 a and is able to be
connected to a water hose connector for supplying water into the water-inlet
portion la. The water-outlet portion 2a is connected to the spray head 121 for
outflow of water through the spray head 121. The spray head 121 is provided
with a plurality types of spray nozzles and one of the spray nozzles is
selected
for outflow of water. A chamber 14 is arranged at a connection between the
water-inlet portion la and the water-outlet portion 2a while a channel 15 is
located between and communicating the chamber 14 and the water-outlet
portion 2a for allowing water flowing from the water-inlet portion la to the
water-outlet portion 2a. A control assembly is mounted in the chamber 14 for
control of water outflow and adjustment of the amount of water outflow in the
passage.
As shown in Fig. 6, the control assembly includes a valve stem 16, a spring
17 and the positioning portion 5. The valve stem 16 includes a front end 161,
a
rear end 162 and an enlarged portion 163 disposed close to the rear end 162.
The
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front end 161 of the valve stem 16 is mounted in a mounting slot extending
from
the handle portion 11 to the outside and projecting out of the mounting slot.
The
rear end 162 is inserted into the chamber 14 while the enlarged portion 163 is
inserted through the channel 15 and abutting against an opening of the channel
15 correspondingly. The spring 17 is arranged at the chamber 14 and the rear
end 162 of the valve stem 16 is abutting against the spring 17. Thus the valve
stem 16 can be moved repeatedly within the channel 15 due to the spring 17
abutting against the valve stem 16.
The positioning portion 5 is disposed on the position close to the connection
end lib of the handle portion 11 of the main body 1 and corresponding to the
switch part 4. The positioning portion 5 is composed of a first surface 5a and
a
second surface 5b while at least one tooth portion is disposed on the first
surface
5a. In this embodiment, there are three tooth portions including the first
tooth
portion 51, the second tooth portion 52, and the third tooth portion 53
arranged
at the first surface 5a in turn. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 6, the operating
member 3 controls outflow of the water. The operating member 3 consists of a
first end 31, a second end 32, a slot 33, and an abutting portion 34. The
second
end 32 is pivotally connected to the connection end lib of the handle portion
11
to be used as a fulcrum shaft for the operating member 3 being pressed or
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pushed. The slot 33 is arranged close to the second end 32. The abutting
portion
34 is mounted on the second end 32 and corresponding to the connection end
lib of the main body 1. The abutting portion 34 is abutting against the front
end
161 of the valve stem 16.
The slot 33 is located close to the second end 32 of the operating member 3
while the switch part 4 is mounted in the slot 33 and used for control of
water
outflow and multi-stage adjustment of the amount of the water outflow.
Referring to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the switch part 4 has a press part 4a which is
composed of an upper end 41, a lower end 42, a fastening portion 43, a hook
portion 44 and a support shaft portion 45. The support shaft portion 45 is
extending from a horizontal central line 45a of the press part 4a, mounted in
the
slot 33of the operating member 3 and pivotally connected to two sides of the
slot
33 of the operating member 3. The press part 4a is divided into the upper end
41
and the lower end 42 by the central line 45a. The fastening portion 43 is
extending from the support shaft portion 45 and is an elastic part. The hook
portion 44 facing downward is formed on a rear end of the fastening portion 43
and is engaged with one of the tooth portions of the positioning portion 5
selected. The hook portion 44 of the switch part 4 is engaged with or released
from the tooth portion of the positioning portion 5 selected by user's finger
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pushing against the upper end 41 or the lower end 42 of the press part 4a.
Thus
the press part 4a can be moved downward and inward, or moved upward and
inward around the support shaft portion 45, basically like a seesaw composed
of
the upper end 41 and the lower end 42 supported by the support shaft portion
45.
Referring to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the second end 32 of the operating member 3
is pivotally connected to the connection end 11 b of the handle portion 11.
When
the operating member 3 is pivotally rotated to the pressed position, the
abutting
portion 34 of the operating member 3 is in contact with the front end 161 of
the
valve stem 16 and further pushing the valve stem 16 to move. The outflow of
water can be stopped or allowed by the movement of the valve stem 16 and the
multi-stage adjustment of the amount of the outflow can also be achieved by
the
movement of the valve stem 16.
Referring to Fig. 7 to Fig. 12, how the water flow is stopped or allowed and
how the amount of the outflow is adjusted are described as follows.
Referring to Fig. 7, the user's index finger 6 is pressed on the upper end 41
of the switch part 4 naturally and ready to start the operation for outflow of
water.
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-06-10
Referring to Fig. 8, a locked state at the first stage outflow of water is
revealed. As the arrow in Fig. 8 indicates, the user's index finger 6
naturally
presses the upper end 41 of the switch part 4 so that the fastening portion 43
is
pressed down to be abutting against the positioning portion 5. Another finger
7
synchronously presses the operating member 3 to move toward the handle
portion 11 and the abutting portion 34 in contact with the front end 161 of
the
valve stem 16 is guided to move inward. Now the enlarged portion 163 of the
valve stem 16 is moved a bit away from the edge of the opening of the channel
15 and there is a small opening formed between the chamber 14 and the
water-outlet portion 2a. Thus water is flowing from the water-inlet portion 1
a to
the water-outlet portion 2a and then sprayed out through the spray head 121.
The
operating member 3 is not locked until the fastening portion 43 is sliding to
the
position where the hook portion 44 is engaged with the first tooth portion 51.
This is the first stage outflow of water and only a little amount of water is
flowing out at this stage.
Fig. 9 shows a locked state at the second stage outflow of the water. The
user's index finger 6 naturally presses the upper end 41 of the switch part 4,
as
the arrow indicates, and the fastening portion 43 is pressed down to be
abutting
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against the positioning portion 5. Another finger 7 synchronously presses the
operating member 3 to move toward the handle portion 11 and the abutting
portion 34 in contact with the front end 161 of the valve stem 16 is guided to
move inward. At the moment the enlarged portion 163 of the valve stem 16 is
moved further away from the edge of the opening of the channel 15 and the
opening formed between the chamber 14 and the water-outlet portion 2a is
getting larger than before. Thereby water from the water-inlet portion 1a is
flowing to the water-outlet portion 2a and then sprayed out through the spray
head 121. The operating member 3 is not locked until the fastening portion 43
is
sliding to the position where the hook portion 44 is engaged with the second
tooth portion 52. This is the second stage outflow of water and a bit more
water
is flowing out.
In a preferred embodiment, there is at least one tooth portion and at least
one hook portion 44.
Referring to Fig. 10, a locked state at the third stage outflow of the water
is
revealed. Once the user's index finger 6 naturally presses the upper end 41 of
the
switch part 4 (as the arrow in the figure indicates), the fastening portion 43
is
pressed down to be abutting against the positioning portion 5. Another finger
7
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synchronously presses the operating member 3 to move toward the handle
portion 11 and the abutting portion 34 in contact with the front end 161 of
the
valve stem 16 is guided to move inward. Now the enlarged portion 163 of the
valve stem 16 is moved further away from the edge of the opening of the
channel 15 and the size of the opening formed between the chamber 14 and the
water-outlet portion 2a is increased to the maximum limit. Thereby water from
the water-inlet portion 1 a is flowing to the water-outlet portion 2a and then
sprayed out through the spray head 121. The operating member 3 is not locked
until the fastening portion 43 is sliding to the position where the hook
portion 44
is engaged with the third tooth portion 53. This is the third stage outflow of
water and the maximum amount of water is flowing out.
Referring to Fig. 11 shows operation to stop the outflow of water while Fig.
12 shows that the water outflow is already closed. The user's index finger 6
is
pressed on the lower end 42 of the switch part 4. Now the fastening portion 43
is
moved upward to be away from the positioning portion 5 and the abutting
portion 34 is moved outward synchronously so that the rear end 162 of the
valve
stem 16 is pushed by the spring 17 and the valve stem 16 is further moved
outward. Then the enlarged portion 163 of the valve stem 16 is mated to the
edge of the opening of the channel 15 and the opening between the chamber 14
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and the water-outlet portion 2a is closed. Thereby water stops flowing from
the
water-inlet portion 1a to the water-outlet portion 2a.
In the above embodiment, the hook portion 44 formed on the rear end of the
fastening portion 43 is facing downward and at least one tooth portion is
arranged at the first surface 5a of the positioning portion 5. In another
embodiment, as shown in Fig. 13 and Fig. 14, a hook portion 44 facing upward
is formed on the rear end of the fastening portion 43 of the switch part 4.
The
positioning portion 5 includes a first surface 5a and a second surface 5b
while at
least one tooth portion is arranged at the second surface 5b in turn and used
for
engagement with the hook portion 44 correspondingly. The positioning portion
5 is disposed over the fastening portion 43 of the switch part 4. In this
embodiment, there are two tooth portions-the first tooth portion 51 and the
second portion 52. Referring to Fig. 13, water is flowing out from the water
spray gun. When the operator naturally presses the lower end 42 of the switch
part 4 by the index finger 6 (as the arrow in the figures indicates). Now the
hook
portion 44 on the fastening portion 43 facing upward is abutting against the
second tooth portion 52 of the positioning portion 5 while another finger 7 is
synchronously presses the operating member 3 to move toward the handle
portion 11 and the abutting portion 34 in contact with the front end 161 of
the
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valve stem 16 is also guided to move inward. Then the enlarged portion 163 of
the valve stem 16 is moved away from the edge of the channel 15 and the
opening formed between the chamber 14 and the water-outlet portion 2a is
opened to the maximum degree. Thus water is flowing from the water-inlet
.. portion 1 a to the water-outlet portion 2a and then sprayed out through the
spray
head 121. The operating member 3 is not locked until the fastening portion 43
is
sliding to the position where the hook portion 44 is engaged with the second
tooth portion 52. Thereby the operating member 3 is locked at the position
with
the maximum water outflow. Similarly, once the hook portion 44 on the
fastening portion 43 facing upward is abutting against the first tooth portion
51
of the positioning portion 5, the operating member 3 is locked at the position
with the minimum water outflow.
Referring to Fig. 14, how the water outflow is stopped is revealed. The
user's index finger 6 presses the upper end 41 of the switch part 4 so that
the
upper end 41 of the switch part 4 is moved upward and inward. Now the
fastening portion 43 is pressed down so that the hook portion 44 is moved away
from the tooth portion of the positioning portion 5. The valve stem 16 is no
more
pressed and locked and the rear end 162 of the valve stem 16 is pushed by the
spring 17. Thus the valve stem 16 is moved outward to push the abutting
portion
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-06-10
34. Thereby the operating member 3 is moved outward and now the enlarged
portion 163 of the valve stem 16 is mated to the edge of the opening of the
channel 15 correspondingly so that the opening between the chamber 14 and the
water-outlet portion 2a is closed. Thereby water from the water-inlet portion
la
stops flowing to the water-outlet portion 2a and no more water is sprayed out.
In summary, the present water spray gun provides multiple functions
including the control of outflow and the adjustment of the amount of water
sprayed out. The above description is only the preferred embodiments of the
present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention in any
form.
Although the invention has been disclosed as above in the preferred
embodiments, they are not intended to limit the invention. A person skilled in
the relevant art will recognize that equivalent embodiment modified and varied
as equivalent changes disclosed above can be used without parting from the
scope of the technical solution of the present invention. All the simple
modification, equivalent changes and modifications of the above embodiments
according to the material contents of the invention shall be within the scope
of
the technical solution of the present invention.
In addition, although the above embodiments with combinations of the
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elements and/or functions are described in the specification and related
figures,
but it should be considered that some other embodiments with combinations of
different elements and/or functions can also be provided, without departing
from
the scope defined in the claims of the present invention. For example,
compared
with those embodiments described in detail, the embodiment with combinations
of different elements and/or functions can be considered to be included in the
scope of some additional claims. Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to
problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments of the
present invention. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems,
and
any element(s) that may cause or result in such benefits, advantages, or
solutions, or cause such benefits, advantages, or solutions to become more
pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential
feature or
element of any or all the embodiments. Although certain terms are used herein,
these terms are general and descriptive only and are not to limit the present
invention.
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