Flow controllable spray nozzle

• US 4,930,704 A
• Filed: 08/01/1988
• Issued: 06/05/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Teng C. Chen
• Original Assignee: Teng C. Chen
• Inventors: Chen, Teng C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weldon, Kevin P.
• Application Number:
  US07/227,088
• Time in Patent Office: 673 Days
• Field of Search: 251/251-253, 251/262, 251/263, 251/351, 137/901, 239/456-459, 239/581.1, 239/581.2, 239/582.1, 239/579
• US Class Current: 239/579
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/304 the controlling element being a lift valve

Abstract

A flow controllable spray nozzle comprising a barrel with a pair of symmetrical, helically-inclined slots on the outside surface and a partition plate with a hole formed therethrough disposed inside the barrel, an internally-threaded control ring with an inside diameter greater than the inside diameter of a housing integrated thereunder, depending therefrom, and a plunger secured inside the housing with a threaded nozzle cup screwed on the control ring to define a space therebetween complemental in size and shape to the upper portion of the barrel so as to receive the barrel therein. Each of a pair of symmetrical, threaded holes formed through the housing receives, in order, a cup, a coil spring and a screw with a post projecting therefrom. The cup, being pushed by the reaction force of the spring, is received by and firmly contacts with one of the slots to guide the plunger moving along the slot. A cone is disposed under the plunger. When the plunger is in the lowest position, the cone is in close contact with a gasket disposed around the hole in the partition plate closing the hole. When the plunger is moved upward, the cone loses contact with the gasket and opens the hole, discharging fluid.

Claims

1. A flow controllable spray nozzle comprising an internally-threaded control ring having an inside diameter greater than an inside diameter of a cylindrical housing integrated thereunder, a hollow plunger with a radial flange disposed around an upper end thereof and a flow control means disposed thereunder, a nozzle cup with a threaded side wall screwable into said control ring, and a barrel having a handle section formed around a lower portion thereof and a threaded lower end for attachment to a standard supply pipe or hose;

the interior of said barrel being divided by a partition plate into two sections, an upper interior section and a lower interior section, said partition plate having a central hole formed therethrough and an annular shoulder around said central hole with a gasket received therein;

said internally-threaded control ring having the inside diameter greater than the inside diameter of said cylindrical housing and forming a shoulder therebetween, said plunger being secured inside said housing with said radial flange abutting said shoulder by said nozzle cup screwing on said control ring so as to define a space therebetween complemental in shape and size to an upper portion of said barrel, an annular seal further provided between said nozzle cup and said radial flange to prevent leakage, another annular seal being disposed in a circumferential groove formed on an outside surface of said plunger to prevent the leakage between said plunger and said barrel;

said control ring together with said plunger and said flow control means, having been displaced on the upper portion of said barrel, being axially movable with respect to said barrel by means of an adjusting means to adjust the flow rate;

said adjusting means comprising a pair of helically-inclined slots symmetrically disposed around the outside surface of said barrel with the first end of the first helically-inclined slot slightly overlapped by the second end of the second helically-inclined slot and the first and of the second helically-inclined slot slightly overlapped by the second end of the first helically-inclined slot, and a pair of threaded holes diametrically symmetrical formed through said housing with, in order, a cup having the diameter thereof substantially the same as the width of the helically-inclined slots, a coil spring with one end thereof disposed in said cup, and a screw with a post projecting therefrom and encompassed by the other end of said coil spring received in each of said threaded holes, said adjusting means being so disposed that when said screw is secured in said threaded holes on said housing, the reaction force of said spring pushes said cup into close engagement with and firmly against the corresponding helically-inclined slot and with the rotation of said control ring, said cups move along said helically-inclined slots so as to axially move said housing together with said plunger with respect to said barrel and thus adjust said flow control means and change the flow rate; and

a pair of symmetrical vertical slots, a first vertical slot connecting the first end of said first helically-inclined slot and the second end of said second helically-inclined slot and a second vertical slot connecting the second end of said first helically-inclined slot and the first end of said second helically-inclined slot so that the plunger is vertically movable with said cups sliding along said vertical slots to interrupt the flow.

2. A flow controllable spray nozzle as set forth in claim 1 wherein the depth of each said helically-inclined slot is continuously increased from the second end thereof, which is an upper end, to the first end thereof, which is a lower end, and the depth of each said vertical slot of substantially the same as the depth of the upper end of each said helically-inclined slot so as to form a jump between each said vertical slot and the lower end of each said helically-inclined slot, preventing said plunger from moving upward along said vertical slots.

3. A flow controllable spray nozzle as set forth in claim 1 wherein the depth of each said helically-inclined slot is continuously increased from the first end thereof, which is a lower end, to the second end thereof, which is an upper end, and the depth of each said vertical slot is substantially the same as the depth of the lower end of each said helically-inclined slot so as to form a jump between each said vertical slot and the upper end of each said helically-inclined slot, preventing said plunger from moving downward along said vertical slots.

4. A flow controllable spray nozzle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flow control means comprises a downward pointing cone connecting to a lower end of said plunger with a plurality of small rods so that when the plunger is in a lowest position, the cone is in close contact with said gasket cutting off the flow, and when the plunger moves upwards from the lowest position a gap is formed between said cone and said gasket and becomes wider thereafter and the flow increases.

5. A flow controllable spray nozzle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said flow control means comprises a downward pointing cone connecting to a lower end of said plunger with a plurality of small rods so that when the plunger is in a lowest position, the cone is in close contact with said gasket cutting off the flow, and when the plunger moves upwards from the lowest position a gap is formed between said cone and said gasket and becomes wider thereafter and the flow increases.

6. A flow controllable spray nozzle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flow control means comprises a cylinder connecting to a lower end of said plunger with a plurality of small rods and having a diameter thereof less than that of the central hole formed in said partition plate, and a ball having a diameter larger than that of said central hole disposed inside said lower interior section of said barrel so that when said plunger is in a highest position, said cylinder does not contact said ball and said ball is positioned by the flow to cover the central hole and when said plunger moves downward, said cylinder forces said ball away from the central hole and opens said central hole.

7. A flow controllable spray nozzle as set forth in claim 3 wherein said flow control means comprises a cylinder connecting to a lower end of said plunger with a plurality of small rods and having a diameter thereof less than that of the central hole formed in said partition plate, and a ball having a diameter larger than that of said central hole disposed inside said lower interior section of said barrel so that when said plunger is in a highest position, said cylinder does not contact said ball and said ball is positioned by the flow to cover the central hole and when said plunger moves downward, said cylinder forces said ball away from the central hole and opens said central hole.

8. A flow controllable spray nozzle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flow control means comprises an upward pointing conically-shaped structure which is a central rod with a plurality of downwardly-inclined, radial septa attached thereon and connecting to a lower end of said plunger to define an upward conical seat for a ball disposed between said plunger and said central hole formed in said partition plate so that when said plunger is in the lowest position, said ball is forced against said gasket closing said central hole and when said plunger moves upward, the flow moves said ball from said gasket opening said hole.

9. A flow controllable spray nozzle as set forth in claim 2 wherein said flow control means comprises an upward pointing conically-shaped structure which is a central rod with a plurality of downwardly-inclined, radial septa attached thereon and connecting to a lower end of said plunger to define an upward conical seat for a ball disposed between said plunger and said central hole formed in said partition plate so that when said plunger is in the lowest position, said ball is forced against said gasket closing said central hole and when said plunger moves upward, the flow moves said ball from said gasket opening and said hole.