Gear pump and replaceable reservoir for a fluid sprayer

• US 6,142,750 A
• Filed: 11/30/1998
• Issued: 11/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Benecke, Arnold George
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): FASTOVSKY, LEONID M
• Application Number:
  US09/201,618
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 417/411, 417/45, 417/234, 417/46, 417/390, 417/199, 222/259, 222/318, 222/333, 222/383, 184/105.1, 239/3, 239/332, 239/1, 239/127, 239/135
• US Class Current: 417/411
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/20 Mops
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/22 with liquid-feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/049 Cleaning or scouring pads; Wipes
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/43 Solvents
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/505 encapsulated or adsorbed on a carrier, e.g. zeolite or clay

Abstract

A gear pump and reservoir device for a fluid sprayer comprises a pump housing having a recessed portion for receiving and sealing thereto a fluid reservoir and a cavity for locating a drive motor and gears therein. The recessed portion has a rigid conical projection centered therein which has an orifice extending into a pump inlet. The gear pump further includes a fluid container mounted above the recessed portion of the pump housing to form a fluid reservoir. The fluid reservoir has a discharge valve that is opened by engagement with the conical projection within the recessed portion to provide fluid communication to the pump inlet. A static head in the fluid reservoir maintains the gear pump in a primed state. A fluid line leading from the gear pump to a sprayer head has a discharge check valve located therein. The check valve has a cracking pressure higher than the static head of fluid so that fluid passes to the sprayer head only when the gear pump operates to increase pressure in the fluid line above the cracking pressure. There is also means for powering and operating the motor such that the gear pump provides a continuous flow of fluid to the sprayer head upon demand by a user.

Claims

1. A spray appliance, comprising:

an electric motor;

a gear pump driven by said electric motor;

a fluid reservoir in fluid communication with said gear pump and located above said gear pump so that a static head of fluid in said reservoir maintains said gear pump in a primed state; and

a fluid line leading from said gear pump to a sprayer head, said fluid line having a discharge check valve located therein, said check valve having a cracking pressure higher than said static head of fluid so that fluid passes to said sprayer head only when said gear pump operates to increase pressure in said fluid line above said cracking pressure.

2. The spray appliance of claim 1, wherein said cracking pressure is between about 0.7 psig and about 5 psig.

11. The spray appliance of claim 1, further comprising a mounting surface having a recessed portion for receiving said fluid reservoir.

12. The spray appliance of claim 11, wherein said gear pump and said electric motor are disposed opposite said recessed portion of said mounting surface.

13. The spray appliance of claim 1, wherein said fluid reservoir contains a liquid comprising a surfactant.

14. The spray appliance of claim 11, wherein said recessed portion has a projection therein with an orifice which communicates with an inlet of said gear pump for delivering the fluid to said gear pump.

3. A gear pump/reservoir device for a fluid sprayer, comprising:

a pump housing having a mounting surface for attachment to a hand held appliance and a recessed portion for receiving and sealing thereto a fluid reservoir, said pump housing also having a cavity for locating a drive motor and gears therein, said cavity having ribs therein forming pump passages including a pump inlet and a pump outlet said recessed portion having a projection therein, said projection having an orifice therethrough extending into said pump inlet;

an electric motor having a motor housing and a rotating shaft extending therefrom, said motor housing connected to said pump housing via a resilient fluid sealing member located therebetween;

a pinion gear mounted to said rotating shaft of said motor inside said cavity of said pump housing;

an idler gear rotatably connected within said cavity to engage said pinion gear, said gears together with said pump passages in said cavity substantially limiting fluid flow between mating gear teeth of said gears and between said gears and said cavity, to form a gear pump, said pump outlet being in fluid communication with said gear pump;

a fluid line leading from said pump outlet to a sprayer head, said fluid line having a discharge check valve located therein to minimize fluid dribbling at said sprayer head, said check valve having a cracking pressure;

a fluid container mounted to said recessed portion of said pump housing to form a fluid reservoir, said container having an air vent valve to enable ambient air to replace fluid drawn from said reservoir and a fluid discharge valve, said fluid discharge valve being opened by engagement with said projection within said recessed portion to provide fluid communication to said pump inlet; and

means for powering and operating said motor such that said gear pump provides a continuous flow of fluid to said sprayer head upon demand by a user.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said cracking pressure ranges from 0.7 to 5.0 psig.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein said motor is a direct current motor and said means for powering is four size AA batteries wired to said motor in series with an on-off switch, said means for operating said motor being manually controlled.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein said fluid container is replaceable in said recessed portion of said pump housing.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein said fluid container is located above said gear pump so that a static head of fluid in said reservoir maintains said gear pump in a primed state.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said cracking pressure of said discharge check valve exceeds said static head of fluid in said reservoir.

9. The device of claim 3, wherein said projection is conical.

10. The device of claim 3, wherein said projection is at least one of rigid and centered within said recessed portion.