Safety mechanism for dispensing apparatus
First Claim
1. A dispenser for mixing together foam components to form an expandable foam and dispensing the foam, comprising:
- a body portion including foam component entrances and a foam mixing chamber;
a handle extending from said body portion to facilitate grasping and operation by a user, the handle including a stop surface;
a flow control valve disposed in said body portion for controlling flow of foam components entering the dispenser mixing chamber;
a trigger pivotally mounted to said flow control valve and disposed in opposition to and spaced apart from said handle, whereby movement of the trigger opens and closes said flow control valve to respectfully permit flow of said foam components through said dispenser and prevent flow of said foam components through said dispenser; and
a safety for preventing unintended operation of said dispenser, said safety being movably mounted to and extending lengthwise of said trigger, said safety having a projecting arm portion located in opposition to said handle stop surface for preventing substantial, unintended movement of said trigger sufficient to cause unintended operation of said flow control valve.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A dispenser for mixing together multiple fluids, such as foam components and dispensing the mixed fluids includes a body portion of the dispenser with fluid entrances and an exit. A handle extends from the body portion to facilitate grasping and operation by a user. A flow control valve is positioned in the body portion for controlling flow of foam components entering the dispenser mixing chamber. The trigger is movably mounted to the body portion in opposition to and spaced apart from the handle. A safety for preventing unintended operation of the dispenser is movably mounted to and extends lengthwise of the trigger that is always biased into a safety position. The safety has an arm for preventing movement of the trigger sufficient to cause unintended operation of the flow control valve, and the safety may be disengaged by the same single-handed action used to actuate the dispenser to dispense the mixed fluids.
87 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A dispenser for mixing together foam components to form an expandable foam and dispensing the foam, comprising:
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a body portion including foam component entrances and a foam mixing chamber;
a handle extending from said body portion to facilitate grasping and operation by a user, the handle including a stop surface;
a flow control valve disposed in said body portion for controlling flow of foam components entering the dispenser mixing chamber;
a trigger pivotally mounted to said flow control valve and disposed in opposition to and spaced apart from said handle, whereby movement of the trigger opens and closes said flow control valve to respectfully permit flow of said foam components through said dispenser and prevent flow of said foam components through said dispenser; and
a safety for preventing unintended operation of said dispenser, said safety being movably mounted to and extending lengthwise of said trigger, said safety having a projecting arm portion located in opposition to said handle stop surface for preventing substantial, unintended movement of said trigger sufficient to cause unintended operation of said flow control valve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A dispenser assembly for dispensing a fluid from at least one stream of fluid through an associated dispensing nozzle, the dispenser assembly comprising:
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a body portion including a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
a handle extending from said body portion to facilitate grasping and operation by a user;
a flow control valve disposed in said body portion for controlling flow of fluid through said dispensing nozzle, a trigger disposed in opposition to and spaced apart from said handle for selectively operating said flow control valve;
a safety for preventing unintended operation of said flow control valve, the safety being mounted to said trigger and extending lengthwise of said trigger along a grasping surface thereof; and
means for biasing said safety and said trigger into a first operative position away from said handle, said biasing means being interposed between said safety and said handle, wherein said means for biasing includes a spring having two opposing free ends, said free ends respectively engaging said handle and said safety. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A dispenser for dispensing a fluid from a pressurized supply of fluid, the dispenser comprising:
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a body portion including a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the body portion including a handle extending therefrom, the handle having a grasping surface for grasping by a user;
a flow control valve disposed in said body portion interposed between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet for controlling flow of fluid through said fluid outlet, the flow control valve having at least one passage formed therein that is movable into and out of communication with said fluid inlet and outlet for permitting passage therethrough of said fluid;
a trigger for selectively operating the flow control valve, the trigger being mounted to said flow control valve and extending away from said body portion in opposition to and spaced apart from said handle and, a trigger lock for preventing unintended operation of said flow control valve, the trigger lock being pivotally mounted to said trigger and having an actuating surface extending lengthwise of said trigger along said the grasping surface of said handle. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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17. A dispenser for mixing together at least two fluids and discharging the mixed fluid comprising:
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a dispenser body portion including at least two fluid inlets, the dispenser including a discharge nozzle, a flow control valve disposed in said body portion and interposed between said discharge nozzle and said fluid inlets for controlling flow of said fluids through said dispenser body portion and out of said discharge nozzle;
a handle extending from sail body portion to facilitate grasping of said dispenser by a user, said handle having a forward-facing stop surface and a cavity adjacent thereto;
a trigger movably mounted to said dispenser body portion and spaced apart from said handle by a spring member that exerts a biasing force on said trigger away from said handle, said trigger being capable of movement toward said handle under pressure applied thereto by a user'"'"'s hand, said trigger being further operatively connected to said flow control valve so that movement of said trigger toward said handle rotates said flow control valve in one direction and opens said flow control valve to permit passage of said through said dispenser and out said discharge nozzle, while movement of said trigger away from said handle rotates said flow control valve in a direction opposite to said one direction and closes said flow control valve to prevent passage of said foam components through said dispenser and out of said discharge nozzle;
a trigger lock for preventing unintended operation of said trigger and said flow control valve, said trigger lock including an elongated lock member pivotally mounted to said trigger and extending lengthwise with respect to said trigger, the lock member having a rearward projecting arm that selectively interferes with movement of said trigger toward said handle, said trigger lock being movable between a first operative position where said arm is disposed in opposition to said stop surface and a second operative position wherein said arm is disposed in opposition to said cavity. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification