Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Processes – Including dissolving or entraining in liquid stream
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-22
2001-09-04
Kashnikow, Andres (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Processes
Including dissolving or entraining in liquid stream
C239S310000, C239S315000, C239S316000, C239S318000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283385
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to dispensing apparatus, and, more specifically, to dispensing apparatus for dispensing multiple-component flowable substances, either individually or in combination. The present invention also relates to a method of dispensing flowable substances.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Sprayers and dispensers for mixing and dispensing liquids into a carrier fluid, such as water, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,152,461; 5,320,288; 5,385,270; 5,398,846; 5,402,916; 5,595,345; 5,605,578; and 5,713,519. Such sprayers typically include an inlet for a hose, such as a garden hose, and an inlet for a siphon tube for removing products from a container attached to the sprayer. The sprayers and dispensers typically spray a water/product mixture, or water only, through one or more horizontally or vertically arranged outlets of the sprayer.
Some sprayers or dispensers that include a positive “trigger” pump include two separate containers of product(s) for dispensing those product(s) from the sprayer, but do not have any means of connection to a carrier fluid for instantaneous dilution and the products dispensed must be diluted at the factory to ready-to-use concentration so a high percentage of weight and volume formulated is water, thereby causing users to buy four to fifty times more weight and volume of finished goods than they would otherwise need to achieve the same kind of uniform and broad coverage. Also, these sprayers cannot be used comfortably to treat anything but the smallest surface areas. These prior art sprayers and dispensers are often difficult to assemble and to use and do not always dispense product as desired or ergonomically. Furthermore, with some sprayers it is difficult or impossible to control product dilution ratios and to provide relatively large or small dilution ratios at relatively low flow rates. For those prior art sprayers that use a venturi to draw product into a flowing stream of diluent, in order to achieve relatively low dilution ratios, it is necessary to employ relatively high flow rates.
In conventional sprayers that use an aspirator to draw fluid from a container into a flowing stream of diluting fluid, there is a requirement that the outlet passage be of greater diameter than the inlet passage so as to produce a low pressure area within the portion of greater diameter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,345 specifically teaches that in an aspirated system, the downstream portion must have a larger cross-sectional area than the upstream portion. These design parameters however limit the ability to provide a wide range of dilution ratios at widely varying flow rates and to provide fixed dilution ratios that are independent of bulk fluid flow.
Thus, a need exists for a sprayer that dispenses a multiple-part concentrated product efficiently and effectively, is relatively easy to assemble and use, has variable dilution ratios and also can achieve a relatively wide range of dilution ratios at relatively low flow rates. Furthermore, there is a need for a dispenser that can sequentially dispense separate components or multiple components incompatible upon storage or can dispense the same component at different dilution ratios. Additionally, there is a need for an apparatus that can dispense or reintroduce to a diluent stream components that were removed or inadvertently filtered from a primary product stream or to introduce additional therapeutic components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention satisfies the above-described needs by providing an apparatus comprising a sprayer having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being adapted for attachment to a garden hose and a container for containing a concentrated product for spraying from the outlet of the sprayer after dilution with water from the garden hose. The container has an upwardly extending handle and the sprayer has downwardly extending flanges for engaging a portion of the upwardly extending handle, so that when the sprayer is attached to the container and the flanges engage the handle the sprayer is aligned with the container such that the outlet is distal with respect to the handle.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is provided comprising a sprayer having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being adapted for attachment to a garden hose and a base adapted for attachment to the sprayer and for containing a concentrated product for spraying from the outlet of the sprayer after dilution with water from the garden hose. The base comprises a first container and a second container. The first container has an outwardly projecting first locking member and the second container defines a first recess for receiving and mating with the first locking member, such that when the first locking member is received in the first recess, the first and second containers resist transverse separation and twisting separation with respect to each other.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is provided comprising a sprayer having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being adapted for attachment to a garden hose and a container for containing a concentrated product for spraying from the outlet of the sprayer after dilution with water from the garden hose, the container having an upwardly extending handle, such that when the container is attached to the sprayer, the handle is disposed below the inlet.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is provided comprising a sprayer having an inlet and a first and second outlet, the inlet being adapted for attachment to a garden hose, and a base for containing a concentrated product for spraying from at least one of the outlets of the sprayer after dilution with water from the garden hose. The first and second outlets are disposed transverse with respect to the sprayer and laterally spaced from each other.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed an apparatus comprising a housing having a first inlet and an first outlet, the first housing inlet being adapted for attachment to a garden hose, the first housing outlet being in fluid communication with the first housing inlet. The apparatus also comprises an insert member having a first inlet for receiving fluid and a first outlet for spraying fluid therefrom, the first insert inlet being in fluid communication with the first insert outlet through a passage defined by the insert member, the insert member being mateable with the housing so that the first housing outlet mates with the first insert inlet so that a fluid can flow from the first housing inlet to the first insert outlet.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed an apparatus comprising a housing, the housing defining a first fluid passage from an inlet to an outlet, the first fluid passage including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a longitudinal axis that is at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal access of the second portion. The housing further defining a second fluid passage from an inlet to an outlet, the second fluid passage intersecting the second portion of the first fluid passage adjacent the first portion such that fluid flowing through the first passage draws fluid in the second passage into the first passage.
In another embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a method of spraying a two-component diluted product. The method comprises attaching an inlet of a sprayer to a source of flowing water; the sprayer also having a first and second outlets disposed transverse with respect to the sprayer and laterally spaced from each other. The method also includes selectively flowing water from the inlet to a first chamber in the sprayer and hence to the first outlet, the water flow drawing concentrated product from a first container to the first chamber and mixing with the flowing water, the water and product mixture then being sprayed from the first outlet. The method further includes selectively flowing water from the inlet to a second chamber in the sprayer and
Beaver Larry Gene
MacLean-Blevins Mark T.
Nichenko Edward Francis
Evans Robin O.
Griffin LLC
Kashnikow Andres
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
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