Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Including supply holder for material – To be mixed – dissolved or entrained in a flowing liquid...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-01
2001-02-06
Morris, Lesley D. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Including supply holder for material
To be mixed, dissolved or entrained in a flowing liquid...
C239S340000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182911
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to injection spray systems, and more specifically injection spray systems having an adjustable valve for selectively metering concentrations of discharged fluid.
2. Present State of the Art
Throughout the arts, there are many instances where two or more fluids, such as liquids, must be proportionally combined and/or mixed to create a desirable output fluid. Many times one fluid is in a concentrated form and must be diluted to the proper strength for use. By providing devices which are capable of combining concentrated fluids with nonconcentrated fluids, individuals are able to purchase large quantities of concentrated fluids that can be diluted for use, thereby reducing costs associated with fluid use. One such type of device that combines fluids is an injection sprayer.
Injection sprayers are used in a variety of different environments for simultaneously mixing and spraying a liquid concentrate. For example, injection sprayers are often used in dispensing liquid fertilizers or pesticides on grass or agricultural products. Such injectors are also commonly used for dispensing cleaning or other additives on carpets. Various types of injection sprayers are available ranging in complexity from simple manually operated devices that may require minimal experience to highly complex devices that require computer operation or other technical experience.
Generally speaking, conventional injection sprayers include a container for holding the concentrated fluid. Mounted on the container is a valve that is selectively coupled to a hose providing a pressurized fluid such as water. As water passes through the valve, a venturi forms that draws or sucks the concentrate from within the container and mixes it with the stream of pressurized water. The mixed fluid is then subsequently dispensed from the end of the valve. This configuration has a unique benefit in that only the amount of concentrate that is actually used is mixed with the water. As a result, it is easy to maintain, carry, and store the concentrate.
Effective injection sprayers meter the concentrate into the water accurately and at a defined rate. That is, different concentrates are required to mix with water at different ratios. Concentration rate mixing varies with the flow rate of water through the valve. If inaccurate mixing occurs, the resulting output fluid may have either too high or too low a concentration. In either situation, there is a loss of time and an expense incurred for a user or operator.
In traditional injection sprayers, metering tips are removable attached to the end of the valve that siphons the concentrate from the container. The metering tips comprise tubular stems having a defined diameter. The diameter of the stem regulates the rate that the pressurized water draws the concentrate into the valve assembly. Accordingly, by attaching a metering tip of a desired diameter, a desired metering of concentrate is obtained.
Although this design is functionally effective, it has several limitations. Most notably, it is often necessary to change the metering of the concentrate based on differences in the pressure of the fluid and also the type of concentrate used. In the prior art, it is necessary to disassemble the container from the system and then manually replace the metering tip with a metering tip corresponding to the desired mixing rate. The manual replacement of metering tips is a time consuming process that requires the user to store a variety of differently sized metering tips. It is also undesirable to have to continually handle the metering tips that may have a chemical concentrate thereon.
OBJECTS AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved injection spray systems that can selectively meter an amount of concentrate to be added to a liquid stream.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the above systems that can selectively change concentrate metering without substantial disassembly of the system.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a metering valve for the above system that can function with high pressure fluid flows.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a metering valve that eliminates the need for the replacement of different metering tips.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a metering valve that enables variable mixing of a concentrate with a liquid stream over a range of predefined mixing ratios.
Finally, another object of the present invention is to provide systems as above wherein corresponding metering valves enables variable mixing of a concentrate with a liquid stream over a range of predefined mixing ratios for different pressures.
To achieve the foregoing objects, and in accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, an injection spraying system is provided for mixing and dispensing a first fluid with a second fluid concentrate. The system includes a container having a compartment configured to hold the second fluid concentrate. A valve body is removably coupled with the container and includes a mixing chamber. A stationary alignment mark is located on an exterior of the surface valve body. An inlet passageway extends from the exterior to the mixing chamber. The inlet passageway is configured to deliver the first fluid to the mixing chamber from a pressurized hose. A discharge passageway extends from the mixing chamber to the exterior. A discharge hose and a gun jet are attached thereto.
A stem compartment is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber through a control orifice. Furthermore, a transition passageway is in fluid communication with the stem compartment. A siphoning tube has one end disposed within the compartment of the container and an opposing end in fluid communication with the transition passageway, thereby effecting fluid communication between the container and the mixing compartment.
Movably disposed within the stem compartment is a metering stem. A pair of annular grooves radially encircle the metering stem. Disposed within each groove is an O-ring. Each O-ring is configured to effect a sealed engagement between the metering stem and the interior surface of the stem compartment. The metering stem is configured to selectively control the flow of the second fluid from the transition passageway to the mixing chamber by selectively advancing and retracting within the stem compartment.
Finally, an adjustment knob is rigidly attached to the metering stem. The adjustment knob has a side face with a plurality of spaced apart indicia identifying discrete ratios of the first fluid to the second fluid. The adjustment knob is coupled with the metering stem such that alignment of a select indicia chosen from the plurality of indicia with the stationary alignment mark displaces the metering stem relative to the control orifice so that the first fluid and the second fluid feed into the mixing chamber at the ratio identified by the select indicia.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
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Edwards William D.
Hanks Gordon K.
Bridgewater Corporation
Morris Lesley D.
Workman & Nydegger & Seeley
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