Untitled record

March 31, 1964

L L. STEVENSON

SPRAY-DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 25, 1961

3,127,065

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ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Office

3,127,065

Patented Mar. 31, 1964

3,127,065

SPRAY-DISPENSING APPARATUS

Lincoln L. Stevenson, 27 Villa Road, Larchmont, N.Y. Filed Apr. 25,1961, Ser. No. 105,484

Claims. (Cl. 222—164)

This invention relates to a unique device for operating spray-dispensing containers.

As is well known, pressurized spray-dispensing containers, such as aerosol containers and others, inherently require two-handed operation in the spraying of a user’s hand or articles held in the hand. This is so, as at least one hand is required to hold the container and operate the spray tip.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a unique apparatus wherein operation of a spraydispensing container, to spray a hand or an article held in the hand, may be accomplished quickly and easily with the use of only a single hand or by electricity.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spray-operating apparatus of the type described which is inherently well adapted for use with an extremely wide variety of spray-dispensing containers, so as to be readily capable of use in many diverse industries and occupations, including those where it is desirable to spray the hands with a disinfectant or the like, and where it is essential to rapidly spray a wide variety or small parts, as with paint, santizing solution, and other spray materials.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spray-operating apparatus having the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, which is extremely simple in structure, capable of quick and easy operation even by unskilled persons, entirely reliable and durable in operation throughout a long useful life, and which can be economically manufactured for sale at a reasonable price.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevational view showing a sprayoperating apparatus constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional elevational view taken substantially along the line 2—2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing certain elements of the apparatus in exploded relation.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a boxlike housing is there generally designated 10, and may include bottom and top walls 11 and 12, a rear wall 13, side walls 14 (only one being shown in the drawings), and a front wall 15. The front wall 15 may be hinged along one vertical edge, as at 16, to one side wall 14, and is provided in its lower region with an opening 17 affording access to the interior of the housing 10 when the front wall 15 is closed. Thus, the front wall 15 defines a swingable door and may be provided with any suitable latch means, as desired. The housing 10 may be recessed in a building wall at convenient height, or may be hung or otherwise secured to any suitable support.

A base plate or tray 20 may be removably, conformably seated on the bottom housing wall 11, and may include an upstanding peripheral wall or flange 21, so that the baseplate may serve as an evaporator tray for received spray material.

Located generally centrally within the housing 10 is a carrier, generally designated 24. The carrier is of an 5 elongate, generally cradlelike structure, which may be formed of stiff resilient strip stock for releasable, resilient embracing engagement with a spray-dispensing container, as at 23. The cradle structure may consist of a strip 25 bent to a generally rectangular U shape, including a 10 substantially straight bight or end portion 26, and a pair of substantially straight legs 27 and 28 extending in parallelism from opposite ends of the end portion 26. The legs 27 and 28 terminate at slightly outturned freeend portions 29 and 30, respectively, remote from the 15 end portion 26. An additional strip 31 includes a substantially straight, transverse end portion 32 extending across and preferably fixedly secured by suitable means to a medial region of the end portion 26. From one end of the transverse strip portion 32 extends a longitudinal 20 strip portion or leg 33 generally parallel to and in substantially equally spaced relation from the longitudinal legs 27 and 28. The transverse strip portion 32 terminates remote from the longitudinal strip portion 33 in an outturned end region 34, and the distal region end 35 of 25 the longitudinal strip portion is also outturned.

A pair of additional resilient strips 37 and 38 are bent to generally C shape, and arranged in parallel spaced relation with each other, each being located in the spaces between the longitudinal strip portions 27, 28 and 33, 30 extending transversely across the several longitudinal strip portions and being secured to the latter as by spot-welding or other suitable means. As best seen in FIG. 3, the generally C-shaped strip or clip 37 is located intermediate the ends of longitudinal strip portions 27, 28 and 33, extend35 ing transversely thereof and secured at longitudinally spaced locations along the clip to the respective longitudinal strip portions. The generally C-shaped resilient clip 38 is located proximate to and spaced slightly inward from the free ends 29, 30 and 35 of the longi40 tudinal strip portions 27, 28 and 31, and is similarly secured at longitudinally spaced locations along the clip to the respective longitudinal strip portions.

It will thus be appreciated that the cradle structure 24 has one end closed, as by the strip portions 26 and 32, 45 the opposite end being open, and is adapted to resiliently, frictionally engage with and removably receive a container 23.

The closed end region of the cradle 24, as defined by the strip portions 26 and 32, is preferably provided with 50 suitable means for adjustably extending container 23 a selected distance beyond the open end of the cradle structure. Such adjustable extension means may consist of a thumbscrew 40 extending longitudinally of the cradle and in threaded engagement through the crossover regions of 55 the strip portions 26 and 32. On the inner end of the thumbscrew may be provided an abutment pad 41 for engagement with a container received in the cradle structure.

The cradle structure 24 is arranged in the housing 10 60 with its open side upward, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, and its open end facing generally forward or toward the door 15. Suitable means are provided to mount the cradle structure 24 for pivotal or rocking movement about a generally horizontal axis extending laterally or transverse65 ly of the cradle. Toward this end, a generally horizontal rod or shaft 43 projects laterally from one side of the cradle structure, say from the longitudinal strip portion 27 through a mounting block 44 which may be fixedly secured to a side housing wall 14. That is, the mounting 70 block may be provided with a generally horizontal, later3,137,035 ώ

ally extending through bore 45 for rotatably receiving the shaft 43; and, the shaft may extend through a washer or spacer 46, thence through the bore 45, and thence through the housing wall 14 where it is provided with a nut 47 or other suitable holding means. The mounting block 5 46 is further secured in position on the housing wall 14 by threaded engagement of a fastener through the housing wall into a threaded hole 48 in the mounting block. The mounting block 44 is thus firmly fixed to the housing wall 14 and may journal the shaft 43 to mount io the cradle 24 for rocking or rotary oscillation about the shaft axis, as between the solid and phantom positions shown in FIG. 1. Of course, the mounting block 44 may be selectively adjustably positionable on the housing wall 14 by any suitable adjustment means, as to accommodate 15 different sizes and shapes of cradles and containers.

The mounting block 44 may be further provided with a generally vertical through hole or bore 50 which slidably receives a vertically disposed and vertically shiftable elongate member or rod 51. One or more suitable guide 20 brackets 52 may be secured in vertically spaced relation with respect to the mounting block 44 for receiving and guiding the elongate member 51. An upper end enlargement or head 53 may be provided on the elongate member 51, and may be adjustable thereon, as by suitable 25 threads or otherwise, for limiting abutting engagement with an upper guide bracket 52, if desired.

Carried on the lower end region of the elongate member 51 is a laterally outstanding, generally horizontal actuating member, platform or plate 55. The actuating mem- 30 ber 55 may be provided with an upstanding boss 56 having a generally vertical through bore receiving the lower end region of elongate member or rod 51. Suitable means for adjustably and removably securing the rod 51 in the boss 56 may be provided, such as a setscrew 57. By this 35 connection, the actuating member or platform extends laterally, generally horizontally from the lower end region of rod 51, and is spaced over the baseplate 20.

Beneath the actuating platform 55, and preferably in alignment with the rod 51, is located a coil compression 40 spring 59. The upper end of spring 59 may engage with the underside of the platform 55, while the lower end of the spring may be provided with a locating element 60 adapted to seat on the tray 20 and having a lateral extension 61 engageable with or secured to the adjacent housing side wall 14 to properly locate the spring 59. Thus, ^4athe actuating platform 52 is mounted for vertical shifting movement with the rod 51, as between the solid-line and phantom positions of FIG. 1, and is resiliently biased upward to the solid-line position by the spring 59. _

An elongate connecting member 63, such as a stiff wire ^Jor rod, extends generally vertically upward from the actuating platform 55 for connection to the cradle 24. More specifically, the connecting member 63 has its lower end anchored by a suitable fastener 64 to the actuating member at a location rearwardly of the axis of shaft 43 rock- ⁵⁵ably supporting the cradle 24, and extends upward therefrom for connection of its upper end by suitable fastening means 65 to the underside of the cradle. The upper end connection of connecting member 63 to the cradle 24 is offset or eccentric with respect to the cradle axis of ³³shaft 43, so that depression of the actuating platform 55 to its phantom-line position of FIG. 1 serves to rotate or rock the cradle to its phantom-line position.

The spray-dispensing container 23 may be conventional, and of any suitable type, being shown for purposes of ⁰⁵illustration as a generally cylindrical can 67 having its forward region extending beyond the open end of the cradle 24 and there provided with a dispensing valve 68.

Located in the path of movement of the dispensing valve 68 upon rocking of the container 23 to its phantom 70 position, i.e. upon upward swinging movement of the forward container end, is a valve-activator cam or engaging member 69. The engaging member or cam 69 is specifically configured and located for engagement with the dispensing valve 68 upon rocking movement of the carrier 24 75 as caused by depression of the actuating member 55, to activate the dispensing valve and dispense spray material from the container, as to a user’s hand 70, see FIG. 1. The engaging member or cam 69 may be adjustably positionable on the door 15, as by any suitable fastener means 71, and is also removable for replacement by a differently configured cam, when desired.

While operation of the instant device is believed apparent from the foregoing descripion, it may be briefly reviewed. When a user desires to have his hands sprayed, as with a sanitizing solution, or any spray material, it is only necessary to engage the hand through the door opening 17 and depress the actuating member or platform 55. Of course, the contents of the user’s hand may be similarly sprayed. Further, articles to be sprayed may be placed on the platform, and the weight cause depression of the platfrom to effect spraying operation. This may be done by passage of articles to be sprayed through the door opening 17; or, operation may be achieved by opening the door 15 and placing the articles on the platform 55. It will be noted that when the door is open, although the platform 55 is depressed by the weight of supported articles, spray operation does not commence until the door is closed and the cam 69 engages the spray valve 68. Similarly, upon opening of the door 15, the cam 69 is disengaged from the spray valve to deactivate the latter.

For relatively light containers 23, the illustrated single pivot 43 at one side of cradle 24 is sufficient. For heavier containers, the cradle 24 may have coaxial pivots 43 at each side thereof.

From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a spray-operaing apparatus which fully accomplishes its intended objects and is well-adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.