# US 11,440,038 B2 · Material sprayer

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- Number: US 11,440,038 B2
- Document ID: US11440038B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/560,328
- Filed: 2019-09-04
- Published: 2020-07-30
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-01-25
- Assignees: Graco Minnesota Inc.
- Applicants: Graco Minnesota Inc.
- Inventors: Mark D. Shultz; David M. Larsen; Max Carideo; Bradley K. Voigt
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440038B2

## CPC

- B05B 9/0894: {Gun with a container which, in normal use, is located above the gun}
- B05B 7/0093: {At least a part of the apparatus, e.g. a container, being provided with means, e.g. wheels or casters for allowing its displacement relative to the ground}
- B05B 7/1404: {Arrangements for supplying particulate material}
- B05B 9/007: {At least a part of the apparatus, e.g. a container, being provided with means, e.g. wheels, for allowing its displacement relative to the ground}
- B05B 12/00: Arrangements for controlling delivery; Arrangements for controlling the spray area
- B05B 12/002: {Manually-actuated controlling means, e.g. push buttons, levers or triggers (for single units B05B11/00)}
- F04B 15/02: the fluids being viscous or non-homogeneous
- F04B 15/023: {supply of fluid to the pump by gravity through a hopper, e.g. without intake valve}
- B05B 7/1486: {for spraying particulate material in dry state}
- B05B 9/0413: {with reciprocating pumps, e.g. membrane pump, piston pump, bellow pump (B05B9/0409 takes precedence)}
- B05B 9/0426: {with a pump attached to the spray gun or discharge device (single-units hand-held apparatus in which the flow is effected by a pump B05B11/10)}
- E04F 21/08: Mechanical implements (E04F21/14 takes precedence; spraying in general B05B; sand-blasting B24C)
- B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D)
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- E04F: FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS (windows, doors E06B)

## Abstract

A material sprayer includes a hopper module and a power module. The power module is mountable and dismountable from the hopper module. The hopper module includes a hopper frame and a hopper supported by the hopper frame. The power module includes a drive and a pump connected to and configured to be powered by the drive. The pump interfaces with the hopper with the power module mounted on the hopper frame such that the pump can draw material from the hopper.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A material sprayer comprising:
a hopper module including:
a hopper frame;
a plurality of hopper wheels attached to the hopper frame and configured to support the hopper frame relative to a ground surface; and
a hopper supported by the hopper frame, the hopper including a top opening at a top end of the hopper and through which the hopper is filled with material and the hopper including a hopper outlet at a bottom end of the hopper; and
a power module mountable and dismountable from the hopper frame, the power module including:
a drive;
a power module frame;
a power module wheel attached to the power module frame; and
a pump connected to and configured to be powered by the drive;
wherein the power module is mountable to the hopper module and dismountable from the hopper module, the power module disposed on the hopper frame when mounted to the hopper module such that the power module rides on and is supported by the hopper frame;
wherein the pump includes a pump inlet configured to interface with the hopper outlet with the power module mounted on the hopper frame such that the pump can draw material from the hopper.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The material sprayer of claim 1, wherein the hopper frame comprises:
a horizontal portion having a fixed frame portion and a movable frame portion;
wherein the movable frame portion is extendable relative to the fixed frame portion to change a length of the horizontal portion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The material sprayer of claim 2, wherein the hopper frame further comprises:
a vertical portion extending from the fixed frame portion, the vertical portion including a handle.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The material sprayer of claim 2, wherein the pump extends parallel to the horizontal portion.

### Claim 5

A material sprayer comprising:
a hopper module including:
a hopper frame comprising:
a horizontal portion having a fixed frame portion and a movable frame portion, wherein the movable frame portion is extendable relative to the fixed frame portion to change a length of the horizontal portion; and
a hopper supported by the hopper frame; and
a power module mountable and dismountable from the hopper frame, the power module including:
a drive; and
a pump connected to and configured to be powered by the drive;
wherein the pump includes a pump inlet configured to interface with the hopper with the power module mounted on the hopper frame such that the pump can draw material from the hopper;
wherein the hopper is supported by the fixed frame portion; and
wherein the power module is supported by the movable frame portion with the power module mounted on the hopper module.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The material sprayer of claim 5, further comprising:
at least one first wheel attached to the fixed frame portion and configured to support the hopper module on a ground surface; and
a second wheel attached to the movable frame portion and configured to support the hopper module on the ground surface.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The material sprayer of claim 5, wherein the movable frame portion includes at least one movable frame arm configured to interface with at least one fixed frame arm of the fixed frame portion and movable relative to the at least one fixed frame arm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The material sprayer of claim 7, wherein the at least one movable frame arm engages the at least one fixed frame arm by a telescoping interface.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The material sprayer of claim 7, further comprising:
at least one first mounting hole extending through the at least one movable frame arm;
at least one second mounting hole extending through the at least one fixed frame arm; and
a connector configured to extend through the at least one first mounting hole and the at least one second mounting hole to secure the movable frame portion to the fixed frame portion.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The material sprayer of claim 7, further comprising:
a cross-bar extending between and connected to a first one of the at least one movable frame arm and a second one of the at least one movable frame arm; and
a tie mounted to the cross-bar, the tie including:
a cinch mounted to the cross-bar; and
a threaded rod engaging the cinch, wherein the threaded rod can be rotated in a first direction relative to the cinch to tighten the tie and rotated in a second direction relative to the cinch to loosen the tie;
wherein the threaded rod is configured to engage a support plate of a power frame of the power module to secure the power module on the hopper module.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The material sprayer of claim 1, further comprising a pump connector configured to secure the pump to the hopper.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The material sprayer of claim 1, wherein the drive includes a motor and a reciprocation mechanism.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The material sprayer of claim 1, wherein the pump is a piston pump.

### Claim 14

A material sprayer comprising:
a hopper module including:
a hopper frame; and
a hopper supported by the hopper frame; and
a power module mountable and dismountable from the hopper frame, the power module including:
a power frame;
a drive mounted on the power frame; and
a pump connected to and configured to be powered by the drive;
a shoe disposed on a movable frame portion of a horizontal portion of the hopper frame; and
a foot connected to the power frame;
wherein foot is disposed within and received by the shoe with the power module mounted on the hopper module;
wherein the movable frame portion is extendable relative to a fixed frame portion of the horizontal portion to change a length of the horizontal portion; and
wherein the pump includes a pump inlet configured to interface with the hopper with the power module mounted on the hopper frame such that the pump can draw material from the hopper.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The material sprayer of claim 14, wherein the shoe further comprises:
a first side plate extending vertically from a first lateral side of a movable arm of the movable frame portion;
a second side plate extending vertically from a second lateral side of the movable arm of the movable frame portion; and
a back plate extending between and connecting the first side plate and the second side plate;
wherein the foot is received between the first side plate and the second side plate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The material sprayer of claim 1, wherein:
the at least one power module wheel supports the power module on a ground surface when the power module is dismounted from the hopper module; and
the at least one power module wheel is spaced from and not in contact with the ground surface when the power module is mounted on the hopper module.

### Claim 17

A material sprayer comprising:
a hopper module including:
a hopper frame including a horizontal portion and a vertical portion;
a plurality of hopper wheels attached to the horizontal portion and configured to support the hopper frame relative to a ground surface; and
a hopper supported by the hopper frame; and
a power module mountable and dismountable from the hopper frame, the power module including:
a drive;
a power module frame;
a power module wheel attached to the power module frame; and
a pump connected to and configured to be powered by the drive, the pump including a piston configured to reciprocate along a pump axis, the pump axis disposed horizontally relative to the hopper frame;
wherein the power module is mountable to the hopper module and dismountable from the hopper module, the power module disposed on the hopper frame when mounted to the hopper module such that the power module rides on and is supported by the hopper frame;
wherein the pump includes a pump inlet configured to interface with the hopper with the power module mounted on the hopper frame such that the pump can draw material from the hopper.

### Claim 18

A material sprayer comprising:
a hopper module including:
a hopper frame;
a plurality of hopper wheels attached to and configured to support the hopper frame relative to a ground surface; and
a hopper supported by the hopper frame; and
a power module mountable and dismountable from the hopper frame, the power module including:
a drive;
a power module frame;
a power module wheel attached to the power module frame; and
a pump connected to and configured to be powered by the drive;
wherein the power module is mountable to the hopper module and dismountable from the hopper module, the power module disposed on the hopper frame when mounted to the hopper module such that the power module rides on and is supported by the hopper frame;
wherein the pump includes a pump inlet configured to interface with the hopper with the power module mounted on the hopper frame such that the pump can draw material from the hopper, and a coupling interfaces with a body of the pump and with the hopper to fix the pump to the hopper.