US 12,753,001 B2Granted

Spray nozzle apparatus

AssigneeRust-Oleum Corporation

InventorAdam Peter Morrison

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to apparatuses and/or methods involving a rotatable dial and a plurality of nozzles therein. The dial aligns each nozzle with a fluid supply channel. In some instances, a gear coupled to the dial has cogs and gaps between adjacent ones of the cogs along a rotational path of the gear. Certain aspects involve force feedback in which a flexible tab located in the rotational path of the gear engages with the cogs for providing resistive feedback. Other aspects involve audible feedback in which a flexible tab flexes in response to contact with the gear as it rotates, and snaps back into place after the gear is rotated past the flexible tab, creating an audible noise. Certain particular aspects involve utilization of the gears to prevent fluid from being dispensed when the nozzles are not aligned with the channel.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a dial having a planar surface;
a fluid supply channel;
a plurality of nozzles recessed within the surface of the dial, each of the nozzles having a fluid channel extending in a direction that is aligned in parallel with the fluid channels of the other nozzles, the dial being configured to rotate for selectively aligning each of the respective nozzles with the fluid supply channel;
a gear, coupled to the dial and configured to rotate with the dial, the gear having a plurality of cogs coupled to a rib, each cog and rib being separated by spaces along a rotation path;
and
a flexible tab extending into the rotation path of the ribs, the flexible tab being configured and arranged to:
in response to one of the ribs being rotated with the dial into contact with the flexible tab, flex from a relaxed position into a flexed position, and
in response to the one of the ribs being further rotated with the dial to a position in which the rib moves out of contact with the flexible tab, snap back to the relaxed position and generating an audible noise indicating that rib has moved past the flexible tab.

5 more elements

An apparatus comprising:

a dial having a plurality of nozzles and a gear, the dial being configured to rotate for selectively aligning each of the respective nozzles for receiving fluid to be dispensed via the nozzles, the gear having a plurality of cogs coupled to a rib, each cog and rib being separated by spaces along a rotation path;
and
a flexible tab extending into the rotation path of the ribs, the flexible tab being configured and arranged to:
in response to one of the ribs being rotated with the dial into contact with the flexible tab, flex from a relaxed position into a flexed position, and
in response to the one of the ribs being further rotated with the dial to a position in which the rib moves out of contact with the flexible tab, snap back to the relaxed position and generate an audible noise indicating that rib has moved past the flexible tab.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/657,452Filed 7 May 2024 · continuation in part
Priority: 9 Nov 2020
Published: US 2024/0327103 A13 Oct 2024
Granted: 6 Oct 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification2 codes

B65D 83/7532
Characterised by details or accessories associated with outlets: comprising alternative flow directions or replaceable or interchangeable outlets
B65D
Containers for storage or transport of articles or materials

Family

Application63/111,439Us provisional application · filed 9 Nov 2020
Application17/801,177Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Nov 2021
PCT/US2021/058609Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 9 Nov 2021
US 2024/0327103 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Oct 2024
US 11,975,912 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2023/0062171 A1Published application
US 12,753,001 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.