Foam generating apparatus

An adjustable foam generating nozzle assembly comprising, in combination:

• body means defining an inlet section through which liquid can pass, said inlet section including an outlet orifice-forming means through which liquid passes for providing an outwardly diverging shape to the stream issuing therefrom;
• said body means further defining a foam-producing section downstream from said inlet section which foam-producing section has an inlet end which receives the stream issuing from said outlet orifice-forming means, air inlet portforming means in communication with the exterior of the nozzle assembly, pressure-reducing passageway means communicating with said air inlet port-forming means and said inlet end for effecting the aspiration of air through said air inlet portforming means and the mixing thereof into the liquid stream passing through the pressure-reducing passageway means, said pressurereducing passageway means including an outwardly tapering portion merging with a throat portion, and manually adjustable means operatively associated with one of said inlet and foam producing sections of said body means for progressively varying the portions of said pressure-reducing passageway initially struck by the diverging stream issuing from said outlet orifice-forming means so the widest portion of said diverging stream selectively can be made to strike at least one part of said outwardly tapering portion thereof and other portions of said passageway to varying degrees to vary the character of the stream discharged from said assembly substantially.

An attachment for a liquid spray nozzle unit including a body carrying a manually rotatable member having outlet orifice-forming means through which liquid passes with a shape which varies progressively from a relatively narrowly confined stream to a relatively widely diverging stream as the manually rotatable member is rotated;

• the attachment comprising body means including means for mounting the same on said rotatable member and having an inlet for receiving the variably shaped stream issuing from said outlet orifice-forming means of said rotatable member, and pressure-reducing passageway means downstream from and communicating with said inlet, said body means having air inlet port-forming means in communication between the exterior of the attachment and said pressure-reducing passageway means, said body means having a longitudinally extending skirt adapted to surround a portion of said rotatable member, said air port-forming means including longitudinal internal recesses formed in said skirt which extend between the exterior of the attachment and the space within the skirt when the attachment is mounted on the rotatable member, said pressure-reducing passageway means effecting the aspiration of air through said air inlet port-forming means and the mixing thereof into the liquid stream passing through the attachment with a resulting turbulence which varies in degree substantially with the shape of the stream issuing from said orifice-forming means of the nozzle assembly.

An attachment for a liquid spray nozzle unit including a body carrying a manually rotatable member having outlet orifice-forming means through which liquid passes with a shape which varies progressively from a relatively narrowly confined stream to a relatively widely diverging stream as the manually rotatable member is rotated;

• said rotatable member having a manually engageable portion from which forwardly extends a reduced neck portion terminating in a forwardly facing annular end wall at which said orifice-forming means is located;
• the attachment comprising body means including means for mounting the same on said rotatable member and having an inlet for receiving the variably shaped stream issuing from said outlet orificeforming means of said rotatable member, and pressure-reducing passageway means downstream from and communicating with said inlet, said body means having air inlet port-forming means in communication between the exterior of the attachment and said pressure-reducing passageway means, said inlet being defined by a rearwardly projecting sleeve surrounded by a skirt spaced therefrom and mountable around said reduced neck portion of said rotatable member, said sleeve having one or more laterally facing apertures therein, the defining walls of which at least partly constitute said air port-forming means, the rear end of said sleeve terminating inwardly of the end of said skirt a distance such that the rear end of said skirt will engage said forwardly facing annular end wall of said liquid spray nozzle unit before the rear end of the skirt contacts said manually engageable portion of said rotatable member, so as to define an annular entryway into the space defined between said skirt and said sleeve, and there being formed in the inwardly facing surface of said skirt one or more internal recesses which will extend between said annular entryway and the spaced within said skirt when the attachment is mounted on the rotatable member, to form one or more passageways for the flow of air into the space within the skirt, said pressure-reducing passageway means effecting the aspiration of air through said air inlet port-forming means and the mixing thereof into the liquid stream passing through the attachment with a resulting turbulence which varies in degree substantially with the shape of the stream issuing from said orifice-forming means of the spray nozzle unit.

A foam generating nozzle assembly comprising, in combination:

• body means defining an inlet section through which liquid can pass, said inlet section including outlet orifice-forming means through which liquid passes for providing an outwardly diverging stream flowing therefrom, said body means further defining a foam-producing section downstream from said inlet section which form-producing section has an inlet end which receives the stream issuing from said outlet orifice-forming means, air inlet port-forming means in communication with the exterior of the nozzle assembly and pressure-reducing passageway means communicating with said air inlet port-forming means and said inlet end for effecting the aspiration of air through said air inlet port-forming means and the mixing thereof into the liquid stream passing through the pressure-reducing passageway means, said pressure-reducing passageway means including an outwardly tapering portion merging with a throat portion, said outwardly tapering passageway portion of said pressure-reducing passageway tapering sharply at an angle of at least about 30 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis thereof, said outlet orifice-forming means being positioned relative to said pressure-reducing passageway so the widest portion of said stream issuing therefrom strikes said sharply tapering passageway portion, whereby turbulence is produced in the aerated stream passing therethrough to a degree which produces a highly foamed stream.

In a sprayer comprising body means defining an inlet end into which liquid to be sprayed is drawn and a first passageway through which liquid from said inlet end is to pass, said first passageway terminating in an end opening onto a second passageway terminating in discharge orifice means, a fluid-directing member mounted for longitudinal movement in said second passageway between a position where suction at the inlet end draws the same into sealing relationship with the end of said first passageway and a second position spaced from the end of said first passageway under conditions of fluid pressure, said fluid-directing member when spaced from the end of said first passageway permitting passage of liquid from said first passageway to the orifice means at the end of said second passageway, said fluid-directing member when positioned against said orifice means resulting in the flow of liquid from said orifice means at a first given angle and when spaced a given distance from said orifice means resulting in flow of liquid through said orifice means at a second given angle, the improvement comprising foam-producing body means on said body means and positioned beyond said orifice means and having an inlet end which receives the stream issuing from said orifice means, air inlet port-forming means in communication with the exterior of the sprayer and pressure-reducing passageway means communicating with said latter inlet end for effecting the aspiration of air through said air inlet port-forming means and the mixing thereof into the liquid stream passing through the pressure-reducing passageway means to form the same to a degree which varies substantially with the angle of the stream issuing from said orifice means and reaching a given desired condition when said diverging stream angle is said second given angle, and motion limiting means for limiting the movement of said fluid-directing member to said position spaced said given distance from said orifice means.