US 4,776,517 AGranted

Pistol grip hose nozzle

AssigneeL. R. Nelson Corporation

InventorLawrence P. Heren

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Abstract

A pistol hose nozzle including a handle structure and a barrel structure extending forwardly from the upper end thereof. The handle and barrel structures are formed of two outer shell parts enclosing an inner conduit providing a water flow path between an inlet at the lower end of the handle structure and an outlet at the forward end of the barrel structure. A spring actuated on-off valve mechanism is disposed within the handle portion of the flow path and a fixed orifice is disposed within the barrel portion of the flow path. A variable leverage mechanism serves to transmit the movement of a finger trigger to the valve mecahnism. A thumb actuated mechanism is provided for selectively retaining the trigger in its operating position. Coupling means is provided in the forward end of the barrel structure and rearward tubular portions of an adjustable spray assembly and a rotary outlet assembly for enabling either to be detachably interengaged therewith.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A hose nozzle comprising

a handle structure having an exterior periphery shaped to be gripped by a hand of a user,
said handle structure including a lower end portion having a female hose fitting therein,
a barrel structure extending forwardly from the upper end of said handle structure,
water outlet means at the forward end of said barrel structure,
means within said handle and barrel structures defining a water flow path extending upwardly from said female hose fitting through said handle structure and forwardly to said water outlet means through said barrel structure,
means defining a valve seat in said flow path,
a valve member mounted for movement toward and away from said valve seat between valve closing and valve opening positions,
spring means for resiliently urging said valve member toward said valve closing position with a spring force which progressively increases from an initial force as said valve member is moved away from said valve closing position to a greater final force as said valve member is moved toward said valve opening position,
a trigger member disposed at the juncture of said handle and barrel structures below said barrel structure and forwardly of said handle structure and mounted for digital movement from an inoperative position into an operative position,
a motion transmitting mechanism connecting the trigger to the valve and having a leverage varying means for effecting a movement of said valve member from said valve closing position into said valve opening position against the urging of said increasing spring force in response to a digital movement of said trigger member from said inoperative position into said operative position by a digital force which varies from an initial force required to move said trigger member away from said inoperative position to a final force required to move said trigger member into said operative position,
the final force to initial force ratio of the trigger member movement being substantially less than the final force to initial force ratio of the valve member movement so as to compensate for the increasing spring force and enable the digital force requirements of the user to remain comfortable throughout the range of movement of said valve member.

8 more elements

A hose nozzle comprising

a handle structure,
a barrel structure extending forwardly from the upper end of said handle structure,
said handle and barrel structures being defined by an interior water handling conduit providing interior handle and barrel portions of said handle and barrel structures respectively and a plurality of cooperating exterior parts fixed together in surrounding relation to said interior water handling conduit so as to provide exterior handle and barrel portions of said handle and barrel structures respectively,
said interior handle portion including a lower end portion having a female hose fitting therein,
water outlet means at the forward end of said interior barrel portion,
means within said interior handle and barrel portions defining a water flow path extending upwardly from said female hose fitting through said interior handle portion and forwardly to said water outlet means through said interior barrel portion,
valve means mounted in said flow path for movement between valve closing and valve opening positions,
a trigger member mounted at the juncture of said exterior handle and barrel portions below said exterior barrel portion and forwardly of said exterior handle portion for digital movement from an inoperative position into an operative position, and
motion transmitting means for effecting a movement of said valve means from said valve closing position into said valve opening position in response to a digital movement of said trigger member from said inoperative position into said operative position,
said exterior parts presenting a gun simulating exterior periphery, the handle portion of which is shaped to be gripped by a hand of the user,
said exterior parts enclosing (1) said inner conduit (2) said valve means, and (3) said motion transmitting means to an extent such that the gun simulating exterior periphery thereof together with trigger member and said water outlet means constitutes substantially the entire visual appearance of said hose nozzle,
said exterior parts presenting an interior periphery disposed in spaced relation with respect to (1) said valve means, (2), said motion transmitting means to an extent sufficient to accommodate the movements thereof and (3) an extent of the exterior periphery of the handle portion of said inner conduit sufficient to define an insulating air space suitable to render the handle portion of the exterior periphery of said exterior parts more comfortable to grip when water at an uncomfortable temperature is flowing through said flow path.

9 more elements

A hose nozzle comprising

a handle structure having an exterior periphery shaped to be gripped by a hand of a user,
said handle structure including a lower end portion having a female hose fitting therein,
a barrel structure extending forwardly from the upper end of said handle structure,
means within said handle and barrel structures defining a water flow path extending upwardly from said female hose fitting through said handle structure and forwardly through said barrel structure,
means in said water flow path at the forward barrel structure thereof defining a fixed orifice for directing water from the forward end of said barrel structure with a jet stream suitable for sweeping walks and the like,
valve means mounted in said flow path upstream from said fixed orifice mounted for movement between valve closing and valve opening positions,
a manually engagable member mounted for movement with respect to said handle structure from an inoperative position into an operative position,
means for effecting a movement of said valve means from said valve closing position into said valve opening position in response to a manual movement of said manually engagable member from said inoperative position into said operation position,
an adjustable spray assembly selectively detachably mountable on said barrel structure downsteam of said fixed orifice defining means in water receiving relation with respect to the water flowing from said fixed orifice defining means for directing the water flowing therefrom in any selected one of a multiplicity of different spray streams so that the user may select as the water output of the hose nozzle either the jet stream flowing from said fixed orifice defining means by detaching said adjustable spray assembly from said barrel structure or the selected spray stream flowing from said adjustable spray assembly by detachably mounting the latter on said barrel structure.

6 more elements

A hose nozzle comprising

a handle structure having an exterior periphery shaped to be gripped by a hand of a user,
said handle structure including a lower end portion having a female hose fitting therein,
a barrel structure extending forwardly from the upper end of said handle structure,
water outlet means at the forward end of said barrel structure,
means within said handle and barrel structure defining a waterflow path extending upwardly from said female hose fitting through said handle structure and forwardly to said water outlet means through said barrel structure,
valve means mounted in said flow path for movement between valve closing and valve opening positions,
a manually engagable member mounted for movement with respect to said handle structure from an inoperative position into an operative position,
means for effecting a movement of said valve means from said valve closing position into said valve opening position in response to a manual movement of said manually engagable member from said inoperative position into said operative position,
a series of different outlet assemblies, and
detachable interengaging coupling means on each of said outlet assemblies and said barrel structure for enabling a user to detachably interconnect a selected one of said set of different outlet assemblies on said barrel structure in flow receiving relation to the water outlet therein so that water flowing from said water outlet means will be caused to flow in a stream determined by the selected interconnected outlet assembly.

7 more elements

A rotary output assembly for a hose nozzle or the like comprising

a housing assembly having rearwardly extending coupling means for detachably interengaging cooperative coupling means on a hose nozzle or the like,
said coupling means defining a water inlet for receiving water from the hose nozzle or the like into the housing assembly,
said housing assembly having a fixed annular wall providing an interior periphery defining an annular forwardly opening water outlet,
speed reducing means within said housing assembly having an input shaft, an output shaft extending forwardly through said outlet in a fixed position of rotational movement and a series of meshing speed reducing gears between said shafts whereby said output shaft is rotated at a speed less than the speed of the input shaft,
impeller means drivingly associated with said input shaft and mounted within said housing assembly in a position to be rotated by water under pressure flowing from said inlet to said outlet,
a rotary water distributor fixed to said output shaft and disposed in water communicating relation with said outlet,
said rotary water distributor including a rearwardly facing annular sealing surface,
an annular member mounted for axial movement within said annular water outlet and in surrounding relation with said output shaft,
said annular member having an exterior periphery disposed within the interior periphery of said fixed annular wall,
an O-ring seal sealingly mounted between the exterior periphery of said annular member and the interior periphery of said fixed annular wall in such a way as to accommodate any relative axial movement of said annular member with respect to said fixed annular wall,
means on said annular member defining a forwardly facing sealing surface for sealingly engaging the rearwardly facing sealing surface of said rotary water distributor,
spring means acting between said housing assembly and said annular member for resiliently urging the latter forwardly so as to maintain said forwardly facing sealing surface in sealing engagement with the rearwardly facing sealing surface of said rotary water distrubutor,
said housing assembly providing interior flow directing surfaces for directing the water therein to flow from said impeller means and then upwardly between said output shaft and said annular member into communicating relation to rotary water distributor.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.