Turret nozzle with ball valve flow adjustment

A hose nozzle comprising

• a tubular body having means on one end portion thereof for connecting the same to an end of a hose containing a source of water under pressure,
• said tubular body extending from said one portion a distance sufficient to provide a hand grip portion adjacent said one end portion suitable to be grasped in one hand with the thumb naturally extended into an actuating position on an opposite end of the hand grip portion,
• said tubular body defining an interior water passage extending through the one end portion and hand grip portion thereof for confining water under pressure communicated therewith from a hose containing a source of water under pressure connecting with said hose end connecting means,
• an annular ball valve seat in said tubular body facing toward and in water communicating relation with said passage,
• a ball valve disposed in said passage in cooperating relation with said ball valve seat for varying the flow rate of water under pressure confined within said passage through said valve seat between zero and maximum,
• said ball valve being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis transverse to the extent of said hand grip portion between fully opened and fully closed positions with respect to said valve seat corresponding to zero and maximum flow rate respectively,
• a manually actuatable flow direction assembly mounted on said tubular body adjacent the opposite end of said hand grip portion for receiving water flowing through said valve seat when said ball valve is out of its fully closed position and for directing the same into the atmosphere in different stream formations determined by the manual actuation thereof, each of which extends into the atmosphere in a direction generally parallel with the direction of extent of the hand grip portion of said tubular body such that when the stream formation is directed horizontally the actuation position is disposed in an upper location on said opposite end of said hand grip portion, and
• an actuating member disposed on the exterior of said tubular body adjacent the opposite end of said hand grip portion,
• said actuating member being mounted in fixed relation with said ball valve for pivotal movements therewith about the pivotal axis of said ball valve,
• said actuating member having thumb-engaging means thereon disposed in said actuating position for effecting pivotal movements of said actuating member about the pivotal axis of said ball valve by engagement therewith of the extended thumb of the hand gripping said hand grip portion,
• the mounting of said ball valve and said actuating member together and with respect to said tubular body and valve seat being such that (1) the actuating member is retained in any position of pivotal movement into which it is moved by thumb engagement and (2) the ball valve is retained in a corresponding position for determining the variable flow rate of water under pressure through said valve seat.