US 5,865,374 AGranted

Rotary spray apparatus

OwnerTerrance G. Barta, Gregory L. Bartainventors

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Abstract

A rotary spray fluid apparatus anchorable to a car wash structure which has an elongate body portion with a side inlet and a rotatable hollow shaft extending therethrough defining an annular space with fluid transfer region, a pair of sealing regions and a pair of bearing regions. The shaft has a port adjacent the side inlet extending into an axial passageway in the shaft to flow to a spray head. Each sealing region has a pair of sealing rings. One ring of each pair of sealing rings is sealed to the body portion and the other is sealed to the rotatable shaft. A spring positioned in the fluid transfer region of the annular space provides an axial compressive force to maintain engaging faces of the sealing rings together as the shaft is rotated thereby sealing the annular space relative to the fluid flowing to the spray head.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A rotary spray apparatus for use in a car wash structure comprising:

a body portion anchorable to the car wash structure, the body portion having an exterior, a first end, and a second end with a bore extending from end to end and with a side inlet port communicative with the bore;
a shaft with a driveable end and an outlet end, the shaft extending through the body portion and concentrically spaced in the bore defining an annular space, the annular space having a fluid transfer region, a sealing region, and a bearing region, the shaft having an internal fluid passageway extending from a fluid inlet positioned at the fluid transfer region to the outlet end of the shaft;
a pair of plastic bearings each comprising a hollow cylindrical section and a collar portion, the cylindrical section positioned in the annular space with the collars at the ends of the body portion, the bearing engaging the shaft;
a pair of shaft retainers positioned outwardly of the body portion on the shaft for retaining the shaft within the body portion;
two sets of cooperating sealing rings positioned in the annular space, one set at each of the sealing regions, the cooperating sealing sets each comprised of a first rigid sealing ring sealingly engaged with the body portion, and a second rigid sealing ring sealingly engaged with the shaft, the first ring and second rings each having cooperative non-flexible sealing surfaces engaging each other;
a spring positioned in the annular space intermediate the two sets of cooperating sealing rings for compressively engaging the cooperating sealing faces thereby sealing the fluid transfer region from the exterior of the body portion;
a spray head connecting to and extending transverse the outlet end of the shaft, the spray head in fluid communication with the outlet end of the shafts, the spray conduit having at least one nozzle directed in a substantially axial direction;
and
a motor complied to the driveable end of the shaft for rotating the shaft and spray head.

6 more elements

A rotary spray apparatus comprising:

a body portion having an exterior, a first end, and a second end with a bore extending from end to end and with a side inlet port communicative with the bore, the bore having a first diameter;
a shaft with two ends, one of said is an outlet end, the shaft extending through the body portion and having a second diameter less than the first diameter, the first and second diameters defining a uniform annular space, the uniform annular space having a sealing region and a bearing region;
a pair of bearings positioned in the uniform annular space, one positioned at each of the ends of the body portion, the bearing engaged with the body portion and further engaged with and supporting the shaft portion;
two sets of cooperating sealing rings positioned in the uniform annular space, one set at each of the sealing regions, the cooperating sealing sets each comprised of a first rigid sealing ring sealingly engaged with the body portion, and a second rigid sealing ring sealingly engaged with the shaft, the first ring and second ring having cooperating non-flexible sealing surfaces;
and
a spring positioned intermediate the two sets of cooperating sealing rings compressively engaging the cooperating sealing faces together thereby sealing the annular space from the exterior of the body portion.

3 more elements

A rotary fluid apparatus comprising:

a body portion anchorable to a structure, the body portion having an exterior, a first end, a second end, a bore extending from end to end, and with an inlet port intermediate the two ends communicative with the bore;
a shaft with two ends, one of said ends an outlet end, the shaft extending through the body portion and concentrically spaced in the bore defining an annular space, the annular space having a fluid transfer region, a pair of sealing regions, each axially outward from the fluid transfer region, and a pair of bearing regions, each bearing region positioned axially outward from the sealing regions, the shaft having an internal fluid passageway extending from a fluid inlet positioned at the fluid transfer region to the outlet end of the shaft;
two sets of cooperating sealing rings, one set positioned in each of the sealing regions of the annular space, the cooperating sealing sets each comprised of a first rigid sealing ring sealingly engaged with the body portion, and a second rigid sealing ring sealingly engaged with the shaft, the first ring and second rings having cooperative sealing surfaces sealingly engaging each other;
pair of plastic bearings each comprising a hollow cylindrical section, the bearings each engaging the body portion and positioned in the bearing region of the annular space, the shaft extending through and supported by said bearings;
and
a spring positioned in the annular space intermediate the two sets of cooperating sealing rings for compressively engaging the cooperating sealing faces of each set thereby sealing the fluid transfer region from the exterior of the body portion.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.