 |
Description  |
|
|
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a dispenser device and, more particularly, to a
dispenser gun, such as a caulking gun and the like, having a trigger for
releasing a cable to allow a spring to force flowable material such as
caulking or other like material, out of the dispensing end of the
dispenser gun.
Caulking guns are well known, being usually constructed to receive a
commercially available caulking cartridge, whereby the caulking material
is dispensed upon pulling of the trigger of the caulking gun. However, due
to the viscous composition of the caulking material, an excess amount of
pressure has to be exerted in order to squeeze the trigger when operating
the caulking gun.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,639 discloses a dispenser gun which is operated by
squeezing the trigger thereof to tilt a gripping ring in order to advance
the ring and a piston rod connected thereto, so that a piston secured on
the end of the piston rod discharges a paste material contained in a
cartridge of the dispenser gun. Accordingly, the pressure on the trigger
must be sufficient in order to advance the piston for the discharge of the
paste material.
The above mentioned problem is solved to a degree by a power operated
caulking gun disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,994, wherein the power
required to drive the piston through the gun to force the caulking
material therefrom is applied by means of an electric motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,598 discloses a dispenser device including a hollow
container portion for receiving flowable material therein. A plunger is
slidingly mounted within the container portion, and a spring normally
urges the plunger towards the outlet. A rod is secured to the plunger and
is provided with recesses therein which receive a detent member of the
trigger means so that when the detent member is engaged in one of the
recesses, the plunger is held against movement. When it is desired to
discharge the flowable material from the container portion, the trigger is
squeezed to withdraw the detent member from the recesses, thereby freeing
the rod and the associated plunger for movement under the influence of the
spring so that the plunger discharges the flowable material. It is noted,
that the rod must have a longitudinal length equal to more than twice the
longitudinal length of the container portion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a
dispenser gun which avoids the problems of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser gun that
is simple and practical in construction, which is economical to
manufacture, and which is efficient and reliable in use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser gun
provided with a trigger mechanism which does not require an excessive
amount of pressure to be extended in order to squeeze the trigger
mechanism when operating the dispenser gun.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser gun
that is capable of using cartridges of either the disposable type or the
reusable type, and which permits a liquid impermeable insert bag to be
inserted within the reusable type cartridge.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser gun as
described above, that includes spring means for providing a spring force
upon the cartridge to dispense a flowable material therefrom.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser gun as
described above, that includes cable means for controlling the spring
force of the spring means acting on the cartridge.
And still a further object of the present invention is to provide a
dispenser gun as described above, that includes retaining means for
engaging the cable means in a locked position to prevent the spring means
from acting upon the cartridge, and also for releasing the cable means so
that the spring means acts upon the cartridge.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser gun as
described above, wherein the trigger mechanism moves the retaining means
out of engagement with the cable means to release same in order to
discharge the flowable material.
Briefly, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a
dispenser gun, such as a caulking gun, that includes a hollow tubular body
member for receiving a cartridge of flowable material therein, such as
caulking material, and a removable cap member to maintain the cartridge
therein so that a nozzle of the cartridge extends through an opening in
the cap member. The body member includes release means, such as a trigger
mechanism, for acting upon retaining means, such as a cam retaining
mechanism, to disengage a cable into a released position to allow spring
means including a spring biased pressure disc, which is connected to the
cable, to act upon the cartridge to dispense or discharge the flowable
material therefrom. In the non-operating condition or non-discharging
position, the retaining means engages the cable in a locked position so
that the cable prevents any forward movement of the pressure disc against
the cartridge. The cartridge can be of either the disposable type or the
reusable type, where a liquid impermeable insert bag can be inserted
within the reusable type cartridge. Preferably, a tool is used to move the
pressure disc rearwardly back to its original position within the body
member to receive a new cartridge within the body member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With the above and additional objects and advantages in view, as will
hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and
arrangements of parts hereinafter described by way of example and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in
which:
FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view of a dispenser gun in accordance with
the present invention, showing a caulking gun provided with a caulking
cartridge filled with caulking material;
FIG. 2 is a side cross sectional view similar to FIG. 1, showing the
caulking material being discharged from the caulking cartridge;
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a fragmented, partly cross sectional view showing a spring loaded
spool of cable and means for retaining the cable in a secured position;
FIG. 6 is a fragmented top view showing the means of FIG. 5 retaining the
cable in the secured position;
FIG. 7 is a fragmented, partly cross section view similar to FIG. 5,
showing the retaining means in a released position;
FIG. 8 is a fragmented top view showing the retaining means of FIG. 7 in
the released position;
FIG. 9 is an exploded side cross sectional view of a modified dispenser
cartridge in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a side view showing a modification of the cap member shown in
FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a side cross sectional view showing the modified cap member of
FIG. 10 provided with a short nozzle;
FIG. 12 is a side cross sectional view showing the modified cap member of
FIG. 10 provided with a long nozzle;
FIG. 13 is a fragmented, cross sectional view showing the rear plate member
of FIG. 9 being moved rearwardly;
FIG. 14 is a fragmented, cross sectional view showing the rear plate member
of FIG. 9 being moved forwardly;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an insert bag in accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 16 is a cross sectional view showing the insert bag of FIG. 15
disposed in the casing of the dispenser cartridge of FIG. 9;
FIG. 17 is a fragmented perspective view of a modified dispenser gun in
accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 18 is a fragmented, partly cross sectional view showing the dispensing
spring means of the modified dispenser gun of FIG. 17 being moved
rearwardly.
In the various figures of the drawings, like reference characters designate
like parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 discloses a dispenser gun in
accordance with the present invention, and more particularly, shows the
cross section of a caulking gun 10 provided with a conventional caulking
cartridge 12 filled with caulking material 14. The caulking cartridge 12
is well known in the art, and includes a tubular casing 16 having a nozzle
18 at the front end thereof, and a movable disc 20 at the rear end
thereof. The casing 20 is turned in at the rear end thereof to provide a
flange 22 to prevent the disc 20 from being pushed out of the rear end of
the casing 16.
The caulking gun 10 includes a hollow tubular body member 24 and a
removable cap member 26 which is securely threaded onto the front end of
the body member 24. The cap member 26 has an opening 28 centrally
therethrough to receive the nozzle 18 of the caulking cartridge 12. The
body member 24 is provided with a handle member 30 extending outwardly
therefrom which is slightly off center to be closer to the front end of
the body member 24. A trigger member 32 is mounted in front of the handle
member 30 by a pin 34 so that the trigger member 32 can pivot towards and
away from the handle member 30. A spring member 36 is disposed between the
trigger member 32 and the handle member 30 to force the trigger member 32
away from the handle member 30 when not being operated, as shown in FIG.
1, to provide a non-discharging position, as will be explained below. A
bar member 38 is secured to the inner end of trigger member 32 for
pivoting movement therewith, so that the trigger member 32 and the bar
member 38 provide a release mechanism as also will be explained below.
A spring loaded spool 40 has a high tension wire or cable 42 extendable
therefrom so that the cable 42 can be pulled out of the spool 40 or
retracted into the spool 40, as will be explained below in more detail.
The spool 40 is mounted by suitable means, such as a pin 44, within a
housing portion 46 extending outwardly from the body member 24, as shown
in FIG. 3. The spool 40 lies within the housing portion 46 so as to not
interfore with the caulking cartridge casing 16, where the spool 40 is
disposed adjacent the outside surface of the casing 16. The cable 42 is
fabricated from a suitable metal material, or a suitable plastic material,
or any other suitable like material.
From the spool 40, the cable 42 extends rearwardly through a retaining
mechanism 48. The retaining mechanism 48 is adjacent to the trigger member
32 for engagement with the bar member 38, as will be explained below.
Preferably, the cable 42 extends within a longitudinally extending recess
50, which is formed in the body member 24, to the rear of the body member
24. From the rear of the recess 50, the cable 42 engages around a bar 52
and extends transversely within a second recess 54, which is formed in the
rear wall of the body member 24, to a second bar 56 provided in the recess
54, as shown in FIG. 4. The cable 42 engages around the bar 56 so that the
cable 42 now extends in a forward direction towards a pressure block 58 of
the spring means 60.
The cable 42 extends through the central opening of the coil spring 62 of
the spring means 60, the coil spring 62 being secured to the pressure
block 58 by conventional means. The cable 42 then passes through a first
hole 64 formed through the pressure block 58, then is looped back within a
forward recess 66 formed in the pressure block 58 into a second hole 68
formed through the pressure block 58 so that the cable 42 is connected to
the pressure block 58. The cable 42 now extends rearwardly towards the
rear wall of the body member 24. The end of the cable 42 is secured by
conventional means to a plate 70 disposed between the coil spring 62 and
the rear wall of the body member 24 so that the plate 70 engages against
the rear end of the coil spring 62.
Before discussing FIG. 2 which shows the caulking material 14 being
discharged, it is best to discuss the retaining mechanism 48 and the parts
related thereto as shown in FIGS. 5-8. Accordingly, FIG. 5 shows the spool
40 and the cable 42 therefrom being positioned through the retaining
mechanism 48. The spool 40 includes an outer casing 72 which is fixed
stationary relative to the housing portion 46 so that the casing 72 does
not move. Within the casing 72 is an inner hollow drum 74 which is free to
rotate around the pin 44. Within the drum 74 is a coil spring 76 disposed
around the pin 44 with one inner end thereof being secured to the pin 44
and the other outer end thereof being secured to the drum 74 for rotation
therewith. The end 78 of the cable 42 is secured to the drum 74 for
rotation therewith, and the cable 42 is wrapped around the drum 74 for as
many turns as required until exiting out through an opening 80 in the
casing 72 from where it passes through the retaining mechanism 48.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the retaining mechanism 48 includes two cam
discs 82, 84 which are pivotly mounted by pins 86, 88 on spaced apart
support members 90, 92 which are connected to the body member 24 as
indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2. A spring 94 has the opposite ends thereof
secured to the cam discs 82, 84 to force the outer cam portions 96, 98 of
the cam discs 82, 84 towards each other. As shown in FIG. 6, the outer cam
portions 96, 98 are in engagement with the cable 42 which is disposed
therebetween, so that the cam portions 96, 98 retain the cable 42 to lock
the cable 42 in place. It is noted, that any pull on the cable 42 towards
the rear of the body member 24 will cause the cam discs 82, 84 to pivot
further inwardly towards each other, which would tend to increase the
frictional force of the cam discs 82, 84 acting upon the cable 42 to
further insure the retention of the cable 42 in a locked position.
Therefore, a large spring tension provided from the spring 94 is not
required. Preferably, the cam discs 82, 84 are fabricated from a
rubber-like material to provide a sufficient frictional force when acting
upon the cable 42.
It is noted, that the bar member 38 of the release mechanism is positioned
at an angle to the cam discs 82, 84, as shown in FIG. 5, with the free end
of the bar member 38 being positioned between the rear portions of the cam
discs 82, 84 as shown in FIG. 6. With an understanding of the above, the
functioning of the caulking gun 10 will now be described.
In FIG. 1, the spool 40, the cable 42, the retaining mechanism 48 and the
bar member 38 are positioned as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. When the trigger
member 32 is squeezed by the user's finger towards the handle member 30,
as shown in FIG. 2, the bar member 38 is pivoted forwardly together with
the trigger member 32 in the direction of the arrow 100 shown in FIG. 7.
Accordingly, the bar member 38 moves forwardly in the direction of the
arrow 102, shown in FIG. 8, between the cam discs 82, 84, and engages the
edges of the cam discs 82, 84 to pivot the cam discs 82, 84 outwardly away
from each other in the direction of the arrows 104, 106 against the
tension of the spring 94. As mentioned above, the spring tension of the
spring 94 is not large, so that a large amount of pressure is not required
when squeezing the trigger member 32 in order to move the cam discs 82, 84
apart.
It is noted, that when the cable 42 is in the locked position, as shown in
FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, the pressure block 58 of the spring means 60 is
prevented by the cable 42 from being moved forwardly by the force exerted
by the coil spring 62, where the force of the coil spring 62 only tends to
further pivot the cam discs 82, 84 towards each other, as set forth above.
Accordingly, when the cam discs 82, 84 are pivoted apart from each other,
as shown in FIG. 8, the cable 42 is disengaged into a released position,
causing the coil spring 62 to push the pressure block 58 forward, thereby
pulling the cable 42 in the direction of the arrow 108, shown in FIG. 8,
out of the spool 40. When the cable 42 is being pulled from the spool 40
in the direction of the arrow 110, as shown in FIG. 7, the drum 74 of the
spool 40 is also caused to rotate in the same direction, so that the coil
spring 76 within the drum 74 is wound up, where the force of the coil
spring 62 is greater than the force of the coil spring 76. The function of
the coil spring 76 will be discussed below.
As long as the trigger member 32 is being squeezed, as shown in FIG. 2, the
cable 42 is in the released position, and the coil spring 62 continues to
push the pressure block 58 forward into the casing 16 of the caulking
cartridge 12, so that the pressure block 58 in turn pushes the disc 20 of
the caulking cartridge 12 forward therein to dispense the caulking
material 14 out of the caulking cartridge casing 16 through the nozzle 18
in the direction of arrow 111. Accordingly, when the trigger member 32 is
released, the spring 36 pushes the trigger member 32 away from the handle
member 30 to pivot the bar member 38 back to its original position shown
in FIGS. 5 and 6. The spring 94 can now pivot the cam discs 82, 84 towards
each other so that the cable 42 is again in the locked position between
the cam discs 82, 84, thereby preventing any further forward motion of the
pressure block 58, and thus stopping the dispensing of the caulking
material 14 from the nozzle 18 of the caulking cartridge 12. This above
procedure continues until the caulking cartridge 12 is empty.
In order to ensure that all the caulking material 14 is emptied out of the
caulking cartridge 12, a screw 112 is threadingly engaged through the rear
end of the body member 24 of the caulking gun 10, and bears against the
rear surface of the plate 70 which engages the coil spring 62, as set
forth above. Accordingly, rotating the screw 112 will move the plate 70
either forwardly or rearwardly depending upon the direction of rotation of
the screw 112, so that the plate 70 pushes against or releases the
pressure on the coil spring 62 in order to control the spring pressure
thereof. For example, when there is a small amount of caulking material 14
still in the caulking cartridge 12, but no caulking material 14 is being
dispensed from the nozzle 18, by turning the screw 112 so that the plate
70 is moved forwardly, the coil spring 62 will exert a further pressure on
the pressure block 58, which is within the casing 16, to force the disc 20
of the caulking cartridge 12 further forward to dispense the remaining
caulking material 14 from the caulking cartridge 12. It is further noted,
that the screw 112 can be used to adjust the position of the pressure
block 58 within the body member 24 to allow the body member 24 to receive
therein different sized caulking cartridges, which vary slightly in
length, so that the pressure block 58 is always positioned against the
rear disc 20 of the inserted filled caulking cartridge 12, as shown in
FIG. 1.
The screw 112 has an enlarged head 114 provided with knurls on the outer
edge thereof so that the screw 112 can be turned by the user's fingers.
Additionally, a slot 116 is provided across the rear surface of the screw
112 to receive a tool therein, such as a screwdriver, for rotation of the
screw 112 in the case where a larger force is required to turn the screw
112.
Accordingly, when all the caulking material 14 has been dispensed from the
caulking cartridge 12, the cap member 26 is unscrewed and removed from the
body member 24. The caulking cartridge 12 is then removed from the
caulking gun 10 and is disposed of. A sufficiently long rod or tool, not
shown, is then inserted into the opening of the body member 24 to be
positioned against the pressure block 58, and then is pushed further into
the body member 24 to move the pressure block 58 rearwardly back to its
original position shown in FIG. 1. A new filled caulking cartridge can now
be inserted into the body member 24.
It is noted, that as the pressure block 58 is being moved rearwardly, the
pressure on the cable 42 caused by the spring means 60 is removed, so that
the coil spring 76 of the spool 40 will unwind from the wound position
shown in FIG. 7, and cause the drum 74 to rotate clockwise to retract the
cable 42 and wind the cable 42 around the drum 74 to the position shown in
FIG. 5.
It is further noted, that due to the fact the cable 42, as shown in FIG. 6,
is now being moved to the left, the cam discs 82, 84 will easily be
pivoted slightly away from each other by the cable 42 and will not prevent
the cable 42 from being wound up on the drum 74, where the spring force of
the coil spring 76 is greater than the spring force of the spring 94 which
normally acts to pivot the cam discs 82, 84 together.
Accordingly, when the tool for pushing the pressure block 58 is removed,
the spring means 60 will again act upon the cable 42 so that the cable 42
shown in FIG. 6 would tend to move to the right, but will be prevented
from any movement to the right by the cam discs 82, 84 in the same manner
mentioned above, so that the pressure block 58 will be held by the cable
42 in a stationary position to allow for the insertion of a new caulking
cartridge.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cable 42 is looped through the pressure
block 58 for connection thereto, and to also provide two lines of cable
from the pressure block 58 to thereby reduce the force on the cable 42 by
one-half Obviously, if desired, the end of the cable 42 can be connected
directly to the pressure block 58 without extending rearwardly to the
plate 70, where in this latter case, the cable 42 would have to be
strengthened to support the increased double force thereon.
Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the handle member 30 is preferably
provided with finger grip portions 118 in the front edge thereof, as best
shown in FIG. 30, to receive the fingers of the user. Additionally, the
trigger member 32 is also arcuately shaped to comfortably receive the
trigger finger of the user.
Instead of using the disposable type of caulking cartridge 12 as previously
described, FIG. 9 shows a reusable cartridge 120 which can be used with
the dispenser or caulking gun 10 of the present invention. The cartridge
120 can be used to dispense or discharge various flowable materials,
including liquids, rather than just dispensing the caulking material 14,
and can even be used for dispensing relatively viscous or slow-flowing
materials.
The cartridge 120 includes a tubular casing 122 having an opening 124 at
the front end thereof, and a movable disc 126 at the rear end thereof. The
wall around the opening 124 is reduced and is provided with an external
thread 128 to threadingly receive the internal thread 130 of the cap 132
thereon, where the outside diameter of the cap 132 is the same of the
outside diameter of the casing 122. The cap 132 is provided with an
outwardly extending nozzle 134 centrally located at the front end thereof.
The casing 122 is turned in at the rear end thereof to provide a flange
136 to prevent the disc 126 from being pushed out at the rear end of the
casing 122. The function of the disc 126 will be discussed below.
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 disclose a modification of the cap 132 shown in FIG. 9.
FIG. 10 shows a modified cap portion 138 with the nozzle thereof removed.
In place of the nozzle, the cap portion 138 is provided with an externally
threaded boss 140. FIG. 11 shows the internal threads 130 of the cap
portion 138, and a longitudinally extending short nozzle 142 threadingly
engaged on the boss 140. It is noted, that the rear end of the nozzle 142
is spaced from the cap portion 138 to provide a space for the
above-mentioned opening 28 of the cap member 26 of the caulking gun 10.
FIG. 12 shows a longitudinally extending long nozzle 144 threadingly
engaged on the boss 140 with the rear end thereof also being spaced from
the cap portion 138 for the above-mentioned reason. Accordingly, this
modification permits the user to select a particular type of nozzle,
either short or long, for dispensing the flowable material, where
obviously additional nozzles can be provided having different longitudinal
lengths as desired, depending upon the type of flowable material being
dispensed or discharged.
FIG. 13 shows the disc 126 being moved rearwardly in the direction of the
arrow 146 within the casing 122 in order to refill the casing with the
flowable material. FIG. 14 shows the disc 126 being moved forwardly in the
direction of the arrow 148 within the casing 122 when the flowable
material is being dispensed. Accordingly, the disc 126 is fabricated from
a plastic-like or rubber-like material so that the ends of the disc 126
are flexible to form a rim 150. As shown in FIG. 13, when moved rearwardly
in the direction of the arrow 146, the rim 150 is disposed on the forward
side of the disc 126. As shown in FIG. 14, when being moved forwardly in
the direction of the arrow 148, the rim 150 is on the rear side of the
disc 126. The function of the rim 150 is to form a liquid-tight seal with
the interior walls of the casing 126 to prevent any leakage of the
flowable material, including liquids, from the casing 122, where the rim
150 is always in sealing contact with the interior wall of the casing 122.
FIG. 15 shows a liquid impermeable insert bag 152 fabricated from a
plastic-like material. The insert bag 152 has a body portion 154 which is
longer than the casing 122, a closed rear end 156, and an opening 158 at
the forward end. Accordingly, the insert bag 152 receives the flowable
material therein, the insert bag 152 being best used for liquids.
As shown in FIG. 16, the insert bag 152 is inserted into the casing 122
with the mouth of the forward end, which has the opening 158, being folded
back over the outer surface of the front end of the casing 122. After the
insert bag 152 is filled with the forwardable material, the
above-mentioned cap 132 or cap portion 138 is threaded onto the thread 128
of the casing 122 with the forward end of the insert bag 152 being secured
therebetween. Thus, the insert bag 152 further ensures that there is no
leakage of the flowable material within the casing 122, and also permits
the flowable material to be prestored in several insert bags 152 for
continuous insertion, one after the other, within the casing 122 after
each insert bag 152 is emptied.
FIG. 17 shows a modified dispenser gun 160 which is the same as the above
mentioned caulking gun 10, except the hollow tubular body member 162
thereof is provided with longitudinally extending slots 164, 166 on
opposite sides thereof, as shown in FIG. 18. Accordingly, the slots 164,
166 provide an alternative method to the procedure mentioned above for
returning the pressure block 58 to its original position, shown in FIG. 1,
after the empty caulking cartridge 12 or cartridge 120 has been removed.
The slots 164, 166 extend forwardly as close to the forward end as
possible without interfering with the thread 168 thereon, and extend
rearwardly to the most rear position possible for the pressure block 58,
as indicated in FIG. 1.
Accordingly, after the cap member 26 is removed and the empty caulking
cartridge 12 or cartridge 120 is taken out of the dispenser gun 160, a
tool 170 is inserted through the forward most portions of the slots 164,
166. The tool 170 is then pushed rearwardly within the slots 164, 166 in
the direction of the arrow 172 until the tool 170 reaches the rear most
portions of the slots 164, 166. The tool 170 is now removed from the slots
164, 166, where the pressure block 58 is now in its original position
shown in FIG. 1 so that a new filled caulking cartridge 12 or cartridge
120 can be inserted into the body member 162. It is noted, that during the
above procedure, the cable 42 is being wound around the drum 74 of the
spool 40 in the same manner as mentioned above, and that after the tool
170 is removed, the pressure block 58 will be held by the cable 42 in a
stationary locked position in the same manner as mentioned above to allow
the insertion of the new cartridge.
Numerous changes in the structures hereinabove described may suggest
themselves to those skilled in the art, however, it is understood that the
present disclosure relates to preferred embodiments of the invention, and
is not to be construed as a limitation of the invention.
* * * * *
|
|
 |
|
 |
Description |
|
