HK1178105B - Fluid reservoir for a paint spray gun - Google Patents

Description

Fluid reservoir for paint spray gun

This application is a divisional application filed on 2005-8-13-th entitled "fluid reservoir for paint spray gun" and having application number 200580029884.2.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a fluid reservoir (flie β becher) for a paint spray gun. The fluid reservoir has a cup-shaped container, a cover attachable to the container, and a connection integrally formed on the container or the cover for securing the fluid reservoir to the paint spray gun.

Background

Conventional fluid reservoirs for paint spray guns usually have a cup-shaped container which is provided with an opening in its bottom and with a connecting portion for detachably connecting the container to the upper side of the paint spray gun. The connection is usually in the form of a connection piece and is arranged at the bottom of the container and has an external thread for screwing into a corresponding threaded opening on the upper side of the spray gun. In conventional fluid reservoirs, the connection is typically rigidly disposed on the container. However, this results in the container being in a horizontal or near horizontal position when attached to the spray gun, while the spray gun remains in a somewhat inclined position. In this way, it is not ensured in certain cases that paint can flow into the spray gun.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to develop a fluid reservoir of the type mentioned at the outset which makes it possible to improve the material supply and to achieve a good material supply even when the spray gun is held in an inclined position.

This object is achieved by a fluid reservoir having the following features: the transition area between the connection and the container or lid is designed to be flexible for adjusting the inclination of the central axis of the container or lid relative to the central axis of the connection, the wall thickness at the transition area between the connection and the container or lid varies from a thicker wall thickness at the connection to a thinner wall thickness at the container or lid, the difference in wall thickness at the transition from the connection to the container or lid being at least 30%, the transition between the connection and the container or lid being provided with a fillet. Possible embodiments and further advantageous refinements of the invention are described below.

A major advantage of the fluid reservoir of the present invention is that the fluid reservoir may be tilted relative to the connection. The tilt of the fluid reservoir attached to the spray gun can be changed as needed to ensure that paint flows into the spray gun even when the spray gun is significantly tilted. This adjustability is achieved in that the transition region between the connection and the container or the lid is designed to be flexible. The connection for detachably fastening the fluid reservoir to the spray gun may be provided on the container or on the cover. When the connecting portion is provided on the cap, the container is inverted in use.

In an embodiment of the invention which is advantageous in terms of production technology, the wall thickness changes from a thicker wall thickness at the connection to a thinner wall thickness at the container or the lid in the transition region between the connection and the container or the lid.

In a further embodiment, the transition region can also be realized, for example, in the form of a bellows or the like.

Drawings

Other distinctive features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a fluid reservoir according to the invention with an upright and an inclined connection, the regions X and Y being illustrated in an enlarged manner;

fig. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a fluid reservoir according to the invention with an upright and an inclined connection, the regions X and Y being illustrated in an enlarged manner.

Detailed Description

The fluid reservoir for a paint spray gun shown in fig. 1 and 2 comprises a cup-shaped container 1, a lid 2 attached to the container 1, and a connecting portion 3 integrally formed on the container 1 for detachably fixing the container 1 to the paint spray gun. Both the container 1 with the integrally formed coupling part 3 and the lid 2 are injection-molded parts made of a resilient, non-brittle plastic material. These requirements are met, for example, by PE materials or plastics with a high PE content.

The enlarged regions X and Y in fig. 1 and 2 show that the connection 3 is formed by a tubular connection piece which is integrally formed on the container 1 or is integrally connected to the conical base 4 of the container 1, wherein the tubular connection piece comprises a hollow cylindrical guide region (fuhrungsbereich) 5, an adjacent external thread 6 for screwing in a conventional internal thread, a helical wedge element arranged above the external thread 6 for quick connection of the fluid reservoir to the spray gun, and an upper insertion region 7 for insertion of a conventional filter with an annular inner engagement surface. In the embodiment shown, the screw wedge element is formed by a screw wedge-shaped projection 9 with a screw wedge surface 10 which extends over half the circumference of the connecting portion 3 and can engage a corresponding mating surface on an accessory or flange of a paint spray gun. The projection 9 with the screw wedge 10 and the corresponding mating surface on the spray gun are designed such that the container 1 can be firmly fixed on the spray gun by rotating the two parts one quarter to one half relative to each other. In this case, the front end face 11 of the connecting part 3 abuts against a corresponding sealing surface in the paint spray gun. The additional external thread 6 also makes it possible to use the fluid reservoir for paint spray guns which do not have a corresponding fitting which cooperates with the screw wedge element, but rather have a conventional internal thread.

In the fluid reservoir shown in fig. 1 and 2, the transition region 12 between the connection 3 and the bottom 4 of the container 1 is designed to be flexible, so that the angular position of the central axis 13 of the container 1 relative to the central axis 14 of the connection 3 can be adjusted. The transition area 12 is designed in such a way that the container 1 can be set to the desired inclined position after screwing on the spray gun without automatically swinging back into its normal position. The container 1 may be swung back to its normal or other inclined position if desired. The left hand views in fig. 1 and 2 show the fluid reservoir in its normal position. In this position, the central axis 13 of the container 1 coincides with the central axis 14 of the connecting part 3. In the right-hand illustration the container 1 is tilted relative to the connecting part 3. Wherein the central axis 14 of the connecting portion 3 is offset at an angle with respect to the central axis 13 of the container 1.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1, the transition region 12 between the connecting portion 3 and the container 1 is designed in such a way that the wall thickness changes from a thicker wall thickness at the insertion region 7 of the connecting portion 3 to a thinner wall thickness at the container bottom 4. The wall thickness difference in the transition region is at least 30%. It is thereby ensured that the bottom 4 of the container 1 can be bent without cracks being produced, while the insertion region 7 of the connecting portion 3 is not subject to any damage. The inner contour of the connecting portion 3 for accommodating the filter is thereby also maintained during the oscillation of the container 1. A rounded corner 15 is provided at the transition from the connecting portion 3 to the bottom 4 of the container 1. This ensures that the container 1 is not damaged or bent in this region when tilted.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the transition region 12 is designed in the form of a bellows. The container 1 can also be tilted relative to the connecting portion 3 in this embodiment.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings. For example, the connecting portion 3 may be integrally formed on the cover. Thus, the container may have a conventional cup shape with a flat bottom surface, and the flat bottom surface has no attachment portion. A cap provided with a coupling portion may be attached to the container after the container is filled, and then the fluid reservoir may be inserted into the opening of the inverted spray gun. The spray gun is then inverted so that the fluid reservoir is located on the upper side of the spray gun. To vent the fluid reservoir, a vent valve disposed at the bottom of the fluid reservoir may be opened, for example, or an initially closed vent channel may be pierced by a pin or the like. The advantage is obtained that the fluid reservoir can also be used for storing incompletely used paint, by means of a vent valve which can be closed again after the paint gun has been used or a re-sealable vent opening.

Claims (7)

1. Fluid reservoir for a paint spray gun, having a cup-shaped container (1), a cover (2) which can be attached to the container (1) and a connecting part (3) which is integrally formed on the container (1) or the cover (2) and is used for fixing the fluid reservoir to the paint spray gun, characterized in that a transition region (12) between the connecting part (3) and the container (1) or the cover (2) is designed to be flexible for adjusting the inclination of a central axis (13) of the container (1) or the cover (2) relative to a central axis (14) of the connecting part (3), the wall thickness of the transition region (12) between the connecting part (3) and the container (1) or the cover (2) changes from a thicker wall thickness at the connecting part (3) to a thinner wall thickness at the container (1) or the cover (2), the difference at the transition from the connecting part (3) to the container (1) or the cover (2) being at least 30%, a fillet (15) is arranged at the transition between the connecting part (3) and the container (1) or the cover (2).

2. The fluid reservoir as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the connection (3) has a screw wedge element for quick connection of the fluid reservoir to a paint spray gun.

3. Fluid reservoir according to claim 2, characterised in that the helical wedge element is formed by a helical wedge-like projection (9) with a helical wedge surface (10) which extends over half the circumference of the connection portion (3) and can engage a corresponding mating surface on an accessory or flange of a paint spray gun.

4. A fluid reservoir according to claim 3, characterized in that the quick-connect thread is a steep four-thread, wherein an external thread is provided circumferentially at the upper end of the container (1) and a corresponding internal thread is provided inside the cap (2).

5. A fluid reservoir according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the connecting part (3) comprises an external thread (6) for screwing into a conventional internal thread.

6. The fluid reservoir as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the container (1) with the connecting portion (3) and/or the lid (2) are made of an elastic, non-brittle plastic material.

7. The fluid reservoir of claim 6, wherein the plastic material is PE or a high PE content plastic.