Compact battery operated spray head fittable onto existing pump spray containers and providing improved balance

Abstract

A battery operated spray pump includes a piston pump wherein the axis of the pump is arranged at an angle relative to the axis of the spray discharge and the fluid inlet. In addition the batteries lie substantially on top of the pump rather than behind it. This allows the spray head to assume an overall size which is almost completely within the foot print of the bottle to which it is attached and also provides the spay head with better balance.

1 . A liquid sprayer for use with a fluid container, said sprayer comprising: 
 a housing;    a nozzle coupled to said housing, said nozzle having a nozzle inlet, a nozzle outlet, and a fixed nozzle axis substantially coaxial with said nozzle outlet;    a battery powered pump contained within said housing, said pump having a pump inlet, a pump outlet and a pump axis substantially coaxial with said pump outlet, wherein said pump axis and said nozzle axis are neither collinear nor parallel nor perpendicular.    
   
   
       2 . The sprayer according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a threaded coupling adapted to couple to a standard bottle, said threaded coupling having a coupling axis, wherein    said pump inlet has an inlet axis which is not collinear with said coupling axis.    
   
   
       3 . The sprayer according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a flexible tube coupling said pump outlet to said nozzle inlet.    
   
   
       4 . The sprayer according to  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said inlet axis is not perpendicular to said pump axis.    
   
   
       5 . The sprayer according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said pump includes a motor and a transmission, said motor being coupled to said transmission and said transmission being coupled to said pump.    
   
   
       6 . The sprayer according to  claim 5 , wherein: 
 said pump is a piston pump.    
   
   
       7 . The sprayer according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said pump axis and said nozzle axis assume an angle of between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.    
   
   
       8 . The sprayer according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a battery compartment located on top of said housing and having a removable cover.    
   
   
       9 . The sprayer according to  claim 8 , further comprising: 
 at least one battery located in said battery compartment.    
   
   
       10 . The sprayer according to  claim 9 , wherein: 
 said battery is substantially parallel to said pump axis.    
   
   
       11 . The sprayer according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a bottle coupled to said housing, said bottle being in fluid communication with said pump inlet.    
   
   
       12 . The sprayer according to  claim 11 , wherein: 
 said bottle has a footprint and substantially all of said housing lies within said footprint.    
   
   
       13 . The sprayer according to  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 a bottle coupled to said housing, said bottle being in fluid communication with said pump inlet.    
   
   
       14 . The sprayer according to  claim 13 , wherein: 
 said bottle has a footprint and substantially all of said housing lies within said footprint.    
   
   
       15 . The sprayer according to  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a trigger;    a battery located in said housing; and    an electrical switch means electrically coupled to said battery powered pump and said battery for permitting said battery to power said battery powered pump, said electrical switch means being activatable by said trigger.    
   
   
       16 . A liquid sprayer for use with a fluid container, said sprayer comprising: 
 a housing;    a nozzle coupled to said housing, said nozzle having a nozzle inlet and a nozzle outlet, said nozzle outlet defining a fixed spray vector pointing in the direction of spray, said spray vector having a horizontal component and a vertical component;    a pump contained within said housing, said pump having a pump inlet and a pump outlet, said pump outlet defining an outlet vector pointing in the direction of fluid flow from said pump outlet, said outlet vector having a horizontal component and a vertical component, wherein    said spray vector and said outlet vector are neither collinear nor parallel nor perpendicular, the horizontal component of said outlet vector and the horizontal component of said spray vector pointing in the same direction.    
   
   
       17 . The sprayer according to  claim 16 , wherein: 
 said pump inlet defines an inlet vector which is neither parallel to nor collinear with nor orthogonal to said outlet vector.    
   
   
       18 . The sprayer according to  claim 16 , further comprising: 
 a flexible tube coupling said pump outlet to said nozzle inlet.    
   
   
       19 . The sprayer according to  claim 16 , wherein: 
 said pump is an electrically powered pump.    
   
   
       20 . The sprayer according to  claim 19 , wherein: 
 said electrically powered pump includes a motor and a transmission, said motor being coupled to said transmission and said transmission being coupled to said pump.    
   
   
       21 . The sprayer according to  claim 20 , wherein: 
 said pump is a piston pump.    
   
   
       22 . The sprayer according to  claim 16 , wherein: 
 said spray vector and said outlet vector form an angle of between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.