(12) United States Patent
`Hung
`
`US006390390B1
`(16) Patent N6.=
`US 6,390,390 B1
`(45) Date of Patent:
`May 21, 2002
`
`(54) SPRINKLER STRUCTURE
`
`(75) Inventor? TSaHg-Chlmg Hung, Changhua hsien
`
`(TW)
`
`4,618,100 A * 10/1986 White et a1. .............. .. 239/526
`4,909,443 A * 3/1990 Takagi ...................... .. 239/526
`5,984,207 A * 11/1999 Wang ....................... .. 239/526
`
`6,247,654 B1 * 6/2001 K110 ......................... .. 239/526
`
`(73) Assignee: Ruey Ryh Enterprise Co], Ltd.,
`Changhua Hsien
`
`_
`_
`* cued by examlner
`
`*
`
`Notice:
`
`Sub'ect to an disclaimer, the term of this
`J
`y
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`Primary EXtlmin€r—R0bin 0. Evans
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Bacon & Thomas, PLLC
`
`(21) Appl. NO.Z 09/934,650
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Aug- 23’ 2001
`(22) Filed:
`(51) Int. Cl.7 ................................................ .. B05B 9/01
`(52)
`239/525; 239/526; 239/569
`(58) Field of Search ............................... .. 239/525, 526,
`239569, 289, 548, 586
`References Cited
`
`(56)
`
`Water ?oW through a sprinkler is controlled by a valve
`assembly that includes a spring-biased slide shaft disposed
`Within a valve tube and controlled by the pivotal movement
`of a trigger to permit accurate control of Water dispensed
`through a barrel body by varying the separation betWeen a
`stop ?ange of the slide shaft and a Water inlet of the valve
`tube.
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,396,156 A * 8/1983 Southworth et a1. ...... .. 239/526
`
`3 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
`
` Corrected Victaulic Exhibit 1012
` Victaulic v. Viking
` Case IPR2015-00423
` Page 1
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`May 21, 2002
`
`Sheet 1 0f 5
`
`US 6,390,390 B1
`
`N
`
`»"HIllvllllyll‘lllII‘IIIIIHIIIIH'Y*/
`
`PRIOR ART
`FIG. 1
`
`Corrected Petitioner's Exhibit 1012 p. 2
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`May 21, 2002
`
`Sheet 2 0f 5
`
`US 6,390,390 B1
`
`PRIOR ART
`
`FIG. 2
`
`Corrected Petitioner's Exhibit 1012 p. 3
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`May 21, 2002
`
`Sheet 3 0f 5
`
`US 6,390,390 B1
`
`Corrected Petitioner's Exhibit 1012 p. 4
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`May 21, 2002
`
`Sheet 4 0f 5
`
`US 6,390,390 B1
`
`FIG. 4
`
`Corrected Petitioner's Exhibit 1012 p. 5
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`May 21, 2002
`
`Sheet 5 0f 5
`
`US 6,390,390 B1
`
`FIG. 5
`
`Corrected Petitioner's Exhibit 1012 p. 6
`
`

`

`US 6,390,390 B1
`
`1
`SPRINKLER STRUCTURE
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention is related to a sprinkler structure
`having less components Which can be easily and quickly
`assembled. The controlling valve assembly can be tightly
`and precisely ?tted in the controlling valve seat Without
`leakage. The amount of the Water discharged from the
`sprinkler can be micro-adjusted as necessary.
`FIG. 1 shoWs a conventional sprinkler. The controlling
`valve assembly is arranged in the tubular barrel body 1 of the
`sprinkler. A thread rod 2 rearWard eXtends from the barrel
`body 1. A controlling trigger 4 is pivotally connected With
`back side of the tubular handle 3. The top end of the
`controlling trigger 4 via a nut 5 chucks the thread rod 2. In
`operation, a user’s hand holds the controlling trigger 4 and
`the handle 3 and presses the trigger 4 to drive the thread rod
`2 for operating the controlling valve assembly inside the
`barrel body 1.
`The above conventional sprinkler structure has some
`shortcomings as folloWs:
`1. In operation, the thumb of the user presses the trigger
`4 to open or close the sprinkler. Such operation is not
`easy to perform.
`2. When it is necessary to adjust the amount of the
`sprinkled Water, the user needs to adjust the nut 5 at the
`top of the trigger 4. It is inconvenient for the user to
`perform such adjustment.
`FIG. 2 shoWs another conventional sprinkler. The barrel
`body 11 and the handle 12 communicate With each other.
`The barrel body 11 and the handle 12 are integrally coated
`With a plastic layer to form the sprinkler main body 10. The
`front end of the barrel body 11 is formed With a thread
`section 13 for connecting With a sprinkling head 14. The rear
`end of the handle 12 is formed With inner thread 15 for
`connecting With a Water hose. A controlling valve tube seat
`20 is disposed in upper section of the handle 12 and
`positioned at an adjoining section betWeen the handle 12 and
`the barrel body 11. The inner end of the valve tube seat 21
`integrally communicates With the barrel body 11 and the
`handle 12. The inner face of outer end of the valve tube seat
`21 is formed With symmetrical locating dents 22. Aspring 35
`and a cylindrical valve tube member 23 are ?tted in the valve
`tube seat 21. The valve tube member 23 is formed With
`protuberances 24 corresponding to the locating dents 22 of
`the valve tube seat 21. The valve tube member 23 is inserted
`in the valve tube seat 21. One side of the inner end of the
`valve tube member 23 is formed With a through hole 26
`facing the barrel body 11. The other side thereof is formed
`With a notch 25 facing the handle 12. The notch 25 is
`de?ected from the through hole 26 by a certain distance. The
`slide shaft hole 27 in the valve tube member 23 Within the
`de?ection distance betWeen the notch 25 and the through
`hole 26 is enlarged to form an annular step 28. The circum
`ferential face of the valve tube body 23 opposite to the inner
`side of the protuberances 24 and the de?ection distance
`betWeen the notch 25 and the through hole 26 is respectively
`formed With an annular groove 29 in Which a Water-sealing
`ring 30 is ?tted to slidably Watertight attach to the valve tube
`seat 21. Aslide shaft 31 is passed through the slide shaft hole
`27 of the valve tube member 23. The front end thereof
`protrudes from the valve tube member 23. The circumfer
`ence of the rear end of the slide shaft 31 is formed With an
`annular stop ?ange 32. The slide shaft 31 is formed With an
`annular groove 29 on front side of the stop ?ange 32 in
`Which a Water-sealing Washer 33 is ?tted for Watertight
`
`2
`attaching to the annular step 28 of the slide shaft hole 27.
`The middle section of the slide shaft 31 is formed With an
`annular neck groove 34 With a Width bridging over the notch
`25 and the through hole 26 of the valve tube member 23. The
`front section of the slide shaft 31 is formed With an annular
`groove 29 in Which a Water-sealing ring 30 is ?tted for
`slidably Watertight attaching to the inner Wall face of the
`slide shaft hole 27.
`The above conventional structure has some shortcomings
`as folloWs:
`1. The sprinkler has numerous components and it is
`troublesome to assemble these components.
`2. In the case of little error of the dimension of the
`components, the assembly of the components Will have
`poor Watertight effect. As a result, When operating the
`sprinkler, Water Will leak therefrom.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to
`provide an improved sprinkler structure having less com
`ponents Which can be easily and quickly assembled.
`It is a further object of the present invention to provide the
`above sprinkler in Which the components can be assembled
`at high precision Without leakage.
`It is still a further object of the present invention to
`provide the above sprinkler Which can be maintained in a
`state of maXimum Water ?oW or a Water-sealing state. In
`addition, the amount of the discharged Water can be micro
`adjusted as necessary. Therefore, the sprinkler can be con
`veniently operated.
`The present invention can be best understood through the
`folloWing description and accompanying draWings Wherein:
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a side vieW of a conventional sprinkler;
`FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded vieW of another type of
`conventional sprinkler;
`FIG. 3 is a perspective assembled vieW of the present
`invention;
`FIG. 4 is a sectional assembled vieW of the present
`invention; and
`FIG. 5 is a sectional assembled vieW according to FIG. 4,
`shoWing the operation of the present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
`
`Please refer to FIG. 3. The sprinkler structure of the
`present invention includes a main body 40, a controlling
`valve assembly 50 and a trigger 60. The main body 40 is
`integrally coated With a plastic layer. Acontrolling valve seat
`43 is disposed at the adjoining section betWeen the upper
`section of the handle 42 and the barrel body 41. The
`controlling valve seat 43 is formed With a stepped hole 431.
`The upper side of the stepped hole 431 is formed With a
`Water outlet 433 under the barrel body 41. The upper side of
`the handle 42 is formed With a Water inlet 434. The top end
`of the controlling valve seat 43 is provided With a locating
`section 432 for receiving the controlling valve assembly 50
`therein. A locating seat 45 doWnWard eXtends from the
`middle of the barrel body 41. One end 511 of a conic spring
`51 of the controlling valve assembly 50 abuts against the
`locating section 432. The stop ?ange 521 of the slide shaft
`52 is ?tted With a Washer 522 to abut against the Water inlet
`531 of the controlling valve tube 53. The slide shaft 52 is
`
`45
`
`55
`
`65
`
`Corrected Petitioner's Exhibit 1012 p. 7
`
`

`

`US 6,390,390 B1
`
`3
`?tted into a Washer 54 and then one end 523 of the slide shaft
`52 abuts against the other end 511 of the conic spring 51.
`The other end 523 of the slide shaft 52 is passed through the
`stepped through hole 533 of the controlling valve tube 53.
`The controlling valve tube 53 is formed With a semicircular
`Water outlet 532 behind the Water inlet 531. The Water outlet
`532 is upWard aimed at the Water outlet 433 in the control
`ling valve seat 43 and then inWard pressed and tightly
`engaged thereWith. Then, a small Washer 535 is ?tted and
`located in the large diameter section 534 of the stepped
`through hole 533. Then, tWo Washers 55 are ?tted therein.
`The other end 523 of the slide shaft 52 abuts against the
`press plate 62 in the trigger 60. The through hole 61 of the
`trigger 60 is aligned With the locating seat 45 of the main
`body 40 and pivotally connected thereWith by a rivet 63.
`Referring to FIG. 5, When controlling and using the
`sprinkler, the trigger 60 is pressed toWard the handle 42 of
`the main body 40 to make the press plate 62 of the trigger
`60 abut against one end 523 of the slide shaft 52. The stop
`?ange 521 of the slide shaft 52 is separated from the Water
`inlet 531 of the controlling valve tube 53. At this time, the
`Water can ?oW through the Water inlet 434 of the handle 42
`into the controlling valve seat 43. The Water passes through
`the Water inlet 531 of the controlling valve tube 53 and
`discharges from the Water outlet 532 of the controlling valve
`tube 53. The Water then passes through the stepped hole 431
`and injects from the Water outlet 433 of the barrel body 41.
`By means of controlling the depth by Which the trigger 60
`is pressed toWard the handle 42, the amount of the dis
`charged Water can be controlled. When the slide shaft 52 is
`pressed by the trigger 60, the distance betWeen the stop
`?ange 521 and the Water inlet 531 of the controlling valve
`tube 53 is variable to change the amount of the discharged
`Water. Such operation is easy.
`According to the above arrangement, the present inven
`tion has the folloWing advantages:
`1. The sprinkler has less components Which can be easily
`and quickly assembled.
`2. The components can be assembled at high precision
`Without leakage.
`3. The sprinkler can be maintained in a state of maXimum
`Water ?oW or a Water-sealing state. In addition, the
`
`5
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`4
`amount of the discharged Water can be micro-adjusted
`as necessary. Therefore, the sprinkler can be conve
`niently operated.
`The above embodiment is only used to illustrate the
`present invention, not intended to limit the scope thereof.
`Many modi?cations of the above embodiment can be made
`Without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
`What is claimed is:
`1. A sprinkler structure comprising:
`
`a.) A main body including a barrel body and a tubular
`handle in communication With the barrel body, an upper
`side of the handle having a Water inlet, and a locating
`seat extending from the barrel body;
`b.) A trigger pivotally secured to the locating seat for
`movement toWards and aWay from the handle, the
`trigger including a press plate;
`c.) A valve seat disposed at an adjoining section betWeen
`the barrel body and the handle, the valve seat including
`a stepped hole, an upper side of the stepped hole having
`a Water outlet disposed beloW the barrel body, and a top
`end of the valve seat having a locating section; and
`d.) A valve assembly disposed Within the valve seat, the
`valve assembly including a valve tube having a Water
`inlet, a semi circular Water outlet directed at the Water
`outlet of the valve seat and a stepped hole, a slide shaft
`disposed Within the valve tube and having a stop ?ange
`thereon for engaging the Water inlet of the valve tube,
`a ?rst portion of the slide shaft extending through the
`stepped hole of the valve tube and engaging the press
`plate of the trigger, and a conic spring surrounding a
`second portion of the slide shaft, the spring having a
`?rst end in engagement With the stop ?ange and a
`second end in engagement With the locating section.
`2. The sprinkler structure of claim 1, Wherein the valve
`tube is tightly ?tted Within the valve seat.
`3. The sprinkler structure of claim 1 further including a
`?rst Washer means provided on the stop ?ange of the slide
`shaft and a second Washer means provided Within the
`stepped hole of the valve tube.
`
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`
`*
`
`Corrected Petitioner's Exhibit 1012 p. 8
`
`