US-20260124638-A1 - STOWAGE CRADLE SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING GUN STOWAGE OF A CARTRIDGE CLOSURE AND DISPENSING GUN THEREWITH

US20260124638A1US 20260124638 A1US20260124638 A1US 20260124638A1US-20260124638-A1

Abstract

A stowage cradle system incorporated into a dispensing gun for extruding a work material from a cartridge is provided for stowage of a work material cartridge closure therein. The stowage cradle system includes at least one engagement member disposed in an interior space of one of the handle or the trigger of the dispensing gun to define a stowage space for the work material cartridge closure. The engagement member has a pair of laterally spaced arms extending longitudinally from an arcuate wall disposed therebetween. A retention opening is defined between the pair of arms and the arcuate wall. End portions of each of the arms have a projecting portion extending into the retention opening to reduce the opening dimension therebetween. By that arrangement, the work material cartridge closure is releasably frictionally retained within the retention opening by the projecting portions of the pair of arms of the engagement member.

Inventors

Albert Lee
Brian Glass
Tyler Hippen

Assignees

PATENT & INVESTMENT LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241101

Claims (20)

1 . A stowage cradle system incorporated into a dispensing gun for stowage of a work material cartridge closure, the dispensing gun having a frame body configured for extruding a work material from a cartridge, a handle extending from the frame body and a trigger being angularly displaceable with respect to said handle, said cradle system comprising at least one engagement member disposed in an interior space of one of the handle or the trigger to define a stowage space for the work material cartridge closure, said engagement member having a pair of laterally spaced arms extending longitudinally from an arcuate wall disposed therebetween, said engagement member having a retention opening defined between said pair of arms and said arcuate wall, end portions of each of said arms having a projecting portion extending into said retention opening to reduce an opening dimension therebetween, wherein the work material cartridge closure is releasably frictionally retained within said retention opening by said projecting portions of said pair of arms of said engagement member.
2 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said stowage space is formed in the handle of the dispensing gun.
3 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 2 , wherein said stowage space is formed as a longitudinally extended recess formed in a handle grip overlaying the handle of the dispensing gun.
4 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 3 , wherein the trigger has an overlaying trigger grip, the trigger grip having a rear side facing said longitudinally extended recess of the handle grip, the rear side of the trigger grip having a recess formed therein and located in correspondence with said stowage space to provide clearance between the work material cartridge closure retained within said stowage space and the rear side of the trigger grip.
5 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 3 , wherein said longitudinally extended recess has a contour substantially mirroring a contour of the work material cartridge closure, said engagement member being integrally formed in an interior wall of said longitudinally extended recess.
6 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 5 , further comprising a second engagement member formed at one end of said longitudinally extended recess and into which a distal end of the work material cartridge closure is releasably frictionally retained thereby.
7 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 6 , wherein said second engagement member has a substantially U-shaped contour to define a retention opening into which the distal end of the work material cartridge closure is received, said second engagement member having a pair of projecting portions extending into said retention opening thereof to reduce an opening dimension between opposing sides of said retention opening of second engagement member to thereby releasably frictionally retain the distal end of the work material cartridge closure within said retention opening thereof.
8 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising at least one supporting member disposed in said stowage space and longitudinally spaced from said engagement member, said at least one supporting member including a receiving opening formed therein and into which a portion of the work material cartridge closure is inserted when being retained by said engagement member.
9 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 8 , wherein said receiving opening is closed on one side of said supporting member to limit longitudinal positioning of the work material cartridge closure when being positioned in said stowage space.
10 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a first supporting member disposed in said stowage space and longitudinally spaced from one side of said engagement member, and a second supporting member disposed in said stowage space and longitudinally spaced from an opposing side of said engagement member, each of said first and second supporting members including respective receiving openings formed therein and into which a corresponding portion of the work material cartridge closure is inserted when being retained by said engagement member.
11 . The stowage cradle system as recited in claim 10 , wherein said receiving opening formed in said second supporting member being configured to engage the work material cartridge closure against rotation thereof.
12 . A dispensing gun having work material cartridge closure onboard stowage system, comprising: a frame body including a handle housing and a cartridge frame portion extending from said handle housing and adapted for receiving a cartridge of a work material therein; a handle extending from said handle housing; a drive mechanism operably coupled to said frame body, said drive mechanism including a drive member passing displaceably into the cartridge frame portion for forcing extrusion of work material from a cartridge of work material selectively positioned in said cartridge frame portion; a trigger pivotally coupled to said frame body for angular displacement of said trigger relative to said handle, said trigger being operatively coupled to said drive mechanism for displacing said drive member responsive to the angular displacement of said trigger; and a stowage cradle system disposed in an interior space of one of said handle or said trigger to define a stowage space into which a work material cartridge closure is releasably retained, said stowage cradle system including at least one engagement member configured to releasably frictionally retain the work material cartridge closure within a retention opening formed in said at least one engagement member.
13 . The dispensing gun as recited in claim 12 , wherein said stowage space is formed in said handle of said dispensing gun.
14 . The dispensing gun as recited in claim 13 , wherein said stowage space is formed as a longitudinally extended recess formed in a handle grip overlaying said handle of the dispensing gun.
15 . The dispensing gun as recited in claim 14 , wherein said trigger has an overlaying trigger grip, said trigger grip having a rear side facing said longitudinally extended recess of said handle grip, said rear side of the trigger grip having a recess formed therein and located in correspondence with said stowage space to provide clearance between the work material cartridge closure retained within said stowage space and said rear side of the trigger grip.
16 . The dispensing gun as recited in claim 14 , wherein said longitudinally extended recess has a contour substantially mirroring a contour of the work material cartridge closure, said engagement member being integrally formed in an interior wall of said longitudinally extended recess.
17 . The dispensing gun as recited in claim 16 , wherein said stowage cradle system further includes a second engagement member formed at one end of said longitudinally extended recess and into which a distal end of the work material cartridge closure is releasably frictionally retained thereby.
18 . The dispensing gun as recited in claim 17 , wherein said second engagement member has a substantially U-shaped contour to define a retention opening formed therein and into which the distal end of the work material cartridge closure is received, said second engagement member having a pair of projecting portions extending into said retention opening thereof to reduce an opening dimension between opposing sides of said retention opening of said second engagement member to thereby releasably frictionally retain the distal end of the work material cartridge closure within said retention opening thereof.
19 . The dispensing gun as recited in claim 12 , wherein said stowage cradle system further includes at least one supporting member disposed in said stowage space and longitudinally spaced from said engagement member, said at least one supporting member including a receiving opening formed therein and into which a portion of the work material cartridge closure is inserted when being retained by said engagement member.
20 . The dispensing gun as recited in claim 19 , wherein said receiving opening is closed on one side of said supporting member to limit longitudinal positioning of the work material cartridge closure when being positioned in said stowage space.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is broadly directed to dispensing gun stowage of accessories used therewith. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a cradle system to provide onboard stowage of a cartridge closure, which has particular utility for use in resealing a cartridge of a partially consumed extrudable work material. The stowage cradle system provides convenience and preserves the viability of work material between applications thereof, and prevents loss of the work material due to dripping. The disclosed stowage cradle system is nonobtrusive to the operation of the dispensing gun into which it is installed and yet provides a readily available closure for a partially used cartridge of extrudable work material. Various dispensing guns for dispensing sealants, adhesive, epoxy, caulk, and other such viscous work materials are known in the art. They include handheld gun-type devices in which a cartridge containing a work material is loaded for engagement by the device's drive mechanism. Such drive mechanisms, when actuated, force the extrusive flow of the viscous work material out from the loaded cartridge and onto a particular work surface or area. Often, there comes a time when the application of work material has stopped, yet not all of the work material has been dispensed from the cartridge. To prevent the curing of drying out of the work material during periods of nonuse, many different types of cartridge closures have been devised. Although these devices function to reseal work material cartridges, they are inconvenient to users, as they must be carried on the person of the user or be stored in relatively close proximity to the area where the application of the work material is being carried out. To overcome this inconvenience, cartridge closures and containers for such closures have been devised to attach to dispensing guns. However, such attachable containers and cartridge closures have not been unobtrusive to the users and are thus inconvenient to use. Accordingly, there is a need for a cartridge closure stowage system that is unobtrusively incorporated into a dispensing gun type device. Such a system provides convenient availability of a cartridge closure when needed, but without such a stowage system interfering with the use of the dispensing gun to apply an extrudable work material to a work surface. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A stowage cradle system incorporated into a dispensing gun for stowage of a work material cartridge closure is provided. The dispensing gun has a frame body configured for extruding a work material from a cartridge, a handle extending from the frame body and a trigger being angularly displaceable with respect to the handle. The cradle system includes at least one engagement member disposed in an interior space of one of the handle or the trigger to define a stowage space for the work material cartridge closure. The engagement member has a pair of laterally spaced arms extending longitudinally from an arcuate wall disposed therebetween. The engagement member has a retention opening defined between the pair of arms and the arcuate wall. End portions of each of the arms have a projecting portion extending into the retention opening to reduce an opening dimension therebetween. As a result of that arrangement, the work material cartridge closure is releasably frictionally retained within the retention opening by the projecting portions of the pair of arms of the engagement member. From another aspect, a dispensing gun having work material cartridge closure onboard stowage system is disclosed. The dispensing gun includes a frame body including a handle housing and a cartridge frame portion extending from the handle housing and adapted for receiving a cartridge of a work material therein. The dispensing gun further includes a handle extending from the handle housing, and a drive mechanism operably coupled to the frame body. The drive mechanism includes a drive member passing displaceably into the cartridge frame portion for forcing extrusion of work material from a cartridge of work material selectively positioned in the cartridge frame portion. Further, the dispensing gun includes a trigger pivotally coupled to the frame body for angular displacement of the trigger relative to the handle. The trigger is operatively coupled to the drive mechanism for displacing the drive member responsive to the angular displacement of the trigger. Still further, the dispensing gun includes a stowage cradle system disposed in an interior space of one of the handle or the trigger to define a stowage space into which a work material cartridge closure is releasably retained. The stowage cradle system includes at least one engagement member configured to releasably frictionally retain the work material cartridge closure within a retention opening formed in the at least one engagement member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A is an elevation view of a work