Trigger Spray Bottle: Tyler, 1962

Tracy B. Tyler of Miami Beach patented this hand sprayer in 1962, US 3,061,202. Pulling a long trigger drives a cup-shaped piston into a cylinder in the plastic body, pushing liquid out through a spring-loaded outlet valve and a nozzle. A spring returns the piston, drawing liquid up a suction tube through a strainer and an intake valve. Turning the nozzle changes the jet from a mist to a plain stream: a misting element whirls the liquid through tangential slots, or the nozzle is backed off so the liquid comes out straight. A slow, timid pull lets liquid bypass back to the container instead of dribbling out. Most parts are moulded of plastic, and the intake stem is joined to the body by spin welding: spun at high speed in its tapered seat until friction melts and fuses the surfaces.