Granted Patent B2

US 12,339,678 · App. 18/606,931 · Granted Jun 24, 2025

Inventors: Christopher M. Lange (Shoreview, MN); Nicholas A. Pagano (Blaine, MN); Benjamin R. Godding (St. Cloud, MN); Mark T. Weinberger (Mounds View, MN); Michael J. Mansheim (Burnsville, MN); Nicholas H. Reath (Anoka, MN); Andrew J. Kopel (Stanchfield, MN); Daniel R. Johnson (Maple Grove, MN); Kevin C. Robb (Otsego, MN); Robert J. Gundersen (Otsego, MN)

Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.

G05D16/2066B05B7/0408B05B7/1613B05B7/166B05B12/006G05B15/02G05D23/1919H04Q9/00

Abstract

Claims (63)

1. A system for paint spraying volume tracking, the system comprising:

one or more sprayers for spraying fluid for a plurality of jobs, each sprayer of the one or more sprayers comprising:

a spray gun having a trigger, the spray gun configured to spray paint upon actuation of the trigger;

a hose that supplies the paint to the spray gun;

a frame;

a pump supported by the frame, the pump having a piston that outputs the paint under pressure to the spray gun via the hose;

a motor that drives the pump, the motor supported by the frame;

a memory configured to store information indicative of an amount of fluid sprayed; and

a wireless module configured to transmit information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed; and

a network server configured to:

receive respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed; and

update respective spray volume logs based on respective information indicative of amounts of fluid sprayed, wherein the spray volume logs are respectively associated with the plurality of jobs and each spray volume log includes respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed at a respective job of the plurality of jobs.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network server is configured to generate information indicative of a total amount of fluid sprayed across the plurality of jobs based on each spray volume log.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network server is configured to generate information for display indicative of respective amounts of fluid sprayed for the plurality of jobs based on the spray volume logs.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of handheld computer devices, wherein each handheld computer device is configured to wirelessly receive, from one or more of the sprayers associated with a job, respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed by the one or more sprayers associated with the job, and wherein the network server is configured to receive respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed at each respective job of the plurality of jobs from the plurality of handheld computer devices.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first sprayer and a second sprayer, of the plurality of sprayers, are associated with a first job of the plurality of jobs, and wherein the network server is configured to:

receive respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed at the first job based on the amount of fluid sprayed by the first sprayer and the second sprayer; and

update the spray volume log associated with the first job based at least on the amount of fluid sprayed by the first sprayer and the second sprayer.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a first sprayer is for at least a first job and a second job of the plurality of jobs, and wherein the network server is configured to:

update a first spray volume log for the first job based on an amount of fluid the first sprayer sprayed at the first job; and

update a second spray volume log for the second job based on an amount of fluid the first sprayer sprayed at the second job.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network server is configured to store the respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed with an association of the respective job at which the amount of fluid is sprayed.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network server is configured to receive information associating the one or more sprayers to the one or more jobs or respective locations of the one or more jobs, and wherein to update respective spray volume logs, the network server is configured to update the respective spray volume logs based on the respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed and the information associating the one or more sprayers to the one or more jobs or the respective locations of the one or more jobs.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein information associating the one or more sprayers to the one or more jobs or to respective locations of the one or more jobs comprises one or both of:

information associating one sprayer to one job; or

information associating multiple sprayers to one job.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed comprises information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed while each sprayer is in a fluid atomizing mode.

11. A method for paint spraying volume tracking, the method comprising:

receiving, with a network server, respective information indicative of an amount of fluid sprayed from one or more sprayers for spraying fluid for a plurality of jobs, each sprayer of the one or more sprayers comprising:

a spray gun having a trigger, the spray gun configured to spray paint upon actuation of the trigger;

a hose that supplies the paint to the spray gun;

a frame;

a pump supported by the frame, the pump having a piston that outputs the paint under pressure to the spray gun via the hose;

a motor that drives the pump, the motor supported by the frame;

a memory configured to store information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed; and

a wireless module configured to transmit information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed; and

updating, with the network server, respective spray volume logs based on respective information indicative of amounts of fluid sprayed, wherein the spray volume logs are respectively associated with the plurality of jobs and each spray volume log includes respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed at a respective job of the plurality of jobs.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

generating information indicative of a total amount of fluid sprayed across the plurality of jobs based on each spray volume log.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

generating information for display indicative of respective amounts of fluid sprayed for the plurality of jobs based on the spray volume logs.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving wirelessly, with one or more handheld computer devices, from one or more of the sprayers associated with a job, respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed by the one or more sprayers associated with the job,

wherein receiving respective information comprises receiving respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed at each respective job of the plurality of jobs from the one or more of handheld computer devices.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein a first sprayer and a second sprayer, of the plurality of sprayers, are associated with a first job of the plurality of jobs, the method further comprising:

receiving, with the network server, respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed at the first job based on the amount of fluid sprayed by the first sprayer and the second sprayer; and

updating, with the network server, the spray volume log associated with the first job based at least on the amount of fluid sprayed by the first sprayer and the second sprayer.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein a first sprayer is for at least a first job and a second job, the method further comprising:

updating a first spray volume log for the first job based on an amount of fluid the first sprayer sprayed at the first job; and

updating a second spray volume log for the second job based on an amount of fluid the first sprayer sprayed at the second job.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

storing the respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed with an association of the respective jobs at which the amount of fluid is sprayed.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving information associating the one or more sprayers to the one or more jobs or respective locations of the one or more jobs,

wherein updating respective spray volume logs comprises updating the respective spray volume logs based on the respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed and the information associating the one or more sprayers to the one or more jobs or the respective locations of the one or more jobs.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein information associating the one or more sprayers to the one or more jobs or to respective locations of the one or more jobs comprises one or both of:

information associating one sprayer to one job; or

information associating multiple sprayers to one job.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed comprises information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed while each sprayer is in a fluid atomizing mode.

21. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

receiving, with the network server, a request to identify the plurality of jobs for which identifying information was previously saved on the network server; and

sending, with the network server, information identifying the plurality of jobs to a handheld computer device in response to receiving the request,

wherein the step of receiving, with the network server, the respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed from one or more sprayers, further comprises receiving the information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed from the one or more sprayers in association with one job of the plurality of jobs that was selected by a user via the handheld computer device such that the step of updating further comprises updating a spray volume log for the one job based on the respective information indicative of the amount of fluid sprayed that is associated with the one job.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (13)

References Cited (339)