Compressed air duster with rotatable agitator

Abstract

A hand-held compressed air duster apparatus comprises a pressurizable vessel for containing a fine particulate dusting material. The vessel has an upper shoulder provided with a sealable top opening, in which a hand pump is mounted and sealably connected to the top opening. The pump comprises an external handle connected to a piston extending into the vessel. A dust discharge outlet is disposed on the shoulder of the vessel. Located within the vessel are two concentric tubes. A rotatable outer tube having a closed lower end that is provided with a pivot foot in contact with the bottom of the vessel extends upwards to an open upper end that is in fluid communication with the interior of the vessel. The rotatable outer tube comprises a dust feed agitator pin extending outwardly from the outer surface of the tube. The rotatable outer tube further comprises a venturi disposed above and in close proximity to the dust feed agitator pin and an agitator weight mounted on the outer surface of the tube above the venturi. An inner tube has an open lower end and an upper end that is connected to the dust discharge outlet. Operating the handle actuates the pump to pressurize the vessel, which is manually rotated to impart motion to the agitator weight and dust feed agitator pin attached to the rotatable outer tube, thereby maintaining the venturi open to entry of fluidizable dust particles proximate the open venturi and providing a mechanism for discharging uniformly fluidized dust at a controlled rate from the discharge outlet.