FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to paint spray guns and, more particularly, to a paint spray gun including a suspension bracket attachment which renders the spray gun more practicable in use by permitting the spray gun to be suspended or hung from ladders, scaffolds, pipes, bars and other structural elements when temporarily not in use. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Paint spray guns are generally if not always provided with a relatively small hook located along the top of the barrel portion of the spray gun. This small hook can be used to hang or suspend the spray gun from a wire or a nail or some such similar object when the spray gun is not in use. Also, at least with respect to hydraulic or airless paint spray guns, during cleaning the gun is suspended from the small hook on the rim of a large cleaning bucket while water is flushed through the gun. 
         [0003]    However, for painting professionals involved in painting large structures such as buildings, tanks, water towers, bridges, ships, etc.; the small hook provided on spray guns is not very convenient for the operator who may be on a scaffold or ladder during the painting operation. The small hook provided with the spray gun is too small to permit hanging or suspending the gun from a convenient member or part of a ladder or scaffold. In such cases it is necessary for the painting operator, while mounted on a scaffold or ladder, to carry with him some other device for attachment to the scaffold or ladder from which the spray gun can be temporarily suspended by its small hook. Otherwise, it is necessary for the painting operator to physically carry the spray gun and its hose attachments, which may be 50 to 100 feet in length and weigh ten pounds or more, each time he removes himself from the scaffold or ladder for whatever reason. This is not only tiresome and an inconvenience to the painting operator but it also increases the time required for the painting operation thereby adding to the overall cost thereof. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved paint spray gun which facilitates the hanging or suspending of the spray gun from the normal equipment or structures found at the painting operation site by a painting professional. 
         [0005]    The above object is accomplished in accordance with the present invention by providing a paint spray gun with a suspension bracket attachment which is large enough to engage a ladder rung, scaffold railing, pipe, bar or other structural element found at construction sites and thereby permit the spray gun to be suspended therefrom by the painting professional when temporarily not in use. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    The present invention will be described and understood more readily when considered together with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a suspension bracket attachment for use with a paint spray gun in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an elevational view of a paint spray gun with a suspension bracket attachment according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an elevational view of a second embodiment of a paint spray gun with a suspension bracket attachment according to the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the method of attachment of the suspension bracket to a spray gun as shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the suspension bracket and a portion of the spray gun to which it is attached in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the suspension bracket attached to the portion of the spray gun as shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is an elevational view of a modification of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  of a paint spray gun with a suspension bracket attachment according to the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a portion of a ladder with the paint spray gun with suspension bracket attachment of  FIG. 3  shown suspended therefrom; 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a portion of a ladder with the paint spray gun with suspension bracket attachment of  FIG. 7  shown suspended therefrom; 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a portion of a scaffold with the paint spray gun with suspension bracket attachment of  FIG. 2  shown suspended therefrom; 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a suspension bracket attachment for use with a paint spray gun in accordance with the present invention; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a paint spray gun with the suspension bracket attachment embodiment shown in  FIG. 11 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    Now turning to the drawings, there is shown in  FIG. 1  a suspension bracket attachment, generally designated  10 , according to the present invention comprising a generally inverted U-shaped element, wherein one leg thereof is a mounting leg, designated  12 , having a plurality of mounting holes  14  therein. The other leg  16  of the U-shaped element generally curves outwardly and downwardly from its connection to mounting leg  12  and terminates in a generally reverse curved lip  18  forming an opening  20  with leg  12 . 
         [0020]    As clearly seen in  FIG. 2 , suspension bracket attachment  10  is shown mounted via a mounting hole  14  in mounting leg  12  to a paint spray gun, generally designated  22 . Paint spray gun  22  may be an air assisted airless paint spray gun, an electrostatic paint spray gun, a high volume low pressure (HVLP) paint spray gun, an air operated conventional paint spray gun, or an airless or hydraulically operated spray gun. Spray gun  22  as depicted in the drawings is an airless or hydraulically operated spray gun having a high pressure supply hose, designated  24 , connected to a handle  26  of the spray gun. Spray gun  22  further includes a trigger  28 , a trigger guard  30 , a small hook  32  extending from the top of barrel  34  of the spray gun, and spray tip  36  at the forward end of barrel  34 . Mounting leg  12  of suspension bracket attachment  10  is secured to the rear end  38  of barrel  34  of spray gun  22  so that the opening  20  of the suspension bracket faces generally downwardly.  FIG. 7  shows a modification of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  wherein mounting leg  12  is mounted to spray gun  22  at the rear end  38  of barrel  34  so that U-shaped suspension bracket  10  is angularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal axis of barrel  34  at an acute angle. 
         [0021]    As clearly seen in the preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , the trigger guard  30  of spray gun  22  extends from above trigger  28  forwardly and outwardly from the top of handle  26  and beyond the trigger and then downwardly to connect at the bottom of handle  26 . The suspension bracket attachment  10  is mounted via its mounting leg  12  to the forward facing downwardly extending portion  40  of trigger guard  30  so that the opening  20  of the suspension bracket attachment  10  is directed downwardly. The preferred method of attachment of the suspension bracket  10  is demonstrated in  FIGS. 4 to 6 . As clearly seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the downwardly extending portion  40  of trigger guard  30  is provided with vertically aligned forwardly extending downwardly opening hooks  42  and an arresting tang  44  disposed vertically adjacent to and above one of the hooks  42 . The mounting leg  12  of bracket  10  is provided with vertically arranged openings  14  which are aligned with downwardly opening hooks  42  of trigger guard  30 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , suspension bracket  10  is attached to trigger guard  30  by aligning openings  14  with hooks  42  so that hooks  42  enter openings  14 . Bracket  10  is then moved upwardly so that the hooks  42  engage with mounting leg  12  of bracket  10 , and the arresting tang  44  of downwardly extending portion  40  of the trigger guard engages the upper part of an opening  14  to clamp or lock mounting leg  12  against the trigger guard, as is clearly shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0022]      FIGS. 8 to 10  demonstrate the ease with which a paint spray gun with suspension bracket attachment of the present invention can be suspended or hung from a ladder or scaffold by the operator during a painting operation. As clearly seen in  FIG. 8 , a spray gun  22  with suspension bracket attachment  10  according to the preferred embodiment of  FIG. 3  is shown suspended from the rung  46  of a ladder  48 . The opening  20  of suspension bracket  10  is large enough to accommodate the passage of rung  46  and permit the suspension of spray gun  22  therefrom. As can be appreciated, the weight of high pressure hose  24  counterbalances the relatively forward fulcrum position of bracket  10  so that the spray gun is substantially vertically suspended on rung  46  from the crook of bracket  10 . In  FIG. 9 , the spray gun  22  with suspension bracket attachment  10  according to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7  is suspended from the rung  46  of ladder  48 . Finally, in  FIG. 10 , the spray gun  22  with suspension bracket attachment  10  according to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  is suspended from the railing  50  of a scaffold  52 . As in the case of  FIG. 8 , because of the weight of high pressure hose  24  and the fulcrum position of bracket  10 , the spray gun is suspended substantially vertically in  FIGS. 9 and 10  on the ladder rung  46  or scaffold railing  50  from the crook of suspension bracket  10 . It has been found that a suitable dimension for opening  20  of suspension bracket attachment  10  which will adequately permit the passage of a ladder rung or scaffold railing, is about 1.25 inches. It has been further found that a suitable dimension for the widest part of suspension bracket attachment  10  is about 2 inches. 
         [0023]    In  FIG. 11  there is shown another embodiment of the suspension bracket attachment, designated  110 , having a mounting link or leg  112  and a leg  116  which curves outwardly and downwardly from mounting link  112  to terminate in a generally reverse curved lip  118 . Mounting link or leg  112  is provided with a mounting hole  114  which permits suspension bracket attachment  110  to be mounted to the bottom of handle  26  of spray gun  22  sandwiched between the swivel coupling  54  of high pressure hose  24  and the handle, as shown in  FIG. 12 . As clearly seen in  FIG. 12 , the terminus of curved leg  116 , i.e. curved lip  118 , forms an opening  120  with depending high pressure hose  24  which is suitable for the passage of a ladder rung, scaffold railing, pipe, bar, etc. to thereby hang the spray gun therefrom. Because it is mounted between the swivel coupling  54  and handle  26 , suspension bracket attachment  110  is adapted to rotate 360° about the axis of hose  24  and handle  26  as indicated by the arrow A in  FIG. 12 . 
         [0024]    While several embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
A paint spray gun with suspension bracket attachment is provided whereby the spray gun can be easily and quickly suspended by the painting operator from a ladder rung, scaffold railing, pipe, bar or other structural element by the suspension bracket during the painting operation when the spray gun is temporarily not in use.