Windshield washer apparatus for vehicles

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE FOR SPRAYING A CLEANING LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE ONTO A VEHICLE WINDSHIELD TRAVERSED BY A WINDSHIELD WIPER, NOZZLE MEANS ADAPTED TO BE FIXED TO THE TOWARD HOOD OF THE VEHICLE AND HAVING AN OUTLET SHAPED FOR DISTRIBUTING DROPLETS OF SAID LIQUID OVER AN AREA GREATER THAN THE AREA TRAVERSED BY SAID WIPER, A TANK FOR CONTAINING LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE, SAID TANK BEING PROVIDED WITH LIQUID-INLET MEANS HAVING A SOCKET PORTION AND A SEAL-ENGAGING SURFACE, SAID INLET MEANS BEING SHAPED AND POSITIONED FOR LIMITING THE QUANTITY OF LIQUID IN SAID TANK TO A LEVEL BELOW THE TOP OF THE TANK, SAFETY CLOSURE MEANS FOR CLOSING OFF SAID INLET MEANS COMPRISING A CAP PORTION AND A HOLLOW STEM PORTION, A RESILIENT MEMBER CARRIED BY SAID CAP PORTION AND SEALINGLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID INLET MEANS SURFACE WHEN SAID CLOSURE MEANS IS IN CLOSED CONDITION, SAID STEM PORTION BEING PROVIDED WITH A SIDE PASSAGE THROUGH THE STEM PORTION WHEN SAID CLOSURE AS TO BE WITHIN SAID SOCKET PORTION WHEN SAID CLOSURE MEANS ARE IN SAID CLOSED CONDITION, MUTUAL COUPLING MEANS ON SAID STEM AND SOCKET PORTIONS FOR RESISTING AXIAL THRUST TENDING TO DISLODGE SAID STEM PORTION FROM SAID SOCKET PORTION, SAID COUPLING MEANS BEING PARTIALLY DISENGAGEABLE TO ALLOW THE STEM PORTION CONTAINING SAID SIDE PASSGAE TO EXTEND OUT OF SAID SOCKET PORTION BEYOND SAID SURFACE FOR EXHAUSTING PRESSURE FROM SAID TANK, WHEREBY SAID HOLLOW STEM PORTION AND SIDE PASSAGE FORM A PRESSURE-RELIEVING OUTLET FOR THE TANK WHILE SAID STEM PORTION IS BEING DISENGAGED FROM SAID SOCKET PORTION BUT BEFORE SAID COUPLING MEANS ARE COMPLETELY DISENGAGED, AND A PUSH-BUTTON OPERATED CONTROL VALVE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SOURCE AND SAID NOZZLE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF SPRAY APPLICATIONS OF SAID CLEANING LIQUID ISSUING FROM SAID NOZZLE MEANS.