EP1880107A2

EP1880107A2 - Compact air compressor kit

Info

Publication number: EP1880107A2
Application number: EP06735833A
Authority: EP
Inventors: James Fahey; James M. Cegelski
Original assignee: ITW Global Tire Repair Inc
Current assignee: ITW Global Tire Repair Inc
Priority date: 2005-02-18
Filing date: 2006-02-21
Publication date: 2008-01-23
Also published as: WO2006089303A3; WO2006089303A2; EP1880107A4

Abstract

A compact air compressor kit is provided. In one aspect, the invention is a compressor housing that may be packaged with a compressor. In another aspect, the invention is a portable air compressor pre-packaged in the housing. In yet another aspect, the invention is an air compressor kit including the prepackaged air compressor and various peripheral components that may be attached to the air compressor.

Description

COMPACT AlR COMPRESSOR KIT

James Fahey James M. Cegelski

Priority Claim This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) to US Provisional Patent

Application Serial No. 60/654,101 filed on February 18, 2005 and entitled "Compact Air Compressor Kit" which is incorporated herein by reference.

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to an air compressor and in particular to a portable air compressor.

Background of the Invention

For most operators of vehicles (automobiles, motorcycles, trucks, etc.), a punctured tire or an unexpected low tire pressure creates an unpleasant situation of a dilemma. The tire sometimes requires repairing and/or reinflating before the operator can keep going toward his/her destination. One of the most commonly used devices for inflating tires are air compressors or manual air pumps.

Most air compressors do not lend themselves to being easily stored, especially in the confines of a small vehicle such as a sports car, ATV, sports cars, subcompacts, motorcycle, bicycles or scooters. The reason is because the compressors tend to be too bulky. The existing air compressors are difficult to make compact enough because of the permanently attached power cables, inflation hoses, and other accessories that are connected to the compressor itself. Thus, a driver of a compact vehicle often has to call for help when faced with a flat tire. When the driver is in a city environment, the road-side service can arrive within a reasonable time. However, a motorcyclist who experiences a flat tire while enjoying a ride in a remote desolate road would be greatly inconvenienced by the long wait for the roadside service to arrive.

Currently, there are some products that attempt to solve this problem. A company, BestRate Products LLC, currently sells a product known as CyclePump that is a small compressor for motorcycle riders. The CyclePump has an aluminum, sheet metal case and a permanently attached cord and air hose. The cord end has a two-way flat SAE connector that allows multiple power sources to power the compressor. The problem with this product is that the hose and cord are permanently attached to the compressor which requires inconvenient and messy storage of the compressor with the hose and cord wrapped around the housing.

Another existing design is a 12V air compressor with an integrated light and pressure gage. This design seems to provide the user with many convenient features, but all at the expense of size and weight. A compressor of this sort would not be convenient for a motorcycle rider. Accessories Marketing Inc. (the owner of this patent application) has sold a product that has a minimized case and integrated air hose and adapter cord. Again, this design suffers from having the power adapter cord and air hose permanently attached so that storage convenience is compromised by having to wrap the air hose and power adapter cord around the compressor's case. Another existing design is a standard 12v compressor that has a removable programmable controller which can be configured to measure the air pressure within an item and be programmed and placed on the compressor to deliver a desired amount of air to the item to be inflated and then deactivate the compressor when desired air pressure has been reached. In this product, the removable programmable controller is a digital air pressure gauge. This product, however, still would not be able to be stored in small spaces.

Another existing design is an air compressor that can be battery operated, but the air compressor does not have a compact design for easy storage. Another design is an air compressor that has a light for illumination and for two warning lights also attached to the device wherein the warning lights and illumination light may be simultaneously operated. However, this design does not provide a compact design for easy storage. Other designs are for an air compressor with a sensor to detect when the air pressure reaches a certain level to control automatic shut-off of the compressor, but the design is not a compact design for easy storage. Another design is an air compressor that has a removable lighting fixture which may operate independent of compressor, but this design also is not a compact design for easy storage. Thus, it is desirable to provide a compact air compressor that can be carried even in smaller vehicles such as a motorcycle. Thus, it is desirable to provide a compact air compressor and it is to this end that the present invention is directed.

Summary of the Invention

A compact air compressor is provided that has a removable hose and cord that permits the compact air compressor to be stored in small storage spaces such as the storage spaces available in a sports car, motorcycle, etc. The housing of the compact air compressor is just big enough to house the pump and switch. The compact air compressor then has added connectors to allow other components (the tube, the cord, a light, a battery pak, an air gauge, etc.) to be attached to the compact air compressor as necessary. The connectors in the compact air compressor also permit any range of general attachments to be attached to these connections. For example, different length air hoses, coiled hoses, or even special purpose devices can quickly and easily be attached to the compact air compressor. The power connection allows any type of power source to be easily, quickly, and conveniently attached to the power connection. For example, a cord with battery rings may be attached permanently to a battery. The compressor can then be quickly and easily attached or removed from this power connection on a motorcycle or ATV. Any sort of power connection may be attached that can supply the voltage and current required to run the compressor. An optional battery pack may also be quickly and easily attached.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, a compact inflation device is provided. The device has a housing having at least an electrical connector and an inflation connector and an air compressor located inside of the housing wherein an output of the air compressor is coupled to the inflation connector wherein the air compressor is capable of generating a quantity of compressed air at the inflation connector. The device also has an air delivery conduit, removably comiectable to the housing at the inflation connector, that is capable of delivering the compressed air from the air compressor to an object to be inflated. The device also has a power delivery conduit, removably comiectable to the housing at the electrical connector, for delivering power to the air compressor when the power delivery conduit is plugged into a power source. The housing with the air compressor is stored with the air delivery conduit and power delivery conduit detached from the housing to provide a compact air compressor. Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 illustrates an example of the compact air compressor when it is ready for use;

Figure 2 illustrates an example of the compact air compressor in a storage configuration;

Figure 3 is a cut-away view of an exemplary two-connector compact compressor housing that includes an air compressor;

Figure 4 illustrates an example of a power supply connector of the compact air compressor of Figure 3; Figure 5 is an inflation hose that may be connected to the connector shown in FIG. l;

Figure 6 is an air pressure gauge that may be connected to the housing through one of the connectors;

Figure 7 is a cigarette lighter adapter harness that may be connected to the compressor housing of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 8 illustrates an example of the commercial product embodying the compact air compressor with attachments.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

The invention is particularly applicable to the compact air compressor design and attachments shown in the diagrams below and it is in this context that the invention will be described. It will be appreciated, however, that the compact air compressor in accordance with the invention has greater utility since it may be designed differently and be within the scope of the invention and it may have fewer, more or different attachments shown below and also be within the scope of the invention. The compact air compressor described is particular applicable to being used to seal tires, but the compact air compressor may be adapted for any application that uses an air compressor, and may be adapted for any type of application involving a pneumatic tire. Figure 1 illustrates an example of the compact air compressor 20 when it is ready for use with the attachments connected to the compact air compressor while Figure 2 illustrates the compact air compressor 20 in a storage configuration with the attachments detached from the compact air compressor. The compact air compressor 20 may include a compressor housing 40 to which one or more attachement(s) (such as a power cord 22 and a hose 24 that are shown in Figures 1 and 2) are connected at one or more connectors 44, 48 on the compressor housing 40. In accordance with the invention, there may be other connectors on a surface 12 of the compressor housing or on other surfaces of the compact compressor housing 40, depending on the type and number of accessories/peripheral components that may be attached to the compressor. The connectors, such as connectors 44, 48 may be used to connect to various peripheral components/attachments for the compact air compressor including but not limited to electrical power supply hamess(es), a battery pale, lighting source (e.g., LED) may be powered by the power supply of the compact air compressor or another power source, air inflation hose of varying lengths, air pressure gauge (analog and/or digital), main power harness(es), tire valve coupler, battery connection harness(es), terminal battery connection hamess(es), and cigarette lighter adapter hamess(es). The overall dimensions of the compact compressor housing 40 is large enough to fit the compressor of choice (e.g., from Coido) but small enough to be conveniently portable. For example, the dimensions of the compressor housing 40 may preferably be about 4.5" x 3.5" x 2". In accordance with the invention, the attachments may be disconnected from the compressor housing 40 when the compact air compressor is being stored (as shown in Figure 2) so that the compact air compressor can be stored in a small space.

Figure 3 is a cut-away view of an exemplary two-connector compact compressor housing 40 that includes an air compressor 50 wherein the housing 40 has the two connectors 44, 48. hi this particular example, the connector 44 is used for the tire inflation hose 24 (shown in Figures 1 and 2). To securely attach the inflation hose 24 (see Figure 5 below for further details of the hose 24), the connector 44 is threaded and the hose has an end 62 (shown in Figure 5) that is also threaded to fit with the threads on the connector 44. The connector 48 is used in this example for connecting to a power supply, which may be a digital or analog power supply, a vehicle cigarette lighter, a battery adapter, a battery pale, a 12-V power source, etc. to the compact air compressor housing 30 and provide power to the air compressor 50. The compressor 50 may he any commercially available air compressor of a suitable size. In a preferred embodiment, the air compressor 50 may a commercially available Coido air compressor (further information about these preferred air compressors can be found at http://www.coido.com/products.hhnl.)

In some embodiments, there may be multiple power supply connectors for different types of power sources. As shown, a connector (e.g., connector 44) may be just an opening through which a connecting portion of the air compressor 50 can be extended. Alternatively, the connector of the housing may be connected to other components that become connected with the air compressor 50 in the appropriate manner when the compressor is placed in the housing 40. hi any event, the compact air compressor may have various different types and/or numbers of connectors. The housing 40 may also have a switch 52 (and any type of switch can be used in the compact air compressor) that turns the air compressor on or off. Not shown in Figure 3 are the electrical connections between the switch 52, the connector 48 and the electrical circuits (not shown) that the compressor 50. Figure 3 does illustrate the air passageway from the compressor 50 output port to the connector 44. The housing 40 may also include a circuit/sensor that measures the air pressure from the compressor 50 and automatically shuts off the compressor 50 in certain situations. Figure 4 illustrates an example of a power supply connector 48 of the compact air compressor of Figure 3. The connector 48 may have a receptacle piece 54 and a post piece 56 wherein the post piece 56 of a connector slides into the receptacle piece 54 of another connector as shown in Figure 4. Figure 5 illustrates the inflation hose 24 that may be connected to the connector shown in FIG. 1 wherein the hose 24 have a connector end 62 that threads into the connector 44 on the compact air compressor to provide a secure, airtight connection.

Figure 6 is an air pressure gauge 70 that may be connected to the housing through one of the connectors. The air pressure gauge further comprises a connector end 72 that threads into the connector 44 of the air compressor, a gauge 74 that measures the air pressure and a typical tire connector 76 that permits a user to connect and lock the air gauge to a pneumatic tire so that the tire can be filled using the compact air compressor. During the filling of the tire, the gauge measures the air pressure of the tire to avoid over- inflation of the tire or measure the actual tire pressure.

Figure 7 is a cigarette lighter adapter harness 22 that may be connected to the compressor housing of Figure 1. This is shown as the power cord 22 in Figure 1 as it is an example of the type of power cord that supplies power to the compressor 50 and the other circuits in the housing 40. This harness plugs into a cigarette lighter of a vehicle so that power for the compact air compressor is provided by the vehicle. The power cord 22 of the compact air compressor (regardless of the power source) may include a fuse that regulates the power being drawn through the power cord to ensure the safe operation of the compact air compressor.

Figure 8 illustrates an example of the commercial product embodying the compact air compressor 20 with attachments. The switch 52 of the compact air compressor is shown. Also shown are the power cord attachment 22, the hose attachment 24, a separate tire gauge 80 and a power cable that is connectable to a vehicle battery to provide power to the compact air compressor 20. Although the housing 40 may be sold by itself to be combined with an air compressor, a portable compressor that is pre-packaged in the housing 40 (such as the one shown in Figure 8) is also contemplated.

A benefit of the "plug-and-play" nature of the peripheral components/attachments for the compact air compressor is that the size of the compressor itself (and that of the housing) can be dramatically reduced. The reduction in size makes it possible to carry the air compressor even in a pocket, and can therefore be used anywhere. Another benefit is the flexibility. Compared to the currently available air compressors that have chords or peripheral components permanently fixed to them, the "plug-and-play" design of the invention allows the user to use the same compressor for multiple applications depending on the situation.

While the foregoing has been with reference to a particular embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes in this embodiment may be made without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

Claims:

1. A compact inflation device, comprising: a housing having at least an electrical connector and an inflation connector; an air compressor located inside of the housing wherein an output of the air compressor is coupled to the inflation connector wherein the air compressor is capable of generating a quantity of compressed air at the inflation connector; an air delivery conduit, removably connectable to the housing at the inflation connector, that is capable of delivering the compressed air from the air compressor to an object to be inflated; a power delivery conduit, removably connectable to the housing at the electrical connector, for delivering power to the air compressor when the power delivery conduit is plugged into a power source; and wherein the housing with the air compressor is stored with the air delivery conduit and power delivery conduit detached from the housing to provide a compact air compressor.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises one or more additional connection ports that accommodate a removably connectable attachment to the device wherein the removably connectable attachment further comprises one of an air delivery conduit, a power delivery conduit, an air pressure gauge and a light.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising a power source coupled to the device by the power delivery conduit wherein the power source further comprises one of a 12V direct current electrical power, a vehicle cigarette lighter, an alternating current power source, a rechargeable battery pak and a battery pak.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the vehicle cigarette lighter further comprises one of an automobile cigarette lighter, a motorcycle cigarette lighter, an all terrain vehicle cigarette lighter and a golf cart cigarette lighter.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the power delivery conduit further comprises an mechanism that couples to a vehicle battery so that the vehicle battery provides power to the air compressor.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the power delivery conduit further comprises an mechanism that couples to a wall socket so that the wall socket provides power to the air compressor.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein the air pressure gauge, removably connectable to the housing, further comprises one of an analog air pressure gauge, a digital air pressure gauge, an air pressure gauge having a particular pressure range and an air pressure gauge having a particular pressure scale.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein the light further comprises one of a light emitting diode and a bulb that permit the user to operate the device in various levels of lighting.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the power delivery conduit further comprises a fuse.