US2056018A - Air pump - Google Patents

Description

Sept. V29, 1936. l. A. Popp 2,056,018

` AIR PUMP Filed Dc, 4, 1935 Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED. STATESy PATE-Nr ozF FICE AIR PUMP Leonard Alfred Popp, Saugus, Mass.; assignor-to Lawrence E. J ohnson,Melrose,A Mass.

Application December 4, 1935, Serial No. 52,861

12 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvementr in air pumps, more particularly to that class of devices which are designed to discharge a quantity of air under pressureinto a plumbing fixture whereby;

. to remove the stoppage therein without the necessity .of dismantling .the fixture.

One object of my invention istto provide newv and improved devices of the above character adapted for clearing obstructions or stoppages inrdrains, toilets, Ywastepipes and the like which will operatewith greater facility, than lhas obtained in devices of this character as heretofore constructed.

Another object of the invention is to Aprovide a -"'device of this character wherein the pumpingdevice isp-mounted and carried upon a-remo'vable, head of an-air pressure reservoir wherebynaccess.A to-the pump and associate mechanism may beA more readily had than has attained in devices of this character as hitherto constructed.

Another object of the invention is to provide. new andimproved means for releasing thev compressed air in a device of this character;

Another Aobject of the invention is tofprovide` aH "device of the above type which is compactin form,

simple inconstruction, easy to operate and which may be .employed for the purposesindicated with.

great. efliciency. Y

rA further object of the invention is to provide a device vof 1 this character which may be readily disassembled for cleaning, lubrication or replacement ofparts.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more Aor less specific than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointedout in the course ofthe following description of the `elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and application of principles, constitutingthe in vention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing.. wherein I have,

illustrated preferred embodiments of my invention,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line yI-I of Figure ,2.,

ure 2, z

Figure .4 .is .a horizontal sectional view .taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,-.the pressure cap mounted upon the lower endzof .the device being omitted,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectionalV view taken through the lower end ofgthe device, rcertainof the parts beingshownin vertical elevation, illustrating the means for releasing the compressed air inthe reservoir, and

Figure 6 is an enlargedysectional `elevation illustrating the check valve mechanism.

Referring nowy to the i drawing wherein similar reference characters. refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views thereof, the reference numeral ID denotes an elongated circular casing which forms a reservoir for, 4the compressed air and `I I denotes aremovable head'for the reservoir,; said head beingsecured ,in position byA means of stay or tiel-ods I2." Thesegtie rods,V asshown in;-Fig.ure 3, are screw threaded into the head, extending Vvertically through the pressure reservoir and/ through ahead I4 vrmounted upon the.lower end, of :thercylinder l0; nuts. I3 being g mountedgupon the rods. v:I2 wherebybothof the heads II `and I4 -aresecurely clamped upon thev upper and lower ends of the cylinder It):4 If. desired,suitable gaskets may be. employed v between theheads Vand the. ends of the cylinder to insure amant-,tight chamber within the cylinder I0.

The reference numeral I5 `denotes an air outlet pipe which-is extended into the reservoir, the upper ends of which is provided with a valve seat I6,1adapted to, receive a valve II which is normally .seated on the seat, I6 -to effect a closure of. the outlet' pipe IE5.A

Thisoutlet pipe isv secured to the bottom head l. I4 by any. suitable means, in the present instance .Y it is shown as being pressed in.

Theoutlet pipe is .threaded exteriorlyatv its lower-end so asy to receive a screw threaded sleeve of a cap lIpref-erably formed of rubber, the sleeve of .said cap being adapted to be held in an adjusted position as by means of the lock-nuts I9 and 20.4

The purpose of the .capl is to effect a seal in.v the opening of the. conduit to be cleared of obstructions. If desired,`the cap I8 may be re versed .for insertion into the. conduit when it is more convenientl to. be employed.- in this manner.`

The air pump shown herein comprises a barrel 2I rgid1y secured totheA head II in any desired manner and located in the barrel 2| is a pistonA or plunger v22 mounted upon a piston, or a plunger -rod 23 which extends upwardly through the" the l operating handle v24=.-

The reference numeral 25 denotes a checkvalve preferably of the type known as the Schafer valve commonly employed in connection with pneumatic tires. This valve permits air compressed by the action of the pump to be forced into the reservoir at each downward stroke of the pump plunger, but automatically closes to prevent escape of the air from the reservoir.

Referring now to Figure 6 wherein this checkvalve is shown, said valve includes the tube 5l) threaded to engage the lower end of the pump barrel, a nut 5I securing the tube firmly in position.

The exterior of the tube 50 is counter-bored and tapped to receive the threaded member 52, having an extension 53 tapered to provide an air-tight connection with a corresponding taperV provided in the tube.

Through the threaded member 52 extendsa loosely fitted stem 54 to which is rigidly mounted the valve 55 normally resting on the end of the extension 53, the spring 56 resting on a collar 51 abutting the shoulder 58 in the tube.

The stem 54 is axially movable in the collar, and the spring yieldingly pressing the valve 55 of its seat.

Compressed air from the pump depresses the valve and the air is forced through the orifice 6U into the reservoir formed by the casing IU, the valve reseating as the pump plunger moves upwardly. The end of the tube 50 is threaded exteriorly to permit the nut 59 to secure the tube rmly in the stirrup 33.

The outlet pipe I5 is preferably axially aligned with the reservoir and the pump barrel is preferably axially located with respect to the outlet pipe I5. The valve I1, in any event, seats axially with the outlet pipe I5 and is mounted and operated in the following manner:

Slidably mounted upon the pump barrel 2| is a sleeve 26 and rigidly associated with the sleeve 26 is the stirrup 21, the valve I1 being mounted upon a cross member formed upon the lower end of the stirrup.

The valve I1 is loosely mounted on the stirrup so as to permit automatic adjustment to the seat I6 as by means of the screw 28 which passes through the valve, the nut 29 and the Washer 30 securing the valve thereto. ing through the cross-member 3| of the stirrup 21 bottoms in the nut 32, thereby permitting a slight play of the valve I1 with respect to the seat I6.

Extending from the end of the pump barrel 2| is a second stirrup 33 hereinbefore mentioned, through which the check-valve extends as has already been described.

The U shaped lever 34 passes between the end of the sleeve 26 and inside of the bottom member of the stirrup 33. Abutting the stirrup 33 and reacting on the stirrup 31 in which the valve I1 is mounted is the helical spring 35 which operates normally to seat the valve I1 on the end of the outlet pipe I5 and engage the sleeve 26 and the stirrup 33 with opposite edges of the U shaped lever 34. The free arms of this lever are extended and the stem 36 is swivelled thereto at 31 by means of the cotter pin 38.

The stem 36 extends through the head Il, the gland 39 and packing 40 providing against air leakage from the reservoir.

The button 4I on the end of the stem 36 facilitates the raising of the valve I1 from its seat to release compressed air from the reservoir.

Referring to Figure 5, it will be seen that the The screw 28 passvalve I1 may be raised from its seat either by pulling action on the button 4I as indicated at A, or by pressing the button downwardly as indicated in the dotted lines B. In either case the U shaped lever 34 fulcrums on the crossbar of the stirrup 33 to lift the sleeve 26.

By means of the construction shown and described, the valve I1 is quickly raised from its seat so that the accumulated air in the cylinder is instantly released and discharged through the seal provided by the cap I8 in the conduit containing the obstruction which is to be removed.

The orifice 42 in the head II admits air into the pump barrel as the plunger thereof is forced downwardly and a pressure indicator 43 is mounted upon the head II and is in communication with the air of the reservoir within the cylinder I0 through the conduit 44.

In using my improved device, it is desirable to insert the cup I8 either in the position shown in the drawing or in a reversed position as hereinbefore described, in the mouth of the conduit containing the obstruction. It is desirable that the space within the conduit below the cup be lled with water which is, of course, usually the case unless the obstruction permits a slow seepage of water through the conduit. If this seepage occurs, the conduit should be refilled with water below the cup and the cup itself should be emersed in water above the edge which forms the seal in the conduit from which the obstruction is to be removed.

Inasmuch as water is not compressible, the sudden release of the compressed air in the reservoir acts as a water hammer or ram to permit a sudden blow to the obstruction, the force of said blow being determined by the amount of air pressure accumulated within the reservoir. Thus the stoppage is removed instantly and completely without damage to the trap, pipes or other ttings.

The sudden release of the air pressure as above described is affected by merely compressing or raising the rod 26 through the instrumentality of the button 4I It will accordingly be seen that I have provided a construction Well adapted to attain, among others, all the ends and objects above set forth in a most facile manner.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an air pump having an enclosing reservoir provided with an outlet, and operative from the exterior of the reservoir, and including a barrel and a check valve operative to admit compressed air to the reservoir, in combination therewith, a member slidable on the pump barrel; a valve secured thereto and adapted to close the outlet from the reservoir; a projection from the pump barrel; a spring abutting the projection and reacting on the valve to close the outlet from the reservoir; and means operative from the exterior of the reservoir to move the slidable member on the pump barrel to uncover the outlet from the reservoir.

2. In an air pump of the character described in claim 1, the operating means being adapted to move the slidable member axially on the pump barrel.

3. In a pump of the character described in claim 1, the means for moving the sliding member including a lever engaging the slidable member and the abutment on opposite edges, and adapted to swing on the abutment.

4. In a pump of the character described in claim 1, the means for moving the slidable member including a lever engaging the slidable member and the abutment on opposite edges, and adapted to swing on the abutment; a stem connected to the lever, projecting through the head of the reservoir and movable axially thereof.

5. An air pump having an enclosing reservoir provided with an outlet and a removable head, the pump being mounted on the removable head and including a pump barrel and a check valve operative to admit compressed air to the reservoir; a sleeve slidable on the barrel; a valve secured thereto and adapted to close the outlet from the reservoir; a stirrup depending from the pump barrel; a lever extending through the stirrup and engaging the stirrup and the sleeve on opposite edges; a spring abutting the stirrup and reacting on the valve to seat it over the outlet from the reservoir; a stem connected to the lever and extending through the head of the reservoir, and adapted to swing the lever within the stirrup and move the sleeve axially on the barrel and uncover the outlet from the reservoir by any axial movement of the stem.

6. An air pump of the character described in claim 5, in which the outlet from the reservoir is axially aligned with the pump barrel.

7. A pump of the character described in claim 5, in which the sleeve, the lever and the valve may be removed by disconnecting the operating stem for the lever.

8. A pump of the character described in claim 5, in which the securing means for the closure valve permit automatic adjustment of the valve to its seat.

9. A pump of the character described in claim 5, in which the securing means for the closure valve include a stem rigid with the valve and movably secured in a dependent member integral with the sleeve, permitting automatic adjustment of the valve to its seat.

10. A device of the class described for removing obstructions in plumbing iixtures comprising a circular casing forming an air pressure reservoir, a head clamped to the upper end of said casing, a pump barrel centrally located with respect to said casing and carried by said head, a plunger transversing said pump barrel, an operating rod attached to said plunger and extending outwardly through said head, a check valve in said pump barrel for admitting air to said pressure chamber, a, head secured to the lower end of said casing, an air exit pipe extending through said last named head, the upper end of said pipe having a valve seat, a valve slidably supported upon said pump barrel cooperating with said valve seat and spring pressed thereagainst, a rod associated with said spring for opening and closing said last named valve, said rod extending upwardly through said pressure chamber and through the head clamped to the upper end of said casing, and said last named valve, said check valve and said pump barrel having their central axes located in the same plane.

1l. A device of the class described for removing obstructions from plumbing fixtures by the use of compressed air comprising a circular casing forming an air pressure reservoir, heads clamped respectively to the upper and lower ends of said casing so as to form an air-tight enclosure, a pump barrel supported by said uppermost head and extending downwardly through said casing and centrally located with respect thereto, a plunger located in said casing, having an operating rod extending upwardly through said uppermost head and having an operating handle at its upper end, a check valve located beneath said plunger for admitting air into said reservoir, a pipe extending through said lowermost head having a valve seat, a valve co-operating with said valve seat, a sleeve slidably mounted upon said pump barrel, a spring intere posed between said sleeve and said last mentioned valve, a lever associated with said sleeve to raise and lower the same whereby to open and close said last named valve and an operating rod connected with said lever and extending upwardly through the head mounted upon the upper end of said casing.

12. A device of the class described for removing obstructions by air pressure from plumbing fixtures, comprising a cylindrical casing having heads clamped to each end thereof to form an air pressure reservoir, a pump barrel supported from the uppermost of said heads, a plunger in said pumpv barrel, an operating rod extending downwardly through said uppermost head and connected with said plunger, a check valve located beneath said plunger for admitting air from the pump barrel to said reservoir, a pipe extending through said lowermost head provided with a valve seat at its upper end, a valve cooperating with said valve seat whereby to open and close said communication with said air pressure reservoir and said pipe, a sleeve slidably mounted upon said pump barrel, a coil spring extending between said last named valve and supported by said sleeve, a lever connected with said sleeve, an operating rod connected with said lever and extending upwardly through the uppermost of said heads, the connection between said lever and said sleeve being such that either a downward movement of said operating rod or an upward movement thereof will cause said lever to raise said sleeve whereby to open said last named valve, a rubber cup mounted upon the lower end of said air exit pipe and said exit pipe, said valves and said pump barrel having their several axes in direct alignment.

LEONARD ALFRED POPP.

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