US3335673A

US3335673A - Manually operable pump

Info

Publication number: US3335673A
Application number: US521130A
Authority: US
Inventors: Forrest Henry De
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-01-17
Filing date: 1966-01-17
Publication date: 1967-08-15
Anticipated expiration: 1984-08-15

Description

1967 H. DE FQRREST 3,335,673

MANUALLY OPERABLE PUMP Filed Jan. 17, 1966 I/wav roe LIE/way as Pale/25.97-

fir TORNE Vs.

United States Patent 3,335,673 MANUALLY OPERABLE PUMP Henry the Forrest, 3604 Sunswept Drive, Studio City, Calif. 91694 Filed Jan. 17, 1966, Ser. N0. 521,130 4 Claims. (Cl. 103-178) The present invention relates to a manually operable pump of the type utilized to draw a liquid from a storage tank or reservoir, and more particularly relates to a new and improved manually operable pump of the reciprocating piston type wherein the piston is selfcleaning, selflubricating :and self-aligning within an enclosing cylinder.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved manually operable pump which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and assemble, provided with a minimum of moving parts, and which is reliable in operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a manually operable pump for drawing a liquid from a storage tank, which is so constructed as to be easily mounted adjacent the storage tank and readily connected thereto by a hose or other coupling means.

A further object is the provision of a pump for drawing a liquid from a storage tank or reservoir, which can be conveniently hand operated to draw a steady flow of liquid from the reservoir.

Still another object is to provide a manually operable pump of the reciprocating piston type having a novel piston assembly which is self-cleaning, self-lubricating and self-aligning within an enclosing cylinder or housing.

A still further object of the instant invention is the provision of such a manually operable liquid pump wherein substantially all the moving parts thereof are simple in construction so as to be readily formed or molded from a suitable plastic material.

According to the present invention, the hand-operated pump generally comprises a housing or cylinder having an inlet end with a valve means which is connected to a source of liquid, such as a storage tank or reservoir, and an outlet end which is secured to a casing having an outlet or faucet pipe secured thereto. A handle member is disposed on the exterior of the casing and is provided with a shaft portion which is rotatably mounted within the casing. The shaft portion of the handle member is operatively associated with a piston assembly slidably disposed within the housing in such a manner that oscillation of the handle will result in reciprocation of the piston assembly within the housing. The piston assembly comprises a piston having a plurality of recessed portions at the periphery thereof to define :a flow path between the piston and the housing, a sealing ring disposed adjacent the piston and surrounding a supporting portion therefor, and a plate secured to the piston supporting portion and axially spaced from the piston to limit axial movement of the sealing ring during movement of the piston within the cylinder. The plate member is provided with a plurality of apertures therethrough which serve to define the flow path through the piston assembly in conjunction with the recessed portions in the periphery of the piston.

When the piston is moved within the housing away from the inlet end thereof, the valve means at the inlet is opened to draw the liquid into the inlet end of the cylinder. Thereafter, when the piston is moved toward the inlet end of the cylinder, the valve means is closed and the liquid in the inlet end of the cylinder flows through the piston assembly to the outlet side thereof, and is thereafter forced out of the outlet end of the cylinder by the subsequent reciprocation of the piston assembly away from the inlet end of the cylinder. Through the continued manipulation of the handle member, and thus reciprocation of the piston 3,335,673 Patented Aug. 15, 1967 assembly within the cylinder, a steady supply of liquid is caused to flow from the storage tank to the casing and the faucet or outlet pipe mounted thereon.

The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer to like elements in the several views.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, with parts shown in section and parts broken away, of a manually operable pump constructed according to the principles of the instant invention, showing the pump as the piston assembly is being moved towards the outlet end thereof;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevational view in section, showing the piston and housing assembly of the pump of the instant invention, as the piston assembly is being moved away from the inlet end of the cylinder;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2, showing the piston assembly as it is being moved toward the inlet end of the cylinder;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIGURE 2.

As an exemplary embodiment of the instant invention, FIGURE 1 illustrates a-rnanually-operable pump 10 which serves to pump liquid from a storage tank or reservoir (not shown) through a hose or conduit 12 and an inlet opening 14 of a housing or cylinder 16 .and then to an outlet or faucet pipe 18.

The lower end of the housing 16 comprises a narrow portion 18 defining the inlet opening l t and having a series of teeth or notches 20 on the periphery thereof which are adapted to frictionally engage the interior surface of the adjacent end of the hose or conduit 12 to retain it thereon. The upper end of the narrow housing portion 18 merges with a frusto-conical or tapered portion 22 which in turn merges upwardly with :a cylindrical wall 24. A ball member 26 is disposed for free movement within the tapered portion 22 of the housing 16 and is adapted to seat on the lower end thereof to close the inlet opening 14 as shown in FIGURE 3. The ball member 26, therefore, serves as a check valve for the inlet opening 14 of the housing 16 and functions to normally close the inlet opening under the force of gravity.

Slidably mounted within the housing 16 for reciprocation therewithin is a piston assembly 28 comprising a disclike piston 30 which is formed integral with a supporting member 32 therefor. The piston 30 is slightly smaller in maximum diameter than the inner diameter of the housing 16 and is provided with a plurality of equally-spaced, curved recesses 34 on the periphery thereof to define a plurality of flow paths between the piston 30 and the interior surface of the housing 16 (see FIGURE 5). It is noted that, without departing from the spirit or scope of the instant invention, the piston recesses 34 could be of any suitable shape or number, and need not necessarily be equally spaced along the periphery of the piston.

The pistion support member 32 comprises a lower cylindrical portion 36 disposed adjacent the piston 30 and having a plurality of substantially equally-spaced ribs 38 on the periphery thereof, which ribs 38 have an outer surface 40 which is tapered downwardly and outwardly from the upper end of the support portion 36 towards the piston 30. Surrounding the ribs 38 and adapted to engage the outer surfaces 40 thereof is a sealing ring 42 which is generally U-shaped in cross-section and which normally rests under the force of gravity on the upper surface of the piston 30 (see FIGURE 2). The inner annular surface of the sealing ring 42 prerefarbly is tapered in the same manner as the outer surfaces 4t) of the ribs 38.

The support member 32 for the piston 30 is provided at its upper end with a narrow portion 44 which is gene-rally square in cross-section and which rotatably supports a pivot pin 46, the ends of which extend outwardly from opposite sides thereof. A circular plate member 48 surrounds the upper portion 44 of the support member 32 and rests on the upper surface of the lower support portion 36 and the ribs 38. The plate member is of a smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of the piston 30 and is secured in any suitable manner, such as by a suitable adhesive, to the support member 32. A plurality of equally-spaced apertures 50 are provided through the center portion of the plate member 48 and are Positioned between the ribs 38 (see FIGURE 4). It will be readily seen, therefore that the plate member 48 serves to retain the sealing ring 42 in the annular space between it and the piston 30, and that the apertures 50 in the plate member 48 serve to define a flow path with the recesses 34 in the piston 30.

As shown in FIGURE 1, a pair of links 52 are secured at one end thereof to opposite sides of the pivot pin 45 rotatably mounted in the upper support portion 44. The links 52 are secured at their upper ends to opposite sides of a second pivot pin 54 which is rotatably mounted within one end of a lever 56. The other end of the lever 56 is secured in any suitable manner to a rod 58 which is rotatably mounted between ribs 68 formed on the interior of a casing 62. One end of the rod 58 extends through an aperture in the casing 62 to the exterior thereof and is secured to an elongated handle member 64 disposed adjacent the exterior of the casing. It will be seen that upward and downward movement or oscillation of the handle member 64 will cause rotation of the rod 58 and lever 56 secured thereto which, in turn, will cause an upward and downward movement of the links 52 and the piston assembly 28 within the housing 16. The oscillatory movement of the handle member 64 results in reciprocation of the piston assembly 28 within the housing 16.

The upper end of the casing 62 is provided with a hub portion 66 in which the lower end of the outlet pipe 18 is rotatably or otherwise mounted in any suitable manner. The lower end of the casing 62 is provided with laterallyextending flange portions 68 which are adapted to be secured to a support surface or platform 70 by any suitable means such as screws 72. As shown in FIGURE 1, the upper end of the housing 16 is provided with an annular flange 74 disposed adjacent to the undersurface of the casing 62. A gasket 76 is disposed between the housing flange 74 and the casing undersurface to provide a liquid-tight seal therebetween, and the housing flange 74 is secured to the casing undersurface in any suitable manner such as by screws 78.

In the operation of the instant manually-operable pump 10, when it is desired to create a flow of liquid such as water, from the inlet pipe or conduit 12 to the outlet or faucet pipe 18, the handle member 64 is grasped and continuously oscillated or moved upwardly and downwardly to cause a reciprocation of the piston assembly 28 within the housing 16. Assuming that the piston assembly 28 is initially in a down position and is being moved upwardly, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the ball check valve 26 will be lifted upwardly from its seat on the tapered portion 22 of the housing 16 by the reduction in pressure created in the portion of the housing 16 beneath the piston as it is being moved upwardly. This reduction in pressure will cause liquid to flow upwardly from the reservoir (not shown) through the conduit 12 and the inlet opening 14 in the housing 16 and then into the portion of the housing beneath the piston assembly 28 as shown by the arrows in FIGURES 1 and 2.

During the upward movement of the piston assembly 28, the sealing ring 42 will seal the portion of the housing 16 beneath the piston assembly from that above the piston assembly, owing to the tight engagement of the sealing ring 42 with the upper surface of the piston 30 inwardly of the recesses 34 and with the interior surface of the housing 16 (see FIGURE 2). Also, during this sealing action of the sealing ring 42, the outer surfaces 40 of the ribs 38 serve to support the sealing ring and to maintain it in an annular shape.

When the piston assembly 28 thereafter is moved downwardly by a downward movement of the handle member 64, as shown in FIGURE 3, the sealing ring 42 is moved upwardly out of engagment with the upper surface of the piston 30 and into engagement with the undersurface of the plate member 48. This upward movement of the sealing ring 42 opens the piston recesses 34 to define a flow path between the recesses 34 and the apertures 50 in the plate member 48 as shown by the arrows in FIGURE 3. The downward movement of the piston assembly within the housing 16 also causes the ball member 26 to move downwardly under increase liquid pressure into engagement with the tapered portion 22 of the housing 16 to seal the inlet opening 14 therein. The liquid in the lower portion of the housing 16, therefore, will move upwardly through the recesses 34 in the piston 30 and through the apertures 50 in the plate member 48 during such downward movement of the piston assembly 28.

During a subsequent upward movement of the piston assembly 28, the sealing ring 42 will again move downwardly into sealing engagement with the upper surface of the piston 30 and the inner wall of the housing 16 to thus trap the liquid above the piston assembly 28 and convey it upwardly out of the housing 16 and into the easing 62. As will be obvious to one skilled in the art, when a suflicient amount of liquid is conveyed to the casing 62, the pressure thereof, caused by upward movement of the piston assembly 28, will cause the liquid to move upwardly out of the casing 62 and through the outlet pipe 18. During this upward movement of the piston assembly, the ball check valve 26 is again opened to draw liquid into the housing and, thus, to repeat the cycle described above.

Since the outer maximum diameter of the piston 30 is less than that of the inner surface of the housing 16, the flow of liquid between the piston 30 and the housing 16 will occur not only through the recessed portions 34 of the piston 30, but also to some extent between the outermost surfaces of the piston 30 and the adjacent inner surface of the housing 16. This flow of liquid over substantially the entire outer surface of the piston 30 serves to prevent any sediment or foreign matter from accumulating thereon and also provides to some extent a lubricating action between the outer surface of the piston and the adjacent inner surface of the housing as the piston is being reciprocated therewithin. The construction of the instant piston 30 and its relation to the housing 16, therefore, enables the piston to be substantially self-cleaning, self-lubricatin g and self-aligning within the housing 16.

Owing to the simple construction of the instant pump assembly 10, substantially all of the moving parts thereof may be easily formed or molded from a suitable plastic material which is not subject to corrosion by a liquid, such as water, being pumped from the inlet conduit 12 to the outlet pipe 18.

While the particular manually-operable pump herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than .as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a reciprocating pump having a cylinder: a piston comprising a pair of axially spaced substantially flat discs; a hub element between said discs and defining therewith flange portions diverging relative to said web, the inner flange portion tapering at substantially the same angle as the said portion of said hub, the outer flange tapering outwardly to the cylinder Wall and being flexibly displaceable radially inwardly therefrom into said space; said sealing member being of less axial length than said annular space and being freely movably mounted therein for movement, in response to movement of said piston, from a first axial position wherein its web seats and seals on one of said discs with its inner flange bearing on said tapered hub and the edge of its outer flange engaging and sealing against said cylinder, to a second position where its inner flange and web are spaced from said hub and said one disc, respectively and its outer flange being pressure responsive to flex inwardly; and means defining a flow passage past said discs and which is closed by said sealing member when in said first position and open when said sealing member is in said second position whereby fluid pressure may flex said outer flange inwardly to allow flow past the outer periphery thereof.

2. A reciprocating pump as defined in claim 1 wherein said means defining said flow passage comprises an annular clearance space between the peripheries of said discs and said cylinder.

3. A reciprocating pump as defined in claim 2 wherein said flow passage further comprises notches in the periphery of said one disc.

4. A reciprocating pump as defined in claim 1 wherein said flow passage is defined in part by axial openings through the other of said discs, said openings being radially inwardly of said sealing member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,575,767 3/1926 Jackson 103-178 1,815,698 7/1931 Bennett et al. 103-178 2,614,793 10/1952 Storm 103178 2,683,060 7/1954 Wise et a1 l03-l78 2,689,533 9/1954 'Ericson 103-478 3,085,515 4/196-3 Workman l0317 8 3,094,938 6/ 1963 Blomeke et al. 103-225 3,143,969 8/1964 Eames et al. 10 3-194 3,224,378 12/1965 Graham 103-178 FOREIGN PATENTS 975,469 11/1961 Germany.

12/1953 Great Britain.

1/ 1953 Italy.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner. W. L. FREEH, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN A RECIPROCATING PUMP HAVING A CYLINDER: A PISTON COMPRISING A PAIR OF AXIALLY SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT DISCS; A HUB ELEMENT BETWEEN SAID DISCS AND DEFINING THEREWITH AN ANNULAR SPACE; THE OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID HUB BEING AXIALLY TAPERED IN ONE DIRECTION; AN ANNULAR CHANNEL-SHAPED RESILIENT SEALING MEMBER IN SAID SPACE AND COMPRISING A RADIAL WEB PORTION AND INNER AND OUTER FLEXIBLE FLANGE PORTIONS DIVERGING RELATIVE TO SAID WEB, THE INNER FLANGE PORTION TAPERING AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME ANGLE AS THE SAID PORTION OF SAID HUB, THE OUTER FLANGE TAPERING OUTWARDLY TO THE CYLINDER WALL AND BEING FLEXIBLY DISPLACEABLE RADIALLY INWARDLY THEREFROM INTO SAID SPACE; SAID SEALING MEMBER BEING OF LESS AXIAL LENGTH THAN SAID ANNULAR SPACE AND BEING FREELY MOVABLY MOUNTED THEREIN FOR MOVEMENT, IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON, FROM A FIRST AXIAL POSITION WHEREIN ITS WEB SEATS AND SEALS ON ONE OF SAID DISCS WITH ITS INNER FLANGE BEARING ON SAID TAPERED HUB AND THE EDGE OF ITS OUTER FLANGE ENGAGING AND SEALING AGAINST SAID CYLINDER, TO A SECOND POSITION WHERE ITS INNER FLANGE AND WEB ARE SPACED FROM SAID HUB AND SAID ONE DISC, RESPECTIVELY AND ITS OUTER FLANGE BEING PRESSURE RESPONSIVE TO FLEX INWARDLY; AND MEANS DEFININ A FLOW PASSAGE PAST SAID DISCS AND WHICH IS CLOSED BY SAID SEALING MEMBER WHICH IN SAID FIRST POSITION AND OPEN WHEN SAID SEALING MEMBER IS IN SAID SECOND POSITION WHEREBY FLUID PRESSURE MAY FLEX SAID OUTER FLANGE INWARDLY TO ALLOW FLOW PAST THE OUTER PERIPHERY THEREOF.