Patents Assigned to Thomas Industries, Inc.
  • Patent number: 6779991
    Abstract: A nebulizer pump includes an axial cylinder and piston arrangement and an electromagnet having a stator and an armature that drives the piston to reciprocate within the cylinder. The pump housing has a unitary partition defining an exhaust chamber in combination with the valve head that isolates air at the intake port from air at the exhaust port. The entire assembly can be clamped together by the housing or clamped separately and isolated from the housing by coil springs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Todd W. Leonhard
  • Patent number: 6755445
    Abstract: A fitting for coupling a pump attachment to the inlet or discharge port of a pump or compressor has an annular body with an externally threaded nipple at one end and a circular flange at the other end. An axial aperture extends between the ends through openings at the nipple and the flange. The opening at the flange is internally threaded and begins at a recess in the flange. The threaded opening is of a standard ISO rated size complementary to the threaded nipple. A coupler kit is also disclosed having components to connect the device to the pump either in a mating flange connection using a hinge clamp or a threaded connection using a hose barb having a threaded end that threads into the opening in the fitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventors: John Balamuta, Richard C. Fuksa
  • Patent number: 6733248
    Abstract: A pump has wobble pistons rigidly connected to arms of a nutating plate that is mounted on a bearing eccentrically mounted to a drive shaft by a counterweight. The piston assembly is nearly perfectly balanced by the counterweight due to its precisely defined moment of inertia and mass components. In particular, the counterweight produces a counter moment equal to the average moment produced by the piston assembly, preferably with a mass moment of inertia component corresponding to the average mass moment of inertia of the piston assembly. It also has a mass component providing a counter balance force opposing a radial force arising from the piston assembly having a center of gravity spaced from the shaft axis, and it has a mass component providing a counter balance moment opposing the moment arising from the counter balance force and the center of gravity of the piston assembly being spaced apart axially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventor: William Harry Lynn
  • Patent number: 6692240
    Abstract: A pump housing (14, 16) has a fan guard (40) secured to the end of the housing by four crescent-shaped tabs (60) fitting into four crescent-shaped cast-in recesses (66) of the housing (14, 16) and ears (68) of the tabs (60) fitting into cast-in holes (70) in the housing (14, 16). The ears (68) and boles (70) on opposite sides of the housing (14, 16) are aligned along a common axis (80, 82). The ears (68) are tapered at their leading ends (90) and squared off at their trailing ends (92), and the guard (40) has a radial projection (56) that fits into an opening in the housing (14, 16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2004
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Todd W. Leonhard, Shawn Leu
  • Patent number: 6485266
    Abstract: A compressor assembly which includes a housing having an air inlet. A cylinder sleeve having an end open into the housing receives a piston disposed in the housing. The piston extends into the cylinder sleeve open end for reciprocal movement in the sleeve. A fan fixed relative to the housing causes air to flow through the inlet toward the piston. A deflector is interposed between the piston and the inlet, wherein the deflector prevents air flowing through the inlet from impinging directly onto the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Thomas Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Craig DeRuyter
  • Patent number: 6474954
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an oilless air compressor having a cooling system with a drive unit operating a crankshaft disposed within a crankcase and to which is attached a pair of pistons movable within corresponding compression cylinders. A blower wheel is concentrically mounted to the crankshaft adjacent the exterior of the crankcase. Each compression cylinder includes a thermally conductive cylinder insert which a bore in which the corresponding piston rides. A thermally conductive heat sink having a plurality of annular cooling fins is cast integrally to the outer diameter of each cylinder insert and connected to the crankcase such that the compression cylinders and the crankcase are completely enclosed. Each cylinder insert is made of an aluminum alloy, preferably having a low silicon content and a high melting point so that it can be insert cast within the cooling fin and anodized without degrading the surface finish of its inner bore.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony D. Bell, Brian M. Steurer
  • Patent number: 6450777
    Abstract: An axial piston fluid pumping apparatus is disclosed in which wobble pistons are rigidly connected to arms of a nutating plate that is rotatably mounted on a bearing which is mounted on a drive shaft. The axis of the bearing is at an acute angle to the axis of the shaft. The wobble pistons move within cylinders whose bores are disposed about the axis of the shaft. In one embodiment, the pistons are supported by leaf springs and radially resilient connecting rods and the crankcase is enclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Thomas Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Lynn, Ross P. Christiansen
  • Patent number: 6443713
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a wobble diaphragm pump having a housing with an open neck. A wobble piston can be passed through the open neck and fit onto the pump motor shaft. A separate support ring is fastened to the housing to close the open neck and provide a circumferential support surface for the diaphragm. The support ring also includes locking projections that mate with recessed features in the housing and a valve head to properly align and unite these components during assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Paul J. Weiss, Jeffrey J. Weiss
  • Patent number: 6401594
    Abstract: A connecting rod including a generally vertical oriented rod section having a piston end and a connecting end. A non-through bore formed in the connecting end receives a pin mounted eccentrically on a shaft, such that rotation of the shaft causes the rod section to reciprocate. An axial groove formed in the bore allows air in the bore to escape during assembly. When a lubricant is disposed in the bore, the groove also provides lubrication over the entire length of the pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Roy J. Rozek
  • Patent number: 6331101
    Abstract: A two-cylinder air compressor has a motor with a through drive shaft. Identical housings are provided at each end of a cylindrical spacer sleeve that surrounds the motor. The housings include cylinder housing extensions each of which mounts a cylinder sleeve, a valve plate, and a head. The heads are part of a one-piece cylinder head member. Wobble pistons are mounted on each end of the motor shaft and operate in the cylinder sleeves. The cylinder sleeves rest on a floor in the housing which has integrally formed passages for cooling air to circulate around the cylinder sleeves. The one-piece cylinder head member includes integral tubes connecting the heads. The integral tubes span the distance between the beads and are spaced from the outside of the spacer. The housings may be joined by through bolts or without bolts by press fitting the bearings in the housing, press fitting the housings to the spacer sleeve, and press fitting the motor shaft into the bearings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2001
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Shawn Leu, Jeffrey W. Bergner
  • Patent number: 6327961
    Abstract: A connecting rod including a generally vertical oriented rod section having a piston end and a connecting end. A non-through bore formed in the connecting end receives a pin mounted eccentrically on a shaft, such that rotation of the shaft causes the rod section to reciprocate. A bleed hole formed in an inside end of the bore allows air in the bore to escape during assembly. When a lubricant is disposed in the bore, the bleed hole is shaped to inhibit an excess amount of lubricant from escaping therethrough.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Roy J. Rozek
  • Patent number: 6254357
    Abstract: An axial piston fluid pumping apparatus is disclosed in which wobble pistons are rigidly connected to arms of a nutating plate that is rotatably mounted on a bearing which is mounted on a drive shaft. The axis of the bearing is at an acute angle to the axis of the shaft. The wobble pistons move within cylinders whose bores are disposed about the axis of the shaft. The motion of the pistons is in three dimensions within the bores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventors: William H. Lynn, Paul J. Thomas
  • Patent number: 6227821
    Abstract: A two-cylinder air compressor has a motor with a through drive shaft. Identical housings are provided at each end of a cylindrical spacer sleeve that surrounds the motor. The housings include cylinder housing extensions each of which mounts a cylinder sleeve, a valve plate and a head. The heads are part of a one-piece cylinder head member. Wobble pistons are mounted on each end of the motor shaft and operate in the cylinder sleeves. The cylinder sleeves rest on a floor in the housing which has integrally formed passages for cooling air to circulate around the cylinder sleeves. The one-piece cylinder head member includes integral tubes connecting the heads. The integral tubes span the distance between the heads and are spaced from the outside of the spacer. The housings may be joined by through bolts or without bolts by press fitting the bearings in the housing, press fitting the housings to the spacer sleeve, and press fitting the motor shaft into the bearings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2001
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Shawn Leu, Jeffrey W. Bergner
  • Patent number: 6193475
    Abstract: A compressor assembly including a motor having a rotatable shaft, and a bracket attached to the motor. The bracket has fingers extending substantially perpendicular to the shaft. The fingers having ends with engagement surfaces. A connecting rod has a connecting end eccentrically connected to the shaft, and a piston end received in a cylinder sleeve. The cylinder sleeve is supported by shelves projecting from the fingers and is interposed between the fingers. A valve head member disposed above and in sealed engagement with the cylinder sleeve is interposed between the fingers, and the finger engagement surfaces retain the valve head member in sealed engagement with said cylinder sleeve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Roy J. Rozek
  • Patent number: D437929
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Thomas Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Todd W. Leonhard, Mark E. O'Connell
  • Patent number: D438875
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Roy J. Rozek
  • Patent number: D454884
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Ross P. Christiansen, Jeffrey R. Staszak, Ryan W. Rindy, William C. Lindeman
  • Patent number: D479245
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Thomas Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Shawn A. Leu
  • Patent number: D479246
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Thomas Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Shawn A. Leu
  • Patent number: D488820
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Thomas Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Roy J. Rozek