Oil and gasoline pump and mixing apparatus
A metering and mixing mechanism including a housing secured to a location associated with a first fluid holding container. A volume of a second fluid is held within a reservoir incorporated into the housing. A first piston assembly is selectively communicated with the interior volume of fluid held in the container, whereas a second piston assembly communicates with a second volume reservoir internally held within the housing. The first and second piston assemblies are cooperatively actuated to withdraw metered volumes of the first and second fluids, e.g. gas and oil, and to admix said fluids into a common mixing chamber associated with the housing for distribution through an exit spout extending therefrom.
The present application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/664,232, filed Mar. 22, 2005, for an Oil and Gasoline Pump and Mixing Gun.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mixing and metering devices, such as for use with oil and gasoline reservoirs for intermixing 2-cycle fluid volumes. More specifically, the present invention discloses an oil and gasoline pump and mixing apparatus, capable of withdrawing volumes of gasoline and oil from individual reservoirs, intermixing the discrete fluids at a gate associated with the gun, and depositing the intermixed fluid directly into a reservoir associated with a 2-cycle motorized implement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is well documented with examples of oil and gas metering and measuring devices. The purpose in each instance is to provide for an effective ratio of a first fluid (e.g. gas) to a further fluid (e.g. oil) in a desired metered fashion and for such as a two-cycle engine application where it is desired to establish the desired admixture of fluids prior to introduction into a fuel/oil tank associated with the 2 cycle appliance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,154, issued to Cheresko, teaches a fluid metering and measuring device exhibiting a filling chamber with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. One way check valves are disposed at both the inlet and outlet to prevent backflow. A plunger stem includes a piston disposed within a cylindrical chamber. Upon actuating the piston upwardly, a vacuum is created within the cylindrical chamber, resulting a metered volume of oil being caused to flow into the chamber. Upon being depressed downwardly, the piston causes the metered oil volume to be introduced into the main fluid holding body of the device (such as containing gasoline). Gradations or indicia indicate the amount of oil withdrawn into the piston chamber and to ensure proper rationed admixture with the main gas reservoir.
Other container integrated fluid measuring and proportioning devices include Isberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,273, and which teaches a tube used to mix oil and gasoline in a fuel tank having a one way valve in an end opposite a pouring end of the tube. The tube capacity is related to the capacity of the tank so that a prescribed gasoline to oil ratio can be achieved when a certain mixing procedure is followed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,833, issued to Huddleston, teaches a measuring, metering and mixing can and which, similar to Cheresko, includes a plunger-cylinder metering unit for withdrawing a selected amount of oil from the container and injecting the same into the gasoline for producing an oil-gasoline mixture. Visual gauges on the gasoline and oil containers permit the metering of specified amounts of oil, and dependent upon the volume of gasoline being held in order to establish a desired mixture ratio.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,492, issued to Centea, teaches a two-component liquid metering, mixing and dispensing gun. A pair of chambers each include front and rear components and communicate with liquid materials contained in pressurized portable cartridges through liquid material inlet openings formed in the rear compartments of each of the chambers. Passageways connect the chambers with an aligned material outlet opening to provide for passage of the material out of the gun. Adjustable rods mounted within each of the chambers are operated by pump means and between positive displacement positions wherein the front ends of the rods are sealingly engaged with the material passage openings and extend into the front compartments of the chambers, and retracted positions wherein the front and rear compartments are allowed to communicate through the material passage opening.
The pump means is further driven by a portable compress pneumatic cartridge. A mechanical adjustment nut is operatively connected to the piston rod of the pump means for controlling the length of the stroke of the attached positive displacement rods. Check valves mounted adjacent to the chamber outlet openings prevent unintended passage of liquid material out of or back through the outlet openings.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONThe present invention discloses a mixing and metering device, such as for use with oil and gasoline reservoirs for intermixing 2-cycle fluid volumes. More specifically, the present invention discloses an oil and gasoline pump and mixing apparatus and which, in a first preferred embodiment withdraws volumes of gasoline and oil from individual reservoirs, which are intermixed at a gate associated with a gun assembly, and depositing the intermixed fluid directly into a reservoir associated with a 2-cycle motorized implement.
Variants associated with the gun-type assembly include a (smaller) oil reservoir integrally formed with the gun, or associated housing, and such that only a first intake line extends from the gun into an unmixed fuel reservoir. A second outlet line extends into the fuel reservoir associated with the 2-cycle driven implement.
Additional variants include a pull/push handle and plunger assembly incorporated into a three dimensional housing secured to a flow outlet location of a larger gas holding container. An oil fill port is further provided for charging a volume of oil to be held within a separate reservoir located within the housing, and concurrent with admitting a further desired volume of gasoline into a separate gas holding chamber. Both the admitted volumes of oil and gasoline are held within respective volume holding pistons incorporated into the assembly and, upon fully engaging the handle/plunger assembly downward, admixes the oil supported within the housing with the metered amount of fluid withdrawn from the gasoline reservoir, and expels the combined mixture through an exit spout extending from the housing assembly. The present invention further provides, in a preferred variant, adjustable withdrawal of oil in order to quickly adapt for use with varying gas/oil recipes (ratios) for different 2-cycle powered implements.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSReference will now be made to the attached drawings, when read in combination with the following detailed description, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
Referring now to
As is known in the art, many engine powered tools utilize 2-cycle engines that require a specific (and varied) amount of lubricating oil added to gasoline fuel. A homeowner may typically have several such motorized tools, each requiring a different fuel-to-oil mixture. This poses a number of problems to the homeowner, including having to create the desired mixture in an external container for each 2-cycle operated tool/implement which operates off of a distinct fuel and oil mixture.
The further result of this is the need for several containers, one for each mixture and properly identifying the mixture for future use. Further problems resulting from this are environmental issues when the mixture becomes old and/or the specific oil-to-gasoline ratio is no longer known and the contents of the container need to be disposed.
The mixing gun 10 includes a substantially “T” shaped handle including a first 12 and second 14 interconnected and perpendicularly extending portions. An adjustable metering wheel is illustrated at 16 and which is rotatably mounted to an upper end of the handle portion 14, at axis 18.
A trigger mechanism is illustrated by “L” shaped component 20 which is pivotally secured to the handle portion 14 about a further rotational axis 22 downwardly offset from the axis 18 associated with the adjustable metering wheel 16. The component 20 includes an angled portion 24, which extends between a gap or spacing in the extending portion 12 of the handle. A linkage member 26 pivotally interconnects at a first end 28 to the trigger portion 24 and at an opposite end 30 to an outer circumferential location associated with the wheel 16.
As best shown in
Also illustrated in
An adjustable and metering wheel 54, operating as a primary cam 54, is operably connected to a first linkage member 56, pivotally interconnected at 58, the linkage member 56 extending to an opposite pivotal connection 60 associated with the spring-biased trigger 50. A further linkage member 62 is pivotally interconnected at a first end, at 64, with a further location of the primary cam 65 and at a remote end 66 with a primary pump piston 68.
The piston 68 includes a check valve 70, openable upon a vacuum pressure being created within the pump 68, and in order to withdraw, through a connected hose 72, a fluid (such as unmixed gasoline) contained within a reservoir 74. A filter 76 is typically mounted to an end of the hose 72 extending within the reservoir 74.
A secondary cam 78 is slaved in some fashion to the primary cam 54, the secondary cam 78 including a plurality of multiple displacement settings 80 (similar to those previously illustrated at 32 in the variant of
The secondary pump 88 operates in cooperation with the primary pump 68, and such that the secondary pump 88 withdraws (again through the creation of vacuum pressure) a determined volume of fluid from an oil reservoir 90 in operative communication with the secondary pump 88 through a check valve 91. An outlet 92 of the secondary pump 88 communicates with a 2-position valve 94, the purpose for which being to assist in the admittance and mixture of a measured volume of oil, through outlet line 96, into a common communicating outlet line 98 associated with the primary pump 68 and in order to intermix, at the point of confluence, with a concurrently withdrawn volume of gasoline.
An overflow return line is also illustrated at 99 extending between the valve 94 and secondary pump 88 and in order to protect against an overflow/overfill situation during the metering and measuring process. Check valve 100 is located at a downstream location of the combined outlet line 98, such providing venting, and prior to engagement by a discharge hose 102 extending to a fuel tank inlet 104 of an associated 2-cycle powered device, see as further shown at 106 and represented by two cycle operated chainsaw.
In this fashion, the present invention facilitates direct mixing, at an adjustable and predetermined ratio, of an oil/gas recipe and introduction of a desired volume of that recipe in continuously mixing fashion within a fuel tank of a 2-cycle powered implement. In additional variants, the tool can either be hand (pump) powered or electric motor powered.
In a preferred application, only gasoline is originally withdrawn, based upon the position of the output valve, and in order to purge air from the pumping system (which is then discharged back into the original gasoline container). Repeated actuation of the primary pump 68 results in the secondary pump 88 withdrawing and delivering a specified quantity of oil from the reservoir 90.
As is illustrated, oil is withdrawn from the integrally mounted reservoir 90 (due to the smaller volume restrictions of the oil reservoir), it being further understood that the present invention contemplates the provision of a separate fluid reservoir associated with the oil and which can be concurrently withdrawn with gasoline. In this instance, a separate inlet line extends from the secondary pump to the remotely located oil reservoir in similar fashion as that illustrated in use with the gasoline reservoir 74.
The amount of oil delivered by the secondary pump will be mechanically selectable to achieve the desired ratio of gasoline to oil in a typical range of 20 parts gasoline to 1 part oil (20:1) up to 100 parts gasoline to one part oil (100:1). The check valves integrated into the gun function to maintain the desired flow direction. The two-position valve, previously referenced at 94, operates to either redirect oil back into the integrated oil reservoir 90 or, in the alternative position, allows the oil to be injected into the discharge hose from the primary pump. An air vent with a one-way check valve is also included in the discharge passageway to allow the fuel/oil mixture to completely flow out of the discharge hose and into the dedicated 2-cycle implement reservoir.
As further referenced by the example of
Additional considerations include the selection of construction materials for the gun, such as which may include plastic and/or metal, however provision can be made to allow a user to observe that that internal passageways have been purged of air, and which could upset the precise metering of the respective fluid volumes. Along these lines, a clear or semi-clear plastic material (resistant to gasoline and oil) can be used and which allows direct viewing of the passageways. An alternate design would be to use metal construction with integrated viewing ports of a glass or plastic material.
Referring now to
As referenced throughout the several succeeding illustrations, the housing 110 is illustrated in substantially transparent fashion and in order to reference its various internal components. The housing 110 further exhibits a three dimensional shape and size and which, as shown, exhibits an upwardly disposed pump handle 116. Extending downwardly from the handle 116 are a pair of spaced apart piston assemblies 118 and 120, these traveling respectively within oil 122 and gas 124 chambers defined within the housing.
Additional features of the housing assembly 110 include a spring loaded end portion 126 associated with the oil piston 118 and which is modified in its positioning by an axially end positioned and ratio adjusting piston 128, and controlled by a cam element 130. An oil fill port 132 is located at a top location of the housing 110 and to permit filling of an interior chamber of the oil cylinder with oil, from which metered volumes are subsequently withdrawn for admixture with likewise metered volumes of gasoline. It is also envisioned that other variants may include a conduit extending from a remotely located oil volume (not shown) and secured to the oil port 132 for admitting larger volume of oil. Oil withdrawn from the remote reservoir is accordingly admitted into the oil chamber 122 for subsequent admixture with a desired withdrawn volume of gas. Yet additional features shown include a mixing chamber 134 located at a lower communicating location to both the oil and gas piston and cylinder assemblies, and which exits the assembly through an exit spout 136.
Referring to
In the fully withdrawn position of
Concurrently, a given rotary positioning of the disc shaped cam portion 130, results in establishing a desired positioning of an oil-adjusting piston 128 (and by modifying its linear positioning within oil cylinder). The linear position of the axial component 128 defines a selected reservoir admitting volume of oil into a lowermost volume holding location and which is established between a lower most facing surface 148 associated with the spring loaded piston 126 in contact over the oil adjusting piston 128. Adjustment of the spring loading of the oil piston 126 thus in turn modifies the volume of oil permitted to being withdrawn from a main interior oil reservoir 122 into piston location 126.
Also shown in enlarged fashion in
In this fashion, the cam 130 is dialed to a desired location, thus pre-positioning the component 128 within the lower most oil receiving (sub) reservoir and prior to vertically withdrawing the handle 116 upwardly. At this point the bottom facing surface 148 of the spring loaded piston 126 unseats from the lower most reservoir location (note telescoping and spring biasing displacing motion of the inner piston 126 via an inner recessed seating location defined in the outer piston shaft 118), resulting in the desired volume of oil flowing downwardly from the main interior oil reservoir 128 and into the lower positioned sub-reservoir location.
Referring now to
As is further shown in
Finally,
Having described my invention, other and additional preferred embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains. In particular, the manually operable hand crank is capable of being either operated by or substituted in favor of a motorized or other suitable powered sub-assembly built into the housing. In this fashion, the mechanism can be more effectively and repetitively operated to administer multiple admixed sub-volumes of oil/gas into a reservoir associated with such as a two-cycle implement 106.
Claims
1. A handheld tool for concurrently withdrawing and admixing first and second fluids, comprising:
- a body incorporating at least one piston pump;
- a first fluid withdrawal line extending from said pump and communicating with a reservoir containing a volume of the first fluid;
- a second fluid withdrawal line extending from said pump and communicating with a second reservoir containing a volume of the second fluid;
- a discharge line in fluidic communication with said pump and through which an admixture of said first and second fluids is fed for communication to a remote receptacle.
2. The tool as described in claim 1, said body further comprising primary and secondary pumps.
3. The tool as described in claim 2, said primary pump operatively withdrawing fluid from a gasoline reservoir.
4. The tool as described in claim 2, said secondary pump operatively withdrawing fluid from an oil reservoir.
5. The tool as described in claim 4, said oil reservoir being integrally defined upon said pump.
6. The tool as described in claim 1, further comprising an adjustable fluid metering wheel in operative communication with at least one of said first and second fluid withdrawal lines.
7. The tool as described in claim 6, said metering wheel further comprising a primary cam associated with said first withdrawal line and a secondary cam associated with said second withdrawal line.
8. The tool as described in claim 4, further comprising a two-position flow valve operatively disposed between said secondary pump and said discharge line.
9. The tool as described in claim 6, said adjustable fluid metering wheel further comprising a plurality of displacement settings for selectively and pivotally engaging a linkage member extending from said pump.
10. The tool as described in claim 9, further comprising a substantially T-shaped body, a substantially L-shaped trigger being pivotally associated with said body and actuating additional linkage members associated with said fluid metering wheel to withdraw and admix the first and second fluids.
11. The tool as described in claim 1, said tool having a specified shape and size and admixing a ratio of the first and second fluids extending from a range of 20:1 to 100:1.
12. The tool as described in claim 1, said body having a specified shape and size and being constructed of at least one of a metal and a plastic material.
13. The tool as described in claim 12, further exhibiting at least one transparent viewing port for revealing passageways associated with the first and second fluids.
14. A metering and mixing mechanism, comprising:
- a housing secured to a location associated with a first fluid holding container;
- a volume of a second fluid held within a reservoir incorporated into said housing;
- a first piston assembly selectively communicating with said interior volume of said fluid holding container and a second piston assembly communicating with said second volume reservoir; and
- said first and second piston assemblies being cooperatively actuated to withdraw metered volumes of said first and second fluids and to admix said fluids into a common mixing chamber associated with said housing for distribution through an exit spout extending therefrom.
15. The mechanism as described in claim 14, further comprising a handle mechanism operatively engaging each of said first and second piston assemblies.
16. The mechanism as described in claim 15, said first piston assembly further comprising a three dimensional interior volume defined between an intermediate portion and a downwardly displaced plunger, retraction of said handle to a first position causing a volume of said first fluid to be admitted into said first piston assembly from said fluid holding container, displacement of said handle to a second position causing said first fluid to be admitted into said mixing chamber.
17. The mechanism as described in claim 15, said second piston assembly further comprising a first position adjustable and sub-volume defining component, a second spring loaded component selectively unseating in a first position to permit said second fluid to fill said sub-volume, said spring loaded component displacing inwardly against said sub-volume in a second position to forcibly admit said second fluid into said mixing chamber.
18. The mechanism as described in claim 17, said second piston assembly further comprising a position adjusting cam element, a stem projecting from said axially adjustable sub-volume defining component and seating within a channel configured within said cam element.
19. The mechanism as described in claim 18, further comprising a spring-loaded check valve associated with a lower position of said position adjustable component.
20. The mechanism as described in claim 14, further comprising a fill spout extending from a further location associated with said housing and communicating with said second volume holding reservoir.
21. A metering and mixing mechanism, comprising:
- a housing exhibiting a three dimensional shape and size;
- a first piston assembly incorporated in said housing and communicating with a first externally located fluid reservoir; and
- a second piston assembly cooperatively incorporated into said housing and communicating with a second internally located fluid reservoir;
- said first and second piston assemblies being cooperatively actuated in a first position to withdraw metered volumes of said first and second fluids, said piston assemblies being actuated to a second position to admix said fluids into a common mixing chamber associated with said housing and for distribution from said housing.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 22, 2006
Publication Date: Sep 28, 2006
Inventor: Michael Erickson (Fenton, MI)
Application Number: 11/386,334
International Classification: F04B 41/06 (20060101);