VALVE DEVICE FOR A PUMP
A pump includes a valve device (20) having a valve seat (21) and a cap (22). The valve seat (21) is mounted between a barrel (10) and a base (30) and includes a compartment (213) and a passageway (215) in communication with the compartment (213). The cap (22) is mounted in the compartment (213) and includes an opening (221) in communication with a bore (101) of the barrel (10). The cap (22) further includes a chamber (222) located intermediate and in communication with the opening (221) and the passageway (215). A disc (23) is mounted in the chamber (222) and has a thickness smaller than a height of the chamber (222). A gasket (234) is mounted to a top portion (231) of the disc (23) and has an upper edge located above the top portion (231). The gasket (234) has a sealing diameter (Ac) larger than a diameter of the opening (221) of the cap (22) and larger than a thickness of the disc (23).
The present invention relates to a valve device for a pump and, more particularly, to a valve device that is mounted between a piston and an air output tube of a vertical pump and that prevents reverse flow of air during inflation.
An example of the valve device 60 of
With reference to
However, the plug 63 is in the form of a cylinder having a considerable length and, hence, a smaller, limited cross-sectional area A2. Furthermore, the plug 63 must include a conic section to press against the conic joint area between the opening 621 and the chamber 622 for airtight purposes. Furthermore, the air pressure acting on the plug 63 has an active vertical component that moves the plug 63 downward and an inactive horizontal component that may cause undesired movement of the top 631 in a transverse direction (
Thus, a need exists for a novel valve device for a vertical pump.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn an aspect, the present invention provides a pump including a base having an engagement section. A nozzle is adapted to be coupled to the base. A barrel is engaged with the engagement section of the base and has a bore. A piston rod includes an upper end outside of the barrel and a lower end received in the bore of the barrel. A handle is mounted to the upper end of the piston rod. A piston is mounted to the lower end of the piston rod. A valve device includes a valve seat and a cap. The valve seat is mounted between the barrel and the engagement section of the base. The valve seat includes a compartment and a passageway in communication with a lower end of the compartment. The cap is mounted in the compartment and includes an opening in communication with the bore of the barrel. The cap further includes a chamber located intermediate and in communication with the opening of the cap and the passageway of the valve seat. A disc is mounted in the chamber and has a thickness smaller than a height of the chamber. A spring is mounted in the passageway of the valve seat and located between the base and a bottom end of the disc, biasing the disc towards the opening of the cap. The disc includes a top portion, at least one channel, and at least one abutting portion. A gasket is mounted to the top portion of the disc. The gasket has an upper edge located above the top portion of the disc. The gasket has a sealing diameter that is a spacing between two centers respectively of two circles on a cross-sectional plane including a central line of the gasket. The sealing diameter is larger than a diameter of the opening of the cap and larger than the thickness of the disc.
Preferably, with the engagement section of the base includes a fixing portion at a lower end thereof. The fixing portion includes a port adapted to be in communication with the nozzle. The fixing portion includes a plurality of holes.
Preferably, a hose is mounted between the port and the nozzle.
Preferably, the valve seat includes an annular groove in an outer periphery thereof. An O-ring is received in the annular groove and in sealing contact with an inner periphery of the bore.
Preferably, the valve seat includes an outer threading. The barrel includes a lower end having an inner threading threadedly engaged with the outer threading of the valve seat. The valve seat includes a plurality of screw holes aligned with the plurality of holes of the fixing portion. A plurality of screws extends through the plurality of holes of the fixing portion into the plurality of screw holes, fixing the valve seat in the engagement section of the base.
Preferably, the cap includes an outer threading. The compartment of the valve seat includes an inner threading. The outer threading of the cap is threadedly engaged with the inner threading of the compartment.
Preferably, an O-ring is mounted to an upper end of an outer periphery of the cap, providing airtight contact between the outer periphery of the cap and an upper end of an inner periphery of the compartment of the valve seat.
Preferably, the at least one channel is formed in an outer periphery of the disc for guiding air currents from the opening to the passageway. The at least one abutting portion includes at least one protrusion formed on the bottom side of the disc and defines at least one air passageway. The spring abuts said at least one protrusion. The air currents from the opening flow through the at least one channel and the at least one air passageway into the passageway of the valve seat during an inflation stroke of the pump.
Preferably, the disc includes a maximum diameter larger than the sealing diameter of the gasket.
The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.
With reference to
The base 30 includes an engagement section 33 in which the valve device 20 is mounted. The engagement section 33 includes a fixing portion 31 at a lower end thereof. The fixing portion 31 includes a port 311 in communication with an air output tube, such as a hose. The fixing portion 31 further includes a plurality of holes 32.
The valve device 20 is mounted in a space defined by the engagement section 33 of the base 30 and the barrel 10. The valve device 20 includes a valve seat 21 and a cap 22. The valve seat 21 includes a compartment 213 having an upper end facing the bore 101 and a passageway 215 in communication with a lower end of the compartment 213. An O-ring 212 is mounted in an annular groove formed in an outer periphery of the valve seat 21 to provide airtight contact with the inner periphery of the barrel 10. The compartment 213 of the valve seat 21 includes an inner threading. The valve seat 21 further includes an outer threading 214 threadedly engaged with an inner threading formed in the lower end of the barrel 10. The valve seat 21 further includes a plurality of screw holes 211 aligned with the holes 32 of the fixing portion 31. Screws 25 are extended through the holes 32 into the screw holes 211, fixing the valve seat 21 in the engagement section 33 of the base 30.
The cap 22 includes an outer threading 223 threadedly engaged with the inner threading of the compartment 213 of the valve seat 21, removably fixing the cap 22 in the compartment 213. The cap 22 further includes an opening 221 in communication with the bore 101 of the barrel 10. The cap 22 further includes a chamber 222 located intermediate and in communication with the opening 221 of the cap 22 and the passageway 215 of the valve seat 21. A disk 23 is mounted in the chamber 222. The chamber 222 has a height in the longitudinal direction larger than an overall height of the disk 23 in the longitudinal direction, allowing movement of the disk 23 in the longitudinal direction between an open position (
With reference to
Specifically, the upper end wall of the chamber 222 lies in a plane parallel to the sealing diameter Ac of the disc 23. The force acting on the disc 23 has no inactive horizontal component and, thus, actively pushes the disc 23 and overcomes the spring 24 during the inflation stroke. Furthermore, the airtight effect between the gasket 234 and the upper end wall of the chamber 222 is excellent, eliminating the need of processing precision required in conventional surface-to-surface contact design. Further, deformation of the gasket 234 is less likely to occur due to support from the disk 23. Further, the sealing diameter Ac of the disk 23 perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is larger than the height h of the disc 23 in the longitudinal direction, such that the overall volume of the disk 23 can be reduced while providing the largest cross sectional area. In a balanced state, the larger the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the disc 23 to the cross-sectional area of the opening 221, the smaller the pressure outputted from the bore 101 is required. The user can apply smaller force to push the disk 23 downward and to overcome the spring 24 during the inflation stroke. Furthermore, the maximum diameter A3 of the disk 23 provides an increased contact area between the air currents leaving the opening 221 and the disk 23, such that the air currents can continuously maintain the disk 23 in the open position, achieving enhanced inflating effect.
In another modified embodiment shown in
In view of the foregoing, the valve device 20 according to the present invention allows the user to apply less force to achieve the same inflating effect while providing airtight effect in the air intake stroke. Furthermore, the valve device 20 can be assembled or detached easily, allowing easy maintenance.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications and variations are still possible without departing from the essence of the invention. The scope of the invention is limited by the accompanying claims.
Claims
1. A pump comprising:
- a base including an engagement section, with a nozzle adapted to be coupled to the base;
- a barrel engaged with the engagement section of the base, with the barrel having a bore;
- a piston rod including an upper end outside of the barrel and a lower end received in the bore of the barrel, with a handle mounted to the upper end of the piston rod, with a piston mounted to the lower end of the piston rod;
- a valve device including a valve seat and a cap, with the valve seat mounted between the barrel and the engagement section of the base, with the valve seat including a compartment and a passageway in communication with a lower end of the compartment, with the cap mounted in the compartment and including an opening in communication with the bore of the barrel, with the cap further including a chamber located intermediate and in communication with the opening of the cap and the passageway of the valve seat, with a disc mounted in the chamber and having a thickness smaller than a height of the chamber, with a spring mounted in the passageway of the valve seat and located between the base and a bottom end of the disc, biasing the disc towards the opening of the cap, with the disc including a top portion, at least one channel, and at least one abutting portion, with a gasket mounted to the top portion of the disc, with the gasket having an upper edge located above the top portion of the disc, with the gasket having a sealing diameter, with the sealing diameter being a spacing between two centers respectively of two circles on a cross-sectional plane including a central line of the gasket, with the sealing diameter larger than a diameter of the opening of the cap and larger than the thickness of the disc.
2. The pump as claimed in claim 1, with the engagement section of the base including a fixing portion at a lower end thereof, with the fixing portion including a port, with the port adapted to be in communication with the nozzle, with the fixing portion including a plurality of holes.
3. The pump as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a hose mounted between the port and the nozzle.
4. The pump as claimed in claim 1, with the valve seat including an annular groove in an outer periphery thereof, with an O-ring received in the annular groove and in sealing contact with an inner periphery of the bore.
5. The pump as claimed in claim 2, with the valve seat including an outer threading, with the barrel including a lower end having an inner threading threadedly engaged with the outer threading of the valve seat, with the valve seat including a plurality of screw holes aligned with the plurality of holes of the fixing portion, with a plurality of screws extending through the plurality of holes of the fixing portion into the plurality of screw holes, fixing the valve seat in the engagement section of the base.
6. The pump as claimed in claim 1, with the cap including an outer threading, with the compartment of the valve seat including an inner threading, with the outer threading of the cap threadedly engaged with the inner threading of the compartment.
7. The pump as claimed in claim 6, further comprising: an O-ring mounted to an upper end of an outer periphery of the cap, providing airtight contact between the outer periphery of the cap and an upper end of an inner periphery of the compartment of the valve seat.
8. The pump as claimed in claim 1, with said at least one channel formed in an outer periphery of the disc for guiding air currents from the opening to the passageway, with said at least one abutting portion including at least one protrusion formed on the bottom side of the disc and defining at least one air passageway, with the spring abutting said at least one protrusion, with the air currents from the opening flowing through said at least one channel and said at least one air passageway into the passageway of the valve seat during an inflation stroke of the pump.
9. The pump as claimed in claim 1, with the disc including a maximum diameter, with the maximum diameter of the disc larger than the sealing diameter of the gasket.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 6, 2011
Publication Date: Nov 17, 2011
Inventors: Ying-Che Huang , Chun-Ming Huang
Application Number: 13/080,956
International Classification: F04B 53/10 (20060101);