Pump adaptor
A pump adaptor for on-the-go reducing the size of an inlet end of a utility pump having a static immersible one-way valve on an inlet end with the pump adaptor having a constricting band for forming a sealing surface with a portion of a pump barrel located downstream to the immersible one-way valve with the adaptor including a chamber for a static immersible one-way valve to enable reduction in the inlet to the utility pump without reducing the pump stroke capacity and without affecting the normal operation of the static one-way immersible valve.
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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNone
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIXNone
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe concept of inexpensive siphon utility pumps for pumping or siphoning a liquid from one location to another is known in the art. One such pump, which is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,231, contains a static immersible one-way inlet valve located on an inlet end of a pump cylinder and a plunger having a dynamic one-way valve located in a lumen within the pump cylinder. The dynamic one-way valve can be axially stroked within the lumen through a handle extending through a top end of the pump cylinder to draw liquid into and through the pump cylinder. Typically, most or all of the components of the siphon pump are made from polymer plastics which provides an inexpensive pump as well as a pump that resists oxidation.
The siphon utility pump includes an upper outlet, which is located on the top end of the pump cylinder or pump barrel with the upper outlet connectable to a flexible hose or the like. As the dynamic one-way valve is stroked back and forth within the pump cylinder it draws liquid into and through the pump cylinder. That is, during an upstroke of the dynamic one-way valve liquid is directed into and through the cylinder and the upper outlet and when the dynamic one-way valve is stroked in the opposite direction the dynamic one-way valve opens to allow liquid to pass therethrough while an immersible one-way valve located at the inlet end of the pump remains in a closed condition to prevent liquid from back flowing out of the pump cylinder. If the end of the hose, which is attached to upper outlet of the pump cylinder, is located below a liquid air interface (i.e. the liquid line) of the liquid where the static one-way valve is immersed in the liquid can be siphoned from one location to another since the two one-way valves of the pump cooperate with the pump chamber to allow flow from pump inlet to pump outlet. On the other the one-way valves prevent back flow from pump outlet to pump inlet of siphon action is lost.
One of disadvantages of such utility siphon pumps is that the one-way static inlet valve needs to be immersed in a liquid i.e. below the liquid line before the liquid can be drawn into the utility pump. As the immersible one-way inlet valve is located on the inlet end of the pump and extends radially outward from the pump barrel it limits where the pump may be used. While the external size disadvantage of the immersible one-way valve does not effect the use of the pump for removing liquids such as water from open sources of water it makes it more difficult to remove liquids where the size of the access port to the liquid is limited.
One of the features of the utility siphon pump, which is enjoyed by a user, is the use of a large diameter pump cylinder, typically, a diameter of 2 inches or more which enables the user to quickly draw liquid through the pump and start either a siphon process or a pumping process without excessive stroking. For example, with such a large diameter pump barrel one can remove a gallon of water with four strokes of the pump, which makes it desirable for field use. If the utility siphon pump is to be used to remove liquids from a source of water or the like that has only a small access port the user needs to use a siphon pump with a smaller diameter. However, a smaller diameter pump has a lesser stroke volume or stroke capacity and requires additional strokes to push the same amount of liquid through the pump.
Thus, a pump which has high stroke efficiency or capacity and a large one-way inlet valve may not be suitable for extracting liquid from sources where the inlet access port to the source is smaller than the one-way valve on the end of the pump. Since the immersible one-way valve is threadingly mounted on the exterior surface of the pump it precludes the use of conventional pipe reducers since the reducers would interfere with the operation and placement of the immersible one-way inlet valve.
The invention described herein accommodates multiple uses of a utility siphon pump of high stroke efficiency, without adversely impacting the operation of the static immersible one-way inlet valve. One can access both open sources of liquids or sources of liquids where the size of the access port is smaller than the one-way valve without having to compromise the stroke capacity of the pump since the same pump can be used in either application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA hand secureable one piece pump adaptor for reducing the size of a pump inlet port to a size less than the size of the one-way immersible valve located on the inlet end of the utility pump without affecting the stroke capacity of the utility pump. The pump adaptor includes a constricting band for forming a suction seal with a portion of an exterior surface of the pump barrel, which is located downstream of the immersible one-way valve. The pump adaptor includes an encapsulation band for extending over and past a one-way valve so as not to adversely affect the operation of the one-way valve. An inlet suction port having a size smaller than the size of the one-way inlet valve can be attached to the inlet band of the adaptor to permit field use of the pump in locations where the access port to the liquids are smaller than the one-way immersible valve.
In the example shown a friction collar 20 is also located on pump barrel 11. Friction collar 20 may be used in the event one wishes to apply additional compression force to more securely maintain the adaptor 21 in a suction seal on the pump barrel 11. The friction collar 20 is shown in cross section in
The pump adaptor 21 is preferably made from a resilient elastomer and can be radially expanded to allow the pump adaptor to be axially slipped over the one-way valve 15 by user hand pressure.
A feature of the use of a separate suction pipe 22 for attachment to the pump adaptor 21 is that the external diameter of the inlet band 29 need not be smaller than the inside diameter of the encapsulation band 24 since suction tubes of different and lesser external diameters may be interchangeable connected to the inlet band 29 of adaptor 21 through conventional pipe fittings or the like thus allowing the operator not only the choice of the size of the external diameter of the suction tube but to make on-the-go changes of the size of suction tube while at a job site.
If desired, in some cases, the portion of the one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor wherein the elongated tube is suctionally sealable through resilient engagement therewith may includes a set of external buttresses 38 for stiffing or preventing suction collapse of the inlet band during suction of liquids therethrough.
As can be seen in
Thus the siphon utility pump as shown in
As shown in the drawings the liquid immersible one-way valve 15 is located on an inlet end of the pump cylinder 11 to enable a liquid to be suctioned through the liquid immersible one-way valve 15 by axially stroking the plunger 17 within the cylinder 11. Attached to the lower end of the pump cylinder 11 is a three part resilient adaptor 21 with the resilient adaptor 21 having a constricting band 25 sealingly engaging an exterior cylindrical surface 11a of cylinder 11, an encapsulation band 24 for encapsulating the liquid immersible one-way valve 15, an inlet extension 29 having an outside diameter preferably smaller than an outside diameter of the liquid immersible one-way valve 15 and a suction chamber 27 for suctioning of fluid through an extension 22 and into proximity of the liquid immersible one-way valve 15. If desired one can lock the pump adaptor 21 in position through an annular stop 21b that mechanically prevents the pump adaptor from sliding off the pump barrel 11 and a stop 31 that mechanically prevents the pump adaptor 15 from sliding to far over the one-way valve and thus interfering with the operation of the one-way valve 15.
A further feature of the invention includes a field method of reducing the inlet size of a siphon utility pump having an immersible one-way valve without the aid of tools by on-the-go placing a sealing surface 21a of a pump adaptor 21 into a suction sealing engagement with an exterior surface 11a of a pump barrel 11 by radially expanding a constricting band 25 on the adaptor to slide the sealing surface 21a past the one-way valve 15 and into a position proximate an exterior surface 21a of a pump barrel. Allowing the resilient constricting band 25 to radially contract brings the constricting band into a suctional seal with the external surface of pump barrel. One can then place an encapsulation band 24 of the pump adaptor circumferentially around the non-immersible one-way valve 15 with a rigid frame 15b of one-way valve 15 in engagement with axial stop 31 to form a suction chamber proximate the one-way valve 15. An extension 22 on the adaptor can then be used for suction of liquids therethrough. The extension may include a tube that can be frictional secured thereto in a suction seal to prevent air leakage therepast during the operation of the utility pump.
Claims
1. A one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor for reducing the external size of a siphon pump access inlet without decreasing a pump stroke capacity comprising:
- a siphon pump constricting band having an internal sealing surface for forming a radially constricting pump barrel suction seal;
- a one-way valve encapsulation band having a chamber therein for extending around a one-way valve without operational interference therewith; and
- an inlet band having an opening therein for suction of a liquid therethrough.
2. The one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor of claim 1 wherein the constricting band is radially elastically stretchable and the encapsulation band and the constricting band are located in a coaxially condition with respect to each other and an internal diameter D5 of the encapsulation band is larger than an internal diameter D4 of the constricting band.
3. The one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor of claim 1 wherein the inlet band has an outside diameter D6 less than an internal diameter D5 of the encapsulation band.
4. The one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor of claim 1 including an elongated suction tube suctionally sealed to the inlet band with the elongated tube having an outside diameter D7 less than an internal diameter D5 of the encapsulation band.
5. The one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor of claim 1 including a first axial stop for preventing axial displacement of the adaptor in a first direction and a second axial stop for preventing axial displacement of the adaptor in the opposite direction.
6. The one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor of claim 5 wherein the constricting band has a frusto conical outer surface; and a compression collar having an internal frusto conical surface for radially constricting the constricting band through axial displacement of the compression collar with respect to the frusto conical surface on the constricting band.
7. The one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor of claim 1 wherein the adaptor comprise an elastomer and the encapsulation band is integral to the inlet band and the constricting band.
8. The one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor of claim 4 wherein the elongated suction tube is suctionally sealable through frictional engagement with the inlet band and the inlet includes a set of buttresses for preventing suction collapse of said inlet band.
9. The one-piece cylindrical siphon pump adaptor of claim 1 wherein the resilient inlet band has sufficient radially stiffness to resist suction collapse when a liquid is drawn therethrough.
10. A siphon utility pump comprising:
- a pump cylinder having an inlet end and, an outlet and a lumen therebetween;
- a plunger slideable in the lumen with the plunger having a one-way valve thereon for drawing liquid through the pump cylinder;
- a liquid immersible one-way valve located on the inlet end of the pump cylinder to enable a liquid to be suctioned through the liquid immersible one-way valve by stroking the plunger within the pump cylinder; and
- an adaptor having a constricting band axially spaced from the inlet end with the constricting band sealingly engaging an exterior cylindrical surface of said pump cylinder, an encapsulation band for encapsulating the liquid immersible one-way valve, an inlet band proximate the liquid immersible one-way valve with the inlet band including a passage for suctioning of fluid through the inlet band and into proximity of the liquid immersible one-way valve.
11. The siphon utility pump of claim 10 including a friction ring having a frusto conical inner surface for radially compressing said constricting band into a suction seal with the pump cylinder.
12. The siphon utility pump of claim 10 including a set of axial stops for preventing displacement of the pump adaptor with respect to the liquid immersible one-way valve.
13. The siphon utility pump of claim 10 wherein the adaptor is one piece with the encapsulation band and the inlet band integral to the constriction band and the inlet band includes a suction tube frictionally secured to said adaptor with said suction tube having an external diameter less than the external diameter of said liquid immersible one-way valve.
14. The method of converting a siphon utility pump having an immersible one-way valve to a siphon utility pump wherein the immersible one-way valve is remote from a liquid to be removed by the pump comprising;
- placing a sealing surface of an adaptor into a suction sealing engagement with an exterior surface of a pump barrel;
- placing an encapsulation band of the pump adaptor circumferentially around the immersible one-way valve to form a suction chamber located proximate the one-way valve to thereby provide normal operation of the immersible one-way valve when the one-way valve is located above a liquid line.
15. The method of claim 14 including the step of resilient attachment of the pump adaptor to the utility pump during field use of the utility pump by radially expanding a constricting band on the adaptor to axially extend the sealing surface past the immersible one-way valve.
16. The method of claim 14 including the step of attaching a suction tube to an inlet extension on the pump adaptor wherein the suction tube has an outside diameter smaller than an outside diameter of the immersible one-way valve.
17. The method of claim 14 including the step of radially compressing the constriction band by axially sliding a collar over an exterior surface of the constricting band.
18. The method of claim 14 including the step of bringing an axial stop into engagement with an end frame of the one-way valve.
19. The method of claim 14 including the step of applying the pump adaptor to the pump without the aid of tools.
20. The method of claim 14 wherein the one-way immersible valve is located on an inlet end of the siphon utility pump and the sealing surface of the adaptor is axially spaced from the one-way valve.
21. The method of claim 20 including the step of attaching a suction tube to the adaptor when the suction tube having an outside diameter less than an outside diameter of the immersible one-way valve.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 14, 2011
Publication Date: Jan 17, 2013
Inventors: John Cain (Dardenne Prairie, MO), L. Herbert King, JR. (Jupiter, FL), Steven Rhea (St. Peters, MO)
Application Number: 13/135,741
International Classification: F16K 21/04 (20060101);