Portable Pump

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/599,425, filed on Oct. 11, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to portable pumps. More particularly, the invention relates to the configuration of a portable pump with an electric motor for pumping a non-flammable liquid.

It is known to have a portable water pump that can be easily moved and used to pump water from a variety of locations. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,522,515 and D800,176. However, there are a number of disadvantages with conventional pumps.

While such pumps work well with clean water and in good conditions, they do not work well in a variety of difficult circumstances. For example, the volume of liquid to be pumped may be large or contain dirt and/or debris. If the pump intake becomes clogged, it can fail to pump the water. Sometimes, the motor in the pump continues to operate even though it is not pumping the water. The motor may then fail and the pump becomes inoperable. In the case of battery-operated pumps, the battery may be drained, which in turn may negatively impact its ability to fully recharge or the length of time it can operate without needing to be recharged.

Conventional pumps are also limited in their operation. There may be a need to pump the liquid a long distance or a significant height. The location may be dark or confined or otherwise difficult to access. It would be an advantage if the pump could be lighted and supported in a desired position without the need for a person to have to attend to the pump during the entire time the liquid is being pumped.

In a preferred embodiment, the pump has an improved mounting for the motor device which facilitates the relatively quick and easy removal of the motor from the pump. The pump has a main body, said main body being hollow and cylindrical, a motor housing, said motor housing being connected to said main body by threads at a first end and having a removable end cap on a second end, and an electric motor located in said motor housing. An electronics housing has a battery adapter plate, a switch, and a discharge port, said housing enclosing wires and electronics such that said motor pumps liquid from the end cap, through the motor housing and the main body, and out of the discharge port when said switch is turned on.

A first preferred embodiment of a pumpaccording to the invention has the exterior configuration shown in. Referring to the disassembled view in, pumphas a main bodywhich is hollow and generally cylindrical in shape. The main bodyis preferably composed of anodized aluminum, but may alternatively be composed of other high-strength materials.

At the top end of main bodyis an electronics housing, preferably formed from a rugged, impact resistant, polycarbonate material. The electronics housing preferably has a front partthat includes a water-resistant, sealed power switchand has a discharge port extending from the surface of the housing. The discharge port may extend approximately 2 to 4 inches from the surface of the housing or, with a suitable configuration of parts and materials, may be as little as little as 1.375 inches from the surface. The outer circumference of the discharge port matches the inner circumference of discharge hose. On the flange of the discharge port is a washer mountand a coupling washerwhich couples with the magnets in the coupler of discharge hoseas described in further detail below. Rear partof the electronics housing may have either a battery attachment or a battery adapter plate. The battery attachment receives, secures in place, and electrically connects a battery of a specific configuration to switchand the electric motor. The battery adapter plate allows batteries of different configurations to be secured and connected through the use of configured adapters respectively corresponding to the different configuration batteries.

Front partand rear partare secured to each other and to main bodyby a plurality of screwsor other equivalent attachment mechanism. When attached, the top of front partand rear parthave a hole with interior threads that engage with the exterior threads of a cylindrical handle. Cylindrical handleis preferably of the same material as main body, and is covered with a grip, which may be made of rubber or other suitable material. The distance from the bottom of the pump to the discharge port is preferably about 38 inches high. The handleis preferably about six inches long so that the entire height of the pump is about 48 inches. There may be multiple handlesof different lengths, each of which can be alternatively connected and disconnected to the electronics housing so as to change the effective height of the pump. These alternative length handles preferably still have the gripof approximately six inches on the end and are useful for use with deep sump pumps and pits. The handle may be, for example, 24 inches long so as to provide an overall height of approximately 66 inches.

The electronics housing contains within it the wires and electronics so that the motor is turned on and off by the switch. The wires extending through main bodyto the motor are preferably color coded to ensure proper connection to the pump motor.

The bottoms of front partand/or rear partmay have one or more LED lightsthat are directed downwards and turned on automatically whenever switchis turned on. There can be two LED lights as shown inor there can be a different number of lights. The LED lights are shown outside of the electronics housing in the partially assembled view offor the purpose of illustration and understanding. It is to be understood that when fully assembled, the LED lights are recessed into holes formed in the electronic housing so that no part thereof extends beyond the outer periphery of the electronics housing. Preferably, the holes are tapped and the LED lights are threaded into the holes, but any suitable arrangement may be employed

The LED lights preferably illuminate the area near the bottom of the pump to assist in dark conditions. Although only two LED lights are shown in, there may be any number of lights and they may be located at various locations. However, none of the LED lights should not be located directly above the discharge port to hoseas shown in the example of. Optical elements may be part of the LED lights themselves or they may be located in the holes along with the LED lights in order to provide a desired field of illumination. There may be LED lights of different fields of illumination so that an operator may choose to have a narrow field or a wider field around the pump. The LED lights of different fields are preferably selectable by the user using a switch or other device located on the electronics housing.

There are exterior threads on the bottom end of main body. The threaded portion may be the last two inches of the bottom end, or may be as little as 1.25 inches of the bottom end. The top end of a motor housinghas similar threads and is connected to the bottom end of main bodyby a unionand plastic cap. It is preferable that the motor housingcan be disconnected from main bodyby hand so as to allow easy access to the motor within. For this reason, plastic capis ridged as shown in the figures or the surface is otherwise formed so as to permit easy turning.

Motor housingpreferably has a larger diameter than main bodyso as to accommodate a motorthat can pump liquid at a high rate and/or to a relatively high height. Motoris not mounted directly to the inside wall of motor housing. A key feature of the preferred embodiments is that motor unitis assembled so that it can be accessed and replaced if necessary by a person once motor housingis disconnected from the main body. The preferred embodiments use a wire harness assemblyhaving a first open end into which motor unitcan be inserted and then securely fixed into place. The wires from the electronic housing pass through the second end of wire harness assemblyopposite the first end and are preferably terminated by terminals which can be connected to the terminals of the motor unit. The terminals of motor unitare preferably marked or color coded to match the marked or color coded wires. The motor unithas one or more seals such that, when motor unitis fixed in place inside wire harness assembly, the bottom of motor unitcan be secured to wire harness assemblyto form a water tight fit. Preferably, motor unitis secured to wire harness assemblyby a plurality of screws through a respective plurality of flanges.

shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of motor unithaving a cylindrical motor mount-surrounding impeller. As best seen in, the shaft of motoris not perfectly round and instead has a flat so that impellercan be aligned and pressed onto the motor shaft. As shown in, screws attach motor mount-to motorwith a large diameter O-ring squeezed inbetween. A smaller diameter O-ring surrounds the shaft of motor.

A round spacerpreferably has a plurality of slots that are sized and located to engage with corresponding flanges on motor unit. A screen or filterfits on the side of spaceropposite from the motor unit. The bottom end of motor housinghas external threads similar to those on its top end. End capis screwed onto the bottom end of motor housingholding screen or filterand the other elements within motor housingfirmly in place.

With this configuration, screen or filtercan be easily replaced or changed simply by unscrewing end cap. Motor unitcan also be replaced or changed by unscrewing the end cap and reversing the steps described above to assemble the motor unitinto a watertight fitting inside motor housing.

The pump operates when switchis turned on. When configured as shown and described herein, motoroperates to force the transfer of liquid drawn from the bottom of the pump through end capand screen or filter, through motor housingand main body, and out the discharge portformed as part of the electronics housing. The water exits from discharge hosewhich is preferably flexible and contains the connector shown in. The discharge portis an integral part of the front partof the electronics housing. Discharge porthas a base partwith a circular end face-formed therein. End face-may be substantially flush with base partor, as shown, the base partmay have a lip-surrounding the outer circumference of end face-. The pumped liquid passes through a hollow coupling-on the inside of circular end face-. The outer circumference of hollow coupling-matches the inner circumference of the connector of discharge hoseand the outer circumference of end face-matches the outer circumference of the connector of discharge hose.

A magnetic washeris glued onto circular end face-, preferably by using Loctite, but other adhesive or bonding agent may be used. The end face-matches the dimensions of the circular end face of the connector of discharge hose. The circular end face of the discharge hose connector is formed of a rigid polycarbonate material. As illustrated by, a plurality of cylindrical magnets are glued into a plurality of correspondingly shaped and dimensioned holes in the discharge hose connector. These magnets and the magnetic washer provide a strong and secure connection when the parts are brought into close proximity with each other, while the connection can be broken by mere manual effort and no tools. The number and strength of magnets can be varied although it is preferred that the magnets be equally spaced about the end face of the discharge hose connector.

While the connector of the discharge hose is rigid, there is an O-ring provided on the end of the connector opposite the discharge port so that the majority of the discharge hose can be flexible and yet securely connected to the connector without leakage. The O-ring can also be fashioned so as to provide robust friction keeping the discharge hose in place. The other end of discharge hosepreferably has a connector which is the same as the discharge port shown in. This allows a plurality of hoses to be daisy-chained together in serial fashion so that discharge hose can be lengthened. The hoses preferably have different lengths, such as 2 feet, four feet, seven feet, etc., so as to afford greater flexibility in the overall length of the discharge hose. Such flexibility adds to the adaptability of the pump to work well in different conditions. It is frequently desired that the pump is turned on and left unattended while liquid is being pumped. If, for example, liquid is to be pumped over a wall, through a window, etc. a suitable plurality of hoses can preferably be daisy-chained so that they will not move during unattended operation, perhaps undesirably pumping the liquid right back into the confined environment from which it is desired to be pumped in the first place.

Alternatively, an optional hose adaptercan be used as shown in. This adapter has a preferably polycarbonate body with a facethat matches the dimensions of the face of discharge port and a plurality of magnetsglued into a plurality of correspondingly shaped and dimensioned holes embedded in facethat match with the magnets of the discharge port. The adapterhas an internal groove for an O-ring. The combination of the magnets and O-ring with the magnetic washer of the discharge port makes a strong and secure connection and seal when the parts are brought into close proximity with each other, while the connection can be broken by mere manual effort and no tools. Although six magnets are shown in, an alternative number of magnets, such as,ormagnets, can also be used, but they are preferably equally space around the end face of adapter. The faceis thus attached to the discharge port, and on the other end of the adaptor are threadsthat match the standardized threads of a hose not specifically intended for use with the preferred embodiments, such as for example, a common garden hose. The hose is preferably at least % inches in diameter so as not to impede the flow of water through the pump. This adapter provides the advantage of using a single pump according to one of the preferred embodiments with either the hoses describe herein or with other hoses at the discretion of the user by easy and simple use of the adapterrather than being constrained to a pump that can only use one hose or the other.

A second preferred embodiment differs from the first embodiment insofar as it has a pivoting head as shown in. Referring to the perspective view in, the second preferred embodiment has an upper pivot headpreferably having a “t-shape” body, the “T” being attached to the lower end of main body. One side end of upper pivot headis attached to lower pivot headand the other end of upper picot headis capped. The lower picot head is preferably elbow shaped, with a cap at the elbow and the long end being attached, directly or indirectly, to motor housingas in the first preferred embodiment. Upper pivot headand lower pivot headhave a shaft or bolt extending therethrough which is capped at the ends so as to be watertight. The interiors of upper pivot headand lower pivot headare otherwise hollow except for the wires connected to the motor.

The lower pivot headrotates about the axis of the center shaft or bolt, thus causing the motor housingand end capto extend out at any desired angle relative to the axis of the main body. For example, the motor housingand end capmay be positioned at an angle of 90 degrees, or more than 90 degrees, relative to main body. It can be particularly advantageous in some circumstances where there are obstacles or tight spaces. For example, excessive debris can clog a pump and is typically concentrated at the bottom of any body of water. When a pump such as in the first preferred embodiment is located so that its intake is at the very bottom of the body of water, it tends to be in direct contact with the debris and easily get clogged by the debris. By rotating the motor housingand end capup more than 90 degrees, the end capis located above the bottom of the body of water, and above most of the debris, and therefore tends to take in cleaner water and avoid clogging.

The rotation in the second preferred embodiment preferably has a fixed limit, the limit being less than 360 degrees so that the wiring is not wound up on the center pivot shaft or bolt. A friction device is utilized (not shown in) to keep the motor housingand end capin place once it has been rotated, but which does not prevent intentional rotation upon the application of adequate force. This friction device can, for example, be located at the contacting exterior surfaces of upper pivot headand lower pivot head, or it can be provided in some other manner. The lower pivot headcan be directly attached to the motor housingor it can be connected via a hollow extension. The hollow extension can have any length. It can be relatively short, such as 2 inches, or it can relatively long, such as 12 inches. The friction device may be calibrated in conjunction with the length of the extension since gravity has a greater effect on rotation of the motor housingwhen it is on a lengthy extension rather than a short extension.

A pump according to the second preferred embodiment may be configured and assembled in any number of ways. It can be a fixed device, but preferably, it can be assembled as an adaptation of the first preferred embodiment as shown in the example of-D. This allows a user to obtain a pump according to the first embodiment, and use additional parts if and when they want to convert it to a pump according to the second preferred embodiment.

The exemplary adapting partis shown inand utilizes the threads on the lower end of the main bodyand the unionof the first preferred embodiment shown inand use additional parts. As shown in, upper pivot headhas threads that connect with the threads of main body, and a female-to-female threaded connectorconnects the threads in unionwith threads on lower pivot head. This connector can be of any desired length and is preferably of the same diameter as main body. A threaded center shaft or boltextends through the center of upper and lower pivot headsandand clamps the two together. Lower pivot headslides into upper pivot headand rotates inside of it. A threaded knobhas threads that interact with the threads on center shaft. The threaded knobis turned to loosen pivot headso it can be rotated and to tighten it in place as shown in. As shown in, locking teeth or notches that align and interface may be molded in a circle arrangement into the abutting surfaces of upper pivot headand lower pivot headto ensure that the motor housingand end capare secured in place after desired rotation occurs. Preferably, there is a less than a full circle of teeth or notches in the abutting surface of lower pivot headand one tooth or notch (or a few) molded into the abutting surface of upper pivot head. The extent and location of the partial circle of teeth or notches in the lower pivot headdetermines the range of rotation. Preferably, there is a half circle of teeth or notches located so that there is a range of rotation of almost 180 degrees from straight down to almost straight up.

As a further option to address the problem of clogging, a circular nylon push-on strainer such as that shown inmay also be used with any of the preferred embodiments. As shown in, the circular strainer is formed to fit over the exterior of end capand projects beyond it by a short distance, for example, 2-3 inches is preferred. The strainer works in conjunction with filterto help protect impellerfrom damage caused by debris. Although a strainer numberwith horizontal slits is shown in, a strainerwith vertical slits as shown inmay also be used. The strainer has a single piece hard plastic body, preferably molded, and a soft nylon O-ringthat is dimensioned to pass over the exterior of end capand rest on the top bezel thereof. The O-ringis secured in place relative to bodyby the horizontal notches-respectively formed in vertical ribs-as best seen in. The strainer can be removed by mere manual effort and no tools by grabbing hold of the strainer and pulling in a straight direction off of the motor housingand end cap, leaving the retainer ringin place.

Petal-shaped slits-in the bottom of bodyand especially vertical slots-in the circular wall of bodyprovide multiple points for water or other liquid, and thus decreases the chances of clogging. so that there are multiple slits through which water or other liquid may pass. Alternatively, the circular strainermay have horizontal slotsin the circular wall. Even if some of the lower horizontal slits become clogged, the liquid may still pass through the higher slits. Strainercan have any configuration of slits on the circular wall. So long as the area of slits greatly increases the area for water intake compared to the area of the flat filter, it decreases the likelihood of clogging. Although the switchand electronics housing are preferably water-resistant, they should ordinarily not be permitted to be immersed in the liquid to be pumped. Moreover, in operation, the pump should be kept substantially upright in order to maximize the flow rate of liquid through the bottom end cap and to reliably transfer the liquid until it is almost entirely pumped. However, it is frequently desired to let the pump run attended and sometimes difficult to reliably position the pump so that it can be left unattended without falling into the liquid.

Any number of tools may be used to keep the pump upright. However, it is preferable that there be a stand of some sort that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to transport and use with the pump, and reliable. The flow of liquid through the pump may not be absolutely constant and the pump may shake or jerk due to interruptions in the transfer caused by debris in the liquid or even differences in the viscosity of the liquid.

In realizing these goals, the inventors have made the important determination that the stand need not, and preferably does not, place the pump in a perfectly upright position. When in a perfectly upright position, the pump may lean in any direction and thus any stand would have to provide support in any direction. A stand for the pump would preferably position the stand at a slight angle from the vertical. It would provide support in the direction in which the pump would lean. And the stand would preferably be located on the side of the pump on which the battery is located since that would be the heavier side of the pump.

One preferred embodiment of such a stand is standshown in. It consists of a circular ringthat fits snugly around the main body. A triangular supporting structureis connected to the ring with a braceand multiple points of contactwith the ground or other surface on which the pump is placed. The stand preferably holds the pump at an angle of approximately six degrees from the vertical on the side of the battery. There may any manner of indentation or orientation between the main bodyand the circular ring that causes the circular ring to be positioned so that the stand leans in the direction of the battery. The stand can be composed of aluminum or other strong material, and is preferably coated so as to be resistant to rust or other corrosion from the liquid in which it is placed.

An alternative embodiment is a pump standas shown in. The primary component in pump standis body, which may be, for example, a single piece of hollow, light-weight aluminum. The bodymay be bent into a substantial V-shape, as shown in, or a substantial U-shape (not shown), or any shape between a U-shape and a V-shape. A connection portionof bracemay be treated to provide a friction surface. A bracefits around most of the circumference of the connection portionand has an extension component-which extends slightly below bodyas shown in. A bracketfits around main bodyof the pump and passes through two holes in extension component-. At least a portion of bracketmay be treated with rubber or other surface to prevent marring or scratching main body. When fastenersare tightened while manually manipulating the angle between standand main body, the standis put into a position where it can contain the pump substantially upright as shown in. Fastenersare preferably formed nuts that enable tightening by hand. There may also be end covers, which may be made of rubber, that inhibit the standfrom slipping.

Another embodiment is pump standshown in. The primary component is body, which may be, for example, a single piece of hollow, light-weight aluminum. The bodymay be bent into a substantial V-shape, as shown in, or a substantial U-shape (not shown), or any shape between a U-shape and a V-shape. A connection portionof bracemay be treated to provide a friction surface. A U-shaped bracketsurrounds main bodyof the pump and passes through two holes in main body. When fastenersare tightened while manually manipulating the angle between standand main body, the standis put into a position where it can contain the pump substantially upright as shown in. Fastenersare preferably formed nuts that enable tightening by hand. A portion of bracketis treated with rubber or other surface to prevent bracketfrom marring or scratching main body. There may be a cover or frictional elementon main bodythat prevents it from marring or scratching main bodywhile holding the pump in a substantially, but not perfectly, upright position. There may also be end covers, which may be made of rubber, that inhibit the standfrom slipping.

There may be various modifications of the alternative stand embodiments shown and described herein. Such a stand would remain especially easy to manufacture and set up.

Additional optional devices are shown in. The first of these devices is a hook apparatusthat may be utilized instead of one of the stands described above. This simple device comprises a single piece of molded plastic or similar material having a U-shaped partthat is shaped and dimensioned to fit around main body. In particular, parthas two deformable pieces that can deform away from each other so that the hook device can be pushed sideways onto main bodyand then tightened in place by a threaded bolt, threaded nutand thumbscrew. A downward descending partacts as a hook allowing an embodiment of the pump to be easily suspended from a rail or other horizontal structure (not shown) between main bodyand part. For example, in the case of a sump pump hole or other hole having water or other liquid in it and debris at the bottom, there can be a saw horse or other structure with legs and a horizontal piece that spans the hole and the pump can be hung from the horizontal piece into the hole so that the end capis above the bottom of the hole and does not rest on the bottom of the hole, which makes it more likely to be clogged by debris. The height of the end capis adjusted by simply suitably adjusting the point at which hook device is attached to main body.

Partneed not have the shape of the tongs with inner vertical surfaces as shown in, and partmay vary somewhat from that shown in. Similarly, hook devicecould have an alternative mechanism for attaching it to main bodyother than parts-, but it is particularly desired that hook devicecan be attached at various point along the height of main body. This flexibility allows a single pump to be suspended so that the bottom end capcan be at various distances.

Deviceis an optional holder for a tool such, as for example, a flashlight that may be used instead of the LED lights in the electronics housing. Tool holderhas a part, thumb screw,, threaded boltand threaded nutwhich are similar to partof hook device. Partextends out horizontally from partand has a circular shape and dimension that is deformable to receive and securely hold in place a flashlight or other tool pushed into it from the side. The circular vertical surface of partis preferably slightly more than a semi-circle (180 degrees). Like device, the parts of tool holdermay vary from that as shown inas long as it can be attached to main bodyat any desirable point and releasably hold the tool in place. In the case of a flashlight, this flexibility allows the flashlight to be easily placed at any desired distance from the end capto adapt to different circumstances. This easy to use optional flashlight holderalso avoids the cost of including LED lights in the electronics housing of the pump. While both hood deviceand tool holderare both shown in, this is for convenience of illustration only and either device can be used without the other.