Three piece pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10434532-B2
Application number	US-201715458630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2017
Priority date	Mar 15, 2016
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved pump assembly incorporating a liquid pump and an air pump and which pump includes a flexible annular diaphragm member coaxially about a piston-forming element forming a component with the liquid pump.

First claim

We claim:

1. A pump having:
a liquid pump comprising a piston-forming element reciprocally axially slidable in a piston chamber-forming body between a retracted position and an extended position defining a liquid compartment therebetween having a variable volume;
an air pump comprising a flexible annular diaphragm member coaxially about the piston-forming element spanning between an axially outer piston end of the piston-forming element and the piston chamber-forming body to define a variable volume annular air compartment therebetween having a variable volume;
a non-collapsible reservoir having an interior containing a fluid to be dispensed, the interior enclosed but for having an outlet port,
the piston chamber-forming body closing the outlet port,
a liquid inlet through the piston chamber-forming body from the interior of the reservoir to the liquid pump,
an air relief passageway through the piston chamber-forming body, the air relief passageway extending between an inlet opening on the piston chamber-forming body opening to the atmosphere and an outlet opening on the piston chamber-forming body opening into the interior of the reservoir, the air relief passageway providing communication between external atmospheric air and the interior of the reservoir through the piston chamber-forming body separate from the annular air compartment, in which:
(a) in the piston-forming element retracting in a retraction stroke to simultaneously force air from the air compartment and liquid from the liquid compartment internally through an internal passageway of the piston-forming element and deliver the air and liquid to a dispensing outlet carried on the piston forming element, and
(b) in the piston-forming element extending in an extension stroke to simultaneously draw the atmospheric air into the air compartment and the liquid from the interior of the reservoir into the liquid compartment via the liquid inlet,
the diaphragm member engaging the piston chamber-forming body to form therebetween an air relief valve across the air relief passageway to open and to close the air relief passageway dependent on the relative axial position of the piston-forming element and the piston chamber-forming body.

2. A pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
an annular first end of the diaphragm member engages with an annular seat arrangement of the piston chamber-forming body annularly about the piston-forming element for limited reciprocal axial movement of the first end of the diaphragm member relative the annular seat arrangement between an axially inner position and an axially outer position;
the first end of the diaphragm member having a resilient positioning spring member engaging with the annular seat arrangement of the piston chamber-forming body to bias the first end of the diaphragm member from the inner position toward the outer position;
the first end of the diaphragm member having a sealing member engaging the annular seat arrangement of the piston chamber-forming body to form an annular seal preventing flow into and out of the annular air compartment between the sealing member and the annular seat arrangement of the piston chamber-forming body in all positions of the first end of the diaphragm member and the annular seat arrangement between the inner position and the outer position, the annular seal preventing flow between the annular air compartment and the air relief passageway in all positions of the first end of the diaphragm member and the annular seat arrangement between the inner position and the outer position;
the first end of the diaphragm member having an air relief valve member interacting with an air relief valve seat surface of the annular seat arrangement of the piston chamber-forming body to close and to open the air relief passageway dependent on the axial position of the first end of the diaphragm member relative the annular seat arrangement between the inner position and the outer position.

3. A pump as claimed in claim 2 wherein the first end of the diaphragm member is an annular axially inner distal end of the diaphragm member.

4. A pump as claimed in claim 3 wherein in a first position selected from the inner position and the outer position, the air relief valve member engages the air relief valve seat surface of the annular seat arrangement of the piston chamber-forming body to close the air relief passageway and, in a second position, different than the first position and also selected from the inner position and the outer position, the air relief valve member is located relative the air relief valve seat surface of the annular seat arrangement of the piston chamber-forming body to open the air relief passageway.

5. A pump as claimed in claim 4 including a piston spring member biasing the piston-forming element to the extended position relative the piston chamber-forming body, and
the diaphragm member deflectable between an expanded condition in which the piston-forming element is in the extended position relative the piston chamber-forming body and a compressed condition in which the piston-forming element is in the retracted position relative the piston chamber forming,
the volume of the air compartment is greater when the diaphragm member is in the expanded condition than when the diaphragm member is in the compressed condition.

6. A pump as claimed in claim 5 wherein the diaphragm member having an inherent bias to assume the expanded condition and the inherent bias urges the diaphragm member to return toward the expanded condition when the diaphragm member is moved from the expanded condition toward the compressed condition.

7. A pump as claimed in claim 6 wherein the diaphragm member comprises the piston spring member.

8. A pump as claimed in claim 5 wherein the piston spring member biasing the piston-forming element to the extended position urges the first end of the diaphragm member toward the inner position and when the piston-forming element is in the extended position, the inherent bias of the positioning spring member moves the first end of the diaphragm member to the outer position.

9. A pump as claimed in claim 8 wherein the piston spring member urges the first end of the diaphragm member toward the inner position in opposition to the positioning spring member which urges the first end of the diaphragm member toward the outer position, and wherein when the piston-forming element is in the extended position, the positioning spring member overcomes the piston spring member and moves the first end of the diaphragm member to the outer position.

10. A pump as claimed in claim 7 wherein:
the diaphragm member having an annular flexible diaphragm side wall extending from a first side wall end at the first end of the diaphragm member to a second side wall end,
the diaphragm side wall coaxially disposed about the piston-forming member with the second side wall end of the diaphragm side wall sealably coupled to the outer piston end of the piston-forming element for movement therewith and the first side wall end of the diaphragm side wall carrying the first end of the diaphragm member engaging the annular seat arrangement of the piston chamber-forming body to define the annular air compartment coaxially about the piston-forming element.

11. A pump as claimed in claim 10 wherein the diaphragm member has a central bore coaxially therethrough coaxially within the second side wall end of the diaphragm side wall, the outer piston end of the piston-forming element coaxially sealably engaged in the central bore.

12. A pump as claimed in claim 11 wherein the central bore having a bore inlet and a bore outlet leading to the dispensing outlet,
the outer piston e

Assignees

• Op Hygiene Ip Gmbh

Inventors

• Ophardt Heiner
• Jones Andrew
• Shi Zhenchun

Classifications

• B05B11/1001

  Piston pumps (B05B11/1087, B05B11/1088, B05B11/109 take precedence) · CPC title

• B05B11/1087 Primary

  Combination of liquid and air pumps · CPC title

• B05B11/1028

  Pumps having a pumping chamber with a deformable wall (B05B11/1087 take precedence) · CPC title

• B05B7/0037 Primary

  including sieves, porous members or the like · CPC title

• B05B11/1042

  Components or details · CPC title