Vortex fountain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11375690-B2
Application number	US-201916271231-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2019
Priority date	Feb 8, 2018
Publication date	Jul 5, 2022
Grant date	Jul 5, 2022

Abstract

A vortex fountain or waterer that incorporates measures to induce swirl in liquid moving toward a drain opening of the fountain to inhibit the accumulation of debris is provided. The fountain may have a bowl including a base surface having a slope that is configured to create a vortex in the liquid flowing toward the drain opening to induce movement of a quantity of water, where the bowl is located above a basin configured to hold the liquid. The fountain may also include a pump outlet jet that can be positioned about the bowl to induce swirl about the bowl. The fountain may also include a drain tube located beneath the drain opening, and an extended guide tube extending downwardly towards the bottom of the basin. When the liquid passes through the drain, drain tube, and guide tube, oxygen is incorporated into the liquid as the liquid reaches the basin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recirculating fountain comprising:
a liquid-holding basin;
a bowl located above the basin and having a base surface, an opening formed in the base surface, and a perimeter wall extending upwardly from the base surface to define an interior;

an enclosed drain bowl plug chamber comprising:
a sidewall extending downwardly from the base surface around the opening of the bowl; and
a shelf extending inwardly from the sidewall, wherein the shelf is vertically offset from the opening;
a pump having an intake in fluid communication with the basin and a discharge outlet in fluid communication with the interior of the bowl;
a drain bowl plug removably insertable into the drain bowl plug chamber and having an upper surface forming at least a portion of the base surface of the bowl, wherein a drain opening extends through the drain bowl plug; and
a filter located between the shelf and the drain bowl plug,
wherein the filter rests upon the shelf,
wherein the drain bowl plug holds the filter against the shelf, and
wherein the fountain is structurally and operationally configured such that a liquid is swirled about the bowl by the flow of liquid into and out of the bowl to inhibit accumulation of debris in the bowl.

2. The recirculating fountain of claim 1 ,
wherein a side of the drain bowl plug abuts the sidewall when the drain bowl plug is inserted into the opening.

3. The recirculating fountain of claim 1 , further comprising:
a drain tube extending downwardly from the shelf; and

a guide tube releasably attached to the drain tube;
wherein the fountain is structurally and operationally configured such that
the liquid flows from the bowl into the drain opening;
the liquid flows from the drain opening and to the filter;
the liquid flows through the filter into the drain tube;
the liquid flows through the drain tube into the guide tube; and
the liquid flows through the guide tube into the basin.

4. The recirculating fountain of claim 3 , wherein the fountain is structurally and operationally configured such that oxygen is incorporated with the liquid while it falls through the guide tube into the basin.

5. The recirculating fountain of claim 1 , further comprising at least one pump outlet jet that is located in the bowl and that is in fluid communication with the discharge outlet of the pump;
wherein the at least one pump outlet jet has an outlet opening into the interior of the bowl.

6. The recirculating fountain of claim 5 , wherein the outlet of the at least one pump outlet jet extends non-radially and non-vertically.

7. The recirculating fountain of claim 5 , wherein the outlet of the at least one pump outlet jet extends substantially perpendicular to a radial of the bowl.

8. The recirculating fountain of claim 1 , wherein a slope of the base surface is configured to create a vortex to induce movement of a quantity of liquid about the fountain toward the drain opening.

9. The recirculating fountain of claim 8 , wherein at least a portion of the base surface is sloped at a parametric curve toward the drain opening so as to induce a vortex in the liquid flowing toward the drain opening.

10. A method of using a recirculating fountain comprising the steps of:
supplying a liquid to an interior of a bowl that is removably mounted to a basin, wherein the bowl has a base surface with an opening formed therein, a sidewall extending downwardly from the base surface around the opening of the bowl, a shelf supported on the sidewall, and a perimeter wall extending upwardly from the base surface to define an interior;
moving the liquid about the bowl and down into a drain opening formed in a drain bowl plug that is removably inserted in the opening in the bowl;
inducing a swirl to the liquid during at least one of the supplying and moving steps;
causing liquid to flow out of a bottom outlet of the drain opening, through a filter located beneath the bottom outlet of the drain opening and resting on the shelf,
thence into a guide tube extending beneath the filter, and thence into the basin; and
incorporating oxygen with the liquid while the liquid drops down the guide tube and into the basin, wherein
the filter is held against the shelf by the drain hole plug.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of:
pumping the liquid through a pump mounted to the basin and through a discharge outlet in fluid communication with the bowl so as to induce a swirl about the basin.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the pumping step includes
pumping the liquid through a pump outlet into an uplift pipe; and
pumping the liquid from the uplift pipe and out of at least one pump outlet jet substantially perpendicular to a radial of the bowl.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
removing the drain bowl plug from the opening formed in the base surface of the bowl;
removing the filter from the shelf; and
replacing the filter.

14. A recirculating fountain comprising:
a liquid-holding basin;
a bowl removably mounted to the basin and having a base surface with an opening formed therein, a sidewall extending around the opening, a perimeter wall extending upwardly from the base surface to define an interior, and a shelf formed in the sidewall;
a filter inserted into the opening in the base surface and resting upon the shelf;
an upper bowl inner plug mounted within the opening, the upper bowl inner plug having a drain opening formed therein having a lower outlet located above the filter, an upper surface of the bowl inner plug forming at least a portion of the base surface; and
a pump having an intake in fluid communication with the basin and a discharge outlet jet in fluid communication with the interior of the bowl, the discharge outlet jet extending non-radially and non-vertically;
wherein the fountain is structurally and operationally configured such that oxygen is incorporated with a liquid as it moves from the bowl, through the drain opening and the filter, and into the basin; and

wherein the upper bowl inner plug holds the filter against the shelf.

15. The fountain of claim 14 , further comprising a guide tube extending downwardly from the bowl beneath the drain opening;
wherein oxygen is incorporated into the liquid while the liquid falls down the guide tube.

16. The fountain of claim 14 , further comprising a guide tube extending downwardly from the bowl beneath the drain opening;
wherein the fountain is structurally and operationally configured such that oxygen is incorporated into the liquid once the liquid reaches a bottom surface of the basin.

17. The fountain of claim 14 , further comprising:
a plurality of discharge outlets; and
a plurality of pump outlet jets spaced circumferentially and/or radially of one another;
wherein each of the plurality of discharge outlets extends substantially perpendicular to a radial of the bowl.

18. The fountain of claim 14 , further comprising:
an uplift tube extending from the discharge outlet of the pump to the discharge outlet.

Assignees

• Pioneer Pet Products Llc

Inventors

• Mai David R
• He Qing
• Chao Wei
• Huang Tao
• Lipscomb John M

Classifications

• B05B17/08 Primary

  Fountains (drinking fountains E03B9/20; wash fountains E03C1/16) · CPC title

• E03B9/20

  Pillar fountains or like apparatus for dispensing drinking water · CPC title

• B01D35/02

  Filters adapted for location in special places, e.g. pipe-lines, pumps, stop-cocks, (B01D35/05 takes precedence; {water pipe system filters E03B3/18, E03B7/07; dirt catchers in sewers E03F; filters or strainers for pipe-lines in general B08B, E03F; object or dirt catching devices in sinks or the like E03C1/26; suction strainers or filters for pumps F04B53/005, F04D29/70}) · CPC title

• A01K7/02 Primary

  Automatic devices · CPC title

• B05B1/3405

  to produce swirl · CPC title