Water wheel aerator assembly for pet fountain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9113610-B2
Application number	US-201113635552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2011
Priority date	Dec 4, 2010
Publication date	Aug 25, 2015
Grant date	Aug 25, 2015

Abstract

An aerator assembly for an animal watering device having a rotor mount removably inserted in a discharge opening of a cover of the device and a rotor carried by the mount that is rotated by discharged water. The mount includes a conduit having one end inserted in the cover and an outlet at its opposite end conveying a discharged stream of water against rotor baffles causing rotation. The mount includes an arm that offsets an axis of rotation of the rotor relative to the stream so water impinges against a baffle. A pin can be included that engages the arm that is received through a rotor hub rotatively attaching the rotor to the arm. Such an aerator not only aerates water discharged during fountain operation, it also reduces noise by reducing splashing. The present invention is also directed to a pet fountain equipped with such an aerator assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aerator assembly for a pet fountain comprising:
a rotor mount comprising an outlet from which water is discharged; and
a rotor disposed downstream of the outlet so that water discharged from the outlet arches over the top of the rotor and falls down the rotor causing rotor rotation;
wherein the rotor mount comprises (i) a tubular conduit having the outlet at one end, (ii) a pair of outwardly extending spaced apart arms each having a trunnion, and (iii) a pin carried by the trunnions that also carries the rotor, and wherein the arms space the rotor axially outwardly of the outlet and offset the rotor from a center of the outlet.

2. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 1 wherein the rotor comprises (i) a hub that receives the pin therethrough and (ii) a plurality of flow directors.

3. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 2 wherein each flow director comprises a baffle.

4. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 3 wherein each baffle has a width substantially as wide as the outlet.

5. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 4 wherein each baffle has a length enabling an outer edge of the baffle to substantially overlie a side of the outlet opposite the offset.

6. An aerator assembly for a pet fountain comprising:
a rotor comprised of a plurality of pairs of radially outwardly extending flow directors, each flow director comprising a water-deflecting baffle; and
a rotor mount rotatively carrying the rotor, the rotor mount comprising a tubular conduit removably received in a discharge opening of the pet fountain and having an outlet directing water flow discharged from the discharge opening through the conduit against the rotor rotating the rotor, the rotor mount comprising a fork rotatively carrying the rotor offsetting a rotational axis of the rotor from a centerline of the conduit outlet positioning at least one baffle in line with the conduit outlet when the rotor is rotating, the fork comprising a pair of spaced apart arms defining the fork, each arm of the fork comprising a trunnion, and a pin carried by the trunnions that carries the rotor.

7. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 6 wherein the rotor comprises a hub.

8. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 7 wherein the pin is received through the trunnions and the hub.

9. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 6 wherein the rotor mount comprises a stop that abuts against a portion surrounding the discharge opening when the rotor mount is inserted into the discharge opening.

10. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 6 wherein the pin comprises a head at one end that abuts one of the rotor mount arms and a groove at the opposite end that engages a detent of the other of the rotor mount arms.

11. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 10 wherein the pin comprises a portion journalled for rotation disposed between the ends of the pin.

12. The pet fountain aerator assembly of claim 10 wherein each one of the arms comprises a bore therethrough through which the pin extends with the bores being generally axially aligned and wherein the detent comprises a projection extending radially inwardly within one of the arm bores that is received in the groove in the pin.

13. A pet fountain comprising:
a basin in which water is received;
a cover carried by the basin having a discharge opening formed therein;
a pump disposed in the basin and having a discharge tube from which water is expelled through the discharge opening in the cover; and
an aerator assembly having a rotor mount with a tubular fluid conduit inserted into the discharge opening formed in the cover and a rotor rotatively carried by the rotor mount that is rotated by water discharged from the tubular fluid conduit.

14. The pet fountain of claim 13 wherein the rotor comprises a plurality of pairs of radially outwardly baffles against which water discharged from the tubular fluid conduit impinges.

15. The pet fountain of claim 14 wherein (a) the fluid conduit has one end in fluid flow communication with the pump discharge tube and the other end comprising an outlet disposed adjacent the baffles, and (b) the rotor mount comprises an arm carrying the rotor permitting rotation of the rotor relative thereto with the arm offsetting a rotational axis of the rotor relative to a center line of the conduit outlet such that the center line is spaced from and does not pass through the rotor rotational axis.

Assignees

• Lipscomb John M
• He Qing
• Pioneer Pet Products Llc

Inventors

• Lipscomb John M
• He Qing

Classifications

• A01K7/02

  Automatic devices · CPC title

• A01K7/00 Primary

  Watering equipment for stock or game · CPC title