Pet fountain assembly with lift tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9730427-B2
Application number	US-201514797372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 13, 2015
Priority date	Sep 21, 2009
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A pet drinking fountain assembly having a pump forming part of a fountain mounting arrangement that includes a lift tube coupling a cover to the pump coupled to a lower basin by a mount. The mount and lift tube attenuate pump noise and vibration by providing isolation from the basin and cover and can function as dampeners. In a preferred embodiment the pump is part of a pump module that includes a module housing to which the pump is attached by another noise-attenuating mount. Each mount is formed by one or more suction cups with the cups and lift tube made of vibration dampening material, such as a resilient vibration dampening or isolating material that can be an elastomeric material. The module includes a lift tube coupling discharge that registers in fluid flow communication with a pump outlet and can include a ring or bushing therebetween providing additional noise attenuation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pet fountain assembly comprising:
a fountain basin;
a fountain cover carried by the fountain basin;
a pump arranged in fluid flow communication with the basin and cover for delivering water from the basin to the cover; and
a lift tube having a fluid transporting conduit defined by an endless sidewall having a first end with a first opening formed therein through which water discharged by the pump enters the fluid transporting conduit and a second end with a second opening formed therein through which water is delivered by the lift tube to the cover, the second end comprised of an integrally formed sealing grommet that engages part of the fountain cover providing a substantially water-tight seal therewith; and
wherein the lift tube is formed of a flexible elastomeric material.

2. The pet fountain assembly of claim 1 wherein the fountain cover has an inner surface facing generally toward the basin, an outer surface facing generally outwardly away from the basin, and an opening formed in the fountain cover that extends through the cover, and wherein the lift tube is received in the opening in the fountain cover with the integrally formed sealing grommet engaging part of the fountain cover providing a substantially water-tight seal about the opening formed in the cover.

3. The pet fountain assembly of claim 2 wherein the integrally formed sealing grommet has a flange that overlaps a portion of the fountain cover that defines the opening formed in the fountain cover.

4. The pet fountain assembly of claim 1 wherein the endless sidewall of the lift tube has an axial length longer than the integrally formed sealing grommet such that at least a portion of the endless sidewall of the lift tube extends outwardly from an inner surface of the fountain cover beyond the integrally formed sealing grommet when the integrally formed sealing grommet is engaged with the fountain cover.

5. The pet fountain assembly of claim 1 wherein the fluid transporting conduit defined by the endless sidewall of the lift tube has longitudinal length longer than the integrally formed sealing grommet.

6. The pet fountain assembly of claim 1 wherein the lift tube is formed of a flexible elastomeric material made of polyvinyl chloride or neoprene.

7. The pet fountain assembly of claim 1 further comprising a module housing a filter that is in fluid-flow communication with the pump and in fluid-flow communication with the first end of the lift tube.

8. The pet fountain assembly of claim 7 wherein the module comprises a pump module that houses the pump.

9. The pet fountain assembly of claim 1 wherein the fountain basin has a generally horizontal basin bottom surrounded by a generally upwardly extending basin sidewall, wherein the cover is attached to the basin by a cover mounting arrangement comprised of the pump coupled by the lift tube to the cover, and wherein the cover rests on the basin bottom with a space between the cover and the basin sidewall, the space between the cover and the basin sidewall extending about the periphery of the cover.

10. The pet fountain assembly of claim 9 wherein the cover has a generally downwardly extending spillway along which water from the basin delivered by the pump to the cover flows downwardly along the spillway of the cover into the basin.

11. The pet fountain assembly of claim 10 wherein the pump has at least one suction cup and is releasably anchored to the basin bottom.

12. The pet fountain assembly of claim 11 wherein the cover overlies a tubular pump power cord conduit that extends upwardly from the basin bottom, and wherein the cover has a plurality of spaced apart legs that rest on the basin bottom.

13. The pet fountain assembly of claim 11 wherein the cover has an open bowl which receives water from the basin delivered by the pump into the open bowl, and wherein water in the open bowl flows from the open bowl down the spillway into the basin.

14. The pet fountain assembly of claim 13 further comprising a filter disposed upstream of the pump that filters water in the basin before the water enters the pump.

15. The pet fountain assembly of claim 14 wherein the cover mounting arrangement comprises a module that houses the filter and the pump, the module releasably attached to the basin bottom by at least one suction cup.

16. The pet fountain assembly of claim 1 further comprising a pump module housing the pump that is releasably anchored to the basin, the pump module having a water discharge tube in telescopic registry (i) at one end with an outlet tube of the pump, and (ii) at an opposite end with the lift tube.

17. The pet fountain assembly of claim 16 further comprising one of an elastomeric O-ring and an elastomeric generally cylindrical bushing in telescopic registry with one of the lift tube and the pump module water discharge tube, the one of the elastomeric O-ring and elastomeric generally cylindrical bushing disposed in contact with the lift tube and the pump module water discharge tube providing vibration isolation between the lift tube and the pump module water discharge tube.

18. The pet fountain assembly of claim 16 wherein the pump is attached to the module by a suction cup, and wherein the module is attached to the basin bottom by a suction cup.

19. The pet fountain assembly of claim 18 further comprising one of an elastomeric O-ring and an elastomeric bushing disposed between the lift tube and the water discharge tube of the module.

20. A pet fountain assembly comprising:
a fountain basin;
a fountain cover carried by the fountain basin;
a pump arranged in fluid flow communication with the basin and cover for delivering water from the basin to the cover; and
a lift tube having a fluid transporting conduit defined by an endless sidewall having a first end with a first opening formed therein through which water discharged by the pump enters the fluid transporting conduit and a second end with a second opening formed therein through which water is delivered by the lift tube to the cover, the second end comprised of an integrally formed sealing grommet that engages part of the fountain cover providing a substantially water-tight seal therewith;
wherein the fountain cover has an inner surface facing generally toward the basin, an outer surface facing generally outwardly away from the basin, and an opening formed in the fountain cover that extends through the cover, and wherein the lift tube is received in the opening in the fountain cover with the integrally formed sealing grommet engaging part of the fountain cover providing a substantially water-tight seal about the opening formed in the cover; and
wherein the integrally formed sealing grommet has a flange that overlaps a portion of the fountain cover that defines the opening formed in the fountain cover.

21. The pet fountain assembly of claim 20 wherein the fountain basin has a generally horizontal basin bottom surrounded by a generally upwardly extending basin sidewall, wherein the cover is attached to the basin by a cover mounting arrangement comprised of the pump coupled by the lift tube to the cover, wherein the cover rests on the basin bottom with a space between the cover and the basin sidewall, the space between the cover and the basin sidewall extending about the periphery of the cover, and wherein the cover has a downwardly extending spillway along which water from the basin delivered by the pump via the lift tube to the cover flows downwardly into the basin.

22.

Assignees

• Pioneer Pet Products Llc

Inventors

• Lipscomb John M
• He Qing
• Suring Stanley

Classifications

• Y10T137/86035

  Combined with fluid receiver · CPC title

• Y10T137/8376

  Combined · CPC title

• F04B23/021

  the pump being immersed in the reservoir · CPC title

• A01K7/02

  Automatic devices · CPC title

• B01D35/30

  Filter housing constructions · CPC title