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Portable air pump apparatus

  • US 4,466,780 A
  • Filed: 01/28/1981
  • Issued: 08/21/1984
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/28/1981
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
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Petitions
17
Forward Citations
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Assignment
First Claim
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1. A portable air pump apparatus comprising:

  • a hollow housing member including a substantially cylindrical impeller housing and a substantially cylindrical motor housing in operable alignment therewith;

    each of said impeller and motor housings being operably attached in said alignment to one another along a bottom portion of said motor housing,said bottom portion of said motor housing further sealably separating said motor housing from said operably aligned impeller housing;

    motorized drive means mounted in said motor housing having a vertical drive shaft extending from a first shaft end downwardly through said motor housing bottom portion towards and into said impeller housing;

    an impeller operatively connected proximate to a second end of said vertical drive shaft within said impeller housing,said first shaft end substantially opposite said second shaft end,said impeller having an axial inlet opening described along a bottom side thereof and,said axial inlet further including a plurality of vanes radiating outwardly to a position proximate to the periphery of said impeller;

    said impeller housing including both an upper and a lower chamber,said impeller housing further including exhaust port means in said upper chamber and intake port means in said lower chamber respectively,said upper and lower chambers within said impeller housing being separated by a substantially horizontal separator plate having an aperture formed therethrough to permit the flow of air from said lower chamber through and into said upper chamber;

    upper baffling means operably affixed within said upper chamber and lower baffling means operably affixed within said lower chamber to prompt air that is drawn through said intake port upon the rotation of said impeller by said drive means to be directed through said lower baffling means and into said axial inlet opening of said impeller for discharge from said impeller by said vanes and, in turn, directed through said upper baffling means towards and out said exhaust port;

    the bottom of said lower chamber being defined by a bottom surface portion of said impeller housing;

    said lower baffling means comprising one or more curvilinear upright lower bulk head members positioned between said horizontal separator plate and said bottom surface portion of said lower chamber;

    said lower bulk head members further having a continuous substantially curvilinear shape for the purpose of continuously and efficient routing and directing said air into one or more substantially circulating masses at a position proximate to and below the aperture formed in said horizontal separator plate;

    said rotation of said impeller, in either direction, creating a vacuum so as to draw air from the lower chamber, through said aperture in said horizontal separator plate and into said upper chamber as a function of suction created at the axial inlet of said impeller;

    said upper baffling means serving to direct said routed and directed air emanating from said impeller vanes towards and out said exhaust port;

    said air being routed and directed continuously and efficiently towards and out said exhaust port and being precluded from entry into said lower chamber by said substantially horizontal separator plate which seals the inadvertent and undesirable flow of air between said chambers to any point other than unidirectionally through said aperture formed therethrough;

    said upper and lower chambers cooperating with said horizontal separator plate, the aperture formed therethrough, said upper and lower baffling means, said intake and exhaust port and said axial inlet opening of said rotating impeller together with its vanes, to describe a circulatable air passageway into and through said lower chamber towards, into and out from said upper chamber, upon the rotation of said impeller, regardless of the direction of such rotation;

    said upper baffling means including a plurality of upper bulkhead members having a top edge and a bottom edge,said bottom edge of said upper bulkhead members being affixed to said horizontal separator plate,said top edge of said upper bulkhead member sealably contacting said horizontal bottom surface of said upper motor housing to form said upper chamber containing said impeller;

    said upper bulkhead member substantially surrounding said impeller to provide a passageway for air flow leading to said exhaust port from said impeller,said axial inlet opening on said impeller being positioned proximately above said aperture in said horizontal plate,said impeller vanes being interposed between said bottom surface portion of said motor housing and said horizontal separator plate; and

    said intake port and said exhaust port being substantially diametrically opposed in position within said apparatus to permit the entry and exit of circulated air into and out of said air pump apparatus in directions substantially normal to said vertical drive shaft.

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