Emergency light and sump pump operating device for dwelling

• US 5,135,359 A
• Filed: 02/08/1991
• Issued: 08/04/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jacques Dufresne
• Original Assignee: Jacques Dufresne
• Inventors: Dufresne, Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Scheuermann, David W.
• Application Number:
  US07/652,630
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 417/36, 417/40, 417/411, 362/20, 362/183
• US Class Current: 482/144
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/025 by means of floats
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/068 Battery powered
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0218 the condition being a liquid level or a lack of liquid supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads

Abstract

An emergency device for use in a dwelling or any similar place provided with a sump pump in the basement, in order to operate this sump pump and, if desired, to switch on some emergency light in the case of a failure of the main electric power source of this dwelling. The device includes a storage battery connected to the sump pump in such a manner as to operate it in the case of a failure of the main power source. It also includes a transformer-rectifier to permanently recharge the storage battery when the power source is in operation. It further includes external plugs connectable to the battery of an automotive vehicle parked near the dwelling with its motor running, in order to use this battery as a substitute for the indoor battery and thus allows the sump pump to continue to operate even when the storage battery indoors is down. Advantageously, the device may further include an additional circuit activated by relay to switch on some emergency lights inside the dwelling whenever there is a failure of the main power source.

Claims

1. An emergency device for use in a dwelling provided with a sump pump powered by a DC current electric motor in response to a water level switch in order to operate this sump pump in the case of a major electric power failure, said device being also useful to charge or boost a battery of an automotive vehicle parked near the dwelling, said device comprising:

a transformer-rectifier having inlet terminals connectable to a standard electric power source within the dwelling and outlet terminals for delivering a 12 V DC current when the inlet terminals are connected to the power source and this power source is in operation;

storage battery having terminals electrically connected to the outlet terminals of the transformer-rectifier so as to be permanently charged by said transformer-rectifier;

means to connect the motor of the sump pump to the outlet terminals of the transformer-rectifier and to the terminals of the storage battery in such a manner that said motor is supplied by the power source via the transformer-rectifier when the power source is in operation and by the storage battery when the power source is off, a water level switch being mounted in series in said connecting means to control the operation of the sump pump, and

a pair of external plugs respectively connected to both the outlet terminals of the transformer-rectifier and to the terminals of the storage battery, said external plugs being adapted to be connected to the terminals of the battery of the automotive vehicle parked near the dwelling;

whereby said transformer-rectifier can be used whenever desired to a charge or boost the battery of said automotive vehicle when the power source is in operation, and the battery of said automotive vehicle can be used as an alternative power source to operate the motor of said sump pump if the storage battery runs down in the case of a long electric power failure.

2. The emergency device of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional circuit connected to the terminals of the storage battery and including emergency lights mounted at different locations within the dwelling in order to provide some light in the case of an electric power failure; and

a relay mounted in series along in said additional circuit, said relay being operatively connected to the inlet terminals of the transformer-rectifier in such a manner as to automatically switch on said additional circuit and thus switch on the emergency lights as soon as the power supply of the power source is off.

3. The emergency device of claim 2, wherein another relay operatively connected to a light-sensing device is mounted in series along said additional circuit to automatically switch off said additional circuit and thus switch off the emergency lights when there is enough light within the dwelling.

4. The emergency device of claim 1, further comprising a variable resistance mounted to adjust the load normally supplied by the transformer-rectifier to the storage battery, and a by-pass circuit including a normally open switch working in unison with said level switch so as to by-pass said variable resistance as soon as the motor is in operation.

5. The emergency device of claim 2, further comprising a variable resistance mounted to adjust the load normally supplied by the transformer-rectifier to the storage battery, and a by-pass circuit including a normally open switch working in unison with said level switch so as to by-pass said variable resistance as soon as the motor is in operation.

6. The emergency device of claim 3, further comprising a variable resistance mounted to adjust the load normally supplied by the transformer-rectifier to the storage battery, and a by-pass circuit including a normally open switch working in unison with said level switch so as to by-pass said variable resistance as soon as the motor is in operation.

7. The emergency device of claim 1, further comprising a safety device including a main switch for use to electrically connect at least one of the external plugs to the corresponding outlet terminal of the transformer-rectifier, light means to check whether the plugs have been corrected connected to the corresponding terminals of the battery prior to actuating the main switch;

and interlocking means to prevent the main switch from being actuated if the plugs have been wrongly connected.

8. The emergency device of claim 3, further comprising a safety device including a main switch for use to electrically connect at least one of the external plugs to the corresponding outlet terminal of the transformer-rectifier, light means to check whether the plugs have been correctly connected to the corresponding terminals of the battery prior to actuating the main switch;

and interlocking means to prevent the main switch from being actuated if the plugs have been wrongly connected.

9. The emergency device of claim 4, further comprising a safety device including a pair of main switches for use to electrically connect at least one of the external plug to the corresponding outlet terminal of the transformer-rectifier;

light means to check whether the plugs have been correctly connected to the corresponding terminals of the battery prior to actuating the main switch; and

interlocking means to prevent the main switch from being actuated if the plugs have been wrongly connected.

10. The emergency device of claim 6, further comprising a safety device including a pair of main switches for use to electrically connect at least one of the external plugs to the corresponding outlet terminal of the transformer-rectifier;

light means to check whether the plugs have been correctly connected to the corresponding terminals of the battery prior to actuating the main switches and interlocking means to prevent the main switch from being actuated if the plugs have been wrongly connected.