Liquid pump and nebulizer constructed therewith

• US 5,203,506 A
• Filed: 12/16/1991
• Issued: 04/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Center For New Product Development
• Original Assignee: Center For New Product Development
• Inventors: Zucker, Shlomo, Gross, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morris, Lesley D.
• Application Number:
  US07/808,345
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 239/219, 239/223, 239/224, 239/338, 128/200.14
• US Class Current: 239/224
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 3/082 the spraying being effected by centrifugal forces

Abstract

A liquid pumping device, particularly useful as nebulizer, includes a receptacle for receiving a quantity of a liquid to be pumped, a hollow conical tube having a small-diameter end located to be immersed in the liquid to be pumped, and a larger-diameter end located above the liquid to be pumped, and a drive for rotating the hollow conical tube about its longitudinal axis to pump by centrifugal force liquid therethrough from its small-diameter end to its larger-diameter end. When the device is used as a nebulizer the hollow conical tube includes a plurality of holes at vertically spaced locations, and a plurality of annular discs secured to the outer surface of the conical tube each underlying one or more of the holes.

Claims

1. A liquid pumping device, comprising:

a receptacle for receiving a quantity of a liquid to be pumped;

a hollow conical tube having a small-diameter end located to be immersed in the liquid to be pumped, and a larger-diameter end located above the liquid to be pumped, said larger-diameter end being formed with a plurality of radially-extending passages through which the liquid is pumped by centrifugal force when the hollow conical tube is rotated;

a plurality of annular discs secured to the outer surface of said hollow conical tube to rotate therewith, each of said annular discs being located at the larger-diameter end of the hollow conical tube under one of said passages so as to receive the liquid flowing therethrough and to eject it outwardly in atomized form by centrifugal force;

each of said annular discs being formed with an annular rib around the outer periphery of its upper surface;

each of said annular ribs being formed with a sharpened outer edge having a cross-sectional area decreasing toward the under face of the overlying disc and closely spaced thereto to define a very small annular passage between the rib of one disc and the overlying disc;

and a drive for rotating said hollow conical tube about its longitudinal axis to pump by centrifugal force liquid therethrough from its small-diameter end to its larger-diameter end.

2. The device according to claim 1, further including a rod assembly of closely-spaced, vertically-extending rods arranged in a circular array around said discs to enhance the atomization of the liquid.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said receptacle includes a side wall enclosing, but spaced from, said rod assembly, and an outlet communicating with the space between said side wall and rod assembly.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said hollow conical tube is reduced in thickness at its upper end to define an inner annular ledge for accumulating a small quantity of the liquid, which ledge communicates with the upper passages formed through the tube.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said small-diameter end of the hollow conical tube includes a shaped blade formation for increasing the inflow of the water into the tube upon its rotation by said drive.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein said shaped blade formation is carried by a cap removably applied to said small-diameter end of the hollow conical tube.

4. The device according to claim 4, wherein the inner surface of the upper end of said tube above said annular ledge is of cylindrical configuration.

8. A nebulizer, comprising:

a receptacle for receiving a quantity of liquid to be pumped;

a hollow conical tube having a small-diameter end located to be immersed in the liquid to be nebulized, and a larger-diameter end located above the liquid to be nebulized;

the larger-diameter end of the hollow conical tube being formed with a plurality of radially-extending passages at different elevations thereof through which the liquid is pumped by centrifugal force when the hollow conical tube is rotated;

said small-diameter end of the hollow conical tube including a shaped blade formation for increasing the inflow of the water into the tube upon its rotation;

and a drive for rotating said hollow conical tube about its longitudinal axis.

9. The nebulizer according to claim 8, wherein the device further includes a plurality of annular discs secured in mutually spaced relation to the outer surface of said hollow conical tube at the larger-diameter end thereof, each of said discs being located under at least one of said passages so as to receive the liquid flowing therethrough and to eject it outwardly in atomized form by centrifugal force.

10. The nebulizer according to claim 9, wherein each of said annular discs is formed with an annular rib around the outer periphery of its upper surface.

11. The nebulizer according to claim 10, wherein each of said annular ribs is formed with a sharpened outer edge.

12. The nebulizer according to claim 10, further including a rod assembly of closely-spaced, vertically-extending rods arranged in a circular array around said discs to enhance the atomization of the liquid.

13. The nebulizer according to claim 12, wherein said receptacle includes a side wall enclosing, but spaced from, said rod assembly, and an outlet communicating with the space between said side wall and rod assembly.

14. The nebulizer according to claim 8, wherein said shaped blade formation is carried by a cap removably applied to said small-diameter end of the hollow conical tube.