Lighted laminar flow nozzle

• US 5,160,086 A
• Filed: 09/04/1990
• Issued: 11/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David R. Usher, Robert Kuykendal, Ronald S. Deichmann
• Original Assignee: David R. Usher, Robert Kuykendal, Ronald S. Deichmann
• Inventors: Kuykendal, Robert L., Deichmann, Ronald S., Usher, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kashnikow, Andres
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weldon, Kevin P.
• Application Number:
  US07/577,491
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 239/288-288.5, 239/264, 239/10-22, 239/273, 239/264, 239/265, 239/590.58, 239/590.589, 239/596, 239/601, 248/562, 248/617, 248/638, 417/540
• US Class Current: 239/18
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/10 in the form of a fine jet, e.g. for use in wind-screen washers
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 17/08 Fountains drinking fountains E03B9/20; wash fountains E03C1/16
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2121/02 for fountains

Abstract

A lighted laminar-flow fluid nozzle is provided for use in decorative water fountains and industrial applications which defines fluid flow through a double-walled, bladder-like fluid supply hose, into a fluid chamber and through a diffuser, past trapped air pockets and exiting through a knife-edged outlet orifice. The fluid nozzle is mounted upon one or more stages of vibration dampening springs and the outlet orifice is located off center from the walls of the fluid chamber, all so that pump surges and vibrations are greatly dampened and the output fluid stream is sufficiently highly laminar so that light is conducted through the length of the output fluid stream in the manner of a fiber optic cable.

Claims

1. In a laminar-flow fluid nozzle, the combination of a fluid chamber having one substantially knife edged outlet orifice, an inlet port connected to a wall of said fluid chamber, a diffuser means disposed within said chamber between said inlet port and said outlet orifice, said outlet orifice being located on one wall of said fluid chamber such that the distance from said outlet orifice to any adjacent side wall of said fluid chamber is substantially different from the distance to any other adjacent side wall, whereby the non-centered location of said outlet orifice functions to dampen the effect of pump surges and vibration and thereby increases the laminarity of the output stream emanating from said outlet orifice.

2. In a laminar-flow fluid nozzle, the combination of a fluid chamber having a substantially knife edged outlet orifice, an inlet port connected to a wall of said fluid chamber, a diffuser means disposed within said chamber between said inlet port and said outlet orifice, said fluid chamber being mounted on three or more shock absorbing springs whereby said fluid chamber is isolated from vibration in order to increase the laminarity of the output stream emanating from said outlet orifice.

3. In a laminar-flow fluid nozzle, the combination of a fluid container having a substantially knife edged outlet orifice, an inlet port connected to a wall of said fluid chamber, a diffuser means disposed within said chamber between said inlet port and said outlet orifice, said fluid chamber being of a shape such that one or more pockets of air are permanently trapped within, said pockets constituting a substantial portion of the total volume of said fluid chamber, and wherein, said pockets of air function to increase the laminarity of the output stream emanating from said outlet orifice by absorbing pump surges and vibration.

4. In a laminar-flow fluid nozzle, the combination of a fluid chamber having a substantially knife edged outlet orifice, an inlet port connected to a wall of said fluid chamber, a diffuser means disposed within said chamber between said inlet port and said outlet orifice, a double-walled bladder-like fluid supply hose connected to said inlet port with a dead air space entrapped between the outer wall and inner wall of said hose, a valve being disposed on said outer wall for adding or removing air from said dead air space, wherein said double-walled bladder-like fluid supply hose functions to absorb pump surges and vibration and increase the laminarity of the output stream emanating from said outlet orifice.