U.S. patent application number 10/897283 was filed with the patent office on 2005-06-16 for nozzle structure in combination with a bidirectional air pump.
Invention is credited to Tsai, Lung-Po.
Application Number | 20050125904 10/897283 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46302390 |
Filed Date | 2005-06-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050125904 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tsai, Lung-Po |
June 16, 2005 |
Nozzle structure in combination with a bidirectional air pump
Abstract
A nozzle structure has an air pump casing to receive therein the
air pump and provided with an outlet defined through a bottom face
of the air pump casing and a resilient plate detachably engaging
with a peripheral edge defining the outlet of the air pump casing
via a guiding element such that air pumped by the air pump is able
to push the resilient plate away from the outlet when air is
blowing out of the air pump casing and an air pump axle extending
out from the air pump is able to push the resilient plate away from
engagement with the peripheral edge of the outlet to allow air to
flow into the air pump casing.
Inventors: |
Tsai, Lung-Po; (Taipei
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HEDMAN & COSTIGAN P.C.
1185 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK
NY
10036
US
|
Family ID: |
46302390 |
Appl. No.: |
10/897283 |
Filed: |
July 22, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10897283 |
Jul 22, 2004 |
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10733082 |
Dec 11, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
5/713 ;
417/572 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04B 39/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
005/713 ;
417/572 |
International
Class: |
F04B 039/00; A47C
027/08 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A nozzle structure in combination with an air pump, wherein the
nozzle structure comprises: an air pump casing to receive therein
the air pump and provided with an outlet defined through a bottom
face of the air pump casing; a resilient plate detachably engaging
with a peripheral edge defining the outlet of the air pump casing
via a guiding element such that air pumped by the air pump is able
to push the resilient plate away from the outlet when air is
blowing out of the air pump casing and an air pump axle extending
out from the air pump is able to push the resilient plate away from
engagement with the peripheral edge of the outlet to allow air to
flow into the air pump casing.
2. The nozzle structure in combination with the air pump as claimed
in claim 1, wherein the air pump casing has a bar extending from
two points in the outlet and the guiding element comprises a
guiding bar with a head and an extension extending through an
extension hole in the bar, a guiding plate with a tube extending
from a face of the guiding plate to receive therein a free end of
the extension and a spring mounted around the tube to allow the
guiding plate to move relative to the air pump casing.
3. The nozzle structure in combination with the air pump as claimed
in claim 2, wherein the guiding plate has a disk with the tube
formed on top of the disk and two positioning rods to sandwich the
tube and correspond to two positioning holes in the bar which has
an extension hole centrally defined in the bar to correspond to and
allow the tube to extend therethrough.
4. The nozzle structure in combination with the air pump as claimed
in claim 3, wherein the resilient plate is securely attached to a
bottom face of the disk.
5. The nozzle structure in combination with the air pump as claimed
in claim 4, wherein the resilient plate has two bosses and the disk
has two securing holes defined to correspond to and allow extension
of the two bosses of the resilient plate so that the resilient
plate is securely attached to the disk.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of patent application
Ser. No. 10/733,082, filed on Dec. 11, 2003 by the same applicant
of this application. The content thereof is incorporated for
reference hereinafter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a nozzle structure, and
more particularly to a nozzle structure for a bi-directional air
pump to readily facilitate pumping/drawing air into/out of an
inflatable object.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] The existing inflatable objects normally are respectively
embedded with an air pump to pump the air into the inflatable
object when required. After the inflatable objected is inflated, a
unidirectional valve in the air pump is used as a stop for
preventing air from leakage from the inflatable object. When the
inflatable object is not in use, the user will have to deflate the
inflatable object manually so as to minimize the space occupied by
the deflated object. However, deflating the inflated object by hand
is exhausting and too time consuming.
[0006] To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to
provide an improved nozzle structure to mitigate the aforementioned
problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
an improved nozzle structure and a bi-directional air pump to
facilitate inflating and deflating the inflatable object.
[0008] In order to accomplish the aforementioned objective, the
nozzle structure of the present invention is provided with a
guiding seat movably attached to a peripheral edge defining an
outlet of an air pump casing and a resilient plate securely engaged
with a side face of the guiding seat such that when the air pump is
actuated, the air pumped by the air pump will push the guiding seat
together with the resilient plate away from the outlet of the air
pump casing and when the inflatable object is inflated and the air
pump stops functioning, the air pressure inside the inflatable
object will push the resilient plate and the guiding seat back to
engage with the peripheral edge of the outlet to seal the outlet.
Thus air leakage is prevented.
[0009] Another objective of the present invention is that the air
pump axle is able to abut a free end of a pole on the guiding seat
when the bi-directional air pump is activated to draw the air
inside the inflatable object out of the inflatable object such that
the deflating process is facilitated.
[0010] Other objects, advantages and novel features of the
invention will become more apparent from the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the nozzle
structure of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the nozzle structure when
the elements in FIG. 1 are assembled;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a partially cross sectional view showing the that
the guiding plate and the resilient plate are attached to the
peripheral edge of the outlet to stop air leakage; and
[0014] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross sectional view showing that the
guiding plate and the resilient plate are pushed away from the
outlet to allow air flow through the outlet of the air pump
casing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the nozzle structure in
accordance with the present invention has an air pump casing (10)
to receive therein an air pump (20).
[0016] The air pump casing (10) has an outlet (11) defined in a
bottom face of the air pump casing (10) and a bar (12) extending
from two points on a peripheral edge defining the outlet (11). The
bar (12) has two positioning holes (121) and an extension hole
(122) defined through the bar (12). The extension hole (122) is
centrally defined between the two positioning holes (121). A
guiding element (13) is provided to the nozzle structure and
includes a guiding bar (131), a spring (132) and a guiding plate
(133).
[0017] The guiding bar (131) has an extension (1311) extendable
through the extension hole (122) and a head (1312) formed on a
distal end of the extension (1311). The guiding plate (133) has a
disk (1331) with multiple holes (1332) defined through a face of
the disk (1331), two positioning rods (1333) extending outward from
the face of the disk (1331) to correspond to and extend through the
two positioning holes (121) of the bar (12) and a tube (1334)
formed on the face of the disk (133) to correspond to and receive
therein a free end of the extension (1311).
[0018] A resilient plate (14) made of rubber or a similar material
is provided with two bosses (141) to correspond to two securing
holes (1335) defined through the face of the disk (1331).
[0019] With reference to FIG. 3, it is noted that after the nozzle
structure of the present invention is assembled, the two bosses
(141) are extended through the two corresponding securing holes
(1335) to secure engagement between the resilient plate (14) and
the disk (1331). The two positioning rods (1333) are extended
through the two positioning holes (121) of the bar (12) and the
tube (1334) is extended through the corresponding extension hole
(122) to securely receive the free end of the extension (1311)
before the spring (132) is mounted around the tube (1334). Thus,
after the spring (132) is mounted around the tube (1334) and the
free end of the extension (1311) is securely received in the tube
(1334), two distal ends of the spring (132) are compressed between
the head (1312) and the disk (1331).
[0020] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, it is noted that when the
air pump (20) is activated, the air pumped by the air pump (20)
forces the guiding element (13) to move away from the outlet (11).
Thus the air is able to be pumped out of the air pump casing (10)
and into an inflatable object (not shown). Furthermore, when the
inflatable object is not in use, the air pump axle (21) is extended
out to abut a free end of the head (1312) to force the disk (1331)
together with the resilient plate (14) to move away from the outlet
(11). As a consequence of the moving away from the outlet (11) of
the disk (1331) and the resilient plate (14), the air inside the
inflatable object is able to flow out of the inflatable object.
[0021] In summary, the nozzle structure of the present invention is
able to facilitate the inflating and deflating processes of the air
pump to the inflatable object and manual work is entirely not
involved. Therefore, the user is able to readily complete the
required work.
[0022] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous
characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been
set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of
the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is
illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in
matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the
principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the
broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are
expressed.
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