Drinking fountain pump stand

Abstract

A drinking fountain pump stand having a base engageable on a well drop pipe, a handle assembly for reciprocating a well pump rod and an improved fountain assembly. The fountain assembly has a closed, vented reservoir, a fountain means which directs water from the reservoir in an upward stream for drinking purposes and provides a barrier to prevent gravitational backflow of water from the fountain means to the reservoir, a weir which provides a large capacity overflow for the reservoir and maintains a substantially constant water head above the fountain means when an uneven excess flow of water is received by the reservoir, a bowl for receiving water discharged from the fountain means, and a hydrant with a hand operated valve to fill water containers. All internal surfaces of the fountain assembly are sloped for complete drainage, and a drain assembly extends from the fountain assembly to an anchor point on the well foundation. Where water purification is required, purification circuit means direct raw water from the base to purification equipment and direct purified water from the purification equipment to the fountain assembly.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

This invention pertains generally to the field of hand operated well pumps, and more particularly to drinking fountain pump stands for sites such as golf courses, camp grounds, roadside parks and picnic areas which are remote from public utilities.

2. Description of the prior art

In about 1943 the Wisconsin State Board of Health found that drinking from the common hand pump, when a clean container is not available, is unsanitary because it is difficult to drink from such a pump without using one's hands. Not only are the drinker's own hands a source of filth and bacteria, but contamination from previous drinkers which has been retained on the pump or has backflowed back into the pump and the well are also a health hazard.

In 1944, Louis T. Watry of the Wisconsin State Board of Health conceived a drinking fountain hand pump, and within approximately two years a successful drinking fountain hand pump was on the market. Many such pumps are still in use. The principal components of the Watry drinking fountain pump are: (1) a closed reservoir having a barrier to prevent backflow from the reservoir into the well and a drain to discharge water and prevent freezing; and (2) an overflow conduit starting inside the reservoir near its top and extending downward through the bottom of the reservoir to a level of about 2 feet above ground.

The Watry pump is operated by moving a pump handle up and down until water discharges from the overflow conduit. This indicates that the reservoir is full. At this point, one may drink from a fountain stream discharging from an upwardly facing orifice in the reservoir wall near the bottom of the reservoir without further pumping, or continue pumping to fill a thermos jug, pail or other container under the lower end of the overflow conduit.

While the Watry pump has been generally successful, its widespread use in installations in many states under many conditions of use has revealed certain limitations in its design. Although the Watry pump provides a drain for the area of the reservoir which is downstream from the barrier, flat surfaces within that area create a potential for stagnant water retention and bacteria growth. It is also possible for rain water and other foreign matter to enter that area of the reservoir through the upwardly directed orifice in the reservoir wall, which increases the potential for contamination.

Children have found that by putting a hand over the lower end of the overflow conduit and continuing pumping, the pressure may be increased to raise the height of the fountain stream by as much as 10 times. Such a practice is great fun, but it is also unsanitary and often is destructive of the pump site. In addition, the flow of the fountain stream often becomes erratic when a number of persons wish to drink and pumping is continued, due to the surging water delivery to the reservoir from the reciprocal hand pump and the action of trapped air within the upper closed dome of the reservoir. Such erratic flow makes drinking inconvenient and venturesome, and encourages both mischievous operation of the pump handle and reluctance to drink from the fountain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

I have invented a new and improved drinking fountain pump stand which utilizes a fountain means which discharges water from the reservoir in a fountain stream but provides a barrier to gravitational backflow from the fountain means to the reservoir. The improved fountain assembly of my pump stand has all sloping surfaces for complete drainage to eliminate all stagnant water retention. A single drain collects all overflowing and unused water, which is discharged at well foundation level by a discharge shoe anchored in the foundation to resist abuse. Stopping of the drain will simply cause the fountain bowl to overflow and will not substantially increase the pressure of the fountain stream.

An extended weir provides a large capacity overflow for the reservoir and maintains a substantially constant water head above the fountain means when an uneven flow of water in excess of the flow through the fountain stream is received by the reservoir from the pump and the well. Accordingly, the fountain stream will remain constant even though the rate of pumping is changed substantially. The reservoir is also vented to the atmosphere to eliminate irregularities in the fountain stream caused by captive air heads. Therefore the fountain stream is automatically regulated without a moving part.

A hydrant is controlled by a hand operated valve to permit water to be selectively discharged from the reservoir into a container.

When purification of the raw well water is required, the water may be diverted from a secondary outlet in the pump stand base through a water purification unit and then returned in purified condition to the inlet portion of the reservoir for normal use.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is selected for exemplification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a drinking fountain pump stand exemplifying my invention, with portions thereof shown in section for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 2 is a section view of the fountain assembly of my drinking fountain pump stand taken along section line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the fountain assembly of my drinking fountain pump stand taken along section line 3--3 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a modified form of the drinking fountain pump stand of my invention, with portions thereof shown in section for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the fountain assembly of my drinking fountain pump stand illustrated in FIG. 1, with the outer wall of the overflow passage broken away for purposes of illustration.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 illustrates my improved drinking fountain pump stand, shown generally at 20, connected to a tubular steel well 10. The illustrated well 10 is of the type having a steel pipe well casing 11 surrounded by a concrete foundation 14. A drop pipe 12 supports a pump cylinder (not shown) attached to the lower end of the drop pipe, and a pump rod 13 extends upward from a plunger within the pump cylinder. The drop pipe 12 will normally have a weep hole (not shown) having a diameter of 1/8 to 1/4 inch located below the frost line to drain the pump and avoid freezing in winter use.

My drinking fountain pump stand 20 has a base 21 with a stepped attachment flange 22 which is engaged on the well casing 11 by a plurality of set screws 22a. The stepped construction of the inside of the base attachment flange 22 permits attachment of the base to standard pipe well casings of different diameters. The base 21 has an internal drop pipe connecting collar 23 which is tapped to threadedly engage and support the drop pipe 12 within the well. A pump handle assembly 27 is mounted on the top end 26 of the base 21 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The pump handle assembly 27 includes a handle 28 which is pinned to the flat piston bar 30 connected to the top of the pump rod 13. The piston bar 30 is quided by the upper end of a cap 29 which is engaged on the base 21. A fulcrum 31 is pivotally connected to the lower end of the cap 29 and to the handle 28. Manual operation of the pump handle 28 in a conventional manner causes the flat piston bar 30 and connected pump rod 13 to reciprocate in a vertical direction. Reciprocation of the connected piston in the cylinder forces water up the drop pipe into the interior of the base 21, and to the primary base outlet 24.

An improved fountain assembly 32 is bolted or otherwise mounted on the pump base 21, as shown in FIG. 1. The fountain assembly 32 has a reservoir 33 with an inlet portion 35 which in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is in communication with the outlet 24 of the base 21. When the pump stand handle 28 is operated to reciprocate the pump rod 13, water is forced from the drop pipe 12 up through the base 21 and base outlet 24 into the reservoir inlet portion 35 and the reservoir 33. As best shown in FIG. 3, the reservoir 33 is a tank-type structure defined by walls having internal surfaces 34 which slope downwardly toward the inlet portion 35. Accordingly, when the drinking fountain pump stand is not in use, water will drain completely out of the reservoir and reservoir inlet portion into the pump base 21 and well drop pipe 12 to avoid retention of any stagnant water in the reservoir and inlet portion. The reservoir 33 is closed for sanitary purposes by cover 33a, which is preferably bolted to the casting which forms the reservoir.

One wall of the reservoir 33 is formed by a weir 36 having an upper edge 37. The weir 36 and upper edge 37 extend substantially the entire width of the reservoir 33, as shown in FIG. 5, to provide a large capacity overflow for the reservoir. As the pump stand is operated, water will rise in the reservoir 33 until it reaches the level of the upper edge 37 of the weir 36, at which time it will begin to overflow into the overflow passage 38, which extends downwardly to the drain outlet 50. The extended length of the weir upper edge 37 permits surging excess water within the reservoir to overflow freely and maintain a substantially constant water head within the reservoir when an uneven flow of water is received by the reservoir from the reciprocating pump.

As shown in FIG. 2, a vent passage 39 extends from the upper portion of the reservoir 33 above the weir upper edge 37 vertically downward through the reservoir wall to the atmosphere to vent the upper portion of the reservoir. The vent passage 39 opens downwardly to the atmosphere to prevent gravitational entry of foreign material into the reservoir, and to provide an inconspicuous vent opening which will not encourage tampering. By venting the upper portion of the reservoir 33 to the atmosphere, my improved fountain assembly elminates the possibility of trapping an air head within the reservoir which would produce irregularity in the flow of water from the fountain assembly. Accordingly the weir 36 and vent passage 39 combine to automatically regulate the flow of water from the fountain assembly, without requiring any moving parts.

A barrier tube 41 extends outwardly and downwardly from the lower portion of the reservoir 33, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, to provide a fountain means 40 for directing an upward stream of water from the fountain assembly for drinking purposes, and for preventing gravitational backflow of water from the fountain means to the reservoir. It is seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 that the barrier tube 41 extends transversely across the overflow passage 38, which is not significantly impeded by the relatively small diameter of the barrier tube 41. The barrier tube 41 has an inlet end 41a which is preferably substantially horizontal to provide a uniform level inlet within the reservoir 33 at a substantially higher level than the lower end of the barrier tube. The lower end of the barrier tube 41 is closed as shown. A fountain outlet is provided by an upwardly opening orifice 42 located near the closed end of the barrier tube 41. The size of the fountain orifice 42 is selected so that an upward stream of water will be directed out of the fountain orifice 42 in a sufficient quantity for users to drink directly from the water stream when the water head in the reservoir 33 is maintained above the barrier tube inlet end 41a. The dotted lines in FIG. 3 represent the approximate path of the fountain stream when the water head is at or near the weir upper edge 37. It will be noted that under such conditions the maximum height of the water stream will be just slightly below the height of the weir upper edge 37. If operation of the pump handle 28 is discontinued to terminate the water flow from the well into the reservoir 33, the reservoir has sufficient capacity with respect to the flow rate of the fountain orifice 42 so that once the reservoir is filled with water my drinking fountain pump stand will become a noiseless, automatically smooth-flowing drinking fountain. As the water level in the reservoir recedes due to the outward flow of water through the fountain orifice, the height of the fountain stream will also gradually decrease at the same rate. When the height of the fountain stream recedes to an inconvenient level its flow can be increased to its maximum level by simply operating the pump handle 28. The constant water head above the fountain orifice 42 produces a smooth, steady fountain stream from the orifice which is convenient and pleasant to drink, and which can be maintained indefinitely by operation of the pump handle 28.

A barrier drain 43 in the form of a small hole in the barrier tube is located in communiation with the lowermost interior point in the barrier tube 41 to drain from the barrier tube any water which remains after the water level in the reservoir 33 has receded below the level of the barrier tube inlet 41a. Accordingly, stagnant water will not remain in the barrier tube 41a when the drinking fountain pump stand is not in use. In addition, any small amount of rainwater which might enter the barrier tube 41 through the fountain orifice 42 will also be immediately drained from the tube by the barrier drain 43. The barrier drain 43 is of substantially smaller diameter than the fountain orifice 42 so that the amount of water discharged from the barrier drain 43 during operation of the pump stand will be insignificant. The external location of the barrier drain 43 permits it to be conveniently inspected and cleaned.

The fountain assembly 32 additionally has a bowl 46 which extends beneath the fountain orifice to receive waste water discharged therefrom. The bowl also extends upwardly to an overhang 47 which projects over the fountain orifice 42 to partially shield the fountain orifice from precipitation, leaves, or other falling foreign material. The rim of the bowl 46 also has a low point located at a lower level than the bottom of the barrier tube 41 so that if water should back up in the bowl for any reason, it will overflow the rim of the bowl before it reaches the level of the barrier tube 41. The bowl design minimizes the possibility of water or foreign material entering the barrier tube 41 through the fountain orifice 42 or the barrier drain 43. The walls of the bowl 46 slope downwardly to a strainer 48 located at the bottom of the bowl and a bowl drain passage 49 extends downwardly from beneath the strainer 48 to the drain outlet 50 of the fountain assembly 32. The sloping design of the bowl 46 and rain passage 49 assures complete drainage of waste water therefrom.

A drain assembly 58 receives and discharges all of the unused and wasted water which is discharged from the fountain assembly 32. As previously described, all of the excess water which overflows the weir 36 and all of the water which is received in the bowl 46 and discharged through the drain passage 49 is directed to the drain outlet 50. Accordingly, the drain outlet 50 provides a single point drain for the entire fountain assembly. The drain assembly 58 includes a downwardly extending drain pipe 59 which is threadedly engaged in the drain outlet 50, and a discharge shoe 60 which engages the drain pipe in telescoping relation. The discharge shoe has an anchor heel pin 61 which may preferably be engaged in a recess 15 in the well foundation 14 or other retaining means provided on the foundation surface. In the preferred installations illustrated, the well foundation 14 additionally has a downwardly sloping trough 16 extending outward from the anchor recess 15 to receive and direct waste water discharged from the discharge shoe 60 away from the well. The anchor heel pin 61 is retained in the anchor recess 15 by means of set screws 60a threadedly mounted in the upper end of the discharge shoe 60 which are tightened against the lower end of the drain pipe 59.

A hydrant outlet pipe 51, illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, extends from the lower portion of the reservoir 33 to provide a convenient source of water for filling jugs, buckets, or other water containers. A bail hook 52 is positioned on the hydrant outlet pipe 51 to receive and retain the bail or handle of a container during filling. A hand-operated hydrant valve means 53 controls the flow of water from the hydrant outlet pipe 51. The valve means 53 includes a valve closure disc 54 normally seated on the top end of the hydrant outlet pipe 51 which extends upwardly into the interior of the reservoir 33. A valve stem 55 extends upwardly from the closure disk 54 to the valve handle 57 located outside the reservoir 33. A valve spring 56 engages the valve stem 55 to retain the closure disk 54 seated on the hydrant outlet pipe 51 in watertight relation until the user grasps the handle 57 and raises it against the force of the spring to permit water to flow out of the reservoir 33 through the hydrant outlet pipe 51. When sufficient water has been removed, the user releases the handle 57 and the valve spring 56 causes the valve stem 55 to seat the closure disk 54 on the outlet pipe 51 to prevent further discharge of water.

FIG. 4 illustrates an important modification of my improved drinking fountain pump stand. In some areas, water quality or governmental health standards may require that water delivered from a well must be purified before it is suitable for drinking purposes. In the embodiment of my drinking fountain pump stand illustrated in FIG. 4, means are provided for a water purification circuit 62 for delivering well water from the pump base 21 to a conventional water purification unit (not shown), and for returning purified water from the water purification unit to the inlet portion 35 of the fountain assembly reservoir 33. In the illustrated embodiment, my fountain assembly 32 has been modified at the reservoir inlet portion 35 to receive a closure plate 24a which extends across the inlet portion 35 at the point of attachment of the fountain assembly 32 to the pump base 21 to close the primary base outlet 24. The inlet portion 35 is further modified to provide a threaded opening 44 for threadedly engaging a purified water inlet pipe 64, as shown, and to provide for a downward slope of the lower surface of the inlet portion 35 from the point of location of the closure plate 24a to the threaded opening 44. The pump stand base 21 is also modified to provide a threaded opening at secondary pump outlet 25 to threadedly engage water purification outlet pipe 63, as shown.

Accordingly, when the handle 28 is operated to deliver water from the well drop pipe 12 into the base 21, the water will be directed out of the base through the secondary base outlet 25 and water purification outlet pipe 63 to the point of location of the purification unit, which is usually at some minimum proscribed distance from the well itself. As the pumping operation continues, the water is forced through the purification unit and returned to purified water inlet pipe 64 which then directs the water into the reservoir inlet portion 35 and reservoir 33. Thus, the water purification circuit which includes outlet pipe 63 and inlet pipe 64 provides communication between the secondary pump outlet 25 and the reservoir inlet portion 35. My fountain assembly then operates as previously described to deliver the water to the user through the fountain orifice 42 or the hydrant outlet pipe 51. Any suitable water purification unit may be used in such a purification circuit. One suitable known unit employs iodine blocks which release iodine to the water as it is directed over the blocks in an amount substantially proportionaate to the volume of water which passes over the blocks. Mechanical chlorine dispensing units may also be employed in such a purification circuit.

In the illustrated preferred embodiments of my improved drinking fountain pump stand, the pump stand base, handle assembly and fountain unit are preferably cast from gray cast iron. As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, the fountain assembly 32 preferably includes a single casting which forms the reservoir inlet portion 35, the reservoir 33 and weir 36, the overflow paassage 38, the bowl 46, the bowl drain passage 49 and the drain outlet 50. All interior surfaces of the casting are downwardly sloping for complete drainage. The cover 33a is a separate casting which is bolted to the main casting. A plug 49a is threadedly engaged in the end of the drain passage 49 to permit cleaning of the drain passage and the lower portion of the overflow passage 38.

The barrier tube 41 is preferably made of chrome-plated copper for fast drainage to thereby eliminate water retention within the barrier tube 41 during periods of non-use.

It is understood that my invention is not confined to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, and various changes and details may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, but my invention embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an improved drinking fountain pump stand of the type wherein a base is engageable on a well drop pipe and has an outlet, and a handle assembly is mounted on the base for engaging and reciprocating a well pump rod to cause water to flow from the well drop pipe to the base outlet, the improvement which comprises a fountain assembly mounted on the base, said fountain assembly including:

a. a reservoir having an inlet portion in communication with the base outlet, said reservoir being defined by walls having internal surfaces which slope downwardly toward the inlet portion,

b. a barrier tube having an upwardly directed fountain outlet located outside the reservoir and an inlet end located within the reservoir at a higher level than the fountain outlet to direct water from the reservoir to the fountain outlet and prevent gravitational backflow of water from the fountain outlet to the reservoir,

c. a bowl extending below the fountain outlet to receive and drain water discharged from the fountain outlet.

2. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 1, wherein the barrier tube fountain outlet is an upwardly facing orifice in the tube and wherein the barrier tube has a drain opening which extends downwardly from the lowest interior point of the tube to prevent retention of stagnant water therein, the drain opening being of substantially smaller cross-sectional area than the fountain orifice.

3. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 1 wherein a portion of the walls of the reservoir is formed by a weir having an extended upper edge located at a level above the inlet end of the barrier tube to provide a large capacity overflow for the reservoir and maintain a substantially constant water head above the barrier tube fountain outlet when an uneven flow of water in excess of the flow through the fountain outlet is received by the reservoir from the well.

4. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 3 wherein the fountain assembly has a vent passage extending from a point within the reservoir above the upper edge of the weir to the atmosphere.

5. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 3 wherein the fountain assembly further includes:

a. a drain outlet,

b. an overflow passage which receives and carries excess water flowing over the weir to the drain outlet, and

c. a drain passage extending from the bowl to the drain outlet.

6. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 5, further comprising a drain pipe extending downwardly from the fountain assembly drain outlet, and a drain discharge shoe adjustably attached to the lower end of the drain pipe, the discharge shoe having a downwardly extending anchor heel pin for engaging an anchor recess in a well foundation.

7. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a. a water purification outlet pipe connected to the base for directing water from the base for water purification treatment, and

b. a purified water inlet pipe connected to the fountain assembly reservoir inlet portion for delivering purified water to the reservoir.

8. The drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a. a hydrant spout extending from the fountain assembly reservoir, and

b. hand operated valve means for opening and closing the hydrant spout to permit removal of water from the reservoir through the hydrant spout.

9. In an improved drinking fountain pump stand of the type wherein a base is engageable on a well drop pipe and has an outlet, and a handle assembly is mounted on the base for engaging and reciprocating a well pump rod to cause water to flow from the well drop pipe to the base outlet, the improvement which comprises a fountain assembly mounted on the base, said fountain assembly including:

a. a reservoir having an inlet portion in communication with the base outlet,

b. fountain means for directing water from the reservoir out of the fountain assembly in an upward stream for drinking purposes, and

c. a weir forming a wall of the reservoir and having an extended upper edge extending substantially the entire width of the reservoir and located at a level above the fountain means to provide a large capacity overflow for the reservoir and maintain a substantially constant water head above the fountain means when an uneven flow of water in excess of the flow through the fountain means is received by the reservoir from the well.

10. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 9, wherein the fountain assembly has a vent passage extending from a point within the reservoir above the upper edge of the weir to the atmosphere.

11. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 9, wherein the reservoir is defined by walls having internal surfaces which slope downwardly toward the inlet portion to prevent the retention of stagnant water in the reservoir.

12. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 9, wherein the fountain means comprises a downwardly sloping barrier tube having an upper inlet end located within the reservoir at a lower level than the upper edge of the weir and an upwardly directed fountain orifice located outside the reservoir at a lower level than the inlet end, the barrier tube having a drain opening of smaller cross-sectional area than the fountain orifice which extends downwardly from the lowest interior point of the barrier tube to prevent retention of stagnant water therein.

13. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 9, wherein the fountain assembly further includes:

a. a bowl extending below the fountain means to receive water discharged therefrom,

b. a drain outlet,

c. a drain passage extending from the bowl to the drain outlet, and

d. an overflow passage extending from the weir to the drain outlet.

14. An improved fountain assembly for a drinking fountain pump stand having a base which is engageable on a well drop pipe and which has an outlet, and having a handle assembly mounted on the base for engaging and reciprocating a well pump rod to cause water to flow from the well drop pipe to the base outlet, wherein the improvement comprises:

a. a reservoir mounted on the base and having an inlet portion in communication with the base outlet, said reservoir being defined by walls having internal surfaces which slope downwardly toward the inlet portion,

b. fountain means for directing water from the reservoir out of the fountain assembly in an upward stream for drinking purposes and for preventing gravitational backflow of water from the fountain means to the reservoir, and

c. a weir forming one wall of the reservoir and having an extended upper edge extending substantially the entire width of the reservoir and located at a level above the fountain means to provide a large capacity overflow for the reservoir and maintain a substantially constant water head above the fountain means when an uneven flow of water in excess of the flow through the fountain means is received by the reservoir from the well.

15. A drinking fountain pump stand as recited in claim 14, wherein the fountain assembly further includes:

a. a bowl extending below the fountain means to receive and drain water discharged from the fountain means,

b. a drain outlet,

c. a drain passage extending from the bowl to the drain outlet, and

d. an overflow passage extending from the weir to the drain outlet.