Information
-
Patent Grant
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6379124
-
Patent Number
6,379,124
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Date Filed
Monday, December 18, 200023 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 30, 200222 years ago
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Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Thorpe; Timothy S.
- Gray; Michael K.
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 417 4101
- 417 313
- 417 412
- 417 4131
- 417 415
- 362 101
-
International Classifications
- F04B1700
- F04B4300
- F21V3300
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Abstract
The present invention proposes an air pump structure having driving effect. The present invention is characterized in that a swing element of the air pump is connected to a driving shaft. One end of the driving shaft has a poked part protruding out of a shell body of the air pump. Except having air-supplying function, the air pump of the present invention can drive a color disk or other devices of a water lamp. Another motor is not required for driving the color disk to rotate, thereby saving the cost of another motor. Moreover, the structure of the whole water lamp can be much simplified, resulting in convenience in assembly and reduction in cost.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air pump structure having driving effect and, more particularly, to an air pump structure, which is applicable to a water lamp and has air-supplying and driving effects.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Air pumps are devices consuming electric power to transport air into water. Among all types of air pumps, vibration type air pumps are most commonly used. A vibration type air pump uses electromagnets to generate vibration, and then transports air into water by means of this vibration force to bring forth flow of water. Thereby, oxygen will be dissolved in water, and carbon dioxide will be discharged so that the amount of oxygen dissolved in water will increase to favor the existence of fishes.
There is already a kind of water lamp commercially available, which has a hollow container made of transparent material. Water and false fishes are arranged in the hollow container. An air pump, a color disk, a motor, and a light source are installed at the bottom of the container. The air pump can transport air into the water through an air pipe so that flow of water and air bubbles can be generated. Moreover, decorative articles such as false fishes will seem to swim in the water to build vivid visual effects. The color disk is made of transparent material, and has various kinds of variations of colors and patterns. The color disk can be driven to rotate by the motor. The light source is installed below the color disk. When the light source is turned on, light from the light source will pass through the color disk and then be projected to the container and the water so that shining effect will be exhibited in the container and the water. Therefore, novelty and variability can be obtained, and special visual effects can be exhibited. However, a prior art air pump has only the simple air-supplying function, and cannot drive the color disk of a water lamp. Another motor must be installed to drive the color disk to rotate. Therefore, except additional cost of another motor, the structure of the whole water lamp will be more complex, resulting in inconvenience in assembly and increase in cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide an air pump structure having driving effect. Except that the air pump has air-supplying functions a driving shaft protrudes to drive a color disk or other devices of a water lamp. Another motor is not required for driving the color disk to rotate, thereby saving the cost of another motor. Moreover, the structure of the whole water lamp will be much simplified, resulting in convenience in assembly and reduction in cost.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air pump structure having driving effect, which comprises a shell body, a coil, a swing element, a magnet, a pump unit, and a driving shaft. The coil is installed in the shell body and is connected to a power wire. The swing element is installed in the shell body. The magnet is fixed at one end of the swing element, and adjoins the coil. The pump unit joins the swing element. The driving shaft is connected to the swing element. One end of the driving shaft has a poked part. The poked part protrudes out of the shell body. An air pump having driving effect is thus formed.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of the air pump of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a plan view of the internal structure of the air pump of the present invention;
FIG. 3
is a diagram showing the action of the air pump of the present invention;
FIG. 4
is an exploded perspective view of the air pump of the present invention when installed in a water lamp;
FIG. 5
is a partly perspective view of the air pump of the present invention when installed in a water lamp; and
FIG. 6
is a diagram showing the action of the air pump of the present invention when installed in a water lamp.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, the present invention provides an air pump structure having driving effect. The air pump
1
comprises a shell body
10
, a coil
11
, a swing element
12
, a magnet
13
, and a pump unit
14
. The shell body
10
comprises a lower shell
15
and an upper shell
16
. The lower shell
16
and the upper shell
16
are joined by means of screwing so as to form the hollow shell body
10
. A rectangular groove hole
17
is formed on the upper shell
16
of the shell body
10
.
The coil
11
is fixedly installed in the shell body
10
. The coil
11
is connected to a power wire
18
for inputting electricity so that it can generate electromagnetic effect. The swing element
12
is installed in the shell body
10
. The magnet
13
is fixed at one end of the swing element
12
and adjoins the coil
11
. When power is inputted to the coil
11
to generate magnetic field so that the magnet
13
and the coil
11
will generate fast reciprocating motion, one end of the swing element
12
will be driven to generate fast swing. The swing element
12
is also properly connected to the pump unit
14
.
The pump unit
14
comprises an air room
19
and a cover body
20
made of rubber. The air room
19
is fixed in the shell body
10
and has proper valves (not shown) therein. An air outlet
21
extends from the air room
19
. The cover body
20
is telescoped at one end of the air room
19
. The pump unit
14
is connected to the swing element
12
through the cover body
20
. When the swing element
12
generates fast swing to drive the cover body
20
, air will be transported out from the air outlet
21
through the action of the air room
19
.
The present invention is characterized in that the swing element
12
of the air pump
1
is connected to a roughly L-shaped driving shaft
22
. One end of the driving shaft
22
has a connecting part
23
connected to the swing element
12
by means of welding. The other end of the driving shaft
22
has a poked part
24
. A sheathing body
25
made of rubber can telescope outside the poked part
24
. The poked part
24
of the driving shaft
22
protrudes out of the shell body
10
via the groove hole
17
. An air pump structure having driving effect of the present invention is thus formed.
As shown in
FIG. 3
, when power is inputted to the coil
11
to generate magnetic field so that the magnet
13
will be attracted to generate fast reciprocating motion, one end of the swing element
12
will be driven to generate fast swing. The cover body
20
will be driven so that air will be transported out from the air outlet
21
through the action of the air room
19
. Because the swing element
12
is connected to the driving shaft
22
, when the swing element
12
generate fast swing, the driving shaft
22
will be jointly driven to generate fast swing. Therefore, the driving shaft
22
will form a power-output unit for driving other devices such as the color disk of a water lamp.
As shown in
FIGS. 4 and 5
, the present invention can be applied to a water lamp
5
comprising a circular hollow container
50
made of transparent material. Water and decorative articles such as false fishes can be arranged in the container
5
. The top end of the container
50
is open and matches a cover body
51
. The bottom of the container
50
joins a bottom seat
52
. The bottom seat
52
is a hollow body having an open bottom end. A bottom cover
53
can be used to seal the bottom end of the bottom seat
52
by means of screwing.
The air pump
1
, a color disk
54
, and a light source
55
are installed in the bottom seat
52
at the bottom of the container
50
. The air pump
1
is fixed on the bottom cover
53
. The air outlet
21
of the air pump
1
is connected to an air pipe
56
. The other end of the air pipe
56
is connected to the bottom of the container
50
. Air can be transported into the water in the container
50
to generate flow of water and air bubbles.
The color disk
54
has a color disk shaft
57
pivotally installed in a hollow pivotal bushing
59
of a fixing seat
58
. Thereby, the color disk
54
is rotatably installed at the bottom of the container
50
. The fixing seat
58
is fixed on the bottom cover
53
by screwing a plurality of screws
60
. The light source (light bulb)
55
is inserted in a lamp seat
61
, which is fixed on the fixing seat
58
by screwing a plurality of screws
62
.
The air pump
1
can transport air into the water in the container
50
through the air pipe
56
to generate flow of water and air bubbles so that decorative articles such as false fishes (not shown) will seem to swim in the water. Thereby, vivid visual effects can be obtained. The color disk
54
can be led to rotate through the poked part
24
of the driving shaft
22
. The light source
55
is installed below the color disk
54
. When the light source
55
is turned on, light from the light source
55
will pass through the color disk
54
and then project to the container
50
and the water so that shining effect will be exhibited in the container
50
and the water. Therefore, novelty and variability can be obtained, and special visual effects can be exhibited.
To sum up, except that the air pump
1
of the present invention has air-supplying function, the driving shaft
22
protrudes to contact the color disk
54
or other devices of a water lamp so that the color disk
54
can be driven to rotate. Another motor is not required for driving the color disk to rotate, thereby saving the cost of another motor. Moreover, the structure of the whole water lamp can be much simplified, resulting in convenience in assembly and reduction in cost.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. An air pump structure having driving effect, comprising:a shell body; a coil installed in said shell body and connected to a power wire; a swing element installed in said shell body; a magnet fixed at one end of said swing element and adjoining said coil; a pump unit connected to said swing element; and a driving shaft connected to said swing element, one end of said driving shaft having a poked part, said poked part protruding out of said shell body.
- 2. The air pump structure having driving effect as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shell body comprises a lower shell and an upper shell.
- 3. The air pump structure having driving effect as claimed in claim 1, wherein a rectangular groove hole is formed on said shell body, and said poked part of said driving shaft protrudes out of said shell body via said groove hole.
- 4. The air pump structure having driving effect as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pump unit comprises an air room and a cover body made of rubber, said air room being fixed in said shell body, an air outlet extending from said air room, said cover body being telescoped at one end of said air room, said pump unit being connected to said swing element through said cover body.
- 5. The air pump structure having driving effect as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sheathing body can telescope outside said poked part of said driving shaft.
- 6. The air pump structure having driving effect as claimed in claim 1, wherein said poked part of said driving shaft contacts a color disk of a water lamp for driving said color disk to rotate.
US Referenced Citations (4)