The present invention relates to water pumps and, more particularly, to a portable water pump for bringing ocean water onto a beach.
When at the beach, there is no efficient way to transport ocean water onto the beach (beyond the shoreline). Many beach activities need ocean water, which typically requires manually filling up buckets to move water wherever needed, which is laborious and results in very little water being transferred per bucket. Even further, this does not provide flowing water. Exemplary beach activities may include, but are not limited to, filling up a sandcastle mote, moistening sand for a sand sculpture, filling a portable swimming pool, spraying oneself or others, rinsing sand off oneself or other articles brought to the beach, etc.
The prior art is wholly inadequate to solve this problem. For example, a non-submersible pump, such as a liquid transfer pump, would not work because it would get clogged by the sand, shells, and rocks. Further, adding an intake filter to a liquid transfer pump would also become easily clogged. In general, other pumps do not work in a repeatable, sustainable way. As another example, industrial solutions exist for moving ocean water. However, as they are intended for commercial-scale transport of water, they are bulky, heavy, and, in general, entirely unsuitable for person use at a beach.
As can be seen, there is a need for a compact, portable water pump for bringing water from a larger body of water to shore.
In one aspect of the present invention, an assembly for pumping water from a body of water to a location comprises: a submersible pump configured to be submerged in the body of water and to pump the water; a power source for powering the submersible pump; a hose operably coupled to the submersible pump for transporting the water from the body of the water to the location; and at least one filter at least partially enclosing the submersible pump and being configured to filter out particles from the water over a pre-determined size.
In another aspect of the present invention, an assembly for pumping water from a body of water to a location comprises: a submersible pump configured to be submerged in the body of water and to pump the water; a power source for powering the submersible pump; a hose operably coupled to the submersible pump for transporting the water from the body of the water to the location; and an anchor configured to secure to a floor of the body of water and configured to maintain the submersible pump approximately in place in the body of water.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for pumping water from a body of water to a location, the method comprising the steps of: (1) providing an assembly comprising: a submersible pump configured to be submerged in the body of water and to pump the water; a power source for powering the submersible pump; a hose operably coupled to the submersible pump for transporting the water from the body of the water to the location; and at least one filter at least partially enclosing the submersible pump and being configured to filter out particles from the water over a pre-determined size; and an anchor configured to secure to a floor of the body of water and configured to maintain the submersible pump approximately in place in the body of water; (2) securing the anchor to the floor of the body of water; (3) submerging the submersible pump in the body of water; (4) coupling the submersible pump to the anchor; and (5) pumping water, via the submersible pump, through the house to the location. In certain embodiments, step of providing an anchor (and associated steps of securing it to the floor and coupling the submersible pump) may be omitted, as discussed in greater detail below.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description, and claims.
The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of the present disclosure and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modifications, alterations, combinations, and equivalents in form and function, without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
The subject disclosure is described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure such that one skilled in the art will be enabled to make and use the present invention. It may be evident, however, that the present disclosure may be practiced without some of these specific details.
Broadly, one embodiment of the present invention is a submersible pump assembly that is capable of transporting water from a body of water (e.g., ocean) to another location (e.g., somewhere on the beach). Those with skill in the art will, of course, appreciate that, while the present invention is described primarily in the context of the beach and ocean, it is perfectly suitable and advantageous for use with other bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, etc. Embodiments of the present invention may be powered via battery power and/or solar power, the selected one of which running a submersible pump. The submersible pump is positioned in the ocean (or other body of water), draws in water through a series of filters and moves the water up to the beach (or other body of land) through a hose. Advantageously, the submersible pump is anchored so it does not wash ashore, or otherwise become displaced, with the waves and/or current. The hose can be extended to accommodate any size beach, with the only limitation being the elevation rise above sea level.
Referring to
On one side thereof, the pump 10 includes a water intake (left side of pump 10, relative to
The submersible pump 10 is a part of a larger housed assembly 21, which is schematically illustrated in
The two pieces of filter foam 16, 18 extend at least partially around pump 10 where the water intake is disposed to filter out large particles (which are common in large bodies of water) which would otherwise potentially clog the pump 10. Any large enough particles (that the pump 10 would not be able to convey) that make it past these pieces of filter foam 16, 18 are prevented from entering the pump 10 by the filter 12. As shown in
As mentioned, the filter foam pieces 16, 18 are there to prevent particles too large for the pump to pass through freely, such as to stop rocks, shells, sand, and plant materials like seaweed from entering the pump. The size of “holes” in the filters 12, 16, 18 is a direct correlation to the particular pump being used. Different pumps 10 can handle different size particles. In an exemplary embodiment, filter foam 16, 18 classified as “PPI 20” may be used. PPI (pores per inch) indicates the number of cells in the foam per inch. The standard range is 10-80 PPI. PPI 10 has large cells (large holes) and is more open, while PPI 80 has small cells (small holes), is denser, and has a lower water flow. Ideally, the largest holes possible (smallest number PPI) are used such that the pump 10 can still handle the particles that do get through. Experimentation has proven PPI 40 and higher were too dense.
It is also important to use a pump 10 that excels passing through particles without getting clogged, such as a centrifugal pump (which is used in the presently described embodiment), rather than a diaphragm pump. Diaphragm pumps and other pumps that use rubber seals can easily become clogged even with very small particulate in the water.
The secondary filter (filter 12) is a secondary defense in the case of any particles getting under the first layer of filter foam 16, 18. Similar to the filter foam 16, 18, using the largest “holes” possible creates the best water flow into the pump 10. Also, using the largest “holes” possible allows particles to flow out of the filter foam 16, 18 and not create a build-up of particles within the filter foam 16, 18. The waves and water current create a “washing” effect of the filter foam 16, 18, keeping the filter foam 16, 18 clear without a build-up of particles on/within/and around it. If using a higher number PPI, which would have smaller holes, then water flow to the pump 10 would be restricted, and would also be continually more restricted with the build-up of particles on/within/and around the filter foam 16, 18. This is also why there is a large surface area for the water intake. It will be appreciated that there is not one area for water intake, but rather a large surface area around the pump to collect water from multiple directions. Water intake from one area would eventually have a build-up of debris materials (rocks, shells, sand, plant matter) that would clog the intake. By having the intake come from multiple directions, if one area gets clogged then the other areas can continue the flow, and since now the flow is coming in from another area there is no inward pressure keeping the debris stuck to and in the filter foam 16, 18, so the debris is free to leave the filter foam 16, 18. This is further enhanced by the “washing” effect by the waves and water current, so once again, the debris is stopped from entering the pump 10, but the debris is also free of a constant inward pressure, which would keep it stuck to and in the filter foam 16, 18 but instead is free to go back out and away from the filter foam 16, 18.
Making reference to
In use, the enclosure 20, with the water pump assembly 21 contained therewithin, is placed in the water 38. The hose 22, which is coupled to the outlet 23 and extends from the enclosure 20, may be ran up the shore to where the user desires flowing water 39. When displacement of the enclosure 20 is of particular concern, the anchor 24 can be secured to the floor 40 of the body of water, in a manner depicted in
While one or more preferred embodiments are disclosed, many other implementations will occur to one of ordinary skill in the art and are all within the scope of the invention. Each of the various embodiments described above may be combined with other described embodiments in order to provide multiple features. Furthermore, while the foregoing describes a number of separate embodiments of the apparatus and method of the present invention, what has been described herein is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. Other arrangements, methods, modifications, and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are therefore also considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is not to be limited except by the claims that follow.
While apparatuses and methods are described in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” various components or steps, the apparatuses and methods can also “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps. All numbers and ranges disclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patentee.
Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in the claims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the elements that it introduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word or term in this specification and one or more patent or other documents that may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that are consistent with this specification should be adopted. Moreover, the use of directional terms such as above, below, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, and the like are used in relation to the illustrative embodiments as they are depicted in the figures, the upward or upper direction being toward the top of the corresponding figure and the downward or lower direction being toward the bottom of the corresponding figure.
As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series of items, with the terms “and” or “or” to separate any of the items, modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e., each item). The phrase “at least one of” allows a meaning that includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; any combination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, and C.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4754654 | Johnson et al. | Jul 1988 | A |
5779885 | Hickok | Jul 1998 | A |
6021095 | Tubel | Feb 2000 | A |
6189811 | Rudy | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6604914 | Pares Criville | Oct 2003 | B2 |
6652741 | Marinzet | Nov 2003 | B1 |
7469748 | Ocalan | Dec 2008 | B2 |
7658843 | Krock et al. | Feb 2010 | B2 |
7669670 | Pinto Bascompte | Mar 2010 | B2 |
9062542 | Sahni et al. | Jun 2015 | B2 |
9114355 | Sobhani et al. | Aug 2015 | B1 |
9345993 | Niizato et al. | May 2016 | B2 |
10138144 | Lim et al. | Nov 2018 | B2 |
10441919 | Oney | Oct 2019 | B2 |
10677032 | Norton | Jun 2020 | B1 |
10766793 | Murtha, Jr. et al. | Sep 2020 | B2 |
11022103 | Edwards | Jun 2021 | B2 |
20040262206 | Gettman | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20060060543 | Appleford et al. | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20080025852 | Davis | Jan 2008 | A1 |
20080237105 | Prokopchuk | Oct 2008 | A1 |
20100051546 | Vuong | Mar 2010 | A1 |
20110174897 | Mai | Jul 2011 | A1 |
20110247970 | Evingham | Oct 2011 | A1 |
20120148427 | Irving | Jun 2012 | A1 |
20130098816 | Elfstrom | Apr 2013 | A1 |
20140356198 | Rulli | Dec 2014 | A1 |
20150166150 | Derenoncourt | Jun 2015 | A1 |
20180266074 | Halkyard | Sep 2018 | A1 |
20190152821 | Ikuta | May 2019 | A1 |
20200009479 | Stutler, Jr. | Jan 2020 | A1 |
20200131893 | McCreery | Apr 2020 | A1 |
20200256181 | Jamieson | Aug 2020 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20230105848 A1 | Apr 2023 | US |