Patent Grant
11454228
This U.S. patent application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese patent application number 201920767603.2, filed May 27, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a hand air pump handle assembly with an internal pressure gauge and a hand air pump including the hand air pump handle assembly.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Inflatable bodies (e.g., air mattresses, inflatable sofas, pneumatic tires and inflatable toys) need to be inflated with air before use. Depending on the inflatable body, the amount of inflation, as measured in units of pressure, generally needs to be relatively specific. Too much or too little inflation and the inflatable body can malfunction or break. Electric air pumps and hand air pumps are commonly used to inflate a large variety of inflatable bodies. Too help ensure that the inflatable body is inflated to an ideal pressure, pressure gauges (e.g., electronic and non-electronic pressure gauges) are sometimes mounted on air pump handles and provide current air pressure inside of the inflatable body as it is inflated.
While mounted pressure gauges have improved operability of certain air pumps, such mounted pressure gauges are generally directly and rigidly mounted onto the pump handle, and thus are susceptible to damage during misuse or an accident with the air pump. More particularly, pressure gauges mounted within air pump handles are not protected from potential damage from physical shock that may result from, for example, dropping the air pump. Generally, when a pressure gauge breaks, it is cheaper and/or more efficient to buy a new air pump rather than attempting to fix the old air pump by replacing the broken pressure gauge.
Accordingly, there is a need to improve the connection and implementation of a pressure gauge within an air pump handle, so that it is less susceptible to damage.
The following outlines certain features of embodiments of the present invention such that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features of embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the general concepts and the specific embodiments disclosed herein may be readily utilized as bases for modifying or designing other embodiments for carrying out the same or similar purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent embodiments do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
According to an aspect of the disclosure, a hand air pump handle assembly is provided. The hand air pump handle assembly comprises a handle shell defining an accommodating space and having an air vent in fluid communication with both the accommodating space and a provided inflatable body. A pressure gauge is located and elastically supported within the accommodating space. A flexible connecting tube is in the accommodating space of the handle shell and comprises a first end and a second end and a tube joint connecting the flexible connecting tube to the air vent.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the hand air pump handle assembly includes an elastic connector connecting the pressure gauge to the handle shell to permit movement of the pressure gauge within the accommodating space. The pressure gauge comprises a pressure gauge body and a pressure probe extending from the pressure gauge body and in fluid communication with the provided inflatable body through the flexible connecting tube.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, the elastic connector comprises a resisting member at least partially sleeved over an outer side of the flexible connecting tube. The resisting member comprises a support portion for supporting the pressure gauge body and a raised portion protruding radially inward along the support portion to contact the flexible connecting tube. The elastic connector further comprises a spring sleeved over the outer side of the flexible connecting tube and extending between a pair of ends thereof, wherein one end of the spring abuts against the raised portion of the resisting member, and the other end of the spring is fixed in an annular recess located around the air vent.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the flexible connecting tube extends between the first end and the second end. The first end of the flexible connecting tube is fixed between the raised portion of the resisting member and the pressure probe and the second end of the flexible connecting tube forms an interference fit with the tube joint. The pressure probe includes a threaded portion extending through the raised portion of the resistance member, and the flexible connecting tube fits between the threaded portion and the raised portion.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, the hand air pump handle assembly further includes at least a pair of cable ties, wherein one of the pair of cable ties affixes the first end of the flexible connecting tube to the pressure probe and the other one of the pair of cable ties affixes the second end of the flexible connecting tube to the tube joint.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, the hand air pump handle assembly further includes a fixing member affixing the tube joint to the handle shell. The tube joint further includes a protrusion located in the accommodating space that extends a diameter of the tube joint such that the diameter is larger than a diameter of the air vent and a seal washer located between the protrusion and the handle shell. The tube joint is at least partially threaded, and the fixing member includes a nut engaged thereon.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the hand air pump handle assembly further includes flexible shock absorber arranged between the pressure gauge and the handle shell for dampening impact between the handle shell and the pressure gauge. The flexible shock absorber comprises a shock absorber body at least partially covering the pressure gauge. The flexible shock absorber further comprises at least one shock absorber leg extending from the shock absorber body towards the handle shell to provide additional dampening. The hand air pump handle assembly further includes a holder for the flexible shock absorber fixed in the accommodating space for contacting the shock absorber leg and causing the shock absorber leg to move as the pressure gauge is moved. The flexible shock absorber may comprise a rubber member or a sponge-like material.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, the hand air pump handle assembly further includes the provided inflatable body, wherein the provided inflatable body comprises at least one of an inflatable sofa, an air mattress, an inflatable toy, or a pneumatic tire.
In accordance to another aspect of the disclosure, the hand air pump handle assembly further includes a cover that can be connected to and disconnected from the handle shell. The cover is at least partially transparent so that the pressure gauge can be viewed therethrough.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, the hand air pump handle assembly further includes a pair of grip portions extending from opposite sides of the handle shell. The handle shell and the pair of grip portions may be integrally formed.
The drawings described herein are only for illustrative purposes of selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The inventive concepts associated with the present disclosure will be more readily understood by reference to the following description in combination with the accompanying drawings wherein:
Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, the subject embodiments are directed to a hand air pump handle assembly and an air pump with the handle assembly. However, the exemplary embodiments are only illustrative of the various features of the present invention, as those skilled in the art understand that various changes thereto may be made without departing from the full scope of the invention. Numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that exemplary embodiments may be altered in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some exemplary embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. It is to be further noted that the accompanying drawings are not only intended to interpret the present invention, but also to help illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention, without limiting the full scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.
In the present description, the directional terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “upper” and “lower” are all confined according to the directions in which a hand air pump handle assembly is normally used, as shown in the drawings.
With initial reference to
The two grip portions 12 extend oppositely from sides of the handle shell 11 for the user to grab with each hand while inflating. The first connector 13 extends through a the bottom of the handle shell 11 to connect the pump body of the hand air pump to the accommodating space 111 via the air vent 112. The second connector 14 is located between the handle shell 11 and the first connector 13 to connect the inflatable body via an external inflation tube (not shown). More particularly, one end of the inflation tube is connected to the second connector 14 and the other end of the inflation tube is connected to the inflatable body. As such, the inflatable body can communicate with the pump body and the accommodating space 111 via the air vent 112. The handle shell 11, the two grip portions 12, the first connector 13 and the second connector 14 are preferably integrally formed.
As best illustrated in
The elastic connector 15 includes a resisting member 4 and a spring 5 that enables the pressure gauge 2 to elastically travel a small dampened distance when under the impact of external forces. The resisting member 4 assists in the connection between the pressure gauge 2 and the flexible connecting tube 3. More particularly, the resisting member 4 is sleeved on an outer side of at least a portion of the flexible connecting tube 3. The resisting member 4 is illustrated in
The flexible connecting tube 3 extends between an upper end portion and a lower end portion. The upper end portion is fixed between the raised portion 42 and the pressure probe 22, and the lower end portion is fixed in communication with the air vent 112 through a tube joint 6. The tube joint 6 extends from the accommodating space 111 into the air vent 112. In the first embodiment, the upper end portion of the flexible connecting tube 3 is fixed by the abutment (such as by a pressure fit) between the raised portion 42 and the threaded pressure probe 22. With continued reference to the first embodiment, the lower end portion of the flexible connecting tube 3 forms an interference fit with the tube joint 6, such that it is fixed in the accommodating space 111 of the handle shell 11 and is in communication with the air vent 112 and pressure gauge 2.
The hand air pump handle assembly 1 may further include a flexible shock absorber 7 to further improve the impact resistance of the hand air pump handle assembly 1. The flexible shock absorber 7 may be arranged between the pressure gauge 2 and the handle shell 11 and may further at least partially cover the pressure gauge 2. In one arrangement, the flexible shock absorber 7 may be arranged around the pressure gauge body 21 such that it is located between the pressure gauge body 21 and the handle shell 11 to prevent the pressure gauge 2 from directly impacting the handle shell 11 under the influence of external force. The flexible shock absorber 7 may comprise of a rubber or a sponge-like material.
With continued reference to
The technical content and technical features of the present invention are disclosed herein, but it is understood that those skilled in the art may make various variations and improvements to the disclosed concepts under the creative idea of the present invention, and that all such variations and improvements fall within the scope of the present invention. The descriptions herein of the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive, and therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201920767603.2 | May 2019 | CN | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3888127 | Shamlian | Jun 1975 | A |
| 5335543 | Hermansen | Aug 1994 | A |
| 6485264 | Wu | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 8721296 | Wang | May 2014 | B1 |
| 20180010592 | Chuang | Jan 2018 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 102015106355 | Jun 2016 | DE |
| 251721 | May 1926 | GB |
| Entry |
|---|
| Extended European Search Report, dated Sep. 28, 2020 (dated Sep. 28, 2020) on related European Patent Application 20174750.8 by the European Paten Office. |
| Extended European Search Report, dated Sep. 28, 2020 (dated Sep. 28, 2020) on related European Patent Application No. 20174750.8 by the European Paten Office. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200378376 A1 | Dec 2020 | US |
