The present invention generally relates to the field of portable air compressors and more particularly to lightweight, hand-portable air compressors with improved portability.
Air compressors are routinely employed in the various building trades to provide pressurized air for use with tools such as nailers, staplers, grinders, sanders, impact wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. Until recently, the air compressors with durability, pressure output and/or flow capacity that were sufficient for use in the various building trades were relatively bulky, heavy and cumbersome for a tradesperson to transport. The development of improved portability innovations which are described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/154,416 entitled “Air Compressor With Improved Hand Portability”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, and the introduction of commercially-available air compressors utilizing these improved portability innovations, such as the DeWalt D55155 air compressor, has done much to improve the portability and compact-ness of the general purpose air compressors that are available to the tradesperson.
Despite these improvements, our research has shown that there remains several niche markets that are not wholly served by the general purpose air compressors that are presently marketed to the building trades. One such niche market relates to finish carpenters and their use of finish and brad nailers (hereinafter collectively referred to as “finishing nailers”), which typically consume relatively small amounts of compressed air during their operation. Our research has led us to believe that finish carpenters would be generally better served by an extremely lightweight, highly portable air compressor having the capacity to power several finishing nailers simultaneously. Such an air compressor would permit the finish carpenter to more easily transport the air compressor from worksite to worksite or from the worksite to an area (e.g., a truck or job-box) where the air compressor is to be stored during off-shift times.
Our research has also led us to believe that finish carpenters would be generally better served by an air compressor that is relatively quieter in operation so that the overall level of noise at a given worksite is less than that which would otherwise be encountered when a general purpose air compressor is in use. This is important not only in situations involving the remodeling of a residence or business that is occupied, but also in new constructions where there are typically very little or no materials (e.g., furnishings) at the site to absorb the noise that is generated by the equipment and construction activities.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved air compressor that is particularly well suited to the finish carpentry trades. It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved air compressor that is extremely lightweight, highly portable and yet has the capacity to power several finishing nailers simultaneously. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved air compressor that is relatively quieter than that which has heretofor been available.
In one form, the present teachings provide a portable air compressor having a compressor, a motor and a housing. The motor is coupled to the compressor and provides a source of power thereto. The housing defines an air compressor storage cavity in which the compressor and motor are stored. The housing has a first portion and a second portion that are hingedly coupled to one another to permit access to at least a portion of the interior of the housing.
In another form, the present teachings provide pneumatically-powered tool kit having an air compressor with a compressor and a motor, a pneumatically-powered tool, a case and a handle. The case includes first and second portions that cooperate to define an air compressor storage cavity and a tool storage cavity. The air compressor is housed in the air compressor storage cavity, while the pneumatically-powered tool is removably housed in the tool storage cavity. The first and second portions are positionable in a first position, which closes at least the tool storage cavity, and a second portion, which permits access to at least the tool storage cavity. The handle is coupled to at least one of the case and the air compressor and is configured to be grasped by a hand of a user to permit the pneumatically-powered tool kit to be hand carried.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
With reference to
The storage tank 16, which is optional, may be of any desired shape and preferably has a capacity that is less than about 1.5 gallons and more preferably has a capacity of about one-sixteenth of a gallon to about 1 gallon. In the particular example provided, the storage tank 16 has a somewhat cylindrical shape and is formed from a tubular material, such as an appropriate steel, that has been worked in a swaging or spinning operation to neck down the opposite ends of a tubular blank (not shown) to form an inlet 30, which is coupled in fluid connection to the compressor 14, and an outlet 32, which is coupled in fluid connection to the control package 18. The inlet 30 and outlet 32 may include a threaded bushing or nipple that is welded to the body of the storage tank 16, or may be directly threaded, if a threaded connection is desired to either of the inlet 30 and the outlet 32. Those skilled in the art will appreciate from this disclosure that the storage tank 16 may be fabricated in any desired shape from any appropriate material, including, spun fiber.
With reference to
The controller 52 may be operable for controlling the operation of the motor 12 and in its simplest form, may consist of a power switch 54 for turning the motor 12 on and off. In the particular example provided, the controller 52 also includes a mode selector 56 and a pressure switch 58, which senses the pressure of the air in the storage tank 16 and responsively generates a full tank signal if the pressure of the air in the storage tank 16 is greater than a predetermined first threshold pressure, such as 120 p.s.i.g., and/or a low tank signal if the pressure of the air in the storage tank 16 is less than a predetermined second threshold pressure, such as 100 p.s.i.g. The mode selector 56 may permit the user to select between two or more control modes in which the air compressor 10 may be operated, such as a start-stop mode and a continuous run mode.
The start-stop mode may employ the signals from the pressure switch to automatically deactivate and activate the motor 12 based on the pressure of the air in the storage tank 16. In this regard, the controller 52 may cause the motor 12 to turn on and provide power to the compressor 14 in response to receipt of the low tank signal and/or may cause the motor 12 to turn off in response to receipt of the full tank signal.
The continuous run mode may cause the motor 12 to run continuously at a predetermined speed. The predetermined speed may be relatively slower than the speed of the motor 12 the air compressor 10 is operated in the start-stop mode so that the air compressor 10 is relatively quieter than when operated in the start-stop mode. The pressure switch 58 may not be used at all in the continuous run mode, or it may be configured to generate a high pressure signal that is used to temporarily turn off the motor 12 if the pressure of the air in the storage tank 16 exceeds a predetermined pressure, which may be about 150 p.s.i.g., for example. Alternatively, the predetermined pressure may be equal to one of the predetermined first or second threshold pressures. The control package 18 may include a valve, such as a relief valve 62, or other means for exhausting air in the system so that the pressure of the air in the storage tank 16 does not exceed a predetermined maximum air pressure.
The controller 52 may also include an optional orientation switch 68 in those situations where the air compressor 10 should not be operated in certain orientations, as when, for example, the compressor 14 is not an oil-free compressor. The orientation switch 68 may comprise a ball bearing or mercury switch that is sensitive to the placement of the air compressor 10 in an undesirable orientation and responsively generates an orientation signal in response thereto which is subsequently employed by the controller 52 to inhibit the transmission of electrical power to the motor 12.
Returning to
In the particular example provided, the first housing structure 80 may define one or more power tool storage cavities 94 and an air compressor storage cavity 96, which may be sized to receive therein the motor 12, compressor 14, storage tank 16 and at least a portion of the control package 18. In the example provided, the first housing structure 80 includes two power tool storage cavities 94, each of which being configured to receive therein an associated power tool, such as an angled finish nailer 100 and a straight finish nailer 102. Although finish nailers are described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate from this disclosure that the scope of the present invention need not be limited in this manner. Accordingly, it is contemplated that any type of fastening tool, including staplers, brad nailers, finish nailers and framing nailers, as well as any pneumatically-powered tool, may be stored in the power tool storage cavity or cavities 94.
An optional cover 108 may be employed to cover a substantial portion of the air compressor storage cavity 96 to thereby hinder access to components, such as the motor 12 and the compressor 14, which may become somewhat hot during the operation of the air compressor 10, and/or to protect various components of the air compressor 10 from being damaged in the event that an object were to be dropped onto the air compressor 10, for example. Apertures 110 in the cover 108 permit the user to view the first and second gauges 40 and 44 and to adjust the regulator 42.
The pressure taps 48 and the power cord 22 may also extend through apertures (not shown) in the cover 108 or may extend through apertures (not shown) in the first housing structure 80. In such cases, those skilled in the art will appreciate from this disclosure that the pressure taps 48 may be positioned in a fixed location relative to the housing 20.
However, the pressure taps 48 are shown in
In the particular embodiment illustrated, power cord 22 may be manually wound about a pair of spaced apart cord feet 112, when the air compressor 10 is not in use. The cord feet 112 may be coupled to any suitable structure that permits the electric cord to preferably be entirely housed within the housing 20 when the air compressor 10 is not in use. Examples of suitable structures include the housing 20, the motor 12 the compressor 14, and the cover.
Depending on the amount of interior space that is available within the housing 20, the housing 20 may be employed for the storage of various power tool accessories, such as hoses, oil, user manuals, tools and/or fasteners (e.g., finish nails or brads of various sizes). Alternatively, as schematically illustrated in
The hinged configuration of the housing 20 and pivoting pressure taps 48 permit the second housing structure 82 to be positioned in the closed position during the operation of the air compressor 10, which serves to greatly reduce the noise associated with the operation of the motor 12 and compressor 14. If desired, additional improvements to any of the embodiments described herein may be made through the incorporation of one or more sound damping materials into the housing 20 as is illustrated in the examples of
In the example of
In
While the air compressor 10 has been described thus far as including a storage tank 16 and a housing 20 with a full size hinged cover (i.e., second housing structure 82), those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention, in its broader aspects may be constructed somewhat differently. For example, the air compressor may be configured without a storage tank as is illustrated in
In the arrangement of
Alternately, the first housing structure 80″ may be formed in two discrete sections, with one of the sections being coupled to the second housing structure 82″ to thereby form a first kit box (not shown), and the other being hingedly coupled to the third housing structure 200 to thereby form a second kit box. The first and second kit boxes may be configured to be detachable from one another to provide the tradesperson with the option of transporting one of the first and second kit boxes to a desired location or both of the first and second kit boxes to the desired location simultaneously. Configuration of the housing 12 in this manner provides the tradesperson with increased flexibility in their selection of tools. For example, the tradesperson may have two different second kit boxes, with one of the second kit boxes being used for the storage of finish nailers (e.g., an angled and a straight finish nailer), while the second one of the second kit boxes is used for the storage of brad nailer. Depending on the work tasks that the tradesperson will encounter, they may selectively couple a desired one of the second kit boxes to the first kit box so that they may transport only those tools and equipment that are needed to the worksite.
While the invention has been described in the specification and illustrated in the drawings with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment illustrated by the drawings and described in the specification as the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include any embodiments falling within the foregoing description and the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/493,231 entitled “Portable Air Compressor” filed Aug. 7, 2003.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60493231 | Aug 2003 | US |