Diaphragm pump

Claim 2

A diaphragm pump comprising a casing having therein a partition dividing the interior of said casing into two separate compartments, a flexible diaphragm spanning and dividing each of said compartments into inner and outer spaces, the former of which adjoin, while the latter are located remotely from said partition, fixedly attached rigid movable means interconnecting said diaphragms through said partition, valved fluid inlet and discharge ports in at least one of said outer spaces, an air control valve chamber and an air-operated control valve located within said valve chamber positioned and adapted to admit compressed air alternately to each of said inner spaces and simultaneously to vent compressed air to the atmosphere from the other of said inner spaces through an air-exhaust conduit and thereby to flex said diaphragms simultaneously in like directions, and means adapted to utilize said compressed air to apply pressure to the outer space side of a diaphragm which is remote from the outer space having said ports so that the pressure therein varies directly with the pressure in the inner space which is adjacent to said outer space having said ports thereby supplementing the force exerted by the compressed air in said inner space on the diaphragm adjacent thereto via said rigid movable means.

Claim 3

A pump of claim 1 wherein only one of said outer spaces has said ports therein and said means adapted to utilize said compressed air comprises a conduit connecting the outer space not having said ports with the inner space remote therefrom.

Claim 4

A pump of claim 1 wherein each of said outer spaces has said ports therein and said means adapted to utilize said compressed air comprises a pumping apparatus which comprises a casing having therein a partition dividing the interior of said casing into two separate compartments, a flexible diaphragm spanning and dividing each of said compartments into inner and outer spaces, the former of which adjoin, while the latter are located remotely from said partition, fixedly attached rigid movable means interconnecting said diaphragms through said partition, valved fluid inlet and discharge ports in eAch of said outer spaces and communicating therewith, one of said fluid discharge ports of said pumping apparatus being in communication with one of said fluid inlet ports of said pump and the other fluid discharge port of said pumping apparatus being in communication with the other of said fluid inlet ports of said pump, and two conduits, one conduit connecting an inside space of said pumping apparatus with the inside space of said pump which is adjacent the outside space of said pump the fluid inlet port of which is in communication with the fluid discharge port of the outside space of said pumping apparatus remote from said inside space of said pumping apparatus, and the other conduit connecting the other inside space of said pumping apparatus with the other inside space of said pump.

Claim 5

A pump of claim 2 wherein said diaphragms are positioned substantially vertically and, said fluid inlet and discharge ports are positioned substantially 180* from each other at the bottom and top, respectively, of said outer space and are valved with ball-check valves.

Claim 6

A pump of claim 3 wherein said diaphragms are positioned substantially vertically and, said fluid inlet and discharge ports are positioned substantially 180* from each other at the bottom and top, respectively, of each of said outer spaces and are valved with ball check valves.