Pump with mechanical assist

Claim 2

A pump for expelling fluid from a container, said pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage communicating therewith, a normally closed intake valve for said inlet passage, and a normally closed exhaust valve for said outlet passage, said compartment including an actuator having lifting means frictionally engageable with said intake valve upon depressing said actuator in order to hold said intake valve closed, said actuator being returnable with friction between said lifing means and said intake valve assisting in opening said intake valve so that said actuator sucks fluid through said inlet passage into said compartment, said lifting means comprising first and second stem portions respectively affixed to said intake valve and said actuator, one of said stem portions receiving the other stem portion frictionally to lift said intake valve upon the return stroke of said actuator by frictional engagement of said stem portions with each other, said intake valve including flexible ring means connected to said exhaust valve and to said first stem portion by arm means in a manner such that said ring means acts to bias said first stem portion against said inlet passage to close the same in the rest condition of said pump and yields when said intake valve opens.

Claim 3

A pump for expelling fluid from a container, said pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage communicating therewith, a normally closed intake valve for said inlet passage, a normally closed exhaust valve for said outlet passage, and an actuator depressible into said compartment to expel fluid past said exhaust valve out said outlet passage and returnable to suck fluid through said inlet passage past said inlet valve into said compartment, said exhaust valve and said inlet valve being made integrally as one piece, and said inlet valve including a web and a stem portion, said web having a flexible ring connected to said exhaust valve and to said stem portion by radial arms in a manner such that said ring acts to bias said stem portion against said inlet passage to close the same but is yieldable to allow said stem portion to lift from said inlet passage to open the same on the return stroke of said actuator.

Claim 4

A pump for expelling fluid from a container, said pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage communicating therewith, a normally closed intake valve for said inlet passage, a normally closed exhaust valve for said outlet passage, and an actuator depressible into said compartment to expel fluid past said exhaust valve out said outlet passage and returnable to suck fluid through said inlet passage past said inlet valve into said compartment, said exhaust valve and said inlet valve being made integrally as one piece, and said inlet valve including a web and a stem portion, said web having a flexible ring connected to said exhaust valve and to said stem portion by radial arms in a manner such that said ring acts to bias said stem portion against said inlet passage to close the same but is yieldable to allow said stem portion to lift from said inlet passage to open the same on the return stroke of said actuator.

Claim 5

In a pump for expelling fluid from a container, the pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage both communicating therewith, an intake valve for said inlet passage, an exhaust valve for said outlet passage, the improvement wherein said compartment has an opening at which said inlet passage terminates, said intake valve comprises a web of plastic material made as one piece with said exhaust valve, said web having a first stem portion thereon and normally closing said intake opening, and said compartment including an actuator having a second stem portion engageable with said first stem portion, one of said stem portions being hollow and capable of receiving the other stem portion with a sliding friction fit, said actuator being depressible into said compartment to expel fluid past said exhaust valve out of said outlet passage and also to frictionally engage said first and second stem portions with each other, and said actuator being returnable with friction between said stem portions assisting in lifting said web to open said intake opening so that said actuator sucks fluid through said inlet passage into said compartment.

Claim 6

In a pump for expelling fluid from a container, the pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage both communicating therewith, an intake valve for said inlet passage, an exhaust valve for said outlet passage, the improvement wherein said compartment has an opening at which said inlet passage terminates, said intake valve comprises a web of plastic material made as one piece with said exhaust valve, said web having a first stem portion thereon and normally closing said intake opening, and said compartment including an actuator having a second stem portion engageable with said first stem portion, one of said stem portions being hollow and capable of receiving the other stem portion with a sliding friction fit, said actuator being depressible into said compartment to expel fluid past said exhaust valve out of said outlet passage and also to frictionally engage said first and second stem portions with each other, and said actuator being returnable with friction between said stem portions assisting in lifting said web to open said intake opening so that said actuator sucks fluid through said inlet passage into said compartment.

Claim 7

In a pump for expelling fluid from a container, the pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage both communicating therewith, an intake valve for said inlet passage, an exhaust valve for said outlet passage, the coMpartment having an annular upstanding surface relative to which said outlet passage extends transversely, and the exhaust valve comprising a resiliently flexible flap having a circular sealing edge portion engaging said annular surface, said flap dividing the interior of said compartment into an input chamber with which said inlet passage communicates and an output chamber with which said outlet passage communicates, the improvement wherein said compartment has an opening at which said inlet passage terminates, said intake valve comprises a partially open web of plastic material made as one piece with said exhaust valve flap and located centrally of said flap, said web having a first portion thereon and normally closing said intake opening, and said compartment including an actuator having a second portion engageable with said first portion, one of said first and second portions being capable of frictionally receiving the other portion, said actuator being depressible into said input chamber to expel fluid past said sealing edge through said output chamber and out of said outlet passage and also to frictionally engage said first and second portions with each other, and said actuator being returnable with friction between said first and second portions assisting in lifting said web to open said intake opening so that said actuator sucks fluid through said inlet passage past said web into said input chamber.

Claim 8

In a pump for expelling fluid from a container, the pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage both communicating therewith, an intake valve for said inlet passage, an exhaust valve for said outlet passage, the coMpartment having an annular upstanding surface relative to which said outlet passage extends transversely, and the exhaust valve comprising a resiliently flexible flap having a circular sealing edge portion engaging said annular surface, said flap dividing the interior of said compartment into an input chamber with which said inlet passage communicates and an output chamber with which said outlet passage communicates, the improvement wherein said compartment has an opening at which said inlet passage terminates, said intake valve comprises a partially open web of plastic material made as one piece with said exhaust valve flap and located centrally of said flap, said web having a first portion thereon and normally closing said intake opening, and said compartment including an actuator having a second portion engageable with said first portion, one of said first and second portions being capable of frictionally receiving the other portion, said actuator being depressible into said input chamber to expel fluid past said sealing edge through said output chamber and out of said outlet passage and also to frictionally engage said first and second portions with each other, and said actuator being returnable with friction between said first and second portions assisting in lifting said web to open said intake opening so that said actuator sucks fluid through said inlet passage past said web into said input chamber.

Claim 9

In a pump for expelling fluid from a container, the pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage both communicating therewith, an intake valve for said inlet passage, an exhaust valve for said outlet passage, the compartment having an annular upstanding surface relative to which said outlet passage extends transversely, and the exhaust valve comprising a resiliently flexible flap having a circular sealing edge portion engaging said annular surface and slightly larger in diameter than said annular surface so that said flap bends inwardly slightly and is self biased outwardly against said annular surface to form a peripheral seal, said flap dividing the interior of said compartment into an input chamber with which said inlet passage communicates and an output chamber with which said outlet passage communicates, the improvement wherein said compartment has an opening at which said inlet passage terminates, said intake valve comprises a web of plastic material made as one piece with said exhaust valve flap and located centrally of said flap, said web having a first stem portion thereon and normally closing said intake opening, and said compartment including an actuator having a second stem portion engageable with said first stem portion, one of said stem portions being hollow and capable of receiving the other stem portion, said actuator being depressible into said input chamber to expel fluid past said sealing edge portion through said output chamber and out of said outlet passage and also to frictionally engage said first and second stem portions with each other, and said actuator being returnable with friction between said stem portions assisting in lifting said web to open said intake opening so that said actuator sucks fluid through said inlet passage past said web into said input chamber.

Claim 10

In a pump for expelling fluid from a container, the pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage both communicating therewith, an intake valve for said inlet passage, an exhaust valve for said outlet passage, the compartment having an annular upstanding surface relative to which said outlet passage extends transversely, and the exhaust valve comprising a resiliently flexible flap having a circular sealing edge portion engaging said annular surface and slightly larger in diameter than said annular surface so that said flap bends inwardly slightly and is self biased outwardly against said annular surface to form a peripheral seal, said flap dividing the interior of said compartment into an input chamber with which said inlet passage communicates and an output chamber with which said outlet passage communicates, the improvement wherein said compartment has an opening at which said inlet passage terminates, said intake valve comprises a web of plastic material made as one piece with said exhaust valve flap and located centrally of said flap, said web having a first stem portion thereon and normally closing said intake opening, and said compartment including an actuator having a second stem portion engageable with said first stem portion, one of said stem portions being hollow and capable of receiving the other stem portion, said actuator being depressible into said input chamber to expel fluid past said sealing edge portion through said output chamber and out of said outlet passage and also to frictionally engage said first and second stem portions with each other, and said actuator being returnable with friction between said stem portions assisting in lifting said web to open said intake opening so that said actuator sucks fluid through said inlet passage past said web into said input chamber.

Claim 11

The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which said web includes a ring connected to said flap by radial arms and connected to said first stem portion by further radial arms in a manner such that said ring acts to bias said first stem portion against said intake opening to close the same.

Claim 12

The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which one of said stem portions has a series of projections engaged frictionally by the other stem portion.

Claim 13

The combination as claimed in claim 7 in which said first stem portion is hollow and has said projections thereon.

Claim 14

The combination as claimed in claim 7 in which said second stem portion is hollow and has said projections thereon.

Claim 15

The combination as claimed in claim 5 in which said actuator is Engageable, upon depression thereof, with said flap to open said peripheral seal and thus reduce vacuum in said input chamber sufficiently to allow said actuator to return to its initial position and to admit air into said input chamber to mix with other fluid therein.

Claim 16

A pump for use in expelling liquids and semi-liquids from a container as a stream or spray, said pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage communicating therewith, a normally closed exhaust valve for said outlet passage, an intake valve normally closing said inlet passage with sufficient force to withstand relatively high pressures tending to force fluid into the pump from the container, said compartment including actuator means engageable with said intake valve upon depressing said actuator means, said actuator means acting on said intake valve by physical engagement therewith when so depressed to assist in opening said intake valve so that said actuator means sucks fluid through said inlet passage into said compartment on the return stroke of said actuator means, said intake valve and said actuator means respectively having first and second engaging portions engageable frictionally with each other upon the return stroke of said actuator means to lift said intake valve, said engaging portions disengaging during a terminal portion of the return stroke of said actuator means, said intake valve including flexible resilient means connected to said exhaust valve and to said first engaging portion in a manner such that said flexible resilient means acts to bias said first engaging portion toward said inlet passage to close the same in the rest condition of said pump and yields when said intake valve opens.

Claim 17

A pump for use in expelling liquids and semi-liquids from a container as a stream or spray, said pump including a compartment having an inlet passage and an outlet passage communicating therewith, a normally closed exhaust valve for said outlet passage, an intake valve normally closing said inlet passage with sufficient force to withstand relatively high pressures tending to force fluid into the pump from the container, said compartment including actuator means engageable with said intake valve upon depressing said actuator means, said actuator means acting on said intake valve by physical engagement therewith when so depressed to assist in opening said intake valve so that said actuator means sucks fluid through said inlet passage into said compartment on the return stroke of said actuator means, said intake valve and said actuator means respectively having first and second engaging portions engageable frictionally with each other upon the return stroke of said actuator means to lift said intake valve, said engaging portions disengaging during a terminal portion of the return stroke of said actuator means, said intake valve including flexible resilient means connected to said exhaust valve and to said first engaging portion in a manner such that said flexible resilient means acts to bias said first engaging portion toward said inlet passage to close the same in the rest condition of said pump and yields when said intake valve opens.