Source of vacuum and device for maintaining a negative pressure in an enclosure

Claim 2

A source of vacuum comprising: a wall laterally defining a tubular body which has a first end portion and a second end portion and an axis and defines an inner chamber, a piston slidable in the body, a rod connected to the piston, an aperture in the body, the rod extending through the aperture, sealing means interposed between the aperture and the rod, means defining a suction orifice located at least in the vicinity of and parallel to said axis, means for depressing the piston toward the second end portion of the body, and communication means for putting the suction orifice suddenly in communication with a part of said chamber in the body which is defined by the first end portion and the piston when the piston is depressed relative to the body toward said second end portion and reaches a predetermined position.

Claim 3

A source of vacuum comprising: a wall laterally defining a tubular body which has a first end portion and a second end portion and an axis and defines an inner chamber, two radial ears in the vicinity of the first end portion, an aperture in the body, means defining a suction orifice formed in the second end portion and located at least in the vicinity of and parallel to said axis, a piston slidable in the body, a rod connected to the piston, the rod extending through the aperture, sealing means interposed between the aperture and the rod, means for holding the body and for depressing the piston toward the second end portion of the body in one hand, and communication means for putting the suction orifice suddenly in communication with a part of said chamber in the body which is defined by the first end portion and the piston when the piston is depressed relative to the body toward said second end portion and reaches a predetermined position.

Claim 4

A source of vacuum comprising: a wall laterally defining a tubular body which has a first end portion and a second end portion and an axis and defines an inner chamber, two radial ears in the vicinity of the first end portion, an aperture in the body, means defining a suction orifice formed in the second end portion and located at least in the vicinity of and parallel to said axis, a piston slidable in the body, a rod connected to the piston, the rod extending through the aperture, sealing means interposed between the aperture and the rod, means for holding the body and for depressing the piston toward the second end portion of the body in one hand, and communication means for putting the suction orifice suddenly in communication with a part of said chamber in the body which is defined by the first end portion and the piston when the piston is depressed relative to the body toward said second end portion and reaches a predetermined position.

Claim 5

A source of vacuum as claimed in claim 2, wherein said communication means comprises a passageway which extends longitudinally in the rod from the piston and terminates in a radial vent which is so disposed as to travel from a side to another side of the first end portion of the body when the piston arrives at said predetermined position.

Claim 6

A source of vacuum as claimed in claim 2, wherein said communication means comprises a recess formed on an inner side of said wall of the body and having a dimension axially of the body which exceeds the dimension of the piston axially of the body.

Claim 7

A source of vacuum as claimed in any one of the claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein said predetermined position of the piston is a position thereof adjacent the second end portion of the body corresponding to a maximum depression of said piston.

Claim 8

A source of vacuum as claimed in any one of the claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein the piston has a peripheral skirt portion which is in contact with said body and extends from the piston toward the second end portion of the body.

Claim 9

A source of vacuum as claimed in any one of the claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein the second end portion comprises an end-of-travel abutment for the fully depressed position of the piston.

Claim 10

A source of vacuum as claimed in claim 2, wherein said source is coupled with a device for maintaining a negative pressure in an enclosure, the device comprising wall means defining the enclosure, a check-valve having a seat and a closure member associated with and movable relative to said seat, the valve being connected to said wall means, and means for connecting said valve to a source of vacuum and comprising a screwed connector which is associated with the closure member to urge the closure member against the seat when the connector is screwed to the full extent.

Claim 11

A source of vacuum as claimed in claim 2, wherein said source is coupled with a device for maintaining a negative pressure in an enclosure, the device comprising wall means defining the enclosure, a check-valve having a valve seat and a closure member associated with and movable relative to the seat, the valve being connected to the wall means, means for connecting the valve to a source of vacuum, an elastically deformable membrane, and means combining the membrane with the enclosure so that the membrane is subjected on a single side of the membrane to a pressure prevailing within the enclosure.

Claim 12

A source of vacuum as claimed in claim 9, wherein said combining means define an orifice in said wall means and the membrane has at rest substantially the shape of a hemisphere and has an edge portion which is fixed to a periphery of said means defining the orifice.

Claim 13

A source of vacuum as claimed in claim 9, wherein the membrane is constituted by a balloon disposed within the enclosure and having a shape which is flattened under the effect of atmospheric pressure.

Claim 14

A source of vacuum as claimed in claim 11, wherein the balloon contains air at atmospheric pressure.

Claim 15

A source of vacuum as claimed in claim 11, wherein the balloon contains a gas at a pressure slightly lower than atmospheric pressure.