Pump means and coupling means for evaporative cooler

Claim 1

In an evaporative cooler mountable on a structure including four walls of porous material, a bottom pan forming a reservoir for water and a top cover and mounted within said cooler is a centrifugal type fan including a duct communicating with said structure and said fan is adapted to draw air through the porous material and force the same through said duct into said structure, a motor having a single drive shaft projected from one end with a pulley mounted thereon and a drive belt extending to said fan to rotate said fan and a water manifold adjacent said top cover overlying said four walls of porous material and pump means to deliver water from said reservoir to said manifold to dispense water down the porous material, the improvement comprising: a water pump resting in said reservoir, said pump including water inlet means and at least one said water outlet means including a hose to deliver water to said manifold, impeller means in said pump to draw said water into said pump and vacuum breaking means to assure a free smooth flow of water out said water outlet means; a flexible drive shaft having one end connected to said motor drive shaft adjacent said pulley and a second end connected to said water pump for direct drive of said pump simultaneously with said fan whereby water in said reservoir is pumped to said manifold; and a frusto-conical strainer having a plurality of slots spaced therearound to allow water to be drawn therethrough into said pump as well as to prevent introduction of certain foreign matter into said pump.