AU2009100267A4 - Check valve and pump with the same - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT ORIGINAL Name of Applicant: Walrus Pump Co., Ltd Actual Inventor: Shou-Hsiung Huang Address for Service: C/- MADDERNS, First Floor, 64 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention title: CHECK VALVE AND PUMP WITH THE SAME The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

la The present utility model relates to a check valve, and more particularly to a check valve that is reliable and has an extended operational life span. Generally speaking, when water is transported to a specific location via a 5 water pipe, the water pipe has a pump to provide motive power to pump water, so water can be transported promptly and conveniently to the specific location. A conventional pump is made of plastic and has a chamber, an inlet, an outlet and an impeller. The inlet communicates with the chamber. The outlet also communicates with the chamber. The impeller is mounted rotatably in the 10 chamber, connects to a motor or a turbine and is driven to rotate thereby. When the pump is working, the impeller pumps water to flow from the inlet to the outlet. When the pump is not working, water may flow back from the outlet to the chamber, so the impeller or other element in the pump may be damaged. The primary objective of the present utility model is to provide a check 15 valve that is reliable and has an extended operational life span. To achieve the objective, a check valve in accordance with the present utility model comprises a guiding bracket, a spindle, an annular cushion and a resilient element. The spindle has a rod and a stuffing nut. The annular cushion is mounted around the rod of the spindle and on the stuffing nut. The resilient 20 element is mounted around the rod and is mounted between the guiding bracket and the stuffing nut. When water presses the stuffing nut and the resilient element is compressed, the annular cushion between the guiding bracket and the stuffing nut prevents the resilient element from surpassing its elasticity limit, so increasing an operational life span of the check valve.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pump with a check valve in accordance with the present utility model shown close; Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the check valve of the pump in Fig. 1; 5 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a guiding bracket of the check valve in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is another perspective view of the guiding bracket of the check valve in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional side view of the guiding bracket of the check 10 valve in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional side view of a liner of the check valve in Fig. 2; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the pump with a check valve in Fig. 1 shown open. 15 With reference to Fig. 1, a pump in accordance with the present utility model has a body (10), an outlet (11) and a check valve (20). The body (10) has a magnetic switch. The outlet (11) is formed on the body (10) and has a through hole, an inner surface, an input (12), an output (13) and multiple fastening threaded holes 20 (14). The through hole is defined axially through the outlet (11). The input (12) communicates with the through hole and has an annular boss (121) formed on the inner surface and protruding axially in through hole. The output (13) communicates with the through hole and may be opposite to the input (12). The fastening threaded holes (14) are defined axially in the outlet (11) near the output (13). With further reference to Fig 2, the check valve (20) is mounted in the outlet (11) and has a guiding bracket (21), a gasket (22), a liner (23), a spindle (24), an annular cushion (25) and a resilient element (26). 5 With further reference to Figs. 3 to 5, the guiding bracket (21) may be cross-shaped and has a base (211), at least two fastening protrusions (213), two assistant fastening protrusions (214) and multiple intervals. The base (211) has a central hole (212). The central hole (212) is defined centrally through the base (211). In this embodiment, the guiding bracket (21) has two fastening 10 protrusions (213). The fastening protrusions (213) protrude oppositely from the base (211) and each fastening protrusion (213) has a fastening hole (215), an upper surface and a lower surface. The fastening hole (215) is defined through the fastening protrusion (213) and allows a threaded rod (30) to extend into the fastening hole (215) and screw into one fastening threaded hole (14) of the outlet 15 (11), so the guiding bracket (21) is fastened to the outlet (11) near the output (13). The lower surface of each fastening protrusion (213) has an engaging recess (216) defined therein. The assistant fastening protrusions (214) protrude oppositely from the base (211) and are located between the fastening protrusions (213), so the guiding bracket (21) presents a cross shape. Each assistant fastening 20 protrusion (214) has an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface of each assistant fastening protrusion (214) has an assistant engaging recess (217). The assistant engaging recesses (217) are respectively formed in the lower surfaces of the assistant fastening protrusions (214) and correspond to the engaging recesses (216) of the fastening protrusions (213), so the assistant engaging recesses (217) and the engaging recesses (216) have a same radius with and are concentric to a center of the central hole (212). The intervals are formed alternately between the fastening protrusions (213) and the assistant fastening protrusions (214) and allow water to flow out of the outlet (11) via the intervals. 5 More precisely, each interval is located between each fastening protrusion (213) and each assistant fastening protrusion (214). The gasket (22) may be rubber and has an L-shaped radial cross section and is mounted on the annular boss (121) of the input (12) of the outlet (11). With further reference to Fig. 6, the liner (23) is mounted on and abuts 10 the gasket (22) and has an annular base (231) and multiple resilient sheets (232). The annular base (231) is mounted on and abuts the gasket (22). The resilient sheets (232) protrude upward from the annular base (231) and slant about 5* toward and abut the inner surface of the outlet (11) to create friction between the resilient sheets (232) and the inner surface of the outlet (11), so the gasket (22) 15 can be positioned between the liner (23) and the annular boss (121) of the input (12) of the outlet (11). The spindle (24) is mounted in the outlet (11) and has a rod (241) and a stuffing nut (242). The rod (241) protrudes slidably in the central hole (212) of the guiding bracket (21) and has an upper end and a lower end. The stuffing nut 20 (242) is formed on the lower end of the rod (241), is tapered downward to present a bullet shape and has a top, a bottom, an outer surface, a protruding portion (243), a recess (244) and at least one magnet (245). The protruding portion (243) protrudes from the outer surface near the bottom of the stuffing nut (242) and has a domical surface. The domical surface contacts with the gasket (22) to seal the input (12) of the outlet (11) when the pump does not work. The recess (244) is defined in the top of the stuffing nut (242). The magnet (245) is annular, is mounted in the recess (244) and corresponds to the magnetic switch in the body (10) of the pump. In this embodiment, the stuffing nut (242) has two magnets 5 (245). The recess (244) is filled with glue after the magnet (245) is mounted in the recess (244) to form a glue layer (246) to encapsulate the magnet (245). The glue layer (246) has an upper surface that is flush with and not higher than the top of the stuffing nut (242). The annular cushion (25) is mounted around the rod (241) of the spindle 10 (24) and on the top of the stuffing nut (242) and may be mounted on the upper surface of the glue layer (246). The annular cushion (25) is mounted between the guiding bracket (21) and the stuffing nut (242) when the stuffing nut (242) is pushed upward by water flow. The resilient element (26) may be a compression spring, is mounted 15 around the rod (241) of the spindle (24) and has an upper end and a lower end. The upper end of the resilient element (26) abuts the guiding bracket (21) and is mounted in the fastening protrusions (213) and the assistant fastening protrusions (214). The lower end of the resilient element (26) is disposed around the annular cushion (25) and abuts the stuffing nut (242) and may abut the upper 20 surface of the glue layer (246). When the pump is working, an impeller pumps water to flow from the inlet to the outlet (11). When the pump is not working, the check valve (20) prevents backflow of water from the outlet (11), so the impeller or other element in the pump will not be damaged.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 7, in this preferred embodiment, when the pump is working, water impacts the stuffing nut (242) of the spindle (24) and the resilient element (26) is compressed. In the present utility model, the annular cushion (25) mounted between the guiding bracket (21) and the stuffing nut (242) 5 prevents the resilient element (26) from surpassing its elasticity limit and resulting in elastic fatigue. Therefore, the check valve (20) of the present utility model has an increased operational life span.

Claims (5)

1. A check valve being mounted in an outlet of a pump , the outlet having an output and an input with an annular boss and the check valve being 5 characterized in that the check valve comprises: a guiding bracket being fastened to the output of the outlet and having a base having a central hole being defined centrally through the base; and a gasket being mounted on the annular boss of the input of the outlet; a spindle being mounted in the outlet and having 10 a rod protruding slidably in the central hole of the guiding bracket and having a lower end; and a stuffing nut being formed on the lower end of the rod, contacting with the gasket and having at least one magnet; a resilient element being mounted around the rod of the spindle and 15 between the guiding bracket and the stuffing nut.

2. The check valve as claimed in claim 1, further having a liner being mounted on and abutting the gasket and having an annular base being mounted on and abutting the gasket; and multiple resilient sheets protruding upward from the annular 20 base and slanting toward and abutting the inner surface of the outlet to position the gasket between the liner and the annular boss of the input of the outlet; and an annular cushion being mounted around the rod of the spindle and on the stuffing nut; and wherein the guiding bracket further has at least two fastening protrusions protruding from the base and each fastening protrusion has a lower surface with an engaging recess; the stuffing nut of the spindle is tapered downward to present a bullet shape and has 5 atop; a domical surface selectively contacting with the gasket; a recess being defined in the top of the stuffing nut; and the at least one magnet being mounted in the recess; and the resilient element has an upper end abutting the guiding bracket and is 10 mounted in the fastening protrusions.

3. The check valve as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guiding bracket has two fastening protrusions protruding oppositely from the base and each fastening protrusion having a fastening hole being defined through the fastening 15 protrusions; and two assistant fastening protrusions protruding oppositely from the base, being located between the fastening protrusions to form multiple intervals, allowing the guiding bracket to present a cross shape and each assistant fastening protrusions having a lower surface with an assistant engaging recess to receive 20 the upper end of the resilient element; and the assistant engaging recesses and the engaging recesses having a same radius with and being concentric to a center of the central hole.

4. The check valve as claimed in claim 3, wherein the stuffing nut further has a bottom; an outer surface; a protruding portion protruding from the outer surface near the bottom of the stuffing nut, wherein the domical surface is formed on the 5 protruding portion; and the resilient element further has a lower end being around the annular cushion and abutting the stuffing nut.

5. The check valve as claimed in any one of the claims 2 to 4, wherein the recess is filled with glue to form a glue layer encapsulating the 10 magnet and the glue layer has an upper surface that is flush with the top of the stuffing nut; and the resilient element further has a lower end being around the annular cushion and abutting the upper surface of the glue layer of the stuffing nut.