| Pump assembly for an emergency eyewash station -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Pump assembly for an emergency eyewash stationRelated Patent Categories: Pumps, Motor Driven, Fluid Motor, Rotary Motor, Unitary Pump And Motor Rotors, Overhung From Central SupportPump assembly for an emergency eyewash station description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070092388, Pump assembly for an emergency eyewash station. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] The present application claims priority to earlier filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/729,526, filed Oct. 24, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates generally to emergency eyewash stations, and more particularly to an impeller assembly for such stations. [0004] 2. Background of the Related Art [0005] Emergency eyewash stations take many forms, including plumbed stations, self-contained fixed-mounted units and portable units. Generally speaking, these stations are designed to dispense eyewash fluid (typically water) upon demand. [0006] The plumbed eyewash stations are generally connected to the water supply pipes of an existing sink or are installed as a stand-alone emergency eyewash station with the water supply and draining connected to the regular building water systems. An example of a plumbed eyewash station is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,569 issued to Gurries, II et al, which discloses a rotatable spray nozzle mounted to the base of a regular laboratory sink. The spray nozzle is piped directly into the main water supply and includes a valve that is opened when the spray nozzle is rotated into active position above the sink. Although plumbed eyewash stations generally provide instant availability of a washing spray they suffer from the disadvantage of relying on ordinary tap water as the cleansing agent. For example, tap water may carry bacteria and other unknown chemicals and contaminants that could cause infection of the eyes. It has been recognized that it would be more advantageous to have a system that used an eyewash fluid that was known to be free of foreign substances, i.e. filtered, purified or sterilized. [0007] Attempts have been made to retrofit plumbed stations with an external source of eyewash fluid that has been purified or sanitized. U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,279 issued to Lundstedt discloses one such retro-fit system. However, the Lundstedt patent relies upon the force of gravity to dispense the eyewash fluid from the station. Although the force of gravity offers several other advantages, it lacks the advantage of being able to maintain a constant and steady flow of eyewash fluid from the dispensing head of the station. In fact, the pressure steadily dwindles as the reservoir empties. [0008] Turning to standalone wall-mounted and portable units, these stations typically have internal reservoirs that also rely upon the force of gravity to dispense the eyewash fluid. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,283 issued to Liautaud shows an example of a wall-mount unit. [0009] In an effort to encourage more suitable eye wash facilities, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) promulgated voluntary standards for portable eye wash fountains relating to flushing periods and the rate of flow of wash fluid. These standards dictate that portable eye wash fountains should deliver no less than 0.4 gallons per minute (1.5 liters per minute) of eye wash fluid for a time period of at least 15 minutes. Responsive to the new ANSI standards, several new designs emerged seeking to provide the required flow rates for the minimum periods of time. For the most part, the eye wash stations currently on the market do provide the required flow rates for the minimum period of time. [0010] However, newer ANSI and OSHA regulations have created additional issues that will need to be addressed, and will require improvements to the existing designs to maintain compliance. In particular, upcoming OSHA regulations will soon require the use of "sterile" eye wash fluids. As with any use of a sterile fluid, there is a desire to maintain sterility of both the source of the fluid and throughout the delivery paths and delivery mechanisms, including all delivery lines, nozzles, and pumps, if included in the delivery system. [0011] Therefore, there is a need for new emergency eyewash systems to provide a sterile source of eyewash fluid, to maintain a steady and constant flow of eyewash fluid from the source, and to provide a sterile delivery path from the source to the delivery site. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012] The present invention seeks to solve some of the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a reusable/disposable impeller assembly that can be used by both plumbed, self-contained fixed-mount and portable emergency eyewash stations to deliver sterile fluid from the sterile source to the delivery site. [0013] The impeller assembly of the present invention includes an impeller housing having an interior pumping chamber, input port into the chamber and an output port out of the chamber, and an impeller wheel rotatably mounted within the housing. The impeller wheel includes an impeller drive shaft having a drive interface that can mate with any one of multiple different drive mechanisms depending upon the installation and application. The impeller housing and wheel are designed so as to deliver the recommended 0.4 gallons per minute of fluid to the station spray nozzle. The impeller assembly is intended to be manufactured from a plastic material and is sterilized prior to installation so that the path through the impeller housing remains sterile prior to receiving the sterile eyewash fluid at the time of delivery. [0014] In short, the impeller assembly is a simple sterile pump mechanism having an input port and an output port, and a drive interface for mating the impeller assembly with a drive mechanism. [0015] In one embodiment, the drive mechanism comprises a second impeller wheel driven by a source of moving fluid, such as running water. This embodiment utilizes the available source of tap water as a drive mechanism to pump the sterile fluid from the source to the spray nozzles, obviating the need for any electrical power source or complicated gravity feed systems to move the sterile fluid. [0016] In a second embodiment, the drive mechanism comprises an electrically powered drive motor. The impeller drive interface is mated with a corresponding interface on the drive shaft of a conventional electric motor. At the time of delivery, the electric motor is energized to drive the impeller to pump the sterile eyewash fluid from the source to the spray nozzles. This type of unit requires electrical power, and may further include a battery back-up [0017] Finally, in a third embodiment, the entire eyewash station is constructed for use as a portable wheeled assembly wherein the sterile eyewash source, dispensing spray nozzles, power supply and battery backup are mounted on a wheeled cart frame so that the station can be deployed where ever necessary. [0018] Accordingly, among the objects of the present invention is the provision for an impeller assembly for an emergency eyewash station that can be powered by different drive mechanism, including fluid and electric drive means. [0019] Yet, another object of the present invention is the provision for an impeller assembly for an emergency eyewash station that is disposable and/or recyclable. [0020] Yet, another object of the present invention is the provision of an impeller assembly for an emergency eyewash station where the impeller assembly is isolated from the means for driving the impeller assembly. [0021] Yet, another object of the present invention is the provision for an impeller assembly for an emergency eyewash station that maintains a constant steady flow of eyewash fluid. Continue reading about Pump assembly for an emergency eyewash station... Full patent description for Pump assembly for an emergency eyewash station Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Pump assembly for an emergency eyewash station patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Pump assembly for an emergency eyewash station or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Oil discharge assembly for a turbocharger Next Patent Application: Piston pump Industry Class: Pumps ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Pump assembly for an emergency eyewash station patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.21579 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
