Hand-held pumping device

Abstract

A cordless battery powered, hand-held pump, for pumping out liquid, primarily bilge water from small boats, has a support shaft with a submersible pump / motor secured at one end of the shaft, and a handle at the other end of the shaft that is inclined at an angle from the shaft; the pump's liquid discharge connects with an outlet located near the handle, which is aligned with the handle and can connect with a garden hose; a removable, rechargeable battery pack is mounted in the end of the handle, and connects through a lockable switch to the motor. The pump can discharge 10 gallons a minute directly overboard.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] Not applicable (N / A) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0002] N / A REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING [0003] N / A COMPACT DISC APPENDIX [0004] N / A BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0005] 1. This invention is directed to a hand-held pumping device, and in particular to a battery driven, dockside boat bailer, for bailing small boats. [0006] 2. Most small boats are typically docked in the open, and are subject to accumulating rainfall. Also, when beached, they frequently are exposed to wave-action, and again accumulate water. Owing to the nature of their construction it can be difficult and time consuming to bail out such accumulations by hand. [0007] Larger vessels are usually fitted with permanent bilge pumps, that discharge overboard. Many efforts have been devoted to this problem of boat de-watering, from the hand-pump of Gearing (U.S. Pat. No. 161,775 of April 1875) to the mo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015] It is contemplated that the pump discharge may be connected directly at the pump per se to a short length of suitable hose, which hose is removably clipped to the pump shaft, thus enabling the user to readily direct the pump discharge in any desired direction, independent of the orientation of the pump handle.

[0017] The mass of the battery pack, located towards the rear of the handle, which is off-set from the axis of the pump shaft, serves as a counterweight to the pump / motor, thereby facilitating precise positioning of the pump in relation to the structure of the hull of the boat.

[0018] The construction of the motor permits it to be immersed, while the adoption of battery power, with relatively low voltage (e.g. 12 to 18-volts) substantially eliminates any likelihood of water-borne short-circuits or its accompanying dangers.

[0019] In one embodiment, a pumping rate of 10-gallons per minute was obtained, while the standard 12-volt battery pack in its fully-charged condition gives energy capacity to dewater several small boats at the 10 gallons per minute rate. With an established capacity of forty minutes of continuous pumping by way of a fully charged battery pack, it is evident that a number of small boats can be dewatered of an average water content on a single battery pack charge, while the recharging of a battery pack requires about the same amount of time, so that use of two battery packs should make continuous dockside dewatering a feasible and practical operation, at marinas and the like.

[0020] Owing to the simple construction, light weight, low cost and ready deployment of the subject bailer, its use is contemplated in a wide range of environments, including the retrieval of liquid spills, such as retrieving local small oil spills off bodies of water. By adoption of an explosion-proof motor and switch, use of the device in handling fuel spills is made possible by the connection of a hose from the pump into a sealed container. In many automobile accidents, the handling of spilled gasoline presents a dangerous problem for which the subject invention may prove to be part of a practical and satisfactory solution.

Problems solved by technology

Most small boats are typically docked in the open, and are subject to accumulating rainfall.

Also, when beached, they frequently are exposed to wave-action, and again accumulate water.

Owing to the nature of their construction it can be difficult and time consuming to bail out such accumulations by hand.

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