Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING A LIQUID UNDER
PRESSURE OR coMp~ ~n AIR
This invention primarily relates to a novel device for
supplying a liquid under pressure for any given purpose. In
addition the device can be adapted to supply compressed air
for filling tires and the like.
It is well known that in campers, mobile homes, barns
and the like, which are left unheated during the winter
season, it is necessary to empty the water pipes and any
water tanks so that they would not freeze and burst during
winter. The water pipes and tanks are then left empty or
filled with antifreeze to protect them against damage. In
most campers, for example, there is a five gallon hot water
tank which, during the camping season provides hot water
through pipes leading to the faucet, the shower and the
like. There are also cold water pipes which are normally
connected to the cold water supply at the campsite.
In winter, this water tank and piping are normally
emptied and replaced with antifreeze to make sure that some
water is not left in some areas that could freeze and
damage the system. Replacement of water with antifreeze is
usually a difficult and time consuming operation. First the
tank and piping are emptied either by gravity or with the
assistance of compressed air, and then the tank and piping
are filled with antifreeze. All this usually takes several
hours.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate
the above difficulties and to provide a device which will
supply antifreeze into the system and replace water that
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was present therein within a few minutes. Other liquids
can, of course, be supplied by such device in a similar
manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
a device which, in addition, could be used to supply
compressed air at a pressure suitable for filling tires and
the like.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent from the following description
thereof.
The device of the present invention comprises: a
rigid, water impermeable container; a flexible, liquid
impermeable bag within said container; means for filling
said bag with the liquid to be supplied under pressure; an
outlet for evacuating said liquid under pressure; means for
filling said rigid container with water under pressure,
thereby compressing said bag and evacuating said liquid
from said bag under an equivalent pressure; and means for
emptying the water from said rigid container. Also,
preferably, means are provided within the bag for
maintaining said bag in a predetermined position when the
bag is empty or while evacuation said liquid from said bag.
Since most water supply systems provide water at a
pressure of between about 40 and 90 psi (275-620 KPa), the
rigid container is normally a tank capable of withstanding
pressures of up to about 100 psi (~700 KPa), and can be
made of suitable material for that purpose such as
galvanized steel or the like. Some plastic materials can
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_ -3
also be suitable for this purpose. The flexible bag within
the rigid container can be made of suitable polymeric
material which, preferably, is also expandable, such as a
rubber balloon. This bag can be filled with a liquid, such
as an antifreeze, via a tube extending through the wall of
the rigid container so that one end of this tube projects
inside the container and the other outside. The edges of
the tube are secured to the wall of the container in an
airtight and watertight manner to maintain the impermeable
nature of the container. The open end of the bag is secured
to the end of the tube which projects inside the container
in a liquid tight manner and the end of the tube which
projects outside of the container is provided with a valve
which, when open, will allow the filling of the bag with
the liquid from the outside.
Preferably, the tube through which the bag is filled
with the liquid is secured at the top end of the container
when the latter is in its normal operating position. This
allows the filling to be done by gravity. Also, preferably,
the end of the tube projecting inside the container
projects some distance into the bag and is provided with a
plurality of small holes or openings over its body and at
its bottom so as to allow a free flow of the liquid
therethrough, but to prevent the bag from penetrating into
the tube's bottom opening when the bag is emptied or when
air pressure is applied on the bag from the outside.
The same tube that is used for filling the bag can
also be used for evacuating the liquid from the bag. If the
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liquid is to be supplied to a piping system, then a hose
can be attached to the end of the tube extending outside of
the rigid container and the liquid can then be evacuated
through said hose into the piping system. As an
alternative, the end of the tube outside of the container
can be branched out into two tubular projections, each
being provided with a valve and one serving to fill the bag
with the liquid while the other to evacuate the liquid from
said bag. In order to effect the evacuation of the liquid
under pressure, the rigid container is filled with water
via a tube or a pipe projecting through the wall of the
rigid container and, on the outside, attachable to a supply
of water under pressure, such as a water main. This tube or
pipe is usually positioned at the bottom end of the
container. The end of the tube for filling the container
with water, which is within the container, is also
preferably provided with a cap or the like, having a
plurality of small openings or holes so that the end of the
bag, when filled with the liquid, will not penetrate into
this tube. The tube or pipe attachable to the supply of
water is provided with a valve and the same tube or pipe
can serve for the filling of the rigid container with water
and for the emptying of said container. Also, this tube or
pipe can be branched out into two tubular projections each
with a valve and one of which can be used for filling the
container with water while the other for emptying the water
from the container.
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In addition, the device of the present invention may
be provided with an air inlet-outlet tube at the upper end
of the rigid container having a valve therein which allows
air to penetrate into the container when it is open and
allowing air pressure to build-up within the container when
the valve is closed and the container is being filled with
water while the bag is essentially empty. Thus, when the
valve of the air inlet-outlet tube is closed and water is
introduced into the container, air will be compressed above
the water level in the container and the pressure of said
compressed air will essentially correspond to the pressure
of the injected water, namely between 40 and 90 psi (275-
620 KPa). When such pressure is reached, no more water can
be introduced into the container since the pressure of
water and air will be in equilibrium.
Then, the valve of the inlet-outlet tube may be opened
to obtain compressed air suitable for filling tires and the
like. In such event a compressed air hose will be attached
to the inlet-outlet tube having a push-valve at its end
suitable for use with tire valves. As the compressed air is
ejected from the tank, the water level will rise in the
tank. To avoid that water penetrates into the air hose,
there may be provided, between the air inlet-outlet tube
and the compressed air hose, a chamber with a floater which
will close the opening leading to the hose before any water
can penetrate thereinto. Finally, the container can be
provided with a handle such that various hoses can be
wrapped around it for storage.
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The invention will now be described with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the device
in accordance with the present invention, also showing the
inside thereof;
Fig. 2 is a side view similar to that shown in Fig. 1,
but where the bag is filled with liquid;
Fig. 3 is a side view similar to that shown in Fig. 1
and Fig. 2, but where the bag is being compressed with
water and the liquid is evacuated through a tube;
Fig. 4 is a side view of another embodiment of the
device in accordance with the present inventions, also
showing the inside thereof;
Fig. 5 is a side view of the chamber above the air
inlet-outlet tube, also showing the inside thereof; and
Fig. 6 is a section view along line A-A of Fig. 1.
Referring to Fig. 1, the embodiment of the device
shown therein comprises a tank 10 which is preferably made
of galvanized steel and which has a base 12 so that it can
be positioned flat on a surface in the upright position.
Tanks of various capacities can be used, although a 5
gallon (22.7 liter) tank was found to be particularly
suitable. Within this tank 10, there is provided a bag 14
the open end of which is attached to the end of tube 16
which is inside of the tank 10. The attachment can be done
by means of a suitable bracket 18. Tube 16 passes through
the top wall of the tank which can be in the form of a
plate 20 that can be screwed onto the tank in an air-tight
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manner. Of course tube 16 and plate 20 are connected to
each other in an air-tight manner as well. The end of tube
16 inside the tank 10 may be provided with a rigid tubular
projection 17 extending into the bag 14 and having a
plurality of openings or holes 19 over its body. This is
usually a plastic tube which at its-bottom is preferably
provided with a cap 21 the bottom of which is also formed
of a plurality of openings or holes. This rigid projection
allows the bag 14 to be maintained in a predetermined
position when the bag is empty or is being emptied and to
avoid formation within the bag of undesirable pockets where
liquid may be trapped, or the like.
The end of the tube 16 outside of the tank 10 has, in
this embodiment, two branched-out tubular projections 22
and 24 with valves 26 and 28 respectively. When bag 14 is
to be filled with a liquid, such as antifreeze, valve 26 is
opened and the liquid 30 is introduced using, for example,
funnel 32.
When bag 14 is essentially full or filled with the
desired volume of liquid 30 as shown in Fig. 2, where the
same reference numbers represent the same elements of the
device (and this applies to all figures herein), the device
is ready to evacuate this liquid 30 through the outlet 24
and hose 34.
Fig. 3 shows how the liquid 30 is evacuated through
outlet 24 and supplied under pressure by hose 34 to a
desired area. This is done by introducing water 36 under
pressure, such as that from a water main, into tank 10
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through tube or pipe 38. As the water level rises in tank
10, the flexible bag 14 is pushed up and liquid 30 is
evacuated through outlet 24 with valve 28 being open. If
the bag is provided with internal tubular projection 17
having holes 19 therein as well as at its bottom, then
liquid 30 flows through these holes first and then through
the outlet 24. Water is introduced at the end 40 of the
tube or pipe 38 which has a valve 42 that is opened for
that purpose. Once tank 10 is essentially filled with water
36 and bag 14 is essentially empty, water 36 is normally
evacuated from the tank through end 44 of tube or pipe 38
by opening valve 46 while closing valve 42. The tube or
pipe 38 projects into tank 10 through plate 48 similar to
plate 20 used for tube 16 and is covered with cap 49 having
a plurality of small holes or openings therein.
The liquid 30, such as antifreeze, can be supplied
through hose 34, into the piping system of a camper or a
mobile home or the like where it will displace the water
for the winter season. It is unnecessary to remove the
water from the water tank in the camper or from the pipes
before injecting the antifreeze. Simply the end 33 of hose
34 is attached to one end of the camper piping while the
drainage plug is removed and the antifreeze 30 will replace
the water in the system in a few minutes. When one notices
that antifreeze (which is easy to notice due to its colour)
starts flowing out of the drain pipe, that means that the
system has been emptied of water and replaced by the
antifreeze. If the initial amount of the antifreeze in bag
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g
14 is insufficient, the procedure can be easily repeated
until all water in the system has been replaced.
Obviously, the device of the present invention is not
limited to the supply of antifreeze. Such device can be
used for any supply of a liquid under pressure. For
example, one could use it for spraying liquid fertilizers
or insecticides or herbicides or the like or for any other
purpose where a predetermined quantity of a given liquid
needs to be supplied to a given system or area. However,
care must be taken not to contaminate, for example, the
water system in a camper with toxic substances and for this
reason either separate devices or separate bags should be
used for different applications, particularly when
contaminants are involved.
In another embodiment of this invention, as
illustrated in Fig. 4, tank 10 can be provided with an air
inlet-outlet tube 50 at its upper end, which also has a
valve 52 which, when open allows air to penetrate inside
tank 10 when there is no water 36 therein. Thus, when water
has been removed from the tank through outlet 44 and bag 14
is essentially empty the tank can be filled with air by
opening valve 52. Then, valve 52 is closed and water 36 is
introduced into tank 10 through inlet 40 and pipe 38. For
this purpose valve 46 is closed and valve 42 is opened.
Water is introduced from a water main or a similar water
supply system at a pressure of 40-90 psi (275-620 KPa). As
water level 54 rises the air pressure in the upper area 56
of the tank also increases until an equilibrium is
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achieved. At this stage the compressed air in the upper
area 56 corresponds to the water pressure and is usually
between 40-90 psi (275-620 KPa), which is quite sufficient
for filling tires and the like. Thus a compressed air tire
hose 58 can be attached to the inlet-outlet tube 50 and
then, when valve 52 is opened, compressed air will be
supplied via this hose 58 to tires or the like. It should
be mentioned here that, for example, in campers, tires
often become soft after the summer season, and thus the
device of the present invention can be used for the dual
purpose of replacing the water in the piping system with
antifreeze and filling the tires.
While compressed air is removed through the inlet-
outlet tube 50 and hose 58 which at its end is provided
with a push-valve 60 normally used in tire hoses, water 36
continues to be introduced through pipe 38 into tank 10 to
maintain the air pressure in the upper area 56 of the tank.
Thus, level 54 continues to rise until essentially the
entire tank is filled. To avoid that water would flow into
tube 58, a chamber 62 is provided above the inlet-outlet
tube 50 with a floating spherical valve 64. This is better
illustrated in Fig. 5. The spherical valve 64 does not
prevent air from passing through chamber 62, however, when
water 36 penetrates thereinto, the floating sphere 64 would
float thereon and at one point would block the outlet 66 so
that no water could flow therethrough into hose 58.
Also, when compressed air is formed in compartment 56,
the bag 14 is pushed upward or is pressed against tube 17
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and to avoid that it could penetrate into the open bottom
end of tube 17 within the tank, this end is provided with
a cap 21 which has a plurality of holes or openings 23
therein as shown in Fig. 6. Similar cap 49 can be provided
at the inside-the-tank end of pipe 38.
Finally, tank 10 can also be provided with a suitable
handle 70. This handle can be so formed as to wrap hoses
such as 34 and 58 around it for storage. This can be
achieved by having ends 72, 74 of the handle 70 extend
beyond the middle section 76 which is attached to the tank,
thereby allowing the hoses to be wrapped around said middle
section 76 and to be retained in place by said extending
ends 72, 74.
It will be appreciated that the device of the present
invention provides a simple and efficient means of
supplying liquid under pressure and, optionally compressed
air without use of electric compressors and the like. The
device is extremely sturdy since it has essentially no
moving parts, except perhaps for the bag which, when it is
filled with liquid and emptied, expands or contracts
accordingly. If the bag breaks or is perforated, which
would be very unusual, it can be easily replaced by
unscrewing the plate at the top of the container, replacing
the bag and screwing the plate again.
Although the invention has been described with
reference to specific preferred embodiments, it should be
understood that many modifications may be made which would
be obvious to a person familiar with this art, without
departing from the spirit of this invention and the scope
of the following claims.
