Abstract:
A pump for inflatable objects having a housing including an air inlet and an air outlet, a motor positioned within said housing, an impeller positioned within the housing for moving air, a light source defined on an exterior of the housing; and a reflector disposed on the housing proximate the light source.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present patent document claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/930,317, filed May 15, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the field of pumps for inflatable objects such as air mattresses and chairs. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pump for inflatable objects that includes an integrated light source. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Air pumps are commonly used on camping trips to inflate items such as chairs and air mattresses. Typically, such air pumps are battery powered and tend to be heavy, due to the weight of the batteries. For example, an air pump could require four D-cell batteries in order to provide enough power to inflate an object at a reasonable rate. 
         [0004]    Couplings that connect the pump to the inflatable object often need to be mated carefully to avoid leaks, and during situations where inflation is required, it may be dark and difficult to properly mate the pump with the inflatable object. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    A solution to this problem is to provide an air pump that can inflate various inflatable objects and also includes a light source. Furthermore, since air pumps are commonly used on camping trips where light can be scarce, it is also desirable to integrate a light source positioned such that a user could illuminate the valve on the inflatable object during inflation or deflation. 
         [0006]    Disclosed herein is a pump for inflatable objects having a housing including an air inlet and an air outlet, a motor positioned within said housing, an impeller positioned within the housing for moving air, a light source defined on an exterior of the housing; and a reflector disposed on the housing proximate the light source. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. These drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
           [0008]    In the drawings: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pump embodiment including a light source; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view from the opposite side of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a rear planar view with the cover removed showing a battery compartment of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternative pump embodiment including both a first light source and a second light source; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternative pump embodiment including a light source; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an alternative pump embodiment including a light source; and 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0015]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pump embodiment. The pump  10  includes a housing  12  with a first end  14  and a second end  16 . The housing  12  contains the inner workings of a common pump for the inflation of an inflatable object, such as a motor  46  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) and an impeller (not shown). The construction of a typical handheld pump is described, for example, in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,822 to Robert M. Feldman which is herein incorporated by reference. Furthermore, the housing  12  includes an air inlet  18  defined on the first end  14  of the housing  12  and an air outlet  20  defined on the side  22  of the housing  12 . The illustrated embodiment also includes a handle portion  24 . 
         [0017]    The pump embodiment also includes an integrated lamp assembly  26  defined on the handle portion  24 . The lamp assembly  26  includes a lens  28 , an array of light emitting diodes  30  (LEDs) and corresponding reflectors  32 . Additionally, referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pump embodiment includes a battery compartment  34  capable of holding one or more batteries  40  to supply the motor  46  with power. Alternatively, the housing  12  could include a connection for an external power source. The pump embodiment also includes a first switch assembly  36 , and may also include a second switch assembly  38  for controlling the motor of the pump  10  and/or the LEDs  30 . 
         [0018]    The present invention provides a single unit that can inflate and/or deflate an inflatable object and function as a flashlight. In operation, a user connects the air outlet  20  of the pump  10  to a valve on an inflatable object such as the valve disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,726 to Robert B. Chaffee, which is herein incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the pump  10  can be attached to any air inlet on an inflatable object utilizing universal adaptors such as those disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,882 to Robert M. Feldman, which is herein incorporated by reference. The pump  10  attaches to the valve at the air outlet  20  defined on the side of the housing  12 . The first switch assembly  36  is actuated to energize the motor  46  which drives the impeller (not shown). The rotation of the impeller draws air through the air inlet  18  defined on the first end  14  of the housing  12 , routes it through the interior of the housing  12  and out through the air outlet  20  into the inflatable object. The first switch assembly  36  is then actuated to deactivate the motor  46  and stop further inflation. 
         [0019]    The pump  10 , in an alternative embodiment, could also be used to deflate an inflatable object. In the deflation configuration, the air inlet  18  of the pump  10  is attached to the valve of the inflatable object, and the first switch assembly  36  is activated. Air is drawn out of the inflatable object through the air inlet  18  of the pump  10 , routed through the interior of the housing  12  and out through the air outlet  20  into the atmosphere. Alternatively, the motor  46  could be reversible so that it could drive the impeller in the opposite direction, allowing both inflation and deflation from one configuration. 
         [0020]    In an alternative embodiment, the air outlet  20  can include a sensor that senses when the pump is connected to a valve such as the sensing arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,363 to Robert B. Chaffee, which is herein incorporated by reference. Such a sensing arrangement could comprise a lever combined with electrical contacts. Upon connection to the valve of the inflatable object, the lever is biased into a position where it completes a circuit and activates the motor  46 . This allows auto-activation of the motor  46  when the air outlet  20  is connected to a valve of the inflatable object. In this embodiment, only a first switch assembly  36  is required, and the first switch assembly  36  allows a user to turn the LEDs  30  on or off. 
         [0021]    The integrated lamp assembly  26  is preferably disposed on the housing  12  on or near the handle portion  24  as shown in the illustrated embodiments. This allows the user to comfortably hold the pump  10  in one hand and direct it like a traditional flashlight. Alternatively, the integrated lamp assembly  26  may be molded directly into the housing  12 . The integrated lamp assembly  26  preferably includes at least one LED  30 , a lens  28  and a reflector  32 . In the illustrated embodiments, an array of three LEDs  30  is provided, each with a corresponding reflector  32 . In operation, a user actuates a second switch  38  to energize the LEDs  30 . Light emitted from the LEDs is reflected by the reflectors  32  out through the lens  28 . A typical lamp assembly incorporating LEDs and the necessary circuitry is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,309,147 to Richard W. Martin, which is herein incorporated by reference, but any suitable lamp assembly known in the art could be used in the present invention, including incandescent or fluorescent bulbs and associated circuitry to provide power and switchability thereto. The reflectors  32  may be constructed from any suitable reflective material such as plastic with reflective coating, or polished aluminum. Other reflective materials may also be used. Furthermore, while white LEDs  30  are preferred because of their high luminescence, other colored LEDs could also be incorporated. Moreover, a single LED  30  could be used, or the LED array could include any number of LEDs  30 . 
         [0022]    The pump  10  of the present invention may be powered by any means commonly known in the art. As shown in  FIG. 3 , four D-cell batteries  40  located in the battery compartment  42  of the housing  12  power the pump. Depending on the power requirements of the motor  46  and the LEDs  30 , larger or smaller numbers of batteries could be utilized. One set of batteries  40  could power both the motor  46  and the LEDs  30 , or one set of batteries could provide power for the motor  46  while a second set of batteries provides power to the LEDs  30 . Alternatively, the pump  10  could be a rechargeable AC/DC pump, such as that disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0077153 to Timothy F. Austen et al., which is herein incorporated by reference. The circuit disclosed in the Austen publication could be adjusted to also power the LEDs  30 . 
         [0023]    In an alternative embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , a second lamp assembly  44  is integrated into the side  22  of the housing  12  proximate the air inlet  18 . The second lamp assembly  44  comprises at least one LED  30 , a lens  28  and reflectors  32 , constructed in the same fashion as the previously described lamp assembly  26 . The positioning of the second lamp assembly  44  proximate the air inlet  18  provides illumination of an inlet port of an inflatable object in low light situations. The LEDs  30  of the second lamp assembly  44  can be activated by a user through the actuation of the first switch assembly  36 , or through the actuation of a third switch assembly (not pictured). 
         [0024]    Also, the lamp assembly  26  can have a power source that is separable and detachable from the pump, with an area on the housing  12  that would allow for attachment of the lamp assembly  26 . 
         [0025]    Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 5 , in an embodiment where three LEDs  30  are shown, the two most lateral LEDs  30 , lens  28 , and reflectors  32  on the lamp assembly  26  may be positioned at an angle relative to the medial LED  30 , lens  28 , and reflector  32  such that the spectrum of light emitted by the lamp assembly is broader than the lamp assembly shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0026]    In  FIG. 6 , the lamp assembly  26  is shown with LED  30 , lens  28 , and reflector  32 . Cut-out  48  may be integrated into the lamp assembly such that light from the lamp assembly  26  may be emitted to the side of the pump  10 . The cut-out  48  may be a clear piece of plastic or configured in a way such that light may be emitted in a first direction to the front of the pump  10  and in a second direction to the side of the pump  10 . 
         [0027]    In yet another embodiment, the lamp assembly  26  could be mounted on a swivel (not shown), a ball joint (not shown), or a flexible gooseneck (not shown) which is in turn mounted on the housing  12 . This would allow for independent movement of the lamp assembly  26 . 
         [0028]    It should be noted that there could be a wide range of changes made to the present embodiments without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. The first lamp assembly  26  could be repositioned to the second end  16  of the housing  12 , or any other location on the housing  12 . It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.