Abstract:
A portable power supply device, such as an electrical generator or an air compressor, provided with a portable audio source such as an AM/FM radio, CD player, two-way communication radio, or device using random access memory for storage of audio data such as MP3 players. The device includes vibration-dampening elements to isolate the audio source from vibration generated by the moving elements of the power supply.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to portable power supplies such as portable electric generators and portable air compressors and, more particularly, to portable power supplies providing integrated audio sources such as AM/FM radios, CD players, and two-way radios.  
         [0002]     Portable power supplies such as electrical generators and air compressors are typically used at home or on a construction job site to power tools used in construction such as saws and nail guns. Because they are designed for portability, these power supplies are readily moved from one location to another and are typically placed in proximity to persons using the associated tools or other powered devices. Whether at home or on the job site, it is not uncommon for individuals to also bring AM/FM radios, CD players or other audio devices to the work site in order to provide music or other diversion to pass the time more enjoyably. Because an individual will often carry tools while moving a compressor, for example, from one location at a work site to another, he or she must often return to the original location to retrieve the audio player. Alternatively, the individual may simply increase the volume setting on the audio player to broadcast sound to a larger working area. Unfortunately, this may contribute to the overall noise level of a job site and may annoy or distract other workers.  
         [0003]     It would be advantageous, therefore, for a portable power supply to be provided with one or more audio devices integral to the power supply body or housing so that the source of audio could readily remain in proximity to the user as the power supply is moved from one location to another.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     A portable power supply such as an electrical generator or air compressor may include a support surface, such as a housing panel, adapted to receive and hold in place an integrated audio source such as an AM/FM radio, CD player, two-way communication radio, or device using random access memory for storage of audio data such as an MP3 player. A primary vibration dampening element such as a gasket is interposed between the cover or case of the audio source and the housing of the power supply in order to dampen vibrations caused by moving elements of the power supply such as an engine, motor, pump or associated moving parts. In addition, the vibrations caused by the power supply may be at least partially isolated from the housing by interposing secondary vibration dampening elements between the housing and the moving elements. Additional vibration dampening elements, such as pliable, rubber-like feet attached to the power supply, aid in dampening vibrations generated by the engine, motor or pump and therefore reduce the vibrations transmitted to the audio source. Through the use of dampening elements to isolate the audio source from the housing, and the moving elements from the housing, audio sources sensitive to vibration, such as radios and CD players, may be used even in association with power supplies known to generate significant vibration.  
         [0005]     Other advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example an embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a portable air compressor provided with an integral radio.  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a detailed cross sectional view of a vibration dampening connector.  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a radio subassembly.  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a portable air compressor provided with an integral CD player.  
         [0010]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of a portable air compressor provided with an alternative integral radio.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     As required, a detailed embodiment of the present invention is disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.  
         [0012]     Referring now to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, there is shown a portable power supply, in this case an air compressor, indicated by the reference numeral  1 . Only selected major elements of the compressor  1  are shown and described herein as it should be appreciated that air compressors and their function, structure and assembly, absent the improvements of the present invention, are well known in the prior art. As illustrated, an air compressor comprises an electric motor  5  that powers a pump  10  for delivering air to a compressed air tank  15 . A frame  20 , such as a frame of tubular metal, is attached (typically welded) to the tank  15  and provides a structure for attaching power supply components such as the pump  10 . A housing  25 , such as a metal panel, is bolted or otherwise attached to the frame  20  and provides a structure for attaching the audio supply.  
         [0013]     As illustrated, the pump  10  and motor  5  are bolted to a bracket  30  that is further attached to the frame  20  or housing  25 . The bracket  30  may comprise a U-shaped piece of rigid material such as steel having a horizontal base  35  and upwardly extending arms  40  and  45 . After positioning the pump  10  between the bracket arms  40  and  45 , the pump  10  is attached to the bracket  30  by screwing bolts or machine screws through holes  47  in the bracket arms  40  and  45  into tapped holes  50  in the sides of the pump  10 .  
         [0014]     The bracket  30  is attached to the frame  20  or housing  25  using a vibration dampening connector  55  (see detailed, cross sectional view in  FIG. 2 ) comprising a pair of threaded rods  60  and  65  projecting in opposing directions along a generally common axis, the ends proximate to one another being encased within a pliable rubber or rubber-like cushion  70 . The encased ends of the rods  60  and  65  are typically capped with flanges  75  and  80  to retain the ends within the cushion  70 . The encased ends of the rods  60  and  65  are separated from one another by a portion of the cushion  70  so that vibrations cannot readily be transmitted from one rod to another. The rods  60  and  65  may comprise appropriately sized bolts or machine screws.  
         [0015]     In attaching the bracket  30  to the frame  20 , the upper rod  60  is passed through a hole  90  in the lower surface of the bracket base  35  and threaded through an upper nut  85  proximate to the upper surface of the bracket base  35 . The nut  85  is tightened until the cushion  70  abuts the lower surface of the base  35 . The lower rod  65  is passed through a hole (not shown) in the frame  20  and then similarly secured in place through engagement with a lower nut  97 . The nut  97  is tightened until the cushion  70  abuts the surface of the frame  20 .  
         [0016]     It should be appreciated that certain embodiments of a pump  10  could be directly attached to the frame  20  without the need for a bracket  30 , in which case the vibration dampening connectors  55  would attach directly to the pump  10  or pump motor  5  housing, the innovation being the provision of vibration dampening means between the pump and the other structural elements of the compressor  1 .  
         [0017]     The audio device, such as a radio  95 , typically includes a cover plate  100  that is secured to the housing  25  (see  FIGS. 1 and 3 ). The cover plate  100  typically houses tuning  101  and volume  102  adjustment knobs as well as a dial  103  for indicating the selected radio station. Radio components underlying the cover plate  100  are received into an aperture  105  in the housing  25 . In order to isolate the radio  95  from vibrations transmitted through the housing  25 , the cover  100  is separated from the housing surface by a vibration-absorbing gasket assembly  110 . The gasket assembly  110  comprises a pliable, vibration-absorbing center gasket  115  sandwiched between two similarly sized and shaped upper and lower rigid gaskets  120  and  125 . The pliable center gasket  115  comprises compressible, resilient, rubber or rubber-like material such as neoprene. The rigid gaskets  120  and  125  are preferably formed of plastic. The gaskets  120  through  125  are shaped to generally follow the contours of the housing aperture  105  and are slightly larger than the aperture  105 . The cover  100  is secured to the housing  25  by passing bolts or screws  130  through holes  135  in the cover  100  and then through corresponding holes  140  in underlying gasket assembly  110  elements. The bolts  130  are then passed through corresponding holes  145  in the housing  25  and secured through engagement with nuts  150 . An antenna  155  (preferably comprising flexible materials) is attached to the housing  25  and connected via wire  157  to the radio  95 .  
         [0018]     To further enhance the vibration and shock absorbing qualities of the gasket assembly  110 , springs  160  may be positioned between each of the cover  100 , upper rigid gasket  120 , pliable center gasket  115 , and lower rigid gasket  125  so that the bolts  130  pass through the center of the springs  160  as the radio  95  and gasket assembly  110  are secured to the housing  25 .  
         [0019]     In an alternative embodiment in which a compact disc (CD) player  165  is integrated with the compressor  1  (see  FIG. 4 ), the player  165  is installed within a case  170  that is attached to the upper surface of the housing  25  and may include an internal or external amplifier  167 . If not integral to the player  165  or case  170 , speakers  175  are attached to the frame  20  or housing  25  and connected via wire leads A and B to corresponding leads or terminals at the amplifier  167 . A vibration absorption pad assembly  180  (typically shaped to accommodate the shape of the case  170 ) is placed between the case  170  and the housing  25  to reduce transmission of vibrations from the housing  25  to the case  170  and player  165 . Similar to the gasket assembly  110 , the pad assembly  180  comprises a pliable rubber or rubber-like pad  185  (such as neoprene) sandwiched between rigid plastic plates  190  and  195 . Springs  200  are located between each pad assembly layer  185 - 195  to provide additional vibration and shock absorbance. The case  170  is typically attached to the pad assembly  180 , and the pad assembly  180  to the housing  25 , through use of bolts  205  threaded through each of the above  180  elements and then through holes  207  in the housing  25  to engage underlying nuts  210 .  
         [0020]     Further vibration dampening may be achieved by providing cushioned feet  215  (see  FIGS. 1, 4  and  5 ) that support the compressor  1  on a surface such as a floor or the ground. The feet  215  comprise cushions  220  of vibration-absorbing material such as rubber, foam rubber such as neoprene, or other pliable materials in order to partially absorb vibrations that would otherwise be transmitted, and perhaps exacerbated, through contact with a hard ground surface such as a concrete floor or slab. The feet  215  may be attached to the frame  20  or to the compressor tank  15  by threading a bolt  225  through a washer  230  and then through the cushion  220  to threadably engage the bolt  225  with a threaded bore (not shown) in, or in a fitting attached to, the frame  20  or tank  15 .  
         [0021]     In yet a further embodiment of an audio air compressor  1 , a radio  235  with a digital station display  237  is integrated with the compressor through attachment to the compressor housing  25 . It has been observed that radios with digital displays, versus mechanical dials, are somewhat less prone to deleterious effects of pump vibration such as loss of tuning. Therefore, a vibration-absorbing gasket may be omitted particularly if cushioned feet  215  are utilized to support the compressor  1 . In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the radio  235  includes a cover plate  240  having a peripheral flange  245  that abuts the portion of the housing  25  surrounding the housing aperture  250 . Portions of the radio  235  (e.g. radio circuitry) attached to the lower portion of the cover plate  240  fit into the main housing aperture  250 . The cover plate  240  is secured to the housing  25  using bolts  255 , washers  260  and nuts  265 . Speakers  270   a  and  270   b  may be secured to the housing  25  and attached via wire leads A and B to corresponding wire leads or terminals on the radio  235 . An antenna  275  may also be attached to the housing to improve reception and is attached via wire lead C to the radio.  
         [0022]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , a forward extension of the lower part of the frame  20  may be formed into a forward handle  280 . An additional rearward handle  285  may be welded or otherwise attached across the upper, rearward portions of transverse frame elements  22 . Posts projecting outwardly from the transverse frame elements  22  form axles  290  to support wheels  295 , thereby enabling the compressor  1  to be rolled upon the wheels  295  after lifting the forward handle  280 .  
         [0023]     It should be appreciated that the present invention may be practiced with power supply devices other than air compressors, such as electrical generators, and that various audio devices may be employed in addition to radios and CD players as audio generating devices advance in the arts. In particular, it is foreseen that an audio device using random access storage media, such as an MP3 player, may be used in accordance with the present invention. It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof.