A oxygenator for oxygenating water in swimming pools. The oxygenator includes a chamber which has a port outwardly extending therefrom for drawing air into the chamber. A venturi is extended through the chamber. The venturi has opposite inlet and outlet ends, opposite generally frusta-conical inlet and outlet portions and an intermediate portion interposed between the inlet and outlet portions of the venturi. The intermediate portion of the venturi has a plurality of spaced apart apertures therethrough to permit passage of air in the chamber into the intermediate portion of the venturi.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 The present invention relates to oxygenators and more particularly pertains
 to a new oxygenator for oxygenating water in swimming pools.
 2. Description of the Prior Art
 The use of oxygenators is known in the prior art. More specifically,
 oxygenators heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically
 of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations,
 notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art
 which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and
 requirements.
 Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,432; U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,401;
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,802; U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,719; U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,408;
 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,110.
 While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and
 requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new oxygenator.
 The inventive device includes a chamber having a port outwardly extending
 therefrom for drawing air into the chamber. A venturi is extended through
 the chamber. The venturi has opposite inlet and outlet ends, opposite
 generally frusta-conical inlet and outlet portions and an intermediate
 portion interposed between the inlet and outlet portions of the venturi.
 The intermediate portion of the venturi has a plurality of spaced apart
 apertures therethrough to permit passage of air in the chamber into the
 intermediate portion of the venturi.
 In these respects, the oxygenator according to the present invention
 substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the
 prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for
 the purpose of oxygenating water in swimming pools.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of
 oxygenators now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a
 new oxygenator construction wherein the same can be utilized for
 oxygenating water in swimming pools.
 The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described
 subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new oxygenator apparatus
 and method which has many of the advantages of the oxygenators mentioned
 heretofore and many novel features that result in a new oxygenator which
 is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of
 the prior art oxygenators, either alone or in any combination thereof.
 To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a chamber has a
 port outwardly extending therefrom for drawing air into the chamber. A
 venturi is extended through the chamber. The venturi has opposite inlet
 and outlet ends, opposite generally frusta-conical inlet and outlet
 portions and an intermediate portion interposed between the inlet and
 outlet portions of the venturi. The intermediate portion of the venturi
 has a plurality of spaced apart apertures therethrough to permit passage
 of air in the chamber into the intermediate portion of the venturi.
 There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features
 of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that
 follows may be better understood, and in order that the present
 contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional
 features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which
 will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
 In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention
 in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its
 application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the
 components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the
 drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being
 practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood
 that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose
 of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
 As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon
 which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the
 designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the
 several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore,
 that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions
 insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present
 invention.
 Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent
 and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the
 scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar
 with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a
 cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of
 the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention
 of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to
 be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new
 oxygenator apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the
 oxygenators mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a
 new oxygenator which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or
 even implied by any of the prior art oxygenators, either alone or in any
 combination thereof.
 It is another object of the present invention to provide a new oxygenator
 which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
 It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new oxygenator
 which is of a durable and reliable construction.
 An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new
 oxygenator which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard
 to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of
 low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such oxygenator
 economically available to the buying public.
 Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new
 oxygenator which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art
 some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of
 the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
 Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new
 oxygenator for oxygenating water in swimming pools.
 Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new oxygenator
 which includes a chamber has a port outwardly extending therefrom for
 drawing air into the chamber. A venturi is extended through the chamber.
 The venturi has opposite inlet and outlet ends, opposite generally
 frusta-conical inlet and outlet portions and an intermediate portion
 interposed between the inlet and outlet portions of the venturi. The
 intermediate portion of the venturi has a plurality of spaced apart
 apertures therethrough to permit passage of air in the chamber into the
 intermediate portion of the venturi.
 Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new
 oxygenator that oxygenates pools inexpensively and without energy
 expenditure.
 Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new
 oxygenator that may also be used to treat a water supply of residential
 and industrial applications and that may also be used to mix chemicals
 into a fluid supply.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 4
 thereof, a new oxygenator embodying the principles and concepts of the
 present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10
 will be described.
 As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the oxygenator 10 generally
 comprises a chamber has a port outwardly extending therefrom for drawing
 air into the chamber. A venturi is extended through the chamber. The
 venturi has opposite inlet and outlet ends, opposite generally
 frusta-conical inlet and outlet portions and an intermediate portion
 interposed between the inlet and outlet portions of the venturi. The
 intermediate portion of the venturi has a plurality of spaced apart
 apertures therethrough to permit passage of air in the chamber into the
 intermediate portion of the venturi.
 In use, the oxygenator 10 is preferably designed for mixing air with a
 supply of water flowing through the oxygenator although it may also be
 used to mix a chemical with water as well. In closer detail, the
 oxygenator comprises a chamber 11 having opposite proximal and distal ends
 12,13, and a longitudinal axis extending between the proximal and distal
 ends of the chamber. The chamber has generally frusta-conical proximal and
 distal portions 14,15 and a generally cylindrical middle portion 16
 interposed between the proximal and distal portions of the chamber. The
 proximal, distal, and middle portions of the chamber are all coaxial with
 the longitudinal axis of the chamber. The proximal portion of the chamber
 is positioned towards and tapers towards the proximal end of the chamber.
 The distal portion of the chamber is positioned towards and tapers towards
 the distal end of the chamber.
 The middle portion of the chamber has a generally cylindrical port 17
 outwardly extending therefrom and in fluid communication with the chamber.
 The port of the middle portion has a longitudinal axis preferably
 extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the
 chamber. The port has a generally circular open free end 18 for providing
 a passage for air into the chamber through the port. Preferably, a one-way
 valve 19 is pivotally coupled to the port to selectively closing the open
 free end of the port. In use, the valve permits passage of air into the
 chamber via the port and closing passage of air out of the chamber via the
 port. The valve may comprise a flapper valve that selectively closes the
 port. The flapper valve permits passage of fluid into the chamber via the
 port and prevents passage of fluid out of the chamber via the port. The
 flapper valve comprises a substantially circular disk pivotally mounted in
 the port for selectively closing the port.
 A venturi 20 is extended through the chamber between the proximal and
 distal ends of the chamber. The venturi has opposite inlet and outlet ends
 21,22, and a longitudinal axis extending between the inlet and outlet ends
 of the venturi. The longitudinal axes of the chamber and venturi are
 preferably coaxial with one another. The inlet end of the venturi is
 positioned adjacent the proximal end of the chamber and the outlet end of
 the venturi is positioned adjacent the distal end of the chamber.
 The inlet end of the venturi is in fluid communication with an input
 conduit 23 outwardly extending from the proximal end of the chamber. The
 outlet end of the venturi is in fluid communication with an output conduit
 24 outwardly extending from the distal end of the chamber. The input
 conduit is in fluid communication with a water supply such that water from
 the water supply passes through the input conduit into the venturi and out
 of the venturi to the output conduit which is in fluid communication with
 the destination of the oxygenated water.
 The venturi has opposite generally frusta-conical inlet and outlet portions
 25,26 and a generally cylindrical intermediate portion 27 interposed
 between the inlet and outlet portions of the venturi. The inlet, outlet,
 and intermediate portions of the venturi are coaxial with the longitudinal
 axis of the venturi. Preferably, as best illustrated in FIG. 4, the
 intermediate portion of the venturi is located in the chamber between a
 plane defined by the longitudinal axis of the port and a plane defined by
 the distal end of the chamber.
 The inlet portion of the venturi tapers from the inlet end of the venturi
 to the intermediate portion of the venturi. The outlet portion of the
 venturi tapers from the intermediate portion of the venturi to the outlet
 end of the venturi.
 The intermediate portion of the venturi has a plurality of spaced apart
 apertures 28 therethrough to permit passage of air in the chamber into the
 intermediate portion of the venturi. The apertures each have a
 longitudinal axis extending at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of
 the venturi in a direction towards the inlet end of the venturi as best
 shown in FIG. 4. Also with reference to FIG. 4, preferably, the plurality
 of apertures are arranged in at least one pair of diametric rows. Each row
 of apertures is extended substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis
 of the venturi. The apertures are preferably spaced apart at equal
 intervals in the respective row of apertures.
 In use, oxygenation occurs in the intermediate portion of the venturi. Air
 is drawn from the chamber through the apertures due to the increase of the
 velocity of fluid flowing through the intermediate portion of the venturi.
 The air then mixes with the fluid passing through the intermediate portion
 to oxygenate the fluid. In a preferred embodiment, the inner diameter of
 the intermediate portions gradually increases by two percent from the end
 of the intermediate portion adjacent the inlet portion of the venturi to
 the end of the intermediate portion adjacent the outlet portion of the
 venturi to prevent obstruction to the liquid flow. The diameter of the
 outlet portion increases from the intermediate portion to the same size of
 the outlet conduit adjacent the outlet conduit to produce the desired
 increase in velocity of the liquid flow.
 In an ideal illustrative embodiment, where .PHI. is the basic unit of
 diameter, the length of the inlet portion defined along the longitudinal
 axis of the venturi is 2.PHI., the length of the intermediate portion
 defined along the longitudinal axis of the venturi is .PHI., and the
 length of the outlet portion defined along the longitudinal axis of the
 venturi is 1/2.PHI.. In this ideal illustrative embodiment, the inlet side
 of the inlet portion preferably has a diameter of .PHI. and tapers to a
 diameter of 0.4.PHI. at the outlet side of the inlet portion. The inlet
 side of the intermediate portion preferably has a diameter of 0.4.PHI. and
 flares gradually to a 2% larger diameter of 0.408.PHI. at the outlet side
 of the intermediate portion. In this ideal illustrative embodiment, the
 inlet side of the outlet portion preferably has a diameter of 0.408.PHI.
 and flares to a diameter of .PHI. at the outlet side of the outlet
 portion.
 As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the
 present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description.
 Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and
 operation will be provided.
 With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the
 optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to
 include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of
 operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to
 one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those
 illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are
 intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
 Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the
 principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and
 changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired
 to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and
 described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may
 be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.