Aquarium power head with integral muffler
US5137433A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 1990 |
| Grant date | Aug 11, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 29, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF04D29/708
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A water pump assembly for an aquarium aeration system includes a housing surrounding an electric pump. Within the housing, a water conduit passes an impeller of the pump for the generation of a stream of moving water. An air-breather conduit conducts air from a location above the housing to an air-induction port in a sidewall of the water conduit wherein the moving water produces a venturi action for drawing in air and entraining the air as a series of bubbles in the stream of water. The process of mixing air with the water produces sound. A muffler disposed on top of the housing is connected serial with the air-breather conduit for attenuating the sound to permit a viewing of the aquarium without the distraction of the sound. A valve may be located on an air inlet port above the muffler for adjusting a rate of flow of the air. The muffler incorporates a serpentine corridor for conduction of the air, the corridor comprising a set of baffles or a set of arcuate passages of sufficiently small cross-sectional dimensions for attenuating the sound. The muffler is constructed in different embodiments, each of which may be opened manually for cleaning.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.