Illumination – With fluid distributer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-01
2001-03-20
Cariaso, Alan (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With fluid distributer
C362S101000, C362S811000, C040S406000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203163
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an arrangement for protecting an air pump used to generate air bubbles in a central liquid filled tube of an article display case from damage caused by the back-up of liquid from the tube into the pump when the pump is in a de-energized condition.
Broadly speaking, article display cases having an elongated, vertically extending, transparent, central tube filled with a liquid such as water in which air bubbles can be generated by means of a conventional high pressure air pump are old and well known in the art. Typically, such a central tube is mounted on the face of an electric lamp and the lamp is energized simultaneously with the air pump so that air bubbles formed in the liquid in a lower end of the tube will be illuminated as they rise through the tube. An upper end of the tube is capped or otherwise enclosed but contains perforations therein through which the air bubbles can escape the liquid to ambient atmosphere, they being continuously replaced in the liquid by the air pump at the base of the tube.
Typically, a cone shaped cover surrounds a base portion of the tube and conceals the pump, an air line from the pump to a base portion of the tube, the lamp and other components of the bubble forming and illuminating system from view. Usually, a number of vertically spaced apart, clear plastic, article support plates are glued to and around the central tube. A colored lens may be used over the face of the lamp to cause a colored light beam to illuminate the bubbles in the tube in like color, thus making an attractive and eye catching display for candy and/or other articles placed for public exhibition on the support plates. An example of such a prior art display case is sold by Mirrotek International LLC., 90 Dayton Avenue, Passiac, N.J., 07055, under the registered trademark BUBBLE LAMPS as model No. LBB60SF.
One difficulty which has been encountered when using such prior art display cases is that liquid in the central tube has a tendency to back-up through the air line and severely damage, if not destroy, the air pump upon deactivation of the pump and expulsion of high pressure air from the air line. To overcome this problem in the prior art, a one way check valve has been placed in the air line between the pump and the tube which allows high pressure air to flow from the pump into the tube but which closes upon de-energizing the pump to prevent liquid from the tube from backing up through the air line past the check valve into the pump. The problem is that such check valves have a very short service life span as compared to the service life span of the usual air pump. Accordingly, such check valves eventually fail, usually sooner, rather than later, resulting in the loss of a relatively expensive air pump to moisture damage long prior to the end of its normally expected service life span.
To extend the effective life of the pump in such display cases, resort has been had to the placement of two or three such check valves in series in the air line between the pump and the tube, the theory being that if one such valve fails, the other one or two will continue to operate to protect the pump. Eventually, however, and usually long prior to the end of the useful service life of the pump under normal circumstances, all of the check valves in the series combination will fail resulting in moisture damage to the pump.
Another difficulty I have noticed with these prior art central tube display cases is that, because of their length, which is typically about five feet in height, they tend to be somewhat rickety, unstable and tiltable on their bases, sometimes to the point of actually toppling over, thus spilling articles from the plates and losing liquid from the upper end of the tube through the perforations therein. This is a particular problem where the display case is located in high traffic areas such as in busy retail stores and the like.
By means of my invention, these and other difficulties encountered using prior art display cases of the aforementioned type are substantially eliminated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of my invention to provide an improved article display case of the type which conventionally uses an air pump to form air bubbles in a base portion of an elongated, transparent, liquid filled, central tube which extends vertically through a series of vertically spaced apart article support plates.
It is a further object of my invention to protect the air pump used in such an article display case from damage due to the back-up of liquid from a base portion of the tube through a pump air line into the pump itself, which can otherwise occur when the pump is de-energized.
It is also an object of my invention to provide an air pump moisture damage protection system for such a display case which does not require the use of one or more check valves disposed in the air line between the air pump and the tube.
In accordance with these objects, I provide an article display case of the type which conventionally includes a base, a series of vertically spaced apart article support plates disposed in registry over the base, and an elongated, transparent, hollow, liquid containing tube which extends vertically upwardly from the base through the plates. The display case also conventionally includes an air pump mounted on the base which contains an air outlet port for connection to a base portion of the tube to pump air, under pressure, into the liquid contained in the tube to form air bubbles therein. An upper end of the tube communicates with atmosphere to disperse the bubbles from the liquid. In combination with the foregoing, I provide an arrangement for protecting the air pump from damage due to a back-up of the liquid into the pump when the pump is inactive. The arrangement comprises a hollow pipe disposed on one end thereof on the base and extending vertically upwardly parallel to and spaced apart from the tube beside the plates. The arrangement also comprises an air line connected on one end to the air outlet port and extending into a hollow shaft in a lower end portion of the pipe, thence upwardly through the shaft to a level above the surface of the liquid in the tube, thence back downwardly through the shaft to a base portion of the pipe and, finally, out of said pipe to an air inlet port on a base portion of the tube which communicates with the liquid.
These and other objects, features and advantages of my invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and attached drawings on which, by way of example, only a preferred embodiment of my invention is described and illustrated.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3292579 (1966-12-01), Buchanan
patent: 3773015 (1973-11-01), Cruickshank et al.
patent: 4923429 (1990-05-01), Lewis
patent: 5967639 (1999-10-01), Shih
Copy of page from advertising publication entitled Bubble Lamps® by Mirroteck International LLC. The advertising publication was in circulation more than one year before the filing date of the above-identified application, and The product shown in the publication under Model No. LBB60SF was in public use and on sale in the United States more than one year prior to the filing date of said publication. A complete description of this product is disclosed in the Background of the Invention portion of said application.
Cariaso Alan
Miller, Jr. Maurice L.
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