Portable air pump

Abstract

A portable air pump comprises an inflation mechanism (10), a hinged seat (20) arranged on a cylinder of the inflation mechanism, a support seat (30) pivotally connected to the hinged seat, a positioning mechanism (40) pivotally connected to the support seat, and a footrest (50) connected to the support seat. The hinged seat has a hinge end (21) with a positioning portion (211). The support seat has a connecting portion (31) pivotally received by the hinged seat (20) and a receptacle (32). The positioning mechanism comprises a positioning element (41) pivotally engaged with the receptacle and a biasing element (42). The positioning element can be releasably engaged with the positioning portion.The footrest is unfolded when the positioning element is engaged with the positioning section and is configured to be folded towards the inflation mechanism when the positioning element is disengaged from the positioning section.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a portable air pump and, more particularly, to a portable pump having a foot pedal that can be moved to different angular positions for various purposes.

[0002] Portable air pumps are typically compact, making them easy to carry. However, assembling many smaller components of a portable air pump is laborious and complicated, and operating the portable air pump is inconvenient. For example, 1) portable air pumps typically lack an easy-to-read pressure gauge; 2) the connection between an air nozzle of the portable air pump and a bicycle tire valve is easily obstructed by external objects such as rim spokes; 3) it is difficult to read a pressure value after the air nozzle is connected to the tire; and 4) it is tiring to inflate the tire when a user holds a cylinder of the portable pump with one hand and a handle of the portable pump with the other hand.

[0003] US 11 408 408 B2 describes a portable air pump comprising an inflation assembly, a head seat pivotally connected to the inflation assembly, a pressure gauge arranged in the head seat, a connecting assembly pivotally connected to the inflation assembly, and an axial element.

[0004] DE 10 2011 115 790 B3 describes a pump comprising rotating elements whose bevelled surfaces are provided with a rotation axis hole.

[0005] US 8 747 076 B2 describes a portable air pump comprising a pump body, a base member attached to the pump body and defining a receiving chamber therein, a housing movable into and out of the receiving chamber between an exposed and a concealed position, and a pressure gauge mounted in the housing.

[0006] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate or at least mitigate the problems encountered in the prior art. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a portable air pump according to the present invention; Fig. 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the portable air pump of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the portable air pump of Fig. 1 in a compact configuration; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the portable air pump of Fig. 1 including a positioning mechanism in an unlocked position; Fig. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the portable air pump of Fig. 1 comprising an articulated seat and a support seat which are operatively pivotable relative to each other when the positioning mechanism is in an unlocked position; and Fig. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the portable air pump of Fig. 1 with a footrest in a usage configuration.

[0007] The Fig. 1 to 6 show a portable air pump according to the present invention. The portable air pump includes an inflation mechanism 10, a hinge seat 20, a support seat 30, a positioning mechanism 40, a footrest 50, and a hinge mechanism 60.

[0008] The inflation mechanism 10 comprises a cylinder 11 adapted to receive a piston (not shown) and to store air compressed by the piston.

[0009] The joint seat 20 is arranged at one end of the cylinder 11. The joint seat 20 has a joint end 21 in a shape having a pair of links. The joint end 21 has a first positioning portion 211 and a second positioning portion 212. Each of the first and second positioning portions 211 and 212 defines two holes, one hole extending in one of the pair of links and another hole extending in the other of the pair of links. The second positioning portion 212 is spaced from the first positioning portion 211. The first and second positioning portions 211 and 212 are spaced apart from each other along an outer periphery of the joint end 21 by an arc length that includes an angle of 90 degrees. Furthermore, the pair of links has a groove 22 formed therebetween.The two holes of the respective first and second positioning portions 211 and 212 are arranged on opposite sides of the groove 22.

[0010] The support seat 30 is pivotally connected to the articulated seat 20. The support seat 30 has a connecting portion 31 and a receptacle 32. The connecting portion 31 is pivotally received in the articulated seat 20, i.e., in particular, in the groove 22. The support seat 30 has the connecting portion 31 and the receptacle 32, which are located on a top and a bottom thereof, respectively. The receptacle 32 has a first receptacle portion 322 and a second receptacle portion 323. The support seat 30 has a first through-hole 33 extending transversely to and through the first receptacle portion 322.

[0011] The positioning mechanism 40 is pivotally connected to the support seat 30. The positioning mechanism 40 includes a positioning member 41, a biasing member 42, and a pivot pin 43. The positioning member 41 is pivotally engaged with the receptacle 32 through the pivot pin 43 and is biased by a biasing member 42. The biasing member 42 is disposed between a surface of the receptacle 32 and the positioning member 41. The biasing member 42 is a torsion spring.

[0012] The positioning member 41 has a second through-hole 414 aligned with and associated with the first through-hole 33. The biasing member 42 has an abutment portion 421 abutting the bottom 321 of the receptacle 32 and a receiving portion 422 receiving the pivot pin 43. The receiving portion 422 has the shape of two loops and is arranged on different sides of the abutment portion 421. The pivot pin 43 is configured to pivotally connect the positioning member 41 to the support seat 30. The pivot pin 43 is inserted into the first through-hole 33, through the biasing member 42, and into the second through-hole 414. The pivot pin 43 is inserted through the receiving portion 422.

[0013] The positioning member 41 releasably engages one of the first and second positioning portions 211 and 212, preventing the hinge seat 20 and the support seat 30 from rotating relative to each other. The hinge seat 20 and the support seat 30 are angled at a first angle when the positioning member 41 engages the first positioning portion 211, and at a second angle when the positioning member 41 engages the second positioning portion 212.

[0014] The positioning element 41 has an actuating end 411 usable for pivoting the positioning element 41, and a positioning end 412 configured to be selectively engaged with the first and second positioning portions 211 and 212. The first receiving portion 322 is configured to receive the actuating end 411, and the second receiving portion 323 is configured to receive the positioning end 412. The actuating end 411 is spaced from a bottom 321 of the receptacle 32 and is movable toward and away from it. The positioning end 412 extends from the actuating end 411 and has a shape including a pair of lugs, each of the pair of lugs including an engaging portion 413 configured to releasably engage with the first and second positioning portions 211 and 212.

[0015] The footrest 50 is arranged on one side of the support seat 30. The support seat 30 has a support end 34 at one end, and the footrest 50 has a fixed end 51 that engages with the support end 34 of the support seat 30. The footrest 50 is extended when the positioning member 41 is engaged with the first positioning portion 211, and is configured to be folded toward the inflation mechanism 10 when the positioning member 41 is disengaged from the first positioning portion 211. Therefore, the footrest 50 is extended when the positioning member 41 is engaged with the first positioning portion 211, and the inflation mechanism 10 and the footrest 50 define a space therebetween adapted to allow a user to stand on the footrest 50 when operating the portable air pump.

[0016] The hinge mechanism 60 is configured to connect an object to be inflated to the portable air pump. The hinge mechanism 60 is pivotally connected to the hinge seat 20. The hinge end 21 of the hinge seat 20 and the connecting portion 31 of the support seat 30 have a shaft connector 70 inserted therein. The hinge mechanism 60 is connected to the shaft connector 70.

[0017] Fig. 3 shows that the portable air pump is in a compact configuration in which the engaging portion 413 of the positioning member 41 engages with the second positioning portion 212 of the joint end 21, preventing the joint seat 20 and the support seat 30 from rotating relative to each other, and the footrest 50 extends along the cylinder 11, that is, the footrest and the cylinder extend parallel to each other. This makes the portable air pump compact and easy to transport.

[0018] Fig. 4 shows that a force greater than the restoring force of the biasing member 42 is exerted on the positioning member 41 to pivot the positioning member 41 to a position in which the actuating end 411 approaches the bottom 321 of the receptacle 32, the positioning end 412 is located slightly outside the receptacle 32, and the engaging portion 413 of the positioning member 41 is disengaged from the second positioning portion 212 of the joint end 21. When the engaging portion 413 is disengaged from the second positioning portion 212, the joint seat 20 and the support seat 30 can be pivoted relative to each other to a relative angular position different from that shown in Fig. 4, as shown in Fig. 5 is shown.

[0019] Fig.6 shows that the hinge seat 20 is pivoted relative to the support seat 30 to a position such that the engaging portion 413 of the positioning member 41 engages with the first positioning portion 211 under the biasing force of the biasing member 42. When the engaging portion 413 of the positioning member 41 and the first positioning portion 211 of the hinge end 21 are engaged, the hinge seat 20 and the support seat 30 cannot pivot relative to each other, the portable air pump is in a use position, and the inflation mechanism 10 is arranged orthogonally to the footrest 50. In this regard, the footrest 50 and the air cylinder 11 are arranged in an inverted T-shape, and the user can step on the footrest 50 and apply forces to the inflation mechanism 10 with both hands, like a floor pump.Furthermore, the locking relationship between the engaging portion 413 and the first positioning portion 211 prevents an unexpected relative pivotal movement between the hinge seat 20 and the support seat 30 from affecting an inflation operation.

[0020] In view of the above, the positioning member 41 selectively engages the positioning portions 211 and 212 on the articulating seat 21, so that the portable pump can be selectively positioned in the use configuration and the compact configuration, and the footrest 50 is configured to be angled relative to the cylinder 11 for various purposes. Furthermore, when the positioning member 41 engages one of the first and second positioning portions 211 and 212 on the articulating seat 20, unintentional pivotal movements of the articulating seat 20 and the support seat 30 are prevented, so that the user does not experience unexpected relative pivotal movement between the articulating seat 20 and the support seat 30 while performing an inflation operation.

Claims

[1] Portable air pump, with: an inflation mechanism (10) with a cylinder (11); a joint seat (20) arranged at one end of the cylinder (11), the joint seat (20) having a joint end (21) having a first positioning portion (211); a support seat (30) pivotably connected to the articulated seat (20), the support seat (30) having a connecting portion (31) pivotably received by the articulated seat (20) and a receptacle (32); a positioning mechanism (40) pivotally connected to the support seat (30), wherein the positioning mechanism (40) has a positioning element (41) pivotally engaged with the receptacle (32) and a biasing element (42) arranged between a surface of the receptacle (32) and the positioning element (41), and wherein the positioning element (41) is biased by the biasing element (42) and can be releasably engaged with the first positioning portion (211) so that a relative pivotal movement between the joint seat (20) and the support seat (30) is prevented; and a footrest (50) arranged on one side of the support seat (30), wherein the footrest (50) is folded out when the positioning element (41) is engaged with the first positioning section (211) and is adapted to be folded towards the inflation mechanism (10) when the positioning element (41) is disengaged from the first positioning section (211). [2] The portable air pump according to claim 1, wherein the hinge end (21) further comprises a second positioning portion (212) with which the positioning member (41) can be detachably engaged, the second positioning portion (212) being spaced from the first positioning portion (211), and the hinge seat (20) and the support seat (30) are angled at a first angle when the positioning member (41) is engaged with the first positioning portion (211) and at a second angle when the positioning member (41) is engaged with the second positioning portion (212). [3] The portable air pump according to claim 1, wherein the positioning member (41) has an operating end (411) usable for pivoting the positioning member (41) and a positioning end (412) configured to releasably engage with the first positioning portion (211), the operating end (411) being spaced from and movable toward and away from a bottom (321) of the receptacle (32), the positioning end (412) extending from the operating end (411) and having a shape including a pair of projections, and each of the pair of projections having an engaging portion (413) configured to releasably engage with the first positioning portion (211). [4] The portable air pump according to claim 3, wherein the support seat (30) has the connecting portion (31) and the receptacle (32) disposed on an upper side and a lower side thereof, respectively, and wherein the receptacle (32) has a first receptacle portion (322) receiving the operating end (411) and a second receptacle portion (323) receiving the positioning end (412). [5] The portable air pump according to claim 4, wherein the support seat (30) has a first through-hole (33) extending transversely to and through the first receiving portion (322), and the positioning member (41) has a second through-hole (414) aligned with and associated with the first through-hole (33), wherein the positioning mechanism (40) has a pivot pin (43) configured to pivotally connect the positioning member (41) to the support seat (30), and wherein the pivot pin (43) is inserted into the first through-hole (33), through the biasing member (42), and into the second through-hole (414). [6] A portable air pump according to claim 5, wherein the biasing member (42) has an abutment portion (421) abutting against the bottom (321) of the receptacle (32) and a receiving portion (422) receiving the pivot pin (43), the receiving portion (422) being in the form of two loops and being arranged on different sides of the abutment portion (421), and the pivot pin (43) being inserted through the receiving portion (422). [7] A portable air pump according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first and second positioning portions (211, 212) are spaced apart from each other along an outer circumference of the joint end (21) by an arc length enclosing an angle of 90 degrees. [8] A portable air pump according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the support seat (30) has a holding end (34) at one end and the footrest (50) has a fixed end (51) engaging with the holding end (34) of the support seat (30). [9] A portable air pump according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a hinge mechanism (60) configured to connect an object to be inflated to the portable air pump, which is pivotally connected to the hinge seat (20), and wherein the hinge end (21) of the hinge seat (20) and the connecting portion (31) of the support seat (30) have a shaft connector (70) inserted therein, and wherein the hinge mechanism (60) is connected to the shaft connector (70). [10] A portable air pump according to claim 2, wherein the footrest (50) is folded to extend along the inflation mechanism (10) when the positioning member (41) is engaged with the second positioning portion (212).

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