Powered pump units for vacuum cups, powered vacuum cup devices, and methods for applying a vacuum to a vacuum cup

A powered vacuum cup device including:

• (a) a device body defining a pump cylinder for a manually operated vacuum pump;
• (b) a pump unit housing at least partially received in the pump cylinder in an operating position;
• (c) a power source receiver mounted on the pump unit housing;
• (d) a vacuum pump mounted on the pump unit housing, the vacuum pump having a vacuum port and a discharge port, the vacuum port being open to a first portion of the pump cylinder when the pump unit housing is in the operating position, the first portion of the pump cylinder being in fluid communication with a cup volume of a vacuum cup connected to the device body;
• (e) a pump drive mounted on the pump unit housing, the pump drive being operatively connected to drive the vacuum pump to produce a vacuum at the vacuum port in response to power applied through a power source when the power source is operatively received in the power source receiver;
• (f) a sealing arrangement adapted to form a seal with the pump cylinder when the pump unit housing is in the operating position, the seal serving to isolate the first portion of the pump cylinder from a remainder of the pump cylinder;
• and
• (g) wherein at least one of the power source receiver, the vacuum pump, and pump drive is received at least partially located in the pump cylinder when the pump unit housing is in the operating position.

A method of applying a vacuum to a vacuum cup of a vacuum cup devices, the vacuum cup device having a pump cylinder for a manually operated vacuum pump, the pump cylinder adapted to removably receive a manually operated piston which is removeable to expose the pump cylinder, the method including:

• (a) with the manually operated piston removed from the pump cylinder, inserting a pump unit housing at least partially into the pump cylinder to an operating position for the pump unit, wherein,
• (i) a power source is mounted on the pump unit housing,
• (ii) a vacuum pump is mounted on the pump unit housing, the vacuum pump having a vacuum port and a discharge port, the vacuum port being open to a first portion of the pump cylinder when the pump unit housing is in the operating position, the first portion of the pump cylinder being in fluid communication with a cup volume of the vacuum cup device,
• (iii) a pump drive is mounted on the pump unit housing, the pump drive being operatively connected to drive the vacuum pump to produce a vacuum at the vacuum port in response to power from the power source,
• (iv) a sealing arrangement for the pump housing is adapted to form a seal with the pump cylinder when the pump unit housing is in the operating position, the seal serving to isolate the first portion of the pump cylinder from a remainder of the pump cylinder, and
• (v) at least one of the power source, the vacuum pump, and pump drive is received at least partially located in the pump cylinder when the pump unit housing is in the operating position;
• and
• (b) operating the pump drive to drive the vacuum pump to produce a vacuum at the vacuum port which is applied to the cup volume of the vacuum cup from the pump cylinder.