US 12,577,961 B2Granted

Low-flow fluid delivery system and low-flow device therefor

AssigneeGeyser Technologies, LLC

InventorJonathan Ballesteros

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Abstract

The system includes a pump assembly comprising a pump mechanism having an inlet side that fluidly couples to a fluid supply, and an outlet side. A pressure sensor is coupled to the outlet side and configured to measure fluid pressure. An actuator is coupled to the pump mechanism. A controller is coupled to the pressure sensor and is configured with a preselected set of fluid pressure set points and one or more preselected sets of fluid flow rates and to control the actuator to increase a fluid flow rate to a first flow rate when the fluid pressure at the outlet side falls to a lower one of corresponding fluid pressure set point. The controller controls the actuator to reduce the fluid flow rate to a second fluid flow rate, when the fluid pressure at the outlet side rises to an upper one of a corresponding fluid pressure set point.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A hand portable apparatus comprising:

a pump having an inlet side and an outlet side, wherein the inlet side is configured to fluidly couple to a fluid supply;
a pressure sensor operably coupled to the outlet side and configured to measure a fluid pressure at the outlet side;
a pressure-actuated controller coupled to the pressure sensor, wherein the pressure-actuated controller is configured to:
turn on the pump in response to the fluid pressure at the outlet side below a first preselected pressure set point and turn off the pump in response to the fluid pressure at the outlet side above a second preselected pressure set point;
cycle between the first and second preselected set points unless a fluid flow rate at the outlet side exceeds a first value wherein the fluid pressure at the outlet side then remains below the first preselected fluid pressure set point and wherein the first preselected pressure set point is less than the second preselected pressure set point;
a sponge wherein the sponge comprises perforations;
and
a low-flow device coupled to the outlet side and wherein the low-flow device comprises a tube with an opening at an end, wherein the sponge is configured to dispense fluid flowing from at least the opening of the tube through the perforations of the sponge;
wherein the low-flow device is fluidly coupled to the sponge, the sponge is fluidly coupled to a flow valve, and the flow valve is fluidly coupled to the outlet side,
wherein:
the low-flow device is configured to dispense fluid from one or more openings in the low-flow device;
the flow valve is configured to deliver a flow-rate of the fluid adjustable to any value within a preselected range from about 0.01 gallons per minute (gpm) to about 2.5 gpm when the fluid pressure at the outlet side of the pump assembly decreases to the first preselected pressure set point and remains below the second preselected pressure set point;
and
wherein the first value is less than about 2.5 gpm.

11 more elements

A system comprising:

a pump mechanism having an inlet side and an outlet side, wherein the inlet side is configured to fluidly couple to a fluid supply;
a pressure sensor operably coupled to the outlet side and configured to measure a fluid pressure at the outlet side;
an actuator mechanically coupled to the pump mechanism to drive the pump mechanism;
a controller coupled to the pressure sensor, wherein the controller is configured with a preselected set of fluid pressure set points and one or more preselected sets of fluid flow rates, wherein the preselected set of fluid pressure set points comprises an ordered set of fluid pressure set points, the preselected set of fluid flow rates comprises an ordered set of fluid flow rates, and the controller is further configured to:
control the actuator to increase a fluid flow rate to a first flow rate in the preselected set of fluid flow rates when the fluid pressure at the outlet side falls to a lower one of corresponding fluid pressure set point in the preselected set of fluid pressure set points;
control the actuator to reduce the fluid flow rate to a second fluid flow rate in the preselected set of fluid flow rates when the fluid pressure at the outlet side rises to an upper one of corresponding fluid pressure set point in the preselected set of fluid pressure set points;
a sponge wherein the sponge comprises perforations;
and
a low-flow device coupled to the sponge, the sponge fluidly coupled to the outlet side and wherein the low-flow device comprises a tube with an opening at the end, wherein the sponge is configured to dispense fluid flowing from at least the opening of the tube through the perforations of the sponge, through the sponge perpendicular to a surface of the sponge;
and a flow valve configured to deliver a flow rate of the fluid adjustable to any value within a preselected range from about 0.01 gpm to about 2.5 gpm, and wherein the first flow rate is less than about 2.5 gpm.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/582,915Filed 21 Feb 2024 · continuation
Priority: AU 201790102122 Mar 2017
Published: US 2024/0352946 A124 Oct 2024
Granted: 17 Mar 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

F04D 15/0209
Stopping of pumps, or operating valves, on occurrence of unwanted conditions: responsive to a condition of the working fluid
F04D 29/605
Mounting; Assembling; Disassembling: specially adapted for liquid pumps
B08B 1/12
Characterised by the type of cleaning tool: brushes
B08B 3/04
Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam: cleaning involving contact with liquid

Family

Application62/605,425Us provisional application · filed 14 Aug 2017
Application62/707,592Us provisional application · filed 9 Nov 2017
PCT/US2018/023470Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Mar 2018
US 2024/0352946 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 Oct 2024
Application16/465,470Parent of this continuation
US 11,933,317 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2020/0063758 A1Published application
US 12,577,961 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.