Manual hand crank pump and method

Abstract

A manual hand crank pump has a housing with an inlet and an outlet and has a gearbox with an input and an output and a rotation speed of the output is greater than 50 or 100 times a rotation speed of said input. A hand crank connected to and operable to drive said input of said gearbox and a fan is within the housing and is connected to the output of the gearbox and is operable to pump air from the inlet to the outlet. The gearbox has a gear train with first and second single gears and first, second, third and forth composite gears, each composite gear having a small gear and a large gear coaxial with said small gear which provide an aggregate gear ration of more than 1:50 or more than 1:100. The hank crank pivots between a stored position and an operating position.

1 . A manual hand crank pump, comprising:
 a housing having an inlet and an outlet;   a gearbox including an input and an output and a rotation speed of said output is greater than 50 times a rotation speed of said input;   a hand crank connected to and operable to drive said input of said gearbox;   a fan within said housing, said fan being connected to said output of said gearbox, and being operable to pump air from said inlet to said outlet.   
   
   
       2 . A manual hand crank pump, as in  claim 1 , wherein said rotation speed of said output of said gearbox is greater than 100 times said rotation speed of said input. 
   
   
       3 . A manual hand crank pump, as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said gearbox has a gear train with first and second single gears and first, second, third and forth composite gears, each composite gear having a small gear and a large gear coaxial with said small gear;   said first single gear is connected to and is driven by said input of said gearbox and said first single gear drives a small gear of said first composite gear, a large gear of said first composite gear drives a small gear of said second composite gear, a large gear of said second composite gear drives a small gear of said third composite gear, a large gear of said third composite gear drives a small gear of said forth composite gear, a large gear of said forth composite gear drives said second single gear, and said second single gear is connected to and drives said output of said gearbox.   
   
   
       4 . A manual hand crank pump, as in  claim 3 , wherein:
 said output of said gearbox includes a rotating fan shaft, and said fan is connected to said fan shaft;   said first and third composite gears are independently rotatably supported by said fan shaft, whereby said first and third composite gears rotate at rates different than a rate of rotation of said fan shaft;   said gearbox includes an intermediate shaft;   one of said second and forth composite gears is independently rotatably supported by said intermediate shaft, whereby said one composite gear rotates at a rate different rate than any rate of rotation of said intermediate shaft, and an other of said second and forth composite gears has an axis which is coaxial with an axis of said intermediate shaft.   
   
   
       5 . A manual hand crank pump, as in  claim 4 , wherein:
 said second and forth composite gears are independently rotatably supported by said intermediate shaft, whereby said second and forth composite gears rotate at rates different than any rate of rotation of said intermediate shaft.   
   
   
       6 . A manual hand crank pump, as in  claim 5 , wherein said intermediate shaft does not rotate with respect to said gearbox. 
   
   
       7 . A manual hand crank pump, as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said hand crank has a crank handle sized and shaped to be gripped by a user;   said housing has a crank handle recess sized and shaped to receive said crank handle;   said hand crank has a stored position in which said crank handle is received within said crank handle recess; and   said hand crank has an operation position in which said crank handle may be gripped by said user to operate said pump.   
   
   
       8 . A manual hand crank pump, as in  claim 7 , wherein:
 said pump has a crank base connected to said input of said gearbox; and   said hand crank has a crank shaft pivotally connected to said crank base about an axis substantially perpendicular to an axis of rotation of said input of said gearbox.   
   
   
       9 . A manual hand crank pump, as in  claim 8 , wherein said crank shaft pivots with respect to said crank base through about 180 degrees between said stored and said operating positions. 
   
   
       10 . A method of inflating an inflatable body, comprising:
 providing a manual hand crank pump with a housing having an inlet and an outlet, with a gearbox including an input and an output and a rotation speed of said output is greater than 50 times a rotation speed of said input, with a hand crank connected to and operable to drive said input of said gearbox, and with a fan within said housing, said fan being connected to said output of said gearbox and being operable to pump air from said inlet to said outlet;   interconnecting said outlet of said pump to said inflatable body; and   rotating said hank crank of said pump to inflate said inflatable body.   
   
   
       11 . A method of inflating an inflatable body, as in  claim 10  wherein said rotation speed of said output of said gearbox is greater than  100  times said rotation speed of said input. 
   
   
       12 . A method of inflating an inflatable body, as in  claim 11 , wherein:
 said gearbox has a gear train with first and second single gears and first, second, third and forth composite gears, each composite gear having a small gear and a large gear coaxial with said small gear; and   said first single gear is connected to and is driven by said input of said gearbox and said first single gear drives a small gear of said first composite gear, a large gear of said first composite gear drives a small gear of said second composite gear, a large gear of said second composite gear drives a small gear of said third composite gear, a large gear of said third composite gear drives a small gear of said forth composite gear, a large gear of said forth composite gear drives said second single gear, and said second single gear is connected to and drives said output of said gearbox.   
   
   
       13 . A method of inflating an inflatable body, as in  claim 12 , wherein:
 said output of said gearbox includes a rotating fan shaft, and said fan is connected to said fan shaft;   said first and third composite gears are independently rotatably supported by said fan shaft, whereby said first and third composite gears rotate at rates different than a rate of rotation of said fan shaft;   said gearbox includes an intermediate shaft; and   one of said second and forth composite gears is independently rotatably supported by said intermediate shaft, whereby said one composite gear rotates at a rate different rate than any rate of rotation of said intermediate shaft, and an other of said second and forth composite gears has an axis which is coaxial with an axis of said intermediate shaft.   
   
   
       14 . A method of inflating an inflatable body, as in  claim 13 , wherein:
 said second and forth composite gears are independently rotatably supported by said intermediate shaft, whereby said second and forth composite gears rotate at rates different than any rate of rotation of said intermediate shaft.   
   
   
       15 . A method of inflating an inflatable body, as in  claim 14 , wherein said intermediate shaft does not rotate with respect to said gearbox.