Design Notes for Low Cost Treadle Pump

FYI - Here's some information you might find useful in designing a Low Cost Treadle Pump.

Here's some Treadle Pump patents that have expired due to age (generally more than 20 years old from filing date). Expired patents are free to use by anyone.

TREADLE-PUMPUS Pat. 818522 - Filed Jan 2, 1902
IMPROVEMENT IN TREADLE-OPERATED CONFLUENT PUMPSUS Pat. 194377 - Filed Jul 23, 1877
PUMPUS Pat. 344133 - Filed Nov 16, 1885
PUMP-ACTUATING MECHANISMUS Pat. 705425 - Filed Sep 20, 1901
TREADLE-PUMPUS Pat. 439992 - Filed Jan 6, 1890
ATTACHMENT FOR PUMPSUS Pat. 413669 - Filed Jun 12, 1889
DEVICE FOR OPERATING PUMPS BY MEANS OF TREADLESUS Pat. 482777 - Filed Aug 5, 1891 - JACOB GOETZ
PORTABLE PUMPING APPARATUSUS Pat. 517881
IMPROVEMENT IN LIFT-PUMPSUS Pat. 195253 - Filed Aug 18, 1877

To search for more Treadle Pump patents, try the following. Please remember that newer patents are probably not expired, and therefore active.

For a Worldwide search, go to esp@cenet.
In the "International Patent Classification (IPC)" field, copy and paste in the following - F04B
In the "Keyword(s) in title or abstract" field, copy and paste in the following - (tread* OR pedal*) AND water
Press SEARCH. View your results.

For the U.S. only, go to U.S. Issued Patents.
In the "Query" field, copy and paste in the following - ABST/(pump$ AND water$ AND (pedal$ OR tread$))
Press SEARCH. View your results.

For the latest in U.S. only, go to U.S. Published Applications.
In the "Query" field, paste in the same search string above.
Press SEARCH. View your results.

In addition, here's some other information you might find interesting:

Treadle Pump
How to Make and Use the Treadle Irrigation Pump by Carl Bielenberg and Hugh Allen (Paperback - Dec 1, 1995)
Treadle pumps - WCA Info Net

So what can you do with all this information? Here's some suggestions.

• You could make and sell the device described in the expired patent. Please note that just because something is patented or written, it might not work all that well or might not be safe in today's standards. Use your own judgment, or seek help, to stay safe and out of trouble.
• You could "translate" the expired patent into easy-to-understand instructions for others to make the device. These instructions could use easy-to-find materials, like trees, plants, rocks, people, scrap materials, etc.
• You could recruit the inventors or authors to help you, since they are experts in their field. Some of the inventors of older patents might be retired now and might be looking for something to do.
• Existing manufacturers of Treadle Pump could use this information to make their already fine products even better, more efficient, or less expensive.
• You could use the information to brainstorm new ideas. Build on the work of others.
  

Here's some possible brainstorming ticklers to help you launch in new directions around the topic of Treadle Pump.

COMBINED SEE-SAW AND WATER SPRAYERUS Pat. 3231269 - Filed May 5, 1964
BATHER'S PUMPUS Pat. 1628866 - Filed Apr 17, 1924
PUMP ATTACHMENT FOR BICYCLESUS Pat. 559418 - Filed Sep 23, 1896
WATER-ELEVATORUS Pat. 268086 - Filed Aug 17, 1882
ENDLESS-CHAIN WATER-ELEVATORUS Pat. 427997 - Filed Mar 3, 1890
PLASTIC PISTON PUMPUS Pat. 3684410 - Filed Sep 29, 1970
Can we learn anything from Exercise Machines?
Maybe disabled people could combine their efforts to pump water for the village - group effort.
Merry-Go-Round Pumps Water

That's about all for now. As background, the site "Design for the Other 90%" said to "GET INVOLVED", so I did. I plan to continue posting these LOW COST DESIGN TOPICS on my Blog for a while yet. Let me know if there is topic you would like to see covered.

I hope you find this helpful. I'm sure you can do much better though! Good Luck!

For more of my LOW COST DESIGN TOPICS - Click on the tag below "design for the other 90%".

See disclaimers on TG Ideas LLC publications and website - http://www.athenet.net/~ideas/, Thanks!