Patents
US 8167578 B2: Switch and float assembly for a pump
- Granted
- 2012-05-01
- Filed
- 2009-06-30 application 12495134
- Type
- Utility · 17 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
An assembly controls the liquid level in a vessel in which a submersible pump is disposed. The assembly has a switch housing and a float housing, arranged proximate to each other. A switch in the switch housing selectively energizes a motor associated with the pump. When a float disposed in the float housing moves in response to a change in the liquid level of the vessel, the movement is coupled to the switch by a pair of magnets arranged in attractive relationship to each other. One of the magnets is in the switch housing and the other is in the float housing. The magnets interact by providing force fields that acts through a wall that separates the switch housing and the float housing. A lever on which the switch housing magnet is positioned tilts the magnets away from alignment as they approach each other, reducing the increase in attractive force therebetween.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg120501.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crane Pumps & Systems, Inc. 7 patents | US company or organization | Piqua, OH | CRANE PUMPS & SYSTEMS INC State business registration EXACT high confidence: identical full name and state | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chih-Min Lin | Tipp City, OH | 29 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| William J. Watkins | Tipp City, OH | 5 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| F04B | Positive-displacement machines for liquids; pumps | F04B49/025 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-01-10 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | CRANE PUMPS & SYSTEMS, INC. signed 2021-12-15 | CRANE PUMPS & SYSTEMS PFT CORP. PIQUA, OH | 58610/577 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
| 2009-06-30 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | LIN, CHIH signed 2009-06-24 WATKINS, WILLIAM J signed 2009-06-24 | CRANE PUMPS & SYSTEMS, INC PIQUA, OH | 22897/423 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.