Pumping apparatus

Claim 1

PUMPING APPARATUS COMPRISING THREE BLOCK-LIKE BODY MEMBERS HAVING OPPOSED SURFACES, EACH OF SAID BODY MEMBERS HAVING A BORE EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID OPPOSED SURFACES, A COLLAPSIBLE RESILIENT WALLED TUBE, SAID TUBE BEING THREADED THROUGH EACH OF SAID BODY MEMBERS IN SEQUENCE, MEANS WITHIN SAID TUBE ADJACENT TO EACH OF SAID OPPOSED SURFACES FOR MAINTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT THE INNER DIAMETER OF THAT PART OF SAID TUBING WHICH LIES ADJACENT TO SAID OPPOSED SURFACES, A PLURALITY OF SEAL MEANS, ONE OF SAID SEAL MEANS BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN THE WALL OF EACH BORE AND THE OUTER WALL OF SAID TUBING ADJACENT TO SAID OPPOSED SURFACES, SAID SEAL MEANS CLOSING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBING AND THE WALL OF THE BORE ADJACENT TO SAID OPPOSED SURFACES, A SECOND BORE IN EACH MEMBER, SAID SECOND BORE COMMUNICATING WITH THE BORE THROUGH WHICH SAID TUBE EXTENDS, THE FIRST OF SAID BODY MEMBERS ALONG SAID TUBE BEING THE INPUT MEMBER, THE SECOND OF SAID BODY MEMBERS ALONG SAID TUBE BEING THE PUMPING MEMBER AND THE THIRD OF SAID MEMBERS BEING THE OUTPUT MEMBER, MEANS FOR APPLYING SUFFICIENT FLUID PRESSURE THROUGH THE SECOND BORE IN THE OUTPUT MEMBER TO COLLAPSE SAID TUBING IN SAID MEMBER AND CLOSE IT TO THE PASSAGE OF FLUID IN SAID APPARATUS WHICH IS AT ANY INPUT PRESSURE OR BACK PRESSURE ON SAID APPARATUS, AND CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A SOURCE OF PRESSURIZED FLUID FOR SEQUENTIALLY APPLYING FLUID PRESSURE TO SAID SECOND BORE IN SAID INPUT MEMBER AT A PRESSURE SUBSTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF THAT WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO COLLAPSE SAID TUBE AND CLOSE IT TO THE PASSAGE OF FLUID, THEN WHILE MAINTAINING SAID TUBE IN THE INPUT MEMBER IN SAID LAST MENTIONED CONDITION, APPLYING A LESSER FLUID PRESSURE THROUGH THE SECOND BORE OF SAID PUMPING MEMBER TO AT LEAST PARTIALLY COLLAPSE SAID TUBING IN SAID PUMPING MEMBER AND AT LEAST MOMENTARILY FORCE OPEN THE CLOSED COLLAPSED TUBING IN SAID OUTPUT MEMBER AND THEN RELIEVING THE FLUID PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE SECOND BORES OF SAID INPUT AND PUMPING MEMBERS.