This application is a non-provisional application of 62/501,528, which was filed on May 4, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention pertains to devices for inflating collapsible air support furniture such as lounge chairs. More specifically, the present invention pertains to air inflation devices for rapidly inflating such inflatable furniture in the absence of appreciable wind.
Fairly recently collapsible air support furniture such as beach lounge chairs were invented that comprise large closeable inflation openings that allow users to rapidly inflate such furniture by simply holding the inflation opening open in the direction of a strong wind (such is common on beach front property). Although, in the absence of sufficient wind the user could also attempt to inflate such furniture by holding the inflation opening and swinging the opening back and forth frantically (much like one typically inflates trash bags), the size of the inflated furniture makes doing so extremely difficult, if at all possible. As a result most inflatable furniture designed to be filled without the use of mere wind speed, are often fitted with much smaller inflation openings configured to be manually blown into via one's mouth or some sort of mechanical pump.
In view of the foregoing, the following invention has been developed to work in conjunction with traditional wind filled inflatable furniture to allow such device to optionally be filled with air in the absence of wind without manually blowing into them by mouth or using some sort of mechanical pump.
The present invention pertains to flaps positioned internally in the inflatable furniture adjacent the large closeable inflation openings. The flaps act as flapper valves of sorts that allow the rapid open and closing of the inflation to pump air into the inflatable furniture in the absence of any other wind or blowing. The flaps do not however, prevent air from being released from the inflatable furniture when desired and therefore inflated furniture can still easily be released from the inflatable furniture when it is desired to collapse and fold such furniture for compact transportation or storage.
In one aspect of the invention, an air support article of air inflatable furniture comprises a sack having an air inflation device. The sack is formed of a pliable material and is configured and adapted to be adjusted between an inflated configuration and a deflated configuration. The sack is configured to at least partially support a human above a surface when the sack is in the inflated configuration. The sack is configured to be folded compactly upon itself when in the deflated configuration. The air inflation device provides an openable and closable opening into the sack and comprises first and second resiliently flexible elongate members and at least one pliable flap attached to the sack. The resiliently flexible elongate members each have opposite first and second axial ends. The first ends of the resiliently flexible elongate members are operatively connected to each other and the second ends of the resiliently flexible elongate members are operatively connected to each other. The resiliently flexible elongate members are configured and adapted such that they can be arced in opposite directions from each other in a manner such that the opening into the sack is in an open configuration. The resiliently flexible elongate members are also configured and adapted such that they can be adjacent each other, either circumjacent to each other or parallel to each other, in a manner such that the opening into the sack is in the closed configuration. The flap has opposite leading and trailing edges. The flap is internal to the sack and the leading edge of the flap is operatively attached at least adjacent to the first resiliently flexible elongate member. The trailing end of the flap is unattached to the sack and free to move within the sack. The air inflation device is configured such that, if the opening into the sack is adjusted from the closed configuration to the open configuration, the flap can partially prevent any air within the sack from exiting the sack rapidly through the opening, and such that, if the opening into the sack is adjusted from the open configuration to the closed configuration, the flap does not restrict air from entering rapidly into the sack past the trailing edge of the flap. The flap thereby serves as a partial, but not total, air check valve on air entering and exiting the sack.
Another aspect of the invention pertains to a method of inflating an air support article. The air support article of air inflatable furniture comprises a sack having an air inflation device. The sack is formed of a pliable material and configured and adapted to be adjusted between an inflated configuration and a deflated configuration. The sack is configured to at least partially support a human above a surface when the sack is in the inflated configuration. The sack is configured to be folded compactly upon itself when in the deflated configuration. The air inflation device provides an openable and closable opening into the sack and comprises first and second resiliently flexible elongate members and first and second pliable flaps attached to the sack. The resiliently flexible elongate members each have opposite first and second axial ends. The first ends of the resiliently flexible elongate members are operatively connected to each other and the second ends of the resiliently flexible elongate members are operatively connected to each other. The resiliently flexible elongate members are configured and adapted such that they can be arced in opposite directions from each other in a manner such that the opening into the sack is in an open configuration. The resiliently flexible elongate members are also configured and adapted such that they can be adjacent each other, either circumjacent to each other or parallel to each other, in a manner such that the opening into the sack is in the closed configuration. The first and second flaps each have opposite leading and trailing edges. The first and second flaps are internal to the sack. The leading edge of the first flap is operatively attached at least adjacent to the first resiliently flexible elongate member. The second flap is internal to the sack and the leading edge of the second flap is operatively attached at least adjacent to the second resiliently flexible elongate member. The trailing ends of the first and second flaps are unattached to the sack and are free to move within the sack. The air inflation device is configured such that, if the opening into the sack is adjusted from the closed configuration to the open configuration, the trailing edges of the first and second flaps move at least partially toward each other in a manner that can partially prevent any air within the sack from exiting the sack rapidly through the opening, and such that, if the opening into the sack is adjusted from the open configuration to the closed configuration, the trailing edges of the first and second flaps move away from each other in a manner that does not restrict air from entering rapidly into the sack beyond the trailing edges of the first and second flaps. The first and second flaps together thereby serve as a partial, but not total, air check valve on air entering and exiting the sack. The method of inflating the air support article comprises utilizing the air inflation device in a manner altering the opening back and forth from the open configuration to closed configuration.
Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the operation of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Reference numerals in the written specification and in the drawing figures indicate corresponding items.
An air support article of air inflatable furniture 20 is shown in its entirety in
The article of air inflatable furniture 20 primarily comprises a sack 22 of pliable material, such as woven fiber material or thin plastic sheet, and an inflation device 24. The sack 22 is shaped and configured to fold compactly when the article of air inflatable furniture 20 is in its deflated configuration (see
The air inflation device 24 has an opening 28 into the air chamber 26. The opening is positionable between an open configuration and a closed configuration. The air inflation device 24 comprises first and second resiliently flexible elongate members 30 (see
Each flap 32 has a leading edge 38 and an opposite trailing edge 40. The flaps 32 are configured to be disposed within the air chamber 26. The leading edge 38 of each flap 32 is configured to be operatively attached at least adjacent to a respective one of the elongate member 30, for instance, directly to the elongate member or via the sack 22 or webbing 36 or an intermediate structure. The opposite trailing edge 40 of each flap is preferably free to move within air chamber 26 of sack relative to the exterior of the sack.
In view of the foregoing, the air inflation device 24 is configured such that, when the opening 28 is adjusted rapidly from the closed configuration to the open configuration, the flap(s) 32 can partially prevent any air within the air chamber of the sack 22 from exiting the sack rapidly through the opening 28, since air moving out will tend to move the flap(s) toward each other or toward the nonadjacent side of the sack in a manner such that each flap acts similar to a flapper-type check valve. In contrast, if the opening 28 is adjusted from the open configuration to the closed configuration, the air between the flaps 32 or between the flap and that opposite side of the sack 22 causes the flaps to move apart from each other and/or away from opposite side of the sack 22. Thus, when the opening 28 is adjusted rapidly from the open configuration to the closed configuration air is not appreciably restricted from entering rapidly into the sack past the trailing edge(s) 38 of the flap(s). Thus, even when there is no wind to facilitate the filling of the air chamber 26, rapid opening and closing of the opening 28 will tend to inflate the sack 22.
The air inflation device 24 may also comprise pliable first and second secondary flaps 42. The first and second secondary flaps may be disposed adjacent the opening with the first secondary flap between the first and the second primary flap and the second secondary flap arranged on the opposite side of the opening between the first primary flap and the second primary flap. The first and the second secondary flaps may each have a trailing edge 44, a leading edge 46, and opposite side edges 48. A portion of the leading edge of the secondary flap may be connected to one flexible member 30, and the other portion of the leading edge of the secondary flap may be connected to the other flexible members 30. The opposite side edges 48 of the first and second secondary flaps 42 may connect to the adjacent the first and second primary flaps 32 such that the first and second primary flaps and the first and second secondary flaps collectively together form a sleeve 50 internal to the sack 22. Preferably, the first and second secondary flaps 42 are more pliable than the first and second primary flaps 32 so as not to interfere with the ability of the first and second primary flaps to move at least partially toward each other. This also helps ensure that the first and second primary flaps 32 will move toward each other when pressurized air in the sack 22 tries to escape from the sack when the opening 28 is being opened.
The sack 22 preferably includes a portion 52 adjacent to the air inflation device 24 that is configured to be wound about the elongate members 30 of the air inflation device when the sack is partially filled with air and the air inflation device is in the closed configuration. As such, once the sack 22 is substantially inflated (as shown in
In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the invention has several advantages over the prior art.
As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
It should also be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations. Still further, the order in which the steps of any method claim that follows are presented should not be construed in a manner limiting the order in which such steps must be performed, unless such an order is inherent or explicit.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20180317657 A1 | Nov 2018 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62501528 | May 2017 | US |