This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 100126027, filed on Jul. 22, 2011.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an air valve for an inflatable device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inflatable device usually includes a main body defining an inflatable space therein, and a valve including a port that is disposed on the main body and that is in fluid communication with the inflatable space, and a stopper that removably blocks the port. During inflation of the inflatable space, the stopper is first removed, and air is introduced into the inflatable space until air pressure inside the inflatable space reaches a predetermined level. Finally, the stopper is replaced to block the port to prevent the air from escaping from the inflatable space. During deflation of the inflatable space, the stopper is removed and the air is expelled from the inflatable space so as to facilitate storage of the device.
During inflation, when the air pressure inside the inflatable space reaches the predetermined level and the stopper has not yet been replaced to the port, the air in the inflatable space would somewhat leak since the predetermined pressure level is generally larger than the atmospheric pressure, thereby resulting in inconvenience to users.
Taiwanese Utility Model No. M336366 discloses a valve that has a closing mechanism capable of blocking the port before detachment of an inflator to thereby overcome the abovementioned drawback. However, once the inflatable device is subjected to a sudden impact when the closing mechanism blocks the port, the sudden rise in inner pressure may result in fracture of the main body or the valve. Moreover, since an air passageway inside this valve is straight, if the inflatable device is inflated by oral inflation, saliva of the inflator would easily enter and accumulate in the inflatable space.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an air valve for alleviating the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
Accordingly, an air valve of the present invention comprises:
a seat unit including a surrounding wall that defines an air passageway, and that has an inner surrounding surface defining a vent hole that is in fluid communication with the air passageway;
a valve unit disposed on the seat unit and operable between an open state, where air communication between the external environment and the air passageway is permitted, and a closed state, where air communication between the external environment and the air passageway via the valve unit is not permitted; and
a pressure-regulating member disposed on the seat unit and having
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
As shown in
The seat unit 2 includes an L-shaped tubular surrounding wall 22 defining an air passageway 21 that is in fluid communication with the inflatable space 10 via the air hole 11 of the inflatable body 1, and a flange wall 23 extending outwardly from the surrounding wall 22 and secured to the inflatable body 1. The air passageway 21 is L-shaped and has a first section 211 proximate to the air hole 11, a second section 212 spaced apart from and perpendicular to the first section 211 and distal from the air hole 11, and a curved section 213 interconnecting the first and second sections 211, 212. The surrounding wall 22 has a coupling portion 221 corresponding in position to the second section 212 of the air passageway 21, and an inner surrounding surface 223 adjacent to the flange wall 23 and defining a vent hole 222 that is in fluid communication with the air passageway 21. With further reference to
The valve unit 3 includes a casing 31 that defines an inner space 311 therein, and a connecting tube 35 that interconnects the casing 31 and the coupling portion 221 of the surrounding wall 22 and that communicates fluidly the inner space 311 and the air passageway 21. The casing 31 is formed with a communication hole 312 adjacent to the connecting tube 35, and a plurality of inlet holes 313 communicating fluidly the inner space 311 with the external environment. The valve unit 3 further includes a blocking member 32 that is disposed in the inner space 311, and that is movable between a blocking position (see
Referring back to
The stopper 6 is made of an elastic material, is disposed fittingly in the vent hole 222, and has a concaved surface 61 that clings to the convex surface 521 of the blocking portion 52 of the pressure-regulating member 5, an outer surface 62 opposite to the concaved surface 61, and a through hole 63 extending through the outer surface 62 and the concaved surface 61.
As shown in
Once the inflatable body 1 is overly inflated or is subjected to a sudden impact such that the air pressure in the inflatable space 10 is beyond a predetermined condition, the blocking portion 52 of the pressure-regulating member 5 will be deformed by the air to unblock the vent hole 222, and the stopper 6 will also be deformed relative to the pressure-regulating member 5 such that a portion of the air in the inflatable space 10 can be expelled to the external environment via the air channels 513, a gap generated among the blocking portion 52, the inner surrounding surface 223 and the concaved surface 61 of the stopper 6, and the through hole 63. Therefore, the air valve 9 of the inflatable device is capable of preventing a fracture in the inflatable device or accidental movement of the blocking member 32 to the unblocking position due to a sudden impact.
Moreover, when the inflatable device is inflated by oral inflation, saliva of the inflator would be restrained from entering the inflatable space 10 since the air passageway 21 is curved.
It should be noted that the air valve 9 of this invention may also be equipped in other inflatable devices, such as an inflatable sleeping bag (see
Referring to
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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100126027 | Jul 2011 | TW | national |