Patent Application
20170335975
This application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 105207114, filed on May 17, 2016, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.
The present disclosure relates to a valve and more particularly to a fluid valve for easy operation. This disclosure further relates to a cushion system using the valve.
Generally, an object to be used after inflated comprises a gas port for inflation or deflation. In a normal state, a closing device such as a plug or a sealing cover for retaining gas in the object is disposed at the gas port, so as to seal the inflated object and prevent gas leakage.
However, it is necessary to release a part of the gas from the object when a user is uncomfortable with excessive gas in the object, such as an air mattress or a cushion. When the user removes the plug or sealing cover from the object, he or she can only determine the proper timing of closing the gas port intuitively because it is difficult to control precisely the rate and amount of gas release from the object. If too much gas is released or discharged, the user needs to inflate the object again and repeats the aforesaid operations. Further, since some plugs or sealing covers are not integrated with the object, the user will be in trouble if he or she unintentionally loses the plugs or sealing covers during removal.
Accordingly, there is a need for allowing the user to control the rate and amount of gas release from the aforesaid object effectively when needed so as to increase operability and ease of use.
A primary object of this disclosure is to provide a valve with operability and ease of use.
To achieve the aforesaid and other objects, the valve of this disclosure comprises a base, a cover and a sealing member. The base comprises a passage structure and a retaining member; the cover comprises a corresponding retaining member and at least one hole, and the cover is movably combined with the base and switchable between a first state and a second state relative to the base; the sealing member is disposed between the passage structure of the base and the cover. In the first state, the cover closes the passage structure with the sealing member to prevent the flow of fluid between the cover and the base; in the second state, at least one fluid channel is formed between the cover and the base, the fluid may enter or leave the valve from at least one hole, and the retaining member and the corresponding retaining member may prevent the cover from being separated from the base when the cover is moved relative to the base.
This disclosure further comprises a cushion system using the aforesaid valve. The cushion system comprises a cushion member, a base, a cover and a sealing member. The cushion member comprises a foam material and a covering member covering the foam material; the base is combined with the covering member, and the base comprises a passage structure allowing the flow of a fluid therethrough; the cover comprises at least one hole, and the cover is movably combined with the base and switchable between a first state and a second state relative to the base; the sealing member is disposed between the passage structure of the base and the cover. In the first state, the cover closes the passage structure by the sealing member to prevent the flow of the fluid through the cushion member; in the second state, at least one fluid channel is formed between the cover and the base so as to allow the flow of the fluid to pass through the cushion member via the least one hole. The fluid is directed into the cushion member through the at least one hole by the foam material recovering from a deformed state to an original shape when an external pressure is removed from the cushion member.
Accordingly, with the aforesaid configuration of the valve, the cover will not be separated from the base no matter how the user operates the cover, and the fluid flowing in or out of the valve may be controlled effectively so as to improve the operability and ease of use. The cushion system using the valve is capable of providing an effect of automatic fluid introduction thereinto.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the descriptions, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Since various aspects and embodiments are merely exemplary and not limiting, after reading this specification, skilled artisans appreciate that other aspects and embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other features and benefits of any one or more of the embodiments will be apparent from the following detailed description and the claims.
The use of “a” or “an” is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, this description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.
As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and the like are used for distinguishing between or referring identical or similar elements or structures and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order thereof. It should be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances or configurations.
Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a component, structure, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such component, structure, article, or apparatus.
Refer to
The base 10 comprises a passage structure 11 and a retaining member 12. The passage structure 11 forms a pipe-like structure and comprises an outer side 111, an inner side 112 and an opening edge 113. The retaining member 12 is protrudingly disposed on the outer side 111 of the passage structure 11, and the retaining member 12 is configured as an annular protrusion structure. In this embodiment, the base 10 further comprises a first thread part 13. The first thread part 13 is disposed on the outer side 111 of the passage structure 11, and the retaining member 12 is arranged between the opening edge 113 and the first thread part 13. In addition, the passage structure 11 further comprises a groove 114 disposed on the inner side 112 of the passage structure 11. In this embodiment, the groove 114 is configured as an annular groove for receiving the sealing member 30.
The cover 20 comprises at least one hole 21, a corresponding retaining member 22, a receiving portion 23 and a protrusion 24, and the corresponding retaining member 22 and the protrusion 24 are disposed in the receiving portion 23. The corresponding retaining member 22 in this embodiment is configured as an annular protrusion structure, and the receiving portion 23 forms a space of the cover 20. Each hole 21 is communicated with the receiving portion 23 from an outer surface 26 of the cover 20. In this embodiment, each hole 21 is extended to the receiving portion 23 from an upper surface of the cover 20, but this disclosure is not limited thereto; for example, each hole 21 may be in communication with the receiving portion 23 from a lateral surface or other position of the cover 20. The protrusion 24 is extended from a top end 231 of the receiving portion 23 outwardly, and the protrusion 24 may be configured as a substantially conical structure. The receiving portion 23 is capable of receiving at least one portion of the passage structure 11 of the base 10 after the cover 20 is combined with the base 10, and the protrusion 24 is capable of being inserted into the opening edge 113 of the passage structure 11 when the cover 20 is moved relative to the base 10. In this embodiment, the cover 20 further comprises a second thread part 25 corresponding to the first thread part 13. The second thread part 25 is disposed in the receiving portion 23, and the corresponding retaining member 22 is arranged between the top end 231 and the second thread part 25.
The sealing member 30 is disposed between the passage structure 11 of the base 10 and the protrusion 24 of the cover 20. In this embodiment, the sealing member 30 is disposed in the groove 114 of the passage structure 11, but this disclosure is not limited thereto; for example, the sealing member 30 may also be disposed on the protrusion 24 of the cover 20. In this embodiment, the sealing member 30 is configured as an annular member and is made of plastic materials with elasticity.
To further describe the movement and operational states among the elements of this embodiment, thinner lines are used for representing the structures and parts of the valve 1 behind the cross-section in
When the cover 20 is moved toward the base 10 by a force to enable a contact between the first thread part 13 and the second thread part 25, the cover 20 is capable of being rotated around a central axis of the passage structure 11 of the base 10, so that the first thread part 13 engages gradually with the second thread part 25 until the cover 20 has moved relative to the base 10 to the first state A1 illustrated by
In addition, in the first state A1, the opening edge 113 of the passage structure 11 of the base 10 is abutted by the top end 231 of the receiving portion 23 of the cover 20, such that the cover 20 can no longer be fastened with respect to the base 10. With the configurational design, the valve 1 of the present disclosure may prompt a user that the cover 20 has been securely fastened, and the protrusion 24 is prevented from excessively extended into the passage structure 11 to break the sealing member 30. In other embodiments, the valve 1 according to the present disclosure may achieve a similar prompt effect by other means. In one non-limiting example, the cover 20 and/or the base 10 may be graduated or labelled to enable a user to determine and observe the degree of rotation or position of the cover 20 relative to the base 10.
In the first state A1, the cover 20 is capable of being rotated reversely around the central axis of the passage structure 11 of the base 10 by a force, and the cover 20 is moved away from the base 10 such that the protrusion 24 of the cover 20 is not in contact with the sealing member 30. In this situation, the protrusion 24 does not seal the passage structure 11 and is at least partially spaced apart from the passage structure 11 so as to define at least one fluid channel between the receiving portion 23 of the cover 20 and the passage structure 11 of the base 10. Because at least one hole 21 is in communication with the at least one fluid channel, the fluid may pass along the at least one fluid channel and through the at least one hole 21 in a flow direction illustrated as the dotted arrows shown in
Refer to
The base 50 comprises a passage structure 51 and a retaining member 52. The passage structure 51 forms a pipe-like structure and comprises an outer side 511, an inner side 512 and an opening edge 513. The retaining member 52 is disposed at the opening edge 513 of the passage structure 51, and the retaining member 52 is configured as an annular structure with an inner flange 521. The inner flange 521 has a height and forms an incline structure on one side facing the opening edge 513. The passage structure 51 further comprises a blocking part 514 disposed on the inner side 512 of the passage structure 51 and apart from the opening edge 513. In this embodiment, a perforation 514a, as illustrated as the dotted portion of the blocking part 514 in
The cover 60 comprises at least one hole 61, a receiving portion 62 and a protrusion 63. Each hole 61 is extended to the receiving portion 62 from an outer surface 64 of the cover 60. The protrusion 63 is extended from the outer surface 64 toward the receiving portion 62. The protrusion 63 in this embodiment is configured as a pillar-like structure, and a metal member for enhancing structural strength may be combined with a central portion of the protrusion 63. The protrusion 63 comprises a corresponding retaining member 631, a lateral recess 632 and a groove 633. The corresponding retaining member 631 has an annular protrusion structure, and the groove 633 is arranged between the lateral recess 632 and the corresponding retaining member 631. In this embodiment, the lateral recess 632 is a rectangular groove for forming a fluid channel, and the groove 633 is an annular groove for receiving the sealing member 70. In this embodiment, a length of the lateral recess 632 along a central axial direction of the protrusion 63 is greater than a height of the inner flange 521 of the retaining member 52. The receiving portion 62 is capable of receiving at least one portion of the passage structure 51 of the base 50 once the cover 60 has been combined with the base 50, and the protrusion 63 is movable in the passage structure 51 when the cover 60 is moved relative to the base 50.
The sealing member 70 is disposed between the passage structure 51 of the base 50 and the protrusion 63 of the cover 60. In this embodiment, the sealing member 70 is disposed in the groove 633 of the protrusion 63, but this disclosure is not limited thereto; for example, the sealing member 70 may also be disposed on the retaining member 52 of the base 50. The sealing member 70 is configured as an annular member in this embodiment and is made of plastic material with elasticity.
The elastic member 80 is disposed in the receiving portion 62 of the cover 60, and two ends of the elastic member 80 are abutted against the retaining member 52 of the base 50 and a top end 621 of the receiving portion 62 of the cover 60 respectively. The elastic member 80 is partially compressed when the base 50 is combined with the cover 60 to provide support to the cover 60 relative to the base 50 and elastic resilience.
To further describe the movement and operational states among the elements of this embodiment, thinner lines are used for representing the structures and parts of the valve 5 behind the cross-section in
When the cover 60 is not manipulated by a force, the compressed elastic member 80 provides support to the cover 60 toward a direction opposite to the base 50, and the corresponding retaining member 631 of the protrusion 63 and the sealing member 70 are driven to move by the cover 60. The sealing member 70 is compressed to abut against the incline structure of the retaining member 52 of the base 50 to fotm a seal so as to close the fluid channel between the passage structure 51 and the receiving portion 62 of the cover 60, as illustrated in
The cover 60 in the first state B1 may be moved relative to and toward the base 50 by a force, such that the retaining member 521 of the base 50 is spaced apart from the sealing member 70. Because the length of the lateral recess 632 along the axial direction of the passage structure 51 is greater than the height of the inner flange 521 of the retaining member 52 after the cover 60 has been combined with the base 50, the inner flange 521 of the retaining member 52 of the base 50 is still kept in the region defined by the length of the lateral recess 632 of the protrusion 63 during the movement of the cover 60, and two ends of the lateral recess 632 are not closed or blocked by the inner flange 521 of the retaining member 52 to allow the flow of fluid therethrough. In this situation, the protrusion 63 is spaced apart from the passage structure 51, and the flow of fluid is made possible due to the arrangement of the lateral recess 632, thereby forming at least one fluid channel between the receiving portion 62 of the cover 60 and the passage structure 51 of the base 50. Since the at least one hole 61, the gap S formed between the cover 60 and the base 50, and the perforation 514a formed in the blocking part 514 are all in communication with the at least one fluid channel, the fluid is capable of passing through the at least one fluid channel from the perforation 514a and then flowing out of the at least one hole 61 and/or the gap S, and vice versa (wherein the fluid flows in a direction indicated by the dotted arrows in
In addition, in the second state B2 as illustrated in
In this embodiment, when the cover 60 is moved relative to the base 50 to the second state B2 in
Refer to
As illustrated in
As illustrated above, the cushion system 9, by controlling the movement of the cover 20 of the valve 1 relative to the base 10, may be switched between the first state A1 for closing the valve 1 (see for example
When the valve 1 is in the second state A2, if the cushion member 90 is compressed by an external pressure so as to deform the foam material 92, the fluid in the cushion member 90 is driven by the external pressure to move through the at least one fluid channel and flow out of the cushion member 90 from the at least one hole 21. When the external pressure is removed from the cushion member 90, the deformed foam material 92 with elasticity may recover gradually from a deformed state to an original shape so as to produce a suction force in the cushion member 90. Accordingly, the fluid is directed into the cushion member 90 from the at least one hole 21 of the valve 1 through the at least one fluid channel by the suction force to achieve automatic inflation.
The above detailed description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the subject matter or the application and uses of such embodiments. Moreover, while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary one or more embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimed subject matter in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient guide for implementing the described one or more embodiments. Also, various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope defined by the claims, which include known equivalents and foreseeable equivalents at the time of filing this patent application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 105207114 | May 2016 | TW | national |
