Patent Application
20110259453
I. Field
The present invention relates generally to pumps. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pump with an integrated deflation valve.
II. Description of Related Art
Inflatable mattresses have become popular due to their utility as an extra bed needed around the house or on camping trips. An advantage of such inflatable mattresses is that they are portable and easily stored. A pump is typically required to fill these mattresses quickly and efficiently. For example, a battery-operated or corded pump may be provided with the mattress and adapted to fill the mattress with air. In some cases, the pump is integrated into the air mattress. In this case, the perimeter of the pump is glued or welded to the mattress. To facilitate deflation of the mattress, a separate deflation port is also glued or welded to the mattress.
However, the increase in the number of items glued and/or welded to the mattress increases the manufacturing costs of the mattress and increases the chances of a leak developing.
An embodiment of a pump for an inflatable device includes a housing that defines a blower chamber configured to be inserted into the inflatable device. The blower chamber includes an exhaust port configured to communicate air out of the pump. The housing also defines a deflation port, which is adjacent to the blower chamber, and an attachment portion configured to make a substantially airtight seal with the surface of the inflatable device. The pump also includes a removably attachable cover configured to substantially cover the blower chamber. The cover defines an opening through which the deflation port extends, and at least one vent through which air is communicated into the pump.
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 detailed description and illustrated embodiments of the invention serve to explain the principles of the invention.
The attachment portion 105 is configured to form a substantially airtight seal with the surface of the inflatable device 500. The attachment portion 105 may be glued or welded to the surface of the inflatable device 500 or may be fastened to the inflatable device 500 in a different way that produces a substantially airtight seal between the pump 100 and the inflatable device 500.
The blower chamber 110 of the pump 100 is configured to be inserted into the inflatable device 500 such that the blower chamber 110 is substantially disposed inside the inflatable device 500, as illustrated in
Referring to
Referring back to
In some implementations, a pressure regulator (not shown) may be disposed within the blower chamber 110. The pressure regulator is configured to interrupt power to the motor 415 of the blower housing 305 when a desired air pressure is achieved inside of the inflatable device 500. The pressure regulator may be removably attached to the blower chamber 110 to enable removal of the pressure regulator.
The deflation port 140 of the housing 102 may be positioned adjacent to the blower chamber 110. The deflation port 140 enables the deflation of the inflatable device 500. In some implementations, a detachable deflation port cap 120 may be secured to the deflation port 140 to prevent air from escaping from the inflatable device 500.
At least one advantage to providing a housing with a unified blower chamber 110 and deflation port 140 is that it minimizes the number of items glued or welded to the inflatable device 500, thereby decreasing the costs associated with manufacturing the inflatable device 500. Another advantage of a housing with a unified blower chamber 110 and deflation port 140 is that the surface area for the associated attachment portion 105 is less than the surface area for respective attachment portions of a comparably sized non-unified blower chamber and deflation port. The decreased surface area lowers the likelihood of a leak developing in the inflatable device 500 in the vicinity of the pump 100.
Referring to
In some implementations, the deflation port 140 includes a valve 140b, as shown in
Referring to
As illustrated in
At least one advantage to providing a removably attached cover is that it enables placement or replacement of the blower housing 305 and other components that are disposed within the blower chamber 110 without the destruction of the inflatable device 500. For example, during manufacturing, the housing 102 may be inserted and fastened to the inflatable device 500 in a first manufacturing operation. Then components of the pump 100 may be inserted into the blower chamber 110. To service the inflatable device 500, the cover may be removed to expose the blower housing 110, the valve 115, pressure regulator, and other components disposed within the blower chamber 110. The respective components may then be serviced.
Another advantage to providing a removably attached cover 125 is that the cover 125 may be customized independent of the other components of the pump. For example, pump housings may be attached to inflatable devices in a first manufacturing operation. During later operations, the inflatable devices with the attached housings may be differentiated via customized cover plates. For example, an OEM manufacture may select a cover design based on a customer.
While the method and system has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present method and system not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the method and system include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
