Patent Application
20080223449
The present invention is directed to inflatable products, and more specifically to a valve for an inflatable product.
An airbed is a large rectangular rubber or plastic bag that is filled with air so that it may be used as a bed. An air mat is similar in construction to an airbed, but is used as a float so that an individual may lie on the air mat in the water. Both products fall under the broad category of “inflatable” products. Other nonlimiting examples of inflatable products include rafts, inflatable furniture, inflatable pools, and inflatable boats.
One thing inflatable products have in common is that they must be inflated for use. To this end, a valve or valves are supplied on an inflatable product for a user to provide air or another gas into the inflatable product. To inflate an inflatable product, a user may utilize his or her breath, i.e., by blowing into a valve or valves, may utilize a manual or electric pump, or may use an air compressor, as examples.
A variety of different valves are presently used for inflatable products. These valves have a common goal: to permit the user to easily inflate and deflate the product, while minimizing escaped air when the user tries to seal the product. Examples of conventional valves are the pinch valve, the Boston valve, and a double lock valve sold by the assignee of the present invention, The Coleman Company, Inc.
While present valves work well for their intended purpose, very few valves are useful in both allowing simple inflation and deflation of the product and allowing quick closure so that air is not lost from the inflatable product after the inflatable product is full. That is, for most prior art valves, when a user has inflated a product, a cap or other structure must be placed over the valve before air is lost. Often, a substantial amount of air is lost before the valve is sufficiently closed. Additionally, the valve may be difficult to use for deflation of the inflatable product.
The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
In accordance with a first embodiment, a valve is provided for an inflatable product. The valve includes a cap that provides a double seal. An inner seal closes an opening for the valve. The inner seal and the opening are mounted in a chamber, and the chamber is closed by a second, outer seal that provides a backup in case of failure of the inner seal.
In accordance with an embodiment, a flapper valve is provided on a valve for an inflatable product. A structure is provided that permits a user to press the flapper valve open so that the inflatable product may be deflated. In addition, when air is forced in through the valve, such as via a pump, the flapper valve is opened by the flow of air. Pressure within the inflatable product forces the flapper valve shut when an obstruction or air flow into the inflatable product is not pressing the flapper valve open.
In an embodiment, projections extend downward from a flexible cone for the valve. A flexible cone may be manipulated between a first position in which a cap may seal a top of the cone and the flapper valve is not engaged by the rigid projections, and a second position in which the flexible cone is collapsed and the rigid projections extend into the flapper valve and permit air to flow through the flapper valve and out of the inflatable product. In an embodiment, the flexible cone may lock in the second position so that the inflatable product may be deflated.
In accordance with an embodiment, a rigid cap may be provided on a housing for the valve, for example around the flexible cone, so that the valve may be locked. The rigid cap may include a double seal such as is described above.
In accordance with another embodiment, a valve is provided having a flexible cone configuration that is collapsible. A plug is connected to the bottom of the flexible cone configuration and is aligned with an opening in a housing for the valve. By collapsing the flexible cone, the plug closes the opening, blocking airflow into and out of the valve.
Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:
In the following description, various embodiments of the present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views,
The valve 20 includes a flapper valve 22, a flapper valve holder 24, and a double seal cap 26. The flapper valve 22 includes a stem 30 having a flange 32 part way up its length. A flexible membrane 34 is attached to the bottom of the stem 30. The flexible membrane 34 may be formed, for example, of rubber, a flexible plastic, or another suitable material. In an embodiment, the stem 30 and the flexible membrane 34 are molded as a single part.
The flapper valve holder 24 includes an outer rim 36 attached to a cylindrical base 38. Spokes 40 extend inward from the cylindrical base 38 to a central hub 42. An opening 44 is positioned at the center of the central hub 42.
In the embodiment shown, three spokes 40 are utilized, but any number may be used, and the flapper valve holder 24 and other parts of the valve 20 may be arranged differently than shown in the drawings.
To assemble the flapper valve 22 and the flapper valve holder 24, the stem 30 of the flapper valve 22 is inserted into the opening 44 of the flapper valve holder 24. A laborer pulls the stem 30 through until the flange 32 pops over the top of the central hub 42. To this end, in an embodiment, the flange 32 is formed of a material that can compress so that it may go through the opening 44, but returns to its original shape after going through the opening. The flange 32 holds the flapper valve 22 into position against the bottom of the flapper valve holder 24. Once in place, the flapper valve 22 closes off a large opening at the bottom of the flapper valve holder 24.
The flapper valve 22 is preferably formed of a material that is sufficiently flexible to bend open from air flowing into the valve 20 (e.g., via a pump), but is resilient so that it returns to a position against the opening at the bottom of the flapper valve holder 24 after the air is no longer flowing through the valve. To this end, without structural intervention, the flapper valve 22 is a one-way valve.
The double seal cap 26 is shown in more detail in
Inside the housing 50 is mounted a flexible cone 62. The flexible cone 62 is positioned so that its apex is at the top of the housing 50 (i.e. at the section that faces the cap 56 when the cap is in position).
As shown in
The top of the flexible cone 62 includes an opening 66. A lip 68 is formed in the opening by a groove that is cut just outside of the lip.
The housing 50 and the flexible cone 62 may be formed of the same material, and the housing 50 may be made more rigid by having its side walls thicker than the side walls of the flexible cone 62. However, in an alternative embodiment, the flexible cone 62 is formed of a different material than the housing 50, and may be, for example, rubber, and is joined to the housing, for example via welding. The housing 50 is preferably formed of a material, or its edges are overmolded to a material (for example at the upper outer ring 54), that may be welded to, heat fused to, or otherwise attached to the inflatable product. As an example, the upper outer ring 54 may be formed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that may be welded to sides of the inflatable product. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the outer rim 36 of the flapper valve holder 24 is connected to the lower outer ring 52, for example by welding.
The cap 56 provides a dual sealing function at the top of the valve 20. The inner seal 58 fits within the opening 66 on the top of the flexible cone 62. The lip 68 formed at the top of the flexible cone 62 permits the opening 66 to flex to accommodate the inner seal 58.
The outer seal 60 fits against the inner edge of the housing 50. This outer seal 60 closes the cap 56 around and over the flexible cone 62, which with the housing forms a chamber. This chamber is closed by the outer seal 60 when the cap 56 is in place. Thus, the outer seal 60 provides a secondary seal if there is leaking at the inner seal 58.
The flapper valve 22 provides a third seal for the valve 20. When the inflatable product is full of pressurized air, the pressure of the air on the back of the flexible membrane 34 of the flapper valve 22 presses the flapper valve 22 closed against the back of the flapper valve holder 24. The sealing action of the flapper valve 22 does not require action by a user, but instead seals automatically. The seal is made stronger when there is pressurized air within the inflatable product.
Thus, the valve 20 has three seals for preventing air leakage: the flapper valve 22, the inner seal 58, and the outer seal 60. These three seals ensure that the valve 20 does not leak during use.
To inflate an inflatable product using the valve 20, a user opens the cap 56, releasing the inner and outer seals 58, 60. A pump may be attached to the opening 66 of the flexible cone 62. Air is then blown through the flexible cone 62. The pressure of the air flowing through the flexible cone 62 opens the flapper valve 22 by blowing the flexible membrane 34 open. The amount the flexible membrane 34 moves out of the way is dependent upon the amount of air flowing through the valve 20 and the flexibility of the flexible membrane 34.
After the inflatable product is fully inflated, the user may simply shut off the pump or disconnect the pump from the opening 66. The flexible membrane 34 then seats back against the bottom of the flapper valve holder 24, sealing the opening to the valve 20. The pressurized air within the inflatable product presses the flexible membrane 34 in place, and seals the flapper valve 22 to the flapper valve holder 24. As such, air is prevented from flowing out of the valve 20. Thus, the valve 20 provides rapid closure after inflation so that air is not lost from the inflatable product after the inflatable product is fully inflated. The user may then close the cap 56, which provides two more closures of the valve 20 via the inner and outer seals 58, 60.
To deflate an inflatable product with the valve 20, the user opens the cap 56. The user then presses the top of the flexible cone 62 inward into the housing 50. The flexible nature of the flexible cone 62 permits the flexible cone to collapse, driving the rigid projections 64 into the flexible membrane 34 of the flapper valve 22. In an embodiment, the rigid projections 64 are positioned so that they extend between the spokes 40 of the flapper valve holder 24. In this manner, the projections 64 may press the flexible membrane 34 away from the bottom of the flapper valve holder 24, opening an air passage.
As shown in
In accordance with another embodiment, a second valve 120 (
A valve 220 in accordance with another embodiment is shown in
The flexible cone 224 is similar in structure to the flexible cone 62 for the valve 20. However, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, the flexible cone 224 is not mounted within a housing such as a housing 50, but instead is mounted on top of the valve housing 222. However, if desired, a similar housing to the housing 50 for the valve 20 may be mounted around the flexible cone 224. The valve 220 includes a plug 232 that is attached to the top of the flexible cone 224 by a flap 234. The plug 232 may extend into an opening for the flexible cone 224 to close the flexible cone. As an alternative, the top of the flexible cone 224 may be sealed by a double sealed cap, such as the cap 56 for the valve 20.
As with the flexible cone 62, the flexible cone 224 includes flexible sides 236 that permit the flexible cone to be collapsed by a user. In addition, as is shown in
In the position shown in
To close the valve 220, the user collapses the flexible cone 224 until the lower plug 238 is seated within the opening 230 at the bottom of the valve housing 222. The lower plug 238 thus seals the valve 220, stopping the flow of any additional air into or out of the inflatable product. The pump may remain on until the lower plug 238 is seated in the opening 230. A user may then shut off the pump.
Because the valve 220 may be closed while the pump is still on, there is little or no loss of air after the inflatable product is full. Air stops flowing into the inflatable product only after the valve 220 is fully closed, and at no point is there a flow of air in the opposite direction (i.e., out of the inflatable product). The pump may then be removed from the opening of the flexible cone 224, and the plug 232 may be used to close the top of the valve 220. Another suitable cap or closure may be used over the opening of the flexible cone 224. The plug 232 or other closure mechanism provides a back-up system to prevent leakage of air out of the inflatable product.
Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US06/61352 | Nov 2006 | US | national |
This application claims the benefit of PCT/US06/61352, filed Nov. 29, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/741,988, filed Dec. 1, 2005, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
