Patent Grant
8413674
This invention relates to a valve comprising an electromechanical device and, in particular, to a self-sealing valve used with an electromechanical device to bias open the valve to regulate an amount of fluid in an inflatable device.
Inflatable devices are used in a variety of contexts where buoyancy or a cushioned support is needed, where space is limited, or portability is desired. For example, inflatable mattresses, cushions and other body supports are used for applications such as camping, hospital bedding, and both occasional and everyday bedding in the home. Such inflatable devices have the additional advantage that the degree of inflation of the support can be adjusted to provide even support of an irregular object, such as a person. Other examples of inflatable devices include boats, rafts and other devices for use in the water where use of an inflatable device may benefit support, health, comfort, and safety.
Inflatable devices typically include valves for inflation and deflation of the devices. Valves used with inflatable devices may include self-sealing valves such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,621, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Inflatable devices may also include mechanisms, such as manually or electrically powered pumps, to aid in inflating and/or deflating the devices.
One embodiment of the invention comprises a valve and electromechanical device assembly, comprising a self-sealing valve, a flexible diaphragm assembly and an electromechanical device. The self-sealing valve comprises a housing having a wall defining an opening through which a fluid is provided and also defining a valve seat. The flexible diaphragm assembly positions the flexible diaphragm adjacent the opening and the valve seat, is configured to move at least a portion of the flexible diaphragm at least partially away from the valve seat under bias of a fluid provided on a first side of the flexible diaphragm assembly and is configured to close and maintain a self-seal against the valve seat under bias of a fluid on a second side of the flexible diaphragm assembly. The electromechanical device comprises an actuator arm having a first position in which the actuator arm acts on the flexible diaphragm assembly to urge the at least the portion of the flexible diaphragm at least partially away from the valve seat so as to open the self-sealing valve, and having a second position in which the actuator arm does not act upon the flexible diaphragm assembly.
With this arrangement, a small, low power, low duty cycle electromechanical device can be used. In addition, a plurality of electromechanical devices including, for example, solenoids and motors can be used in combination with at least one self-sealing valve. Furthermore, the valve and electromechanical device can flexibly be used to provide a plurality of adjustment functions, such as, providing minor inflation/deflation adjustments for comfort control of an inflatable device, as well as substantial inflation or deflation of the inflatable device.
Another embodiment of the invention comprises a method of regulating an amount of fluid within an inflatable device comprising a self-sealing valve and an electromechanical assembly. The method comprises biasing open the self-sealing with sufficient fluid pressure provided from a fluid moving device, so as to provide the fluid through the opening and the self-sealing valve to the inflatable device. The method also comprises biasing the self-sealing valve to a closed position with sufficient pressure from fluid within the inflatable device and in the absence of fluid from the fluid moving device. The method further comprises biasing, with the electromechanical device, the self-sealing valve to at least a partially opened position so as to regulate an amount of fluid within the inflatable device.
The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In the drawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In the drawings:
This invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.
As used herein, “inflatable” is to be understood as able to be inflated by any fluid such as, for example, a gas, air, a liquid, and the like. As used herein, an “inflatable device” comprises at least one fluid impermeable bladder that can be inflated and sealed, and may comprise many shapes, sizes, constructions, and materials.
The invention relates to a self-sealing valve that can be used in conjunction with an electromechanical device to bias open the valve. In particular, in one embodiment, the invention relates to a self-sealing valve that can open under the pressure of a fluid moving device to inflate an inflatable device, and that can close under pressure from fluid within the inflatable device, without any assistance from an electromechanical device. In this embodiment, the electromechanical device is used to bias open the valve to at least partially deflate the inflatable device, for example, to adjust an amount of fluid within the inflatable device, and also to substantially deflate the inflatable device. For example, the self-sealing valve can be opened by the electromechanical device for a short duration to adjust the amount of fluid in the inflatable device, and can be biased open to substantially deflate the inflatable device. In another embodiment, the invention comprises an electromechanical device coupled to a self-sealing valve, wherein the electromechanical device comprises an actuator arm that is not connected to the valve, but instead can be biased into contact with the self-sealing valve to bias open the self-sealing valve. In this embodiment, in the closed position, or any position other than an open position, the electromechanical device and the actuator arm may not be in contact with the self-sealing valve assembly. Another embodiment of the invention comprises an electromechanical device and two valve assemblies, one for each fluid impermeable bladder of an inflatable device comprising at least two fluid impermeable bladders. In this embodiment, the electromechanical device can be used to biased open one self-sealing valve at a time, to adjust an amount of fluid within the fluid impermeable bladder coupled to the respective self-sealing valve, or to substantially deflate the fluid impermeable bladder. Other embodiments of the invention will be described infra.
As will be disclosed herein, some of the advantages of the various embodiments of the invention include substantially reduced power requirements for the electromechanical actuation device and substantially reduced cycles of operation for the electromechanical actuation device, compared with conventional valve and solenoid combinations. Another advantage is that a plurality of electromechanical devices including, for example, solenoids and motors can be used in combination with at least one self-sealing valve. Still another advantage is that the valve and electromechanical device of the invention can flexibly be used to provide a plurality of adjustment functions, such as, providing minor inflation/deflation adjustments for comfort control of an inflatable device, as well as substantial inflation or deflation of the inflatable device.
In contrast, Solenoids have been used in conjunction with valves for inflatable devices. In such inflatable devices, the valves typically employ a spring to maintain the valves in a normally biased closed position. A solenoid is typically provided with the valve and is typically sized and arranged to overcome the force of the spring biasing the valve closed so as to open the valve. Such solenoids are typically center mounted with the diaphragm of the valve. In such arrangements, the force of the spring biasing the valve closed has to be greater than a maximum internal air pressure within an inflatable device, so as to maintain the valve in a closed position when the inflatable device is inflated. Accordingly, the solenoid has to be sized and arranged to provide a force greater than the force provided by the spring in order to open the valve. In addition, since the spring normally biases the valve closed, the solenoid typically has to be energized to open the valve both for the purpose of inflating an inflatable device and also for the purpose of exhausting air from the inflatable device. This arrangement results in a long operating cycle of the solenoid to either inflate the inflatable device or deflate the inflatable device, since the solenoid must be energized for the entire time of inflation or deflation. In addition, the solenoid has to be sized so as to provide enough force to overcome the force provided by the spring maintaining the valve in a closed position, and therefore is typically a large, power consuming, and expensive solenoid device. In addition, this arrangement suffers from the infirmity that the amount of fluid that can be provided to the inflatable device and exhausted from the inflatable device are typically the same, since the valve can typically only be opened to a single position or closed by the solenoid. Further, the solenoid typically restricts the fluid pathway, thus requiring a substantial inflation or deflation time for the inflatable device. For example, Select Comfort makes an inflatable mattress with this typical arrangement that takes on the order of about 10 minutes to inflate. Thus, this arrangement suffers from the infirmity of not being able to control an amount of fluid within the inflatable device in sufficient time frames. In particular, the time to fine tune the level of inflation of an inflatable device by this arrangement is typically too long.
It is to be appreciated that the valve and electromechanical device combination of the invention can be used as an alternative or a replacement to the stand alone valve of an inflatable device. For example, the valve and electromechanical device of the invention can be used within the fluid moving device and valve combination disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,363 (hereinafter the “'363 Patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,726 (hereinafter the “'726”), which are herein expressly incorporated by reference, to inflate and control an amount of fluid within an inflatable mattress. It should also be appreciated that although the valve and electromechanical device combination of the invention is illustrated and can be used to inflate, deflate and control an amount of fluid within generally an inflatable device, the combination can be used with any inflatable device, such as, for example: inflatable furniture, or sporting items such as chairs, mattresses and pillows; inflatable safety devices, such as life preservers, barriers, bumpers, and pads; inflatable medical devices, such as supports, casts, and braces; inflatable luggage devices such as, padding and luggage lining material; inflatable recreational devices, such as swimming aids, floats, tubes, and rings; inflated vehicles and vehicle components, such as boats, rafts, and tires; inflatable support structures, such as buildings, portable enclosures, platforms, ramps, and the like; inflatable body support devices, such as seats, back supports, body pillows, and the like.
It should also be appreciated that any of the valve and electromechanical device combinations of the invention, as disclosed infra, can be used in conjunction with any fluid moving device, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,653 herein incorporated by reference; that disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/859,706, herein incorporated by reference; and that disclosed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/113,836 herein incorporated by reference.
It is further to be appreciated that the valve and electromechanical device combination of the invention is typically used over the pressure range anywhere from approximately 0 to 1 pound per square inch (hereinafter “psi”). However, it should also be appreciated that the valve and electromechanical device combination of the invention can be used at any pressure above about 1 psi and at which the valve and electromechanical device still function properly such as, for example, to provide a seal of the inflatable device which can be biased open by the electromechanical device, and that such pressure ranges are within the scope of the invention. It is to be understood that as used herein, a range of approximately 0 to about 1 psi is understood to be a low pressure range, a range of approximately 1 to 2 psi is understood to be a medium pressure range, and a range of approximately 2 to 5 psi is understood to be a relatively high pressure range.
Referring now to
However, it should be appreciated that according to the invention, the diaphragm 40 can be of any shape, material, size and construction so long as it provides a sufficient seal of the inflatable device. In the illustrated embodiment, the valve 10 comprises a self-sealing valve, in which the diaphragm 40, in the closed position, mates with the valve seat 28 to seal the opening 26. In one embodiment, a flexible diaphragm assembly comprises diaphragm 40 which is supported by a diaphragm support 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the diaphragm support 42 is hingedly connected to a wall 24, so that it can be opened and closed about a hinge point connection. However, it should be appreciated that the diaphragm support 42 in combination with the diaphragm 40 of the valve 10, can be any of a plurality of structures that may be self-sealing, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,621, herein incorporated by reference. In other words, the flexible diaphragm assembly may be constructed in any manner that allows the diaphragm to open under the influence of fluid provided by the fluid moving device 110, and to close at a suitable fluid pressure within the inflatable device 16, in the absence of fluid from the fluid moving device. It should further be appreciated that the self-sealing valve 10 can comprise many different variations, as known to those of skill in the art such as, for example, a flexible diaphragm without a diaphragm support. Typically, the diaphragm support 42 is constructed from a relatively rigid plastic material, and the diaphragm 40 may be connected to the diaphragm support in any manner that permits the diaphragm 40 to be positioned within the opening 26, and to open from the influence of a fluid provided by the fluid moving device 110 and also from an influence provided by the electromechanical device 50.
Thus, according to one embodiment of the invention, the valve 10 is a self-sealing valve that opens under the influence of a fluid from the fluid moving device 110 to pressurize the inflatable device 16, and that closes to retain fluid within the inflatable device 16 in the absence of such fluid. In this embodiment, the self-seal is accomplished by a fluid pressure within the inflatable device 12 biasing the diaphragm 40 against the valve seat 28.
It is to be appreciated that the electromechanical device 50 may be any device that is capable of biasing the self-sealing valve 10 to an open position. Some examples of electromechanical devices that may be used with the invention include solenoids and electrical motors, such as motors that have at least two positions, which can be arranged to correspond to an open position and a closed position of the self-sealing valve 10. For example, as will be discussed in further detail infra, an electric motor can be used to bias open the self-sealing valve in a first position, and in a second position to allow the self-sealing valve 10 to close. Alternatively, another example is an electric motor comprising a suitable arrangement of gears having at least two positions, that can be adapted with the self-sealing valve to bias open and allow the valve 10 to close.
In the embodiment of
According to one embodiment of the invention, the electromechanical device 50 and the actuator arm 52 are energized to move either of the diaphragm 40 and the support arm 42 away from the valve seat 28, so as to break the seal of the self-sealing valve 10, so as to either regulate or substantially alter an amount of fluid within the inflatable device 12. In particular, a shaded portion 53 of the actuator arm 52 illustrates the valve arm in a first position which is used to substantially bias open the self-sealing valve 10. In addition, a darkened portion of the actuator arm 52 illustrates the valve in a second position, in which it has been allowed to close by the solenoid 50 and the actuator arm 52, such that the actuator arm no longer is biasing the diaphragm 40 or the diaphragm support 42 substantially away from the valve seat. Accordingly, it is to be appreciated that the first position of the actuator arm of the solenoid 50 can be used to substantially open the self-sealing valve, and that the second position of the actuator arm can be used to allow the valve to operate under its normal condition, so as to open under the influence of fluid provided by fluid moving device 110, and so as to close upon sufficient fluid within the inflatable device 12. It is to be appreciated that the first position of the actuator arm can be configured so as to substantially open the valve for a longer duration so as to substantially deflate the inflatable device 12, or it can be configured to substantially open the valve for a short duration so as to regulate an amount of fluid within the inflatable device 12. In other words, to provide for controlled fluid pressure within the inflatable device, for example, to adjust a comfort level of the inflatable device.
Referring to
As is illustrated in
The embodiment of
Referring now to
In one embodiment, the motor can also be used to rotate a rotating arm 105 so as to seal off one of the self-sealing valves from the fluid moving device, so that fluid can only be provided to one fluidly impermeable bladder at a time. For example, as illustrated in
With any of the embodiments discussed above, a method of inflating and deflating at least one fluid impermeable bladder and regulating an amount of fluid within the at least one fluid impermeable is provided by the invention. In particular, in one embodiment, the self-sealing valve can be biased open under the influence of fluid provided by the fluid moving device so as to inflate the inflatable device. Upon sufficient fluid pressure within the inflatable device, the self-sealing valve is biased to the closed position by the fluid pressure within the inflatable device. An electromechanical device is used to regulate an amount of fluid within the inflatable device or to substantially deflate an amount of fluid within the inflatable device. In addition, for embodiments of inflatable devices comprising at least two bladders, the above acts can be supplemented by providing fluid through a second electromechanical device and self-sealing valve to a second fluid impermeable bladder, and the second electromechanical device and self-sealing valve can be used so as to either regulate an amount of fluid within the inflatable device or to substantially alter the amount of fluid from within the second fluid impermeable bladder.
In the illustrated embodiment of
In this embodiment, the self-sealing valve is configured to open under sufficient fluid pressure from the fluid moving device, when the cover is biased open by depressing the inflate lever, in the absence of any biasing open of the self-sealing valve from the actuator arm 84. The self-sealing valve is also configured to close in the absence of such fluid pressure from the fluid moving device and in the absence of any bias from the actuator device, with sufficient fluid pressure within the fluid impermeable bladder 16, to a closed position. The self-sealing valve is further configured to at least partially open to allow fluid to escape through the self-sealing valve from the inflatable device to regulate an amount of fluid within the inflatable device, when the cover and the self-sealing valve is biased open by the actuator arm, by depressing the inflate lever.
It should be appreciated that although
Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of this invention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For example, it is to be appreciated that for any of the above described embodiments, the fluid moving device can be provided remotely from, for example, the self-sealing valves, and also that the controls to bias on and off the fluid moving device and any of the electromechanical devices can be located remotely from the fluid moving device and the electromechanical devices. In addition, it is to be appreciated that there may be some embodiments or applications where the electromechanical device may also be used to open the self-sealing valve of any of the embodiments described infra for the purpose of aiding the inflating of the inflatable device such as, for example, where the self-sealing valve is not opened appreciably by the fluid moving device upon inflation. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings are by way of example only.
This application is a divisional of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 and §121 to, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/430,040, filed May 5, 2003, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/377,798, filed on May 3, 2002, which also claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation-in-part (CIP) to U.S. application Ser. No. 09/859,706, filed May 17, 2001, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Application No. 60/204,836, filed May 17, 2000 and to U.S. Application No. 60/280,040, filed Mar. 30, 2001, each of the preceding are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 625114 | MacSpadden | May 1899 | A |
| 633968 | Swartzwelder | Sep 1899 | A |
| 679519 | Smith | Jul 1901 | A |
| 827823 | Starr | Aug 1906 | A |
| 847758 | Frye | Mar 1907 | A |
| 1185684 | Kraft et al. | Jun 1916 | A |
| 1263599 | Poole | Apr 1918 | A |
| 1361453 | Frey | Dec 1920 | A |
| 1451136 | Allnut | Apr 1923 | A |
| 2028060 | Gilbert | Jan 1936 | A |
| 2064695 | Sipe | Dec 1936 | A |
| 2112641 | Wheaton | Mar 1938 | A |
| 2168774 | Hurlburt | Aug 1939 | A |
| 2285324 | Bennett | Nov 1941 | A |
| 2288889 | Costello | Jul 1942 | A |
| 2459689 | Dickey et al. | Jan 1949 | A |
| 2482198 | Melichar | Sep 1949 | A |
| 2565406 | Popovich | Aug 1951 | A |
| 2701579 | Hasselquist | Feb 1955 | A |
| 2767735 | Darling | Oct 1956 | A |
| 2803527 | Lundahl | Aug 1957 | A |
| 2823668 | Van Court et al. | Feb 1958 | A |
| 2949927 | Mackal | Aug 1960 | A |
| 2990070 | Cushman | Jun 1961 | A |
| 3026909 | Boteler | Mar 1962 | A |
| 3068494 | Pinkwater | Dec 1962 | A |
| 3086698 | Goldstein | Apr 1963 | A |
| 3095901 | Larson | Jul 1963 | A |
| 3099386 | Pieper | Jul 1963 | A |
| 3112502 | Forsburg | Dec 1963 | A |
| 3123336 | Price | Mar 1964 | A |
| 3142850 | De Boer | Aug 1964 | A |
| 3164151 | Vere Nicoll | Jan 1965 | A |
| 3208721 | McHugh | Sep 1965 | A |
| 3367819 | Schlag | Feb 1968 | A |
| 3403696 | Pynchon | Oct 1968 | A |
| 3424151 | Ericson | Jan 1969 | A |
| 3459363 | Miller | Aug 1969 | A |
| 3462775 | Markwitz et al. | Aug 1969 | A |
| 3505695 | Bishaf et al. | Apr 1970 | A |
| 3511472 | Zimmerman | May 1970 | A |
| 3561435 | Nicholson | Feb 1971 | A |
| 3563676 | Coovert et al. | Feb 1971 | A |
| 3610235 | Sivash | Oct 1971 | A |
| 3665958 | Dunkelis | May 1972 | A |
| 3667075 | Ballard et al. | Jun 1972 | A |
| 3667625 | Lucas | Jun 1972 | A |
| 3719401 | Peruglia | Mar 1973 | A |
| 3762404 | Sakita | Oct 1973 | A |
| 3772717 | Yuen et al. | Nov 1973 | A |
| 3785395 | Andreasson | Jan 1974 | A |
| 3829918 | Stamberger | Aug 1974 | A |
| 3831628 | Kintner et al. | Aug 1974 | A |
| 3898703 | Stamberger | Aug 1975 | A |
| 3899797 | Gunst | Aug 1975 | A |
| 3995653 | Mackal et al. | Dec 1976 | A |
| 4068334 | Randall | Jan 1978 | A |
| 4080105 | Connell | Mar 1978 | A |
| 4146069 | Angarola et al. | Mar 1979 | A |
| 4146070 | Angarola et al. | Mar 1979 | A |
| 4168063 | Rowland | Sep 1979 | A |
| 4175297 | Robbins et al. | Nov 1979 | A |
| 4213745 | Roberts | Jul 1980 | A |
| 4225989 | Corbett et al. | Oct 1980 | A |
| 4266298 | Graziano | May 1981 | A |
| 4273310 | Ginzler | Jun 1981 | A |
| 4300759 | Caplan | Nov 1981 | A |
| 4317244 | Balfour-Richie | Mar 1982 | A |
| 4521166 | Phillips | Jun 1985 | A |
| 4594743 | Owen et al. | Jun 1986 | A |
| 4678014 | Owen et al. | Jul 1987 | A |
| 4678410 | Kullen | Jul 1987 | A |
| 4692091 | Ritenour | Sep 1987 | A |
| 4711275 | Ford et al. | Dec 1987 | A |
| 4734017 | Levin | Mar 1988 | A |
| 4768247 | Beier | Sep 1988 | A |
| 4829616 | Walker | May 1989 | A |
| 4862533 | Adams, III | Sep 1989 | A |
| 4890344 | Walker | Jan 1990 | A |
| 4891855 | Cheng-Chung | Jan 1990 | A |
| 4897890 | Walker | Feb 1990 | A |
| 4911405 | Weissgerber et al. | Mar 1990 | A |
| 4948092 | Kasper et al. | Aug 1990 | A |
| 4977633 | Chaffee | Dec 1990 | A |
| 4986738 | Kawasaki et al. | Jan 1991 | A |
| 4990060 | Cheng-Chung | Feb 1991 | A |
| 5025894 | Yamasaki | Jun 1991 | A |
| 5037062 | Neuhaus | Aug 1991 | A |
| 5040555 | Wang | Aug 1991 | A |
| 5051060 | Fleischmann et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
| 5052894 | Rimington | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5060324 | Marinberg et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
| 5068933 | Sexton | Dec 1991 | A |
| 5071378 | Wang | Dec 1991 | A |
| 5085214 | Barrett | Feb 1992 | A |
| 5102365 | Wang | Apr 1992 | A |
| D328324 | Wang | Jul 1992 | S |
| 5144708 | Pekar | Sep 1992 | A |
| 5170522 | Walker | Dec 1992 | A |
| 5178523 | Cheng-Chung | Jan 1993 | A |
| 5186667 | Wang | Feb 1993 | A |
| 5203808 | Ide | Apr 1993 | A |
| 5249319 | Higgs | Oct 1993 | A |
| D341983 | Wang | Dec 1993 | S |
| 5267363 | Chaffee | Dec 1993 | A |
| 5288286 | Davis | Feb 1994 | A |
| 5367726 | Chaffee | Nov 1994 | A |
| 5406661 | Pekar | Apr 1995 | A |
| 5450858 | Zablotsky et al. | Sep 1995 | A |
| 5474361 | Hwang et al. | Dec 1995 | A |
| 5494258 | Weissgerber et al. | Feb 1996 | A |
| 5494418 | Moriya et al. | Feb 1996 | A |
| 5503618 | Rey | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5511942 | Meier | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5535849 | Few | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5581304 | Wang | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5588811 | Price | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5598593 | Wolfe | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5606756 | Price | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5652484 | Shafer et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5727270 | Cope et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5746873 | Graf | May 1998 | A |
| 5839139 | Fink | Nov 1998 | A |
| 5857841 | Kobayashi et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
| 5890882 | Feldman | Apr 1999 | A |
| 5893609 | Schmidt | Apr 1999 | A |
| 5903941 | Shafer et al. | May 1999 | A |
| 5904172 | Gifft et al. | May 1999 | A |
| 5941272 | Feldman | Aug 1999 | A |
| 5962159 | Satou et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5970545 | Garman et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
| 6008598 | Luff et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6032080 | Brisbane et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
| 6037723 | Shafer et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
| 6073289 | Bolden et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
| 6085555 | Wu et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
| 6098000 | Long et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6099248 | Mumm et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6108844 | Kraft et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
| 6129524 | Woollenweber et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
| 6164314 | Saputo et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
| 6206654 | Cassidy | Mar 2001 | B1 |
| 6237621 | Chaffee | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6237653 | Chaffee | May 2001 | B1 |
| D446284 | Chaffee | Aug 2001 | S |
| 6287095 | Saputo et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
| 6296459 | Saputo et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6302145 | Ellis et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
| 6332760 | Chung | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 6397419 | Mechache | Jun 2002 | B1 |
| 6439264 | Ellis et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
| 6483264 | Shafer et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
| 6530751 | Song et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
| 6543073 | Wu | Apr 2003 | B2 |
| 6565315 | Bertels et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
| 6571412 | Wu | Jun 2003 | B1 |
| 6659737 | Bader et al. | Dec 2003 | B2 |
| 6679686 | Wang | Jan 2004 | B2 |
| 6709246 | Boyd | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 6719401 | Takahashi | Apr 2004 | B2 |
| 6722306 | Wang | Apr 2004 | B1 |
| 6733254 | Yen | May 2004 | B1 |
| 6793469 | Chung | Sep 2004 | B2 |
| 6836914 | Tsai | Jan 2005 | B1 |
| 6955527 | Yen | Oct 2005 | B2 |
| 7025576 | Chaffee | Apr 2006 | B2 |
| 7039972 | Chaffee | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7152265 | Chung | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| 7198076 | Wu | Apr 2007 | B2 |
| 7246394 | Wang | Jul 2007 | B2 |
| 7306694 | Wang | Dec 2007 | B2 |
| 7313837 | Wang | Jan 2008 | B2 |
| 7334274 | Wang | Feb 2008 | B2 |
| 7475440 | Chaffee | Jan 2009 | B2 |
| 7644724 | Chaffee | Jan 2010 | B2 |
| 8016572 | Chaffee | Sep 2011 | B2 |
| 20010026763 | Chung | Oct 2001 | A1 |
| 20020194678 | Chung | Dec 2002 | A1 |
| 20030003001 | Chaffee | Jan 2003 | A1 |
| 20030024050 | Boso et al. | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030028971 | Chaffee | Feb 2003 | A1 |
| 20030099560 | Wang | May 2003 | A1 |
| 20030115000 | Bodas | Jun 2003 | A1 |
| 20030205273 | Chaffee | Nov 2003 | A1 |
| 20030215340 | Chung | Nov 2003 | A1 |
| 20040037717 | Wang | Feb 2004 | A1 |
| 20040241014 | Yen | Dec 2004 | A1 |
| 20050044634 | Wang | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050047923 | Li et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050118046 | Wang | Jun 2005 | A1 |
| 20050186097 | Wang | Aug 2005 | A1 |
| 20060123549 | Chaffee | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| 20060143832 | Chaffee | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| 20080229508 | Chaffee | Sep 2008 | A1 |
| 20110167564 | Chaffee | Jul 2011 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 4413445 | Feb 1996 | DE |
| 29721150 | Feb 1998 | DE |
| 903557 | Aug 1962 | GB |
| 1381952 | Jan 1975 | GB |
| 58-53965 | Apr 1983 | JP |
| 61-126241 | Jun 1986 | JP |
| 05-063354 | Mar 1993 | JP |
| 405137809 | Jun 1993 | JP |
| 07-14273 | Mar 1995 | JP |
| 2001523322 | Nov 2001 | JP |
| 3267013 | Mar 2002 | JP |
| 9305684 | Apr 1993 | WO |
| 9803810 | Jan 1998 | WO |
| 0040882 | Jul 2000 | WO |
| 0187121 | Nov 2001 | WO |
| 03093709 | Jan 2003 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report for corresponding PCT Application No. PCT/US2003/14116 mailed Aug. 22, 2003. |
| Image of Aero product—inflatable bed; Approx. 2002. |
| Imaginair Aero Product Catalog, 2000 Imaginair Incorporated, Wauconda, IL, USA, 2000. |
| Imaginair by aero, Instruction Manual, Dec. 1999, Imaginair Incorporated, Wauconda, IL, USA. |
| International Search Report for PCT International Application No. PCT/US02/21756, Sep. 2002. |
| International Search Report for PCT International Application No. PCT/US03/14116, Aug. 2003. |
| Supreme Fast-Fill, Intex Recreation Corpl, Long Beach, CA, USA, 2000. |
| Notification of the First Office Action for Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-27349 mailed Oct. 23, 2012, 5 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20100108157 A1 | May 2010 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60377798 | May 2002 | US | |
| 60204836 | May 2000 | US | |
| 60280040 | Mar 2001 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10430040 | May 2003 | US |
| Child | 12684216 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 09859706 | May 2001 | US |
| Child | 10430040 | US |
