OPEN STATE MAINTAINABLE VALVE DEVICE FOR AN INFLATABLE ARTICLE
First Claim
1. A valve device for an inflatable article which has an inflatable chamber and an opening fluidly communicated with the inflatable chamber, comprising:
- a tubular member which is adapted to be fitted into the opening, and which forms an inflating port for the inflatable chamber, said tubular member extending along a longitudinal axis and terminating at a valve seat that is adapted to face towards the inflatable chamber;
a diaphragm which is made from a flexible material, and which has a major wall adapted to confront the inflatable chamber, said major wall includinga central region where the longitudinal axis passes through,a peripheral region which surrounds said central region, and which is disposed to engage said valve seat, andan intermediate surrounding region interposed between said central region and said peripheral region,said major wall being secured to said valve seat such that, when said major wall is subjected to a positive pressure at a side upstream of said valve seat, a portion of said intermediate surrounding region is flexed so as to deflect a corresponding portion of said peripheral region from said valve seat; and
a positioning member including an actuated end disposed to be manually movable between a normally-closed position and a deflating position, and an engaging end which is disposed such that, when said actuated end is moved from the normally-closed position to the deflating position, said engaging end is kept in frictional engagement with said intermediate surrounding region, and is moved to be remote from said valve seat so as to place said corresponding portion of said peripheral region in a deflected position, while vesting said flexed portion of said intermediate surrounding region with an increment of biasing force to urge said engaging end to move towards said valve seat, and such that, a resisting force that is generated at said actuated end as a result of displacement of said actuated end from the normally-closed position to the deflating position is transmitted to said engaging end to counteract the increment of biasing force, thereby keeping said corresponding portion of said peripheral region in the deflected position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A valve device includes a tubular member fitted into an inflatable article, a flexible diaphragm having a peripheral region which engages a valve seat of the tubular member through a mounting support and an intermediate surrounding region which has a portion that can be flexed to deflect a corresponding portion of the peripheral region from the valve seat, and a positioning member which is actuated to be displaced between normally-closed and deflating positions so as to bring an engaging end thereof to be proximate to or distal from the valve seat. In the deflating position, the flexed portion is vested with an increment of biasing force that is counteracted by a resisting force at an actuated end so as to keep the peripheral portion in a deflected position for maintaining the valve device in an open state.
9 Citations
9 Claims
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1. A valve device for an inflatable article which has an inflatable chamber and an opening fluidly communicated with the inflatable chamber, comprising:
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a tubular member which is adapted to be fitted into the opening, and which forms an inflating port for the inflatable chamber, said tubular member extending along a longitudinal axis and terminating at a valve seat that is adapted to face towards the inflatable chamber; a diaphragm which is made from a flexible material, and which has a major wall adapted to confront the inflatable chamber, said major wall including a central region where the longitudinal axis passes through, a peripheral region which surrounds said central region, and which is disposed to engage said valve seat, and an intermediate surrounding region interposed between said central region and said peripheral region, said major wall being secured to said valve seat such that, when said major wall is subjected to a positive pressure at a side upstream of said valve seat, a portion of said intermediate surrounding region is flexed so as to deflect a corresponding portion of said peripheral region from said valve seat; and a positioning member including an actuated end disposed to be manually movable between a normally-closed position and a deflating position, and an engaging end which is disposed such that, when said actuated end is moved from the normally-closed position to the deflating position, said engaging end is kept in frictional engagement with said intermediate surrounding region, and is moved to be remote from said valve seat so as to place said corresponding portion of said peripheral region in a deflected position, while vesting said flexed portion of said intermediate surrounding region with an increment of biasing force to urge said engaging end to move towards said valve seat, and such that, a resisting force that is generated at said actuated end as a result of displacement of said actuated end from the normally-closed position to the deflating position is transmitted to said engaging end to counteract the increment of biasing force, thereby keeping said corresponding portion of said peripheral region in the deflected position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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Specification