Self inflating ball

• US 3,119,617 A
• Filed: 12/19/1960
• Issued: 01/28/1964
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1960
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bernard Topper
• Original Assignee: Bernard Topper
• Inventors: Topper, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US04/076,872
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• US Class Current: 473/593
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 41/12 Tools or devices for blowing up or closing balls for pricking-balls A63B39/04

Claims

1. A SELF-INFLATABLE TOY COMPRISING:

AN ENVELOPE OF FLEXIBLE AIR-TIGHT SHEET MATERIAL DEFINING A HOLLOW SPHERE WHEN TAUT, SAID MATERIAL DEFINING A SMALL APERTURE OF PREDETERMINED SIZE THERETHROUGH;

FIRST PRESSURE-SENSITIVE VALVE MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A FIRST PREDETERMINED MINIMUM PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL, SAID FIRST VALVE MEANS BEING ROTATABLY MOUNTED TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID ENVELOPE FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A CLOSED POSITION IN AIR-TIGHT SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID APERTURE AND AN OPEN POSITION AWAY FROM SAID APERTURE;

A CYLINDRICAL HOUSING DEFINING AN AIR CHAMBER MOUNTED AT ONE END TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID ENVELOPE AND AXIALLY SURROUNDING SAID APERTURE AND SAID FIRST VALVE MEANS, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING SECOND VALVE MEANS, EXTENDING THROUGH THE PERIPHERAL WALL SURFACE THEREOF, SAID SECOND VALVE MEANS BEING MOVABLY RESPONSIVE TO A SECOND PREDETERMINED MINIMUM PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL TO SELECTIVELY PLACE THE INTERIOR OF SAID AIR CHAMBER IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE INTERIOR OF SAID ENVELOPE;

AND A PISTON SLIDABLY CONTAINED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, SAID PISTON BEING RIGIDLY CONNECTED BY A PISTON ROD TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID ENVELOPE AT A PREDETERMINED POINT DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SAID APERTURE WHEN SAID MATERIAL IS TAUT, THE LENGTH OF SAID PISTON ROD LIMITING THE TRAVEL OF SAID PISTON LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN SAID HOUSING BETWEEN A FIRST POINT FARTHER AWAY FROM SAID APERTURE AND A SECOND POINT CLOSER TO SAID APERTURE, SAID PISTON BEING IN SAID FIRST POSITION WHEN SAID ENVELOPE IS INFLATED AND BEING IN SAID SECOND POSITION WHEN SAID ENVELOPE IS COLLAPSED, THAT PORTION OF THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID ENVELOPE SURROUNDING SAID PREDETERMINED POINT BEING SUFFICIENTLY WEIGHTED TO LOCATE THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID TOY AT SAID PREDETERMINED POINT, MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TOWARD SAID APERTURE COMPRESSING SAID AIR CHAMBER TO CAUSE AN INCREASE IN THE AIR PRESSURE THEREIN AND MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON FROM SAID SECOND POSITION AWAY FROM SAID APERTURE EXPANDING SAID AIR CHAMBER TO CAUSE A DECREASE IN THE AIR PRESSURE THEREIN, SAID FIRST VALVE MEANS BEING URGED INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID APERTURE WHEN THE AIR PRESSURE WITHIN SAID AIR CHAMBER EXCEEDS THE AMBIENT PRESSURE BY AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN SAID FIRST PREDETERMINED MINIMUM PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL, SAID SECOND VALVE MEANS MOVABLY RESPONDING WHEN THE AIR PRESSURE WITHIN SAID AIR CHAMBER EXCEDS THE AIR PRESSURE WITHIN THE REMAINDER OF THE INTERIOR OF SAID ENVELOPE BY AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED MINIMUM PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL, AND LINKAGE MEANS CONNECTING SAID FIRST VALVE MEANS WITH SAID PISTON, SAID LINKAGE MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN SAID FIRST VALVE MEANS IN SAID OPEN POSITION WHEN SAID PISTON IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION.