Bleed member and bleed valve assembly
First Claim
1. A bleed member provided in a bleed valve assembly having a wall member defying a fluid chamber for retaining a fluid therein, said bleed member comprising:
- an aperture defined in the wall member;
a flexible sealing member located inside the fluid chamber for selectively covering and sealing said aperture; and
a resilient support member located inside the fluid chamber for biasing said sealing member against a corresponding portion on the wall member to seal said aperture;
wherein, in a preloading state, said flexible sealing member covers and seals said aperture and, in a venting state, said sealing member is forced to be unseated from said aperture to vent fluid from said fluid chamber.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a bleed member provided in a bleed valve assembly having a wall member defining a fluid chamber for retaining a fluid therein. The bleed member has an aperture defined in the wall member and a flexible sealing member located inside the fluid chamber for selectively covering and sealing the aperture. According to the present invention, in a preloading state, the flexible sealing member covers and seals the aperture and, in a venting state, the sealing member is forced to be unseated from the aperture to vent fluid from the valve member. The wall member is preferably flexible and the sealing member may be formed of a material which is flexible and conforms to the shape and configuration of the wall member to seal the aperture.
-
Citations
28 Claims
-
1. A bleed member provided in a bleed valve assembly having a wall member defying a fluid chamber for retaining a fluid therein, said bleed member comprising:
-
an aperture defined in the wall member;
a flexible sealing member located inside the fluid chamber for selectively covering and sealing said aperture; and
a resilient support member located inside the fluid chamber for biasing said sealing member against a corresponding portion on the wall member to seal said aperture;
wherein, in a preloading state, said flexible sealing member covers and seals said aperture and, in a venting state, said sealing member is forced to be unseated from said aperture to vent fluid from said fluid chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
fluid is introduced into the fluid chamber via a valve provided in an inlet in the wall member; and
the valve functions as said sealing member.
-
-
5. A bleed member provided in a bleed valve assembly having a wall member defining a fluid chamber for retaining a fluid therein, said bleed member comprising:
-
an aperture defined in the wall member;
a flexible sealing member located inside the fluid chamber for selectively covering and sealing said aperture; and
wherein, in a preloading state, said flexible sealing member covers and seals said aperture and, in a venting state, said sealing member is forced to be unseated from said aperture to vent fluid from said fluid chamber;
wherein the wall member is made of a flexible material such that said flexible sealing member and the wall member conform in shape and configuration. - View Dependent Claims (6)
-
-
7. A bleed member provided in a bleed valve assembly having a wall member defining a fluid chamber for retaining a fluid therein, said bleed member comprising:
-
an aperture defined in the wall member; and
a sealing member located inside the fluid chamber for selectively covering and sealing said aperture;
wherein the wall member and said sealing member arc made of sealable materials so that said sealing member is attracted to and in intimate contact with a corresponding portion of the wall member to seal said aperture in a preloading state yet is capable of being forced to be unseated from said aperture to vent fluid from said fluid chamber in a venting state. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A bleed valve assembly comprising:
-
a fluid chamber formed by an enclosed flexible wall member for retaining a fluid therein; and
a bleed member for venting excess fluid from said fluid chamber, said bleed member comprising an aperture defined in said wall member and a sealing member located inside said fluid chamber for selectively covering and sealing said aperture;
wherein;
in a preloading state, fluid pressure inside said fluid chamber is higher than pressure outside said fluid chamber, and said sealing member is biased against a corresponding portion of said wall member to cover and seal said aperture; and
in a venting state, said sealing member is forced to be unseated from said aperture to vent fluid from said fluid chamber. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of operating a bleed valve assembly, said method comprising:
-
providing a bleed valve assembly in fluid communication with a fluid chamber, the bleed valve assembly having a sealing member located inside the fluid chamber covering an aperture in a flexible wall member of the fluid chamber so that the scaling member covers and seals the aperture in the wall member, and unseating the sealing member from the wall member to allow excess fluid to vent from the fluid chamber. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A bladder member comprising:
-
a fluid chamber defined by an enclosed wall member for containing a fluid;
a pump member for filling the fluid chamber with a fluid;
an inlet member at least partially defined in said wall member for introducing a fluid from said pump member into said fluid chamber; and
a bleed member for venting excess fluid from said fluid chamber, said bleed member comprising an aperture located in said wall member and a sealing member located inside the fluid chamber for selectively covering and sealing said aperture;
wherein;
said bleed member has a streamlined configuration;
in a preloading state, said sealing member seals said aperture, and in a venting state, said sealing member is forced to be unseated from said aperture to vent fluid from said fluid chamber through said aperture. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
said pump member comprises a pump chamber defined by an enclosed pump wall member and a support member provided in said pump chamber; and
said support members in said pump member and in said fluid chamber are integrally formed.
-
-
28. A bladder member as in claim 23, further comprising a cushion member formed by an enclosed wall member and in fluid communication with said fluid chamber.
Specification