INFLATION VALVE DEVICE WITH A PRESSURE MEASURING UNIT FOR AN INFLATABLE BLADDER
First Claim
1. An inflatable bladder comprising:
- a bladder peripheral wall that confines an air chamber therein and that is formed with an opening;
a tubular sleeve member inserted into said air chamber via said opening and having a sleeve peripheral wall that has opposite open top and bottom ends and that confines a first channel extending from said top end to said bottom end and in fluid communication with said air chamber and said opening, said top end being mounted on said bladder peripheral wall;
a pressure measuring unit including a tubular indicator and a first urging member, said indicator being mounted movably in said first channel and having an indicator peripheral wall surrounded by said sleeve peripheral wall and marked with indicia for indicating pressure in said air chamber, said first urging member being disposed between said sleeve peripheral wall and said indicator peripheral wall, said indicator being constantly pushed by the pressure in said air chamber so as to move axially and outwardly of said first channel against biasing action of said first urging member, which, in turn, results in displacement of said first urging member in an amount corresponding to the pressure in said air chamber and indicated by the indicia exposed from said opening in said bladder peripheral wall; and
a first locking member which is disposed between said sleeve peripheral wall and said indicator peripheral wall and which is operable between a first locking position, in which, said first locking member releasably engages said indicator so as to prevent axial movement of said indicator in said first channel, and a first unlocking position, in which, said first locking member is disengaged from said indicator so as to permit axial movement of said indicator by virtue of the pressure in said air chamber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An inflatable bladder is provided with an inflation valve device that includes a sleeve member, a tubular indicator mounted movably in the sleeve member and marked with indicia for indicating internal pressure of the bladder, an inflation needle mounted in the indicator for inflation of the bladder, and an urging member disposed between the sleeve member and the indicator in such a manner that outward movement of the indicator resulting from the pressure difference between the pressure in the bladder and the atmospheric pressure results in displacement of the urging member, which is indicated by the indicia exposed from the bladder.
1 Citation
9 Claims
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1. An inflatable bladder comprising:
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a bladder peripheral wall that confines an air chamber therein and that is formed with an opening;
a tubular sleeve member inserted into said air chamber via said opening and having a sleeve peripheral wall that has opposite open top and bottom ends and that confines a first channel extending from said top end to said bottom end and in fluid communication with said air chamber and said opening, said top end being mounted on said bladder peripheral wall;
a pressure measuring unit including a tubular indicator and a first urging member, said indicator being mounted movably in said first channel and having an indicator peripheral wall surrounded by said sleeve peripheral wall and marked with indicia for indicating pressure in said air chamber, said first urging member being disposed between said sleeve peripheral wall and said indicator peripheral wall, said indicator being constantly pushed by the pressure in said air chamber so as to move axially and outwardly of said first channel against biasing action of said first urging member, which, in turn, results in displacement of said first urging member in an amount corresponding to the pressure in said air chamber and indicated by the indicia exposed from said opening in said bladder peripheral wall; and
a first locking member which is disposed between said sleeve peripheral wall and said indicator peripheral wall and which is operable between a first locking position, in which, said first locking member releasably engages said indicator so as to prevent axial movement of said indicator in said first channel, and a first unlocking position, in which, said first locking member is disengaged from said indicator so as to permit axial movement of said indicator by virtue of the pressure in said air chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An inflation valve device for an inflatable bladder having a bladder peripheral wall that confines an air chamber therein and that is formed with an opening, said inflation valve device comprising:
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a tubular sleeve member adapted to be inserted into the air chamber via the opening and having a sleeve peripheral wall that has opposite open top and bottom ends and that confines a first channel extending from said top end to said bottom end and adapted to be in fluid communication with the air chamber and the opening, said top end being adapted to be mounted on the bladder peripheral wall;
a pressure measuring unit including a tubular indicator and a first urging member, said indicator being mounted movably in said first channel and having an indicator peripheral wall confining a second channel, surrounded by said sleeve peripheral wall, and marked with indicia for indicating pressure in the air chamber, said first urging member being disposed between said sleeve peripheral wall and said indicator peripheral wall, said indicator being adapted to be constantly pushed by the pressure in the air chamber so as to move axially and outwardly of said first channel against biasing action of said first urging member, which, in turn, results in displacement of said first urging member in an amount corresponding to the pressure in the air chamber and indicated by the indicia exposed from the opening in the bladder peripheral wall;
a first locking member which is operable between a first locking position, in which, said first locking member releasably engages said indicator so as to prevent axial movement of said indicator in said first channel, and a first unlocking position, in which, said first locking member is disengaged from said indicator so as to permit axial movement of said indicator by virtue of the pressure in the air chamber;
an elastomeric first inflation valve that is mounted in and that divides said second channel into an upper section and a lower section which is in fluid communication with said air chamber, and that is formed with a first slit which is capable of self-closing;
an inflation needle that is mounted in said upper section of said second channel and that has a needle peripheral wall surrounded by said indicator peripheral wall and confining a first needle chamber which is in fluid communication with the atmosphere, said inflation needle being movable together with said indicator relative to said sleeve member; and
a second urging member disposed between said indicator peripheral wall and said needle peripheral wall, said inflation needle being operable via an external force to move inwardly of the inflatable bladder relative to said indicator against biasing action of said second urging member from an upper position to a lower position, in which, said inflation needle extends into and through said first slit so as to permit fluid communication between the air chamber and said first needle chamber via said lower section of said second channel, said second urging member urging said inflation needle to return to the upper position when said inflation needle is relieved from the external force.
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Specification