Fluid pressure testing apparatus

• US 3,889,530 A
• Filed: 06/10/1974
• Issued: 06/17/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gary R. Bluem
• Original Assignee: Gary R. Bluem
• Inventors: Bluem, Gary R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woodiel, Donald O.
• Application Number:
  US05/477,699
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 73/146.8,146.3,419 137/227,228 116/34R 350/243,244,116,191
• US Class Current: 73/146.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0496 Valve stem attachments positioned outside of the tyre chamber
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 17/00 Devices or apparatus for measuring tyre pressure or the pressure in other inflated bodies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/3677 With deflating means

Abstract

An air pressure testing apparatus connected to a conventional valve stem of a pneumatic tire is operable to provide visual color information as to the pressure of the air in the tire. The apparatus has a body mounted on the valve stem. A transparent housing is mounted on the body. A spring biased annular piston located between the housing and body has color code information. Separate colors on the piston are visually observable through the transparent housing as determined by the longitudinal position of the piston relative to the beads. An elongated plunger extended through the body is movable to open the valve in the valve stem to subject the annular piston to the air pressure of the tire. If the air pressure is above a predetermined pressure, the piston will move changing the color code observable through the beads. If the air pressure is below the predetermined pressure, the piston will not move and the color code will remain the same. The plunger is movable to a position wherein air under pressure can be introduced into the tire.

Claims

1. A fluid pressure testing apparatus for indicating the pressure of a fluid in a container having a normally closed valve connected to the container comprising:

body means having a passage in communication with the valve, housing means mounted on the body means, said housing means having a viewing section, said body means and housing means defining a chamber, piston means located in said chamber, first information means on one portion of the piston means and second information means on another portion of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means in a first position wherein said first information means is visually observable through the viewing section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means, said plunger means having a portion located outside of the housing means that is manually engaged to move the plunger means from a first position to a second position to open the valve whereby fluid under pressure from the container exerts a force on the piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater than the force of the biasing means that piston means moves to a second position wherein said second information means is visually observable through the viewing section.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the body means has a head portion adapted to connect to said valve and a trunk portion, said passage extended longitudinally through said trunk portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 including:

second biasing means for biasing said plunger means away from said valve toward the first position.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the body means is integral with said valve.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said viewing section is a transparent section having at least one annular outwardly directed bead.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein:

each bead has a semi-circular longitudiNal sectional shape.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said passage is open to the atmosphere, and seal means cooperating with the plunger means and housing means to seal said passage when the plunger means is in the second position.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said viewing section of the housing means is a transparent section having a plurality of annular outwardly directed beads, said first information means being a colored band aligned with said beads when the piston means is in the first position, and said second information means being a colored band aligned with said beads when the piston is in the second position.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said plunger means includes an elongated rod extending through said passage and a head at the outer end of said rod.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 including:

cap means mounted on said housing means and engageable with said head means to hold the plunger means in assembled relation with the housing means.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said plunger means includes a head, and cap means mounted on the housing defining a chamber having an opening to the atmosphere, said head engageable with said cap means to close said opening when the plunger means is in the first position.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

said viewing section comprises transparent cylindrical portions separated with non-transparent cylindrical bands.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 including:

means in the passage in the body to restrict the flow of fluid through said passage in the body.

14. A fluid pressure testing apparatus for indicating the pressure of a fluid in a container having a normally closed valve connected to the container comprising:

body means having a passage in communication with the valve, housing means mounted on the body means, said housing means having a viewing section, said body means and housing means defining a chamber, piston means located in said chamber, first information on one portion of the piston means and second information means on another portion of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means in a first position wherein said first information means is visually observable through the viewing section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to open the valve whereby fluid under pressure from the container exerts a force on the piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater than the force of the biasing means the piston means moves to a second position wherein said second information means is visually observable through the viewing section, said housing means surrounding said body means and having a wall spaced from the body means to define an annular chamber, said piston means being an annular sleeve located in the annular chamber and passage means connecting the annular chamber with the passage in the body means.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein:

said first and second information means are separate circumferential color bands mounted on outside portions of the sleeve.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 including:

a first seal between the wall and the annular sleeve, and a second seal between the annular sleeve and body means.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein:

each seal is an O-ring located in a groove, said groove being larger than the diameter of the O-ring and smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of the O-ring whereby the O-ring has limited movement in the groove.

18. A fluid pressure testing apparatus for indicating the pressure of a fluid in a container having a normally closed valve connected to the container comprsing:

body means having a passage in communication with the valve, housing means mounted on the body means, said housing means having a viewing section, said body means and housing means defining a chamber, piston means located in said chamber, first information means on one portion of the piston meAns and second information means on another portion of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means in a first position wherein said first information means is visually observable through the viewing section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to open the valve whereby fluid under pressure from the container exerts a force on the piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater than the force of the biasing means the piston means moves to a second position wherein said second information means is visually observable through the viewing section, said plunger means being movable from the second position to a third position wherein fluid under pressure from an outside source can be introduced through the apparatus into the container or exhausted through the apparatus to the atmosphere.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 including:

means to bleed air past the seal means when the plunger means is in the first position.

20. A fluid pressure testing apparatus for indicating the pressure of a fluid in a container having a normally closed valve connected to the container comprising:

body means having a passage in communication with the valve, housing means mounted on the body means, said housing means having a viewing section, said body means and housing means defining a chamber, piston means located in said chamber, first information means on one portion of the piston means and second information means on another portion of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means at a first position wherein said first information means is visually observable through the viewing section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to open the valve whereby fluid under pressure from the container exerts a force on the piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater than the force of the biasing means, the piston means moves to a second position wherein said second information means is visually observable through the viewing section, said passage being open to the atmosphere, and seal means cooperating with the plunger means and housing means to seal said passage when the plunger means is in the second position and open said passage when the plunger means is moved to a third position.

21. A fluid pressure testing apparatus for indicating the pressure of a fluid in a container having a normally closed valve connected to the container comprising:

body means having a passage in communication with the valve, housing means mounted on the body means, said housing means having a viewing section, said body means and housing means defining a chamber, piston means located in said chamber, first information on one portion of the piston means and second information means on another portion of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means in a first position wherein said first information means is visually observable through the viewing section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to open the valve whereby fluid under pressure from the container exerts a force on the piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater than the force of the biasing means the piston means moves to a second position wherein said second information means is visually observable through the viewing section, said passage being open to the atmosphere, seal means cooperating with the plunger means to seal said passage when the plunger means is in the second position and open said passage when the plunger means is moved to a third position, and means for holding the seal means in cooperating relation with the plunger means when the plunger means is in the third position.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein:

the plunger means has a collar having a groove, said seal means being an O-ring located in said groove, said means for holding the seal means including ribs on the body means to prevent the O-ring from moving out of the groove.

23. An air pressure testing apparatus for indicating air pressure in a pneumatic tire or the like having a valve stem with a normally closed air valve, comprising:

body means connected to the valve stem, said body means having a passage in communication with the air valve and an outside annular wall, housing means surrounding the body means, said housing means having an inside annular wall spaced from the annular wall of the body means forming an annular chamber and a transparent section, annular piston means located in said annular chamber, passage means connecting the chamber with the passage in the body means, first color means on first portions of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means in a first position wherein said first color means is visually observable through the transparent section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means and normally spaced from the air valve, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to engage the air valve to open the air valve whereby air under pressure from the tire exerts a force on the annular piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater than the force of the biasing means, the piston means moves to a second position wherein said second color means is visually observable through the transparent section.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein:

the body means has a head portion adapted to connect to said valve stem.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein:

the body means is integral with the valve stem.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 including:

second biasing means for biasing said plunger means away from said valve.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein:

said transparent section of the housing means has a plurality of annular outwardly directed beads.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein:

each bead has a semi-circular longitudinal sectional shape.

29. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein:

said seal means cooperates with the plunger means to open said passage when the plunger means is moved to a third position, and means for holding the seal means in cooperating relation with the plunger means when the plunger means is in the third position.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein:

the plunger means has a collar having a groove, said seal means being an O-ring located in said groove, said means for holding the seal means including ribs on the body means to prevent the O-ring from moving out of the groove.

31. The apparatus of claim 23 including:

means in the passage in the body means to restrict the flow of fluid through said passage in the body means.

32. An air pressure testing apparatus for indicating air pressure in a pneumatic tire or the like having a valve stem with a normally closed air valve comprising:

body means connected to the valve stem, said body means having a passage in communication with the air valve, housing means surrounding the body means, said housing means having an inside wall spaced from the body means forming an annular chamber and a transparent section, annular piston means located in said annular chamber, passage means connecting the chamber with the passage in the body means, first color means on first portions of the piston means and second color means on second portions of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means in a first position wherein said first color means is visually observable through the transparent section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means and normally spaced from the air valve, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to engage the air valve to open the air valve whereby air under pressure from the tire exerts a force on the annular piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater than the force of the biasing means, the piston means moves to a second position wherein said second color means is visually observable through the transparent section, said plunger means being movable from the second position to a third position wherein air under presure from an outside source can be introduced through the apparatus into the container or exhausted through the apparatus to the atmosphere.

33. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein:

said passage is open to the atmosphere, and seal means cooperating with the plunger means and housing means to seal said passage when the plunger means is in the second position and open said passage when the plunger means is moved from the second position to a third position.

34. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein:

said transparent section of the housing means has a plurality of annular outwardly directed beads, said first color means being a colored band transversely aligned with said beads when the piston means is in the first position, and said second color means being a colored band transversely aligned with said beads when the piston is in the second position.

35. An air pressure testing apparatus for indicating air pressure in a pneumatic tire or the like having a valve stem with a normally closed air valve comprising:

body means connected to the valve stem, said body means having a passage in communication with the air valve, housing means surrounding the body means, said housing means having an inside wall spaced from the body means forming an annular chamber and a transparent section, annular piston means located in said annular chamber, passage means connecting the chamber with the passage in the body means, first color means on first portions of the piston means and second color means on second portions of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means in a first position wherein said first color means is visually observable through the transparent section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means and normally spaced from the air valve, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to engage the air valve to open the air valve whereby air under pressure from the tire exerts a force on the annular piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater than the force of the biasing means, the piston means moves to a second position wherein said second color means is visually observable through the transparent section, a first seal between the wall and the annular piston means, and a second seal between the annular piston means and body means.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein:

each seal is an O-ring located in a groove, said groove being larger than the diameter of the O-ring and smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of the O-ring whereby the O-ring has limited movement in the groove.

37. An air pressure testing apparatus for indicating air pressure in a pneumatic tire or the like having a valve stem with a normally closed air valve comprising:

body means connected to the valve stem, said body means having a passage in communication with the air valve, housing means surrounding the body means, said housing means having an inside wall spaced from the body means forming an annular chamber and a transparent section, annular piston means located in said annular chamber passage means connecting the chamber with the passage in the body means, first color means on first portions of the piston means and second color means on second portions of the piston means, biasing means yieldably holding the piston means in a first position wherein said first color means is visually observable through the transparent section, plunger means extended through said passage of the body means and normally spaced from the air valve, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to engage the air valve to open the air valve whereby air under pressure from the tire exerts a force on the annular piston means, when said force on the piston means is greater thAn the force of the biasing means, the piston means moves to a second position wherein said second color means is visually observable through the transparent section, said passage being open to the atmosphere, and seal means cooperating with the plunger means and housing means to seal said passage when the plunger means is in the second position.

38. A fluid pressure testing apparatus for indicating the pressure of a fluid in a container having a normally closed valve connected to the container comprising:

first means in fluid communiction with said valve;

housing means mounted on the first means, said housing means having a viewing section, means for opening the valve to allow fluid under pressure to flow from the container into the housing means, second means movable relative to the viewing section in response to pressure of fluid in said housing means, said second means having information means indicating the pressure of the fluid in the housing means, said viewing section including a transparent section having at least one annular outwardly directed bead, said bead providing an optical structure for viewing the information means whereby the pressure of the fluid in the housing means is visually indicated.

39. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein:

said transparent section has a plurality of annular outwardly directed beads.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein:

each bead has a semi-circular longitudinal sectional shape.

41. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein:

said information means are separate circumferential colored bands mounted on outside portions of the second means.

42. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein:

said housing means has an inside cylindrical wall of transparent material, a plurality of longitudinally spaced bands of opaque material attached to said inside wall, said second means having first and second information means, said first information means being longitudinally spaced first colored bands longitudinally spaced from the opaque bands on the housing means, said second information means being longitudinally spaced second colored bands longitudinally aligned with the opaque bands on the housing means when the second means is in a first non-testing position, said second colored bands being longitudinally aligned with the spaces between said bands when the second means is in a second pressure testing position.

43. The apparatus of claim 38 wherein:

said housing means has a plurality of annular outwardly directed beads longitudinally aligned with the spaces between the opaque bands.

44. A fluid pressure testing apparatus for indicating the pressure of a fluid in a container having a normally closed valve connected to the container comprising:

first means having a passage in communication with the valve and the atmosphere, and a viewing section extended around the first means whereby the viewing section can be visually observed all around the first means, second means operatively associated with said first means to provide visual information observable through the viewing section as to the pressure of the fluid in the container, plunger means extended through said passage of the first means, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to open the valve whereby fluid under pressure from the container actuates the second means to provide a visual indication of the pressure of the fluid in the container, said plunger means being movable from a second position to a third position to open said valve and provide a passage to the atmosphere for fluid in said container.

45. The apparatus of claim 44 including:

biasing means for biasing said plunger means away from said valve toward the first position.

46. The apparatus of claim 44 including:

seal means for closing said passage when the plunger means is in the second position and open said passage when the plunger means is in the third position.

47. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein:

said plunger means includes a head, and a cap means mounted on the second meaNs defining a chamber and having an opening to the atmosphere, said head engageable with said cap means to close said opening when the plunger means is in the first position.

48. A fluid pressure testing apparatus for indicating the pressure of a fluid in a container having a normally closed valve connected to the container comprising:

first means having a passage in communication with the valve and the atmosphere, second means operatively associated with said first means to provide visual information as to the pressure of the fluid in the container, plunger means extended through said passage of the first means, said plunger means movable from a first position to a second position to open the valve whereby fluid under pressure from the container actuates the second means to provide a visual indication of the pressure of the fluid in the container, said plunger means being movable from a second position to a third position to open said valve and provide a passage to the atmosphere for fluid in said container, seal means for closing said passage when the plunger means is in the second position and open said passage when the plunger means is in the third position, and means for holding the seal means in cooperative relation with the plunger means when the plunger means is in the third position.

49. The apparatus of claim 48 wherein:

the means for holding the seal means includes ribs on the first means.