Expansion device and its valve

Abstract

In one embodiment, the inflatable includes an inflatable body enclosing an air-containing chamber and a valve attached to the inflatable body, the valve body including a valve body defining a passageway between the chamber and the ambient environment. The valve body has a shoulder. The valve body defines an outer end open to the ambient environment and an inner end open to the chamber. The valve includes a one-way flap movable between an open position, which allows fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment via the passageway, and a closed position. The one-way flap is biased to the closed position by a closing force selected to be overcome by an airflow having a velocity less than about 48 m / s and a pressure less than 1 atmosphere to move the one-way flap to the open position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - Reference to Related Applications) This application claims the priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 034,855, filed on June 4, 2020, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This specification generally relates to inflatable objects, and more particularly to valves of inflatable objects.

Background Art

[0003] It is known to manufacture an inflatable object having a valve that allows a user to manually inflate and deflate the inflatable object. Generally, the valve employs a certain one - way flow mechanism that pushes air into the inflatable object while suppressing leakage of air from the inflatable object between exhalations by the user. These one - way flow mechanisms sometimes require a significant amount of effort to open, which can fatigue the user during inflation of the inflatable object. Further, the volume of air that the user needs to blow into the inflatable object is quite large, which can also cause fatigue or dizziness to the user. It would be advantageous to at least improve one or more of these problems or other problems described above with respect to inflatable objects.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present invention has been made to solve the problems in the above - described conventional technology.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In one aspect, there is provided an inflatable article including an inflatable article body surrounding a chamber for containing air to pressurize the inflatable article body, and a valve attached to the inflatable article body. The valve includes a valve body defining a passage between the chamber and the surrounding environment. The valve body has a shoulder. The valve body defines an outer end portion of the passage opening to the surrounding environment and an inner end portion of the passage opening to the chamber. The valve further includes a one-way flap movable between an open position allowing fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage and a closed position where the one-way flap is sealed against the shoulder to prevent fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage. The one-way flap is biased to the closed position by a closing force. The closing force is selected such that it can be overcome by an air flow caused by a person blowing air into the one-way flap via the passage without fitting the mouth to the valve body and forming a seal therewith to move the one-way flap to the open position.

[0006] In one aspect, there is provided an inflatable article including an inflatable article body surrounding a chamber for containing air to pressurize the inflatable article body, and a valve attached to the inflatable article body. The valve includes a valve body defining a passage between the chamber and the surrounding environment. The valve body has a shoulder. The valve body defines an outer end portion of the passage opening to the surrounding environment and an inner end portion of the passage opening to the chamber. The valve further includes a one-way flap movable between an open position allowing fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage and a closed position where the one-way flap is sealed against the shoulder to prevent fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage. The one-way flap is biased to the closed position by a closing force. The closing force is selected such that it can be overcome by an air flow having a speed lower than about 48 m / s and a pressure less than 1 atmosphere to move the one-way flap to the open position. The valve further includes a cover removably attachable to the outer end portion and forming a cover seal for the fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment.

[0007] In another aspect, there is provided an inflatable comprising an inflatable body that surrounds a chamber for containing air to pressurize the inflatable body, and a valve attached to the inflatable body. The valve includes a valve body that defines a passage between the chamber and the surrounding environment. The valve body has a shoulder. The valve further includes a one-way flap that is movable between an open position that enables fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage and a closed position in which the one-way flap is sealed against the shoulder to prevent fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage. The one-way flap is biased to the closed position by a closing force. The valve further includes a cover that is removably attachable to an outer end and forms a cover seal for fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment. The cover includes a contraction protrusion that protrudes away from other portions of the cover to an extent sufficient to insert the cover into the passage to a contraction position where the contraction protrusion moves the one-way flap to the open position to enable contraction of the inflatable.

[0008] Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art after considering the following figures and description. For a better understanding of the embodiments described herein and to more clearly show how the embodiments are implemented, the accompanying drawings are now referred to by way of example only.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11A

Figure 11B

Figure 12

Figure 13A

Figure 13B

Figure 14

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Unless otherwise specified, the articles depicted in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, reference numbers may be repeated in the figures when appropriate to refer to corresponding or similar elements. In addition, numerous specific details are presented to provide a complete understanding of the singular or plural embodiments described herein. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. Exemplary embodiments are shown in the figures and described below, but it should first be understood that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should not be limited in any way to the exemplary implementations and techniques shown in the figures and described below.

[0011] As used throughout this description, the various terms may be interpreted and understood as follows, unless the context indicates otherwise. The "or" used throughout is inclusive as described as "and / or", and the singular articles and nouns used throughout include their plural forms and vice versa. Similarly, nouns denoting gender include the corresponding nouns, and this noun should not be understood as limiting any of the descriptions herein regarding use, implementation, or practice by a single gender. "Exemplary" should be understood as "illustrative" or "exemplifying", and is not necessarily understood as "preferred" over other embodiments. Further definitions of terms may be presented herein. As will be understood by reading this description, these apply to the cases preceding or following these terms as well.

[0012] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the components of the systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Also, the operations of the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be implemented by more, fewer, or other components, and the methods described may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, the steps may be performed in any suitable order. As used herein, "each" refers to each element of a set or each element of a subset of a set.

[0013] Refer to FIG. 1 showing an inflatable 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The inflatable 10 includes an inflatable body 12 and a valve 14. The inflatable body 12 surrounds a chamber 16 that contains air for pressurizing the inflatable body 12. The valve 14 is attached to the inflatable body 12 and includes a valve body 18, a one-way flap 20, and a cover 22. The valve body 18 (FIG. 2) defines a passage 24 between the chamber 16 and the ambient environment 26, which is the environment outside the inflatable 10. The passage defines a passage axis A shown in FIG. 6.

[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, the valve body 18 defines an outer end 28 of the passage 24 that opens to the ambient environment 26 and an inner end 30 of the passage 24 that opens to the chamber 16. The valve body 18 further includes a shoulder 32 that is a sealing surface where the one-way flap 20 can be sealed. The one-way flap 20 is movable between an open position (FIG. 3A) that allows fluid communication between the chamber 16 and the ambient environment 26 through the passage 18 and a closed position (FIG. 3B) where the one-way flap 20 is sealed against the shoulder 32 to prevent fluid communication between the chamber 16 and the ambient environment 26 through the passage 18.

[0015] The one-way flap 20 is biased to the closed position by a closing force F in at least some situations. The closing force F is the sum of all forces that bias the one-way flap 20 to the closed position. This includes one or more of the following forces: 1. The air pressure P1 inside the chamber 16 that is higher than the air pressure P2 in the surrounding environment 26, 2. The elasticity of the one-way flap 20 itself that biases the one-way flap 20 to the closed position, 3. Another biasing member such as a spring that biases the one-way flap 20 to the closed position. In the example shown, the one-way flap 20 is not biased to the closed position by another biasing member. Further, in some embodiments, the one-way flap 20 lacks sufficient elasticity to bias itself to the closed position. In other words, when the air pressure P1 in the chamber 16 is the same as the air pressure P2 in the surrounding environment 26, the one-way flap 20 can be flexible enough to bend (i.e., bend away from the outer end 28 of the passage 18) so as to move away from the closed position. In the state shown in FIG. 3B, due to the pressure difference across the one-way flap 20, the one-way flap 20 is at least partially held in the closed position and the inner air pressure P1 is higher than the outer air pressure P2. At the initial stage of the inflation process for the inflatable 10, the closing force F that biases the one-way flap 20 to the closed position can, therefore, be zero.

[0016] The closing force is selected to be low enough so that, in at least a first portion of the expansion process, the closing force F becomes non-zero due to at least the pressure difference between P1 and P2, but is low enough to be overcome by an air stream having a velocity lower than 48 m / s and a pressure less than one atmosphere to move the one-way flap to the open position. Thus, several significant advantages over the prior art valves for the inflator are obtained. One advantage is that the velocity is selected such that it is possible for a person to generate an air stream having the velocity of 48 m / s described above. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, a person (also referred to as the user 34) can blow air into the valve from a distance without forming a seal with the mouth around the valve 14, generating an air stream having a velocity of at least 48 m / s. The user 34 holds the inflator 10 proximal to the valve 14 and is shown blowing air into the valve 14 from a distance (i.e., such that the mouth 36 of the user 34 is spaced from the valve body 18). The air stream generated directly from the mouth 36 of the user 34 is indicated by arrow 38 and is referred to as the initial air stream 38. The air moving at a higher velocity than the surrounding air will notice that it is at a lower pressure than the surrounding air. Thus, the pressure of the initial air stream 38 moving from the mouth 36 of the user 34 to the one-way flap 20 is a pressure P3 that is lower than the pressure P2 of the air in the surrounding environment 26 (and thus surely lower than the pressure P1 inside the chamber 16). However, even if the pressure of the air moving from the mouth 36 of the user 34 to the one-way flap 20 is even lower, the air is moving at a velocity sufficient to overcome the closing force F at the one-way flap 20 and thus opens the one-way flap 20.

[0017] Referring again to FIG. 4, as described above, the pressure P3 of the initial air flow 38 moving towards the one-way flap 20 is lower than the pressure P2 of the surrounding air in the ambient environment 26. As a result, as represented by arrow 40, air from the ambient environment 26 is drawn into the initial air flow 38. As a result, the inflow air flow shown at 42, which enters the chamber 16 (FIG. 6) as a result of the blowing operation by the user 34, consists in part of air from the user's lungs (i.e., the initial air flow 38) and in part of air drawn into the air flow 38. This means that the inflatable 10 can be inflated using some air that does not directly originate from a person's lungs. This greatly facilitates the inflation process for the inflatable 10.

[0018] The outer end 28 of the passage 24 has a first cross-sectional area A1. The central region 34 of the passage 24 located inside the outer end 28 has a second cross-sectional area A2. Optionally, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the outer end 28 is flared, and thus the second cross-sectional area A2 is smaller than the first cross-sectional area A1. This has been found to increase the amount of air from the ambient environment 26 that is drawn into the air flow that engages with the one-way flap 20 and passes through it into the chamber 16 with each blow by a person. The reduction in the cross-sectional area of the passage 28 when transitioning from the outer end 28 to the one-way flap 20 causes an increase in the velocity of the air flow and as a result a decrease in the pressure of the air flow, and it is theorized that this can occur because it is possible to draw more air from the ambient environment 26 than would occur if the flared outer end 28 were not included.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 6, the valve body 18 optionally includes a plurality of support ribs 43 that extend into the passage and support the one-way flap 20 against deflection towards the outer end 28. More specifically, the one-way flap 20 can be flexible enough to deflect towards and away from the outer end 28 due to the pressure differential in the one-way flap 20. However, in order to maintain the seal against the shoulder 32, the plurality of support ribs 43 prevent the one-way flap 20 from deflecting towards the outer end 28.

[0020] Each of the plurality of support ribs 43 has a first side 44 facing the outer end 28 of the passage 24 and a second side 46 opposite to the outer end 28 of the passage 24. As somewhat shown in FIG. 6 and more clearly shown in the variant shown in FIG. 7, each of the plurality of support ribs 43 can be tapered from the second side 46 to the first side 44. Thus, the pressure drop generated in the inflow air stream 42 when passing through the support rib 43 is suppressed.

[0021] As described above, the one-way flap 20 can be a flexible polymer flap that is elastic and biased to the closed position by its elasticity, or is flexible enough to bend away from the outer end 28 when the pressure at the one-way flap 20 is equal. The one-way flap 20 can be made of a suitable material such as silicone, for example.

[0022] The one-way flap 20 can be connected to the valve body 18 by any suitable means. For example, in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the one-way flap 20 is connected to the valve body 18 by a connection structure 48 centered on the passage 24 (FIG. 6 is the most understandable). The connection structure 48 can include a one-way flap support 50 passing through a central annular body 52 connecting the plurality of support ribs 43 to each other. The one-way flap support 50 can be in friction fit with the inner surface of the annular body or can be more fixedly connected via an adhesive or other suitable means.

[0023] Optionally, a collar 56 is provided and extends between the inflatable body 12 and the valve body 18. The collar 56 is movable between an extended position (Figs. 3A, 3B, 5) in which the collar 56 holds the valve body 18 such that the outer end 28 of the passage 24 projects outwardly from the inflatable body 12, and a retracted position (Fig. 9) in which the outer end 28 of the passage 24 is disposed closer to the inflatable body 12 than when the collar 56 is in the extended position. For example, when the collar 56 is in the retracted position, the outer end 28 may be generally coplanar with the inflatable body 12. The collar 56 is elastic and stable in both the extended and retracted positions, and is optionally biased (but not necessarily biased) towards one of the extended and retracted positions when the collar 56 is disposed therebetween.

[0024] The collar 56 may be connected to the inflatable body 12 by any suitable means such as heat welding or a suitable adhesive.

[0025] Optionally, the valve body 18 includes a valve body main portion 18a and a reinforcing member 18b. The valve body main portion 18a is made of a first material having a first hardness. For example, the valve body 18a may be made of a polymeric material that can be easily deformed manually by a person, such as soft PVC. The valve body main portion 18a is continuous with the collar 56.

[0026] The reinforcing member 18b is made of a second material having a second hardness that is higher than the first hardness. The reinforcing member 18b may be made of a rigid polymeric material such as rigid PVC, for example. The reinforcing member 18b is connected to the valve body main portion 18a so as to reinforce the valve body main portion 18a. The connection to the valve body main portion 18a is by any suitable means. For example, the reinforcing member 18b may include a connection hole 58 and the valve body 18a may be overmolded onto the connection hole 58 or may include a preformed protrusion that mates with the connection hole 58. In embodiments where the valve body main portion 18a is not overmolded onto the reinforcing member 18b, an adhesive may be used to securely hold the two elements together.

[0027] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the inner end portion 30 of the passage 24 has an inner edge portion 60 having a plurality of peaks 62 and valleys 64, and it can be seen that at least the peaks 62 extend further inward than the one-way flap 20. It has been found that the peaks 62 and valleys 64 facilitate the movement of the one-way flap 20 to the closed position. More specifically, even when the one-way flap 20 is only slightly open, the valleys 64 facilitate the inflow of air into the chamber 16, while the peaks 62 help protect the one-way flap 20 from mechanical damage. Further, since the inner edge portion 60 is formed on the reinforcing member 18b, it can be seen that it is more effective in protecting the one-way flap 20 from damage than when it is defined in the main valve body portion 18a which is softer than the reinforcing member 18b. It will also be noted that even when the inner end portion 30 of the passage 24 abuts against the wall portion of the inflatable body 12 inside the chamber 16, the peaks 62 and valleys 64 open and close the one-way flap 20 to allow air to flow into (or out of) the chamber 16.

[0028] (When the one-way flap 20 is in the closed position) The portion of the valve body 18 that axially extends beyond the one-way flap 20 to the chamber 16 is called the extending portion 66. Thus, the peaks 62 and valleys 64 and the inner edge portion 60 are located in the extending portion 66.

[0029] FIG. 14 shows an example of a case where the inner end portion 30 of the passage 24 is directly in contact with the wall portion indicated by 65 of the inflatable body 12. As can be seen, the extending portion 66 moves the one-way flap 20 to the open position, and the peaks 62 and valleys 64 cooperate to define a plurality of air holes 67 for air to pass into (or out of) the chamber 16 when the one-way flap 20 is in the open position (shown in FIG. 14).

[0030] Thus, it can be said that the valve body 18 has an extending portion 66 having a plurality of protrusions 62 and valleys 64 that extend into the chamber 16 beyond the one-way flap 20 and define a plurality of air holes 67 to allow air to flow into the chamber 16 when the inner end portion 30 of the passage 24 fits with the wall portion 67 of the inflatable body 18 inside the chamber, and also to enable the movement of the one-way flap 20 to the open position.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 9, the cover 22 is removably attachable to the outer end 28 of the passageway 24 and forms a cover seal for fluid communication between the chamber 16 and the surrounding environment 26. In embodiments where the one-way flap 20 is very flexible and deflects when subjected to equal pressure, the seal formed by the cover 22 is the only seal that holds air in the chamber 16. In embodiments where the one-way flap 20 is sufficiently elastic or biased to a closed position by an external spring or the like, the seal formed by the cover 22 cooperates with the seal formed by the one-way flap 20 to hold air in the chamber 16.

[0032] When user 34 wants to inflate chamber 16, the valve 14 is pulled out to open the cover 22 so that the valve 14 is in the position shown in FIG. 2. User 34 spreads the inflatable body 12 to be ready to contain air. Then user 34 blows into the valve 14 as shown in FIG. 4 to inflate chamber 16 with air from the user's lungs and air from the surrounding environment 26. When air enters chamber 16 and slightly pressurizes chamber 16, the one-way flap 20 moves to the closed position due to the pressure difference if it was flexed. When user 34 blows further, chamber 16 inflates with air as described above. Eventually, since the pressure P2 in chamber 16 becomes high enough, the velocity of the initial air flow 38 generated by user 34 is not high enough to open the one-way flap 20. At this point, chamber 16 has a large amount of air inside and is very close to being full. Then user 34 forms a seal with his mouth 36 around the outer end 28 of the valve body 18 and blows into chamber 16 using the pressure from the lungs instead of using the velocity of the air. When chamber 16 is full, user 34 closes the cover 22 on the outer end 28 of the valve body 18 and presses the valve 14 inward so that the collar 56 moves to the retracted position. When it is desired to open and deflate the inflatable 10, user 34 opens the cover 22, mechanically presses the one-way flap 20 if necessary, and unseals the seal with the shoulder 32. User 34 can hold the one-way flap 20 in this open position throughout the deflation of chamber 16. To assist the user in deflating chamber 16, the cover 22 optionally includes a deflation protrusion 68 that protrudes from the other part of the cover 22 enough to insert the cover 22 into the passage 28 to the deflated position shown in FIG. 10, and the deflation protrusion 68 moves the one-way flap 20 to the open position to enable deflation of the inflatable 10. As shown in FIG. 8, the valve 14 includes a plurality of deflation protrusions 68 arranged to allow avoidance of one of the intermediate support ribs 43, so that the deflation protrusion 68 can engage the one-way flap 20 on either side of one of the support ribs 43.

[0033] Refer to FIGS. 11A and 11B showing alternative embodiments of valve 14. One-way flap 20 is not shown in FIG. 11A but is shown in FIG. 11B. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, since shoulder 32 is optionally in the form of recess 70, the radially inner edge of shoulder 32 (shown as 72) is closer to the outer end 28 of passage 24 than the radially outer edge of shoulder 32 shown as 74. By forming the recess, one-way flap 20 can move more easily between the open position and the closed position, and since one-way flap 20 is always curved in a certain direction whether in the open position or the closed position, it has a high tendency to form a good seal. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, one-way flap 20 is curved away from outer end 28, that is, curved in the direction of curvature during the movement of air to expansion member 10.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the second side 46 of support rib 43 cooperates with shoulder 32 to form recess 70. This ensures that one-way flap 20 is always maintained in a state of being curved by a certain amount away from outer end 28.

[0035] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, it can be seen that valve 14 lacks extension 66. However, it will be noticed that an extension may be provided on valve 14 shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B.

[0036] Refer to FIG. 12. In an alternative embodiment, connection structure 48 is not formed by a one-way flap strut disposed in passage 24, but instead is outside the radial edge of passage 24. As a result, connection structure 48 shown in FIG. 12 does not interfere much with the flow of air into chamber 16. In the embodiment shown, connection structure 48 includes a flap extension 76 that extends radially outward from the other part of one-way flap 20 and is sandwiched (gripped) between the edge surface 78 of the main part 18a of the valve body and the clamping surface 80 of the reinforcing member 18b.

[0037] This configuration of FIG. 12 can also be advantageous in that the one-way flap 20 is held only as a cantilever beam at the outermost edge, and thus can flex freely over a length spanning the entire diameter. In contrast, for example, the one-way flap 20 shown in FIG. 3B is supported in the center and thus flexes over half of this length. Therefore, the one-way flap 20 of FIG. 12 moves more easily to the open position than the one-way flap 20 shown in FIG. 3B, thereby further reducing the minimum air velocity required to move the one-way flap 20 to the open position.

[0038] Refer to FIGS. 13A and 13B showing another embodiment of the valve 14. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, in contrast to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B where the extension 66 extends only axially and has no radial extension, the valve 14 includes an extension 66 that includes an axial extension 82 and a radial extension 84. The axial extension 82 can be said to include a top 62 and a valley 64 that define an air hole 67. The radial extension 84 at least partially overlaps the one-way flap 20 radially, as can be seen in detail in FIG. 13B. The axial extension 82 has the above-described advantages provided by the extension 66 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. However, local protrusions present on the wall 67 of the inflatable body 12 can enter the extension member 66 and interfere with the opening of the one-way flap 20 during use of the valve 14 (e.g., when the inflatable 10 is inflated), or enter the extension 66 and damage the one-way flap 20. For example, such protrusions are formed by the wall 67 of the inflatable body 12 itself when the wall 67 is folded in a curtain-like manner. In another example, when the inflatable body 12 is located in an uninflated state on the ground having local protrusions under the wall 67, the wall 67 forms local protrusions just by being located on top of the local protrusions of the underlying ground. By providing the radial extension 84, the radial extension 84 provides additional protection to prevent local protrusions inside the chamber 16 from entering the extension 66 and interfering with or damaging the one-way flap 20.

[0039] A speed of 48 m / s is described, but this is not necessarily a strict limitation. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the one-way flap 20 is (in at least some embodiments) fabricated such that it is movable (i.e., openable) to the open position by a person blowing air into it without fitting the mouth with the valve body 18 and forming a seal therewith.

[0040] Specific advantages have been listed above, but various embodiments may include some, none, or all of the listed advantages.

[0041] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many more alternative implementations and modifications are possible and that the above examples are merely illustrative of one or more implementations. Therefore, the scope is limited only by the claims appended hereto and the amendments made thereto. 〔Supplementary Note 1〕 An inflatable object comprising: an inflatable object body that surrounds a chamber for containing air to pressurize the inflatable object body; a valve attached to the inflatable object body, the valve body defining a passage between the chamber and the surrounding environment, the valve body having a shoulder, the valve body defining an outer end of the passage opening to the surrounding environment and an inner end of the passage opening to the chamber; a one-way flap movable between an open position allowing fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage and a closed position sealed against the shoulder to prevent fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage, the one-way flap being biased to the closed position by a closing force and being movable to the open position by an air flow having a speed lower than about 48 m / s and a pressure less than 1 atmosphere, the closing force being selected such that it can be overcome to move the one-way flap to the open position; a cover removably attachable to the outer end and forming a cover seal for fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment; and a valve including the above; and an inflatable object comprising the above. 〔Supplementary Note 2〕 The inflatable object according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the outer end has a first cross-sectional area and a central region inside the outer end having a second cross-sectional area smaller than the first cross-sectional area. 〔Supplementary Note 3〕 The inflatable object according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the one-way flap is connected to the valve body by a connection structure at the center of the passage. 〔Supplementary Note 4〕 The inflatable object according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the one-way flap is connected to the valve body by a connection structure outside the radial edge of the passage. 〔Supplementary Note 5〕 The inflatable object according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the valve body includes a plurality of support ribs extending into the passage to support the one-way flap against deflection towards the outer end, the one-way flap being flexible enough to deflect towards and away from the outer end due to a pressure difference across the one-way flap, but the plurality of support ribs preventing deflection towards the outer end to maintain a seal against the shoulder. 〔Supplementary Note 6〕 Each of the plurality of support ribs has a first side facing the outer end of the passage and a second side opposite to the outer end of the passage, and each of the plurality of support ribs is tapered from the second side toward the first side. The dilator according to appended claim 5. [Append Claim 7] The dilator according to appended claim 1, wherein the cover includes a contraction protrusion that protrudes from other portions of the cover sufficiently to insert the cover into the passage so that the contraction protrusion moves the one-way flap to a contraction position that enables contraction of the dilator to the opening position. [Append Claim 8] Further comprising a collar that extends between the dilator body and the valve body and is movable between an extended position in which the collar holds the valve body such that the outer end of the passage protrudes outward from the dilator body and a retracted position in which the collar holds the valve body such that the outer end of the passage is disposed closer to the dilator body than when the collar is in the extended position. The collar is elastic and stable in both the extended position and the retracted position, and is biased toward one of the extended position and the retracted position when the collar is disposed between the extended position and the retracted position. The dilator according to appended claim 1. [Append Claim 9] The dilator according to appended claim 8, wherein the valve body includes a valve body main portion made of a first material having a first hardness, the valve body main portion is adjacent to the collar, and the valve body further includes a reinforcing member made of a second material having a second hardness higher than the first hardness, and the reinforcing member is connected to the valve body main portion to reinforce the valve body main portion. [Append Claim 10] The dilator according to appended claim 9, wherein the one-way flap is gripped between a first gripping surface of the valve body main portion and a second gripping surface of the reinforcing member. [Append Claim 11] The dilator according to appended claim 1, wherein the valve body has an extending portion having a plurality of protrusions and valleys that define a plurality of air holes so as to extend into the chamber beyond the one-way flap and allow air to flow into the chamber by enabling movement of the one-way flap to the opening position when the inner end of the passage fits with a wall portion of the dilator body inside the chamber. [Append Claim 12] The dilator according to appended claim 1, wherein the one-way flap is flexible enough to bend away from the outer end at an equal pressure across the one-way flap. [Append Claim 13] The dilator according to appended claim 12, wherein the extending portion includes an axially extending portion including the protrusion and the groove portion, and further includes a radially extending portion that at least partially overlaps the one-way flap in the radial direction. [Appended Note 14] The dilator according to appended claim 1, wherein the shoulder is in the form of a recess such that the radially inner edge of the shoulder is closer to the outer end of the passage than the radially outer edge of the shoulder. [Appended Note 15] A dilator, a dilator body surrounding a chamber for containing air to pressurize the dilator body, a valve attached to the dilator body, a valve body defining a passage between the chamber and the surrounding environment, the valve body having a shoulder, a one-way flap movable between an open position allowing fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage and a closed position where the one-way flap seals the shoulder to prevent fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage, the one-way flap being biased to the closed position by a closing force, a cover detachably attachable to the outer end and forming a cover seal for fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment, the cover including a contraction protrusion protruding away from the other part of the cover to an extent sufficient for the cover to be inserted into the passage to a contraction position where the contraction protrusion moves the one-way flap to the open position to enable contraction of the dilator, a valve including, a dilator comprising. [Appended Note 16] The dilator according to appended claim 15, wherein the valve body includes a plurality of support ribs extending into the passage to support the one-way flap against deflection towards the outer end, the one-way flap being flexible enough to deflect towards and away from the outer end due to a pressure difference at the one-way flap, but the plurality of support ribs prevent deflection towards the outer end to maintain a seal at the shoulder. [Appended Note 17] The dilator according to appended claim 16, wherein the contraction protrusion is a first protrusion among a plurality of contraction protrusions arranged to allow avoidance of one of the intervening support ribs, and the plurality of contraction protrusions can fit with the one-way flap on either side of one of the support ribs. [Appended Note 18] The inflatable object according to appended claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of support ribs has a first side facing the outer end of the passage and a second side opposite to the outer end of the passage, and each of the plurality of support ribs is tapered from the second side toward the first side.

Description of Symbols

[0042] 10 Inflatable 12 Inflatable body 14 Valve 16 Chamber 18 Valve body 18a Main part of the valve body 18b Reinforcing member 20 One-way flap 22 Cover 24 passages 26 surrounding environment 28 outer end 30 inner end 32 shoulder 34 user 36 mouth 38 initial air flow 40 air 42 inflow air flow 43 support rib 44 first side 46 second side 48 connection structure 50 one-way flap strut 52 central annular body 56 color 58 connection hole 60 inner edge part 62 top 64 valley part 65 wall part 66 extending part 67 wall part / air hole 68 contraction protrusion 70 recess 72 radially inner edge 74 radially outer edge 76 flap extension 78 edge surface 80 clamping surface 82 axially extending part 84 radially extending part A passage axis

Claims

Claim 1 An inflatable object, comprising: An inflatable object body that surrounds a chamber for containing air to pressurize the inflatable object body; A valve attached to the inflatable object body, the valve comprising: A valve body that defines a passage between the chamber and the surrounding environment, the valve body having a shoulder, the valve body defining an outer end of the passage that opens to the surrounding environment and an inner end of the passage that opens to the chamber; A one-way flap movable between an open position that allows fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage and a closed position that blocks fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment via the passage by the one-way flap sealing the shoulder, the one-way flap being biased to the closed position by a closing force; The closing force includes one or more of the following forces: a force from the air pressure inside the chamber that is higher than the air pressure in the surrounding environment, the elasticity of the one-way flap itself that biases the one-way flap to the closed position, another biasing member that biases the one-way flap to the closed position, and the one-way flap; A cover removably attachable to the outer end, the cover forming a cover seal for fluid communication between the chamber and the surrounding environment; And a valve including the above; The valve body includes a plurality of support ribs that extend into the passage and support the one-way flap against deflection toward the outer end, the one-way flap being flexible enough to deflect toward and away from the outer end due to a pressure difference across the one-way flap, but the plurality of support ribs prevent deflection toward the outer end to maintain a seal against the shoulder; Each of the plurality of support ribs has a first side facing the outer end of the passage and a second side opposite the outer end of the passage; The inflatable object body can be inflated by the user blowing air into the valve body from a location spaced such that the user's mouth is separated from the valve body until it is very close to being full; The closing force is selected such that it can be overcome by an air flow having a velocity lower than about 48 m / s and a pressure less than 1 atmosphere to move the one-way flap to the open position; Each of the plurality of support ribs is tapered from the second side toward the first side; An inflatable object. ​

2. The inflatable object according to claim 1, wherein the outer end portion has a first cross-sectional area and a central region located inside the outer end portion and having a second cross-sectional area smaller than the first cross-sectional area.

3. The inflatable object according to claim 1, wherein the one-way flap is connected to the valve body by a connection structure at the center of the passage.

4. The inflatable object according to claim 1, wherein the one-way flap is connected to the valve body by a connection structure outside the radial edge of the passage.

5. The inflatable object according to claim 1, further comprising a contraction protrusion protruding from other parts of the cover such that the contraction protrusion moves the one-way flap to the open position and allows the cover to be inserted into the passage to a contraction position where the inflatable object can be contracted.

6. Further comprising a collar movable between an extended position in which the collar holds the valve body such that the outer end portion of the passage protrudes outward from the inflatable object body and a retracted position in which the outer end portion of the passage is disposed closer to the inflatable object body than when the collar is in the extended position, the collar being elastic and stable in both the extended position and the retracted position, and being biased toward one of the extended position and the retracted position when the collar is disposed between the extended position and the retracted position. The inflatable object according to claim 1.

7. The valve body includes a main part of the valve body made of a first material having a first hardness, the main part of the valve body being adjacent to the collar, the valve body further includes a reinforcing member made of a second material having a second hardness higher than the first hardness, and the reinforcing member is connected to the main part of the valve body to reinforce the main part of the valve body. The inflatable object according to claim 6.

8. The inflatable object according to claim 7, wherein the one-way flap is gripped between a first gripping surface of the main part of the valve body and a second gripping surface of the reinforcing member. **Claim 9**: The inflatable article according to claim 1, wherein the valve body has an extension portion having a plurality of protrusions and valleys defining a plurality of air holes, extending into the chamber beyond the one-way flap and allowing the one-way flap to move to the opening position when the inner end of the passage mates with the wall of the inflatable body inside the chamber, thereby allowing air to flow into the chamber. **Claim 10**: The inflatable article according to claim 9, wherein the extension portion includes an axially extending portion including the protrusions and valleys, and further includes a radially extending portion at least partially overlapping the one-way flap in the radial direction. **Claim 11**: The inflatable article according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder is in the form of a recess such that the radially inner edge of the shoulder is closer to the outer end of the passage than the radially outer edge of the shoulder.

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