Quick-fill Inflatable Watercraft Resilient Seal Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inflatable watercrafts face barriers such as time-consuming inflation and deflation, space and weight constraints, high cost, low durability, and air leaks, making them inaccessible to average outdoor enthusiasts.
Innovation Solution
A quickly-inflatable watercraft with a flexible, waterproof bladder featuring a resilient top and bottom seal strip configuration that allows for rapid inflation and deflation without powered air pumps, is collapsible, lightweight, inexpensive, and durable, with improved air sealing to prevent leaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional inflatable watercraft are used, then they can provide buoyancy and watercraft functionality, but they require time-consuming inflation and deflation processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the valve closure component from the inflation system, allowing users to simply open the valve and inflate the chamber rapidly without needing to manually open and close a traditional valve mechanism. This extraction of the closure function enables quick inflation while the chamber maintains its seal through the resilient seal design.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient seal is pre-configured to automatically engage and seal the valve opening once inflation begins. The seal strips are positioned and oriented in advance to snap into place as the chamber inflates, eliminating the need for manual sealing actions during the inflation process.
2Volume of moving object
If inflatable watercraft are made collapsible for transport, then they reduce storage space, but they require complex sealing mechanisms to maintain air pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs resilient seal strips made of flexible material that can conform to the collapsing and expanding geometry of the inflatable chamber. These thin film seals maintain their sealing function throughout the collapse and expansion cycles, reliably preventing air leaks while allowing the chamber to be collapsed for compact storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing system is designed to be dynamic rather than static, with seal strips that automatically adjust their position and engagement as the chamber collapses or expands. The resilient nature of the seals allows them to maintain contact and sealing pressure regardless of the chamber's volume state.
3Ease of manufacture
If simple sealing mechanisms are used, then the device is easier to manufacture and lighter, but they are prone to air leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is divided into multiple independent seal strips positioned at different locations around the valve opening. This segmentation ensures that if one seal fails or is imperfect, other seals provide redundant sealing, preventing air leaks while keeping each individual seal component simple and easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient seal strips are designed with built-in compliance and tolerance for manufacturing variations. The resilient material absorbs minor defects or misalignments in the sealing surfaces, providing a cushioning effect that prevents air leaks even when the sealing surfaces are not perfectly smooth or aligned.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and efficient inflation and deflation, facilitates easy transport and storage, and provides a durable and cost-effective solution with minimized air leaks, making inflatable watercrafts more accessible for outdoor use.
Implementation Method 1
The first seal preferably includes a resilient top seal strip fixed with the interior surface of the top side of the bladder proximate the open first end of the bladder, as well as an opposing, resilient bottom seal strip fixed with the interior surface of the bottom side of the bladder proximate the open first end of the bladder. The top and bottom seal strips, are resiliently urged together in parallel alignment at substantially flat contact surfaces thereof to seal the first end of the bladder.
Data Source
AI summary
An inflatable watercraft for supporting a user on water includes a flexible water-proof and air-tight bladder having a first end, an opposing second end, a top side, a bottom side, and two opposing lateral sides. The first end is substantially open to expose an interior surface of the bladder and an interior volume of the bladder. A first seal is fixed with the interior surface of the bladder proximate the open first end of the bladder. As such, to inflate the watercraft the user holds the first seal open while scooping air into the bladder until the bladder achieves a substantially inflated configuration. The user then places the first seal in the closed configuration to prevent air from escaping the bladder. Additional seals and means for inhibiting air leaking from the bladder are provided. Multiple forms of watercraft are contemplated.