Method and an apparatus for selectively releasing air from a mold

A method and an apparatus 10 for selectively venting air 98 from the internal cavity 94 of a mold 90. Particularly, the apparatus 90 includes a body 12 having a selectively movable member 30 whose position within the body 12 determines whether the air 98 is vented from the mold 98. After the air 98 is vented,. The member 30 returns to a normal position in which communication between the internal cavity 94 of the mold 90 and the ambient environment 100 is foreclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus for selectively releasing air from a mold and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for efficiently, selectively, and cleanly releasing air from a mold or other container and which substantially prevents an undesired release of such air from the mold or other container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A mold is used to selectively create an item of manufacture, such as and without limitation, a vehicular seat. One form of mold is adapted to receive a certain amount of material, such as foam, and to allow the form to selectively expand, within the mold, thereby forming the article of manufacture having a certain size and shape. In the process of expanding, the foam forces the air, which is present within the mold, away from it.

While these molds do allow for the selective formation of an article of manufacture, they have some drawbacks. By way of example and without limitation, they do not reliably allow the air to be emitted, thereby causing the air to be undesirably mixed with the expanding foam and causing an article of manufacture or product to be formed having undesired physical characteristics. Further, while some molds do allow the air to be selectively emitted away from the expanding foam, the emission apparatus frequently receives some of the expanding foam and becomes “dirty” or “plugged”. This situation substantially prevents the apparatus from optimally functioning and further reduces the amount of air which is emitted from the mold or even, in some situations, prevents such air from being emitted.

There is therefore a need for a new and improved method and apparatus for selectively releasing and/or emitting air from a mold which overcomes the various previously delineated drawbacks which are set forth above and the present inventions provide such benefits in a new and novel fashion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a first non-limiting object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for selectively releasing air from a mold which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior arrangements.

It is a second non-limiting object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for selectively releasing air from a mold which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior arrangements and which, by way of example and without limitation, releases the air in an efficient and substantially clean manner.

It is a third non-limiting embodiment of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for selectively releasing air from a mold which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior arrangements and which, by way of example and without limitation, includes a movable member whose position determines whether such air is released from the mold.

According to a first non-limiting aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided and includes a generally hollow body having a first outlet portion and a second threaded inlet portion; an element which is movably disposed within the generally hollow body; and a top having a threaded portion which is adapted to be selectively coupled to the second threaded inlet portion, the top further having a outwardly protruding spring which engages the movable element when the threaded portion of the top is selectively coupled to the threaded portion of the second inlet portion.

According to a second non-limiting aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for selectively and cleanly removing air from a mold is provided. Particularly, the apparatus includes a generally cylindrical and hollow body having a longitudinal axis of symmetry and opposed orifices which are positioned along the longitudinal axis of symmetry, the body having a threaded portion which circumscribes a first of the pair of orifices; a ball which movably resides within the generally cylindrical and hollow body and upon the longitudinal axis of symmetry; and a top portion having threads which are adapted to be selectively and removably coupled to the threaded portion of the body, the top further having an outwardly protruding spring which is positioned within the generally hollow body along the longitudinal axis of symmetry, and in contact with the ball when the top portion is attached to the body, wherein a second of the pair of orifices is adapted to selectively receive the air from the mold and communicate the received air to the ball which causes the ball to move against the spring and allow the received air to pass through the generally hollow body and to be outputted from the second of the pair of orifices and wherein the spring, in the absence of the received air, pushes the ball against the first of the pair of orifices, thereby closing the first of the pair of orifices.

According to a third non-limiting aspect of the present invention, a method for selectively releasing air from a mold is provided. Particularly, the method includes the steps of receiving the air; providing an outlet from the mold; causing the received air to freely travel a certain and substantial distance within the apparatus before impacting any portion of the apparatus; and thereafter causing the received air to enter the outlet.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present inventions will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, by reference to the subjoined claims, and by reference to the attached drawings.

Referring now toFIGS. 1-3, there is shown an apparatus10which is made in accordance with the teachings of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Particularly, as shown, the apparatus10includes a generally hollow and elongated body12having an internal cavity14. The body2includes opposed orifices16,18which are substantially aligned along the longitudinal axis of symmetry20of the generally hollow and elongated body12. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the body12has a generally cylindrical cross sectional area, although other types of cross sectional areas may be utilized. The body12further includes an internally threaded portion24(i.e., the threads reside within the cavity14) which substantially circumscribes the orifice16and a neck portion28into which the orifice18is formed. The neck portion28has a diameter38which is substantially smaller than the diameter40of the internal cavity14.

The apparatus10further includes a movable element30, such as and without limitation a ball, which is adapted to be movably disposed within the cavity14(i.e., is adapted to move only within the portion of the internal cavity14having the diameter40. It should be appreciated that the element30may have any substantially desired shape and size as long as it is movable within the cavity14of the apparatus10and that nothing in this description is meant to limit the movable element30to a ball or any other specific shape.

As is further shown inFIGS. 1-3, the apparatus10includes a top portion50having an externally threaded portion52which is complementary to threaded portion24and an outwardly protruding spring portion54which is, in one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, orthogonally coupled to the base portion56of the top50(i.e., the spring portion54lies along an axis60which forms a right angle with the base portion56. The apparatus10further includes a set screw70which is movably positioned within the portion12proximate to the threaded portion24and which, as should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, may be selectively moved within the interior of the portion12by a desired amount.

To utilize the apparatus, as best shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, the movable element or ball30is placed within the cavity14and abuts the shoulder81into which the neck portion28terminates. The top portion50is then placed within the apparatus10. That is, the spring portion54is placed within the interior cavity14and is substantially aligned along the longitudinal axis of symmetry20. The threaded portion52is selectively and removably coupled to the threaded portion24until the threaded portion52is engaged by set screw70. The threaded portion52includes an orifice80which is then substantially aligned along the longitudinal axis of symmetry20and which is in communication with the interior cavity14and the orifice18. The use of the apparatus10is shown, by way of example and without limitation, inFIG. 3. The use of the apparatus10within a mold will now be further delineated below.

Referring now toFIG. 3, there is shown a conventional mold90of the type which receives a certain amount of material92(e.g., foam) which selectively expands within the mold90to form a desired article of manufacture, such as vehicular seat. It should be appreciated that nothing in this description is meant to limit the applicability of the present inventions to a particular type of mold or to a particular type of manufacture and that the mold90is presented within this description for illustration purposes only.

Particularly, the apparatus10is assembled and the neck portion28is inserted into the internal cavity94of the mold90which receives the material92. As the material92expands within the internal cavity94, air98is forced away from the expanding material92and enters the orifice18. The received air98traverse a substantial distance within the neck28before contacting the member30and thereafter forcing the member30to move in the direction of and against the spring54, thereby compressing the spring. The air98then traverses through the cavity14and through the generally hollow top member50, before exiting the apparatus10through the orifice80. In this manner, air98is selectively released from the internal cavity94of the mold90. When the air98has been fully released from the mold90, the spring54automatically (i.e., without human intervention) and forcibly returns the member30to a position in which the member30contacts the wall81and substantially closes the orifice18, thereby substantially preventing contaminants or other materials from entering the internal cavity94of the mold90. In this manner, communication between the ambient environment and the internal cavity94of the mold90is foreclosed.

It should be appreciated that the amount or force of air98needed to move the member30away from the shoulder80is dependent upon the spring constant of the spring54and the position of the set screw70(i.e., the farther within the body12that the top portion50is placed within, the tighter the compression of the spring54becomes against the member30and the more force is needed to move the member30). In this manner, one may effectively regulate the time, during the material expansion process, in which air98is removed from the cavity94and the time in the material expansion process in which the member30is moved back into an orifice blocking position.

It should be appreciated that in the most preferred embodiment of the invention, the neck portion28has a substantially long length (about at least one sixth to about at least to about one quarter of the length of the portion12) and that this substantially long length allows the apparatus10to vent or selectively release the air98from the mold90in a substantially clean manner. That is, the likelihood that the selectively expanding material92will actually contact the member30and prevent the member30from selectively moving within the cavity14is substantially reduce or substantially eliminated. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the length of the neck portion28is about 0.75 inches and the length of the remaining part of the portion12is about 2.25 inches. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the angle110(formed by the portion of the neck81which contacts member30) is about 66 degrees and the diameter of orifice18is about 0.75 inches and the diameter of the orifice80is about 1 inch. Further, in one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the spring54has a diameter of about ⅜ of an inch and a length of about 1.5 inches. Other dimensions may, of course, be utilized in other embodiments of the invention. Further, in one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the apparatus10could be constructed from aluminum, steel, or some other conventional material, including, but not limited to, composite type materials.

It is to be understood that the inventions are not limited to their exact construction and/or methodology which has been disclosed above, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of these inventions as they are defined within the following claims.