Oral inflation valve

Improved check valve adapted for operation under light pressure, as in the oral inflation of inflatable articles. The valve has a valve body and a movable valve element therein, the valve element having a body which carries an annular sealing means cooperating with and selectively sealing an axially outwardly converging valve seat on the valve body, the angle of engagement between the sealing member of the valve element and the valve seat at the valve-closed position of the valve element exceeding the angle of repose of the engaging parts of the sealing member and the valve seat. The sealing member, which is molded in place on the body of the valve element, has an annular main part surrounding an enlarged head on the body of the valve element and a sheet-like disc which is integral with the main part of the sealing member and overlies the axially inner end of the head on the body of the valve element. The sealing member has a flange which first extends generally radially outwardly from an annular root at the axially outer end of the main part of the sealing member and then turns axially inwardly to form an annular flange which, in relaxed condition, lies generally coaxial of and radially spaced from the annular body of the main part of the sealing member. Normal sealing between the sealing member and the valve seat takes place in the vicinity of the root of the flange. When engaging the valve seat, the flange yields to varying degrees, depending upon the pressure to which it is subjected.

This invention relates to an improved check valve adapted for operation 
under light pressure, as in the oral inflation of inflatable articles. 
The valve of the present invention incorporates a number of improvements 
over the oral inflation valve disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,081. Such 
prior valve had a valve body with a longitudinal passage therethrough, 
there being a movable valve element in said passage in the body, the valve 
element carrying an annular sealing member cooperating with and 
selectively sealing an annular valve seat in the valve body which 
surrounded the passage therethrough. The valve element was urged toward 
valve-closed position by a light coil-compression spring which was 
overcome by oral air pressure. In the prior valve the sealing means on the 
valve element was an O-ring which was mounted in an annular groove on an 
enlarged head on the valve element. The O-ring cooperated with a 
part-toroidal valve seat which surrounded the passage through the valve 
body. 
Although the prior valve generally worked well, at times difficulties were 
experienced with it. Leakage sometimes occurred between the O-ring and the 
annular groove on the head of the valve element. In spite of the close 
tolerances of manufacture of the parts of the valve, misalignment 
sometimes occurred between the valve body and the valve element so that 
the O-ring did not completely engage and seal the valve seat in the valve 
body. 
In the valve of the present invention, the sealing member on the enlarged 
head of the valve element, rather than being an after-applied O-ring 
mounted in an annular groove on such head, is a molded-in-place annular 
member having a main annular body in an annular groove on the head of the 
valve element, and a sheet-like disc which is integral with the main part 
of the sealing member and overlies the axially inner end of the head on 
the valve element. Such construction eliminates any possibility of leakage 
of fluid between the sealing member and the head of the valve element. 
In the preferred embodiment of the valve shown herein, the sealing member 
has a flange which first extends generally radially outwardly from an 
annular root at the axially outer end of the main part of the sealing 
member and then turns axially inwardly to form an annular portion of the 
flange which, in relaxed condition, lies generally coaxial of and radially 
spaced from the annular body of the main part of the sealing member. 
Normal sealing between the sealing member and the valve seat takes place 
in the vicinity of the root of the flange. Such construction of the 
sealing member on the valve member gives the sealing member a desirable 
yieldability which aids it in conforming to the valve seat on the valve 
body under varying pressures, thereby ensuring sealing between the valve 
body and the valve element when the latter is in its valve-closed 
position. Under increasing pressures within the inflatable article, the 
annular flange of the sealing member on the valve element is progressively 
forced radially inwardly toward the main body of the sealing member until 
under fairly high pressures the flange is forced into engagement with the 
main body of the sealing member and prevents any further substantial 
axially outward movement of the valve element relative to the valve body.

Turning now to the drawings, the illustrative embodiment of the valve of 
the invention is generally designated by the reference character 10. Valve 
10 has a generally circular cylindrical elongated body 11 which in FIG. 3 
is shown as being inserted within a tube 14 extending from an inflatable 
article 12. The tube 14 is forcibly constricted and held against the 
annularly serrated outer surface of the axially inner end of the valve 
body by a metal band 15, as shown. Valve body 11 has a passage 16 
extending therethrough, the passage being of greatest diameter at the 
axially inner hood 17 of the valve body. The diameter of the passage 
progressively decreases axially outward of the valve body in the region of 
a frusto-conical valve seat 19, the passage reaching its minimum diameter 
at a shoulder 18 having a central passage 20 therethrough. Axially 
outwardly of the shoulder 18 the passage 21 is of circular cylindrical 
shape having a diameter intermediate between that at the hood 17 and zone 
20 of the shoulder. 
An axially reciprocable valve element 24 is disposed within the valve body 
11 coaxial thereof, the valve element having an axially outer circular 
cylindrical stem 25 and an axially inner enlarged head 26 coaxial of the 
stem 25. A member 27 which may be made of plastic material, as shown, has 
a snap-on connection 30 with the axially outer end of the stem 25 of the 
valve element. Member 27, which has a plurality of wings 29 thereon 
equally angularly spaced thereabout, guides the axially outer end of the 
stem 25 of the valve element axially of the valve body while permitting 
the passage of fluid such as air through the spaces between the wings 
thereof. The outer end of the member 27 lies close enough to the outer end 
of the valve body to permit member 27 to be engaged by a finger, a match, 
or otherwise to allow the valve element to be manually thrust into the 
valve-open position of FIG. 2. 
Member 27 has a thin-walled circular cylindrical skirt 31 integral 
therewith, the outer surface of the skirt guidinly engaging the inner 
surface of the valve body 11 at the portion 21 of the passage 
therethrough, and also serving to house the axially outer and middle 
portions of a coil compression spring 32. The axially outer end of such 
spring bears against the axially inner edges of the wings 29 on the member 
27, the axially inner end of the spring bearing against a frust-conical 
surface 34 of the shoulder 18. 
The head 26 of the valve element 24 carries a sealing member 35 having a 
main annular portion 37 of generally rectangular cross-section which is 
integrally molded in an annular groove 36 in the head 26. The sealing 
member 35 has a flange with a radially outwardly extending annular portion 
39 integrally attached to the axially outer end of the main body 37 of the 
sealing member, the flange then turning at a zone 40 to form an axially 
inwardly extending annular part or band 41 which, in relaxed condition, 
lies generally coaxial of and radially spaced from the main body 37 of the 
sealing member by an annular groove 41. Normal sealing between the sealing 
member and the valve seat in the valve body takes place in the vicinity of 
the reverse bend 40 of the flange. 
When the valve element 24 is subjected to higher pressures, as when the 
pressure of a fluid within the inflatable device 12 is added to the force 
exerted upon the valve member by the spring 32, the portion of the sealing 
member generally at the junction between the radially extending and 
axially extending portions of the flange thereon are distorted as shown in 
FIG. 3. This increases the area of engagement between the valve seat 19 in 
the valve body and the sealing member 35 on the valve element. When the 
forces acting upon the valve element to thrust it to the left (FIG. 3) 
reach a certain value, the axially inner end of the flange 39 engages the 
outer surface of the main part of the sealing member 35, thereby 
substantially to stop further travel of the valve element to the left. 
Integral with the main part of the sealing means 35 there is a generally 
disc-shaped member 42 which overlies the axially inner face of the head 26 
of the valve element, portion 42 being attached to the main part of the 
sealing member by an axially outwardly extending annular flange portion, 
as shown. The described construction and manner of mounting of the sealing 
member on the head of the valve element effectively eliminates any 
possible path of leakage of fluid between the sealing member and the head 
26 of the valve element. 
In an illustrative preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the body 11 of 
the valve is made of anodized black aluminum 2011-T3, the valve element 24 
is made of nickel-plated brass, and the sealing member 35 is made of Buna 
N synthetic rubber having a 40.+-.5 durometer rating within a temperature 
range of -65.degree. to 212.degree. F. 
The apex angle of the frusto-conical seat 19 in the valve body 11 is so 
chosen that the angle of engagement between the sealing member 35 and the 
valve seat 19 at the valve-closed position of the valve element 24 exceeds 
the angle of repose of the engaging parts of the sealing member and the 
valve seat. 
Although the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to 
a single preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be expressly understood 
that it is in no way limited to the disclosure of such a single 
embodiment, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of 
the appended claims.