Valve, an inflatable body with such a valve, and a packaging

Abstract: The invention relates to a medium-inflatable body provided with an opening that can be closed off with a valve, comprising: an outer plate with a medium inlet which is arranged on the body around the opening such that the medium inlet lies opposite the opening; and an inner plate provided with a valve body which is con­ nected to the inner plate via laterally extending wings, wherein medium passages lie between the wings, and which is provided with a central valve body portion wherewith the medium inlet in the outer plate is closable with enclosing of a flat sealing ring, wherein a valve body seating and an outer plate seating, which come into contact with the sealing ring, are each provided with a sharp peripheral rib of mutually differing diameter located coaxially around the medium inlet, and to a packaging and to a valve.

Description: The present invention relates to a valve according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a valve is described in EP-A-324.519. The valve described therein functions excellently if it is applied on a body which is inflated with gas. A body filled with liquid cannot however be reliably closed with such a valve, particularly if the valve is positioned in a body portion which after filling of the body is curved in at least one or more directions. The invention has for its object to improve this known valve such that bodies inflated or filled with either gas or liquid are reliably closed irrespective of the position where the valve is arranged in the body. Document US-A-1372878 describes a valve in which sharp peripheral ribs are applied to improve the sealing and the anchoring of a gasket. These measures will however not be satisfactory in the case of a valve with a flexible inner and outer valve plate. The invention is defined in claim 1. Preferred embodiments are defined in the depending claims. It has been found namely that through use of both sharp Peripheral ribs a good sealing is obtained with the valve in closed position if these ribs are each forced for at least about 10% into the sealing ring. Since further the diameters of both peripheral ribs differ, the flat sealing ring assumes in closed position of the valve a somewhat S-shaped form in radial direction. If the body is inflated with a medium having an overpressure of for instance 8 bar, a deforming of the sealing ring occurs as a consequence of the through-flowing medium, which can even lead to an undesired displacing of the ring. Such a deforming will however be limited and undesired displacement avoided because wings are provided with positioning studs for the sealing ring. In order to ensure that the wings remain sufficiently flexible and resilient it is recommended that alternate wings are provided with a positioning stud. An optimally balanced valve is obtained if the wings are arranged diametrically and in rotational symmetry around the valve body. The invention also relates to a medium-inflatable body provided with a valve according to the invention, and to a packaging provided with such a medium-inflatable body. Mentioned and other features of the valve according to the invention will be described hereinafter in more detail on the basis of an embodiment, to which the invention is not in any way limited, this with reference to the annexed drawing. In the drawing: figure 1 shows an exploded and partly broken away view of a valve according to the invention; figure 2 is a bottom view of the inner plate shown in figure 1; figure 3 shows a section through the valve of figure 1 which is arranged in a body after filling with medium (figure 3A) and during filling with medium (figure 3B); and figures 4A and 4B show a section similar to figure 3A wherein the valve is located respectively in a convex and a concave portion of the body. Figure 1 shows a body 1 for filling with medium 3 which is provided with an opening 2 that can be closed with a valve 4 according to the invention. The valve 4 comprises a flexible outer plate 5 that is arranged around the opening 2 such that a medium inlet 6 lies opposite opening 2. The outer plate 5 is adhered to the body 1 for example with adhesive or by means of welding. Adhered on the inside to the body is a flexible inner plate 7. This latter is provided with a valve body 8 which is joined via laterally extending wings 9 to the inner plate 7 and forms an entity therewith. The wings are arranged diametrically and in rotational symmetry around a central valve body portion 10 which is provided on its side 11 facing the outer plate 5 with a guide member 12 which can extend into the medium inlet 6 in the outer plate 5. The guide member 12 is further provided with a tool seating 13 so that, if required, the valve body 8 can be lifted and medium present in the body 1 can be drained off. A flat sealing ring 24 is clampingly attached round the guide member 12 and co-acts with an outer plate seating 14 and a valve body seating 15. The integrated inner plate/valve body thus lies in a curved and tensioned position on the outer plate 5 when the valve 4 is closed, as shown in figure 3A. The outer plate seating 14 is provided with a rib 16 with a sharp edge 17 arranged coaxially around the medium inlet 6. In the same manner the valve body seating 15 is provided with a coaxial rib 19 furnished with a sharp edge 18. The diameters of the ribs 16 and 19 differ mutually, wherein the diameter of the rib 19 is greater than that of rib 16. The diameter of rib 19 is for example 9 mm, of rib 16 8 mm and that of the flat sealing ring 24 10 mm. Thus is achieved that with the valve 4 in closed position (figure 3A) the sealing ring 24 is substantially S-shaped in radial direction and passage in radial direction between the sealing ring 24 on the one side and the outer plate 5 or inner plate 7 on the other is substantially wholly prevented. In order to prevent the sealing ring 24 detaching from the guide member 12 during filling of the body 1 with medium 3, wherein the valve body 8 is raised from the outer plate 5 and medium 3 can flow in via the medium inlet 6 and the medium passages 20 between the wings 9, positioning studs 21 are arranged on the wings 9, this on alternate wings 9 so that they do not become too rigid. Figure 4A and 4B show clearly the multiple function of the wings if the valve according to the invention is situated in a curved portion of the body 1. In the case of a convex body portion 25 the wings 9 press the valve body 8 onto the valve body seating 15. In the case of a saddle-shaped portion of the body 1, a number of the wings 9 act as pressure element and a further number as pulling element, depending on the position in the saddle-shaped portion. As medium can be used gases such as air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, and liquids such as liquid soap (shampoo), liquid chlorine, wine, lemonades and thin oils. The body 1 can consist of a relatively medium-tight material such as polythene foil for use for instance in cardboard products.

Claims: A valve (4) comprising an outer plate (5) with a medium inlet (6) which can be arranged around an opening (2) of a medium-inflatable body (1) such that the medium inlet (6) lies opposite the opening (2), and an inner plate (7) provided with a valve body (8) which is connected to the inner plate (7) via laterally extending wings (9), wherein medium passages (20) lie between the wings (9), and which is provided with a central valve body portion (10) wherewith the medium inlet (6) in the outer plate (5) is closable with enclosing of a flat sealing ring (24) between a valve body seating (15) and an outer plate seating (14), characterized in that said valve body seating (15) and said outer plate seating (14), which come into contact with the sealing ring (24), are each provided with a sharp peripheral rib (19,16) of mutually differing diameter located coaxially around the medium inlet (6), and that wings (9) are provided with positioning studs (21) for the sealing ring (24). A medium-inflatable body (1) provided with an opening (2) and a valve (4) according to claim 1 which can close off said opening (2). A medium-inflatable body and a valve as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein alternate wings (9) are provided with a positioning stud (21). A medium-inflatable body and a valve as claimed in claim 1-3, wherein the wings (9) are arranged diametrically and in rotational symmetry around the valve body (8). A medium-inflatable body and a valve as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the diameter of the peripheral rib (19) of the valve body seating (15) is greater than that of the outer plate seating (14). A packaging provided with a medium-inflatable body (1) as claimed in claims 2-5.

Inventors: SCHRAM HENK, SCHRAM, HENK
Applicants: KLERK S PLASTIC IND B V, KLERK'S PLASTIC INDUSTRIE B.V.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: F16K15
IPC codes: B65D33, F16K17, F16K1, F16K15