Patent Publication Number: US-2023145717-A1

Title: Inflatable object and valve therefor

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/338,571 filed Jun. 3, 2021, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/034,855 filed Jun. 4, 2020, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The specification relates generally to inflatable objects and more particularly to valves for inflatable objects. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     It is known to construct inflatable objects with a valve permitting a user to manually inflate and deflate the object. Typically the valve employs some kind of one-way flow mechanism to permit air to be pushed into the object, while inhibiting air from leaving the object during between puffs by the user. These one-way flow mechanism sometimes require substantial effort to overcome, which can cause the user to tire during inflation of the object. Furthermore, the volume of air that the user needs to blow into the inflatable object can be significant and can also cause the user to become tired or dizzy. It would be advantageous to at least ameliorate one or more of these aforementioned problems or other problems with inflatable objects. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     In one aspect, there is provided an inflatable object which includes an inflatable object body enclosing a chamber to receive air in order to pressurize the inflatable object body, and a valve mounted to the inflatable object body. The valve includes a valve body that defines a passageway between the chamber and an ambient environment. The valve body has a shoulder. The valve body defines an outside end of the passageway, which opens to the ambient environment, and an inside end of the passageway, which opens into the chamber. The valve further includes a one-way flap that is movable between an open position in which the one-way flap permits fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment through the passageway, and a closed position in which the one-way flap seals against the shoulder to block fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment though the passageway. The one-way flap is biased to the closed position with a closing force. The closing force is selected to be overcomable so as to move the one-way flap to the open position by an airflow by a person blowing towards the one-way flap through the passageway, without having their mouth engaged with the valve body to form a seal therewith. 
     In one aspect, there is provided an inflatable object which includes an inflatable object body enclosing a chamber to receive air in order to pressurize the inflatable object body, and a valve mounted to the inflatable object body. The valve includes a valve body that defines a passageway between the chamber and an ambient environment. The valve body has a shoulder. The valve body defines an outside end of the passageway, which opens to the ambient environment, and an inside end of the passageway, which opens into the chamber. The valve further includes a one-way flap that is movable between an open position in which the one-way flap permits fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment through the passageway, and a closed position in which the one-way flap seals against the shoulder to block fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment though the passageway. The one-way flap is biased to the closed position with a closing force. The closing force is selected to be overcomable so as to move the one-way flap to the open position by an airflow having a speed that is less than about 48 m/s, and which is at a pressure that is lower than 1 atmosphere. The valve further includes a cover that is removably mountable on the outside end to form a cover seal against fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment. 
     In another aspect, there is provided an inflatable object which includes an inflatable object body enclosing a chamber to receive air in order to pressurize the inflatable object body, and a valve mounted to the inflatable object body. The valve includes a valve body that defines a passageway between the chamber and an ambient environment. The valve body has a shoulder. The valve further includes a one-way flap that is movable between an open position in which the one-way flap permits fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment through the passageway, and a closed position in which the one-way flap seals against the shoulder to block fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment though the passageway. The one-way flap is biased to the closed position with a closing force. The valve further includes a cover that is removably mountable on the outside end to form a cover seal against fluid communication between the chamber and the ambient environment. The cover includes a deflation projection that projects sufficiently far from a remainder of the cover to permit the cover to be inserted into the passageway to a deflation position in which the deflation projection drives the one-way flap to the open position to permit deflation of the inflatable object. 
     Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the embodiment(s) described herein and to show more clearly how the embodiment(s) may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG.  1    shows a perspective view of an inflatable object in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a sectional side view of a valve from the inflatable object shown in  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  3 A  is a magnified sectional side view valve shown in  FIG.  2   , with a one-way flap in an open position. 
         FIG.  3 B  is a magnified sectional side view of the valve shown in  FIG.  2   , with the one-way flap in a closed position. 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of a user blowing up the inflatable object shown in  FIG.  1    through the valve. 
         FIG.  5    is a magnified side view the valve shown in  FIG.  2   , illustrating the flow of air into the inflatable object. 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective, sectional view of the valve shown in  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view from an outside end of a variant of the valve shown in  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view from an inside end of the valve shown in  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  9    is a magnified sectional side view of the valve shown in  FIG.  2    with a cover in a closed position. 
         FIG.  10    is a magnified sectional side view of the valve shown in  FIG.  2    with the cover in a deflation position. 
         FIG.  11 A  is a perspective view of a variant of the valve shown in  FIG.  2   , in which a shoulder on the valve forms a depression for engagement by the one-way flap shown in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B . 
         FIG.  11 B  is a sectional perspective view of the variant of the valve shown in  FIG.  11 A , showing the one-way flap in the depression. 
         FIG.  12    is a magnified sectional side view of the valve shown in  FIG.  2    with a variant of a connecting structure that holds the one-way flap to a valve body. 
         FIG.  13 A  is a perspective view of another variant of the valve shown in  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  13 B  is a sectional side view of the variant of the valve shown in  FIG.  13 A . 
         FIG.  14    is a magnified sectional side view of the valve shown in  FIG.  2   , showing an extension portion that is engaged with a wall of an inflatable object body of the inflatable object shown in  FIG.  1   . 
     
    
    
     Unless otherwise specifically noted, articles depicted in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the Figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment or embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art 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. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below. 
     Various terms used throughout the present description may be read and understood as follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: “or” as used throughout is inclusive, as though written “and/or”; singular articles and pronouns as used throughout include their plural forms, and vice versa; similarly, gendered pronouns include their counterpart pronouns so that pronouns should not be understood as limiting anything described herein to use, implementation, performance, etc. by a single gender; “exemplary” should be understood as “illustrative” or “exemplifying” and not necessarily as “preferred” over other embodiments. Further definitions for terms may be set out herein; these may apply to prior and subsequent instances of those terms, as will be understood from a reading of the present description. 
     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. Moreover, the operations of the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer, or other components and the methods described may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order. As used in this document, “each” refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set. 
     Reference is made to  FIG.  1   , which shows an inflatable object  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The inflatable object  10  includes an inflatable object body  12 , and a valve  14 . The inflatable object body  12  encloses a chamber  16  for receiving air in order to pressurize the inflatable object body  12 . The valve  14  is mounted to the inflatable object 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 passageway  24  between the chamber  16  and an ambient environment  26 , which is the environment outside the inflatable object  10 . The passageway defines a passageway axis A shown in  FIG.  6   . 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , the valve body  18  defines an outside end  28  of the passageway  24 , which opens to the ambient environment  26 , and an inside end  30  of the passageway  24 , which opens into the chamber  16 . The valve body  18  further includes a shoulder  32  which is a sealing surface against which the one-way flap  20  can seal. The one-way flap  20  is movable between an open position ( FIG.  3 A ) in which the one-way flap  20  permits fluid communication between the chamber  16  and the ambient environment  26  through the passageway  18 , and a closed position ( FIG.  3 B ) in which the one-way flap  20  seals against the shoulder  32  to block fluid communication between the chamber  16  and the ambient environment  26  though the passageway  18 . 
     The one-way flap  20  is in at least some situations biased to the closed position with a closing force F. The closing force F is the sum total of all the forces urging the one-way flap  20  towards the closed position. This includes one or more of the following forces: 1. an air pressure P 1  inside the chamber  16  that is greater than an air pressure P 2  in the ambient environment  26 , 2. a resiliency in the one-way flap  20  itself urging the one-way flap  20  towards the closed position, and 3. a separate biasing member such as a spring, that urges the one-way flap  20  towards the closed position. In the example shown the one-way flap  20  is not urged to the closed position by a separate biasing member. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the one-way flap  20  lacks sufficient resiliency to urge itself to the closed position. In other words, the one-way flap  20  may be sufficiently flexible to collapse away from the closed position (i.e. to collapse in a direction away from the outside end  28  of the passageway  18 ) in the event that the air pressure P 1  in the chamber  16  is the same as the air pressure P 2  in the ambient environment  26 . In the view shown in  FIG.  3 B , the one-way flap  20  may be held in the closed position at least in part by a pressure difference across the one-way flap  20 , wherein the inside air pressure P 1  is greater than the outside air pressure P 2 . It will be noted that, initially during the inflation process for the inflatable object  10 , the closing force F urging the one-way flap  20  towards the closed position may therefore be zero. 
     The closing force is selected to be sufficiently low that, during at least a first portion of the inflation process, the closing force F will be non-zero, due at least to the pressure difference between P 1  and P 2 , but will be low enough so as to be overcomable so as to move the one-way flap to the open position by an airflow having a speed that is less than about 48 m/s, and which is at a pressure that is lower than 1 atmosphere. This provides some significant advantages over valves for inflatable objects of the prior art. One advantage is that the speed is selected such that it is possible for a person to generate an airflow having the aforementioned speed of 48 m/s. As a result, a person can, without forming a seal with their mouth around the valve  14 , blow into the valve from a distance, generating an airflow having a speed that is at least 48 m/s, as shown in  FIG.  4   . The person (which may also be referred to as a user, and which is shown at  34 ) is shown holding the inflatable object  10 , proximate the valve  14 , and blowing into the valve  14  from a distance (i.e. such that the mouth of the user  34  (shown at  36 ) is spaced from the valve body  18 ). The airflow generated directly from the mouth  36  of the user  34  is shown by arrows  38  and may be referred to as an initial airflow  38 . It will be noted that air that moves at a greater speed than the air around it, is at a lower pressure than the air around it. Thus, the pressure of the initial airflow  38  moving towards the one-way flap  20  from the mouth  36  of the user  34  is at a pressure P 3  that is lower than the pressure P 2  of the air in the ambient environment  26  (and is therefore definitely lower than the pressure P 1  inside the chamber  16 ). However, even with the lower pressure of the air moving from the mouth  36  of the user  34  to the one-way flap  20 , the air is moving at a speed that is sufficient to overcome the closing force F on the one-way flap  20 , thereby causing the one-way flap  20  to open. 
     Referring still to  FIG.  4   , as noted above, the pressure P 3  of the initial airflow  38  moving towards the one-way flap  20  is lower than the pressure P 2  of the air around it in the ambient environment  26 . As a result, air from the ambient environment  26  is drawn into the initial airflow  38 , as represented by the arrows  40 . As a result, the inlet airflow shown at  42  that enters the chamber  16  ( FIG.  6   ) as a result of the blowing action by the user  34 , is partly made up of air from the user&#39;s lungs (i.e. the initial airflow  38 ), and partly from air that was drawn into the airflow  38 . This means that the inflatable object  10  can be inflated using some air that did not come directly from the person&#39;s lungs. This greatly facilitates the inflation process for the inflatable object  10 . 
     The outside end  28  of the passageway  24  has a first cross-sectional area A 1 . A central region  34  of the passageway  24 , which is inboard of the outside end  28  has a second cross-sectional area A 2 . Optionally, as shown in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B  the outside end  28  is flared and thus, the second cross-sectional area A 2  is smaller than the first cross-sectional area A 1 . This has been found to increase the quantity of air from the ambient environment  26  that is drawn into the airflow that engages and passes past the one-way flap  20  into the chamber  16  for each blow by a person. It is theorized that this might occur because it is possible that the reduction in the cross-sectional area of the passageway  28  as it progresses from the outside end  28  towards the one-way flap  20 , leads to an increase in the speed of the airflow and a consequent further reduction in the pressure of the airflow, which draws in more air from the ambient environment  26  than would occur without the flared outside end  28 . 
     Reference is made to  FIG.  6   . The valve body  18  optionally includes a plurality of support ribs  43  that extend into the passageway to support the one-way flap  20  against collapse towards the outside end  28 . More specifically, the one-way flap  20  may be sufficiently flexible so as to collapse towards the outside end  28  and away from the outside end  28  due to pressure differential across the one-way flap  20 . However, the one-way flap  20  is prevented from collapsing towards the outside end  28  by the plurality of support ribs  43 , in order to maintain a seal against the shoulder  32 . 
     Each of the plurality of support ribs  43  has a first side  44  facing the outside end  28  of the passageway  24  and a second side  46  facing away from the outside end  28  of the passageway  24 . As shown somewhat in  FIG.  6   , and more strongly in the variant shown in  FIG.  7   , each of the plurality of support ribs  43  may be tapered from the second side  46  towards the first side  44 . This reduces the pressure drop incurred by the inlet airflow  42  as it passes the support ribs  43 . 
     As noted above, the one-way flap  20  may be a flexible polymeric flap that is resilient and is biased towards the closed position due to its resiliency, or that is sufficiently flexible that, at equal pressure across the one-way flap  20 , the one-way flap  20  collapses away from the outside end  28 . The one-way flap  20  may be made from any suitable material, such as, for example, silicone. 
     The one-way flap  20  may be connected to the valve body  18  in any suitable way. For example, in the embodiment shown in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B , the one-way flap  20  is connected to the valve body  18  at a connecting structure  48  (best seen in  FIG.  6   ) that is centered in the passageway  24 . The connecting structure  48  may include a one-way flap post  50  that extends through a central annulus  52  that connects the plurality of support ribs  43  to one another. The one-way flap post  50  may be frictionally engaged with the inner face of the annulus, or may be connected more fixedly via an adhesive or any other suitable means. 
     Optionally, a collar  56  is provided and extends between the inflatable object body  12  and the valve body  18 . The collar  56  is movable between an extended position ( FIGS.  3 A,  3 B,  5   ) in which the collar  56  holds the valve body  18  such that the outside end  28  of the passageway  24  projects outward from the inflatable object body  12 , and a retracted position ( FIG.  9   ) in which the collar  56  holds the valve body  18  such that the outside end  28  of the passageway  24  is positioned closer to the inflatable object body  12  than when the collar  56  is in the extended position. For example, when the collar  56  is in the retracted position, the outside end  28  may be generally flush with the inflatable object body  12 . The collar  56  is resilient and is stable in both the extended and retracted positions, and may optionally be (but does not need to be) biased towards one of the extended and retracted positions when the collar  56  is positioned between the extended and retracted positions. 
     The collar  56  may be connected to the inflatable object body  12  in any suitable way such as by thermal welding or by a suitable adhesive. 
     Optionally, the valve body  18  includes a valve body main portion  18   a  and a reinforcement member  18   b.  The valve body main portion  18   a  is made of a first material having a first hardness. For example, the valve body  18   a  may be made from a polymeric material that is easily deformable manually by a person, such as a soft PVC. The valve body main portion  18   a  may be contiguous with the collar  56 . 
     The reinforcement member  18   b  is made from a second material that has a second hardness that is greater than the first hardness. The reinforcement member  18   b  may, for example, be made from a rigid polymeric material, such as a rigid PVC. The reinforcement member  18   b  is connected to the valve body main portion  18   a  so as to reinforce the valve body main portion  18   a.  The connection to the valve body main portion  18   a  may be by any suitable means. For example, the reinforcement member  18   b  may include connection aperture  58  and the valve body  18   a  may be overmolded through the connection apertures  58  or may include premolded projections that engage the connection apertures  58 . In embodiments in which the valve body main portion  18   a  is not overmolded onto the reinforcement member  18   b  glue may be used to hold the two elements to one another securely. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG.  5   , it can be seen that the inside end  30  of the passageway  24  has an inside end edge  60 , which has a plurality of peaks  62  and valleys  64 , where at least the peaks  62  extend further inwardly relative to the one-way flap  20 . It has been found that the peaks  62  and the valleys  64  facilitate movement of the one-way flap  20  to the closed position. More specifically, the valleys  64  facilitate the flow of air into the chamber  16  even when the one-way flap  20  is only open by a small amount, while the peaks  62  help to protect the one-way flap  20  from mechanical damage. Furthermore, it can be seen that the inside end edge  60  is formed on the reinforcement member  18   b,  so that it can be more effective at protecting the one-way flap  20  from damage than if it were defined on the valve body main portion  18   a  which is softer than the reinforcement member  18   b.  It will also be noted that the peaks  62  and valleys  64  permit the one-way flap  20  to open and close to permit air to flow into (or out of) the chamber  16 , even if the inside end  30  of the passageway  24  wound up abutted against a wall of the inflatable object body  12  inside the chamber  16 . 
     The portion of the valve body  18  that extends into the chamber  16  axially past the one-way flap  20  (when the one-way flap  20  is in the closed position) may be referred to as an extension portion  66 . Thus, the peaks  62  and valleys  64 , and the inside end edge  60  are on the extension portion  66 . 
       FIG.  14    shows an example of such a case, where the inside end  30  of the passageway  24  is abutted directly against a wall shown at  65  of the inflatable object body  12 . As can be seen, the extension portion  66  permits the one-way flap  20  to move to the open position, and the peaks  62  and valleys  64  cooperate to define a plurality of air apertures  67  for air to pass into the chamber  16  (or out of the chamber  16 ) when the one-way flap  20  is in the open position (which is shown in  FIG.  14   ). 
     Thus it may be said that the valve body  18  has an extension portion  66  which extends into the chamber  16  past the one-way flap  20  and which has a plurality of projections  62  and valleys  64  which define a plurality of air apertures  67  so as to permit movement of the one-way flap  20  to the open position, so as to permit air to flow into the chamber  16  in the event that the inside end  30  of the passageway  24  is engaged with a wall  67  of the inflatable object body  18  inside the chamber. 
     Referring to  FIG.  9   , the cover  22  is removably mountable on the outside end  28  of the passageway  24 , to form a cover seal against fluid communication between the chamber  16  and the ambient environment  26 . In embodiments where the one-way flap  20  is very soft and collapses when exposed to equal pressure across it, the seal formed by the cover  22  becomes the only seal holding air in the chamber  16 . In embodiments where the one-way flap  20  is sufficiently resilient or is urged by an external spring or the like to the closed, 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 . 
     When a user  34  wishes to fill the chamber  16 , they may pull the valve  14  out and open the cover  22  so that the valve  14  is in the position shown in  FIG.  2   . The user  34  may spread out the inflatable object body  12  so that it is ready to receive air. The user  34  may then blow towards the valve  14  as shown in  FIG.  4   , thereby filling the chamber  16  with air from the user&#39;s lungs and with air from the ambient environment  26 . As air enters the chamber  16  and pressurizes the chamber  16  by a small amount, the one-way flap  20  is moved by the differential pressure thereacross to the closed position if it was collapsed. Further blowing by the user  34  further fills the chamber  16  with air as described above. Eventually, the pressure P 2  in the chamber  16  is high enough that the speed of the initial airflow  38  generated by the user  34  is not high enough to open the one-way flap  20 . As this point, the chamber  16  has a significant amount of air in it, and may be very close to full. The user  34  then may form a seal with their mouth  36  around the outside end  28  of the valve body  18  and blow into the chamber  16  using pressure from their lungs instead of using the speed of the air. Once the chamber  16  is full, the user  34  may then close the cover  22  on the outside end  28  of the valve body  18 , and may push the valve  14  inwardly so that the collar  56  moves to the retracted position. When it is desired to open and deflate the inflatable object  10 , the user  34  may open the cover  22  and may mechanically push the one-way flap  20 , if necessary, to break its seal with the shoulder  32 . The user  34  may hold the one-way flap  20  in this open position all the while the chamber  16  is deflating. To assist the user in deflating the chamber  16 , the cover  22  may optionally include a deflation projection  68  that projects sufficiently far from a remainder of the cover  22  to permit the cover  22  to be inserted into the passageway  28  to a deflation position shown in  FIG.  10   , in which the deflation projection  68  drives the one-way flap  20  to the open position to permit deflation of the inflatable object  10 . As shown in  FIG.  8   , the valve  14  may include a plurality of deflation projections  68  that are positioned to permit a pass-through of one of the support ribs  43  therebetween, so that the deflation projections  68  can engage the one-way flap  20  on either side of one of the support ribs  43 . 
     Reference is made to  FIGS.  11 A and  11 B , which show an alternative embodiment of the valve  14 . The one-way flap  20  is not in  FIG.  11 A , but is shown in  FIG.  11 B . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS.  11 A and  11 B , the shoulder  32  may optionally be in the form of a depression  70 , such that a radially inner edge (shown at  72 ) of the shoulder  32  is closer to the outside end  28  of the passageway  24  than is a radially outer edge shown at  74  of the shoulder  32 . By forming the depression, the one-way flap  20  more easily moves between its open and closed positions and may be more prone to forming a good seal because the one-way flap  20  is always, whether in the open or closed positions, in a state of curvature in a certain direction. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS.  11 A and  11 B , the one-way flap  20  is curved away from the outside end  28 , i.e. it is curved in the direction it would be curved during the movement of air into the inflatable member  10 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  11 A and  11 B , the second side  46  of the support ribs  43  cooperate with the shoulder  32  to form the depression  70 . This further ensures that the one-way flap  20  remains always in a state where it is curved by some amount away from the outside end  28 . 
     It can be seen that, in the embodiments shown in  FIGS.  11 A and  11 B , the valve  14  lacks an extension portion  66 . It will be noted, however, that an extension portion could be provided with the valve  14  shown in  FIGS.  11 A and  11 B . 
     Reference is made to  FIG.  12   . In an alternative embodiment, the connecting structure  48  is not formed by a one-way flap post that is positioned in the passageway  24 , but is instead outboard from a radial edge of the passageway  24 . As a result, the connecting structure  48  shown in  FIG.  12    interferes less with the flow of air into the chamber  16 . In the embodiment shown, the connecting structure  48  includes a flap extension  76  that extends radially outward from a remainder of the one-way flap  20  and is pinched (i.e. clamped) between an edge face  78  of the valve body main portion  18   a,  and a pinch surface  80  on the reinforcement member  18   b.    
     This arrangement in  FIG.  12    may also be advantageous in that the one-way flap  20  is only held in cantilever at its outermost edge, and is therefore free to flex along a length that extends across its entire diameter. By contrast, the one-way flap  20  shown in  FIG.  3 B  for example, flexes along half of this length, since it is supported in its middle. 
     Accordingly, the one-way flap  20  in  FIG.  12    may be easier to move to the open position than the one-way flap  20  shown in  FIG.  3 B , thereby further reducing the minimum air speed needed to cause the one-way flap  20  to move to the open position. 
     Reference is made to  FIGS.  13 A and  13 B , which show another embodiment of the valve  14 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS.  13 A and  13 B , the valve  14  includes an extension portion  66  that includes an axially extending portion  82  and a radially extending portion  84 , in contrast to the embodiment shown in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B , in which the extension portion  66  only extends axially and does not have a radially extending portion. The axially extending portion  82  can be said to include peaks  62  and valleys  64 , which define air apertures  67 . The radially extending portion  84  overlaps at least partially radially with the one-way flap  20 , as can be seen particularly in  FIG.  13 B . The axially extending portion  82  has the aforementioned advantages provided by the extension portion  66  shown in  FIGS.  3 A and  3 B . However, it is possible for a localized projection that could exist in the wall  67  of the inflatable object body  12  to enter into the extension member  66  and to obstruct the opening of the one-way flap  20  during use of the valve  14  (e.g. when inflating the inflatable object  10 ), or to enter into the extension portion  66  and damage the one-way flap  20 . For example, if the wall  67  of the inflatable object body  12  is folded and piled in a certain, it could on its own form such a projection. In another example, if the inflatable object body  12  is sitting, uninflated, on ground having a localized projection underneath the wall  67 , the wall  67  would form a localized projection simply lying on the localized projection on the ground under it. By providing the radially extending portion  84 , the radially extending portion  84  provides additional protection to prevent localized projections inside the chamber  16  from entering into extension portion  66  and obstructing or damaging the one-way flap  20 . 
     While a speed of 48 m/s has been described, it is not necessarily a strict limitation. It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the one-way flap  20  is constructed (in at least some embodiments) to be movable to the open position (i.e. to be overcomable) by a person blowing towards it without having their mouth engaged with the valve body  18  to form a seal therewith. 
     Although specific advantages have been enumerated above, various embodiments may include some, none, or all of the enumerated advantages. 
     Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more alternative implementations and modifications possible, and that the above examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations. The scope, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto.