Patent Publication Number: US-7588425-B2

Title: Reversible inflation system

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates generally to air pumps and more specifically to air pumps that can both inflate and deflate inflatable objects. 
     Traditional furniture requires a large amount of space. Quite often, an individual does not have sufficient space to store furniture that he or she would use only on occasion. Similarly, traditional furniture is not easily portable, further limiting its ability to fill temporary furniture requirements. For example, it is often infeasible for a person with little storage space to stow a traditional bed in anticipation of overnight guests. Similarly, it is impractical for a person to transport a traditional bed to accommodate an overnight trip. As a result, a need exists for compact and portable furniture. 
     To fill this need, various types of inflatable furniture have been designed. One example of inflatable furniture is an air mattress. However, users of inflatable mattresses have experienced several shortcomings. 
     In a typical piece of inflatable furniture, a pump is often used to inflate the furniture. To deflate the mattress, a release valve is typically present. To deflate the mattress, the release valve is opened, and air escapes from the mattress through the release valve. Often, the only force assisting in the deflation is the force created by gravity on the top of the furniture. Deflation using only this force is time-consuming, and often leaves a significant amount of air within the inflatable furniture. An impatient user often resorts to applying additional force to the piece of furniture by walking on the deflating furniture or folding the furniture prior to it being completely deflated. These actions can damage the furniture, or otherwise compromise the air-tight quality of the furniture. Furthermore, air remaining in the furniture also increases its storage size. Therefore, a compact yet efficient system to quickly and completely inflate and deflate inflatable furniture is desired. 
     Inflatable furniture must be easily inflated and deflated. To aid in storage and transportation, the furniture must also be light weight, yet durable. Furthermore, the furniture must be able to collapse to a size that is compatible with storage and transportation. Therefore, it is an objective of this invention to provide an efficient and compact reversible inflation system that conveniently and quickly inflates and deflates a piece of inflatable furniture. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     A reversible inflation system is disclosed for filling air bladders for air mattresses, other furniture, pools, sporting goods, or other items. In a preferred embodiment, the inflation system is reversible, allowing a single pump to be used both for inflation and deflation of the air bladder. This embodiment of the inflation system includes a housing, a motor located within said housing, an impeller operatively attached to said motor within said housing, a valve traversing a first wall of said housing, and a slide located adjacent to an orifice in said housing; said slide having a first and a second position, wherein in said first position, said impeller moves air from said orifice to said valve, and in said second position, said impeller moves air from said valve to said orifice. 
     In another embodiment, a reversible pumping mechanism includes a pump housing, a motor chamber within said pump housing, an impeller chamber within said pump housing, a wall separating said motor chamber from said impeller chamber, a motor located in said housing, an impeller within said impeller housing operatively connected to said motor, and a slide having a first position and a second position, wherein said slide directs air into said impeller chamber in said first position, and said slide directs air from said impeller chamber opening in said second position. 
     In a third embodiment, a piece of inflatable furniture includes a bladder, a reversible inflation system recessed in said bladder, an inflation system housing, a pump located with said inflation system housing, said pump housing having a pump inlet and a pump outlet, a slide adjacent to said pump having a first position and a second position, wherein said slide is in fluid communication with said pump inlet in said first position, and said slide is in fluid communication with said pump outlet in said second position. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an example of an inflatable object employing a reversible inflation system of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2A  is a side view of the reversible inflation system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2B  is an end view of the reversible inflation system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2C  is a top view of the reversible inflation system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a diaphragm valve; 
         FIG. 4  is a end, cross-sectional view of the reversible inflation system; 
         FIG. 5A  is a side, cross-sectional view of the reversible inflation system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5B  is another side, cross-sectional view of the reversible inflation system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6A  is a side, partial cross-sectional view of a slide; 
         FIG. 6B  is a top view of the slide; 
         FIG. 6C  is a bottom, perspective of the slide; 
         FIG. 7A  is a bottom view of the housing lid with the side in the inflation position; and 
         FIG. 7B  is a bottom view of the housing lid with the side in the deflation position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a piece of inflatable furniture  10 . In the present embodiment, the inflatable furniture  10  includes an inflatable object  12 . Presently, the inflatable object  12  is a mattress. The current embodiment of the inflatable object  12  has a top wall  14 , a bottom wall (not shown), two side walls  16  (one shown), and two end walls  18  (one shown). The apparatus  10  has a reversible inflation system  20 , preferably located within an end wall  18  of the inflatable object  12 . 
     A power cord  22  is operatively connected to the reversible inflation system  20 . At the free end of the power cord  22 , a plug  24  is present. The plug  24  is designed to operatively connect to an electrical outlet, as known in the art. When connected to an outlet, the plug  24  and power cord  22  supply electricity to the reversible inflation system  20 . In an alternate embodiment, batteries supply power to the reversible inflation system  20 . For example, a battery pack, located either externally or recessed within the inflatable object  12 , can be electrically connected to the reversible inflation system  20 . 
     In the present embodiment, a control device  26  is located on the power cord  16 . Presently, the control device  26  contains a power switch  27  which activates the reversible inflation system  20 . The power switch  27  may be any of the many well-known mechanisms for selectively connecting two conductors to supply electricity to a point of use. Preferably, the power switch  27  allows the reversible inflation system  20  to be energized such that it either inflates or deflates the inflatable object  12 . In an alternate embodiment, the control device  26  may also contain an adjustment device (not shown). The adjustment device allows for air to be bled from the inflatable object  12 . In other embodiments, the control device  26  can be operatively connected to the reversible inflation system  20  by a separate cord, or alternatively, can be wirelessly connected to the reversible inflation system  20 . 
     As described hereinafter, the reversible inflation system  20  can be used to inflate the inflatable object  12 . Conversely, as discussed hereinafter, the inflation system  20  can also be reversed to draw air out of the inflatable object  12 , so that the inflatable object  12  can be rapidly deflated for storage or transport. 
       FIGS. 2A-C  illustrate an embodiment of a housing  28  of the reversible inflation system  20 . The housing  28  has an upper portion  30  and a lower portion  32 . A flange  38  is located on the upper portion  30 . The flange  38  encloses the periphery of the upper portion  30 . The flange  38  is designed to attach to a bladder  39  of the inflatable object  12 . The flange  38  must be attached to the bladder  39  in such a manner as to create an airtight seal. Presently, the flange  38  is attached to the bladder  39  by an adhesive. However, in alternate embodiments, the flange  39  can be attached to the bladder  39  by clips, stitching or other airtight methods. 
     In the present embodiment, the lower portion  32  has a round, semi-circular profile, as demonstrated in  FIG. 2B . However, in alternate embodiments, the profile of the lower portion  32  can be square or rectangular. Presently, the upper portion  30  of the housing  28  extends horizontally beyond the lower portion  32  of the housing  28 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2C , the housing  28  includes a lid  34 . The lid  34  is attached to the housing  28  by four screws  35  located at the corners of the lid  34 . The lid  34  has an aperture  37  located near the center. The power cord  22  traverses the lid  34 . A seal  36  physically connects the power cord  22  to the lid  34 . The seal  36  minimizes air flow where the power cord  22  traverses the lid  34 . 
     A diaphragm valve  46  is located at one end of the upper portion  30 . The diaphragm valve  46  has four valve flanges  42 . The four valve flanges  42  are located equidistantly around the circumference of the diaphragm valve  46 . The diaphragm valve  46  is installed through a valve aperture  43  located in the upper portion  30 . The valve aperture  43  is shaped to correspond to the diaphragm valve  46 . The shape of the valve aperture  43  also has openings  44  corresponding to the valve flanges  42 . To insert the diaphragm valve  46  into the upper portion  30 , the valve flanges  42  are aligned so that the valve flanges  42  can traverse the openings  44 . When the valve flanges  42  have traversed the openings  44 , the diaphragm valve  46  is rotated. In the present embodiment, the cross section of the valve flanges  42  is wedge-shaped. When the diaphragm valve  46  is rotated, an increased amount of the surface area of the valve flanges  42  contact the upper portion  30 , and the diaphragm valve  46  locks into position. Alternatively, the diaphragm valve  46  can be attached to the upper portion  30  by adhesives, screw, nuts, or other attaching means. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the diaphragm valve  46  contains a diaphragm  48 . The diaphragm  48  is adjacent to a diaphragm stem  50 . The diaphragm valve  46  further contains a spring  52 , a lock nut  54 , and a valve housing  57 . 
     The valve housing  57  is generally a cylindrically-shaped. The valve housing  57  contains the valve seat  56  at a first end and a flange  59  on the second end. An o-ring  55  is preferably located between valve flanges  44  and the flange  59 . 
     The diaphragm stem  50  has a rigid circular webbing  51  at one end. The webbing  51  prevents the diaphragm  48  from bending into the valve housing  46 , allowing air flow. A stem rod  47  is perpendicularly attached to the rigid circular webbing  51 . 
     The diaphragm  48  is preferably round, which has approximately the diameter of the valve housing  57 . In the preferred embodiment, the diaphragm  48  is made of flexible material, such as rubber. 
     As assembled, the stem rod  47  is located within an aperture  53  on the valve seat  56 . The spring  52  is located on the stem rod  47  between the valve seat  56  and the lock nut  54 , which is located at the free end of the stem rod  47 . The spring  52  is positioned to bias the diaphragm stem  50  against the valve seat  56 . When the diaphragm  48  and diaphragm stem  50  are positioned against the valve seat  56 , the diaphragm  48  allows air to exit the housing  28  through the diaphragm valve  46 . However, the diaphragm  48  and diaphragm stem  59  prevents any air from entering the housing  28  through the diaphragm valve  46 . 
       FIGS. 4-5B  demonstrate the internal structure of the housing  28  of the reversible inflation system  20 . Within the housing  28 , a chamber cover  58  separates a motor chamber  60  and an impeller chamber  62  from the remainder of the contents of the housing  28 . Above the chamber cover, the chamber cover  58  and interior of the housing  28  form air channels  63 . Preferably, the chamber cover  58  contains two openings—the motor chamber opening  65  and the impeller chamber opening  66 . A slide  67  is located adjacently above the chamber cover  58  and is held into position by slide rails  69  and the housing lid  34 . A vent  90  in the slide  67  fits into the aperture of the lid. The slide  67  contains flanges  71  that extend underneath the lid  34 . 
     Within the motor chamber  60  is a motor  70 . The motor  70  is held in position within the motor chamber  60  by two motor stands  72 . The impeller chamber  62  contains an impeller  74 . Between the motor chamber  60  and the impeller chamber  62  is a separating wall  75 . The motor chamber  60  is in communication with the impeller chamber  62  via a chamber aperture  76 , which is located within the separating wall  75 . A drive shaft  77  operatively connects the motor  70  to the impeller  74  through the chamber aperture  76 . When the motor  70  is energized, the motor  70  rotates the drive shaft  77 , which thereby rotates the impeller  74 . 
     The slide  67  determines whether the pump will inflate or deflate the inflatable object  12 . The motor chamber  60 , motor  70 , impeller chamber  62 , and impeller  74  function as a unidirectional pump. In this pump, the motor chamber opening  65  serves as a pump inlet port, and the impeller chamber opening  66  serves as a pump outlet port. Fluid is drawn into the pump through the pump inlet port, through the motor chamber  60  and impeller chamber  62 , and expelled through the pump outlet port. 
       FIGS. 6  A-C illustrates an embodiment of the slide  67 . The slide  67  contains a top wall  80 , two side walls  82 , a front wall  84 , and a back wall  86 . The bottom  88  of the slide  67  is open. In the present embodiment, the vent  90  is located on the top wall  80 . The vent  90  is preferably a grille consisting of apertures  100  located in between grating  102 . 
     Adjacent to the top wall  80  above the side walls  82  are ribs  92 . Openings  93  exist between the ribs  92  and the top wall  80 . Each rib  92  has a nub  94 . The function of the ribs  92  and nubs  94  will be discussed further hereinafter. 
     Preferably, a baffle  96  is located within the slide  67 . The baffle  96  is an L-shaped ledge located beneath the vent  90 . In the presently preferred embodiment, the baffle  96  directs air between the vent  90  and the interior of the slide  67  near the back wall  86 . 
     A plunger  104  is preferably located on the exterior of the front wall  84 . In the present embodiment, the plunger  104  is centered at the bottom of the front wall  84 . 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  demonstrate the two positions between which the slide  67  is movable. As shown in  FIG. 5A , the slide  67  is situated in a position for inflation. In this position, a portion of the bottom  88  of the slide  67  is in fluid communication with the motor chamber  60  via the motor chamber opening  65 . The remainder of the bottom  88  is abutted against the chamber cover  58 . As a result, the vent  90  is in fluid communication with the motor chamber  60 . The plunger  104  is not in contact with the diaphragm stem  50 . 
     In this position, the impeller chamber  62  is in fluid communication with the air channels  63  via the impeller chamber opening  66 . In the inflation position, the diaphragm  48  and diaphragm stem  50  are against the valve seat  56 . The diaphragm  48  and diaphragm stem  50  prevent air from entering the air channels  63  from the interior of the inflatable object  12 . However, in this position, the flexible diaphragm  48  and diaphragm stem  50  allow air to enter the interior of the inflatable object  12  from the air channels  63 . 
     In the second position, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the slide  67  is in the deflation position. In this position, a portion of the bottom  88  of the slide  67  is in fluid communication with the impeller chamber opening  66 . The remainder of the bottom  88  is abutted against the chamber cover  58 . As a result, the impeller chamber  62  is in fluid communication with the vent  90 . The motor chamber  60  is in fluid communication with the air channels  64  via the motor chamber opening  65 . 
     In this position, the plunger  104  is pressed against and displaces the diaphragm stem  50 . When the diaphragm stem  50  is displaced, the spring  52  is compressed, and, the diaphragm  48  and rigid circular webbing  51  are no longer seated against the valve seat  56 ; thereby allowing the interior of the inflatable  12  object to be in communication with the air channels  63 . 
       FIGS. 7A-B  illustrates how the slide  67  locks into the inflation and deflation positions. Four tabs are located on the underside of the lid. A first pair of tabs  106  is located to lock the slide  67  in the inflation position. A second pair of tabs  108  is located to lock the slide  67  in the deflation position. 
     In the inflation position, as illustrated in  FIG. 7A , the nubs  94  on the ribs  92  are positioned on the outer side of the first pair of tabs  106 . In this position, the ribs  92  are in a relaxed position against the first set of tabs  106  and holds the nubs  94  against the tabs  106 . 
       FIG. 7B  demonstrates the deflation position. In the deflation position, the nubs  94  on the ribs  92  are positioned preferably on the outer side of the second pair of tabs  108 . The ribs  92  are in a relaxed position against the second set of tabs  108  and holds the nubs  94  against the tabs  108 . The ribs  92  are flexible, and are capable of compressing toward the top wall  80  of the slide  67  In this position, the nubs  94  are displaced, and the slide  67  is capable of moving between the inflation position and the deflation position. 
     In operation, the same motor  70  and impeller  74  are used to both inflate and deflate the inflatable object  12 . To that extent, the motor  70  and the impeller  74  move air in only one direction. More specifically, the motor  70  and impeller  74  pull air in through the motor chamber opening  65 , moves the air through the motor chamber  60  and impeller chamber  62 , and pushes the air out of the impeller chamber opening  66 . 
     The position of the slide  67  determines whether the pump inflates or deflates the inflatable object  12 . As shown in  FIG. 5A , when the slide  67  is in the inflation position, the motor  70  and impeller  74  draw air in from the atmosphere through the vent  90 . The baffle  96  then directs the air toward the back wall  86  of the slide  67 . The air is then drawn into the motor chamber opening  65  and travels through the motor chamber  60  and impeller chamber  62 . The impeller  74  then pushes the air out of the impeller chamber opening  66 . The air fills the air channel  63  and the pressure in the air channel  63  forces air past the diaphragm  48  into the interior of the inflatable object  12 . In this manner, the inflatable object  12  in inflated. 
     When the slide  67  is moved to the deflation position, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the plunger  104  forces the diaphragm stem  50  and diaphragm  48  away from the valve seat  56 , thereby allowing fluid communication between the interior of the inflatable object  12  and the air channel  63 . When the diaphragm stem  50  and diaphragm  48  is away from the valve seat, the force created by gravity pushed air out of the inflatable object  12  through the diaphragm valve  46 . The motor  70  and impeller  74  assists in the deflation by pulling air from the interior of the inflatable object  12  through the open diaphragm valve  46 , and into the air chamber  63 . The motor  70  and impeller  74  draw the air in the air channel  63  through the motor chamber opening  65 , and through the motor chamber  60  and impeller chamber  62 . The motor  70  and impeller  74  then pushes the air through the impeller chamber  62  opening, past the baffle  96  in the slide  67 , and out the vent  90 . 
     It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention.