Patent ID: 8616944

Claim:
A pressure relief valve for relieving air pressure from an automotive vehicle interior to an atmospheric pressure outside the vehicle interior, the pressure relief valve configured to be mounted on a valve mounting location that surrounds a body opening having an inlet in fluid communication with the vehicle interior and an outlet in fluid communication with the atmospheric pressure outside the vehicle interior, the pressure relief valve comprising: a plurality of flexible interleaved flaps covering the body opening, each of the flaps being generally triangular in shape and having a radially outer end configured to be adjacent to the valve mounting location and a pair of sides extending from the radially outer end inward to a radially inner corner, each of the flaps being flexible along an entire length from the radially outer end to the radially inner corner, the radially inner corners of each of the flaps meeting to form a peak when the pressure relief valve is in a closed position; and the plurality of interleaved flaps forming a generally pyramidal-shape configured to angle away from the automotive vehicle interior as the interleaved flaps extend inward from the radially outer ends toward the peak; and a securing mechanism secured to the radially outer ends of the flaps and configured to be secured in sealing engagement to the valve mounting location; whereby the pressure relief valve is configured to be operable to prevent air flow into the vehicle interior from atmospheric pressure outside the vehicle interior, and for each of the flaps to flex, along the entire length of the flap from the radially outer end to the radially inner corner, to create a central opening to allow air flow from the vehicle interior to atmospheric pressure outside the vehicle interior when the air pressure in the vehicle interior exceeds the atmospheric pressure.