Fluid handling – Inflatable article – With pressure-responsive pressure-control means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-20
2001-10-02
Buiz, Michael (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Inflatable article
With pressure-responsive pressure-control means
C137S228000, C137S230000, C137S232000, C152S415000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296010
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATIONS
There are no previously filed, nor currently any co-pending applications, anywhere in the world.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid pressure controls and, more particularly, to an automatic shut-off air pressure valve for automobile tires which vents excess supply air after desired tire pressure is achieved.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, it is well known that systems for regulating the pressure in the tires of vehicles exist. Most of these systems have as their objective to adjust and regulate the air pressure in tires according to prevailing road conditions to promote safety, fuel economy, improved traction and reduce tread wear.
These systems fall into two groups. The first group of systems are mounted on the individual wheels of the vehicle. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,128,455 issued to Keith, a flask of compressed air is radially mounted to the spokes of a wheel. Through a combination of regulating valves and tubing also located on the wheel, compressed air is either added or excess tire pressure is vented to the atmosphere to maintain a predetermined air pressure in the tire.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,902 issued to Loewe, et al., a wheel mounted air compressor driven either by a motor/DC generator combination also disposed on the wheel or driven by the rotation of the wheel provides compressed air when required to inflate the tire. The '902 reference contemplates varying tire pressure for the type of road surface through a central monitoring system mounted on the dashboard. Through selection of tire pressure by the driver, the control system would automatically activate the air compressor to increase tire pressure or open a relief valve to vent undesired pressure. A safety relief valve is suggested to prevent overinflation. Although the current invention could be considered to act in essentially the same capacity as the safety relief valve in '902, it is in fact considerably different. For one, there is no disclosure of any design of such a valve, only a suggestion that one may be included to prevent overinflation. '902 also suggests that overinflation may be prevented through compressor design. The current invention is a complete design for an automatic shut off air pressure valve for tires that can be installed on all vehicles with little to no modification of conventional vehicle rims. The relief valve of '902 is part of an integrated tire pressure monitoring and inflation system. There is also no suggestion in '902 that the safety relief valve be designed and used to regulate tire pressure exactly, only to prevent overinflation. The current invention is designed to vent excess pressure when the pressure exceeds the exact operating pressure. Therefore the current invention is considerably different than merely the relief valve suggested in '902.
The second group of systems also have a centralized monitoring system but the compressed air used to inflate the tires is supplied from a centralized compressed air source. The compressed air is delivered to the rotating tires through tubing and rotary pneumatic joints and seals. These systems all have in common a complex means to monitor, evaluate and adjust tire pressure to the optimum pressure for the current road condition. Earlier systems did this through a variety of mechanical and pneumatic means composed of components including but not limited to tubing, valves, seals, and gauges. Examples of these can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,452,527 issued to Peter, U.S. Pat. No. 2,944,579 issued to Kamm, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,976,906 issued to Kamm. Other examples of these systems using designs of increasing complexity are U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,737 issued to Goodell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,043 issued to Goodell, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,506 issued to Goodell. The Goodell patents are directed to application in military vehicles and is essentially the same system in each patent with the original design patented in '737, a retrofit kit of the design provided in '506, and additional matter added and disclosed in '043. More sophistication was added to these type of central control systems with the addition of electronic control devices in U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,287 issued to Higbie, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,792 issued to Braun, et al. Even more sophisticated control systems employing digital logic and a microprocessor were patented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,456 issued to Goodell, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,456 issued to Schultz, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,647 issued to Jaksic also employs a state-of-the-art microprocessor control system but has both an inflation valve and deflation valve assembly installed on the wheel's rim.
The present invention differs from each of the aforementioned inventions because the present invention does not disclose a compressed air source or a central control system. Nor is it an object of the present invention to provide a means to automatically deflate the tire to a lower designated pressure to adjust for road conditions. The purpose of the present invention is to vent excess air from the tire upon filling once a predetermined air pressure has been reached. This eliminates the need for a pressure gauge and the possibility of overinflating the tire. The present invention does not have the enormous complexity of the prior art and fulfills the needs of the average vehicle owner who doesn't need or want the expense of a complex system to ensure their tires are at the correct operating pressure. The present invention is simple, inexpensive, and requires little to no modification of existing automobile components for its installation and operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a tire valve that vents excess supply air once the pressure of the tire reaches a predetermined operating pressure.
It is another object of the invention to provide a retracting/extending indicator on the tire discharge valve to indicate the tire is filled to a predetermined operating pressure.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a tire valve that eliminates the need for a pressure gauge to check tire pressure.
It is still yet another object of the invention to allow inflation of the tires in a conventional manner.
It is yet still another object of the invention to save the vehicle owner money by extending tire tread life and tire performance through the inflation of tires at the proper pressure.
It is yet still another object of the invention to speed up the time it takes to inflate tires.
It is yet still another object of the invention to prevent over-inflation of tires.
It is yet still another object of the invention to provide a means to prevent excess tire pressure caused by bumps in the driving surface from opening the excess tire pressure valve.
Briefly described according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automatic shut-off air pressure valve for tires is provided comprising a tire valve stem with a valve for inflating a tire connected to a second stem through an orifice. The second stem contains a means whereby excess tire pressure can be vented to the atmosphere via the orifice. A sliding linkage is provided from the inflation valve stem through the orifice to the inner wall of discharge valve stem to form a seal on the atmospheric discharge vent to prevent tire pressure from escaping when the tire is in operation. A retracting /extending indicia is further provided at the head of the discharge valve stem to indicate when the tire has reached a predetermined air pressure.
In an alternate second preferred embodiment of the invention, the screw type cap replaces the sliding linkage to prevent tire pressure from escaping when the tire is in operation. The orifice is replaced by an interconnecting conduit.
In an alternate third preferred embodiment of the invention, the sliding linkage is replaced with a slide hatch top biased in the shut position by a spring to prevent tire pressure disch
Buiz Michael
Corrigan Michael J.
Gugliotta John D.
Schoenfeld Meredith H
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