Buoys – rafts – and aquatic devices – Water rescue or life protecting apparatus – Personal flotation device
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-07
2003-07-08
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Buoys, rafts, and aquatic devices
Water rescue or life protecting apparatus
Personal flotation device
C222S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06589087
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automatic inflators for inflating articles such as life rafts, life vests, and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to automatic inflators having indicators that indicate the operating condition of the inflator.
2. Description of the Background Art
Presently, there exists many types of inflators designed to inflate inflatable articles such as personal floatation devices (life vests, rings and horseshoes), life rafts, buoys and emergency signaling equipment. Inflators typically comprise a body for receiving the neck of a cylinder of compressed gas such as carbon dioxide. A reciprocating piercing pin is disposed within the body of the inflator for piercing frangible seal of the cylinder whereupon the compressed gas therein flows into an exhaust manifold of the inflator and then into the article to be inflated. Typically, a manually movable firing lever is operatively connected to the piercing pin such that the piercing pin pierces the frangible seal of the cylinder upon jerking of a ball lanyard. U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,288, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, illustrates one particular embodiment of a manual inflator.
While manual inflators work suitably well, it was quickly learned that in an emergency situation, the person needing the assistance of the inflatable device, such as a downed aviator, injured person, or man overboard, would fail or be unable to manually activate the inflator. Accordingly, it was realized that a means should be provided for automatically activating the inflator in such an emergency situation.
In response to this realized inadequacy of the prior art manual inflators, water-activated automatic inflators were developed which, when submerged in water, would automatically actuate the piercing pin of the inflator thereby inflating the inflatable device. Typical water-activated automatic inflators comprise a water-activated actuator including a water destructible or dissolvable “bobbin” that holds-back a spring-loaded actuator pin in a cocked position in alignment with the piercing pin. Upon submersion in water, the dissolvable “pill” of the bobbin dissolves whereupon the bobbin releases the cocked actuator pin to strike the piercing pin, either directly or indirectly via an intermediate transfer pin. Upon striking the piercing pin, the pin fractures the seal of the cylinder whereupon the gas flows through the exhaust manifold and into the inflatable device to inflate the same. Representative automatic actuators for inflators are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,059,814; 3,091,782; 3,426,942; 3,579,964; 3,702,014; 3,757,371; 3,910,457; 3,997,079; 4,233,805; 4,267,944; 4,260,075; 4,382,231; 4,436,159; 4,513,248; 4,627,823; and 5,076,468, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The above-referenced automatic inflators have been successfully commercialized in many industries. In the marine industry, for example, automatic inflators are commonly incorporated into personal floatation devices, life rafts, buoys, emergency signaling equipment, and the like. Because of the nature of such devices, the reliability of the automatic inflator to work properly during exigent circumstances, is paramount. Unfortunately, devices intended to be used during emergency situations are often stored away, such as in a locker, hold, or well of a boat, and ignored for inordinate periods of time. Further, when eventually removed from storage for maintenance, such emergency devices are commonly inspected and serviced only by yachtsmen and boaters who lack any specialized training or expertise in servicing automatic inflators. Consequently, automatic inflators may be improperly serviced by inadvertently installing a spent gas cylinder or bobbin. Obviously, an automatic inflator that has been improperly serviced, will fail to properly operate during an emergency situation.
Various safety indicators have been developed for indicating the operating condition of automatic inflators and gas cylinders used in connection therewith. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,358, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, there exists an indicator system that interconnects between the gas cylinder and the inflator. The one-time, disposable indicator system is responsive to the high pressure release of gas from the cylinder during a discharge and changes from a color “green” signifying the cylinder being charged to a color “red” signifying that the cylinder has been discharged.
As taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,986, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, status indicators have also been incorporated within automatic actuators for indicating when the automatic actuator is in its “cocked” position armed and ready for firing and when the automatic actuator has been fired. The status indicator incorporated into the automatic inflator as taught by this patent, indicates the existence of or the ready-condition or status of the bobbin within the automatic inflator. However, it is incapable of indicating the charged condition of the gas cylinder.
It should be appreciated that the gas cylinder indicator of U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,358 and the automatic actuator status indicator of U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,986 may be used together with the former indicating the spent condition of the gas cylinder and the latter indicating the spent condition of the bobbin of the automatic actuator. However, it should also be appreciated that the gas cylinder indicator may be indicating “green” representing a fully charged gas cylinder whereas the automatic inflator indicator may be indicating “red” representative of a spent bobbin. Conversely, the gas cylinder indicator may be indicating “red” and the automatic inflator indicator may be indicating “green”. Of course, the automatic inflator indicator could be displaying “green” even when the gas cylinder is missing entirely. In such scenarios, it is possible for the yachtsman or boater to visualize only the “green” indication and carelessly fail to recognize the “red” indication. In such an event, the yachtsman or boater would mistakenly believe that the automatic inflator is in full operating condition.
In recognition of the possible confusion of separate status indicators, the United States Coast Guard has mandated that all 1F automatic inflators include a “single-point” status indicator that indicates the overall operating condition of the automatic inflator inclusive of the gas cylinder.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art programs and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the automatic inflator art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a gas cylinder indicator for indicating the proper installation of a gas cylinder to the automatic inflator.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a gas cylinder indicator that indicates the charged condition of the gas cylinder connected to the automatic inflator.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a bobbin indicator that indicates when an operable bobbin has been properly installed within the automatic inflator.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a fracturable cylinder adapter connected to the neck of the gas cylinder that is fractured upon firing of the automatic inflator whereupon the then spent cylinder cannot be subsequently reinstalled to the automatic inflator.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a cap indicator housing that indicates whether the cap of the automatic inflator has been fully ins
Fawcett, Jr. Lyman W.
Mackal Glenn H.
Halkey-Roberts Corporation
Holland & Knight LLP
Morano S. Joseph
Olson Lars A.
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