U.S. patent application number 11/544806 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-10 for containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air cushion.
Invention is credited to Keng-Yuan Liu.
Application Number | 20080083640 11/544806 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39274193 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080083640 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liu; Keng-Yuan |
April 10, 2008 |
Containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air cushion
Abstract
The present invention discloses a containing apparatus with an
inflatable/deflatable air cushion, and the containing apparatus
includes a containing space disposed in the containing apparatus,
an air cushion installed in the containing space, and an inflating
device and a deflating device installed in the air cushion for
inflating and deflating the air cushion respectively, so as to
change the size of the air cushion and adjust the degree of
tightness for attaching objects in the containing apparatus.
Inventors: |
Liu; Keng-Yuan; (Taipei
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KENG-YUAN LIU
20525 Via Talavera,
Yorba Linda
CA
92887
US
|
Family ID: |
39274193 |
Appl. No.: |
11/544806 |
Filed: |
October 10, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/522 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45C 13/021 20130101;
A45C 2013/025 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/522 |
International
Class: |
B65D 81/02 20060101
B65D081/02 |
Claims
1. A containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion, comprising: a containing space, disposed in said
containing apparatus; an air cushion, installed in said containing
space; an inflating device and a deflating device, both installed
in said air cushion for inflating and deflating said air cushion
respectively, so as to change the size of said air cushion to
adjust the degree of tightness for attaching objects in said
containing apparatus.
2. The containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion of claim 1, wherein said inflating device is fixed at a
pump of said air cushion, and said pump has a pressing portion for
inflating said air cushion by pressing said pressing portion.
3. The containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion of claim 1, wherein said inflating device is an external
inflator, and said external inflator is coupled to said air cushion
for inflating said air cushion.
4. The containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion of claim 1, wherein said deflating device is a blow-down
valve, such that said blow-down valve can be presses and opened to
release the air of said air cushion.
5. The containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion of claim 1, wherein said containing apparatus is a bag
having a handle provided for holding and a zipper for opening and
closing said bag.
6. The containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion of claim 5, wherein said bag is made of a material selected
from the collection of plastic, leather and nylon.
7. The containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion of claim 5, wherein said bag is substantially a rectangular
body, and said inflatable/deflatable air cushion is interconnected
linearly with said inflating device and said deflating device by a
plurality of air pads and a plurality of enhanced air pads, such
that when said inflatable/deflatable air cushion is disposed around
the periphery of said bag, said inflating device is disposed at a
corner of said bag, and said enhanced air cushions are disposed at
four corners of said bag.
8. The containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion of claim 5, wherein said inflatable/deflatable air cushions
are disposed on a plurality of lateral sides in said bag, and said
inflating device and said deflating device are disposed on one of
said lateral sides.
9. The containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion of claim 5, wherein said bag has a plurality of solid dots
disposed in the interior of said bag for absorbing impacts and
protecting objects in said containing apparatus.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a containing apparatus with
an inflatable/deflatable air cushion, and more particularly to a
containing apparatus with an air cushion capable of adjusting the
level of attachment and protecting the object in the containing
apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,768 discloses a container having a
cushioning device for protecting shock-sensitive equipment in the
container, and the cushioning device comprises a plurality of
fluid-filled pockets, such that when the contents of the container
collide with the container due to shaking, the cushioning device
can effectively absorb impacts and prevent shock damages to the
contents of the container. U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,613 discloses a
packing bag with an air cushion, and the air cushion has a device
for inflating and deflating air. After the air cushion is inflated,
most of the heats flowing inside and outside the packing bag are
isolated, such that the packing bag can have good effects of heat
insulation and preservation. The design comes with an inside bag
and an outside bag, wherein the outside bag has an air nozzle
provided for users to inflate air into a sealed space formed by
combining the inside and outside bags. When the packing bag is not
in use, air can be released from the air nozzle of the inside bag.
The prior art has a protecting pad inside the container to achieve
the effect of protecting the contents of the packing bag, but in a
practical use, the contents of the packing bag usually come with
different sizes. Thus, when the packing bag is in use, objects in
the container may collide with each other or with the container
constantly. Although the protecting pad can absorb impacts,
precision products such as notebook computers or precision
measuring instruments will be affected by such shaking, and the
effect of the protecting pad will not be as good as expected. The
design also comes with a packaging bag that can be inflated or
deflated by an air nozzle, and the key point of the invention
completely resides on the heat preservation, but the structural
design has not taken the protection of precision products into
account, and thus designers still need to find a way of tightly
wrap the contents of the packing bag by the inflating/deflating
device without having the air nozzle protruded to the outside and
causing inconvenience for its transportation. Furthermore, the
design of having an airtight space formed by the inside and outside
bags for inflating and deflating air, such that the air inflation
is even, but cannot protect special positions or achieve the effect
of reducing impacts on the precision products. Therefore, designing
a containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air cushion,
such that the air cushion can be adjusted to attach the objects in
the containing apparatus and effectively absorb impacts is the key
disclosure of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In view of the shortcomings of the structure of a
traditional push-button switch and its panel, the inventor of the
present invention based on years of experience in the related
industry to conduct researches and experiments, and finally
invented a containing apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air
cushion, such that users can slightly adjust the degree of
tightness for the objects in the containing apparatus. It is a
primary objective of the present invention to provide a containing
apparatus with an inflatable/deflatable air cushion, and the
containing apparatus has an inflatable/deflatable air cushion
inside, and the degree of tightness of the air cushion can be
adjusted for wrapping the objects in the containing apparatus. To
achieve the foregoing objective, a containing apparatus with an
inflatable/deflatable air cushion of the invention comprises: a
containing space, disposed in the containing apparatus; an air
cushion, disposed in the containing space; and an inflating device
and a deflating device, both installed at the air cushion for
inflating and deflating the air cushion respectively, so as to
change the size of the air cushion and adjust the degree of
tightness for the objects in the containing apparatus, and users
can slightly adjust the degree of tightness of the
inflatable/deflatable air cushion for wrapping the objects in the
containing apparatus. The above and other objects, features and
advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the
following detailed description taken with the accompanying
drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a containing apparatus with
an air cushion before being inflated in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0005] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a containing apparatus with
an air cushion after being inflated in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0006] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a containing apparatus with
an air cushion before being inflated in accordance with another
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0007] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a containing apparatus with
an air cushion after being inflated in accordance with another
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a containing apparatus with an
inflatable/deflatable air cushion in accordance with another
preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
[0009] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a closed containing
apparatus in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0010] To make it easier for our examiner to understand the
objective, innovative features and performance of the present
invention, we use a preferred embodiment and the accompanying
drawings for a detailed description of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 for perspective views of a containing
apparatus with an air cushion before and after being inflated in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention
respectively, the containing apparatus with an
inflatable/deflatable air cushion comprises a body 115, a cover
114, an inflating device 21, a deflating device 25 and an air
cushion. After the cover 114 is covered onto the body 115, the
containing apparatus forms a containing space (not shown in the
figure), and the containing apparatus is a bag substantially a
rectangular body made of plastic, leather or nylon. The air cushion
is composed of four lateral support bodies 22, four corner support
bodies 23, four edge support bodies 24 and a lateral protecting
body 26. The air cushion is disposed in the containing space (not
shown in the figure) of the bag, and the inflating device 21 and
the deflating device 25 are installed at the air cushion for
inflating and deflating the air cushion respectively. Further, an
inflating device 21, four lateral support bodies 22, a deflating
device 25 and a lateral protecting body 26 are disposed in the body
115 of the bag, and the four edge support bodies 24 are disposed at
the four edges in the rectangular body 115, and the four corner
support bodies 23 are disposed at the four corners of the
rectangular body 115. The inflating device 21 is fixed at a pump of
the air cushion, and the pump 21 has a pressing portion, and the
pressing portion can be pressed for inflating the air cushion. The
deflating device 25 is a blow-down valve for deflating the air
cushion by pressing the blow-down valve 25. The bag body 115 has a
handle 112, a transparent window 111 and a zipper 113 disposed at
an external side of the bag body 115. Users can see the inflating
status inside the air cushion from the outside of the bag through
the transparent window 111 and carry the bag by holding the handle
112. Further, the bag body 115 has a plurality of solid dots
disposed on an internal side of the bag body 115 for absorbing
impacts and protecting the objects in the bag. When the containing
apparatus is in use, an object such as a notebook computer (not
shown in the figure) is put inside the bag body 115, and the bag
body 115 is not attached closely with the object. After the bag
cover 114 is covered, a zipper 113 is used to close the bag body
115 and the cover 114. By pressing the pressing portion of the pump
21, air is inflated into the air cushion. The air can be passed
sequentially from the lateral protecting body 26, the four lateral
support bodies 22, the four corner support bodies 23 to the four
edge support bodies 24 to inflate the whole air cushion, and the
blow-down valve 25 can be pressed anytime to deflate the air in the
air cushion, so as to change the size of the air cushion and
slightly adjust the degree of tightness for attaching the objects
in the bag body 115 and preventing the objects from shaking in the
bag. With the protecting design on the lateral sides and four
corners of the bag, the air cushion can achieve the effect of fully
absorbing shocks and vibrations. After the adjustment has been
made, it is not necessary to adjust the size of the air cushion
again for containing objects thereafter. It is noteworthy to point
out that the bag cover 114 of this embodiment includes a lateral
protecting body (not shown in the figure), a plurality of solid
dots (not shown in the figure) and four lateral support bodies (not
shown in the figure), for enhancing the protection. If the bag
comes with several layers, the air cushion can be installed
separately in each layer of the bag for providing a better
protection to the objects. The design of the deflating device 25
improves the applicability of the bag, such that the bag not only
works with the foregoing inflating device to achieve the function
of slightly adjusting the air in the air cushion, but also
completely inflates the air cushion to tightly attach the objects.
The air cushion can be deflated when it is necessary to remove the
object from the bag. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 respectively for
perspective views of a containing apparatus with an air cushion
before and after being inflated in accordance with another
preferred embodiment of the present invention and FIGS. 5 and 6
respectively for the bottom view of the inflatable/deflatable air
cushion 3 and a schematic view of closing the containing apparatus
in accordance with the present invention, the containing apparatus
with an inflatable/deflatable air cushion is comprises of a casing
12 and an inflatable/deflatable air cushion 3, wherein the casing
12 is a bag which is substantially a rectangular body as shown in
FIG. 5, and the inflatable/deflatable air cushion 3 is composed of
a plurality of air pads 341 and a plurality of enhanced air pads
342 and interconnected linearly with the inflating device 31 (which
could be an external inflator) and a deflating device 32 (which
could be a blow-down valve). By pressing the external inflator 31,
users can inflate the inflatable/deflatable air cushion 3 by
passing air through the interconnect channel 33 to each
interconnected air pad 341 and each enhanced air pad 342. By
pressing the blow-down valve 32, users can releases the air in the
inflatable/deflatable air cushion 3. The bag 12 is comprised of a
body 121, a cover 122, a zipper 123, a plurality of solid dots 124
and a plurality of solid dots 125 disposed respectively on the body
121 and the cover 122. The body 121 has a vertical thickness
precisely disposed around each air pad 341 and each enhanced air
pad 342 of the inflatable/deflatable air cushion, and the external
inflator 31 and blow-down valve 32 interconnected with the
inflatable/deflatable air cushion 3 are installed at the cover 122
and interconnected with the interconnect channel 33 and the air
pads 341 and enhanced air pads 342. The positions of the air pads
341, 342 are arranged in a way that the enhanced air pads 342 can
be situated precisely at the four corners of the body 121 to
enhance the protection of the four corners. In FIGS. 4 and 6, a
notebook computer 4 (or any other devices) can be placed into the
body 121 of the bag 12 of the inflatable/deflatable air cushion,
when the containing apparatus is used. After the cover 122 is
closed, the external inflator 31 and blow-down valve 32 are
situated precisely at the corners of the bag 12. As shown in FIG.
6, it is convenient for users to press the external inflator 31 or
the blow-down valve 32. After the inflatable/deflatable air cushion
3 is inflated as shown in FIG. 4, the air pads 341 and enhanced air
pads 342 are inflated to attach the notebook computer, so as to
achieve the effect of protecting the notebook computer 4. With the
enhanced air pads 342 installed at the four corners, the present
invention can absorb shocks and vibrations more effectively. In
summation of the description above, the present invention complies
with the patent application requirements, since the
inflatable/deflatable air cushion is installed in the containing
apparatus, and users can slightly adjust the degree of tightness of
the inflatable/deflatable air cushion for wrapping the objects in
the containing apparatus, and the products derived from the present
invention can satisfy the market requirements. While the invention
has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be
the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be
understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed
embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various
modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit
and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the
broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications
and similar structures.
* * * * *