U.S. patent application number 14/918870 was filed with the patent office on 2017-04-27 for instantaneously inflating pool floats and toys.
The applicant listed for this patent is Darin Scott White. Invention is credited to Darin Scott White.
Application Number | 20170113156 14/918870 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58561650 |
Filed Date | 2017-04-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170113156 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
White; Darin Scott |
April 27, 2017 |
Instantaneously Inflating Pool Floats And Toys
Abstract
A self-inflating beach toy that expands when a valve is opened
and deflates when a second valve is opened is disclosed. The toy is
filled with extremely light, compressible foam that rapidly expands
when a valve is opened. Two one-way air valves are provided: an
inflation valve and a deflation valve. These valves enable the
rapid and reliable inflation and deflation of the toy. The toy is
provided in a broad variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, including
wading pools, floating mattresses, and flotation rings.
Inventors: |
White; Darin Scott;
(Seymour, TN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
White; Darin Scott |
Seymour |
TN |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58561650 |
Appl. No.: |
14/918870 |
Filed: |
October 21, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H 4/0025 20130101;
B63B 34/50 20200201; A63H 23/10 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63H 23/10 20060101
A63H023/10; B63B 35/76 20060101 B63B035/76; E04H 4/00 20060101
E04H004/00 |
Claims
1. A self-inflatable pool or beach toy comprising: (a) an outer
shell; and (b) one way inflation and deflation valves
2. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein said outer
shell is made of vinyl and is filled with light, compressible,
open-cell foam.
3. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein the
compressible foam filled within said outer shell expands when the
valve is opened.
4. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein two said one
way air valves, said inflation one way valve and said deflation
valve, enable the rapid and reliable inflation and deflation of the
toy.
5. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein said
self-inflatable toy can be a rectangular mattress.
6. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein said
self-inflatable toy can be a circular wading pool.
7. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein said
self-inflatable toy can be a rectangular wading pool.
8. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein said
self-inflatable toy can be a floatation ring similar to an inner
tube.
9. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein the floating
mattress, circular wading pool, rectangular wading pool, and
floatation ring are preferably manufactured from a flexible,
durable material that is compressible and lightweight, such as foam
rubber
10. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein said
inflation valve and deflation valves are preferably manufactured
from rigid, durable material, such as plastic, stainless steel, or
aluminum.
11. The self-inflatable toy claimed in claim 1, wherein said toy is
provided in a broad variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.
12. A process for self-inflation of the pool or beach toy
comprising the following steps: (a) opening the inflation valve;
(b) compressed foam within the toy decompresses rapidly by drawing
in air through the inflation valve; (c) closing the inflation valve
when the toy is fully inflated; (d) filling the upper cavity with
water if the toy is a wading pool; (e) for storing the toy, open
the deflation valve; (f) compressing the toy to expel the sir
through the deflation valve; and (g) Close the deflation valve.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not Applicable
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] (1) Field of the Invention
[0005] The present invention relates to the field of beach and pool
toys and sporting goods, and, more particularly, to an improved
self-inflatable toy for children at beaches and pools.
[0006] (2) Background of the Invention
[0007] When visiting the beach or swimming pool, children enjoy
playing with beach balls, floating air mattresses, and other
inflatable toys. In the event of emergency, such toys are extremely
buoyant, and may provide an additional margin of safety and
security for children. Unfortunately, such toys are extremely
time-consuming to inflate, and will either tax a human's lung
capacity, or require a heavy and expensive air pump. A
self-inflating toy that is filled with extremely light,
compressible foam that rapidly expands when a valve is opened would
resolve the problem.
[0008] Various prior arts have disclosed self-inflatable pool toys.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,814 A discloses a self-inflating structure that
consists, essentially, of a block of open-cell, resiliently
compressible, foam material that has been shaped to a desired form
and covered with an airtight envelope that has a sealable aperture.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,349 A discloses an elongated inflatable device
that is freely bendable, when inflated, in multiple directions
about the longitudinal axis of the device.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,242 A discloses a self-inflating foam
structure consisting, essentially, of a block of open-cell foam
material where the outer surface of which has been sculptured into
three-dimensional formations completely enveloped by an airtight
skin. Furthermore, the structure can be pressed to expel any air or
other fluid out of the foam material. U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,906 B1
discloses an inflatable sport ball, such as a basketball, football,
soccer ball, volley ball, or a playground ball, that is provided
with a self-contained inflation mechanism for inflating or, more
likely, adding pressure to the ball. The mechanism is a
self-contained, manually operable pumping chamber that is inside of
the ball and which is operable from the outside of the ball to
compress the chamber and pump ambient air into the ball. Another
prior art, Patent No US 20100237542 A1, discloses a method for
producing and distributing a child's toy enclosing an expandable
foam composition in a pliable fabric skin, provided the user
activates the foam to inflate the toy.
[0010] It is desirable to construct a device that can support
children in a safe floatation position for relatively brief, stable
periods of time (e.g., for a few minutes or an hour), and thereby
decrease the needed level of buoyancy required and reduce the bulk
of the device.
SUMMARY
[0011] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known
types of self-inflatable systems present in the prior art, the
present invention provides improved pool and beach toys that
self-inflate over and over without the use of a machine. As such,
the general purpose of the present invention, which will be
described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and
improved system for self-inflating pool and beach toys that has all
of the advantages of the prior art, and none of the
disadvantages.
[0012] Accordingly, the invention is directed to a self-inflating
beach toy that is filled with extremely light, compressible foam
that rapidly expands when a valve is opened. Two one-way air valves
are provided: an inflation valve, and a deflation valve. These
valves enable the rapid and reliable inflation and deflation of the
toy. The toy is provided in a broad variety of sizes, shapes, and
colors, including wading pools, floating mattresses, and floatation
rings.
[0013] It is an objective of the present invention to provide an
improved type of self-inflating structure with a higher ratio of
freestanding size over compressed volume that has shorter inflating
periods.
[0014] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
self-inflatable floatation device that has substantially more
compliance and comfort to body configuration and which supports all
positions.
[0015] Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to
provide a self-inflatable toy, at a low cost, that may be made of a
thin film material, such as polyethylene or the like, and may be
sealed more efficiently and stored more compactly. Furthermore, the
device may provide an interesting dynamic expansion or inflation
procedure from an initial collapsed state to an inflated state of a
given shape.
[0016] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more
important features of the invention in order that the detailed
description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in
order that the present contribution to the art may be better
appreciated.
[0017] Numerous objectives, features, and advantages of the present
invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in
the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of
presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of
the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other
embodiments, and of being practiced and carried out in various
ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and
terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description, and
should not be regarded as limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] To further clarify various aspects of some example
embodiments of the present invention, a more particular description
of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific
embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawing.
It is appreciated that the drawing depicts only illustrated
embodiments of the invention, and is, therefore, not to be
considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described
and explained with additional specificity and detail through the
use of the accompanying drawing, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a top view of the first embodiment, displaying the
floating mattress.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the second embodiment,
displaying the circular wading pool, the upper cavity, and one-way
air valves.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the third embodiment,
displaying a rectangular wading pool, the upper cavity, and one-way
air valves.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a top view of fourth embodiment, displaying a
floatation ring, the inflation valve, and deflation valve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The embodiments of the present disclosure, described below,
are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the
precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description.
Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others
skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and
practices of the present disclosure.
[0024] The following embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
which are incorporated into and form part of this disclosure,
illustrate embodiments of the invention, and, together with the
description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. To
the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain
illustrative aspects of the invention are described herein in
connection with the following description and the annexed drawings.
However, these aspects are indicative of but a few of the various
ways in which the principles of the invention can be employed, and
the subject invention is intended to include all such aspects and
their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of the invention when considered in conjunction with
the drawings.
[0025] In some preferred embodiments, the present invention
provides self-inflatable pool or beach toys that eliminate the need
of an air pump to inflate or deflate the toy. The purpose of the
invention is to provide a user friendly, easy to inflate or deflate
pool or beach toy.
[0026] This section summarizes some aspects of the present
disclosure, and briefly introduces some preferred embodiments.
Simplifications or omissions in this section, as well as in the
abstract or the title of this description, may be made to avoid
obscuring the purpose of this section, the abstract, and the title.
Such simplifications or omissions are not intended to limit the
scope of the present disclosure, nor imply any limitations.
[0027] Referring to the invention now in more detail, the invention
is directed to a self-inflating beach toy. The toy is filled with
extremely light, compressible foam that rapidly expands when a
valve is opened. Two one-way air valves 1 are provided: an
inflation valve 1a, and a deflation valve 1b. These valves enable
the rapid and reliable inflation and deflation of the toy. The toy
is provided in broad variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.
[0028] In first embodiment of the present invention, the invention
discloses a rectangular floating mattress 2, as shown in FIG. 1.
The second embodiment includes a circular wading pool 3, as shown
in FIG. 2. The third embodiment provides a rectangular wading pool
4 as described in FIG. 3, and the fourth embodiment includes a
flotation ring 5 similar to an inner tube shown, as shown in FIG.
4. Several alternate embodiments, in the various forms of
traditional inflatable toys, are contemplated.
[0029] To use the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments, the
adult user opens the inflation valve 1a. The compressed foam within
the toy rapidly decompresses, drawing in air through the inflation
valve 1a. When the toy is fully inflated, the adult user closes the
inflation valve 1a and, if the toy is a wading pool, the adult user
may fill the upper cavity 6 with water. When ready to store the
toy, the adult user open the deflation valve 1b, compresses the toy
such that the air is expelled through the deflation valve 1b, and
closes the deflation valve 1b.
[0030] The floating mattress 2, the circular wading pool 3, the
rectangular wading pool 4, and the floatation ring 5 are preferably
manufactured from a flexible, durable material that is air tight,
such as plastic, and are filled with a flexible, durable material
that is compressible and lightweight, such as foam rubber. The
inflation valve 1a and the deflation valve 1b are preferably
manufactured from a rigid, durable material, such as plastic,
stainless steel, or aluminum.
[0031] The self-inflatable toy includes a vinyl outer shell filled
with open-cell foam and an inflation and deflation valve. As the
one-way inlet is opened, the open-cell foam expands as it meets air
to inflate the device. Once inflated, the valve is closed. After
use, the outlet valve is opened. The user squeezes, rolls, and
folds the device to the desired fold and closes the outlet valve
for storage, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention. Components, component sizes, and materials
listed above are preferable, but artisans will recognize that
alternate components and materials could be selected without
altering the scope of the invention.
[0032] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and
described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill
in the art that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the
same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiment shown.
This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations
of the present invention.
[0033] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its
preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other
possible modifications and variations can be made without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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