Inflation device with means for preventing removal of the gas container

Abstract

An inflation device for an inflatable article comprises a housing for supporting a container of pressurized fluid and for supporting piercing means which is displaceable from a retracted position to penetrate the container and allow release of pressurized fluid, said container being contained within a protected casing which is secured non-releasably to the housing thereby to prevent removal of the pressurized container.

Claims

1. A single use inflation device, said inflation device including a housing for supporting a container of pressurized fluid and for supporting a piercing member that displaces from a retracted position to pierce the container and allow release of pressurized fluid, said container being contained within a protective casing, said casing and housing being adapted to prevent removal of the container from the inflation device when the casing is secured to the housing, said casing and housing being permanently attached together by a plurality of resilient fingers carried by at least one of the casing and housing and which interlock with the other of the casing and housing to prevent removal of the container of pressurized fluid from the device, wherein the inflation device includes an outlet port adapted to be secured to an inflatable article for flow of pressurized fluid into the inflatable article from the container of pressurized fluid and to be removed from the inflatable article, and wherein the casing is transparent to enable the presence of a container within the casing to be confirmed by visual inspection.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0021] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inflation device in accordance with the present invention prior to final assembly;

[0023] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing in more detail a part of the device of FIG. 1 prior to final assembly;

[0024] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the inflation device of FIG. 1 from a direction substantially opposite that of FIG. 2;

[0025] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the retainer of the inflation device of FIGS. 1 to 3;

[0026] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the manifold of an inflatable article;

[0027] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the retainer of FIG. 4 secured to the manifold of FIG. 5, and

[0028] FIG. 7 is a side view, part in section, of part of an inflation device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] An inflation device 10 (see FIGS. 1 to 3) suitable for selectively releasably securing to the manifold (not shown) of an inflatable article such as a life jacket or the like comprises a housing 11 having an outlet port 12.

[0030] The housing 11 is provided with a slot formation which guides a retainer 13 comprising a pair of spring-loaded retention clips which are operable to engage with formations on a manifold thereby to secure the inflation device to the inflatable article in a selectively releasable manner. Thus when secured to a manifold pressurised gas may flow through the outlet port 12 and into the inflatable article.

[0031] A fluid seal is provided in a conventional manner to ensure a fluid-tight connection between the inflation device 10 and manifold.

[0032] The retainer 13 (see FIG. 4) comprises two clips 30 each having a planar portion 31 formed with a profiled cut-out. Each profiled cut-out is shaped to provide a pair of parallel guide surfaces 33 to engage with a guide pin 34 carried by the other of the two clips, abutment edge regions 35 to engage in use with a manifold when the two clips are in a first position relative to one another, substantially as shown in FIG. 4, and edge regions 36 which are spaced sufficiently to allow ease of fitting of the retainer over the end of a manifold when the two clips are in a second position relative to one another.

[0033] The two planar portions 31 are slidable relative to one another and are urged to the first position as shown in FIG. 4 by the action of a pair of compression springs 37 which act between the protrusions 38 of the clips. Sliding movement under the action of the two springs is restricted by the pins 34 engaging with abutment surfaces 39 at ends of each pair of guide surfaces 33.

[0034] To facilitate movement of the two clips against the direction of the bias force provided by the springs, and thus to move the abutment surfaces towards one another, each clip has an apertured end region 40. One of the end regions 40, namely that of the clip whose planar portion lies under the planar portion of the other clip as viewed in FIG. 4, is provided with a cut-out region 41 so that an end of the other clip may freely slide therethrough. For manufacturing convenience the other, upper clip may be of the same shape and similarly provided with a cut-out 41. The upturned regions 40 provide convenient surfaces for a user to press against to move the two clips to the second position for fitting to and removal from a manifold.

[0035] In addition to the guidance provided by the pins 34 the two planar portions are prevented from separation by being located in the aforementioned slot formation of the housing. Thus the clips are slidable relative to one another in a direction at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the housing 11.

[0036] In use to attach the inflation device 10 to a manifold 50 (see FIGS. 5 & 6) the clip ends 40 are pressed towards one another against the bias force exerted by the springs 38 such that the pairs of edge regions 36 are aligned thereby to allow the clips, and thus the inflation device to pass over the end 51 of the manifold. The housing then abuts the manifold shoulder region 52 whereupon release of the clip ends and rotation of the housing relative to the manifold allows the clip abutment edge regions 35 each to align and engage with a respective one of the grooves 53,54 that each extend around a part of the circumference of a tubular stem portion 55 of the manifold.

[0037] The housing 11 additionally comprises an inlet port 14 to which a carbon dioxide cylinder 15 is secured to form a seal therewith. The inlet port is surrounded by an array of at least three and in this case four uniformly circumferentially spaced resilient fingers 18 having end abutments 19 for retention of a cylinder casing 20.

[0038] The cylinder casing 20 is formed from a moulded transparent material such as high impact polypropylene. A distal end 21 of the casing is closed (see FIG. 1). The other end 22 of the casing is open ended and is provided with four circumferentially uniformly spaced slots 23 which each define an abutment surface 24 to co-operate with an outwardly directed abutment end 19 of a respective end of the four fingers 18 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In the assembled condition the four abutment fingers prevent subsequent removal of the casing.

[0039] The housing contains a firing mechanism (not shown) which may be actuated to pierce a seal (not shown) at the inner end of the gas cylinder 15 and thereby cause pressurised carbon dioxide to flow through the housing and, via the outlet port 12, into the inflatable article to which the inflation device is secured.

[0040] Actuation of the firing mechanism is by means of a mechanism which provides for both automatic actuation in the event of the inflation device being submerged in water and also for manual operation in the event of the toggle 26 being pulled.

[0041] The firing mechanism has incorporated therewith an indicator which is of a kind that provides a clear visible indication that there has been either manual or automatic actuation of the firing mechanism. In this embodiment that indication is provided by means of a plastics end cap 27 which prior to actuation lies flush with an end of the housing but protrudes (as shown in FIG. 1) from the end of the housing subsequent to actuation. A light spring may be provided within the housing to effect that protrusion in the event of an automatic actuation.

[0042] In the event of operation of the firing mechanism the displaced position of the indicator cap 27 therefore clearly and simply signifies the need to remove and replace the inflation device as a complete unit. Because the gas cylinder is non-releasably secured to the housing there is no risk of the inflation device being re-assembled with a spent cylinder, and the transparency of the casing gives a clear confirmation that a cylinder is present without the need to provide a complex sensing mechanism

[0043] In the described embodiment the provision of four, or at least three, fingers 18, in contrast for example to only a single retention finger inhibits unauthorised removal of the casing 20. However, as an added safeguard against any unauthorised attempt simultaneously to depress inwards each of the four of the abutment ends 19, the outer surface of the casing end region 22 may be moulded to provide a thickened annular zone whereby each of the slots 23 is covered by the casing material.

[0044] Although in this described embodiment the casing is secured by four fingers 18 which provide a mechanical interlock, it is to be understood that alternative forms of mechanical interlock and or adhesion may be employed to inhibit unauthorised removal of a casing.

[0045] In a second embodiment of the present invention (see FIG. 7) an inflation device 60 comprises a housing 61 to which a gas cylinder 62 is screw fitted, and the cylinder is contained within a protected casing 63 which is non-releasably secured to the housing 61. Although optionally the casing 63 may be wholly or in part of transparent material for allowing visual confirmation that a cylinder 62 is present within the casing, in this embodiment one or more apertures are provided for the purpose of said visual inspection.

[0046] The or each aperture may be in the form of an aperture 64 defined wholly by the casing, or in the form of an aperture 65 defined by a skirt portion 66 of the housing where it surrounds an inner end of the container, or in the form of an aperture 67 defined by confronting surfaces 68, 69 of the housing and casing.

[0047] The retainer described herein may be used in conjunction with the housings of other types of inflation devices and is not specific in applicability to use with an inflation device having an automatically and manually actuated firing mechanism.