INFLATABLE PRODUCT

Abstract

An inflatable product includes an inflatable body and a tensioning structure disposed in and connected to the inflatable body, for controlling expansion of the inflatable body when the inflatable body is inflated. The tensioning structure comprises a plastic portion connected to the inflatable body by fusion or gluing, and a fabric portion connected to the plastic portion by sewing or gluing.

Claims

1. An inflatable product comprising: an inflatable body; a tensioning structure disposed in and connected to the inflatable body, for controlling expansion of the inflatable body when the inflatable body is inflated; wherein the tensioning structure comprises a plastic portion connected to the inflatable body by fusion or gluing, and a fabric portion connected to the plastic portion by sewing or gluing.

2. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic portion is connected to the inflatable body along a line, and the line has a closed shape.

3. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plastic portion comprises a first strap, a second strap disposed in parallel to the first strap, a third strap disposed perpendicular to the first strap and the second strap, and a fourth strap disposed in parallel to the third strap.

4. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first strap is longer than the third strap, the second strap and the first strap are substantially equal in length, and the fourth strap and the third strap are substantially equal in length.

5. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 3, wherein the third strap adjoins the first strap and/or the second strap, and the fourth strap adjoins the first strap and/or the second strap.

6. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first strap, the second strap, the third strap and the fourth strap are spaced from each other.

7. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plastic portion is a sheet.

8. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the plastic portion comprises a first strap, and a second strap disposed in parallel to the first strap; the first strap is connected to the inflatable body along a first line; the second strap is connected to the inflatable body along a second line.

9. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first line and the second line are similar in shape and are disposed in a symmetrical arrangement.

10. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first line and the second line are identical in shape.

11. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first line and the second line are curved at ends thereof.

12. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fabric portion is a sheet.

13. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fabric portion comprises a plurality of straps disposed in parallel.

14. An inflatable product comprising: an inflatable body; a tensioning structure disposed in and connected to the inflatable body, for controlling expansion of the inflatable body when the inflatable body is inflated; wherein the tensioning structure comprises a first plastic portion, a second plastic portion disposed opposite to the first plastic portion, a first fabric portion, and a second fabric portion disposed opposite to the first fabric portion; wherein the first plastic portion and the second plastic portion are connected to the inflatable body by fusion or gluing, and the first fabric portion and the second fabric portion are connected to the first plastic portion and the second plastic portion by sewing or gluing.

15. The inflatable product as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first plastic portion comprises a first strap connected to the first fabric portion by sewing or gluing, and a second strap disposed in parallel to the first strap and connected to the second fabric portion by sewing or gluing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional inflatable product.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the inflatable product of FIG. 1.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an inflatable product in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the inflatable product of FIG. 3.

[0028] FIG. 5 depicts the arrangement of straps of a plastic portion of the inflatable product of FIG. 3.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a plastic sheet from which the straps of a plastic portion of the inflatable product of the first embodiment are cut.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an inflatable product in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

[0031] FIG. 8 depicts the arrangement of straps of a plastic portion of the inflatable product of FIG. 7.

[0032] FIG. 9 depicts the arrangement of fusion lines in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an inflatable product in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention.

[0034] FIGS. 11 and 12 depict the inflatable product of FIG. 10, with different parts removed to show a tensioning structure(s) therein.

[0035] FIG. 13 is a front view of the tensioning structure of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an inflatable product in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention includes an inflatable body 30 and at least one tensioning structure 40. The tensioning structure 40 is disposed in and connected to the inflatable body 30, for controlling expansion of the inflatable body 30 when the inflatable body 30 is inflated.

[0037] The inflatable body 30 is made of plastic material such as Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). The tensioning structure 40 includes two plastic portions 41, 48 disposed opposite to each other, and two fabric portions 42, 49 disposed opposite to each other. The two plastic portions 41, 48 are connected to the inflatable body 30 by fusion, and the two fabric portions 42, 49 connected to the plastic portions 41, 48 by sewing. In the first embodiment, the plastic portion 41 is similar to the plastic portion 48 in structure, and the fabric portion 42 is similar to the fabric portion 49 in structure. Therefore, only the plastic portion 41 and the fabric portion 42 are introduced in the following.

[0038] The plastic portion 41 is fused with the inflatable body 30 along a fusion line 50. Referring to FIG. 5, the fusion line 50 is indicated with a broken line. It is worth noting that the fusion line 50 has a closed shape. In the first embodiment, the fusion line 50 is substantially rectangular. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In the invention, the fusion line 50 may be substantially circular, oval, or in any shape.

[0039] The plastic portion 41 includes a first strap 411, a second strap 412 disposed in parallel to the first strap 411, a third strap 413 disposed perpendicular to the first strap 411 and the second strap 412, and a fourth strap 414 disposed in parallel to the third strap 413. The first strap 411 and the second strap 412 are substantially equal in length. The third strap 413 and the fourth strap 414 are substantially equal in length. As shown, the first strap 411 and the second strap 412 are longer, and the third strap 413 and the fourth strap 414 are shorter.

[0040] In the first embodiment, the first strap 411, the second strap 412, the third strap 413 and the fourth strap 414 are spaced from each other. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In some other embodiments, the third strap 413 may adjoin the first strap 411 and/or the second strap 412, and the fourth strap 414 may adjoin the first strap 411 and/or the second strap 412.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 6, in the manufacturing process, the straps 411, 412, 413, 414 are cut from a plastic sheet in which the straps 411, 412, 413, 414 before cutting are arranged next to each other. To produce the straps 411, 412, 413, 414, therefore, no plastic material is wasted.

[0042] In the first embodiment, the fabric portion 42 is a fabric sheet, having its upper edge sewed with the plastic portion 41 and its lower edge sewed with the plastic portion 48.

[0043] The tensioning structure 40 of the invention includes not only the plastic portions 41, 48 but the fabric portions 42, 49. Fabric is stronger, lighter and less expensive than plastic. Therefore, the inflatable product of the invention including the fabric portion 42, 49 can have reduced weight and manufacturing cost.

[0044] Further, the plastic portion 41 is composed of four straps 411, 412, 413, 414. The space surrounded by the four straps 411, 412, 413, 414 is empty. This arrangement can reduce the plastic material used in the tensioning structure 40, thereby further reducing the weight and manufacturing cost.

[0045] In the first embodiment, the plastic portions 41, 48 are connected to the inflatable body 30 by fusion, and are connected to the fabric portions 42 by sewing. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In the invention, part or all of the connections between elements can be performed by gluing. In other words, the invention is not limited to any one of the described connections (fusing, sewing and/or gluing). For easy reading, that will not be repeated in the following.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, an inflatable product in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention includes an inflatable body 30 and at least one tensioning structure 40. The tensioning structure 40 is disposed in and connected to the inflatable body 30, for controlling expansion of the inflatable body 30 when the inflatable body 30 is inflated.

[0047] The third strap 413 and the fourth strap 414 of the first embodiment are omitted in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the plastic portion 41 of the tensioning structure 40 includes a first strap 411 and a second strap 412. The first strap 411 and the second strap 412 are substantially identical in length and disposed in parallel.

[0048] The plastic portion 41 is fused with the inflatable body 30, wherein the first strap 411 is fused with the inflatable body 30 along a fusion line 51, and the second strap 412 is fused with the inflatable body 30 along a fusion line 52. The fusion line 51 is curved at both ends thereof. The fusion line 52 is also curved at both ends thereof. The fusion line 51 and the fusion line 52 are similar in shape and are disposed in a symmetrical arrangement. The curved ends are provided to disperse/alleviate stress concentration, thereby enhancing the strength of the fusion line 51, 52. As compared to a fusion line without curved ends, a fusion line with curved ends has strength increased by 17%.

[0049] As described, the third strap 413 and the fourth strap 414 of the first embodiment are omitted in the second embodiment. Therefore, the inflatable product of the second embodiment is lighter than that of the first embodiment.

[0050] Other structure and arrangements of the second embodiment are identical to those of the first embodiment and therefore the descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 9, in a third embodiment, the first strap 411 is fused with the inflatable body 30 along a fusion line 53, and the second strap 412 is fused with the inflatable body 30 along a fusion line 54. The fusion line 53 and the fusion line 54 are identical in shape. Other structure and arrangements of the third embodiment are identical to those of the second embodiment and therefore the descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0052] Referring to FIGS. 10, 11, 12 and 13, an inflatable product in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention includes an inflatable body 30 and a plurality of tensioning structures 40 (FIG. 12). For simplification, only one tensioning structure 40 is shown in FIGS. 11 and 13. The tensioning structure 40 is disposed in and connected to the inflatable body 30, for controlling expansion of the inflatable body 30 when the inflatable body 30 is inflated.

[0053] The tensioning structure 40 includes two plastic portions 46, 47 disposed opposite to each other, and two fabric portions 44, 45 disposed opposite to each other. The fabric portions 45, 44 are fabric sheets sewed with the plastic portions 46, 47. The plastic portions 47, 46 are plastic sheets fused with the inflatable body 30. The plastic portion 47 of the tensioning structure 40 is fused with the inflatable body 30 along a fusion line 55. In the fourth embodiment, the fusion line 55 is oval in shape. The arrangement of the plastic portion 46 is similar to that of the plastic portion 47, and therefore the descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0054] While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.