# US 10,481,620 B2 · Pneumatic inflation system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,620 B2 - Document ID: US10481620B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/709,715 - Filed: 2017-09-20 - Published: 2018-11-29 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-26 - Assignees: Goodrich Corporation - Applicants: Goodrich Corporation - Inventors: Poly Puthur John; Ashish Kumar Agarwal - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481620B2 ## CPC - G05D 7/0676: {by action on flow sources (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence)} - B64D 25/14: Inflatable escape chutes - F16K 13/04: {with a breakable closure member} - F16K 17/403: {with a fracturing valve member} - F16K 31/124: servo actuated - F17C 1/005: {Storage of gas or gaseous mixture at high pressure and at high density condition, e.g. in the single state phase} - A62B 1/20: by making use of sliding-ropes, sliding-poles or chutes, e.g. hoses, pipes, sliding-grooves, sliding-sheets - B63C 9/19: Arrangements for puncturing gas-generating cartridges - B63C 9/24: {Arrangements of inflating valves or of controls thereof (connecting inflating valves to elastic bodies B60C29/00)} - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)} - F17C: VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES (storing fluids in natural or artificial cavities or chambers in the earth B65G5/00; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil-engineering techniques E04H7/00; variable-capacity gas-holders F17B; liquefaction or refrigeration machines, plants, or systems F25) - A62B: DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING (valves specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; life-saving devices, apparatus or methods specially adapted for use in water B63C9/00; divers' equipment B63C11/00; specially adopted for use with aircraft, e.g. parachutes, ejector seats, {B64D17/00, B64D25/10}; rescue devices peculiar to mining E21F11/00) - B63C: LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS (floating nets, floating slipways, or the like for recovering aircraft from the water B63B35/52) ## Abstract A valve includes a valve body, an inlet in the valve body in fluid communication with the gas and an outlet in the valve body, and a rupture disc in fluid communication with and between the inlet and the outlet that prevents fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet. The valve also includes a piston that is urged by a gas from the gas source to rupture the rupture disc to allow fluid communication between the gas source and the outlet. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inflation system, comprising: a gas source; a valve including: a valve body; an inlet in the valve body in fluid communication with the gas source; an outlet in the valve body; a rupture disc in fluid communication with and between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the rupture disc prevents fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet; and a piston, wherein the piston is urged by a gas from the gas source to initially rupture the rupture disc to allow initial and subsequent fluid communication between the gas source and the outlet. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The inflation system of claim 1, wherein the valve body includes a body portion and a disc retaining body connected to the body portion, the inlet being formed in the body portion and the outlet being formed in the disk retaining body. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The inflation system of claim 2, wherein the rupture disc is fusion welded to the disc retaining body. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The inflation system of claim 3, wherein the disc retaining body includes a threaded connection. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The inflation system of claim 1, wherein the rupture disc includes an indentation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The inflation system of claim 1, further comprising a solenoid valve to selectively allow flow between the gas source and the rupture disk. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The inflation system of claim 6, wherein the solenoid valve selectively allows flow into a command cavity defined by the rupture member. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The inflation system of claim 1, wherein the piston includes a knife edge. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The inflation system of claim 1, wherein the gas source is a gas bottle. ### Claim 10 A method to inflate an inflatable device, the method comprising: providing a gas source in fluid communication with an inlet; preventing fluid communication between the inlet and an outlet via a rupture disc; urging a piston into the rupture disc by pressurizing the piston using gas from the gas source; initially rupturing the rupture disc via the piston being pressurized by the gas from the gas source; and providing initial and subsequent fluid communication between the gas source and the outlet via the rupture disc. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the rupture disc is disposed in a disc retaining body. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising fusion welding the rupture disc to the disc retaining body. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the disc retaining body includes a threaded connection. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the rupture disc includes an indentation. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising selectively allowing flow between the pneumatic source and the rupture member via a solenoid valve. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising selectively allowing flow into a command cavity defined by the rupture member via the solenoid valve. ### Claim 17 An inflatable system, comprising: an inflatable device having a device inlet, and an inflation system, including: a gas source; a valve including: a valve body; an inlet in the valve body in fluid communication with the pneumatic source; an outlet in the valve body; a rupture disc in fluid communication with and between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the rupture disc prevents fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet; and a piston, wherein the piston is urged by a gas from the gas source to initially rupture the rupture disc to allow initial and subsequent fluid communication between the gas source and the outlet. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The inflatable system of claim 17, wherein the inflatable device is selected from a group consisting of: a float, a slide, and a raft.