Closure for releasably sealing an air hose port

An inflatable blanket comprising:

• a top layer and a bottom layer bonded together at least at their respective peripheries to form an inflatable structure;
• at least one opening provided at the top layer into the structure adapted to accept an air hose;
• a retainer having a bottom surface bonded to the top layer of the structure over the opening, the retainer including a top surface and an orifice having a number of cut lines provided around the orifice formed over and in alignment with the opening to accept a nozzle of the air hose;
• a closure overlying the retainer having an end portion non-releasably attached to the retainer, a barrier portion of the closure releasably securable to the portion of the retainer that includes the orifice to cover the opening when the barrier portion is secured to the retainer, the barrier portion of the closure is removed from the retainer to allow the nozzle of the air hose to be inserted through the orifice of the retainer into the opening while the closure remains attached to the retainer, the barrier portion of the closure is adapted to be resecured to the retainer to cover the opening after the nozzle of the air hose is removed from the opening;
• wherein the end portion of the closure is attached to the retainer by a number of die cuts;
• wherein an adhesive coating at the bottom surface of the barrier portion to contact the retainer or the top surface of the retainer to contact the barrier portion adapted to releasably secure the barrier portion and the retainer to each other to cover the orifice;
• and
• wherein the closure includes a tab to enable a user to remove the barrier portion from the retainer with a peeling motion.

A method of manufacturing an inflatable blanket, comprising the steps of:

• bonding a top layer and a bottom layer together at least at their respective peripheries to form an inflatable structure;
• providing at least one opening at the top layer adapted to accept an air hose into the structure;
• bonding a bottom surface of a retainer to the top layer over the opening, the retainer including a top surface and an orifice adapted to accept an air hose formed over and in alignment with the opening;
• overlaying a closure over the retainer;
• non-removably attaching an end portion of the closure to the retainer;
• overlaying a barrier portion of the closure configured to close the orifice and seal the opening over the orifice of the retainer;
• configuring the barrier portion of the closure to be releasably securable to the retainer, the retainer having a number of cut lines provided around the orifice to enable a nozzle of the air hose to be mated to the orifice and into the opening, the barrier portion of the closure releasably resecured to the retainer to close the orifice and reseal the opening after the air hose is removed from the opening and the orifice;
• and
• attaching the end portion of the closure to the retainer by a number of die cuts;
• providing the adhesive coating at the surface of either the barrier portion of the retainer or the retainer with sufficient holding force to prevent the internal pressure of air in the structure, when the structure is fully inflated, to separate the closure from the retainer, the closure removable from the orifice of the retainer by a user applying a force greater than the holding force to peel the barrier portion of the closure away from the retainer.