Leak-prevention air chuck and method
OwnerRichard Midtlynginventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An air chuck for use with tire stems (or other air vessels) that use Schrader valves. In some embodiments, the air chuck has an outer threaded part that is rotated to urge a core with an O-ring to form a seal with the inner surface of the tire stem, preventing air leaks. The air chuck attaches via a single multi-turn rotary motion, which first creates the seal and then depresses the Schrader valve to allow air flow. This design offers improved air-pressure accuracy, simplicity, efficiency, ease of use, and reliability. Some embodiments further include a manually operable air valve and an air-pressure gauge operatively coupled to the air chuck.
Claims20
An air-chuck system with single rotary attachment, sealing and valve-actuation function for use with a tire stem having a Schrader valve, the air-chuck system comprising:
- an air chuck that includes:
- a twist-on cap, and
- a pneumatic seal-and-valve-actuator core,
- wherein the twist-on cap has:
- a first open end,
- a second end with an interior ledge that engages an exterior ledge of the seal-and-valve-actuator core, and
- internal threads configured to engage and attach to the tire stem's outer threads via rotation,
- wherein the seal-and-valve-actuator core:
- is partially housed within the twist-on cap,
- includes an air passageway extending from its outer end to its inner end,
- includes an elastomeric seal to form a seal against the tire stem's inner wall,
- includes a recessed Schrader-valve-actuation surface positioned further the inner end of the seal-and-valve-actuator core than an edge of the elastomeric seal closest to the inner end, and
- wherein, as the cap is rotated, the seal-and-valve-actuator core is progressively urged into the stem, causing the elastomeric seal to seal to the tire stem before the valve is opened, and then, upon further rotation of the cap, the recessed Schrader-valve-actuation surface presses against and opens the Schrader valve.
A method of coupling an air-chuck system to a tire stem having a Schrader valve using a single rotary attachment, sealing, and valve-actuation process, the method comprising:
- providing an air chuck comprising:
- a twist-on cap having a first open end, a second end with an interior ledge, and internal threads configured to engage outer threads of the tire stem;
- and
- a pneumatic seal-and-valve-actuator core that includes:
- an elastomeric seal for forming a seal against an inner wall of the tire stem,
- an exterior ledge;
- an air passageway extending from an outer to an inner end of the actuator core, and
- a recessed Schrader-valve-actuation surface positioned further from the inner end than an edge of the elastomeric seal closest to the inner end;
- partially housing the actuator core within the twist-on cap such that the actuator core's exterior ledge engages the cap's interior ledge;
- rotating the twist-on cap onto the outer threads of the tire stem;
- progressively urging the actuator core into the tire stem via rotation of the cap;
- forming a pneumatic seal between the elastomeric seal and the inner wall of the tire stem before actuating the Schrader valve;
- and
- opening the Schrader valve by further rotating the cap to cause the recessed Schrader-valve-actuation surface of the seal-and-valve-actuator core to press against the Schrader valve.
An apparatus for use with a tire stem having a Schrader valve, the apparatus comprising:
- an air chuck comprising:
- a twist-on cap having a first open end, a second end with an interior ledge;
- a valve-actuator core that has means for engaging with the interior ledge to partially house the actuator core within the twist-on cap;
- means for passing air extending from an outer to an inner end of the valve-actuator core;
- means for sealing to an inner wall of the tire stem before actuating the Schrader valve;
- means for actuating the Schrader valve positioned further from the inner end of the valve-actuator core than the means for sealing;
- and
- means for progressively urging the actuator core into the tire stem via rotation of the cap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.