US 4,579,147 AGranted

Outlet valve for pressurized diving suit

AssigneePaul H. Gunderson

InventorsFrank J. Davies, Bart G. Eggen

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An exhaust valve for a diving suit includes a valve seating disc having a concave annular valve seat sealing surface adjacent its rim, and a flexible diaphragm sealingly disposed adjacent the sealing surface. An axially resilient sleeve is attached at its ends to the inlet portion of the housing and the seating disc. Axial compression of the sleeve moves the disc and diaphragm away from a normally contacting annular rim in the housing to permit air under pressure to exit the diving suit and flow radially between the sealing rim portion of the diaphragm and the sealing surface of the disc, then to exit the valve.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An air outlet valve for diving apparatus comprising:

a housing an inlet portion, an inlet disposed in the inlet portion, an outlet portion, an outlet disposed in the outlet portion, and a flow passage extending from the inlet portion to the outlet portion;
a valve seating disc disposed interiorly of the housing intermediate the inlet portion and the outlet portion thereof, the disc being substantially planar and having first and second sides facing the outlet and inlet portions of the housing, respectively, the disc having a rim and an annular valve seat sealing surface adjacent the rim, the sealing surface being disposed on the first side of the seating disc, the disc including at least one fluid flow passage therethrough;
a flexible diaphragm having an annular valve seat engaging sealing rim portion, the diaphragm being centrally secured to the seating disc with the sealing rim portion disposed adjacent the sealing surface of the disc;
an axially resilient sleeve sealingly attached at its ends to the inlet portion of the housing and the seating disc, respectively, the sleeve being attached generally peripherally to the disc adjacent the rim of the disc, the sleeve being adapted to be compressed under pressure applied to the disc;
annular contacting means disposed interiorly on the outlet portion of the housing and adapted to contact the sealing rim portion of the diaphragm;
and
an actuation member having a shaft portion, the shaft portion having inner and outer end portions, said shaft portion extending axially through the outlet portion of the housing, the actuation member further having an engageable exterior portion attached to the outer end portion of the shaft portion, the inner end portion of said shaft portion being attached centrally to the valve seating disc, the actuation member including compression spring means in contact with the outlet portion of the housing, the spring means urging the engageable exterior portion away from the housing so as to urge the annular valve seat sealing surface of the valve seating disc sealingly to engage the sealing rim portion of the diaphragm such that the diaphragm is urged to engage the annular contacting means, the actuation member being displaceable to compress the spring means and thereby the sleeve and move the disc away from the annular contacting means,
whereby air under pressure can flow from the inlet, radially between the sealing rim portion of the diaphragm and the sealing surface of the disc, and out the outlet of the valve.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

An air outlet valve for diving apparatus comprising:

a housing an inlet portion, an inlet disposed in the inlet portion, an outlet portion, an outlet disposed in the outlet portion, and a flow passage extending from the inlet portion to the outlet portion;
a valve seating disc disposed interiorly of the housing intermediate the inlet portion and the outlet portion thereof, the disc being substantially planar and having first and second sides facing the outlet and inlet portions of the housing, respectively, the disc having a rim and an annular valve seat sealing surface adjacent the rim, the sealing surface being disposed on the first side of the seating disc, the disc including at least one fluid flow passage therethrough;
a flexible diaphragm having an annular valve seat engaging sealing rim portion, the diaphragm being centrally secured to the seating disc with the sealing rim portion disposed adjacent the sealing surface of the disc;
an axially resilient sleeve sealingly attached at its ends to the inlet portion of the housing and the seating disc, respectively, the sleeve being attached generally peripherally to the disc adjacent the rim of the disc, the sleeve being adapted to be compressed under pressure applied to the disc;
annular contacting means disposed interiorly on the outlet portion of the housing and adapted to contact the sealing rim portion of the diaphragm;
and
an actuation member having a shaft portion, the shaft portion having inner and outer end portions, said shaft portion extending axially through the outlet portion of the housing, the actuation member further having an engageable exterior portion attached to the outer end portion of the shaft portion, the inner end portion of said shaft portion being attached centrally to the valve seating disc, the actuation member including compression spring means in contact with the outlet portion of the housing, the spring means urging the engageable exterior portion away from the housing so as to urge the annular valve seat sealing surface of the valve seating disc sealingly to engage the sealing rim portion of the diaphragm such that the diaphragm is urged to engage the annular contacting means, the actuation member being displaceable to compress the spring means and thereby the sleeve and move the disc away from the annular contacting means,
whereby air under pressure can flow from the inlet, radially between the sealing rim portion of the diaphragm and the sealing surface of the disc, and out the outlet of the valve.

5 more elements