Miniature universal pump and valve for inflatable liners

Abstract

There is disclosed a preform for an air pump and relief valve assembly which has an assembly body with a substantially flat bottom and molded entirely of a flexible plastic to form a bulbous extremity on one end of the body and open at its bottom and a relief valve recess adjacent the opposite end of said body and open to a valve port in said bottom wall with at least one, and preferably two, internal passages open to the interior of the bulbous extremity and extending through said assembly body to a second port open at the bottom wall, with a substantially planar base flange extending about said body and peripherally about said bulbous extremity and said relief valve recess. The preform can be sealed to a flat sheet of plastic to complete the pump and relief valve and for this purpose has a transverse tunnel located between said internal passage and the bottom wall. The invention includes a method for assembling and bonding the preform to an inflatable enclosure formed of two sheets of flexible plastic, and the inflatable enclosure with a miniature air pump and relief valve as applied to a lining for apparel and protective shields.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.