Air pump valve head for gripping both schrader and presta valves

A valve head for engaging both a Schrader and a Presta valve, comprising:

• a housing having generally cylindrical sidewalls and a base wall;
• a collet having a generally cylindrical sidewall and a plurality of upwardly extending collet fingers engaged with said collet sidewall, said collet being disposed within a collet bore formed within said housing;
• a gasket being generally cylindrical and having a valve insertion bore formed centrally therethrough, said gasket being composed of a resilient material, and wherein said gasket is disposed within said collet;
• a camming lever being operably engaged to said collet and functioning to pull said collet into said housing;
• whereby the inward movement of said collet creates an inwardly directed force upon said resilient gasket such that the diameter of said gasket valve insertion bore is reduced;
• said housing further including a pneumatically activated plunger member that is disposed within a plunger bore formed within said housing;
• a Schrader valve pin depression tip being flexibly engaged to said plunger and operable to deflect a Schrader valve pin when a Schrader valve is inserted within said valve insertion bore.

A valve head for engaging both a Schrader and a Presta valve, comprising:

• a housing having generally cylindrical sidewalls and a base wall, said base wall having two openings formed therethrough;
• a collet being disposed within a collet bore formed within said housing, said collet having generally cylindrical sidewall portions and a plurality of upwardly extending collet fingers integrally formed within said collet sidewall portions, said collet fingers including upper ends that are formed with outwardly projecting portions for engaging the sidewalls of said housing, and said collet being formed with downwardly projecting arm portions that project through said openings in said housing base;
• a gasket being disposed within said collet, said gasket being generally cylindrical and having a valve insertion bore formed centrally therethrough, said gasket being composed of a resilient material;
• a camming lever being operably engaged to said collet arms and functioning to pull said collet downwardly into said housing, such that upon said downward movement of said collet said collet fingers are caused to move radially inwardly due to a sliding engagement of said outwardly projecting portions of said collet fingers with said housing sidewalls;
• whereby the inward movement of said collet fingers creates an inwardly directed force upon said resilient gasket such that the diameter of said gasket bore is reduced;
• said housing further including a pneumatically activated plunger member that is disposed within a plunger bore formed within said housing;
• a Schrader valve pin depression tip being flexibly engaged to said plunger and operable to deflect a Schrader valve pin when a Schrader valve is inserted within said valve insertion bore.