Manual inflator with cylinder connector and status indicator
AssigneeHalkey-Roberts Corporation
InventorsStephen J. Rogier, Lyman W. Fawcett, Jr., Alan D. King
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A manual inflator having a status indicator that indicates whether a fully-charged, unspent gas cylinder has been installed on the inflator. The status indicator comprises a “single point” indicator having an indicator window that displays the color “green” when the automatic inflator is fully operational or the color “red” when the inflator is at least partially inoperable automatically due to the removal of the gas cylinder or due to the firing of the inflator resulting in a spent gas cylinder.
Claims19
A manual inflator, comprising in combination:
- a body having a boss for receiving a gas cylinder and having an indicator window;
- and
- a pierce pin assembly reciprocatably mounted within a bore in said body, said pierce pin assembly comprising an actuator of a first color that is in alignment with at least a portion of said indicator window at least when a fully-charged gas cylinder is received in said boss allowing the first color to be visualized through said indicator window and a cap of a second color that is in alignment with at least a portion of said indicator window at least when either a gas cylinder is not received in said boss or a non fully-charged gas cylinder is received in said boss;
- a portion of said actuator covers a portion of said cap to conceal the second color at least when a fully-charged gas cylinder is received in said boss.
A method for indicating the operating condition of a manual inflator, comprising the steps of:
- providing a body having a boss for receiving a gas cylinder and having an indicator window;
- and
- reciprocatably mounting a pierce pin assembly within a bore in said body, said pierce pin assembly comprising an actuator of a first color that is in alignment with at least a portion of said indicator window at least when a fully-charged gas cylinder is received in said boss allowing the first color to be visualized through said indicator window and a cap of a second color that is in alignment with at least a portion of said indicator window at least when either a gas cylinder is not received in said boss or a non fully-charged gas cylinder is received in said boss;
- a portion of said actuator covers a portion of said cap to conceal the second color at least when a fully-charged gas cylinder is received in said boss.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.