US2651314A

US2651314A - Inflatable walled structure

Info

Publication number: US2651314A
Application number: US153415A
Authority: US
Inventors: Victor H Hasselquist
Original assignee: BF Goodrich Corp
Current assignee: Goodrich Corp
Priority date: 1950-04-01
Filing date: 1950-04-01
Publication date: 1953-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 1970-09-08

Description

Sept. 8, 1953 v. H, HASSELQUIST 2,651,314 INFLATABLE WALLED STRUCTURE Filed April 1, 1950 JUL/K217i p 1953 v. H. HASSIELQUIST 2,651,314

INFLATABLE WALLED STRUCTURE Fil ed April 1, 1950 "077E ??sssiqufs7 P.

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Patented Sept. 8, 1953 ICE 2,651,314 INFLATABLE WALLED STRUCTURE Victor H. Hasselquist, Akron,

Ohio, assignor to The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 1, 1950, Serial No. 153,415

Claims.

This invention relates to walled structures of limp, pliable, impervious material and to the closing of inflatable walled structures, and is especially useful in the construction of tents, canopies,

portation of the structure.

In my application, Serial No. 74,033, filed February 1949, and entitled Wall Structure, I

from the atmosphere.

Objects of the cility of inflation of a walled structure; to provide for superior sealing of facilitate manufacture.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a walled structure constructed in accordance with and embody-1 ing the invention, the structure being in the form of a tent of conical form.

Fig. 2 is a developed plan view of the walled structure of the tent of Fig. 1 in uninflated condition.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the apex portion of the tent as seen in Fig. 2, other parts being broken away.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the apex of the tent in its inflated condition showing the clamping means in use.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the inner backing ring.

Fig. 6 is a perspective placing of the inflated inner backing ring.

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the step of rolling the resilient clamping ring into clamping and sealing position.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Fig. 1, this shows a walled view illustrating the wall structure about the arcuate margin 9 pockets.

Conveniently, such a wall member may be formed by superimposing two sheets of pliable impervious material such as polymerized vinyl chloride composition, the sheets being of approximately semi-circular shape, and uniting the sheetsabout their margins and also alonglines corresponding to radii of the arc defining the curved margins of the sheets and arranged at be inflated to the des'ir'ed'amount. i-The tab'l2 may then be pinched between the fingers to prevent loss of air until the clamping means is applied.

For scaling 011 the inflated pockets, 2. ring'lfi of metal or other material, preferably of a stiff nature, and generally of frusto-conical or domed form is provided for supporting the upper margin of the wall member, the upper margin of'the walled member being wrapped thereabout, as illustrated in Fig. 6, where the tab 12 is held against the outer surface of the ring while the margin is drawn about the ring and the tab i4, held by the other hand, is then lapped over the tab 12. For retaining the wall member in place on the backing or supporting ring and at the same time sealing off communication from the inflated pockets, clamping member, preferably resilient annular ring ll, of rubber or similar material is placed over the margin of the wall member and resiliently presses against the wall member at the entrances to the pockets, sealing oil the pockets from each other. The ring I5 is provided with two circumferential grooves, which provide for increased convenience of appli cation of the clamp. One groove I8 is near the small end of the conical ring and is employed for normally supporting the resilient ring ll when the supporting ring is detached from the wall members. The other groove is is near the large end of the stiff ring and is used to seat the resilient clamping ring in clamping position. The

grooves

18 and 19 are separated by a rounded hump 25 in the ring l6, as shown, over which the elastic ring may be rolled from one groove to the other. With the supporting ring detached from the wall member, and with the resilient ring initially in the groove [8, the wall member may be wrapped about the ring as illustrated in Fig. 6, the upper margin of the Wall being laid close to the resilient ring H with the Wall member wrapped about the supporting ring. The resilient clamping ring groove l8 down over the large end of the supporting ring and the upper margin of the wall memher is wrapped thereabout and held by the hands until ring I! snaps into the groove l9 in the lower end of the supporting ring, in which posi tion the ring 11 overlies the small ends of all the pockets, thereby sealing each pocket from the manifold and from the other pockets so that should puncture of one of the pockets take place the other pockets will remain inflated.

If desired, the supporting ring l6 may be provided with openings 20 for receiving feathers or other suitable ornaments. Also the sloping margins at the entrance to the tent may be formed with fringe 2|, 22 therealong for ornamental purposes. Apertured tabs 23 may be provided at the lower margin of the wall member whereby stakes may be driven through the apertures 24 to prevent overturning of the structure by wind. These tabs may be constructed of the sheet material of the wall member or may be made separately and cemented, seamed or otherwise secured thereto.

While a tent of conical shape has been shown in the drawings, features of the invention will be found useful also in connection with walled structures of cylindrical and other shapes.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An inflatable walled structure having a wall comprising pliable material providing a plurality of inflatable pockets each having an inflation entrance, means connecting said inflation entrances for simultaneous inflation, a backing for said pockets adjacent said entrances, and means for clamping said pockets upon said backing to seal said pockets collectively, the clamping means comprising resilient material for disposition across said pockets adjacent said entrances I1 is then rolled from its 8 '4 to apply the clamping pressure resiliently against said pockets as a grou 2. An inflatable walled structure having a wall comprising pliable material providing a plurality of inflatable pockets each having an inflation entrance, means connecting said inflation entrances for simultaneous inflation, a backing 1 for said pockets adjacent said entrances, and means for clamping said pockets upon said backing to seal said pockets collectively, the clamping means comprising an elastic ring of resilient material for tensioning across said pockets adjacent said entrances to apply the clamping pressure resiliently against said pockets as a group.

3. An inflatable walled structure having a wall comprising pliable material providing a plurality of inflatable pockets each having an inflation entrance, means connecting said inflation entrances for simultaneous inflation, an annular member for backing said pockets adjacent said entrances, and clamping means comprising resilient material in annular form for resiliently embracing the backing member and said pockets in the region of their entrances to seal said pockets collectively.

4. A walled structure having a wall comprising pliable material providing a plurality of inflatable pockets terminating at a margin of said wall, means at said margin for inflating said pockets, an annular member for backing said wall along said margin, and an elastic clamping ring for embracing said member and said margin resiliently to close said inflatable pockets as a group.

5. A walled structure having a wall comprising pliable material enclosing a plurality of inflatable pockets terminating at a margin of said wall, means at said margin for inflating said pockets, an annular member for backing said wall along said margin, said annular member being of generally frusto-conical shape and having a ringseating groove at its small end for supporting a clamping ring while said wall is on said annular member adjacent thereto and having a second ring-seating groove of larger circumference underlying said wall, and a clamping ring of resilient material for seating in the first said groove, said clamping ring being movable over the margin of said wall by rolling it thereover to seat in the second said groove to close said pockets.

6. A substantially conical walled structure having a wall comprising pliable materia1 enclosing a plurality of elongate pockets and a manifold connecting the pockets at the apex of the walled structure for inflation of the pockets, said manifold terminating in an inflation aperture remote from said pockets, and clamping means for closing said pockets from communication with said manifold, said clamping means comprising an annular member for backing said wall along said manifold and a resilient clamping ring for constricting said wall structure upon the backing member.

'7. A walled structure having a wall comprising pliable material enclosing a multiplicity of inflatable pockets terminating at one margin of said wall in a manifold along said margin, said manifold having an inflation opening at a margin of said wall,,an annular member for supporting said wall along said manifold when the margin of said wall is wrapped thereabout, and a resilient ring for resiliently embracing said wrapped margin upon said member and sealing on communication between said pockets and said manifold.

8. Means for sealing a pocketed inflatable wall structure having a roup of inflatable pockets, an annular member for backing said pockets across the same, said member being generally of frusto-conical shape and peripherally grooved near its larger and smaller end and adapted to receive said wall structure against the exterior surface thereof, and annular clamping means comprising a ring of resilient material around said member and adapted for disposition across said pockets for pressing said pockets upon said member to seal said pockets collectively, said resilient element being normally seated in the groove at the smaller end of said annular member beyond said inflatable wall structure and being positionable in the groove at the larger end of the annular member in its sealing position by rolling movement of said ring along said member over said wall structure.

9. Means for sealing a pocketed inflatable wall structure having a group of said means comprising an annular member for backing said pockets across the same, said memher having a peripheral surface adapted to recelve said Wall structure thereagainst, the surface being larger in circumference at one annular margin thereof than at the oppositeannular margin and having peripheral grooves at said margins separated by a bulged intermediate annular portion, and a resilient clamping ring normally disposed in the smaller of said peripheral grooves and adapted by rolling movement for disposition across said pockets adjacent said mempockets upon said member to seal said pockets collectively, said resilient ring being shiftable from one of said grooves to the other by rolling said ring over the bulged intermediate portion of said member.

10. A sealing device for an inflatable margin of a flexible-walled article, the device comprising a member having an exterior surface in the shape of a surface of revolution with respect to a central longitudinal axis through the member, which surface is adapted to receive the inflatable margin of the article, the surface including a pair oi spaced-apart annular grooves therein one of which has a greater circumference than the other groove, and an endless elastic ring of circular face intermediate the grooves to vary the tension in the ring and to effect engagement of the margin in the groove of greater circumference when the margin is disposed on said surface.

VICTOR H. HASSELQUIST.