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DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a discharging valve for a cylinder containing pressurized gas for inflating balloons.

Cylinders containing pressurized gas are known, such as disposable cylinders containing helium gas for inflating balloons. A cylinder consists of an enclosed tank comprising a tank containing a pressurized gas. Said cylinder tank is closed from above by an upper valve which comprises a pressurized sealed shutter. Said shutter slides in a hollow body of the upper valve, thus causing said valve to pass from a closed position to an open position. The upper portion of the shutter extends outward from the upper valve and is protected by an upper wall of the hollow body of the upper valve. By mechanically pressing the shutter toward the inside of the cylinder tank, the upper valve passes to an open position, thus allowing the pressurized gas to be released externally. Due to the pressure of the gas contained in the tank, which usually is from 85 to 110 bar, the shutter cannot be pressed by a button toward the inside of the tank, but requires a rotating discharging valve which may be screwed to the upper valve or unscrewed and removed from the upper valve. Said upper wall of the hollow body of the upper valve is externally threaded to allow the separable rotating discharging valve to be mounted by means of screwing.

From the prior art, rotating discharging valves made of plastic material exist for this type of disposable cylinders. A rotating discharging valve of the prior art consists of a hollow body comprising a discharging spout and a lower internal cavity comprising a thread adapted to be screwed onto the corresponding thread of the upper wall of the hollow body of the upper valve. By rotating the discharging valve on the upper valve, a lower projection of the discharging valve presses against the upper portion of the shutter, thus causing the shutter to slide toward the inside of the cylinder tank and causing the upper valve to pass from the closed position to the open position, which allows the gas to be released by passing through the internal cavity of the discharging valve toward the outside. Disadvantageous^, the rotation of the discharging valve dispenses a larger amount of gas than the volume of gas required to inflate a balloon. Disadvantageously, there is a need to perform several operations quickly in sequence to inflate a balloon, i.e. to mount a mouth of the balloon on the spout of the discharging valve, then to screw the discharging valve up to causing the upper valve to pass to the open position, and once the balloon has been inflated, there is a need to unscrew the discharging valve again to cause the upper valve to return to the closed position. The operation of screwing and unscrewing the discharging valve on the upper valve is disadvantageous because the gas is released in an amount which is greater than the needs of inflating the balloon, and a sizeable portion of the excess gas is dispersed externally. Disadvantageously, if the user is not fast enough when unscrewing the discharging valve to complete dispensing, the cylinder is emptied of the gas. Disadvantageously, said rotating discharging valve is not safe because it does not automatically close at the end of the dispensing.

Other discharging valves exist in the prior art, but they disadvantageously are complex discharging valves because they comprise at least one pressurized chamber and comprise various parts which cannot be molded from plastic material or which should be mounted together in a complicated manner.

For example, US3643691, GB2085567, EP0183263 are pressure valves and comprise a pressurized chamber, a siphon and a shutter. Said pressurized chamber is pressure mounted with the siphon. Said siphon enters the cylinder. The shutter mounts a gasket and is pressure mounted inside the pressurized chamber. The shutter slides from the pressurized chamber up to the inside of the siphon, thus being inside the cylinder. The shutter presses a cylinder-shaped valve portion which is pressure mounted with the siphon by means of a spring. Disadvantageous^, said pressure valves are to be resistant and comprise various parts which cannot be molded from a plastic material or which should be pressure mounted together due to safety issues of the cylinder.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a simplified discharging valve of a cylinder comprising a tank containing a pressurized gas, which allows to simplify the gas dispensing, allows the gas dispensing to be quantized, is safe so that the valve blocks the gas dispensing at the end of use, is a valve which is easy to be manufactured.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a simplified discharging valve of a cylinder comprising a tank containing a pressurized helium, which allows to simplify the helium dispensing for inflating balloons, allows the helium dispensing to be quantized, is safe so that the valve blocks the helium dispensing at the end of inflating the balloons, is a valve which is easy to be manufactured.

According to the invention, such objects are achieved by a discharging valve of a cylinder for inflating balloons according claim 1.

These and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a practical embodiment thereof, shown by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a discharging valve of a pressurized gas cylinder,

Figure 2 shows a side view of the discharging valve,

Figure 3 shows a top view of the discharging valve,

Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the discharging valve,

Figure 5 shows a front view of the discharging valve,

Figure 6 shows a rear view of the discharging valve,

Figure 7 shows a section view of the discharging valve according to line VII-VII in Figure 4, Figure 8 shows a view of the discharging valve mounted with the cylinder, according to the same section in Figure 7,

Figure 9 shows an enlargement A of Figure 8,

Figure 10 shows a side view of the discharging valve with lever disengaged from a piston,

Figure 11 shows a top view of Figure 10,

Figure 12 shows a section of the discharging valve according to line XII-XII in Figure 11,

Figure 13 shows the section in Figure 12 of an alternative discharging valve with an alternative separable piston,

Figure 14 shows an exploded view of Figure 13, with the alternative piston removed from the discharging valve,

Figure 15 shows an alternative discharging valve with a lever mounted on a front upper wall of a hollow body of the discharging valve,

Figure 16 shows a cylinder with the discharging valve which mounts an adapter for balloons,

Figure 17 shows a section of Figure 16.

With reference to the figures listed above, in particular Figures 1, 8 to 9, it is worth noting a cylinder 1 which consists of an enclosed tank 10 containing pressurized gas. Said enclosed tank 10 comprises an upper opening which is closed to pressure by means of an upper valve 2 of cylinder 1 which passes from a closed position for maintaining the pressurized gas inside tank 10 to an open position for releasing the gas contained in tank 10.

Said upper valve 2 is firmly engaged in the upper opening of the tank.

As shown in particular in Figure 9, the upper valve 2 consists of a hollow body 20 which penetrates the upper opening of tank 10. The hollow body 20 comprises an internal cavity 200 in which a sealed shutter 3 of the upper valve 2 slides. Said upper valve 2 comprises said sealed shutter 3 which is adapted to slide in the internal cavity 200 of the hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2, from a sealing position to a releasing position of the gas. The sealing position of shutter 3 corresponds to the closed position of the upper valve 2, while the releasing position of shutter 3 corresponds to the open position of the upper valve 2.

The hollow body 20 comprises at least one lower portion which is a lower stop 21 and is adapted to be engaged by a lower portion 31 of shutter 3. Said lower stop 31 is obtained from an enlargement of diameter of a lower portion 201 of the internal cavity 200 of the hollow body 20. Said lower portion 31 of shutter 3 has a complementary shape with respect to the lower stop 21 of the hollow body 20 so as to keep the upper valve 2 in the closed position. When shutter 3 is engaged with the lower stop 21 of the hollow body 20, it keeps the upper valve 2 in the closed position.

The hollow body 20 comprises an upper portion comprising an upper wall 22 which extends upward to form a hollow cylinder around an upper portion 32 of the sealed shutter 3.

The upper portion 32 of shutter 3 extends outward from the upper valve 2 and is protected by the upper wall 22 of the hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2. By mechanically pressing shutter 3 toward the inside of the tank 10 of cylinder 1, the upper valve 2 passes to an open position, thus allowing the pressurized gas to be released externally. The pressurized gas contained in tank 10 of the cylinder is helium gas. The helium gas contained in tank 10 has an initial pressure comprised between 50 and 200 bar when cylinder 1 is completely full, which is a relatively high pressure.

In order to be pressed toward the inside of tank 10, shutter 3 should exceed a relatively high pressure force.

Said upper wall 22 of the hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2 is threaded externally to allow a separable discharging valve 4 to be mounted by means of screwing.

As shown in particular in Figures 7 and 9, the discharging valve 4 is made of a molded plastic material. The discharging valve 4 can be molded in one piece of plastic material to advantageously simplify the production and mounting in place on the upper valve 2 of cylinder 1.

The discharging valve 4 can be screwed on the upper valve 2, but contrarily to the discharging valves of the prior art, during the rotation of the discharging valve 4 to screw it onto the upper valve 2 of cylinder 1, a piston 5 of the discharging valve 4 does not press the upper portion 32 of the shutter 3 of the upper valve 2 and does not cause the upper valve 2 to pass to the open position, but leaves the upper valve 2 in the closed position. The discharging valve 4 completely screwed onto the upper valve 2 advantageously keeps the upper valve 2 in the closed position, thus not allowing the gas of the tank 10 of cylinder 1 to be released.

As shown in particular in Figures 7 and 9, the discharging valve 4 consists of a hollow body 40 comprising a discharging spout 45 and an internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40.

The discharging spout 45 and the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body are adapted to allow the release of the gas from the tank 10 of cylinder 1 when the upper valve 2 is in the open position. The discharging spout 45 is facing the front direction to direct the gas flow toward the front. It is worth noting that the internal cavity 400 is at ambient pressure.

The hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4 comprises a lower portion 41 comprising a thread adapted to be screwed on the corresponding thread of the upper wall 22 of the hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2. By rotating the discharging valve 4 on the upper valve 2 of cylinder 1, said discharging valve 4 is separably mounted on cylinder 1.

The discharging valve 4 comprises a lever 44 hinged at a fulcrum F with an upper portion 42 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4.

As shown in Figure 10, said lever 44 of the discharging valve 4 is hinged with the rear upper portion 42 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4 so that lever 44 can rotate toward the front where there is the discharging spout 45. Lever 44 rotating with respect to fulcrum F presses against a piston 5 of the discharging valve 4.

The discharging valve 4 slidably mounts said piston 5 in the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4.

Piston 5 is cylindrical-shaped. An upper portion 52 of piston 5 is engaged by lever 44, while a lower portion 51 of piston 5 is in contact with the upper portion 32 of shutter 3 of the upper valve 2 of cylinder 1.

Piston 5 comprises a disc-shaped membrane 54. Said membrane 54 is elastic and allows the sliding of piston 5 to be bound inside the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4. The binding of the sliding of piston 5 depends on the plastic material and on the thickness of membrane 54. The disc of membrane 54 is adapted to cover from above the internal cavity 400 of the discharging valve 4, thus avoiding the gas from being released externally.

The ends of membrane 54 are mounted with the edges of the upper portion 42 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4.

Piston 5, the membrane 54 of piston 5 are one piece with the discharging valve 4, as shown in particular in Figures 10 to 12.

Lever 44 of the discharging valve 4 presses against the upper portion 52 of piston 5 in a point where there is provided a lower seat 445 dug on the lower wall of lever 44, the seat being adapted to advantageously facilitate the engagement between lever 44 and the upper portion 52 of piston 5.

Said lower seat 445 of lever 44 is at a distance D from fulcrum F which hinges lever 44 with the upper portion 42 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4. Said distance D is greater than zero.

The length of lever 44 corresponds to the length of the arm of a mechanical lever. The longer lever 44 is, the less force is required to press lever 44 externally to press piston 5 against shutter 3 so that shutter 3 is pressed downward inside the tank 10 of cylinder 1, thus causing the upper valve 2 to pass from the closed position to the open position and allowing the helium gas to pass from tank 10 to the outside.

As shown in Figures 16 and 17, an adapter 6 for inflating balloons is provided. Said adapter 6 is hollow and has an internal cavity 600 which traces the shape of the hollow spout 45 of the discharging valve 4. Said internal cavity 600 of adapter 6 is adapted to be pressed by contact on the hollow spout 45. Alternatively, adapter 6 may be screwed onto the outer wall of the hollow spout 45.

As for the operation of the discharging valve 4, there is a need to screw the discharging valve 4 onto the upper valve 2 of cylinder 1. It is worth noting from Figures 8, 9, 16, 17 that said discharging valve 4 is mounted externally on said upper wall 22 of said hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2. The mounting is performed at ambient pressure and the discharging valve 4 is mounted externally to the internal part of the pressurized cylinder for inflating balloons. The pressure of the gas contained in the tank of the cylinders for inflating balloons is usually comprised between 85 and 110 bar. Once the screwing is complete, piston 5 does not have the force required to press shutter 3 downward. The membrane 54 of piston 5 is sufficiently elastic to allow piston 5 to be pressed by lever 44 toward the inside of the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4 without membrane 54 breaking. Said membrane 54 is elastic and binds the sliding of piston 5 inside the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4. The user exerts an external downward thrust force on lever 44, which rotates on fulcrum F and presses piston 5 toward the inside of the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4 up to sliding shutter 3 inside the hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2 of cylinder 1 and causing said upper valve 2 to pass from the closed position to the open position. In the open position, the gas is released from the tank 10 of cylinder 1 through the internal cavity 200 of the upper valve 2, passes inside the internal cavity 400 of the discharging valve 4 and is channeled outward in the hollow spout 45. Once sufficient gas has been released which is adapted to inflate for example, a balloon, the user stops exerting a force on lever 44 of the discharging valve 4 and shutter 3 is pushed upward by the pressure of the gas contained in the tank 10 of cylinder 1 , thus causing the upper valve 2 to advantageously automatically pass from the open position to the closed position and advantageously without the user having to perform other operations on cylinder 1.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 15, said lever 44 of the discharging valve 4 may be hinged with the front upper portion 42 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4 so that lever 44 can rotate toward the rear, where there is a handle 440. Said handle 440 is on the opposite side with respect to the discharging spout 45. An internal wall of lever 44 directed toward piston 5 and toward handle 440 mounts a membrane which allows to flex and press piston 5 toward the inside of the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4 so that piston 5 may press on shutter 3 and cause the upper valve to pass from the closed position to the open position.

Alternatively, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, the piston 5 of the discharging valve 4 is one piece only with the membrane 54 of piston 5. Piston 5 is mounted from below with the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4. It is worth noting that piston 5 is mounted at ambient pressure and does not enter the pressurized cylinder, indeed said upper portion 32 of shutter 3 extends outward from the upper valve 2 and is protected by the upper wall 22 of the hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2 and said discharging valve 4 is externally mounted on said upper wall 22 of said hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2. The discharging valve 4 does not have parts which enter the tank 10 of cylinder 1, therefore pressurized parts advantageously are not required and a pressurized chamber is not required. As shown in particular in Figures 13 and 14, an upper portion 52 of piston 5 enters a through opening 420 of the upper portion 42 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4 up to the disc-shaped stop membrane 54 of piston 5 coming into abutment with a lower wall of the upper portion 42 which closes from above the internal cavity 400 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4. The membrane 54 of piston 5 mounts a sealing sheath for avoiding the gas from being released from above and not from the hollow spout 45.

Again alternatively, there is provided for the upper wall 22 of the hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2 to be engaged with the lower wall 41 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4 by means of pressure stops. The upper wall 22 of the hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2 may not to be threaded and the discharging valve 4 may not to be screwed with the upper valve 2, but pressure engaged together.

In a further alternative, lever 44 of the discharging valve 4 may press directly against the upper portion 32 of shutter 3 in a point where there is provided a lower seat 445 dug on the lower wall of lever 44, the seat adapted to advantageously facilitate the engagement between lever 44 and the upper portion 32 of shutter 3. In said further alternative, the discharging valve 4 comprises lever 44 hinged at fulcrum F with the upper portion 42 of the hollow body 40 of the discharging valve 4, said lever 44 of the discharging valve 4 presses shutter 3 in the point at a distance D (other than zero), from fulcrum F, causing shutter 3 to pass from the sealing position to the releasing position of the gas.

Advantageously, the discharging valve 4 of cylinder 1 of the present invention is much more simplified, so much so as to making the production of the discharging valve 4 as a plastic material mold simpler. Advantageously, cylinder 1 has simplified gas dispensing, the discharging valve 4 of cylinder 1 allows the gas dispensing to be quantized by pressing on lever 44 for the time required to inflate the balloon. Advantageously, the discharging valve 4 of the helium cylinder 1 is highly safe, given that by releasing lever 44, the gas flow stops since shutter 3 is pressed upward by the internal pressure of the gas contained in the tank 10 of cylinder 1. Advantageously, the discharging valve 4 can be molded in one piece, thus simplifying production.

Advantageously, with respect to the pressure valves described in US3643691, GB2085567, EP0183263, the discharging valve 4 of the present invention does not comprise any pressurized chambers, indeed no part of the discharging valve 4 enters the siphon and no piston 5 of the discharging valve 4 enters the pressurized chamber or the siphon of cylinder 1. The discharging valve 4 is advantageously simplified because the piston 5 of the discharging valve does not require mounting any gasket to keep the pressurized chambers pressurized, since the discharging valve 4 is mounted externally at ambient pressure on said upper wall 22 of said hollow body 20 of the upper valve 2.