US1305260A - Heaet - Google Patents

Description

L. T. EARNHEART..

coMPREssED AIR VALVEAND GAGE.

lafenfed June 8,1919.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, IJIG.

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/NVE/vrof? Br @M W/ TNESSES:

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT oiiEIoE.

LUCIEN T. EARNHEART, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, AssIcfNonTo SAFETY FIRST DEVICES COMPANY, or INDIANAPOLIS., INDIANA, A CORPORATION.

CoMrnEssED-AIR VALVE AND GAGE.

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application mea my c, 1916. seriai No. 95,833.

To all whom t may. concern.'

f Be it known that I, LUCIEN T. EARN- HEART,-a citizen .of the United-States, and a resident of India-napoiis;` county of Marion, and IState of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Compressed-Air. Valve' 'to theu'sual valve, which additional valve is positively held closed when the tire is'not f being charged. This Vabsolutely prevents any escape of air from the tire 'and in view of the means for holdin never leak or become ine eotualby reason of wear. One diiiiculty withthe old form of check Valve in said devices has always been that it would become defective and leak. That is impossible with the extra` valve which has beenvadded in hthe form of device shown herein. e"

Another feature of the invention consists in constructing said additional valve and associated parts so that it will be held closed after the means 4for positivelylholding it closed has been released, by a spring which, however, will yield under high air pressurev 4so that the high'air pressure, whenl the air is turned into charge ,the tire, `will automatically o en thls additional valve. Another eature of the inventlon consists in mounting said additional valve yielding ,within the valve stem, the outer portion of said valve stem havingan enlarged port or chamber in it and the lower portion a nar` lrow passageway which is closed at its outer end by said additional valve. The valve rod for said additional Valve has a 'passage extending through it excepting at its inner laterally before it reaches the inner end of said valve rod and in the-outer end of said valve member, the usual check valve is located. -Ience, whenair is turned in throu h said valve rod, it' will enter-the chamber 1n the valve stem ,and below or inside of a piston on said valve' it closed, it willv rod and the pressure Of the air in the valve stein actingon said piston will force said valve rod and valve outwardly against the action of the spring and thus 'automatically open said additional valve.'

Another feature of this invention consists in marking on said valve rod or some part associated rigidly therewith, suitable gradu-A ations for indicating the air pressure within the tire. As said air pressure increases, said forced outwardly farther and 4farther and thus said graduatio'ns are disclosed andthe valve and valve rod and piston thereon, are

additional Valve and positively holding it closed.l

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying draw- -ings and the following description and claims. l

In the drawings, Figure .1 is a central longitudinal section of said .device and a portion of the inner casing of a pneumatie'tire'V Fig. 2 -is a side-elevation of they device and a portion of a pneumatic tire and wheel,

and a compressed air attachment at the outer endpof the device. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the cap used for positively seating said additional air valve. Fig. 4 is a side elevation 'of an automobile wheel equipped l with said air valve and gage,

l In the' drawings' there is shown an automobile wheel with a wooden rim Sa metal clencher rim T which 'may .be demountable, andan outer casing'U of a pneumatic tire.

A valve stern A extends through an inner casing l?` of the tire, the'inetal clencher rim T and the wooden rim S of the wheel. At its inner end said valve stem A is secured'to the inner casing by a head within the casing and by a washer O and nut N outside the casin The valve stein is externally threaded and 1s` secured to the rim ofthe wheel-by a Washer R and nut Q, as seen in Fig. 2. Said Valve stem has a reduced. air passage M through its inner portion and an enlarged 4air chamber B throughout the major and outer portion thereof. Said valve stem A Ais not threaded throu hout its entire length, but the .outerportion t ereof at A is free of external threads. A dust cap V screws upon the 'outer end of the .threaded portion of the valve stem in the usual way. The outer end of the valve stem is internally threaded to receive a sleeve H and the outer end of the sleeve H is externally threaded to receive a valve closing cap D which screws thereon.

The additional valve L, heretofore referred to, closes the outer end of the reduced passage M and the inner portion of the valve stem A, as seen in Fig. l. It is the end of the valve rod B which is integral with an outer enlarged portion C, the two constituting one member which will be called herein the valve member. The outer portion C of said valve rod B has an enlarged air passage in it and contains the usual check valve I. The valve rod B has a reduced air passage J through it for most of its length, but before it reaches the inner end or valve end, it divides into two laterally extending outlets K so as to discharge into the chamber B near the inner end of the valve rod. The

inner portion of said valve rod B is eXter-,

nally threaded to receive a piston consisting of a'leather nut E, a leather cup F and a small metal nut Gr inside ofthe leather cup Fclamping the cup between the nuts E and G. A spring X surrounds the piston rod B and'lies between the nut E and sleeve H and tends'to close the valve L against low pressure, b-ut it is weak enough to yield under higher pressure and as the valve and valve rod yield, it uncovers graduations, as shown in Fig. Q, on the valve rod above the valve stem and sleeve H and thus indicates the air pressure acting on the valve, particularly the baclrpressure from the tire while it is being charged. The numeral on the valve rod B which is nearest the sleeve H indicates the air pressure.

The operation is as follows:

The dust cap V is irst removed and then. the valve holding cap D. If there is any air pressure in the tire then, it will force the vvalve L and valve rod outward as far as the spring X will permit, but no'air can escape because of the check valve l. Then the coupling W of tube 10 from some source of compressed air is secured to the outer end ofthe member C, as shown in Fig. 2, and air under pressure is admittede lf there is no air pres- Sure and the valve L is seated, the incoming air under pressure will pass through the passage J in the valve rod B and issue into the chamber B in the valve stem,between the piston E and the inner portion of the valve Stem and force the piston and valve rod and valve outward and thus permit the air to go through the passage M into the tire'.

rlhe air is permitted to enter the tire until the pressure from the tire acting on the piston E and the valve L forces them outwardly so as to uncover the graduated part of the valve rod B, as shown in FigQ, and until the desired air pressure is indicated.

Then the supply of air is cut od' and the tube l0 and nozzle W removed. The check valve l will for the time being prevent the air from escaping. The cap D is then put over the outer member C and forced inward and screwed into place on the valve stem until it forces the valve L down on its seat. Therefore, said valve L will be held positively seated and closed by the cap D. Then the '-.dust cap is put in place.

In this construction, therefore, there is no chance for escape of air through the air valve after the tire has been charged and it is always provided with a gage for indicatingthe air pressure and an additional gage is unnecessary.

The invention claimed. is:

l. The combination of an air valve stem having a reduced air passage through the inner part thereof and the remaining portion thereof having a chamber therein, a valve member having a valve rod reciprocable in said chamber in the valve stem and provided with a needle valve on the lower end for closing the reduced passage through said valve stem, said rod having an air passage longitudinally through it for the admission of air and having laterally extending discharge passageways extending from side to side of said rod, a 'piston on said valve rod above said lateral discharge of the passageways through the valve rod so that the air ,pressure in the inner end of the chamber in the valve stem will tend to force said piston and valve rod outward and unseat the valve and admit air through the reduced passage in the valve stem, and means for reseating said valve rod and positively holding the valve in its closed position.

2. The combination of an air valve stem having a reduced air passage through the inner art thereof and the remaining portion t ereof having a chamber therein, a

valve member having a valve rod reciprocable in said chamber in the valve stem and provided with a needle valve on the lower end for closing the reduced passage through said valve stem, said rod having an air passage longitudinally through it for the ad- 'inission of air and a Cpassageway `extending laterally through sai rod and discharging into said chamber in the valve stem a distance above the needle valve at the end of the rod,A a piston on said valve rod above said lateral passageways through the valve rod so that the air pressure in the inner end of the chamber in the valve stern4 will tend to force said piston and valve rod outward and unseat the valve and admit air through the reduced passage in the valve stern, a

sleeve in the upper end of said valve stem, a spiral spring surrounding said valve rod and acting between the piston thereon and said sleeve for holding the valve closed against low pressure but permitting it to yield from high pressure', and a cap adapted to screw on the outer end of said sleeve for rforcing the valve rod inward in order to positively hold the valve seated.

3. The combination of an air valve stem having a reduced air passage through the inner part thereof and the remaining portion thereof having a chamber therein, 'a valve member having a valve rod reciprolcable insaid chamber in the valve stem and provided with a needle valve on the lower end for closing the reduced passage through said valve stem and the outer endo said valve member being enlarged, a passageway through said valve stem, said passage way terminating in laterally vextending passage ways at a point a distance .beyond the inner end of the valve stem, a check valve in the outer end of the valve member, a sleeve inthe outer end of the valve stem and surrounding the valve rod, a piston on said valve rod between said sleeve and the inner end of the air passage throughthe valve rod, a spiral spring on said rod bet-Ween saidl sleeve and piston arranged to hold the valve closed against low pressure, but to yield from high pressure, and means associated with the Said valve structure'for indicating by outward movement thereof lthe air pressure in the tire.

In witness whereof I have hereunto alixed my signature.

LUCIEN T. EARNHEART.

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