Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Rodney S Smith

Thomas C Keenan

Joel L Kennedy

Johnny Buchanan

An inflation/deflation assembly, which can be mounted upon the inflation valve assembly of an inflatable bag, so as to permit both the inflation and deflation of the inflatable as may be desired. The inflation/deflation assembly comprises an outer housing, and a control rod is rotatably disposed within the housing so as to be rotatably movable between two positions angularly spaced apart from each other. When the control rod is disposed, for example, at a first one of the two positions, the inflatable bag can be inflated, whereas, when the control rod is disposed at the second one of the two positions, the inflatable bag can be deflated.

Inflation/deflation adaptor assembly for inflating and deflating inflatable cargo dunnage bags

A dunnage or cargo air bag has incorporated therein a pair of glue or adhesive bonding strips which are located within the immediate vicinity of the inflation valve assembly so as to operatively cooperate with a folded edge portion of the dunnage or cargo air bag and a stitched or sewn edge portion of the dunnage or cargo air bag and thereby effectively surround or circumscribe the inflation valve assembly. In this manner, the plurality of paper plies are able to be effectively secured in a substantially flattened state upon the four sides surrounding the inflation valve assembly whereby the portion of each one of the plurality of paper plies, which effectively forms or defines the inner, annular periphery or rim wall portion of each one of the apertures, holes, or openings through which, for example, the tubular body member of the inflation valve assembly projects outwardly, will not be disposed within the vicinity of the external thread portions of the tubular body member of the inflation valve assembly so as not to effectively interfere with the threaded engagement and secured mounting of the internally threaded closure cap upon the externally threaded tubular body member of the inflation valve assembly.

Dunnage air bag with improved adhesive bonding of paper plies within the vicinity of the inflation valve

An inflation valve assembly, for a dunnage or cargo air bag, comprises an annular flange member which is adapted to be heat-sealed to an interior surface portion of one of the plies of the inflatable bladder of the air bag, and an externally threaded nipple portion for fluidic connection to a source of pressurized fluid for inflating the bladder of the dunnage or cargo air bag. A flapper valve member, having a substantially circular configuration, has an end portion which is adapted to be fixedly secured upon an arcuate portion of the upper surface portion of the annular flange member by a fixation bar which extends along a chordal extent of the annular flange member. Opposite end portions of the fixation bar project radially inwardly toward each other so as to effectively define a pair of oppositely disposed detents for maintaining the flapper valve member in its OPENED state.

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Franklin, TN, United States of America

Rodney S Smith