Gt Development Corporation

National Seating Company, Inc.

Timothy L Oliphant

John Michael Morris

Charles E Stephens

Rod Smith

Charles J Green

Zdenek Gabrlik

Nelson O Phillips

An air spring seat principally for buses, trucks, boats or other vehicles includes a manual air pump for inflating and deflating the air spring. The manual air pump includes a piston having a rearward air intake stroke, a forward compression stroke to deliver pressurized air through a check valve delivery and venting system to the air spring, a pressure stabilized at rest position at the end of the compression stroke and a forward venting stroke from the at rest position mechanically to release air from the air spring through the check valve delivery and venting system. A floating seal carried by the piston provides a fluid tight seal between the piston and pump body during the piston compression stroke but permits air to move from the intake side of the piston to the compression side of the piston during the piston intake stroke. The piston movements are all controlled by a manual lever handle readily accessible to the seat occupant. The lever handle is nested adjacent the seat cushion in the at rest position of the piston, is pulled upwardly from the at rest position to effect the piston intake stroke, is pushed downwardly to the at rest position to effect the piston compression stroke, and is pushed further downwardly from the at rest position to effect the piston venting stroke. The manual air pump includes a check valve relief system to release pressurized air from the pump housing during the piston compression stroke when the air spring pressure equals a preselected maximum operating pressure.

Air spring seat and air pump

A line pressure responsive flow control valve (46) is in series with a solenoid (34) operated off-on valve (26). These two valves (46, 26) are in a common housing having an inlet port (94) and an outlet port (96). A branch (24) of a bypass line (24, 24') extends from a fuel delivery line (10) to a fuel tank (16). A spring (76) biases a closure wall (70) of a piston (66) into contact with a valve seat (88) surrounding a valve orifice (90). Fuel pressure at the inlet (24) acts on the closure wall (70). When this pressure exceeds a predetermined minimum, the piston (66) is moved so as to open the valve orifice (90), allowing fuel to flow from the bypass line (24) to the off-on valve (26). The line pressure responsive flow control valve (46) functions to control flow through the bypass line (24, 24') at times when the off-on valve (26) is open.

Vehicle speed control system

An air spring seat principally for buses, trucks, boats or other vehicles includes a manual air pump for inflating and deflating the air spring. The manual air pump includes a piston having a rearward air intake stroke, a forward compression stroke to deliver pressurized air through a check valve delivery and venting system to the air spring, a pressure stablized at rest position at the end of the compression stroke and a forward venting stroke from the at rest position mechanically to release air from the air spring through the check valve delivery and venting system. A floating seal carried by the piston provides a fluid tight seal between the piston and pump body during the piston compression stroke but permits air to move from the intake side of the piston to the compression side of the piston during the piston intake stroke. The piston movements are all controlled by a manual lever handle readily accessible to the seat occupant. The lever handle is nested adjacent the seat cushion in the at rest position of the piston, is pulled upwardly from the at rest position to effect the piston intake stroke, is pushed downwardly to the at rest position to effect the piston compression stroke, and is pushed further downwardly from the at rest position to effect the piston venting stroke. The manual air pump includes a check valve relief system to release pressurized air from the pump housing during the piston compression stroke when the air spring pressure equals a preselected maximum operating pressure.

A valve plug (22, 22a, 22b) is biased inwardly by a spring (78, 78a, 78b) to close an opening (6, 6a, 6b) in a tank. A stem (32, 32a, 32b) extends axially inwardly from the plug (22, 22a, 22b). The stem (32, 32a, 32b) has an inner portion (36, 36a, 36b) which is mechanically interlocked with an outer portion (52, 52a, 52b) to directly transmit axial forces created by the spring (78, 78a, 78b). Fusible material (66, 66a, 66b) holds the stem portions (36, 36a, 36b, 52, 52a, 52b) in an interlocking position but carries only relatively small loads. The plug (22, 22a, 22b) and stem (32, 32a, 32b) move against the force of the spring (78, 78a, 78b) to relieve pressure. At elevated temperatures, the fusible material (66, 66a, 66b) melts to allow the stem portions (36, 36a, 36b, 52, 52a, 52b) to separate and the plug (22, 22a, 22b) and outer stem portion (52, 52a, 52b) to move away from the opening (6, 6a, 6b).

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Federal Way, WA, United States of America

Timothy L Oliphant