DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Referring initially to FIGS. 1-5 of the drawings, an illustrative embodiment of the universal inflator of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 1. The universal inflator 1 typically includes an elongated, tubular housing 2, traversed by a housing interior 3. The valve body 6 of a stem valve 5 is contained in the housing interior 3, which valve body 6 contains interior operational components of the stem valve 5. A connector nipple 7 extends from the valve body 6, outside the housing interior 3 of the housing 2. The connector nipple 7 of the stem valve 5 may include multiple nipple threads 8 for connection of the connector nipple 7 to an air pump or air transfer device, as hereinafter further described. The stem valve 5 may be conventional and may include an attachment nipple 10 extending from the valve body 6, opposite the connector nipple 7. The stem valve 5 typically includes an interior stem 9 which is normally disposed in a spring-loaded extended position inside the connector nipple 7 to prevent flow of pressurized air through the valve body 6 and out of the connector nipple 7 in application of the universal inflator 1 as hereinafter described. Upon application of pressure to the stem 9, pressurized air flows through the valve body 6 and from the connector nipple 7, in conventional fashion. A connector base 14 of an inflator needle 12 is disposed in pneumatic communication with the attachment nipple 10 of the valve body 6 in the housing interior 3, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and the connector base 14 may be threadibly or otherwise fixedly or removably attached to the attachment nipple 10. Alternatively, the connector base 14 may be constructed integrally with the attachment nipple 10. An elongated, hollow inflator needle 12 extends from pneumatic communication with the connector base 14, and is fitted with an air opening 13. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the connector base 14 may include exterior threads 15 for threadibly engaging interior threads (not illustrated) in the housing 2 and securing the connector base 14 in the housing 2. Alternatively, the connector base 14 may be fixedly, integrally or otherwise removably attached to the housing 2.
[0019] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that multiple variations of the universal inflator 1 are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the stem valve 5 may be constructed without the attachment nipple 10, in which case the connector base 14 may be fixedly, removably or integrally connected directly to the valve body 6 of the stem valve 5. The connector base 14 may be omitted, in which case the inflator needle 12 is provided in direct pneumatic communication with the attachment nipple 10. Alternatively, both the connector base 14 and the attachment nipple 10 may be omitted, in which case the inflator needle 12 is provided in direct pneumatic communication with the valve body 6. Still further in the alternative, the housing 2 may be omitted and the inflator needle 12 pneumatically attached, either fixedly, removably or integrally, to the valve body 6 of the stem valve 5, either directly or through the connector base 14, attachment nipple 10, or both of these elements. The housing 2 may be constructed of plastic or any other suitable material and may be colored to render the universal inflator 1 easier to find in a drawer with other objects, for example. Moreover, the housing 2 may have a square, hexagonal, octagonal or any other cross-sectional configuration other than the circular cross-section illustrated in the drawings.
[0020] Referring next to FIG. 6 of the drawings, in one application the universal inflator 1 of the present invention may be used in conjunction with a bicycle air pump 18 to inflate a sports ball such as a conventional basketball 23. The basketball 23 typically includes a rubber or plastic air plug 24 fitted with an air opening (not illustrated). Accordingly, the inflator needle 12 of the universal inflator 1 is initially inserted into the interior of the basketball 23 through the air plug 24 thereof, after which the coupling 19 of the bicycle air pump 18 is removably attached to the connector nipple 7 (FIG. 1) of the universal inflator 1 by pivoting a coupling handle 20 of the bicycle air pump 18 against the coupling 19, in conventional fashion. Alternatively, the coupling 19 may first be coupled to the connector nipple 7 before inserting the inflator needle 12 into the basketball 23 through the air plug 24, as desired. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the stem valve 5 prevents inadvertent flow of air under pressure from the interior of the basketball 23 through the inflator needle 12 upon initial insertion of the inflator needle 12 through the air plug 24. The bicycle air pump 18 is then operated in conventional fashion to pump air through the air hose 21 and from the coupling 19 of the bicycle air pump 18 and then through the stem valve 5 and inflator needle 12 of the universal inflator 1, to restore the desired quantity of air and air pressure inside the basketball 23. At that point, the inflator needle 12 may be removed from the air plug 24 without further escape of pressurized air from the basketball 23. Alternatively, the coupling 19 of the bicycle air pump 18 may be uncoupled from the connector nipple 7 of the universal connector 1 before the inflator needle 12 is removed from the air plug 24, in which case the stem valve 5 of the universal connector 1 prevents air under pressure inside the basketball 23 from escaping the basketball 23 through the inflator needle 12.
[0021] Referring next to FIG. 7 of the drawings, in another application the universal inflator 1 is capable of being used in conjunction with a conventional commercial-type air pump 26, having a coupling 27 connected to an air source (not illustrated) through an air hose 28. Accordingly, the inflator needle 12 of the universal inflator 1 is initially inserted into the interior of the basketball 23 through the air plug 24 thereof. The coupling 27 of the commercial air pump 26 then removably receives the connector nipple 7 (FIG. 1) of the universal inflator 1. As the coupling 27 is manually held firmly in place on the universal inflator 1, the interior components of the coupling 27 depress the stem 9 of the universal inflator 1 to establish pneumatic communication between the coupling 27 and the basketball 23 through the universal inflator 1. Simultaneously, the commercial air pump 26 automatically pumps air through the air hose 28 and from the coupling 27 of the commercial air pump 26 through the stem valve 5 and inflator needle 12, respectively, of the universal inflator 1, to restore the desired quantity of air and air pressure inside the basketball 23. The coupling 27 of the commercial air pump 26 is then removed from the connector nipple 7 of the universal connector 1, after which the inflator needle 12 is removed from the air plug 24.
[0022] Referring next to FIG. 8 of the drawings, in still another application the universal inflator 1 can be used in conjunction with an air transfer device 30, such as AIR SHARE (trademark), to transfer air from a pneumatic tire 36 on one of the wheels 35 of a vehicle 34, which may be an automobile, as illustrated, or a bicycle or motorcycle, in non-exclusive particular. The air transfer device 30 typically includes a first coupling 31 and a second coupling 32, provided on opposite ends of an elongated air hose 33. The first coupling 31 and second coupling 32 may be any type of coupling capable of engaging a valve 37 on a pneumatic vehicle tire 36. Accordingly, the inflator needle 12 of the universal inflator 1 is inserted into the interior of the basketball 23 through the air plug 24 (FIG. 7) thereof. The second coupling 32 of the air transfer device 30 removably receives the valve 37 of the pneumatic tire 36, and the first coupling 31 of the air transfer device 30 removably receives the connector nipple 7 (FIG. 1) of the universal inflator 1. Consequently, air flows under pressure from the tire 36 through the valve 37 thereof and through the second coupling 32, air hose 33 and first coupling 31, respectively, of the air transfer device 30, and finally, into the basketball 23 through the universal inflator 1. The first coupling 31 of the air transfer device 30 remains on the universal inflator 1 until the desired quantity of air has been transferred from the tire 36 to the basketball 23, after which the first coupling 31 is removed from the universal inflator 1, the universal inflator 1 is removed from the basketball 23 and the second coupling 32 is removed from the valve 37 of the tire 36. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that air can be transferred from one sports ball such as the basketball 23 to another sports ball such as a football (not illustrated), as desired, by attaching a universal inflator 1 to the first coupling 31 of the air transfer device 30 and attaching that universal inflator 1 to one of the sports balls, and attaching a second universal inflator 1 to the second coupling 32 of the air transfer device 30 and attaching the second universal inflator 1 to the other sports ball. In that case, air flows from the sports ball having the greater interior air pressure to the sports ball having the smaller interior air pressure.
[0023] While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications can be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.