US 12,215,796 B2
Inflation valve for tubeless tires
Brett Robert Courtney, Menlo Park, CA (US); James Mathew Amaral, Morgan Hill, CA (US); Nick Anderson, Santa Cruz, CA (US); and Jon Wood, Campbell, CA (US)
Assigned to Santa Cruz Bicycles, LLC, Santa Cruz, CA (US)
Filed by Santa Cruz Bicycles, LLC, Santa Cruz, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/463,008.
Application 18/463,008 is a continuation of application No. 18/046,424, filed on Oct. 13, 2022, abandoned.
Application 18/046,424 is a continuation of application No. 17/408,062, filed on Aug. 20, 2021, granted, now 11,493,139, issued on Nov. 8, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0102573 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. F16K 27/02 (2006.01); B60C 29/00 (2006.01); F16K 15/20 (2006.01)
CPC F16K 27/0209 (2013.01) [B60C 29/005 (2013.01); F16K 15/20 (2013.01); Y10T 137/3755 (2015.04); Y10T 137/3786 (2015.04)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inflation valve for a tubeless tire, the valve comprising:
a valve body having a proximal end, an open distal end, and at least one notch disposed adjacent to the proximal end of the valve body, wherein the valve body defines an internal cavity;
a cap defining an aperture, wherein the cap is reversibly coupled to the proximal end of the valve body, such that the cap and the at least one notch collectively define at least one slot; and
a valve stem extending continuously through the internal cavity, such that a threaded end of the valve stem protrudes beyond the open distal end of the valve body;
wherein the proximal end of the valve body comprises a valve seat having an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of the valve body, and a corresponding proximal end of the valve stem includes a resilient seating surface and at least one radial protrusion, wherein the at least one radial protrusion is received by the at least one slot;
wherein the valve is configured to transition between:
(a) a closed position, in which the resilient seating surface mates with the valve seat and seals the proximal end of the valve body, and the threaded end of the valve stem extends beyond the distal end of the valve body by a first distance, and
(b) an open position, in which the resilient seating surface is spaced from the valve seat, and the threaded end of the valve stem extends beyond the distal end of the valve body by a second distance less than the first distance; and
wherein the at least one slot and the at least one radial protrusion are configured to collectively restrict rotation of the valve stem while the inflation valve is in use.