Beds – Support for users body or part thereof – Inflatable
Patent
1999-01-20
2000-12-26
Melius, Terry Lee
Beds
Support for users body or part thereof
Inflatable
5654, 5706, A47C 2708
Patent
active
061639052
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The novel invention relates to a supporting article for comforting support of one or more parts of a body and which is made of at least two layers of material welded together, which defines at least one compartment.
Supporting articles for support of parts of a body are known, such as support of the head in a resting position or the body in a lying position.
These known supporting articles are also either provided with many separate discrete air chambers or just one chamber which has a substantially similar cross section area along its entire extension.
The known supporting articles often involve an unsatisfactory support without the desired high comfort.
The supporting article for the comforting support of parts of a body according to the present invention is characterised in that the at least one compartment is made as an air channel extending by a greater part of the periphery of the article and is closed by a valve means and also defines a central area of intermediary material.
By this, an especially comforting support is provided which ensures a stable positioning of the head or supported parts of a body.
In the present context, the term "a greater part of the periphery" means that the channel extends by more than 50% of the periphery of the supporting article when the air channel is empty, and may extend up to 99,9% of the periphery whereby the two ends of the air channel almost meet.
The supporting article may be of various geometric shapes in plan view, e.g. as may be seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4. When the supporting article has four more or less well-defined sides, the air channel will typically extend along approximately 3 of the 4 sides of the supporting article, such as from 55% to 90% of the periphery.
Depending on the shape of the articles the air channel may extend from 60 to 80%, such as 65 to 75%.
An especially good and secure support is obtained when the air channel extending by a greater part of the periphery of the article is designed with different cross sections along the periphery of the article.
It has proved especially appropriate that the cross section area of the said air channel is smallest in parts where the channel alters direction thereby providing the supporting article with especially stable edge areas in between the alteration of direction of the channel.
According to the invention the extensions of the air channel on opposite sides of the central area may be designed with similar cross section forms.
By this, the best possible support of a head in a resting position is provided as well as a particular good positioning of parts of the body within the central area.
Especially, a particular good support for the head is obtained when the rest of the air channel connecting the parts of the air channel at the opposite sides of the central area having the similar cross section forms, is designed with a substantially smaller cross section area than at the said similar cross section areas.
The ratio of this substantially smaller cross section area to the similar cross section areas may be from 1:100 to 1:1,1, such as from 1:50 or 1:20 to 1:2, more preferably from 1:10 to 1:3.
The ratios of the parts where the channel alters direction to the rest of the channel may be from 1:100 to 1:1, preferably from 1:50 to 1:1, more preferably from 1:20 to 1:1.
According to the invention, the central area may further comprise a compartment. Furthermore, the compartment of the central area may be filled with resilient material, preferably foam material, so that the support as well as the comfort is most satisfactory.
By a particularly appropriate embodiment of the invention the resilient material in the compartment in the central area may be in a compressed state, and the web material defining said central compartment may be provided with an opening which is sealed with a fixed cover.
When the novel support is going to be used all that has to be done is removing the cover, such that the opening is exposed, and the air may enter into the foam material via the opening during expansion of the foam mat
REFERENCES:
patent: 4181990 (1980-01-01), Santo
patent: 4905332 (1990-03-01), Wang
patent: 5206964 (1993-05-01), Wilson
patent: 5813066 (1998-09-01), Gebhard et al.
Conley Fredrick
Danestyle Leisure Accessories A/S, Denmark
Melius Terry Lee
LandOfFree
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