High-efficiency cooling pads, mattresses, and sleeves

A process for cooling a person comprising operations of:

• obtaining a multilayer evaporative cooling bed, comprising:
• an open cell foam mattress layer having top and bottom surfaces and including an air manifold along the top surface;
• an absorbent layer with one or more internal liquid flow passages, the absorbent layer being layered over the air manifold;
• placing at least a portion of a person in contact with the absorbent layer;
• wetting the absorbent layer by directing a liquid into the liquid flow passages;
• and
• directing air into the air manifold.

A method of cooling a person, comprising operations of:

• providing a cooling device comprising a wrap layer, a parallel arrangement of multiple elongated ridges connected to the wrap layer, each ridge internally defining a liquid flow passage, adjacent surfaces of neighboring ridges angled toward each near the wrap layer;
• placing a person§s limb along one or more of the ridges;
• and
• bringing a first one of the ridges around the limb to meet a last one of the ridges such that the ridges form a sleeve having a substantially solid body surrounding an elongated hollow core containing the person§s limb, where the liquid flow passages cooperatively define a continuous conduit proceeding from ridge to ridge inside the sleeve body.

A multilayer evaporative cooling bed, comprising:

• an open cell foam mattress layer having top and bottom surfaces and including an air manifold along the top surface;
• an absorbent layer with internal liquid flow passages, the absorbent layer being layered over the air manifold and providing an outer, person-receiving surface;
• and
• a sealant layer contacting the person-receiving surface of the absorbent layer.

A device for cooling a person, comprising:

• an open cell foam structure having a bottom surface and a person-receiving surface spaced apart from the bottom surface;
• multiple parallel elongated channels defined in the person-receiving surface to define complementary protrusions, the channels having cross-sections that are wider toward the person-receiving surface and narrower toward the bottom surface;
• where the channels define complementary elongated protrusions of the foam structure, and each protrusion defines a lateral passage therethrough;
• where the protrusions and passages are defined such that, when outermost protrusions are brought around to meet each other, then the protrusions form a contiguous sleeve having a body and a hollow core and the passages cooperatively define a continuous conduit proceeding from protrusion to protrusion inside the sleeve body.

A limb support cooling structure, comprising:

• a wrap layer;
• and
• a parallel arrangement of multiple blocks, each block being connected to the wrap layer and having surfaces;
• where adjacent surfaces of neighboring blocks are angled toward each other toward the wrap layer such that the limb support structure forms a contiguous sleeve when the wrap layer is wrapped into a circle;
• where each block has a lateral liquid flow passage passing therethrough, and the liquid flow passages are positioned such that the liquid flow passages are aligned when the wrap layer is wrapped into a circle.