Enhanced multi-stable compliant mattress for preventing pressure injuries
AssigneesThe Regents of the University of California, K Medical LLC
InventorsJonathan Brigham Hopkins, Siyuan Shao, Piyush Sheth, James Langer Weida, Zhidi Yang
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Abstract
A mattress apparatus for preventing bed sores is described. The mattress has a plurality of parallel planar panels having an upper member coupled to a base member through a plurality of legs and flexible hinges. Each upper member extends to allow the pitch and amplitude of the mattress to remain regular. A grid of straps is joined to the upper members to keep panels synchronized with one another. The capabilities of the mattress are further advanced by the inclusion of different categories of accessories.
Claims21
A mattress apparatus for preventing bed sores, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a plurality of mattress panels which are retained in parallel and of a length to span a desired area of the mattress;
- (b) wherein each mattress panel comprises unit cells in which a plurality of hinged rigid legs connect between a base to a top bar;
- (c) wherein said top bar of each mattress panel can move, upon deforming the hinged rigid legs, from a center position to a first and second stable position on either side along the axis of the mattress panel;
- (d) a plurality of straps which connect through the top bars of each mattress panel to top bars in other mattress panels within the mattress;
- and
- (e) wherein when said top bars of said plurality of mattress panels are shifted to the first stable position, the topside of the top bars form a first checkerboard pattern of hills and valleys, and when the top bars of said mattress panels are shifted to the second stable position, they form a complementary second checkerboard pattern of hills and valleys in which the hills are now valleys, and the valleys are now hills, thus changing a pressure pattern applied to an occupant lying on the mattress to overcome an issue with bed sores.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.