Support pad and method of manufacture
AssigneeSpan-America Medical Systems, Inc.
InventorDonald C. Spann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A unitary support pad constructed of synthetic foam is described especially for use as a mattress pad for hospital patients. The pad has a number of discrete upstanding projections being independently compressible and formed in the pad so as to provide a generally flat surface with voids between the projections, preferably extending entirely through the pad, formed by compressing the foam, in discrete areas, which is severed as through the action of a transverse band saw while compressed.
Claims16
The method of making a foam pad, comprising the steps of:
- feeding at least one foam pad blank separably together with at least one compressible auxiliary blank into a convoluter machine having rolls with spaced projections thereon compressing discrete areas of said foam and compressible blanks, said foam blank and said compressible blank being in stacked relation when passing between the rolls of the convoluter machine;
- and
- sawing said foam blank while in a compressed state emerging from such rolls to thereby form a plurality of promontories on said foam blank having flat apex portions.
The method of making a foam pad comprising the steps of:
- feeding at least a pair of stacked separable foam pad blocks separably together with at least one compressible auxiliary block into a convoluter machine having rolls with spaced projections thereon compressing discrete areas of said foam and compressible blocks;
- and
- sawing said foam block while in a compressed state emerging from such rolls to thereby form a plurality of promontories on said foam blocks, said promontories having flat apex portions.
A method of manufacturing a resilient foam pad from a resilient foam blank, said pad having a plurality of upstanding promontories and valleys alternating in a predetermined pattern, and said method using a convoluter machine of the type having transversely disposed compression means for differentially compressing in accordance with the predetermined pattern materials fed therethrough, and slicing such materials with a transverse blade while same are still under compression, whereby alternating valleys and promontories in accordance with such pattern are formed in at least one side of said pad, said method comprising:
- providing at least one generally planar resilient foam blank;
- placing at least one auxiliary resilient planar sheet in a separable contiguous relationship with said blank;
- simultaneously forwarding said blank and said auxiliary sheet separably contiguous therewith through the convoluter machine so as to produce alternating promontories and valleys in said blank so as to form said pad from said blank;
- and
- thereafter separating said auxiliary sheet from said pad.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.