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US 4,982,466 AGranted
Body support system
AssigneeLeggett & Platt, Incorporated
InventorsLarry Higgins, Terence A. Scott, Nozomu Kawasaki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air bed comprising an air mattress having a plurality of interconnected rows and columns of air cells divided into longitudinally isolated zones, and an airflow control system for supplying air at differing pressures to the zones such that a person reclining atop the mattress is supported and maintained in spinal alignment at subischemic applied pressures.
Claims35
An inflatable mattress comprising
- a pair of thin, flexible, plastic sheets each having a plurality of transversely and longitudinally extending pockets formed thereon,
- said pockets being in alignment and sealed on a plane substantially entirely around their perimeters to form rows and columns of cells,
- said cells being shaped when viewed in plan view as regular polygons,
- the seals between adjacent cells being interrupted at the corners of adjacent cells to form fluid flow passage between the corners of adjacent cells, and
- said fluid flow passages being defined in part by substantially vertical walls formed in said thin, plastic sheets so that the walls of said passages are upstanding from said central plane.
2 more elements
An air bed comprising
- an air mattress comprising a pair of thin, flexible, plastic sheets each having a plurality of transversely and longitudinally extending pockets formed thereon,
- said pockets being in alignment and sealed on a plane substantially entirely around their perimeters to form rows and columns of cells,
- said cells being shaped when viewed in plan view as regular polygons,
- the seals between adjacent cells being interrupted at the corners of adjacent cells to form fluid passages between the adjacent cells,
- said fluid flow passages being defined by walls formed in said thin, plastic sheets so that the walls of said passages are substantially vertically upstanding from said central plane, said sheets being transversely sealed at multiple spaced positions to divide said mattress into multiple longitudinal zones,
- an air pump, and
- a plurality of air supply lines, one of said air supply lines being operable to connect said air pump to one of said zones of said mattress.
4 more elements
A body support system comprising
- a body support comprising a pair of thin, flexible, plastic sheets each having a plurality of transversely and longitudinaIly extending pockets formed thereon, said pockets being in alignment and sealed on a plane substantially entirely around their perimeters to form rows and columns of cells, said cells being shaped when viewed in plan view as regular polygons, the seals between adjacent cells being interrupted to form fluid flow passages between adjacent cells, said sheets being transversely sealed at multiple spaced positions to divide said body support into multiple longitudinal zones,
- an air pump,
- a plurality of adjustable air pressure regulators,
- a plurality of air supply lines, one of said plurality of air supply lines being operable to connect said pump to one of said zones of said body support through one of said pressure regulators,
- each of said pressure regulators being operable to route air from said pump to one of said zones of said body support when said zone is at a pressure below a preset desired pressure from said zone and to exhaust air from said zone when said pressure is above said preset desired pressure for said zone, and
- each of said pressure regulators being a diaphragm type pressure regulator operable to maintain the pressure in each of said zones at a preset desired pressure.
3 more elements
A body support system comprising
- a body support, said body support having a plurality of separately inflatable zones,
- an air pump,
- a plurality of adjustable air pressure regulators,
- a plurality of air supply lines, one of said plurality of air supply lines being operable to connect said pump to one of said zones of said body support through one of said pressure regulators,
- each of said pressure regulators being operable to route air from said pump to one of said zones of said body support when said zone is at a pressure below a preset pressure for said zone and to exhaust air from said zone when said pressure is above said preset pressure for said zone, and
- each of said pressure regulators being a diaphragm type pressure regulator.
3 more elements
A body support system comprising
- a body support, said body support having a plurality of separately inflatable zones,
- an air pump,
- a plurality of adjustable air pressure regulators,
- a plurality of air supply lines, one of said plurality of said air supply lines being operable to connect said pump to one of said zones of said body support through one of said pressure regulators,
- each of said pressure regulators being operable to route air from said pump to one of said zones of said body support when said zone is at a pressure below a preset pressure for said zone and to exhaust air from said zone when said pressure is above said preset pressure for said zone, and
- said air supply lines including air pressure surge check valves operable to prevent the flow of air from each of said zones of said body support when the air pressure in each of said zones, exceeds the preset pressure for each of said zones by a predetermined amount.
3 more elements
A body support system comprising
- a body support, said body support having a plurality of separately inflatable zones,
- an air pump,
- a plurality of adjustable air pressure regulators,
- a plurality of air supply lines, one of said plurality of air supply lines being operable to connect said pump to one of said zones of said body support through one of said pressure regulators,
- each of said pressure regulators being operable to route air from said pump to one of said zones of said body support when said zone is at a pressure below a preset pressure for said zone and to exhaust air from said zone when said pressure is above said preset pressure for said zone, and
- means for regularly and periodically at regular intervals during the supply of air to at least one zone of said body support to supply air at a pressure above the preset desired pressure.
3 more elements
A body support system comprising
- a body support comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced zones, said zones being inflatable to differing pressures,
- an air pump,
- a plurality of adjustable air pressure regulators,
- a plurality of air supply lines, one of said plurality of air supply lines being operable to connect said pump to one of said zones of said body support through one of said pressure regulators,
- each of said pressure regulators being operable to route air from said pump to one of said zones of said body support when said zone is at a pressure below a preset desired pressure for said zone and to exhaust air from said zone when said pressure is above said preset desired pressure for said zone, and
- each of said pressure regulators being a diaphragm type pressure regulator operable to maintain the pressure in each of said zones at a preset desired pressure.
3 more elements
A body support system comprising
- a body support comprising a plurality of longitudinally spaced zones, said zones being inflatable to differing pressures,
- an air pump,
- a plurality of adjustable air pressure regulators,
- a plurality of air supply lines, one of said plurality of air supply lines being operable to connect said pump to one of said zones of said body support through one of said pressure regulators,
- each of said pressure regulators being operable to route air from said pump to one of said zones of said body support when said zone is at a pressure below a preset desired pressure for said zone and to exhaust air from said zone when said pressure is above said preset desired pressure for said zone, and
- at least one of said air supply lines including an air pressure surge check valve operable to prevent the flow of air from at least one zone of said mattress when the air pressure in said at least one zone exceeds the preset desired pressure for said at least one zone by a predetermined amount.
3 more elements
An air bed comprising
- an air mattress, said mattress comprising a pair of thin, flexible, plastic sheets each having a plurality of transversely and longitudinally extending pockets formed thereon, said pockets being in alignment and sealed on a plane substantially entirely around their perimeters to form rows and columns of cells, said cells being shaped when viewed in plan view as regular polygons, the seals between adjacent cells being interrupted to form fluid flow passages between adjacent cells, said sheets being transversely sealed at multiple longitudinally spaced positions to divide said mattress into multiple longitudinal zones, at least four of said zones supporting the shoulder, waist, hips and legs of a person reclining on said mattress,
- means for inflating said zones of said mattress and for maintaining said zones inflated to pressures of approximately 6, 11, 8 and 4 inches of water, respectively, so as to support said person in substantial spinal alignment and at applied pressures which are substantially subischemic, and
- wherein said means for inflating said zones of said mattress comprises an air pump and a plurality of pressure regulators, each of said pressure regulators being a diaphragm type pressure regulator.
An air bed comprising
- an air mattress, said mattress comprising a pair of thin, flexible, plastic sheets each having a plurality of transversely and longitudinally extending pockets formed thereon, said pockets being in alignment and sealed on a plane substantially entirely around their perimeters to form rows and columns of cells, said cells being shaped when viewed in plain view as regular polygons, the seals between adjacent cells being interrupted to form fluid flow passages between adjacent cells, said sheets being transversely sealed at multiple longitudinally spaced positions to divide said mattress into multiple longitudinal zones, at least four of said zones supporting the shoulder, waist, hips and legs of a person reclining on said mattress,
- means for inflating said zones of said mattress and for maintaining said zones inflated to pressures of approximately 6, 11, 8 and 4 inches of water, respectively, so as to support said person in substantial spinal alignment and at applied pressures which are substantially subischemic, and
- wherein said means for inflating said zones of said mattress includes a plurality of surge check valves, each of said surge check valves being operable to prevent the flow of air from at least one of said zones of said mattress when the air pressure in said one of said zones exceeds the preset pressure for said one of said zones by a predetermined amount.
An air bed comprising
- an air mattress, said mattress comprising a pair of thin, flexible, plastic sheets each having a plurality and longitudinally extending pockets formed thereon, said pockets being in alignment and sealed on a plane substantially entirely around their perimeters to form rows and columns of cells, said cells being shaped when viewed in plain view as regular polygons, the seals between adjacent cells, said sheets being transversely sealed at multiple longitudinally spaced positions to divide said mattress into multiple longitudinal zones, at least four of said zones supporting the shoulder, waist, hips and legs of a person reclining on said mattress,
- means for inflating said zones of said mattress and for maintaining said zones inflated to pressures of approximately 6, 11, 8 and 4 inches of water, respectively, so as to support said person in substantial spinal alignment and at applied pressures which are substantially subischemic, and
- wherein the means for inflating said zones of said mattress includes means for regularly and periodically during the supply of air to at least two zones of said mattress to supply air at a pressure above the preset desired pressure for said at least two zones.
A body support system comprising
- a body support, said body support being divided into multiple longitudinal zones,
- an air pump,
- a plurality of air supply lines, one of said plurality of air supply lines being operable to connect said pump to one of said zones of said body support,
- means including said air supply lines operable to route air from said pump to each of said zones of said body support when said zone is at a pressure below a preset desired pressure for said zone and to exhaust air from said zone when said pressure is above said preset desired pressure for said zone, and
- an air pressure surge check valve located in at least one of said air supply lines and operable to prevent the flow of air from said at least one zone of said body support when the air pressure in said at least one zone exceeds the preset desired pressure for said at least one zone by a predetermined amount.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.