Rigid wraparound shell defining a sealed inner space

Abstract

A rigid wraparound shell defining an inner space containing at least one sealed chamber is provided. The rigid wraparound shell (1) is comprised of flexible sealing walls (2,3) which together define a sealed enclosure (5) having a lower pressure that the ambient pressure, and of a filler material (7) which completely fills the low-pressure sealed enclosure (5). The filler material (7) is rigid when it is inside the low-pressure sealed enclosure (5) and can be flexible when subjected to ambient pressure. This shell structure is particularly useful in making floating and/or sliding devices such as floats, hulls for boats, windsurfing boards sledges, skis, tanks, devices for holding and/or supporting the human body in a natural position or in a predetermined position, such as anti-bedsore mattresses or cushions and surgical mattresses, and devices for holding and/or supporting at least one object in a cavity such as a piece of luggage, container, a vehicle boot or the like.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.