Gelatinous cushions with buckling columns

A yieldable cushion that includes a flexible, resilient, gelatinous cushioning media having shape memory and being substantially solid and non-flowable at temperatures below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the cushion comprising:

• a cushioning element having a top, a bottom, a center and a side wall, said cushioning element comprising a quantity of gelatinous cushioning media and a plurality of contiguous, adjacent hollow columns located within said cushioning media, said columns each having a column interior and a column wall,
• a base configured to be placed in contact with said cushioning element bottom, said base being rigid in order to provide support beneath said cushioning element when a cushioned object is in contact with the cushion such that a compressive force is exerted against said cushioning element top by the cushioned object, and
• a side wall support, said side wall support being configured to tend to constrain said side wall of said cushioning element from moving outward from said cushioning element center;
• wherein said cushion is yieldable in response to a compressive force exerted upon it by a cushioned object;
• and
• wherein said yieldability of the cushion results from said cushioning media being compressible and from said columns being bucklable, so that the cushion is able to substantially conform to the shape of a cushioned object.

A yieldable cushion that includes a flexible, resilient, gelatinous cushioning media having shape memory and being substantially solid and non-flowable at temperatures below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the cushion comprising:

• a cushioning element having a top, a bottom, a center and an outer periphery, said cushioning element comprising a quantity of gelatinous cushioning media and a plurality of columns located within said cushioning media, said columns each having a longitudinal axis, a column interior and a column wall,
• a container in which said cushioning element is placeable, said container having a container base configured to be in contact with said cushioning element bottom, said base being rigid in order to provide support beneath said cushioning element when a cushioned object is in contact with the cushion such that a compressive force is exerted against said cushioning element top by the cushioned object, said container also having a rigid outer periphery support, said rigid outer periphery support being configured to provide support to said cushioning element outer periphery in order to impede its tendency to move outward away from said cushioning element center when a cushioned object exerts a compressive force on the cushion,
• wherein said cushion is yieldable in response to a compressive force exerted upon it by a cushioned object;
• and
• wherein said yieldability of the cushion results from said cushioning media being compressible and from said columns being bucklable generally in the direction of their longitudinal axes, so that the cushion is able to substantially conform to the shape of a cushioned object.

A yieldable cushion that includes a flexible, resilient, gelatinous cushioning media having shape memory and being substantially solid and non-flowable at temperatures below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the cushion comprising:

• a cushioning element having a top, a bottom, a center and a side wall, said cushioning element comprising a quantity of gelatinous cushioning media and a plurality of columns located within said cushioning media, said columns each having longitudinal axis, a column interior and a column wall,
• a base configured to be placed in contact with said cushioning element bottom, said base providing support beneath said cushioning element when a cushioned object is in contact with the cushion such that a compressive force is exerted against said cushioning element top by the cushioned object, and
• a cover adapted to cover and protect said cushioning element;
• wherein said cushion is yieldable in response to a compressive force exerted upon it by a cushioned object;
• and
• wherein said yieldability of the cushion results from said cushioning media being compressible and from said columns being bucklable in the direction of their longitudinal axes, so that the cushion is able to substantially conform to the shape of a cushioned object.

A yieldable cushion that includes a flexible, resilient, gelatinous cushioning media having shape memory and being substantially solid and non-flowable at temperatures below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the cushion comprising:

• cushioning element having a top, a bottom, a center and an outer periphery, said cushioning element comprising a quantity of gelatinous cushioning media and a plurality of columns located within said cushioning media, said columns each having a longitudinal axis, a column interior and a column wall, and
• a girdle placeable about said outer periphery of said cushioning element, said girdle serving to retard movement of said outer periphery when a cushioned object exerts a compressive force on the cushioning element,
• wherein said cushion is yieldable in response to a compressive force exerted upon it by a cushioned object;
• and
• wherein said yieldability of the cushion results from said cushioning media being compressible and from said columns being bucklable generally in the direction of their longitudinal axes, so that the cushion is able to substantially conform to the shape of a cushioned object.

A yieldable cushioning element that includes a flexible, resilient, gel cushioning media having shape memory and being substantially solid and non-flowable at temperatures below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the cushioning element comprising:

• a quantity of gel cushioning media formed to have a top, a bottom, and an outer periphery, the cushioning media being compressible so that it will deform under the compressive force of a cushioned object, and
• a plurality of hollow columns situated in said cushioning media, each of said columns having a longitudinal axis along its length, each of said columns having a column wall which defines a column interior, and each of said columns having a column top and a column bottom;
• wherein the cushioning element is adapted to have a cushioned object placed in contact with said cushioning element top;
• wherein the column top and the column bottom of one of said columns are located at two different points on said longitudinal axis of said column;
• wherein said column's longitudinal axis is located generally parallel to the direction of a compressive force exerted on the cushioning element by a cushioned object in contact with said column top;
• wherein at least one of said columns is capable of buckling beneath a protuberance that is located on a cushioned object;
• wherein the cushioning element is yieldable as a result of compressibility of said cushioning media and bucklability of said column;
• wherein said cushioning media comprises thermoplastic, heat formable and heat reversible gelatinous elastomer composition, G, which is physically interlocked with a selected material Mn, said gelatinous elastomer composition formed from (a) 100 parts by weight of a high viscosity triblock copolymer of the general configuration poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene);
• (b) from about 200 to about 1,600 parts by weight of a plasticizing oil;
• said composition characterized by a gel rigidity of from about 20 to about 800 gram Bloom;
• said composition formed from the combination GnMnGn, MnGnMn, MnGnGn, GnGnMn, MnGnGnMn, GnMnGnGn, GnMnMnGn, GnMnMnGn, GnGnMnMn, GnGnMnGnMn, GnMnGnGn, GnGnMn, GnMnGnMnMn, MnGnMnGnMnGn, GnGnMnMnGn, or GnGnMnGnMnGn, wherein when n is a subscript of M, n is selected from the group consisting of foam, plastic, fabric, metal, concrete, wood, glass, ceramics, synthetic resin, synthetic fibers or refractory materials;
• and
• wherein when n is a subscript of G, n denotes the same or a different gel rigidity.

A yieldable cushioning element that includes a flexible, resilient, gel cushioning media having shape memory and being substantially solid and non-flowable at temperatures below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the cushioning element comprising:

• a quantity of gel cushioning media formed to have a top, a bottom, and an outer periphery, the cushioning media being compressible so that it will deform under the compressive force of a cushioned object, and
• a plurality of hollow columns situated in said cushioning media, each of said columns having a longitudinal axis along its length, each of said columns having a column wall which defines a column interior, and each of said columns having a column top and a column bottom;
• wherein the cushioning element is adapted to have a cushioned object placed in contact with said cushioning element top;
• wherein the column top and the column bottom of one of said columns are located at two different points on said longitudinal axis of said column;
• wherein said column's longitudinal axis is located generally parallel to the direction of a compressive force exerted on the cushioning element by a cushioned object in contact with said column top;
• wherein at least one of said columns is capable of buckling beneath a protuberance that is located on a cushioned object;
• wherein the cushioning element is yieldable as a result of compressibility of said cushioning media and bucklability of said column;
• wherein the cushioning media is a gelatinous elastomer composition comprising:
• (a) about 100 parts by weight of a high viscosity triblock copolymer of the general configuration poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene);
• (b) from about 200 to about 1,600 parts by weight of a plasticizing oil;
• said composition characterized by a gel rigidity of from about 20 to about 800 gram Bloom.

A yieldable cushioning element that includes a flexible, resilient, gel cushioning media having shape memory and being substantially solid and non-flowable at temperatures below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, the cushioning element comprising:

• a quantity of gel cushioning media formed to have a top, a bottom, and an outer periphery, the cushioning media being compressible so that it will deform under the compressive force of a cushioned object, and
• a plurality of hollow columns situated in said cushioning media, each of said columns having a longitudinal axis along its length, each of said columns having a column wall which defines a column interior, and each of said columns having a column top and a column bottom;
• wherein the cushioning element is adapted to have a cushioned object placed in contact with said cushioning element top;
• wherein the column top and the column bottom of one of said columns are located at two different points on said longitudinal axis of said column;
• wherein said column's longitudinal axis is located generally parallel to the direction of a compressive force exerted on the cushioning element by a cushioned object in contact with said column top;
• wherein at least one of said columns is capable of buckling beneath a protuberance that is located on a cushioned object;
• wherein the cushioning element is yieldable as a result of compressibility of said cushioning media and bucklability of said column;
• wherein the cushioning media is a gelatinous elastomer composition comprising:
• (a) about 100 parts by weight of a high viscosity triblock copolymer of the general configuration poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene);
• said styrene to ethylene and butylene is of a ratio of from about 20:80 to about 40:60;
• and
• (b) from about 200 to about 1,600 parts by weight of a plasticizing oil;
• said composition characterized by a gel rigidity of from about 20 to about 800 gram Bloom.