Inflatable medical patient transfer apparatus

An air inlet arrangement for an inflatable medical patient transfer apparatus comprising:

• (a) at least one inflatable chamber between a top sheet and a bottom sheet, said chamber being at least partially divided into a plurality of at least partially walled off sections by a plurality of partition members attached to the top and bottom sheets,
• (b) at least two flexible cloth socks or tubes sewn into an end of the inflatable chamber of such transfer apparatus,
• (c) such flexible cloth tubes each having an inlet orifice at an end of said tube, and
• (d) at least two differentially sized outlet orifices in the aide of the flexible cloth tubes facing inwardly to the inflatable chamber of the transfer apparatus, the smaller of the outlets being substantially near the inlet orifice and the larger of the outlets being at the opposite end of the tube adjacent the opposite side of the inflatable chamber of the transfer apparatus.

A medical patient transfer apparatus comprising:

• (a) a plurality of inflatable chambers each being defined between an upper sheet and a lower sheet and an outer peripheral wall connected to the outer edges of the upper and lower sheets,
• (b) a top chamber being a low air loss chamber,
• (c) a bottom chamber being a lower support chamber,
• (d) at least one intermediate chamber incorporating an internally defined large peripheral chamber,
• (e) means to separately inflate the chambers,
• (f) wherein each of the chambers is constructed in the same manner with a series of spaced transverse partition members each having upper and lower longer edges and shorter ends, the upper and lower edges being attached to the upper and lower sheets and the shorter ends, being spaced from the outer peripheral wall thereby forming a series of adjacent chambers with open ends, the space between the ends of the transverse partition members and the outer peripheral wall together with a space between the transverse partition members and the peripheral wall at the end of the apparatus forming, an open peripheral chamber extending around the outside of the inflatable chambers internally of a perimeter wall with no substantial obstruction.

An inflatable medical patient transfer apparatus comprising:

• (a) top and bottom sheets having an elongated configuration of suitable dimensions to completely underlie a human form, said top and bottom sheets having longitudinal and transverse edge portions,
• (b) a perimeter band member extending between and contacting at least a substantial extent of the longitudinal edge portions of said top and bottom sheets and secured to as well as securing together said top and bottom sheets,
• (c) a series of transverse partition members having upper and lower edges as well as outer ends disposed at least along a central portion of the transfer apparatus at spaced intervals forming a series of open ended chambers between the top and bottom sheets to which the upper and lower edges of the transverse partition members are at least partially attached, the outer ends of the transverse partition members and the chambers defined therebetween being spaced from the perimeter band member, and
• (d) the height of the perimeter band member being greater than the height of the outer ends of the transverse partition members opposite the outer ends of such partition members in an inflated condition of the transfer apparatus, whereby an expanded peripheral chamber is formed between the top and bottom sheets at least opposite the ends of the transverse partition members underlying the body of a patient upon the apparatus.