Patent Application
20200002141
The present invention relates to devices with inflatable air cushion members for positioning an object, such as furniture, windows, or doors, relatively to a supporting surface, for example a floor or wall, and method for operating such device. The air cushion members are made of a flexible but not readily stretchable air tight sheet material in hose-connection with an inflation tool. The inflatable air cushion member is formed as a bag unit comprising opposite layers of said sheet material provided face to face and joined along an edge area to form a reinforced double layer edge. The bag unit is flat in deflated condition and attains a rounded form when inflated. The invention also relates to a method of operating the device, and a method for moving an object with such device.
In International patent application WO95/13448, an auxiliary tool and a use of the tool is disclosed for adjusting the position of frames, for example doors and windows, in buildings by placing inflatable cushion members on either side of the frame within a corresponding opening in a wall, potentially supported by wedges. As illustrated in
A product of this type is marketed as Winbag™ and described on the Internet site http://www.winbag.dk/en/. As illustrated in
A typical height after manual pumping is 4-6 cm when the cushion member is used for lifting objects/elements with a weight of 50-100 kg. The necessary pressure inside such cushion in order to lift a 100 kg object by 4 cm is typically between 1 and 1.3 bar. At higher pressure, the cushion member can become thicker during lifting action of 50-100 kg, for example up to 5-6 cm. However, many users do not have sufficient hand force to achieve this state of the cushion member, when it is used for lifting heavy material, as it would require a pressure in excess of 1 bar, for example between 1 bar and 1.6 bars, or even up to 2 bars. The result of the low pressure by manual pumping is in many cases an insufficient height of 2-3 centimeters when lifting an object of 50 kg or more.
For example, the cushion member is configured to lift a load to a height of 5 mm for 100 kg at 0.65 bar, 150 kg at 1 bar, 200 kg at 1.4 bar, and 225 kg at 1.6 bar. The values are within 20%, for example within 10%. However, 5 mm is typically too little for a proper lift and adjustment of the load.
A test was performed with the inflatable cushion when being inflated to a pressure of 1.8 bar, which is only manually possible for very strong men and not possible for the average user. The following heights of the cushion member were measured in dependence of the weight of the load on the cushion member: 5.8 cm at 70 kg, 5.0 cm at 85 kg, 4.3 cm at 122 kg, 3.6 cm at 155 kg, 2.7 cm at 197 kg, 2.4 cm at 211 kg, 2.0 cm at 323 kg, It is seen that the relationship at 1.8 bar is largely linear between 70 and 211 kg.
In Danish patent DK177510B1 by Dueholm, a different type of inflatable cushion member is disclosed, where a height adjustment mechanism is disclosed comprising a number of flat polymer foam plates with different thickness which can be used as support for the cushion member. In order for the cushion member to slide easily on a smooth floor or on carpet, a Plexiglas plate is provided with one smooth side and one side covered with small polymer loops of the Velcro™ type. Although , the polymer foam slabs are increasing the height, in practice, it is difficult to maintain the entire stack of sliding plate, polymer foam plate and cushion member, one on top of the other when pushing it underneath an object and when inflating the cushion member manually, as the latter introduces push and pull during the manual pumping operation. Also, when dragging or pushing the arrangement of Plexiglas plate, polymer foam plate, and cushion member, while having an object lifted with it, the arrangement has a tendency to become unstable, and the polymer foam plates and the cushion member are likely to slide or roll down from the Plexiglas plate, which makes this arrangement dangerous when used in practice.
Although, the prior art cushion members are helpful for lifting and adjusting frames in wall openings or lifting objects, the full potential of such cushion members appear not to have reached final limits, and there is a general desire of extending the versatility in order to broaden the range of applications. Especially, it would be desirable to provide means to optimize the cushion member to the actual specific use, be it for preventing sliding as in the above mentioned WO95/13448 or for dragging a lifted object across a floor as proposed in the above mentioned DK177510B1.
It is therefore an objective of the invention to provide a general improvement in the art. Especially, it is an objective to provide a device with inflatable air cushion members for positioning an element relatively to a surface, for example vertical or horizontal surface, and method for operating such device, where the device is more versatile and adaptable than the prior art. These and further objectives are achieved with a method and device for positioning an element relatively to a surface as described in the following.
The inflatable air cushion member used for the invention is formed as a bag unit comprising opposite layers of air tight sheet material provided face to face and joined along an edge area to form a double layer edge. The sheet material is flexible but nonstretchable sheet material, typically polymer material. The cushion member is in hose-connection with an inflation tool and flat in deflated condition. It attains increasing thickness in dependence of the air pressure in it until a certain maximum thickness. The inflation tool comprising a hose and an air pump, for example a hand operated balloon, a bellows, for example foot-operated, or an electrical air pump, and potentially further hoses, valves, regulators, and manifolds in dependence of the actual need. Typical dimensions of the inflatable cushion are within 10 and 30 cm when in non-inflated condition, for example with a rectangular, square, oval or round shape. For example, the inflatable cushion has a rectangular shape with an edge length of 12-17 cm, especially with 15±1 cm long edges. Typically, the cushion member in deflated conditions has a flat sheet area within a circumscribed circle with a diameter of less than 50, or even less than 40 cm, for example a diameter of 35 or 30 cm. For example, it is similar to the inflatable cushion member as described above with reference to WO95/13448.
The glued or welded, for example ultrasonic welded, polymer sheet material, typically, has a thickness of less than 2 mm, for example in the region of 1.4 to 1.8 mm The sheet material of the cushion is a polymer foil, typically reinforced by fibres, for example by glass, carbon, or polymer fibres. In some embodiments, the sheet material is similar to a tarpaulin material. Examples of useful enforcing polymer fibres are high density polyethylene fibres. Other re-enforcing fibres are marketed as Kevlar® (Aramid carbon), Dyneema® (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene), Tedlar® (polyvinyl fluoride), and Vectran® (liquid crystal polymer), Spectra® (polyethylene), and Zylon® (liquid-crystalline polyoxazole).
The cushion member is, optionally, of the type of a folded sheet with three edges that are welded or glued together. However, this need not be the case. Alternatively, the cushion member is made of two sheets, for example different types of sheets, which are joined along the edge, in case of oval or round shape, or edges in case of polygonal shape, for example rectangular.
In the following a number of improvements are provided which can be used alone or in combination.
An Electrical Pump
The relatively small cushion member with flat sheet area within a circumscribed circle with dimeter of 30 cm is, in some embodiments, provided with a hand operated balloon which, as discussed above, limits the pressure to, typically, less than 1 bar and implies a height in the order of 5 cm. In order to increase the height further, strong hand pumping needs to be applied.
In order to provide an improvement and ease operation by the user, the balloon is substituted by a small electrical battery-powered air pump. The electrical pump is connected to the cushion member by the hose-connection similarly as the prior art balloon connection. The term small for the pump is used here as indicating dimensions that are easily hand held and transported as minor additional part to the cushion member. Dimensions of the pump are less than the sheet dimensions, which is within 10-20 cm along an edge, if rectangular. For example, the pump has a length of less than 10 cm and a width of less than 5 cm.
The electrical pump has a pump capacity providing a pressure of more than 1 bar and up to at least 1.5 bars, for example up to 2 bars. Such pressure is higher than normally operable by hand with a manually operated balloon and below the pressure that is critical for a cushion member with the above stated dimensions and parameters.
This pressure causes the inflatable cushion of rectangular size with an edge length of 12-18 cm, especially with 15±1 cm long edges, to attain a very rounded shape, for example a height of more than 6 cm, and optionally, up to 7 cm even when carrying a load of 100 kg.
As already mentioned, the cushion members can have other shapes than rectangular, for example circular or oval shapes. Typically, the sheets have dimensions within a circumscribed circle with a diameter of less than 50 cm , or even less than 40 cm, for example a circumscribed circle with a diameter of 30 cm.
Surface Type With Various Levels of Friction
In the following, the surface of the device with the cushion for positioning an object relatively to a surface is adjusted in order to optimize the device for specific purposes. In the following, the terminology of high-friction and low-friction is used.
The term high-friction surface is used for the following characteristics of surfaces, the list not being exclusive and the characteristics optionally combined:
The term low friction surface is used for the following characteristics of surfaces, the list not being exclusive and the characteristics, optionally combined:
It is pointed out that the static friction coefficient of glass against glass is 1 and the corresponding dynamic coefficient is 0.4.
An improvement over the prior art with respect to versatility and adaptability is achieved by providing the device, for example the cushion member itself, with opposite sides having different friction coefficient. In this regard, it is pointed out that the friction coefficient itself depends on the surface of a support against which the device is placed and against which such friction is measured, for example glass, floor tiles, or a carpet. However, in case of doubt of how to determine the friction coefficient of the device, a glass support is used as a reference.
An improvement over the prior art is a method of providing one side or both sides of the device with a high-friction or a low friction surface on the outside. In some embodiment, one side is provided with a high-friction surface and one side is provided with a low-friction surface. For example, the sheet material of the cushion member itself is provided with such high-friction or low-friction surface as desired, or a sleeve is provided into which the cushion member is inserted, wherein the sleeve member has the desired surface characteristics. Examples thereof are given in the following.
A Cushion Member With Various Surface Features
Typically, a cushion member is provided with a sheet material that comprises a laminate, similar to a tarpaulin material, with a fabric that is sandwiched between polymer layers or a fabric that is fused with a single film layer of polymer on one of its two sides. Instead of a laminate, optionally, the film layer on one or both sides of the fabric is provided by coating a molten thermoplastic polymer onto the reinforcing fabric, for example by spraying or padding. The polymer film coating or laminate creates air tightness of the sheet material of the cushion member.
For example, the fabric is a high-strength fabric. Examples are fabrics made of fibers of glass, carbon, or polymer. Examples of useful fibers are made of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, for example Dyneema®, High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, nylon (polyamide), such as ballistic nylon, Kevlar® (Aramid carbon), Tedlar® (polyvinyl fluoride), Vectran® (liquid crystal polymer), Spectra® (polyethylene), or Zylon® (liquid-crystalline polyoxazole). Such fabric is provided coated or laminated on one or both sides with a polymer material.
For example, the polymer layer on the outer side of the cushion member is made with a high friction layer in order to create stability when positioning it under an object and inflating it. If the outer layer is smooth and with low friction, it implies a risk for skidding away during inflation, which can lead to accidents. On the other hand, in some situations, a low-friction surface is useful and desired for sliding the cushion member, with or without object load, along a floor surface. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the cushion member comprises a first outer sheet layer on a first side and a second outer sheet layer on an opposite side, wherein the first outer sheet layer has a higher friction that the second outer sheet layer. In some embodiment, in order to increase the versatility, the air cushion member is provided with one high-friction side and an opposite low-friction side, the high-friction side having a substantially higher friction than the low-friction side.
For example, the cushion member is provided with a first sheet material in which a smooth fabric is only coated with an air tight polymer film layer on one side of the fabric, and the polymer film layer is facing inwards towards the air volume inside the cushion member, whereas the smooth fabric is facing outwards in order to yield a low friction surface on one side of the cushion member. Optionally, the second sheet material is provided with a likewise sheet, but the orientation of the sheet is such that the polymer film layer is on the outer side and the fabric layer in the inner side of the cushion member. Alternatively, the second sheet comprises a polymer film layer on the inner side as well as on the outer side of the cushion member. For example, the smooth fabric is a tightly woven, knitted, or compressed non-woven, polymer fabric, such as nylon or polyethylene fabric, or an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fabric. Examples for such low friction outer layers are high strength fabrics as exemplified above made of fibers of glass, carbon, or polymer
When cushion members are provided with a high-friction surface on one or both sides, they are more safely stacked, as the tendency of the cushion members sliding relatively to each other is reduced. For example, two corrugated surfaces abutting each other will exhibit very high-friction, especially if the corrugations from the two surfaces are aligned. Likewise, two knobbed surfaces or otherwise roughened surfaces exhibit high-friction against each other, especially if made of rubber. Even a smooth low-friction surface against a high-friction surface may experience a high overall friction, for example if the high friction surface is made of rubber or other soft polymer, optionally silicone.
A Sleeve With Various Surface Features
In order to modify the surface features of cushion members, a sleeve is provided with a cavity, for example a single cavity, into which the cushion member can be inserted, typically only one cushion member, although there may also be provided sleeves for more than one cushion member, especially more than one cushion member in a single cavity of the sleeve.
The sleeve has two flexible sheets that are facing each other and which are secured to each other along the edge region, for example by welding, gluing and/or sewing, thereby forming a double layer edge region, however, leaving an opening for insertion of the cushion members into the sleeve, typically, in deflated condition. The sleeve has a size approximately equal to and only slightly larger than the deflated cushion member. For example, the sleeve is up to 2 cm or up to 5 cm larger than the flat side of the deflated cushion member.
In some embodiment, the sleeve is provided as a flexible but not readily stretchable sheet material, for example similar to the sheet material of the cushion material. The material is of a durable type configured to withstand the stress and tension when being used during lifting action of 50 kg or more without breaking. Optionally, the material is a fibre reinforced polymer material of the type as it was explained above for the cushion member. It is pointed out, however, that the sleeve need not be air tight in contrast to the cushion member. In other embodiments, the sleeve is resilient in order to allow increase in size, despite fitting snugly around the cushion member, be in inflated or deflated.
For example, the sleeve is provided with a high-friction surface on one or both sides or a low friction surface on one or both sides. Alternatively, the sleeve is provided with one high-friction surface on one side and a low-friction side on the opposite side. The various surface examples as given for the cushion members apply here equally well, including the above-mentioned knobbed or corrugated high-friction surfaces, and the low-friction surface with the reinforcing fabric facing outwards.
Accordingly, in some embodiments, the sleeve comprises a first outwards directed sheet layer on a first side and a second outwards directed sheet layer on an opposite side, wherein the first outer sheet layer has a higher friction than the second outer sheet layer.
Cushion members provided with a sleeve with at least one high-friction surface are safely stackable, as the high friction surface even when stacked in contact with a low-friction surface would provide high-friction between the two cushion members. For sleeves with one high-friction surface and one low friction surface, the orientation of the lowermost sleeve would determine whether the high or low friction side is towards the underlying support, for example the floor. Also, such type of sleeves can be stacked with other types of sleeves, for example sleeves that have a high-friction surface on both sides. The sleeves can be used in general for such inflatable cushion members and need not be used only in connection with stacking, although they are highly advantageous for stacking.
In order to have a plurality of options for modification of the surface features when using a cushion member, the sleeves are, optionally, provided as a set of sleeves with different surfaces. For example such set comprises at least one sleeve having high friction material, for example rubber, on one or both sides, and at least one sleeve having a low friction material on one or both sides. A sleeve with one low-friction side and one high-friction side is advantageously part of this set of sleeves.
A Pouch With Rigid Plates
Whereas, the cushion members and the above mentioned sleeves are flexible on the upper and lower sides, a different useful alternative has been found by providing a pouch as described in the following.
The pouch comprises two flat rigid plates that are mutually connected by an elastic belt, for example bellows-formed belt, along their circumference. The pouch has an opening for inserting one or more cushion members into a cavity inside the pouch. When the one or more cushion members are inserted into such cavity, inflation of the cushion will cause the two rigid plates to be pressed away from each other, which increases the distance between the two rigid plates. Such a system is especially useful for lifting or pressing apart objects with irregular surface. Whereas a cushion member would potentially adjust to the irregular surface or even get punctured and not perform the necessary lifting action, the rigid plates result in a stiff interface with well-defined distance over a relatively large surface, why such pouch improves the action of increased height adjustment as compared to a flexible cushion in case of irregular surfaces.
Typically, the sizes of the rigid plates are approximately equal to the size of the cushion member, potentially slightly larger, for example up to 2 cm or even up to 5 cm larger, in order to cover the cushion member when inserted into the pouch.
The surfaces of the rigid plates can be adapted to the various uses and may comprise a high-friction surface or a low friction surface or a combination thereof as also described above in connection with the surfaces of the cushion members or sleeves.
Accordingly, in some embodiments, the pouch comprises a first outwards directed sheet layer on a first side and a second outwards directed sheet layer on an opposite side, wherein the first outer sheet layer has a higher friction that the second outer sheet layer.
A Pouch With One Rigid Plate and a Flexible Sheet Material
A further alternative is found in the following. In this case, a pouch is provided with an opening and a cavity for insertion of the single cushion member or multiple cushion members through the opening into the cavity. The pouch is formed by one rigid plate with an edge region along which a flexible sheet material is fastened, extending from edge to edge across the width of the rigid plate so as to form a cavity between the rigid plate and the flexible sheet material. The at least one cushion member is provided inside the cavity of the pouch for by inflation of the cushion member causing the rigid plate and the flexible sheet to be pressed away from each other for increasing the distance between the rigid plate and the flexible sheet.
The flexible sheet is advantageously also resiliently stretchable in order to increase the volume of the cavity during inflation of the air cushion member inside the cavity.
Accordingly, in some embodiments, the pouch comprises a first outwards directed sheet layer on a first side, which is either on the rigid plate or the flexible side, and a second outwards directed sheet layer on an opposite side, wherein the first outer sheet layer has a higher friction that the second outer sheet layer.
Further Surface Features
Optionally, the air cushion member, or the sleeve or the pouch comprises at least one of the following:
The elongate, protruding profiles also provide a frictional corrugated surface against skidding. Especially, such elongate, protruding profiles function as locking profiles so that edges of lifted elements, for example furniture, doors or windows during mounting or transport do not slide off the surface.
In some embodiments, the elongate, protruding profiles are an integral part of the surface, for example embedded in or part of the polymer that forms the surface.
For the elongate, protruding profiles, a large variety of shapes are possible. In some embodiments, they have a height that is less than twice the width. Alternatively, they are not higher than wide in order to provide a relatively flat but efficiently stabilizing profile. For example, the elongate, protruding profiles are straight, although, a curved shape is also applicable, for example in the shape of concentric circles or ellipses.
For example, one or more of such features are provided on
Fixing Mechanism for Stacked Cushion Members or Stacked Sleeves
In order to improve height adjustment when using cushion members of the above type, a practical solution has been found in stacking at least two cushion members on top of each other, placing the stack underneath an object or between two objects, and inflating the cushion members and thereby lifting or generally moving the object.
In order for the plurality of cushion members to be fixed relatively to each other when stacked, in order to prevent one sliding down from the other, various fixation mechanisms can be used.
These fixation mechanisms can be applied to the cushion members themselves or they are applied to sleeves or pouches into which the cushion members are inserted. Such sleeve comprises two sleeve sheets that are facing each other and which are connected along the edge, however, leaving an opening for insertion of the cushion members into a cavity in the sleeve, typically, in deflated condition. The sleeve has a size approximately equal to and only slightly larger than the deflated cushion member. For example, the sleeve is up to 2 cm or even up to 5 cm larger than the flat side of the deflated cushion member. In some embodiment, the sleeve is provided as a flexible but not readily stretchable sheet material, for example similar to the sheet material of the cushion material. For example, the material is of a durable type configured to withstand the stress and tension when being used during lifting action of 50 kg or more. Optionally, the material is a fibre reinforced polymer material of the type as it was explained above for the cushion member. The various surface examples as given for the cushion members apply here equally well, including the above-mentioned knobbed or corrugated high-friction surfaces, and the low-friction surface, for example with the reinforcing fabric facing outwards. In other embodiments, the sleeve is resilient on order to snugly fit around an air cushion member irrespective of it being inflated or deflated.
The fixing mechanism is also applicable to the above-described pouches when stacked.
In some embodiments, the edge regions of the cushion members or the sleeves or the pouches comprise openings, for example holes or slots, through which binder strips or wires can be pulled and fastened. For example, such holes or slots are provided at the corners or the long edges where opposite sheets are fastened to each other. In practice, the user would stack a plurality of cushion members, one on top of the next, and pull fasteners, for example binder strips or wires, through these holes such that cushion members are stabilised with respect to their mutual position when inflated. Typically, the fasteners are attached prior to full inflation.
Advantageously, in addition to the use of fasteners, the cushion members or sleeves or pouches are provided with a high-friction surface on one or both sides, as described above. The cushion members are, then, not only stabilized in the stack by fasteners, but also secures against skidding by the surface material. The high-friction surface is either provided as part of the sheet material of the cushion or as part of the sleeve or pouch into which the cushion is inserted.
In other embodiments, retainer pads are provided between cushion members or sleeves or pouches for fixing adjacent sheet materials or rigid plates to each other during stacking by either pressing cooperating retainer pads together or by pressing a gluing retainer pad against the surface of a cushion member or sleeve. Once, the cushion members are stacked, or while the sleeves or pouches are stacked with cushion member inside the sleeves or pouches, the cushion members in the stack are inflated. For example, the inflation can be done by inflating one cushion member at a time, for example by separate pumps or by a common pump system with a single pump that is connected to a plurality of cushion members and, typically by valves, configured for sequential inflation of the cushion members.
An example of retainer pads comprises Velcro™ fasteners. Velcro™ fasteners are cooperating pairs of polymer sheets, one covered with tiny loops and the other with tiny flexible hooks, which adhere when pressed together and can be separated when pulled apart deliberately. In the present example, the one retainer pad with the tiny loops would be fixed, for example glued or welded, to the flat sheet of one inflatable cushion member or fixed, for example glued, welded or sewn, onto a sleeve or onto the rigid plate of a pouch and, one retainer pad with tiny flexible hooks would be fixed likewise to the flat sheet of another cushion member or sleeve or to another rigid plate of a pouch such that the two cushion members or sleeves or pouches would be removable attached to each other when positioning the two retainer pads against each other. More than two cushion members or sleeves or pouches can be fixed to each other in a stack of cushion members such that the total number of stacked cushions is more than two. Also, in a stack, cushion members, sleeves and pouches can be attached to each other in order to optimize a stack. For example, a pouch with a cushion member inside would form the base of a stack, followed by a cushion member directly on top of the pouch and followed on top of the stack by a sleeve with a cushion member inside.
As a further alternative, the retainer pads are fixed, for example glued, onto the sheet material or sleeve or pouch and are provided with a sticky surface such that they stick to each other during stacking. The sticky surface is optionally provided as a smooth surface of soft polymer. The effect during stacking is thus similar to the Velcro™ pads.
The use of retainer pads when stacking and the use of fastener through the holes or slits can be combined in order to achieve additional stability.
Height Adjustment Tool
In order to improve the height adjustment when using a cushion member, a practical solution has been found when taking offset in the approach as disclosed in the aforementioned Danish patent DK177510B1, however, with the technical improvement of providing a support block that has an upper hollow in the form of a cavity into which the cushion members is laid down so that a part of the lower half of the cushion member is contained and supported when the cushion member is inflated. The hollow prevents the cushion member with or without sleeve to slide or roll away from the block, unintentionally. This makes the system safer than the prior art in Danish patent DK177510B1 by Dueholm, which was mentioned initially.
In some embodiments, the support block has an underside for placement on a supporting plane, for example a floor, and an upper side with the hollow. Optionally, the width and length of the support block is similar to the sheet dimensions of the cushion member, for example rectangular with a width and length of the support block in the range of 10-20 cm. The height of the support block is, typically, between 5 and 20 cm.
The hollow is less than half the thickness of an inflated cushion member, for example 1-3 cm deep.
In case that the support block is desired secured against the underlying support, for example floor, the underside, which is the side opposite to the hollow, is optionally provide with a high-friction surface, for example soft-polymer or rubber surface, or a rough, knobbed or corrugated surface. Alternatively, a low-friction surface is provided on its underside for easy sliding on a smooth support or on carpets. Examples of low friction surfaces are fabrics against smooth substrates, especially high-strength fabrics as mentioned above or Velcro® surfaces. For example, as alternatives, the low friction surface comprises a polished polymer surface, potentially nylon, or optionally Teflon. In some embodiments, the block comprises an underside having a different friction coefficient than the cushion member.
The support block can be used in connection with a stack of cushion members, for example including sleeves or pouches, which are stacked on top of the support block.
Optionally, in order to adjust the height, one or several extension plates are provided for placement under the support block. The number of the extension plates is freely selectable in order to adjust the total height to a suitable level. Advantageously, the support plates, and optionally also the support block, are provided with a high-friction surface or alternatively with cooperating protrusions and indentations such that a mutual skidding among the plurality of support plates is prevented.
For example, the lowest of the extension plates has a low-friction surface on its underside for easy sliding on a smooth support or on carpets, similarly as explained above for the support block. Examples of low friction surfaces are fabrics against smooth substrates, especially high-strength fabrics as mentioned above or Velcro® surfaces. For example, as alternatives, the low friction surface comprises a polished polymer surface, potentially nylon, or optionally Teflon.
Typically, the extension plates would be rigid, for example solid. However, height-adjustable extension plates, for example by inflation, are also possible.
Optionally, the support block comprises wheels, for example swivel wheels, for ease of maneuvering on a support surface, such as a floor. As alternatives, ball rollers or continuous tracks on rollers, optionally the track having soft lamella, are used. Optionally, the wheels, ball rollers or tracks are driven by an electrical motor, for example remote controlled, wirelessly or by a wired connection.
Common Air Pump
In stacked conditions, the cushion members are optionally each connected via the hose connection to one air pump, for example a manually operated balloon or an electrical pump. Alternatively, multiple cushion members are connected through the hose-connection to a common air pump in order to inflate multiple cushion members simultaneously during pumping, although, it is also possible to include a valve system inflating one cushion member after the other. In some embodiments, the inflation tool additionally comprises a valve arrangement for deflating the air cushion members. Alternatively, valves for deflation are provided remotely from the inflation tool, for example near the air cushion members or on the hose that connects the air cushion members with the inflation tool. An example is a valve arrangement near the inflation tool.
For special applications, where sequential inflation and/or deflation is required, for example for various combinations of sequential lifting and lowering, this is achieved by providing a corresponding regulator in the inflation tool or external to the inflation tool. The regulator is configured for manual adjustment by a keypad or by knobs. Alternatively, the regulator is connected to an electronic controller that comprises programs or is programmable for special sequences of inflation and deflation of air cushion members or group of air cushion members one after the other or in common. In some embodiments, the controller is also connected to an electrical common air pump, such as a compressor, in order to start and stop the common air pump when not used for inflation during the sequential inflation and deflation and before and after such sequence.
In a simple version, the inflation is done with a hand operated squeeze balloon or foot operated bellows and with manually operated valves for inflation and deflation. In more advanced forms, the device comprises an electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically driven common air pump, which is controlled by a programmable electronic controller, functionally connected to the common air pump and to a regulator for regulation of inflation and deflation of the hose-connected air cushion members or groups of air cushion members. However, it is also possible to use manually operated valves and an electrical driven compressor. Thus, various mixes of parts of the described embodiments is also possible. The device has a large versatility and flexibility in adjustment to the actual use.
In a further embodiment, the inflation tool is configured for selective shift between a first inflation mode and a second inflation mode by the common air pump; wherein the first mode is inflation of the first and second cushion member simultaneously and the second mode is inflation of the first and second cushion member sequentially one after the other. This principle is correspondingly extendable to more than two cushion members.
In some embodiments, the device comprises a regulator, optionally as part of the inflation tool, the regulator having an air inlet, which is connected to the common pump, and a first and a second air outlet, the first air outlet being connected to the first air cushion member or to a first group of air cushion members and the second outlet being connected to the second air cushion member or to a second group of air cushion members. The regulator is adjustable to selectively inflate one or the other of the first and second air cushion member or group of air cushion members at a time.
Use of the Device
The device according to the invention is suitable for lifting and adjusting a variety of elements, for example machines, frames, doors, windows, walls, and furniture, for example tables or kitchen elements. The air cushion members are placed between the element and the support and can be used for a vertical lift or for non-vertical horizontal adjustment or both. For example, on air cushion member is placed under each corner of the element or under each leg of a table. In the foregoing, examples have been given in relation to lifting and lowering, however, the examples apply equally well for non-vertical movements, for example sideways movements.
In more general terms, a method is provided for moving an object over a support, wherein the object is resting on the support by gravity and has points of contact with the support. The device is selected with a surface, typically underside, of the device which has a friction against the support which is lower than the friction of the object's points of contact on the support. The low friction surface is oriented against the support and positioning the device under the object so that by inflation of the cushion member the height of the device is extended, which leads to lifting the object off the support. Once lifted, the object is moved along the support, for example while the surface is sliding on the support or, in case of a wheeled support is used, by rolling the device on the support. Typically, the support is a floor, however, it could also be a lifted platform of another type.
The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, where
In the following, identical elements or corresponding elements are carrying the same signs of reference, and no repeated descriptive explanation is given below for each single element within the different figures which belong to the drawing.
In
It is also possible to use a T-piece instead of the two-channel manifold. A further alternative comprises a regulator instead of the manifold where the regulator is connected to a single pump, typically electrical pump 40, and configured for sequential filling of the connected cushion members 6, for example one after the other. The regulator optionally also comprises a valve system to empty the cushion members simultaneously or according to a predetermined deflation sequence, for example one after the other.
As illustrated in
An alternative cushion member is illustrated in
The term low-friction versus high-friction is used herein as a friction of the surface of the sheet material against a smooth, hard surface, for example glass or ceramic tiles. The high-friction describes a friction with is higher than the low-friction. For example, if the cushion member is placed on a glass plate with the low friction surface against the glass surface and without additional weight on the cushion member, the cushion member is easily sliding over a glass plate, for example when giving the cushion member a short push onto its side. Even at a moderate manual push, the cushion can slide after the push for some time and some distance for example more than 50 cm from the position where the push was applied. In contrast thereto, if a cushion member is provided with a high-friction surface and is placed on such glass plate, a lateral push would not make the cushion slide correspondingly over the glass plate. Typically, the cushion member would stop and rest immediately after the push ends.
For the cushion member, various possibilities exist with respect to its surface in relation to smooth or rough, low-friction or high-friction. For example, both sides can be smooth, both sides rough, knobbed or corrugated or one side is smooth and one side rough, knobbed or corrugated in order to provide correspondingly low-friction or high-friction sides.
For example, a cushion member made with one rough or knobbed or corrugated, and one low-friction smooth side is very useful when lifting objects and dragging them on a surface. The high-friction side against an object assist in secure lifting of the object, for example furniture, glass elements, household appliances, or cabinets, with reduced risk for the object sliding down from the cushion member. The low friction side allows easy sliding of the cushion member on the support surface, such as a floor, while supporting the object that is pushed or dragged. The smooth sheet material allows sliding not only on smooth support surfaces, such as tile floors or wooden floors, but also on carpets.
Optionally and as illustrated in
Typically, the extension plates 17 would be rigid, for example solid. However, elastic rubber slabs or even height-adjustable extension plates, for example by inflation, are also possible.
It is common for movers to use sleds with wheels when moving heavy furniture over shorter or longer distances. The supports block 13 with wheels 19 allows movers to lift objects to a higher point assisting quick and easy lifting and subsequent moving of the objects with lowered injury risk for the lifting person.
As alternatives to wheels, a variety of options exist for modification of the support block 13. For example, it comprises a plurality of cylindrical rollers 19′ with parallel axes, as shown in
In an advanced embodiment, the rollers or continuous track are electrically driven, for example by a wired or wireless remote controlled motor 55.
Instead of providing the cushion member 6 with a high-friction or low-friction surface, as explained in connection with
For example, a plurality of sleeves 21 with mutually different surfaces and different surface friction combinations are provided in order to select the most useful sleeve 21 for a given purpose, while using a single type of cushion member 6. This has the advantage of supplemental sale and improvement of versatility of already existing cushion members 6, especially for a user who already has purchased air cushion members 6 and has a need for extending the versatility thereof without the need of exchanging the air cushion member 6 itself. Especially, it is pointed out that the production costs and sale price for the sleeves 21 are, typically, lower than for an air cushion member in that no pump 12 and valve arrangement 16 is needed.
As for the cushion member 6, various possibilities exist with respect to the surface of the sleeve 21 in relation to smooth or rough, low-friction or high-friction. For example, both sides can be smooth, both sides rough or knobbed or corrugated or one side is smooth and one side rough or knobbed or corrugated in order to provide correspondingly low-friction or high-friction sides. The examples and arguments for insertion into narrow slits, for lifting objects and for dragging and sliding apply in this case equally well as explained in connection with the various surfaces of the cushion member itself.
For example, using a cushion member 6 or a sleeve 21 with a knobbed or corrugated surface on both sides, such as continuous grooves across the element, is useful for lifting, positioning and leveling thin elements such as glass elements, glass panes, on top of it without risking these thin elements from sliding off the cushion member or this cushion member to move unintentionally over the support surface and cause damage.
It should also be mentioned that the combination of a smooth side and a rough or knobbed or corrugated high-friction side is useful when stacking several cushion members, for example as illustrated in
Various examples of sleeves are illustrated in
Alternatively, especially for high friction against glass, at least one of the surfaces is provided with a synthetic dry adhesive polymer 51, as illustrated in
In order to improve the height adjustment or width adjustment when using a cushion member or a stack of cushion members, a practical solution has been found, as illustrated in
Similarly as explained in relation to
In order to improve the height adjustment or width adjustment when using a cushion member or a stack of cushion members 6, an alternative practical solution has been found, as illustrated in
Also, such a system is especially useful for lifting and generally pressing apart objects with irregular surface. Whereas a cushion member 6 would potentially adjust to the irregular surface or even get punctured and not perform the necessary lifting or pushing action, the rigid plate 47a results in a stiff interface with well-defined distance over a relatively large surface, why such pouch 5 improves the action of increased height adjustment as compared to a flexible cushion member 6 in case of irregular surfaces.
Similarly as explained in relation to
Alternatively, or in addition to the pins 53 extending through holes 2 of the cushion member, a hollow 15 can be provided in the support block 13.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA 2016 70897 | Nov 2016 | DK | national |
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/420,638 filed Nov. 11, 2016, Danish Application No. PA 2016 70897 filed Nov. 11, 2016 and PCT/DK2017/050368 filed Nov. 10, 2017, International Publication No. WO 2018/086668 A1, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DK2017/050368 | 11/10/2017 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62420638 | Nov 2016 | US |
