The present invention relates to an inflatable surface comfort device which may be used with body support devices or as a stand alone comfort device.
It is to be understood that a body support structure or body support device, as used herein, includes, for example, a chair seat, a chair back, a head rest, a leg or foot support device, or any other structure or device that is used for, for example, sitting, reclining, lying down, or supporting a person. A body support structure or device typically may be beveled, contoured, angled, or some how shaped for, for example, sitting, reclining and the like. Such body support devices or structures may comprise a solid surface, a padded surface, an upholstered surface, and may also comprise any number of types of support structure, such as foam, springs, suspension straps, and the like.
It is often desirable to provide comfort and/or support layers to existing body support structures, such as chairs, car seats, mattresses, and the like. There have been a number of different products offered and sold in the marketplace that attempt to provide such comfort and support. For example, there are contoured foam and foam covered structures that can be used with a car seat. There are also wooden beaded structures that can be attached to the back of a car seat and purportedly provide support or comfort to a person sitting in the car seat. As another example, there are sporting event seats made of foam and other synthetic materials and typically encased in a flexible plastic covering, which can be, for example, placed on top of metal or wooden benches at a sporting activity. As another example, many automobiles are provided with a lumbar support that is built into a base of a back of the car seat, that can be adjusted, typically by moving a lever or rotating a knob, to vary the amount of support and/or comfort provided by the lumbar support. These are just some examples of comfort or support devices that have been used in the marketplace.
Some of these devices comprise a layer of foam which can be placed over the body support structure or device to provide a layer of comfort. The layer of foam may have a contour and may be surrounded or covered, for example, by an outer protective layer of plastic, fabric, or any other covering layer known to those of skill in the art. One problem with these foam layer devices is that the foam layer must be thin to accommodate shaped devices, and foam is a compressible material which compacts at a point where pressure is applied. For example, by applying pressure to the thin foam layer, for example by sitting on the thin foam layer, a pressure point results from where the foam is compacted to the underlying body support device. Thus, the thin layer of foam typically does not equally distribute the applied pressure or weight and typically provides at least one pressure point and discomfort point to the user of the thin foam device. Another problem with foam devices is that the performance of foam degrades over time and can vary with environmental conditions.
Referring to
Another example of surface comfort devices includes inflatable devices, including, inflatable pillows, inflatable rafts, inflatable mattresses, and the like. However, one problem with some inflatable devices is that they may not be self-sealing, thus requiring a user to fumble with a valve when inflating the device. For example, many inflatable devices comprise stem-type valves, that require removing a cover or mating piece to inflate the inflatable device, and then inserting the cover or mating piece to maintain the fluid within the inflatable device. These valves are clumsy, are not self-sealing and thus are difficult to adjust an amount of fluid in the device. For example, a user must blow into the stem valve, then quickly insert the mating piece to maintain the fluid pressure. Another problem with some inflatable devices is that the inflatable devices are not intended to be used with shaped or cushioned surfaces, and instead are intended to be used on a flat surface. For example, an inflatable mattress is used as a body support device itself, and is typically used on a floor or a flat surface. However, an inflatable mattress would not work well with and would not conform with a shaped surface.
As another example, referring to
In view of the problems and disadvantageous of the above described structures, there is a need to find an alternative to the thin foam surface comfort devices as well as the inflatable devices described above. In particular, there is a need for a device that can conform to a shaped surface, a beveled surface, a contoured surface, a cushioned surface and the like, and that can equally distribute pressure applied to the device, for example, when one sits on a device that is overlaying a shaped surface. In addition, there is a need to provide a device that can easily be adjusted to vary the level of comfort and support provided by the device, and that can be adaptable for use by a variety of users of different body types and sizes, in a variety of user settings (used over a variety of body support devices, in a variety of locations). Further, there is a need for a device that conforms to a surface that applies pressure to the device.
According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a self-sealing, inflatable, comfort device that comprises an inflatable bladder having a single port through which inflation and deflation of the inflatable bladder is accomplished. The inflatable bladder is sized and shaped to conform to a shaped body support device and to provide a comfort layer to be used with the body support device. The surface comfort device also comprises a self-sealing valve coupled to the single port of the inflatable bladder, that is constructed and arranged to enable all of inflation, deflation and comfort control of the surface comfort device with the self-sealing valve.
Some examples of this embodiment of the surface comfort device include a seat cushion, a pillow, a lumbar support, a cylindrical tube, and a body pillow.
Another embodiment of an adjustable, inflatable, surface comfort device comprises an inflatable bladder having a shape and a size such that the surface comfort device substantially covers and conforms to substantially all of at least one body support surface of a shaped body support device. In addition, the surface comfort device comprises an adjustment mechanism that provides for inflation, deflation, and adjustment of an amount of fluid within the inflatable bladder, to adjust a comfort and support provided by the surface comfort device.
Some examples of this embodiment of the surface comfort device also include a seat cushion, a pillow, a lumbar support, a cylindrical tube, and a body pillow.
Various features and aspects of embodiments of the invention will be apparent from the following non-limiting discussion, with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, in which like reference numerals represent like elements throughout the different figures,
It is to be understood that a body support structure or a body support device, as used herein, includes, for example, a chair seat, a chair back, a head rest, a leg or foot support device, or any other structure or device that is used for, for example, sitting, reclining, lying down, or supporting a person. A body support structure or device typically may be beveled, contoured, angled, or some how shaped for, for example, sitting, reclining, and the like. Such body support devices or structures may comprise a solid surface, a padded surface, an upholstered surface, and may also comprise any number of types of support structure, such as foam, springs, suspension straps, and the like.
Referring to
It is to be appreciated that this embodiment of the self-sealing, inflatable surface comfort device of the invention comprises a fluid impervious bladder having a cross-section, such as illustrated in
One advantage of the surface comfort device 20 comprising the fluid containing bladder 11, is that the surface comfort device can have the thickness t of less than 2 inches which may be similar to, for example, the thin foam layer discussed above, but the surface comfort device will equally spread the pressure from the pressure applying surface 102, such as one sitting on the surface comfort layer, over an even area thereby eliminating the uncomfortable pressure point that results with the thin foam layer (discussed above). In particular, the bladder 11 compresses and conforms to the pressure applying surface 102 and the underlying surface such as the shaped surface 12 of seat 13. In addition, the bladder provides an equal amount of comfort and pressure along the entire pressure applying surface 102 in contact with the bladder, as illustrated by pressure points 101, 103, 105 and 107 all having substantially equal magnitude of pressure C provide by the bladder. Thus, the inflatable surface comfort device 20 of the invention expands the comfort surface area between the body and the body support device, conforms to the shape of the body support device and the pressure applying surface, and eliminates any pressure points that cause discomfort and negatively impact health and wellness.
It is to be appreciated that the surface comfort device of the invention may be used with all kinds of conventional body support devices such as, for example, a shaped surface 12 of a seat 13 of a chair 9, for adding comfort to an existing seat, as illustrated in
For example, referring to
For example, many body support devices may include a comfort layer hierarchy (not illustrated), including a lower layer, which may have a rigid support member and, for example, any one or more of straps, webbing (either elastic or non-elastic), springs, straps in combinations with springs, or stretched cloth overlaying a frame of the body support device. The comfort layer hierarchy may also include a middle layer, which may be, for example, a foam or cotton batting, and an upper layer which may include a fabric, for example, leather or a synthetic material, etc., over foam or another textured or contoured cushioning material, or may be a fabric sewed with a batting, or one of various quilted materials. It is to be appreciated that the surface comfort device of the invention may be provided, for example, between the middle layer and the upper layer, or may serve as one of the uppermost layers of such a comfort layer hierarchy, at or near the surface of the body support device and in contact with the body.
Referring again to the embodiment 20 of the surface comfort device illustrated in
It is to be appreciated that while the surface comfort device 10, 20 of the invention is usually inflated with air, any type of fluid, for example, water, nitrogen, or other liquids or gases, may be used to inflate the surface comfort device. To allow for inflation and deflation, the surface comfort device 10,20 is provided with an adjustment mechanism for any of inflating the surface comfort device, deflating the surface comfort device, or adjusting an amount of fluid within the surface comfort device. For example, one adjustment mechanism might be a manual pump (not illustrated) that, for example, can be manually squeezed to add fluid to the surface comfort device. However, it is to be appreciated that other inflation adjusting mechanisms can also be used, such as an electrically powered pump, or other fluid moving pumps know to those with skill in the art. In addition, the surface comfort device may also be provided with an adjustment mechanism (not illustrated) to allow for deflation of the surface comfort device. For example, the surface comfort device might be provided with a port having a substantial opening and a cover to seal the port, wherein the cover can be removed to exhaust the fluid from the surface comfort device to deflate the device. It is also to be appreciated that other embodiments of the fluid exhausting devices, as known to those with skill in the art, may also be used with the surface comfort device. It is further to be appreciated that the surface comfort device can also be provided with a fluid adjusting device to adjust an amount of fluid within a device to regulate the comfort and support provided by the surface comfort device. For example, the surface comfort device might be provided with a separate fluid adjusting port and a valve (not illustrated) that allows for exhausting small amounts of fluid to regulate the amount of fluid within the surface comfort device. It should be appreciated that any fluid adjusting device known to those with skill in the art can be used with the surface comfort device. In some embodiments of the surface comfort device of the invention, it is desirable to have a fluid adjustment device that is a single mechanism that allows all of inflation, substantial deflation, and adjustment of the amount of fluid in the surface comfort device. One embodiment of a fluid adjustment mechanism is a self-sealing valve, such as valve 16 illustrated herein and discussed below. The self-sealing valve provides for the firmness/softness of the surface comfort device 10,20 to be easily adjusted, according to user preference, and without fumbling, for example, with the related art stem valve and its mating or covering structures, as discussed above. An exemplary embodiment of a self-sealing valve 16 will be described in more detail below. However, it is to be appreciated that many self-sealing valve structures, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,621 herein incorporated by reference, can be used with the surface comfort device of the invention.
The surface comfort device 10, 20 of the invention may be provided with fasteners (not illustrated), such as for example, straps, ties, Velcro®, or another type of fastener known to those of skill in the art, to attach the surface comfort device 10 to the body support device. However, it should be appreciated that the surface comfort device of the invention need not be provided as a separate device to be used with a body support device, and instead may be integrated into a body support device as one layer for a multi-layered body support device (as discussed above). For example, a chair may be provided with a surface comfort device integrated into the seat portion of the chair or substantially the entire back portion of the chair, to provide an additional comfort layer. For this embodiment, the self-sealing valve may be adapted such that it also mates with the body support device and may be provided at a convenient location of the chair, such that it can be accessed to inflate or deflate the surface comfort device. Accordingly, the surface comfort device of the invention can be a stand alone device or a device integrated within a body support device.
As stated above, the surface comfort device 10, 20 may include a plurality of substantially parallel tubes 15, as illustrated in
Referring to
Referring to
It is to be appreciated that each of these surface comfort devices discussed above with respect to
Referring to
According to one example, the hanger arm 34 flares outward towards the inner wall 40 of the air inlet 38 creating a “paddle” surface 44 which overspreads much of the air inlet 38. The paddle surface 44 of the hanger arm 34 provides stability to the flexible diaphragm 30 as it rotates with the hanger arm 34 from the closed position to the open position. The expanded paddle surface 44 of the hanger arm 34 also enhances manipulation of the hanger arm 34 by, for example, a fingertip of a user to, for example, control a firmness of the surface comfort layer device. The paddle surface 44 projects outward to a point 46, extending the length of the hanger arm 34. This projection bears upon the flexible diaphragm 30, thereby preventing it from flexing upward when the hanger arm 34 is pressed downward for firmness control or deflation.
The hanger arm 34 may be secured within the air inlet 38 with a pair of hinge pins 48. In one example, there is a contoured section 50 between the hinge pins 48 of the 20 inner wall of at least one of the brackets and the inner wall 40 of the air inlet 38. The contoured section 50 interfaces with a contoured end 52 of the projecting tabs to provide a plurality of distinct interaction possibilities. A first possibility exists when surface 54 on the projecting tabs bears on surface 56 of the inner wall, restricting rotation of the arm above a horizontal position, thereby securing the valve diaphragm in a substantially closed position.
A second possibility exists when a beveled surface 58 on the projecting tab bears on counter-beveled surface 60 on the wall. An inclined angel of this counter-beveled surface 60 causes the projecting tab to increasingly compress inward as the hanger arm 34 is pressed downward into the valve housing 32. This may occur both during inflation (by air pressure) and deflation (by manual deflection of the hanger arm to unseat the valve from the valve seat). The compression of the projecting tab also results in a counter action, so that, with removal of the downward pressure the tab “springs back to its original position and forces the hanger arm 34 and diaphragm 30 to return to the closed position. When the hanger arm 34 is depressed fully, the projecting tabs rotate slightly beyond the beveled surface 60 and lock the rotating arm in a locked open position. This locked open position maximizes airflow through the valve housing and will, under certain conditions improve efficiency of both inflation and deflation. These and other exemplary embodiments of the valve 16 are described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,621, which is herein incorporated by reference.
Referring now to
It is to be appreciated, in general, that in some applications, it is desirable that the surface comfort device overspread as much as possible of a body support device with which the surface comfort device is to be used. Therefore, the surface comfort device of the invention may be provided in a number of different shapes and sizes, adapted to be used with a number of different sized and shaped body support devices, to accommodate different sized chairs, bedding, office and home furniture, etc. In addition, the surface comfort device of the invention may be provided with at least one or more additional cover layers, for example, a quilted or textured layer, to enhance comfort, to provide a protective layer, to reduce noise, and the like. In one embodiment, a variety of attachable cover layers may be provided with the surface comfort device. It is further to be appreciated that an outer layer of the surface comfort device may further be provided in a variety of different colors.
Having thus described various illustrative non-limiting embodiments, and aspects thereof, modifications and alterations will be apparent to those who have skill in the art. Such modifications and alterations are intended to be included in this disclosure, which is for the purpose of illustration and explanation, and not intended to define the limits of the invention. The scope of the invention should be determined from proper construction of the appended claims and their equivalents.
This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), to provisional application Ser. No. 60/371,960, filed Apr. 11, 2002, and provisional application Ser. No. 60/374,878, filed Apr. 23, 2002. The contents of these prior application specifications are incorporated herein by reference.
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