This is related to U.S. Pat. No. 7,665,159, issued Feb. 23, 2010; U.S. Design Pat. No. D543,405, issued May 29, 2007; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/688,359, filed Jan. 15, 2010; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/709,922, filed Feb. 22, 2010; all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cushion structures.
2. Related Art
A cushion of parallel columns formed of a gelatinous elastomer has been proposed and sold as Intelli-Gel® and Ortho-Gel™. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,749,111; 6,413,458; 6,026,527; 7,060,213 and 7,060,213.
It has been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a cushion. In addition, it has been recognized that it would be advantageous to develop a cushion for use in a bathtub.
The invention provides a cushion device including a pair of contiguous layers each with a repeating pattern of upstanding straight walls forming upstanding cells with upstanding openings between the walls. The repeating patterns of the pair of layers are laterally offset with respect to one another. The walls are flexible to buckle into the openings of the cells under a compressive force and resilient to return to an original upstanding orientation, the walls having at least a strength to be self-supporting
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention; and, wherein:
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.
The term “straight” is used herein to refer to essentially straight although a slight amount of taper may exist, such as to allow removal of a part from a mold in an injection molding process.
The term “upstanding” is used herein to refer to a straight and/or upright and/or aligned or inline configuration and/or straight orientation aligned or extending perpendicularly between opposite ends (such as top and bottom of the layers), regardless of particular orientation, such as vertical or horizontal.
The term “contiguous” is used herein to refer to elements that are bordering one another.
The phrase “laterally off-set” is used herein to refer to two patterns that are not aligned with each other, and that can be off-set in one dimension or two dimensions.
The terms “bottom” and “top” are used herein with respect to one another or in relationship to one another. It is to be understood that such terms are not intended to limit the present invention but are used to aid in describing the components of the present invention. For example, one skilled in the relevant art would readily appreciate that a top and bottom layers when the mat or cushion is turned on its side would still constitute top and bottom layers, despite the lateral orientation.
As illustrated in
The cushion 10 or mat 8 can be laid flat in a layer and can include one or more interior portions 14 surrounded by a perimeter portion 18 that can extend partially or entirely around the interior portion. In addition, the cushion or mat can have a plurality of interior portions separated by interior partitions similar to the perimeter, as shown in
The interior portion 14 of the cushion 10 can include three layers, including 1) a lower layer 22, 2) an intermediate layer 26 contiguous the lower layer, and 3) a third or top layer 30 contiguous with the intermediate layer and opposite the lower layer. The lower layer can form a lowermost layer of the cushion or mat which comes into direct contact or abuts to a support surface; while the upper layer can form an uppermost layer of the cushion which comes into direct contact with a user. The lower and intermediate layers 22 and 26 form a pair of contiguous layers. Each of the pair of layers 22 and 26 has a repeating pattern formed of upstanding straight walls 34. The walls form upstanding cells 38 with upstanding openings 42 between the walls. The cells 38 in each layer can be interconnected cells with adjacent cells sharing a common wall therebetween. The walls form the openings that can be hollow columns or shafts. The walls 34, the cells and the openings 42 can have a common orientation, or can be aligned, so that they are upright, or extending linearly with respect to the bottom and the top of the cushion or mat. The orientation of the walls can be perpendicular with respect to the layers. The repeating pattern can be a honeycomb with the walls 34 being straight or linear in an upright direction extending between a top and bottom of the cushion. In addition, the walls 34 can be straight or linear in a lateral direction.
The repeating patterns of the pair of layers 22 and 26 are laterally offset with respect to one another, as shown in
The walls 34, or portions thereof, of one 22 of the pair of layers can extend into the openings 42 of the cells of the other 26 of the pair of layers. An extending portion 50 of the walls 34 in one layer 22 can extend into the openings 42 of the other layer 26, as shown in
The repeating pattern of upstanding walls 34 can form a honeycomb pattern. The honeycomb pattern can be formed of hexagonal cells or openings 42 with six sides or walls 34. The pair of layers 22 and 26 or patterns thereof can form a dual layer offset honeycomb. It will be appreciated that the repeating pattern can have other shapes, including for example, square, rectangular, triangle, hexagon, octagon, circular, wavy, and combinations thereof. In addition, it will be appreciated that the patterns of the pair of layers 22 and 26 can be offset in one direction, as opposed to two, and can be offset asymmetrically.
Referring to
Referring again to
As described above, the third or top layer 30 is contiguous with the walls 34 of the intermediate layer 26, or layer beneath the top layer. The third or top layer 30 is different than the pair of layers 22 and 26. The third or top layer 30 can provide a greater surface area than the other pair of layers to form more of a surface for receiving the user. A plurality of openings 58 are formed in the third or top layer 30. The openings 58 correspond to the walls 34 of the lower layer 22, or an opposite layer of the pair of layers opposite the third layer, as shown in
The perimeter portion 18 extends around at least a portion of the interior portion 14 or pair of layers 22 and 26 (and the third or top layer 30). As shown in
The upper layer 74 of the perimeter portion 18 is supported or carried by a support layer 82 underneath the upper layer. The support layer 82 can be formed by a repeating pattern of upstanding walls forming upstanding cells with upstanding openings between the walls 86, similar to that of the lower or opposite layer 22. The walls 86 can extend from substantially a bottom of the cushion or mat to the upper layer 74. The lower or opposite layer 22, or pattern of walls 34 thereof, can extend beyond the interior portion into the perimeter portion 18 under the upper layer 74. Or the pattern of walls 86 of the support layer 82 (of the perimeter portion 18) can match and be consistent with the walls 34 of the lower layer 22 (of the interior portion 14) to form a continuous and uninterrupted pattern, as seen in
The cushion 10 or mat 8 can also include suction cups 90 coupled to a bottom thereof to secure and maintain the cushion or mat on a surface, such as a bottom and/or side of a bathtub. The suction cups 90 can be integrally formed with the cushion. For example, the suction cups 90 can be disposed on the bottom of the perimeter portion 18 and aligned with the bores or tubes 78. The bores or tubes 78 facilitate molding of the suction cups, and also provide structural support to setting and maintaining suction. Holes 92 can be formed in the bottom of the bores or tubes 78 and above the suction cups to allow water to drain from the tubes, as shown in
As discussed above, the walls can be formed of an elastomer gel. The entire cushion or mat can be formed of the elastomer gel as a single, continuous piece formed together in a single mold. The entire cushion or mat can have a density less than or equal to water so that the layers have at least a neutral buoyancy to facilitate maintaining the position of the mat in the bathtub when filled with water. The walls 34 can have a notch or channel 94 formed therein to facilitate draining of water from the cells or openings.
Referring to
Referring to
All three layers, the pair of layers (lower and intermediate), and/or the top and intermediate layers can be integrally formed with material continuous between the layers. The three layers can be formed together in a mold by injection molding. In addition, the three layers in the interior portion and the perimeter can be formed together in a mold by injection molding.
While the forgoing examples are illustrative of the principles of the present invention in one or more particular applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications in form, usage and details of implementation can be made without the exercise of inventive faculty, and without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the claims set forth below.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120005821 A1 | Jan 2012 | US |