This Application claims priority from Chinese Applications CN202022438773.1, filed Oct. 28, 2020 in China, and CN202120667868.2, filed Mar. 31, 2021 in China, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Apparatuses and methods consistent with example embodiments relate to inflatable products, and in particular, to an inflatable bed.
Inflatable beds do not have the bulk of traditional furniture, can be placed indoors or outdoors, and have the advantages of being small in size after deflation, for convenient storage and carrying, etc. In particular, an inflatable bed with a backrest is particularly practical. According to an existing design, an inflatable bed includes a backrest separate from the body of the bed, which is a complex structure with a high production cost. Alternately, an inflatable bed with an integrated backrest usually includes an upper sheet and a lower sheet which are connected by an internal structure, such that a distance between the upper sheet and the lower sheet may be controlled by the length of the internal structure. In this way, the inflatable bed may be stretched into an inflatable bed with an integrated backrest. Such a structure, however, is relatively complicated, has a high production cost, and often poor overall aesthetics.
Example embodiments may address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, example embodiments are not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and may not overcome any of the problems described above.
According to an aspect of an example embodiment, an inflatable bed comprises: an upper sheet comprising a planar portion and an oblique portion; a lower sheet; a lateral confining sheet, connecting the upper sheet and the lower sheet and defining an inflatable chamber therebetween, the lateral confining sheet comprising: a circumferential portion, and an extension portion extending from an end of the circumferential portion and connected to the oblique portion of the upper sheet; a first internal sheet connecting the planar portion of the upper sheet to the lower sheet; and a second internal sheet connecting the oblique portion of the upper sheet to the extension portion of the lateral confining sheet.
The oblique portion of the upper sheet may form a front face of a backrest of the inflatable bed, and the extension portion of the lateral confining sheet may form lateral faces of the backrest.
The inflatable bed may further comprise: a third internal sheet having a ring shape and comprising an inner circumference connected to the planar portion of the upper sheet and an outer circumference connected to the lateral confining sheet.
A width of the third internal sheet at a first location adjacent to one end thereof may be greater than a width of the third internal sheet at a second location, different from the first location.
The inflatable bed may further comprise: a fourth internal sheet having a ring shape and comprising an inner circumference connected to the lower sheet and an outer circumference connected to the lateral confining sheet.
The inflatable bed may further comprise: a first vent hole formed through the third internal sheet, and a second vent hole formed through the fourth internal sheet.
The third internal sheet and the fourth internal sheet may each be one of a rectangular ring, a circular ring, or a square ring.
A cross-sectional shape of each of the first internal sheet and the second internal sheet may be one of a line, a circle, an oval, a Y-shape, and an X-shape.
The inflatable bed may further comprise: a fifth internal sheet connected to the third internal sheet at the first location and to the lower sheet.
According to an aspect of another example embodiment, an inflatable bed may comprise: an upper sheet; a lower sheet; a circumferential sheet, connecting the upper sheet and the lower sheet and defining an inflatable chamber; a plurality of first internal sheets, disposed within the inflatable chamber and each comprising a lower edge connected to the lower sheet and an upper edge connected to the upper sheet, a height of each of the first internal sheets from the lower edge to the upper edge being a first height; a second internal sheet, disposed within the inflatable chamber and comprising a first edge connected to the circumferential sheet and a second edge connected to the upper sheet; wherein a height of the inflatable bed, between the lower sheet and the upper sheet, at a first end of the inflatable bed is the first height, and a height of the inflatable bed, between the lower sheet and the upper sheet at a second end of the inflatable bed, is a second height, greater than the first height.
According to an aspect of another example embodiment, an inflatable bed comprises: an upper sheet comprising a planar portion, an oblique portion, and a transition portion disposed between the planar portion and the oblique portion; a lower sheet; a lateral confining sheet, connecting the upper sheet and the lower sheet and defining an inflatable chamber therebetween. The lateral confining sheet comprises: a circumferential portion, and an extension portion extending from an end of the circumferential portion and connected to the oblique portion of the upper sheet. The inflatable bed further comprises a first internal sheet connecting the planar portion of the upper sheet to the lower sheet; and a corner internal sheet connecting the transition portion of the upper sheet to the lower sheet.
The oblique portion of the upper sheet may form a front face of a backrest of the inflatable bed, and the extension portion of the lateral confining sheet may form lateral faces of the backrest.
The corner internal sheet may be arranged one of obliquely with respect to a vertical direction of the inflatable bed and parallel to the vertical direction of the inflatable bed.
The corner internal sheet may comprise a first corner internal sheet and a second corner internal sheet arranged one of obliquely with respect to the first corner internal sheet and parallel to the first corner internal sheet.
The first internal sheet may comprise a plurality of internal sheets, each of which comprises one of a column and a substantially planar sheet.
The inflatable bed may further comprise a second internal sheet connecting the oblique portion of the upper sheet to the extension portion of the lateral confining sheet.
The first internal sheet may comprise an array of a plurality of internal sheets, each comprising a column comprising a first portion connected to the upper sheet, a second portion connected to the lower sheet, and a third portion connecting the first portion to the second portion.
The first internal sheet may comprise a plurality of first internal sheets arranged in parallel, each of the plurality of first internal sheets comprising a substantially planar sheet extending in one of a longitudinal direction of the inflatable bed or a transverse direction of the inflatable bed.
The above and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of example embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The same or similar parts are identified by the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Those skilled in the art will understand that elements in the figures are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be enlarged relative to other elements to help improve understanding of example embodiments.
Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the example embodiments may have different forms and may not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein.
It will be understood that the terms “include,” “including”, “comprise, and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
It will be further understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and “upper,” “lower,” “inside,” “outside,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections may not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section.
As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
Directional terms used herein, such as “transverse direction” and “longitudinal direction,” refer to two directions perpendicular to each other in the horizontal direction when an inflatable bed is in a normal using position, wherein the transverse direction may be equivalent to a widthwise direction of the inflatable bed, and the longitudinal direction may be equivalent to a lengthwise direction of the inflatable bed. The directional term “vertical direction” may refer to a vertical direction when the inflatable bed is in the normal using position, namely, a height direction of the inflatable bed.
Various terms are used to refer to particular system components. Different companies may refer to a component by different names—this document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function.
Matters of these example embodiments that are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which these exemplary embodiments pertain may not be described here in detail.
Referring to
The upper sheet 1 may have a non-planar construction, and an upper edge 311 of the lateral confining sheet 3 may be connected to an outer, circumferential edge of the upper sheet 1. The lower sheet 2 may have a substantially planar construction, and a lower edge 312 of the lateral confining sheet 3 may be connected to an outer, circumferential edge of the lower sheet 2.
In particular, the upper sheet 1 may be integrally provided with a planar portion 11 and an oblique portion 12. The planar portion 11 may be connected to the lower sheet 2 by means of the first internal sheets 4, as well as the lateral confining sheet 3. The oblique portion 12 may form a front face of the backrest 101. The upper sheet 1 may be formed by welding, adhering, or hot melting the planar portion 11 to a separate oblique portion 12. The lateral confining sheet 3 comprises a circumferential portion 31, extending around the outer circumference of the inflatable bed 10, and an extension portion 32, which extends upward from an end of the circumferential portion 31. The extension portion 32 is connected to the oblique portion 12 of the upper sheet 1 to form the backrest 101 of the inflatable bed 10, and the extension portion 32 of the lateral confining sheet 3 forms the side faces and a back face of the backrest 101. In order to facilitate the backrest 101 of the inflatable bed 10 in supporting the pressure of a user after being inflated, the backrest 101 may include a second internal sheet 5, disposed within the backrest 101, which connects the oblique portion 12 of the upper sheet 1 to the extension portion 32 of the lateral confining sheet 3.
The first internal sheets 4 contribute to the inflated shape of the inflatable bed main body 102, and the second internal sheet 5 contributes to the inflated shape of the backrest 101. It should be noted that the number of the first internal sheets 4 and the second internal sheet 5 shown in
According to an aspect of another example embodiment, the inflatable bed 10 may further comprise a third internal sheet 6. The third internal sheet 6 may have a two-dimensional (2D) toroid shape or other ring shape with an inner circumference 61 connected to the planar portion 11 of the upper sheet 1, and an outer circumference 62 connected to the lateral confining sheet 3.
In particular, as shown in
According to an aspect of another example embodiment, the inflatable bed 10 may further comprise a fourth internal sheet 7. The fourth internal sheet 7 may have a 2D toroid shape or other ring shape with an inner circumference 71 connected to the lower sheet 2, and an outer circumference 72 connected to the lateral confining sheet 3.
The third internal sheet 6 may include a first vent hole 63, and the fourth internal sheet 7 may include a second vent hole 73, such that air chambers separated by the third internal sheet 6 and the fourth internal sheet 7 are in communication by means of the first vent hole 63 and the second vent hole 73.
The inflatable bed main body 102, as shown in
According to an aspect of another example embodiment, the inflatable bed 10 may further comprise a fifth internal sheet 8. The fifth internal sheet 8 is connected to the end 60 of the third internal sheet 6, adjacent to the backrest 101 and the lower sheet 2. Particularly, when a width of the end 60 of the third internal sheet 6 is greater than a width of the remaining portion of the third internal sheet 6, the fifth internal sheet 8 pulls the end 60 of the third internal sheet 6 that has the greater width so as to prevent its easy deformation due to its greater width and to better prevent a transition area, where the oblique portion 12 and the planar portion 11 of the upper sheet 1 are connected, from protruding upward and affecting an overall contour of the inflatable bed.
The various internal sheets may be connected to other elements of the bed 10 by welding, hot melting, adhering, or another method as would be understood by one of skill in the art.
The upper sheet 1a may have a non-planar structure, and an upper edge 311a of the lateral confining sheet 3a may be connected to the edge of the upper sheet 1a. The lower sheet 2a may have a planar structure, and a lower edge 312a of the lateral confining sheet 3a may be connected to the edge of the lower sheet 2a. Therefore, the lower sheet 2a forms a bottom face of the inflatable bed 10a, and the bottom face completely touches a supporting face (e.g., the ground) after air inflation, to provide stability for the inflatable bed 10a.
Specifically, the upper sheet 1a includes a planar portion 11a, a bent portion 12a, and a transition portion 13a located between the planar portion 11a and the bent portion 12a. The planar portion 11a is connected to the lower sheet 2a through the first internal sheet 4a, and the bend portion 12a forms a front face of the backrest 101a. The lateral confining sheet 3a comprises a surrounding portion 31a and an extension portion 32a extending upward along an end of the surrounding portion 31a, the extension portion 32a and the bent portion 12a of the upper sheet 1a are connected to form the backrest 101a of the inflatable bed 10a, and the extension portion 32a of the lateral confining sheet 3a forms a side face and a back face of the backrest 101a.
Referring to
The inflatable bed 10a may further comprise a second internal sheet 5a, and the second internal sheet 5a connects the bent portion 12a of the upper sheet 1a and the extension portion 32a of the lateral confining sheet 3a, so that after the inflatable bed 10a is inflated, the backrest 101a of the inflatable bed can bear pressing of a user, and the backrest of the inflatable bed can be prevented from bulging and deforming after the inflatable bed is inflated. It should be noted that the number of the second internal sheet 5a is not limited by the drawings.
Referring to
The first internal sheet constructed as a piece-like internal sheet may be a straight piece-like internal sheet, as shown in
One or more of the various internal sheets may be connected by welding, hot melting, or adhering.
One or more inflatable beds of example embodiments described herein form the integrated backrest by means of regionally arranging internal sheets in an inner part, which may overcome the defects of a more complicated internal structure and lesser overall aesthetics, while maintaining good stability, a reduced production cost, and a simplified structure.
It may be understood that the example embodiments described herein may be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each example embodiment may be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other example embodiments.
While example embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
202022438773.1 | Oct 2020 | CN | national |
202120667868.2 | Mar 2021 | CN | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
7089618 | Metzger | Aug 2006 | B1 |
8656540 | Chen | Feb 2014 | B2 |
8661590 | Chen | Mar 2014 | B2 |
10687633 | Liu | Jun 2020 | B2 |
10945533 | Shi | Mar 2021 | B1 |
11311115 | Gao | Apr 2022 | B2 |
11419431 | Li | Aug 2022 | B2 |
11503920 | Shi | Nov 2022 | B1 |
11564505 | Liu | Jan 2023 | B2 |
20130145560 | Chen | Jun 2013 | A1 |
20130180052 | Chen | Jul 2013 | A1 |
20170196368 | Liu | Jul 2017 | A1 |
20200315366 | Liu | Oct 2020 | A1 |
20210127849 | Li | May 2021 | A1 |
20210169232 | Hou | Jun 2021 | A1 |
20210196053 | Li | Jul 2021 | A1 |
20210259434 | Wang | Aug 2021 | A1 |
20210378412 | Gao | Dec 2021 | A1 |
20220125212 | Huang | Apr 2022 | A1 |
20230029332 | Xia | Jan 2023 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
3991610 | May 2022 | EP |
Entry |
---|
Extended European Search Report dated Mar. 18, 2022 (dated Mar. 18, 2022) issued on related European Patent Application 21203000.1 by the European Patent Office. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20220125212 A1 | Apr 2022 | US |