Patent Application
20240358161
The present invention is directed to an inflatable device. More specifically, the present disclosure is directed to an inflatable device for adjusting sleeping angle.
Infants often require significant care and nurturing, especially during the very early stages of life. As such, much care goes into ensuring a safe sleeping position for the infant. A variety of conditions such as sinus symptoms, nasal congestion, allergies, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (“GERD”) which occurs when stomach acid repeatedly flows back into the tube connecting your mouth and stomach.
To alleviate these conditions, an inclined sleeping position may be required. Said inclined position may be achieved by placing an object under the infant's mattress to raise it and create the desired sleeping angle. However, throughout the infant's sleep, the necessary sleeping angle may need to be periodically adjusted. The need for adjustment results in the mattress being lifted every time in order to access the object and adjust the sleeping angle. This results in the infant being disturbed leading to poor quality sleep.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have an apparatus for adjusting the sleeping angle of an infant without disturbing the infant.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claims included herewith.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an inflatable device, including: an inflatable shell; a main compartment including a void defined by the inflatable shell, wherein the main compartment includes a plurality of wall members; at least one appendage attached to the main compartment, wherein the appendage includes: a pump interface; and a valve; and wherein the at least one appendage is in fluid communication with the main compartment.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an inflatable device, wherein the plurality of wall members are disposed at intervals between a first side and a second side of the main compartment.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an inflatable device, wherein a height of each respective wall member decreases from a tallest wall member closest to the first side, to a shortest wall member closest to the second side.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an inflatable device, wherein the inflatable device is constructed into a wedge shape.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an inflatable device, wherein, when inflated, the inflatable device has a maximum angle of inclination of seven degrees.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an inflatable device, wherein the appendage is in fluid communication with the main compartment.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an inflatable device, wherein the inflatable shell is constructed from one of PVC, rubber, rubber composites, or thermoplastic polyurethane.
Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an inflatable device, wherein the pump interface includes one or more springs.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing and the following descriptions are exemplary and explanatory only and are not intended to limit the claimed disclosure or application thereof in any manner whatsoever.
The incorporated drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification exemplify the aspects of the present disclosure and, together with the description, explain and illustrate principles of this disclosure.
In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing(s), in which identical functional elements are designated with like numerals. The aforementioned accompanying drawings show by way of illustration, and not by way of limitation, specific aspects, and implementations consistent with principles of this disclosure. These implementations are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and it is to be understood that other implementations may be utilized and that structural changes and/or substitutions of various elements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be construed in a limited sense.
The present disclosure relates to an inflatable device 100 for adjusting sleeping angles. Beginning with
The inflatable device 100 may include a main compartment 104. The main compartment 104 may include a void defined by the inflatable shell 102. The main compartment 104 may be filled with air, as described further below. However, the main compartment 104 may be filled with other material depending on the desired properties of the inflatable device 100. For example, the main compartment 104 may be filled with a liquid, such as water, or solid material such as silicone or glass beads.
In an embodiment, the main compartment 104 includes a plurality of wall members 106. The wall members 106 may attach to opposing sides of the inflatable shell 102 and define walls within the main compartment 104. The wall members 106 may ensure even inflation across the main compartment 104 by preventing unwanted bulging of the inflatable shell 102. The height of each wall member 106 may vary to control the height to which portions of the main compartment 104 may inflate. For example, wall member 106a may have a height greater than the height of wall member 106b. The respective heights of the wall members 106 between wall member 106a and wall member 106b may get incrementally shorter. In such an embodiment, wall member 106a may have the greatest height, and wall member 106b may have the shortest height. As such, the wall members 106 may facilitate a wedge shape of the main compartment 104 when inflated.
To further facilitate a wedge shape of the main compartment 104 when inflated, the inflatable shell 102 may be constructed in a wedge shape. For example, the main compartment 104 may include a first side 108 and a second side 110.
The inflatable device may include an appendage 112. The appendage 112 may extend out from the main compartment 104. In an embodiment, the appendage 112 includes a void defined by the inflatable shell 102. In such an embodiment, the appendage 112 may be in fluid communication with the main compartment 104. The appendage 112 may be configured such that, when the main compartment 104 is positioned under a mattress 118, the appendage 112 may be accessible to a user for purposes of adjusting the amount of inflation of the inflatable device 100.
Turning to
The appendage 112 may include a valve 116. The valve 116 may work with the pump interface 114 to inflate the inflatable device 100. For example, once the user has compressed the pump interface 114, the appendage 112 may allow air from outside the inflatable device 100 to enter the pump interface 114. As such, and with subsequent compressions of the pump interface 114, air from outside the inflatable device 100 may be directed into the main compartment 104 to inflate the inflatable device 100. While the valve 116 is shown on the appendage 112, the valve 116 may be located on other parts of the inflatable device 100, such as the main compartment 104.
The pump interface 114 may include one or more springs (not shown) to allow the pump interface 114 to return to a home position/uncompressed state once pressed. In returning to such position, the pump interface 114 may cause air to be drawn into the pump interface 114. The one or more springs may be secured by one or more corresponding pins attached to an interior of the appendage 112. In an embodiment, the one or more springs are secured to the interior of the appendage 112 by adhesive or tape. However, In another embodiment, any combination of the aforementioned securing means may be used.
The valve 116 may include an obstructing member (not shown). The obstructing member may be positioned against the valve lumen to facilitate one directional airflow into the inflatable device 100. As such, the obstructing member may be held against the valve lumen via at least one spring. As a non-limiting example, once the pump interface 114 is compressed, the pump interface 114 may return to an uncompressed state. In doing so, the pump interface 114 may create a pressure differential which causes the at least one spring to compress and displace the obstructing member such that there is fluid communication between an exterior and interior of the inflatable device 100. This fluid communication may allow air to flow into the pump interface 114, allowing it to return to its uncompressed state. Once the pump interface 114 has returned to its uncompressed state, the obstructing member may return to its initial position against the valve lumen. This may cut off the fluid communication between the exterior and interior of the inflatable device 100, preventing further airflow into, or out of, the valve 116.
While the pump interface 114 may be used to inflate the inflatable device 100, the inflatable device 100 may include and external pumping device (not shown). In such an embodiment, the external pumping device may be connected to the valve 116 and may force air into the inflatable device 100 until a desired interior pressure is reached. The external pumping device may be powered via electricity, or may be manually operated by the user.
As exemplified in
The inflatable device 100 may include a plurality of appendages 112. As a non-limiting example, there may be two appendages 112 located at opposing ends of the main compartment 104. Such an example may allow the user to inflate or deflate the inflatable device 100 from either end of the inflatable device 100. To achieve the same functionality, an inflatable device 100 having one appendage 112 may be flipped. For example, the inflatable device 100 may be accessed from a left side of a mattress 118, however, the user may, if desired, flip the inflatable device 100 in order to access the inflatable device 100 for the right side of the mattress 118.
As shown in
Various elements, which are described herein in the context of one or more embodiments, may be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination. Further, the processes described herein are not limited to the specific embodiments described. For example, the processes described herein are not limited to the specific processing order described herein and, rather, process blocks may be re-ordered, combined, removed, or performed in parallel or in serial, as necessary, to achieve the results set forth herein.
It will be further understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts that have been described and illustrated herein may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims.
All references, patents and patent applications and publications that are cited or referred to in this application are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. Finally, other implementations of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
