CA1282876C - Custom adjustable mattress support - Google Patents

Abstract

CUSTOM ADJUSTABLE MATTRESS SUPPORT

ABSTRACT
This invention is directed to a novel inflat-able adjustable mattress support and leveller. More particularly, this invention is directed to a mattress support and leveller which can be selectively inflated in specific discrete areas to provide enhanced support in corresponding areas of a mattress which overlays the mattress support. A multiple chambered pneumatically inflatable bladder for use as a mattress support comprising: (a) a first individual discrete pneumati-cally inflatable chamber; (b) a second individual discrete pneumatically inflatable chamber; (c) a third individual discrete pneumatically inflatable chamber;
and (d) separate inflation valve means for each chamber, said inflation valve means being operable for inflation and closable after the chamber has been inflated pneumatically.

Description

_ FIELD OF THE I~VE~TION
This invention is directed to a novel inflat-able adjustable mattress support and leveller. Moreparticularly, this invention is directed to a mattress support and leveller in the form o a bladder which can be selectively inflated in specific discrete areas to provide custom enhanced support in corresponding areas of a mattress which overlays the mattress support.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIO~I
Mankind, during the course of sleeping or resting for thousands of years, has reclined on a wide lS variety o~ surfaces and supports. In western civiliza-tions, the most commonly used apparatus upon which a person sleeps is a mattress, or a mattress and an under-lying boxspring. A wide variety of types of mattresses have been developPd, including coil spring mattresses of various grades of firmness, mattresses stuffed with various resilient materials, air inflated mattresses and water supported mattresses. With the advancement of medicine, it has become established that the type and quality of a mattress upon which a person reclines, particularly if the person has a back problem, or some other handicap, is extremely important. It is widely accepted that a firm mattress is more beneficial than a soft mattress for such persons. The firm mattress holds the user's spine in a straighter line, which is benefi-cial. Nevertheless, even expensive mattresses do notprovide ideal support or a person with a back problem, or a person with some other handicap, especially after prolonged use.
Mattresses that are used in institutions such as hospitals, golden age homes, and the like, do not have the capabili~y of being selectively supportive of specific areas of the recliner's body. As a general rule, the mattresses used by these institutions, and also those used by the inhabitants of residences, are of the same firmness throughou-t, and do not provide selec-tive degrees of firmness for specific areas of the mattress .
Since the weight of each person sleeping on a mattress varies and is not evenly distributed over the area of the mattress, certain areas of the mattress, particularly the areas around the shoulders and hip regions oE the recliner, tend to break down more rapidly than other areas of the mattress. As a consequence, the mattress must be discarded, even though certain areas of the mat~ress which do not endure the same weight, are still fully functional.
The applicant is aware of the following patents which disclose inventions that are more or less pertinent to the subject invention.
United States Patent Number Inventors Issue Date 4,467,484 Magatake et al. Aug. 29, 1984 4,357,724 Laforest Nov. 9t 1982 4,206,322 Young et al. Dec. 22, 1981 3,242,511 Ful-t~ et al. Mar. 29, 1966 252,822,544 Wenzelberger Feb. 11, 1958 2,000,873 Arens May 7, 1935 The Laforest, Arens and Fultz patents all disclose inflatable bladders having a central cavity therein for insertion in conventional mattresses.
None of the foregoing patents discloses an inflatable bladder with separate inflation chambers for individual inflation.
In the Laforest patent, the protrusions in the core provide mattress stability while permitting adjust-m~nt of the degree of firmness by inflating the pneu-matic core to a suitable pressure by means o~ valves. - -Arens, in his patent, discloses a mattresshaving a pneumatic core which has the appearance of a conventional stuffed mattress and incorporates an inflatable flexible core in the interior thereof.
Fu1tz et al. disclose an inf1atab1e bladder having a central cavity therein, but the entire surface of the bladder is porous.
Wenzelberger, on the other hand, discloses a pillow or cushion which is formed of foamed resilient material. The material is cast around an inflatable a;r tube/bladder.
Nagatake:et al. disclose a pneumatic cushion made from a thin elastic sheet which can be repeatedly infLated. It includes a board to isolate ~he wel~ed portion from tension forces.

SUMMARY OF THE I~VE~TIO~
The invention is directed to a multiple cham-bered pneumatically inflatable bladder ~or use as a mattress support comprising: (a) a first individual discrete pneumatically inflatable chamber; (b) a second individual di~crete pneumatically inflatable chamber;
(c) a ~hird individual discrete pneumatically inflatable chamber; and (d~ separate inflation valvP means for each chamber, said inflation valve means being operable for inflation and closab7e after the chamber has been inflated pneumatically.
. The bladder may include a fourth individual di~crete pneumatically inflatable chamber and it may be of a general oval shape. Each o~ the cha~bers may have a generally diamond shape, the chambers being arranged adjacent tv one another.

In the bladder, the first cham~er (a) may be located in the interior area of the bladder and may be of a diamond shape, there may be at least six of the second chamber type, three of which are disposed on one side of the first chamber, and the other three disposed on the opposite side of -the first chamber, the groups of the second type chambers being disposed adjacent to one another. The third type chamber may comprise at least two such chambers, one disposed on one side of the second chamber type, and the other disposed on the opposite side of the second chamber type.
In the bladder, there may be at least three of each chamber type, the chambers being of a general rectangular shape, and the chambers being arranged adjacent to one another in rows. The bladder may have a generally rectangular ~hape.
In the bladder, separate elongated tubes may be connected to each of the valve means connected to each individual chamber, each individual chamber being inflatable by the tube that is specifically connected to the specific chamber and its valve means.
In the bladder, the first type of chamber may be i.nflated to one level of air pressure, the second type of cham~er may be inflated to a second level of air pressure different than the first level of air pressure, and the third type of cham~er may be inflated to the same or a different level of air pressure than the first or second type of cha~ber. Each chamber may be inflated to a different level of air pressure.
DRAWINGS
In the drawings, which disclose specific embodiments of the invention, and are not intended to restrict the scope of the invention in any way:

Fisure 1 illustrates a plan view of the inflatable mattress support bladder;
E'igure 2 illustrates a side elevation view of the mattress support bladder;
Figure 3 illustrates an end elevation view of the inflatable mattress support bladder, Figure 4 illustrates a side elevation section view of the air valve that is affixed to each chamber of the inflatable mattress support bladder;
Figure 5 illustrates a plan view of an alter-native design of inflatable mattress support bladder;
Figure 6 illustrates an alternative design of inflatable mattress support bladder; and Figure 7 illustrates a further alternative design of inflatable mattress support bladder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIO~ OF SPECIFIC
EMBODIME~TS OF THE I~VE~TIO~
This invention is directed to a unique multi-ple chambered pneumatic inflatable bladder which can beplaced und~r a mattress, between a mattress and box~
spring, or incorporated at the factory into a mattress or onto the upper surface of a boxspring. The bladder enables fine adjustments to be made to the upper sleep surface to suit each individual's body shape and weight.
The bladder also extends the functional life of the mattress by permitting supporting adjustments to be made to the areas of breakdown (sag) which all mattresses inevitably experience. By means of breaXdown, even a once perfect mattress will eventually cause discomfort and backache. The bladder also enables specific extra support areas to be tailored for a mattress where the sleeper, for medical reasons or otherwise, requires s~lch extra support in specific areas.

Referring now to Figure 1, it can be seen that a plan view of one type oE design of multiple chambered pneumatic inElatable bladder 2 is illustrated. As can be seen in side elevation view in Figure 2, and end elevation view in Figure 3, the bladder 2 is constructed of an upper layer 3, and a lower layer 5, to form a series oE adjacent diamond shaped, or triangular shaped, chambers 4, each of which is individually inflatable through individual valves 6. Each chamber 4 can be custom inflated to any degree orally by any person such as the person using the bladder 2, or an attendant or nurse in an institution. Alternatively, the chambers 4 can be inflated using a hand pump or some other suitable inflation means. Each specific chamber has been iden~
tified by either the letter A, B, C, D or E and these are inflated to individual degrees as discussed below.
The different types of c~ambers A, B, C, D or E are iden~ified by chamber type designations 7, 8, 9, 11 and 13 respectively.
Referring to Figure 4, which illu~trates a side section view of the valve 6, the valve 6 is typi-cally constructed to have a valve cap 10, which pivots about valve cap hinge 12. The valve cap 10 is lifted up when a person wants to blow air orally or manually into the chamber 4 through the valve 6. Once the desired quantity of air has been blown into the specific chamber 4 to which the valve 6 connects, then cap 10 is pivoted back into position to close the valve 6. An internal one way flapper 14 i9 con~tructed into the interior of the valve 6 and permits air to be blown readily into the chamber 4, but restricts khe passage of air out from the interior of the cham~er 4~
Figure 5 illustrates an alternative design of multiple chamber pneumatic inflatable bladder 16. In this design, the individual adjacent chambers are formed in a generally rectangular pattern. This orientation of rectangular chambers may be found to be more use-ful in providing a desired inflation pattern to accommodate certain specific applications. Figure 5 also illus-trates a series of tubes 17 which are connected to eachof the valves 6 of the bladder 16. These tubes enable individual compartments of the bladder 16 to be cus-tom inflated to specific desired levels without having to lift the mattress overlying the bladder 16 or with drawing the bladder 16 in order to inflate it.
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate respectively plan views of two further alternative designs of multiple chambered pneumatic inflatable bladders 18 and 20.
Again, these altarnative designs may be found to be des:irable for providing specific inflation patterns for specific applicationsO Trial and error procedures as discussed herein may establish whether one or another arrangement o-f inflatable cha~ber pattexns is desirable for a given application.
The size of the bladder is variable and can conform with the size of the mattress and chamber design. Generally, a suitable bladder size for most applications involving a single mat.tress is approxi-mately 36" by 30". For double mattresses, larger sizes or two bladders can be used.
By means of variable levels of inflation for individual chambers, the bladder can re-level and vary the firmness of any mattress of any size, shape, den-sity, and compression wear, at any given point or points throughout the mattress.
The bladder can be constructed of any non-flammable, non-porous airtight material such as flexible polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, rubber or airtight treated fabric. ~le valves for each chamber should be airtight and preferably collapsible, with an inside -- 7 ~

flapper valve. The valve should be designed to acili-tate mechanical or oral inflation of each individual chamber or airtight cell. The valves can typically be constructed of resilient plastic, such as polyethylene, and can be pushed into the body of the mattress so that no uncomfortable projections remain. The bladder is constructed of two layers of any of -the above types o~
air impermeable materials fused by heat or adhesive, around the perimeter, and also along the lines portrayed in Figures 1, 5, 6 and 7, or other patterns, to form individual separately inflatable airtight chambers or cells. If need be, the bladder can be constructed to have two or ~ore layers on either side of the central air chambers.
The bladder is constructed so that each cham-ber is inflated individually. Preferably each chamber is independent. There is no interconnection between neighbouring chambers unless it is advantageous in specific instances to have such connection(s). In certain applications, for example, it may be advanta-geous to have interconnections between groups of cham-bers to provide desired inflation patterns. Each cham-ber, or group of chambers, in the bladder is specifi cally designed Eor low~pressure custom inflation and deflation by oral or mechanical means prior to being placed underneath the mattress or between the mattress and boxspxing or mattress support. When the correct inflation pattern is used, the bladder is custom adjusted to individual requirements, and will support all normal variations of the human body during sleep.
Thus level spinal alignment from shoulder to hips is maintained. As mentiorled herein, a sag occurs in all mattresses, new or used. Should this sag be severe, a hard surface (plywood board) may be placed under the bladder to increase the desired overall support. A

certain amount of experimentation by the user, or the patient's aide, will be required when the bladder is first used. Once the desired degree of inflation ~or each chamber is determined, the bladder will support the prone human body whether the subject sleeps on his or her stomach, back, or in the recommended back pain reducing side fetal position.

Specific Functions and Inflation Patterns of Chambers Figure 1 shows specific mattress cell types, identified with the letters A, B, C, D and E. The function of each type of chamber is listed below alpha~
betically. Inflation for ea~h chamber is adjustable over the range O to 100 percent.
A Type Chambers are intended primarily for mattress midriff sag correction or speciEic patient support for that area. Generally, the inflation level for a type A chamber is approximately 40 percent.
B Ty~ Chambers are intended for secondary midriff sag correction or support. These are typically grouped in three chambers surrounding the primary A type chambers on both the left and right side of the bladder.
When the subject primarily sleeps on the left or right side, the B typ~ chambers on the side opposite to the side on which the subject sleeps are inflated l.ess as those chambers are only required to support the arms and legs, which have lesser weight. The B type chamber can typically be inflated to 30 to 40 percent on the load bearing side.
C Type Chambers are intended as peripheral levelling chambers to even out or level the sleep wear areas of the mattress so that they are level with the unused portion of the mattress. The C type chambers also have a cradling e~fect on the subject. The infla-r~ J~

tion level Eor a C type chamber is typically approxi-mately 10 percent.
D Type Chambers are positioned under the shoulder areas and can specifically be used when a subject sleeps on his or her stomach or back. The D
type chambers usually have an inflation level of approximately 20 percent when the person sleeps on his or her stomach or back. However, when the subject sleeps in the side fetal positio~, the shoulder projects and becomes a primary pressure point. In such a case, the type D chamber typically requires little or no inflation.
E Type Chambers are positioned under the hlps.
When the subject sleeps on his or her stomach, this chamber usually requires approximately 30 percent inflation level. When the person habitually sleeps on his or her back, inflation is usually reduced to 15 percent to accommodate the downward projection of the buttocks.
~en the subject sleeps on his or her side, the hip area, corresponding to the location of an E type chamber, becomes a primary pressure point, proportional to hip size and weight, and will usually require a lesser inflation level ranging from 0 to 15 percent.
The above mentioned inflation levels for the various type chambers are only guidelines that are typical of a mattress that is in reasonably good condi-tion. Inflation levels of different type chambers can be varied to accommodate specific situations. In extreme condi~ions, w~lere there is undue breakdown of the mattress, it may be necessary to fully inflate certain chambers to compensate for the broken down areas. In determining the proper inflation level for each chamber, one can individually and progressively inflate each chamber a certain amount and by trial and error reach required inflation levels and patterns for the specific situation. Alternatively, it may be more convenient and represent a useful technique ko inflate each chamber 100 percent and then adjust for the local-ized sag areas by deflating each chamber a certainamount using a trial and error method until the desired results are achieved.
By means of a cu~tomized pattern of indivi-dual chambers inflated to varying degrees, qupport is trans~erred through th0 ma~tress to thereby maintain the spine of the person or patient in a relatively straight horizontal line during ~leep. It is generally recog-nized that keeping the length of the spine horizontal and extended during sleep allows the spine to "rest", ~hat is, there is a minimum of compres~ion or tension force applied to the spine at this time. The bladder and individual chambers react to overall body weight, and provide displacement of that weight throughout the bod~.
The bladder may also be used for those victims with abnormal spinal conditions. The bladder has spe-cial application for the medical profession by increas-ing the sleeping comfort for patients with back prob-lems, or if they are recovering from surgery and wish to have support in specific areas and to deflect weight from the affected area. In this special application, the bladder may be used on top of the mattress surface for easier insertion and adjustment under the patient by an attendant. In such applications, the chamber valves may be inflated by tubes which extend to the side of the bed. This enables custom chamber inflation by means of ; a manual hand pump connected in turn to each tube by the attendant. The patient can already be in the prone posit~on on top of the bladder.

f ~ A~

Example Five prototypes with a configuration according to Figure 1 have been -tested for about six months by five different users. The five users all experienced back pain. After only a short time of use of the proto-types, all five users have experienced either consider-able reduction or complete elimination of back pain.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure t many alterations and modifications are possi~le in the practice of this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of th~
invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.

Claims (16)

1. A multiple independent chamber pneumatically inflatable underlay for use in combination with and underneath a mattress to selectively raise and support specific depressed areas in the mattress and thereby provide uniform body support throughout the overall area of the mattress, comprising:
(a) a first individual discrete pneumatically inflatable chamber adapted to underlie the central area of a mattress and raise the central area of the mattress when inflated;
(b) a second individual discrete pneumatically inflatable chamber located longitudinally to chamber (a) and adapted to underlie the mattress area adjacent the central area and to one end of the mattress and raise the overlying area of the mattress when inflated;
(c) a third individual discrete pneumatically inflatable chamber located longitudinally to chamber (a) on the side opposite to chamber (b) and adapted to underlie the mattress end area opposite to the end supported by chamber (b) above and raise the overlying area of the mattress when inflated;
(d) separate inflation valve means for each chamber, each inflation valve means being openable for inflation and being closable after the specific chamber has been inflated pneumati-cally to provide required support for a specific area of the mattress that the specific chamber underlies.

2. An underlay as defined in claim 1 wherein the underlay includes a pair of fourth individual discrete pneumati-cally inflatable chambers, each located laterally to each side of the first chamber (a).

3. An underlay as defined in claim 2 wherein the underlay includes a pair of fifth individual discrete pneumati-cally inflatable chambers, each located laterally to each side of the pair of fourth chambers.

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4. An underlay as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the underlay is of a general oval shape.

5. A bladder as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein each of the chambers has a generally diamond shape, the chambers being arranged adjacent to one another.

6. An underlay as defined in claim 2 wherein the first chamber (a) is located in the interior area of the underlay and is of a diamond shape, the fourth chamber comprises at least six in number, three of which are disposed laterally on one side of the first chamber (a) to form a first group, and the other three are disposed laterally on the opposite side of the first chamber (a) to form a second group the two groups of the fourth chambers being disposed adjacent to one another.

7. An underlay as defined in claim 6 wherein the third type chamber (c) comprises at least two such chambers, one disposed on one side of the second chamber type (b), and the other disposed on the side of the opposite second chamber type (b).

8. An underlay as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3, comprising at least three of each chamber type, the chambers being of a general rectangular shape, and being arranged adjacent to one another in rows.

9. An underlay as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the underlay has a generally rectangular shape.

10. An underlay as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein separate elongated tubes are connected to each of the valve means connected to each individual chamber, each individual chamber being inflatable by the tube that is specifically connected to the specific chamber and its valve means.

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11. An underlay as defined in claim 6 or 7 wherein the first type of chamber (a) is inflated to one level of air pressure, the second type of chamber (b) is inflated to a second level of air pressure different from the first level of air pressure, and the third type of chamber (c) is inflated to the same or a different level of air pressure than the first or second type of chamber.

12. An underlay as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein each chamber is inflated to a different level of air pressure.

13. An underlay as defined in claim 6 wherein the second type chamber (b) comprises at least two such chambers, each disposed longitudinally in series from the first chamber (a), and the third type chamber (c) comprises at least two such chambers each disposed longitudinally in series from the first chamber (a).

14. A method of selectively raising and reinforcing specific support depressed areas in a mattress thereby enabling the mattress to provide uniform body support thorughout its overall area, comprising inserting underneath the mattress a multiple chamber pneumatically inflatable mattress underlay which has a plurality of individual discrete independently pneumati-cally inflatable chambers and selectively inflating respective chambers underlying specific support depressed areas in the mattress in order to selectively raise those support depressed areas so that the mattress provides uniform support throughout its overall area.

15. A method as defined in claim 14 wherein one chamber is inflated to one level of air pressure, a second chamber is inflated to a second level of air pressure different from the level of air pressure in the first chamber, and a third chamber is inflated to the same or a different level of air - Page 3 of Claims -pressure compared to the air pressure in the first and second chambers.

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