WO2004110215A2

WO2004110215A2 - Inflatable bed support

Info

Publication number: WO2004110215A2
Application number: PCT/US2004/018322
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Leventhal; Paul Thomas; E. Scott Davis
Original assignee: Banyan Licensing Lc
Priority date: 2003-06-11
Filing date: 2004-06-09
Publication date: 2004-12-23
Also published as: US20030196270A1; WO2004110215A3; EP1633220A2

Abstract

An inflatable bed support (16) which is composed of a bladder which when inflated defines three longitudinally extending side walls disposed in a triangular configuration. To support the bladder in the desired triangular configuration, there is provided an interior baffle (21) mounted within the bladder which in one embodiment comprises a pair of longitudinally extending panels disposed in a V-shaped arrangement and joined to the side walls. In another embodiment, one or more transverse panels form the baffle (21), either alone or in conjunction with the V-shaped panels. The bed support (16) may be used to form an assembly which may be assembled to the head end portion of a bed mattress and serves to adjustably lift the head end portion.

Description

INFLATABLE BED SUPPORT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an inflatable bed support of triangular configuration and which is adapted to be positioned upon one end of a bed, or positioned under one end portion of a bed mattress. The support thus serves to raise the head or feet of a user while lying upon the bed.

Description of Related Art Adjustable beds have found widespread use beyond nonambulatory patients and are used in many homes among persons of all age groups, in particular beds that raise the head and/or feet. Among the devices used to raise the head or feet are inflatable air bladders intended for use with conventional beds. A number of patents disclose bladders for this purpose. For example, United States Patent Nos. 3,392,412 and 3,606,623 to Aymer provide a bedrest having an inflatable bellows placed under a mattress and filled with compressed air. The bladder is filled with air by a conventional electric motor which is activated by a switch to turn the motor on and off.

Another adjustable bed rest is shown in United States Patent No. 3,667,075 which discloses a bellows assembly placed under the mattress wherein the mattress is raised either at the head section or under the knee to different heights through the expandable bellows. The bellows assembly is activated by a motor containing three position switches that are manually turned upwardly to actuate respective spool valves. When the switches are turned downwardly, they operate respective solenoid valves. The Cammack patent, United States Patent No. 4,309,783, discloses an inflatable bladder that is triangular in shape. The bladder in Cammack includes flexible elements which extend from adjacent the apex to adjacent a sidewall of the triangle designed to limit the expansion of the bladder. These flexible elements of specific length are designed to reinforce maintenance of the general shape of the bag in its generally triangular shape. The control mechanism has two double acting rocker buttons associated respectively with valve outlets. Upon depression of a rocker button in one direction, the motor is energized at the same time that the valve outlet is opened, allowing air to be delivered to the air bag through a hose. The same rocker button rocked in the opposite direction enables air to be removed from the bag.

United States Patent No. 5,170,522 to Walker discloses a foundation that has a first open top housing or recess located below a backrest plate. A first lift air bag is located in a first recess. When expanded, the first air bag has a generally triangular configuration so as to elevate the backrest plate in a generally upward inclined position. A second air lift bag is located adjacent the leg portion of the structure. When expanded^ this has a generally trapezoidal configuration. An air mattress is located on top of the foundation and the air mattress is adapted to bend with the transverse plates when the plates are elevated with the first and second lift air bags. A hand control is used to control the operation of a pump to change the air pressure in the mattress and also to change the air pressure in the first and second lift air bags. The controller has air operated switches for regulating a pump to supply air to air mattresses and lift air bags. Switches also control separate solenoid valves that are used to direct to the air mattress and lift bags. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved inflatable bed support of the described type, and which has provision for maintaining a triangular configuration in use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for raising and lowering the head end and/or the foot end of a mattress that includes a triangular shaped inflatable bladder and a hand held microprocessor controller. It is also an object of the invention to provide an inflatable assembly which can be assembled to an end portion of a bed mattress and which is adapted for lifting the one end portion of the bed mattress.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the provision of a bed support which comprises a bladder fabricated of a flexible air impermeable sheet material which when inflated defines three longitudinally extending side walls disposed in a triangular configuration when , viewed in transverse cross section. Opposite end walls close the ends of the bladder. Also, the bladder includes interior baffle means for supporting the bladder in the triangular configuration when inflated, and in one embodiment the baffle means comprises a pair of longitudinally extending panels disposed in a V- shaped arrangement with each panel being joined to the interior of two adjacent side walls of the bladder.

In another embodiment, the baffle means comprises at least one transverse panel positioned within the bladder and joined to the interior of at least two of the side walls. In still another embodiment, the baffle means comprises both the V- shaped panels and the transverse panel, both as described above. The bed support also includes an air delivery system which includes an opening communicating with the interior of the bladder.

The benefit of the interior baffle means is that once the bladder is inflated, the baffle means will cause the bladder to form into an appropriate triangular shape. Without this baffle means, even though the overall structure of the bladder is intended to be triangular when it is inflated, the shape cannot be as precisely controlled without the baffle means and the resultant bladder may form into a circle or an oblong shaped object of non-triangular shape. The interior baffle means therefore enables the structure to form more precisely into the desired triangular shape in order to perform more effectively when positioned upon or inserted under the mattress at the head location of the bed.

As a further aspect of the invention, the bed support as described above may be used as part of an inflatable assembly for being joined to and adjustably lifting one end portion of a bed mattress. In this configuration, the bladder is closely received in a fabric casing, and a tubular fabric cover is provided which is configured to slip over and encase the one end portion of the bed mattress. The cover is sized to overlie an upwardly inclined side wall of the bladder, and the cover is secured to the casing so as to prevent relative movement therebetween.

A microprocessor based hand controller enables an individual to inflate or deflate either the bladder under the head area or the bladder under the knee area of the bed to any desired amount with a simple control. In addition, the hand controlled microprocessor permits computer programming so that the mattress can be automatically raised and lowered to different levels during different periods of time. An additional feature is that one does not need to simply continue to hold the switch down in order to raise or lower the bladder portion but instead can press a simple button after the entire hand controlled microprocessor has been preprogrammed so that any one of a number of different adjustments can be made and these can be made at any given time and preset to any given time and interval. Thus, with the present invention there is provided a bed support for raising^' and lowering the head and/or leg area of a bed that is easy to install, simple in operation, and may be used with a conventional bed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are schematic in nature and not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable bed showing a bed support of the invention at the head of the bed in an elevated position, and also showing a second bed support positioned to underlie the knees of a user;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the triangular shaped bladder of the present invention with the near end wall removed;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the triangular shaped bladder taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, with part of one side wall broken away, as of a second embodiment of the bladder; Fig. 5 is a perspective view, with part of one side wall broken away, of a further embodiment of the bladder;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the head end portion of a bed having an assembly which includes the bladder of the present invention joined to and underlying the end portion of the mattress;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 but also illustrating the use of a reinforcing panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a bed 10 for use with the present invention. The bed 10 is generally rectangular and has conventional box springs or other suitable foundation 12, and a mattress 14. In other words, the bed used with the present invention may be a conventional bed. The mattress 14 has a head/back portion 15 and a leg/foot portion 13.

An inflatable bed support 16 having an air supply tube 18 for inflating and deflating the bed support is provided for raising and lowering the head portion 15 of the mattress. As shown in Fig. 1 there is also provided a second inflatable bed support 17 placed to underlie the knees of the user. It should be understood that the two bed supports 16 and 17 may be placed under the mattress 14 as illustrated, or upon the mattress. Also, the bed supports 16 and 17 are of like configuration as further described below, but with the support 16 being larger than the support 17.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, the bed support 16 includes a bladder, which is a triangular shaped structure when inflated and contains an interior baffle 21. More particularly, the bladder comprises a flexible air impermeable sheet material which when inflated defines three longitudinally extending side walls disposed in a triangular configuration when viewed in transverse cross section, note Fig. 3. The bladder is closed by opposite end walls 22, 23 to form a hermetically closed chamber.

An air delivery system is provided for delivering pressurized air into the interior of each bed support 16 and 17. The air delivery system includes an opening 24 in the end wall 22 of the bladder, and which is connected via an air supply tube 18 to an air pump motor 19 that is controlled by hand held control switch 20. For purposes of the present invention, the air pump motor 19 and control switch 20 may be of conventional design, hi a preferred embodiment however, the pump and switch as described in copending U.S. application 10/116,230 filed April 4, 2002 may be employed. The disclosure of the referenced copending application is expressly incorporated herein by reference. The interior baffle 21 is mounted within the bladder for supporting the bladder in the triangular configuration when inflated. The baffle 21 comprises a pair of longitudinally extending panels which are disposed in a V-shaped arrangement when viewed in cross section (note Fig. 3), with each panel joined to the interior of two adjacent side walls of the bladder. The panels of the baffle 21 have a longitudinal length which is slightly shorter than the longitudinal length of the side walls of the bladder 16, so as to be spaced from the end walls 22, 23 and thereby permit air flow around both ends of the baffle within the bladder.

The benefit of this interior bladder is that once the bladder is inflated, the baffle will cause the bladder to form into an appropriate triangular shape. Without this baffle, even though the overall structure of the device is intended to be triangular when it is inflated, the shape cannot be as precisely controlled without the baffle and the resultant bladder will form into possibly a circle or an oblong shaped object of non-triangular shape. The interior baffle therefore enables the structure to form more precisely into the desired triangular shape in order to perform a more effective lifting when inserted under the mattress. The bladder and the panels of the baffle may be fabricated of a variety of flexible air impermeable sheet materials, such as the plastic sheet materials commonly used in the construction of swimming pool toys. Such materials also facilitate the fabrication of the bladder, since the sides may be heat sealed to the ends of the bladder and to the panels of the baffle 21. Furthermore, the dimensions of the inflatable bladder may vary depending upon the size of the bed intended to be elevated. Preferably, however, the inflatable bed support is of a longitudinal length approximate the width of the bed on which it is used.

Fig. 4 illustrates a second embodiment of the bedisupport of the present invention at 16a. hi this embodiment, the baffle includes a transverse panel 25a positioned within the bladder and joined to the interior of at least two, and preferably all three of the side walls, by a heat seal or the like. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the panel 25a is located at a medial location along the longitudinal length of the bladder to divide the interior into two chambers of substantially equal size. Further, by heat sealing the panel 25a to all three walls of the bladder, the two chambers will be hermetically sealed from each other. This improves the stability of the bed support for the user, particularly in the case of a double bed where the weight is not uniformly distributed along the length of the support. Where the two chambers are hermetically sealed from each other, the air delivery system comprises separate openings 24a communicating with each of the chambers through one of the side walls of the bladder.

Fig. 5 shows an embodiment at 16b similar to that of Fig. 4, but where the panel 25b is not sealed about the entire periphery to the side walls of the bladder. Specifically, and as seen in Fig. 6, the corners of the panel 25b are separated from the bladder side walls to form passages. Thus only one air opening 24b is required, and the air is free to flow between the chambers at a slow or restricted rate. As an alternative to the open corners, the panel 25b may have one or more small openings (not shown) therethrough which permit restricted air flow between the chambers. While a single transverse panel is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, it will be appreciated that more than one panel may be employed, particularly in the case of bed supports sized to fit mattresses of double bed or larger size.

Figs. 7-9 illustrate further embodiments of the invention and wherein the bed support 16 forms part of an assembly 30 for adjustably lifting one end portion of a bed mattress. In the illustrated embodiment, the assembly 30 comprises a bed support 16a as described above, but which is configured to form a right triangle rather than an isosceles triangle as in the embodiments of Figs. 1-6. The bed support 16a is received in a fabric casing 31 which is sized to closely encase the bed support 16a when it is fully inflated. Also, there is provided a tubular fabric cover 32 which is configured to slip over and encase the head end portion of the mattress 14. The cover 32 is sized to overlie an upwardly inclined side wall of the bladder of the support 16a, and the cover 32 is secured to the casing 31 so as to prevent relative movement therebetween. , The cover 32 may be secured to the casing 31 by stitching or the like, and in a preferred embodiment the stitching forms a pocket which is open at the upper end so as to be adapted to receive a reinforcing relatively rigid flat plate 34 so as to be positioned between the casing 31 and cover 32 and overlie the upwardly inclined side wall of the bladder" and reinforce the same. The illustrated embodiment of the cover 32 includes a closed upper end which overlies the end of the mattress, but it will be understood that the cover may take the form of a sleeve with both ends being open. Also, it will be understood that the casing 31 may include suitable zippers or Velcro® closures (not shown) to permit the cover to be removed from the bladder for periodic cleaning. Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

IN THE CLAIMS:

1. An inflatable bed support, comprising: an inflatable bladder comprising a flexible air impermeable sheet material which when inflated defines three longitudinally extending side walls disposed in a triangular configuration when viewed in transverse cross section, and two opposite end walls which are transverse to said side walls, interior baffles comprising a pair of longitudinally extending panels which are disposed in a V-shaped arrangement when viewed in transverse cross section mounted within the bladder for supporting the bladder in said triangular configuration when the bladder is inflated, said baffle means comprising at least one panel joined between the interior of two adjacent side walls of the bladder, and an air delivery system comprising an opening communicating with the interior of the bladder.

2. The inflatable bed support as defined in Claim 1 wherein said baffle means further comprises at least one transverse panel positioned within said bladder and joined to the interior of at least two of the side walls .

3. The inflatable bed support as defined in Claim 2 wherein the one transverse panel is located at a medial location along the longitudinal length of the bladder to divide the interior into two chambers of substantially equal size.

4. The inflatable bed support as defined in Claim 3 wherein the one transverse panel is joined to the interior of the three side walls of the bladder so as to hermetically seal the two chambers from each other to thereby stabilize the bed support for the user where the weight is not uniformly distributed along the length of the bed support, and wherein the air delivery system comprises separate openings communicating with each of the chambers.

5. The inflatable bed support as defined in Claim 2 wherein the one transverse panel is joined to the interior of the side walls or includes one or more openings therethrough so as to permit the passage of air between the two chambers at a restricted flow rate, and wherein the air delivery system comprises a single opening communicating with one of the chambers.

6. The inflatable bed support as defined in Claim 3 wherein the one transverse panel is joined to the interior of the three side walls of the bladder so as to hermetically seal the two chambers from each other, and wherein the air delivery system comprises separate openings communicating with each of the chambers.

7. The inflatable bed support as defined in Claim 3 wherein the one transverse panel is joined to the interior of the side walls or includes one or more openings therethrough so as to permit the passage of air between the two chambers at a restricted flow rate, and wherein the air delivery system comprises a single opening communicating with one of the chambers.

8. The inflatable bed support as defined in Claim 1 further comprising a tubular cover configured to slip over and encase one end portion of a bed mattress and being sized to overlie one of said side walls of said bladder, and a casing which is joined to the casing and which closely encloses the bladder when it is inflated, and wherein the bed support may be positioned so that the casing and enclosed bladder underlie and lift one end portion of the bed mattress.

9. An inflatable assembly for adjustably lifting one end portion of a bed mattress, comprising an inflatable bladder comprising a flexible air impermeable sheet material which when inflated defines three longitudinally extending side walls disposed in a triangular configuration when viewed in transverse cross section, with said side walls including a base side wall and an upwardly inclined side wall, interior baffle means mounted within the bladder for supporting the bladder in said triangular configuration when the bladder is inflated, an air delivery system comprising an opening communicating with the interior of the bladder, a casing sized to closely receive the bladder when inflated, and a tubular cover configured to slip over and encase the one end • portion of a bed mattress and being sized to overlie said upwardly inclined side wall of said bladder, with said cover being secured to the casing so as to prevent relative movement therebetween.

10. The inflatable assembly as defined in Claim 9, wherein said baffle means comprises a pair of longitudinally extending panels which are disposed in a V-shaped arrangement when viewed in transverse cross section, with each panel being joined to the interior of two adjacent side wall of the bladder.

11. The inflatable assembly as defined in Claim 10, wherein said baffle means further comprises at least one transverse panel positioned within said bladder and joined to the interior of at least two of the side walls.

12. The inflatable assembly as defined in Claim 9, wherein said baffle means comprises at least one transverse panel positioned within said bladder and joined to the interior of at least two of the side walls.

I

13. The inflatable assembly as defined in Claim 9 further comprising a relatively rigid plate positioned between said casing and said cover so as to overlie said upwardly inclined side wall and further support the same.

14. An assembly including an inflatable bladder which is configured for adjustably lifting one end portion of a bed mattress, said assembly comprising:

a casing sized to closely enclose the bladder when inflated, and a tubular cover configured to slip over and encase the one end portion of a bed mattress, and with said cover being secured to the casing so as to prevent relative movement therebetween_^wherein said casing is configured to define an inclined side wall when the bladder is inflated, and wherein said cover is positioned to overlie the inclined side wall of the casing.

15. The assembly as defined in Claim 14 further comprising means to rigidify the inclined side wall of the casing and support the same in a generally flat configuration.

16. The assembly as defined in Claim 15 wherein the means to rigidify the inclined side wall of the casing comprises a relatively rigid plate positioned between the casing and the cover.

17. A bed support comprising: an inflatable bladder having an air supply tube for inflating and deflating said bladder for raising and lowering a portion of a mattress, said bladder comprising a flexible air-tight polymer material, which is a triangular shaped structure when inflated, and contains an interior baffle.

18. The bed support according to Claim 17 wherein said baffle is two sheets of material which extend for primarily the length of said bladder and are welded to interior walls of said bladder to form an inverse triangle inverse to the triangle formation of said bladder when inflated.