Inflatable cushioning device

Abstract

An inflatable cushioning device is provided that is comprised of three layers of flexible gas-impermeable material. One of such layers of material is formed with spaced protrusions throughout its length and width. This layer, when sealed to a flat layer of similar shape along its periphery and at various locations between the protrusions, forms an inflatable assembly. The ends or tips of the spaced protrusions are connected to another flat layer of similar size and shape for structural support. When inflated the protrusions act as the main structure for supporting a load upon the inflatable device. The protrusions are spaced close enough to provide ample load support but far enough apart to minimize the overall volume of air needed to inflate the device to full size.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to an inflatable cushioning device and more specifically to an inflatable cushioning device that is versatile enough to be used as a mattress, seat cushion, or package cushioning material.

[0003] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art

[0004] Cellular devices are documented extensively in the prior art. Cellular noninflatable devices have been used extensively as packaging and cushioning material. Such devices are represented in the prior art generally by patents U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,454 to Williams, Jan. 26, 1966, 3294387 to Chavannes, Dec. 5, 1966, U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,679 to Hale, Feb. 11, 1975, 4533583 to May, Aug. 6, 1985, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,501 to Colvin, et al., Jul. 9, 1991. These devices, while using a cellular pattern for structural support and cushioning, generally are not inflatable, not refillable, nor reusable. Also, they are not designed to minimize the volume of gases or liquids needed to fill them to full size. In addition, they are specific to the packaging industry.

[0005] Air cushions and air mattresses are another category of cellular devices. These are generally represented in the prior art by patents U.S. Pat. No. 2,318,492 to Johnson, May 4, 1943, U.S. Pat. No. 2,575,764 to Morner, Nov. 20, 1951, U.S. Pat. No. 2,731,652 to Bishop, Jan. 24, 1956, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,012 to Torbet, May 5, 1987. Again, while inventive, these devices are either not inflatable or they are not designed to minimize the volume of gases or liquids needed to fill them to full size.

[0006] Inflatable beds and cushions used for hospital patient care are one more category of cellular devices. These inflatable structures use air cells to distribute a patient's weight and prevent the development of bedsores. These structures fulfill a need but are highly specialized to their field of use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,194 to Viesturs, et al., Dec. 27, 1983, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,731 to Toedter, Jun. 24, 1997 disclose inventive use of air cells but are highly complicated and are not readily adaptable to be used outside of the patient care industry. These types of cellular devices are suitable for medical purposes where the volume of air used and the cost of manufacturing are of little concern. Patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,466 to Higgins, et al., Jan. 8, 1991 is broader in its declared use. However, it uses a complicated air fill mechanism and is not designed to minimize the volume of air needed to fill it to full size.

[0007] Of all the cellular devices in the prior art none are at once inflatable, easy and economical to manufacture, versatile enough to be used in multiple applications such as cushions, mattresses, or packaging material, and designed to reduce the volume of air needed for filling to full size.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

[0008] The primary advantage of the inflatable cushioning device is that it uses significantly less volume of air to fill to full size than other similar sized inflatable devices. This advantage is particularly applicable to portable inflatable devices such as camping mattresses or cushions where it is undesirable to manually blow large volumes of air or carry an air pump for inflation.

[0009] A second advantage of the inflatable cushioning device is its versatility. It can be sized and shaped to fit nearly any inflatable application.

[0010] A third advantage of the inflatable cushioning device is that it has no complicated moving parts, no tubes or hoses to interconnect the air cells, and requires no pump.

[0011] A fourth advantage of the inflatable cushioning device is that, unlike typical packaging materials, it is inflatable and reusable thus reducing waste disposal costs. Also, because it is inflatable the present invention can form-fit around package contents that require protective cushioning.

[0012] More objects and advantages of the inflatable cushioning device will become apparent or be pointed out in the drawings and ensuing description

SUMMARY

[0013] The inflatable cushioning device is constructed of three layers of flexible gas-impermeable material. Two of the layers are sealed together along their periphery forming an inflatable assembly. One of these two layers is flat and the other is formed with spaced protrusions. The spaced protrusions extend away from the flat layer. To prevent the inflatable assembly from ballooning out from the center when inflated, the two layers that comprise the inflatable assembly are sealed together at various locations between the spaced protrusions. These seal locations also form a manifold area for air to flow to and from the spaced protrusions during inflation and deflation. An inflation and deflation port is provided in the inflatable assembly. A third layer of similarly sized material is sealed to the tips of the spaced protrusions. This layer provides lateral stability to the spaced protrusions.

[0014] In the inflatable cushioning device, when the protrusions are efficiently spaced, the volume of air required to fill it is significantly less than the volume displaced by the entire object. In other words an inflatable device, such as a mattress, with a similar height, width, and length without the spaced protrusions would require a larger volume of air to fill to full size. This makes the inflatable cushioning device ideal to be used in portable applications such as a camping mattress, seat cushion, or other accessory where it is not desirable to carry along an awkward or heavy air pump or to fill the portable device with one's own breath.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the inflatable cushioning device.

[0016] FIG. 1A is an exploded isometric view of the three layers that comprise the inflatable cushioning device.

[0017] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the inflatable assembly.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a cutaway isometric view of the inflatable cushioning device.

[0019] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a conventional air mattress.

[0020] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of the inflatable cushioning device.

[0021] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the inflatable assembly of the second embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a cutaway isometric view of the second embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a third embodiment of the inflatable cushioning device.

[0024] FIG. 9 is a cutaway isometric view of the third embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, an inflatable cushioning device is depicted. The device is comprised of three layers of flexible gas-impermeable material. The three layers can be seen individually in the exploded view of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1A depicts flat layer 20 on top. Protrusion layer 22 is in the middle. Protrusion layer 22 is formed with spaced protrusions 50 that appear as cylindrical structures. Stabilizing layer 24 is on the bottom. Referring back to FIG. 1, flat layer 20 on top is sealed to protrusion layer 22 that is in the middle. The tips of spaced protrusions 50 are secured to stabilizing layer 24 that is on the bottom. Referring to FIG. 1 in more detail, flat layer 20 and protrusion layer 22 are sealed at their respective peripheries, hereafter referred to as periphery seal 40. Flat layer 20 and protrusion layer 22 are also sealed together at various locations between spaced protrusions 50, hereafter referred to as manifold seals 44.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 2, sealing flat layer 20 and protrusion layer 22 along periphery seal 40 and manifold seals 44 forms an inflatable assembly 30. An inflation and deflation port 70 is provided for the attachment of a device such as a tube or valve (not shown).

[0027] FIG. 3 is a cutaway isometric view of the device. The manifold seals 44 in the cutaway are depicted as interior junctions between flat layer 20 and protrusion layer 22. The manifold seals 44 maintain the structural integrity of the inflatable assembly and form manifold area 60 through which air is distributed to spaced protrusions 50. Also seen in the cutaway portion of FIG. 3 are spaced protrusions 50 that are in fluid communication with each other through manifold area 60.

[0028] Also shown in FIG. 3 is stabilizing layer 24. Stabilizing layer 24 is sealed to the inflatable assembly 30 at the tips of spaced protrusions 50. The sealed locations, hereafter referred to as tip seals 42, occur at the junctions between the tips of spaced protrusions 50 and stabilizing layer 24.

Operation of the Preferred Embodiment

[0029] When inflated, the spaced protrusions 50 support a load placed on the inflatable cushioning device in FIG. 1. Spaced protrusions 50 are laterally stabilized by stabilizing layer 24 and thus do not deflect out of their vertical orientation. The distance between spaced protrusions 50 is such that the volume of air needed to fill the invention is significantly less than any inflatable device of the same size in the prior art. This novelty will become more apparent by comparing FIG. 4 with FIG. 1. FIG. 4 represents a conventional inflatable mattress having the same dimensions as the device in FIG. 1 but without spaced protrusions 50. In order to inflate the mattress in FIG. 4, one must fill its entire volume with air. This volume of air is significantly greater than the volume needed to fill the inflatable cushioning device in FIG. 1. Considering the inflatable cushioning device in FIG. 1, in an embodiment where spaced protrusions 50 are cylindrical and regularly spaced at a distance equal to their diameter, the volume of air required to fill it to full size could be as little as one-fifth the volume needed to fill the mattress shown in FIG. 4.

Description of a Second Embodiment

[0030] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of the inflatable cushioning device. This embodiment is comprised of four layers of flexible gas-impermeable material. Two protrusion layers 22 are sealed together along a periphery seal 40.

[0031] The spaced protrusions 50 in FIG. 5 appear as cylindrical structures extending away from a common central plane. One stabilizing layer 24 is secured to the tips of spaced protrusions 50 on top of the structure and another stabilizing layer 24 is similarly secured to the bottom.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 6, sealing the two protrusion layers 22 together and providing an inflation and deflation port 70 produces the inflatable assembly of the second embodiment 32.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a cutaway isometric view of the second embodiment. The cutaway reveals manifold seals 44 as well as the manifold area 60 in the center of the inflatable cushioning device. All spaced protrusions 50 of this embodiment are in fluid communication with each other through manifold area 60. Also shown in FIG. 7 are stabilizing layers 24 on the top and bottom of the structure. The stabilizing layers 24 are secured to the tips of spaced protrusions 50 by tip seals 42.

Operation of the Second Embodiment

[0034] The operation of the second embodiment is the same as the preferred embodiment. The same air-minimizing property is realized.

Description of a Third Embodiment

[0035] FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a third embodiment of the inflatable cushioning device. In this embodiment there are two inflatable assemblies 30. As can be seen in FIG. 8, lateral stabilization of the spaced protrusions 50 is accomplished by sealing the two inflatable assemblies 30 together at the tips of their respective spaced protrusions 50. Inflation and deflation ports 70 are provided in both inflatable assemblies 30.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a cutaway isometric view of the third embodiment. Tip-to-tip seals 46 connect the inflatable assemblies 30. The tip-to-tip seals 46 occur where the spaced protrusions 50 of each inflatable assembly 30 meet. Manifold seals 44 perform the same function here as in the preferred embodiment. In the cutaway portion it can be seen that spaced protrusions 50 of both inflatable assemblies 30 are in fluid communication through their respective manifold areas 60. However, the inflatable assemblies 30 are not in fluid communication with each other. In other words the two inflatable assemblies 30 are separately inflatable.

Operation of the Third Embodiment

[0037] Operation of the third embodiment is the same as the preferred embodiment except that there are two inflatable assemblies 30. In the case that one inflatable assembly is ruptured the other can still support a load on the inflatable cushioning device. The same air-minimizing property is realized as in the preferred embodiment.

Conclusion and Scope

[0038] From the preceding description the reader will understand that the inflatable cushioning device is simple, versatile, reusable, and most importantly it significantly reduces the volume of air needed to fill it to full size.

[0039] In the preceding description it is recognized that the words "sealed" and "secured" are meant to represent any method known in the field of joining flexible gasPage impermeable material such as a bonding agent, weld, ultrasonic seal, heat seal, or the like. It is also recognized that the spaced protrusions 50 could be of any shape or length as long as the spaced protrusions 50 support a load on the structure and are spaced to minimize the amount of air needed to fill the structure. It is further recognized that the protrusion layer 22 could be formed by any known means of forming protrusions or cells in flexible gas-impermeable material. It is still further recognized that stabilizing layer 24 need not be gas-impermeable in order to complete the structure. The stabilizing layer 24 could also be sealed along its periphery to the inflatable assembly 30 without changing the essence of the invention. These modifications and others that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the scope of the invention is not to be limited by the specification and is rather to be determined by the appended claims.

List of reference numerals

[0040] 20--flat layer

[0041] 22--protrusion layer

[0042] 24--stabilizing layer

[0043] 30--inflatable assembly

[0044] 32--inflatable assembly of the second embodiment

[0045] 40--periphery seal

[0046] 42--tip seal

[0047] 44--manifold seal

[0048] 46--tip-to-tip seal

[0049] 50--spaced protrusion

[0050] 60--manifold area

[0051] 70--inflation and deflation port

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An inflatable cushioning device comprising: a layer of flexible gas impermeable material containing a plurality of spaced protrusions, a flat layer of gas impermeable material of similar size and shape sealed to said layer at its periphery and at various locations between said spaced protrusions to form an inflatable assembly, wherein said spaced protrusions extend away from said flat layer and said spaced protrusions are in fluid communication with each other, a port for inflation and deflation in said inflatable assembly for the attachment of an inflationary means, and an additional flat layer of similar size and shape connected to the tips of all said spaced protrusions of said inflatable assembly, whereby said spaced protrusions are laterally stabilized by their connection to said additional flat layer, are spaced to minimize the volume of air needed to fill said inflatable assembly, and support a load on the structure when inflated.

2. An inflatable cushioning device comprising: two layers of gas impermeable material each containing a plurality of spaced protrusions, said two layers sealed to each other at their peripheries and at various locations between said spaced protrusions to form an inflatable assembly, wherein said spaced protrusions extend away from a common central plane and are in fluid communication with each other, a port for inflation and deflation in said inflatable assembly for the attachment of an inflationary means, and two flat layers of similar size and shape connected to the tips of all said spaced protrusions on each side of said inflatable assembly, whereby said spaced protrusions are laterally stabilized by their connection to said two flat layers, are spaced to minimize the volume of air needed to fill said inflatable assembly, and support a load on the structure when inflated.

3. An inflatable cushioning device comprising: a layer of gas impermeable material containing a plurality of spaced protrusions, a flat layer of gas impermeable material of similar size and shape sealed to said layer at its periphery and at various locations between said spaced protrusions to form a first inflatable assembly, wherein said spaced protrusions extend away from said flat layer and are in fluid communication with each other, a similarly formed second inflatable assembly with similar spaced protrusions, wherein the tips of said similar spaced protrusions are connected to the tips of said spaced protrusions of said first inflatable assembly, and a port for inflation and deflation in said first inflatable assembly and said second inflatable assembly for the attachment of an inflationary means, whereby said spaced protrusions and said similar spaced protrusions are laterally stabilized by their connection to each other, are spaced to minimize the volume of air needed to fill said first inflatable assembly and said second inflatable assembly, and support a load on the structure when inflated.