U.S. patent application number 10/117343 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-09 for pillow top inflatable mattress.
This patent application is currently assigned to Aero Products International, Inc.. Invention is credited to Boso, Karen L., Ching-Chin, Chen.
Application Number | 20030188388 10/117343 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 28674176 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030188388 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boso, Karen L. ; et
al. |
October 9, 2003 |
Pillow top inflatable mattress
Abstract
An inflatable support system having an upper chamber attached to
a lower chamber and in fluid communication therewith which may be
inflated with a single pump and deflated with a first valve, the
upper chamber having a pillow top appearance when inflated.
Inventors: |
Boso, Karen L.; (Woodstock,
IL) ; Ching-Chin, Chen; (Shinyi Chiu Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GREENBERG-TRAURIG
1750 TYSONS BOULEVARD, 12TH FLOOR
MCLEAN
VA
22102
US
|
Assignee: |
Aero Products International,
Inc.
Wauconda
IL
|
Family ID: |
28674176 |
Appl. No.: |
10/117343 |
Filed: |
April 8, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/710 ;
5/713 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 27/087 20130101;
A47C 27/082 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/710 ;
5/713 |
International
Class: |
A47C 027/10 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An inflatable support system having an upper chamber attached to
a lower chamber and in fluid communication therewith which may be
inflated with a single pump and deflated with a first valve, the
upper chamber having a pillow top appearance when inflated.
2. The inflatable support system of claim 1, where the lower
chamber is of a coil construction.
3. The inflatable support system of claim 1, where the lower
chamber is of a channel construction.
4. The inflatable support system of claim 1, where the upper
chamber is flocked.
5. The inflatable support system of claim 1, where the upper
chamber is laminated with a fabric.
6. The inflatable support system of claim 1, where the upper
chamber is welded to produce a textured appearance.
7. The inflatable support system of claim 6, where the textured
appearance is created by applying welding dies which are
substantially sinusoidal in design.
8. The inflatable support system of claim 7, where successive
sinusoidal welding patterns are substantially out of phase.
9. The inflatable support system of claim 1, wherein the pump is
battery operated.
10. The inflatable support system of claim 9, wherein the battery
operated pump is rechargeable.
11. The inflatable support system of claim 1, wherein the pump
receives power from a standard household electrical socket.
12. The inflatable support system of claim 1, wherein the pump is
removably coupled to the inflatable support system.
13. The inflatable support system of claim 1, further comprising a
second valve for gradually deflating the inflatable support
system.
14. The inflatable support system of claim 13, wherein a user can
select the pressure within the inflatable support system by
alternately inflating the support system with the pump or deflating
the support system with the second valve.
15. The inflatable support system of claim 1, wherein the first
valve and the single pump are located at opposite ends of the
support system.
16. The inflatable support system of claim 15, wherein the first
valve is connected to a foot end of the lower chamber and the
single pump is operably connected to a head end of the lower
chamber.
17. The inflatable support system of claim 1, wherein the single
pump and the first valve are operably connected to the lower
chamber.
18. The inflatable support system of claim 1, wherein the pillow
top appearance is achieved by attaching a lower surface of the
upper chamber to an upper surface of the lower chamber inset from
the outer edges thereof.
19. An inflatable support system comprising: a flocked upper
chamber which has a pillow top appearance when inflated; a lower
chamber attached to and in fluid communication with the upper
chamber, the lower chamber having a coil construction; a single
pump for inflating the support system which is operably coupled to
the support system and which receives power from a household
electrical socket; at least one first valve for rapidly deflating
the support system; and, at least one second valve for gradually
deflating the support system.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 09/918,561 entitled "Increased Height Inflatable Support
System" filed Aug. 1, 2001, the teachings of which are herein
incorporated by reference. This application is related to design
application entitled "Pillow Top Inflatable Mattress" filed on even
date herein, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of inflatable
support systems, and more particularly to mattresses giving the
appearance of having a top layer wherein the outer seams or edges
are preferably mated together at a location other than the extreme
mattress edge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is very desirable in a conventional mattress to have the
appearance of a pillow top which features a quilted or padded layer
of support on top of a conventional mattress but integrated within
the mattress. The appearance is very pleasing and leads oneself to
think of luxurious sleeping comfort. There is a need in the art for
an inflatable mattress to provide such an appearance as well as
comfort and support.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,214, to Klimenko discloses an inflatable
mattress including an upper, quilted component, a lower mattress
component, and an inflatable frame surrounding each, arranged such
that the components give the illusion of a two-piece construction,
with the quilted component lying atop the mattress section. The
Klimenko patent specifically teaches that the upper and lower
components do not permit air or similar fluid communication between
them. The lower component is comprised of two sections, a central
section and a frame. The frame is attached to and surrounds some or
all of the central section. In addition, the two sections are not
in fluid communication with each other, nor is the central section
of the lower component in fluid communication with either of the
segments of the upper component. The upper component includes a
frame which can be sealed to the frame of the lower component,
integrating the two components into a single mattress assembly.
[0005] While Klimenko does provide a pillow top appearance there
still remains a need for a simple design of an inflatable mattress
having such appearance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention presents the appearance of a
conventional pillow top mattress within an inflatable air mattress
wherein the upper quilted component is attached to a lower
component mating inset from the extreme edge. The integrated system
has fluid communication between the upper component and the lower
component to provide the appearance of a pillow top bed and the
comfort and support similar to a conventional pillow top bed. The
inflatable system has a polyvinyl chloride inflatable bladder
supported in a preferred embodiment by a coil construction
supporting the lower chamber which is in fluid communication with
an upper chamber which is welded to the lower chamber inset from
the outer edge to form the pillow top appearance. The top surface
of the upper chamber can be textured to provide the look and feel
of a conventional pillow top bed. One pump acting through one valve
is used to inflate or deflate the bed in a one-touch design.
[0007] Generally, the invention pertains to an inflatable support
system having an upper chamber attached to a lower chamber and in
fluid communication therewith which may be inflated with a single
pump and deflated with a first valve, the upper chamber having a
pillow top appearance when inflated. The pillow top appearance is
typically achieved by attaching a lower surface of the upper
chamber to an upper surface of the lower chamber inset from the
outer edges thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the upper chamber
is flocked or laminated with a fabric, and is welded to produce a
textured appearance. Such welding may be made with dies of various
shapes, including dies which are substantially sinusoidal in
design. Where sinusoidal or other "wave" or "peak and trough" dies
are used, a preferred die pattern is formed by alternating the
peaks and troughs of the die (i.e. creating a pattern in which each
wave is substantially out of phase with the next).
[0008] The inflatable support system can be inflated by a battery
operated or electric pump, the operation of which can be controlled
by a user. In a preferred embodiment, the pump may be removed from
the inflatable support system without causing the inflatable
support system to deflate. A second valve may also be provided
which gradually deflates the inflatable support system, thereby
allowing a user to adjust the pressure within the inflatable
support system to a desired level.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a
further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the description serve to explain
the principles of the invention.
[0010] In the drawings:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary mattress
assembly of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary mattress
assembly.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the mattress assembly.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a head end view of the mattress of the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 5 is the foot end view showing the present
invention.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a side view of the mattress assembly.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a top view of the mattress assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an inflatable pillow top
mattress assembly 10 of the present invention. Assembly 10 contains
an upper component 12 and a lower component 14 which in most
embodiments are scaled to form an integrated device. As illustrated
in FIG. 1, upper component 12 does not necessarily appear to be
sealed to lower component 14, but rather could under casual
observation seem to be merely resting atop lower component 14.
[0019] In assembly 10 of FIG. 1, upper component 12 is principally
of a quilted construction like the cover of a mattress which may be
conventionally filled with down. Lower component 14 by contrast is
a box like construction much like a conventional mattress.
Motorized pump 16 is essentially an electric motor that has a
one-touch control 18 for inflating and deflating the mattress with
air or fluid.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a cut away showing the internal assembly of the
present invention. Upper component 12 has a quilted central section
formed by welding or stamping a polyvinyl chloride material.
Internal to lower unit 14 are coils 22 which may be of a
conventional coil design. In an alternative embodiment, alternative
coil structures, such as Quadra Coils (trademark of Aero Products,
Inc.), described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/154,102,
may be employed. In another embodiment, a channel construction can
be employed along the length of lower component 14 to provide
support. In still another alternative embodiment a construction
without coils or channels can be used to provide support within
lower component 14.
[0021] Top layer 26 forms the top of lower component 14, while
layer 28 forms the bottom of upper component 12. As shown in FIG.
2, inflation of the pillow top component is made through air
channels 24 placed around the circumference of lower component 14
and upper component 12. Air channels 24 allow the periphery of
upper component 12 to fill with air which propagates throughout
center region 20 to inflate upper component 12, giving assembly 10
the appearance of a pillow top mattress.
[0022] Air channels 24 are openings in the top layer of the lower
component and bottom layer of top component 14, which are joined
together by radio frequency welding, chemical bonding, or other
such process. The air channels are approximately 3/4 inch in
diameter, substantially centered in the periphery of upper chamber
12, and include reinforced PVC to enhance their durability. In the
preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, four air channels 24
are used, and they are located substantially between the second and
third row of coils. It should be appreciated by one skilled in the
art that additional air channels may be used, and that alternative
air channel placements may be employed to provide fluid
communication between the upper and lower components without
departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
[0023] Shown in FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the pillow top
inflatable mattress illustrating a preferred coil design 22. Also
illustrated in FIG. 3 is pumping motor 16, which is attached to
lower component 14.
[0024] Shown in FIG. 4 is the top end, or "head," of assembly 10.
Although FIG. 4 illustrates the preferred location of pumping motor
16, it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art that pumping
motor 16 could be moved to alternate locations without departing
from the spirit or scope of the invention, including using motors
which are not directly attached to assembly 10, or which are
removably attached thereto. As can be seen in detail in FIG. 4,
upper layer 26 of lower component 14 is welded to layer 28, which
forms the bottom of upper component 12. Alternatively, layers 26
and 28 may be a single layer and function to form both the top and
bottom of the lower and upper components respectively. Lower
component 14 may be formed of bottom layer 30, to which side gusset
32 is welded, with upper layer 26 welded at the opposite end of
gusset 32. Alternatively, layer 30 can be continuous with side
gusset 32. The pillow top feature is formed by the upper component
12 having a seal to the upper layer of lower unit 14 recessed from
the outer edge at layer 26, giving rise to a conventional pillow
top appearance.
[0025] Motorized pump 16 has a one-touch control 34 which allows a
user to control the pressure within assembly 10. Motorized pump 16
is shown attached to chamber 14, but in the alternative could be
attached to upper component 12 because both chambers are in fluid
communication. Pump 16 should be powerful enough to fill the entire
support system with a gas or fluid, such that the lower chamber 14
in combination with upper chamber 12 and provide comfortable
support to a user. A user can inflate assembly 10 by pressing a
button on or near pump 16 as illustrated by button 34 in FIG. 4.
Pump 16 may automatically stop inflating the support system when
the pressure within the support system reaches a limit selectable
by a user. In addition, should a user desire to gradually decrease
the pressure within the support system, a user simply activates a
pushbutton valve illustrated as valve 34 in FIG. 4. Pump 16 may
also monitor support system air pressure and automatically add
additional air if the pressure falls below a level selected by a
user.
[0026] Shown in FIG. 5 is a valve 40 which is used to deflate the
unit in a rapid manner. Similar to FIG. 4, the pillow top upper
chamber 12 and lower chamber 14 are shown.
[0027] A side view of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6. The
pillow top effect achieved by placing upper chamber 12 on lower
chamber 14 is clearly discernable. In addition, the preferred
relationship of pump 16 and valve outlet for deflation 40 is
clearly illustrated in FIG. 6.
[0028] FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the present invention.
Upper chamber 12 and motor 16 are easily distinguished in the
illustration.
[0029] What has been shown is a pillow top inflatable mattress
which operates as one valve and one pump. Fluid communication
between the pillow top chamber and a lower chamber is established.
It should be apparent to those skilled in the art of the various
changes and modifications can be made therein without departure
from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, it is
intended that the present invention cover the modifications and
variations of this inventions that come within the scope of the
appended claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *