U.S. patent application number 10/863955 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-15 for airbed utilizing extruded coils.
This patent application is currently assigned to The Coleman Company, Inc.. Invention is credited to Metzger, Andrew T., Worley, Lauren D..
Application Number | 20050273938 10/863955 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35458953 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050273938 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Metzger, Andrew T. ; et
al. |
December 15, 2005 |
Airbed utilizing extruded coils
Abstract
An extruded, seamless and weld-free, loop of flexible material
for use as a coil in an airbed. The extruded coil provides more
strength and no weak points for coils, and thus a more stable,
durable, airbed. In addition, the process of using an extruded coil
allows for less manufacturing deviation, and thus a more
consistently durable airbed. The extruded coils may be textured
inside and out to allow for ease of assembly, and to keep the coils
from sticking during inflation and deflation of the product.
Inventors: |
Metzger, Andrew T.; (Belle
Plaine, KS) ; Worley, Lauren D.; (Wichita,
KS) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LEYDIG, VOIT & MAYER, LTD.
(SEATTLE OFFICE)
TWO PRUDENTIAL PLAZA
SUITE 4900
CHICAGO
IL
60601-6780
US
|
Assignee: |
The Coleman Company, Inc.
Wichita
KS
|
Family ID: |
35458953 |
Appl. No.: |
10/863955 |
Filed: |
June 9, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
5/712 ;
5/706 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 27/081 20130101;
A47C 27/088 20130101; A47C 27/087 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
005/712 ;
005/706 |
International
Class: |
A47C 027/08 |
Claims
1. An airbed, comprising: an upper wall; a lower wall; and at least
one coil connected between the upper wall and the lower wall, said
at Least one coil comprising an extruded, weld-free, loop of
flexible material.
2. The airbed of claim 1, wherein the coil is seamless.
3. The airbed of claim 1, wherein the coil is connected to the
upper and lower walls by ellipse-like welds.
4. The airbed of claim 1, said at least one coil comprises texture
inside and out.
5. The airbed of claim 4, wherein said at least one coil comprises
polyvinylchloride.
6. The airbed of claim 1, wherein said at least one coil comprises
polyvinylchloride.
7. A method of forming an airbed, comprising: extruding at least
tone coil, said at least one coil comprising a weld-free, loop of
flexible material; and connecting said at least one coil to an
upper wall and a lower wall of the airbed.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein connecting comprises welding said
at least one coil to he upper and lower walls.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein connecting comprises welding said
at least one coil to the upper and lower walls using ellipse-like
welds.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein said at least one coil is
seamless.
11. A method of forming an airbed, comprising: obtaining at least
one coil, said at least one coil comprising an extruded,
weld.-free, loop of flexible material; and connecting said at least
one coil to an upper wall and a lower wall of the airbed.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein connecting comprises welding
said at least one coil to the upper and lower walls.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein connecting comprises welding
said at least one coil to the upper and lower walls using
ellipse-like welds.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein said at least one coil is
seamless.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed to airbeds, and more
specifically to reinforcing structures for airbeds.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] An airbed is a large rectangular rubber or plastic bag that
is filled with air so that it may be used as a bed. Airbeds are
well known in the art and have proven themselves to be very useful.
On the one hand, when there is no need to sleep on an inflatable
airbed, an owner may simply deflate the airbed (i.e., let all the
air out), fold it up, and then store it away in a closet or
basement. On the other hand, when guests arrive or when the owner
of the airbed takes a trip to a place where there is no bed, the
owner may simply inflate the airbed and sleep on it.
[0003] Most current inflatable airbeds have a single chamber,
meaning that air can travel anywhere inside the airbed since there
is no barrier sealing off one portion of the airbed from another.
Therefore, when multiple people sleep or sit on the airbed, air is
constantly being moved from one portion of the airbed to another as
the weight of the person is shifted.
[0004] For example, suppose person A is sleeping on the left side
of an inflated queen size airbed. Because there is currently no
weight on the right side of the airbed, air would naturally flow
toward the unweighted right side of the airbed until an equilibrium
pressure condition is established (i.e., the right side cannot hold
anymore air). This shifting of air to the right side consequently
would cause the right side of the airbed to rise.
[0005] Next, suppose person B wants to sleep on the now elevated
right side of the airbed. As person B descends onto the right side
of the airbed, this new weight causes a redistribution of the air
back toward the left side of the airbed where person A is sleeping.
Air flows back to the left side of the air bed, causing the left
side to rise due to the newly added air pressure underneath. This
unexpected elevation in the left side of the airbed may even awake
person A. Furthermore, each time person A or B moves around during
their sleep and causes a shift in weight on the airbed, air may
also be shifted around inside the entire airbed. This constant
movement of air inside the airbed in response to weight shifts
causes different portions of the airbed to rise and fall until the
weight movement stops. This constant rocking, elevation or
depression of various portions of the airbed every time one person
moves can disrupt a good night's sleep.
[0006] To address the unequal distribution of air in an airbed, a
variety of different constructions have been used to control the
structure and shape of airbeds. A first type is an internal I-beam
structure, having a material that extends from an interior of a top
wall of an airbed to an interior of a bottom wall of the airbed.
This structure is designed in such a way to consist of well defined
start and stop points, the start and stop points attached to the
inner surfaces of the airbed. The I-beam prevents portions of the
airbed adjacent to the I-beam from rising beyond a certain height.
However, I-beams are inherently weak because of the start and stop
points.
[0007] An improvement to the I-beam construction is the concept of
coil designs. Coils allow for an effectively closed loop to be
attached at upper and lower portions of the loop to the interior
portions of the upper and lower walls of the airbed. Because a loop
is used, there are effectively no start and stop points in this
design. Thus, this structure greatly improves the performance and
durability of an airbed.
[0008] The most commonly used coils in contemporary airbeds are
formed by taking two flat sheets of material and butt welding the
edges of these materials together, forming a tube. The butt welded
tube is then heat welded to the top and bottom walls of the airbed
with ellipse-like welds. It has been found that the ellipse-like
welds and other discretely shaped welds, such as circular,
triangular, or rectangular-shaped welds, provide users with more
comfort than a rigid, narrow weld, such as a standard I-beam-type
weld. Moreover, the ellipse-like welds also allow for optimal
strength characteristics in bonding of the coils.
[0009] Such a structure is shown in FIG. 1, where an airbed 10
includes coils 12 having butt welds 14 at top and bottom edges.
Oval welds 16 are utilized to connect the coils 12 to upper and
lower walls of the airbed 10. The butt welds 14 are contained
within and extend perpendicular to the oval welds 16. The butt
welds 14 are not strong enough to maintain a permanent connection
of the coil 12, and thus serve as a temporary, end-process weld
that holds the coil 12 together until the coil 12 is attached to
the upper and lower walls of the airbed 10 by the oval welds 16.
The oval welds 16 then hold the two ends in place.
[0010] One problem with the design shown in FIG. 1 is that the butt
weld 14 can become a weak spot for the attachment of the coil 12 to
the oval weld 16. Thus, the butt weld 14 can reduce the durability
of the airbed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The following presents a simplified summary of some
embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic
understanding of the invention. This summary is not an extensive
overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify
key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of
the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some embodiments of
the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more
detailed description that is presented later.
[0012] In accordance with an embodiment, an extruded, seamless and
weld-free, loop of flexible material is provided for use as a coil
in an airbed. The extruded coil provides more strength and no weak
points for coils, and thus a more stable, durable, airbed. In
addition, the process of using an extruded coil allows for less
manufacturing deviation, and thus a more consistently durable
airbed.
[0013] In accordance with an embodiment, the extruded coils may be
textured inside and out to allow for ease of assembly, and to keep
the coils from sticking during inflation and deflation of the
product.
[0014] Other features of the invention will become apparent from
the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with
the drawings, in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of a prior art
airbed;
[0016] FIG. 2 shows a side perspective view of an airbed
incorporating coils in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section
lines 3-3 of FIG. 2; and
[0018] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view representing a method by which
an extruded coil may be produced in accordance with an
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] In the following description, various embodiments of the
present invention will be described. For purposes of explanation,
specific configurations and details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it
will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present
invention may be practiced without the specific details.
Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in
order not to obscure the embodiment being described.
[0020] Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference
numerals represent like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 2
shows a side perspective view of an airbed 20 incorporating coils
22 in accordance with an embodiment. Briefly described, the coils
22 are formed of a single-piece, seamless, weld-free, extruded
flexible tube of material.
[0021] The coils 22 are attached to upper and lower walls 24, 26,
of the airbed 20 by oval welds 28. Although oval welds 28 are shown
in the drawings, other welds may be used, including any type of
ellipse-like weld, such as circular, triangular, or rectangular
shaped welds, or more narrow welds. In addition, although a single
weld is shown for attaching a coil 22 to the upper wall 24 and
another, single oval weld 28 is shown as attaching the lower wall
26 to the coil 22, two or more welds may be used at the attachment
of the coils 22 to the upper and/or lower walls 24, 26.
[0022] In the embodiment shown, the coils 22 are provided as short
segments, and a series of coils 22 are provided along the length of
the airbed 20. However, in an alternate embodiment, longer coils 22
may be provided, having multiple oval welds 28 or similar welds for
attaching the elongate coils 22 to the upper and lower walls 24,
26. In an alternate embodiment, the coils 22 may extend almost the
length of the airbed 20, and may be attached by multiple oval welds
28 or similar welds along the length of the coils 22.
[0023] The coils 22 may be cut to proper length, or may be provided
by a supplier at a desired length. The coils 22 are then welded in
a manner known in the art to the upper and lower walls 24, 26. When
in place, the coils 22 provide structure for the airbed 20, as can
be seen in FIG. 3. The coils 22 prevent movement of the upper and
lower walls 24, 26 in the area adjacent to the coils 22.
[0024] In accordance with an embodiment, the coils 22 are made of
polyvinylchloride (PVC). However, any suitable material may be
used. PVC, however, is typically the material used for airbeds,
such as the airbed 20, and thus provides quick and easy welding to
the upper and lower walls 24, 26.
[0025] The method for making extruded polyvinylchloride flexible
tubes is known, but a process is shown in FIG. 4 for the benefit of
the reader. An extrusion mold 30 is utilized for forming an
elongate, flexible extrusion 32. The extrusion mold 30 includes an
outer dye 34 and an inner dye 36. The elongate extrusion 32 is
extruded from between the outer dye 34 and the inner dye 36.
[0026] During the extrusion process, it is important to keep the
sides of the elongate extrusion 32 from touching one another so
that they will not weld together before cooling. To this end, an
internal cooling airstream, indicated by the arrows 38 may be
provided for the cooling and separation of the elongate extrusion
32. In addition to or in replacement of the internal cooling
airstream 38, a vacuum, such as via vacuum boxes 40 may be supplied
on the outside of the elongate extrusion 32, for pulling the walls
of the elongate extrusion 32 apart. The internal cooling airstream
38 and/or the vacuum boxes 40 may extend an appropriate length
beyond the extrusion molds 30 so that the elongate extrusion 32 is
cooled when it is no longer supported by the internal cooling
airstream 38 and/or the vacuum boxes 40.
[0027] The coils 22 of the present invention provide a stable
structure for an airbed, such as the airbed 20. The coils 22,
because they are formed of an extruded material, do not include
butt welds or any other potentially weak locations.
[0028] If desired, the coils 22 may be textured on the inside and
outside to allow for ease of assembly. Texturing would also prevent
the coils 22 from sticking during the inflation and deflation of
the airbed 20.
[0029] The use of the extruded coils 22 permits coils to be
produced with less manufacturing deviation. As such, the size of
the coils 22 is more consistent, providing a more consistently
durable airbed 20.
[0030] Other variations are within the spirit of the present
invention. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to various
modifications and alternative constructions, a certain illustrated
embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described
above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no
intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms
disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all
modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling
within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the
appended claims.
[0031] All references, including publications, patent applications,
and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to
the same extent as if each reference were individually and
specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set
forth in its entirety herein.
[0032] The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar
referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in
the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover
both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein
or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising,"
"having," "including," and "containing" are to be construed as
open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,")
unless otherwise noted. The term "connected" is to be construed as
partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together,
even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of
values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of
referring individually to each separate value falling within the
range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value
is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually
recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in
any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise
clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples,
or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is
intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention
and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless
otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be
construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the
practice of the invention.
[0033] Preferred embodiments of this invention are described
herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying
out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may
become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading
the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to
employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for
the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically
described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all
modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the
claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover,
any combination of the above-described elements in all possible
variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise
indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
* * * * *