U.S. patent application number 14/037135 was filed with the patent office on 2014-04-03 for multi-chamber air mattress.
This patent application is currently assigned to BOYD SPECIALTY SLEEP. The applicant listed for this patent is Dennis M. Boyd. Invention is credited to Dennis M. Boyd.
Application Number | 20140090176 14/037135 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50383843 |
Filed Date | 2014-04-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140090176 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Boyd; Dennis M. |
April 3, 2014 |
MULTI-CHAMBER AIR MATTRESS
Abstract
A multi-chamber air mattress has an outer air chamber having a
top and a bottom and a sidewall therebetween; and an inner air
chamber disposed entirely within said outer chamber and having a
top, a bottom, and a sidewall therebetween. An air pump, a first
connection between the air pump and the outer chamber and a second
connection between the air pump and the inner chamber to provide
air to the outer and inner chambers.
Inventors: |
Boyd; Dennis M.; (St. Louis,
MO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Boyd; Dennis M. |
St. Louis |
MO |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BOYD SPECIALTY SLEEP
St. Louis
MO
|
Family ID: |
50383843 |
Appl. No.: |
14/037135 |
Filed: |
September 25, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61707439 |
Sep 28, 2012 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
5/710 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47C 27/10 20130101;
A47C 27/082 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
5/710 |
International
Class: |
A47C 27/08 20060101
A47C027/08 |
Claims
1. A multi-chamber air mattress, comprising: an outer air chamber
having a top and a bottom and a sidewall therebetween; an inner air
chamber disposed entirely within said outer chamber and having a
top, a bottom, and a sidewall therebetween; and an air pump, a
first connection between the air pump and the outer chamber and a
second connection between the air pump and the inner chamber to
provide air to the outer and inner chambers.
2. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 1 wherein the
first connection connects the pump to the sidewall of the outer
chamber and the second connection connects the pump to the sidewall
of the inner chamber.
3. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 1 wherein the
top and bottom of the inner chamber comprise portions of the top
and bottom of the other chambers, respectively.
4. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 1 wherein the
sidewall of the inner chamber is of a different material than the
sidewall of the outer chamber.
5. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 1 wherein the
sidewall of the outer chamber comprises opposed head and foot
walls, and opposed left and right walls, and wherein the sidewall
of the inner chamber comprises opposed head and foot walls, and
opposed left and right walls.
6. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 5 wherein the
inner chamber is disposed inside the outer chamber intermediate the
head and foot walls of the outer chamber.
7. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 1 further
comprising a plurality of elongate flexible panels extending
between the top and the bottom of the outer chamber.
8. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 7 wherein the
elongate flexible panels extend generally parallel to the head and
foot walls.
9. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 7 wherein the
elongate flexible panels extend generally parallel to the left and
walls.
10. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 7 further
comprising a plurality of elongate flexible panels extending
between the top and the bottom of the inner chamber.
11. The multi-chamber air mattress according to claim 7 wherein the
elongate flexible panels in the inner chamber extend generally
parallel to the elongate flexible panels in the inner chamber.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of
mattresses, and in particular to air mattresses with multiple
pressure zones.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This section provides background information related to the
present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
[0003] There is a significant demand for mattresses of all types of
bedding that is capable of providing zones of varying firmness or
pressure to provide greater comfort to the user. With inner spring
or foam mattresses, this can be accomplished relatively easily by
varying the stiffness of the spring coils or foam material in the
different zones of the mattress. However, air mattresses present a
unique problem in providing multiple zones of firmness.
[0004] While air mattresses with multiple chambers are known, these
prior art mattresses suffer from significant limitations. Notably,
each chamber usually requires a separate hose connected to the air
chamber and to a manifold port. The manifold port for a particular
air chamber must be opened for the chamber pressure to be monitored
or for the pressure to be adjusted. Further, the prior art
mattresses typically require a relatively large number of
connection points within the air supply network, each of which
represents a potential leak point within the system that can
compromise quality and long-term performance.
SUMMARY
[0005] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure,
and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of
its features.
[0006] Embodiments of this invention provide a multi-chamber air
mattress. A preferred embodiment of the a multi-chamber air
mattress in accordance with the principles of this invention
generally comprising: an outer air chamber having a top, a bottom,
and sides extending between the top and bottom, defining a height
between the top and bottom, and a width and length between opposed
sides. At least one inner air chamber, having a top a bottom, and
sides, defining a width and a length between opposed sides, is
disposed within the outer chamber. An air pump system has a first
connection with the outer chamber, and a second connection with the
inner chamber.
[0007] The width and the length of said inner air chamber are
preferably less than the width and the length of the outer air
chamber, so that the inner and outer chambers can define a
plurality of regions of different firmness.
[0008] The inner chamber can have its own separate top and bottom,
or the sides of the in chamber can be jointed to the top and bottom
of the outer chamber, so that the top and bottom of the inner
chamber are coextensive with top and bottom of the outer
chamber.
[0009] At least the sides of the inner chamber are made of a
different material than the material comprising the sides of the
outer chamber.
[0010] The second connection with the inner air chamber preferably
comprises a flexible, internal connector spanning the distance
between one of said sides of said outer air chamber and one of said
sides of said inner air chamber.
[0011] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. The description and specific examples
in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and
are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
[0012] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes
only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations,
and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art multi-chambered
mattress illustrating possible leak points;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a
multi-chambered mattress according to the principles of the present
invention, illustrating possible leak points;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a
multi-chambered mattress according to the principles of the present
invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first alternate
construction of the multi-chambered mattress of the preferred
embodiment, showing a first arrangement of internal baffles;
and
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second alternate
construction of the multi-chambered mattress of the preferred
embodiment, showing a second arrangement of internal baffles.
[0018] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0020] A preferred embodiment of a multi-chamber mattress
constructed according to the principles of this invention is
indicated generally as 10 in FIGS. 2-5. As shown in FIG. 3, in this
preferred embodiment, the mattress 10 includes an outer chamber 12
and an inner chamber 14 capable of providing a support pressure in
a portion of the mattress, different from the support pressure
provided in the remaining portions of the mattress 10.
[0021] The outer chamber 12 preferably includes a top 16, a bottom
18, and a sidewall 20 extending between the top and bottom,
defining the height of the outer chamber. In this preferred
embodiment the outer chamber 12 has a generally rectangular
prismatic configuration, and the sidewall 20 comprises opposed head
and foot walls 22 and 24, defining the length of the outer chamber,
and opposed left and right walls 26 and 28, defining with width of
the outer chamber.
[0022] The inner chamber 14 is disposed entirely within the outer
air chamber 12, and comprises a top 30 and a bottom 32, and a
sidewall 34 extending between the top and bottom, defining the
height of the inner chamber. In this preferred embodiment the inner
chamber has a generally rectangular prismatic configuration, and
the sidewall 34 comprises opposed head and foot walls 36 and 38,
defining the length of the inner chamber, and opposed left and
right walls 40 and 42, defining with width of the inner
chamber.
[0023] In the preferred embodiment, top 30 and bottom 32 of the
inner chamber 14 are formed of portions of the top 16 and bottom 18
of the outer chamber 12, with the sidewall 34 of the inner chamber
extending between the top and the bottom of the outer chamber.
However, the inner chamber 14 could have its own top and
bottom.
[0024] The inner and outer chambers 12 and 14 can be made of the
same material or different materials. Preferably at least portions
of the inner chamber 14 are made of a different material than
portions of the outer chamber 12. In the preferred embodiment, the
outer chamber 12 is made from a Nylon/TPU laminate, with an
outwardly facing layer of 210 denier nylon and an inwardly facing
0.14 mm layer of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), while the inner
chamber is made a 0.20 mm layer of TPU. The combination material
forming the outer chamber 12 reinforced the shape and reduced
distortion even at high pressure levels. Using just a thermoplastic
material for the inner chamber 14 and other internal structures
creates greater resiliency in the mattress 10 and allows deflecting
high stress impacts to the mattress (such as an individual jumping
on the mattress) while still maintaining its original shape. The
thicker TPU material allows for resiliency as well as memory to
retain its original shape after elongating to deflect a sudden
impact. Both the TPU and the nylon can have an anti-fungal
treatment such that the mattress can pass an ASTM G21 standard.
[0025] The resulting chamber within a chamber has been found to
provide superior support while allowing the mattress to have
varying firmness across its surface. The inner chamber 14 is
preferably disposed in the outer chamber 12, intermediate the head
wall 22 and foot wall 24 of the outer chamber, providing an area of
additional support or firmness in the center portion of the
mattress, and defining areas of lesser support of firmness adjacent
the head wall 22 and the foot wall 24.
[0026] The left and right walls 40 and 42 of the inner chamber 14
are preferably close to, but still spaced from the left and right
walls 28 and 30 of the outer chamber 32. For example the walls
might be spaced about 1 inch from each other, but this gap could be
smaller or larger. This construction allows the inner chamber 14 to
provide additional support across substantially the entire width of
the outer chamber 12, yet allows the spaced within the outer
chamber separated by the inner chamber to fluidly communicate, so
that there are only two regions in which the pressure needs to be
controlled, reducing the number of connection points as described
in more detail below.
[0027] While the preferred embodiment is shown and described as
having a single inner chamber 14, two or more inner chambers could
be provided in the outer chamber to provide additional areas of
controlled differential support. For example, three inner chambers
14 can be positioned in the outer chamber 12 at the approximate
points of contact between the mattress 10 and user's head, lumbar
region, and knees. Such a mattress would effectively have seven
different pressure zones from the head to the foot of the mattress.
The air supply system could be simplified to provide a single
connection to the outer chamber, and one connection through the
outer chamber to each of the three inner chambers in series or in
parallel. Of course separate connections could be provided to each
of the interior chambers if individual control of the regions of
the mattress were desired.
[0028] These chambers can be formed using the top and bottom of the
outer chamber to form the top or bottom of the inner chamber, or
the inner chambers can have their own tops and bottoms. Where the
inner chamber is not formed from the top and bottom of the outer
chamber, it is usually desirable to anchor the inner chamber is
some way to restrict its movement relative to the outer chamber.
This helps further reduce the number of require connection points
for the air supply system. In this preferred embodiment the gap
between the sides of the inner 22 and outer 18 chambers is about 1
inch, but this gap could be smaller or larger.
[0029] Previous air mattress designs also used "coils" to join the
top of the air mattress to the bottom of the air mattress. However,
these circular connections can cause an uneven, lumpy sleep surface
with a tufted appearance. The mattress 10 of the preferred
embodiment has a plurality of wall beams 58 that can extend
substantially the length (FIG. 5) and/or the width (FIG. 4) of the
mattress chamber. The wall beams 58 are preferably spaced and
aligned symmetrically such that they maintain a very flat even
sleep surface with a minimal arc between the beams. Air can easily
pass around the wall beams 58, but port holes (not shown) may
optionally be provided in the wall beams for additional flow. Wall
beams 58 have been found to test superior to coil beams or other
designs in burst tests, fatigue tests, rollator tests, etc. The
wall beams 58 also minimize distortion upon inflation of the air
core and help to maintain its rectangular prismatic shape.
[0030] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the wall beams 58 can also be
provided in the interior chamber 14, particularly when the top and
bottom of the interior are formed by the top and bottom of the
outer chamber 12. As shown in FIG. 4, a set of wall beams 58 can
extend from substantially the left wall 26 to substantially the
right wall 28, in the space between the head wall 22 of the outer
chamber 12 and the head wall 36 of the inner chamber 14. A set of
wall beams 58 can extend from substantially the left wall 40 to the
right wall 42, between the head wall 36 and the foot wall 38 of the
inner chamber 14. A set of wall beans 58 can extend substantially
the left wall 26 to substantially the right wall 28, in the space
between the foot wall 38 of the inner chamber 14 and the foot wall
24 of the outer chamber 12.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, a set of wall beams 58 can extend from
substantially the head wall 22 of the outer chamber 12 to the head
wall 36 of the inner chamber 14, between the left wall 26 and the
right wall 28. A set of wall beams 58 can extend from substantially
the head wall 36 to the foot wall 38 of the inner chamber 14,
between the left wall 40 to the right wall 42. A set of wall beans
58 can extend substantially the foot wall 38 of the inner chamber
to the foot wall 24 of the outer chamber, between the left wall 26
and the right wall 28.
[0032] The wall beams 58 of each set are preferably parallel and
equally spaced, so that they provide a smooth surface for the top
of the mattress.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 2 an air supply system 50 includes an air
pump 52, a first air supply hose 54 extending from the pump to the
outer chamber 12, and a second air supply hose 56 extending form
the pump through the outer chamber to the inner chamber 14. The air
pump 52 is preferably capable of separately supplying air at a
selected pressure to each of the first and second air supply hoses
54 and 56, and preferably includes a pressure measurement system
and valving for selectively connecting with each of the first and
second air supply hoses. The pump 52 can have manual controls, but
preferably has a wired or wireless remote control. In this
preferred embodiment, the air pump 52 registers pressure readings
from each of the outer and inner chambers 12 and 14. The control is
preferably provided with buttons, switches, or other controls to
operate the pump to inflate or increase the pressure in each of the
outer and inner chambers, preferably to a desired pressure, and to
inner and/or outer chambers 18 and 20 through the pump 24, and to
decrease or deflate in each of the outer and inner chambers by
releasing or actively pumping air. The pump 52 may be any type of
suitable pump, including a diaphragm pump, impellor pump, blower
motor pump, or other known pumping mechanism.
[0034] The control is adapted to operate the pump to control the
pressure/firmness of each of the various regions of the mattress.
Often two or more mattress may be ganged together in a single tray.
In this event a single control may be provided to control each of
the mattresses, or a separate control can be provided for each
mattress. Each hand control may be hard wired directly to its
respective the pump. Alternatively the hand control may operate
wirelessly with a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, x10, Z-Wave, radio
frequency (RF), infrared or other wireless connection. It may also
be connected to smartphone allowing the user to operate their air
bed functions from their phone.
[0035] To release air pressure the pumping 52 may or may not need
to be engaged. To release air the user can operate the appropriate
control (e.g. a deflate button) which can open a valve and allow
the air from the chamber(s) to flow out. This will occur naturally
when the pressure inside the chamber is higher than normal ambient
air pressure.
[0036] The second air hose 56 can comprise a first portion 60
extending between the pump 52 and the outer chamber 12, and second
portion 62 extending between the wall of the outer chamber 12 and
the inner chamber 14 to deliver air to the inner chamber.
Advantageously, the second portion 62 is preferably flexible to
accommodate variations in distance between the sides of the two
chambers and movement of the sides of the two chambers relative to
one another during use or movement of the mattress. At least the
portion 62 may be a corrugated, flexible tubing to provide the
desired flexibility and strength.
[0037] In the prior art, the air hoses that connect air mattresses
to the pump are typically external to the air mattress (as shown in
FIG. 1). By the connection to the inner chamber inside the outer
chamber, the number of connection ports can be reduced, reducing
the risk that the hoses will kink or become restricted, compressed
or otherwise have the air flow impeded. It also lessens the risk
that the hoses will become entangled. Loose hoses also migrate over
or under the air mattress which will cause a restriction of the air
hose when someone lies on the mattress. The prior art mattresses
typically had exit ports for the air hoses that protrude from the
sides of the mattress, generally with an elbow valve that directs
the hose toward the pump. When two such mattresses are placed side
by side the elbow valves and/or hoses can create a gap between the
two mattresses. As shown in FIGS. 3-5 the connections in the
preferred embodiment are near the head of the mattress in the
corner. Thus, when the mattresses are placed together in a foam
tray, the two connections with each mattresses will not interfere
with each other. This also allows for the same exact air mattress
to be used for either the left or right side of the mattress. This
avoids having to inventory "left side air cores" and "right size
air cores" as there is only one air core.
[0038] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been
provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual
elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not
limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are
interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if
not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in
many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure
from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be
included within the scope of the disclosure.
* * * * *