Body support adapted to differing volume to weight ratios

• US 4,525,886 A
• Filed: 02/03/1983
• Issued: 07/02/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Auping B. V.
• Original Assignee: Auping B. V.
• Inventors: Savenije, Franciscus G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grosz, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luong, Vinh
• Application Number:
  US06/463,478
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 5/236 R, 5/238, 5/191, 5/239, 5/247, 5/464, 5/449, 5/450, 5/451, 5/455, 5/458
• US Class Current: 5/706
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 23/065 by fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/123 for beds or mattresses

Abstract

A body support comprising one or more flexible containers and a plurality of load transmitting elements which have contact surfaces the area of which at a number of elements differs from the area of other elements to obtain an adaptation to the differing ratio of volume to weight of the parts of the human body, and a container which can be used in the body support which container has two outer layers of nonpermeable material and two inner layers all layers, being interconnected by cross seams to form chambers interconnected at the edges.

Claims

1. A body support device having a primary axis parallel to the direction of a centerline of a human body which the support device is adapted to support comprising:

at least one flexible container adapted to be filled with a fluid medium, said at least one flexible container lying coextensive with at least a portion of the device and arranged parallel to the primary axis;

a flexible mattress having longitudinal edges, said mattress positioned above said flexible container; and

a plurality of load transmitting elements having lower surfaces of varying shapes, said plurality of load transmitting elements arranged between said mattress and said flexible container, said flexible container being in contact with at least two adjacent load transmitting elements, the shapes of the lower surfaces varying from each other in accordance with the volume to weight ratios of the several parts of the human body which the device is adapted to support.

2. Body support device according to claim 1 wherein the upper faces of said load transmitting elements have shapes varying from each other in accordance with the volume to weight ratios of the several parts of the human body which the device is adapted to support.

3. Body support device according to claim 1, said mattress comprising a plate of elastic foam material that on one side is provided with rows of separate blocks of elastic foam material laying adjacent to each other which blocks partly have different lower surfaces.

4. Body support device according to claim 1, said elements having substantially identical upper faces.

5. Body support device according to claim 1 or 4 in which said flexible containers comprise two hoses near said longitudinal edges of said upper mattress and said elements comprise cross slats, said slats at their extreme ends being provided with rods of the same diameter that abut the hoses and between a number of rods and said hoses, pressure pieces being present having a width greater than the diameter of said rods and having a groove for taking up said rods.

6. Body support device according to claim 1 or 4, said elements comprising blocks mounted on the lower surface of said upper mattress, which blocks on their lower surfaces contact said container.

7. Body support device according to claim 6, said blocks comprising frustum pyramids with the narrower ends of said frustrums directed downwardly.

8. Body support device according to claim 6, said blocks comprising ridges extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the support, which ridges are mounted on said lower side of said upper mattress.

9. Body support device according to claim 6, said flexible container comprising a flat container substantially coextensive upper mattress.

10. Body support device according to claim 6, said flexible container comprising a number of parallel and adjacent compartments directed perpendicularly to said longitudinal axis of said support.

11. Body support device according to claim 10, said compartments of said flexible container extending perpendicularly to said longitudinal axis of said support comprise mid-center planes that coincide with the mid-center planes of said blocks extending in cross direction forming a row.

12. Body support device according to claim 10, said compartments being connected to each other via throttling ports.

13. Body support device according to claim 6 comprising a ground plate, upstanding side walls and end walls of an elastic foam material positioned on the edges of the ground plate, said flexible mattress comprising foam material, said blocks comprising layers of varying hardness, which hardness increases in the direction of the flexible container, in which said flexible container is enclosed between longitudinal end walls.

14. Flexible container for use with a body support according to claim 6 said flexible container comprising two outer layers of non-permeable material and two inner layers, which layers are mutually connected to each other by cross seams in such a manner that between said mutually spaced seams of each inner layer extending parallel to the nearby outer layer, both inner layers are mutually welded according to a seam extending parallel to the other seams.

15. Flexible container according to claim 14, said outer layers encircling the circumference of said container keeping said edges of said inner layers that extend parallel to the longitudinal axis free.

16. A body support device having a primary axis comprising:

at least one container adapted to be filled with a fluid medium, said at least one flexible container lying coextensive with at least a portion of the device and arranged parallel to the primary axis;

a flexible mattress having longitudinal edges, said mattress positioned above said flexible container; and

a plurality of load transmitting elements having lower surfaces of varying shapes, said plurality of load transmitting elements arranged between said mattress and said flexible container, the shapes of the lower surfaces varying from each other in accordance with the volume to weight ratios of the several parts of the human body which the device is adapted to support.