Liquid back support pad for inclined surfaces

• US 4,561,441 A
• Filed: 08/09/1984
• Issued: 12/31/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adqua-Cel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ronald M. Kolodziej
• Inventors: Kolodziej, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oechsle, Anton O.
• Application Number:
  US06/639,196
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 128/399, 128/402, 128/403, 5/420, 5/421, 5/431, 5/432, 5/433, 5/441, 5/450, 5/455, 5/456, 5/462, 5/480, 297/180, 219/217
• US Class Current: 607/114
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/085 of liquid type, e.g. filled with water or gel
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/088 incorporating elastic bodies, e.g. foam
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/18 in combination with inflatable bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 4/54 Inflatable chairs connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/46 with special, e.g. adjustable , lumbar region support profile; "Ackerblom" profile chairs

Abstract

A pad for providing liquid support on inclined surfaces includes a membrane envelope having two large parallel faces a plurality of collapsible perforated ribs, horizontally oriented within the envelope securing the parallel relationship of the faces, and a plurality of sponge-like bars received between adjacent ribs within the envelope each bar having an uncompressed volume slightly greater than that defined between adjacent ribs and the faces. A liquid fills the capillary or wicking structure of the sponge-like bars within the envelope. The combination of the sponge-like bars, the flexible ribs and atmospheric pressure maintain a hexahedral configuration of the liquid filled pad on an inclined surface.

Claims

1. A pad comprising, in combination,

a liquid,

a hermetic envelope of a flexible and relatively inelastic material for containing the liquid having two large oppositely facing surfaces and a port through which the liquid may be introduced into and expelled from the envelope,

a plurality of ribs within the envelope securing the facing surfaces thereof in an adjacent relationship,

a sponge-like material received between the ribs within the envelope for providing a wicking structure therein,

means for closing and opening the port, and

means for bleeding vapor from the envelope.

2. The pad of claim 1 wherein each rib collapses cross-sectionally responsive to compressive stresses.

3. The pad of claim 2 wherein the plurality of ribs are oriented in a parallel relationship with each other.

4. The pad of claim 3 wherein the ribs have perforations for allowing flow of liquid from one region to other regions within the envelope.

5. The pad of claim 2 wherein the sponge-like material has an expanded volume slightly greater than the volume in which it is confined between the ribs and the facing surfaces of the envelope when its wicking structure is saturated with the liquid.

6. The pad of claim 5 wherein the sponge-like material compresses responsive to slight compressive stresses expelling liquid from its wicking structure.

7. The pad of claim 6 further including a liquid expansion region within the envelope defined between an upper edge thereof and at least one rib adjacent thereto, and a liquid storage region within the envelope defined between a lower edge of the envelope and at least one rib adjacent thereto, the envelope being oriented in a force field tending to cause the liquid to flow from its expansion region to its storage region.

8. The pad of claim 7 wherein the port through which the liquid is introduced and expelled from the envelope is located in the liquid expansion region of the envelope.

9. The pad of claim 7 wherein the means for bleeding vapor from the envelope is located in an upper section of the liquid expansion region of the envelope, compression of the pad expelling liquid from the wicking structure of the sponge-like material, the expelled liquid being received in the expansion region of the envelope trapping vapor within its highest region whereby the vapor can be bled from the envelope without loss of liquid.

10. The pad of claim 9 wherein the means for closing and opening the port is also the means for bleeding vapor from the envelope.

11. The pad of claim 10 wherein the ribs, the upper edge of the envelope and the lower edge of the envelope are parallel and oriented horizontally with respect to the force field, and wherein the sponge-like material is formed into bars received between adjacent ribs.

12. The pad of claim 9 wherein the sponge-like material received between the ribs forces the adjacent facing surfaces of the envelope apart cross-sectionally collapsing the ribs, effectively decreasing pressure within the envelope to less than pressure exterior the envelope to provide a stable hexahedral-like pad with facing surfaces for placement between an inclined supporting surface and a supported surface.

13. The pad of claim 12 further defined in that the hexahedral-like pad has a length, width and depth where its length is greater than its width and its width is much greater than its depth, whereby, the pad is thin relative to its length and width.

14. The pad of claim 13 wherein the liquid expansion region has a volume sufficiently less than that of the liquid expellable from the wicking structure of the sponge-like material when the pad is compressed between a support and a supporting surface for maintaining a liquid interface between the facing surfaces of the envelope and for providing sufficient flexibility to the respective facing surfaces to enable such surfaces to conform to the respective supported and supporting surfaces between which the pad is placed.

15. The pad of claim 13 wherein the envelope becomes liquid full upon being compressed between a supported and a supporting surface.

16. The pad of claim 13 wherein available volume within the envelope equals liquid volume when the envelope is compressed between a supported and supporting surface.

17. The pad of claim 9 wherein the means for heating the liquid within the envelope includes a source of thermal energy, and means for securing the source of thermal energy against an exterior facing surface of the envelope.

18. The pad of claim 17 wherein the means for securing the heat source against an exterior facing surface of the envelope comprises a flexible panel disposed across the exterior facing surface of the envelope, two of its edges being secured to the corresponding edges of the envelope to define, in combination with the facing surface of the envelope, a flat sleeve suitable for receiving and securing a source of thermal energy against the facing surface of the envelope.

19. The pad of claim 18 wherein the source of thermal energy comprises a flexible electrically energized heating pad.

20. The pad of claim 11 further defined in that the envelope comprises, in combination:

two large surface area panels of a flexible plastic material for providing the facing surfaces of the envelope, the plastic material being weldable to itself, and

a circular strip of such flexible plastic material welded along each of its edges to a perimeter edge of one of the panels, thereby, forming a hexahedral-like enclosure, the welded edges extending outwardly in the plane of the facing surfaces of the envelope.

21. The pad of claim 15 further including means for heating the liquid within the envelope.

22. The pad of claim 1 wherein each rib comprises a hollow longitudinal tube of a flexible material, being longitudinally secured on opposite sides to and between the facing surfaces of the envelope, whereby, each tube cross-sectionally collapses in one direction responsive to stresses forcing the facing surfaces of the envelope apart and cross-sectionally collapses in another direction responsive to stresses compressing the facing surfaces of the envelope together.

23. The pad of claim 22 wherein the hollow tube forming each rib is formed of a first flexible plastic strip and a second flexible plastic strip welded together along their respective longitudinal edges, each strip being welded to one of the facing surfaces midway across its width along its entire longitudinal length, the welded edges of the strips forming relatively rigid flat bars oriented parallel to the facing surfaces.

24. The pad of claim 1 wherein the envelope has a wettable exterior surface.

25. The pad of claim 1 wherein an anti-bacterial agent is releasably impregnated into at least one of the following:

the envelope,

the ribs,

the sponge-like material, for preventing bacterial growth in the liquid within the envelope.