Safety air cushion for a computer

• US 5,819,942 A
• Filed: 01/09/1997
• Issued: 10/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Outrigger Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Outrigger Incorporated
• Inventors: Sadow, Bernard David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gehman, Bryon P.
• Application Number:
  US08/781,099
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 206/521, 206/522, 206/523, 383/3
• US Class Current: 206/522
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/021 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/052 filled with fluid, e.g. inflatable elements
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/0232 with at least one gas spring F16F15/027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/0472 characterised by comprising a damping device with plastic deformation of members F16F7/12; delay devices or arrangements F15B21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H05F 3/00 Carrying-off electrostatic charges from shoes A43B7/36; from living beings A61N1/14; from tyres B60C19/08; from vehicles B60R16/06; from aircraft B64D45/02; from large containers B65D90/46

Abstract

A support for an article of electronic equipment, such as a personal computer includes at least one bolster pressurized with a gas, and which provides pneumatic spring in surrounding relation with side edges of the article, the bolsters being comprised of an inflatable bladder and a filling of an open cell foamed plastics material, which provides a cushioning effect in the event of the bladder becoming perforated.

Claims

1. A pneumatic support for use in the transportation of an article of electronic equipment comprised by:

an air cushion including an inflatable, air impervious flexible bladder having an internal cavity which is normally maintained in an elevated pressurized condition above the ambient pressure external to the bladder;

said air impervious bladder formed of a material for limiting its permissible extent of expansion at the elevated pressurized condition;

said pressurized condition being operatively selected for said bladder to act as a pneumatic spring to primarily isolate an article of electronic equipment positioned against said bladder from impact shocks;

a quantity of an open cell foamed plastics material positioned within said cavity of said bladder;

said open cell foamed plastics material being a material having a retained memory of the original shape and volume of said open cell foamed plastics material;

said open cell foamed plastic material providing secondary isolation of impact shocks for the article of electronic equipment positioned against said bladder, operative upon loss of the elevated pressure within said internal cavity resulting in degradation of the primary pneumatic spring isolation.

2. The support according to claim 1, in which said open cell foamed plastic material has a volume sufficient to completely fill said cavity of said bladder when said bladder is in an inflated condition.

3. The support of claim 1, further including a filler member having a closable orifice communicating with said internal cavity of said bladder, said filler member permitting pressurization of said cavity of said bladder with a compressed gas.

4. The support of claim 3, in which said closable filler member of said bladder also permits air to be expressed from said bladder and said contained open cell foamed plastics material, upon opening of said orifice of said filler member.

5. The support of claim 3 wherein said air impervious bladder includes a plurality of said air impervious bolsters hingedly interconnected with each other, and each interconnected with each other by connecting air passages.

6. The support of claim 1, wherein said air impervious bladder includes a plurality of air impervious bolsters hingedly interconnected with each other.

7. The support of claim 1, wherein said open cell foamed plastic material retards the loss of pressure within said bladder upon rupture thereof, whereby a gradual transition is provided between the primary pneumatic spring isolation and secondary open cell foamed plastic isolation upon the loss of elevated pressure within said internal cavity.

8. The support of claim 1, wherein said inflatable, air impervious bladder, including a plurality of individual air impervious bolsters, juxtaposed in side-to-side relationship, said bolsters interconnected by air passages whereby compression of one of said individual air impervious bolsters results in expansion of the other air-impervious bolsters.

9. A support for use in the transportation of an article of electronic equipment, comprised by:

an inflatable, air impervious bladder having an internal cavity;

a quantity of an open cell foamed plastics material positioned within said cavity of said bladder;

said open cell foamed plastics material being a material having a retained memory of the original shape and volume of said open cell foamed plastics material, and

a sleeve of a fabric material providing a corset for said bladder, and limiting the permissible extent of expansion of said bladder.

10. The support of claim 9, in which said fabric material includes monofilaments having a high resistance to the stretching.

11. An impact absorbing carrying case for a personal computer, having top, bottom, two side, front and rear surfaces, said carrying case comprising:

an inflatable, air impervious flexible bladder having an internal cavity which is normally maintained in an elevated pressurized condition above the ambient pressure external to the bladder;

said air impervious bladder formed of a material for limiting its permissible extent of expansion at the elevated pressurized condition;

said pressurized condition being operatively selected for said bladder to act as a pneumatic spring to primarily isolate a personal computer positioned against said bladder from impact shocks;

a quantity of an open cell foamed plastics material positioned within said cavity of said bladder;

said open cell foamed plastics material being a material having a retained memory of the original shape and volume of said open cell foamed plastics material;

said open cell foamed plastic material providing secondary isolation of impact shocks for the article of electronic equipment positioned against said bladder, operative upon loss of the elevated pressure within said internal cavity resulting in degradation of the primary pneumatic spring isolation;

said air impervious bladder including at least three individual bolsters hingedly connected together and adopted to cover the two sides and bottom of a personal computer inserted in the carrying case.

12. An impact absorbing carrying case for a personal computer of claim 11, further including a fourth individual bolster adapted to cover the top side of a personal computer inserted within the carrying case, wherein said individual bolsters enclose a rectangular volume closely corresponding to the size of the personal computer.