Multiple air chamber contoured maternity mattress

• US 6,233,768 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diane Harding
• Original Assignee: Diane Harding
• Inventors: Harding, Diane
• Primary Examiner(s): Browne, Lynne H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CONLEY, FREDRICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/339,918
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 563/1, 563/8, 571/0, 572/4, 572/5, 573/5, 565/53, 570/6, 593/0
• US Class Current: 5/735
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/025 Supports specially adapted for pregnant women
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/081 of pneumatic type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/10 with two or more independently-fillable chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2200/12 Women
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 5/93 for pregnant user

Abstract

An improved maternity mattress is formed from a number of separately inflatable air chambers and a number of internally disposed shape retaining and weight supporting structures which functionally combine to significantly increase the comfort and well being of pregnant women over the course of their pregnancy. Integrally formed within the mattress is a womb well of high shape integrity that is adjustably fillable by use of a hierarchy of interfitting pillows, as well as physical arrays of gussets to preserve mattress shape and integrity, and comfort baffles to optimally support body weight as it is distributed over a longitudinally contoured upper mattress surface.

Claims

1. A multiple chambered maternity mattress comprising:

an inflatable main air chamber having a womb well centrally disposed therein for accommodating a user'"'"'s abdomen;

a separately inflatable head supporting air chamber integrally formed into a head end of said mattress, and extending for less than the width of said mattress;

a separately inflatable horseshoe shaped face rest pillow firmly affixed to an upper surface of said head air chamber;

a breathing tube extending diagonally through said head air chamber, having an upper opening surrounded by said face rest pillow and a lower opening in a forward vertical wall of the head end of said head air chamber; and

a plurality of gussets and baffles disposed within said main air chamber for providing shape integrity, weight distribution, and dynamic stability of said mattress.

2. The maternity mattress of claim 1 wherein said main air chamber and head air chamber form a single substantially rectangular in plan view mattress which is smoothly contoured in height to form four distinct body supporting regions, comprising:

a first convex head and shoulders region, a second concave breast indentation region, a third compound womb well region and a fourth downwardly tapering thigh and leg region, all of which are successively distributed along a central longitudinal axis extending from an outboard extremity of said head and shoulders region, and throughout said second and third regions to an outboard extremity of said thigh and leg region.

3. The maternity mattress of claim 2 wherein a first set of gussets transversely disposed surrounding said breast indentation region provide shape stability and integrity to said region.

4. The maternity mattress of claim 2 wherein said main air chamber further includes a plurality of baffles distributed throughout said four regions, each of said baffles extending between an underside surface of a top surface layer of said main air chamber and an upper side surface of a bottom surface layer of said main air chamber so as to enclose an air volume in fluid communication with the air in said main air chamber, said distributed baffles including at least two baffles in each of said four regions.

5. The maternity mattress of claim 2 wherein said womb well is elliptical in cross-section with its major axis longitudinally oriented and its cross-section decreasingly tapered from an upper opening to a lower opening in said main air chamber, said mattress further including a shape conforming baffle surrounding said womb well to provide shape integrity to said womb well region on inflation of said main air chamber.

6. The maternity mattress of claim 5 further including at least one separately inflatable womb well pillow sized and shaped to fit snugly within said womb well for adjustably accommodating a user'"'"'s abdomen as the abdomen varies in size and shape.

7. The maternity mattress of claim 1 further including a separately deployable foot rest pillow sized to conform to the width of said main air chamber, said foot rest pillow being substantially rectangular in plan view, and of tapered cross-section for supporting either a foot portion or a head and shoulder portion of a user to enhance the user'"'"'s body weight supporting capabilities of said mattress.

8. A multiple chambered air mattress which is smoothly contoured in height to form four distinct body supporting regions, including a first convex head and shoulders region, a second concave breast indentation region, a third compound womb well region and a fourth downwardly tapering thigh and leg region, comprising:

(a) an inflatable main air chamber having a womb well of elliptically shaped cross-section centrally disposed along a longitudinal axis extending from a head end to a foot end of said main air chamber, said womb well having upper and lower openings defining a truncated, tapering elliptical volume for accommodating a user'"'"'s abdomen;

(b) a separately inflatable head air chamber integrally formed within a head end of said mattress, said head air chamber extending for less than one-third of the width and for less than one-eighth of the length of said main air chamber;

(c) a horseshoe shaped face rest pillow firmly affixed to an upper surface of said head air chamber for supporting the head or face or neck of a user, said face rest pillow being separately inflatable for adjustable user comfort and oriented with the opening end of said horseshoe shape facing a neck end of a user'"'"'s head;

(d) a breathing tube extending diagonally through said head air chamber, said tube having an elliptically shaped upper opening located within a central portion of said face rest pillow and a circularly shaped lower opening located in an outboard wall of the head end of said head air chamber for allowing comfortable breathing of a user lying face down;

(e) a first plurality of gussets transversely disposed around said breast indentation region to provide shape stability and integrity to said region;

(f) a plurality of baffles distributed within said main air chamber, each of said baffles extending between an underside surface of a top surface layer of said main air chamber and an upper side surface of a bottom surface layer of said main air chamber so as to enclose an air volume in fluid communication with air in said main air chamber, said distributed baffles including at least two baffles in each of said four regions; and

(g) a shape conforming baffle surrounding said womb well to provide shape integrity to said womb well region on inflation of said main air chamber.

9. The maternity mattress of claim 8 wherein said main air chamber and head air chamber are smoothly contoured in height to form four distinct body supporting regions defined as:

a first convex head and shoulders region, a second concave breast indentation region, a third compound womb well region, and a fourth downwardly tapering thigh and leg region, all of which are successively distributed along a central longitudinal axis extending from an outboard extremity of said head and shoulder region, and throughout second and third regions to an outboard extremity of said thigh and leg region.

10. The maternity mattress of claim 8 adapted to received at least one separately inflatable womb well pillow sized and shaped to fit snugly within said womb well for adjustably accommodating a user'"'"'s abdomen as the abdomen varies in size and shape.