Maternity air mattress with adjustable bellows system

• US 7,127,764 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2006
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diane Harding, Ronald Gillyard
• Original Assignee: Diane Harding, Ronald Gillyard
• Inventors: Gillyard, Ronald, Harding, Diane
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos, Robert G.
• Application Number:
  US11/414,187
• Time in Patent Office: 183 Days
• Field of Search: 573/5, 573/1, 563/1, 563/2, 593/0, 570/6, 571/0, 571/3, 564/4, 565/4, 565/53
• US Class Current: 5/735
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/00 Head -, foot -, or like rests for beds, sofas or the like book rests or bed tables A47B23/00; bed-rests specially adapted for nursing A61G7/065
• 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: Y10S 5/93 for pregnant user

Abstract

An improved multiple chambered maternity mattress (10) is specially configured to include a bellows (24) for providing fine-grained adjustability of size and firmness of its centrally disposed womb well region (AWW). The bellows (24) consisting of a plurality of accordion-like sections which are interconnected to form a single expandable air chamber that is inflatable under the control of the user while actually in use via a remote control unit (16). The womb well is formed as a cylindrical cavity or opening (26) which extends for the full height of the mattress (10) such that the bellows (24) may change its effective height thereby establishing the physical size of the womb well for optimum user comfort and benefit. Low friction materials and/or coatings on the cylindrical cavity walls (28) assure minimal friction of the contacting surfaces and bellows tips assuring an infinitely fine height/size/firmness adjustment.

Claims

1. A multiple chambered maternity mattress having a bellows for providing fine-grained size and firmness adjustability of a centrally disposed womb well section, comprising:

(a) a mattress having two or more separately inflatable sections including at least one main section for supporting a person'"'"'s body and a variably-sized womb well section for supporting a person'"'"'s abdomen;

(b) said womb well section having a centrally disposed cylindrical chamber and a cylindrical bellows positioned within said chamber; and

(c) whereby upon adjusting the pressure within said bellows the effective size and firmness of said womb well section may be established.

2. The maternity mattress of claim 1 wherein said cylindrical bellows is formed as a plurality of accordion sections to provide a single, vertically expandable element, whereby the size and firmness of said womb well section is established responsive to the vertical dimension of said bellows.

3. The maternity mattress of claim 1 wherein the walls of said chamber are formed of or are coated with low friction material such that fine-grained vertical movement of said bellows is achieved.

4. The maternity mattress of claim 1 further comprising user controlled inflation means, said means permitting establishment and maintenance of a desired degree of pressurization within said at least one main section and said womb well section.

5. The maternity mattress of claim 1 wherein said cylindrical chamber is a generally oval chamber in horizontal cross section and said cylindrical bellows is a generally oval bellows in horizontal cross section.

6. A method of providing fine-grained adjustments of a womb well section of a multiple chambered maternity mattress comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a mattress having two or more separately inflatable sections including at least one main section for supporting a person'"'"'s body and a variably-sized womb well section for supporting a person'"'"'s abdomen;

(b) providing a womb well section having a centrally disposed cylindrical chamber and a cylindrical bellows positioned within said chamber; and

(c) providing user controlled inflation means, said inflation means permitting establishment and maintenance of separate desired degrees of pressurization within said at least one main section and said womb well section.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said bellows is formed as a plurality of accordion sections to provide a single vertically expandable element whereby the size and firmness of said womb well section is established responsive to the vertically expanded dimension of said bellows.

8. The method of claim 6 including the further step of providing friction minimizing means between said chamber and said bellows said means selected from the group including low friction material forming the walls of said chamber and low friction coating applied to the walls of said chamber and low friction material forming at least the tips of said bellows and low friction coatings applied to at least the tips of said bellows.

9. The method of claim 6 including the further step of providing a centrally disposed chamber selected from the group including a chamber having a horizontal cross section of circular shape and a chamber having a horizontal cross section of oval shape and a bellows having a horizontal cross section of circular shape and a bellows having a horizontal cross section of oval shape.

10. A multiple chambered maternity mattress having a bellows for providing fine-grained size and firmness adjustability of a womb well formed within a centrally disposed womb well section, comprising:

(a) a mattress having two or more separately inflatable sections including at least one main section for supporting a person'"'"'s body and a variably-sized womb well within a womb well section for supporting a person'"'"'s abdomen, said sections inflatable with a gaseous medium such as air;

(b) said womb well section having a centrally disposed cylindrical chamber and a cylindrical bellows positioned within said chamber; and

(c) whereby upon adjusting the pressure within said bellows the effective size and firmness of said womb well may be established.