GB2282528A

GB2282528A - An inflatable article,eg. an air mattress,including a pump

Info

Publication number: GB2282528A
Application number: GB9419351A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Josef Graf
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-10-05
Filing date: 1994-09-26
Publication date: 1995-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2014-09-26
Also published as: JPH09507394A; DE9315105U1; NO961331L; GR3024536T3; FI961531A0; GB2282528B; NO961331D0; CN1132468A; DE59403408D1; FI961531A; AU7657494A; GB9419351D0; ATE155327T1; EP0722284A1; KR960704482A; CA2173478A1; PL313866A1; ES2105747T3; WO1995009552A1; EP0722284B1

Abstract

The invention relates to an inflatable article, more especially an air mattress, having a section (8 - 11) acting as a pump and a section (1) to be inflated by the pump. The pump section has a closable inlet aperture (8) and communicates with the inflatable section via a film valve (9). Film walls (3) are disposed between the pump section and the inflatable section and are inserted between oppositely situated outer coverings (1a). Tensioning lugs (4), which extend inclinedly relative to the inside of the outer coverings and are secured there, are disposed on the outside of the film walls. The insides of the oppositely situated film walls are interconnected by means of web lugs (5) and retaining webs (10). <IMAGE>

Description

TITLE: An inflatable article, more especially an air mattress, having a section acting as a pump and a section to be inflated by the pump DESCRIPTION The invention relates to an inflatable article, more especially an air mattress, having a section acting as a pump and a section to be inflated by the pump.

Such an article is known from DE-GM 93 08 870. There, for example, the pump section is part of the top portion of an air mattress The dividing wall, which is necessary to divide the pump section from the inflatable section, alternately bulges to one or other side during the pumping operation because excess pressure is alternately produced on one or other side of the dividing wall. In consequence, the dividing wall is inwardly curved at the beginning of the compression of the pump section, whereby some of the pumping space is lost because the dividing wall initially needs to bulge outwardly before the air flows through the one-way outlet valve into the inflatable section.

DE-OS 22 50 154 discloses an inflatable hollow body, wherein a bellows is used, which is incorporated in the interior of the hollow body. This bellows is reinforced by cell walls which connect the bellows to the covering of the hollow body. The bellows is restored after compression as a result of the inherent resilience of the bellows, i.e. the bellows must be relatively stable.

The basic object of the invention is to develop the inflatable article having a section acting as a pump and a section to be inflated by the pump, so that as little pumping space as possible is lost.

According to the invention there is provided an inflatable article, more especially an air mattress, having a section acting as a pump and a section to be inflated by the pump, having the following features: the pump section has a closable inlet aperture and communicates with the inflatable section via a film valve; a propellant material, which is formed from open-cellular expanded plastics material, even in the form of waste, is accommodated in the pump section; a small aperture permits the air to flow slightly backwardly from the inflatable section to the pump section; a closable outlet aperture is disposed in the inflatable section; wherein film walls are disposed between the pump section and the inflatable section and are inserted between oppositely situated outer coverings; tensioning lugs, which extend inclinedly relative to the inside of the outer covering and are secured there, are disposed on the outside of the film walls; and the insides of oppositely situated film walls are interconnected by means of web lugs and retaining webs.

According to the invention, the pump section is divided from the inflatable section by means of film walls which are retained in their basic position by tensioned means, that is to say externally by means of tensioning lugs and internally by means of web lugs and retaining webs.

In consequence the possibility of the film walls alternately bulging is substantially excluded, with the result that pumping space is not lost. Because the pump section is configured as an independent assembly to a certain extent, it is also possible for the pump section to be used independently of the structure of the inflatable article. Furthermore, the space used for accommodating the propellant material can be kept very small, so that there is a saving of propellant material. Preferably perforate dividing walls are inserted between the outer coverings transversely relative to the web lugs and retaining webs, said dividing walls interconnecting oppositely situated film walls and enclosing therebetween a space which communicates with the inlet aperture and with the film valve.

In consequence, it is advantageous to insert perforate dividing walls transversely relative to the web lugs and relative to the retaining web, such walls for their part establishing a substantially inextensible connection between oppositely situated film walls and thereby ensuring that the film walls cannot bulge outwardly.

The holes in the perforate dividing walls have the same dimensions as the inlet aperture, with the result that the particulate propellant material can be introduced subsequently into the chambers accommodating the propellant material through the inlet aperture and through the holes.

The film walls and the perforate dividing walls are so dimensioned that their height is greater than the largest spacing between the outer coverings when the article is inflated. These dimensions permit the pump section not to appear externally in the form of indentations when the article is inflated because the oppositely situated outer coverings of interconnected walls are never tightened when the article is inflated.

The invention is explained more fully hereinafter with reference to one embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view through the inflatable article, more especially through the pump section, taken along the line B - B of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the pump section taken along the line A - A of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial view of a perforate dividing wall; and Fig 4. is a view, corresponding to fig. 2, of the pump section incorporated in the inflatable article.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the inflatable article, which can be imagined to be an air mattress, includes a pump section 2 and an inflatable section 1.

The outer coverings la are substantially inextensibly interconnected by means of webs lb.

The pump section 2 is incorporated in an area defined by the webs ib. In the plan view (Fig. 2), this pump section 2 has the basic configuration of a rectangle and is separated from the inflatable section by means of airtight film walls 3.

A one-way outlet valve in the form of a film valve 9, is situated in one of the film walls 3. This film valve 9 permits the air to pass from the pump section 2 to the inflatable section 1.

Two perforate dividing walls 6, which extend parallel to each other and are disposed in a direction which is identical to the direction of the film valve 9, are connected at their upper and lower ends to the outer coverings la and laterally to oppositely situated film walls 3, but this connection does not need to be airtight. The perforate dividing walls 6 define an air chamber between the spaces for accommodating the propellant material 11, and said air chamber communicates with the outside air via the inlet aperture 8 and with the inflatable section 1 via the film valve 9. The propellant material 11 is formed from particulate expanded plastics material, the pieces being introduced into their receiving chambers through the inlet aperture 8 and the holes 7 after the mattress has been produced.Any material which is mechanically compressible may be used as propellant material, but its volume must increase with the admission of air.

Inclinedly extending tensioning lugs d are mounted on the outside of the film walls 3 and are secured by their other end to the inside of the outer coverings la. These tensioning lugs 4 largely prevent the film walls 3 from bulging inwardly.

Web lugs 5, which establish a substantially inextensible connection between film wall 3 and perforate dividing wall 6, are situated internally of the spaces intended for receiving the propellant material 11 between a film wall 3 and a perforate dividing wall 6. The web lugs 5 occupy only a portion of the cross-section of these spaces, so that the propellant material 11 can be satisfactorily distributed.

Retaining webs 10 extend between the perforate dividing walls 6 and are disposed above one another and in a different plane from that of the web lugs 5.

Tensile forces, which occur between the film walls 3, are transferred by the retaining webs 10 and the web lugs 5.

In consequence, the film walls 3 are secured in their basic position in both directions by means of tensioning members. In such case, the tensioning lugs d also have the additional function of ensuring that the film walls 3 are entrained and aligned when the inflatable section l is being filled. This is especially significant when the receiving chambers are not completely filled with the propellant material 11.

The holes 7 in the perforate dividing walls 5 are of dimensions roughly identical to those of the inlet aperture 8. This is advantageous, in that small-particulate propellant material 11 can be introduced into the receiving chambers through the inlet aperture 8 and through the holes 7 upon slight compression. The propellant material 11 expands again in the receiving chambers and cannot exit through the holes 7. The holes 7 must also be large enough to ensure that there is always a sufficient passage of air in both directions through the perforate dividing walls 6.

The film walls 3 and the perforate dividing walls 6 are so dimensioned in the direction of their extension between the outer coverings la that their height is greater than the largest spacing between the outer coverings la in the region of said walls when the mattress is inflated. This arrangement prevents the pump section from being visible externally in the form of indentations.

A small aperture 12 is provided in the film wall 3 in the region of the film valve 9 and permits the air to flow slightly backwardly from the inflatable section l to the pump section 2.

The propellant material 11 can be introduced into the spaces intended to accommodate such through a filler pipe in which the pieces of the propellant material 11 are pressed-through in a compressed manner.

The propellant material 11 may be in the form of bar-like pieces, these bars extending perpendicularly relative to one another from layer to layer and forming a stack with large cavities therein. In this case, the perforate dividing walls can be eliminated.

They are replaced by web lugs, which interconnect film walls 3 in a substantially inextensible manner, such walls also being oppositely situated here.

In a corresponding structure of the mattress, the film walls 3 may also have the function of webs which extend between the outer coverings la, e.g. the function of a circular web. In this case, the film walls 3 are tightened when the mattress is inflated.

The inflation and deflation operations for the inflatable article are explained more fully hereinafter with reference to the example of an air mattress: It is assumed that the air mattress is compressed for it to be folded-up, for example for transportation purposes, and that the inlet aperture 8 and the outlet aperture (not shown) are closed.

The air mattress is initially rolled-out. If the inlet aperture 8 is now opened, air can enter the interior of the pump section 2 through this aperture.

When air is admitted, the propellant material 11 accommodated in the pump section 2 increases in volume until the pump section is filled to some extent with air. Now, for example, the pump section 2 is compressed by the foot of the user, whereby the foot closes the inlet aperture 8. Air is now urged into the inflatable section 1 by the film valve 9. This pumping operation is repeated until the inflatable section 1 is inflated to a slightly greater extent than is desired for the end result. If the pumping operation is then terminated, and if the inlet aperture 8 is closed, some of the air flows back into the pump section 2 via the small aperture 12 until the same pressure prevails in the self-contained system formed by the pump section 2 and the inflatable section 1. In consequence, the mattress is ready for use.

To deflate the air mattress, the outlet aperture is opened. By rolling-up the air mattress, starting from the pump section 2, the air is then removed both from the pump section 2 and from the inflatable section 1, in that it exits via the outlet aperture. The air mattress is folded-up in this state and can be readily transported. The cycle which has been described can begin afresh.

Claims

1. An inflatable article, more especially an air mattress, having a section acting as a pump and a section to be inflated by the pump, having the following features: the pump section has a closable inlet aperture (8) and communicates with the inflatable section (1) via a film valve (9); a propellant material (11), which is formed from open-cellular expanded plastics material, even in the form of waste, is accommodated in the pump section (2); a small aperture (12) permits the air to flow slightly backwardly from the inflatable section (1) to the pump section (2); a closable outlet aperture is disposed in the inflatable section (1); wherein film walls (3) are disposed between the pump section (2) and the inflatable section (1) and are inserted between oppositely situated outer coverings (la); tensioning lugs (4), which extend inclinedly relative to the inside of the outer covering (la) and are secured there, are disposed on the outside of tne film walls (3); and the insides of oppositely situated film walls (3) are interconnected by means of web lugs (5) and retaining webs (10).

2. An article as claimed in claim 1, wherein perforate dividing walls (6) are inserted between the outer coverings (la) transversely relative to the web lugs (5) and retaining webs (10), said dividing walls interconnecting oppositely situated film walls (3) and enclosing therebetween a space which communicates with the inlet aperture (8) and with the film valve (9).

3. An article as claimed in claim 2, wherein the holes (7) in the perforate dividing walls (6) have the same dimensions as the inlet aperture (8).

4. An article as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the film walls (3) and the perforate dividing walls (6) are so dimensioned that their height is greater than the largest spacing between the outer coverings (la) when the article is inflated.

5. An inflatable article substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.