Air bed

Abstract

Air bed assembly having a knockdown foundation made up of preassembled boxes which are used as shipping containers for the other elements of the bed, mattresses having interposed sets of isolated chambers for improved pressure distribution, contoured foam rails surrounding the mattresses and a visco-elastic foam pad overlying them, a cover with a removable pillow top enclosing the mattresses and foam, a blower assembly mounted inside one of the rails with control valves for supplying air to and removing air from the mattresses, and individual controls for returning the pressure in the mattresses to a desired level upon command and for preventing a drop in mattress pressure as the blower is turned on to increase that pressure.

1 . In an air bed: a knockdown foundation made up of preassembled boxes which prior to assembly of the bed are suitable for use as shipping containers for other elements of the bed; a pair of mattresses having interposed sets of isolated chambers resting on the foundation; contoured foam rails surrounding the mattresses; a visco-elastic foam pad overlying the mattresses; a cover with a removable pillow top enclosing the mattresses, rails and foam pad; a blower assembly mounted inside one of the rails with control valves for supplying air to and removing air from the mattresses; individual controls for the respective mattresses; means connected to the valves for returning the pressure in the mattresses to a desired level in response to a command issued through the controls; and means for controlling operation of the valves to prevent a drop in mattress pressure as the blower is turned on to increase the pressure within the mattresses.  
     
     
         2 . In an air bed: 
 a foundation;    a pair of air inflatable mattresses disposed side-by-side on the foundation, each of the mattresses having first and second longitudinally extending chambers extending along opposite sides of the mattress, a first set of longitudinally spaced apart transversely extending chambers communicating with the first longitudinally extending chamber but not the second, a second set of longitudinally spaced apart transversely extending chambers interspersed between the transversely extending chambers of the first set and communicating with the second longitudinally extending chamber but not the first;    a circumscribing frame of resilient foam in peripheral engagement with the mattresses;    a visco-elastic foam pad overlying the mattresses for conforming to the contour of bodies resting thereon;    a cover including a detachable pillow top enclosing the mattresses, frame and pad; and    means including a blower assembly mounted in the foam frame for selectively introducing air into and removing air from each of the mattresses to individually control the firmness of the mattresses.    
     
     
         3 . The air bed of  claim 2  wherein the foundation comprises a plurality of individually preassembled boxes which prior to assembly of the bed are used as shipping containers for other elements of the bed connected together to form a horizontally extending platform.  
     
     
         4 . The air bed of  claim 2  wherein the preassembled boxes are connected together by intermediate upright and platform members which extend between the boxes.  
     
     
         5 . The air bed of  claim 2  wherein the mattress have outwardly convex end and side walls, and the circumscribing frame has end and side rails with concave inner walls defining a cavity for receiving the mattresses with the convex walls of the mattress extending into and conforming to the concave inner walls of the rails.  
     
     
         6 . The air bed of  claim 2  wherein the circumscribing frame has end and side rails held together by a first sheet of flexible material wrapped about the end rails and extending beneath the mattresses, and a second sheet of flexible material wrapped about the side rails and extending beneath the mattresses in crossing fashion with the first sheet.  
     
     
         7 . The air bed of  claim 2  wherein the blower assembly includes an air chamber, an air inlet and a pair of air outlets in communication with the chamber, a blower for drawing air into the chamber through the inlet, and valves controlling communication through the outlets; and the means for introducing air into and removing air from the mattresses also includes means connecting the outlets of the blower assembly in communication with respective ones of the air mattresses, an individual controller for each of the mattresses, and means responsive to respective ones of the controllers for opening the valves when the blower is on to increase air pressure within the mattresses and for opening the valves while the blower is off to vent air from the mattresses through the air inlet and thereby decrease the air pressure within the mattresses.  
     
     
         8 . The air bed of  claim 7  including switches operated by pushbuttons on the controllers, means for monitoring the air pressure within each of the mattresses, means responsive to the switches and to the monitored pressures for storing the pressures within the mattresses as a desired levels of pressure when the pushbuttons are depressed for a predetermined period of time, and means responsive to the switches for operating the blower and the valves to adjust the pressure within the mattresses to the desired levels when the pushbuttons are depressed and released in a time less than the predetermined period.  
     
     
         9 . The air bed of  claim 7  including means for delaying the opening of the valves to increase pressure until after the blower has started operating to avoid a drop in pressure within the mattresses when the valves are opened.  
     
     
         10 . In an air bed: a mattress having first and second longitudinally extending chambers extending along opposite sides thereof, a first set of longitudinally spaced apart transversely extending chambers communicating with the first longitudinally extending chamber but not the second, a second set of longitudinally spaced apart transversely extending chambers interspersed between the transversely extending chambers of the first set and communicating with the second longitudinally extending chamber but not the first, and means for introducing air into the longitudinally and transversely extending chambers to inflate the mattress.  
     
     
         11 . The air bed of  claim 10  wherein the mattress is formed by two superposed sheets of flexible, air impervious material joined together to form the chambers.  
     
     
         12 . The air bed of  claim 11  wherein one of the sheets is thermally formed to the contour of the chambers, and the other sheet is relatively flat.  
     
     
         13 . In an air bed: an air inflatable mattress having outwardly convex end and side walls, and a resilient circumscribing frame having end and side rails with concave inner walls defining a cavity for receiving the mattress with the convex walls of the mattress extending into and conforming to the concave inner walls of the rails.  
     
     
         14 . The air bed of  claim 13  further including a layer of visco-elastic foam overlying the mattress for conforming to the contour of a body resting thereon.  
     
     
         15 . The air bed of  claim 13  further including a first sheet of flexible material wrapped about the end rails and extending beneath the mattress, and a second sheet of flexible material wrapped about the side rails and extending beneath the mattress in crossing fashion with the first sheet.  
     
     
         16 . The air bed of  claim 13  including a flexible cover enclosing mattress and the circumscribing frame.  
     
     
         17 . The air bed of  claim 16  wherein the cover includes a removable pillow top which overlies the mattress.  
     
     
         18 . In an air bed: an air inflatable mattress, a circumscribing frame having resilient head, foot and side rails surrounding the mattress with a recess in one of the rails, and a blower assembly mounted in the recess and connected to the mattress for introducing air into the mattress.  
     
     
         19 . The air bed of  claim 18  wherein the cavity is formed in the head rail.  
     
     
         20 . In an air bed: 
 a blower assembly having an air chamber, an air inlet and an air outlet in communication with the chamber, a blower for drawing air into the chamber through the inlet, a valve controlling communication through the outlet;    means for connecting the outlet of the blower assembly in communication with an air inflatable mattress;    a controller; and    means responsive to the controller for opening the valve when the blower is on to increase air pressure within the mattress and for opening the valve while the blower is off to vent air from the mattress through the air inlet and thereby decrease the air pressure within the mattress.    
     
     
         21 . The air bed of  claim 20  further including a switch operated by a pushbutton on the controller, means for monitoring the air pressure within the mattress, means responsive to the switch and to the monitored pressure for storing the pressure within the mattress as a desired level of pressure when the pushbutton is depressed for a predetermined period of time, and means responsive to the switch for operating the blower and the valve to adjust the pressure within the mattress to the desired level when the pushbutton is depressed and released in a time less than the predetermined period.  
     
     
         22 . The air bed of  claim 20  including means for delaying the opening of the valve to increase pressure until after the blower has started operating to avoid a drop in pressure within the mattress when the valve is opened.  
     
     
         23 . In an air bed: an air inflatable mattress, a blower, an air line connected between the blower and the mattress, a valve for controlling communication through the air line, a controller for actuating the blower to increase air pressure within the mattress, and means for opening the valve after the blower is actuated and pressure in the blower has built up to a level at least as great as the pressure within the mattress.  
     
     
         24 . The air bed of  claim 23  wherein the means for opening the air valve includes means for delaying the opening of the valve for a predetermined time after the blower is actuated.  
     
     
         25 . In an air bed: a foundation having two outer sections and a center section each of which is in the form of a generally rectangular inverted box having end walls, side walls and a generally planar top wall, the two outer sections being spaced from the center section with the side walls of the center section parallel to the side walls of the outer sections, intermediate upright members extending between the end walls of the outer sections and the center section, and intermediate platform members extending between the top walls of the outer sections and the center section to form a platform for supporting an air inflatable mattress.  
     
     
         26 . The air bed of  claim 25  wherein the top walls of the outer and center sections are permanently affixed to the end and side walls of those sections, and the intermediate uprights are removably attached to the outer and center sections.  
     
     
         27 . The air bed of  claim 25  further including cleats affixed to the side walls of the outer and center sections, with the intermediate platform members resting upon the intermediate upright members and upon the cleats.  
     
     
         28 . The air bed of  claim 25  wherein the end walls of each of the outer sections are connected to one of the side walls of that section by corner connectors each of which has two pairs of spaced apart flanges in which end portions of the walls are received, and a central portion extending between the pairs of flanges at an angle of 45°.  
     
     
         29 . The air bed of  claim 28  wherein the central portion of each of the connectors has inner and outer walls which form continuations of the flanges.  
     
     
         30 . The air bed of  claim 25  wherein the intermediate upright members are connected to the outer and central sections by T-shaped connectors having a first pair of spaced apart parallel flanges in which an end portion of a side wall is received, a second pair of spaced apart parallel flanges in which an end portion of an end wall is received, and a third pair of spaced apart parallel flanges in which an end portion of an upright member is received, the second and third pairs of flanges being aligned with each other and perpendicular to the first pair of flanges.  
     
     
         31 . The air bed of  claim 30  wherein the first and second pairs of flanges are permanently connected to the side and end walls, and the third pair of flanges is releasably connected to the upright member.