Internal tensioning structure usable with inflatable devices

ES 2 644 232 T3

DESCRIPTION

Method of producing a tensioning structure that can be used with inflatable devices

Background

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an inflatable product, and in particular to an inflatable product structure that is light in weight and low in cost.

two. Description of Related Technique

Inflatable products are light in weight, easy to store and easy to transport. Technologies of such products have been used for outdoor articles and toys, as well as for various household items including inflatable beds, inflatable sofas, and the like.

Many inflatable products use internal structures in order to conform the product to its intended shape, predetermined when inflated. For example, one type of inflatable bed, referred to as a wave-shaped, straight-strip or I-shaped inflatable bed, may include a type of tension band internal structure arranged along wave-shaped paths, straight or I-shaped within the internal cavity. Another type of inflatable bed, referred to as a column-type inflatable bed, has tension bands arranged in honeycomb or cylindrical structures within the inflatable cavity.

These internal tension band structures arranged in the cavity of the inflatable bed shape the bed when internal pressure increases, thereby preventing the inflatable bed from expanding uniformly on all sides in the manner of a balloon. More particularly, in order to maintain an inflatable bed as a rectangular shape, the tension bands join the upper and lower surfaces of the inflatable bed to each other. To allow the passage of pressurized air to both sides of these joint structures, the tension bands can be formed as ribbons that stretch between the upper and lower surfaces, or as vertical expansions of material with columns of air formed therein. The number and spacing of the tension bands is proportional to the fineness of the rectangular shape of the inflated product. That is, a greater number and / or linear extension of tension bands within the pressurized cavity results in a flatter bed surface.

In known inflatable products such as the inflatable beds described above, the tension bands are made of PVC sheets of sufficient thickness to ensure the distribution of force and simultaneous reductions of stresses in the material of the product. For example, known inflatable sofa or bed tension bands may have a thickness of about 0.36mm. For some water-bearing devices, such as inflatable pools, the internal tension bands can be about 0.38mm thick, while the sandwich-type inflatable pools can be 0.7-0.8mm thick.

Thus, known inflatable structures using PVC tape or sheet-like tension bands satisfy the strength requirements of the product by varying the thickness of the tension bands. However, when continuous plastic strips or tapes are used, such tension bands contribute to increased weight of the inflatable product. Similarly, an increase in the thickness and / or spatial density of solid strip tension bands also increases the compressed / folded volume of the deflated inflatable structure.

Summary

The present disclosure provides a method of producing a tensioning structure for use in an inflatable product. The tensioning structure fulfills the basic function of maintaining two adjacent inflatable surfaces in a desired geometric arrangement when the inflatable product is pressurized. The tensioning structure is formed by connecting a pair of sheets of plastic strip by separate filaments, such as ropes or wires. When tensioned, the filaments provide high tensile strength between the two opposing plastic strips. At the same time, the plastic strips facilitate a strong, long-lasting weld between the tensioning structure and the inflatable product.

In accordance with the present invention, a method of producing a tensioning structure has been provided, the method comprising: arranging at least a first pair of welding strips parallel to each other on a joining device; winding at least one continuous filament around a plurality of members arranged along a pair of rows adjacent the first pair of solder strips, respectively, each of the pair of rows of members being offset relative to the other of the pair of rows of members, the winding operation comprising alternating between the pairs of rows, such that at least one continuous filament forms a plurality of end-to-end V-shaped filaments; and using the joining device to join the first pair of welding strips to the plurality of filaments at respective V-shaped corners formed by at least one continuous filament, such that the tensioning structure has a tensile strength throughout along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the first pair of welding strips

ES 2 644 232 T3

In one example, a pair of parallel plastic strips have a plurality of filaments extending between them to connect the plastic strips to each other, with the filaments substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the plastic strips. In another embodiment, a similar arrangement of two parallel plastic strips are connected by a plurality of filaments with each adjacent pair of such filaments converging at a point on one of the plastic strips in a V-configuration. Any embodiment can be incorporated into one. tensioning structure with one of several geometric arrangements within the inflatable cavity, such as linear, cylindrical, wave-shaped, etc.

According to one example, the present description describes an inflatable product comprising: a first sheet and a second sheet arranged opposite the first sheet, the first and second sheets being separated to define a space when the inflatable product is inflated. The inflatable product further includes a tensioning structure having a space portion spanning the space between the first sheet and the second sheet to maintain a spatial relationship between the first and second sheets when the inflatable product is inflated. The space portion has an extent measured along the surface of at least one of the first sheet and the second sheet. The space part occupies a volume and has an operable area occupied by a space part of the tensioning structure defined as the total area of ​​the space between the first sheet and the second sheet, when measured along the extension of the space part of the tensioning structure. The space portion of the tensioning structure defines a ratio of operable area to volume of at least 10 square millimeters per cubic millimeter.

According to another example, the present description describes an inflatable product comprising: a first sheet and a second sheet arranged opposite the first sheet. The first and second sheets are separated to define a space when the inflatable product is inflated. The inflatable product further includes a tensioning structure having a space portion spanning the space between the first and second sheets to maintain a spatial relationship between the first and second sheets when the inflatable product is inflated. The space portion has an extent measured along the surface of at least one of the first sheet and the second sheet. The space part has an operable area occupied by a space part of the tensioning structure defined as the total area of ​​the space between the first sheet and the second sheet, when measured along the extent of the space part of the tensioning structure. The space portion of the tensioning structure has a total weight such that the tensioning structure defines an operable area to weight ratio of at least 6000 square centimeters per kilogram.

According to another example, the present description describes an inflatable product comprising: a first sheet and a second sheet arranged opposite the first sheet. The first and second sheets are separated to define a space when the inflatable product is inflated; The inflatable product further comprises a tensioning structure having a space portion spanning the space between the first sheet and the second sheet to maintain a spatial relationship between the first and second sheets when the inflatable product is inflated. The space part of the tensioning structure has an average thickness of less than 0.125 millimeters.

In accordance with yet another example, the present disclosure describes an inflatable product comprising: a first sheet; a second sheet arranged opposite the first sheet, the first and second sheets being separated to define a space; a tensioning structure spanning the space between the first sheet and the second sheet, the tensioning structure comprising: a plurality of filaments evenly spaced and arranged substantially parallel to each other; and a plurality of solder strips spaced from one another and substantially perpendicular to the plurality of strands, each of the plurality of solder strips being attached to each of the plurality of strands, and each of the plurality of strands being weld attached to at least one of the first sheet and the second sheet.

According to yet another example, the present description describes an inflatable product comprising: a first sheet; a second sheet arranged opposite the first sheet, the first and second sheets being separated to define a space; a tensioning structure spanning the space between the first sheet and the second sheet, the tensioning structure comprising: a plurality of filaments evenly spaced and arranged in parallel; and a first weld sheet having the plurality of filaments attached to an upper surface of the first weld sheet.

In accordance with yet another example, the present disclosure describes an inflatable product comprising: a first sheet; a second sheet arranged opposite the first sheet, the first and second sheets being separated to define a space; a tensioning structure spanning the space between the first sheet and the second sheet, the tensioning structure comprising: an upper weld strip; a lower weld strip arranged substantially parallel to the upper weld strip and spaced from the upper weld strip spanning the space between the first sheet and the second sheet; and a plurality of end-to-end V-shaped filaments disposed between the weld strips, each of the upper and lower end V-shaped filaments having attached to the upper and lower welding strips, respectively.

According to yet another example, the present description describes an inflatable product comprising: a first sheet; a second sheet arranged opposite the first sheet, the first and second sheets being

ES 2 644 232 T3 separated to define a space, the first sheet and the second sheet cooperating to at least partially limit an inflatable chamber; a plurality of tensioning structures welded to respective interior surfaces of the first and second sheets such that the plurality of tensioning structures span the space, each of the plurality of tensioning structures comprising: an upper welding strip attached to a of the first sheet and the second sheet; a lower welding strip attached to the other of the first sheet and the second sheet; and a plurality of filaments connecting the upper and lower solder strips to each other.

According to yet another example, the present description describes an inflatable product comprising: a first sheet; a second sheet arranged opposite the first sheet, the first and second sheets being separated to define a space, the first sheet and the second sheet cooperating to at least partially limit an inflatable chamber; a plurality of tensioning structures welded to interior surfaces of the first and second sheets such that the plurality of tensioning structures span the space, each of the plurality of tensioning structures comprising: a welding sheet; a plurality of filaments, and the plurality of filaments substantially uniformly spaced and arranged substantially parallel to each other, the plurality of filaments attached to the welding sheet; and a welding strip attached to each end of the welding sheet in such a way that a longitudinal extension of the welding strip is substantially perpendicular to the plurality of filaments, respective ends of the plurality of filaments are attached to the welding strip, and each of the welding strips is welded to one of the first sheet and the second sheet.

In accordance with yet another example, the present disclosure describes a method for producing a tensioning structure of an inflatable product, the method comprising: arranging at least one welder downstream of a filament guide; supplying a plurality of filaments to the welder through the filament guide, such that the supplied filaments are substantially uniformly spaced and arranged substantially parallel to each other; positioning welding strips on a first matrix of the welder or gluing device, the welding strips having a longitudinal extension corresponding to the total width of the plurality of filaments; advancing a second welder die or gluing device to an operative position in which the first and second dies are disposed on opposite sides of the solder strips, activating the welder or gluing device to fixedly connect the welding strips welding to the plurality of filaments, such that the welding strips are attached to the plurality of filaments in a separate and substantially parallel arrangement, and such that the solder strips are substantially perpendicular to the plurality of filaments.

In accordance with yet another example, the present disclosure describes a method for producing a tensioning structure of an inflatable product, comprising: disposing a hot roll downstream of a filament guide; supplying a plurality of filaments to the hot roll through the filament guide, such that the supplied filaments are substantially uniformly spaced and arranged substantially parallel to each other; arranging a conveyor roll downstream of the filament guide, the conveyor roll being operative to deliver at least one weld sheet to the hot roll, at least one weld sheet having a width corresponding to a total width of the plurality of filaments; and passing the plurality of filaments and at least one welding strip through the hot roll, such that the plurality of filaments are attached to at least one welding foil.

Preferred features of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

Brief description of the drawings

The aforementioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of achieving them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which :

Figure 1 is an exploded, perspective view of an inflatable structure incorporating an exemplary tensioning structure;

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tensioning structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed incorporating exemplary tensioning structures;

Figure 4 is an assembled view of the inflatable bed of Figure 3, in which the material of the inflatable bed has been made transparent to show the internal arrangement of the tensioning structures;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed incorporating an alternative geometric arrangement of tensioning structures, made in accordance with the present disclosure;

Figure 6 is an assembled view of the inflatable bed of Figure 5, in which the material of the inflatable bed has been made transparent to show the internal spatial arrangement of the structures of

ES 2 644 232 T3 tensioned;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of an apparatus for producing bulk or bulk material for the tensioning structures shown in Figures 3 to 6;

Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a first example of the bulk material created by the apparatus of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing a first example of the bulk material created by the apparatus of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing a second example of the bulk material created by the apparatus of Figure 7;

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing a second example of the bulk material created by the apparatus of Figure 7;

Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view of a first alternative tensioning structure;

Figure 13 is an assembled perspective view of the first alternative tensioning structure shown in Figure 12;

Figure 14 is an exploded perspective view of a second alternative tensioning structure;

Figure 15 is an exploded perspective view of a third alternative tensioning structure;

Figure 16 is an assembled, perspective view of the third alternative tensioning structure shown in Figure 15;

Figure 17 is an exploded perspective view of a fourth alternative tensioning structure;

Figure 18 is an exploded perspective view of a fifth alternate tensioning structure;

Figure 19 is an assembled, perspective view of the fifth alternate tensioning structure shown in Figure 18;

Figure 20 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed incorporating alternative tensioning structures;

Figure 21 is an assembled view of the inflatable bed of Figure 22, in which the material of the inflatable bed has been made transparent to show the internal arrangement of the tensioning structures;

Figure 22 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed incorporating alternative tensioning structures, configured in an alternative geometric arrangement;

Figure 23 is an assembled view of the inflatable bed of Figure 22, in which the material of the inflatable bed has been made transparent to show the internal spatial arrangement of the tensioning structures;

Figure 24 is a perspective view of an apparatus for producing bulk material for the first to fifth tensioning structures shown in Figures 12 to 19;

Figure 25 is an exploded perspective view of a sixth alternative tensioning structure made in accordance with the present disclosure;

Figure 26 is an assembled perspective view of the sixth tensioning structure shown in Figure 25;

Figure 27 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed incorporating the sixth alternate tensioning structure shown in Figure 25;

Figure 28 is an assembled view of the inflatable bed of Figure 27, in which the material of the inflatable bed has been made transparent to show the internal arrangement of the tensioning structures;

Figure 29 is a perspective view of an apparatus for producing bulk material for the sixth

ES 2 644 232 T3 tensioning structure shown in Figures 25 to 28;

Figure 30 is an exploded perspective view of a seventh alternative tensioning structure made in accordance with the present disclosure;

Figure 31 is an assembled, perspective view of the fifth alternate tensioning structure shown in Figure 30;

Figure 32 is a perspective view of an apparatus for producing bulk material for the tensioning structures shown in Figures 30 and 31;

Figure 33 is a top plan view of parts of tensioning structures grouped together during a welding process;

Figure 33 is a top plan view of parts of tensioning structures grouped together during a welding process;

Figure 34 is a top plan view of parts of collapsed tensioning structures when the mattress is deflated for storage or transportation;

Figure 35 is a view similar to Figure 33 showing parts of tensioning structures with filaments or wires placed in stacks during a welding process; and Figure 36 is a view similar to Figure 33 showing parts of tensioning structures displaced relative to each other during a welding process.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views. The examples shown herein illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and such examples are not to be construed in any way as limiting the scope of the invention.

The words top, bottom, top, bottom, top, bottom, and similar positional language have been used throughout this description in accordance with the relative positions of features when embodiments of the present invention are in use. In the present context, in use is understood to mean that the inflatable product is inflated and oriented in the position of the embodiment shown in Figure 4. It is to be understood that the device can be used, stored and transported in any orientation, not just the one shown in the figures.

Detailed description

The present invention provides tensioning structures that shape inflatable devices, such as inflatable sofas, beds, or swimming pools. The tensioning structures are light in weight and take up minimal volume when the device is deflated and stored, but they also function as a strong and durable internal support when inflating and using the inflatable device.

An exemplary tensioning structure in accordance with the present invention uses filaments or yarns in the form of thin, flexible ropes or wires that join two areas of tissue together. The filaments are firmly connected to the adjacent fabric by an intermediate material, such as a strip or sheet, and the intermediate material is in turn firmly connected to the fabric. The contact area between the intermediate material and the bonded filaments can be manipulated to impart a bond strength proportional to the tensile strength of the filament. Similarly, the contact area between the intermediate material and the adjacent fabric can also be manipulated to impart a fabric / tensioning structure connection strength proportional to the aggregate tensile strength of all filaments in the tensioning structure.

Various tensioning structures and manufacturing methods thereof are described in detail below. It is contemplated that any of the present tensioning structures described can be used in any inflatable product, either alone or in groups or in combination with others as required or desired for a particular design. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the tensioning structures according to the present invention can be used in other contexts, such as in camping equipment or in any other context where a packable and lightweight structure is needed to join two pieces of material that are applied away from each other running.

1. Welding Strips Joined by Separate Filaments

Turning now to Figures 1 and 2, the tensioning structure 3 is shown joining the upper material 1 to the lower material 2. In the illustrated example, the tensioning structure 3 includes upper and lower welding strips 31 connected to each other by a plurality of substantially parallel filaments 32 defining a portion of space extending between a space between the upper and lower sheets 1, 2. The upper and lower welding strips 31 are in turn welded to the upper material 1 and the lower material 2, respectively, in such a way that the forces that they apply to the upper and lower materials 1, 2 are counteracted by the tension in the filaments 32.

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Optionally, reinforcing filaments 5 (Figure 3) may be provided along the longitudinal extension of the welding strips 31 (ie substantially perpendicular to the filaments 32). The reinforcing filaments 5, when provided, can be coupled to traction filaments 32, such as folding filaments 32 over reinforcing filaments 5, tying filaments 5, 32 together, or securing filaments 5, 32 together with adhesive. . When so coupled, the reinforcing filaments 5 provide additional surface contact with the welding strips 31 and thereby improve the securing strength of the filaments 5 to freely stretch the welding strips 31. Furthermore, the presence of welding filaments reinforcement 32 within the weld strips 31 improves the tensile strength of the weld strips 31 along their longitudinal extensions.

The plurality of filaments 32 in tensioning structure 3 as shown in Figures 1 and 2 are arranged such that filaments 32 are substantially parallel to each other when filaments 32 are tensioned (i.e. when welding strips 31 are separated from each other). Furthermore, the adjacent pairs of filaments 32 may have uniform intervals between them, such that a substantially constant tensile strength of the tensioning structure 3 is maintained throughout the longitudinal extension of the welding strips 31. In one example, the filaments 32 may extend across the entire width of the solder strips 31, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, such that a large contact area is achieved between the filaments 32 and the solder strips 31. For clarity, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate only a limited number of filaments 32 attached to strips 31 in this way, noting that all of the filaments 32 in a tensioning structure 3 can be thus attached.

In an exemplary application shown in Figures 3 and 4, a number of tensioning structures 3 are used in an inflatable structure such as an air mattress 10, which includes an upper material sleeping surface 1 and a contact surface with the ground in the lower material 2. The annular side band 4 is fixedly connected or welded to the peripheries of the upper material 1 and the lower material 2 to form an inflatable chamber. A valve 6 may be provided to facilitate inflation and deflation of the mattress 10.

Although the mattress 10 is shown as a single layer, double layers can also be provided. Additional mattress features may be provided as shown in US Patent No. 7,591,036 entitled Air Inflated Mattress, the full description of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. In addition to mattresses, tensioning structures can be used in other inflatable products such as inflatable boats or boats, inflatable islands, flotation devices, swimming pools, inflatable slides, and any other inflatable devices.

Each of the plurality of tensioning structures 3 is welded to respectively opposite parts of the inner surfaces of the upper and lower materials 1, 2, as described in detail above. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the tensioning structure 3 defines a total longitudinal extension (that is, along the longitudinal direction of the welding strips 31) corresponding to the width or length of the sleeping materials. and in contact with the ground 1, 2 of the mattress 10.

As noted above, the tensioning structures 3 are connected to the upper and lower material 1, 2 by welding strips 31. Such welding is achieved by abutting one of the welding strips 31 on one of the upper and lower materials 1 , 2 and then applying heat to melt the material of the welding strips 31 to the abutting material. The welding strips 31 and the upper and lower material 1, 2 are both made of PVC, and the welding process is carried out by applying heat at 105 ° C for about 0.5 seconds. The upper and lower sheets 1, 2 and the solder strips 31 have thicknesses ranging from 0.15 to 1.0 mm with 0.34 mm being preferred for the upper and lower sheets 1.2 and 0.18 mm for the strips of solder 31. The solder strips 31 are preferably 12.7mm wide and can range from 1 to 100mm wide. The PVC used preferably has a tensile strength ranging from at least 7 kgf / cm to 73 kgf / cm and a density ranging from 0.8 to 2.5 g per cubic centimeter with a preferred density of 1.5 g per cubic centimeter.

In Figures 3 and 4, the tensioning structures 3 are welded to the upper and lower material 1, 2 along a substantially linear path, with the plurality of structures 3 substantially parallel to each other and equally spaced through the materials 1 , two. However, it has been considered that the weld geometry may have any other suitable geometry, such as a wave-like path, an I-shape path, a Z-shape path, or a V-shape path. An exemplary alternative is a cylindrical or columnar arrangement, as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. In this arrangement, the upper and lower solder strips 31 are each connected at their ends in an end-to-end manner to form an arcuate ring, such as a circular ring as illustrated. The plurality of filaments 32 between the upper and lower weld strips 31 thus form a closed column periphery, thereby forming the body of a column. When assembling the inflatable bed 10, this column is welded to the upper and lower materials 1, 2 in a similar manner as described herein with respect to the linearly arranged tensioning structure 3.

When the mattress 10 is inflated, the introduction of pressurized air into the mattress cavity pushes the upper and lower materials 1, 2 away from each other. When sufficiently pressurized, the filaments 32 become tensioned and the tensioning structures 3 prevent any separation of the upper and lower materials 1, 2 in the

ES 2 644 232 T3 proximity of each tensioning structure 3. Additional pressurization causes more tensile stress within tensioning structures 3, and additional forces on the weld between tensioning structures 3 and adjacent material.

In an example of mattress 10, the tensioning structure 3 includes as few filaments as one filament every two centimeters, 1, 2, 3, 4, filaments per centimeter of longitudinal extension of welding strips 31, or as many as 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, or more filaments per centimeter, or can have any number of filaments per centimeter within any range defined by any of the above values. Preferably there is about 2.8mm between filaments (ie 3.6 filaments per centimeter). The filaments 32 can be made of regular cotton, polyester, nylon yarn made of multiple filaments twisted together, of the type typically used in clothing seams, or any other types of filament. These regular filaments provide substantial tensile strength at very low cost. According to an alternative example, filaments 32 can be woven together to form a fabric. According to another example, non-woven fabric can be used to form the part of the tensioning structure 3 that extends through the inter-sheet space 1, 2.

According to the present invention, the threads can range from a diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 mm. Preferably, the wire has a diameter of 0.2 mm. According to the present invention, the tensile strength of the yarns can range from 0.2 kgf to 10 kgf per yarn. Preferably, the tensile strength of the yarn is 3 kgf per yarn. Preferably, the yarns have a density ranging from 0.01 to 0.3 grams per meter. Preferably the yarns are 0.085 grams per meter. Of course, it has been appreciated that other materials could be used, such as monofilament lines, metal wires or cables, plastic, and the like.

The above-described exemplary arrangement of tensioning structure 3 produces a strong finished product suitable for use in a wide variety of inflatable products. In exemplary embodiments, the tensioning structure 3 has strands 32 with a total axial extension of between 5 cm and 65 cm, making the strands 32 suitable to span a correspondingly sized space formed between the spaced solder strips. Therefore, this exemplary embodiment is suitable for use in mattress 10 having an inflated thickness approximately equal to the axial extent of filaments 32. This exemplary embodiment further utilizes the regular yarn material indicated above with a filament density in the ranges given above. The resulting exemplary tension structure 3 has a total tensile strength of between 5.9 and 23.3 kgf per linear centimeter (where linear centimeters subjected along the longitudinal extension of the welding strips 31).

When the mattress 10 is inflated, the tensioning structure defines an operable area along its longitudinal extension and through the space between the upper and lower materials 1, 2. More particularly, the area occupied by the tensioning structure 3 is defined as the total area of ​​the space between the sheets of material joined by the tensioning structure 3, with such space measured along the longitudinal extension of the tensioning structure of such that the measured area includes each of the plurality of filaments 32. When the tensioning structure 3 is linearly arranged and the upper and lower materials 1, 2 are parallel to each other (as shown for example in Figures 3 and 4), this area is simply the longitudinal extension of the tensioning structure 3 multiplied by the space between the upper and lower materials 1, 2. When the tensioning structure 3 has a non-linear path (such as the arcuate, column-shaped path shown in Figures 5 and 6, for example), or the upper and lower materials 1 and 2 are not parallel, the method above described to measure the area still results in an exact operable area.

The above-described exemplary arrangement of tensioning structure 3 achieves high tensile strength while promoting light weight and low packaged volume of the finished inflatable product. According to the present invention, the filaments 32 and the area between the filaments 32 define a space portion 33 (see Figure 1) of tensioning structure 3 that encompasses the space between the upper and lower materials / sheets 1, 2 which maintains a spatial relationship between the first and second sheets when the mattress 10 is inflated. As shown in Figure 1, the collection of filaments 32 defining this portion of space 33 has an extension 35 measured along the surface of at least one of the first sheet 1 and the second sheet 2. The filaments of this space portion 33 of tensioning structure 3 collectively occupy a volume. The space part has an operable area defined by the extension 35 of the space part 33 (also very close to a length of the solder strips 31) and the length 37 of the filaments 32. The operable area is occupied by filaments 32 of the tensioning structure 3 and defines a total area of ​​the space between the first sheet 1 and the second sheet 2, when measured along the extension 35 of the space portion 33 of the tensioning structure 3. For example, if the filaments 32 of an exemplary tensioning structure have a length 37 of 100 mm between the first and second sheets 1, 2 and the extension 35 of the gap portion 33 is 100 mm, the operable area of ​​the part of space 33 defined by filaments 32 is 10,000 mm². Assuming there are 3.6 filaments per centimeter, there will be 3.571 mm of filaments 32 within the operable area of ​​10,000 mirP. If the filaments 32 have a diameter of 0.2 mm, the total volume occupied by the filaments 32 will be 112.2 mm³. In this example, the space portion 33 of the tensioning structure 3 defines a ratio of operable area to volume of 89.13 mirP per mirr⁵(for example 10,000 mm2 / 112.2 mirP). In accordance with the present invention, the ratio of operable area to volume can range from 10 to 3,000 mitf per mirP.

Due to the use of filaments 32 instead of PVC sheets, the total weight of the mattress 10 can also be reduced.

ES 2 644 232 T3

The space portion 33 of the tensioning structure 3 defined by the filaments 32 has a total weight and an operable area, as described above. In the example above, the operable area was 10,000mm² (100mm by 100mm) and there were 3.6 filaments per centimeter. This results in 3,571mm of thread. At a density of 0.085 g per meter of yarn, the whole yarn will weigh 0.304 g. As a result, a ratio of operable area to weight will be about 32,941 mirP per gram (or 329,412 cmP per kilogram) in the preferred example (eg 10,000 mm2 / 0.304 g). According to some examples of the present invention, the operable area to weight ratio is between 8,000 and 5,000,000 cm per kilogram. According to other examples, the ratio of operable area to weight is between 12,500 and 2,500,000 cmP per kilogram. According to other embodiments, the ratio of operable area to weight is between 20,000 and 1,000,000 cm per kilogram.

Due to the use of filaments 32 instead of PVC sheets, the average thickness of the space part 33 of the tensioning structure 3 that extends between the first and second sheets 1, 2 can also be reduced. The space portion 33 of the tensioning structure 3 defined by the filaments 32 has an average thickness and operable area, as described above. The average thickness is reduced by the nominally circular cross section of the filaments 32 and the spaces between each filament 32.

For example, the maximum thickness of the gap portion 33 is the diameter of filaments 32 (0.2mm in the example above). The average thickness of the space part 33 is zero in the unoccupied areas between filaments 32. When averaged over the total area of ​​the space part 33 occupied by the filaments 32 and the total area of ​​the space part 33 without filaments 33, the average thickness is less than the diameter of the filaments 32. Furthermore, if the distance between filaments 32 is increased, the average thickness decreases because more of the space part 33 is unoccupied by the filaments (i.e. the amount of space part 33 with zero thickness increases, which decreases the average thickness of the space part 33).

In the example above, the operable area was 10,000 mirP (100mm by 100mm) and there were 3.6 filaments per centimeter (or 2.8mm from 32 to 32 filament). In contrast to the maximum thickness of a circular wire, which is the diameter, the average thickness of a circular wire is pi * diameter / 4. Using filaments 32 with a diameter of 0.2 mm, results in an average thickness of 0.157 mm for each filament 32. Due to the spaces between filaments 32, the average thickness of the space portion 33 defined by the filaments 32 and the spaces between them is 0.0112 mm (i.e. 2.8 mm between filaments 32 have a thickness of zero, which which reduces the average thickness of the gap portion 33 to much less than the average thickness of the filaments 32). According to some examples of the present invention, the average thickness of the space part of the tensioning structure 3 is between 0.0003 to 0.1 mm. According to other examples, the average thickness is between 0.001 and 0.05 mm. According to other examples, the average thickness is between 0.005 and 0.02 mm.

Turning now to Figure 7, there is shown an apparatus 20 suitable for manufacturing the tensioning structure 3. To operate the apparatus 20 for this purpose, a plurality of filaments 32 are provided from a bulk yarn feed 11, which may be a fiber filament containing several fiber spools for example. The yarn feed 11 continuously delivers the plurality of filaments 32 through the filament guide A, which includes a plurality of openings through which the individual filaments 32 pass after delivery from the yarn feed 11 and prior to incorporation into bulk tensioning structure material 30 (shown in Figure 9 and described below). The filament guide A maintains uniform spacing of the filaments 32 from one another, and arranges filaments 32 parallel to each other such that the plurality of filaments 32 are substantially flat. The width of the solder strips 31, the distance between contiguous pairs of solder strips 31, and the spacing between contiguous pairs of filaments 32 can be adjusted to whatever values ​​are required or desired for an intended use, such as in a product. particular inflatable.

These flat, parallel, and evenly spaced filaments 32 are then passed to a welder 40, as shown in Figure 7. The welder 40 may be a hot melt device, which uses heat to bond the plastic materials together, or it may be a high frequency welder, in which electromagnetic waves benefit from excitable chemical dipoles in the plastic material to soften and bond the materials together. In addition, any suitable welding method can be employed by welder 40, as required or desired for a particular material and process.

The welding strips 31, having a length corresponding to the width of the plurality of arranged filaments 32, are positioned on lower dies B1 of the welder 40. The filaments 32 are advanced over the welding strips 31 as illustrated, and the upper dies B2 are then lowered into contact with the solder strips 31. Energy (ie heat or electromagnetic waves) is applied to fixedly connect the solder strip 31 with each of the plurality of filaments 32 such that the respective filaments 32 are set apart and parallel.

The finished bulk material 30 can then be delivered to a collection device (not shown) such as a reel or roll. This allows the bulk material 30 to be produced continuously and stored for later use. The bulk material 30 can be converted into tensioning structure 3 (figure 2) by cutting down the center of the welded strip 31. The tensioning structure 3 can then be applied to different inflatable products by cutting the length and width thereof according to the dimensions of the product.

ES 2 644 232 T3

As highlighted above, the reinforcing filament 5 can be added to the tensioning structure 3 to further improve the mechanical strength thereof, including the tensile strength of the welding strips 31. To add at least one filament of reinforcement 5 to the bulk material 30, the reinforcement filaments 5 are arranged perpendicular to the plurality of filaments 32, and abutting the respective welding strips 31. The upper die B2 of the welder 40 is pressed down to fixedly connect the welding strips 31 to both the reinforcing filaments 5 and the plurality of filaments 32, as described above. The reinforcing filaments 5 are illustrated in Figure 3 but have been omitted in Figure 4 for clarity.

As shown in Figure 4, the tensioning structures 30 are positioned within the band 4 and welded to the upper and lower sheet 1, 2. Although they have been shown perpendicular to the sheets 1,2 in Figure 4 after welding, the welding strips 31 are laid flat on the sheets 1, 2 after welding as shown in the lower part of figure 1. Similarly, in the mattresses 10 of Figures 6, 21, 23, and 28, the welding strips 31 are shown perpendicular to the sheets 1, 2 but lie flat on the sheets 1,2 when welding as shown. at the bottom of figure 1.

As illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, bulk material 30 (Figure 9) can be formed using a single layer of solder strips 31 connecting to filaments 32. In another example shown in Figures 10 and 11, the Bulk material 30 can be manufactured as a double layer structure using a pair of solder strips both above and below the filaments 32. The use of two mutually opposing solder strips employs a gripping action to trap or capture the filaments 32 between them, thereby contributing to a high strength mating interface. When implemented in an inflatable product, the resulting double-layer tensioning structure 3 has improved mechanical strength and can be welded to the upper or lower material 1, 2 (Figures 1, 3 and 4) on either side. As shown in Figures 10 and 11 and described above, at least one reinforcing filament 5 can also be captured between the welding strips 31.

two. Sheet-backed Tensioning Structures with Fixed Filaments

An alternately arranged tensioning structure is shown in Figures 12 and 13 as tensioning structure 103. Structure 103 is substantially similar to tensioning structure 3 described above, with reference numbers of structure 103 analogous to reference numerals used. in structure 3, except with a 100 added thereto. Elements of structure 103 correspond to similar elements indicated by corresponding reference numerals of structure 3 except as indicated otherwise.

Tensioning structure 103 includes a plurality of filaments 32 that are uniformly spaced and arranged substantially parallel to each other, in a manner similar to tensioning structure 3 described above. However, the tensioning structure 103 includes welding foil 131 instead of welding strips 31 of the structure 3. Instead of attaching the ends of the filaments 32 to solder strips 31, the entire length of the filaments 32 is affixed to the solder sheet 131. The welding sheet 131 serves to provide proper positioning and protection of the plurality of filaments 32, in such a way as to avoid the formation of knots or damage to the filaments 32 during practical use. However, because the tension structure 103 includes filaments 32 embedded therein, the weld sheet 131 does not need to support significant tensile loads and can be kept at a minimum thickness. For example, the weld sheet 131 can be 0.10mm thick.

In Figures 12 and 13, a single weld sheet 131 has been used, although other arrangements have been considered. Figure 14, for example, illustrates the tensioning structure 103 (Figure 13) with an additional weld sheet 131 applied opposite the first weld sheet 131. Similar to the example of the tensioning structure 3 using mutually opposite solder strips 31 (Figures 10 and 11), mutually opposite solder sheets 131 can be used to encapsulate filaments 32.

Figures 15 and 16 illustrate tensioning structure 203, which is substantially similar to tensioning structure 3 described above, with reference numbers of structure 203 analogous to reference numbers used in structure 3, except with an added 200 to them. The elements of the structure 203 correspond to similar elements indicated by corresponding reference numerals of the structure 3, except as indicated otherwise. However, the structure 203 represents a hybrid approach that combines elements of the tensioning structures 3 and 103, in which a plurality of solder strips 31 are used to encapsulate a portion of filaments 32 between strips 31 and solder foil 131. The addition of solder strips 31 to the solder sheet 131 improves the mechanical strength of the soldered connection between the tensioning structure 203 and the adjacent product material (for example, the upper and / or lower material 1, 2 of inflatable bed 10 shown in Figures 2 and 3).

Figure 17 illustrates tensioning structure 303, which is substantially similar to tensioning structure 3 described above, with reference numerals in structure 303 analogous to reference numerals used in structure 3, except with a 300 added to the themselves. The elements of structure 303 correspond to

ES 2 644 232 T3 similar elements indicated by corresponding reference numerals of structure 3, except as indicated otherwise. Furthermore, the structure 303 incorporates all the elements of the tensioning structure 203 but adds a second, lower layer of solder strips 31 attached to the solder sheet 131 opposite the first upper layer of solder strips 31. Thus, there is a double layer structure of opposed welding strips 31 that further increases the welding sheet 131, making the tensioning structure 303 very resistant and robust both along the extension of the filaments 32 and in the welding between filaments. 32 and adjacent material, for example, inflatable bed 10 material 1, 2 (Figures 3 and 4).

Returning to Figures 18 and 19, yet another tensioning structure 403 is illustrated. The tensioning structure 403 is substantially similar to the tensioning structure 3 described above, with reference numerals of the structure 403 analogous to the reference numerals used. in structure 3, except with a 400 added thereto. Elements of structure 403 correspond to similar elements indicated by corresponding reference numerals of structure 3, except as indicated otherwise. However, the plurality of filaments 32 used in structure 403 are discontinuous. As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the plurality of filaments 32 can be trimmed to any desired length, and then attached to the weld sheet 131 by hot pressing. Upon installation in an inflatable product in use, the stationary strands 32 can be cut to length, and welded in place as described above. Thus, using tensioning structures 403 has the potential to reduce the consumption of the material used for the filaments 32 and avoid unnecessary waste thereof, with a lower material cost thereby.

Optionally, as shown in Figure 20, each end of the weld sheet 131 (ie, at the ends of filaments 32) may include a reinforcing filament 5 arranged similarly to the tensioning structure 3 described above. The reinforcing filaments 5 are omitted from Figure 21 for clarity.

The foil-backed examples illustrated as tension structures 103, 203, 303 and 403 in Figures 12 to 19 can be integrated into an inflatable device in a similar manner as tension structures 3 described above. For example, Figures 20 and 21 illustrate the integration of tensioning structures 103 in an inflatable bed 10, which is achieved by the same method as described above.

The tensioning structures 103, 203, 303 and 403 can also be formed in a variety of geometric configurations, as described above with respect to the tensioning structure 3. These configurations include a wave-like path, a shaped path I, a Z-shaped path or a V-shaped path. As illustrated in Figures 22 and 23, a cylindrical or columnar arrangement may also be used. In this arrangement, the solder sheet 131 (and the upper and lower solder strips 31, if present) are connected at their ends in an end-to-end manner to form an arcuate ring, such as a circular ring as illustrated. . The plurality of filaments 32 thus cooperate with the weld sheet material 131 to form a closed column periphery, thereby forming the body of a column. The axial outsides of this columnar structure can then be welded to the upper material 1 and the lower material 2, respectively, of the inflatable bed 10.

Turning now to Figure 24, there is shown an apparatus 120 suitable for fabricating tensioning structures 103, 203, 303, or 403. Operation of apparatus 120 is accomplished by first supplying a plurality of filaments 32 from one fiber station or another. fiber store, as described above with respect to apparatus 20. Filaments 32 are continuously delivered through filament guide A, described above, which provides filaments 32 evenly spaced and parallel to downstream welder 140.

The welder 140 includes a transport roll C downstream of the filament guide A, which continuously delivers a weld sheet 131 of sufficient width to correspond to the width of the plurality of filaments 32. Downstream of roll C, the plurality of filaments 32 are close to or abut the welding foil 131.

The plurality of filaments 32 and the welding foil 131 then advance together through the hot roller D, which heats and compresses the material such that the filaments 32 are fixed to the softened material of the welding foil 131. After the passage to Through the roller D, the tensioning structure 103 is complete as shown in Fig. 13. The bulk material for the tensioning structure 103 can be wound onto a take-up reel for subsequent cutting into a tensioning structure 103 of appropriate size for a particular application.

When the tensioning structure 103 is applied to an inflatable product such as an inflatable bed 10 (Figures 21 and 22), the weld sheet 131 can have a relatively small thickness given the level of internal pressure (and hence stress). expected to be encountered by structure 103 during inflation and use of the product. For example, the thickness can be reduced by 20% to 40% with respect to known internal tension structures without filaments 32. Because the filaments 32 are positioned and configured to withstand the tensile loads applied to the tensioning structure 103, the weld sheet 131 need only provide means for proper positioning and protection of the plurality of filaments 32, such as to avoid knotting or damage to filaments 32 during practical use. In one example, the thickness of the weld sheet 131 can be as small as 0.10 mm.

ES 2 644 232 T3

When a second weld sheet 131 is added to the tensioning structure 103, as shown in Figure 14 and described above, a second roll C (not shown) may be provided in opposition to the illustrated roll C of Figure 24, accordingly. such that the rollers C are arranged on both sides of the filaments 32. Both sheets 131 are passed through the hot press roller D, capturing the filaments 32 between the two layers of plastic sheets.

When a plurality of solder strips 31 are added to create the tensioning structure 203, as shown in Figures 15 and 16 and described above, a finished tensioning structure 103 made using the apparatus 120 can be further processed using the apparatus. 20 as shown in Figure 7 and described above. After the intermediate laminated product equivalent to the tensioning structure 103 exiting the hot rollers D, the welding strips 31 can be added to one or both sides of the intermediate laminated product. At least one reinforcing filament 5 can be added when required or desired, such that the reinforcing filaments 5 are perpendicular to the plurality of filaments 32, as described in detail above.

When welding strips 31 are added to both sides of a product with intermediate sheets, to create the tensioning structure 303, a process similar to the previous one can be used in which a product with intermediate sheets leaves the rollers D and receives strips of additional welding 31. However, the solder strips 31 are added to both sides instead of only one side, according to the method of manufacturing a double layer version of bulk material 30 using the soldering iron 40 as described above. Of course, at least one reinforcing filament 5 can be added in a similar manner as previously described.

3. Welding Strips Joined by V-Shaped Filaments.

An actively disposed tensioning structure is shown in Figures 25 and 26 as tensioning structure 503. Structure 503 is substantially similar to tensioning structure 3 described above, with reference numbers of structure 503 analogous to numbers of reference used in structure 3, except with a 500 added thereto. Elements of structure 503 correspond to similar elements indicated by corresponding reference numerals of structure 3, except as indicated otherwise.

However, filament 532 in tensioning structure 503 has a staggered, V-shaped arrangement and can be formed from a single filament wound back and forth rather than a plurality of discrete separate filaments as shown. has used in the tensioning structure 3 for example. As described below in the context of the method of manufacturing tensioning structure 503, filament 532 may be a single continuous filament woven between solder strips 31, 31 ', with the point of each V set at least to one of the solder strips 31, 31 '.

Turning now to Figure 29, an apparatus 220 suitable for fabricating tensioning structure 503 is shown. Operation of apparatus 220 is accomplished by arranging a lower pair of solder strips 31 such that the bottom is substantially parallel and is separated when joining the 540 device. In the illustrated embodiment, the weld strips 31 are unwound from rollers of weld strip material contained within a pair of unwind devices 550.

Next, the continuous filament 532 is successively wound around a set of adjacent hook-shaped members 541 disposed on either side of the joining device 540, with the plurality of hook-shaped members 541 disposed in two respective rows corresponding to the location of the lower pair of previously placed solder strips 31. In an exemplary embodiment, the hook members 541 are evenly spaced from one another and disposed on the outer sides of the lower pair of solder strips 31, with each row of hook members 541 offset from the other row. With this arrangement, continuous filament 532 forms a plurality of end-to-end V-shaped filaments when wound around successive hook members 541 in alternate rows thereof, as shown. That is, the corner of each V is formed on a respective hook-shaped member 541, and successive corners drawn along continuous filament 532 will alternate between rows of hook-shaped members 541.

Next, a second pair of solder strips 31 'are positioned on the first pair of solder strips 31, respectively, which are fastened thereto such that each V-shaped corner formed by filament 532 is arranged between a of the first pair of welding strips 31 and the one that abuts the second pair of welding strips 31 '. The second pair of solder strips 31 'can also be unwound from the unwinder devices 550.

Finally, the pairs of butt welding strips 31, 31 'are attached to each other and to the filament 532, such as by welding or by one of the other attachment methods described above. For example, the solder strips 31, 31 'can be joined by a high frequency soldering iron or other hot melt device.

As with other tensioning structures described above, tensioning structure 503 can be produced and stored in bulk and subsequently applied to various inflatable products. The length and width of the structure

ES 2 644 232 T3 tensioning 503 can be trimmed to accommodate the internal length or width of the inflatable product.

According to the invention, it is not necessary to provide the second layer of solder strips 31 ', and it is sufficient to fix only the first layer of solder strips 31 to the filament 532. Fixing the filament 532 to the single layer of solder strips 31 can be achieved in a similar manner to the solder strip and single layer solder foil and examples described above.

Returning to Figures 30 to 32 the tensioning structure 503 may also be provided with at least one reinforcing filament 5 which extends along the longitudinal extension of at least one of the welding strips 31, 31 '. Similar to the uses of the reinforcing filaments 5 in the embodiments described above, the reinforcing filaments 5 may be arranged over one of the lower pair of welding strips 31 and / or between the lower and upper pairs of welding strips. 31, 31 '.

A tensioning structure in accordance with the present invention, including tensioning structure 503 described above, has a high tensile strength along the axial extension of filaments 32, 532 extending between respective weld strips and / or along weld sheets. This high tensile strength is complemented by a full strength weld between the adjacent material of an inflatable product, which is facilitated by the full surface contact provided by the interface of the weld strip and / or weld sheet between filaments 32, 532 and such adjacent material. Thus, the tensioning structure performs well an internal structure of the inflatable product, while facilitating a total reduction in the weight and deflated / folded volume of the inflatable product. For example, a loose array of filaments 32 is significantly lighter than a one-piece sheet of comparable size and tensile strength.

When welding foils 131 are employed, such foils act to ensure a consistent position and arrangement of the plurality of filaments 32 (or 532), thereby preventing such filaments from becoming wound or otherwise entangled with one another. Meanwhile, the welding strips 31 can be used to provide a robust structure for welding the tensioning structure to the inflatable product, thereby ensuring that the high tensile strength offered by the filaments of the tensioning structure is fully achieved. Furthermore, the use of the welding foil 131 can significantly reduce the weight of the entire inflatable product relative to a traditional, relatively thicker, one-piece foil which is also responsible for handling the tensile load. In other words, weld sheet 131 reduces thickness by 20% to 40% relative to existing tension structures having comparable thicknesses of 0.36mm to 0.8mm as noted above.

As illustrated in FIG. 33, the tensioning structures 3 have a distance 39 between adjacent tensioning structures 3. As described above, the filaments 32 have a length 37 approaching a height 37 of the tensioning structures 3 when the mattress 10 is inflated. During the construction of typical mattresses using PVC tensioning structures, (not shown), the height of the PVC tensioning structures is practically limited by the distance between adjacent PVC tensioning structures. This limitation is the result of the typical manufacturing process in which the pVc tensioning structures are all aligned on a bottom sheet 2 and are simultaneously welded to the bottom sheet 2. If the PVC tension structures are too tall, they will overlap the adjacent PVC tension structures causing the adjacent PVC tension structures to be welded together resulting in non-functional PVC tension structures. To increase the height of PVC tensioning structures, PVC tensioning structures can be folded in half along their length while one edge is being welded. By folding the PVC tensioning structure, the maximum height can be increased to slightly less than twice the distance between adjacent PVC tensioning structures (for example 15 mm less than twice the height of the PVC tensioning structure). Providing more than one fold is impractical.

Because the gap portions 33 of the tension structures 3 are made of filaments 32 instead of typical PVC sheets described above, they are much more flexible than typical PVC tension structures. As a result of this flexibility, the mattresses 10 can easily be manufactured with heights 37 greater than twice the distance 39 between adjacent tensioning structures 3.

During manufacturing, the welding strips 31 of each of the plurality of tensioning structures 3 are aligned in their respective position to weld to the lower sheet 1. The other welding strip 31 of these tensioning structures 3 is moved alongside the welding strip 31 to be welded as shown in Fig. 33. Due to their flexibility, the filaments 32 are bundled on top of each other or on top of neighboring filaments 32 allowing multiple layers of filaments 32 to be easily placed on top of each other. By allowing multiple layers of filaments 32 to be laid one on top of each other, the height 37 of the tensioning structures 3 can be greater than twice the distance 39 between tensioning structures 3. According to some embodiments, the length 37 of the filaments 32 can be 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6 or more times longer than the distance 39 between structures of tensioned 3.

As shown in FIG. 33, loops 41 are formed in the filaments 32 during bundling and parts of the filaments 32 can be positioned under the welding strip 31 that is not currently being welded. Although each filament 32 shown in Figure 33 has only one loop 41 and is only overlapping another

ES 2 644 232 T3 filament 32, each filament 32 can have multiple loops 41 and can overlap multiple other filaments 32, particularly when the distance between filaments 32 along the welding strips 31 is shorter than that illustrated in the figure 33.

In addition to the grouping arrangement shown in Figure 33 to facilitate the welding of the welding strips 31 to the bottom sheet 2, other orientations of long filaments 32 can be used to prevent a part of the tensioning structure 3 from overlapping a adjacent tensioning structure 3 during welding. For example, as shown in Figure 35, the filaments can be collected in stacks 43 to account for the movement of the welding strips 31 of each tensioning structure 3 adjacent to each other. The turns of the stacks 43 represent the decreased distance between solder strips 31 when the solder strips 31 are moved together. According to another example, the welding strips 31 of each tensioning structure 3 are offset along the extension or length of tensioning structures 3 as shown in Figure 36. The offset results in filaments 32 forming acute angles with the solder strips 31 and represent the decreased distance between solder strips 31. By accommodating the filaments 32 that are longer than the distance between adjacent tensioning structures 3, the tensioning structures 3 can be made taller without interfering with the welding process of the tensioning structures 3 to the upper and lower sheets 1, 2 As mentioned above, the filaments 32 can be longer than what is shown in Figures 33-36. With such longer filaments 32, more or larger loops 41 (Figure 33) larger and / or taller stacks 43 (Figure 35), or a greater offset (Figure 36) can be used to accommodate the longer filaments 32 to avoid the tensioning structures 3 overlap during welding.

When prepared for transport or storage, the mattresses 10 are deflated. During deflation, the filaments 32 may be grouped as shown in Figure 33. In addition, the filaments 32 of adjacent tensioning structures 3 will contact each other and may become entangled with filaments 32 from a tensioning structure 3 positioned between filaments. 32 of another tensioning structure. Furthermore, because the filaments 32 are very flexible, they easily collapse when contacted by other structures when the mattress 10 is deflated for transport or storage. For example, when the filaments 32 contact the upper or lower sheets 1, 2 when deflated, they conform to the upper and lower sheets 1, 2 to allow the upper and lower sheets 1, 2 to be more closely compacted. At least partially due to this compaction, the total deflated volume of the mattress 10 is reduced when compared to mattresses using PVC sheet tensioning structures. When collapsed, the filaments 32 from a tensioning structure 3 can become entangled with the filaments 32 from the same tensioning structure 32, they can form loops 41 or they can form stacks 43, and / or the filaments 32 can become inclined to solder strips 31 in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 36.

As shown in Figure 34, when collapsed, the filaments 32 can be oriented in different directions with some overlap as shown in the two lower filaments 32 and another following substantially the same direction as shown in the three filaments. upper 32. Some filaments 32 collapse in directions that are not perpendicular to the extension of the solder strips 31. For example, the lowermost filament 32 in figure 34 leaves the leftmost solder strip 31 in a direction perpendicular to this solder strip 31, turns up to be parallel to this solder strip 31, returns to be perpendicular to this welding strip 31, turns down to be parallel to this solder strip 31 and then forms a loop under this solder strip 31 to be fixed to the other solder strip 31 in a direction perpendicular to the other solder strip 31. According to In some embodiments, the total folded or deflated volume of mattress 10 can be 8 to 25% less than comparable mattresses with PVC sheet tensioning structures. According to the preferred embodiment the volume is approximately 16% less.

An inflatable product tensioning structure in accordance with the present invention is also a low cost option for imparting a desired structure and shape to an inflatable device. For example, a large reduction in PVC material can be achieved by using the present tensioning structure, compared to a one-piece sheet of comparable size and tensile strength.

Although the disclosure has been described as exemplary designs, the present disclosure may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this invention. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the exhibition using its general principles. Furthermore, this application is intended to cover such exits from the present disclosure when they come within known or current practice in the art to which this disclosure belongs.