Inflatable product with an internal tensioning structure

Technical field [0001] The present disclosure relates to the construction of an inflatable article and in particular to the construction of an inflatable article that is light and cheap.

2. Background Art [0002] Inflatable products are lightweight, easy to store and easy to carry. The technologies of such products were used for outdoor equipment and toys, as well as various household items, including inflatable beds, inflatable sofas and the like.

[0003] Many inflatable articles use internal constructions to produce the product in its intended, predetermined shape after inflation. For example, one type of inflatable bed, called a wave-shaped, straight-banded inflatable bed or an I-shaped inflatable bed, can have an internal structure of the type of tensioned belt, placed along the wavy, rectilinear or I-shaped paths inside the inner chamber. Another type of inflatable bed, called an inflatable column-type bed, has tension belts arranged in honeycomb structures or cylindrical structures within an inflatable chamber.

[0004] Such internal structures of the tension bands arranged in the inflatable bed give the shape of the bed as the internal pressure increases, and thus prevent the inflatable bed from expanding evenly in all directions in a balloon manner. Namely, to maintain the rectangular shape of the inflatable bed, the tensioned straps connect the upper and lower surfaces of the inflatable bed with each other. To allow the flow of compressed air on both sides of these connecting structures, the tensioned belts can be formed as tapes extending between the upper and lower surfaces or as vertical material spaces with air columns formed inside. The number and distribution of tensioned belts is proportional to the sharpness of the rectangular outline of the inflatable product. This means that a larger number and / or linear spacing of the tensioned belts inside the compressed chamber are manifested by a more "flat" bed surface.

[0005] In traditional inflatable products, such as the inflatable beds described above, the tensioned straps are made of PVC sheets of sufficient thickness to ensure the distribution of forces while reducing the stress in the material of the product. For example, tensioned belts in known inflatable beds or couches can have a thickness of about 0.36 mm. For some known water holding devices, such as inflatable swimming pools, internal tensioned belts may have a thickness of about 0.38 mm, while inflatable layered sandwich pools may have a thickness of 0.7-0.8 mm.

[0006] Thus, traditional inflatable constructions with tensioned belts or PVC sheet tension belts meet the load requirements of the product by changing the thickness of the tensioned belts. However, where continuous plastic straps or straps are used, such tension straps increase the weight of the inflatable product. Similarly, increasing the thickness and / or the spatial density of the fixed strip of tensioned belts also increases the volume of the flattened / folded empty inflatable structure.

-1 ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 £ 0007] Another example of an inflatable article is given in German Patent Application DE 10 2006 053 666. An inflatable article is disclosed herein comprising opposing sheets spaced apart to form a gap, together with a structure stretched at that gap containing bundles. The bundles were attached to the sheets with fastener straps.

Summary [0008] The present disclosure provides an inflatable article according to claim 1. Advantageous features of the invention are set out in the dependent claims.

Brief Description of the Drawing [0009] The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this disclosure and how to obtain them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be more clearly understood with reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention given in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable structure with a 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 with tension structures;

Fig. 4 is a view of the assembled inflatable bed according to Fig. 3, in which the material of the inflatable bed is transparent to show the internal arrangement of the tension structures;

Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed having an alternative geometrical arrangement of tension structures;

Figure 6 is a view of the assembled inflatable bed according to Figure 5, in which the material of the inflatable bed is transparent, to show the internal spatial arrangement of the tension structures;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the device for producing bulk material for the tension structures shown in Figures 3-6;

Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of a first example of a bulk material produced by the device of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a first example of the bulk material produced by the device of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a second example of the mass of the finished bulk material produced by the device of Figure 7;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of a second example of the bulk material formed by the device of Figure 7;

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the first alternative tensioning structure;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the assembled 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 tensioning structure made in accordance with the present disclosure;

-2EP 2 674 071 Β1 Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the assembled tensioning structure of the inflatable article shown in Fig. 15;

Figure 17 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative tensioning structure of the inflatable article made in accordance with the present disclosure;

Figure 18 is an exploded perspective view of a third alternative tensioning structure; Figure 19 is a perspective view of the assembled tensioning structure shown in Figure 18;

Figure 20 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed with alternative tension constructions;

Fig. 21 is a view of the assembled inflatable bed of Fig. 20, the material of which is transparent to show the internal arrangement of the tension structures;

Fig. 22 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed with alternative tension structures configured in an alternative geometric arrangement;

Fig. 23 is a view of the assembled inflatable bed according to Fig. 22, in which the material of the inflatable bed is transparent to show the internal spatial arrangement of the tension structures;

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of the apparatus for producing bulk material for the tension structures shown in Figs. 12-19;

Figure 25 is an exploded perspective view of a fourth alternative tensioning structure;

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

Figure 27 is an exploded perspective view of an inflatable bed with the fourth alternative tensioning structure shown in Figure 25;

Fig. 28 is a view of the folded inflatable bed of Fig. 27 in which the material is transparent to show the internal arrangement of the tension structures; Fig. 29 is a perspective view of the mass production apparatus for the tension structures shown in Figs. 25-28;

Figure 30 is an exploded perspective view of a fifth alternative tensioning structure; Figure 31 is a perspective view of the assembled fifth alternative tensioning structure shown in Figure 30;

Fig. 32 is a perspective view of the apparatus for producing bulk material for the tension structures shown in Figs. 30 and 31;

Figure 33 is a top view of the tension structures assembled together during the welding process;

Fig. 34 is a top view of the collapsed parts of the tensioning structure when the mattress has been emptied for storage or transport;

Fig. 35 is a view similar to Fig. 33 showing parts of tension structures with bundles stacked during welding; and Fig. 36 is a view similar to Fig. 33 showing parts of the tension structures shifted relative to each other during welding.

-3ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 [0010] It should be noted that Figs. 1-14 and 18-36 do not show examples of the invention. These figures are for illustrative purposes only.

[0011] Corresponding references indicate corresponding parts in several views.

Detailed description [0012] The present disclosure provides inflatable devices such as inflatable sofas, beds or swimming pools. Tension constructions are lightweight here and occupy the minimum volume when the device is emptied and packed, and at the same time also function as a strong and durable internal support after inflating and when using the inflatable device.

[0013] An exemplary tensioning structure uses thin and flexible string or similar types of bundles that connect two surfaces of the fabric to each other. The bundles are firmly connected to the adjacent material via an intermediate material, such as a tape or sheet, and the intermediate material is in turn firmly attached to the fabric. The contact surface between the intermediate material and the connected beams can be controlled to give the connection strength proportional to the tensile strength of the beam. Similarly, the contact surface between the intermediate material and the adjacent fabric can also be controlled to give the strength of the fabric / tension structure connection proportional to the total tensile strength of all beams in the tension structure.

1. Welded straps connected by spaced bundles [0014] Figs. 1 and 2 show a tension structure 3 connecting the upper material 1 to the lower material

2. In the example shown, the tensioning structure 3 comprises the upper and lower welded strip 31, connected to each other by numerous, substantially parallel beams 32, which form a spacer between the upper and lower sheets 1, 2. The upper and lower welded strip 31 are in turn welded to the upper material 1 and bottom material 2, respectively, whereby the forces acting on the upper and lower material 1, 2 are transferred by stresses in the bundles 32.

[0015] Optionally, reinforcing beams 5 (Fig. 3) can be arranged along the longitudinal extent of the welded pass 31 (i.e., substantially perpendicular to the bundles 32). The reinforcing beams 5, when present, can be connected to the stretching beams 32, e.g. Then the connected reinforcement beams 5 create an additional contact surface with the welded straps 31 and thereby improve the resistance of the reinforcement beams 5 for freedom of pulling away from the welded belts 31. In addition, the presence of reinforcing beams 32 inside the welded belts 31 increases the tensile strength of the welded belts 31 over their longitudinal span. .

[0016] The plurality of beams 32 of the tension structure 3, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are arranged such that the beams 32 are substantially parallel to each other when stretched (i.e. when the welded straps 31 are spaced apart). In addition, adjacent pairs of bundles 32 may have equal spacing between each other, thereby maintaining a substantially constant tensile strength of the tensioning structure 3 over the longitudinal extent of the welded belts 31. The bundles 32 can pass along the entire width of the welded strips 31, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which gives a large contact surface between the bundles 32 and the welded strips 31. For clarity, Figs. 1 and 2 show only a limited number of bundles 32 attached in this way to the belts 31, and it is obvious that all beams 32 of the tension structure 3 can be attached in this way.

-4ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 [0017] In one application example shown in Figs. 3 and 4, numerous stress constructions 3 have been used in an inflatable structure such as mattress 10 which includes a sleeping surface on the upper material 1, and the contact surface with the ground on the lower material 2. The annular side band 4 is permanently connected or welded to the circumference of the upper material 1 and lower 2 material, forming an inflatable chamber. A valve 6 can be provided to facilitate the filling and emptying of the mattress 10.

[0018] Although the mattress 10 is shown as a single layer, double layers may also be provided. Additional mattress features may also be included, as set out in US Patent No. 7,591,036 regarding an air-inflated mattress. In addition to mattresses, the tensioning structure can be used in products such as inflatable pontoons, inflatable islands, float devices, swimming pools, inflatable slides and other inflatable devices.

[0019] Each of the plurality of tension structures 3 is welded in correspondence to mutually opposite internal parts of the upper and lower material 1, 2 as described in detail above. As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the tensioning structure 3 in the example shown forms the overall longitudinal span (i.e. along the longitudinal direction of the welded strips 31), corresponding to the width or length of the sleeping material 1 and the substrate-based material 2 in the mattress 10.

[0020] As mentioned above, the tension structures 3 are connected to the upper material 1 and the lower material 2 by welding strips 31. Welding is carried out by resting one welding strip 31 on one of the upper and other material 1, 2, and then by applying heat, for melting and joining the material of the welded strips 31 to the backrest material. Welded straps 31 and upper and lower material 1, 2 are made of PVC, and welding is carried out by applying a temperature of 105 degrees Celsius for about 0.5 seconds. The upper and lower sheets 1, 2 and welded strips 31 have thicknesses in the range from 0.15 to 1.0 mm, with a thickness of 0.34 mm favorable for the upper and other sheets 1, 2 and with a thickness of 0.18 mm suitable for welded lanes 31. The width of the welded strips 31 is preferably 12.7 mm and may range from 1 to 100 mm in width. The PVC used preferably has a tensile strength of at least 7 kg / cm to 73 kg / cm and a density in the range of 0.82.5 grams per cubic centimeter, with a preferred density of 1.5 grams per cubic centimeter.

[0021] The tension constructions 3 shown in Figures 3 and 4 are welded to the upper and lower material 1, 2 along a substantially linear track, with the numerous constructions 3 substantially parallel to each other, and spaced at equal intervals in the materials 1, 2. However, it considers It is understood that the welding geometry can take on any other suitable geometry, such as a wavy track, an I-shaped track, a Z-shaped track, or a V-shaped track. One example of an alternative geometry is a cylindrical or columnar arrangement as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In this arrangement, the upper and lower welded strips 31 are butt-joined at their ends to form an arcuate ring, such as a round ring, as shown in the drawing. The numerous bundles 32 between the upper and lower welded strips 31 thus form a closed columnar perimeter, thereby forming a columnar body. When assembling the inflatable bed 10, the column is welded to the upper and additional material 1, 2 in a similar manner as described for the linear arrangement of the tension structure 3.

[0022] When inflating the mattress 10, the introduction of compressed air into the mattress chamber moves the upper material 1 and the lower material 2 apart. After creating enough pressure

-5ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 the bundles 32 are tensioned and the tension structures 3 prevent the upper and lower material 1, 2 from moving apart from each other in the vicinity of each tension structure 3. A further increase in pressure produces greater tensile stress in the tension structures 3 and additional forces on the welds between the tension structures 3 and adjacent materials. [0023] In the example of mattress 10, the tension structure 3 includes only one beam for every two centimeters, 1, 2, 3, 4 beams per centimeter of longitudinal span of welded strips 31, or 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 or more beams per centimeter, or it may include any number of beams per centimeter in any arbitrary range defined by any of the above values. Preferably, there is a distance of about 2.8 mm between the beams (i.e. 3.6 beams per centimeter). Bundles 32 can be made of ordinary cotton, polyester, a nylon thread formed of multiple fibers twisted together like the type normally used in clothing seams, or they can be any other type of bundle. These regular threads provide significant tensile strength at very low costs. According to alternative examples, the bundles 32 can be woven together to form a fabric. According to another example, a non-woven material can be used to form part of the tension structure 3 extending through the gap between the sheets 1, 2.

[0024] According to the present disclosure, the threads may have a diameter of 0.1 to 1.0 mm. According to a preferred embodiment, the thread has a diameter of 0.2 mm. According to the present disclosure, the tensile strength of the thread can be from 0.2 kg to 10 kg per thread. According to a preferred embodiment, the tensile strength of the thread is 3 kg per thread. According to a preferred embodiment, the threads have a density in the range of 0.01 to 0.3 g per meter. According to a preferred embodiment, the threads have a density of 0.085 grams per meter. It is of course understood that other materials such as fishing lines, metal wires or plastic ropes and the like may be used.

[0025] The exemplary embodiment of the tensioning structure 3 described above gives a strong final product, suitable for use in a wide variety of inflatable products. In other examples, the tensioning structure 3 has bundles 32 with an overall axial span of between 5 cm and 65 centimeters, giving bundles 32 useful to cover the respective gaps formed between spaced welded strips 31. Therefore, this example is suitable for use in a mattress 10 with an inflated thickness approximately equal to the axial span of the beams 32. This example also uses the above-mentioned regular beam material, with a beam density in the ranges given above. The resulting example tension structure 3 has a total tensile strength between 5.9 and 23.3 kG per linear centimeter (where linear centimeters are measured along the longitudinal extent of the welded strips 31).

[0026] When the mattress 10 is inflated, the tensioning structure defines the working surface along its longitudinal extent and across the distance between the upper and lower material 1, 2. In particular, the surface occupied by the tension structure 3 is defined as the space between the sheets of material connected by the tension structure 3, with a distance measured along the longitudinal extent of the tension structure such that the measured surface covers each of the plurality of bundles 32. Where the tension structure 3 is lined up and the upper and lower material 1, 2 are parallel to each other (as shown, for example, in Fig. 3 and 4), this surface is simply the longitudinal span of the tensioning structure 3 multiplied by the space between the upper and lower material 1 and 2. Where the tensioning structure 3 adopts a non-linear track (like a column track,

-6ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 arcuate shown for example in Figs. 5 and 6) and the upper and lower materials 1 and 2 are not parallel, the method of measuring the surface described above still applies to the arched working surface.

[0027] The exemplary embodiment of the tensioning structure 3 described above achieves high tensile strength while promoting lightness and a small packing volume of the finished inflatable product. According to the present disclosure, the beams 32 and the area between the beams 32 form a spacer 33 (see Fig. 1) a tensioning structure 3, stretched between the upper and lower sheets of material 1, 2, which maintains the spatial relationship between the first and second sheets when the mattress 10 is inflated. As shown in Figure 1, the set of beams 32 that define this spacer 33 has a span 35 measured along the surface of at least the first sheet 1 and / or the second sheet 2. The bundles 32 of this spacer 33 of the tension structure 3 collectively occupy some volume. The spacer 33 has a working surface defined by the span 35 of the spacer 33 (also closely related to the length of the welded strips 31) and the length 37 of the beams 32. The working surface is occupied by the beams 32 of the tension structure 3 and defines the total space between the first sheet 1 and the second sheet 2, measured along the range 35 of the spacer 33 of the tensioning structure 3. For example, if the bundles 32 of the exemplary tensioning structure have a length 37 of 100 mm between the first and second sheets 1, 2 and the spacing 35 of the spacer 33 is 100 mm, then the working surface of the spacer 33 defined by the bundles 32 is 10,000 square millimeters. Assuming 3.6 beams per centimeter, this is 3.571 millimeters beam 32 per 10,000 square millimeters of work surface. If the bundles 32 have a diameter of 0.2 mm, the total volume occupied by the bundles 32 will be 112.2 cubic millimeters. In this example, the spacer 33 of the tensioning structure 3 defines a surface to volume ratio of 89.13 square millimeters per cubic millimeter (e.g., 10,000 square millimeters / 112.2 cubic millimeters). According to the present disclosure, the ratio of working surface to volume can be from 10 to 3.000 square millimeters per cubic millimeter.

[0028] The use of bundles 32 instead of PVC sheets also makes it possible to reduce the overall weight of the mattress 10. The spacer 33 of the tension structure 3 defined by the bundles 32 has a total weight and working surface as stated above. In the example above, the work surface was 10,000 square mm (100 millimeters per 100 millimeters) and there were 3.6 beams per centimeter. This means a 3.571 mm beam. At a density of 0.085 grams per meter of thread, the total weight of the thread is 0.304 grams. As a result, the ratio of working surface to weight is preferably about 32.941 square millimeters per gram (or 329.412 square centimeters per kilogram), (for example, 10,000 square millimeters / 0.304 gram). According to some examples of the present disclosure, the ratio of working surface to weight is between 8,000 and 5,000,000 square centimeters per kilogram. According to other examples, the ratio of working surface to weight is between 12,500 and 2,500,000 square centimeters per kilogram. According to other examples, the ratio of work surface to weight is between 20,000 and 1,000,000 square centimeters per kilogram.

[0029] By using bundles 32 instead of PVC sheets, it is also possible to reduce the average thickness of the spacer 33 of the tension structure 3 extending between the first and second sheets 1, 2. The spacer of the tension structure 3 defined by the bundles 32 has an average thickness and

-7ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 work surface as described above. The average thickness will be reduced by the nominally round cross-section of the bundles 32 and the spacing between each bundle 32.

[0030] For example, the maximum thickness of the spacer 33 will be the diameter of the beams 32 (0.2 millimeters in the example above). The minimum thickness of spacer 33 is zero in the unoccupied areas between the beams 32. In averaging over the total surface of the spacer 33 occupied by the beams 32 and the total surface of the spacer 33 without the beams 33, the average thickness is less than the diameter of the beam 32. In addition, if the distance between the beams 32 increases, the average thickness decreases because most of the spacer 33 is unoccupied by the beams (i.e., the size of the zero thickness spacer 33 increases, which reduces the average thickness of spacer 33).

[0031] In the above example, the working surface was 10,000 square millimeters (100 millimeters times 100 millimeters) and there were 3.6 beams per centimeter (or 2.8 millimeters from beam 32 to beam 32). Unlike the maximum round thread thickness, which is the diameter, the average round thread thickness is pi * diameter / 4. The use of 32 bundles with a diameter of 0.2 mm gives an average thickness of 0.157 mm for each bundle 32. Because of the spacing between the beams 32, the average thickness of the spacer 33 determined by the beams 32 and the spacing between them is 0.0112 millimeters (i.e., 2.8 millimeters between the beams 32 is zero, which reduces the average thickness of spacer 33 to much less than average beam thickness 32). According to some examples of the present disclosure, the average thickness of the spacer portion of the tension structure 3 is from 0.0003 to 0.1 millimeters. According to other examples, the average thickness is from 0.001 to 0.05 mm. According to other examples, the average thickness is from 0.005 to 0.02 mm.

[0032] Turning now to Fig. 7, a device 20 for producing a tension structure 3 is shown. The device 20 is fed a plurality of bundles 32 from a thread source 11, which may be, for example, a yarn warehouse including a plurality of yarn spools. The thread source 11 incessantly supplies a plurality of bundles 32 through a thread guide A with a plurality of holes through which the individual bundles 32 pass after being fed from the thread source 11 and before being incorporated into the bulk material 30 of the tensioning structure (shown in Fig. 9, and described below). The thread guide A maintains an even distance between the beams 32 and arranges the beams 32 parallel to each other such that the plurality of beams 32 are substantially flat. The width of the welded strips 31, the distance between adjacent pairs of welded strips 31 and the distance between adjacent pairs of bundles 32 can be set to any value, required or desired in terms of their purpose in a particular inflatable product.

[0033] The flat, parallel and evenly spaced bundles 32 are then fed to the welding machine 40, as shown in Fig. 7. The welding machine 40 can be a thermofusion device that uses heat to connect two different plastic materials together, or it can be a high frequency welding machine in which electromagnetic waves use induced chemical dipoles in a plastic material to soften and connect the materials to each other. In addition, any suitable welding method may be used in the welding machine 40 as required or desired for specific materials and methods. Another alternative is to skip welding and use glue to attach the bundles 32 to the welded strips 31. If an adhesive connection is used, the welding machine 40 can be replaced with a similarly set gluing device, such as a gluing machine. Yet another alternative is to use a sewing machine to mechanically connect the welded straps 31 to the bundles 32. In addition, the welded straps 31 need not be welded to the upper and lower material 1, 2, and the term

-8ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 "welded belt" as used herein refers to any belt made of material suitable for attachment to another material, by the application of heat, the use of glue, the use of mechanical joining methods such as sewing and riveting, and the use of any another suitable way.

[0034] Welded strips 31 with a length corresponding to the width of the plurality of multiple beams 32 are placed on the lower matrices B1 of the welding machine 40. The bundles 32 are fed over the welded strips 31 as shown and then the upper dies B2 are brought into contact with the welded strips 31. Energy (i.e. heat or electromagnetic waves) is introduced to permanently connect the welded belt 31 to each of the plurality of beams 32 so that the respective beams 32 are attached spaced apart and in parallel configuration dictated by the beam guide A. After attachment, bulk material 30 ( Fig. 9) is finished and ready for use.

[0035] Bulk material 30 is then delivered to a collecting device (not shown) such as a spool or a roll. This allows mass material 30 to be produced continuously and stored for later use. The bulk material 30 can be converted into a tensioning structure 3 (Fig. 2) by cutting behind the belt welding station 31. The tensioning structure 3 can then be applied to various inflatable products by trimming its length and width according to the dimensions of the product.

[0036] As mentioned above, a reinforcing beam 5 may be added to the tension structure 3 to further improve the strength of the structure, including the tensile strength of the welded strips

31. To add at least one reinforcing beam 5 to bulk material 30, the reinforcing bundles 5 are placed perpendicular to the plurality of bundles 32, with support on the corresponding welded strips 31. The upper matrix B2 of the welding machine 40 is pressed for a permanent connection of the welded strips 31 to both the reinforcing bundles 5 and and to numerous 32 beams as described above. The reinforcement beams 5 are shown in Figure 3, but are omitted in Figure 4 for greater clarity.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 4, the tension structures 30 are placed within the band 4 and welded to the lower and upper sheets 1, 2. Although shown as perpendicular to the sheets 1, 2 in Fig. 4, the welded strips 31 after the seals lie flat on sheets 1, 2, as shown in the bottom of Figure 1. Similarly, in mattresses 10 according to Figures 6, 21, 23, and 28, the welded strips 31 are shown perpendicular to sheets 1, 2, but lying flat on sheets 1, 2 after welding as shown in the bottom of Fig. 1.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, bulk material 30 (Fig. 9) can be formed using a single layer of welded strips 31 connected to bundles 32. In another example shown in Figs. 10 and 11, bulk material 30 can be produced as double-layer structure using welded strips both above and below the bundles 32. The use of two opposite mutually welded straps includes the act of gripping to "catch" or grip the bundles 32 between them, which contributes to greater joint strength. When used in an inflatable product, the resulting double-layer tensioning structure 3 has greater strength and can be welded to the upper or lower material 1, 2 (Figures 1, 3 and 4) on each side. As shown in fig. 10 and 11 and as described above, at least one reinforcing beam 5 can also be caught between the welded strips 31.

2. Sheet-supported tensioning structures with bundles attached

-9EP 2 674 071 Β1 [0039] Alternatively, the tension structure placed in Figures 12 and 13 is shown as the tension structure 103. The structure 103 is substantially similar to the tension structure 3 described above, with the numbering of the references used in the structure 103 analogous to the numbering used in the structure 3, except adding the number 100. Elements of structure 103 correspond to similar elements marked with corresponding reference numbers of structure 3, except if otherwise stated.

[0040] The tensioning structure 103 comprises a plurality of beams 32 that are spaced evenly and spaced substantially parallel to each other in a manner similar to the tensioning structure 3 described above. However, the tensioning structure 103 includes a welded belt 131, in place of the welded belts 31 of the structure 3. Instead of attaching the ends of the bundles 32 to the welded belt 31, the entire length of the bundles 32 are attached to the welded belt 131. The welded sheet 131 serves to ensure proper placement and protection of the plurality of beams 32, for example to avoid looping or damage to the beams 32 during practical use. Since the tensioning structure 103 includes bundles 32 embedded therein, the welded sheet 131 does not have to bear significant tensile loads and can be kept to a minimum thickness. For example, the welded sheet 131 may be 0.10 millimeter thick.

[0041] In Figures 12 and 13, a single heat-sealed sheet 131 is used, although other solutions are considered. Fig. 14 shows an example of a tensioning structure 103 (Fig. 13) with an additional welded sheet 131 applied against the first welded sheet 131. As in the example of tensioning structure 3 using mutually opposed welded strips 31 (Figures 10 and 11) for enclosing the bundles 32, mutually opposite welded straps 131 may be used.

[0042] Figs. 15 and 16 show a tensioning structure 203, which is substantially similar to the tensioning structure 3 described above, with reference numbers of structure 203 analogous to numbering in structure 3, except for the addition of the number 200. Elements of structure 203 correspond to similar elements marked construction references 3, except if otherwise stated. However, construction 203 presents a hybrid solution for connecting components of the tension structures 3 and 103, in which a plurality of welded strips 31 are used to enclose some of the bundles 32 between the strips 31 and the welded sheet 131. The addition of welded strips 31 to the welded sheet 131 improves the strength of the welded joint between the tensioning structure 203 and adhesive material of the article (e.g. upper and / or lower material 1, 2 of inflatable bed 10, as shown in Fig. 2 and 3).

[0043] Fig. 17 shows a tensioning structure 303, which is substantially similar to the tensioning structure 3 described above, with the reference numbering used in structure 303 analogous to the numbering in structure 3, except for the addition of the number 300. Elements of structure 303 correspond to similar elements marked construction reference numbers 3, except if otherwise indicated. In addition, structure 303 includes all elements of the tensioning structure 203, but adds a second lower layer of straps 31 attached to the welded sheet 131 opposite the first upper layer of the welded straps 31. Therefore, it is a two-layer structure of opposite welded strips 31, additionally widening the welded sheet 131, which makes the tensioning structure 303 very strong and durable both along the spacing of the bundles 32 and in the weld between the bundles 32 and the adjacent material, e.g. material 1, 2 of inflatable bed 10 ( figures 3 and 4).

-10ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 [0044] Figs. 18 and 19 show another tensioning structure 403. The tensioning structure 403 is substantially similar to the tensioning structure 3 described above, with the numbering of the references used in structure 403 analogous to the numbering in structure 3, with except for the number 400. Elements of structure 403 correspond to similar elements marked with the corresponding reference numbers in structure 3, except if otherwise indicated. However, the numerous beams 32 used in construction 403 are discontinuous. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, a plurality of bundles 32 can be cut to any desired length, and then attached to the welded sheet 131 by hot pressing. Once installed in an inflatable product, the attached bundles 32 can be cut off in length and welded in place as described above. Therefore, the use of tension structures 403 reduces the consumption of material used in bundles 32 and avoids unnecessary waste, and thus reduces material costs.

[0045] Optionally, as shown in Fig. 20, each end of the welded sheet 131 (i.e. the ends of the bundles 32) may include reinforcing bundles 5 arranged similarly to the tension structure 3 as described above. Reinforcing beams 5 are omitted in Figure 21 for clarity.

[0046] The sheet-supported tension structures 103, 203, 303 and 403 in Figs. 12-19 can be integrated in an inflatable device in a manner similar to the tension structures 3 described above. For example, Figures 20 and 21 show the integration of stress constructions 103 in an inflatable bed 10 which was obtained in the same manner as described above.

[0047] Tension structures 103, 203, 303 and 403 can also be made in a wide variety of geometric configurations, as described above with respect to the tension structure 3. These configurations include a wavy track, an I-shaped track, a Z-shaped track, or V-shaped track. As shown in Figs. 22 and 23, a cylindrical or columnar arrangement may also be used. In this arrangement, the welded sheet 131 (and the upper and lower welded strips 31, if present) are butt-joined at their ends to form an arcuate ring, for example a circular ring, as shown. A plurality of bundles 32 cooperate with the material of the welded sheet 131 to form a closed columnar perimeter, thereby forming a columnar body. The axial ends of the columnar structure can then be welded to the upper material 1 and lower material 2, respectively, of the inflatable bed 10.

[0048] Fig. 24 shows a device 120 for producing tension structures 103, 203, 303 or 403. A plurality of bundles 32 are fed into the device 120 from a yarn store or other yarn store, as described above with respect to the device 20. The bundles 32 continuously through the bundle guide A described above, which delivers uniformly spaced and parallel bundles 32 to the welding machine 140 located below.

[0049] The welding machine 140 includes transfer rollers C below the beam guide A, which constantly provides a welded sheet 131 of sufficient width, corresponding to the width of the plurality of bundles 32. Behind the roll C, the plurality of bundles 32 are near the sheet and abut against the welded sheet 131.

[0050] Next, a plurality of bundles 32 and a welded sheet 131 pass together through a hot roll D, which heats and compresses the material, so that the bundles 32 are attached to the softened material of the welded sheet 131. After passing through roika D, the tension structure 103 is ready as shown in Fig. 13. The bulk material of the tensioning structure 103 can be wound onto a take-up reel

-11 ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 for subsequent cutting of the tensioning structure 103 with the right size for the specific application.

[0051] When using the tensioning structure 103 for an inflatable product such as an inflatable bed 10 (Figures 21 and 22), the welded sheet 131 can have a relatively small thickness given for the level of internal pressure (and therefore stress) expected to be transported by structure 103 when pumping and using the product. For example, the thickness can be reduced by 20% -40% compared to known internal tension structures without bundles 32. Since the bundles 32 are positioned and configured to carry the tensile loads occurring in the tensioning structure 103, the welded sheet 131 is only intended to ensure the correct positioning and securing of the plurality of bundles 32 to avoid looping or damage to the bundles 32 during practical use. In one embodiment, the thickness of the welded sheet 131 may be only 0.10 millimeters.

[0052] In the case where a second welded sheet 131 is added to the tensioning structure 103 as shown in Fig. 14 and described above, then a second roll C (not shown) can be used opposite the roll C shown in Fig. 24, whereby rollers C will be arranged on both sides of the bundles

32. Both welded sheets 131 then pass through a hot roll D, gripping the bundles 32 between two layers of plastic sheets.

[0053] In the event that a plurality of welded straps 31 are added to form the tension structure 203 as shown in Figs. 15 and 16 and described above, then the tension structure 103 can be further processed in the device 120 using the device 20 as shown in Fig. 7 and described above. When a sheet blank equivalent to a tensioning structure 103 leaves the hot rollers D, welded strips 31 can be added to one or both sides of the blank. If desired or on request, at least one reinforcement beam 5 may be added so that the reinforcement beams 5 are perpendicular to the plurality of beams 32 as described in detail above.

[0054] When, on both sides of the sheet blank, welded strips 31 are added to form the tensioning structure 303, a method similar to the one above is used, in which the product blank after leaving the rollers D receives additional welded strips 31. However, the welded strips 31 are added to on both sides, instead of on one side, according to the method of producing a double layer version of bulk material 30 using a welding machine 40 as described above. Of course, at least one reinforcing beam 5 may be added in a similar manner as described above.

3. Welded belts connected by V-shaped beams [0055] Figs. 25 and 26 show an alternatively arranged tensioning structure as tensioning structure 503. Construction 503 is substantially similar to the tensioning structure 3 described above, with reference numbers of the structure 503 analogous to the reference numbers used in construction 3, except the addition of the number 500. Elements of structure 503 correspond to similar elements marked with corresponding reference numbers of construction 3, except if otherwise stated.

[0056] However, the bundle 532 in the tensioning structure 503 has a V-shaped zigzag system and can be formed of a single bundle wound back and forth, instead of using, for example, numerous separate and separate bundles in the tensioning structure 3. As described below in the context of the method for the manufacture of a tensioning structure 503, the bundle 532 may be a single continuous bundle woven in between

-12ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 welded strips 31, 31 ', with the tip of each' V 'attached to at least one of the welded strips 31, 3T.

[0057] Figure 29 shows a device 220 for producing a tensioning structure 503. In the device 220, the bottom pair of welded straps 31 are positioned so that the bottom pair is substantially parallel and spaced apart in the connecting device 540. In the embodiment shown, the welded straps 31 develops from a roll of material of welded strips, placed in a pair of unwinding devices 550. [0058] Next, a continuous bundle 532 is successively wrapped around a set of adjacent hooked members 541 located on each side of the connecting device 540, with a number of hooked members 541 arranged in two rows, corresponding to the position of the previously placed lower pair of welded strips 31. In this example, the hooked members 541 are evenly spaced apart and positioned on the outer sides of the bottom pair of welded strips 31, each row of hooked members 541 being offset relative to the second row. In this arrangement, the continuous beam 532 forms a plurality of strands of "V" butt bundles as they are wrapped around successive hooked elements 541 in alternating rows, as shown. This means that the top of each "V" is formed on the respective hooked members 541, and the tops of the subsequent members following along the continuous beam 532 are alternately arranged between rows of hooked members 541.

[0059] Next, a second pair of welded strips 31 'is respectively placed on the first pair of welded strips 31 and attached to it such that each vertex "V" formed by the bundle 532 is placed between the top of the first pair of welded strips 31 and the adjacent top of the second pair 3Γ welded strips. A second pair of welded 31 'straps can also be unwound from 550 unwinding devices.

[0060] Finally, adjacent pairs of welded strips 31, 31 'are connected to each other and to the bundle 532, for example by welding or one of the other joining methods described above. For example, welded strips 31, 3Γ can be combined with a high frequency resistance welding machine or other thermofusion device. It is also contemplated that the bundle 532 can be attached to the welded strips 31, 31 'and the welded strips 31 can be attached to the welded strips 31' with glue or by stitching. [0061] As with the other tension constructions discussed above, the tension structure 503 can be manufactured and stored as a bulk material and later used for various inflatable products. The length and width of the tensioning structure 503 can be cut to suit the inner length or width of the inflatable article.

[0062] In one alternative example, it may not be necessary to provide a second layer of welded strips 31 'and instead only attach the first layer of welded strips 31 to the bundle 532. Attaching the bundle 532 to a single layer of welded strips 31 can be done in a similar manner as in the embodiments for the single-layer heat-sealed strip and heat-sealed sheet described above.

[0063] As shown in Figs. 30-32, the tensioning structure 503 may also be equipped with at least one reinforcement beam 5 passing along the longitudinal axis of at least one of the welded belts 31, 3T, similar to the use of the reinforcement beam 5 in the examples described above, the reinforcing beams 5 can be placed on one of the lower pair's welded strips 31 and / or between the lower and upper pair of welding strips 31, 31 '.

-13ΕΡ2 674 071 Β1 [0064] The tensioning structure of the present disclosure including the tensioning structures 3, 103, 203, 303, 403 and 503 described above has high tensile strength in the axial direction of the webs 32, 532 passing between the corresponding welded straps ί / or along welded sheets. Such high tensile strength is complemented by the full weld strength between the adjacent material of the inflatable article, which is facilitated by the full contact of the surface provided by the butt joint of the welded belt and / or the welded sheet between the bundles 32, 532 and the adjacent material. In this way, the tensioning structure duly creates the internal structure of the inflatable article, while allowing overall weight reduction and the emptied / composite volume of the inflatable article. For example, loose arrangement of the bundles 32 is much lighter than a one-piece sheet of comparable size and tensile strength.

[0065] When welded sheets 131 are used, they act to provide a coherent position and arrangement of the plurality of bundles 32 (or 532), and thereby prevent the bundles from curling or entangling them in other ways. The welded straps 31 can be used to create a strong structure for welding the tension structure in an inflatable article, thereby providing high tensile strength achieved by the tension structure beams. In addition, the use of a welded sheet 131 can significantly reduce the mass of the entire inflatable article compared to a traditional, relatively thicker one-piece sheet, which is also responsible for carrying the tensile load. In other words, the welded sheet 131 has a thickness of 20% -40% smaller than existing tension structures with comparable thickness 0.36 mm to 0.8 mm, as stated above.

As shown in Fig. 33, the tension structures 3 form a distance 39 between adjacent tension structures 3. As discussed above, the bundles 32 have a length 37 that is close to the height 37 of the tension structures 3 when the mattress 10 is inflated. During the construction of typical mattresses using PVC tensioning constructions (not shown), the height of the PVC tensioning constructions is practically limited by the distance between adjacent PVC tensioning constructions. This limitation results from a typical manufacturing method in which all PVC tension structures are leveled on the bottom sheet 2 and simultaneously welded to the bottom sheet 2. If the PVC tensioning structures are too high, then they will overlap the adjacent PVC tensioning structures, causing the adjacent PVC tensioning structures to be welded together, which interferes with the operation of these structures. To increase the height of PVC tension structures, these structures can be folded in half along their length when welding one edge. By assembling PVC tensioning structures, the maximum height can be increased to slightly less than twice the distance between adjacent PVC tensioning structures (e.g. by 15 mm less than twice the height of PVC tensioning structure). Creating more than one fold is not feasible.

[0067] Because the spacers 33 in the tension structures 3 are made of bundles 32 instead of the typical PVC sheets described above, they are therefore much more flexible than in the typical PVC tension structures. As a result of this flexibility, it is easy to manufacture mattresses 10 with a height of 37, which is greater than the distance 39 between adjacent tension structures 3.

[0068] During production, the welded belts 31 of each of the plurality of tension structures 3 are aligned in their respective position for welding to the bottom sheet 1. other welded belts 31 of these structures

-14EP 2 674 071 Β1 tensioning 3 is moved adjacent to the belt 31 to be welded, as shown in Fig.

33. Because of their elasticity, the bundles 32 stack on top of each other on adjacent bundles 32, which facilitates arranging multiple layers of bundles 32 on top of each other. By allowing multiple layers of bundles 32 to be stacked on top of each other, the height 37 of the tension structures 3 can be greater than the double distance 39 between the tension structures 3. The length of 37 beams 32 may be 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6 or more times longer than the distance 39 between tension structures 3.

As shown in Fig. 33, loops 41 form in the bundles 32 during deflection, and parts of the bundles 32 can be placed under the belt 31, which is not welded at this time. Although each beam 32 shown in Fig. 33 has only one loop 41 and overlaps only with one other beam 32, each beam 32 can have multiple loops 41, and can overlap with numerous other beams 32, especially when the distance between beams 32 along the welded strips 31 is shorter than the distance shown in Fig. 33.

[0070] In addition to the deflection system shown in Fig. 33 to facilitate welding of the strips 31 to the bottom sheet 2, other orientations of the long bundles 32 can be used to prevent parts of one tension structure 3 from overlapping the adjacent tension structure 3 during welding. For example, as shown in Fig. 35, the beams can be stacked 43 to allow the welded straps 31 of each tensioning structure 3 to move in its vicinity. The turns of the stacks 43 allow the distance between the welded strips 31 to be reduced when the welded strips 31 move together. According to another example, the welded belts 31 of each tensioning structure 3 slide along the span or length of the tensioning structures 3, as shown in Fig. 36. The offset creates sharp angles of the bundles 32 with welded belts 31 and allows a reduction in the distance between the welded belts 31. By adjusting the beams 32, which are longer than the distance between adjacent tension structures 3, the tension structures 3 can be higher without disturbing the welding of the tension structures 3 to the upper and lower sheets 1, 2. As mentioned above, the beams 32 may be longer than shown in Figs. 33-36. For longer bundles 32, more loops or larger loops 41 (Fig. 33), larger and / or higher stacks 43 (Fig. 35) or a larger offset (Fig. 36) to accommodate longer bundles 32 to avoid overlapping of tension structures 3 during welding.

[0071] In preparation for transport or storage, mattresses 10 are emptied. During emptying, the beams 32 can arrange as shown in Fig. 33. In addition, the beams 32 from adjacent tension structures 3 will contact each other and may interweave with the beams 32 of the tension structure 3 sandwiched between the beams 32 of the second tension structure. In addition, since the bundles 32 are very flexible, they easily collapse when in contact with other constructions when the mattress 10 is emptied for shipping and storage. For example, when the bundles 32 come into contact with the upper or lower sheet 1, 2 when empty, they will be compatible with the upper and lower sheets 1, 2 to allow a more compact folding of the upper and lower sheets 1, 2, at least partly as a result of this compaction, the total volume of the emptied mattress 10 will be reduced compared to mattresses with tension structures made of PVC sheets. When the collapsed bundles 32 from the tension structure 3 are interlaced with the bundles 32 from the same tension structure 3, loops 41 may form, stacks 43 may form, and / or the bundles 32 may form at an angle to the welded strips 31 in a manner similar to shown in Fig. 36.

-15ΕΡ 2 674 071 Β1 [0072] As shown in Fig. 34, after collapse, the beams 32 may be oriented in different directions, with some superimposed as shown on the two lower beams 32 and the other following substantially in the same direction as shown in three upper bundles 32. Some bundles 32 collapse in directions that are not perpendicular to the span of the welded strip 31. For example, the lowest bundle 32 in Fig. 34 leaves the leftmost welded strip 31 in a direction perpendicular to this welded strip 31, turns up parallel to this welded strip 31, returns perpendicular to this welded strip 31, turns down parallel to this welded strip 31, and then forms a loop under this welded strip belt 31 for attachment to another welding belt 31 in a direction perpendicular to this other welding belt 31. The total volume of the folded or emptied mattress 10 can be 8-25% smaller than a comparable mattress with tension constructions made of PVC sheet. Preferably, this volume is about 16% smaller.

[0073] The tensioning structure of the inflatable article of the present disclosure is also an economical solution for giving the desired structure and shape to the inflatable device. For example, a large reduction in the amount of PVC material can be achieved by applying the current tensioning structure, compared to a one-piece sheet of similar size and tensile strength.