Pneumatic mattress

March 27, 1945.

2,372,218

Filed July 25, 1941 .

F, G. MANSON ETAL

PNEUMATIC MATTRESS

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<td> March 27, 1945.</td><td> F. G. MANSON ETAL</td><td> 2,372,218</td>

<td></td><td> PNEUMATIC MATTRESS</td><td></td>

<td></td><td> Filed July 25, 1941</td><td> 2 Sheets-Sheet 2</td>

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Patented Mar. 27,1945

2372^18

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,372,218

PNEUMATIC MATTRESS

Frank G. Manson and James J. Maskey, Dayton, Ohio

Application July 25,1941, Serial No. 404,030

Claims. (Cl. 5—348) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30,1928; 370 O. G. 757)

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a pneumatic mattress, 5 and particularly to a mattress having a bag-like member constituting a bellows for inflating the same, and a valve mechanism operatively associated with the bellows for facilitating inflation and deflation of the mattress. 10

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide in a pneumatic mattress, a mechanism integral therewith for readily inflating and deflating the same.

Other objects of the invention will become ap- 15 parent from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pneumatic mattress incorporating the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof; 20

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3—3 of Fig. 1, showing the valve in stopperclosed position;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 3 and showing the stopper removed and the valve 25 in discharging position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 4 with the valve in closed but bag-inflatable position.

Fig. 6 is a view showing the manner of employing the mattress inflating means. ³⁰

Referring to the drawings, a hollow pneumatic mattress (, composed of rubber or other airtight material and having therein longitudinally disposed form-sustaining ribs 2, is provided with a flexible flap-like bag 3 which is open at its upper 35 end and having its lower end secured to the top of the mattress by means of a patch 4 cemented or otherwise secured to both the bag and the mattress. The bottom of the bag indicated by reference character la thus forms an integral ⁴⁰part of the mattress and is provided with a plurality of valve members, each generally indicated by the reference numeral 5, which afford a means of flow communication between the bag 3 and the interior of the mattress. If the bag 3 is ex- ⁴⁵tended and the upper edges gathered together in the manner of closing a paper bag, a considerable volume of air will be trapped in the bag 3. By then rolling up the bag in the manner shown in Fig. 6, the same will act as a pump and ⁸⁰compress the air therein and the valves 5 are so constructed as to permit the compressed air to flow into the mattress to inflate the same. The bag may be extended and rolled up as many times as necessary to completely inflate the mattress, ⁸⁸ the valves 5 being normally operative to prevent flow of air from the mattress to the bag. The open end of the bag also serves as a means for manual access to the valves 5 for operating the same to deflate the mattress. The valve construction will now be described.

Referring now to Mgs. 3, 4 and 5, the valve comprises a body portion 9 suitably integrally united with the portion of the mattress la constituting the bottom of the bag. Member I Is provided with an opening 19 internally screwthreaded to receive an externally and internally screw-threaded cylindrical member 7 provided with a valve disk engaging projecting member I, for holding the disk II in valve-open position, and a plurality of discharge openings 9. The body portion 6 is provided at its upper end with an annular recess for receiving an airtight sealing means 19.

Cylindrical member 7 is provided with an annular groove 11 for receiving a suitable loss-preventing fastening means 12, suitably attached to the mattress. The cylindrical member is knurled as at 13 to facilitate manual removal thereof from the valve body member. A stopper member 14, of rubber or other suitable material, is screw-threaded into the cylindrical member 7 in airtight engagement therewith. For preventing loss of the stopper 14, a fastening means 15 suitably attached to the mattress is provided. The body portion 9 has attached thereto at the lower end thereof a screen portion 19 adapted to slidably receive and floatlngly support a disk valve 17 of suitable lightweight material having high air-sealing properties when in contact with the lower portion of body member 9.

Coming now to the operation of the device: The parts are positioned as shown in Mg. 3 when the mattress is inflated for use. When it is desired to deflate the mattress, the stopper member 14 is removed and with the parts as shown in Mg. 4, air is allowed to discharge to the atmosphere through screen 19 and orifices 9, valve 17 being held in inoperative position by stem member 9. This construction enables quick and ready discharge of air from the pneumatic mattress, without using extraneous tools. When it is desired to again inflat the mattress, the cylindrical member 7 is removed from the valve as shown in Fig. 5 and with the bag 3 in expanded position, the upper end portions thereof are gathered together and the air trapped therein forced through the valve by rolling the bag into a compact cylindrical roll. When the bag is in its completely rolled position, the bag is again distended so as s,s to fill up with air from the atmosphere, valve Π being moved by the difference in air pressure between the interior and exterior of the mattress into valve-closing position as shown in Fig. 5. The rolling operation of the bag may be repeated as many times as is desirable or necessary to reach the desired degree of inflation, whereupon the cylindrical members 1—with the stopper 14 in place—is screw-threaded into the body member 6 to assemble the parts as in Fig. 3.

Various modifications may be made in the device without departing from the spirit of the invention, it being intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.