AU601185B2 - Water cushion - Google Patents

Description

p777 J A '13~S5S)M 601 185 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Form Short Title: Int. Cl: S* 00 it it 8 r. 9 0 8 9 9 @0c a *P 8r 9 i t C 9 Application Number: Lodged: PH 06034 May 22 1986 Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: Related Art: Tbiis document colntains thee amendments made lund,.,r Sectiod n 0S and is correc for I" Iprining

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TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: PETER ALAN SMITH Smith Co., 593-595 Princes Highway, Rockdale, New South Wales 2216, Australia PETER ALAN SMITH GRIFFITH HASSEL FRAZER 71 York Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "WATER CUSHION" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- -2- This invention relates to a cushion which uses water as its principal suppo .ing medium. The cushion has been developed primarily as a seat cushion for use by a paraplegic or quadraplegic who is confined to a wheelchair.

However, the cushion does have broader application and it may be employed for supporting any anatomical part of a person who is confined to a chair for protracted periods of time and who might suffer discomfort from pressure points which are experienced with use of more conventional support "l0 cushions.

00 Broadly defined, the invention provides a cushion ii ~0 which comprises a bladder which is formed from a flexible water impervious material and which normally is filled with water. A stoppered opening is fitted to the bladder whereby is water may be poured into and from the bladder when required. A pad of resiliently compressible material 00000Q extends over and covers at least one surface of the bladder, and a flexible material covering envelopes both the bladder 00 0 and the pad. Handles are connected to tne covering, so that the cushion may be picked up, fold against itself and be 0000 carried from place to place.

The provision of handles is important in the case of cushions which are intended for wheelchairs which may be 4folded or E Lowe,- for transport. The handles preferably are formed as extensions of straps which extend across the iundersutface of the cushion, so that, when picked L~ by the handles, the cushion folds against itself with the straps surrounding and carrying the mass of water in the cushion.

The pad of resiliently compressible material wotvld normally be located on the upper sur!face of "he bladder, to form a load distributing barrier be-tween the, bladder and a person supported by the cushion. The padi most preferably ia formed from a panel of soft 1!oam material of a type which conventionally is used in upholstered chairs.

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0 000 000 00 00 0 0 00 The cushion covering would normally be formed from a soft fabric-like material, such as is employed for covering conventional chairs, but where the cushion is intended to be used by an incontinent person, the covering may be formed from a water impervious material.

Water in an amount required to meet the needs of an individual user is poured into the bladder and all remaining air is then excluded before closing the bladder with the stopper. The covering preferably is fitted with a zipper or stud fasteners to permit convenient access to be gained to the bladder filler opening.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment of a cushion which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

15 In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the cushion when in a normal, flat position, Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the cushion, as taken in the direction of section plane 2-2 shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the cushion with its covering partially removed and a water fill opening 004:0 exposed, and whn Figure 4 shows an end elevation view of the cushion 025 we in a folded condition.

As illustrated, the cushion comprises a bladder which is formed from a strong, water-impervious plastics sheet material. The bladder may be collapsed for stowage but it would normally be filled with water 11 and, when so fi7,led, the bladder assumes a generally oblong shape. A threaded filler neck 12 is welded into an upper wall 13 of the t. ladder, and a screw cap 14 is provided for closing the neck after water has been poured into the bladder.

736s/SMcL 4 A pad 15 of resiliently compressible foamed plastics material covers the upper surface of the bladder 10, and a covering 16 which is formed from a woven fabric envelopes both the bladder 10 and the pad 15. The pad 15 may be sewn or adhered to the inside of the covering 16, but the bladder is removable from the covering.

The bladder 10 has a fully expanded volume which is approximately equal to the volume of the space that the pouch occupies in the covering 16. The expanded volume of the bladder may be slightly greater than or less than that c of the space within the covering 16, but it is desirable that, when the bladder is contained within the covering and is filled with water, it should not be stressed to a significant extent.

A zip fastener 17 extends around a major portion of two sides of the covering, so that the bladder may be oo removed or in order to permit filling of the bladder with ooo water.

Two web-like straps 18 extend across the underside of 20 the cushion and are sewn or otherwise attached to the covering 16. The straps extend beyond the edges of the cushion and are looped to form handles 19 which may be used to carry the cushion. When picked up and carried by the handles, the cushion folds against itself as shown in Figure 4, and the straps extend right around the cushion to fully support the mass of w.ater which is carried in the bladder Variations and modifications may be made in respect of the cushion as, above described without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

0736s/SMcL

Claims (5)

1. A portable seat cushion which comprises a bladder which is formed from a flexible water impervious material and which normally is filled with water, a stoppered opening fitted to the bladder and arranged to permit water to be poured into and from the bladder when required, a pad of resilient compressable material extending ,t over and covering at least one surface of the bladder, a flexible material covering enveloping both the bladder and the layer of resilient material, and two handles connected to the covering in a manner such that, when picked up by the handles, the cushions folds against itself.

2. A cushion as claimed in claim 1 wherein the handles are formed as extensions of straps which extend across an undersurface of the cushion whereby, when picked up by the handles, the cushion will fold against itself with the straps surrounding and carrying the cushion.

3. A cushion as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 wherein the pad of resilient material is located on an upper surface of the bladder to form a load distributing barrier between the bladder and a person when supported by the Scushion.

7. preceding

8. accompany: described ii iI GRIFFITH i i. I- '4i 4. A cushion as claimed in claim 3 wherein the resilient material is constituted by a panel of soft expanded foam material. 5. A cushion as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the flexible material covering comprises a soft fabric-like material. 6. A cushion as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the covering is fitted with a zipper, stud fasteners or Velcro fasteners to permit convenient access to be gained to the bladder filler opening. 073 0736s/SMcL 6 7. A cushion as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the bladder has a fully expanded volume which is approximately equal to the volume of the space that the bladder occupies within the covering. 8. A cushion substantially as shown in the Saccompanying drawings and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference thereto. DATED this 19th day of June 1990. PETER ALAN SMITH By his Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK CO. I