JP2579692B2 - Variable adjustable gel-filled cushion device for supporting the human body - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cushion pad, a mattress, and a seat for supporting people and patients who spend a long time in a prone or sitting position. In particular, the present invention relates to a system for variably adjusting the distribution of a support force applied to a support area of a human body by a gel-filled cushion system so as to reduce pressure sore ulcers (bed sores).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Numerous mattresses and mattress pads have been improved in the past with the aim of reducing pressure ulcers occurring in people and patients who have to spend long periods in bed. Known cushion devices include a flexible enclosure that includes various cushioning materials, such as air, liquid, gel, foam, or the particulate materials disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,163,297 and 4,628,557, for example. US Patent 4,16
Cushion devices of the type disclosed in 3,297 and 4,628,557 have small pillow elements or inserts,
As a result, the shape of the support surface can be changed by adjusting the pillow-like element or the insert, thereby making it possible to slightly adjust the support force applied to the human body. However, only relatively large adjustments are made by adjusting the pillows or inserts, and consequently are required for any special patient affected by weight, body shape and posture required for special medical care. The optimal distribution of bearing capacity can only be roughly given.

In an attempt to meet the need for good and stepless variable adjustment of the cushioning device for the patient, the mattress is provided with a separate internal cell, which may be a patient-operated valve or a self-actuated cell. The expansion and contraction is selectively performed by connecting with a valve, and the valve is for alternately supplying or discharging the pressurized air to the individual cells. While providing the system described above with a stepless variable adjustment as opposed to coarse changes, making such adjustments via valve control makes the system expensive. Of particular importance, the above described system of inflation and deflation can only be implemented if the mattress is used in a location where the individual compartments can be easily filled and evacuated with ambient air. . Another disadvantage is that the air-filled mattress does not produce the lowest surface pressure of the skin. For example, gel as a cushioning material as disclosed in the author Virgin 1983, Vol. 62, American Journalable of Physical Medicine, page 217 `` Measurement of skin pressure on various mattresses in cancer patients '' By using it, the lowest surface pressure of the skin can be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of the present invention is to adapt a flexible gel-containing compartment to a stepless variable system for adjusting the supporting force applied to a user's body by a cushion device. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive cushion device which can be used after being used.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a corresponding method for realizing a gel-containing cushion in which the distribution of force can be variably adjusted steplessly.

What is needed to accomplish this is to work with inexpensive external systems, which are used to selectively contain or drain gels as needed, to distribute the distribution of bearing forces on the human body. A gel-containing cushion device having a separate compartment capable of selectively containing or discharging a gel with a stepless change in order to obtain a stepless variable adjustment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a dual gel-containing container that forms the basis of each of the different primary support surfaces for supporting the human body and is structurally connected to each other to contain a flowing gel. The need described above can be satisfied by providing a cushion device, such as a mattress, mattress pad, seat cushion, etc., that constitutes a flexible enclosure having a flexible compartment. The enclosure may be of the unitary type with compartments permanently connected to each other, or alternatively may be of the modular type removably interconnected. By providing a plurality of ports that connect the inside and outside of each compartment and that can be selectively opened and closed, gel can be injected and discharged into each compartment. The external gel container separate from the compartments has an opening for paired sealing connection to the port portion, so that the gel can be selectively injected or discharged into each compartment. Thus, the distribution of the supporting force applied to the user's body by the main support surface can be variably adjusted. In this way, the external gel container serves as a portable and convenient accessory to the cushion device, and serves as a convenient cushion, and
If pressure is to be reduced, extra gel may be drained into the tank from a particular compartment underlying part of the support surface, and pressure may be increased to compensate for the reduced pressure In some cases, additional gel may be poured from the tank into a particular compartment underlying a portion of the support surface. The gel container also has a means for pushing the gel into each compartment, and a possible means of this is a pump, but in view of greater economics, it is preferable that the gel container itself has a variable amount characteristic. It is. It is preferred to fold or wrap the flexible flexible enclosure to reduce the volume of the gel container and thereby force the flowable gel into each compartment.

The port for pouring or draining the gel for each compartment has a one-way check valve which allows the gel to flow into the compartment and the valve is assembled to the gel container. The gel is prevented from draining from the compartment unless it is mechanically opened by engagement with the valve opening member. Therefore, in the operation of injecting or discharging the gel through the port, leakage of the flowing gel can be avoided.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a small amount of a superabsorbent gel-forming material is provided in each compartment, the amount of which is insufficient to support itself, but required. When the maximum amount of water is added, the amount is sufficient to support the gel filled in the compartment. Therefore, when installing the device, the user only needs to inject a predetermined amount of water into the compartment, which greatly simplifies the initial shipping of the system due to the compactness of the device,
Make it easy to get started with the system. First, inject water,
After mixing the gel formable solid and water, the gel content of each compartment can be adjusted in the manner described above.

The foregoing, other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment of the Invention) As shown in FIG.
Is a series of flexible compartments 20a, 20 for enclosing the gel.
b, 20c and 20d. The mattress pad may be configured to have the width and length of a single bed for use in a single bed, and may be of a similar structure and paired with a single bed for use in a king size bed. A configuration in which the second mattress pad 10a is connected may be employed. Alternatively, pad 10 can be formed to be half the width of a double or queen bed and equal in length to a full size bed. The pad is provided with a band 12 around the bottom of the lower corner of the known mattress to secure the corner of the pad. A band 12a is provided at the seam between the two pads, and these bands can be easily removed when unnecessary.

The flexible top panel 14 of the pad 10 is integral with the flexible side wall 15 of the compartment and comprises the flexible top of the compartments 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d, the panel 14 preferably being It is approximately 0.02 inches (0.0508 cm) thick and is constructed of lightweight thermoformed vinyl, is coated on the outside with fabric or foam rubber, and is flexible and other fluid impermeable Materials can also be used. Top panel 14
Has a main support surface for distributing the force applied to the support area of the user's body. A bottom panel 16 of the same or similar material as the top panel is formed to be somewhat thicker (e.g., 0.025 inch (0.0635 cm) thick) than the top panel and has an edge at the bottom of the side wall 15 in a fluid impermeable manner. Adhered or welded to 15a. A series of side walls 1
By gluing or welding the inside of 5 to the bottom panel 16 along the joint 18 in a fluid impervious manner, the compartments 20a,
20b, 20c and 20d are divided (see FIGS. 1 and 2).
Therefore, each compartment 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d is
Of the main flexible surface 14 and are independent of one another by an inner side wall 15. As a result, the gel portions 22c and 22d are prevented from moving from one compartment to another compartment (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, pads 10 and 10a may be connected to each other by a pair of velcro tapes 24a, 24b secured to each pad, or by other suitable means. By arbitrarily providing a pair of additional magic tapes 24c, 24d, all the pads 10 and 10a can have the same configuration, and any connection is possible. Each compartment has selectively openable and closable ports 26a, 26b, 26c and 26d therein through which the gel can be individually and selectively injected into or removed from the compartment. .
The port portion can be effectively used by using a known type of stable fluid gel, such as a gel or a silicone gel composed of a mixture of methylcellulose, water, a preservative, a coloring agent, and a bitter agent. As shown in FIG. 5, each port section preferably comprises a body 27 glued between the side wall edge 15a and the bottom panel 16, however, it is also possible to attach the port section to the side wall or the bottom panel itself. It is possible.
Each port part main body 27 has a screw opening 28 inside, and when the port part is not used, it is preferable to screw the seal plug 30 into the screw opening. A one-way check valve consisting of a flat soft vinyl or rubber tube 32 is attached inside the port body 27, and the tube 32 usually assumes a collapsed state as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and as a result, Even if the plug 30 comes off, the gel can be prevented from escaping from the inside of the compartment through the port.

Fig. 6 shows a typical flexible vinyl gel bottle container.
At 34, the bottle has a threaded mouth 36 sealed with a threaded cap 38. As shown in FIG.
If the cap 38 is removed prior to the use of the gel container 34, the cap is replaced with an internally threaded and externally threaded nose 40, and after removing the plug 30, the nozzle 40 is screwed into the mouth 36 and Is screwed into the port body 27. Nozzle 40
Has a sufficiently long end 40a to allow the gel to flow through the port by applying more force to the side of the normally collapsed tube 32 at the end. . Thus, if it is desired to drain the gel from a particular compartment to reduce the support force exerted on the user's body by the portion of the flexible support surface 14 covering the compartment, external pressure is applied to the top of the compartment. As a result, the gel is extruded from the compartment into the gel container 34 via the nozzle 40.
When the gel has been sufficiently drained from the compartment, the nozzle is withdrawn and the check valve tube 32 is automatically reclosed to avoid any leakage. Thereafter, the plug 30 is reinserted into the port. Alternatively, if one wishes to increase the bearing capacity by adding gel to the compartment, as shown in FIG.
Is connected to the port and the volume of the container is gradually reduced by crushing or folding or rolling the wall of the container, so that the gel is pushed through the nozzle 40 toward the compartment. After the desired amount of gel has been added, the nozzle is withdrawn in the manner described above, and then the plug 30 is reinserted into the port.

In the manner described above, the gel may be transferred from one compartment to another in an externally controlled rather than internally uncontrolled manner, and without necessarily having to retain a certain mass of gel within the pad 10. Can also be transferred. In this way, the distribution of the support force on the user's body can be variously controlled and adjusted to meet the individual needs of each user.

It is within the scope of the present invention to equip the pads with electric heating or cooling subpads to heat or cool all units. Alternatively, if separate heating or cooling subpads 42a, 42b (see FIG. 2) or other separate internal / external heaters or coolers were provided in the compartment, local arthritis or injury could be selected. It can be individually heated or cooled in the compartment.

8 to 11 show another embodiment of the mattress pad according to the present invention. The mattress designated by reference numeral 50 in FIG. 8 has a plurality of flexible compartments 52 each of which is a unitary component and contains a gel, and these compartments are freely connectable to each other. Each compartment 52 may be made of the same material as described above for mattress pad 10. One longitudinal edge 54 of each compartment 52 is
. Along the opposite longitudinal edge of the compartment 52, there is a joining lower facing surface made of a magic tape 58, so that the compartments can be detached side by side in parallel with the relationship shown in FIG. As a result, a mattress pad 50 for a single-size bed as shown in FIG. 8 can be formed.
The bonding velcro is applied to the lateral edges 60,62 of each compartment.
Is placed with a configuration similar to the above, so that
Multiple mattress pad assemblies 50 can be removably interconnected in a side-by-side relationship to provide a large bed size.

Each compartment 52 is provided with a port assembly 64, and this assembly 64
Is mounted in a bottom panel having a threaded connector 66 to which a threaded cap 68 or a threaded connector 70a of a gel conduit 70 is secured.
Preferably, the port assembly 64 is provided with the one-way check valve described above. However, even in the absence of a check valve, if the compartment 52 is inverted so that the port 64 faces upward, the port assembly 64 can be used for gel injection or pouring. While injecting or pouring gel,
The 70 threaded connector 70a is connected to the gel container 34.

Prior to placing the compartments in place, in the initial stage of filling the compartments 52 with gel, a minimum amount of the polymer gel-forming powder 72 is supplied to the interior space of the compartments. It is preferable to keep it. Such a powder is injected into each compartment 52 through the port portion 64 by a user or preferably by a manufacturer before shipment from the factory. Thereafter, the user injects a predetermined maximum amount of water into each compartment through the port portion 64, and when this water mixes with the powder 72, an initial amount of the supporting gel is formed in the compartment. To this end, a gelling powder material of a superabsorbent polymer, for example, the known partial sodium salt of crosslinked polyacrylic acid, which is capable of absorbing many times the solid volume of water, is suitable. . For example, the gel container 52 having a unit configuration has a length of 82 cm, a width of 40.5 cm, and a thickness of 5 cm.About 60 ml of gel-forming powder is inserted into each compartment, and about 4.7 liters of water is supplied to each port. A user is added to each compartment through 64, and then the gel is additionally injected or poured in to adjust the degree of support provided by the individual compartments as needed. Alternative superabsorbent polymeric gel-forming solids include, for example, the starch-graft copolymer compositions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,100. This initial formation of the gel in the compartment makes it easier to ship the system and begin using the system. Such a methodology can be equally applied to the compartment to which the mattress pad 10 is universally connected among the embodiments described above.

What has been described above merely describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a mattress pad constituted according to the present invention, and showing a state where another second pad is connected to one edge of the mattress pad.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1 and showing a state in which the gel-containing compartments are divided and connected.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and showing a pair of pad connecting devices.

FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1 and showing a port portion for injecting or pouring a flowing gel into or from each compartment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in FIG. 4 and showing a port portion.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an external gel container used with the mattress pad shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the external gel container and the port shown in FIG. 6 are connected.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the mattress pad constructed according to the present invention, and showing a pad composed of a unit component of a plurality of compartments which are detachably connected to each other.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing one of the unit components of the mattress pad of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a state where the individual compartments of the mattress pad of FIG. 8 are detachably connected to each other.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of a port portion for injecting or discharging a flowing gel into or out of the compartment of the mattress pad of FIG.

10 ... mattress pad, 12 ... band 14 ... top panel, 15 ... flexible side wall 16 ... bottom panel, 20a, b, c, d ... compartment 22c, d ... gel part, 24a, b ... Magic tape 26a, b, c, d ... Port part, 27 ... Port part body 28 ... Screw opening, 30 ... Seal plug 32 ... Tube, 34 ... Gel bottle container 36 ... With screw Mouth, 38 Threaded cap 40… Nozzle, 42a, b… Sub cap 50… Mattress pad, 52… Compartment chamber 56… Velcro, 64… Port assembly 66… With thread Connector, 70: Gel conduit 72: Gel-forming powder

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] A cushion device (10) for supporting weight by dispersing a force across said support area in a variably adjustable manner in order to avoid concentration of pressure within a predetermined portion of the support area of the human body. , 50) wherein the cushioning device comprises an assembly comprising a main flexible surface for distributing the support force over the support area of the body, wherein the assembly comprises a gel from one compartment to another. Means for forming a plurality of compartments (20a, 20b, 52) for containing said gels separated by walls (15) for preventing movement into said compartments, each compartment comprising said main compartment; Under different portions of the flexible surface, the cushion device further comprises means for defining a plurality of selectively openable and closable ports (26a, 26b, 64), each port being associated with a respective one of the compartments. To communicate between one interior and the exterior of the assembly The cushion device comprising gel container means (34), wherein the gel container means selectively delivers gel into each of the compartments to variably adjust the distribution of the supporting force or Means for defining an opening for pairing and sealingly coupling with the port portion for receiving from the interior, wherein the gel container means passes through the opening and the port portion within each of the compartments. A cushioning device comprising means for pressing the gel for inflow. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compartments (20a, 20b) are permanently attached to one another. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compartments (52) are removably attached to each other. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said gel container means (34) is of a variable volume type and has a movable surrounding wall for selectively decreasing or increasing the gel capacity. An apparatus characterized in that: 5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said gel container means (34) has a movable flexible surrounding wall. 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of said port portions is normally a one-way check valve means for allowing gel to flow into each compartment through each port portion. 32), and means for selectively engaging and opening said one-way check valve to allow gel to flow out of each compartment through each port.