JPH1190064A - Shape retaining elastic form - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To freely change a shape to a form conforming to an uneven body line and maintain the changed shape as it is. SOLUTION: An airtight wrapping bag 10 comprising soft sand flexible wrapping skins 10a, 10b is filled with elastic spherically-surfaced granules 20, and an air evacuation hole 11 with a check valve 12 and an air hole 13 with an ON/OFF operating means 14 made up of a projecting strip 14a and a recessed strip 14b are formed at appropriate spots on the wrapping bag 10. The granules 20 are flocculated while being moved along an uneven body line, with a simultaneous operation to evacuate an air contained in the wrapping bag 10 from an exhaust vent through compressing the wrapping bag 10 with a heavy object such as the body. Thus it is possible to maintain the uneven state as it is by the elasticity and the friction of the granules 20 at the point of time when almost the entire air contained in the wrapping bag 10 is evacuated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shape-retaining elastic body which is used by laying it on a seat, a bed or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when a patient is sick in the same posture for a long period of time, a sore bed or so-called bedsore often occurs. Therefore, in hospitals and the like, the body position is manually changed about every two hours to prevent this. However, this operation is extremely time-consuming.

[0003]

A pressure ulcer results from partial prolonged compression of the body. On the other hand, since the body has many complicated irregularities, elastic bodies using springs, rubber, sponges, fluids such as air and water can not completely absorb irregularities,
Since pressure cannot be evenly distributed, partial compression remains, and pressure ulcers cannot be prevented.

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an elastic body which can be freely deformed into, for example, a shape conforming to the unevenness of the body and can maintain the shape.

[0005]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an elastic spherical particle having elasticity is placed in an airtight wrapper having at least a portion allowing deformation to be made of a flexible and flexible sheet. A large number of fillings are employed, and the wrapper is provided with an exhaust means and an air supply means.

It is preferable that the granules are formed of styrene foam having a diameter of 2 to 15 mm.

The exhaust means can be formed by an exhaust hole having a check valve, and the intake means can be formed by a vent having an opening / closing member.

The exhaust means and the air supply means may be constituted by a supply / exhaust pump.

The wrapper can be divided into a plurality of compartments.

[0010]

When the wrapper is compressed by a heavy object such as a body, the air in the wrapper is discharged from the exhaust means. As a result, the granules aggregate while moving in a shape following the irregularities of the body, and when the air in the wrapper is almost exhausted, the irregularities are retained by the elasticity and friction of the granules.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shape-retaining elastic body includes an airtight wrapping bag 10 and a large number of particles 20 filled in the wrapping bag 10. The wrapper 10
Is formed of a flexible and flexible sheet, for example, a synthetic resin sheet, a rubberized cloth, or the like, only in a portion that allows deformation. FIG. 1 shows an example in which wrappings 10a and 10b on both sides of a wrapping bag 10 are formed of a flexible sheet, and FIG.
An example is shown in which one side of the envelope 10a is formed of a flexible sheet, and the other side of the envelope 10b is formed of a hard or semi-rigid plate.

An exhaust hole 11 communicating with the outside air is provided at an appropriate position of the wrapper 10, and a check valve 12 is provided in the exhaust hole 11.
Is attached. The check valve 12 may have any structure. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, one end of the elastic tongue 12a is fixed to one surface of the exhaust hole 11 and the other end is fixed to the other surface of the exhaust hole 11. When the air exits from the inside of the wrapper 10 as shown by the arrow, the elastic tongue 12a opens the exhaust hole 11 as shown by a dashed line due to the pressure, and air flows in from the outside air. If you try
The exhaust hole 11 is closed as shown by the solid line. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, two thin synthetic resin films 12b may be closely adhered and overlapped, and the end 12c of the outer surface thereof may be fixed to the inner surface of the exhaust hole 11. Now, zipper 1
When air flows out as shown by the arrow, the tightness between the films 12b is released by the pressure and the exhaust holes 11 are opened. When air tries to flow in from the outside, the films 12b come into close contact with each other and the exhaust holes 11 11 is closed. Reference numeral 12d in FIG. 3 indicates a heat seal portion that partitions a passage forming the exhaust hole 11.

[0013] At the right place of the wrapper 10, a vent 1
3 are provided. The vent hole 13 is provided with opening / closing means 14 for blocking or communicating the inside of the wrapper 10 with the outside air. This opening and closing means may be any as long as it can open and close the ventilation hole 13. For example, a cylindrical tube and a plug that can be freely inserted and removed from the tube may be used.
Alternatively, it may be an on-off valve. FIGS. 1 and 3 show another opening / closing means 1.
4 is shown. As shown in the figure, the wrapping 1 includes a ridge 14a whose upper end is bulged and a concave ridge 14b capable of press-fitting and locking the ridge 14a.
It is fixed to the inner surfaces of Oa and 10b so as to face each other. These convex stripes 14a and concave stripes 14b are made of semi-rigid synthetic resin, and are detachable fasteners (trade names Ziplock,
Zip lock).

The granular material 20 to be filled in the wrapper 10 is a spherical material having elasticity and preferably having a relatively large surface friction coefficient. Of course, it is not necessary to be a true sphere, and an elliptical sphere, an oval sphere, or the like may be used. The surface may have some irregularities. The material is preferably a foamed synthetic resin such as styrofoam, but may be an ordinary synthetic resin spherical body, and the particle size is 2 to 1
It is about 5 mm. When spherical bodies having various diameters are mixed within the range of the particle diameter, shape retention can be further improved. The filling amount of the granules 20 can be arbitrarily selected as long as desired irregularities can be absorbed as long as the volume is not more than the volume of the wrapper 10.

When the above-mentioned elastic body is formed in a mat shape, for example, and is used for a bed, it is preferable to divide the elastic body into small chambers 10c. This is because the particles 20 can be prevented from being unevenly distributed. Exhaust holes 11 and vent holes 13
0c, or a hole may be provided in the partition of the small chamber 10c so that the small chambers 10c can communicate with each other.
3 may be provided at one place. In order to use this, first, the opening / closing means 14 of the ventilation hole 13 is operated to close the ventilation hole 13 to block the inside of the wrapper 10 from the outside air, and as shown in FIG. Then, the air in the wrapper 10 is discharged from the check valve 12 to the outside air depending on the weight. At the same time, the granules 20 that have freely moved in each of the small chambers 10c of the wrapper 10 gradually aggregate in a shape along the irregularities of the body A with the compression of the small chamber 10c. In a state where most of the air has been exhausted, the small chamber 10c is in a compressed state, and all the granules 20 adhere to each other and agglomerate, and the movement between the granules 20 due to the elasticity of the granules 20 and the friction of the surface. Are prevented from each other, and the shape along the unevenness of the body A is maintained. In order to release the compressed / aggregated state, the opening / closing means 14 is opened, and air may be introduced into the wrapper 10 through the vent hole 13.

As shown in FIG. 7, if the shape-retaining elastic body of the present invention is mounted on the inner surface of a ski boot S, for example,
Can be obtained to obtain an internal shape that matches the shape of the foot B.

An air pump or a stepping pump can be connected to the exhaust hole 11. Further, the exhaust hole 11 and the vent hole 13 may be connected together to a supply / exhaust pump.

The shape-retaining elastic body of the present invention has a wide variety of uses, including not only the interior of mattresses and shoes as described above, but also seats, cushions, pillows and cushioning materials for packaging.

[0019]

According to the present invention, as described above, an elastic spherical particle is filled in a flexible airtight wrapper,
By compressing this wrapper with a weight of a specific shape, the shape can be transferred to the wrapper and the transferred shape can be retained, so when used for mattresses and cushions, it fits perfectly to the shape of the body However, bedsores and the like can be prevented, and elasticity is not lost even in a compressed state, so that the body does not feel strange.

Furthermore, since it is extremely simple in structure and easy to handle, it is possible to provide inexpensive and highly marketable products.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a shape-retaining elastic body of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the shape-retaining elastic body.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a shape-retaining elastic body.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of a check valve.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the check valve.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a shape-retaining elastic body is used for a mattress.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the shape-retaining elastic body is used for ski boots.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A Body B Legs S Ski boots 10 Envelope 10a, 10b Envelope 10c Small chamber 11 Exhaust hole 12 Check valve 12a Elastic tongue piece 12b Synthetic resin film 12c End 13 Vent hole 14 Opening / closing means 14a Convex line 14b Concave line 20

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI A47C 27/10 A47C 27/10 Z

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An airtight wrapper, at least a portion of which is allowed to deform, is made of a flexible and flexible sheet, and a number of elastic spherical particles are filled therein. A shape-retaining elastic body provided with means. 2. The shape-retaining elastic body according to claim 1, wherein said granules are made of styrene foam having a diameter of 2 to 15 mm. 3. The shape-retaining elastic body according to claim 1, wherein said exhaust means comprises an exhaust hole having a check valve, and said air supply means comprises a vent having an opening / closing member. 4. The shape-retaining elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust means and the air supply means are constituted by a supply / exhaust pump. 5. The shape-retaining elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the wrapper is divided into a plurality of small chambers.