FLOOR COVERING
This invention is concerned with the supply of pressurised gases to
pneumatically operable appliances.
There are places where a number of such appliances disposed at
different locations within a specific area require to be supplied with pressurised
gas. Typical examples are homes for elderly persons and hospitals in which
pneumatically operable appliances are used for assisting persons to get into and
out of beds and baths and on to and off chairs and to perform other actions.
There may also be a need for a pressurised air supply at different locations
within a specific area in schools, offices, workshops and other commercial or
industrial premises where disabled people use pneumatically operable elevating
chairs.
The present invention provides a floor covering which is provided with
one or more cavities extending over an area thereof, the covering being formed
to permit connection of the cavity or cavities to a supply of pressurised gas and,
at different locations within the said area, to a number of pneumatically
operable appliances.
The floor covering may be formed to permit connection of the cavity or
cavities to a number of pneumatically operable appliances by being so
constructed that portions of the wall or walls of the cavity or cavities can be
removed to provide openings for receiving connectors adapted to make such
connection. The idea, therefore, is that the floor covering will be laid on the
floor of an area such, for example, as the lounge of a home for elderly persons
or a hospital ward, and then portions will be removed from the wall or walls of
the cavity or cavities to provide a number of openings at locations in the area
where pneumatically operable appliances are likely to be used, for example
alongside armchairs or beds, these openings then being provided with
connectors for connecting the cavity or cavities to such appliances, the cavity or
cavities being connected to a supply of pressurised gas, for example a source of
compressed air.
Alternatively, if the locations within a specific area at which
pneumatically operable appliances are likely to require a supply of pressurised
gas can be predetermined, the floor covering may be supplied already fitted
with connectors arranged to be disposed at said locations when the floor
covering is laid.
Connection of the cavity or cavities to a supply of pressurised gas may
be implemented in the same way or the covering may be provided either with a
pre-formed opening at a suitable location which is provided or intended to be
provided with a connector for connecting the cavity or cavities to a supply of
pressurised gas or with a number of pre-formed openings which can be used
selectively for comiecting the cavity or cavities by means of connectors to such
a supply.
The floor covering may be a carpet, mat or rug, a floor tile, a plastics
sheet material such as vinyl, linoleum, or a board or plank of wood or other
similar material, or it may be an underlay for any of these coverings.
The floor covering may have a single cavity extending over the whole
area of the covering or a number of separate cavities extending, respectively,
over different parts of said area. The cavity or cavities may be defined by the
floor covering itself or by initially separate elements incorporated in the
covering during its manufacture. Thus, for example, the covering may
comprise spaced upper and lower layers of material which are joined together
or connected together by spaced partitions to define the cavity or cavities.
The or each cavity may be in the form of a duct. There may be just one
duct which extends over an area of the covering in any suitable configuration,
for example a serpentine or an endless loop. Alternatively, a plurality of ducts
may be provided which may be arranged side-by-side in parallel lines or in a
grid formation and open at one or more edges of the covering where they can be
connected to a supply of pressurised gas.
The duct or ducts may be formed integrally with the floor covering, for
example formed as part of the moulding process of a plastic covering, or
provided by piping incorporated in the structure of the floor covering.
In a floor covering having a plurality of parallel ducts these preferably
open at opposite edges of the covering and two elongate connectors are
provided for fitting to said edges, one of these connectors defining a conduit
which communicates with the open ends of all the ducts at one edge of the
covering and is adapted for connection to a supply of pressurised gas and the
other connector either being similarly formed for connection to such supply or
being formed to close the open ends of the ducts at the other edge or being
formed to connect the ducts to the ducts of an adjacent floor covering of the
same construction.
The connectors for connecting the cavity or cavities to pneumatically
operable appliances may comprise a tubular part providing a gas passageway
which is intended to be inserted in a said opening formed in the covering, and
an outwardly projecting flange to be secured to the covering around the
opening, for example by an air-tight adhesive or by riveting. In another form
each connector may comprise an open-topped box to be fitted in such an
opening and having apertures for communicating with the cavity or at least one
of the cavities, and a lid for the box which has an outlet for connection to an
appliance.
The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which: -
FIGURE 1 shows a typical scene for which the invention has been
devised;
FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, partly cut away, of part of one form of
floor covering embodying the invention;
FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of another form of floor covering
according to the invention; and
FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view, partly cut away, showing
the manner in which a floor covering of the form illustrated in FIGURE 3 is
installed.
As a typical example of a place in which a floor covering according to
the invention may be useful, FIGURE 1 shows two persons PI and P2 in a
home for elderly people sitting in armchairs Al and A2 watching a television T.
The person PI is sitting on a lifting cushion LC which comprises an
inflatable bag connectible to a supply of compressed air (or other gas) through a
control unit operable to control the supply of air to the bag in order to inflate it
and thereby assist the person to stand up, and venting of air from the bag in
order to deflate it.
The person P2 is provided with a leg support LS which comprises an
inflatable bag disposed forwardly of the seat portion of the armchair A2 and
connectible to a supply of compressed air (or other gas) via a control unit which
is operable to inflate the bag so that it provides support for the person's legs,
and to vent air from the bag to collapse it.
The area where the two persons are seated may have other people in it
who require a supply of compressed air for pneumatically operable appliances,
and in accordance with the present invention the area is furnished with a floor
covering which is designed to distribute compressed air to the locations where
the appliances are situated.
FIGURE 2 shows one form of such a floor covering which comprises
two sheets or layers 10 and 11 of a woven air-tight fabric joined together by
regularly spaced threads 12. The edges 13 of the layers are attached together in
a sealed airtight manner. The covering may be supplied with the edges attached
in this way, for example in a roll, or the edges may be joined on fitting of the
covering so that the covering can first be cut to the required size.
The cavity 13 defined by the covering is connected by a flexible pipe 14
to a supply of compressed air. The pipe is attached to the covering by a
connector 15 comprising a tubular part 15a which extends through an opening
in the upper layer 10 and has an outwardly projecting flange 15b secured by
adhesive to the outer face of the layer 10 around the opening.
When the covering has been fitted holes are formed in its upper layer 10
at the locations where a compressed air supply is required for pneumatically
operable appliances such as a lifting cushion and leg support as shown in
FIGURE 1. These appliances are connected to the cavity inside the covering by
pipes 16 which are attached to the upper layer 10 by connectors 17 each
comprising a tubular part 17a extending through one of the holes and providing
an air passageway between the relevant pipe and the cavity, the tubular part
having a flange 17b which is secured to the layer around the hole by adhesive.
In this way a constant supply of compressed air may be provided at all
times to operate pneumatic appliances at different locations within the area
covered by the floor covering.
The form of floor covering illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 comprises a
flexible sheet material 20 which may be supplied in a roll from which required
lengths can be cut. Incorporated into the structure 21 of the material are a
series of spaced parallel pipes 22 the ends of which open at opposite edges of
the material and are flush with the edges. The floor covering may be a carpet,
the pipes being incorporated in the carpet backing from which the pile projects.
When a piece of the material is laid on a floor a rectangular-section
conduit 23 is fitted along one of the said edges, this conduit having a series of
holes along the side thereof facing the material which are aligned with the pipes
22. Each hole has a projecting tubular part 24 which fits in the end portion of
the corresponding pipe 22 to form an airtight connection between the conduit
and the pipe. The conduit is connected at one end to a supply of compressed
air, the other end being closed by an end cap (not shown). Alternatively both
ends may be closed by end caps and the compressed air may be supplied
through a connection at a position along the length of the conduit.
The ends of the pipes 22 at the opposite edge of the floor covering may
be closed by a closure strip or connected to another conduit similar to the
conduit 23, both conduits being connected to the supply of compressed air. If
in order to cover the area in which pneumatically operable appliances are
required to be used, it is necessary to fit another piece 24 of the floor covering
material alongside the first piece, a connector 25 may be provided to connect
the pipes 22 of the first piece to those of the second piece 24, this connector
having a number of tubular elements 26 extending through a rectangular-
section member 27 and arranged to fit in the adjacent ends of the respective
series of pipes.
When the floor covering has been laid rectangular-shaped portions 28
are cut in it at the locations where pneumatically operable appliances are to be
used, one such cut-way portion being shown in FIGURE 4. The portion is cut
away to such a depth that the two pipes which intersect it, are exposed. An
open-topped box 29 is inserted into the cut-away portion, this box having
openings which are aligned with the exposed ends of the pipes. The tubular
part of a flanged tubular connector 30 is inserted through each opening into the
adjacent end of the corresponding pipe until the flange abuts the inner face of
the box. The pipes are therefore placed in airtight communication with the
interior of the box.
A lid 31 is secured to the open top of the box, this lid having a recessed
centre part in which is located a tubular part 32 for connection by a pipe (not
shown) to a pneumatically operable appliance. The box with its lid is flush
with the top of the structure of the floor covering so that, for example, in the
case of a carpet a vacuum cleaner can be run over it without striking the
connectors.