WO2004094741A1

WO2004094741A1 - Floor covering

Info

Publication number: WO2004094741A1
Application number: PCT/GB2004/001693
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Edmund Talbot Garman
Original assignee: Mangar International Limited
Priority date: 2003-04-17
Filing date: 2004-04-19
Publication date: 2004-11-04
Also published as: GB0308907D0

Abstract

A floor covering comprising 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. Means is provided for connecting the cavity or cavities to a number of pneumatically operable appliances at a number of locations enabling inflation of the appliances.

Description

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.

Claims

1. A floor covering 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.

2. The covering as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cavity or cavities are

defined by the floor covering itself.

3. The covering as claimed in claim, 1 wherein the cavity or cavities are

initially separate elements incorporated in the covering during its manufacture.

4. The covering a claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cavity or

cavities are airtight.

5. The covering according to claim 1, claim 2 or claim 4, wherein the covering

comprises spaced upper and lower layers of material connected together by

spaced partitions to define the cavity or cavities.

6. The covering as claimed in claim 5, wherein the layers are an air tight fabric.

7. The covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the

connection of the cavity or cavities to a number of pneumatically operable

appliances at one or more locations is achieved by removing portions of a wall

or walls of the or each cavity to provide an opening for receiving connectors

adapted to make such connection.

8. The covering as claimed in claim 7 wherein the opening at said one or more

locations is pre-formed in the covering prior to laying the covering.

9. The covering as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the floor covering is

pre- fitted with connectors arranged to be disposed at said one or more locations.

10. The covering according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a single

cavity extends over the whole area of the covering.

11. The covering according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a

number of separate cavities extend over different parts of the area of the

covering.

12. The covering according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the or

each cavity has the form of a duct.

13. The covering according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a

plurality of ducts are arranged side by side in parallel lines or in a grid formation

and open at one or more edges of the covering for connection to a supply of

pressurised gas.

14. A floor covering as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plurality of ducts are

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 being formed to for connection to such supply.

15. The covering as claimed in claim 14, wherein the other connector is formed

to close the open ends of the ducts at the other edge.

16. The covering as claimed in claimed in claim 14, wherein the other

connector is formed to connect the ducts to the ducts of an adjacent floor

covering having the same construction.

17. The covering as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the ducts

5 are incorporated in a flexible sheet material which is supplied in a roll form

from which required lengths can be cut.

18. The covering as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 18 wherein the duct or

ducts are formed integrally with the floor covering.

19. The covering according to any one of claims 7 to 18, wherein the connectors

10 for connecting the cavity or cavities to pneumatically operable appliances

comprise a tubular part providing a gas passageway for insertion into said

opening formed in the covering and an outwardly projecting flange for securing

the covering around the said opening .

20. The covering according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the

15 connectors for connecting the cavity or cavities to pneumatically operable

appliances 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 box which has an outlet for connection to an appliance.

21. The covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the

20 covering is selected from a group consisting of a carpet, mat or rag, a floor tile,

a plastics material or a board of wood.

22. 22. A covering as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the covering is an underlay.