WO2015105461A1

WO2015105461A1 - Ergonomic adaptable cushion

Info

Publication number: WO2015105461A1
Application number: PCT/SI2014/000080
Authority: WO
Inventors: Damjan Ursic
Original assignee: Lina Design D.O.O.
Priority date: 2014-01-08
Filing date: 2014-12-22
Publication date: 2015-07-16
Also published as: SI24597A; SI24382A

Abstract

The invention refers to an ergonomic adaptable cushion, which comprises a flexible and gas-proof sheath (1) with a valve (2) for providing aeration or deaeration of the internal space (10) of said cushion, which is surrounded with said sheath (10), and moreover also a granulated filler (3), which is placed within said sheath (1).

Description

Ergonomic adaptable cushion

The invention belongs to human necessities, namely to furniture, and in particular to household and kitchen utensils, namely to cushions.

The purpose of the invention is to create an universally applicable and both in view of manufacturing and use the simplest possible cushion, which could on the basis of quick and simple modification of its shape assure a relatively stable and ergonomic form adapted to each user suitable for comfortable seating or lying even during a long-term use.

A so-called comfortable cushion, namely essentially an ergonomic adaptable cushion, is disclosed in EP 1 507 469. Such cushion comprises a multi-layered sheath, by which the interior is surrounded, which is at least partially filled with a granulated viscoelastic material, in particular with polyurethane granules having the length approximately 0,6 to 2 cm. During the use of such cushion, said viscoelastic material is in particular thanks to softening thereof due the body temperature capable to adapt to each loads and the shape of the user, by which the shape of the cushion during the use is modified until its shape is economically adapted to the shape of the body of each user. Due to said multi-layered concept, the heat transfer from the body of each user towards the granules of visco elastic material is essentially hindered, and is performed slowly and gradually, so that also adaptation of the shape of the cushion is performed slowly and gradually. Starting from information about the length and also on the basis of drawings, said granules appear to be available in a geometrically irregular shape with essentially enlarged longitudinal dimension and more or less random width and height. The mobility of such granules relative to each other is because of such randomized shape relatively hindered until such granules are sufficiently plasticized due to the body temperature and herewith suitable for deformation and eventually required redistribution within the interior of such cushion.

Moreover, a commercially available cushion is also known to the applicant, which comprises a sheath with a valve, by means of which the interior of said sheath can be either aerated or deaerated. When the interior is deaerated to appropriate air pressure and the valve is closed, then the cushion is capable to adapt its shape to the body of each user, as soon as it is loaded by said body of each user. However, the shape of such cushion is relatively unstable, and its shape is easily and quite freely changing in particular due to transversal forces, which act at least approximately in a direction along the dominant plane of the cushion, so that the user, e.g. in a vehicle by driving or by seating or lying on a slightly inclined terrain, cannot expect a desired comfort and a filing that the cushion is ergonomic adapted to loads and the shape of his body. The present invention refers to an ergonomic adaptable cushion, which comprises a flexible and gas-proof sheath with a valve, which is suitable for aeration or deaeration of the interior, which is surrounded with said sheath, and moreover also a granulated filler, which is available within said interior.

The invention provides that said granulated filler is a scattering filler comprising spheroidal granules having approximately equal shape and dimensions and consisting of thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers, the hardness and strength of which are practically constant within the temperature range of regular use of the cushion and in particular at a body temperature of each user. Said spheroidal granules of said filler consist of material, which is selected from the group consisting of foamed polypropylene, foamed polyethylene and other thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers having similar i.e. comparable physical properties. A diameter of each spheroidal granule of the filler is 0,2 mm to 10 mm, and in particular 1 mm to 2 mm. The volume of each disposable filler is approximately 25% to 75% of the maximal possible volume of the interior, which is surrounded with the sheath.

In one of possible embodiments of the invention, the valve comprises at least approximately tubular body with inwardly faced sealing surface, which is adapted to cooperate with an elastically supported sealing member, which is furnished with an actuator.

In a further of possible embodiment of the invention, the valve is a nonreturn valve comprising a tubular valve body with a sealing surface, which is adapted to cooperate with a flexible sealing member, which is pressed towards said sealing surface by means of atmospheric air pressure. The invention will be described in more detail on the basis of embodiments, which are presented in the attached drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 is an embodiment of an ergonomic adaptable cushion with circular dominant surface;

Fig. 2 is an embodiment of an ergonomic adaptable cushion with orthogonal dominant surface;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the aerated cushion along the plane A - A according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the deaerated cushion along the plane A - A according to Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 5 is a further embodiment of the cushion in its aerated state;

Fig. 6 is a presentation of deaeration of the cushion according to Fig. 5 by means of a valve;

Fig. 7 presents the embodiment according to Fig. 5 in its deaerated state;

Fig. 8 is a further embodiment of the cushion in its aerated state;

Fig. 9 is a presentation of deaeration of the cushion according to Fig. 7 by means of a nonreturn valve;

Fig. 10 presents the embodiment according to Fig. 7 in its deaerated state;

The first embodiment of ergonomic adaptable cushion according to the invention is shown in Fig. 1 and is characterized by circular shape of the circumference of its dominant plane. A further embodiment of the cushion with orthogonal shape of the circumference of its dominant plane is shown in Fig. 2.

In both cases, the cushion comprises a flexible and gas-proof sheath 1 with a valve 2, which enables aeration or deaeration of the interior 10, which is surrounded with said sheath 1, and moreover also a granulated filler 3, which is available within said interior 10.

In accordance with the invention, said granulated filler 3 is a scattering filler comprising spheroidal granules 30 having approximately equal shape and dimensions and consisting of thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers, the hardness and strength of which are practically constant within the temperature range of regular use of the cushion and in particular at a body temperature of each user.

Said spheroidal granules 30 of said filler 3 preferably consist of material, which is selected from the group consisting of foamed polypropylene, foamed polyethylene and other thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers having similar i.e. comparable physical properties.

Moreover, said cushion according to the invention is characterized by diameter of granules 30 of the filler 3, which is 0,2 mm to 10 mm and in particular between 1 mm to 2 mm, wherein the volume of each disposable filler 3 is approximately 25% to 75% of the maximal possible volume of the interior 10 which is surrounded with said sheath 1.

As soon as such cushion is aerated e.g. by means of introducing the air into the interior 10 through the valve 2, a pressure is established within the interior 10 of the sheath 1 of the cushion, which result in each appropriate form of the cushion, depending on the shape of its dominant plane. Consequently, the granules 30 of the filler 3 arranged within the interior 10 are distributed in accordance with the rules of gravitation (Fig. 3). It should be noted that the interior 10 of the cushion can be performed either by blowing the air there-into, e.g. by means of a powered and optionally remote-controlled compressor, or also on the basis of establishing a vacuum in the interior by means of manual forming the sheath 1 in the sense of isothermal increasing of the volume thereof.

As soon as each user U (Figs. 5 or 9) with each specific shape of the body loads the sheath 1 of such aerated cushion, the valve 2 initially disables departure of the air out from the interior 10 of such aerated sheath 1, and the granules 30 are distributed in accordance with the rules of gravitation (Fig. 3). As soon as each user U during continued loading of the cushion according to invention starts with deaerating of the cushion by means of actuating the valve 2, appropriately controlled opening of the valve 2 leads to blowing the air out from the interior 10 of the sheath 1, by which the sheath 1 is deformed correspondingly to the shape of the body of each user, and the granules 30 are re-distributed in order to conform to each conditions, namely to the load and to the shape of the body of each user, As soon as the sheath 1 is adapted to the shape of the body of each user (Fig. 4), deaeration and adapting is terminated and each user closes the valve 2, said granules 30 of the filler are distributed within each residual volume within the interior 10 of the sheath 1 of the cushion and efficiently prevent the cushion from further changing the shape of the sheath 1, by which the cushion becomes much more resistant against transversal forces acting along the dominant plane thereof. Consequently, the cushion is ergonomically adapted to the shape of the body of each user and enables comfortable seating or lying even during a long-term use and despite to various influences, which may occur e.g. by driving.

An embodiment of the cushion is shown in Figs. 5 - 7, wherein the valve 2 is integrated within the sheath 1 and comprises at least approximately tubular body 20 with inwardly faced sealing surface 23, which is adapted to cooperate with an elastically supported and in this particular case essentially disc-shaped sealing member 21, which is furnished with an actuator 22. When pressing said actuator 22, said sealing member 21 is displaced apart from the sealing surface 23, by which the possibility of flowing the air towards the interior of the cushion or also in the opposite direction is established. As soon as the cushion is aerated (Fig. 5 and 6) and then loaded by the body of each user U, pressing said actuator 22 leads to deaeration of the cushion, namely blowing the air out from the cushion. As soon as the cushion is deaerated, it is simultaneously deformed and adapted to the shape of the body of each user U, by which the granules 30 of the filler 3 within the interior 10 are re-distributed along each residual volume within the cushion. After releasing said actuator 22 the valve 2 remains closed, by which the sealing member 2 is rest on the sealing surface 23 and each intake of the air towards the interior of the cushion is disabled, and the cushion maintains such adjusted shape up to the next pressing the actuator 22 due to aeration of the interior thereof.

Regarding a still further embodiment of the cushion according to Figs. 8 - 10, said valve 2 is available as a nonreturn valve comprising a tubular valve body 20 with a sealing surface 23, while the sealing member 23 is available as a flexible flap, which is pressed towards the sealing surface 23 by means of atmospheric air pressure acting towards the external surface of the cushion. In such case, deaeration of the cushion is performed automatically.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Ergonomic adaptable cushion, comprising a flexible and gas-proof sheath (1) with a valve (2), which is suitable for aeration or deaeration of the interior (10), which is surrounded with said sheath (1), and moreover also a granulated filler (3), which is available within said interior (10), characterized in that said granulated filler (3) is a scattering filler comprising spheroidal granules (30) having approximately equal shape and dimensions and consisting of thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers, the hardness and strength of which are practically constant within the temperature range of regular use of the cushion and in particular at a body temperature of each user.

2. Cushion according to Claim 1, characterized in that said spheroidal granules (30) of said filler (3) consist of material, which is selected from the group consisting of foamed polypropylene, foamed polyethylene and other thermoplastic materials on the basis of polymers having similar i.e. comparable physical properties.

3. Cushion according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the diameter of each spheroidal granule (30) of the filler (3) is 0,2 mm to 10 mm.

4. Cushion according to Claim 3, characterized in that the diameter of each spheroidal granule (30) of the filler (3) is 1 mm to 2 mm.

5. Cushion according to anyone of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the volume of each disposable filler (3) is approximately 25% to 75% of the maximal possible volume of the interior (10), which is surrounded with the sheath (1).

6. Cushion according to anyone of the preceding Claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the valve (2) comprises at least approximately tubular body (20) with inwardly faced sealing surface (23), which is adapted to cooperate with an elastically supported sealing member (21), which is furnished with an actuator (22).

7. Cushion according to anyone of the preceding Claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the valve (2) is a nonreturn valve comprising a tubular valve body (20) with a sealing surface (23), which is adapted to cooperate with a flexible sealing member (23), which is pressed towards said sealing surface (23) by means of atmospheric air pressure.