Universal-fit acceleration protective device

Claim 1

A UNIVERSAL-FIT ACCELERATION PROTECTIVE CONTOURED COUCH FOR SUPPORTING AND RESTRAINING A HUMAN OCCUPANT SUBJECTED TO A HIGH ACCELERATION ENVIRONMENT, THE OCCUPANT BEING FROM A GROUP HAVING A WIDE RANGE OF PHYSICAL SIZES AND CONFIGURATIONS, COMPRISING: A RIGID SHELL SUBSTNATIALLY CONTOURED INTO A HOLLOW RELIEF OF THE HEAD, BACK AND POSTERIOR OF THE OCCUPANT IN A PRESCRIBED POSTURE AND OF SUFFICIENT DEPTH SO AS TO PROVIDE COMPLETE SUPPORT LATERALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY TO THE OCCUPANT, THE RELIEF BEING UNIFORMLY LARGER THAN THE CORRESPONDING PORTIONS OF THE OCCUPANT; A UNIFORMLY THICK RESILIENT PAD INTIMATELY SECURED TO THE ENTIRE RELIEF SURFACE OF SAID SHELL FOR PROVIDING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTIGUOUS SUPPORT TO THE CONFRONTING BODY PORTIONS OF THE OCCUPANT, THE SHAPE OF THE HEAD, BACK AND POSTERIOR PORTION OF SAID PAD BEING CONTOURED TO THE BODY OF THE OCCUPANT, SAID PAD HAVING A PLURALITY OF UNIFORMLY THICK LAYERS OF ELASTIC FOAM SECURED TO EACH OTHER AT THE INTERFACES AND AIRPERMEABLE THEREBETWEEN, AND AN OMNIDIRECTIONAL ELASTIC SLIP LINING INTIMATELY SECURED TO THE OTHERWISE EXPOSED SURFACE OF SAID PAD, THE LAYER CLOSEST TO THE CONFRONTING BODY PORTIONS HAVING A RELATIVELY LOW ELASTIC BULK MODULUS THROUGHHOUT A LOW RANGE OF LOADS AND PROGRESSIVELY FARTHER REMOVED LAYERS HAVING HIGH RESISTANCE AT LOW LOADS AND LOW MODULI THROUGHOUT PROGRESSIVELY HIGHER AND OVERLAPPING RANGES OF LOADS, AND SAID LAYERS BEING SELECTED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER FOR MAXIMUM DAMPING OF PRESELECTED VIBRATION FREQUENCIES; AND A STRUCTURAL ADAPTER MOUNTED ON THE EXPOSED SURFACE OF SAID SHELL FOR POSITIVELY SECURING SAID COUCH IN AN AERO-SPACE VEHICLE; WHEREBY THE OCCUPANT''S PHYSIOLOGICAL TOLERANCE IN AEROSPACE FLIGHT ARE GREATLY ENHANCED.