US3800342A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Body support cushioning system with sideboard positioning mechanism
Assignee: BSN Jobst Inc
•
Filing: 1972-04-18
•
Granted: 1974-04-02
•
Expires: 1992-04-18
Abstract
Abstract A cushion for uniformly distributing support of an invalid comprising a liquid container of flexible sheet material which is impervious to the liquid, and means to elevate side portions of the container to form a loose upper surface which can conform to the supported body portions of the invalid and support these portions as in flotation. For a constant volume of liquid in the container, the position of the side portions adjusts the depth to enable bodies of varying weight to be floated free of the underlying support surface. The means for varying the position of the sideboards applies maximum torque when the sideboards are in the horizontal position and maximum speed as the sideboards approach the vertical position.
Inventors
- 👤 A Tenteris
- 👤 B Wetzel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 08:36
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61G; A61G7/00; A61G7/05; A61G7/057; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S5/00; Y10S5/915
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
203 words
A cushioning system for invalids comprising an envelope of a flexible, liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, said container having a lateral extent greater than the portion of the invalid to be supported; a body of liquid within said envelope upon which a portion of the invalid is supported at least in part by displacement of said liquid; a support for said envelope including a horizontal region adapted to support a major face of said envelope; an endboard perpendicular to said horizontal region and having spaced generally parallel major faces; first and second opposed sideboards extending upwardly from said horizontal support; a pivotal mounting for at least one of said sideboards for pivotal motion around an axis adjacent and generally parallel to said horizontal support and perpendicular to said endboard, said envelope being coupled to portions of said sideboards remote from said pivotal mounting; lever arm means enclosed between said spaced major faces of said endboard and coupled to said pivotal mounting for pivotal motion around said axis; and means enclosed between said spaced major faces of said endboard to drive said lever arm means and thereby to drive said one sideboard about said pivotal mounting.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
203 words
A cushioning system for invalids comprising an envelope of a flexible, liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, said container having a lateral extent greater than the portion of the invalid to be supported; a body of liquid within said envelope upon which a portion of the invalid is supported at least in part by displacement of said liquid; a support for said envelope including a horizontal region adapted to support a major face of said envelope; an endboard perpendicular to said horizontal region and having spaced generally parallel major faces; first and second opposed sideboards extending upwardly from said horizontal support; a pivotal mounting for at least one of said sideboards for pivotal motion around an axis adjacent and generally parallel to said horizontal support and perpendicular to said endboard, said envelope being coupled to portions of said sideboards remote from said pivotal mounting; lever arm means enclosed between said spaced major faces of said endboard and coupled to said pivotal mounting for pivotal motion around said axis; and means enclosed between said spaced major faces of said endboard to drive said lever arm means and thereby to drive said one sideboard about said pivotal mounting.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
A combination according to claim 1 in which said drive means includes means to maintain said sideboard at any of a selected plurality of inclinations with respect to said horizontal support.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
94 words
A combination according to claim 2 including a second pivotal mounting for said second sideboard along a second axis adjacent said horizontal support and generally parallel to said pivot axis of said first sideboard; second lever arm means enclosed between said spaced major faces of said endboard and coupled to said second pivotal mounting for pivotal motion around said axis; and means to couple said drive means to said second lever arms means whereby said drive means drives said second sideboard about its respective pivot mounting simultaneously with the driving of said first sideboard.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
184 words
A cushioning system for invalids comprising an envelope of a flexible liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, said container having a lateral extent greater than the portion of the invalid to be supported; a body of liquid within said envelope upon which a portion of the invalid is supported at least in part by displacement of said liquid; a support for said envelope including a horizontal region adapted to support a major face of said envelope; first and second opposed sideboards extending upwardly from said horizontal support; a pivotal mounting for at least one of said sideboards for pivotal motion around an axis adjacent and generally parallel to said horizontal support, said envelope being coupled to portions of said sideboards remote from said pivotal mounting; means to drive said one sideboard about said pivotal mounting; and counterbalancing means which aid said driving means when said portion of said sideboard remote from said pivotal mounting is being raised and which oppose said drive means when said portion of said sideboard remote from said pivotal mounting is being lowered.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
184 words
A cushioning system for invalids comprising an envelope of a flexible liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, said container having a lateral extent greater than the portion of the invalid to be supported; a body of liquid within said envelope upon which a portion of the invalid is supported at least in part by displacement of said liquid; a support for said envelope including a horizontal region adapted to support a major face of said envelope; first and second opposed sideboards extending upwardly from said horizontal support; a pivotal mounting for at least one of said sideboards for pivotal motion around an axis adjacent and generally parallel to said horizontal support, said envelope being coupled to portions of said sideboards remote from said pivotal mounting; means to drive said one sideboard about said pivotal mounting; and counterbalancing means which aid said driving means when said portion of said sideboard remote from said pivotal mounting is being raised and which oppose said drive means when said portion of said sideboard remote from said pivotal mounting is being lowered.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
15 words
A combination according to claim 4 in which said counterbalancing means is a torsion spring.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
183 words
A cushioning system for invalids comprising an envelope of a flexible liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, said container having a lateral extent greater than the portion of the invalid to be supported; a body of liquid within said envelope upon which a portion of the invalid is supported at least in part by displacement of said liquid; a support for said envelope including a horizontal region adapted to support a major face to said envelope; first and second opposed sideboards extending upwardly from said horizontal support; a pivotal mounting for at least one of said sideboards for pivotal motion around an axis adjacent and generally parallel to said horizontal support, said envelope being coupled to portions of said sideboards remote from said pivotal mounting; means to drive said one sideboard about said pivotal mounting; and means included in said drive means to decrease the torque applied to and increase the speed of said sideboard for a given applied power as it is pivoted from a position of maximum load to a position of minimum load.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
183 words
A cushioning system for invalids comprising an envelope of a flexible liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, said container having a lateral extent greater than the portion of the invalid to be supported; a body of liquid within said envelope upon which a portion of the invalid is supported at least in part by displacement of said liquid; a support for said envelope including a horizontal region adapted to support a major face to said envelope; first and second opposed sideboards extending upwardly from said horizontal support; a pivotal mounting for at least one of said sideboards for pivotal motion around an axis adjacent and generally parallel to said horizontal support, said envelope being coupled to portions of said sideboards remote from said pivotal mounting; means to drive said one sideboard about said pivotal mounting; and means included in said drive means to decrease the torque applied to and increase the speed of said sideboard for a given applied power as it is pivoted from a position of maximum load to a position of minimum load.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
A combination according to claim 1 in which said drive means is actuated by a manual crank.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
164 words
A support for an envelope of a flexible, liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, and providing cushioning for a body by displacement of said liquid comprising a primary panel adapted to be mounted with the plane of its major face horizontal, an end panel mounted perpendicular to said primary panel, first and second side panels, pivotal mounting means for mounting a side panel for pivotal movement around a longitudinal edge adjacent the major face of said primary panel and for shifting the elevation of a second longitudinal edge relative to the plane of said primary panel, drive means arranged to decrease the torque applied to said side panel tending to pivot it around said mounting means and to increase the speed of arcuate motion of said sideboard for a given applied power as said side panel is pivoted from a generally horizontal position toward a vertical position, and means to apply operating power to said drive means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
164 words
A support for an envelope of a flexible, liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, and providing cushioning for a body by displacement of said liquid comprising a primary panel adapted to be mounted with the plane of its major face horizontal, an end panel mounted perpendicular to said primary panel, first and second side panels, pivotal mounting means for mounting a side panel for pivotal movement around a longitudinal edge adjacent the major face of said primary panel and for shifting the elevation of a second longitudinal edge relative to the plane of said primary panel, drive means arranged to decrease the torque applied to said side panel tending to pivot it around said mounting means and to increase the speed of arcuate motion of said sideboard for a given applied power as said side panel is pivoted from a generally horizontal position toward a vertical position, and means to apply operating power to said drive means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
153 words
A combination according to claim 8 wherein said drive means comprises a lead screw, a nut on said lead screw, a first drive link pivotally coupled at one end to said nut, a second drive link pivotally coupled to the first drive link at a point remote from said nut, a third link defining a fixed arc of motion at a point along its length and having a fixed pivot in proximity to the axis of said lead screw and spaced from said nut, a fulcrum from said fixed arc defined by said third link for said first drive link and coupled to said first drive link between said nut and the pivotal coupling to said second drive link, and a crank arm extending from said pivotally mounted side panel and pivotally coupled to said second drive link at a point spaced from the pivotal coupling between said first and second drive links.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
137 words
A support for an envelope of a flexible, liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, and providing cushioning for a body by displacement of said liquid comprising a primary panel adapted to be mounted with the plane of its major face horizontal, an end panel mounted perpendicular to said primary panel. first and second side panels, means mounting said side panels with a first longitudinal edge adjacent the major face of said primary panel and a second longitudinal edge adapted to be elevated from the plane of major face of said primary panel, and a system of levers enclosed in said end panel adapted to alter the elevation of said second longitudinal edge of at least one panel with respect to the plane of the major face of said primary panel.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
137 words
A support for an envelope of a flexible, liquid impervious, sheet material closed upon itself to form a container for liquid, and providing cushioning for a body by displacement of said liquid comprising a primary panel adapted to be mounted with the plane of its major face horizontal, an end panel mounted perpendicular to said primary panel. first and second side panels, means mounting said side panels with a first longitudinal edge adjacent the major face of said primary panel and a second longitudinal edge adapted to be elevated from the plane of major face of said primary panel, and a system of levers enclosed in said end panel adapted to alter the elevation of said second longitudinal edge of at least one panel with respect to the plane of the major face of said primary panel.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
36 words
A combination according to claim 10 wherein said first longitudinal edges are spaced and parallel on said major face of said primary panel and a pivotal mounting for said side panels at said first longitudinal edges.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
75 words
A combination according to claim 9 wherein the effective length of said second drive link and said crank between their respective pivotal couplings approximates the spacing of said pivotal mounting means from the axis of said screw, the radius defined by Said third link approximates one half the spacing of said pivotal mounting means from the axis of said screw, and the length of the first drive link exceeds the length of said third link.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US517280A
Cited
US3585660A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-04-01 | 1977-10-01 | 1978-04-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-04-01 | 1981-10-01 | 1982-04-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-04-01 | 1985-10-01 | 1986-04-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |