Foldable waterbed

Claim 1

In combination, an articulated bed structure including an elongate normally flat horizontal sectional mattress supporting frame, including longitudinally spaced mattress supporting sections, adjacent sections of the frame having transversely extending opposing edges, hinge means pivotally coupling the adjacent edge portions of adjacent sections of the frame together and jack mechanisms carried by the bed structure and coupled with certain of said sections to selectively pivot those sections upwardly and downwardly relative to their pivotally related sections, an elongate normally flat horizontal flotation mattress overlying the frame and in supported engagement with the sections, said mattress including an outer jacket of supple, flexible air and waterproof sheet plastic having normally horizontal substantially flat vertically spaced top and bottom walls and vertical side and end walls and a plurality of elongate bladders of supple, flexible and waterproof sheet plastic with top, bottom, side and end walls arranged within the jacket in parallel side-by-side relationship with each other and slackly filled with water, the dimensions of the related and assembled bladders being substantially the same as the dimensions of the jacket whereby the bladders are captively retained in assembled relationship and are reinforced by the jacket, against over inflation and distension when selected portions of the mattress are elevated above other portions thereof, a retainer to retain the mattress atop the frame, said retainer including an elongate rectangular flexible panel substantially coextensive with the frame and arranged between the bottom wall of the mattress and the frame sections and a rectangular weir of soft flexible and vertically bendable material about the perimeter of the panel and projecting upwardly about and engaging the side and end walls of the jacket, sufficient air being evacuated from within the jacket whereby the walls of the jacket establish substantial uniform contact with related opposing walls of the bladders, said jacket further including partitions extending between adjacent bladders and extending between the top and bottom walls of the jacket. PG,31