US 4,698,864 · Granted 1987-10-13
The Inflatable Cell Cushion That Lets Every Bubble Share the Load
Imagine a cushion made of dozens of tiny connected balloons stuck to a base. When you sit on it, air flows between balloons in the same zone so they all puff up equally, spreading your weight evenly instead of sinking into one spot. The cells can be different heights to mold the cushion into custom shapes like a wedge or cradle.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a cushion with a base and multiple hollow flexible cells attached to it and pointing outward. What's protected is the zoned design where cells in each zone communicate internally with each other but stay separate from other zones, plus the ability to vary cell lengths to create contoured surfaces. The patent also covers arrangements where some cells are spaced farther apart to create cavities that provide no support.
Why it matters
This design solves a real comfort problem: uneven pressure distribution. By connecting cells in zones and equalizing pressure within each zone, every cell in that zone pushes back with the same force, preventing the 'sinking' feeling of traditional cushions. The ability to vary cell heights and create voids opens design flexibility for medical, ergonomic, and specialty seating applications where customized support matters.
Real-world use
You'd encounter this technology in specialty cushions designed for long sitting, such as office chairs, wheelchair seals, or medical positioning cushions that need to distribute pressure evenly across different body areas.
Original USPTO abstract
A cushion has a base and a plurality of flexible hollow cells attached to the base and projected outwardly from it. The cells may be arranged in zones, with the interiors of the cells for each zone being in communication, yet isolated from the interiors of the cells for the other zones. The cells are inflated slightly to support a load applied to the cushion, and when the cushion is so loaded, the cells of each zone are at the same pressure, so that the supporting force exerted by each cell of a particular zone against the load is essentially the same. The cells may be of varying length to contour the surface formed by the ends of the cells, giving that surface, for example, a wedge-shaped configuration or a cradle-like configuration. Some of the cells may be separated more than others to provide the cushion with a cavity where no support is provided, and the cavity may extend through the base.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 4,698,864
- Filing date
- 1985-11-25
- Grant date
- 1987-10-13
- Assignee
- Graebe Robert H
- Inventor(s)
- GRAEBE; ROBERT H.
- CPC class
- A47C27/081
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