US 4,788,729 · Granted 1988-12-06
The Air Mattress That Whistles When It's Full Enough
Imagine an air mattress that literally tells you when to stop inflating it by making a sound. This patent describes a valve built into the mattress that both limits air pressure and produces a warning whistle, preventing the seams from splitting or the whole thing from popping.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The patent covers a combined pressure relief valve and audio device installed inside an air mattress chamber. What's protected is the specific design where air escaping through the valve produces an audible sound to alert the user, while the valve itself caps internal pressure at approximately 1 psi. The claim specifically includes mounting options: either secured inside an end wall with a boot, or positioned directly within a seam.
Why it matters
Before this patent, air mattresses relied on the user's judgment or guesswork to avoid over-inflation, which led to burst seams and failed products. By combining pressure relief with audio feedback, this design solves two problems at once: it physically prevents damage and gives immediate sensory confirmation that the mattress is properly inflated. This kind of fail-safe design reduces returns and complaints.
Real-world use
Every time someone blows up an air mattress for a guest sleepover or camping trip, they'd hear a distinct sound when the mattress reached safe pressure—no more guessing or visual checking required.
Original USPTO abstract
An air mattress is equipped with a combined one-way air pressure relief valve and audio device operable to limit the air pressure in the air mattress to about 1 psi to prevent seam separation and blow-out. Air flowing out of the mattress through the combined air pressure relief valve and audio device produces an audible sound. The mattress has top and bottom walls joined to side and end walls with edge seams. The combined air pressure relief valve and audio device is located within the chamber of the air mattress so that external structures do not interfere with the functioning of the valve and audio device. In one arrangement, a boot secures the combined air pressure relief valve and audio device to the inside of an end wall. In a second arrangement, the combined air pressure relief valve and audio device is located within a seam.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 4,788,729
- Filing date
- 1987-01-09
- Grant date
- 1988-12-06
- Assignee
- Walker Robert A
- Inventor(s)
- WALKER; ROBERT A.
- CPC class
- A47C27/082
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