US 4,908,895 · Granted 1990-03-20
The Air Mattress Patent That Stops Lumps and Blowouts
Imagine an air mattress with invisible walls inside that keep the air spread evenly across the whole surface instead of pooling in one spot. This patent describes a system of crisscrossing internal supports that prevent lumpy, saggy spots and keep the mattress from bursting at the seams.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers an air mattress with internal longitudinal webs running parallel to the sides and transverse webs connecting them to create a grid of air passages throughout the chamber. What's protected here is this specific internal structure that distributes air pressure evenly, plus the one-way relief valve that limits pressure to about 1 psi to prevent seam failure. Anyone manufacturing an air mattress with this exact internal grid design and pressure-limiting valve system would infringe on this patent.
Why it matters
Before this design, air mattresses were prone to uneven bulging, uncomfortable lumps, and catastrophic seam failures because air pressure concentrated unevenly. By compartmentalizing the air into smaller passages with internal support webs, this patent made air mattresses more durable, comfortable, and less likely to burst or deflate suddenly. It's a practical engineering solution that directly improved the product's reliability and user experience.
Real-world use
When you lie on a modern camping or guest air mattress and don't feel a huge bulge under your shoulders or hips, you're benefiting from this kind of internal web structure that distributes your weight and the air pressure more evenly.
Original USPTO abstract
An air mattress has top and bottom walls joined to side and end walls with edge seams. A longitudinal web located within the chamber of the air mattress extends between the end walls adjacent to each side wall to form a pair of longitudinal air passages. A plurality of transverse webs located within the chamber extends between the longitudinal webs to form transverse air accommodating passages. The bi-directional air passages and webs reduce uneven areas of the top wall and prevent seal failure and mattress collapse. The mattress is equipped with a one-way air pressure relief valve operable to limit the air pressure in the air mattress to about 1 psi to prevent seam separation and blowout.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 4,908,895
- Filing date
- 1989-03-20
- Grant date
- 1990-03-20
- Assignee
- Walker Robert A
- Inventor(s)
- WALKER; ROBERT A.
- CPC class
- A47C27/081
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