US 5,022,109 · Granted 1991-06-11
The Clever Air-Cell Blueprint That Made Inflatable Furniture Work
Imagine a sandwich made of plastic sheets with a middle layer that creates tiny air pockets. This patent describes how to seal those sheets together so the air cells form in a smart, sturdy pattern — all in one heating step. It's the engineering trick behind everything from inflatable mattresses to cushioned furniture.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a specific method for building an inflatable bladder using two outer plastic sheets with an intermediate baffle layer sandwiched between them. What's protected is the offset sealing pattern: seals on one side of the baffle are staggered so they don't align with seals on the other side, creating air cells that alternate across both surfaces. The barrier coating prevents heat-sealing in unwanted spots, so the entire structure forms in one unified heating operation rather than multiple steps.
Why it matters
This patent solves a real manufacturing problem: how to create a durable, multi-chambered inflatable structure efficiently. By doing all the sealing in one operation with an offset pattern, manufacturers cut production time and cost while gaining structural stability. The staggered air cells mean the bladder doesn't fail catastrophically if one cell leaks — the offset design distributes stress across multiple chambers, making the product last longer and perform better under pressure.
Real-world use
Every time you sit on an air mattress or lean back in an inflatable chair, you're relying on the offset air-cell pattern this patent locked down to keep it from collapsing flat if one seam gives way.
Original USPTO abstract
An inflatable bladder is defined by two superimposed outer sheets of heat-sealable synthetic plastic fused together about their peripheral edges. An Intermediate layer or baffle is disposed between the two outer sheets and is alternately sealed to one and the other of the outer sheets to form air cells on the opposite sides of the intermediate layer. Each of the air cells is defined by an opposed surfaces on one side of the intermediate layer and of one of the outer sheets and adjacent seals which fuse together the layer and each sheet. The seals which define the cells on one outer surface of the bladder are offset from the seals which define the cells on the other surface of the bladder. Opposite surface portions of the intermediate layer are coated with a barrier layer to prevent heat-sealing on each side of the intermediate layer opposite the seals on the other side which form the cells whereby the bladder and the cells thereof may all be formed simultaneously in one heat-sealing operation.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,022,109
- Filing date
- 1990-06-11
- Grant date
- 1991-06-11
- Assignee
- Dielectrics Industries
- Inventor(s)
- PEKAR; ROBERT W.
- CPC class
- B29C66/004
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