US 5,044,030 · Granted 1991-09-03
The Layered Fluid Cushion That Changed Comfort Engineering
Imagine a pillow or cushion made of soft plastic tubes filled with water or gel, stacked in three layers like a sandwich. The tubes in each layer can talk to each other, and the middle layer can be shifted to sit between the top and bottom ones—letting engineers fine-tune exactly how squishy and supportive the whole thing feels.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a cushion design with multiple rows of flexible, parallel tubes that hold fluid inside. What's protected is the specific arrangement: a top row, a middle row (which can be offset), and a bottom row, where tubes within each row connect internally and can also communicate between rows through controlled pathways. Anyone making a cushion with this exact layering and flow-control structure would potentially infringe.
Why it matters
This patent represents a systematic approach to cushioning comfort by letting manufacturers control how fluid moves between layers. Instead of a simple single-layer bladder, the three-row design with adjustable connectivity means different parts of the cushion can have different firmness levels—useful for everything from car seats to wheelchairs to bedding. This flexibility in design allows companies to tune comfort without reinventing the whole product.
Real-world use
You'd find this technology in premium car seats, wheelchair cushions, or high-end mattresses where makers want to offer both support and pressure relief without a simple, one-size-fits-all fluid chamber.
Original USPTO abstract
A cushion is provided with a flexible wall means for defining a plurality of elongated, parallel, flexible tubes for containing fluid. The tubes include a middle row of tubes positioned between a top and bottom row of tubes. The tubes in each row are in internal communication with each other in the respective row. The middle row of tubes may be offset from the top and bottom row of tubes, and flow paths may be provided for establishing communication between at least two of the rows of tubes.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,044,030
- Filing date
- 1990-06-06
- Grant date
- 1991-09-03
- Assignee
- Fabrico Manufacturing Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- BALATON; JAMES I.
- CPC class
- A47C27/087
Want to file your own patent?
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