US 5,170,522 · Granted 1992-12-15
The Air Bag System That Lets You Reshape Your Bed On Demand
Imagine a bed where you can prop up your head, elevate your feet, or flatten it completely—all by inflating different air bags underneath the mattress. This patent describes a system where individual air-filled pouches lift hinged plates that bend the entire bed into whatever shape you want, plus it even vibrates for a massage effect.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a bed foundation made of pivotally connected transverse plates that sit over open-top recesses. What's protected is the specific design where flexible air bags fit inside those recesses and, when inflated, lift the plates to adjust the mattress contour. The patent also covers how the bags collapse into the recesses when deflated, allowing the plates to return flat. Additionally, it protects the integration of a vibrator system that operates on the air mattress itself.
Why it matters
This patent represents a foundational technology for adjustable air beds, a category that became hugely popular for both medical and consumer comfort applications. By using independent air chambers to control multiple segments of the bed, the design allows users to customize their sleeping position without mechanical motors or complex linkages. Select Comfort Corporation, the assignee, would go on to commercialize this technology as a core product feature, making adjustable beds accessible to mainstream consumers seeking personalized comfort and therapeutic benefits.
Real-world use
Anyone using a modern adjustable air bed to recline while watching TV or to elevate their legs after a long day is relying on the core principles of this patented air-bag lifting system.
Original USPTO abstract
A bed has a foundation for supporting an air mattress. The foundation has a plurality of pivotally connected transverse plates that are moved to bend the mattress to a desired contour and shape. Open top recesses in the foundation located below the plates accommodate bags have flexible walls. The bags are separately expandable and contractible to move the plates to selected elevated positions. The recesses hold the bags in lifting positions relative to the plates when the bags are inflated. The bags fit into the recesses when deflated to allow the plates to move to a horizontal position. The bed is equipped with a vibrator that is operable to vibrate the air mattress.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,170,522
- Filing date
- 1991-12-16
- Grant date
- 1992-12-15
- Assignee
- Select Comfort Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- WALKER; ROBERT A.
- CPC class
- A47C20/048
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