US 6,483,264 · Granted 2002-11-19
The Remote-Control Air Bed Patent That Made Sleep Adjustable
Imagine a bed that adjusts how firm or soft it is at the touch of a button—that's what this patent covers. Select Comfort created an automatic system with a motorized pump and wireless remote so you can dial in your perfect mattress firmness without getting out of bed, and each side of the bed can be different.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers an automatic air mattress control system that includes a motorized pump, a control unit that operates the pump, a handheld wireless remote, and a transceiver that sends signals between the remote and the control unit. What's protected here is the combination of these components working together to adjust firmness independently on each side of a two-bladder air mattress, plus the pump design that reduces motor noise transmission into the room.
Why it matters
This patent was foundational to Select Comfort's Sleep Number brand, which pioneered consumer-friendly adjustable air mattresses. Before this, firmness adjustment was manual and clunky; this patent locked down the convenience feature—wireless independent control from bed—that became the company's core selling point and differentiated it from traditional mattress makers.
Real-world use
When you lie in a Sleep Number bed and use the remote to adjust your side to 65 while your partner sets theirs to 40, you're using the exact system this patent protects.
Original USPTO abstract
An automatic control system for controlling the firmness of a fluid supported mattress of a bed assembly. The control system includes a motorized fluid pump, a control unit for operating the pump to adjust the firmness of the air mattress, a hand held remote control unit for actuating the control unit, and a transceiver system for transmitting information signals between the hand held unit and the control unit. The air control system provides for independent control of both bladders in a two bladder air mattress from a single unit, and allows a user to consistently set the firmness of each mattress air bladder to a desired value. The air control system includes an air pump specially designed to minimize transmission of motor noise into the environment.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,483,264
- Filing date
- 2000-10-10
- Grant date
- 2002-11-19
- Assignee
- Select Comfort Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- SHAFER DAVID C., DUVAL EUGENE P.
- CPC class
- A47C27/083
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