Description

AIR MATTRESS FOR AIR BED

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to an air mattress for an air bed. More particularly, the invention relates to an air mattress for an air bed which provides a user with more comfortableness by including an air mattress main body consisting of double-sided fabrics woven from pile yarns and maintaining its shape by air injection, and a guide unit having the same structure as that of the air mattress main body and installed in the perpendicular direction to the pile yarn direction of the air mattress main body. Background Art

[2] Generally, a mattress in which a steel spring is mounted has been most frequently used as a mattress for a bed. This mattress has been used for a long time and its structure and spring have been continuously improved. However, if the spring is used for a long time, elasticity, namely, restoring force of the spring is weakened, thus making it difficult to maintain the shape of the mattress. In this case, when a user sleeps on the bed, only a part of the body contacts the mattress. Due to such a structure, the mattress receives too much pressure from the contact portion of the body. In addition, the oxidation or deterioration of the spring reduces the lifespan of the mattress, and generates noise during the use thereof. Furthermore, it is difficult to move or transport the mattress due to the heavy weight.

[3] One of the representative mattresses suggested to compensate for the disadvantages of the mattress incorporating the steel spring therein is an air mattress in which an I- beam is installed. The shape of the air mattress is maintained by the built-in I-beam. However, if the air mattress is used for a long time, the I-beam installed inside the mattress is separated therefrom, thereby making it difficult to maintain the shape thereof. As a result, the function of the air mattress is lost. In addition, since the I-beam is installed in the longitudinal direction in the whole parts of the air mattress, the air mattress becomes uneven. Thus, the user's body is not sufficiently adhered to the air mattress and supported by uniform air pressure. In result, the user feels uncomfortable on the air mattress.

[4] To solve the foregoing problems of the air mattress incorporating the I-beam therein, an air mattress using yarns is disclosed under Korean Patent Registration No. 226611 as an air mattress for a bed. Specifically, in this air mattress, two cushion members made of solid spongy and palm fiber are disposed adjacently to an air tube containing a plurality of yarns and maintaining its shape by the yarns. In the above arrangement, the air mattress is configured such that its three parts contact a head part,

body part and leg part of the user, respectively, when he or she lies thereon. Further, such an air mattress is made in a manner that the yarns can be put into or taken out of the air tube in the up/down direction. Thus, it is easy to maintain the shape of the air mattress. Furthermore, it is designed that the weight of the user is evenly distributed to the whole parts of the air mattress according to the Pascal's principle. As a result, such an air mattress does not receive excessive pressure from any part of the user's body.

[5] However, the above-mentioned air mattress has a disadvantage in that the cushion members are solid, thus making the user less comfortable on the bed. In addition, the cushion members and an air mattress main body are produced separately because they use different materials, which increases the production cost. Furthermore, when the air is injected into the air tube, the edges of the air tube are swollen. Thus, it is difficult to assemble the cushion members and the air tube. Moreover, since the air is not actively circulated in the inside spaces of the cushion members, the cushion members get damp which is under environments that are likely to easily multiply molds, bacteria and other microorganisms themselves, thereby generating unpleasant smells and causing bacterial diseases. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[6] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an air mattress for an air bed which can reduce the production cost and provides a user with more comfortableness on the bed by manufacturing an air mattress main body and a guide unit with the same material.

[7] Another object of the present invention is to provide an air mattress for an air bed which can protect the user from bacterial diseases by restricting the propagation of molds, bacteria and other microorganisms by way of preventing a guide unit from getting damp, in which the guide unit is formed with double- sided fabrics connected to each other by pile yarns to have inside spaces and the air is injected or discharged to/ from the inside spaces.

[8] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an air mattress for an air bed which can be conveniently moved and transported, and easily assembled by detachably manufacturing an air mattress main body and a guide unit.

[9]

Technical Solution

[10] In accordance with one aspect of the invention for achieving the above objects, there is provided an air mattress for an air bed, comprising: an air mattress main body consisting of double-sided fabrics connected to each other by pile yarns to have inside spaces, and maintaining the shape of the main body by injecting the air into the inside

spaces; and a guide unit installed on the periphery of the air mattress main body, in which a pile yarn direction of the guide unit is perpendicular to the pile yarn direction of the air mattress main body, the guide unit consists of double-sided fabrics connected to each other by pile yarns to have inside spaces, and the air is injected into the inside spaces.

[11] The air mattress main body can be configured in a manner that at least two independent air chambers divided in the horizontal or vertical direction contact each other.

[12] The air mattress can further comprise a separation membrane disposed between the air chambers.

[13] The air mattress can further comprise a divider installed between the independent air chambers, in which a pile yarn direction of the divider is perpendicular to the pile yarn direction of the air chambers, the divider is comprised of double-sided fabrics connected to each other by pile yarns to have inside spaces, and the air is injected into the inside spaces.

[14] The guide unit can be divided in the horizontal or vertical direction.

[15] The air mattress can further comprise a main body inlet and a guide unit inlet for injecting the air into the inside spaces of the air mattress main body and the guide unit, respectively.

[16] The guide unit inlet can be installed on the wall of a through hole formed on the guide unit to install the mattress main body inlet.

[17] The air mattress main body and the guide unit can be adhered by an adhesive, RF- welded, or interconnected by bolts or fixing clamps as on one body.

[18] The outer surfaces of the air mattress main body and the guide unit are coated with polymer resin such as polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or the like.

[19] The pile yarns can be selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, polyimide and polyethylene terephthalate.

Advantageous Effects

[20] As discussed earlier and will be described below, the air mattress for the air bed according to the present invention includes the guide unit consisting of the double- sided fabrics using the same pile yarns as those of the air mattress main body. Since the guide unit needs not to be manufactured individually, the production cost can be remarkably reduced. Also, the user feels more comfortable on the bed. Further, the air circulation is facilitated in the inside spaces of the guide unit by way of injecting and discharging the air, and thus, the inside spaces do not get damp, which restricts the propagation of molds, bacteria and other microorganisms. As a result, the invention has an advantage in that the generation rate of bacterial diseases can be decreased.

[21] Furthermore, in the air mattress for the air bed according to the invention, the air mattress main body and the guide unit are manufactured to be separated from each other, thus making it convenient to move and transport, and easier to assemble the air mattress. [22]

Brief Description of the Drawings [23] The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [24] Figs. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating an air mattress, and an enlarged circle shape cross-sectional view illustrating inside structures of an air mattress main body and a guide unit according to one embodiment of the present invention; [25] Figs. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating an air mattress consisting of independent air chambers according to another embodiment of the present invention; [26] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air mattress further including a separation membrane disposed between the air chambers according to the present invention; [27] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the air mattress further including a divider between the independent air chambers depicted in Fig. 5; [28] Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an air mattress including divided guide units according to still another embodiment of the present invention;

[29] Fig. 8 is a perspective view and an enlarged circle shape view illustrating the arrangement of air injection holes of the air mattress according to the present invention; and [30] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an integrated air mattress according to the present invention. [31]

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention [32] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [33] Figs. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating an air mattress, and an enlarged circle shape cross-sectional view illustrating inside structures of an air mattress main body and a guide unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [34] Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the air mattress of the invention includes an air mattress

main body 10 consisting of double-sided fabrics connected to each other by pile yarns 12 to have inside spaces, and maintaining its shape by injecting the air into the inside spaces, and a guide unit 11 installed on the periphery of the air mattress main body 10, in which its pile yarn direction is perpendicular to the pile yarn direction of the air mattress main body 10, it consists of double-sided fabrics connected to each other by pile yarns 12 to have inside spaces, and the air is injected into the inside spaces. Here, the guide unit 11 serves to fix the shape of the air mattress main body 10, and thus has a minimum thickness necessary to fix the shape thereof.

[35] According to the air mattress of the present invention, the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11 can be separated from each other, and the volume thereof can be reduced by discharging the air. Therefore, it is convenient to move and transport the air mattress. In assembly, the guide unit 11 is first installed and injected with the air, and thereafter, the air mattress main body 10 is installed and injected with the air. Then, contact surfaces 13 are made flat between the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11. Accordingly, the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11 can be stably assembled with togetherness to maintain the shape of the air mattress. In addition, the air can be injected or discharged to/from the inside spaces 14 of the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11. Thus, the air circulation is facilitated in the inside spaces 14, thereby preventing the inside spaces 14 from getting damp, and restricting the propagation of molds, bacteria and other microorganisms. As a result, the user can be protected from bacterial diseases.

[36] Figs. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating an air mattress consisting of independent air chambers according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air mattress further including a separation membrane disposed between the air chambers according to the present invention.

[37] As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the air mattress main body 10 can be configured in a manner that at least two independent air chambers 17' divided in the horizontal or vertical direction contact each other. When the air is injected into the independent air chambers 17', a contact surface 13' is formed therebetween. In case where the air mattress main body 10 consists of two or more independent air chambers 17' as above, even if two users use one bed, it is possible to minimally convey vibrations of the bed by movements of each user to the other.

[38] Referring now to Fig. 5, the air mattress main body 10 can consist of at least two air chambers 17 isolated by a separation membrane 16. The separation membrane 16 can be made of the same material as that of outer covers 15 of the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit. As such, in case where the air mattress main body 10 is formed in the separation type, even if two users use one bed, it is possible to minimally

transmit vibrations of the bed by movements of each user to the other.

[39] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the air mattress further including a divider consisting of double- sided fabrics between the independent air chambers of Fig. 5.

[40] As depicted in Fig. 6, the air mattress can further include the divider 18 installed between the two independent air chambers 17' in which a pile yarn direction of the divider is perpendicular to the pile yarn direction of the air chambers 17' and it consists of double-sided fabrics connected to each other by pile yarns to have inside spaces and the air is injected into the inside spaces. By this configuration, even if two users use one bed, it is possible to minimally convey vibrations of the bed by movements of each user to the other. Moreover, even if their bodies contact the divider 18, they feel comfortable.

[41] Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an air mattress in which the guide unit is divided according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[42] Referring to Fig. 7, the guide unit 11 can be configured in such a way that it is divided in the horizontal or vertical direction. When the air is injected into divided guide units 11, contact surfaces 13" are formed therebetween. This configuration simplifies disassembly of the guide unit 11 and assembly and disassembly of the air mattress main body 10.

[43] Fig. 8 is a perspective view and an enlarged circle shape view illustrating the arrangement of air inlets of the air mattress according to the present invention.

[44] As shown in Fig. 8, the air mattress includes a main body inlet 19 and a guide unit inlet 19' for injecting the air into the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11, respectively. Preferably, the guide unit inlet 19' is installed on a wall of a through hole 21 formed on the guide unit 11 to install the main body inlet 19. By doing so, the guide unit inlet 19' is not externally exposed, and thus, the assembly of the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11 can be neatly finished. In addition, since the inlets 19 and 19' are adjacent to each other, an air inlet system can be easily installed.

[45] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an integrated air mattress according to the present invention.

[46] As illustrated in Fig. 9, the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11 can be adhered by an adhesive, RF- welded, or connected to each other by a separate fixing means such as bolts or fixing clamps, which forms a connection unit 20. The connection means of the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11 can be selected from the configurations well known in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, and thus, a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted here.

[47] In the air mattress of the present invention, the outer covers 15 of the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11 can be coated with polymer resin such as

polyurethane, PVC or the like, which has excellent durability, restoring force, dampproof, heatproof and waterproof functions. However, the material of the outer covers 15 of the air mattress main body 10 and the guide unit 11 is not limited but may be any of the generally-used materials.

[48] Further, in the air mattress of the invention, the pile yarns 12 can be synthetic fiber pile yarns selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, polyimide and polyethylene terephthalate.

[49] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations are possible, without departing from the technical spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.