Pneumatic mattresses with alternately inflatable or collapsible zones - to support bedridden patients without constant pressure on local sores or wounds

摘要

The parent patent described a bed or mattress of which two or more groups of regions were alternately compressed or decompressed out of phase to alternate regions of a user's body supported by the bed. This addition describes various specific ways of achieving the effect, including a series of compartments with convex surfaces constantly supported by pressure or a cellular core and bridged by flexible membranes which can be pressurised intermittently, pref. meshed arrays of compartments which can be pressurised alternately, each compartment having either a simple tubular section or a shallow manifold linked to a series of dome shaped pockets mounted individually or on a sec. array of inflatable compartments. Pref. the bed or mattress has at least one zone comprising an opening or pocket through the full depth of the mattress.