Patent ID: 8397326
Filing Date: 2013-03-19
Classification: A47C,A61G,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A patient support for a patient said patient support comprising: a layer of support bladders, the bladders each having a top wall forming an upwardly facing surface for facing and supporting the patient and being arranged in an array along a lateral axis and along a longitudinal axis, each of said bladders having multiple side walls defining an upper outer perimeter edge at their upwardly facing surfaces, and wherein the bladders are arranged so that each of their upper outer perimeter edges are offset from the edges of each adjacent bladder so their edges do not align to form a continuous straight gap there between that spans either the width or length of the inflatable mattress; a cover enclosing said bladders and defining a free space between said cover and said bladders wherein the free space is free of any intermediate cushioning layer; and said bladders being configured such that if one or more bladders are collapsed by a part of the patient's body, the bladders are unimpeded by any intermediate cushioning layer such that the bladders surrounding the collapsed bladder or bladders may remain partially uncompressed by that part of the patient's body and instead envelope that part of the patient's body to thereby distribute the weight of that part of the patient's body over a greater contact area than the bladder or bladders directly under that part of the patient's body.