Self-inflating camping mattress having a tapered profile

Camping mattress having a head section and a foot section adapted to be rolled up for carrying, and being tapered in plan view such that at least one of the sections decreases in lateral dimension toward its outer end and the mattress is wider toward the center and narrower toward the end. The mattress has two sheets of flexible air-impervious material sealed together to form a plurality of chambers, a body of resilient material in one of the chambers, and a valve controlling air flow into and out of the chamber with the resilient material to regulate expansion and compression of the material.

This invention pertains generally to mattresses and, more particularly, to 
a self-inflating mattress which is particularly suitable for use in 
camping. 
Camping mattresses heretofore provided have most commonly been inflatable 
air mattresses or relatively thin sheets of resilient foam which can be 
rolled up and carried on a backpack with a sleeping bag. 
More recently, a new type of camping mattress has been manufactured by 
Basic Designs, Inc., Santa Rosa, Calif. under the trademarks THE EQUALIZER 
and FOAM-AIR-MAT. Those mattresses have body chambers with compressible 
foam pads and air pillows, and they can be rolled up for transportation 
and storage like the more conventional air mattresses and foam pads. 
It is, in general, an object of the invention to provide a new and improved 
camping mattress. 
Another object of the invention is to a camping mattress of the above 
character which overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of the 
mattresses heretofore employed for camping. 
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by 
providing a camping mattress having a head section and a foot section 
adapted to be rolled up for carrying, and being tapered in plan view such 
that at least one of the sections decreases in lateral dimension toward 
its outer end and the mattress is wider toward the center and narrower 
toward the end. The mattress has two sheets of flexible air-impervious 
material sealed together to form a plurality of chambers, a body of 
resilient material in one of the chambers, and a valve controlling air 
flow into and out of the chamber with the resilient material to regulate 
expansion and compression of the material.

As illustrated in the drawings, the camping mattress has a pair of 
superposed sheets 11, 12 which are sealed together along their peripheral 
edges. The sheets are also sealed together along a plurality of 
transversely extending lines 13-15 which divide the mattress into a head 
pillow section 16, an upper body section 17, a lower body section 18 and a 
leg or foot section 19. 
The sheets are fabricated of a material which is flexible and impervious to 
air, and each section consists of a separate air-tight compartment or 
chamber, each of which is provided with a valve 21 for controlling the 
passage of air into and out of it. 
The sheets can be fabricated of any suitable material such as nylon, 
polyvinylchloride (PVC), urethane or rayon. Woven materials such as nylon 
and rayon can be coated with a material such as vinyl to make them 
impervious. If desired, the two sheets can be made of dissimilar materials 
to give them different properties. 
For example, the upper sheet 11 can be made of a softer material such as a 
rayon blend, and the bottom sheet 12 can be made of a more durable 
material to resist punctures and abrasion. For this purpose, the bottom 
sheet might, for example, be made of a denser nylon than the top sheet, 
and/or it might have a thicker or denser coating of vinyl than the top 
sheet. Likewise, it might be desirable to fabricate one of the sheets of a 
material which is more or less slippery than the other. 
In the embodiment illustrated, section 16 is a pillow section and is filled 
with air to provide support for the head. Pads 22-24 of resilient material 
are provided in sections 17-19 to provide support for other portions of 
the body. These pads can be fabricated of any suitable material, and in 
one presently preferred embodiment, they consist of an open cell urethane 
foam having a density on the order of 1.5 to 1.8 pounds (45-55 ILD). The 
pads are compressible to permit the mattress to be rolled up into a 
relatively compact package and can be of any suitable thickness, e.g. 0.5 
to 5 inches, when expanded. The foam can be either smooth or sculptured. 
In the embodiment illustrated, body section pads 22, 23 have a convoluted 
or sculptured upper surface, and leg section pad 24 has a smooth upper 
surface. In this embodiment, pads 22, 23 have a thickness on the order of 
1.5 inches, and pad 24 has a thickness on the order of 1.0 inch. 
The mattress has a tapered profile in plan view which enables it to be used 
inside a tapered sleeping bag such as the type commonly known as a "mummy" 
bag. In the embodiment illustrated, both the head end and the foot end of 
the mattress are tapered and decease in lateral dimension away from the 
center of the mattress. The mattress can be of any suitable size and taper 
and can, for example, have a length on the order of 40-90 inches, a 
maximum width on the order of 18-40 inches, and a width toward the ends on 
the order of 2-8 inches narrower than the maximum width. If desired, the 
mattress can have one tapered end and one square end, and either the head 
end or the foot end can be the tapered end. 
In one presently preferred embodiment, pillow section 16 has a length of 13 
inches, upper body section 17 has a length of 19 inches, lower body 
section has a length of 18 inches, leg section 19 has a length of 28.5 
inches, and the mattress has an overall length of 78.5 inches. The widest 
part of this mattress is the upper body section, which has a width of 22 
inches from the lower edge of the section to a point 31 located 3.5 inches 
below the upper edge of the section. The mattress decreases in lateral 
dimension, or tapers, from point 31 to the upper edge of the pillow and 
from the lower edge of the upper body section to the lower edge of the leg 
section. The corners 32, 33 between the side and top edges of the pillow 
section and between the side and bottom edges of the leg section are 
rounded, with a 1.5 inch radius of curvature. The mattress has a width of 
19.5 inches along seam line 13, and 14.74 inches at the point where the 
tapered side edges meet the rounded corners 32 at the upper end of the 
pillow. Going the other way, the mattress has a width of 22 inches along 
seam line 14, a width of 19.5 inches along seam line 15, and 14.25 inches 
where the tapered side edges meet the rounded corners 33 at the lower end 
of the leg section. 
In use, pillow section 16 is inflated, and the mattress is placed 
substantially flat upon the ground or other supporting surface, with 
valves 21 open to permit air to enter chambers 17-19. With these valves 
open, the pads 22-24 are free to expand to their normal thickness or 
height. If additional firmness is desired in one or more of the sections, 
the valve(s) in such section(s) can be closed, and additional air can be 
added, depending upon the degree of firmness desired. 
The mattress is taken down or "deflated" by opening all of the valves and 
rolling the mattress from the foot end toward the head end, thereby 
compressing the foam. Each valve is closed as the section in which it is 
located is rolled, and the difference in air pressure outside and inside 
the chambers keeps the foam in its compressed state. If any pockets of air 
remain trapped in the rolled mattress, it can be unrolled and rolled up 
again to eliminate the remaining air. 
When the mattress is once again used, it is rolled out flat, and the valves 
are opened to allow air to enter the chambers. With the air pressurized 
equalized between the inside and the outside of the chambers, the foam is 
free to expand again. If for some reason it is desired to have all or part 
of the foam in a partly compressed state, the valve(s) for the section(s) 
in which that portion of the foam is located can be closed when the foam 
has expanded the desired point. 
When not in use, the mattress is best stored in an unrolled condition, with 
the valves open so the foam can expand and maintain its resiliency. The 
mattress is conveniently stored by hanging it in a closet. 
The mattress has a number of important features and advantages. It is 
particularly suitable for use for backpackers, and the tapering design 
eliminates extra bulk and weight, while still providing full support where 
it is needed. The body contoured shape fits a standard "mummy" sleeping 
bag, and a mattress 77 inches long and 22 inches wide at the torso and 
shoulders weighs only 40 ounces. 
The mattress is self-inflating. When the valves are open, it takes in air 
as needed to allow the foam to expand, and when it is rolled back up, the 
air is expelled. The mattress provides excellent insulation with the 
encapsulated open cell foam, and the air level in each chamber can be 
adjusted independently to contour the mattress to the camper's body. In 
the event of a puncture, the air pressure in only one chamber is lost, so 
the mattress is still usable. The mattress has a built-in pillow, and a 
heavy bottom panel which helps protect against punctures and abrasion. 
It is apparent from the foregoing that a new and improved camping mattress 
has been provided. While only one presently preferred embodiment has been 
described in detail, as will be apparent to those familiar with the art, 
certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the 
scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.