Support member

A support device, suitable for the physically handicapped, and also for packaging delicate objects, consists of an airtight flexible bag filled with a granular material coated with an adhesive. A non-return valve is provided to allow a partial vacuum to be established within the bag. In use, the bag when non-evacuated of air, is pushed against a body to be supported so that the granular material flows and assumes a shape closely conforming to the body. Air is then evacuated from the bag and as a result the granular material is compressed into a rigid mass in the conformed shape. The mass is then made permanently rigid by activating the adhesive coating, for example with microwave radiation.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a device for conforming intimately to the shape 
of and for supporting a body, and to a method of forming such a device. 
The invention has particular but not exclusive application to forming a 
support device such as a chair for a physically handicapped person, and 
also to providing packaging for articles to be transported, particularly 
fragile articles such as items of china and glass. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
It is known from British Pat. No. 926,722 to provide a medical support 
consisting of a flexible bag made of synthetic plastic material, filled 
with a granular material. The bag is fitted with a valve, so that the bag 
can be maintained in a condition evacuated of air. In use, the bag in its 
non-evacuated state is pushed against a patient to be supported and the 
granular material flows to allow the bag to take up a shape closely 
conforming to the shape of the patient. The bag is then evacuated of air 
through the valve, causing the granular material to become compressed by 
virtue of the resulting pressure differential across the flexible wall of 
the bag. As a result, the previously flexible support device becomes 
rigid, with the granular material becoming locked into a rigid support 
mass in a shape closely conforming to the shape of the body being 
supported. 
British Pat. No. 1,095,311 discloses a similar arrangement, used to package 
delicate objects. 
These prior arrangements provide a support which intimately conforms to the 
shape of an object being supported. However, in order for the rigid 
support to be maintained, the bag must be maintained in its evacuated 
condition. Maintenance of the evacuated condition over long periods of 
time, e.g., weeks or months, as would be required say for a medical 
splint, is difficult to achieve, and for the packaging application, if the 
bag becomes punctured in transit, the intimate support for the packaged 
article is lost. 
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device capable of 
conforming intimately to the shape of a body to be supported, but which 
does not have to be maintained in an evacuated condition for long periods 
of time. 
This object is realized in accordance with the present invention by 
providing a support device consisting of a flexible bag, typically made of 
plastic material, filled with a granular material, and means, such as 
non-return valve, for permitting the bag to be maintained in a condition 
evacuated or air. The granular material is so arranged that, when the bag 
is non-evacuated of air, the granular material will flow in the bag, but 
also such that it can be subsequently treated to cause the granules 
thereof physically to adhere to one another to form a rigid mass. In one 
example, the granules are coated with an adhesive, which can be activated 
by exposing the bag to microwave radiation. 
In use, the device, when non-evacuated of air, is pushed against a body to 
be supported. Consequently, the granular material flows around the body 
and takes up a shape which is a facsimile of the body to be supported. The 
bag is then evacuated of air and the resulting pressure differential 
across the bag compresses the granular material into a rigid mass in the 
facsimile shape. The resulting rigid bag is then treated to activate the 
granular material and cause the granules thereof to adhere to one another, 
for example by exposing the bag to microwave radiation. As a result, a 
permanently rigid mass is formed closely conforming to the shape of the 
body. If the partial vacuum within the bag is lost, as a result of a 
puncture or leakage, the rigidity of the support provided by the device 
remains due to the adherence of the granular material into a rigid mass. 
The invention has application to providing supports for physically 
handicapped and deformed people, medical supports, and to packaging 
delicate articles. 
In order that the invention may be more fully understood, two embodiments 
thereof will now be described by way of illustrative example with 
reference to the accompanying drawings, the first embodiment being a chair 
for a physically handicapped person, the chair being lined with support 
devices according to the invention, the second embodiment being packaging 
members for packaging a delicate object.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring firstly to FIG. 1, there is shown a support device in accordance 
with the invention, comprising a flexible airtight generally rectangular 
bag 1, typically made of plastic material such as PVC, filled with a 
granular material 2, the granules of which are coated with an adhesive 
that is initially non-active but which can be activated selectively to 
adhere the granules to one another. The granular material may comprise 
wood flour coated with powdered acrylic or PVA adhesive. An air outlet 
tube 3 is connected to the bag 1, and a non-return valve 4 is provided in 
the tube 3 to allow a partial vacuum to be maintained within the bag 1. 
Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of such support devices of 
appropriate sizes, referenced 4 through 7 are installed as the back, sides 
and seat of a chair for a physically deformed or handicapped person, the 
devices 4 to 7 being mounted in a chair frame 8. 
In use, the devices 4 to 7 are initially in a non-evacuated state, i.e., 
atmospheric pressure exists within the bags 1. A handicapped or deformed 
person then sits in the chair. As a result, the granular material 2 within 
the bags 1 flows such that the bags assume a shape closely conforming to 
the shape of the person sitting in the chair. If necessary, manual 
assistance may be provided to urge the bags into intimate contact with the 
sitter. Air is then sucked out of the bags 1, typically by manual suction, 
utilizing each tube 3 as a mouthpiece tube. Alternatively a suction pump 
can be used. Consequentially a pressure differential is established across 
the walls of the bags, and since the bags 1 are flexible, a compressive 
force is applied to the granular contents of the bags and locks the 
granular material 2 into a rigid mass in the shape which conforms to that 
of the person sitting in the chair. The valves 4 maintain the bags 1 in an 
evacuated and hence rigid state. 
The bags 1 are then treated so as to activate the adhesive coating of the 
granular material 2 and, as a result, granules adhere to one another to 
form a rigid mass in the shape conforming closely to the shape of the 
sitter. After the adhesive has set, it is no longer necessary to maintain 
the partial vacuum within each bag 1 in order to keep the support device 
rigid. 
Typically, the adhesive coating of the granular material 2 is activated by 
taking each device 4 to 7 from the chair frame 8, with the partial vacuum 
maintained, and placing the device in a microwave oven. The microwave 
energy from the oven heats and melts the adhesive coating, causing the 
granular material 2 to become stuck together. 
The devices 4 to 7 are then returned to the chair frame so as to provide a 
permanent, rigid support for the physically handicapped person, the 
support being tailored individually to the shape of the person. It will be 
appreciated that conventional chairs do not provide satisfactory support 
for the physically handicapped and promote discomfort if sat upon for long 
periods of time. Thus the chair according to the invention provides a 
substantial improvement in comfort for the physically handicapped, by 
providing an intimate sedentary body support. 
While the invention has been described in relation to a chair, it can be 
utilized to provide other support devices for the physically handicapped, 
for example limb supports, and also has medical applications to provide 
splints and like supports for broken and sprained parts of the body. 
The invention can also be used to support inanimate objects, and is 
particularly suited to providing packaging for delicate items, as will now 
be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 
In FIG. 5, a delicate china statuette 9 to be packaged is placed between 
two support devices 10, 11 in accordance with the invention. Each support 
device 10, 11 is similar in construction to the device shown in FIG. 1, 
and comprises a rectangular airtight bag 1 made of flexible plastic 
material and filled with an adhesive coated granular material 2, typically 
as described with reference to FIG. 1. The bag 1 has an air outlet 3 which 
includes a non-return valve 4. 
The resulting sandwich of the devices 10, 11 and the article 9 to be 
packaged, is placed into a machine for processing the devices, this 
machine shown in FIG. 5, comprises means defining a chamber 12 which 
receives the aforesaid sandwich 9, 10, 11, the chamber 12 being provided 
with a hinged airtight lid 13. A vacuum pump 14 has an air inlet connected 
to the chamber 12 so as to evacuate it of air. A bleed valve 15 connected 
in a conduit 16 is provided to release a partial vacuum established in the 
chamber 12 by the pump 14. A microwave heating element 17 is provided to 
irradiate the contents of the chamber 12 with microwave radiation. Low 
frequency vibrators 18 are provided to shake the machine. 
The machine processes the support devices 10, 11, to form them into 
generally rigid members closely conforming to the shape of the article 9. 
In use, the aforesaid sandwich 9, 10, 11 is fitted into the chamber 12 and 
the lid 13 is shut. The vibrators 18 are switched on to cause the granular 
material 2 in the bags 1 to flow so as to conform closely to the shape of 
the article 9 to be packaged. The vacuum pump 14 is then switched on so as 
to extract air from the chamber 12. As a consequence, air is extracted 
from the bags 1 through the non-return valves 4. The bleed valve 15 is 
then opened and the vacuum pump 14 switched off so as to restore 
atmospheric pressure to the chamber 12. The action of the non-return 
valves 4 however maintains a reduced pressure within the bags 1 so as to 
rigidify the granular material 2. The uppermost support device 11 may then 
be lifted from the machine and the article 9 removed. The support device 
11 is then returned to the chamber 12, and the microwave element 17 is 
switched on to activate the adhesive coating of the granular material 2, 
and thereby adhere the granular material into a rigid mass closely 
conforming to the shape of the article 9. 
The article 9 can then be packaged between the rigidified devices 10, 11 
for transport. The devices 10, 11 have the advantage that, if the bags 1 
are punctured in transit, the rigidity of the support provided by the 
devices is not lost as a consequence of the loss of partial vacuum within 
the bags. The permanent adherence of the granular material 2 produced by 
activation of the adhesive coating provides a permanent facsimile of the 
article being packaged, with intimate permanent support during transit. 
Modifications to the described packaging method will be apparent to those 
skilled in the art. For example, rather than performing all of the steps 
in a machine as described with reference to FIG. 5, the steps could be 
performed sequentially on a production line. 
Many modifications to the support device fall within the scope of the 
present invention. For example, the adhesive coating need not necessarily 
be activated by microwave energy. The adhesive could be activated by a 
catalyst gas introduced into the bags by a specially adapted form of the 
valve 4. Also, the adhesive need not necessarily be provided as a coating; 
the particles of the granular material themselves could be made of a 
material, such as a plastic material, which, upon suitable treatment, such 
as heating, could be made to adhere to one another.