Patent Publication Number: US-11641948-B2

Title: Inflatable bed

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This Application claims priority from Chinese Applications CN202022438773.1, filed Oct. 28, 2020 in China, and CN202120667868.2, filed Mar. 31, 2021 in China, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     Apparatuses and methods consistent with example embodiments relate to inflatable products, and in particular, to an inflatable bed. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Inflatable beds do not have the bulk of traditional furniture, can be placed indoors or outdoors, and have the advantages of being small in size after deflation, for convenient storage and carrying, etc. In particular, an inflatable bed with a backrest is particularly practical. According to an existing design, an inflatable bed includes a backrest separate from the body of the bed, which is a complex structure with a high production cost. Alternately, an inflatable bed with an integrated backrest usually includes an upper sheet and a lower sheet which are connected by an internal structure, such that a distance between the upper sheet and the lower sheet may be controlled by the length of the internal structure. In this way, the inflatable bed may be stretched into an inflatable bed with an integrated backrest. Such a structure, however, is relatively complicated, has a high production cost, and often poor overall aesthetics. 
     SUMMARY 
     Example embodiments may address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, example embodiments are not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and may not overcome any of the problems described above. 
     According to an aspect of an example embodiment, an inflatable bed comprises: an upper sheet comprising a planar portion and an oblique portion; a lower sheet; a lateral confining sheet, connecting the upper sheet and the lower sheet and defining an inflatable chamber therebetween, the lateral confining sheet comprising: a circumferential portion, and an extension portion extending from an end of the circumferential portion and connected to the oblique portion of the upper sheet; a first internal sheet connecting the planar portion of the upper sheet to the lower sheet; and a second internal sheet connecting the oblique portion of the upper sheet to the extension portion of the lateral confining sheet. 
     The oblique portion of the upper sheet may form a front face of a backrest of the inflatable bed, and the extension portion of the lateral confining sheet may form lateral faces of the backrest. 
     The inflatable bed may further comprise: a third internal sheet having a ring shape and comprising an inner circumference connected to the planar portion of the upper sheet and an outer circumference connected to the lateral confining sheet. 
     A width of the third internal sheet at a first location adjacent to one end thereof may be greater than a width of the third internal sheet at a second location, different from the first location. 
     The inflatable bed may further comprise: a fourth internal sheet having a ring shape and comprising an inner circumference connected to the lower sheet and an outer circumference connected to the lateral confining sheet. 
     The inflatable bed may further comprise: a first vent hole formed through the third internal sheet, and a second vent hole formed through the fourth internal sheet. 
     The third internal sheet and the fourth internal sheet may each be one of a rectangular ring, a circular ring, or a square ring. 
     A cross-sectional shape of each of the first internal sheet and the second internal sheet may be one of a line, a circle, an oval, a Y-shape, and an X-shape. 
     The inflatable bed may further comprise: a fifth internal sheet connected to the third internal sheet at the first location and to the lower sheet. 
     According to an aspect of another example embodiment, an inflatable bed may comprise: an upper sheet; a lower sheet; a circumferential sheet, connecting the upper sheet and the lower sheet and defining an inflatable chamber; a plurality of first internal sheets, disposed within the inflatable chamber and each comprising a lower edge connected to the lower sheet and an upper edge connected to the upper sheet, a height of each of the first internal sheets from the lower edge to the upper edge being a first height; a second internal sheet, disposed within the inflatable chamber and comprising a first edge connected to the circumferential sheet and a second edge connected to the upper sheet; wherein a height of the inflatable bed, between the lower sheet and the upper sheet, at a first end of the inflatable bed is the first height, and a height of the inflatable bed, between the lower sheet and the upper sheet at a second end of the inflatable bed, is a second height, greater than the first height. 
     According to an aspect of another example embodiment, an inflatable bed comprises: an upper sheet comprising a planar portion, an oblique portion, and a transition portion disposed between the planar portion and the oblique portion; a lower sheet; a lateral confining sheet, connecting the upper sheet and the lower sheet and defining an inflatable chamber therebetween. The lateral confining sheet comprises: a circumferential portion, and an extension portion extending from an end of the circumferential portion and connected to the oblique portion of the upper sheet. The inflatable bed further comprises a first internal sheet connecting the planar portion of the upper sheet to the lower sheet; and a corner internal sheet connecting the transition portion of the upper sheet to the lower sheet. 
     The oblique portion of the upper sheet may form a front face of a backrest of the inflatable bed, and the extension portion of the lateral confining sheet may form lateral faces of the backrest. 
     The corner internal sheet may be arranged one of obliquely with respect to a vertical direction of the inflatable bed and parallel to the vertical direction of the inflatable bed. 
     The corner internal sheet may comprise a first corner internal sheet and a second corner internal sheet arranged one of obliquely with respect to the first corner internal sheet and parallel to the first corner internal sheet. 
     The first internal sheet may comprise a plurality of internal sheets, each of which comprises one of a column and a substantially planar sheet. 
     The inflatable bed may further comprise a second internal sheet connecting the oblique portion of the upper sheet to the extension portion of the lateral confining sheet. 
     The first internal sheet may comprise an array of a plurality of internal sheets, each comprising a column comprising a first portion connected to the upper sheet, a second portion connected to the lower sheet, and a third portion connecting the first portion to the second portion. 
     The first internal sheet may comprise a plurality of first internal sheets arranged in parallel, each of the plurality of first internal sheets comprising a substantially planar sheet extending in one of a longitudinal direction of the inflatable bed or a transverse direction of the inflatable bed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of example embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The same or similar parts are identified by the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an inflatable bed according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    is an exploded schematic view of the inflatable bed shown in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is a partial sectional view of the inflatable bed shown in  FIG.  1   , showing an internal structure of the inflatable bed. 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of an inflatable bed according to another example embodiment; 
         FIG.  5    is an exploded schematic view of the inflatable bed shown in  FIG.  4   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a partial sectional view of the inflatable bed shown in  FIG.  4   , showing an internal structure of the inflatable bed; 
         FIG.  7    is a partial sectional view of the inflatable bed shown in  FIG.  4   , showing another internal structure of an example inflatable bed; 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view of an inflatable bed of another example embodiment; 
         FIG.  9    is a partial sectional view of the inflatable bed shown in  FIG.  8   , showing an internal structure of the inflatable bed; 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective view of an inflatable bed of another example embodiment; 
         FIG.  11    is a partial sectional view of the inflatable bed shown in  FIG.  10   , showing an internal structure of the inflatable bed; 
     
    
    
     Those skilled in the art will understand that elements in the figures are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be enlarged relative to other elements to help improve understanding of example embodiments. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the example embodiments may have different forms and may not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. 
     It will be understood that the terms “include,” “including”, “comprise, and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     It will be further understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” and “upper,” “lower,” “inside,” “outside,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections may not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. 
     As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. 
     Directional terms used herein, such as “transverse direction” and “longitudinal direction,” refer to two directions perpendicular to each other in the horizontal direction when an inflatable bed is in a normal using position, wherein the transverse direction may be equivalent to a widthwise direction of the inflatable bed, and the longitudinal direction may be equivalent to a lengthwise direction of the inflatable bed. The directional term “vertical direction” may refer to a vertical direction when the inflatable bed is in the normal using position, namely, a height direction of the inflatable bed. 
     Various terms are used to refer to particular system components. Different companies may refer to a component by different names—this document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. 
     Matters of these example embodiments that are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which these exemplary embodiments pertain may not be described here in detail. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , an inflatable bed  10  has an integrated backrest  101  and an inflatable bed main body  102 , wherein the inflatable bed main body  102  has a substantially flat structure, and the backrest  101  is arranged to protrude from the inflatable bed main body  102 . In conjunction with an exploded schematic view of the inflatable bed  10 , as shown in  FIG.  2   , the inflatable bed includes an upper sheet  1 , a lower sheet  2 , a lateral confining sheet  3 , and first internal sheets  4 . The upper sheet  1  forms an upper surface of the inflatable bed, the lower sheet  2  forms a lower surface of the inflatable bed, and the lateral confining sheet  3  forms a circumference of the inflatable bed. The lateral confining sheet  3  connects the upper sheet  1  and the lower sheet  2  to define an inflatable chamber  100  as shown in  FIG.  3   . 
     The upper sheet  1  may have a non-planar construction, and an upper edge  311  of the lateral confining sheet  3  may be connected to an outer, circumferential edge of the upper sheet  1 . The lower sheet  2  may have a substantially planar construction, and a lower edge  312  of the lateral confining sheet  3  may be connected to an outer, circumferential edge of the lower sheet  2 . 
     In particular, the upper sheet  1  may be integrally provided with a planar portion  11  and an oblique portion  12 . The planar portion  11  may be connected to the lower sheet  2  by means of the first internal sheets  4 , as well as the lateral confining sheet  3 . The oblique portion  12  may form a front face of the backrest  101 . The upper sheet  1  may be formed by welding, adhering, or hot melting the planar portion  11  to a separate oblique portion  12 . The lateral confining sheet  3  comprises a circumferential portion  31 , extending around the outer circumference of the inflatable bed  10 , and an extension portion  32 , which extends upward from an end of the circumferential portion  31 . The extension portion  32  is connected to the oblique portion  12  of the upper sheet  1  to form the backrest  101  of the inflatable bed  10 , and the extension portion  32  of the lateral confining sheet  3  forms the side faces and a back face of the backrest  101 . In order to facilitate the backrest  101  of the inflatable bed  10  in supporting the pressure of a user after being inflated, the backrest  101  may include a second internal sheet  5 , disposed within the backrest  101 , which connects the oblique portion  12  of the upper sheet  1  to the extension portion  32  of the lateral confining sheet  3 . 
     The first internal sheets  4  contribute to the inflated shape of the inflatable bed main body  102 , and the second internal sheet  5  contributes to the inflated shape of the backrest  101 . It should be noted that the number of the first internal sheets  4  and the second internal sheet  5  shown in  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  3    is merely an example. The bed  10  may include any one or more first internal sheets and any one or more second internal sheets. Further, each of the first and second internal sheets  4  and  5  can have a cross-sectional shape which is straight (as shown in  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  3   ), a round hole, Y-shaped, or X-shaped, as would be understood by one of skill in the art. 
     According to an aspect of another example embodiment, the inflatable bed  10  may further comprise a third internal sheet  6 . The third internal sheet  6  may have a two-dimensional (2D) toroid shape or other ring shape with an inner circumference  61  connected to the planar portion  11  of the upper sheet  1 , and an outer circumference  62  connected to the lateral confining sheet  3 . 
     In particular, as shown in  FIG.  2   , a width of the end  60  of the third internal sheet  6  adjacent to the backrest  101  may be greater than a width of the remaining portion of the third internal sheet  6  so as to adapt to the transition from the inflatable bed main body  102  to the backrest  101 . 
     According to an aspect of another example embodiment, the inflatable bed  10  may further comprise a fourth internal sheet  7 . The fourth internal sheet  7  may have a 2D toroid shape or other ring shape with an inner circumference  71  connected to the lower sheet  2 , and an outer circumference  72  connected to the lateral confining sheet  3 . 
     The third internal sheet  6  may include a first vent hole  63 , and the fourth internal sheet  7  may include a second vent hole  73 , such that air chambers separated by the third internal sheet  6  and the fourth internal sheet  7  are in communication by means of the first vent hole  63  and the second vent hole  73 . 
     The inflatable bed main body  102 , as shown in  FIG.  2    and  FIG.  3   , is substantially rectangular, and the third internal sheet  6  and the fourth internal sheet  7  are shown as substantially rectangular 2D toroid or rectangular rings. However, the inflatable bed main body  102  may alternately be circular, square, and or another shape, and therefore, the third internal sheet  6  and the fourth internal sheet  7  may also have different shapes, such as a circular 2D toroid, or a square 2D toroid or other ring shape. 
     According to an aspect of another example embodiment, the inflatable bed  10  may further comprise a fifth internal sheet  8 . The fifth internal sheet  8  is connected to the end  60  of the third internal sheet  6 , adjacent to the backrest  101  and the lower sheet  2 . Particularly, when a width of the end  60  of the third internal sheet  6  is greater than a width of the remaining portion of the third internal sheet  6 , the fifth internal sheet  8  pulls the end  60  of the third internal sheet  6  that has the greater width so as to prevent its easy deformation due to its greater width and to better prevent a transition area, where the oblique portion  12  and the planar portion  11  of the upper sheet  1  are connected, from protruding upward and affecting an overall contour of the inflatable bed. 
     The various internal sheets may be connected to other elements of the bed  10  by welding, hot melting, adhering, or another method as would be understood by one of skill in the art. 
       FIG.  4    illustrates an inflatable bed  10   a  with an integrated backrest  101   a , according to another example embodiment. In this example embodiment, the other portion of the inflatable bed  10   a —i.e. that portion that does not include the backrest  101   a , is referred to as an inflatable bed main body  102   a , wherein the inflatable bed main body  102   a  has a substantially flat structure, and the backrest  101   a  protrudes from the inflatable bed main body  102   a . In conjunction with an exploded schematic view of the inflatable bed  10   a  as exemplified in  FIG.  5   , the inflatable bed  10   a  includes an upper sheet  1   a , a lower sheet  2   a , a lateral confining sheet  3   a  and a first internal sheet  4   a . The upper sheet  1   a  forms an upper surface of the inflatable bed, the lower sheet  2   a  forms a lower surface of the inflatable bed, and the lateral confining sheet  3   a  forms a circumference of the inflatable bed. The lateral confining sheet  3   a  connects the upper sheet  1   a  and the lower sheet  2   a  to define an inflatable chamber  100   a  as shown in  FIG.  6   . 
     The upper sheet  1   a  may have a non-planar structure, and an upper edge  311   a  of the lateral confining sheet  3   a  may be connected to the edge of the upper sheet  1   a . The lower sheet  2   a  may have a planar structure, and a lower edge  312   a  of the lateral confining sheet  3   a  may be connected to the edge of the lower sheet  2   a . Therefore, the lower sheet  2   a  forms a bottom face of the inflatable bed  10   a , and the bottom face completely touches a supporting face (e.g., the ground) after air inflation, to provide stability for the inflatable bed  10   a.    
     Specifically, the upper sheet  1   a  includes a planar portion  11   a , a bent portion  12   a , and a transition portion  13   a  located between the planar portion  11   a  and the bent portion  12   a . The planar portion  11   a  is connected to the lower sheet  2   a  through the first internal sheet  4   a , and the bend portion  12   a  forms a front face of the backrest  101   a . The lateral confining sheet  3   a  comprises a surrounding portion  31   a  and an extension portion  32   a  extending upward along an end of the surrounding portion  31   a , the extension portion  32   a  and the bent portion  12   a  of the upper sheet  1   a  are connected to form the backrest  101   a  of the inflatable bed  10   a , and the extension portion  32   a  of the lateral confining sheet  3   a  forms a side face and a back face of the backrest  101   a.    
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , for the upper sheet  1   a , the planar portion  11   a  of the upper sheet keeps the surface thereof flat through the first internal sheet  4   a . In order to avoid a situation in which the transition portion  13   a  of the upper sheet  1   a  bulges and becomes deformed during air inflation and then affects the flatness of the planar portion  11   a , the inflatable bed  10   a  may further include corner internal sheets  9   a , and the corner internal sheets  9   a  connect the transition portion  13   a  of the upper sheet  1   a  and the lower sheet  2   a . The corner internal sheets  9   a  are obliquely arranged relative to a vertical direction of the inflatable bed  10   a  and/or arranged in the vertical direction of the inflatable bed  10   a , and the corner internal sheets  9   a  may comprise at least two internal sheets angled to each other and/or arranged parallel to each other. Specifically, taking  FIG.  6    as an example, one of the two piece-like corner internal sheets  9   a  is obliquely arranged relative to the vertical direction of the inflatable bed  10   a , the other corner internal sheet is arranged in the vertical direction of the inflatable bed  10   a , and the two piece-like corner internal sheets  9   a  are angled with respect to each other. Linear connection outlines formed by connecting the piece-like corner internal sheets to the transition portion  13   a  may extend in a transverse direction of the inflatable bed, taking, for example, the two parallel connection outlines  91 ,  92  formed by connecting the corner internal sheets  9   a  to the upper sheet  1   a  shown in  FIG.  6   , the two parallel connection outlines  91 ,  92  enable the transition portion  13   a , between the planar portion  11   a  and the bent portion  12   a , to form clear and rounded corners, and a situation in which the transition portion  13   a  bulges and deforms during air inflation is avoided, thereby further enabling the flatness of the planar portion  11   a . In other words, the corner internal sheets  9   a  draw the transition portion  13   a  in a direction closer to the bottom face and the back face of the inflatable bed  10   a .  FIG.  7    shows corner internal sheets  90   a  in another arrangement mode, wherein the two illustrative piece-like corner internal sheets  90   a  are both arranged in the vertical direction of the inflatable bed, and the two piece-like corner internal sheets  90   a  are arranged parallel to each other. It should be noted that as for more corner internal sheets, the arrangement directions of the corner internal sheets and the arrangement angles relative to other corner internal sheets are not limited by the drawings, and in addition, the plurality of corner internal sheets can have the same or different dimensions and specifications. 
     The inflatable bed  10   a  may further comprise a second internal sheet  5   a , and the second internal sheet  5   a  connects the bent portion  12   a  of the upper sheet  1   a  and the extension portion  32   a  of the lateral confining sheet  3   a , so that after the inflatable bed  10   a  is inflated, the backrest  101   a  of the inflatable bed can bear pressing of a user, and the backrest of the inflatable bed can be prevented from bulging and deforming after the inflatable bed is inflated. It should be noted that the number of the second internal sheet  5   a  is not limited by the drawings. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  4 - 7   , it can be seen that the first internal sheet  4   a  forms a specific pattern on the surface of the inflatable bed  10   a . The first internal sheet  4   a  comprises a plurality of columnar internal sheets  40   a , and the plurality of columnar internal sheets  40   a  are arranged in an array manner; each columnar internal sheet  40   a  comprises a first portion  41   a  connected to the upper sheet  1   a , a second portion  42   a  connected to the lower sheet  2   a , and a third portion  43   a  connecting the first portion  41   a  and the second portion  42   a ; and the first portion  41   a , the second portion  42   a  and the third portion  43   a  form an integrated columnar shape. Further, the first portion  41   a  and the second portion  42   a  of each columnar internal sheet  40   a  are connected to the upper sheet  1   a  and the lower sheet  2   a , respectively, so that closed connection outlines  400  are formed on the surface of the inflatable bed  10   a , and the closed connection outlines  400  for example, include but are not limited to circular connection outlines, polygonal connection outlines, star connection outlines, raindrop-shaped connection outlines and other closed connection outlines. 
       FIGS.  8  and  9    show an inflatable bed  10   b  of another example embodiment. The difference between the inflatable bed  10   b  and the inflatable bed  10   a  lies in the structure of the first internal sheet. A first internal sheet  4   b  of the inflatable bed  10   b  comprises a plurality of piece-like internal sheets  40   b , the plurality of piece-like internal sheets  40   b  are arranged in parallel, and each piece-like internal sheet  40   b  is connected to an upper sheet  1   b  and a lower sheet  2   b , respectively, so that linear connection outlines are formed on the surface of the inflatable bed  10   b . Further, the linear connection outlines formed on the inflatable bed  10   b  by the piece-like internal sheets  40   b  are arranged in parallel in a longitudinal direction of the inflatable bed  10   b.    
       FIGS.  10  and  11    show an inflatable bed  10   c  of another example embodiment. The difference between the inflatable bed  10   c  and the inflatable bed  10   a  lies in the structure of the first internal sheet. A first internal sheet  4   c  of the inflatable bed  10   c  comprises a plurality of piece-like internal sheets  40   c , the plurality of piece-like internal sheets  40   c  are arranged in parallel, and each piece-like internal sheet  40   c  is connected to an upper sheet  1   c  and a lower sheet  2   c , respectively, so that linear connection outlines are formed on the surface of the inflatable bed  10   c . Further, different from the inflatable bed  10   b , the linear connection outlines formed on the inflatable bed  10   c  by the piece-like internal sheets  40   c  arranged in parallel in a transverse direction of the inflatable bed  10   c.    
     The first internal sheet constructed as a piece-like internal sheet may be a straight piece-like internal sheet, as shown in  FIG.  9    and  FIG.  11   , or can be a Y-shaped piece-like internal sheet or an X-shaped piece-like internal sheet. 
     One or more of the various internal sheets may be connected by welding, hot melting, or adhering. 
     One or more inflatable beds of example embodiments described herein form the integrated backrest by means of regionally arranging internal sheets in an inner part, which may overcome the defects of a more complicated internal structure and lesser overall aesthetics, while maintaining good stability, a reduced production cost, and a simplified structure. 
     It may be understood that the example embodiments described herein may be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each example embodiment may be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other example embodiments. 
     While example embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.