Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8225444B2/en
Timestamp: 2018-09-23 03:24:44
Document Index: 337973247

Matched Legal Cases: ['§120', '§119', '§120', 'Application No. 60', '§120', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60']

US8225444B2 - Inflatable device forming mattresses and cushions - Google Patents
Inflatable device forming mattresses and cushions Download PDF
US8225444B2
US8225444B2 US12349301 US34930109A US8225444B2 US 8225444 B2 US8225444 B2 US 8225444B2 US 12349301 US12349301 US 12349301 US 34930109 A US34930109 A US 34930109A US 8225444 B2 US8225444 B2 US 8225444B2
US12349301
US20090300846A1 (en )
The invention relates to an inflatable device comprising an electromechanical device and a self-sealing valve, and in particular, to any inflatable device that includes the assembly. In some embodiments, at least a portion of a fluid controller is coupled to and supported by an inflatable bladder of an inflatable device. The fluid controller may be located in a compartment, and the compartment may be within the profile of the bladder. The inflatable device may be a single bladder mattress or a dual bladder mattress. The inflatable device may include a heater or an articulation device. The inflatable device may be multi-positional device or have a storage compartment. The inflatable device may be configurable using one or more members such as a membrane or fasteners.
This application is a divisional application of and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/717,410, entitled “INFLATABLE DEVICE FORMING MATTRESSES AND CUSHIONS,” filed on Nov. 18, 2003, and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,440. This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/427,151, entitled “ADJUSTABLE POSTURE SUPPORT SYSTEM,” filed on Nov. 18, 2002, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/427,307, entitled “PRIMARY BEDDING MATTRESS,” filed on Nov. 18, 2002. This application also claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation-in-part to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/430,040, entitled “A VALVE WITH ELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICE FOR ACTUATING THE VALVE,” filed on May 5, 2003, and now U.S. Pat. No. 7,644,724, which claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No. 60/377,798, entitled “VALVE WITH ELECROMECHANICAL DEVICE FOR INFLATABLE DEVICE,” filed May 3, 2002. This application also claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation-in-part to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/192,757, entitled “CONFIGURABLE INFLATABLE SUPPORT DEVICES,” filed on Jul. 10, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,328,472, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/304,274 entitled “COMBINATION STRUCTURES FOR AN INFLATABLE BLADDER,” filed Jul. 10, 2001 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/374,403 entitled “A RECONFIGURALBE INFLATABLE SUPPORT DEVICE,” filed Apr. 22, 2002. All of the above-mentioned, related applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
This invention relates to inflatable devices and, in particular, to inflatable support devices.
A first aspect of the invention is directed to an inflatable device, comprising: (A) an inflatable bladder; and (B) a fluid controller comprising: (i) a valve coupled to and supported by the inflatable bladder, the valve being configured and arranged to control the flow of fluid into and out of the bladder, the valve forming a seal to maintain fluid in the bladder in response to fluid pressure within the bladder; and (ii) a mechanical device configured and arranged to open the valve when the mechanical device is actuated.
FIGS. 10-10C, illustrate embodiments of an inflatable device including an inflatable bladder combined with a membrane;
This arrangement results in a long operating cycle of the solenoid to either inflate the inflatable device or deflate the inflatable device, since the solenoid must be energized for the entire time of inflation or deflation. In addition, the solenoid has to be sized so as to provide enough force to overcome the force provided by the spring maintaining the valve in a closed position, and therefore is typically a large, power consuming, and expensive solenoid device. In addition, this arrangement suffers from the infirmity that the amount of fluid that can be provided to the inflatable device and exhausted from the inflatable device are typically the same, since the valve can typically only be opened to a single position or closed by the solenoid. Further, the solenoid electromechanical assembly typically restricts the fluid pathway, thus requiring a substantial inflation or deflation time for the inflatable device. For example, Select Comfort® makes an inflatable mattress with this typical arrangement that takes on the order of about 10 minutes to inflate. Thus, this arrangement suffers from the infirmity of not being able to control an amount of fluid within the inflatable device in sufficient time frames. In particular, the time to fine tune the level of inflation of an inflatable device by this arrangement is typically too long.
It is to be appreciated that the valve and electromechanical device combination of the invention can be used as an alternative or a replacement to the stand alone valve of an inflatable device. For example, the valve and electromechanical device of the invention can be used within the fluid moving device and valve combination disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,267,363 (hereinafter the “'363 patent”) and 5,367,726 (hereinafter the “'726”), which are herein incorporated by reference, to inflate and control an amount of fluid within an inflatable mattress. It should also be appreciated that although the valve and electromechanical device combination of the invention is illustrated and can be used to inflate, deflate and control an amount of fluid within generally an inflatable device, the combination can be used with any inflatable device, such as, for example: inflatable furniture, or sporting items such as chairs, mattresses and pillows; inflatable safety devices, such as life preservers, barriers, bumpers, and pads; inflatable medical devices, such as supports, casts, and braces; inflatable luggage devices such as, padding and luggage lining material; inflatable recreational devices, such as swimming aids, floats, tubes, and rings; inflated vehicles and vehicle components, such as boats, rafts, and tires; inflatable support structures, such as buildings, portable enclosures, platforms, ramps, and the like; inflatable body support devices, such as seats, back supports, body pillows, and the like.
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a valve and electromechanical device combination according to aspects of the invention. In particular, there is illustrated a fluid moving device 100 that can be at least partially within an inflatable device 12 or coupled to the inflatable device 12 having an outer wall 14 that is a fluid impermeable bladder. In particular, the fluid impermeable bladder 14 separates an exterior of the inflatable device from an interior 16 of the inflatable device. In this embodiment, the valve 10 comprises an outer wall 20 and a valve wall 24 defining a circular opening 26 through which a fluid may be transferred to and from the interior 16 of the inflatable device. The circular opening preferably has a diameter of about 1″ or greater. However, it should be appreciated that the diameter can also be less than approximately 1″, such as, in the range of ⅜″ to ¾″ so as to be coupled to a tubing having a diameter in this range. The valve also comprises a tapered wall from the opening 26 of diameter 25 to the outer wall 20 of increased diameter 30, to create a tapered valve seat 28. The self-sealing valve also comprises a diaphragm 40 that is generally circular, deformable, flexible, and for this embodiment has a diameter that is less than the larger diameter region 30, and greater than the smaller diameter 25 of opening 26.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the electromechanical device 50 and the actuator arm 52 are energized to move either of the diaphragm 40 and the support arm 42 away from the valve seat 28, so as to break the seal of the self-sealing valve 10, so as to either regulate or substantially alter an amount of fluid within the inflatable device 12. In particular, a shaded portion 53 of the actuator arm 52 illustrates the valve arm in a first position which is used to substantially bias open the self-sealing valve 10. In addition, a darkened portion of the actuator arm 52 illustrates the valve in a second position, in which it has been allowed to close by the solenoid 50 and the actuator arm 52, such that the actuator arm no longer is biasing the diaphragm 40 or the diaphragm support 42 substantially away from the valve seat. Accordingly, it is to be appreciated that the first position of the actuator arm of the solenoid 50 can be used to substantially open the self-sealing valve, and that the second position of the actuator arm can be used to allow the valve to operate under its normal condition, so as to open under the influence of fluid provided by fluid moving device 110, and so as to close upon sufficient fluid within the inflatable device 12. It is to be appreciated that the first position of the actuator arm can be configured so as to substantially open the valve for a longer duration so as to substantially deflate the inflatable device 12, or it can be configured to substantially open the valve for a short duration so as to regulate an amount of fluid within the inflatable device 12. In other words, to provide for controlled fluid pressure within the inflatable device, for example, to adjust a comfort level of the inflatable device. As previously stated, any embodiment herein described may also employ activation of the electromechanical device during inflation.
FIG. 5A is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an inflatable device 500 according to another aspect of the invention in which a portion of a fluid controller 510 is coupled to an inflatable bladder 505 and is physically supported by inflatable bladder 505. Fluid controller 510 is comprised of valve 520, an electromechanical device 530, a sealing barrier 540, a pump 550, and electronics for powering the pump on and off. In the illustrated embodiment, inflatable device 500 is an inflatable air mattress, which can be provided in a variety of shapes and sizes, such as, for example, those common to everyday bedding, known generally as “twin,” “full,” “queen” and “king” sizes. However, the invention is not limited to mattresses and any suitable inflatable device may be used to support the portion of the fluid controller according to the present aspect of the invention.
According to the illustrated embodiment of the invention, mattress 500 comprises a fluid controller 510 coupled to an inflatable bladder 505, wherein the fluid controller 510 is at least partially supported by an element of the mattress structure. For example, referring to FIG. 5C, the mattress includes a perimeter structure 508 surrounding the at least one inflatable bladder, and the fluid controller is located within the perimeter structure, as shown. Optionally, fluid controller 510 may be integrated into the mattress structure within a foam or other mattress filling material, such that it is not a free-standing, separate component.
In the illustrated embodiment, a single electromechanical device 630 may be operated to bias actuator arm 635 to open one of valves 620 a and 620 b while the pump 650 is operated to fill a corresponding mattress 605 a, 605 b. As described above the arm may displace both the valve cover and the diaphragm or the may only displace the cover, such that air pressure from the pump displaces the diaphragm. Electromechanical device 630 typically operates in three positions: displaced to the left to open valve 620 a; displaced to the right to open valve 620 b; and in a neutral position, in which neither valve is open. In the illustrated embodiment, arm 635 has an arcurate shape and electromechanical device has a gear train that moves the in an accurate path (illustrated by dashed line 632) formed by the arm. However, arm 635 may be made of any suitable shape (e.g., straight) and moved in a appropriate manner to open valves 620 a, 620 b.
As illustrated in FIGS. 7A-7C, in some embodiments, a mattress 705 may be accompanied by additional features, for example, a heater 710 and/or an articulation apparatus 775. The heater may be any suitable heater. For example, in an air filled mattress, heater 710 may be located along the entire bottom of mattress 705. In some embodiments, the heater is disposed uniformly along the length or width of the mattress. The term “uniformly” means covering completely, or evenly spaced along a dimension of the mattress. Alternatively, due to heat transfer properties of air, a heater may be located in just a portion of the bottom of the mattress (e.g., corner of the mattress). FIG. 7C illustrates an embodiment of a mattress having a pump 750 and a heater 710 comprising an adhesive, resistive strip that runs along the length of the mattress. Electricity is applied to strip to generate heat. The resistive strip provides heat to a central portion of the mattress, and heat dispersive characteristics of air disperse the heat substantially uniformly in the mattress. Although a single strip is illustrated, a plurality of strips may be used, and the one or more strips may be aligned in any suitable direction along the mattress.
Referring again to FIG. 7A, articulation apparatus 775 may be any suitable structure capable of raising or lowering a portion of the mattress. In the illustrated embodiment, the articulation device comprises a motor 780 and mattress support 790. The motor may be any suitable motor capable of raising either one or both of a head region 705 a and a leg region 705 c of the mattress, relative to a torso region 705 b.
Mattress support 790 may be any suitable structure capable of manipulating a mattress, as powered by motor 780. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, mattress support 790 may be a substantially continuous structure capable of bending at selected locations 792 a, 792 b or having suitable joints (e.g., hinges) at the selected locations. The term “substantially continuous” means capable of keeping the mattress from falling in into a gap so as to form a non-supportive region of the mattress. For example, a substantially continuous structure may comprise a 1) series of bars or bands, each extending across the width W, the bands being suitable spaced to avoid non-supportive regions, or 2) a continuous flat slab, possibly having through holes for providing electricity to a fluid controller.
The first and second positions of a body to be supported on device 810 may be any of a number of positions, and the corresponding levels of inflation of bladder 812 and bladder 814 may be selected in order to provide the desired positions. For example, the first position may correspond to a fully prone position 800, and, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, the first level of inflation may comprise substantially complete inflation of bladder 812 and complete deflation of bladder 814. It should be appreciated that with regard to compressible fluids, such as gases, the term “complete inflation” is a relative term and refers to the maximum level of inflation typically used for a particular bladder. Higher levels of inflation of bladder 812 will typically be used to provide a prone position 800 when inflatable device 810 is constructed as a mattress, because higher levels of inflation will hold the body 816 relatively straight, not permitting portions of body 816 to sink into bladder 812, thus maintaining prone position 800.
While inflatable devices as described above may provide the advantage of multi-positionability, other features that are desirable in a body support may be lacking in an inflatable bladder. For example, the usually fluid impermeable nature of inflatable bladders may limit the ability of the body support to adequately allow for circulation of air and moisture to or from a person positioned on the bladder. Furthermore, the surface of an inflatable bladder may not provide a desired “feel” to a body support. Finally, where firmer inflatable devices are used, the surface area of contact between the inflatable device and a supported body may be reduced. Conventional comfort layers, such as quilted materials, may be too thin, and otherwise not designed to fully address these issues. Accordingly, in one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 8D, a comfort layer includes a conventional cushion 818. The conventional cushion may be at least 1 centimeter thick and may cover at least three quarters of one side of the bladder. In certain embodiments, the conventional cushion is at least 2 centimeters thick and covers substantially all of one side of the bladder. In still other embodiments, the conventional cushion is as much as 10 centimeters thick and covers substantially all of the bladder. It should be appreciated that these embodiments are intended by way of example only and may be intermingled, such as in the case of a 1 centimeter thick bladder covering substantially all of a bladder.
Conventional cushion 818 may be constructed in any manner and using any materials that allow cushion 818 to perform its desired support and comfort functions. For example, cushion 818 may be squared or rounded and may vary in overall thickness, as described above, or from location to location, such as in the case of “egg crate” foam. Cushion 818 may be constructed from conventional materials, such as down, synthetic or natural fibers, or foam. Cushion 818 may be constructed to remain in position relative to the blabber. For example, cushion 818 may be coupled to the bladder. Depending on the embodiment, cushion 818 may be glued, buttoned, hook and loop fastened, zipped, or the like, onto the bladder.
In one embodiment including a user support and base, user support 920 is releasably connected to base 924, such that user support 920 may be moved in order to provide access to storage compartment 922. For example, user support 920 may be hingedly connected to base 924. Where user support 920 is hingedly connected to base 924, the hinge may comprise any conventional hinge known in the art, including a typical metal hinge, or a piece of flexible material. Inflatable device 910 may include a lock 926 sized and adapted to hold user support 920 such that storage compartment 922 is accessible. For example, lock 926 may be sized and adapted to hold user support 920 in a raised position. Lock 926 may be any device capable of supporting user support 920 in the raised position. For example, lock 926 may be associated with a hinge positioned between user support 920 and base 924 or may be a device which props up user support 920, preventing it from closing, as illustrated in FIG. 9B. In some embodiment, including a storage compartment may be used in combination with an articulation device as described above with reference to FIGS. 7A-7B
According to another aspect of the invention, a configurable inflatable device may include one or more inflatable bladders in combination with a shape-defining membrane/covering layer. Referring to FIGS. 10A-C, there is illustrated one embodiment of an inflatable device that may be used as a bolster-type pillow. In this example, an inflatable bladder 1080 may be combined with a membrane/covering layer 1082. As shown in FIG. 10A, the membrane/covering layer 1082 may be a planar membrane that may be rectangular and may be wrapped around the inflatable bladder 1080 such that the overall structure may have a cylindrical tubular shape. However, it is to be appreciated that the bladder may not necessarily be cylindrical, and may be combined with the membrane/covering layer so as to form a structure having a shape that is not cylindrical, as will be discussed in more detail below. Furthermore, the membrane/covering layer 1082 need not be rectangular, but may have another shape conducive to an overall desired shape of the structure.
In one example, the bladder 1080 may be formed from a material that is flexible, and possibly somewhat elastic, while being substantially impermeable to fluids such as water or air. This flexibility of the bladder material, combined with the fact that the degree of inflation of the bladder (amount of fluid injected into the bladder) may be varied, may result in the bladder being highly malleable and configurable. Furthermore, the bladder may also be used in combination with the configurable, attachable membrane/covering layer 1082, which allows the shape of the inflatable structure to be further controlled. For example, the configurable, attachable membrane may restrict inflation of certain parts of the inflatable bladder, thereby altering the shape of the bladder when inflated. In some embodiments, folding or otherwise manipulating or controlling shape is used in addition to controlling the degree of inflation within the bladder so as to accommodate different support requirements. In such embodiments, folding may or may not be accompanied with the use of a membrane. In one example, the membrane/covering layer 1082 may be provided with fasteners 1084 that may be used to fasten the membrane around the inflatable bladder 1080, as illustrated. The fasteners may be hook and loop fasteners, such as, for example, Velcro® hook and loop fasteners, or larger hook and loop fasteners as illustrated, or may be another type of fastener, for example, buttons, snaps, adjustable straps, or the button latch fastener discussed above. In one example, illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10C, the membrane/covering layer 1082 may be provided with a plurality of holes 1086 and a row of hook fasteners 1084, such that a diameter of the structure may be controlled by hooking the fasteners 1084 into an appropriate row of holes 1086. Alternatively, in some embodiments, two or more fasteners 1084 may be connected to the inflatable bladder 1080 thus allowing a portion of the bladder to attach to another portion of the bladder, thus controlling a shape of the bladder, with or without attachment of the membrane/covering layer, as illustrated in FIG. 10B. In some embodiment, inflatable bladder 1080 may be provided with a rigid or flexible rib, in addition to or instead of other members used for configurability, to add configurability or otherwise constrain the volume of the bladder. The rib may be internal or external to the bladder. Such ribs may be used with any of inflatable bladders as discussed herein.
Referring to FIGS. 11A-D, there is illustrated examples of another embodiment of a configurable inflatable device comprising an inflatable bladder 1130 in combination with a partial outer membrane 1132. This type of inflatable device may be referred to as a pillow, although it may serve other functions and may be used in other applications, not only as a pillow. The inflatable bladder 1130 comprises a valve 1134 for inflation and deflation. The partial outer membrane 1132 may be provided in the form of an attachable collar and the shape of the pillow, or cushion, may be controlled by variations in how the collar and the inflatable bladder 1130 are attached, and the level of inflation. The pillow structure may provide a variety of comfort shape options, for example, a circle as shown in FIG. 11A, a “U” as shown in FIG. 11B, a crescent as illustrated in FIG. 11C, or a substantially straight tube as illustrated in FIG. 11D. In one example, the partial outer membrane 1132 may be a quilted or padded comfort layer, and/or may be include a comfort-enhancing fabric.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to the ability of an inflatable device to perform different functions based upon differing levels of inflation. Such an inflatable device may provide different positions to a portion of a body, or may make the device useful with differing portions of the body. For example, the inflatable device may be any suitable device as describe above with reference to FIG. 10A-15. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 16-17, an inflatable device 1610 configured as a pillow may serve as a neck support at a first level of inflation and a first configuration of a configuring member (e.g., covering layer 1082, outer membrane 1132, fasteners 1136). A pillow for use as a lumbar support is typically smaller than a pillow for use a neck support. Accordingly, a pillow at a level of inflation for use as a neck support may be partially deflated by releasing fluid to bring it to a level of inflation suitable for use as a lumbar support. Similarly, a pillow at a level of inflation for use as a lumbar support may be further inflated by adding fluid to bring it to a level of inflation suitable for use as a neck support.
a compartment located within a profile of the inflatable mattress, the compartment housing a plurality of valves each including a diaphragm and each valve fluidly coupled to an associated one of the plurality of inflatable bladders, respectively, wherein each of the plurality of valves is configured to control a flow of fluid into and out of a respective bladder with which it is associated;
an electrically operated valve actuator located in the compartment and configured to open each of the plurality of valves, respectively; and
a fluid moving device fluidly coupled to each of the plurality of inflatable bladders via an associated one of the plurality of valves and configured to provide fluid to each of the plurality of inflatable bladders.
2. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, further comprising a hose configured to fluidly couple the fluid moving device to the compartment, wherein the fluid moving device is remotely located from the compartment.
3. The inflatable mattress of claim 2, wherein the fluid moving device is enclosed in sound insulating material.
4. The inflatable mattress of claim 2, wherein the fluid moving device is located beneath the inflatable mattress.
5. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of valve covers each associated with one of the plurality of valves, respectively.
6. The inflatable mattress of claim 5, wherein the electrically operated valve actuator is configured to open each of the plurality of valve covers.
7. The inflatable mattress of claim 6, wherein the fluid moving device is configured to pressurize the compartment with fluid, and wherein each of the plurality of valves is configured to open with the compartment pressurized when a valve cover associated with the valve is opened.
8. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, further comprising a control panel coupled to at least one of the electrically operated valve actuator and the fluid moving device, the control panel configured to allow a user to control inflation and deflation of the plurality of inflatable bladders.
9. The inflatable mattress of claim 7, wherein the inflatable mattress is configured to be used with a bed frame that includes the control panel.
10. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein the compartment includes a barrier configured to fluidly isolate an interior of the compartment from ambient.
11. The inflatable mattress of claim 10, wherein the barrier is configured to couple to the fluid moving device.
12. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein the compartment is formed by a barrier in combination with a bladder wall of at least one of the plurality of inflatable bladders.
13. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein the electrically operated valve actuator is configured to displace each diaphragm to open each of the plurality of valves.
14. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the electrically-operated valve actuator moves in an arcuate-shaped path.
15. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein the electrically operated valve actuator includes at least one of a solenoid and a motor.
16. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein the electrically operated valve actuator is configured to open each of the plurality of valves to allow independent control of the fluid pressure in the plurality of inflatable bladders, respectively.
17. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of valves includes an actuator arm, respectively, configured to bias open an associated one of the plurality of valves.
18. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein the fluid moving device is configured to pressurize the compartment with fluid, and wherein each of the plurality of valves remains closed with the compartment pressurized until opened by the electrically operated valve actuator.
19. The inflatable mattress of claim 18, wherein, when open, each of the plurality of valves is configured to release fluid from the associated one of the plurality of inflatable bladders, respectively, provided that the fluid moving device is not providing a positive pressure to the compartment.
20. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein the electrically operated valve actuator is adapted to selectively open the plurality of valves in coordination with the pump.
21. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of valves is a self sealing valve.
22. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein the plurality of inflatable bladders include a first bladder and a second bladder, wherein the first bladder is filled with fluid when the electrically operated valve actuator is in a first actuated position with pressurized fluid provided to the compartment, and wherein the second bladder is filled with fluid when the electrically operated valve actuator is in a second actuated position with pressurized fluid provided to the compartment.
23. The inflatable mattress of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of valves is supported by the associated one of the plurality of inflatable bladders, respectively.
US12349301 2000-05-17 2009-01-06 Inflatable device forming mattresses and cushions Active 2023-12-29 US8225444B2 (en)
US30427401 true 2001-07-10 2001-07-10
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US13556651 Continuation US8826478B2 (en) 2000-05-17 2012-07-24 Inflatable device forming mattresses and cushions
US20090300846A1 true US20090300846A1 (en) 2009-12-10
US8225444B2 true US8225444B2 (en) 2012-07-24
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US12349301 Active 2023-12-29 US8225444B2 (en) 2000-05-17 2009-01-06 Inflatable device forming mattresses and cushions
US13556651 Active US8826478B2 (en) 2000-05-17 2012-07-24 Inflatable device forming mattresses and cushions
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