Improvements in Air Beds, Air Cushions and Pads, and other Air Inflated Articles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 17th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Air Beds, Air Cushions and Pads, and other Air
Inflated Articles.
We, EDMUND. JOSEPH BYRNE, of The Byrne Bros. India Rubber Co., Manor Rubber
Mills, Aston Cross Birmingham in the County of Warwick, India Rubber and Gutta
Percha Manufacturers and GEORGE BOARDMAN of No. 20 Prestbury Road Aston, near
Birmingham aforesaid Commercial Clerk do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in air beds, air
cushions and pads and other air inflated articles, such for example as, air inflated soles
and heels for boots and shoes and air inflated seats for upholstered furniture and for cycle.
saddles and the like, whereby the said beds cushions, pads and the like provide a more
agreeable or comfortable support than air inflated articles of the ordinary construction;.
that is in air beds, air cushions and pads and the like constructed according to our
invention there is an absence of that uniform surface pressure which constitutes the
objection to air beds, cushions and the like of the ordinary construction. Further,.
our invention permits of the ventilation of the said beds, cushions, pads and the like.
Air beds, air cushions and pads and the like constructed according to our invention
have the appearance of buttoned upholstery.
We will describe our invention in connection with the making of an air inflated sole
and heel for boots and shoes.
We take two pieces of uncured sheet india rubber mixture of the size and figure in
plan of the air inflated sole and heel to be made and we take a material such for
example as paper, to which india rubber when in contact therewith will not attach
itself in the vulcanizing or curing process.
We cut a piece of the paper or other material of a shape similar to that of the two.
pieces of uncured sheet india rubber mixture but of a size somewhat less than the
said pieces of uncured sheet india rubber mixture and we perforate the said piece of
paper with a series of holes. The two pieces of uncured sheet india rubber mixture
are laid symmetrically one upon the other with the perforated paper between them and
are pressed together. The two pieces of uncured sheet india rubber unite at their
edges and at the perforations in the paper and in the curing process the india rubber
mixture at the said attached parts becomes homogeneous and inseparable so that when
the sole and beel is inflated the surfaces of vulcanized india rubber situated above and
below the unperforated parts of the paper alone become distended the said inflated'
article having an upper and under surface resembling that of buttoned upholstery.
We wish it to be understood that one or other or both of the pieces of uncured sheet
india rubber mixture may have an insertion of canvas and also a fancy cloth or fabric
on the outer side.
In order to ventilate air beds air cushions and other air inflated articles made
according to our invention we perforate them at the solid or attached parts the said
perforations or holes where thought necessary or desirable being strengthened by
metallic eyelets.
Air inflated articles made according to our invention when punctured may be
repaired in the ordinary way.
The application of our invention to the making of air beds air cushions air pads and
air inflated seats for upholstered furniture and other air inflated articles differs in no

page_text: essential respect from its application to the making of an air inflated sole and heel as
hereinbefore described.
Dated this Ninth day of Til 1806
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Air Beds, Air Cushions and Pads, and other Air
Inflated Articles.
We, EDMUND JOSEPH BYRNE, of The Byrne Bros. India Rubber Co., Manor Rubber
Mills, Aston Cross, Birmingham in the County of Warwick, India Rubber and Gutta
Percha Manufacturers, and GEORGE BOARDMAN, of No. 20, Prestbury Road, Aston,
near Birmingham, aforesaid, Commercial Clerk, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in air beds, air
cushions and pads and other air inflated articles, such for example as air inflated soles
and heels for boots and shoes and air inflated seats for upholstered furniture and for
cycle saddles and the like, whereby the said beds, cushions, pads and the like provide a
more agreeable or comfortable support than air inflated articles of the ordinary
construction; that is, in air beds, air cushions and pads and the like constructed
according to our invention there is an absence of that uniform surface pressure which
constitutes the objection to air beds, cushions and the like of the ordinary
construction. Further, our invention permits of the ventilation of the said beds,
cushions, pads and the like.
Air beds, air cushions and pads and the like constructed according to our invention
have the appearance of buttoned upholstery.
We will describe our invention in connection with the making of an air inflated
cushion.
We take two pieces of uncured sheet india rubber mixture of the size and figure
in plan of the air inflated cushion to be made and we take a material such for example
as paper, to which india rubber when in contact therewith will not permanently
attach itself in the vulcanizing or curing process.
We cut a piece of paper or other material of a shape similar to that of the two
pieces of uncured sheet india rubber mixture but of a size somewhat less than the said
pieces of uncured sheet india rubber mixture and we perforate the said piece of paper
with a series of holes. The two pieces of uncured sheet india rubber mixture are
laid symmetrically one upon the other with the perforated paper between them and are
pressed together. The two pieces of uncured sheet india rubber unite at their edges
and at the perforations in the paper and in the curing process the india rubber
mixture at the said attached parts becomes homogeneous and inseparable so that when
the cushion is inflated the surfaces of vulcanized india rubber situated above and
below the unperforated parts of the paper alone become distended the said inflated
article having an upper and under surface resembling that of buttoned upholstery.
In order to ventilate air beds, air cushions and other air inflated articles made
according to our invention we perforate them at the solid or attached parts the
said perforations or holes where thought necessary or desirable being strengthened
by metallic eyelets.
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing represent in plan and edge view an
air inflated cushion made according to our invention and Figure 3 represents a
section of the same; Figure 4 represents a section of a portion of the cushion taken
through the inflating tube of the said cushion.

page_text: Figure 5 represents the perforated paper blank which is employed in the
manufacture of a cushion of the kind represented in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
The said cushion is made of two layers of uncured india rubber mixture of the
shape of the cushion to be made and a thin sheet or disc of perforated paper d of
somewhat smaller size than the layers of uncured india rubber. The layers of uncured
india rubber are placed symmetrically on opposite sides of the sheet or disc of paper d
and the whole are pressed together. By the pressing operation the two layers of
uncured india rubber are brought into contact at their edges and at the perforations
in the paper and adhesion of the india rubber at the said parts consequently takes
place. The inflating tube a having been made and attached the cushion is submitted
to the ordinary vulcanizing or curing process by which process the parts of the india
rubber in contact become permanently connected together or homogeneous.
In place of paper, any other material which will not attach itself permanently to.
india rubber in the vulcanizing process such for example as cloth may be employed.
On inflation the surfaces of the cushion have the appearance of buttoned upholstery
and there is in the use of the said cushions an absence of that uniformn surface pressure
which makes air inflated cushions and other air inflated articles of the ordinary kind
objectionable. The attached parts of the rubber within the margin of the cushion are.
preferably perforated with holes b, b, b to permit of a circulation of air from the under
to the upper side of the cushion. The holes may be strengthened by metallic-
eyelets c, c, c (see Figure 3).
Instead of using a perforated disc or sheet of paper or material between the two
layers of india rubber mixture so as to cause the said layers on the vulcanizing..
process to be permanently attached at their edges and at the perforations, an
unperforated disc or sheet of paper or material may be used. In this case the layers
of india rubber mixture are permanently attached by the vulcanizing process only at.
their edges instead of at their edges and at the perforations in the paper or material,
and the cushion is without the attached parts within its margin shown in the drawing;.
that is, the cushion so made resembles an ordinary plain cushion.
We wish it to be understood that one or other or both of the pieces of uncured
sheet india rubber mixture may have an insertion of canvas and also a fancy cloth or
fabric on the outer side.
Air inflated articles made according to our invention when punctured may be.
repaired in the ordinary way.
The application of our invention to the making of air beds, air pads and air inflated
seats for upholstered furniture and other air inflated articles, such as air inflated soles
and heels for boots and shoes, differs in no essential respect from its application to the-
making of an air inflated cushion as herein before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim.
as our invention:-
•
The improvements in air beds, air cushions and pads and other air inflated articles
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the said improve--
ments consisting in making the said inflated articles of two layers of uncured india
rubber mixture and placing between the said layers a perforated or unperforated sheet
of paper or other material to which india rubber will not attach itself permanently in
the vulcanizing or curing process, pressing the layers of india rubber and paper
together and submitting them to the vulcanizing or curing process substantially as
and for the purpose described.
Dated the Thirteenth day of March 1897.
EDMUND JOSEPH BYRNE..
GEORGE BOARDMAN.