Improvements in Pneumatic Beds.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1897-Accepted, 2nd Oct., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Beds.
I, YSOBEL WESTERN of Hamilton, Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada,
No Occupation, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to provide an air bed with thorough ventilation
and stayed vertically at suitable points, and which may be easily folded and packed
in a trunk.
The invention consists primarily in providing a mattress with air tight top.
bottom and sides made of suitable air tight fabric and connecting said top and
hottom with rubber tubes placed vertically to provide ventilation throughout the
whole of the mattress, to sustain the top equally over its entire surface and to
distribute the load uniformly thereon.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the mattress of
the invention with the canvas cover slip partly withdrawn and with some of the
bed laths for supporting the same. Fig. 2 a plan view with the cover slip removed
and one corner broken away to shew the inner construction. Fig. 3 a section on
line X-X of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 a sectional perspective detail of one of the rubber
ventilating stay tubes secured by screw nipples.
The body of the mattress is of rectangular shape, its top a and bottom a¹
being secured together by sides a³, a³, and is made of thin sheet rubber cemented
at its adjacent edges to provide an air tight compartment, the rubber sheeting
being preferably lined with a suitable fabric B which will serve both to reinforce
it and also prevent it from sticking together when closely folded or packed with
the surfaces in contact with each other.
The top a and bottom a of the mattress is perforated respectively at c, c, in
longitudinal and transverse rows, the perforations being placed intermediately
with each other and one directly over the other to receive the ends of rubber
tubes D which extend from the bottom to the top sheet of the mattress and are
secured thereto in the simplest and least expensive manner by slitting the ends d
of the rubber tubes turning them over upon the outside of the top and bottom
sheets of the mattress and securely cementing them to the sheets by means of
rubber ring dises d¹ which cover both the lapped ends of the tubes D and also
the adjacent and surrounding material of the top and bottom sheets. The mattress
is thus made air tight and is provided with ventilating and stay tubes which
connect the top and bottom sheets of the mattress.
The ends of the tubes D may be removably connected with the top and bottom
sheets of the mattress by screw nipples secured to the ends of the tubes D in
a suitable manner and a nut adapted to fit thereon and clamp the margin of
the perforations in the top and bottom pieces of the mattress.
The mattress is inflated through a short tube having a check valve & therein,
and when under sufficient pressure the short stay tubes will materially aid in
holding up the top of the mattress under any weight disposed either equally or
otherwise over the surface thereof, the tubes serving materially to distribute the

page_text: load and prevent the mattress from being balled or compressed and inflated
unequally.
When the short tubes are removed the mattress may be folded or rolled com-
pactly for storage or for carrying with a strap or satchel in a small space. It
is preferable to support the mattress upon stays E which latter may be made of
ticking or of other suitable fabric or of leather.
The mattress is light and may be easily carried with personal baggage thus to
provide at all times a clean and comfortable bed upon which to sleep, and one
which will not absorb dirt or impurities of any kind. The rubber may be easily
cleaned and the mattress will be germ proof and need not be destroyed even when
used in hospitals by persons having contagious diseases.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A pneumatic mattress consisting of a rectangular body made of sheeting,
the top and bottom sheets thereof connected by tubular rubber stays, substantially
as described and shewn.
2. A pneumatic mattress consisting of a rectangular body made of sheets joined
at their edges, the top and bottom sheets having oppositely disposed perforations
therein and short rubber tubes fitted with nipples and screw caps upon the ends
thereof, for securement to the top and bottom sheets of the mattress, substantially
as described and shewn.
THOMAS R. SHILLITO,
89 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.