US2461062A - Sanitary mattress - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 8, 1949. c. BpKANE SANITARY MATTRESS Filed. Oct. 21,- 1946 R.E mm wi ma. C

A TTURNEY Patented Feb. 8, 1949 AUNITED STATES rmi-:NTfforifica-f-f .sANiTAnY Mn'rrnnss I Catherine B. Kane, Greenwich, Conn.y

Application october 21 This invention relates to sanitary mattresses, and aims to provide a sturdy and-durable, readily reversible, sanitary and air conditioned or ventilated mattress, adapted for use inhospitals as well as in homes, hotels, etc. Y v

The above and other objects will become apparent in `the description below, wherein likenamed parts refer to the: accompanying drawings, -It is to be understoodthat it is neither intended nor desired to limit the invention necessarily to thespecic details shown or described, exceptingV insofar as lthey are essential to the spirit and scope of the invention,

Referring briey to thedrawinga Fig. 1 is a plan view, with parts broken'awayand partly in section, .of the improved mattress.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the mattress, partly in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the Inattress, with parts broken away and partly in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail tothe drawings, the numerals IIl and II indicate a pair of equidimensional flat sheets of strong yet resilient material, s uch as, for instance, steel or exible plastic material, laid one upon the other and provided along their peripheral edges with bent back tongues I2 v and I3, respectively. These tongues are bent back at an angle of 90 degrees and extend in mutually opposite directions, as shown. A plurality of spaced vertically aligned openings I 4 are provided through both sheets IIJ and II,

Mounted upon the upper sheet Ill, is a single moulded rubber member I5 having formed therein a plurality of spaced vertical walls, circular in cross-section, arranged in honeycomb fashion,

'j with the walls in tangential contact with each g other, as shown in Fig. 3. It is apparent that the transverse rowsV of walls I6 are staggered with relation to their neighboring rows, thus providing alternate rows I1 and I8 which include not only the Walls I6 thereof but also, between the said walls, unoccupied spaced or chambers I9 and 20, respectively. The chambers 2U occurring in al- ,leiofseriarnm 704,709 11 claim.` (ois-35's) 1 A:second identical4 member 23,like that shownl at I5, having the same cylindrical walls I5 "and all thesother features ofv the `memberf I5,""is

mounted under the sheet II, with allor the walls I6 and the other parts thereof in vertical alignment with those of the member I5.

Theentire structure'thus far described, thatis, the'v interior of the mattress, ,is covered witha vrubber cover 24 having the top wall 25',bottom wall 26, end walls `21and 28, and side walls 29 and 30, flttingsnugly around the rsaid interior 'structurel This cover may be sealed, by vulcan-H izing vor a'ny other means, not shown, Yas soonas it hasbeen applied, ory it might beprovided with one of the end or side Walls leftin Athe mannerv of a flapzso that it may be removed from the mattress Yand'of course in that 'case provided-with some form of closure, not shown, such as buttons, a zipper, or the like.

Semi-cylindrical channels 3l and 32 are cut into the mutually opposed or contacting surfaces ternate transverse rows are lled in with the rub"v of the sheets I0 and l I', respectively, communicating between the openings I4 of the sheets, so that when the sheets are juxtaposed as shown, these channels form the complementary halves of cylindrical ports 33 giving communication between all of the openings I4 and hence all the vertical openings 2 I., The end and side walls of the cover 24 are provided with openings therethrough,

shown at 34, in alignment with the peripheral ends of the ports 33. Likewise, openings 35 are provided in the top and bottom walls of the cover 24 in alignment with ther ends of the vertical openings 2I.

The preferable form of mounting the cover 24 would probably be to secure it in sealed condition, as previously mentioned, and also to secure it Y around the openings 35 to the rubber in the chamy f bers 20 surrounding the openings 2I, also by vulcanizing, gluing, or any other means, not shown, in order to prevent slipping of the cover openings 35 out of alignment-with the vertical openings 2 I.

The same may also be done around the endand A side wall openings 34 for the same reason.

A mattress such as describedabove could be used to good advantage in hospitals or for ill persons generally, particularly thebedridden, as well as in the homes for general use. .If an excretionv is passed `from the bladderV onto the mattress, it will pass down through the vopenings 2| through the bottom of the mattress, where it might be caught by a pan, not shown. Owing to the sealing between the walls of these openings and the rest of the mattress, none of the ex cretion would penetrate into the interior structure, and the walls of these openingsv could readily by rinsed or ilushed to clean them. Circulation of air through the channels 33 into the openings 2l provides for constant ventilation of the openings 2|, and the movements of a person in the bed would, as is obvious, disturb the air in the channels 33 and the openings 2l to enhance the ventilation and prevent the trapped air from becoming stagnant. f

The resiliency of thelsheets `or plates.' IBA and li obviously adds' to the springiness or softness of the mattress, yet it gives a degree of normal rigidity which is desirable, and it of course pro-v vides positive reinforcement to prevent. ang-sub-V a.;plurality of mutually aligned vertical open-V ings therethrough, apairgof-rnembers of waterproof .material -mounted one on the upperV of said sheets and. the other against the low-er of said sheets, Vsaid' membershaving a plurality of spaced: cylindrical walls formed therein, said ,cy-

lmdrcalrwallsrof one of said membersbeing--in verticalalignment withV said ,Walls-:oi the other memben coiled springs` mounted Withiursaid cyis identical in Ylindrical Walls, aligned vertical openings through said members in alignment with said aligned openings through said sheets, and a cover of Waterproof material enclosing said mattress, said cover having openings therethrough in alignment with said aligned vertical openings, the mutually juxtaposed surfaces of said sheets having complementary semi-cylindrical channels thereinrextending between the opposed periph- `10 eral ledges of'rsaid sheetsfand intersecting said aligned' sheet openings" thereby providing cylindrical passages communicating between said aligned sheet openings and the peripheral edges of .said sheets, said cover having openings in l5 the side and end Walls thereof in alignment with the outer extremities of said passages at the peripheral' edges of said sheets, said cover having openings through the top and bottom walls thereof in alignment Withsad aligned vertical open- 2e ings of said members.

, CATHERINE'B. KANE. REFERENCES CLTED The following references are of record inthe nle of this patent:

UNITED STATES-PATENTS Y Date Number

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