Abstract: A safety liner and cover assembly for a water mattress disposed inside an external frame. The assembly includes a base composed of a sheet of flat vinyl material and a side wall extending circumferentially around the base to define a recess for receiving a water mattress. The side wall includes a layer of vinyl material sealed to the base such that the base and side wall form a watertight safety liner. The side wall also includes either a plurality of semi-rigid panels or a layer of fabric secured to the vinyl layer. The fabric layer is disposed exteriorly of the vinyl layer such that the fabric layer forms the external layer of the side wall. A top fabric panel is disposed above the recess and has a length and width comparable to the length and width of the base. A slide fastener is provided for removably securing the top fabric panel to the side wall around the perimeter of the side wall to enclose the recess defined by the side wall and the base.

Abstract: A waterbed mattress has a watertight envelope having a top, a bottom and sides. The envelope defines a cavity for water. First and second valves are disposed in the envelope to selectively allow fluid communication between the cavity and the exterior of the envelope. The second valve is spaced from the first valve. Pump structure is operatively connected to the first and second valves for selectively evacuating water from the cavity. The pump structure includes a venturi member which operates inside the envelope to evacuate water from the envelope.

Abstract: A waterbed mattress includes a watertight envelope having a top, a bottom, and sides, which envelope defines a cavity for water. Anti-wave material such as fiber or foam, or anti-wave structure such as hydraulic inserts, is disposed inside the watertight envelope. The anti-wave material or structure is secured to the top of the watertight envelope by a plurality of seals and is in fluid communication with the water cavity. The plurality of seals form a pattern which is visible from the exterior of the waterbed mattress. This gives the appearance of a quilted top to the mattress when fiber or foam is secured to the top of the envelope by the seals. In some embodiments, a lumbar support is included.

Abstract: A softside waterbed foundation includes a pneumatically inflatable base and a compressible collar extending around the periphery of the base. The collar extends upwardly from the base to define a cavity for a water mattress. The base includes anti-bowing structure for preventing the base from bowing upwardly in the center during and after inflation. Alternatively, the base is composed of compressible, resilient foam, as is the collar. In the alternative construction, there is a closed vinyl shell enclosing the collar and the base. The shell has a closable port therethrough so that air in the closed vinyl shell may be evacuated through the port to reduce the volume of the collar and base for shipping. Because of its unique construction, the foundation and a water mattress may be shipped in a box having a girth plus length of no greater than 130".

Abstract: A waterbed mattress includes a vinyl watertight water bladder covered by an inflatable air cushion. In one embodiment, the top of the bladder forms the bottom surface of the air cushion, although the bottom surface of the air cushion may also be a separate sheet of vinyl. In either event, the air cushion is composed of two layers of vinyl, sealed around the edges. These layers are also sealed together at a number of locations inside the periphery of the air cushion and the air cushion is partially inflated to give the top of the mattress a soft, pillowy appearance. The air cushion layers are optionally sealed together to form separate zones which may be inflated varying amounts. Although it is preferred that the zones be inflated with air, some of the zones can be filled with water instead. The seals in the air cushion define numerous paths for air to flow under the user. When inflated a sufficient amount, the air cushion provides an insulating layer between the bladder of the waterbed mattress and the user.

Abstract: A waterbed mattress corners are reinforced by a multi-layered angle made of a plastic material which is permanently fixed to the mattress. the angle has a first leg and a second leg extending from the bottom of the mattress to the top thereof. The first and second legs are disposed generally at ninety degrees with respect to each other. The angle is constructed by securing together a plurality of similarly shaped layers of a plastic material to form the angle. To reinforce a corner of the waterbed mattress the angle is placed over the corner so that one leg of the angle extends along one side of the corner and the other leg extends along the other side of the corner. One leg of the angle is secured to its corresponding side of the corner and the other leg is secured to the other side of the corner.

Abstract: A waterbed mattress includes a vinyl watertight water bladder covered by an inflatable air cushion. The air cushion is composed of two layers of vinyl, sealed around the edges. The mattress further includes an inflable air bladder, between the air cushion and the vinyl bladder, to provide additional support in predetermined areas, such as the lumbar area.

Abstract: A wave dampening batt for use inside a waterbed mattress is made by intimately mixing a multiplicity of short, non-woven fibers of a first type and a multiplicity of short, non-woven thermal bonding fibers. Raising the temperature of the mixture of fibers above the melting point of the thermal bonding fibers yet below the melting point of the fibers of the first type and then lowering the temperature below that melting point causes the thermal bonding fibers to join the fibers of the first type together throughout the wave dampening batt. A waterbed mattress having a batt made in accordance with this method is also disclosed. The fibers of the first type may be solid or hollow with closed ends, the hollow fibers with closed ends providing buoyancy for the batt. The fibers of the first type may also be lobed or unlobed, the lobed fibers having improved resiliency so that the batt recovers more of its thickiness after compression than a batt made of unlobed fibers of comparable size and denier.

Abstract: An improved corner for a waterbed mattress includes a first layer of vinyl forming the corner with a seam disposed generally linearly along the corner. The seam is formed of two portions of the vinyl heat welded together along the seam. A second layer or patch of vinyl is welded to the first layer by a weld which encircles and is spaced from the seam in the first layer.

Abstract: A wave-retarding waterbed mattress comprising an envelope of supple sheet material for containing a liquid hterein and a free floating wave motion retarding baffle within the hollow interior of the envelope. The baffle comprises a plurality of bouyant sheets and a generally horizontally extending layer of material. The layer is positioned on the bouyant sheets with portions of the layer downwardly depending between the buoyant sheets when the mattress is filled with liquid.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel for use in a smoking product and consisting of a fibrous flexible self coherent carbonaceous material the fibers of which preferably have certain dimensions and are agglomerated into clusters of certain dimensions. Volatile constituents to give smoking satisfaction are added to the fuel and are distilled or sublimed into a smoke stream upon burning of the fuel.

Abstract: A tobacco substitute which consists essentially of a complete fuel and at least one volatile substance impregnating said fuel, said volatile substance being capable of distilling or subliming without chemical change, and said fuel consisting essentially of combustible, flexible and self coherent fibrers made of a carbonaceous material containing at least 80 percent carbon by weight, which material is the product of the controlled pyrolysis of a cellulose based fibre containing only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and which has suffered a weight loss of at least 60 percent during the pyrolysis, the fibres produced in the pyrolysis having a cross-sectional dimension between 5 and 50 microns, and a length between 1 mm and 5 cm, and being agglomerated into a plurality of strands, which strands have a cross-sectional dimension between 0.1 mm and 5mm and a length of between 5 mm and 5 cm.