Abstract: This invention relates to a mattress (1) with one or more closed chambers (23) which are filled with a fluid and connected to means (20, 27) for supplying or removing fluid to or from a chamber (23) each chamber having a device (5,6,24,25) for measuring the distance between the top face and the bottom face of the chamber. The value of the measure distance can be compared with a desired or preset value can be displayed and can be used for manual or automatic control of the contents of each chamber.

Abstract: A body from resilient foam material is furnished, such as a buffer, a seat cushion or a mattress formed from foam rubber or synthetic foam material, which has been provided with a plurality of slits (3), with which spring elements (3) are enclosed in a tight fitting arrangement, which in loaded condition are in contact with the two walls of the slit and cannot shift with respect to the slit walls. The spring elements in unloaded condition are substantially free of tension and have a spring characteristic equal to or hardly different from the characteristic of the foam material. The normal decrease in rigidity of the resilient foam bodies of this type has been completely obviated such that cheaper foam materials can be used, in particular those which therewith also have a greater softness.

Abstract: Lockable piston-cylinder assembly to be mounted between two parts being movable relative to each other such as a frame and top or foot end of a bed structure. The two chambers resulting from the division of the cylinder in a piston are interconnected by a hollow piston rod provided with openings. At least one of these openings can be closed by valve member arranged in said piston rod and so fluid communication between these chambers is controlled. Valve member is actuatable from one end of the piston rod outside cylinder. For obviating undesired pressure build up in space or for controlling the pressure in this space a connection is provided to the exterior of cylinder.

Abstract: Body support consisting of a number of tubular or sheath-shaped air chambers extending one next to the other in the transverse direction of the support and connected to one another, whereby the upper surface of each air chamber is provided with one or more strips of adapted width and/or flexibility, this strip or strips extending in the transverse direction of the body support, and therefore in the longitudinal direction of each air chamber, or being composed of parts, which strips when the support is under load, effect an adaptation to the different volume-to-weight ratios of the various parts of the human body.

Abstract: A body support comprising one or more flexible containers and a plurality of load transmitting elements which have contact surfaces the area of which at a number of elements differs from the area of other elements to obtain an adaptation to the differing ratio of volume to weight of the parts of the human body, and a container which can be used in the body support which container has two outer layers of nonpermeable material and two inner layers all layers, being interconnected by cross seams to form chambers interconnected at the edges.