Pressure equalizing mesh
A pressure equalizing mesh has a plurality of connectors each resiliently connected to at least one other connector, or a plurality of displaceable cells and a plurality of resilient cell connectors, each of the cells being attached to at least one other cell by at least one of the cell connectors. The mesh distributes an applied force over an area of the mesh that increases as the applied force increases.
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING,” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISCNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pressure equalizing and pressure distributing mesh that may be used in chairs, beds, shoes and other manufactured goods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Occupational safety is an issue of growing concern. With modern workers working longer hours than ever before, increased emphasis has been placed on maintaining a safe and healthy working environment. It is becoming increasingly clear that long periods of time spent in uncomfortable office chairs can have a profound impact on the health and well-being of employees.
Furniture related health risks exist beyond the office. Time spent on uncomfortable and improperly supportive home and public furniture can also impact the health and wellbeing of people. Examples of furniture related health risks include circulatory ailments, poor posture, pain in the back, shoulders, head, neck, and legs. With ailments such as back pain affecting large numbers of employees, more comfortable furniture, such as a more comfortable office chair, can have a substantial impact on both the quality of life and the productivity of employees.
One important aspect of comfortable furniture is its ability to adequately distribute weight. Adequate distribution of weight may decrease muscle fatigue and reduce instances of injury and furniture related health risks.
Proper distribution of weight is important to reduce not only instances of workplace injury, but also the frequency and severity of pressure sores suffered by patients such as paraplegics who may be wheelchair bound.
Many techniques exist for the distribution of weight. One approach is the seat and back cushion. Seat cushions filled with compressible material, for example foam and/or springs, may serve to distribute weight. But seat and back cushions have multiple disadvantages. For example, cushions may be prone to puncture or otherwise nondurable. Additionally, when used for public seating as in public transit, seat and back cushions are susceptible to vandalism and present health risks including the communication of lice and/or bedbugs and the spread of mold. Cushioned seats may be poorly suited for outside use and may be costly to manufacture, especially where springs are used. Such disadvantages may be particularly acute where the cushion is made of an absorptive material such as a foam material. Seat and back cushions may also trap excess body heat between the cushions and a person's body. This problem may be particularly acute where the cushion is made of a thermal insulator such as a foam material or where the seat and back cushion does not allow for adequate ventilation of air. Additionally, many seat and back cushions have a tendency to degrade under ultra-violet light and sunlight.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with some embodiments of the invention, a pressure equalizing and pressure distributing mesh has a plurality of displaceable cells and a plurality of resilient connectors engaging the displaceable surfaces and which may be bendable and/or stretchable under pressure applied to the displaceable surfaces. Each of the surfaces is connected to at least one other surface by at least one of the connectors. In one embodiment the displaceable surfaces may constitute individual but interconnected buttons, seats or cushions. For another embodiment of the invention, the plurality of connectors are resiliently connected to one another and the displaceable surfaces of the mesh may be formed as part of the connectors themselves. The mesh distributes an applied force over an area of the mesh that increases as the applied force increases.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGSA better appreciation of the present invention and its attendant advantages will be readily obtained by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In describing the preferred embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for clarity. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to that terminology, and it is to be understood that each specified element includes all technical equivalents.
The present invention includes a pressure equalizing and pressure distributing mesh that can be used in the manufacture of goods such as chairs, wheelchairs, couches, benches, beds, and shoe soles to provide a comfortable and safe support surface that is inexpensive to manufacture, durable, sanitary, resistant to vandalism, and allows for the free circulation of air (air permeable).
The chair seat 11 may include a chair seat frame 13 and a chair seat surface 12 that may be formed from a mesh according to embodiments of the present invention. The chair seat 11, including the frame 13 and the surface 12, may be made of a synthetic material, for example plastic, and may be fabricated as a unit by plastic injection molding or a comparable fabrication technique. Alternatively, the frame 13 and the surface 12 may be formed separately and subsequently attached.
The mesh, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises a set of buttons, cells, or pressure receiving seats or cushions resiliently attached to one another by connectors. The cell connectors stretch, bend or straighten out when under pressure but return substantially to their original form when pressure is removed. The cells and cell connectors may be fabricated as a unit or may be formed separately and subsequently connected. The cells may be formed in a wide variety of shapes: for example, each cell may be a cylinder (disk), a parallelepiped, or a prism. Each cell may be connected to one or more adjacent cells by one or more cell connectors in two dimensions, thereby forming a planar matrix. Alternatively, the resilient connectors may connect directly to one another without the presence of cells.
The mesh composition of embodiments of the present invention allows for the circulation and free-flow of air through the mesh. This promotes a more comfortable feel by allowing for the evaporation of perspiration of a person making use of the pressure distributing mesh. This feature is especially helpful when the mesh is used as a furniture surface or a sole of a shoe.
The surface 12 is connected to the frame 13 and is suspended so that the mesh of embodiments of the present invention provides support without bottoming-out in the manner of, say, a mattress or a bed. Bottoming-out is a phenomenon that affects particular support systems such as spring-support mattresses. A spring-support mattress resting on a hard support will bottom out when enough pressure is applied to fully compress one or more springs. In accordance with the invention, where the mesh does not press against a hard surface, it continues to stretch and distribute the pressure as the pressure increases.
All cells within the mesh need not be of the same shape or size. For example, there may be two or more differently shaped cells such as the arrangement shown in
The cell connectors used to attach the cells to their adjacent cells provide elastic resistance when one or more cells become displaced in response to applied pressure. There may be any number of cell connectors used to attach one cell within the mesh to adjacent cells. For example, each cell mesh may be attached to four adjacent cells by four cell connectors. The cell connectors may take a number of shapes, including disk shape or rectangular prism shape. Each cell connector may connect two or more cells together.
Cell connectors may be made of the same material as that used to make the cells. For example, the cell connectors may be plastic. This may be helpful when cells and cell connectors are manufactured as a single unit, as by injection molding, compression molding, or rolling. The cell connectors may be formed below the cells, for example, in a plane parallel to the plane of the cells.
While
Multiple other possible arrangements of cells and cell connectors may be used.
In addition to varying cell size, the thickness of cell connectors may also be changed. By varying these and/or other mesh characteristics, the degree of elastic resistance offered by the various cell connectors can be adjusted. Varying the degree of elastic resistance between particular cells can be used to create regions of the mesh having varying support characteristics. These regions can be used to enhance the comfort of certain applications of the mesh. For example, when used as a sole for a shoe, the elastic resistance used in supporting a heel of a foot may differ from that used to support an arch of a foot.
As pressure is applied to one or more cells 61, the cell connectors 62 provide elastic resistance. The cell 61 is displaced downwards as pressure is applied. The elastic resistance provided by the cell connectors 62 provides an upwards counterforce to the applied pressure. The farther the pressured cell 61 is displaced, the more counterforce is provided by the cell connectors 62. This counterforce provides support to the object pressing down on the cell 61.
As described above, each cell of the mesh may be connected to multiple other cells by resilient cell connectors. The cells may be inelastic or the cells may be resilient. When an object such as a seated person is placed on the mesh, pressure is applied to one or more cells in varying degrees. Each pressured cell will displace to a degree that depends on the degree of pressure being applied to that particular cell. The degree of pressure being applied to each particular cell will generally depend on the shape and weight distribution of the object placed on the mesh. Each displaced cell will provide counterforce proportional to the degree of displacement.
As the object placed on the mesh is moved the shape and weight distribution of the object will change. As this occurs, the degree of pressure being applied to various cells may change. Cells relieved of pressure will tend to return to their initial positions and cells where pressure is increased will tend to displace. This allows the mesh to flex to accommodate the movement of the object.
The elasticity of the cell connectors may be selectively designed by varying the material and/or density of the material used to fabricate the cell connectors, by changing the length and/or shape of the cell connectors, or by changing the thickness of the cell connectors. The mesh may be designed so that cell connectors in particular areas of the mesh offer greater elasticity than cell connectors in other areas of the mesh. This will allow for a more ergonomic design of the mesh when incorporated into products.
Embodiments of the present invention need not be planar. For example, the mesh may be contoured to more naturally accommodate a seated person. Principles of ergonomics may be used in the contouring of the mesh.
Another mesh according to an embodiment of the present invention utilizes cell connectors that connect cells to adjacent cells above and/or below the cells thereby creating a layered or three-dimensional mesh. This layered three-dimensional mesh may be able to further reduce the degree of displacement of cells adjacent and/or near pressured cells by providing support from three dimensions of cells and cell connectors.
The benefits of the present invention may be achieved with two or three layers or more. Multiple layers may be formed separately and later connected, for example, by using glue. Alternatively, multiple layers may be formed already attached.
The embodiments of the invention described above are illustrative, and many variations can be introduced on these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this invention and the appended claims. Also, the drawing scales are not to be considered as depicting the relative sizes of the mesh cells and the articles of manufacture in which the present novel mesh is incorporated.
Claims
1. A mesh for reacting to an applied force, said mesh comprising a plurality of displaceable cells and a plurality of cell connectors resiliently connecting said cells, each of said cells being connected to least one other cell by at least one of said connectors, said mesh equalizing said applied force over an area of said mesh that increases as said applied force increases.
2. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said plurality of cells and said plurality of cell connectors are arranged so that when pressure is applied to one or more cells, the one or more pressured cells may become displaced.
3. The mesh of claim 2, wherein said plurality of cells and said plurality of cell connectors are arranged so that cells adjacent to the one or more pressured cells do not become displaced to the extent that the one or more pressured cells become displaced.
4. The mesh of claim 1, wherein two or more cell connectors of the plurality of cell connectors offer different degrees of elastic resistance.
5. The mesh of claim 4, wherein said different degrees of elastic resistance provide one or more regions of said mesh with varying support characteristics to enhance comfort.
6. The mesh of claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of cells are shaped as a cylinder.
7. The mesh of claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of cells are shaped as a parallelepiped.
8. The mesh of claim 1, wherein one or more of said plurality of cells are shaped as a prism.
9. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said plurality of cells and said plurality of cell connectors are formed as a single integrated unit.
10. The mesh of claim 9, wherein said plurality of cells and said plurality of cell connectors are formed by injection molding, compression molding, or rolling.
11. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said plurality of cells and said plurality of cell connectors form a planar matrix.
12. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said plurality of cells and said plurality of cell connectors form a contoured matrix.
13. The mesh of claim 12, wherein said contoured matrix is ergonomically contoured.
14. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said mesh is formed as a chair seat.
15. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said mesh is formed as a chair back.
16. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said mesh is air-permeable.
17. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said mesh is weather resistant.
18. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said mesh is incorporated into a seat or back of a means for supporting a human body in a seated position.
19. The mesh of claim 18, wherein said means is selected from the group consisting of a chair, a wheelchair, a couch and a bench.
20. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said mesh is formed as a bed surface.
21. The mesh of claim 1, wherein said mesh is formed as a shoe sole.
22. A mesh for reacting to an applied force, said mesh comprising a plurality of connectors, each of said connectors being resiliently connected to least one other connector, said mesh distributing said applied force over an area of said mesh that increases as said applied force increases.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 2, 2004
Publication Date: Feb 2, 2006
Inventor: Eric Chan (New York, NY)
Application Number: 10/909,912
International Classification: A47C 7/02 (20060101);