Air Conditioning Cushion for Wheelchair

Abstract

A seat cushion for use in a wheel chair includes a foam pad contoured to the anatomy of a user positioned thereon and has an indentation in the middle thereof, which receives and drains incontinence fluid from the user. The foam pad encloses an air channel between the indentation and at least one side of the foam pad. A fan housed inside the pad pushes air through the air channel, into the indentation and onto the user. Alternatively, the seat cushion may house an air conditioner to circulate cooled air to the skin of the user.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 816,834, filed Jun. 27, 2006, and claims priority based on the earlier filed provisional patent application, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]This invention relates to a seat cushion; more specifically, a seat cushion that may be used in a wheelchair to drain incontinence fluid and deliver conditioned air to the skin of the user.[0004]2. Description of the Prior Art[0005]U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,248 teaches a cooled seat cushion having a bottom and a back. Both the bottom and the back have a series of air passageways forming a plenum. This plenum is fed air from a Peltier unit which is attached to a DC power source, preferably a cigarette lighter in a car. The air passageways of the plenum are constructed of wound metallic coils; the passageways crisscross throughout the interior of both t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The present invention is directed to a seat cushion that delivers air to a user and removes moisture. In one embodiment of the invention, an indentation is formed into the center of the top of a foam pad and an air channel is formed through the foam pad, communicating between one of the sides of the foam pad and the indentation. In the air channel a cavity is formed and a chamber subassembly is inserted therein. This chamber subassembly has apertures on two of the sides and serves to maintain the viability of the channel after a user compresses the foam pad. Air naturally circulates through the air channel, through the chamber assembly, and into the indentation, which is filled with a permeable mesh. This permeable mesh insert allows the air to flow freely, while maintaining a comfortable level of support for the user, with the added benefit of allowing incontinence liquid to flow out through the insert drain through the indentation.

[0010]It is an object of this invention to augment the comfort and support of one sitting, especially one sitting for prolonged period in a wheelchair.

[0011]It is further an object of this invention to drain incontinence fluid released from a body of a user to avoid unsanitary and moist conditions on the skin of the user and to mitigate the risks of consequent skin breakdown.

[0012]It is another object of this invention to deliver conditioned air to the skin of the user to cool and dry the skin of the user to reduce the formation of skin ulcers and pressure sores.

Problems solved by technology

However, the above described systems suffer from the drawbacks of an inability to combine functions of cooling and handling incontinence material, and utilization of an insufficient and weak cooling system; thus there is a need for a seat cushion that can convectively cool the skin of a user, receive and remove the byproducts of incontinence, and provide additional, comfortable support.

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