Airbed Internal Mesh Structure to Reduce Weight and Folding Bulk
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional airbeds face issues with internal tensioning structures that add weight and bulk, making them cumbersome to fold and store, and often do not provide a desired appearance or prevent over-inflation effectively.
Innovation Solution
The use of a sheet-based or strip-based internal structure attached to the top and bottom surfaces of the air mattress, forming a web-like configuration that maintains the mattress's shape, prevents over-inflation, and reduces lateral movement between surfaces, while being lightweight and easy to transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional internal tensioning structures (strips with strands of string or wire) are used, then the airbed achieves its intended shape and prevents over-inflation, but the airbed's overall weight increases and it becomes cumbersome to fold up and store
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional rigid tensioning strips with a flexible mesh structure made of woven or knitted material. This mesh acts as a thin film that maintains the airbed's shape and prevents over-inflation through its elastic properties rather than rigid resistance, thereby reducing weight while preserving functional reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite construction where the mesh is integrated with the airbed's outer layers (first and second layers). This composite approach allows the mesh to work synergistically with the layered structure to maintain shape and prevent over-inflation, while the overall composite design optimizes the weight-strength balance compared to conventional solid strips.
2Shape
If conventional internal tensioning structures (strips with strands of string or wire) are used, then the airbed achieves its intended shape, but the airbed becomes cumbersome to fold up and store when not inflated
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible mesh structure can be compressed and folded along with the airbed layers without resistance from rigid components. When the airbed is deflated, the mesh conforms to the compressed shape, allowing easy folding and compact storage, unlike conventional rigid strips that resist deformation and make folding cumbersome.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh structure transitions dynamically between its expanded state during inflation (where it maintains shape) and its compressed state during storage (where it flexes with the airbed). This dynamic adaptability allows the same structure to fulfill shape-maintenance functions during use and facilitate easy folding during storage.
3Shape
If conventional internal structures are used, then the airbed maintains its shape, but the structure does not provide a desired appearance and adds to the airbed's bulk
Solution Approach 1:
The mesh structure is constructed as a thin film integrated between the airbed's outer layers, minimizing its thickness and contribution to overall bulk. Unlike conventional strips that require substantial volume to maintain structural rigidity, the flexible mesh achieves shape maintenance through elasticity while occupying minimal space, thus reducing the airbed's bulk when deflated.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An inflatable air mattress (100) comprises a first surface (110, 115) having a first plurality of connection points (515, 525) on an interior side of the first surface (110, 115), a second surface (115, 110) having a second plurality of connection points (525, 515) on an interior side of the second surface (115, 110), the second surface configured to be substantially opposite the first surface when the inflatable air mattress (100) is inflated, one or more side surfaces (120) connecting the first surface (110, 115) to the second surface (115, 110) such that the first surface, the second surface, and the one or more side surfaces form an airtight enclosure, and an internal structure (500) comprising a single piece of material (510) attached to one or more connection points of the first plurality of connection points (515, 525) and one or more connection points of the second plurality of connection points (525, 515).