Single-Use Air Transfer Mattress With Stainable Use Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient transfer devices require cleaning after each use to prevent disease transmission and lack a clear indication of single-use status, making them unsuitable for ensuring safe and comfortable single-patient transport.
Innovation Solution
A single-use patient transfer mattress with top and bottom panels made from permanently stainable fibers or films that discolor upon contact with bodily fluids or disinfecting agents, featuring a radially-outwardly curved perimeter wall and baffles to facilitate air-bearing cushioning and sliding, ensuring easy identification of use status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If reusable mattresses are used for multiple patients, then device durability and cost-effectiveness are improved, but disease transmission risk increases and hygiene cannot be assured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a disposable single-use mattress that is discarded after one use, eliminating the risk of disease transmission between patients. The mattress is designed to be inexpensive enough to justify single-use disposal while providing full functionality during its service life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates stainable material that permanently discolors upon contact with bodily fluids or cleaning agents, providing visual indication of the mattress's use status. This color change mechanism ensures that even if a mattress is attempted to be reused, the staining provides clear evidence of prior use and potential contamination.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If reusable mattresses are cleaned between uses, then disease transmission is reduced, but cleaning effectiveness cannot be verified and reuse may still pose risks
Solution Approach 1:
The stainable material permanently records contact with bodily fluids or cleaning agents through discoloration, providing irreversible visual evidence of the mattress's history. This ensures that cleaning effectiveness can be visually verified and that the mattress's use status is always clear, preventing any ambiguity about whether the mattress is safe for reuse.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than relying on cleaning verification, the patent adopts a disposable approach where the mattress is designed for single use only. The low cost of the disposable unit eliminates the need for complex cleaning verification systems while ensuring complete elimination of disease transmission risk.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If traditional non-stainable materials are used, then mattress durability and washability are improved, but single-use status cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses stainable material that permanently discolors upon contact with bodily fluids or cleaning agents, creating a permanent visual record of the mattress's use history. This color change property allows immediate identification of whether the mattress has been used, eliminating any ambiguity about its status.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent accepts reduced material durability in exchange for the ability to clearly identify single-use status. The disposable nature of the mattress means it is designed for limited service life anyway, so using stainable materials that may be less durable but provide clear use indication is acceptable and desirable.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If mattresses are designed for single use only, then disease transmission is eliminated, but cost per use increases compared to reusable mattresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the mattress to be inexpensive enough to justify single-use disposal. By using simple construction methods, basic materials, and minimizing complex components, the cost of each disposable unit is reduced to a level where the total cost per use becomes comparable to or less than the cost of cleaning and maintaining reusable mattresses, while eliminating all disease transmission risk.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mattress provides a safe, comfortable, and easily identifiable single-use solution for patient transfer, maintaining hygiene and reducing the risk of disease transmission by visibly indicating use through staining, while maintaining air-bearing functionality for smooth patient movement.
Implementation Method 1
When the mattress is charged with pressurized air, the escape of air under pressure through the pinholes acts initially to jack a load placed upon the mattress above the perforated flexible sheet, and thereby creates an air bearing of relatively small height between the underlying fixed, generally planar support surface and the perforated flexible sheet.
Implementation Method 2
featuring a radially-outwardly curved perimeter wall and baffles to facilitate air-bearing cushioning and sliding
Implementation Method 3
a sheet of fabric having at least one outer surface comprising a substantially permanently stainable fiber formed from a material selected from the group consisting of acetate, acrylic, anidex, aramid, azlon, cotton, elastoester, fluorocarbon, fur, glass, lyocell, melamine, metallic, modacrylic, modal, mosacrylic, novoloid, nylon, nytril, olefin, PAN, PBI, PEEK, Pelco, PEN, PLA, PTT, polyester, polyester-polyarylate, rayon, saran, spandex, sulfar, triacetate, vinal, vinyon, and wool, wherein the fiber material stains or discolours as a result of contact with blood, urine, feces, hospital strengths desinfecting compounds, alcohol, or the like.
Data Source
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AI summary
A single patient, personal use patient transfer mattress is provided Including at least a substantially permanently stainable top sheet having a width, a length, and longitudinally oriented peripheral edges and a bottom sheet having the same width, the same length, longitudinally oriented peripheral edges and a plurality of perforations. The longitudinally oriented peripheral edges of the top and bottom sheets are sealingly fastened to one another. A plurality of baffles, each having a width and a length, are attached to an inner surface of the top sheet and an Inner surface of the bottom sheet so as to be transversely oriented between the top sheet and the bottom. The baffles along with the widths of the top and bottom sheets define a radially-outwardly curved perimeter wall that is disposed between an edge of the baffles and the sealed peripheral edges of the top and bottom sheets.