Abstract. Furniture which resides in one of a levitated position and a sunk position is disclosed

Furniture which resides in one of a levitated position and a sunk position is disclosed. The furniture includes a bladder which is shaped to remain stable when placed on a floor and which is shaped to support a body. The bladder contains a lighter-than-air gaseous substance, such as helium, confined therein. The gaseous substance operates in conjunction with the bladder to define the furniture shape. The bladder is dimensioned to contain a sufficient quantity of the gaseous substance so that buoyancy in the atmosphere causes it to rise to a ceiling of a room when the furniture is out of use. The furniture additionally includes a tether attached to a bottom surface thereof. The furniture is moved from a levitated, out-of-use, position to a sunk, in-use, position by grasping the tether and pulling the furniture downward from the ceiling. The furniture may then be maintained in the sunk position, wherein it rests on a floor of the room, by using the furniture in a conventional manner to support a body.

Inventors:	Calderwood; William A. (Peoria, AZ)
Appl. No.:	07/335,896
Filed:	April 10, 1989

Current U.S. Class:	5/10.2; 244/31; 297/DIG.3; 40/214; 446/220; 5/707
Current International Class:	A47C 17/84 (20060101); A47C 17/00 (20060101); B64B 1/00 (20060101); A47C 027/08 ()
Field of Search:	5/10,11,9R,9B,449 244/33,31 40/212,214 446/220,226 108/149 297/3,DIG.3

References Cited [Referenced By]

U.S. Patent Documents

			November 1900		Pettey
			September 1916		Knudtson et al.
			April 1919		Sorlien et al.
			February 1927		Cooper
			August 1931		Kelly
			September 1931		Friedberg
			March 1948		Hahn
			January 1953		Williams
			November 1960		Jones
			June 1961		Nail
			January 1965		Birnkrant
			August 1970		Rouch
			January 1972		Strom
			August 1974		Quakenbrush
			October 1974		Goddard
			August 1975		Gunst
			October 1979		Darling
			August 1981		Holland
			June 1986		Owen
			February 1988		Cameron

Primary Examiner: Grosz; Alexander

Assistant Examiner: Saether; F.

Attorney, Agent or Firm: Flickinger; Don J. Meschkow; Jordan M. Gresham; Lowell W.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An article of furniture for support of a body while said article is in a sunk position and for being selectively positioned in one of said sunk position and a levitated position, said article comprising:

a bladder having a top surface configured to support said body and having a bottom surface configured for stable placement on a generally horizontal surface; and a tether coupled to said bottom surface of said bladder, said tether being for moving said article from said levitated position to said sunk position, said bladder maintaining substantially the same configuration in its levitated position as in its sunk position, said levitated position being obtained with the aid of a low density substance.

2. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bladder is configured to confine and to be substantially impervious to a gaseous substance.

3. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 1 additionally comprising a gaseous substance exhibiting a density less than the density of air, said substance being confined within said bladder.

4. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 3 wherein said gaseous substance comprises helium.

5. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 3 wherein said gaseous substance consists essentially of helium.

6. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 3 wherein said bladder, tether, and gaseous substance together occupy a predetermined volume of space and said bladder, tether, and gaseous substance are collectively configured to exhibit a mass less than the mass of a volume of air which is equivalent to said predetermined volume.

7. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bladder is configured to operate as a mattress.

8. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 7 wherein:

said article additionally comprises a gaseous substance confined within said bladder; and

said bladder comprises:

a top wall having an outer surface which serves as said top surface,

a bottom wall positioned substantially parallel to said top wall and having an outer surface which serves as said bottom surface, and

a perimetric side wall extending between said top and bottom walls and operating in conjunction with said top and bottom walls to confine said gaseous substance within said bladder.

9. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tether has first and second ends, and said tether first end attaches to a central portion of said bottom surface.

10. An article of furniture as claimed in claim 9 additionally comprising a weight attached to said second end of said tether.

11. An article of furniture a claimed in claim 9 wherein said tether is configured to extend downward when said article is in said levitated position and to extend substantially horizontal when said article is in said sunk position.

12. A mattress for support of a body while said mattress is in a sunk position and for being selectively positioned in one of said sunk position and a levitated position, said mattress comprising:

a bladder having a top surface configured to support said body and having a bottom surface configured for stable placement on a generally horizontal surface;

a gaseous substance exhibiting a density less than the density of air, said substance being confined within said bladder; and

a tether coupled to said bottom surface of said bladder, said tether being for moving said mattress from said levitated position to said sunk position.

13. A mattress as claimed in claim 12 additionally comprising bedclothes positioned on said top surface of said bladder.

14. A mattress as claimed in claim 13 wherein said bladder, tether, gaseous substance, and bedclothes together occupy a predetermined volume of space and said bladder, tether, gaseous substance, and bedclothes are collectively configured to exhibit a mass less than the mass of a volume of air which is equivalent to said predetermined volume.

15. A mattress as claimed in claim 13 wherein said gaseous substance consists essentially of helium.

16. A mattress as claimed in claim 13 wherein said bladder comprises:

a top wall having an outer surface which serves as said top surface;

a bottom wall positioned substantially parallel to said top wall and having an outer surface which serves as said bottom surface; and

a perimetric side wall extending between said top and bottom walls and operating in conjunction with said top and bottom walls to confine said gaseous substance within said bladder.

17. A mattress as claimed in claim 16 wherein said tether has first and second ends, and said tether first end attaches to a central portion of said bottom wall.

18. A mattress as claimed in claim 17 additionally comprising a weight attached to said second end of said tether.

19. A mattress as claimed in claim 18 wherein said tether is configured to extend downward when said mattress is in said levitated position and to extend substantially horizontal when said mattress is in said sunk position.

20. An article of furniture for support of a body while said article is in a sunk position and for being selectively positioned in one of said sunk position and a levitated position, said article comprising:

a bladder comprising:

a top wall configured to support said body,

a bottom wall positioned substantially parallel to said top wall, and

a perimetric side wall extending between said top and bottom walls;

a gaseous substance consisting essentially of helium, said gaseous substance being confined within said top, bottom, and side walls of said bladder; and

a tether coupled to a central area of said bottom wall of said bladder, said tether being for moving said article from said levitated position to said sunk position, and said tether being configured to extend downward when said article is in said levitated position and to extend substantially horizontal when said article is in said sunk position;

wherein said bladder, gaseous substance, and tether together occupy a predetermined volume of space and said bladder, gaseous substance, and tether are collectively configured to exhibit a mass less than the mass of a volume of air which is equivalent to said predetermined volume.

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