Inflatable Coveralls Transforms into a Chair to Lift a Fallen Person

Abstract

Inflatable coveralls provide individuals, who fall frequently, with protection and independence. The coveralls consist of pads on the shoulders and hips to reduce the impact of a fall on the person. When worn and located underneath the fallen person, the coveralls can be inflated with air into a chair, creating a higher platform from which the person can more easily get up. This reduces the dependence these individuals have on a care-giver. Users can fasten the coveralls using velcros, instead of buttons or zippers, because it is easier to wear and they automatically open from the increase in air pressure of the inflated coveralls. Made of light-weight and air impermeable material, the inflatable coveralls pads the fall of individuals, and elevated the fallen individual so that they can more easily rise, allowing them to gain independence.

Claims

1. A wearable and inflatable coveralls comprising (i) velcros as fasteners, instead of buttons or zippers, to makes it easy for a person to wear and to facilitate opening the coveralls when the coveralls is inflated, (ii) pads at hip and shoulder areas to reduce impact of fall, (iii) one or more air chambers built of light-weight flexible air-impermeable material, (iv) devices to inflate the coveralls into a chair to enable the wearer to get up from the chair, without the assistance of another person, (v) a switch for manually triggering the inflation mechanism, whereby the inflatable coveralls helps raise persons who have fallen and who struggle to get up on their own.

2. The devices to inflate the coveralls according to claim 1 can be light weight battery-powered air pumps to inflate the coveralls to a chair.

3. The devices to inflate the coveralls according to claim 1 can be light weight canisters of compressed air to inflate the coveralls to a chair.

4. The devices to inflate the coveralls according to claim 1 can be gas-generating systems through high-speed chemical reaction, similar to the systems used for inflating airbags in automobiles, to inflate the coveralls to a chair.

5. The devices to inflate the coveralls according to claim 1 can be automatically triggered by a smart mobile phone or a smart watch, through sensors, which can detect a fall of the person.

6. The devices to inflate the coveralls according to claim 1 can be triggered by a voice recognition system.

7. The inflatable coveralls arms according to claim 1 can be inflated into arms rests of the chair.

8. The outer shell of inflatable coveralls according to claim 1 is made of breathable material like cotton.

9. The inflatable coveralls according to claim 8 has an outer-most sheath, can be made of water-proof material for outdoor use during rains.

10. The inflatable coveralls according to claim 8 has an outer-most sheath, can be made of material for outdoor use during winter for keeping the body warm.

11. The inner shell of inflatable coveralls according to claim 1 can be made of air-impermeable material such as thin plastic or balloons connected by flexible air pipes.

12. The inflatable coveralls according to claim 1 can use magnets as fasteners instead of Velcro.

13. A method for using an inflatable coveralls, comprises (a) putting on inflatable coveralls as a daily wear by a person by using velcros to button up the coveralls and attaching inflatable devices to the coveralls, (b) removing inflatable devices from the coveralls for washing or for dry cleaning, (c) in case of a fall of the person, who is wearing the coveralls, triggering, manually or through voice activation or automatically through sensors, the inflation devices to inflate the coveralls into a chair, enabling the person to get up on their own, taking out the coveralls or deflating the coveralls and wearing the coveralls back, after the person has got up after the fall.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] FIG. 1 is the front view of the coveralls, which will be placed on the back of the person.

[0054] FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1, demonstrating how the coverall will be placed on the person, along with how the coveralls will fold into wearable clothing.

[0055] FIG. 3(a) is the right-side view of the inflated coverall as a chair.

[0056] FIG. 4(a) is the front view of the inflated coverall as a chair.

[0057] FIG. 3(b) is the right-side view of the inflated coverall as a chair with arm rest.

[0058] FIG. 4(b) is the front view of the inflated coverall as a chair with arm rest.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0059] An inflatable coveralls is designed for use of seniors or persons, who frequently fall down and struggle to get up from the floor.

[0060] If such a person is wearing the coveralls when they fall, the mechanism embedded in the coveralls, helps them to get up on their own, without the help of a care-giver.

[0061] The inflatable coveralls has one or more air chambers, built by using light-weight flexible air-impermeable material.

[0062] It includes one or more devices to inflate the coveralls into a chair from which the person, who has fallen can get up easily.

[0063] To reduce the impact of fall, the coveralls has pads at hip and shoulder areas.

[0064] The coveralls are expected to be worn regularly by persons, who are prone to fall.

[0065] To facilitate easier wearing, the coveralls use velcros as fasteners, instead of buttons or zippers.

[0066] Secondly the velcros make it possible to open the coveralls when the coveralls is inflated, after the person, who is wearing the coveralls, has fallen.

[0067] To make the coveralls comfortable for the wearer, the outer shell can be made of breathable material like cotton for indoor use.

[0068] For outdoor use in rain, it may have an outer layer of water-proof material.

[0069] For use when it is snowing, the outer layer may be of an appropriate material, which can keep the body of the wearer warm.

[0070] The coveralls as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, are made of air-impermeable light-weight material which is covered in comfortable wearable fabric to support daily use.

[0071] Coveralls has pads on the shoulders 1002 and 1010 and hips 1011 to reduce the impact upon hitting the ground.

[0072] In addition, coveralls use velcros or magnets, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1008, 1012, 1014, and 1015 so that a senior or a patient can easily fasten the coveralls, without any assistance.

[0073] Velcro and magnets are easy to unfasten when the coveralls are inflated.

[0074] The coveralls can be designed to start inflating even as the person starts falling.

[0075] This will provide a cushion for reducing the adverse impact of the fall on the wearer of the coveralls.

[0076] The wearer of the coveralls, who has fallen, needs to quickly rotate themself into the supine position, so that they are lying on their back.

[0077] The person manually activates, by pressing button 1018 & 2018, the small light weight battery powered pumps, compressed air canisters or a high-speed chemical reaction.

[0078] Inflation mechanisms are placed at the ankles, 1009, 1010, 2004, 2005, 3003, 4001 and 4006 to inflate the coverall into the shape of a chair.

[0079] The chair will have one or more chambers 3001, 3002, 4002, 4005 and 4007, which can be filled with air to raise the individual 3004 and 4008, in one embodiment, to balance the individual on the chair, which has inflated arm rests.

[0080] On inflation the coveralls get transformed into chair as it lifts the wearer up from the floor.

[0081] Once coveralls is inflated into chair, the person gets up from the chair.

[0082] The chair can be deflated and worn back as coveralls.

[0083] The inflation devices can be removed from the coveralls for cleaning of coveralls or for other reasons such as putting on other coveralls or for charging of batteries.

[0084] The outer shell of the coveralls can be made of various materials depending on its use e.g. woolen material for winter coat, cotton fabric for summer weather and weather resistance material for snow and rain.

[0085] In another embodiment, the triggering of the pump will be integrated, through sensors for detecting a fall and its direction, with smart watches to automatically recognize falls and to start inflating.

[0086] This will reduce the impact, as well as contacts with the local emergency departments.

[0087] Coveralls inflation system can be integrated with cell phones or smart devices using lot devices and then can be voice enabled to allow automatic connection to 911 or emergency contacts or services.

[0088] The coveralls is designed to help the elderly to live independently and to get up after a fall, on their own.

[0089] Another embodiment of the invention is to use large balloons instead of light-weight air-impermeable material.

[0090] The advantage of this method is that as balloons deflate into smaller size, the coveralls could be completely breathable and more comfortable in wear.

[0091] The number of balloons used will depend on the size of the coveralls and size of the balloons.

[0092] A flexible tube will be used to connect all the balloons.

[0093] The disadvantage is that a more powerful mechanism will be needed to push air in the balloons and to inflate coveralls into a chair.

[0094] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with one preferred embodiment, it is to be understood modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand.