US Patent Application 17825213. LOAD LIFTING TENSIONED INFLATABLE STRUCTURE simplified abstract

LOAD LIFTING TENSIONED INFLATABLE STRUCTURE

Organization Name

GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC

Inventor(s)

Wonhee Michael Kim of Royal Oak MI (US)

Paul W. Alexander of Ypsilanti MI (US)

Yun Ju Kim of Yongin-Si (KR)

Diann Brei of Milford MI (US)

Koray Benli of Ann Arbor MI (US)

Jonathan E. Luntz of Ann Arbor MI (US)

Laura Alejandra Giner Munoz of Ann Arbor MI (US)

LOAD LIFTING TENSIONED INFLATABLE STRUCTURE - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17825213 titled 'LOAD LIFTING TENSIONED INFLATABLE STRUCTURE

Simplified Explanation

The patent application describes an inflatable structure that can be expanded and pressurized to provide support in various profiles.

• The structure includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, and a bladder that holds pressurized air.
• Inside the bladder, there are multiple tethers that can be extended or retracted.
• The structure can be moved between a stowed profile and a final support profile.
• In the final support profile, the bladder is fully expanded and the tethers restrict further movement of the end caps and limit expansion of the bladder.
• The bottom end cap has a pulley assembly that allows the tethers to be wound or extended.
• In the stowed profile, the tethers are wound onto the pulley assembly.
• The structure can provide multiple intermediary support profiles that can handle compressive loading.

Original Abstract Submitted

An inflatable structure includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, a bladder attached to the top and bottom end caps and configured to hold pressurized air, a plurality of tethers disposed within the bladder, the inflatable structure moveable between a stowed profile and a final support profile, wherein the bladder is pressurized and expanded axially and the plurality of tethers are fully extended and restrict further movement of the top end cap and the bottom end cap away from one another and limit axial expansion of the bladder, a pulley assembly mounted within the bottom end cap, wherein in the stowed support profile, the plurality of tethers are wound onto the pulley assembly, the pulley assembly adapted to allow selective extension of the tethers allowing axial expansion of the bladder, wherein, the inflatable structure is adapted to provide multiple intermediary support profiles capable of supporting compressive loading.