{
  "patent_number": "US 3585356",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How the Modern Waterbed Works",
  "original_title": "Liquid support for human bodies",
  "summary": "A 1971 patent describing a liquid-filled, heated furniture support designed to cradle human bodies without letting them touch the bottom of the container.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes a furniture support, specifically a sofa or bed, that uses a flexible, inelastic bladder filled with liquid to support multiple people. The system requires a rigid frame to hold the liquid and prevent the sides of the bladder from bulging outward. A key feature is that the bladder is filled completely, leaving no air inside, which allows the surface to conform to the body's shape while ensuring the person remains suspended by the liquid. It also includes an optional heating element to keep the liquid at a comfortable temperature and solid particles like styrofoam to stop the liquid from sloshing around when someone moves.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover air mattresses or inflatable supports that rely on gas rather than liquid.",
    "Does not cover waterbeds that allow the user to touch the bottom surface (the patent requires the body to be supported entirely by the liquid).",
    "Does not cover flexible bladders that are not contained within a rigid lateral framework.",
    "Does not cover liquid supports that contain significant amounts of air within the bladder."
  ],
  "filed": "1970-07-27",
  "granted": "1971-06-15",
  "expires": "1990-07-27",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Innerspace Environments Inc",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/innerspace-environments-inc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Charles P Hall",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/charles-p-hall"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 70,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": "An article of furniture comprising a flexible bladder which is substantially filled with a liquid. A supporting framework is provided for holding the liquid filled bladder in such manner that a body resting upon the bladder is floatably supported by the liquid. Heating means is provided for maintaining a temperature of the liquid at a temperature on the order of the Temperature of the human body. In some embodiments, solid particles, such as styrofoam, are disposed in the bladder to dampen shock waves in the liquid and to provide additional support for a body resting upon the bladder.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3585356/waterbed-liquid-support",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3585356/waterbed-liquid-support/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US3585356",
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}