Personal posture correction apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus having an air bladder, a tube, and a bulb hand pump with the air bladder having a smooth, low friction top surface and a textured high friction bottom surface is used to correct posture of an individual while the individual is sleeping or sitting.

1 . A personal posture correction apparatus consisting of:
 an air bladder having a void interior volume, one edge opening communicating with the void interior volume, a smooth, low friction exterior surface and an opposite textured, high friction exterior surface;   a tube having an interior bore communicating through the one edge opening with the void interior volume of the air bladder; and,   a manual pump communicating with the interior bore of the tube.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further consisting of:
 the air bladder having a top layer of a thin sheet of rubberized material that is flexible and fluid impervious, the top layer having a peripheral edge that extends completely around the top layer;   the air bladder having a bottom layer of a thin sheet of rubberized material that is flexible and fluid impervious, the bottom layer having a peripheral edge that extends completely around the bottom layer; and,   the peripheral edge of the top layer being sealed to the peripheral edge of the bottom layer completely around the peripheral edge of the top layer and the peripheral edge of the bottom layer except for the one edge opening.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further consisting of:
 the hand pump being a bulb hand pump, the bulb hand pump having a check valve with a push button release.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further consisting of:
 the peripheral edge of the top layer consisting of a first edge portion and a second edge portion on opposite sides of the one edge opening, the first edge portion and the second edge portion of the top layer peripheral edge being mirror images.   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , further consisting of:
 the peripheral edge of the bottom layer consisting of a first edge portion and a second edge portion on opposite sides of the one edge opening, the first edge portion of the peripheral edge of the bottom layer and the second edge portion of the peripheral edge of the bottom layer being mirror images.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the air bladder having opposite first and second ends, the air bladder first end being adjacent the one end opening and the air bladder second end being on an opposite side of the first end from the one edge opening; and,   the first end of the air bladder having a first width dimension and the second end of the air bladder having a second width dimension, the first width dimension being smaller than the second width dimension.   
     
     
         3 . A personal posture correction apparatus comprising:
 a top layer comprised of a thin sheet of rubberized material that is flexible and fluid impervious, the top layer having a peripheral edge that extends completely around the top layer, the peripheral edge of the top layer separating an exterior surface of the top layer from an interior surface of the top layer, the exterior surface of the top layer being a smooth surface;   a bottom layer comprised of a thin sheet of rubberized material that is flexible and fluid impervious, the bottom layer having a peripheral edge that extends completely around the bottom layer, the peripheral edge of the bottom layer separating an exterior surface of the bottom layer from an interior surface of the bottom layer, the exterior surface of the bottom layer being a textured surface;   the interior surface of the top layer opposing the interior surface of the bottom layer;   the peripheral edge of the top layer being sealed to the peripheral edge of the bottom layer completely around the peripheral edge of the top layer and the peripheral edge of the bottom layer except for one edge opening between the peripheral edge of the top layer and the peripheral edge of the bottom layer; the peripheral edge of the top layer sealed to the peripheral edge of the bottom layer defining a void interior volume between the interior surface of the top layer and the interior surface of the bottom layer; and,   a hand pump communicating with the void interior volume through the one edge opening, the hand pump being selectively manually operable to pump air into the void interior volume and to release air from the void interior volume.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of claim  7 , further comprising:
 the hand pump being a bulb hand pump, the bulb hand pump having a check valve with a push button release, the check valve and the push button release communicating the bulb hand pump with the one edge opening.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a tube having an interior bore and a flexible length with a first tube end and a second tube end at opposite ends of the length of the tube, the first tube end being sealed to the one edge opening communicating the tube interior bore with the void interior volume between the interior surface of the top layer and the interior surface of the bottom layer; and,   the second tube end being sealed to the bulb hand pump communicating the interior bore of the tube with an interior of the bulb hand pump.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of claim  7 , further comprising:
 the exterior surface of the top layer having a first coefficient of friction;   the exterior surface of the bottom layer having a second coefficient of friction; and,   the second coefficient of friction being greater than the first coefficient of friction.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of claim  7 , further comprising:
 the peripheral edge of the top layer consisting of a first edge portion and a second edge portion on opposite sides of the one edge opening, the first edge portion and the second edge portion of the top layer peripheral edge being mirror images.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 the peripheral edge of the bottom layer consisting of a first edge portion and a second edge portion on opposite sides of the one edge opening, the first edge portion of the peripheral edge of the bottom layer and the second edge portion of the peripheral edge of the bottom layer being mirror images.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of claim  7 , further comprising:
 the top layer having opposite first and second ends, the top layer first end being adjacent the one edge opening and the top layer second end being on an opposite side of the top layer first end from the one edge opening;   the bottom layer having opposite first and second ends, the first end of the bottom layer being adjacent the one edge opening and the second end of the bottom layer being on an opposite side of the first end of the bottom layer from the one edge opening;   the top layer first end and the bottom layer first end having a first width dimension and the top layer second end and the bottom layer second end having a second width dimension, the first width dimension being smaller than the second width dimension.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of claim  7 , further comprising:
 the peripheral edge of the top layer being sealed to the peripheral edge of the bottom layer defining an air bladder consisting of the top layer and the bottom layer.   
     
     
         15 . A method of correcting personal posture comprising:
 positioning an apparatus consisting of an air bladder, a tube with an interior bore communicating with a void interior volume of the air bladder, and a hand pump communicating with the interior bore of the tube between a mattress and a box spring with the air bladder positioned beneath a depressed area in a sleeping surface of the mattress; and,   manually operating the hand pump to pump air into the void interior volume of the air bladder causing the air bladder to raise the depressed area in the sleeping surface of the mattress.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 positioning a smooth, low friction surface of the air bladder directed toward the mattress and positioning a textured, friction surface of the air bladder toward the box spring.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 continuing manual operation of the hand pump to pump air into the air bladder and cause the depressed area in the sleeping surface of the mattress to raise and form a bulge on the sleeping surface of the mattress.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 communicating the hand pump through the tube with one edge opening of the air bladder.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 communicating the hand pump through the tube to the void interior volume of the air bladder at one end of the air bladder having a first width dimension, with a second end of the air bladder on an opposite side of the one end of the air bladder from the tube having a second width dimension that is larger than the first width dimension.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 releasing air from the void interior volume of the air bladder by manually depressing an air release button on the hand pump.