Support cushions including electrically conductive fabric

Abstract

A support cushion comprises a body support portion having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. An electrically conductive fabric is positioned atop the support cushion and draws heat away from the surface of the support cushion, or a plurality of thermoelectric elements are positioned and configured to selectively provide heating or cooling at the surface of the body support portion. Methods of making a support cushion are also provided and include metalizing a fabric substrate with a first metal, and applying the metalized fabric substrate to a body support cushion. The electrically conductive fabric and thermoelectric elements can also be included in a method of controlling the surface temperature of a support cushion, whereby an electrical current is supplied in a first direction to decrease the surface temperature of the support cushion, and a second direction to increase the surface temperature of the support cushion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A support cushion, comprising:
 a body support portion having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; and   an electrically conductive fabric positioned atop and configured to draw heat away from the first surface of the body support portion, the electrically conductive fabric comprising a first metal bonded to a substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The support cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises nylon. 
     
     
         3 . The support cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the first metal comprises silver. 
     
     
         4 . The support cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the body support portion includes four sides defining a perimeter of the support cushion, and
 wherein the support cushion further comprises a second metal extending along at least a portion of the perimeter, the second metal connected to the first metal of the electrically conductive fabric.   
     
     
         5 . The support cushion of  claim 4 , wherein the second metal comprises a strip of a metal foil extending around the perimeter of the support cushion. 
     
     
         6 . The support cushion of  claim 5 , wherein the strip of metal foil is sewn to the electrically conductive fabric. 
     
     
         7 . The support cushion of  claim 4 , wherein the first metal has a first thermal conductivity and the second metal has a second thermal conductivity, and wherein the first thermal conductivity and the second thermal conductivity are each higher than a thermal conductivity of the body support portion. 
     
     
         8 . The support cushion of  claim 7 , wherein the first metal comprises silver and wherein the second metal comprises tin. 
     
     
         9 . The support cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the electrically conductive fabric is in the form of a stretched knit fabric, and wherein the substrate is a thread or yarn. 
     
     
         10 . The support cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the body support portion is comprised of a visco-elastic foam. 
     
     
         11 . The support cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the body support portion comprises a plurality of coiled springs positioned between the first surface and the second surface, and
 wherein the plurality of coiled springs are operably connected to the first metal of the electrically conductive fabric.   
     
     
         12 . The support cushion of  claim 1 , wherein the body support portion is dimensionally-sized to support a user lying in a supine or prone position. 
     
     
         13 . A method of making a support cushion, comprising:
 metalizing a fabric substrate with a first metal; and   applying the metalized fabric substrate to a support cushion.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein metalizing the fabric substrate comprises applying a silver solution to a fabric substrate including a nylon, and reducing the silver solution such that the silver in the solution bonds to the nylon. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the silver solution comprises silver nitrate. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the support cushion includes a second metal, the second metal connected to the first metal of the electrically conductive fabric. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the second metal comprises a strip of a metal foil extending around the perimeter of the support cushion, or a plurality of coil springs included in the support cushion. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first metal has a first thermal conductivity and the second metal has a second thermal conductivity, and wherein the first thermal conductivity and the second thermal conductivity are each greater than a thermal conductivity of the support cushion. 
     
     
         19 . A support cushion, comprising:
 a body support portion having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; and   a plurality of thermoelectric elements positioned and configured to selectively provide heating or cooling at the first surface of the body support portion, each of the plurality of thermoelectric elements including an electrically conductive fabric comprising a first metal bonded to a substrate.   
     
     
         20 . The support cushion of  claim 19 , wherein the electrically conductive fabric of each of the plurality of thermoelectric elements extends across the first surface of the body support portion. 
     
     
         21 . The support cushion of  claim 19 , wherein the body support portion includes a plurality of columnar voids, and wherein each columnar void includes at least a portion of the thermoelectric elements. 
     
     
         22 . The support cushion of  claim 21 , wherein the support cushion further includes a base portion positioned below and spaced apart from the second surface of the body support portion, the base portion separated from the body support portion by an air conduit including an inlet and an outlet, and
 wherein a portion of the thermoelectric elements extend into the air conduit.   
     
     
         23 . The support cushion of  claim 22 , further comprising a fan operably connected to the outlet of the air conduit. 
     
     
         24 . The support cushion of  claim 19 , further comprising a power supply for supplying an electrical current to the thermoelectric elements, and a controller for controlling the electrical current supplied to the thermoelectric elements from the power supply. 
     
     
         25 . A method of controlling the surface temperature of a support cushion, comprising:
 providing a support cushion including a body support portion and a plurality of thermoelectric elements including an electrically conductive fabric comprising a first metal bonded to a substrate; and   supplying an electrical current to the plurality of thermoelectric elements such that the electrical current is supplied in a first direction to decrease the surface temperature of the body support portion, and such that electrical current is supplied in a second direction to increase the surface temperature of the body support portion.