The present invention relates to a bed system comprising a mattress supporting structure, which comprises an outer frame having a first and a second transverse side on opposite transverse sides of the frame and a first and a second longitudinal side on opposite longitudinal sides of the outer frame; a plurality of adjacent transverse beams, each of the transverse beams being connected with a first transversal end to the first longitudinal side of the outer frame and with a second transversal end to the second longitudinal side of the outer frame; at least one of said transverse beams being a multi-angular transverse beam having a plurality of transverse beam sides and being rotatable about an eccentric rotation axis which is accessible from outside said outer frame; a plurality of springs provided within the outer frame and mounted on top of the plurality of transverse beams; a height adjustment system which comprises said at least one rotatable transverse beam and a rotation imparting member which is accessible from outside the outer frame along a longitudinal side of the outer frame and which is provided for imparting a rotation to said at least one rotatable transverse beam about its eccentric axis, according to the preamble of the first claim.
A standard bed system usually comprises an upper mattress which is placed on top of a mattress supporting structure. Said mattress supporting structure usually comprises a base structure on which a spring package, which is usually encapsulated in a soft material, is fixed. The carcass formed by the base structure and springs package is then covered with a textile material, such that, an aesthetically attractive piece of furniture is created.
Standard bed systems provide an equal support to all body parts of an individual, independent of his shape and weight. However, different body parts require a different orthopaedic support. Moreover, different adult human bodies may have significant shape and weight differences, which may even vary during lifetime, for instance as a result of pregnancy, overweight or illness.
In order to enhance user comfort and in particular orthopaedic support, several bed systems have been developed in which height differences were built in the mattress supporting structure in a fixed manner. U.S. Pat. No. 7,210,181 describes for instance a bed system with a mattress supporting structure comprising a number of transverse slats. The slats are provided to support a plurality of springs. The transverse slats are divided in first and second slats, which support respectively first and second springs. The height of the first and second slats and the spring constant of the first and second springs are chosen such that a different support is provided: slats with small height and springs with a high spring constant are provided in the region supporting the shoulders, hips and legs; slats with larger height and springs with a smaller spring constant are provided in the region supporting the other human body parts. This type of bed system has the disadvantage that, because the height differences are built in the mattress structure in a fixed manner, the bed system may not be adapted to changes of the human body over time.
In order to solve this problem, EP-B-1410742 provides a bed system with a mattress supporting structure in which the amount of support may be adapted to changes in the human body profile over time. The mattress supporting structure comprises an outer frame and a plurality of height adjusting means installed in the outer frame and which align with corresponding adjustment means on a cushion element. The cushion element fits with vertical movement into the outer frame. In a first embodiment described in EP-B-1410742, the height adjustment means comprise a number of protrusions rotatably mounted to the outer frame. The cushion element comprises a frame, springs and a padding layer covering the springs. The cushion element further comprises a number of three-levelled recesses which, when fitted into the outer frame, block the protrusions in one of three positions. Such a bed system has the disadvantage that it is only possible to adjust a limited area of the mattress supporting structure, namely a part which has the length of the cushion. Another disadvantage is that the height adjustment is cumbersome and requires a plurality of different steps to be carried out. Moreover, because the left and right side of the bed need to be separately installed, it is likely that the installation is done incorrectly and that an instable supporting structure is obtained. In a second preferred embodiment described in EP-B-1410742, the height adjustment means comprise a plurality of triangular rotation means, which are rotatable about an eccentric axis and as such provide three different height levels for the supporting slats and thus for the springs supported by the slats. Such a bed system has the disadvantage that the contact surface between the triangular rotation means and the supporting slats is too small to provide in a stabile support for the upper mattress. Another disadvantage is that no means are provided to block the position of the triangular rotation means, as a result of which returning of the rotation means as a result of a dynamic load cannot be avoided. Another disadvantage is that the triangular rotation means do not directly support the springs, but additional slats are needed on top of the rotation means to support the springs. As a result, the height of the mattress supporting system is adversely increased by the height adjustment means. In a third preferred embodiment described in EP-B-1410742, the height adjustment system comprises disks which are eccentrically mounted on a continuous shaft mounted in the outer frame. The shaft may be rotated with a crank handle which is accessible from outside the outer frame. A cushion element is mounted on top of the rotatable transverse disks. Such a bed system presents the disadvantage that the height adjustment system is infinitely variable which makes it difficult to provide the user with a correct orthopaedic advice. This is due to the fact that the measurement error—in a, in view of adjustment-advice, analysis of the body profile of the user—becomes higher than the height difference between subsequent height positions, which makes the advice incorrect and subjective. In case the number of possible height positions is too large, the risk to incorrect installation increases accordingly.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mattress supporting system with a height adjustment system with a reduced risk to returning to a previous or other position, which provides the mattress supporting system with a limited number of different height positions.
This is achieved according to the present invention with a mattress supporting system showing the technical features of the characterizing part of the first claim.
Thereto, the bed system according to the present invention is characterized in that said rotation imparting member is displaceable between a first position in which rotation of said at least one rotatable transverse beam about its eccentric axis is permitted—and a second position in which said at least one rotatable transverse beam is blocked in a desired position with respect to said outer frame.
The mattress supporting structure comprises an outer frame with a first and a second transverse side on opposite transverse sides of the frame, and a first and a second longitudinal side on opposite longitudinal sides of the frame. The mattress supporting structure further comprises a plurality of transverse beams, the end parts of which are each connected to opposite longitudinal sides of the outer frame. At least one of said transverse beams is rotatably mounted to the outer frame, about an eccentric rotation axis which is accessible from outside the outer frame. This means that the rotatable transverse beam may be rotated about its eccentric axis without involving the need to dismantle the mattress supporting structure either fully or partly. Said at least one rotatable transverse beam has a multi-angular cross section and comprises a number of transverse beam sides, for supporting a plurality of springs, mounted on top of said plurality of transverse beams. Said at least one rotatable transverse beam forms part of a height adjustment system of said mattress supporting structure. Said height adjustment system further comprises a rotation imparting member which is accessible from outside the outer frame and provided for rotating said transverse beams about their eccentric rotation axis. By rotating said transverse beams about their eccentric rotation axis, the position of the transverse beam side which supports the springs is changed in height direction with respect to the outer frame. As a result, by rotating said transverse beams, the springs are elevated or lowered in comparison to their initial position and give the mattress supporting structure a profiled shape. Said rotation imparting member is displaceable between a first and a second position. In the first position rotation of said at least one rotatable transverse beam about its eccentric rotation axis is permitted; in the second position blocking said at least one rotatable transverse beam in a desired height position with respect to said outer frame is permitted.
The mattress supporting structure according to the present invention presents the advantage that only a limited number of positions may be taken in height direction of the frame. The maximum number of possible height positions corresponds to the number of sides of the multi-angle of the rotatable transverse beam. This way advising of the consumer and the provision of an optimal installment of the overall system is facilitated. Another advantage is that the presence of a limited number of height positions, permits the consumer to install the height of a certain area of the supporting system himself, at minimum risk to instable or incorrect installment. Moreover, the specific heights and height differences between different positions can be exactly defined and they are in fact determined by the distance between the center of the eccentric rotation axis and each of the transverse beam sides. This distance can be chosen and optimized during production.
Another advantage of the mattress supporting structure according to the present invention is that the height adjustment system comprises a blocking mechanism for blocking the position of said rotatable beam in a desired position, so that the position of the side supporting the mattress in height direction of the outer frame is fixed. As a result, there is a minimum risk to returning of the rotatable transverse beam to its lowest position, which may for instance occur as a result of dynamic forces exerted on the upper mattress and/or on the supporting structure. As a result, the mattress supporting system provides in a more stable adjustable supporting system as compared to the prior art systems.
Another advantage is that the height of the support surface of the springs resting onto the at least one rotatable beam can be easily adjusted. By rotating the rotation imparting means, which are accessible from the outside of at least one of the longitudinal sides of the outer frame of the mattress supporting structure, the position of the transverse beam with respect to the outer frame may be changed, thereby the height of the support surface is changed. This adjustment does not involve the need to remove parts of the mattress supporting system.
The rotation imparting means are accessible from outside at least one of the longitudinal sides of the outer frame of the mattress supporting structure. Preferably, the eccentric rotation axis extends from the first longitudinal side of the outer frame to the second longitudinal side, such that rotation of the rotation imparting member can be imparted from one longitudinal side of the outer frame only, and results in a rotation of the entire transverse beam. This way, adjustment of the height of the supporting surface of the springs can be carried out in one single step and the risk to incorrect and unstable installment as a result of a different height position at both longitudinal ends of the outer frame is minimized.
Preferably, said plurality of springs is directly supported by one of said transverse beam sides. Due to this direct support the supporting transverse beam sides then function as the supporting slats for the springs. This is contrary to the prior art systems where in addition to eccentrically rotatable height adjustment system additional supporting slats had to be provided. The direct support permits minimizing the risk that the height of the mattress supporting system would be adversely affected by the rotatable height adjustment element. Said plurality of springs may be in direct contact with a transverse beam side or an additional layer may be provided between the springs and the transverse beam side to smoothen the transition between subsequent transverse beams.
Preferably, the bed system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of adjacent multi-angular rotatable transverse beams mounted on a distance from each other in longitudinal direction of the outer frame. Said plurality of adjacent rotatable transverse beams, may be provided along the entire length of the outer frame or only along a specific area of the outer frame. Preferably, at least that area of the outer frame which is likely to receive body parts which require a different support or a support which may vary over time, is provided with said rotatable transverse beams. Because each of said rotatable transverse beams comprises a height adjustment system which is accessible from outside, each of these transverse beams can be rotated individually about its eccentric axis and installed on a specific height with respect to the outer frame. Because each of these rotatable beams is individually rotatable, different parts of the human body can be provided with a different support. When said plurality of rotatable transverse beams is for instance provided from the head region to the hip region of the outer frame, the rotatable transverse beams provided in the head region may be installed on a different height with respect to the outer frame compared to the hip region, and thus provide in a different support for the head and the hip of the person lying on top of the bed system. Moreover, such a system allows the user to adjust the amount of support of different human body parts over time.
The invention is further elucidated in the appending figures and description of the figures.
At least one of said adjacent transverse beams is a multi-angular rotatable transverse beam 7 as shown in
By rotating said rotatable transverse beam 7 about its eccentric axis 12, the top transverse beam side 11, i.e. the transverse beam side which supports the springs 13, will obtain a different height with respect to the outer frame 2. As a result, the springs 13 resting on top of the top transverse beam side 11, will be positioned higher or lower, depending on the specific position of the top transverse beam side 11 with respect to the outer frame 2. The rotatable transverse beam 7 shown in
The rotation of said rotatable transverse beam 7 about its eccentric axis 12 is done with part of a height adjustment system of the bed system, and in particular with the aid of a rotation imparting member 14 of a height adjustment system which is accessible from outside the outer frame 2. Said rotation imparting member 14 may be any type of member considered suitable by the person skilled in the art. Said rotation imparting member may be a part of the rotatable transverse beam itself, for instance in the form of a recess which is accessible from outside and which extends in longitudinal direction of the eccentric rotation axis, but is preferably a separate member connectable to the rotatable transverse beam. Such a separate rotation imparting member 14 may for instance take the form of an element, which fits into an opening of a longitudinal side of the outer frame, and which comprises a protruding part which at least partly extends within the inside of the outer frame and which at least partly corresponds to a corresponding part of a rotatable transverse beam or of a beam member mounted onto the rotatable transverse beam and which extends in longitudinal direction of the eccentric rotation axis of the rotatable transverse beam. Such a protruding part may fit around or within a protruding part of the rotatable transverse beam or beam member or within a grooved part of the rotatable transverse beam or beam member. By accessing the rotation imparting member 14 from outside the outer frame 2 and rotating it, said rotatable transverse beam 7 may be rotated and a height adjustment may be obtained.
The rotation imparting member 14 may be provided at both opposite longitudinal sides 3, 4 of the outer frame or at only one longitudinal side 3 of the outer frame. Because one single rotation imparting member 14 allows adjusting the height of the entire transverse beam 7 along its entire length, it is no longer necessary to adjust the height at both ends of the outer frame. This reduces the risk to wrong installation, i.e. installation of a different height at both ends of the transverse beam, and thus the risk to an instable mattress supporting structure.
The number of transverse beam sides determines the maximum number of different height positions of the rotatable transverse beam with respect to the outer frame. By allowing only a limited number of height positions, a better orthopaedic advice may be given to the consumer. Moreover, a mattress supporting system 1 with a limited number of height positions also allows the user to install the height of the rotatable transverse beam himself, with a reduced risk for incorrect installment. The rotatable transverse beam 7 as shown in
In
The surface of the transverse beam sides 8, 9, 10, 11 may be flat as shown in
The width of the different transverse beam sides 8, 9, 10, 11 of one rotatable transverse beam 7 may by equal to each other as shown in
The rotation imparting member 14 of the height adjustment system is displaceable between a first and a second position. Said first position 20 is provided for rotating said at least one rotatable transverse beam about its eccentric axis and said second position 21 is provided for blocking said at least one rotatable transverse beam in a desired height position with respect to the outer frame. Said blocking part 21 of said rotation imparting member 14 is accessible from outside the outer frame, which means that the rotatable transverse beam may be blocked in a desired height position without removing part of or the entire mattress supporting system. The blocking part 21 provides the bed system with a more stable adjustable supporting system as compared to the prior art document and avoids that the rotatable transverse beam falls back to its lowest position after being rotated by the rotation imparting member 14.
Said rotation imparting member 14 may be part of the rotatable transverse beam 7 itself, for instance in the form of at least one positioning means which cooperates with corresponding positioning means of the outer frame of the mattress supporting structure or of another part of the height adjustment system. Preferably the rotation imparting member 14 is provided as a separate member comprising at least one blocking region 21 which cooperates with a corresponding region 25 of the outer frame of the mattress supporting structure or of another part of the height adjustment system.
The mattress supporting structure 1 as shown in
According to a preferred embodiment of the bed system according to the present invention, the cross section of the rotatable transverse beams 7 provided along the outer frame 2 differs. As explained above, the type of cross section of a rotatable transverse beam 7, and as such the number of transverse beam sides 8, 9, 10, 11, determines the maximum number of height positions of that specific rotatable transverse beam 7. By adjusting the cross section of different rotatable transverse beams 7 along the length of the outer frame, the height of the supporting surface can be adjusted for different human body parts. This allows for instance to provide the mattress supporting structure 1 with rotatable transverse beams with a pentagonal cross section, i.e. a higher number of transverse beam sides, in those regions which receive body parts which are likely to change to a great extend over time, such as for instance the hips and loins, for instance as a result of pregnancy, and rotatable transverse beams with a triangular cross section, i.e. a lower number of transverse beam sides, in those regions which receive body parts which are less likely to change to a large extend over time.
Preferably, the bed system according to the present invention comprises a modular height adjustment system, comprising one or more different parts which are removably mountable to the outer frame and/or to the rotatable transverse beam. Such a modular system has the advantage that it results in a longer term reduced cost for the consumer. If one of the height adjustment parts is damaged, it is not necessary to throw away the entire mattress supporting structure or the entire outer frame or rotatable transverse beam, but it is sufficient to replace only that part of the system that is damaged. Another advantage of such a modular height adjustment system is that the modular design allows manufacturing different parts separately. It may even allow different parts to be manufactured on different locations and/or in different countries and/or by different companies, which means that the parts can be manufactured at the lowest possible cost. A modular height adjustment system also simplifies the manufacturing process of the overall system.
A preferred embodiment of a modular height adjustment system is shown in
The modular height adjustment system preferably comprises a connector 14 which functions as a rotation imparting member and is provided to impart a rotation of said at least one rotatable transverse beam 7 about its eccentric rotation axis and which is provided to cooperate with the outer frame. A preferred embodiment of the connector 14 is shown in
The hollow cylinder further comprises a gripping member 15 which is accessible from outside the outer frame and which is provided for rotating said connector and said at least one beam to which it is connected about its eccentric rotation axis. The gripping member 15 may have the form of a recess provided in the hollow cylinder or any other type of gripping member considered suitable by the person skilled in the art. The rotation may for instance be obtained by inserting a key in the hollow cylinder and rotating it as shown in
Said hollow cylinder further comprises a second connector region 19, provided adjacent the first connector region 16 and preferably at a position closer to the outer frame 2. The second connector region 19 comprises an installment part 20 which allows rotating said connector and said rotatable beam and a blocking part 21 which allows blocking of said connector and said rotatable beam in a desired position. The installment part 20 shown in
The use of a connector 14 has the advantage that it functions both as rotation imparting member, provided for rotating said at least one rotatable transverse beam about its eccentric axis, as well as a part of a blocking mechanism provided for blocking said at least one rotatable transverse beam in a desired height position. The connector shown in
The connector 14 shown in
The connector 14 of the modular height adjustment system may be connected directly to a rotatable transverse beam 7 or may be connected to a beam member 28 mounted to an end part of the rotatable transverse beam 7. The use of a beam member 28 is preferred because it results in lower replacement costs and is able to absorb part of the forces exerted onto the rotatable transverse beam 7 by the connector 14. The connection between the beam member 28 and the connector 14 may be provided by any means considered suitable by the person skilled in the art, for instance by means of a fixing screw which is provided to connect the connector 14 and the beam member 28 (not shown). A preferred embodiment of a beam member 28 for use in a modular height adjustment system is shown in
Preferably, said height adjustment system further comprises a beam supporting member 31, which comprises a recess 32 for receiving and supporting at least part of said protruding part 29 of said beam member and which is provided to be mounted onto an inner side of the outer frame of said mattress supporting system 1 and which is provided to guide the rotation of said at least one rotatable transverse beam. A preferred embodiment of such a beam supporting member is shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. The beam supporting member shown in
Preferably, said height adjustment system further comprises a transition system which allows transitioning from the installment part to the blocking part of said second connector region of the connector and vice versa. Preferably, said transition system comprises a spring construction 34 mounted between said connector and said beam member or said rotatable transverse beam as is shown in
Preferably, said modular height adjustment system further comprises an indication system 35 which is mounted onto the connector and which is visible from outside the outer frame 2 and which is provided to visually indicate the height position of the at least one rotatable beam 7. Such an indication system 35 has the advantage that the user, wishing to adjust the height of the mattress supporting structure 1 at a specific location, directly observes what the specific height position of that rotatable transverse beam 7 is. Such a visual feedback system 35 also allows the producer to provide the user with an orthopaedic advice and to visualize it. The indication system 35 may take the form of a circular ring-shaped member as is shown in
The different parts of the modular height adjustment system of the mattress supporting structure according to the present invention can be made from any material considered suitable by the person skilled in the art, such as a plastic material, a metallic material or a wooden material.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2008/063099 | 9/30/2008 | WO | 00 | 7/12/2011 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2010/037415 | 4/8/2010 | WO | A |
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