The present invention teaches the modulation of the principal characteristics of open-cell, flexible polyurethane foam for use in support devices such as mattresses, sifting furniture, cushions and all other applications using a support apparatus. These characteristics are subjective tactile softness and bodyweight-carrying support firmness, the modulation of which is effected in a way so as to greatly enhance comfort and to offer an infinite choice of easily adjustable levels of comfort to the user at lower comparable cost. On its own, in combination with multi-chamber arrangements and also integrated with known, traditional techniques, this invention enhances the versatility of support devices, allowing for a great number of variations in the choice and adaptation of materials and mattress architecture to go together with self-inflating, modulable foam.
This invention, in its simplest form is a mattress with at least one piece of self-inflating elastomeric open-cell polyurethane foam. Said piece is adjustable as to hardness and softness, measured in terms of Indentation Force Deflection (IFD, or spring-back force) and support (density).
Various attempts have been made to control the hardness, softness, and support of foam within a mattress. This has been achieved by adding different pieces or zones of foam within a mattress, each zone having a different density and IFD rating which corresponds to a body part such as head, shoulders, middle body, legs and feet. Yet other inventions have interchangeable foam components which the user may select and arrange as desired. This process is inconvenient, since bulky foam components have to be stored and manipulated very often to make the required changes.
The invention at hand does away with all these problems, since even in its simplest form a modulable foam core of only one piece will pressure adjust the heaviest and the lightest parts of the body respectively. Another dilemma with “foam zones” having different IFD ratings for different parts of the body, is that it is difficult to give adequate support to a very soft foam component. To achieve this, mattress manufacturers use a coil, foam base, or compressed air bases which are firm and offer needed support, subsequently they layer softer foams above said firm base to offer comfort. Nowadays most high-end quilted covers and pads that cover mattresses additionally contain a thin layer of visco-elastic foam for added comfort.
In recent years, we have seen the advent of higher density foams such as visco-elastic foam that solves the problem of support and softness combined in foam of one single piece. Visco-foam offers support because of its high density (typically over 3 pounds per cubic foot density) and feels soft and desirable to the user because it typically has an IFD of 15 or under. However, the high cost, bulk and heavy weight of a visco-foam core remains a problem. Companies, who sell visco-foam mattresses, are obliged to deliver and install them at the customer's home.
To address these difficulties through controlling softness and support of foam directly without a proportionately induced loss of support, and to reduce the weight and bulk of foam mattresses in the manner of this invention, has not yet been achieved and is not found in any prior art concerning support surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,034 to Arpin discloses a firmness adjustment for mattresses involving a standard coil spring mattress, wherein the springs are enclosed by a loosely fitting airtight cover. A vacuum pump can be applied to the outer cover in order to compress the coil springs within the mattress to make them harder. Although the disclosure of Arpin mentions ‘rubber foam’ or similar material, it does not involve any open-cell, self-inflating foam varieties, nor does Arpin teach that the respective density and IFD values, which are determined by the cellular structure of the foam or foam-like material he may have had in mind, may be modulated to result in a softer or harder mattress without sacrificing support-firmness in the process of multiple comfort adjustments. The present invention, however, achieves exactly this effect, to name, increasing softness without decreasing support firmness to the same degree. It breaks the link that a fixed value of softness must automatically entail an equally fixed value of support firmness. As softness is increased, support firmness is not decreased to an equal degree, giving the user a feel of a high density foam such as visco-elastic foam. Arpin discloses a method of increasing the firmness of metal coil springs by compressing these, which does not increase comfort.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,524 illustrates a method of assembling a mattress. The disclosure involves a ready-made mattress either of the coil spring type or foam type which is initially wrapped in an airtight sheet of plastic. Then a vacuum pump is applied to the wrapped combination and the coil spring or foam mattress collapses under the force of the vacuum and can be inserted into a finishing cover. Once the vacuum in either mattress is released, they will expand to snugly fit in the outer cover. This invention is designed for a one-time use only. Moreover, there is a teaching within this reference that the preliminary wrapping sheet should be removed. In contrast to this, the invention at hand can be used time and time again to adjust the various levels of firmness desired. No disclosure within U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,524 is made that the aim of the process is to adjust comfort levels. It is a manufacturing process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,525 to Lea discloses a camping mat using a self-inflating foam within an airtight outer cover that is vulcanized to the inner foam core. The air within can be removed by compressing the structure. The foam core collapses so that the mat can be rolled up into a compact package. Firmness (IFD) or density can not be modulated freely because of the thinness and light weight of the foam core used in camping mats. Furthermore, compressing the camping mat by hand does not expel the air uniformly from all the foam cells but only in the area which are compressed by hand. Modulating comfort and firmness were not in the mind of the inventors, but a method of decreasing the mat's volume for easy packing and transport The invention at hand uses a thicker, higher density foam core to start with, which can be adjusted infinitely to multiple levels of firmness and support, not found in the prior art. It does not concern itself primarily with packaging a camping mat into a small size to be carried in a backpack, but with comfort modulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,974 discloses a self-inflating air mattress/mat including an airtight flexible envelope which encloses a core of resilient, open-cell, lightweight foam material, substantially the entire upper and lower portions of which are bonded to the envelope. Heated platens are applied to this lay-up, followed by creating a vacuum in the interior, cooling and pressurizing the assembly, then moderately pressurizing the whole. The invention at hand does not bond outer coverings to the enclosed foam core. On the contrary, it uses an air permeable device to distance the foam from the cover in order to enhance airflow and to prevent the foam core or cover from obstructing the valve when air is drawn out of the mattress with a vacuum or when it is self-inflating.
The aim of cited teaching is to compress the mat for easy transport in a backpack. There is no indication of a further objective to intentionally modulate the foam density or IFD within the foam core with the aid of a vacuum to obtain multiple levels of firmness and support. Lastly, Lea proposes to utilize foam types with a density not greater than 1.2 or 1.5 in their original state.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,067 teaches the packaging of a mattress wherein the thickness of an elastic structure of a mattress is reduced. An extra cover is laid over the mattress which is fitted over the structure of a pressing device. This procedure will completely flatten the mattress for roll-up. This is a packaging process, not a disclosure to control comfort levels and to apply a vacuum pump to do so.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,060 illustrates a mattress having a plurality of discrete, airtight cells which are to some extent hydrophobic. In contrast to the invention at hand, there is no block of foam core, no covering encasing or envelope and there is no teaching of complete air evacuation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,067 has been granted to a method of packaging a single mattress to a small size so that it can be conveniently carried. It includes the steps of inserting a single mattress into a flexible and waterproof wrapper, compressing it by squeezing it with a compressing device to reduce its thickness within limits and compatible with the its elastic structure and driving out air. The wrapper can be sealed and the whole unit can be inserted in a container for shipping. At the point of sale the mattress is allowed to expand. No mention is made of modulating comfort levels or creating a vacuum. This is a packaging method.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,060 discloses a mattress assembly that includes a base support, a mattress core disposed on the support and a plurality of discrete air permeable hydrophobic air cells. A pump or other suitable means is used for directing an airflow through a number of controllable valves to and through the cells, pressurizing the mattress.
The invention at hand does not use pressurized air but a vacuum pump only, whereas the above art teaches the opposite, namely pressurization of a chamber to increase the hardness of the support surface. The problem with pressurized air supported surfaces is that if air were allowed to escape the pressurized chamber, the support surface would collapse and cause a hammock effect. In the invention at hand adjustable foam does not display a collapsing hammock effect when air is removed from the foam cells, but adjusts to the body's pressure points locally as density within the foam core increases to offer more support.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,168 illustrates a method and apparatus for rapidly deflating and substantially emptying an inflatable air chamber, the chamber being a mattress. This disclosure does not involve self-inflating polyurethane foam with alternating density or IFD and is not relevant to the invention at hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,378 discloses a method of packaging a single mattress into a small size to be conveniently carried. The foam mattress is compressed to fit into a hard container for shipment and is extracted at the point of sale to expand to its original shape. This appears to be a one-time use only and there is no teaching of adjusting the comfort level of a user through modulation of an inner vacuum.
The present invention teaches how to control and modulate the principal characteristics of open-cell flexible polyurethane foam in a specific integration with airtight covers and pressure valves for the use in any form of comfort support device, for instance, mattresses. The principal characteristics pertain to industry standards of subjective tactile softness in the sense of espousing body contours so as to optimally distribute pressure points of a person reclining on a planar surface, and of bodyweight-carrying support firmness. They are controlled and modulated in a way to not only greatly enhance comfort, but particularly to offer an infinite choice of easily adjustable levels of comfort, defined as a balance between softness and firmness. This is done at lower comparable cost and weight compared to high density foam varieties such as visco-elastic foam, and in combination with known, traditional techniques, it enhances versatility, allowing for a great number of variations in the choice and adaptation of materials to go together with self-inflating, modulable foam into comfort level adjustable support devices.
The invention teaches how the Indentation Force Deflection (IFD) and density properties of a certain quality range of flexible open-cell polyurethane foam are modulated by removing some of the air from within the foam cells and altering the cellular density of the foam core. Since high density, more expensive foams, such as visco-elastic foams, are very desirable as to comfort, the principal teaching of the invention is how to modulate comparatively less expensive, lower density foam to exhibit the feel-characteristics of high density foam, and also attain support and comfort levels of a higher density, more expensive foam, without locking the user into a single, fixed comfort level.
IFD and density modulation are achieved by altering open-cell, flexible polyurethane foam or material of similar characteristics within a fixed framework of controllable valves and airtight bladders. This art teaches that the material is fashioned in a particular form and that it is of a molecular composition as to permit the extraction of air in the alveolate structure in a uniform manner throughout, thus increasing material density equally uniformly. A further specialty of the material is that, by virtue of its structure, particular manufacturing and finishing processes, it affords in its low IFD number modulated state a commensurably higher support stability, heretofore only associated with foam or similar material of a very much higher density and greatly higher price. Finally, it is much lighter in weight than the latter and can also be reduced in size and volume for easy transport and storage.
The application of the principles of this teaching extends to a great number of possible combinations of foam only and foam plus traditional support devices used in the architecture of, for example, mattresses, that users may adjust to their personal preference. But in all its combinations, the pivotal point of the invention is that specifically fashioned types of foam will soften when air is extracted from their cell structure. Compared to its original firmness, which is indicated by the manufacturer's IFD number, its resilience will decrease to about half of its original value. The density on the other hand increases considerably to about double its original value, creating the much needed body support a mattress should have. Density of foam is its weight per cubic foot, hence the heavier a cubic foot of foam weighs, the higher will be its density rating.
The present invention teaches that removing air from a foam core uniformly reduces the volume of the core, hence increases its density without adding weight to the overall mattress, which would be undesirable for the user. One of the disadvantages of high density foams, such as visco-elastic foam, is that they are very heavy and difficult to fashion in the form of a mattress. In this invention the single foam core mattress as well as its combination with other bedding materials are much lighter of weight but yet exhibit the same comfort and support characteristics as, for instance, a visco-elastic mattress. It has the additional advantage of being adjustable. Removing air from visco-elastic foam or similar materials in the same manner is not possible, because their cellular structure is very tight and would solidify almost immediately (densification).
The following is a description of how a polyurethane foam core changes in this present invention, demonstrated on a sample of a twin-size mattress foam core. Such a sample typically contains a volume of about 13 cubic feet of air, has an initial density rating of 1.2 and an IFD number of 40, corresponding to a relatively firm-surface foam weighing 15.6 lbs. In comparison, visco-elastic foam of the same size would generally weigh about 58 lbs.
To effect the change in the sample, a fan-style vacuum generator is connected to an outer airtight cover, drawing approximately 0.6 cubic feet of air per second. At this rate it takes 3.5 seconds to double the foams density and to reduce the IFD value so that it feels like a 2.4 density high resilient foam with an IFD value of about 22. The vacuum pump is equipped with variable speed control and remote control memory settings, so that the user can either set or recall a previous setting of an individual comfort level at the speed and in increments which suit him. In laboratory experiments, a user was made to recline on the foam in it's original configuration. He then adjusted the density and IFD settings within the foam core. It was observed that the user's heaviest body-parts sank into the foam and were contoured progressively as the density increased and the IFD value decreased. No collapsing of the mattress, bottoming-out or hammock effect occurred. If no air were allowed to re-enter the foam core and the user were to be lifted off it, the negative mould of his body with all corresponding heavy and light pressure points would be imprinted in the foam permanently.
The second point of importance to be noted is that the foam core gains in stability when air is removed, as opposed to an air chamber which would simply deflate and become wobbly, that is, unstable. In laboratory experiments a further point has been addressed, dealing with the undesirable characteristic of open-cell flexible polyurethane foam to solidify in a full vacuum-state, the so-called ‘compression set’ (CS). If too much air is removed from the cellular structure of foam, it will harden in its densest state and subsequently no longer be able to self-inflate and regain its loft, even partially. CS becomes critical when foam has been compressed for an extended period of time. If, however, a residual amount of air could be left in a foam core and be controlled, it would not suffer CS nearly as much as opposed to a fully deflated foam core.
The chamber's vacuum in this example is controlled by valves which operate under spring pressure. When air is evacuated from a self-inflating foam core within a hermetically sealed cover, the foam material's cellular elasticity exerts pressure to expand to its original form by drawing air back into its open cells, developing a measurable suction force. The more air is removed from the foam cells, the higher the foam core's re-inflation force. Springs in the valve assemblies connected to the partially emptied chamber oppose the re-inflation force reciprocally. Hence a balance between the opposing forces can be established, depending on the spring force and the suction force. Tests conducted in a laboratory environment show that CS can be prevented in a totally deflated foam core if the re-inflating force is slightly greater than the closing force of the valve spring. In this manner, air is drawn back into the mattress at a very slow rate, and stops entering the mattress when the re-inflation force of the foam equals the compression force of the spring in the valve. A fixed spring-force setting, allowing foam to re-inflate to a specific degree greatly reduces the occurrence of CS and preserves the deflated product from malfunctioning when allowed to re-inflate after extended storage periods. The principle of residual air retention to off-set CS has been validated in laboratory experiments for polyurethane foam used in a wide variety of mattress architectures, be it by itself or in a combination with other arrangements. To balance the closing force of the valve spring within the valve assembly against the re-inflating force of the various foams, a great number of specific compression values are being used to adapt to foams having different IFD and density ratings.
Thus, controlling compression set forms integral part of the invention, which would not be able to perform satisfactorily over long periods of time if intentional or accidental excessive deflation took place, destroying the specific characteristics of open cell, flexible polyurethane foam, which are the basis of comfort level adjustment.
Foam Core Configurations:
A number of configurations in conjunction with various types of mattress architecture can be established. They are divided into types which use the characteristics of foam only, and types which use the characteristics of foam in combination with traditional support materials, the latter class being subject of a separate patent and not taken into account here. The following list concerns purely foam types and, as such, it is not exhaustive:
a and 3b shows weights on prior art traditional mattresses;
a shows the same mattress as in
b shows three autonomous airtight chambers permanently attached together to form a sectional mattress.
b shows a vacuum hose engaged in a valve with an air permeable distancing element behind the valve, and a foam core with an exploded outer cover;
The aim of the description of this invention is twofold: to show that modulation of air volume within the foam cells defeats the undesirable hammock effect and that it provides one or more sleepers with new, up to now unavailable variety in choosing his level of comfort.
a shows a typical prior art foam-piece-plus-air-chamber-mattress in which air bladders (31) can be pressurized by an air pump (32). The weights (W) represent a person reclining on top of the foam piece (30). The weights impress their mass on the mattress in the way a reclining person would, accumulating towards the area of least lateral support, that is, in the center. This results in a hammock effect, which is uncomfortable for a person resting on the mattress. Moreover, when air is let out of the bladder(s), the entire apparatus collapses and does no longer support the reclining body, the hammock effect being present all the way down through partial deflation. In this arrangement the air chamber is modulated below the above layered foam piece without any interactive effect on the foam. In case of loss of pressure, the air chamber wobbles and sways, rendering the structure unstable and even more uncomfortable. Moreover, by changing the air volume within chamber (31), the above layered foam piece (30) is not modulated; the density and IFD properties of this foam piece are not changing. Since a pressurized air bladder is not comfortable to recline upon, the foam piece (31) is placed on top of (30) for added comfort. In fact. In the present invention the user reclines directly on the foam core chamber being modulated, so the body's pressure points sink into the foam core chamber's outer surface directly and are contoured in a progressive manner depending on their weight.
b shows the same configuration as
In contrast to the above, this invention modulates the density and the spring-back force (IFD) of self-inflating, open-cell, flexible polyurethane, thus doing away with these problems. Any weight distribution on top of such a foam mattress, such as from the head, abdomen or the legs, affects the deflection of the foam core surface only locally, and upward recovery (spring-back) is a slow process of re-directed airflow through the cell structure of the foam core. Consequently, no hammock effect will be in evidence.
Depending on the volume of air in the foam core, there can even be a state where no recovery takes place (as in very expensive memory foam); where no upward pressure is exerted by the foam core, and still a high level of comfort is sustained. This is based on the underlying principle inherent in the invention that, when air is removed progressively from a hermetically sealed foam core, the foam's density increases. At the same instance, its Indentation Force Deflection (IFD or spring-back force) is progressively decreased, making the foam core softer. This process of modulation spans from full inflation to practically zero. In the extreme case, when too much air is removed, the foam hardens, defeating the purpose of a mattress, e.g. to provide comfort.
From a different perspective, the totally deflated foam core, when allowed to re-self-inflate, also changes in density and IFD values incrementally as it regains its original factory pre-set state. The user can therefore modulate the foam core by removing some air with a vacuum pump, or by allowing air to re-enter the foam core which it does so naturally as the foam core recalls the air that has been removed from its cellular structure. Additionally, since the invention at hand uses foam cores that are at least 4 inches thick, the upward re-inflating force of the foam core is sufficient to lift a reclining person, so that the user may stop the modulation process when the desired body comfort is attained without ever getting off the mattress.
As to the vacuum pump, no particular specifications are put forward for such an apparatus other than that it has to be efficient in extracting all air contained in the foam core. The utilization of a vacuum pump is stated here once and not repeated in subsequent descriptions of mattress configurations, but implied.
Additionally, having multiple and diverse factory-preset foam pieces within a chamber, signifies that the user can choose which surface of the mattress he prefers to recline upon before any modulation takes place. Versatility is thus increased. Using, for example in the two chamber configuration, one or more foam pieces per chamber, it is possible to achieve a comfort modulation level of very soft to softer in the first chamber, and hard to very firm in the second chamber. For clarity's and brevity's sake, the possibility of using multiple core foam pieces per chamber and multiple chambers is implied in the subsequent descriptions of chamber configurations, and not limited to the present examples.
b shows three autonomous airtight chamber (A,B, and C) which are permanently attached to each other to form a three sectional mattress. As mentioned previously, factory-preset foam types may vary enormously in density and IFD, ranging from 1.2 to 2.3 density with an IFD number from 22 to 55 before modulation. After modulation the foam density is at least doubled, and the IFD value drops considerably to simulate the tactile sensation of a high density low IFD foam such as visco-elastic foam—without incurring the associated penalties of high weight and high cost.
b shows the air-permeable distancing element (1401) that may contain additional frontal openings (1409). When the vacuum is activated, air is drawn through the valve (V) and from within the foam core (1410). This causes the valve, distancing element (1401), and outer cover (1408) to be drawn towards the foam core (1410). By contrast, air also passes through openings (1409) from within the distancing element (1401), thus sucking the outer cover (1408) through the openings (1409) only in that area. The outer cover wall (1408) is pulled towards the openings (1409) and because of this vacuum effect the outer cover (1408) pulls the distancing element and the valve back towards itself. The two opposing forces (the valve and distancing element being pulled towards the foam, and the outer cover pulling these components back) allow for a perfect vacuuming effect to be formed and they create a perfect airflow. Thanks to this functionality the airflow within a vacuum pump is more efficient, causing less heat and fatigue to the electrical motor. It also increases the speed at which a mattress can be modulated. When a vacuum pump is activated to remove some air without an air-permeable distancing element, valve (V) and outer cover (14081411) would be drawn towards the foam wall (1410) and form a counter vacuum whereby very little air would be removed from the foam core. Also shown in
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/244,456 filed Sep. 17, 2002 issued on Aug. 2, 2005 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,922,863.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10244456 | Sep 2002 | US |
Child | 11195315 | Aug 2005 | US |