Patent Application
20210368995
The present invention relates to an innovative linen article (or item) and more precisely a combined resting structure.
It is known that the evolution of the human species has not only determined for the body of a person the assumption of the erect position but also conformed the vertebral column thereof according to a sinusoidal arrangement (or S-arrangement).
The S-conformation, on the one hand, is optimal for the functionality of the movements and the distribution of the loads which the vertebral column must support; on the other hand, however, it makes the column itself rather vulnerable and subject to pathologies such as lumbar and cervical arthrosis, middle back pain, low back pain, lumbosciatica, spinal disc herniation, kyphosis, scoliosis and so on.
To avoid indulging or, better, to prevent such diseases, it appears increasingly crucial that, especially during sleep and/or rest, while a person is lying down, the anatomical part of the human body which is resting cooperates by contact with comfort elements such as mattresses and mattress covers, through which the vertebral column is capable of maintaining an arrangement almost equivalent to that assumed by the person in an erect position.
Failing to do so, in fact, the vertebral column is forced to be arranged in incorrect positions, which cause the worsening of the aforesaid painful pathologies and the automatic stiffening of the body muscles.
Another factor, to be given extreme attention when considering the postural conditions in which a person sleeps or spends a few moments of rest, concerns the air recirculation provided by the linen (also generally defined as linen items or linen cloths) with which the resting structure (such as, conventionally, a bed) on which the person rests his body is equipped.
In addition, as a whole, the comfort elements of such resting structure must be capable of preventing or at least minimizing pathologies of another type, such as allergic forms.
It is therefore clear that especially the mattresses and the mattress covers (but also, more generally, the cushions, pillows, blankets, duvets and other linen items used in a home) must provide a healthy air recirculation to optimize body transpiration and avoid humidity stagnation, thus ensuring a constant and dry heat. At the same time, it is equally important that such linen articles arranged on a bed or, in any case, placeable on a generic seating or supporting surface, such as, for example, a sofa, an armchair, a chair, a bench, a sun-bed, or directly on the floor (or, more appropriately, on the carpet lying thereon) of a room of a home, may be washed and disinfected to ensure adequate hygiene conditions which safeguard the human body from mites, bacteria, mold and dust, often the cause of allergies and infections for people.
The fundamental role which a comfort element or linen article (or item), such as, for example, a pillow, a mattress or a mattress cover, may play should be considered, in relation to each of the factors listed above, when applied to a bed on which disabled people are unfortunately forced to spend most of the day. The present invention involves, in particular, the breathability features, linked to hygroscopicity (or hygroscopy), and the thermoregulation features, linked to insulation, which are attributable to a comfortable combined resting structure used in the linen sector, the role of which, in determining effective resting conditions for the person, is not only increasingly less negligible but rather crucial and unavoidable.
Briefly, it should be specified that hygroscopicity means the ability of a substance or of a material to readily absorb the water molecules present in the surrounding environment, specifically, the sweat of the human body of the person, which, in particular, are subsequently released by virtue of the associated breathability. Thermoregulation, on the other hand, means the ability to keep the temperature of a body constant, regardless of the temperature variations of the external environment, and, therefore, in other words, the ability of some materials to keep the temperature of the body, of the article or of the item made therewith constant, by virtue of the insulation properties thereof.
The main limitation of the linen articles (or items) of the most common and conventional type, such as, conventionally, a mattress cover or a mattress, of the background art, derives from the thermoregulation and breathability conditions of the body of the user who comes into contact therewith: however high, they are not the ideal ones for the physical integrity of the persons, especially if with rheumatism issues or if disabled, confined to bed or on a wheelchair for a long part of the day.
In fact, the production form and the materials with which they are made do not allow the linen articles of the background art to release the humidity to a significant and effective extent.
Consequently, the linen articles (or items) of the known type, such as, above all, although not limitedly, a mattress or a mattress cover, on the one hand, expose the body of the person to environmental conditions which are not purely ideal and are unfortunately capable of causing rheumatism issues, and, on the other hand, make the moments of rest or relax, sometimes crucial for persons like disabled, elderly or people suffering from chronic back problems, less comfortable. Furthermore, at the same time, the linen articles (or items), such as, in particular, a mattress cover or a mattress, available today on the market, are not washable, for example, in water; therefore, the hygiene and cleaning conditions offered therefrom are precarious or not entirely adequate and satisfactory for the user. Such drawbacks are at least in part overcome by the mattress cover described in Italian patent no. 1380622, owned by the same applicant of the present invention, the technical teachings of which are incorporated herein for reference. Indeed, the mattress cover described in such prior document improves the transpiring and thermoregulating properties of the mattress covers of the then background art—and, in return, of the common mattresses on which it is arranged simply lying as a cover—by virtue of the interstitial air (hygroscopic and transpiring) chamber defined by the two distinct linen items, facing and opposite to each other, which form it and by the junction means which, applied mainly, although not exclusively, at the perimeter level, make such linen items integral with each other.
However, also such type of mattress cover of a known type is, as mentioned, arranged simply lying on the mattress, with the consequence that the persons lying on it, with the movement, even unconscious, of the body thereof during the hours of rest or sleep, may cause the uncontrolled lateral displacement thereof, which sometimes disturbs the position thereof, thus subjecting the persons to a less comfortable rest (even if to a small extent).
Furthermore, the inherent removability of a classic mattress cover, also of the transpiring and thermoregulating type as the one described in the patent identified above, with respect to the mattress on which it is laid and with respect to which it is a distinct and separate piece, increases the height of the resting structure as a whole, going thereby against the needs of the rest sector market.
In addition, combined resting structures are available on the market in which the mattress cover is integrated or permanently coupled, albeit removably, to the underlying mattress: such structures intended for the rest of persons provide, however, a mattress cover padded with synthetic products, wadding, cotton and/or wool of a more conventional and commercial type, with the consequence of generating those same issues of body thermoregulation and breathability, for the people who use them, as already mentioned above.
Starting, therefore, from the acknowledgment of the aforesaid drawbacks of the current state of the art here considered, the present invention aims to overcome them completely and effectively.
In particular, it's main purpose of the invention to provide a combined resting structure which, in a single product offered on the market, has better hygroscopic and transpiring properties with respect to those offered by known combined resting structures, purely formed by a mattress and a mattress cover permanently (although removably) coupled to the mattress.
Otherwise specified, it's primary purpose of the present invention to provide a combined resting structure which has a better and clearly greater breathability with respect to the one of the combined resting structures identified above, belonging to the background art.
Within the scope of such a purpose, it's therefore a task of the present invention to create a combined resting structure which allows to limit, with respect to the background art, the physical problems due to rheumatism suffered by a person while resting, sleeping or lying on the combined resting structure, conventionally a mattress which integrates a mattress cover on the upper part thereof, also in a removable manner.
It's another task of the invention to devise a combined resting structure which improves the quality of the hours of rest or sleep of a person spent during a day, by making it more comfortable and healthy.
It's a second purpose of the present invention to indicate a combined resting structure which, with respect to the background art more directly comparable thereto, allows improving the thermoregulation property. It's a further purpose of the invention to provide a combined resting structure which has an overall height—formed by the essential components thereof which are represented by mattress and mattress cover—equivalent to that of a properly defined mattress of more modern conception and, therefore, appealing to the rest and physical well-being sector market.
It's a last but not least purpose of the present invention to realize a combined resting structure that is also hygienic since it is hypoallergenic, anti-mite and washable with water, as well as somewhat soft and light and pleasant to the touch and use, more than what the combined resting structures of known type equivalent thereto are.
Said objects are achieved by means of a combined resting structure according to the attached claim 1, as hereinafter referred for the sake of brevity of exposure.
Further detailed application features of the combined resting structure of the present invention are contained in the related dependent claims.
The aforesaid claims, hereafter specifically and concretely defined, are intended as an integral part of the present description.
Advantageously, the combined resting structure of the invention, on which a person conventionally rests the body thereof during the hours of rest, is capable of lowering, bringing it to the minimum levels, the rate of humidity of the surrounding space, significantly reducing the value thereof compared to equivalent combined resting structures of the prior art that are actually ineffective for the purpose, while at the same time keeping the person's body temperature who uses them constant.
In essence, the combined resting structure of the present invention is more transpiring and thermoregulating with respect to the combined resting structures of the known type, even of more advanced production concept, already identified above.
This is by virtue of the innovative technical feature which the combined and improved resting structure of the invention is provided with, which is realized in that the mattress cover comprises at least two padded linen items, facing and opposite to each other and mutually connected by means of main junction means so as to define between such linen items at least one hygroscopic interstitial air chamber which identifies a free volume and is suitable for imparting breathability and thermoregulation to said combined resting structure, as defined in the attached and main independent claim.
Still advantageously, with respect to the background art, the combined resting structure of the invention makes the moments of rest more comfortable and healthy for the user which, in return, is capable of enjoying such moments with greater serenity and satisfaction, with a consequent improvement in the quality of the life thereof.
Equally advantageously, the combined resting structure of the invention further reduces, with respect to the background art, the physical problems to which a person is exposed while resting or sleeping on a generic support structure comprising the object towards which the present invention is specifically oriented.
Equally advantageously, the combined resting structure of the invention offers, in a single product, thermoregulation levels which are not even remotely attainable by the known combined resting structures comparable thereto, allowing, with respect to the latter, to maintain the body temperature of the person using it more efficiently constant.
Furthermore, advantageously, the combined resting structure of the present invention is a high-quality and long-lasting household linen item, especially in the case in which the mattress cover is preferably padded with down and, in particular, with a Siberian and/or Tibetan down.
More specifically, each item (or cloth) accompanying the mattress cover belonging to the combined resting structure of the invention is, preferably, padded with down puffs which are taken from the under-neck and from the breast of the goose and which are full-bodied and soft and which, moreover, especially if the geese are raised up to their full maturity or live in the wild in a harsh climate, are particularly elastic and resistant.
The natural properties of goose down, therefore, such as hygroscopicity, insulation, elasticity and volume, allow achieving an hypoallergic and antirheumatic covering which, in the invention, contributes to favoring a healthy body transpiration and a comfortable rest for the user.
The specific structure, the absolute naturalness and the careful selection of the materials used for the components thereof allow providing a long guarantee to the mattress cover integrated, also removably, into the combined resting structure of the invention described herein.
In summary, therefore, the combined resting structure of the invention has a height equal to that of the conventional mattresses, although integrating in a single household linen item, also in a mutually removable manner, a mattress and a mattress cover which has at least one hygroscopic interstitial air chamber which:
The aforesaid objects and advantages, as well as others which will emerge later on, will become more apparent from the following description, relating to a preferred embodiment of the combined resting structure of the invention, given by way of explanation but not by way of limitation, with the help of the attached drawings in which:
The combined resting structure of the invention is shown in
As noted, the combined resting structure 1 comprises:
Preferably but not necessarily, each of the linen items 5, 6 is quilted according to a scheme with modular squares or sectors 9 and internally comprises a plurality of inner spacer tabs 10, visible in
Advantageously, each of these spacer tabs 10 of both linen items 5, 6 is preferably, but not exclusively, made of cotton and has two through holes 11 which place the modular quilting squares (or sectors) 9 adjacent to each other and belonging to one of said linen items 5, 6 in mutual communication, so that the air circulation A not only inside of the hygroscopic interstitial air chamber 8 defined by the linen items 5, 6, but also of the linen items 5, 6 themselves is maximized or optimized.
In particular, each of the aforesaid through holes 11, clearly visible in
Even more preferably, but not limitedly, the diameter of each of the through holes 11 is equal to 3 cm.
The aforesaid through holes 11, therefore, have the function of further increasing the breathability and the thermoregulation capacity of the combined resting structure of the invention with respect to the equivalent combined resting structures of the known type, even of more advanced production conception, which, also, are largely lacking on this point.
The combined resting structure of the present invention offers, therefore, thermoregulation levels higher with respect to those provided by the combined resting structures equivalent thereto, allowing, with respect to the latter, to maintain more efficiently constant the body temperature of the person who uses it for spending moments of rest or, more frequently, for sleeping.
In other optional embodiments of the combined resting structure of the present invention, not shown in the following drawings, only one or only some of the spacer tabs of at least one of the linen items may have one or more of the through holes as just constructively and functionally defined.
Furthermore, other production solutions of the combined resting structure of the present invention, not shown below, may provide that the through holes are distributed unevenly on the various spacer tabs of at least some of the padded linen items: in other words, in some executive variants of the invention, one or more of the spacer tabs may be without through holes or, in some other embodiments of the invention, one or more of the spacer tabs may have a number of through holes which is different from that of one or more of the remaining spacer tabs.
It should be noted in this regard that the number of through holes obtained on at least one of the inner spacer tabs of at least one of the linen items belonging to the mattress cover of the combined and/or composite resting structure claimed herein—so that, in some solutions of the invention, some spacer tabs may lack such through holes—is variable depending on the design choices starting from a minimum of one.
Preferably and advantageously, each of the inner spacer tabs 10 comprises a movable and flexible portion (in this case, for example, not affected by the main junction means 6 of the type described below), not shown for simplicity of display, arranged at least one of the through holes 11 to close it extensively but not totally, so that, on the one hand, the air circulation A is allowed between the quilting squares 9 and, on the other hand, suitably, the migration, the transfer or the fortuitous, accidental and uncontrolled passage of the padding (of the type that will be highlighted in the continuation of the description) is prevented from one to the other of the quilting squares 9 of the linen items 5, 6.
Such movable and flexible portion may belong to one or more of the spacer tabs 10 (with which it is therefore monolithic) or, less frequently, may be only partially constrained thereto by means of suitable joining means or, possibly, be held in position (at the relevant through hole) by means of part of the aforesaid main junction means applied at the quilting of the modular squares or sectors.
Alternative variants of the combined resting structure of the invention, not shown below, may provide that the mattress cover has a simpler and more conventional conformation, different from the one with squares described above: for the purposes of the technical concept of the invention, the presence of at least one hygroscopic interstitial air chamber is, in fact, essential between the linen items of the mattress cover combined with the mattress, regardless of the shape and production composition of each of such linen items.
In further embodiments of the combined resting structure of the present invention, not shown in the attached drawings, the mattress cover may still have a quilted structure with fixed squares defined and delimited by stitching/quilting and without spacer tabs (or straps).
In general, each of the padded linen items 5, 6 preferably includes a fabric casing 12, 13 and filamentary elements which fill the fabric casing 12, 13 itself and are suitable for imparting softness, elasticity, hypoallergicity, thermoregulation, hygroscopicity, breathability features to each of such padded linen items 5, 6. More in detail, the fabric casing 12, 13 is made of a material comprising cotton, pleasing both to the touch and to the view.
Preferably, but not necessarily, the material of the fabric casing 12, 13 also comprises silver yarns inserted in the weft of the cotton, thus giving rise to a silver fabric fiber which is an innovation already introduced some years ago in the latest generation of linen sector products, to meet the growing need for health, well-being and hygiene of the end user: in fact, the properties of silver fabric fiber allow a considerable increase in the comfort level of the people who actually rest their body on the upper linen item 5.
This stems from the fact that silver ions have significant sanitizing and antibacterial properties and are therefore used to make different types of objects, including fabric fibers.
Silver fabric fibers are obtained by the permanent and homogeneous junction of a layer of pure silver which, by means of the use of nanotechnologies, is firmly bonded to the surface of the fiber: it is a process which allows the fiber to maintain, at the same time, the conventional features of fabric and tactile consistency thereof.
Silver fabric fiber is:
In alternative embodiments of the combined resting structure of the present invention, not shown in the attached drawings, the cotton, which forms the material of the fabric casing of the padded linen items (or cloths or portions) of the mattress cover, may be subjected to a specific antibacterial treatment in silver solution, performed in the finishing step to guarantee an antimicrobial, hypoallergic and anti-odor action on the cotton: such treatment totally prevents the uncontrolled proliferation of bacteria on the surface of the fabrics.
With reference to the filamentary elements contained in the fabric casing 12, 13, they include any of the padding elements selected from the group consisting of down, wool, horsehair, feathers and synthetic fibers (polyesters, microfibres and the like).
In particular, the down is of the Siberian, Tibetan, Canadian, Hungarian and/or similar type, suitable for absorbing moisture to allow the fabric casing 12, 13, with which the body of a person comes into contact, to stay dry.
Down (for example of the types just mentioned) is thermoregulating, offering a good thermal insulation (by virtue of the air which circulates between the barbs of the feathers themselves), which allows to keep the temperature of the body of the person constant and to spread the heat homogeneously.
More specifically, each of the feathers consists of an extremely light three-dimensional puff which comprises a central core from which a plurality of barbs branch, suitable for creating a multiplicity of air chambers in which the air is retained, responsible for the thermal insulation useful for maintaining the body temperature.
The ensemble of the down puffs gives the mattress cover 3 of the combined resting structure 1 of the invention advantageous elasticity, volume and lightness features, unlike the conventional down structure (still falling within the inventive concept underlying the present invention purely referring to a possible variant thereof) which is rigid, flat, heavy and with little capacity to absorb air.
The down contained in the fabric casing 12, 13 is in a predetermined and adequately calibrated quantity, correlated to the support function performed by the mattress cover 3 integrated in the combined resting structure 1 of the invention.
It is apparent that the composition just described of the padded linen items 5, 6 of the mattress cover 3 of the combined structure 1 of the invention also contributes to achieve the pre-established purposes of the present invention and to attain the advantages previously listed, already achievable with the minimal and essential technical features as per the attached main and independent claim.
With regard to the modular squares or sectors 9 of the mattress cover 3, they are preferably equal to one another and placed side by side along at least a plurality of first linear directions X and also along a plurality of second linear directions Y, orthogonal to the first linear directions X.
However, it is understood that in other (less usual and less probable) embodiments of the combined and/or composite resting structure of the invention, not shown below, the modular squares may be placed side by side only along a single linear direction, to form, for example, a combined resting structure of a particular elongated shape.
Furthermore, each of the modular squares or sectors 9 is formed by an upper surface 14 and by a lower surface 15 spaced apart from one another at the opposite ends 14a, 15a, 14b, 15b by means of a first length of a value lower with respect than that of a second length which separates the central areas 14c, 15c respectively of the upper surface 14 and of the lower surface 15: therefore, a convex shape is obtained for each of the modular quilting squares 9 of the padded linen items 5, 6, as shown in
As a result, by recalling the inner spacer tabs 10 described above, each of these is applied internally at the opposite ends 14a, 14b and 15a, 15b respectively of the upper surface 14 and of the lower surface 15 of the modular squares 9.
From what has been described so far, it emerges therefore that the only hygroscopic interstitial air chamber 8, identified in this specific and preferred case, by the padded linen items 5, 6:
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein, the connection means 4 comprise a zip 16, coupled to the mattress 2 and removably with respect to the mattress cover 3, to be joined thereto, and suitable to be arranged by a user between a closed position, in which the mattress cover 3 is firmly coupled and completely spread on top of the mattress 2, and an opening position, in which the mattress cover 3 is at least partly decoupled (see
The mattress cover 3 is completely decoupled and removed from the mattress 2 when it is necessary to perform a thorough cleaning of the upper surface 2b of said mattress 2 and, above all, the cleaning, by means of a suitable and advantageous washing, of the mattress cover 3.
Indeed, the mattress cover 3 of the combined and/or composite resting structure 1 of the invention may be simply washed with water and neutral soap and may therefore be rinsed and dried in the air and in the shade, unlike what happens for the equivalent combined structures of the known type.
For a perfect drying, it is necessary, in particular, to shake the mattress cover 3 and frequently separate the content of the fabric casing 12, 13 from the casing itself, thus preventing undesired and unpleasant stains from forming on it.
Furthermore, it is possible to wash the mattress cover 3 even at the dry cleaner's, with water at 60° C., neutral soap and accurate rinsing, ensuring high hygienic conditions over time, which safeguard against mites, bacteria, mold and dust, often the cause of allergic and infectious diseases.
The drying of the mattress cover 3 of the combined resting structure 1 of the invention may occur with a drying machine (or dryer).
More particularly, the connection means 4 are arranged in proximity of the main junction means 7 and are partly fixed to the mattress cover 3 by means of auxiliary junction means, overall indicated with 18.
The mattress cover 3 has a height of value in the range 5-8 cm while the mattress 2 has a height of value in the range of 15-20 cm, so that, as a whole, the combined resting structure 1 has a height H, indicated in
Preferably, the transpiring laminar support 19 comprises a three-dimensional wide-mesh net, with a honeycomb-like appearance, made of a synthetic technical fabric and suitable to accentuate the breathability feature of the mattress cover 3.
In particular, such synthetic technical fabric of the transpiring laminar support 19 is a polyester (nylon® thread), better known under the trade name of “Airnet”, which has an excellent resistance to abrasion and is commercially available in various grammages (for example, 230 gr/m2) and colors (although the preferred color, proposed and used by the applicant in the products thereof, is a neutral or transparent color).
Appropriately, from the production point of view, the transpiring laminar support 19 has greater dimensions in plan than those of the mattress cover 3 from which it projects laterally for a perimetric portion 20 to which, appropriately, the connection means 4 are permanently coupled through the auxiliary junction means 18.
More in detail, the auxiliary junction means 18 comprise, purely by way of explanation and of preference:
The aforesaid arrangement of the transpiring laminar support 19 with respect to the mattress cover 3, on the one hand, and the aforesaid production concept of the auxiliary junction means 18, on the other hand, allows the connection means 4 to be coupled in a permanent and effective manner—namely the strip of fabric 23 (left or right, depending on the observation point of the plane of the attached figures) of the zip 16≠to the perimetric portion 20 of the transpiring laminar support 19 and, in return, to the mattress cover 3 without damaging (by tearing it) the fabric casing 12, 13 of the upper linen item 5, made of a delicate fabric such as, as mentioned above, preferably cotton.
In further embodiments of the combined resting structure of the invention, not shown in the attached figures, the auxiliary junction means may comprise a number of perimetric seam sections other than one, such number being able to vary according to the production requirements precisely starting from one. As far as the main junction means 7 are concerned, they are applied to the side flaps 5a, 6a of each of the padded linen items 5, 6 of the mattress cover 3 of the combined resting structure 1.
In particular, the main junction means 7 (diagrammatically indicated in
Similarly to what has just been said for the main junction means, optional solutions of the combined resting structure of the invention, not accompanied by explanatory figures, may provide that the main junction means include a number of perimetric seam sections other than two, being possible, also in this case, that such number varies according to production choices starting from one.
In alternative variants, not shown below, of the combined resting structure of the invention, the main junction means may comprise:
the other along the lower edge of the aforesaid perimetrical tape. Finally, it should be noted that the mattress 2 of the combined resting structure 1 of the invention is of the type per se known to the person skilled in the art, since it may be formed, for example, by a spring mattress, a “memory foam” mattress (with the addition of at least one polyurethane layer), a latex mattress, a water mattress, a horsehair mattress or a wool mattress.
By virtue of the description just provided above, it is therefore understood that the combined resting structure, object of the present invention, achieves the objects and embodies the above mentioned advantages.
Upon execution, changes could be made to the combined resting structure of the invention, consisting, for example, in connection means between the mattress and the mattress cover (also commonly identified with the term “topper”) of a different concept from that described above and visible in the following figures.
In addition to this, other alternative embodiments of the combined resting structure of the invention may exist, not shown in the attached drawings, in which the main junction means which connect the padded linen items to one another may identify more than one interstitial hygroscopic air chamber, such number being able to vary even in this case according to the production requirements precisely starting from one.
Furthermore, in further embodiments of the combined resting structure which is claimed exclusively herein, not shown below, the number of mattress covers joined to the mattress may be greater than one (for example, in the case in which they are arranged side by side, on top of the mattress, with respect to which they will thus have smaller dimensions), which does not invalidate the advantage basically provided by the present invention.
Finally, it is clear that numerous other variants may be applied to the combined resting structure concerned, without departing from the novelty principles inherent in the inventive idea, as it is clear that, in the practical embodiment of the invention, the materials, the shapes and the dimensions of the details shown may be any according to the requirements, and may be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.
Where the construction features and the techniques mentioned in the following claims are followed by reference signs or numbers, such reference signs have been introduced with the sole aim of increasing the intelligibility of the claims themselves and, consequently, they do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified, purely by way of explanation, by such reference signs.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102018000010023 | Nov 2018 | IT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2019/059433 | 11/4/2019 | WO | 00 |
