Patent Application
20150320228
The present invention relates to mattress assemblies including a plurality of visco-elastic foam blocks. In particular, the present invention relates to mattress assemblies that include a plurality of visco-elastic foam blocks configured to attach to one another, such that the visco-elastic foam blocks can be individually transported and then assembled to form a mattress.
Visco-elastic foams are increasingly used in the manufacture of mattresses due to their ability to conform to the shape of a user and provide support to the entirety of a user's body. Despite these advantageous properties, however, visco-elastic foam mattresses are generally more dense than traditional spring-based mattresses, which results in the visco-elastic foam mattresses having weights that are significantly higher than a spring-based mattress of the same size. Indeed, king-size visco-elastic foam mattress may weigh as much as 150 to 200 pounds, making it exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for a single user to carry such a mattress. Moreover, given the weight of such mattresses, shipping or transporting the mattress is often expensive and time consuming. Accordingly, a visco-elastic foam mattress assembly that is easier to transport, but does not sacrifice the comfort and support traditionally provided by those mattresses would be both highly desirable and beneficial.
The present invention relates to mattress assemblies including a plurality of visco-elastic foam blocks. In particular, the present invention relates to mattress assemblies that include a plurality of viscoelastic foam blocks configured to attach to one another such that a user can easily select and transport individual visco-elastic foam blocks, and then assemble the visco-elastic foam blocks into a complete mattress at a desired location. Thus, the mattress assemblies of the present invention allow a user to obtain a complete visco-elastic foam mattress without having to transport an entire visco-elastic foam mattress at one time and without a loss of the comfort and support offered by traditional visco-elastic foam mattresses.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a mattress assembly is provided that includes a plurality of visco-elastic foam blocks configured to attach to one or more adjacent foam blocks. Each visco-elastic foam block generally includes a connector, such as hook and loop fasteners, that is mounted on one or more sides of each visco-elastic foam block to thereby attach each block to adjacent blocks included in the mattress assembly. Each visco-elastic foam block further includes an upper comfort layer and a lower support layer, such that each visco-elastic foam block provides a level of comfort to a user that is resting their body, or a portion thereof, on the visco-elastic foam blocks of the mattress assembly, but yet also provides a sufficient amount of support to the body of the user, or the portion thereof.
In the mattress assemblies of the present invention, each visco-elastic foam block typically has a weight of about thirty to about forty pounds and is generally arranged in one or more rows to form a complete mattress assembly. In some embodiments of the mattress assemblies, the visco-elastic foam blocks are arranged in a first row of visco-elastic foam blocks and a second row of visco-elastic foam blocks. For example, in some embodiments that make use of six visco-elastic foam blocks in a mattress assembly, three visco-elastic foam blocks can be arranged in a row adjacent to another row including three visco-elastic foam blocks so as to produce a mattress assembly having two rows of three visco-elastic foam blocks. In this regard, in some embodiments of the present invention, a mattress assembly can be provided that is comprised of visco-elastic foam blocks arranged in rows that are dimensionally-sized to support a user lying in a supine or prone position.
With further respect to the visco-elastic blocks of the present invention, in some embodiments, a mattress assembly can be provided where the visco-elastic blocks have different densities relative to one another such that different levels of firmness are provided in a single mattress assembly. For example, in some embodiments, a first row of visco-elastic foam blocks can be included in a mattress assembly that is less dense than a second row of visco-elastic blocks included in the mattress assembly, so as to provide a mattress assembly where one side of the mattress assembly is firmer than a second side of the mattress assembly. As another example, in some embodiments, visco-elastic blocks can be included in a head region of a mattress assembly that are less dense than the visco-elastic blocks included in other portions of the mattress assembly, so as to provide a mattress assembly having a softer, more comfortable portion for the head of a user and a firmer, more supportive portion for the torso or other portions of a user's body.
In yet further embodiments of the present invention, an exemplary mattress assembly can also be included as part of a bed assembly. In some embodiments of the present invention, a bed assembly is provided that comprises a mattress including a plurality of visco-elastic foam blocks, where each visco-elastic foam block is configured to attach to one or more adjacent visco-elastic foam blocks. The bed assembly also includes a frame for securing the plurality of visco-elastic foam blocks in a predetermined configuration. In this regard, in some embodiments, each of the rails included in the frame has a height such that, upon placement of a foundation and a mattress assembly of the present invention within the frame, each rail covers at least a portion of a side of each visco-elastic foam block to thereby secure the visco-elastic blocks in the frame and provide a mattress assembly where the individual visco-elastic blocks are secured in place.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become evident to those of ordinary skill in the art after a study of the description, figures, and non-limiting examples in this document.
The present invention relates to mattress assemblies that include a plurality of visco-elastic foam blocks. In particular, the present invention relates to mattress assemblies that include a plurality of viscoelastic foam blocks configured to attach to one another such that a user can easily transport the visco-elastic foam blocks individually and then assemble the blocks at a desired location. Further, by making use of individual visco-elastic foam blocks, the mattress assemblies of the present invention allow a user to individualize their level of comfort and support by selecting visco-elastics blocks having variable levels of firmness. Thus, the mattress assemblies of the present invention allow a user to easily transport and carry a visco-elastic foam mattress having a customized firmness without having to transport an entire visco-elastic foam mattress at one time and without the loss of comfort that may otherwise occur if the weight and, consequently, the amount of material included in a traditional visco-elastic foam mattress was simply reduced to allow it to be more easily transported.
Referring first to
Referring now to
Furthermore, each visco-elastic foam block 22a, 22b, 22c, 26a, 26b, 26c typically has a weight of about thirty to forty pounds so as to provide a visco-elastic foam block that can be easily transported. Moreover, each visco-elastic foam block 22a, 22b, 22c, 26a, 26b, 26c typically also has a low resilience as well as a sufficient density and hardness, which allows pressure to be absorbed uniformly and distributed evenly across the visco-elastic foam blocks 22a, 22b, 22c, 26a, 26b, 26c of the mattress assembly 20. Generally, such visco-elastic foams have a hardness of at least about 10 N to no greater than about 80 N, as measured by exerting pressure from a plate against a sample of the material to a compression of at least 40% of an original thickness of the material at approximately room temperature (i.e., 21° C. to 23° C.), where the 40% compression is held for a set period of time as established by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 2439 hardness measuring standard. In some embodiments, the visco-elastic foam used to produce the visco-elastic foam blocks has a hardness of about 10 N, about 20 N, about 30 N, about 40 N, about 50 N, about 60 N, about 70 N, or about 80 N to provide a desired degree of comfort and body-conforming qualities.
The visco-elastic foam described herein for use in the visco-elastic foam blocks 22a, 22b, 22c, 26a, 26b, 26c of the mattress assembly 20 can also have a density that assists in providing a desired degree of comfort and body-conforming qualities, as well as an increased degree of material durability. In some embodiments, the density of the visco-elastic foam used in the visco-elastic foam blocks 22a, 22b, 22c, 26a, 26b, 26c has a density of no less than about 30 kg/m3 to no greater than about 150 kg/m3. In some embodiments, the density of the visco-elastic foam used in the visco-elastic foam blocks 22a, 22b, 22c, 26a, 26b, 26c is about 30 kg/m3, about 40 kg/m3, about 50 kg/m3, about 60 kg/m3, about 70 kg/m3, about 80 kg/m3, about 90 kg/m3, about 100 kg/m3, about 110 kg/m3, about 120 kg/m3, about 130 kg/m3, about 140 kg/m3, or about 150 kg/m3. Of course, the selection of a visco-elastic foam having a particular density will affect other characteristics of the foam, including its hardness, the manner in which the foam responds to pressure, and the overall feel of the foam, but it is appreciated that a visco-elastic foam having a desired density and hardness can readily be selected for a particular application or mattress assembly as desired.
Referring now to
Regardless of the particular densities of the bottom support layers 24c, 28c and the upper comfort layer 23c, 27c, the support layers 24c, 28c and the comfort layers 23c, 27c are generally secured to one another to prevent the support layers 24c, 28c and the comfort layers 23c, 27c from moving relative to one another during use. Various means of securing one layer of material to another can be used in this regard, including tape, hook and loop fasteners, conventional fasteners, stitches, and the like. In one particular embodiment, the support layers 24c, 28c and the comfort layers 23c, 27c re bonded together by an adhesive or cohesive bonding material to create a substantially continuous assembly where the support layers 24c, 28c and the comfort layers 23c, 27c are fully adhered to one another. Such adhesive bonding materials include, for example, environmentally-friendly, water based adhesives, like SABA AQUABOND RSD, a two-component water-based adhesive product produced by SABA DINXPERLO BV, B-7090 AA, Dinxperlo, Belgium.
With further regard to the bottom support layers 24c, 28c shown in
As a further refinement to the inclusion of visco-elastic foam blocks having different densities and hardnesses in a mattress assembly of the present invention, in some embodiments, mattress assemblies are provided where the visco-elastic foam blocks have different densities relative to one another, such that different levels of firmness are provided in a single mattress assembly and can be customized depending on the preference of a particular user. For example, and referring now to
Referring now to
One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional embodiments or implementations are possible without departing from the teachings of the present invention or the scope of the claims which follow. This detailed description, and particularly the specific details of the exemplary embodiments and implementations disclosed herein, is given primarily for clarity of understanding, and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2012/072034 | 12/28/2012 | WO | 00 |
