1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to mattress support systems, specifically to a plurality of mattress support units having means to continuously vertically adjust the mattress support units and maintain the mattress support units in fixed juxtaposition.
2. Background of the Invention
Bedding manufacturers have traditionally produced mattresses sized for two adults in industry standard bed sizes of double, queen, and king. Commonly such mattresses, no matter how large, are made of uniform construction and materials so that the entire mattress of a bed provides the same degree of firmness and feel to both adults using it.
People, however, vary considerably in their desires and needs as to mattresses firmness. Often times, people who want to sleep together have very different ideas about what is a comfortable mattress. Also, people of different weights usually need different amounts of support to place their bodies in a comfortable sleeping position. Because people generally spend a significant portion of their lives in bed, it is important that the mattress provide adequate firmness to meet the needs and desires of each of the users. Unfortunately, conventional bed designs for the most part tend to force both persons to compromise their individual desires, or at least force one of the persons to do so. Hence, it often happens that neither person is truly comfortable on a conventional bed or to the extent one is comfortable, the other is not.
The problem is further compounded by the fact that people's mattress needs often change throughout their lives. For example, as one gets older, he or she may desire a firmer mattress to prevent back strain. Likewise, after an injury or strain to a back, one may temporarily or permanently desire a different firmness of mattress. However, the person's sleeping partner may have no such desire or need to change mattress.
One way of solving this problem is to push two single beds together with each single bed having a separate and distinct mattress suited to each particular individual. Unfortunately, this solution often leaves an uncomfortable and unsightly step at the point where the two beds meet. For example, a thicker, plusher, mattress is likely to have a sleep surface noticeably higher than a typically thinner, firmer, mattress. Another problem with this arrangement is that the two independent single beds may tend to separate from each other, causing a gap between the mattresses. Thus, people who rely on using two single beds pushed together to form a double bed will suffer from uneven sleep surfaces and gaps between the sleep surfaces.
Attempts have been made to provide pair wise assembly of bed frames wherein at least one bed frame is height adjustable as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,347 issued to Tharalson, and U.S. Pat. No. 987,064 issued to Grotenhuis. However, each of the described systems suffers from one or more drawbacks in manufacture, assembly, or effectiveness.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,347 issued to Tharalson on Sep. 5 details a bedside sleeping enclosure with height-adjustable legs, for use with babies and very young children. Tharalson fails to address co-joining adult size mattresses, or the mattress comfort needs of adults.
U.S. Pat. No. 987,064 issued to Grotenhuis Mar. 14, 1911 specifies two separate beds or couches that may be brought together to form twin beds. While Grotenhuis addresses the desire for a level bed with a flat top, the adjustable devise has only two positions, “either clear up, or clear down. There can be no intermediate positions”, and offers no solution for providing continuously selective height adjustable sleep surfaces, or stabilizing the bed on uneven flooring.
Attempts have been made to provide variable firmness bedding systems as described U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,625 issued to H. W. Metzger, U.S. Pat. No. 2,651,788 issued to D. F. Forwood, U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,120 issued to Fogel et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,261 issued to Magnusson. However, each of the described systems suffers from one or more drawbacks in manufacture, assembly, or effectiveness.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,625 issued to H. W. Metzger on Sep. 27, 1966. Metzger's solution uses an inner spring mattress having a covering that includes a first quilting pattern for a first person and a second quilting pattern on the other side of the bed for a second person. The first and second quilting patterns are intended to provide different firmness. Since quilting pattern is the only variable, only a limited degree of firmness change may be realized.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,651,788 issued to D. F. Forwood on Sep. 15, 1953 illustrates a mattress that includes first and second spring units encased in a single padded cover. The spring units are intended to provide different firmness. However, comfort and firmness options are limited to the available mattress inserts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,120 issued to Fogel et al. on Jul. 1, 1986 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,585 issued to Krehbiel on May 15, 1973 both show dual bladder waterbeds intended to provide mattresses with individually adjustable firmness. These mattresses provide no solution if either person does not like a waterbed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,261 issued to Magnusson on May 22, 1984 shows a two-person mattress having a frame portion with a cavity. The cavity is filled with first and second inserts. The Magnusson mattress is intended to provide a range of firmness for each person using the two-person mattress. However, comfort and firmness options are limited to the available mattress inserts.
None of the prior art, of which Tharalson U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,347; Grotenhuis U.S. Pat. No. 987,064; Metzger U.S. Pat. No. 3,274,625; Forwood U.S. Pat. No. 2,651,788; Fogel et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,120; and Magnusson U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,261 are typical, show or even suggest the overall configuration and the advantages inherently embodied in the features of the present invention.
Taken as a whole, the above references to the state of the art illustrate and teach away from any suggestion to combine commonly available adult size mattresses or mattress sets of differing thickness from different manufacturers within a system to provide variable sleep comfort and eliminate the problems of gaps or uneven sleep surfaces.
In conclusion, insofar as I am aware, no mattress support system formerly developed allows:
The present invention, an integrated mattress leveling system, comprises of structures to support multiple adult size mattresses of different thickness, with means to level the sleep surfaces of the combined mattresses, while maintaining a fixed relative juxtaposition between the mattress support units. This invention allows adults to incorporate individual mattresses, which provide adequate firmness to meet the needs and desires of each of the users, into one level sleep system without gap between the mattresses. As a result, users can integrate mattresses from multiple manufacturers, taking advantage of the latest sleep comfort 115 technologies available on the market. Also, this invention permits the possibility to change an individual mattress, without having to change the other, at which time, mattress height(s) can then be readjusted to level the new mattress combination.
Accordingly, several objectives and advantages of the invention are to provide a means of integrating an individual's mattress of choice with that of a partner's into a practical and attractive sleep system with level sleep surfaces, allowing users to integrate commonly available standard or non-standard adult size mattresses or mattress sets of differing thickness from different manufacturers, allowing users to exchange individual mattresses of a bed without affecting their partner's comfort, and to allow any number of mattresses to be integrated into one bed. Further objectives and advantages will become apparent from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description. Additionally, the present invention is not limited to the construction illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Therefore, the claims should be regarded as including such equivalent construction.
With reference to
Each mattress support unit 150 comprises of a plurality of slats 110 and rails 130 forming a mattress support structure to frame and support most commonly available standard or non-standard size mattresses or mattress sets (not shown), and height adjustable bed legs 210 positioned at spaced locations along each side at user-selected height. Transverse slats 110 are positioned towards the opposed ends of the mattress support units and between the rails 130 positioned along either side. As shown in
The overall height if bed leg 210 (i.e., the distance between the bottom of foot 300 and the top of support 202), and therefore slat 100 and rail 130, may be continuously adjusted by rotating foot 330 about externally threaded stanchion 215. Foot 300 may be held against axial movement in relation to stanchion 215 by tightening nut 206 against foot, as shown in configuration of
Rails 130 are preferably constructed of metal beams using an L-shaped cross-section wherein a vertical portion of the L-shaped cross-section projects upwardly to inhibit sideward movement of the mattress, and a horizontal portion supports the weight thereof. Slat 110 is preferably constructed of metal beams using an L-shaped cross-section wherein a horizontal portion supports the weight of the mattress, and a vertical portion of the L-shaped cross-section projects downwardly to avoid interference with the mattress and bed legs 210.
Foot 300 is preferably made of metal with parallel upper and lower opposed ends. The foot comprises an internally threaded bore 304 open at the upper end of the foot and extending downwardly toward the lower end of the foot. The thread of the bore is complementary to the threads of stanchion 215. Foot 300 threadedly and rotatably engages with stanchion 215 to provide vertical height adjustment of bed leg 210. It will be evident from the drawing that mattress support unit height may be adjusted by selectively rotating foot 300 with respect to stanchion 215.
An alternative embodiment of foot 300, shown in
Yet another alternative embodiment of foot 300, shown in
The male portion of bed leg 210 is comprised of upper and lower opposed ends, with stanchion 215 having external threads extending upwardly from the lower end and support 202 at the upper end. Support 202 is preferably made of metal plate with parallel upper and lower surfaces, wherein the lower surface is fixed to the upper end of stanchion 215. The support 202 is preferably shaped as a right triangle with attachment holes 203 symmetrical about the median, as shown in
Proximal bed legs 210 of mattress support units 150 are preferably coupled at both ends and maintained in fixed juxtaposition be securing stanchions 215 within cavities 403 of link 400, as shown in
Accordingly, this integrated mattress leveling system will provide:
In the preferred embodiment, two mattress support units 150 would be assembled as described. One extended-twin size box spring and mattress (not shown) would be supported by one mattress support unit 150. Another extended-twin size box spring and mattress would be supported by the other mattress support unit 150, thus forming an integrated mattress support system of approximately the same perimeter dimensions of a king size bed. In this configuration standard king sized bedding could be used on the resulting bed.
Within each mattress support unit 105, the length of slats 110 determines the distance between rails 130. The proportions shown in
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that various features and inventions as described above may be separately employed or used in different combinations. For example, a female member, as the presently described foot, could be inverted and attached to the support, with a male member extending downwardly.
The use of metal beam has the benefit of providing adequate structural rigidity combined with moderate weight and cost. Alternative embodiments may include other materials. While embodiments and applications of the invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, after a perusal of the within disclosure, that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from inventive concepts herein.
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