Patent Application
20100325806
The present disclosure relates generally to supports for the human body and, more particularly, to pressure-relieving or pressure dispersion supports having different degrees of support corresponding generally to the pressure points exhibited by the human anatomy.
Sleep plays an important role in a person's overall health and enjoyment of life. The quality and quantity of sleep we receive each night affects our body's ability to function normally and the ability to reach peak performance. Physiologically, sleep affects our brain activity, heart rate, blood pressure, sympathetic nerve activity, muscle tone, blood flow to the brain, sexual arousal, and body temperature. Sleep deprivation shows a strong correlation to obesity, diabetes, stroke, depression, and hypertension. Restful sleep is dependent upon a persons comfort level while lying prone. The buildup or concentration of pressure on certain parts of the body and poor body alignment are significant causes of restless sleep. Sleeping on a mattress or other support surface that does not properly support and conform to the shape of your body or to the spine's natural curves may significantly contribute to restlessness or inability to sleep. The concept of having a 7-zone mattress or pad was derived from the fact that our bodies have different contours in different places and also different weights. The mattress or pad is fit for each of the seven major areas of the body—head and neck, shoulder and upper back, lumbar, pelvic, knee, lower leg, and foot and ankle. For example, the upper hack and pelvis areas are softer, removing pressure points and ensuring better alignment of the spine and the lumbar area is firmer offering more support to the lower back. By reducing the buildup or concentration of pressure on certain points of the body, the 7-zone concept can alleviate restlessness or inability to sleep.
A pressure dispersion pad and pressure dispersion mattress system includes a base support pad, seven distinct zones or areas of support and three foam inserts. The seven zones are integral and coextensive with each other and extend transversely and are arrayed from the head of the pressure dispersion pad to the foot of the pressure dispersion pad. Four zones are part of the base support pad and three foam inserts are made from latex, visco, NuForm, or a combination thereof, to form an additional three zones. The three foam inserts have a planar top and bottom surface that are placed in three predefined countersunk cut-outs in the base of the support pad. Based on pressure mapping data taken using a human subject lying prone with a BMI in the range of 18-40, the percentage of pressure points between the pressure dispersion pad and the human subject that exceed 30 mm Hg is 23% or less.
In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure and related inventions, a pressure dispersion pad of substantially rectangular shape includes a base support pad, seven distinct zones or areas of support being integral and coextensive with each other and extending transversely and being arrayed from a head of said pressure dispersion pad to a foot of said pressure dispersion pad wherein four zones are part of the base support pad and three foam inserts are made from latex, visco, NuForm, or combinations thereof to form an additional three zones, the three foam inserts having a planar top and bottom surface that are placed in three predefined countersunk cut-outs in the base support pad, wherein, based on pressure mapping data taken using a human subject lying prone with a BMI in the range of 18-40, the percentage of pressure points between the pressure dispersion pad and the human subject that exceed 30 mm Hg is 23% or, less.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure and related inventions, a pressure dispersing mattress system has an innerspring having a plurality of springs connected together in an array wherein the springs are arranged in rows and columns, each spring having a body with a first end and a second end, the body of each spring being generally cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis and an outer diameter, the springs being spaced apart in the rows and columns and connected together in a spaced apart arrangement with each spring being spaced from each spring in the array; a first layer insulator pad positioned upon a supporting surface formed by the innerspring, a second layer positioned on top of the first layer, the second layer containing at least one polyurethane or latex foam pad, a pressure dispersion pad positioned on top of the second layer, and at least one additional layer positioned on top of the pressure dispersion pad; the pressure dispersion pad comprising a base support pad, seven distinct zones or areas of support being integral and coextensive with each other and extending transversely and being arrayed from a head of said pressure dispersion pad to a foot of said pressure dispersion pad, wherein four zones are part of the base support pad and three foam inserts are made from latex, visco, NuForm, or a combination thereof, to form an additional three zones, the three foam inserts having a planar top and bottom surface that are placed in three predefined countersunk cut-outs in the base support pad; wherein, based. on pressure mapping done using a human subject with a BMI between 18-40, the percentage of pressure points between the pressure dispersing mattress system and the human subject that are greater than 30 mm Hg is approximately six percent or less.
These and other aspects of the disclosure and related inventions are herein described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawing figures.
The present disclosure relates generally to supports for the human body and, more particularly, to supports having different degrees of support corresponding generally to the pressure points exhibited by the human anatomy. Empirical design from human body pressure mapping is used to identify support zones for which components are selected and assembled in the pressure dispersion support system for pressure dispersion and relief. Pressure points are reduced by both distributing body weight more evenly and dispersing pressure in areas where pressure is concentrated. Generally, blood flows through the capillaries at an approximate pressure of 32 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Once the external pressure on a capillary exceeds its internal blood pressure, occlusion occurs and restricts blood flow. Reducing pressure points on the human body that exceed 32 mm Hg reduces the need to shift body position (less tossing and turning) while sleeping to maintain comfort.
As pictured in
Representative dimensions of the PDP 800 are between 37.5 and 71.5 inches wide and between 74 and 83 inches long. Each of the seven zones was analyzed to determine how each zone is able to manage its own portion of the total body load applied. Zone one 101 is located at the top or the head of the mattress and zone seven 107 at the bottom or the foot of the mattress. There were approximately 10,240 sensors applied to the PDP 800 for testing, each sensor having an area of 0.5 inches by 0.5 inches. Zones one 101, three 103, five 105 and seven 107, where the least amount of body pressure is applied, contain polyurethane foam that is convoluted, sculpted, contoured, or planar and is approximately 2 inches thick. Example widths of zones one 101, three 103, five 105, and seven 107 varies between 2.9 and 7.4 inches. As shown in
The physical/performance properties of the SS base pad are as follows:
A variety of support materials were tested to determine the optimal combination of insert materials for zones two 200, four 400, and six 600, where the highest pressure readings are located. The inserts in these zones are approximately 0.5 inches thick and rest upon a 1.5 inch base 100 of polyurethane foam. Representative widths of zones two 200, four 400, and six 600 are between 19 and 19.5 inches wide. Representative materials used for insertion into zones two 200, four 400, and six 600 include Visco/Latex; NuForm/Latex; and Latex/Latex combinations. The materials selected to be inserted into zones two 200, four 400, and six 600 are joined to the base 100 edge to edge with or without a suitable adhesive. The physical/performance properties of the insert materials are as follows:
A first embodiment of the present disclosure is a regular Visco/Latex insert combination pad. Visco is an elastic polyurethane foam commonly referred to as “memory foam”. In this embodiment, Visco inserts were used in outer zones two 200 and six 600 and a Latex insert was used in inner zone four 400. The Visco/Latex PDP 800 contains between 84.7%-85.7% of polyurethane foam and between 14.3%-15.3% Latex by weight. The pad has an indentation load deflection (ILD) of 28. ILD is a hardness measurement defined in the ISO 2439 standard. ILD in the standard is defined as the force that is required to compress material a percentage of its original thickness using in the standard a circular plate of 322 cm2. A higher ILD rating means harder foam. A representative collection of the pressure mapping data collected using the regular Visco/Latex insert combination is contained in the following table:
A second embodiment of the present disclosure is an SS Visco/Latex insert combination. In this embodiment, Visco inserts were used in outer zones two 200 and six 600 and a Latex insert was used in inner zone four 400. The SS Visco/Latex PDP 800 contains between 86.8%-87.4% polyurethane foam and between 12.6%-13.2% Latex by weight. The pad has an ILD of 14.
A representative collection of the pressure mapping data collected using the SS Visco/Latex insert combination is contained in the following table:
A third embodiment of the present disclosure is a regular Latex/NuForm insert combination. In this embodiment, NuForm inserts were used in outer zones two 200 and six 600 and a Latex insert was used in inner zone four 400. NuForm is a superior variety of latex foam that consists of 100% Talalay latex. Talalay refers to the method by which latex is manufactured. In the Talalay method, air is extracted from the latex foam and the latex is flash frozen, resulting in an “airier” latex. The Latex/NuForm PDP 800 used in this embodiment contains approximately 57.4% polyurethane foam and 42.6% Latex by weight. The NuForm has an ILD of 22 and the Latex has an ILD of 18. A representative collection of the pressure mapping data collected using the regular Latex/NuForm insert combination is contained in the following table:
A fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is a SS Latex/NuForm insert combination. In this embodiment, NuForm inserts were used in outer zones two 200 and six 600 and a Latex insert was used in inner zone four 400. The SS Latex/NuForm PDP 800 used in this embodiment contain approximately 62.3% polyurethane foam and 37.7% Latex by weight. The NuForm has an ILD of 22 and the Latex has an ILD of 18. A representative collection of the pressure mapping data collected using the SS Latex/NuForm insert combination is contained in the following table:
A fifth embodiment of the present disclosure is a regular Latex/Latex insert combination. In this embodiment, Soft Latex inserts were used in outer zones two 200, six 600 and Extra Soft Latex was used in inner zone four 400. The Latex/Latex PDP 800 used in this embodiment contains approximately 55.5% polyurethane foam and 45% Latex by weight. The Soft Latex has an ILD of 22 and the Extra Soft Latex has an ILD of 18. A representative collection of the pressure mapping data collected using the regular Latex/Latex insert combination is contained in the following table:
A sixth embodiment of the present disclosure is a SS Latex/Latex insert combination. The Latex/Latex PDP 800 used in this embodiment contains approximately 60.2% polyurethane foam and 39.8% Latex by weight. The Soft Latex has an ILD of 22 and the Extra Soft Latex has an ILD of 18. A representative collection of the pressure mapping data collected using the SS Latex/Latex insert combination is contained in the following table:
Pressure mapping results for the various PDP material combinations are summarized in the table below:
As the data indicates, each of the embodiments of the PDP, have a pressure relief index of less than 23. Particularly, the SS Latex/Latex and SS Visco/Latex PDPs have the lowest percentages of contacts above 30 mm Hg, each having approximately 13% of contacts above 30 mm Hg.
As shown in
Also, in one embodiment there is provided a foam dampened innerspring which includes an innerspring 22 formed by a plurality of springs connected together in an array wherein the springs are arranged in rows and columns, each spring having a body with a first end and a second end, the body of each spring being generally cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis and an outer diameter, the springs being generally cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis and an outer diameter, the springs being spaced apart in the rows and columns and connected together in a spaced apart arrangement with each spring being spaced from each adjacent spring in the array; at least one foam dampening insert 24 located in the innerspring 22 in spaces between springs of the innerspring 22, the foam dampening insert 24 having a central core which fits between the bodies of adjacent springs, and a first segment which extends from the central core and into an opening region of a first spring to at least partially intersect a longitudinal axis of the first spring, and a second segment which extends from the central core and into an opening region of a second spring which is adjacent to the first spring and to at least partially intersect a longitudinal axis of the second spring. As shown in
Pressure mapping data was collected using the entire mattress assembly integrated with the PDP 800, as described above. The testing was performed using the inserts made of Visco/Latex with a super soft base pad (described above). A representative collection of the pressure mapping data collected is contained in the following table:
Pressure mapping data was also collected for another representative embodiment of the present disclosure, a mattress system 1000 with the PDP 800 but without a separate and distinct pillow top, as shown for example in
Pressure mapping results for the two mattress system embodiments are summarized in the table below:
As indicated by the data, both of the described mattress systems 900, 1000 with a PDP 800 have a pressure relief index of less than six percent. This data confirms that the PDP 800 as incorporated into the mattress systems 900, 1000 and the mattress systems 900, 1000 as a whole, are highly effective at reducing pressure and concentrations of pressure on a body in a prone position on the mattresses.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/248,607, filed on Oct. 9, 2008, which is a conversion of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/978,551 filed Oct. 9, 2007 and a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/016,374 filed Jan. 18, 2008.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60978551 | Oct 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12248607 | Oct 2008 | US |
| Child | 12878217 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12016374 | Jan 2008 | US |
| Child | 12248607 | US |
