Spring core with integrated cushioning layer

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 11076705
  • Patent Number
    11,076,705
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, July 14, 2016
    7 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, August 3, 2021
    2 years ago
Abstract
A spring core is provided that includes a plurality of coil springs having an upper portion and a lower portion that collectively define an interior cavity. The spring core further includes a continuous upper fabric layer that covers each coil spring and defines a recess in the interior cavity of each coil spring. A cushioning layer is positioned atop the continuous upper fabric layer and extends into the recess in the interior cavity of each coil spring. A mattress assembly is further provided that includes the spring core, an upper body supporting layer, and a lower foundation layer. Methods of producing a spring core are further provided.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to spring cores having an integrated cushioning layer. In particular, the present invention relates to spring cores that include a plurality of coil springs and a cushioning layer that is positioned atop the coil springs and that extends below an upper end convolution of each coil spring.


BACKGROUND

Spring assemblies that make use of pocket coil springs, which are also known as wrapped coils, encased coils, encased springs, or Marshall coils, are generally recognized as providing a unique feel to a mattress when used as a part of a spring assembly because each discrete coil is capable of moving independently to support the body of a user, or a portion thereof, resting on the mattress. In particular, in spring cores including a plurality of pocket coil spring assemblies, each coil is wrapped in a fabric pocket and moves substantially independently of the other coils in the spring core to thereby provide individualized comfort and contouring to the body of a user. Moreover, as a result of moving substantially independently from one another, the pocket coils also do not directly transfer motion from one pocket coil to another, and, consequently, the movement of one user resting on a mattress assembly using pocket coils will not disturb another user resting on the mattress assembly. In this regard, mattress assemblies constructed with a spring core using pocket coil springs are generally recognized as providing a soft and luxurious feel, and are often more desirable than a traditional inner spring mattress. Accordingly, a spring core that makes use of pocket coil springs and that further improves the unique feel and support provided by traditional pocket coil springs would be both highly desirable and beneficial.


SUMMARY

The present invention includes spring cores having an integrated cushioning layer. In particular, the present invention includes spring cores that are comprised of a plurality of coil springs and a cushioning layer that is positioned atop the coil springs and that extends below an upper end convolution of each coil spring.


In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an exemplary spring core is provided as part of a mattress assembly, which further includes an upper body supporting layer, a lower foundation layer, and a side panel extending between the upper body supporting layer and the lower foundation layer and around the entire periphery the spring core. The spring core itself is comprised of a plurality of coil springs with each of the coils having an upper portion and a lower portion that collectively define an interior cavity of the coil spring. Each of the coil springs is encased by a fabric pocket that includes a top area, which covers the upper portion of each coil spring, as well as a bottom area, which covers the lower portion of each coil spring. The spring core further includes a continuous upper fabric layer that covers the upper portion of each coil spring and that defines a recess in the interior cavity of each coil spring, an intermediate recess between each coil spring, or both. Additionally included in the spring core is a cushioning layer that is positioned atop each of the coil springs and that includes a bottom surface extending into each recess defined by the continuous upper fabric layer and a substantially planar top surface. In this regard, the top surface of the cushioning layer thus forms the first support surface of the spring core, while the bottom area of the fabric pockets along with the lower portion of each of the coil springs forms the second support surface of the spring core.


With respect to the fabric pockets, in some embodiments, the top area of each fabric pocket is connected to the bottom area of each fabric pocket within the interior cavity of the coil spring. The top area of the fabric pocket (i.e., the portion of the continuous upper fabric layer which forms the top area of the fabric pocket) can be connected to the bottom area of the fabric pocket by any number of means, including a tuft, a staple, a weld, and the like. By connecting the top area of the fabric pocket to the bottom area of the fabric pocket within the interior cavity of a coil spring, not only is it possible to impart a desired level of pre-compression, stability, and/or stretchability to the coil spring, but the connection of the top area of the fabric pocket to the bottom area of the fabric pocket also creates an additional recess that is defined by the top area of the fabric pocket and that, in certain embodiments, extends into the interior cavity of the coil spring to about half of the total height of the coil spring. In this regard, by joining the top area of a fabric pocket to the bottom area of a fabric pocket, the additional recess provides a suitable area in which the continuous upper fabric layer can extend and thereby defines the recess that is formed by the continuous upper fabric layer and that provides a suitable area onto which a liquid foam precursor can be directly dispensed and allowed to react to form the cushioning layer.


In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a spring core is included in an exemplary mattress assembly and comprises a plurality of mini coil springs that are each encased by a fabric pocket. The spring core further comprises a continuous upper fabric layer that extends across an upper portion of each of the plurality of mini coil springs and defines a recess in an interior cavity of each of the coil springs. The spring core then includes a continuous lower fabric layer that extends across the lower portion of each of the plurality of mini coil springs. The continuous lower fabric layer is connected to the continuous upper fabric layer around and between each of the plurality of mini coil springs, such that the continuous upper fabric layer and the continuous lower fabric layer collectively form a plurality of intermediate recesses between each of the mini coil springs. In this regard, when a liquid foam precursor is dispensed onto the continuous upper fabric layer, the resulting bottom surface of the cushioning layer extends into each of the recesses in the interior cavity of each of the mini coil springs and into each of the intermediate recesses between each of the mini coil springs.


As an even further refinement to the spring cores of the present invention that make use of a continuous upper fabric layer and a continuous lower fabric layer, in another embodiment, an exemplary spring core is includes a plurality of mini coil springs similar to the embodiment described above, but which are each not surrounded by a fabric pocket. Instead, in the further spring core, the continuous upper fabric layer and the continuous lower fabric layer are connected to one another between each of the mini coil springs and to one another within the interior cavity of each of the mini coil springs to define both a recess in the interior cavity of each of the mini coil springs and a plurality of intermediate recesses between each of the mini coil springs.


Still further provided are methods for producing a spring core. In one exemplary implementation of a method for producing a spring core, a pocketed coil array is first provided and is covered by a continuous upper fabric layer to define a recess in the interior cavity of each coil spring. A foam precursor is then dispensed onto the continuous upper fabric layer, for example, by moving the pocketed coil array through a flowing vertical curtain of foam precursor, and the top surface of the foam precursor is subsequently smoothed. The pocket coil array with the foam precursor dispensed on the continuous upper fabric layer is then cured, such as by advancing the array through an infrared curing oven or by other means for curing the foam (e.g., humidity, ultraviolet light, etc.) where the time spent in curing the foam is predetermined to adequately cure the foam precursor into the set foam layer. After the foam precursor has reacted for an appropriate amount of time and the foam precursor has set, the edges of the set foam are then trimmed to produce the exemplary spring core of the present invention.


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.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS


FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary mattress assembly made in accordance with the present invention, with a portion of the mattress assembly removed to show a spring core in the interior of the mattress assembly;



FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another exemplary mattress assembly made in accordance with the present invention, with a portion of the mattress assembly removed to show a spring core in the interior of the mattress assembly;



FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another exemplary mattress assembly made in accordance with the present invention, with a portion of the mattress assembly removed to show a spring core in the interior of the mattress assembly;



FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another exemplary mattress assembly made in accordance with the present invention, with a portion of the mattress assembly removed to show a spring core in the interior of the mattress assembly;



FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another exemplary mattress assembly made in accordance with the present invention, with a portion of the mattress assembly removed to show a spring core in the interior of the mattress assembly; and



FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an exemplary a method of producing a spring core in accordance with the present invention.





DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present invention includes spring cores having an integrated cushioning layer. In particular, the present invention includes spring cores that are comprised of a plurality of coil springs and a cushioning layer that is positioned atop the coil springs and that extends below an upper end convolution of each coil spring.


Referring first to FIG. 1, in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an exemplary spring core 12 is provided as part of a mattress assembly 10. The spring core 12 includes a plurality of coil springs 20 with each of the coil springs 20 having an upper portion 22 and a lower portion 24 that collectively define an interior cavity 28 of the coil spring 20. Each of the coil springs 20 is encased by a fabric pocket 30 that includes a top area 32, which covers the upper portion 22 of the coil spring 20, as well as a bottom area 34, which covers the lower portion 24 of the coil spring 20. The spring core 12 further includes a continuous upper fabric layer 50 that covers and, consequently, operably connects the upper portions 22 of each coil spring 20 to one another and that defines a recess 51 in the interior cavity 28 of each coil spring 20. Additionally included in the exemplary spring core 12 is a cushioning layer 40 that is positioned atop each of the coil springs 20 and that includes a bottom surface 41 extending into each recess 51 defined by the continuous upper fabric layer 50 and a substantially planar top surface 42 extending over each of the coil springs 20. In this regard, the top surface 42 of the cushioning layer 40 thus forms the first support surface 14 of the spring core 12, while the bottom area 34 of each of the fabric pockets 30 along with the lower portion 24 of the coil springs 20 forms the second support surface 16 of the spring core 12.


With respect to each of the coil springs 20, each exemplary coil spring 20 shown in FIG. 1 is made of a continuous wire that extends from an upper end convolution 23 at the upper portion 22 of the coil spring 20 to a lower end convolution 25 opposite the upper end convolution 23 at the lower portion 24 of the coil spring 20. In the coil spring 20, there are seven intermediate convolutions 26 that helically spiral between the upper end convolution 23 and the lower end convolution 25, such that the coil spring 20 is made of a total of nine convolutions or turns. Of course, various other springs, such as coil springs having a different number of convolutions, could also be used in an exemplary pocket coil spring assembly without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.


With respect to the fabric pockets 30, in the exemplary spring core 12 shown in FIG. 1, the top area 32 and the bottom area 34 of each of the fabric pockets 30 extend along the outside of the coil spring 20 and form a generally cylindrical (or tubular) side surface 36 of the fabric pocket 30. In this regard, the fabric pocket 30 is preferably made of a non-woven fabric which can be joined or welded together by heat and pressure (e.g., via ultrasonic welding or by a similar thermal welding procedure) to form such a cylindrical structure. For example, suitable fabrics that can be used for the fabric pocket 30 can include one of various thermoplastic fibers known in the art, such as non-woven polymer-based fabric, non-woven polypropylene material, or non-woven polyester material.


With further respect to the fabric pocket 30 and referring still to FIG. 1, which shows a portion of the side surface 36 of one of the fabric pockets 30 removed to reveal the coil spring 20 and interior of the fabric pocket 30, the top area 32 of the fabric pocket 30 is connected to the bottom area 34 of the fabric pocket 30 within the interior cavity 28 of the coil spring 20. The top area 32 of the fabric pocket 30 can be connected to the bottom area 34 of the fabric pocket 30 by any number of means, including a tuft, a staple, a weld, glue, stitches, clamps, hook-and-loop fasteners, and the like. By connecting the top area 32 of the fabric pocket 30 to the bottom area 34 of the fabric pocket 30 within the interior cavity 28 of the coil spring 20, not only is it possible to impart a desired level of pre-compression, stability, and/or stretchability to the coil spring 20, but the connection of the top area 32 of the fabric pocket 30 to the bottom area 34 of the fabric pocket 30 also creates an additional recess 38 that is defined by the top area 32 of the fabric pocket 30 and that extends into the interior cavity 28 of the coil spring 20 to about half of the total height of the coil spring 20. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the top area 32 of the fabric pocket 30 is connected to the bottom area 34 of the fabric pocket 30 at approximately the center of the interior cavity 28 of the coil spring 20, such that the additional recess 38 that is formed has a substantially conical shape. It is of course appreciated that depending on the manner in which the top area 32 of the fabric pocket 30 is joined to the bottom area 34 of the fabric pocket 30, the additional recess 38 can also be made to have a different shape. For example, by increasing the size of the connected portion within the interior cavity 28 of the coil spring 20, a recess could be formed in the shape of a truncated cone, cylinder, or the like. Regardless of the particular shape of the additional recess 38, however, by joining the top area 32 of the fabric pocket 30 to the bottom area 34 of the fabric pocket 30, the additional recess 38 provides a suitable area in which the continuous upper fabric layer 50 can extend below the upper end convolution 23 of the coil spring 20 and thereby define the recess 51 that is formed by the continuous upper fabric layer 50 and that provides a suitable area onto which a liquid foam precursor can be directly dispensed and allowed to react to form the cushioning layer 40, as described in further detail below.


Referring still to FIG. 1, the cushioning layer 40 included in the spring core 12 of the mattress assembly 10 is generally comprised of a type of flexible foam having a density suitable for supporting and distributing pressure from a user's body, or portion thereof, resting on the mattress assembly 10. Such flexible foams include, but are not limited to: latex foam; reticulated or non-reticulated visco-elastic foam (sometimes referred to as memory foam or low-resilience foam); reticulated or non-reticulated non-visco-elastic foam; high-resilience polyurethane foam; expanded polymer foams (e.g., expanded ethylene vinyl acetate, polypropylene, polystyrene, or polyethylene); and the like. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the cushioning layer 40 is comprised of a two-part polyurethane foam that can be dispensed as a liquid foam precursor directly onto the continuous upper fabric layer 50 and into the recess 51 defined by the continuous upper fabric layer 50 such that the liquid reacts and bonds to the continuous upper fabric layer 50.


With respect to hardness, the flexible foam used in the cushioning layer 40 of the spring core 12 can, in some embodiments, 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 flexible foam used in the cushioning layer 40 included in spring core 12 of the mattress assembly 10 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 or supporting qualities.


With respect to density, the flexible foam used in the cushioning layer 40 of the spring core 12 can, in some embodiments, 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 flexible foam used in the cushioning layer 40 included in the spring core 12 of the mattress assembly 10 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 flexible foam used in the cushioning layer 40 of the spring core 12 is about 10 kg/m3, about 20 kg/m3, 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. In some embodiments, the density of the flexible foam used in the cushioning layer 40 of the spring core 12 is about 10 kg/m3 to about 80 kg/m3. Of course, the selection of a flexible 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. In this regard, it is also appreciated that a flexible foam having a desired density and hardness can readily be selected for a particular mattress assembly or application as desired. However, regardless of the particular properties of the cushioning layer 40, a user's body, or portion thereof, resting on the mattress assembly 10 will be supported by both the cushioning layer 40 as well as the coil springs 20, and thus, will provide a user with the contact feel of foam along with the durability and support of a spring.


Furthermore, and as indicated above, the cushioning layer 40 in the exemplary spring core 12 shown in FIG. 1 is typically formed from a two-part polyurethane foam, but it is appreciated that other materials can also be used in addition to or instead of a foam, such as a gel or a fibrous fill material. For example, in some embodiments, the cushioning layer can comprise a latex foam that is dispensed as a liquid latex composition which is then cured into a solid latex foam, according to methods known in the art. Such latex foam embodiments can also be made to have a desired density and hardness that can readily be selected for a particular mattress assembly or application as desired.


In other embodiments, the cushioning layer can comprise an elastomeric gelatinous material that is capable of providing a cooling effect by acting as a thermal dump or heat sink into which heat from a user's body, or portion thereof, positioned on the cushioning layer can dissipate. For example, in such embodiments, the cushioning layer can be comprised of a polyurethane-based gel made by combining Hyperlast® LU 1046 Polyol, Hyperlast® LP 5613 isocyanate, and a thermoplastic polyurethane film, which are each manufactured and sold by Dow Chemical Company Corp. (Midland, Mich.), and which can be combined to produce a gel having a thermal conductivity of 0.1776 W/m*K, a thermal diffusivity of 0.1184 mm2/s, and a volumetric specific heat of 1.503 MJ(/m3K) as established by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 22007-2 volumetric specific heat measuring standard.


Furthermore, it is appreciated that the wire gauge, spring constant, pre-compression, and overall geometry of the coil spring used in a particular mattress assembly can also be readily varied and used to impart a particular feel or characteristic in an exemplary mattress assembly without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.


Referring still to FIG. 1, and as noted above, the exemplary spring core 12 is typically provided as part of a mattress assembly 10 made in accordance with the present invention. In this regard, in addition to the spring core 12, the exemplary mattress assembly 10 further comprises an upper body supporting layer 60 positioned adjacent to the first support surface 14 of the spring core 12, and a lower foundation layer 70 positioned adjacent to the second support surface 16 of the spring core 12. A side panel 80 then extends between the upper body supporting layer 60 and the lower foundation layer 70 and around the entire periphery of the spring core 12 such that the plurality (i.e., the matrix) of the coil springs 20 is surrounded.


In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the upper body supporting layer 60 is comprised of a visco-elastic foam, however, it is contemplated that the upper body supporting layer 60 can alternatively be comprised of some combination of foam, upholstery, and/or other soft, flexible materials known in the art. Furthermore, the upper body supporting layer 60 can also be comprised of multiple layers of material configured to improve the comfort or support of the upper body supporting layer 60. In contrast to the upper body supporting layer 60, the lower foundation layer 70 is generally comprised of a piece of wood, or other similarly rigid member, and is configured to support the plurality of coil springs 20.


As a refinement of the spring cores and mattress assemblies of the present invention, rather than making use of a plurality of coil springs encased by fabric pockets and then covered by a continuous upper fabric layer that only connects the upper portions of each coil spring to one another, it is also contemplated that a plurality of coil springs can be covered by both a continuous upper fabric layer and a continuous lower fabric layer that are then connected to each other to provide a more unitary spring core construction. For example, and referring now to FIG. 2, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an exemplary spring core 112 is provided as part of another exemplary mattress assembly 110 made in accordance with the present invention. The spring core 112 is comprised of a plurality of mini coil springs 120 that, similar to the coil springs 20 in the spring core 12 shown in FIG. 1, each have an upper portion 122 and a lower portion 124 that collectively define an interior cavity 128 of each mini coil spring 120. Each of the mini coil springs 120 is also made of a continuous wire that extends from an upper end convolution 123 at the upper portion 122 of each mini coil spring 120 to a lower end convolution 125 opposite the upper end convolution 123 at the lower portion 124 of each mini coil spring 120. Each of the mini coil springs 120 is also encased by a fabric pocket 130 that includes a top area 132, which covers the upper portion 122 of each mini coil spring 120, and a bottom area 134, which covers the lower portion 124 of each mini coil spring 120. However, unlike the coil springs 20 described above with reference to FIG. 1, there are only three intermediate convolutions 126 that helically spiral between the upper end convolution 123 and the lower end convolution 125, such that each mini coil spring 120 shown in FIG. 2 is made of a total of five convolutions or turns and has a height that is substantially less than the height of each of the coil springs 20 shown in FIG. 1.


Referring still to FIG. 2, the exemplary spring core 112 further includes a continuous upper fabric layer 150 which covers the upper portion 122 of each of the plurality of mini coil springs 120 and extends below the upper end convolution 123 of each mini coil spring 120 to define a recess 151 in the interior cavity 128 of each of the mini coil springs 120. Like the spring core 12 shown in FIG. 1, a cushioning layer 140 having a bottom surface 141 and a top surface 142 is additionally included in the spring core 112, and is positioned atop the mini coil springs 120. Unlike the coil springs 20 described above with reference to FIG. 1 though, the cushioning layer 140 does not extend below the upper end convolutions 123 of each mini coil spring 120 into only the recess 151 defined by the continuous upper fabric layer 150 in the interior cavity 128 of each of the mini coil springs 120. Rather in the spring core 112, a continuous lower fabric layer 152 is further included that extends beneath the lower portion 124 of each of the plurality of mini coil springs 120, and is connected to the continuous upper fabric layer 150 around and between each of the plurality of mini coil springs 120 to define intermediate recesses 154 between each of the mini coil springs 120. In this regard, and as described in further detail below, when a liquid foam precursor is directly dispensed onto the continuous upper fabric layer 150 in order to form the cushioning layer 140, the resulting bottom surface 141 of the cushioning layer 140 extends below the upper end convolutions 123 of each mini coil spring 120 into each of the recesses 151 in the interior cavity 128 of each of the mini coil springs 120 and additionally into each of the intermediate recesses 154 between each of the mini coil springs 120.


As an even further refinement to the spring cores of the present invention that make use of a continuous upper fabric layer and a continuous lower fabric layer to provide a spring core having a more unitary construction, and referring now to FIG. 3, an exemplary spring core 212 is provided as part of a mattress assembly 210, where the spring core 212 includes a plurality of mini coil springs 220 having an upper portion 222 with an upper end convolution 223 of the mini coil spring 220 and a lower portion 224 with a lower end convolution 225 of the mini coil spring 220. The upper portion 222 and the lower portion 224 of the mini coil spring 220 collectively define an interior cavity 228 of each mini coil spring 220. The spring core 212 additionally includes a cushioning layer 240, a continuous upper fabric layer 250, and a continuous lower fabric layer 252 similar to the spring core 112 described above with respect to FIG. 2. Unlike the spring core 112 shown in FIG. 2, however, each of the mini coil springs 220 are not surrounded by a fabric pocket. Instead, in the spring core 212, the continuous upper fabric layer 250 and the continuous lower fabric layer 252 are connected to one another between each of the mini coil springs 220 and are connected to one another within the interior cavity 228 of each of the mini coil springs 220 to define both a recess 251 in the interior cavity 228 of each of the mini coil springs 220 and a plurality of intermediate recesses 254 between each of the mini coil springs 220. Accordingly, and as shown in FIG. 3, the cushioning layer 240 extends below the upper end convolution 223 of the mini coil springs 220 into the recess 251 in the interior cavity 228 of each of the mini coil springs 220, and additionally into the plurality of intermediate recesses 254 between each of the mini coil springs 220.


In some embodiments of the present invention, however, there is no recess in the interior cavity of each coil spring and the cushioning layer extends below the upper end convolution of the coil springs only into the plurality of intermediate recessed between each of the coil springs. For instance, and referring now to FIG. 4, in another exemplary spring core 312 that is provided as part of a mattress assembly 310, the spring core 312 includes a plurality of coil springs 320 having an upper portion 322 with an upper end convolution 323 of the coil spring 320 and a lower portion 324 with a lower end convolution 325 of the coil spring 320. The upper portion 322 and the lower portion 324 of the coil spring 320 collectively define an interior cavity 328 of each coil spring 320. The spring core 312 additionally includes a cushioning layer 340, a continuous upper fabric layer 350, and a continuous lower fabric layer 352 similar to the spring cores 112, 212 described above with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3. Also similar to the spring cores 112, 212 described above with respect to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the spring core 312 of FIG. 4, the continuous upper fabric layer 350 and the continuous lower fabric layer 352 are connected to one another between each of the mini coil springs 320. However, in the mattress assembly 310, the continuous upper fabric layer 350 and the continuous lower fabric layer 352 are not connected to one another within the interior cavity 328 of each of the coil springs 320. As such, in the exemplary spring core 312, there are a plurality of intermediate recesses 354 between each of the coil springs 320, but there is no recess in the interior cavity 328 of the coil springs 320. Instead, and as shown in FIG. 4, the continuous upper fabric layer 350 extends substantially flat across the upper portion 322 of each of the coil springs 320. Accordingly, the cushioning layer 340 extends below the upper end convolution 323 of each coil spring 320 only in the intermediate recesses 354 between each of the coil springs 320 and not into the interior cavity 328 of the coil springs 320.


As a further refinement of the spring cores and mattress assemblies of the present invention, rather than the spring core having only one cushioning layer that is positioned atop the continuous upper fabric layer, it is contemplated that the spring core can further includes a second cushioning layer positioned below the continuous lower fabric layer such that both sides of the spring core provide suitable support and distribution of pressure from a user's body, or portion thereof, resting thereon. For example, in another embodiment of the present invention and referring now to FIG. 5, an exemplary spring core 412 is provided as part of a mattress assembly 410, where the spring core 412 includes a plurality of coil springs 420 having an upper portion 422 with an upper end convolution 423 of the coil spring 420 and a lower portion 424 with a lower end convolution 425 of the coil spring 420. The upper portion 422 and the lower portion 424 of the coil spring 420 collectively define an interior cavity 428 of each coil spring 420. The spring core 412 additionally includes a continuous upper fabric layer 450 and a continuous lower fabric layer 452 in a manner similar to the spring core 312 described above with respect to FIG. 4. That is to say, the continuous upper fabric layer 450 and the continuous lower fabric layer 452 in FIG. 5 are not connected to one another within the interior cavity 428 of each of the coil springs 420 and so the continuous upper fabric layer 450 defines a plurality of upper intermediate recesses 454 between each of the coil springs 420, but there is no recess in the interior cavity 428 of each of the coil springs 420. Furthermore, the continuous lower fabric layer 452 also defines a plurality of lower intermediate recesses 455 between each of the coil springs 420 that correspond to the plurality of upper intermediate recesses 454. The spring core 412 further includes a first cushioning layer 440 positioned atop the continuous upper fabric layer 450 and a second cushioning layer 444 positioned below the continuous lower fabric layer 452. As shown in FIG. 5, the first cushioning layer 440 positioned atop the continuous upper fabric layer 450 is substantially similar to the cushioning layer 340 shown in FIG. 4 and extends below the upper end convolution 423 of each coil spring 420 and into the upper intermediate recesses 454 between each of the coil springs 420. The second cushioning layer 444 similarly extends above the lower end convolution 425 of each coil spring 420 and into the lower intermediate recesses 455. Of course, a second cushioning layer similar to the one shown in FIG. 5 can also be included in any of the other exemplary spring cores and mattress assemblies of the present invention described above with respect to FIGS. 1-4.


As shown in FIGS. 1-5, each exemplary cushioning layer is shown having a thickness such that the substantially planar top surface is positioned a distance away from the underlying coil springs. It is contemplated, however, that in some embodiments of the present invention, the cushioning layer is formed with a much smaller thickness such that the planar top surface is substantially even with the upper end convolutions of the coil springs. In such embodiments, the cushioning layer is still positioned atop a continuous upper fabric layer and extends into the respective recess defined in the interior cavity of each coil spring and/or intermediate recess defined between each coil spring, but there is minimal, if any, of the cushioning layer positioned above the coil springs.


As described above, and regardless of the particular configuration of the coil springs and fabric layers utilized in the exemplary spring cores described herein, each of the spring cores are generally produced by making use of a process in which a foam precursor is applied directly to the continuous fabric layer, or layers, covering each of the coil springs. In one exemplary implementation of a method for producing a spring core, such as the spring core 12 described above, and referring now to FIG. 6, an array of coil springs (e.g., pocket coil springs) is first provided with each of the coiled springs defining an interior cavity, as indicated by step 610. Upon providing the coil spring array, the coil spring array is then covered with a continuous upper fabric layer to thereby define a recess in the interior cavity of each coil spring, between each coil spring, or both, as indicated by step 620. A foam precursor is then dispensed onto the continuous upper fabric layer, as indicated by step 630. In this regard, in some implementations of the methods for producing a spring core in accordance with the present invention, the foam precursor is dispensed onto the continuous upper fabric layer by pouring the foam precursor onto the continuous upper fabric layer as the coiled spring array is moved linearly (e.g., by linearly moving the coil spring array through a flowing vertical curtain of foam precursor) in order to evenly dispense a sufficient amount of the foam precursor onto the continuous upper fabric layer. Of course, as would be recognized by those of skill in the art, such foam precursors are generally a liquid composition that includes one or more polymeric precursors and that, upon curing, forms a solid foam product (e.g., a cushioning layer). For instance, in some implementations, the foam precursor that is dispensed onto the continuous upper fabric layer can be a visco-elastic foam precursor that is comprised of isocyanate, polyol, and other additives known in the art, and that, upon curing, is capable of forming a visco-elastic cushioning layer have a desired density and hardness. As previously stated, the foam precursor can also, in some other embodiments, be a liquid latex composition, or comprise an elastomeric gelatinous material.


Regardless of the particular composition of the foam precursor, by dispensing the foam precursor as a liquid onto the continuous upper layer, the liquid foam precursor is thus capable of not only evenly covering the entirety of the continuous upper fabric layer, but the foam precursor is also capable of completely filling the recesses defined by the continuous upper layer and extending below the upper end convolution of each coil spring into the interior cavity of each coil spring and/or between each coil spring. Then, once applied, a top surface of the foam precursor can be smoothed, as indicated by step 640, by making use of a knife blade edge, or other similar device, to create a planar top surface on the foam precursor and, eventually, the resultant set foam layer (i.e., the cushioning layer). After dispensing and smoothing the foam precursor onto the continuous upper fabric layer, the foam precursor is then allowed to cure and bond to the continuous upper fabric layer such that the foam precursor forms a set foam or cushioning layer, as indicated by step 650. For instance, in some implementations, the coil spring array with the foam precursor can be advanced through an infrared curing oven or can be cured via other means (e.g., humidity, ultraviolet light, etc.) where the time spent in curing the foam is predetermined to adequately cure the foam precursor into the set foam layer. After the foam precursor has reacted for an appropriate amount of time and the foam precursor has set, the edges of the set foam can then be trimmed as desired to produce an exemplary spring core of the present invention that provides the contact feel of foam with the underlying support of a coiled spring.


As a further refinement of the method for producing a spring core, in some implementations, it is contemplated that rather than smoothing the foam precursor prior to curing, the foam precursor can, in some embodiments be allowed to partially cure before rollers are applied to the upper surface of the partially cured foam to provide a smooth upper surface. The foam is then allowed to fully cure and set into the cushioning layer. Furthermore, in some other embodiments the foam precursor is allowed to fully cure and then the set foam is planarized (i.e., an upper portion of the set foam layer is removed) to leave a substantially planar top surface of the cushioning layer.


Of course, in some other exemplary methods for producing a spring core, such as the spring core 412 with a first cushioning layer 440 positioned atop the continuous upper fabric layer 450 and a second cushioning layer 444 positioned below the continuous lower fabric layer 452 described above, the first cushioning layer is formed according to the steps 610-650 outlined above. Then, the spring core with the first cushioning layer already formed is turned over and the second cushioning layer is formed by dispensing foam precursor onto the continuous lower fabric layer, substantially the same as described above with respect to step 630. Then, once applied, a top surface of the foam precursor can be smoothed, substantially the same as described above with respect to step 640. After dispensing and smoothing the foam precursor onto the continuous lower fabric layer, the foam precursor is then allowed to cure and bond to the continuous lower fabric layer such that the foam precursor forms the second cushioning layer, substantially the same as described above with respect to step 650, and the resulting spring core provides the contact feel of foam with the underlying support of a coiled spring on both sides of the spring core.


Throughout this document, various references are mentioned. All such references are incorporated herein by reference, including the references set forth in the following list:


REFERENCES



  • 1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,977 to Stumpf, issued Apr. 3, 1984, and entitled “Method and Apparatus for Making a Series of Pocketed Coil Springs.”

  • 2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,186 to Thoenen, issued Sep. 2, 1986, and entitled “Mattress Spring Core with Open Ended Coils.”

  • 3. U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,223 to Mossbeck et al., issued Jul. 17, 2001, and entitled “Pocketed Coil Spring Units.”

  • 4. U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,379 to Barman, issued Mar. 6, 2007, and entitled “Foam Encased Innerspring with Internal Foam Components (Triple Case).”

  • 5. U.S. Pat. No. 7,805,790 to DeMoss, issued Oct. 5, 2010, and entitled “Foam Springs and Innerspring Combinations for Mattresses.”

  • 6. U.S. Pat. No. 7,908,693 to DeMoss, issued Mar. 22, 2011, and entitled “Coil-in Coil Springs and Innersprings.”



One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional embodiments are also 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 disclosed herein, is given primarily for clarity of understanding, and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become apparent 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.

Claims
  • 1. A spring core, comprising: a plurality of coil springs, each coil spring having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion and the lower portion collectively defining an interior cavity of each coil spring;a continuous upper fabric layer covering the upper portion of each coil spring and extending into the interior cavity to define a recess in the interior cavity of each coil spring;a cushioning layer positioned atop the continuous upper fabric layer and extending into the recess, said cushioning layer having a lower surface adjacent to the plurality of coil springs and the continuous upper fabric layer wherein the lower surface is free of foam molded recesses and engages said continuous upper fabric layer, said cushioning layer defined by a precursor that is poured on to the continuous upper fabric layer wherein said cushioning layer forms within the recess of each of said plurality of coil springs and between springs, and said cushioning layer being bonded to the continuous upper fabric layer when cured; and,a second continuous lower fabric layer covering the lower portion of each coil spring, said second continuous lower fabric layer connected to said continuous upper fabric layer around each coil and extend into the interior cavity of each coil spring to define the recess.
  • 2. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the continuous upper fabric layer is connected to the second continuous lower fabric layer around each coil spring such that the continuous upper fabric layer and the second continuous lower fabric layer collectively form a fabric pocket encasing each coil spring.
  • 3. The spring core of claim 1, wherein each coil spring has a height, and wherein each recess extends into the interior cavity of each coil spring to about half of the height of each coil spring.
  • 4. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the cushioning layer has a substantially planar top surface.
  • 5. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the continuous upper fabric layer is comprised of a non-woven textile.
  • 6. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the continuous upper fabric layer, the second continuous lower fabric layer, or both are comprised of a non-woven textile.
  • 7. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the cushioning layer is comprised of a visco-elastic foam.
  • 8. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the cushioning layer is comprised of a gel.
  • 9. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the cushioning layer is comprised of a latex.
  • 10. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the continuous upper fabric layer further defines intermediate recesses between each of the plurality of coil springs, and wherein the cushioning layer extends into the intermediate recesses.
  • 11. The spring core of claim 1, wherein the continuous upper fabric layer is connected to the second continuous lower fabric layer between each of the plurality of coil springs to thereby define an intermediate recess between each of the plurality of coil springs, and wherein the cushioning layer extends into the intermediate recess between each of the plurality of coil springs.
RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/717,245, filed May 20, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/005,361, filed May 30, 2014, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by this reference.

US Referenced Citations (288)
Number Name Date Kind
26954 Peck, Jr. Jan 1860 A
44793 Fuller Oct 1864 A
85938 Kirkpatrick Jan 1869 A
140975 Van Wert et al. Jul 1873 A
184703 Camp Nov 1876 A
274715 Buckley Mar 1883 A
380651 Fowler et al. Apr 1888 A
399867 Gail et al. Mar 1889 A
409024 Wagner et al. May 1889 A
485652 Pfingst Nov 1892 A
569256 Van Cise Oct 1896 A
D28896 Comstock Jun 1898 S
804352 Van Cise Nov 1905 A
859409 Radarmacher Jul 1907 A
1025489 Thompson May 1912 A
1211267 Young Jan 1917 A
1250892 Johnson Dec 1917 A
1253414 D'Arcy Jan 1918 A
1262814 Lewis Apr 1918 A
1284384 Lewis Nov 1918 A
1287662 Lewis Dec 1918 A
1337320 Karr Apr 1920 A
1344636 Jackson Jun 1920 A
1744389 Karr Jan 1930 A
1745892 Edwards Feb 1930 A
1745986 Edwards Feb 1930 A
1751261 Wilson Mar 1930 A
1755715 Suekoff Apr 1930 A
1798885 Karr Mar 1931 A
1804821 Stackhouse May 1931 A
1839325 Marquardt Jan 1932 A
1879172 Gail Sep 1932 A
1900801 Cobb Mar 1933 A
1907324 Kirchner May 1933 A
1938489 Karr Dec 1933 A
1950770 Bayer Mar 1934 A
1989302 Wilmot Jan 1935 A
2054868 Schwartzman Sep 1936 A
D109730 Powers May 1938 S
2121417 Wolf Jun 1938 A
2148961 Pleet Feb 1939 A
2214135 Hickman Sep 1940 A
2345675 Kibitz Apr 1944 A
2348897 Gladstone May 1944 A
2403043 Bowersox Jul 1946 A
2480158 Owen Aug 1949 A
2562099 Hilton Jul 1951 A
2614681 Keil Oct 1951 A
2577812 Samel Dec 1951 A
2611910 Bell Sep 1952 A
2617124 Johnson Nov 1952 A
2681457 Rymland Jun 1954 A
2866433 Kallick et al. Dec 1958 A
2889562 Gleason Jun 1959 A
2925856 Gleason Feb 1960 A
2972154 Raszinski Feb 1961 A
2994890 Wagner Aug 1961 A
3083381 Bailey Apr 1963 A
3089154 Boyles May 1963 A
3099021 Wetzler Jul 1963 A
3107367 Nachman Oct 1963 A
3145020 Calla Aug 1964 A
3173159 Hart Mar 1965 A
3256535 Anson Jun 1966 A
3310819 Morrison Mar 1967 A
3430275 Janapol Mar 1969 A
3517398 Patton Jun 1970 A
3533114 Karpen Oct 1970 A
3538521 Basner Nov 1970 A
3541827 Hansen Nov 1970 A
3623171 Arkin Nov 1971 A
3653081 Davis Apr 1972 A
3653082 Davis Apr 1972 A
3690456 Powers, Jr. Sep 1972 A
3633228 Zysman Nov 1972 A
3708809 Basner Jan 1973 A
3719963 Bullock Mar 1973 A
3732586 Frey May 1973 A
3735431 Zocco May 1973 A
3751025 Beery et al. Aug 1973 A
D230683 Roe Mar 1974 S
3869739 Klein Mar 1975 A
3016464 Tyhanci Nov 1975 A
3923293 Wiegand Dec 1975 A
3938653 Senger Feb 1976 A
4077619 Borlinghaus Mar 1978 A
4092749 Klancnik Jun 1978 A
4109330 Klancnik Aug 1978 A
4111407 Stager Sep 1978 A
4116735 Plasse Sep 1978 A
4122566 Yates Oct 1978 A
4155130 Roe May 1979 A
4160544 Higgins Jul 1979 A
4164281 Schnier Aug 1979 A
4257151 Coots Mar 1981 A
4388738 Wagner Jun 1983 A
4439977 Stumpf Apr 1984 A
4485506 Stumpf Dec 1984 A
4519107 Dillon et al. May 1985 A
4523344 Stumpf Jun 1985 A
4533033 van Wegen Aug 1985 A
4535978 Wagner Aug 1985 A
4548390 Sasaki Oct 1985 A
4566926 Stumpf et al. Jan 1986 A
4578834 Stumpf et al. Apr 1986 A
4609186 Thoenen et al. Sep 1986 A
4664361 Sasaki May 1987 A
4726572 Flesher et al. Feb 1988 A
4817924 Thoenen et al. Apr 1989 A
4960267 Scott et al. Oct 1990 A
5040255 Barber Aug 1991 A
5127509 Kohlen Jul 1992 A
5127635 Long et al. Jul 1992 A
5222264 Morry Jun 1993 A
5233711 Urai Aug 1993 A
5319815 Stumpf et al. Jun 1994 A
5363522 McGraw Nov 1994 A
5444905 St. Clair Aug 1995 A
5575460 Knoepfel et al. Nov 1996 A
5584083 Ramsey et al. Dec 1996 A
5701623 May Dec 1997 A
5713088 Wagner et al. Feb 1998 A
5720471 Constantinescu Feb 1998 A
5724686 Neal Mar 1998 A
5787532 Langer et al. Aug 1998 A
5803440 Wells Sep 1998 A
5832551 Wagner Nov 1998 A
5868383 Codos Feb 1999 A
D409024 Wagner et al. May 1999 S
6134729 Quintile et al. Oct 2000 A
6149143 Richmond et al. Nov 2000 A
6155310 Haubert et al. Dec 2000 A
6243900 Gladney et al. Jun 2001 B1
6256820 Moser et al. Jul 2001 B1
6260223 Mossbeck et al. Jul 2001 B1
6263533 Dimitry et al. Jul 2001 B1
6272706 McCune Aug 2001 B1
6315275 Zysman Nov 2001 B1
6318416 Grueninger Nov 2001 B1
6336305 Graf et al. Jan 2002 B1
6339857 Clayton Jan 2002 B1
6354577 Quintile et al. Mar 2002 B1
6375169 McCraw et al. Apr 2002 B1
6398199 Barber Jun 2002 B1
6406009 Constantinescu et al. Jun 2002 B1
6408469 Gladney et al. Jun 2002 B2
6430982 Andrea et al. Aug 2002 B2
6467240 Zysman Oct 2002 B2
6481701 Kessen et al. Nov 2002 B2
6540214 Barber Apr 2003 B2
6591438 Edling Jul 2003 B1
6640836 Haubert et al. Nov 2003 B1
6659261 Miyakawa Dec 2003 B2
6698166 Zysman Mar 2004 B2
6729610 Constantinescu May 2004 B2
6758078 Wells et al. Jun 2004 B2
6772463 Gladney et al. Aug 2004 B2
6883196 Barber Apr 2005 B2
6931685 Kuchel et al. Aug 2005 B2
6952850 Visser et al. Oct 2005 B2
6966091 Barber Nov 2005 B2
7044454 Colman et al. May 2006 B2
7048263 Ahlqvist May 2006 B2
7063309 Colman Jun 2006 B2
7086425 Widmer Aug 2006 B2
D527932 Eigenmann et al. Sep 2006 S
D528329 Eigenmann et al. Sep 2006 S
D528330 Eigenmann et al. Sep 2006 S
D528833 Eigenmann et al. Sep 2006 S
D530120 Eigenmann et al. Oct 2006 S
D531436 Eigenmann et al. Nov 2006 S
7168117 Gladney et al. Jan 2007 B2
7178187 Barman et al. Feb 2007 B2
7185379 Barman Mar 2007 B2
7219381 Damewood et al. May 2007 B2
7287291 Carlitz Oct 2007 B2
7386897 Eigenmann et al. Jun 2008 B2
7404223 Manuszak et al. Jul 2008 B2
D579242 Kilic Oct 2008 S
7578016 McCraw Aug 2009 B1
7636971 Demoss Dec 2009 B2
7748065 Edling Jul 2010 B2
D621186 Demoss Aug 2010 S
D621198 Morrison Aug 2010 S
D622088 Morrison Aug 2010 S
7805790 Demoss Oct 2010 B2
7814594 DeFranks et al. Oct 2010 B2
7841031 Rawls-Meehan Nov 2010 B2
D633322 Morrison Mar 2011 S
7908693 Demoss Mar 2011 B2
7921561 Eigenmann et al. Apr 2011 B2
D640082 Morrison Jun 2011 S
D649385 Freese et al. Nov 2011 S
D651828 DeMoss et al. Jan 2012 S
D652234 Demoss et al. Jan 2012 S
D652235 Demoss et al. Jan 2012 S
8087114 Lundevall Jan 2012 B2
8157084 Begin et al. Apr 2012 B2
D659459 Jung et al. May 2012 S
D662751 Morrison et al. Jul 2012 S
D662752 Morrison et al. Jul 2012 S
8230538 Moret et al. Jul 2012 B2
D666448 Morrison et al. Sep 2012 S
D666449 Morrison et al. Sep 2012 S
D696048 Morrison Dec 2013 S
D704478 Arnold May 2014 S
D704965 Arnold May 2014 S
8720872 DeMoss et al. May 2014 B2
D708455 Arnold Jul 2014 S
8783447 Yohe Jul 2014 B1
D711160 Arnold Aug 2014 S
8857799 Tyree Oct 2014 B2
D717077 Arnold Nov 2014 S
D717078 Arnold Nov 2014 S
8895109 Cohen Nov 2014 B2
D719766 Arnold Dec 2014 S
D720159 Arnold Dec 2014 S
9022369 Demoss et al. May 2015 B2
9060616 Cohen Jun 2015 B2
9085420 Williams Jul 2015 B2
D744767 Morrison et al. Dec 2015 S
D744768 Morrison et al. Dec 2015 S
9211017 Tyree Dec 2015 B2
9352913 Manuszak et al. May 2016 B2
9392876 Tyree Jul 2016 B2
D763013 Arnold Aug 2016 S
9510690 Rawls-Meehan Dec 2016 B2
D776958 Arnold Jan 2017 S
D776959 Arnold Jan 2017 S
9936815 DeMoss et al. Apr 2018 B2
10051973 Morgan et al. Aug 2018 B2
10598242 Thomas Mar 2020 B2
10610029 Demoss et al. Apr 2020 B2
20010008030 Gladney et al. Jul 2001 A1
20010013147 Fogel Aug 2001 A1
20020078509 Williams Jun 2002 A1
20020139645 Haubert et al. Oct 2002 A1
20020152554 Spinks et al. Oct 2002 A1
20030093864 Visser et al. May 2003 A1
20030177585 Gladney et al. Sep 2003 A1
20040025258 Van Der Wurf Feb 2004 A1
20040046297 Demoss et al. Mar 2004 A1
20040074005 Kuchel Apr 2004 A1
20040079780 Kato Apr 2004 A1
20040133988 Barber Jul 2004 A1
20040237204 Antinori Dec 2004 A1
20040261187 Van Patten Dec 2004 A1
20050246839 Noswonger Nov 2005 A1
20060042016 Barman et al. Mar 2006 A1
20070017033 Antinori Jan 2007 A1
20070017035 Chen et al. Jan 2007 A1
20070094807 Wells May 2007 A1
20070124865 Stjerma Jun 2007 A1
20070169275 Manuszak et al. Jul 2007 A1
20070220680 Miller et al. Sep 2007 A1
20070220681 Gladney et al. Sep 2007 A1
20070289068 Edling Dec 2007 A1
20080017255 Petersen Jan 2008 A1
20080017271 Haltiner Jan 2008 A1
20080115287 Eigenmann et al. May 2008 A1
20090193591 DeMoss et al. Aug 2009 A1
20100180385 Petrolati et al. Jul 2010 A1
20100212090 Stjerma Aug 2010 A1
20100257675 Demoss Oct 2010 A1
20110094039 Tervo et al. Apr 2011 A1
20110099722 Moret et al. May 2011 A1
20110107523 Moret et al. May 2011 A1
20110148018 DeFranks et al. Jun 2011 A1
20120047658 Demoss et al. Mar 2012 A1
20120159715 Jung et al. Jun 2012 A1
20120180224 Demoss et al. Jul 2012 A1
20130031726 Demoss Feb 2013 A1
20140033441 Morgan et al. Feb 2014 A1
20140373280 Mossbeck et al. Dec 2014 A1
20150342362 Demoss et al. Dec 2015 A1
20150374136 Mikkelsen et al. Dec 2015 A1
20160029809 Shive Feb 2016 A1
20160037938 Tyree Feb 2016 A1
20160255964 Thomas Sep 2016 A1
20160316927 Thomas et al. Nov 2016 A1
20180055240 Demoss et al. Mar 2018 A1
20180168360 Thomas et al. Jun 2018 A1
20180199728 Leng Jul 2018 A1
20180368585 Demoss et al. Dec 2018 A1
20190000239 Thomas et al. Jan 2019 A1
20190142179 Hegg May 2019 A1
20190343294 Demoss et al. Nov 2019 A1
20200018370 Demoss et al. Jan 2020 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (258)
Number Date Country
309725 Dec 2005 AT
2457571 Jul 1972 AU
2964877 Apr 1979 AU
4825179 Jan 1980 AU
515761 Apr 1981 AU
3437584 Apr 1985 AU
7297987 Nov 1987 AU
4609889 Apr 1990 AU
9005391 Feb 1992 AU
4662597 Apr 1998 AU
6975298 Nov 1998 AU
4994901 Dec 2001 AU
7367201 Jan 2002 AU
2001297805 Apr 2003 AU
2003205072 Sep 2003 AU
2003268425 Apr 2004 AU
2004283189 May 2005 AU
2005280479 Mar 2006 AU
2001249949 Nov 2006 AU
2008219052 Aug 2008 AU
2009206026 Jul 2009 AU
2009212687 Aug 2009 AU
2010202712 Jul 2010 AU
2009342701 Oct 2010 AU
2010236454 Oct 2011 AU
2011338830 Jul 2013 AU
2012204359 Jul 2013 AU
2014236431 Oct 2015 AU
2012207475 Oct 2016 AU
2015396842 Dec 2017 AU
PI0112471 Aug 2003 BR
0115070-7 Jan 2004 BR
PI0111389 Feb 2004 BR
PI0306959 Nov 2004 BR
PI0313096 Jul 2005 BR
PI0415440 Dec 2006 BR
PI0514799 Jun 2008 BR
PI0906744 Jul 2015 BR
PI1014650 Apr 2016 BR
PI0908426 May 2016 BR
PI1314067 Sep 2016 BR
PI1317409 Oct 2016 BR
PI1318278 Nov 2016 BR
PI1318279 Nov 2016 BR
721181 Nov 1965 CA
730050 Mar 1966 CA
730051 Mar 1966 CA
935574 Oct 1973 CA
938740 Dec 1973 CA
1052916 Apr 1979 CA
1127324 Jul 1982 CA
1179074 Dec 1984 CA
1290472 Oct 1991 CA
2411702 Dec 2001 CA
2415904 Jan 2002 CA
2430330 Apr 2003 CA
2471977 Jul 2003 CA
2495780 Mar 2004 CA
2539008 May 2005 CA
2578144 Mar 2006 CA
2678855 Aug 2008 CA
2712457 Jan 2009 CA
2714397 Aug 2009 CA
2758906 Oct 2010 CA
2708212 Feb 2011 CA
140155 Dec 2011 CA
140156 Dec 2011 CA
2820219 Jun 2012 CA
2823387 Jul 2012 CA
2824985 Jul 2012 CA
2825044 Jul 2012 CA
2906122 Sep 2014 CA
2988071 Dec 2016 CA
2820219 Oct 2017 CA
172824 Nov 2017 CA
172825 Nov 2017 CA
172826 Nov 2017 CA
172827 Nov 2017 CA
172828 Nov 2017 CA
172829 Nov 2017 CA
172830 Nov 2017 CA
176681 Nov 2017 CA
176683 Nov 2017 CA
176684 Nov 2017 CA
176685 Nov 2017 CA
176686 Nov 2017 CA
176705 Nov 2017 CA
176706 Nov 2017 CA
406554 Jan 1966 CH
1431879 Jul 2003 CN
1682040 Oct 2005 CN
1682040 Oct 2005 CN
1230267 Dec 2005 CN
1964650 May 2007 CN
101052331 Oct 2007 CN
101977535 Feb 2011 CN
101990413 Mar 2011 CN
301837054 Feb 2012 CN
102395302 Mar 2012 CN
302060365 Sep 2012 CN
302078253 Sep 2012 CN
302078254 Sep 2012 CN
103313629 Sep 2013 CN
103313630 Sep 2013 CN
103327850 Sep 2013 CN
103327851 Sep 2013 CN
105377082 Mar 2016 CN
103313629 Aug 2016 CN
2113901 Feb 1972 DE
2927262 Jan 1980 DE
69734681 D1 Dec 2005 DE
2418985 Jun 2016 DK
2967222 Mar 2018 DK
001620725-0001 Oct 2009 EM
156883 Oct 1985 EP
269681 Jun 1988 EP
1018911 Jul 2000 EP
1286611 Mar 2003 EP
1327087 Jul 2003 EP
1337357 Aug 2003 EP
1537045 Jun 2005 EP
1682320 Jul 2006 EP
1784099 May 2007 EP
2112896 Nov 2009 EP
2112896 Nov 2009 EP
2244607 Nov 2010 EP
2296509 Mar 2011 EP
2418985 Feb 2012 EP
2648573 Oct 2013 EP
2661196 Nov 2013 EP
2665391 Nov 2013 EP
2665392 Nov 2013 EP
2946696 Nov 2015 EP
2954801 Dec 2015 EP
2967222 Jan 2016 EP
3302179 Apr 2018 EP
3389450 Oct 2018 EP
3405073 Nov 2018 EP
3554315 Oct 2019 EP
3562351 Nov 2019 EP
482352 Apr 1980 ES
252961 Feb 1981 ES
2249804 Apr 2006 ES
2575555 Jun 2016 ES
2660293 Mar 2018 ES
2430743 Feb 1980 FR
494428 Oct 1938 GB
976021 Nov 1964 GB
1284690 Aug 1972 GB
2025217 Jan 1980 GB
1577584 Oct 1980 GB
2215199 Sep 1989 GB
1686DELNP2007 Aug 2007 IN
7883DELNP2011 Sep 2013 IN
5595DELNP2013 Dec 2014 IN
5701DELNP2013 Dec 2014 IN
6306DELNP2013 Dec 2014 IN
6307DELNP2013 Dec 2014 IN
201717043686 Jan 2018 IN
53085668 Jul 1978 JP
55014095 Jan 1980 JP
63035206 Feb 1988 JP
01004763 Jan 1989 JP
4084750 Apr 2008 JP
2015051285 Mar 2015 JP
5710124 Apr 2015 JP
19830002865 May 1983 KR
19830002865 Dec 1983 KR
100355167 Sep 2002 KR
1020070026321 Mar 2007 KR
10-0730278 Jun 2007 KR
100730278 Jun 2007 KR
100735773 Jun 2007 KR
1020070057164 Jun 2007 KR
1020090122230 Nov 2009 KR
1020120024585 Mar 2012 KR
1020120030303 Mar 2012 KR
1020130140089 Dec 2013 KR
1020140006899 Jan 2014 KR
1020140031187 Mar 2014 KR
1020140032995 Mar 2014 KR
101559748 Oct 2015 KR
1020170081298 Jul 2017 KR
101970351 Apr 2019 KR
102070175 Jan 2020 KR
102090031 Mar 2020 KR
150175 Mar 1984 MX
PA02011719 May 2003 MX
PA03004813 Mar 2004 MX
PA03000300 Dec 2004 MX
PA04006971 Dec 2004 MX
PA05002627 Sep 2005 MX
PA06004139 Jun 2006 MX
2007002292 Oct 2007 MX
2009008861 Nov 2009 MX
2010007835 Sep 2010 MX
2010008675 Oct 2010 MX
2011010876 Nov 2011 MX
2010007836 Sep 2012 MX
2013006310 Jul 2013 MX
2013007934 Aug 2013 MX
314236 Oct 2013 MX
2013008403 Oct 2013 MX
2013008404 Oct 2013 MX
2015012909 Dec 2015 MX
525792 Nov 2004 NZ
579217 May 2011 NZ
587211 Oct 2012 NZ
98527 Jul 2005 SG
512085 Dec 2002 TW
559554 Nov 2003 TW
200611658 Apr 2006 TW
201230986 Aug 2012 TW
8501424 Apr 1985 WO
8706987 Nov 1987 WO
0193726 Dec 2001 WO
0204838 Jan 2002 WO
0204838 Feb 2003 WO
03061932 Jul 2003 WO
2004024617 Mar 2004 WO
2005039849 May 2005 WO
2006026062 Mar 2006 WO
2008103332 Aug 2008 WO
2008143595 Nov 2008 WO
2009091945 Jul 2009 WO
2009099993 Aug 2009 WO
2010117352 Oct 2010 WO
2010120886 Oct 2010 WO
2012027663 Mar 2012 WO
2012078398 Jun 2012 WO
2012088224 Jun 2012 WO
2012094468 Jul 2012 WO
2012097120 Jul 2012 WO
2012099812 Jul 2012 WO
2012099936 Jul 2012 WO
2012155131 Nov 2012 WO
2012097120 Jun 2014 WO
2014152935 Sep 2014 WO
2014152953 Sep 2014 WO
2016122453 Aug 2016 WO
2016195700 Dec 2016 WO
2017105454 Jun 2017 WO
2017116405 Jul 2017 WO
2017116405 Jul 2017 WO
2017116406 Jul 2017 WO
2017116406 Jul 2017 WO
2017127082 Jul 2017 WO
20170127082 Jul 2017 WO
2017200839 Nov 2017 WO
2018112341 Jun 2018 WO
2018118035 Jun 2018 WO
2018118035 Jun 2018 WO
2018118037 Jun 2018 WO
2018118037 Jun 2018 WO
2018200679 Nov 2018 WO
2019089429 May 2019 WO
200303457 May 2004 ZA
200501090 Oct 2006 ZA
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20160316927 A1 Nov 2016 US
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
62005361 May 2014 US
Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 14717245 May 2015 US
Child 15210780 US