Claims
- 1. A method for forming a baffle structure for a waterbed mattress, the baffle structure comprising a laterally extending pad and a plurality of chambers depending from the pad, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) cutting a layer of material to form a laterally extending pad having a length and width less than the length and width of the waterbed mattress into which the pad is to be placed, the pad being sufficiently buoyant to float in water and being constituted of buoyant foam;
- (b) vacuum forming a sheet of polymeric material denser than water to form a plurality of hemi-spheroidal chambers;
- (c) forming at least one metering hole through the walls of at least a portion of the chambers for passage of water out of the chambers; and
- (d) securing the pad and the vacuum-formed sheet together with the chambers being capable of depending downwardly from the pad;
- wherein the buoyant pad has sufficient buoyancy that the baffle structure floats in a waterbed mattress.
- 2. The method of claim 1 in which the pad is constituted of polyethylene less dense than water and the polymeric sheet is constituted of polyethylene denser than water, and the step of securing comprises heat sealing the pad and the vacuum-formed sheet together.
- 3. The method of claim 1 in which the baffle structure includes a polymeric film between the pad and the vacuum-formed sheet, and the step of securing comprises heatsealing the pad, film, and vacuum-formed sheet together.
- 4. The method of claim 1 in which the metering holes in the depending wall of at least one chamber have a total surface area of S square inches and said one chamber has a volume of V gallons of water, wherein the ratio of S to V is from about 0.5 to about 2.5.
- 5. The method of claim 4 in which the ratio of S to V is about 1.
- 6. The method of claim 1 including the step of placing a porous mass of bound together fibers above the pad.
- 7. The method of claim 1 including the step of forming a plurality of holes through the pad for water flow therethrough.
- 8. The method of claim 1 in which the metering holes are formed laterally and vertically spaced apart from each other.
- 9. The method of claim 1 in which the metering holes are formed equidistantly spaced apart from each other around the circumference of at least one of the chambers.
- 10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pad and sheet are a polymeric material formed from a material based upon the same compound.
- 11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the pad and sheet are secured together by heat sealing.
- 12. A method as claimed in claim 1 where at least one metering hole is located such that water flow out of the chambers is in a direction having both a horizontal component and downward component.
- 13. A method for forming a baffled waterbed mattress comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a baffle structure by any one of the methods of claims 1, 2, 3, 6, or 7,
- (b) placing the baffle structure between two outer sheets of polymeric material and bonding the two outer sheets together to form a water tight enclosure.
- 14. A method for forming a baffle structure for a waterbed mattress, the baffle structure comprising a laterally extending pad and a plurality of chambers depending from the pad, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) cutting a layer of buoyant polyethylene foam material to form a laterally extending pad having a length and width less than the length and width of the waterbed mattress into which the pad is to be placed, the pad being sufficiently buoyant to float freely in water; and
- (b) heat sealing to said pad a material constituted of polyethylene denser than water, said material having been formed to constitute chambers and having at least one hole through the walls of at least a portion of the chambers for passage of water out of the chambers, thereby to form a plurality of chambers depending from the pad, buoyant pad has sufficient buoyancy that the baffle structure floats in a waterbed mattress.
- 15. The method of claim 14 in which the chambers are hemi-spheroidal.
- 16. A method for forming a baffle structure for a waterbed mattress, the baffle structure comprising a laterally extending pad and a plurality of chambers depending from the pad, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) cutting a layer of polyethylene foam to form a laterally extending buoyant pad having a length and width less than the length and width of the waterbed mattress into which the pad is to be placed, the pad being buoyant in water;
- (b) forming a plurality of holes through a sheet of polyethylene denser than water;
- (c) vacuum forming the polyethylene sheet to form a plurality of chambers, there being at least one hole through the walls of at least a portion of chambers for passage of water out of the chambers; and
- (d) heat sealing the pad and the polyethylene sheet together with the chambers depending from the pad, wherein the buoyant pad has sufficient buoyancy that the baffle structure floats in the waterbed mattress, and in which the chambers are hemi-spheroidal.
- 17. The method of claim 1 in which at least a portion of the holes through the chamber walls allows passage of water out of the chambers in a direction having both a horizontal component and a downward component.
- 18. The method of claim 16 including the step of placing a porous mass of bound together fibers above the pad.
- 19. The method of claim 16 including the step of forming a plurality of holes through the pad for water flow therethrough.
CROSS-REFERENCES
This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 364,534, filed Apr. 1, 1982, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,356.
US Referenced Citations (16)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1091368 |
Dec 1980 |
CAX |
1094234 |
Jan 1981 |
CAX |
1103817 |
Jun 1981 |
CAX |
1128678 |
Jul 1982 |
CAX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (4)
Entry |
Advertisement for Ultralite Mattress by Ultratherm, 1982. |
Advertisement for the Max and Gold Max Mattress by Wavecrest, 1982. |
Advertisement for Olympus Mattress by American National, 2/80. |
Advertisement for Maxum Mattress by Wavecrest, Flotation Sleep Industry, Dec., 1981, pp. 48-49. |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
364534 |
Apr 1982 |
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