Mattress construction

Abstract

 A mattress comprises: a cushioning body (2) of a solid, soft material; a sheath (4) of a flexible, air-impermeable material enclosing the cushioning body (2); and valves (6,8) carried by the sheath (4) and controlling the flow of air into and out of the interior of the sheath (4) to control the softness of the mattress. The cushioning body includes a continuous top layer (10) and an underlying continuous layer (12) formed with a plurality of pro­jections (12b) engaging the underside of the top layer (10) at a plurality of discrete locations to define air spaces (14) between the two layers. The projections are of pyramidal configuration, with the apices of the pyramids in contact with the continuous top layer (10) plurality of spaced points.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to mattress constructions, and particularly to the construction of a mattress whose softness may be conveniently varied as desired for any particular application.

[0002] A large number of mattress constructions have been developed, including several types having a softness or cushioning property which may be varied by the user as desired. Individually-controllable mattresses find application not only for use by the general public in order to control the "softness" of the mattress as desired, but also for use by bed-ridden persons in order to reduce the occurrence of bed-sores. One known type of individually-controllable mattress is the air-mattress, but this requires the mattress to be inflated for use. Another known type of individually-­controllable mattress is the water-filled mattress, which not only has the disadvantage of requiring filling for use, but also the disadvantage of extremely heavy weight thereby reducing its portability.

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide a new mattress construction having advantages in the above respects.

[0004] According to the present invention, there is provided a mattress comprising a cushioning body including a continuous top layer and an underlying continuous layer of a soft, solid material formed with a plurality of projections engaging the underside of the top layer at plurality of discrete locations to define air spaces between said two layers; a sheath of a flexible, air-impermeable material enclosing said cushioning body; and valve means carried by said sheath and controlling the flow of air into and out of the interior of said sheath to control the softness of the mattress.

[0005] In the described preferred embodiment, the projections are of pyramidal configuration, with the apices of the pyramids in contact with the continuous top layer at a plurality of spaced points; also, the projections are disposed in the form of a rectangular matrix.

[0006] The valve means included in the described preferred embodiment comprise a one-way valve permitting air to enter the interior of the sheath but not to exit therefrom, and a control valve manually controllable to permit air to enter into or to exit from the interior of the sheath.

[0007] A mattress constructed in accordance with the foregoing features provides a number of important advantages over the known constructions. Since the mattress contains a cushioning body of a solid, soft material, there is no need to inflate the mattress with air or to fill it with water, before use, as it is automatically self-inflating with air by the cushioning body and one-way valve. After the mattress has been inflated, the user may lie on the mattress, and then manually open the control valve to release sufficient air to adjust the mattress to the "softness" desired. When the user rises from the mattress, the mattress will automatically restore to its original condition by the one-way valve which permits air to enter the interior of the sheath by the restoration of the cushioning body to its unstressed condition.

[0008] In addition, the mattress may be constructed of very light expanded elastomeric material enabling the mattress to be easily carried from one location to another or stored when not in use.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description below.

[0010] The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a three-dimensional view, partly broken away to show internal structure, illustrating one form of mattress constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along lines II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating the two valves included in the mattress of Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the construction of the control valve of Fig. 3.

[0011] The mattress illustrated in the drawing comprises a cushioning body, generally designated 2, of a solid, soft material, which body is enclosed within a sheath, generally designated 4, of a flexible air-impermeable material. The mattress further includes a pair of valves, shown at 6 and 8 in Fig. 3, carried by the sheath and controlling the flow of air into and out of the interior of the sheath to control the softness of the mattress.

[0012] More particularly, cushioning body 2 is made of two layers, namely a continuous top layer 10 and an underlying layer, generally designated 12. Underlying layer 12 includes a thick continuous lower section 12a, and an upper section 12b formed with a plurality of projections engaging the underside of the top layer 10 at a plurality of discrete locations to define air spaces 14 between the two layers.

[0013] As shown particularly in Fig. 1, projections 12b are of pyramidal configuration and are diposed in the form of a rectangular matrix. The bases of the pyramids in section 12b are integrally formed with the continuous lower section 12a. The apices of the pyramids are in contact with the continuous top layer 10 at a plurality of spaced points so as to provide a substantial volume of air spaces 14 between the pyramidal projections 12b and the top layer 10.

[0014] The lower section 12a of layer 12 serves as the bottom of the mattress, and effectively supports a continuous top layer at a plurality of discrete points with substantial air pockets 14 within the mattress. This air is trapped within the mattress by the external sheath 4 which is of a flexible air-impermeable material and which completely encloses the two layers 10 and 12 of the cushioning body 2.

[0015] The flow of air into or out of the interior of sheath 4 is controlled by the two valves 6 and 8 carried by the sheath at a convenient location, for example at the side of the mattress adjacent to the end serving as the head of the mattress. Valve 6 is a one-way valve, of conventional construction, which permits the air to enter the mattress sheath 4 but not to exit from it. Valve 8 is a manual control valve which is controllable by the user to permit air to enter the sheath or to exit from it as desired.

[0016] Fig. 4 illustrates an example of the construction of control valve 8. Thus, it may be of the needle-valve type, including a conical seat 20 formed with a valve opening 22 adapted to receive a conical valve member 24 attached to the end of a knurled knob 26 threaded to the valve body 28. Knob 26 may be rotated in one direction to cause its valve 24 to seat within valve seat 20 and thereby to close valve opening 22 to shut-off or reduce the air flow through that opening; or the knob may be rotated in the opposite direction to open the valve opening or to increase the air flow through it.

[0017] The manner of using the illustrated mattress will be apparent from the above description. Thus, control valve 8 will normally be closed, so that, with the cushioning body 2 unstressed, the air will enter the mattress through the one-way valve 6 to cause the air pockets 14 to be at atmospheric pressure. The user then may lie on the mattress, and if it is not sufficiently soft, he may rotate knob 26 of control valve 8 to open the valve and to permit air to escape until the mattress has attained the desired "softness", at which time the user closes the control valve 8. When the user rises up from the mattress, the cushioning body 2 will expand to its unstressed state and the mattress will be restored to its original condition since air can freely flow into the mattress via the one-way valve 6.

[0018] Layer 12 is preferably made with its continuous section 12a integrally formed with its pyramidal section 12b. Both sections are preferably made of a soft, expanded, elastomeric material, such as foamed rubber, polyethylene, polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride with open cells. The top layer 10 may also be made of the same material. The sheath 4 enclosing both layers is of a flexible air-impermeable sheet material, such as continuous films or woven fabric of nylon, polyethylene, polyvinylidene chloride, or the like. Layer 12, including its two sections 12a and 12b, is preferably of a very high softness, such that 10-15 Kgm pressure/meter compacts it substantially fully.

[0019] While the invention has been described with respect to one preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications and other applications of the invention may be made.

Claims

1. A mattress comprising: a cushioning body (2) including a continuous top layer (10) and an underlying continuous layer (12) of a soft, solid material formed with a plurality of projections (12b) engaging the underside of the top layer at a plurality of discrete locations to define air spaces (14) between said two layers (10,12); a sheath (4) of a flexible, air-impermeable material enclosing said cushioning body (2); and valve means (6,8) carried by said sheath (4) and controlling the flow of air into and out of the interior of said sheath (4) to control the softness of the mattress.

2. The mattress according to Claim 1, wherein said projections (12b) are of pyramidal configuration, with the apices of the pyramids in contact with the continuous top layer (10) at a plurality of spaced points.

3. The mattress according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said projections (12b) are disposed in the form of a rectangular matrix.

4. The mattress according to any one of Claims 1-3, wherein said valve means comprises a one-­way valve (6) permitting air to enter the interior of the sheath (4) but not to exit therefrom and a control valve (8) manually controllable to permit air to enter into or to exit from the interior of the sheath (4).

5. The mattress according to any one of Claims 1-4, wherein said underlying layer (12) is integrally formed with a continuous section (12a) serving as the bottom layer of the cushioning body, and with said projections (12b) projecting from the upper face of the underlying layer in contact with said continuous top layer (10).

6. The mattress according to any one of Claims 1-5, wherein said underlying layer (12) and its projections (12b) are formed of a soft, expanded, elastomeric material.

7. The mattress according to any preceding claim, wherein said top layer (10) is formed of a soft, expanded, elastomeric material.

8. The mattress according to any one of Claims 1-7, wherein said air-impermeable sheath (4) is of plastic sheet material.

Drawing